Sports
Behind Braxton Ashcraft, Pirates chase series win vs. Cubs
Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The visiting Pittsburgh Pirates will search for a rare series victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon when the teams play the second contest of a three-game set.
Pittsburgh went 3-10 against the Cubs in 2025, dropping all four series against its National League Central rival. Through two weeks this season, though, this looks like a much different Pirates squad.
Despite being hitless through six innings, Pittsburgh earned a 2-0 win in the series opener on Friday thanks to Bryan Reynolds’ two-run homer in the seventh. After the midseason hire of manager Don Kelly helped galvanize last year’s team, the momentum has carried into 2026.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, just taking it one game and one series at a time,” Kelly said Friday. “We’re just looking to get after it tomorrow again. Any win you can get in Chicago against the Cubs at Wrigley is a special one.”
Pittsburgh’s Saturday starter, Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.25 ERA), is coming off consecutive stellar starts to open his second season in the majors. After allowing two runs in six innings in a 2-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on March 30, the 26-year-old right-hander surrendered just one run with eight strikeouts across six frames in an 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
“As a starting pitcher, you’re trying to go six, seven innings every time you go out there,” Ashcraft said. “Being able to get the ball on the ground or get weak contact is the most important piece of that. Strikeouts come when they come, but if you’re searching for strikeouts, that’s when the pitch county can get up there a little bit.”
Ashcraft faced the Cubs three times (two starts) in his rookie season, going 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA.
The Cubs were blanked for the second time this season on Friday, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while leaving 11 men on base.
The top of the list of struggling Chicago batters is Dansby Swanson, who went 0-for-3 in the series opener to drop to .140 this season.
“We’ve got a couple guys that are not feeling it right now at the plate,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s the nature of offense today, and it gets a little magnified at the start of the season. Dansby is going to be streaky, and we’re going to need production there. He’ll get going.”
Offseason addition Edward Cabrera (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will get another opportunity to impress his new club on Saturday.
Cabrera, who was traded by the Miami Marlins in January, has thrown 11 2/3 scoreless innings in two appearances with Chicago. Last time out, the right-hander allowed just one hit in 5 2/3 frames, earning a no-decision in his team’s 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.
In five years with Miami, Cabrera rarely made a start in a stadium with as much energy as Wrigley Field. The Marlins had losing seasons in all but one year that Cabrera played for them. Now as a key piece of a club with high expectations, he is enjoying the new-found responsibility.
“The emotions definitely are different,” Cabrera said of comparing Miami and Chicago. “Let’s be real: There is a big difference between the fan bases and the number of fans we had in Miami. I try not to focus too much on that, but there definitely are different emotions.”
In two career starts against Pittsburgh, Cabrera is 0-1 with a 2.35 ERA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
'Stubborn' Angels seek rare series win vs. Astros
May 30, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers (48) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels will attempt to win a series against the Houston Astros for the first time in nearly 25 months when the teams complete a three-game set on Wednesday night at Anaheim, Calif.
The Astros regularly have beaten the Angels since, winning six series and tying two others, including a four-game. season-opening split in Houston in March.
After Houston won Monday’s series opener, 5-4 in 10 innings, the Angels scored seven runs in the first two innings and sailed to a 10-1 victory on Tuesday.
Oswald Peraza had three RBIs and Jo Adell and Wade Meckler drove in two runs apiece. Meckler scored three times and reached base five times on three walks, one hit and once via error.
“We had a good approach as a team,” Meckler said. “Guys were being stubborn, looking for it in the zone and making pitchers work.”
Astros manager Joe Espada was OK with his team’s approach but it didn’t pay off when needed.
Houston had three hits and five walks in five innings against Los Angeles starter Walbert Urena but couldn’t score against him.
“One big hit,” Espada said of what the Astros needed. “And I thought that we were going to get him, just to get us back in the game. Drove the pitch count, we were really patient. But we just couldn’t get a big hit.”
