Sports
Early offense sparks Nationals to another win over Giants
Jun 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (2) celebrates with Washington Nationals right fielder James Wood (29) after hitting a two run home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Luis Garcia Jr. hit the 11th pitch of the game for a two-run homer, James Wood had three hits and scored twice, and the visiting Washington Nationals made it two straight wins over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday with a front-running 6-3 victory.
Andrew Alvarez and four relievers overcame nine hits and seven walks to limit the Giants to three runs, helping the Nationals improve to 4-1 on a six-game Western swing.
Garcia’s homer, his eighth, came off Adrian Houser (2-6) following a game-opening single by Wood. The blast gave the Nationals a lead they never relinquished.
Washington tacked on a run in the fifth when Jacob Young tripled and scored on a single by Wood. The Nationals benefitted from the Giants’ generosity to create a three-run margin in the seventh on a run-scoring wild pitch thrown by Erik Miller and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Daylen Lile.
Alvarez labored through four-plus innings in which he allowed five hits and five walks, throwing 90 pitches. He was pulled with a shutout but with two runners on base, and Jung Hoo Lee lashed a two-run double off reliever Brad Lord to get the hosts within 3-2.
The runs were charged to Alvarez, who struck out four.
Lord (4-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to end the fifth and retain the one-run lead. He then teamed with Richard Lovelady, Clayton Beeter and Orlando Ribalta to shut out the Giants the rest of the way until Bryce Eldridge launched his third home run of the season, a solo shot, with two outs in the ninth.
The Nationals completed their scoring in the top of the ninth when Lile smacked the game’s fourth triple to score CJ Abrams, who had reached base on a two-out error.
Houser worked 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk.
Young finished with two hits and two runs while Lile drove in a pair of runs for the Nationals, who began their trip by taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lee, Eldridge and Luis Arraez each had a pair of hits for the Giants, who dropped their fifth straight home game. Eldridge added a double and two walks to his homer.
The Giants out-hit the visitors 9-8 but stranded 13 baserunners.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi comes off bench, scores in Argentina's final friendly
June 6, 2026; College Station, Texas, U.S.; Argentina’s Lionel Messi during the warm up before the match. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Lionel Messi came off the bench and converted a penalty in Argentina’s final World Cup tune-up friendly Tuesday, a 3-0 defeat of Iceland in Auburn, Ala.
Subbing in during the 70th minute, Messi set up a penalty kick with his first touch of the match, passing a throughball to Lautaro Martinez, who was taken out by Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.
In the 72nd minute, Messi buried the PK into the roof of the net, doubling Argentina’s lead to 2-0 on the 117th international goal of his career.
Messi, 38, missed Argentina’s first friendly against Honduras on Saturday as he continued his recovery from left hamstring soreness which forced him to prematurely exit Inter Miami’s final match before the World Cup break on May 24.
With his World Cup status seemingly certain, Messi is set to simultaneously set a record this month alongside Cristiano Ronaldo when he appears in his sixth career World Cup.
No one has played in more World Cup matches than Messi, who has appeared in 26, one more than Germany’s Lothar Matthaus. Messi’s 13 career World Cup goals are tied for fourth-most, three behind German record-holder Miroslav Klose (16).
Valentin Barco (eighth minute) and Thiago Almeda (86th) also scored for Argentina, who outscored their opponents 5-0 in the final tune-up matches entering their World Cup title defense.
Argentina’s Group J schedule at the upcoming World Cup features matches against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, Mo.; against Austria on June 22 at Arlington, Texas; and against Jordan on June 27 at Arlington.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dustin May silences Mets as Cards push winning streak to 5
Jun 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) delivers a pitch during the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Dustin May pitched six stellar innings for his first win in nearly two months and Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
May (4-6) earned his first win since April 21 by scattering four hits. After going 0-4 with a 3.86 ERA in his previous seven starts, May struck out six and walked one.
Rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a two-run single and Jordan Walker rapped an RBI double to highlight a four-run third inning off New York starter Freddy Peralta (4-5). Lars Nootbaar added an RBI groundout to cap the big inning for the Cardinals, who also ended a five-game road losing streak to the Mets.
Ivan Herrera reached base five times, including three hits, and scored three times.
Herrera was hit by Peralta in his first two plate appearances. After the second one, he scored on Walker’s double to left for a 3-0 lead in the third.
In the fifth, Herrera singled and scored when Burleson sent a 2-1 curveball into the left field seats. In the seventh, Herrera poked a leadoff double before trotting home on Burleson’s double off Joey Gerber.
Before the Cardinals scored four times, May stranded rookie A.J. Ewing at third by striking out Marcus Semien and Brett Baty. He also retired rookie Carson Benge on a double play to end the third and was aided by center fielder Nathan Church crashing into the fence to rob Semien of a two-run double to end the fourth.
Church had three hits, including a double in the third and made his key defensive play after missing the past 15 games with a strained left shoulder.
Justin Bruihl followed May with two innings and Matt Svanson completed the Cardinals’ third shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth.
After winning seven of their previous 10, the Mets were blanked for the seventh time this season and second time against the Cardinals.
Peralta allowed a season-worst six runs on six hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mexico closes schools during World Cup opener to ease traffic
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo arrives in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, ahead of the inauguration of the LIBRE Center for Women. The center will provide free services to women facing violence and social vulnerability. Mexico City children will get an unexpected day off from school on Thursday, as president Claudia Sheinbaum ordered the suspension of classes in an effort to minimize traffic on the day the Mexican national team plays the World Cup opener against South Africa.
Speaking Tuesday, Sheinbaum also told federal employees to work from home on Thursday, with the exception of essential services and those involved with World Cup matters.
The Mexico-South Africa game will kick off at 1 p.m. local time, the first of 104 World Cup games to be spread across Mexico, Canada and the United States over the next six weeks.
Sheinbaum said the decision regarding Thursday closures was made in an effort toward “improving conditions for mobility, road safety and accessibility, both for Mexico City inhabitants and visiting tourists, on the occasion of the inauguration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
She added, “The private and social sectors in Mexico City are urged to implement remote working arrangements for all non-essential administrative activities.”
The Mexican national team plays a night game on June 18 against South Korea in Zapopan, Mexico, then concludes play in Group A against the Czech Republic in Mexico City on the night of June 24.
–Field Level Media
Lionel Messi comes off bench, scores in Argentina's final friendly
Dustin May silences Mets as Cards push winning streak to 5
