Sports
Baylor's No. 1 pass defense to test Colorado's Shedeur Sanders
Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Baylor’s top-ranked passing defense will try to slow down a potent Colorado aerial attack in Saturday’s Big 12 Conference opener for both teams in Boulder, Colo.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda assumed defensive play calls this season and the Bears (2-1) have allowed just 75.7 passing yards per game.
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 999 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s been sacked seven times.
Travis Hunter is a do-everything star for the Buffaloes (2-1). As a receiver, he has a team-high 30 receptions for 342 yards and five scores. On defense, he’s a shutdown corner with 11 tackles and an interception.
“I have a lot of respect offensively for what they do,” Aranda said. “Their quarterback makes some really hard throws. If he knows what you’re in, the throws are out before the turns are made and before the coverage has a chance to work a leverage or any of that. Once he knows, it’s bad for the defense. And then, I think the skill is such that you can only double cover so many people.”
In a 31-3 home win against Air Force last week, Sawyer Robertson started at quarterback for Baylor in place of an injured Dequan Finn and completed 18 of 24 passes for 248 yards with a rushing touchdown.
Aranda said he “hoped to have an idea” of this week’s starter prior to Saturday.
“We’re going with, right now, day-to-day,” Aranda said of Finn’s status. “Dequan is out of the sling, so we had practice (Monday) morning and he was able to move around better. There are limitations on what we can do per day, but I think we’re in a good spot.”
After struggling to establish a rushing attack in its first two games, Colorado racked up a season-high 116 yards on the ground in last week’s 28-9 win against rival Colorado State.
“When we are more physical and able to understand our basic fundamentals, we are able to run the ball more effectively,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “We want to run the ball effectively and stop the run. We don’t know which quarterback they’ll feature but are preparing for both of them. Baylor is physical and strong and they don’t make a lot of self-inflicted mistakes.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets place RHP Clay Holmes on IL with fibula fracture
May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed right-hander Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list Saturday after he fractured his right fibula when he was hit by a comebacker in Friday’s game against the New York Yankees.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Joey Gerber was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Holmes was hit by a 111.1-mph line drive from Spencer Jones in the fourth inning but remained in the game and faced seven more hitters. The fracture was revealed in X-rays at the ballpark.
“It’s a huge blow,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s been one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation.”
Holmes, 33, is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts this season and has gone 40-34 with a 3.53 ERA during 353 appearances (44 starts) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-21), New York Yankees (2021-24) and Mets.
Gerber, 29, made one relief appearance for the Mets last month and has a career 3.27 ERA in 20 relief appearances with the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Mets going back to 2020.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios scheduled for elbow surgery
Sep 16, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17) walks to the dugout after he pitched the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios, who has not pitched in a major league game since last September, will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his elbow, manager John Schneider said Saturday.
Berrios, 31, did not participate in the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series last season or the World Baseball Classic this spring for his native Puerto Rico with what was first diagnosed as right elbow inflammation last season.
After making four minor league appearances while on a rehab assignment this season, more elbow discomfort led to a diagnosis of a stress fracture.
A timetable for a return will be made after surgery is performed Wednesday with a possibility he could miss the entire 2026 season.
Berrios was 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) last season. In 10 major league seasons, the two-time All-Star is 108-82 with a 4.08 ERA in 275 appearances (273 starts) for the Minnesota Twins (2016-21) and Blue Jays.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Elina Svitolina defeats Coco Gauff in 3 sets for Italian Open title
Elina Svitolina hits a return during her match against Elena Rybakina at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., March 13, 2026. Elina Svitolina recovered from a second-set tie-breaker loss and went on to defeat Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 on Saturday to win her third Italian Open championship in Rome.
The 31-year-old Ukrainian became the second woman age 30-plus to take the WTA 1000 title in the Italian capital. Serena Williams won three after she turned 30 in 2013-14 and 2016.
Svitolina, who was seeded seventh in the tournament, won back-to-back Italian Open titles in 2017-18 and her win on Saturday was the 20th in her career.
“It’s very hard to believe that it’s been eight years since I held this trophy,” said Svitolina on-court after the match. “Very, very pleased with the two weeks here. I want to say congrats to Coco for a great tournament and for your team as well. You’re such a great champion. Hopefully we’ll have more battles in the future.”
“I want to thank my team. I had a tough loss in the final in Dubai this year. It was my 19th title and I was aiming for 20. I told my coach it would be nice before I finish my career to have a round number.”
The third-seeded Gauff broke her foe’s serve out of the gates and led, 4-2, before Svitolina rallied to win the next four games to capture the set. She saved 8-of-10 break points, while Gauff conceded all three break points on her shaky service.
The two women held serve for the first ten games of the second set. Then, there were back-to-back breaks, with Gauff failing to hold at 6-5. But she won all five points on serve during the tie-breaker and tallied the final six points to send the match to a decider.
The Floridian had one break point chance at 2-1, but Svitolina responded and captured 17 of the next 24 points of the match to take a 5-2 lead.
Ever the fighter, Gauff dug in, earning three break points and fending off two match points before Svitolina won her first WTA 1000 title since 2018.
She defeated the No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina (quarterfinals) and No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek (semifinals) to reach the big stage in Rome.
Ukrainian women swept the clay court WTA 1000 events in 2026, as Marta Kostyuk captured the 2026 title in Madrid last month.
–Field Level Media
Mets place RHP Clay Holmes on IL with fibula fracture
Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios scheduled for elbow surgery
