Sports
Back at .500, Nationals go for 3-game sweep of Orioles
May 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three run home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images The Washington Nationals will go for their first home series sweep of the season when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
The Nationals pulled away late for a 13-3 win on Saturday, allowing them to reach .500 (23-23) for the first time since May 2024. Washington had lost 15 straight games when a win would have improved its record to the .500 mark.
This is the latest Washington has been at .500 since July 2, 2021.
“Obviously, we want our record to be even better than .500,” manager Blake Butera said. “It’s a cool accomplishment to get to .500 at this point in the season, playing the type of schedule we’ve played to this point. Hopefully, we can build off this.”
The Nationals have managed just an 8-13 home record while going 15-10 on the road.
Baltimore, meanwhile, has lost three of four. Scoring has been a problem of late as the Orioles have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their past nine games.
“We’re trying to win every game like we talk about,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Every time we show up we’re trying to win so the urgency is the same. I think it’s us coming in tomorrow, be ready to win.”
The Orioles send Brandon Young (3-1, 4.15 ERA) to the mound Sunday opposite fellow right-hander Miles Mikolas (1-3, 7.00).
Baltimore is 4-1 in Young’s starts. Last time out, he gave up two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the Yankees. He struck out five and walked three.
“BY’s command was not his best, he knows that but he did a great job of just keeping us in it,” Albernaz said.
Young, who has never faced the Nationals, has fashioned a 2.45 road ERA this season, compared to 5.40 at Camden Yards.
Mikolas has managed to shave over four runs off his ERA with improved performances over his past five appearances. Last time out, he started and went 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits as the Washington defeated host Cincinnati.
Mikolas is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three career starts against the Orioles.
The Nationals saw a 4-0 lead shrink to 4-3 in the seventh inning Saturday before erupting for seven runs in their half of the inning.
“They cut to a 4-3 game there in the seventh, and to answer with a seven spot and get the momentum right back in our hands is just tremendous,” Butera said.
Keibert Ruiz had three hits including a homer and drove in five runs, and Jacob Young and Brady House each had two hits including a homer.
Ruiz has hit safely in four of his last five games, batting .381 (8-for-21) with four doubles, three homers, seven runs and 11 RBIs.
House entered the game in the seventh inning and became the fifth player in Nationals history to record two or more extra-base hits off the bench.
CJ Abrams finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.
Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neill hit back-to-back homers for Baltimore. Basallo extended his hitting streak to nine games, raising his batting average from .234 to .278 during that time.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers score season-high 15 runs, pound Angels
May 16, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) slides to third base on a single by shortstop Mookie Betts (not pictured) ahead of a tag from Los Angeles Angels third baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani drove in five runs with a late triple and double, Justin Wrobleski combined with three relievers on an eight-hitter and the Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of Jose Soriano’s wildness to wallop the Los Angeles Angels 15-2 on Saturday night in the second game of their rivalry series in Anaheim, Calif.
The Dodgers did all but one run of their season-high scoring in three innings, with Ohtani doing all his damage in a four-run eighth and five-run ninth.
While the game was still competitive, Alex Call had the only hit of a five-run sixth, a two-run single, helping the Dodgers pull away 24 hours after they had opened the three-game set with a 6-0 victory.
Ohtani walked and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly in the first inning for the game’s only scoring until the decisive sixth.
After getting Ohtani on a grounder to second to lead off the sixth, Soriano (6-3) walked Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman before hitting Smith to load the bases.
Two more walks — to Andy Pages and Max Muncy — produced runs and also ended Soriano’s night, one in which he allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings.
Reliever Chase Silseth plunked Teoscar Hernandez to force in the inning’s third run, and Call followed with his two-RBI single to make it 6-0.
Jo Adell’s two-run double in the bottom of the inning got the Angels on the scoreboard, but that’s all they got against Wrobleski (6-1) in his six innings. Coming off his worst outing and only loss of the season, 7-2 last Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, the left-hander limited the Angels to two runs and seven hits, walking one and striking out five.
Soriano was charged with six runs in his 5 1/3 innings. He walked six and struck out six.
The Dodgers blew the game open in the eighth when Ohtani tripled into the right-field corner, scoring two runs, and raced home when right fielder Adell’s throw eluded his cutoff man for an error. Betts then followed with a home run, his fourth, to make it 10-2.
