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Casey Mize, Tigers out to stop Guardians' bid for sweep

MLB: Detroit Tigers at Atlanta BravesApr 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (12) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Casey Mize made a stellar return from the injured list last weekend. The Detroit Tigers need him to retain that form on Thursday as they try to prevent the visiting Cleveland Guardians from completing a four-game sweep.

Cleveland, which has won five in a row and eight of its past nine games, took the series opener 8-2 on Monday. The Guardians won one-run games the past two nights, 4-3 on Tuesday, then 3-2 on Wednesday when Angel Martinez tripled to bring in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning.

Detroit has lost five straight and 13 of its past 15 games. The offense has been the main culprit, producing just 20 runs over the past nine games.

Mize (2-2, 2.43 ERA) was sharp on Saturday as he came back from a three-week absence caused by a right adductor strain. The right-hander tossed six shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out four.

Unfortunately for Mize, he wound up with a no-decision in a game the Tigers lost 2-1 in 10 innings.

“I thought he pitched tremendously, coming off the injured list, getting right back into the competitive game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought he held his stuff, I thought he had great tempo, I thought his stuff was good, he got some swing and miss, got some soft contact, everything you would want out of a normal start.”

The Tigers are still dealing with injuries to numerous staff members, including ace Tarik Skubal. Mize’s outing gave them a comforting feeling.

“It’s huge to have him back,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “He’s a big presence on this staff and a really good right-handed arm for us. So, yeah, really big.”

Mize produced a modest strikeout total, but he attributed that to the opponent.

“They don’t strike out a lot, they don’t walk a lot, they’re going to put the ball in play,” he said. “So just knowing that, there’s no need for long counts to try to get 10 strikeouts today. And I don’t think you’re going to walk anybody, honestly, just because of their approaches top to bottom. So I think it just kind of played out that way.

“We tried to get into the zone early just to play into their game plan, hopefully in our favor, and fortunately it worked out.”

Mize is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four career outings against the Guardians.

Left-hander Joey Cantillo (3-1, 3.40 ERA) will be Mize’s mound opponent. Cantillo had his best outing of the season on May 11 when he tossed six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. In his latest start, against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Cantillo gave up four runs and four hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out four in a no-decision.

Cincinnati scored three runs in the fifth and went on to win 7-4.

“It just felt like Hedgie (catcher Austin Hedges) was reading really well when they were sitting soft and Joey was executing,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He earned the right to get through that inning and obviously gave us a chance to win.”

Cantillo has permitted one run in six innings during two career appearances (one start) against the Tigers.

The Guardians keep finding ways to win, as evidenced by the Wednesday game. Two hits, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout plated the tying run in the ninth inning, and Martinez and Jose Ramirez came up with RBI extra-base hits in the 10th.

Despite giving up an RBI hit to open the bottom of the 10th, Cam Smith held on for his 16th save.

“No matter how long we’ve been down, no matter how long we haven’t done anything, we can flip a switch at any point and put up some runs,” Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee said, according to MLB.com. “That’s the ‘down but never out’ aspect of it.”

–Field Level Media

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Trey Yesavage outpitches Cam Schlittler as Blue Jays edge Yankees

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at New York YankeesMay 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Mason Fluharty (68) pitches in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Trey Yesavage pitched six stellar innings of two-hit ball to outduel Cam Schlittler and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays scratched across two runs in the seventh for a 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees Wednesday night.

Following a two-hour, 11-minute rain delay, the Blue Jays won for the sixth time in their past 16 games after losing a pair of one-run games to start the four-game series.

After pitching 5 1/3 hitless innings against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS in Toronto, Yesavage (2-1) allowed two hits and struck out eight.

Yesavage allowed a bloop double to Trent Grisham in the second before striking out Ryan McMahon on a foul tip to end the inning. He allowed a two-out single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth and retired Paul Goldschmidt on a pop up.

Yesavage struck out Aaron Judge three times by getting him via fastballs in the first and fourth before whiffing the slugger on a slider in the sixth. Judge struck out four times and is 1-for-11 in the series with seven strikeouts.

Schlittler (6-2) allowed two runs on eight hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander struck out seven and issued both walks in the seventh when the Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead.

Ernie Clement started the seventh with an infield dribbler halfway down the third base line and Jesus Sanchez followed with a walk. After Goldschmidt and Austin Wells converged on Brandon Valenzuela’s bunt single, Gimenez fouled off six pitches before capping an 11-pitch plate appearance with a walk.

Gimenez’s walk was confirmed via ABS after Wells challenged and Jake Bird replaced Schlittler.

Sanchez was thrown out at the plate by McMahon on a grounder to third and Guerrero lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right on the next pitch.

