Sports
Guardians, Reds make changes for key players in offensive doldrums
May 2, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan (38) head into the dugout after the eighth inning in a game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Two-time All-Star Steven Kwan has been one of the best leadoff hitters in the majors since 2022.
With Kwan’s ongoing slump showing no signs of ending, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made a dramatic move to take some pressure off him.
Kwan has been dropped from first to sixth in the batting order, where he is slated to remain Sunday afternoon when the Guardians wrap up their homestand against the Cincinnati Reds.
Cincinnati right-hander Brady Singer (2-3, 5.79 ERA) will start against Cleveland righty Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.74) in the finale of the three-game series.
“It’s probably been a couple weeks coming, so I have no problem with it,” Kwan said of the change. “I don’t want to hurt the team in any way. I think (Vogt) was just respecting me and wanting to keep things the same.”
A four-time Gold Glove award winner in left field, his struggles have coincided with his new role swinging between left and center in 2026.
Kwan’s batting average is just .204, far and away the lowest of his career, and his on-base percentage is .316.
Moving him down in the order and putting Kwan in left field seemed to alleviate some of the pressure Saturday, when he went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks in Cleveland’s 7-4 win.
“He’s our guy. He’s gonna be back in the first hole,” Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio said of Kwan. “He’s going to be the best first hitter in the game. He’s going to be fine.”
Kwan’s lack of production has been a major reason why the Guardians’ offense has stagnated. Opposing pitchers haven’t had to face franchise icon Jose Ramirez in nearly as many RBI situations.
With the bases empty, Kwan hit only .183 and had a .286 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot that he had occupied since June 19, 2022.
“There have been elements of timing, pitch selection and mechanical things for him this season,” Vogt said. “I told Kwanny, ‘It’s time to get back to who you are.’ “
Williams originally was slated to pitch on Saturday but was bumped back a day for matchup purposes in his first career game against the Reds. He is 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 18 career interleague outings.
Singer has plenty of experience against Cleveland from his five years with the Kansas City Royals, compiling a 3-3 record and 4.88 ERA in 15 appearances.
Cincinnati has lost all three of Singer’s starts in May, when he is 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA and averaging a mere 4 1/3 innings per.
Reds manager Terry Francona is also dealing with a young hitter who has run into recent obstacles in rookie first baseman Sal Stewart.
Stewart led the majors in homers at one point in April, but his 0-for-2, one-RBI performance Saturday dropped his average over the last 19 games to .147 with just one long ball and 18 strikeouts.
“Things aren’t going the way I want them, but that’s strictly on me,” said Stewart, who is batting .236 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 46 total games. “I’ve got to look for better pitches to hit.”
Francona isn’t making drastic changes yet, but the manager did move Stewart from the cleanup spot to third in the order four games ago. Stewart is hitless in 14 at-bats in his new role.
“Trying to let the game come to you, it’s easier said than done,” Francona said. “He’s started getting pounded inside, which has gotten him a little off what he was doing before.
“He will be OK. He’s too good a hitter.”
The Reds won the series opener 7-6 before losing Saturday.
The teams wrap up their annual, home-and-home Ohio Cup competition with three games in Cincinnati from July 27-29. The Reds currently possess the trophy after going 5-1 against Cleveland in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Unbeaten Team Falcons take top spot in Group A
Team Falcons downed Team Spirit 2-1 on Saturday in a battle for first place in Group A at the DreamLeague Season 29 event.
Now the only unbeaten team, Team Falcons is 6-0 going into the final day of the group stage as Team Spirit fell to 5-1.
Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak of Russia led Team Falcons with a 27-14-46 kill-death-assist ratio. Denis “Larl” Sigitov of Russia paced Team Spirit with a 27-12-36 K-D-A.
GamerLegion (1-5) notched their first win in Group A by downing Virtus.pro 2-1.
In Group B, Natus Vincere and PARIVISION are atop the standings at 5-1. PARIVISION went 1-1 on Saturday, sweeping Nigma Galaxy 2-0 and falling to PlayTime 2-1. Natus Vincere went 2-0 on the day, sweeping PlayTime and edging Tundra Esports 2-1.
Artem “Niku” Bachkur led Natus Vincere in the sweep of PlayTime with a 21-3-32 K-D-A ratio, while teammate and fellow Ukrainian Taras “gotthejuice” Linnikov contributed a 17-8-29 K-D-A in the win over Tundra Esports.
The $1 million Dota 2 event is beginning with the 16 teams divided into two groups for round-robin play. The top four teams in each group earn spots in the upper bracket for the double-elimination playoffs, while the fifth- and sixth-place teams will start the playoffs in the lower bracket.
All matches through the event are best-of-three until the final on May 24, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive $250,000 in player prize money, a club bonus of $40,000 and a minimum of 6,000 ESL Pro Tour points.
On Saturday in Group A, Team Spirit opened with a win in 43 minutes on green before Team Falcons rallied with victories in 65 minutes on green and 45 minutes on red.
Team Liquid swept ex-HEROIC in 44 minutes on red and 24 minutes on green.
Aurora Gaming opened with a 44-minute win on green before Vici Gaming drew even with a 32-minute victory on green. Aurora closed it out with a marathon 69-minute win on red.
