Sports
Brandon Pfaadt, D-backs strive to fluster struggling Phillies
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) pitches during the first inning at Chase Field against the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images Brandon Pfaadt and Taijuan Walker have gotten off to poor starts this season, but they will have another opportunity to get on track Saturday afternoon when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pfaadt (0-0, 6.75 ERA) gave up five runs in six innings against the Detroit Tigers on March 31 in his first start of 2026. The right-hander then failed to make it out of the fifth inning Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, yielding three runs in 4 2/3 frames.
“It was kind of a grinder, but it was an overall team win,” Pfaadt said after his teammates squeaked out a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. “It’s a big, big testament to the type of team that we are.”
Walker (0-2, 9.31 ERA) was pounded in his season debut on March 30, allowing seven runs (six earned) and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 13-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. His performance was a little better Sunday vs. the Colorado Rockies, who tagged the right-hander for four runs and seven hits — including three homers — in five innings. Colorado won 4-1.
“Rough,” Walker said, assessing his early-season performances. “I feel like the stuff is good. It’s playing up. But when I’m making mistakes, it’s getting hit right now.”
In Friday’s series opener, both starting pitchers suffered through one ugly inning in the game won by Arizona, 5-4.
For Arizona starter Michael Soroka, it was a four-run first that included a three-run homer by Brandon Marsh. That 4-0 lead held up until Philadelphia starter Jesus Luzardo yielded five runs in the fifth, highlighted by two-RBI hits from Ketel Marte and James McCann.
McCann initially came on after Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno made an early exit due to back soreness.
“One inning, he’s just sitting there minding his own business, and the next inning, he’s calling a game and just immediately impacted the game,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of McCann. “And then he had the big hit that clearly helped us win the game, so props to him.”
Moreno’s status for Saturday’s matinee wasn’t clear when Lovullo met with the media on Friday.
“We’re going to evaluate him tonight, through the course of the morning, and find out what’s going on,” Lovullo said. “So he’s going to be day-to-day at this point.”
The Phillies have some examining to do as well, as they need to take a close look at an offense that has scored in only one of their last 29 innings. After 20 straight scoreless frames to end their trip to San Francisco, the Phillies did not score Friday after their first four batters of the game scored.
“The entire team tonight, a lot of swing-and-miss. That was really our bugaboo,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said after his team struck out 16 times against Soroka and three relievers.
Kyle Schwarber went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, lowering his batting average to .182. Bryson Stott is batting .179 and Alec Bohm, after going 0-for-4 with three punchouts, is down to .170.
“With Bohmer, he’s just missing,” Thomson said. “I don’t know whether it’s timing or contact point. It could be a number of things.”
Bohm will try to get back in a groove as he faces Pfaadt, who will make his second career start against the Phillies. He allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to Philadelphia last season.
Walker has made two career starts against Arizona — one in each of the last two seasons — and is 0-1 with a 6.75 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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