Jeff Hoffman stranded two in the seventh after Mason Fluharty allowed singles to Chisholm and Goldschmidt. Tyler Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Louie Varland struck out Amed Rosario with a runner on to secure his sixth save.

The Yankees lost for the eighth time in their past 12 games and were blanked until Goldschmidt’s soft RBI grounder to Varland. New York also lost Grisham to left knee discomfort after the fourth.

–Field Level Media

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Kennedy Burke's clutch play lifts Sun past Storm for first win

WNBA: Connecticut Sun at Seattle StormMay 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm guard Taina Mair (22) dribbles the ball while guarded by Connecticut Sun guard Ashlon Jackson (3) and Connecticut Sun forward Raegan Beers (15) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Kennedy Burke made a three-point play with 2.8 seconds remaining as the Connecticut Sun earned their first victory of the WNBA season, defeating the host Seattle Storm 80-78 on Wednesday night.

Seattle’s Natisha Hiedeman missed a 3-pointer before the final buzzer.

Rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker, who started her collegiate career at Washington State before capping it with an NCAA championship at UCLA this spring, had 16 points and three assists to lead the Sun, who snapped a five-game skid.

Burke and Nell Angloma added 15 points apiece and Raegan Beers had 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds for Connecticut (1-5).

Hiedeman led Seattle (1-4) with 20 points and five assists. Mackenzie Holmes

added 18 points and six rebounds, Jade Melbourne scored 11 and Zia Cooke had 10.

Both teams were without their starting centers. Connecticut’s leading scorer Brittney Griner did not play with a right rib injury, and Seattle’s top scorer Dominique Malonga was still recovering from a concussion.

Melbourne’s driving layup with 59 seconds left put the Storm up 76-75, their first lead since late in the second quarter. Holmes added two free throws with 41 seconds remaining in regulation to extend the lead to three.

Aaliyah Edwards made a driving layup with 32 seconds left to pull the Sun within 78-77 before Burke’s winning play.

Trailing 63-59 after three quarters, the Storm pulled within one on a three-point play by Lexie Brown with 9:32 left.

A free throw and a 3-pointer by Burke gave the Sun a five-point edge.

Seattle tied it at 67-all on a pair of free throws by Melbourne with 5:50 to go.

Leger-Walker broke the tie on a jumper with 5:36 left, and Edwards followed with a jumper the next time down the court to make it 71-67.

A driving layup by Ashlon Jackson gave the Sun a six-point lead with 3:42 remaining.

Hiedeman made a deep 3-pointer with 3:17 left to pull Seattle within 73-70 and Melbourne added two free throws at the 2:02 mark to make it a one-point game.

Leger-Walker responded with a floating jumper before Hiedeman answered with a layup.

The Sun led 29-23 after the first quarter and 46-41 at the half.

–Field Level Media

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Tyler Soderstrom, A's force extra innings, beat Angels in 10

MLB: Athletics at Los Angeles AngelsMay 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Carlos Cortes (26) is tagged out at third by Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) during the seventh inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Tyler Soderstrom drove in three runs, including the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, as the Athletics rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Soderstrom sliced a single into the gap in left-center with one in the 10th that bounced past left fielder Josh Lowe for an error, driving in automatic runner Nick Kurtz from second with what proved to be the game-winning run.

Jeff McNeil homered and Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 43 games with two walks and an RBI single and also scored twice for the Athletics. Right-hander Scott Barlow (1-0) pitched one inning of hitless relief, and left-hander Hogan Harris got out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th to garner his fourth save.

Jo Adell homered and doubled and Jorge Soler and Lowe also homered for Los Angeles, which suffered its eighth loss in the last nine games. Chase Silseth (1-1) picked up the loss.

The Athletics took advantage of some early wildness by Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Shea Langeliers was hit by a pitch with one out, Kurtz walked and Brent Rooker chopped an infield single to load the bases. Soderstrom then bounced a single into center to drive in Langeliers and Kurtz.

The Angels came right back to tie it, 2-2, in the bottom of the first when Soler hit his ninth home run, a 432-foot blast to left-center that drove in Mike Trout, who had walked.

The A’s took a 3-2 lead in the second when Henry Bolte walked, stole second and scored on Carlos Cortes’ single to left which Lowe allowed to get by him for an error.

Los Angeles grabbed a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the second. Adell led off with his seventh homer, a 419-foot drive to left-center, to tie it, 3-3. One out later, Logan O’Hoppe walked and Lowe followed with his first home run since April 28, a 426-foot drive to right-center.

The Athletics cut the lead to 5-4 in the seventh on an RBI single by Kurtz that drove in Darell Hernaiz, who was hit by a pitch and had advanced to second when Cortes was also hit by a pitch.

McNeil then led off the ninth with a home run into the right field corner off Kirby Yates to tie it, 5-5, setting the stage for Soderstrom’s game-winning RBI in the 10th.

–Field Level Media

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