Sports
Chris Sale, Braves look to take down two-time champion Dodgers
Apr 26, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The team with the best record in the major leagues will match up with the two-time defending champions this weekend as the Atlanta Braves and host Los Angeles Dodgers each have something to prove.
The Braves arrive from Seattle after their first series loss of the season in 12 tries, while the Dodgers return home following a lackluster 3-3 road trip to St. Louis and Houston.
Friday’s series opener will match Braves left-hander Chris Sale (6-1, 2.14 ERA) against Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan (2-1, 5.23).
Sale has allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts this season, including Saturday at Colorado when he allowed one run on three hits over seven innings and finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts.
Over his last four starts, Sale is 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA and has 33 strikeouts with seven walks over 26 innings pitched.
“He’s a freak,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of the nine-time All-Star and 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner. “He’s a Hall of Famer, and those guys are just different. That’s what he’s been doing pretty much his whole major league career.”
Sale is 1-2 with a 6.65 ERA in five appearances (four starts) lifetime against the Dodgers. He has two career starts against them at Los Angeles and is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
On offense, the Braves lead the National League with 55 home runs, 13 of which have been supplied by Matt Olson, who entered Thursday’s MLB play second in the NL with a 1.059 OPS.
The Dodgers were tied for second in the NL with 50 home runs heading into Thursday’s play, although run production has been something of a struggle at times.
The Dodgers are 7-8 since April 21 and averaged 1.6 runs in those eight defeats. The run-scoring potential does remain high, though, and they showed it Wednesday when Andy Pages hit three home runs in a 12-2 victory at Houston.
Thursday was a well-timed off day for Los Angeles, after its bullpen had to absorb eight innings when right-hander Tyler Glasnow departed after the opening frame because of lower back tightness.
Sheehan enters after matching a season high with four runs allowed in a loss to the Cardinals last Friday. He allowed eight hits over 4 2/3 innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Sheehan had been one of a trio of Dodgers starters in danger of losing his rotation spot with the impending return of left-hander Blake Snell from the injured list. Glasnow’s situation, though, could buy the threesome a little more time.
Sheehan has shown reduced fastball velocity this season, including a season-low average of 93.4 mph during his start at St. Louis.
“There’s nothing I can point to and say, ‘Hey, this is the reason,'” Sheehan said. “We’re working really hard on it, and we’re going to continue working really hard on it. That’s all we can do.”
Sheehan has one career start against the Braves, allowing one run on three hits over four innings of a 2023 no-decision.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was replaced by Olson in the Braves lineup in 2022, has just three home runs with 19 RBIs this season. He did emerge from some late-April struggles by batting .375 on the just-concluded road trip, with three doubles.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ended an 0-for-18 slide Wednesday with an RBI single to go along with a double, walk and two runs scored.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Amanda Anisimova WDs from Rome with wrist injury
Mar 20, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Amanda Anisimova (USA) hits a forehand against Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) (not pictured) on day four of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images World No. 6 Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday with a left wrist injury.
The 24-year-old American was replaced in Rome by lucky loser Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania for a second-round match against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko.
Anisimova has yet to play in a clay-court event this season, having previously withdrawn from the Charleston Open and the Mutua Madrid Open.
The four-time WTA Tour title winner and two-time Grand Slam finalist has an 11-6 record in singles this season, having reached the Round of 16 at both Miami and Indian Wells in March.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LIV on? Cam Smith given 'every assurance' league will survive
Apr 10, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Cameron Smith tees off on the 18th hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Former World No. 2 Cameron Smith said he has been given “every assurance” that LIV Golf will continue beyond 2026 as the league works to secure new funding sources.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced last month that it will not continue its financial support of the league beyond this season. Smith signed with the breakaway league in 2022, receiving a contract reportedly worth $140 million.
He is also the captain of the all-Australian team Ripper GC. LIV Golf’s Adelaide event has been among the league’s most popular stops, and he told Australia’s 10 News that the goal is “definitely” to have the event return in 2027.
Smith, along with fellow LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, turned down an offer to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year, saying in January that “I am here to stay, I’m here to support LIV.”
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil has stated confidence the league will survive in a “multi-partner” format. Whether that comes to fruition and what impact it would have on the league’s makeup remains to be seen.
“Since joining LIV, I’ve learned to live with, you know, speculation,” Smith said, while laughing at the notion that he might retire if the league folded. “I’m 32, so I’ve got a while yet.”
Smith has struggled to maintain his form while playing for LIV. His missed cut at the Masters last month was his sixth consecutive at a major. Despite LIV golfers earning some world rankings points for the first time in 2026, Smith sits at No. 235, having posted only two top-10 finishes through the first six events of the season.
However, Smith said his competitive fire remains strong as he prepared for LIV Golf Virginia ahead of next week’s PGA Championship.
“I want to win tournaments, I want to win majors,” Smith said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been, you know, truly competitive at the top of the leaderboard. So, the fire is really burning at the moment.
“It feels like I’m getting a lot of confidence back out in the golf once again, which I’ve struggled with.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bryson DeChambeau: PGA players hold his Tour return fate
Bryson Dechambeau on the 14th hole during the third round of The 153rd Open Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Wounds created by Bryson DeChambeau’s divorce from the PGA Tour and his active, outspoken role in a player-driven lawsuit in 2022 might not be fully healed.
The 32-year-old said he understands the lingering acrimony, specifically among players on Tour and not new CEO Brian Rolapp, could be a lasting roadblock to a potential reunion. But from his perspective, DeChambeau said he’s always willing to help settle differences with compromise.
“I think that there’s a way to solve any problem. It’s really about if the membership wants me back,” DeChambeau said on the Beyond the Clubhouse podcast on Thursday. “If they want me back, that’s really what it’s about. It’s not anybody, I don’t think it’s even Brian Rolapp or anybody at the top that’s an executive. It’s about the players — if they want me back — and, if not, I understand that.”
DeChambeau and other players who joined LIV Golf to sign massive contracts are less certain about future paydays. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plans to end funding for all events and the league at the end of the 2026 season. DeChambeau said this week “your guess is as good as mine” as to whether he will receive payments due on the remainder of his contract beyond the current season.
That uncertainty is sparking DeChambeau to consider what might be next if LIV Golf hits a dead end.
Other than player concerns, DeChambeau said this week potential punishment by the PGA Tour as penance for his departure would be “quite unfortunate in my opinion, considering what I could do for them.”
“The egos need to get dropped,” DeChambeau said. “Everybody needs to come in with a level-headed playing field, with an opportunistic mindset to grow the game of golf. That’s why I came over here. That’s why I do what I do on YouTube.”
–Field Level Media
Amanda Anisimova WDs from Rome with wrist injury
LIV on? Cam Smith given 'every assurance' league will survive
