Sports
Astros, Spencer Arrighetti aim for sweep of scuffling Royals
Jun 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (41) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Houston Astros have already secured their first winning series at Kansas City since 2022. Considering how well they’ve fared with Spencer Arrighetti on the mound, a sweep could be next.
They’ll try to accomplish that feat Sunday and win a sixth consecutive start made by the talented right-hander in this series finale against the scuffling Royals.
After using a nine-run first inning to win 10-8 in the series opener Friday, Houston rallied from deficits of 3-0 early and 7-5 late Saturday, to pull out an 8-7 victory over the Royals.
“We’re ready for any moment,” Astros outfielder Brice Matthews, who has homered in each game of this set, told Space City Home Network.
“We’re just there to fight, to claw. Try to get a win each and every day.”
The Astros are 9-1 this season in games started by Arrighetti (7-1, 2.21 ERA).
He yielded seven earned runs through his first eight 2026 starts, but has equaled that amount in the two since. Three of those runs came during the Astros’ 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, when he also gave up four hits and walked four, but completed six innings for his fifth quality start of the season.
Arrighetti surrendered seven runs and seven hits over just three innings of Houston’s 11-2 loss at Kansas City in 2024 — his only previous start against the Royals.
This weekend, Houston has totaled 21 hits, and clubbed eight home runs in Kansas City. Christian Walker has hit two of his 18 homers in the series, while MVP contender Yordan Alvarez has three hits in each contest, including that two-homer first inning Friday, to raise his batting average to .327.
Riding a 20-game on-base streak, Alvarez is batting .359 in 34 career games against the Royals.
Alvarez has never faced scheduled Kansas City starter Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.14 ERA), who’s been a pleasant surprise since being pressed into service in early May due to injuries within the starting rotation.
He’s been especially good at home, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts.
Kolek yielded three earned runs over 12 innings of his two June starts. On Tuesday, the right-hander yielded eight hits, but only an earned run over five innings of the Royals’ 5-3 home victory over Texas.
A Houston native, Kolek has never faced the Astros, but will try to keep this version at bay after Kansas City’s first two starters of the series – Luinder Avila and Noah Cameron – allowed 12 runs and four homers over five innings.
The Royals have lost four in a row — all at home, where they’re mired in a 3-11 rut.
“It’s just finding a way, competing every day,” star Bobby Witt Jr. told the Royals’ official website.
Witt had three hits Saturday, including career No. 800. He’s 7-for-18 in the last four games.
Teammate Vinnie Pasquantino is batting .333 during an eight-game hitting streak. However, he exited Saturday’s game with a right hand/hamate injury, leaving his immediate status uncertain.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trevor Rogers tosses 7 1-hit innings, Orioles eke out win vs. Dodgers
Jun 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras (30) runs to third during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images Left-hander Trevor Rogers gave up one hit over seven scoreless innings and Blaze Alexander had a two-run double as the visiting Baltimore Orioles escaped with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Rogers took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Orioles improved to 2-3 on a West Coast road trip that started in Seattle and concludes against the Los Angeles Angels next week.
Los Angeles right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto went six innings as he was unable to reprise his near no-hitter at Baltimore last season. He allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
After missing one game for the birth of his second child, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani returned to the leadoff spot and hit a home run in the ninth inning. Edman had a pair of singles for Los Angeles, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
The Orioles jumped in front 1-0 in the second when Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser led off the inning with consecutive singles to put runners on the corners. Coby Mayo’s groundout scored Taveras.
Baltimore increased the advantage in the fourth inning. Again they opened an inning with consecutive singles, this time from Samuel Basallo and Taveras. After Mayo walked with one out to load the bases, Alexander hit a two-out double down the third-base line to score a pair of runs for a 3-0 lead.
Rogers cruised into the fifth inning where he gave up his first hit of the game on a two-out single to center from Edman.
Rogers’ only scare came in the seventh inning when he walked Mookie Betts with two outs before Miguel Rojas hit a ball to the base of the center field wall that was caught by Cowser.
The Dodgers pulled within a run in the ninth when Ohtani hit a home run and Edman’s line drive was dropped by Taveras with two outs, allowing a second run to score. Yennier Cano finished off his first save by striking out Kyle Tucker to strand runners on the corners.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Connelly Early, Red Sox handle Mariners for second straight win
Jun 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox starter Connelly Early (71) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Wilyer Abreu homered and Connelly Early overcame a shaky first inning to make a quality start as the Boston Red Sox defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Saturday night.
The Red Sox have won the first two games of the series and will go for a sweep Sunday afternoon.
Early (6-5), who had lost his previous three starts, went six innings and allowed one run on two hits. The left-hander walked two and struck out seven, one shy of his season high.
Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Danny Coulombe each pitched a perfect inning of relief to complete the two-hitter.
The only run Early allowed came in the first inning.
Early walked leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh lined a single to left field. Julio Rodriguez grounded into a forceout before Josh Naylor lined a run-scoring single to center. Rodriguez was caught on the front end of an attempted double steal, and Early struck out former teammate Rob Refsnyder to get out of the jam.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock (5-4) retired the side in order in each of the first three innings before Anthony Seigler led off the fourth by grounding a single to left. An out later, Abreu went deep to straightaway center field to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.
Boston extended its advantage with a three-run sixth, despite hitting just one ball out of the infield.
With one out, Masataka Yoshida lined a single to right and stole second. Abreu walked and both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Willson Contreras reached on a base on balls to load the bases.
That was it for Hancock, as the Mariners brought in lefty Jose A. Ferrer. He got Jarren Duran to ground into a forceout to first baseman Naylor, with Yoshida thrown out at the plate. Duran just beat the throw back to first in an attempt for an inning-ending double play.
Ferrer’s wild pitch scored Abreau and advanced Duran to second and Contreras to third. Caleb Durbin hit a grounder on which shortstop Colt Emerson made a diving stop, but the rookie had no play on the infield single and Contreras scored. Marcelo Mayer then hit a high chopper to second baseman Cole Young, who likewise had no play as another run scored to make it 5-1.
Hancock was charged with five runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander walked two and fanned six.
–Field Level Media
Sports
FURIA, Team Falcons set to clash for IEM Cologne crown
Nolan Starkey, a senior at Rossville High School, plays Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Monday, April 15, 2019, in Rossville. Starkey signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play esports at Trine University in Angola, Ind.
Rossville High School Senior Signs With Trine University To Play Esports
Team Falcons and FURIA will meet in Sunday’s grand final of the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major after semifinal victories Saturday in Germany.
FURIA swept Aurora Gaming 2-0, while Team Falcons edged Team Spirit 2-1 in the other semifinal playoff. Both first-place Team Spirit and second-place FURIA had gone 3-0 in Stage 3 group play, while third-place Aurora Gaming was 3-1 as was fifth-place Team Falcons.
All four teams had advanced out of the quarterfinals, which were on Thursday and Friday.
The Counter-Strike 2 tournament with 32 entrants competing for their share of a $1.25 million prize pool began June 2 with the start of the first stage.
The field was ultimately trimmed to the final eight playoff teams through a series of three stages, where all matches were best-of-three, as were most of the playoffs. Sunday’s grand final will be best-of-five, with the winner taking home $500,000 while the runner-up settles for $170,000.
On Saturday, Team Falcons opened with a 16-14 win on Anubis before Team Spirit drew even with a 13-8 victory on Mirage. The Falcons captured the deciding map, Dust II, by a 16-12 outcome.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovac of Bosnia and Herzegovina led the Falcons with 59 kills to 52 deaths and a 1.26 rating to earn Player of the Match honors. Russian teammates Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin (60 kills, 1.18 rating) and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov (68 kills, 1.16) also contributed to the victory.
Russia’s Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov paced Team Spirit with 69 kills to 49 deaths and a 1.24 rating.
FURIA ousted Aurora Gaming, winning 13-9 on Dust II and 13-4 on Nuke.
Yuri “yuurih” Santos of Brazil was Player of the Match, pacing FURIA with a 34-19 K-D differential and 1.62 rating. Teammate Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato of Brazil posted a 29-20 K-D and 1.38 rating, while Mareks “Yekindar” Galinskis of Latvia recorded a 32-28 K-D and 1.30 rating. No Aurora Gaming players had a positive rating.
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne prize pool
1. $500,000
2. $170,000
3-4. $80,000 — Team Spirit, Aurora Gaming
5-8. $45,000 — BetBoom Team, 9z Team, Team Vitality, G2 Esports
9-11. $15,000 — Natus Vincere, FUT Esports, The MongolZ
12-14. $15,000 — MOUZ, Monte, Legacy
15-16. $15,000 — B8, PARIVISION
17-19. $10,000 — paiN Gaming, TYLOO, BIG
20-22. $10,000 — MIBR, M80, Astralis
23-24. $10,000 — GamerLegion, FlyQuest
25-27. $5,000 — Lynn Vision Gaming, NRG, Team Liquid
28-30. $5,000 — THUNDERdOWNUNDER, Sharks Esports, HEROIC
31-32. $5,000 — Gaimin Gladiators, SINNERS Esports
–Field Level Media
Trevor Rogers tosses 7 1-hit innings, Orioles eke out win vs. Dodgers
Connelly Early, Red Sox handle Mariners for second straight win
