Sports
Buoyed by offense, Giants shoot for sweep in Atlanta
Jun 17, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) celebrates hitting a double against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images In search of their first road sweep of the Atlanta Braves in eight years, the San Francisco Giants will bring their newfound success on offense into the finale of a three-game series on Thursday.
Winners in three straight games, the Giants scored 14 runs in a pair of wins — 7-2 and 7-5 — over the Braves. San Francisco is vying for its first four-game winning streak of the season and its first series sweep of 2026.
Right-hander Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.24 ERA) will aim to find his way out of a lackluster start to the month of June when he makes the start on Thursday. He is 0-2 with an 8.16 ERA in his last three starts and hasn’t earned a win since April 26.
Roupp failed to complete five innings for the second time in his last three starts on Friday, yielding four runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
“It was a challenging one for him,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said of Roupp. “It seemed like once he got ahead in the count, it didn’t go well from there.”
Roupp had a 5-1 record with a 2.55 ERA through April before dropping six straight decisions.
“I’m getting guys 0-2 and then I look up and it’s 3-2,” Roupp said. “I’ve just got to be better at putting guys away and also not going for the strikeout so much. First-pitch outs are really good and I’ve got to compete in the zone better.”
Roupp is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against the Braves.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is scuffling through its worst stretch of the season. The Braves have lost six of their past seven games and have seen the second-place Philadelphia Phillies close the deficit in the National League East to 6 1/2 games. On May 22, their division lead was 10 1/2 games.
Hoping to serve as a stopper, veteran left-hander Martin Perez (5-3, 2.90) will look to record his fourth straight victory on Thursday for Atlanta.
Perez has pitched at least five innings in each of his past five starts since being reinserted in the rotation on May 19.
He went 5 1/3 innings last time out, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four in a 3-1 road win over the New York Mets.
“Martin was outstanding,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Perez’s most recent outing. “He’s been great. He just carves up lineups. When he does get into trouble, he can navigate out of it. He’s been one of our better starters.”
Perez was designated for assignment by Atlanta on April 12 before being re-signed. He has responded to the moves by posting the second-best starting ERA on the staff, trailing only Chris Sale and his 2.30.
Weiss, a former Braves player, says Perez embodies the way the franchise is able to maximize players’ talent.
“Even going back to the times when I played, Atlanta typically tends to get the best version out of guys,” Weiss said. “I do think it’s something to do with the winning culture and I think that elevates a player’s game. We’ve done a lot of winning here over a few decades, so I think when guys come in, that’s infectious.”
Perez is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) against the Giants.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tempo Gs Brittney Sykes, Kiki Rice to miss extended time
Jun 16, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes (20) shoots the ball while Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Toronto Tempo guards Brittney Sykes and Kiki Rice will be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future with their respective injuries, the expansion team announced Friday.
Rice, a rookie, sustained a Grade 3 ankle sprain on June 3, and Sykes suffered a plantar fascia injury on Tuesday. The players will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks, per the team, with the expectation that they will return at some point this season.
Sykes, 32, was helped off the court in the third quarter of Toronto’s 131-91 loss to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday. She averages a team-best 20.1 points per game along with 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 15 games this season.
Rice, 22, is averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 10 games this season. She played for national champion UCLA and was the sixth overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft.
The Tempo will play the Connecticut Sun on the road Friday night.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees Are Proving They're World Series Favorites Even Without Aaron Judge
It’s not new information that the New York Yankees are the best team in the American League. They’ve been No. 1 or No. 2 virtually all season, depending on how the Tampa Bay Rays have performed at any given time.
What is new: the Yankees are showing they’re good enough to win the World Series. They’re legit, because they’re making a big push without the best player in the league, Aaron Judge.
The Yankees have gone 9-4 without Judge since June started. Earlier this season, Judge made a dive in the outfield and aggravated a rib injury, something he’s been dealing with in some form for a much longer time. Against the Guardians, Red Sox, Blue Jays and the White Sox, they haven’t missed a beat.