Houston’s only run came in the seventh inning on pinch hitter Brice Matthews’ RBI single. The Astros were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
It was a tough Tuesday on the injury front for the Angels.
During the game, Angels catcher Sebastian Rivero had two singles to give himself a streak of seven straight hits before injuring his left wrist while fouling off a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning. Logan O’Hoppe replaced him for the final two pitches of the at-bat and he took a called third strike. with the strikeout charged to Rivero to end his streak.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Rivero will undergo a CT scan on Wednesday.
Los Angeles first baseman Nolan Schanuel (left calf tightness) departed the game prior to the top of the fourth inning and is day-to-day. He was plunked by a pitch in the calf in the opening inning.
Before the game, the Angels revealed that third baseman Yoan Moncada (right knee) will undergo surgery next week and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (torn UCL) will undergo Tommy John surgery.
Kochanowicz could be sidelined through the 2027 season while Los Angeles is in wait-and-see mode regarding Moncada.
“We don’t know the timetable,” Suzuki said of Moncada. “All I heard was he decided to get surgery and we’ll know more after it gets done. That’s the best answer I can give you.”
Left-hander Reid Detmers (2-5, 4.26 ERA) will be on the mound for the Angels. He is tied for seventh in the majors with 88 strikeouts.
Detmers received a no-decision last Friday when he allowed two hits over six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1-0 loss.
Two outings earlier, Detmers struck out a career-best 14 batters while giving up just one hit – a homer – over eight innings of a no-decision against the Texas Rangers in a 2-1 win.
Detmers, 26, is just 1-4 with a 7.63 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts) against the Astros. Jose Altuve is 7-for-21 with two homers and Jeremy Pena is 7-for-20 off of Detmers.
Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (5-4, 3.55) will look for his fourth consecutive victory when he takes the mound on Wednesday.
Lambert, 29, gave up five hits in each of the three wins. He beat the Athletics on Friday when he allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings.
Lambert has allowed two hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings in two career relief outings against the Angels.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Myles Garrett's revised deal includes $37M guaranteed in '26
Jun 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett looks on prior to throwing out the honorary first pitch before a game between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Defensive end Myles Garrett’s revised deal with the Los Angeles Rams includes a $5.5 million raise for this season, according to numbers reported by multiple outlets Wednesday.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was acquired by the Rams in a June 1 trade that sent Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks, including a first-round selection in 2027, to the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett’s restructured five-year, $208.2 million deal includes $37 million fully guaranteed in 2026 and $99 million guaranteed through the 2028 season along with a signing bonus and multiple option bonuses, according to Spotrac.
Garrett’s revised cap numbers include $8.8 million in 2026, $15.0 million in 2027, $27.6 million in 2028, $39.9 million in 2029 and $48.2 million in 2030, with another $39.9 million not scheduled to count against the cap until after the contract voids in February 2031, according to NFL Network.
His salary for the upcoming season climbs from $31.5 million to $37 million, per the reports.
The Rams have become a heavy favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played in their own stadium in February 2027. The last time the Rams won a Super Bowl after the 2021 season, it was also in their stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Garrett, 30, had an NFL-record 23 sacks for the Browns last season. His 125.5 career sacks equate to an average of 15.9 per season. He also led the league with 33 tackles for loss last season.
The five-time All-Pro selection was the first overall draft pick of the Browns in 2017 and had 412 tackles, 149 tackles for loss and 239 quarterback hits in 134 games (131 starts) with Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Chiefs, T Wanya Morris exploring trade options
Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris (64) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Kansas City Chiefs and offensive lineman Wanya Morris are exploring trade opportunities, ESPN reported.
Morris, 25, is looking for more playing time after starting a total of 16 games during his first three seasons.
The 6-foot-6, 307-pound tackle has appeared in 43 games since the Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2023.
Morris won a Super Bowl championship during his rookie campaign but made only one start last season.
–Field Level Media
'Stubborn' Angels seek rare series win vs. Astros
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