In an inning that ended with infielder Adam Frazier on the mound, the Dodgers reached the 15-run mark in the ninth, capped by Ohtani’s three-run double.
Muncy scored three times for the Dodgers, who have won four in a row, while Ohtani, Betts, Smith and Pages scored twice apiece.
Ohtani, Betts and the Angels’ Jorge Soler, who had two doubles, were the only players in the game with multiple hits, all with two.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ronda Rousey re-retires after 17-second submission defeat of Gina Carano
May 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ronda Rousey (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Gina Carano (red gloves) after a women’s featherweight bout at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Netflix’s MMA debut was capped off with a high-stakes women’s legacy fight, as inaugural UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her return to the sport opposite Gina Carano – with Rousey winning with her signature armbar only 17 seconds into the featherweight fight at Inglewood, Calif., at Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event.
An immediate takedown from Rousey saw Carano briefly attempt a guillotine before Rousey popped her head out, landed a few strikes from mount and locked in the inevitable submission.
Rousey (13-2-0 MMA) secured her 10th submission win, returning to the cage following an exit from MMA in December of 2016.
She announced after the win that she’s once again retiring to focus on having more children.
“There’s no way I could’ve ended it better than this,” Rousey said at the InTuit Dome. “I want to have some more babies and I’ve got to get cooking.”
Rousey, held back by tears, gave it up for Carano following the fight.
“Gina is the person who brought me into MMA,” Rousey said. “She’s the only person who could have brought me back to MMA. She’s my f***ing hero, man.”
Carano (7-2-0 MMA) had been inactive in the sport since August of 2009, returning to MMA after a conversation last fall at Rousey’s encouragement. She admitted the fight was too fast for her, regretting what more she could have done in a short timeframe.
“I feel great,” Carano said after the loss. “I wanted to fight, and I didn’t get that. But she trained. She had her gameplan. I have so much love and respect for her, and this was a victory in my life. She changed it. I woke up at 3 a.m. every morning thinking about her. I took 100 pounds off my body, which is going to give me a longer life. I fell back in love with mixed martial arts. There’s so many things to think about here. It’s just (that) the fight didn’t go my way.”
Carano, 44, is unsure whether she’ll return to MMA, choosing to keep the door open.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Astros start fast, power past Jacob deGrom, Rangers
May 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) crosses home plate after hitting a home run to left field against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez slugged first-inning home runs to key a four-homer assault that propelled the Houston Astros to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The Astros secured the three-game series and will aim for a sweep on Sunday in the finale. Houston prevented Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-3) from securing his 100th win by doing something only one other team has accomplished against deGrom in his illustrious career.
Altuve drilled a 2-0 fastball from deGrom 358 feet out to left field in the bottom of the first inning for his 42nd career leadoff home run. Altuve spotted the Astros a 1-0 lead with his fourth homer of the season and, two batters later, Alvarez doubled that margin by taking deGrom out to right.
Alvarez launched a 3-2 fastball 362 feet for his 15th home run this season. Suddenly trailing 2-0, deGrom rallied with strikeouts of Christian Walker and Braden Shewmake to begin a stretch where he retired eight of nine batters. Zach Dezenzo singled with two outs in the second inning.
But the Astros ambushed deGrom again in the fourth. Walker crushed the first pitch of that frame, a fastball, 422 feet to left-center field for his 11th home run and a 3-0 lead. After deGrom retired Shewmake and Brice Matthews, Zach Cole blasted his third homer 361 feet to right.
deGrom allowed four home runs for the second time in 257 career starts. On July 7, 2017, he surrendered four dingers in a 6-5 road win over the St. Louis Cardinals with the New York Mets. deGrom retired the final seven batters he faced following the Cole homer and surrendered four runs on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings. He matched his season high with 94 pitches.
Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-3) worked five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and issued four walks while notching seven strikeouts.
Joc Pederson produced an RBI single against Houston reliever Enyel De Los Santos in the top of the seventh, but the Rangers finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 baserunners overall.
Altuve departed in the eighth, clutching his left side after grounding into a double play. He is set to undergo imaging Sunday morning.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers score season-high 15 runs, pound Angels
Ronda Rousey re-retires after 17-second submission defeat of Gina Carano