Per Baseball Reference, they’ve scored 5.77 runs per game without him, opposed to averaging 5.17 runs in the first 59 games when Judge played. It’s only 13 games, but the lineup has come through with a collective slash line of .262/.332/.470, which includes 23 home runs, 49 walks and 15 stolen bases in that span.
Ben Rice is an MVP candidate. Cody Bellinger is having one of his best individual seasons. Paul Goldschmidt, at 38 years old, is slugging like a 34-year-old Goldy, when he won NL MVP with the Cardinals.
In recent years when Judge has been absent, the Yankees haven’t held their own nearly as well. Since the 2020 season, the Yanks have gone 57-64 when Judge missed a game. They had a .583 winning percentage when he played in the same span. It’s reasonable to expect the Yankees to be weaker without the best hitter of his generation, but this season’s team still might be the best in the AL even with Judge not playing.
It’s only the middle of June but, absent any more significant injuries, the Yankees are going to hold their own against a weak American League. The bigger picture looks much brighter. Judge is hoping to return in August, and if he plays like himself, with this mix of teammates, the Yankees will compete for their 28th franchise championship.
Right-hander Cam Schlittler is a leading candidate for AL Cy Young. Gerrit Cole looks renewed after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Max Fried, while on the IL right now because of a bone bruise on his left elbow, is still Max Fried. Carlos Rodón has been strong in seven starts since getting healthy.
New York’s starting pitching, plus a lineup with a healthy Judge, can win it all.
It’s hard to imagine the Yankees failing earlier than the Fall Classic. Only three teams on the AL side have a positive run differential. Only five teams have a winning record. The White Sox looked like maybe they could put together a historical upset run, but the Yankees have toyed with them this week. The Mariners lurk, the Guardians are a pain in the butt, and the Rays have beaten up the Yankees head to head, but the Yankees list of rationalizations for not reaching the World Series would be pretty short if Judge is healthy in October.
The Yankees are showing they wouldn’t just be a token team that got lucky to get past a woeful AL field. They can play with the Dodgers, Brewers, Braves and anyone else coming out of the NL.
This is clearly their best chance to win a ring since 2009.
Sports
Freddie Freeman's blast helps Dodgers complete 3-game sweep of Rays
Jun 17, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) throws during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Freddie Freeman hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and Shohei Ohtani pitched through a bloody blister to earn his seventh win as the Los Angeles Dodgers finished off a series sweep with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Alex Call, Alex Freeland and Kyle Tucker drove in runs as the Dodgers improved to 12-2 at home since May 13.
Freeman’s home run in the sixth off Kevin Kelly (4-3) followed an Andy Pages double. The long ball was No. 12 of the season for Freeman. Ohtani (7-2) gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
Yandy Diaz had two hits and an RBI for the Rays, who struggled to a 1-5 record in a six-game road trip to the Los Angeles area that included a three-game weekend series against the Angels.
Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan gave up two runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings as he struggled with his command and walked five. He also fanned three.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Call and Freeland. When Tommy Edman walked following Freeland’s single, McClanahan was replaced by Casey Legumina after throwing 83 pitches.
The Rays answered by sending nine batters to the plate in the fifth against Ohtani. Victor Mesa Jr. led off with a walk, Hunter Feduccia doubled and Taylor Walls followed with a sacrifice fly for a run.
Diaz added an RBI single that was followed by singles from Jonathan Aranda and Cedric Mullins, loading the bases. Junior Caminero’s ground ball drove in Diaz to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. The Rays scored one more time in the inning on a single from Richie Palacios.
The Dodgers got within 4-3 when Tucker walked with the bases loaded in the fifth, setting the stage for Freeman’s go-ahead homer an inning later.
Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning for his third save.
Ohtani was not used as the designated hitter in the game but had an at-bat as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and grounded out. Ohtani took his regular turn on the mound despite dealing with left knee inflammation following his most recent start last week at Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Tempo Gs Brittney Sykes, Kiki Rice to miss extended time
Star Trek’s Original Opening Was So Bad It Never Made It To Air