GamerLegion bounced back from an opening loss in 41 minutes to Virtus.pro, which was on red, to win in 28 minutes and 35 minutes, both on red.
In Group B, Tundra Esports started with a 51-minute win on green before BetBoom Team drew level with a 37-minute win on green. Tundra had green for the third map and won in 49 minutes to take the match.
PARIVISION swept Nigma Galaxy in 31 minutes on red and 35 minutes on green.
Natus Vincere dispatched PlayTime 2-0, winning in 31 minutes on red and 43 minutes on green.
Xtreme Gaming swept REKONIX in 36 minutes on green and 33 minutes on red.
BetBoom Team followed suit against Xtreme Gaming, winning in 70 minutes on green and 36 minutes on red.
Natus Vincere outbattled Tundra Esports 2-1. Natus Vincere opened with a 44-minute victory on green, then Tundra won in 43 minutes on green. Natus Vincere took the match with a 53-minute win on red.
PlayTime opened with a 50-minute win on red in taking down PARIVISION 2-1. After PARIVISION responded with a 30-minute victory on red, PlayTime won in 41-minutes on green.
Nigma Galaxy swept REKONIX, winning in 45 minutes on red and 42 minutes on green.
The Sunday schedule:
Group A
–Team Spirit vs. ex-HEROIC
–Team Falcons vs. GamerLegion
–Team Liquid vs. Vici Gaming
–AuroraGaming vs. Virtus.pro
Group B
–Xtreme Gaming vs. Natus Vincere
–BetBoom Team vs. Nigma Galaxy
–Tundra Esports vs. PlayTime
–PARIVISION vs. REKONIX
DreamLeague Season 29 group standings, with match record and map record
Group A
1. Team Falcons, 6-0, 12-2
2. Team Spirit, 5-1, 11-3
3. Team Liquid, 5-2, 9-5
4. Aurora Gaming, 3-3, 7-7
T5. Vici Gaming, 2-4, 5-8
T5. Virtus.pro, 2-4, 6-8
7. ex-HEROIC, 1-5, 2-10
8. GamerLegion, 1-5, 2-11
Group B
T1. Natus Vincere, 5-1, 10-4
T1. PARIVISION, 5-1, 11-5
T3. BetBoom Team, 3-3, 8-7
T3. PlayTime, 3-3, 7-7
T3. Xtreme Gaming, 3-3, 7-6
T6. Nigma Galaxy, 2-4, 5-8
T6. Tundra Esports, 2-4, 6-10
8. REKONIX, 1-5, 3-10
DreamLeague Season 29 prize pool, with player prize money, club bonus money and base ESL Pro Tour points
1. $250,000, $40,000, 6,000 points
2. $100,000, $30,000, 5,000 points
3. $80,000, $25,000, 4,000 points
4. $60,000, $20,000, 3,200 points
5-6. $40,000, $15,000, 2,200 points
7-8. $27,500, $12,500, 1,000 points
9-12. $20,000, $10,000, 375 points
13-14. $12,500, $10,000, 140 points
15-16. $10,000, $10,000, 60 points
–Field Level Media
Sports
Streak-busting Marlins seek series victory over Rays
May 16, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Heriberto Hernandez (13) is congratulated by catcher Joe Mack (80) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Jakob Marsee is squeezing out plenty of offense in the Citrus Series.
Fresh off back-to-back three-hit performances, Marsee will look to lead the Miami Marlins to a series victory against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the three-game set in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Marsee collected his third hit on Saturday after recording a single with two outs in the ninth inning. He promptly scampered home on Javier Sanoja’s RBI double to take a 2-1 lead. The Marlins erupted for eight runs in the 10th en route to securing a 10-5 victory.
So, what does Marsee attribute to his recent success at the plate?
“Honestly, I used (teammate Liam Hicks’) bat. Another thing is talking to my dad back home, my hitting coach back home,” Marsee told the Marlins Radio Network. “Couple things cleaned up mechanically to give me more confidence. … It’s bound to happen.”
Marsee is happy it has, given he was mired in a 4-for-29 stretch with nine strikeouts over his previous nine games.
Then there’s Sanoja, who also had a bases-clearing double to highlight Miami’s monster 10th inning on Saturday. He went 2-for-5 with four RBIs after going 0-for-14 in his previous four games.
“He’s come through so many times,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of Sanoja. “I know he was frustrated, but to get the big one in the ninth to give us the lead, and then to come back again and come up with another big one, that’s what he does. Happy for him. Happy for us. That’s what he’s shown is that the moment is never too big for him.”
While Miami improved to 2-3 on its six-game road trip, Tampa Bay saw its 11-game home winning streak come to a halt following just its fourth loss in 21 games.
Eury Perez (2-5, 4.94 ERA) will look to halt a four-start losing streak for the Marlins on Sunday when he takes the mound against the Rays’ Drew Rasmussen (3-1, 3.16) in a battle of right-handers.
Perez allowed three runs on as many hits in six innings of a 3-0 setback to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. The 23-year-old has yet to face Tampa Bay in his career.
Rasmussen also gave up three runs in six innings in his last start but walked away a winner in the Rays’ 8-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
While happy with the win, Rasmussen sees room for improvement — namely, cutting down on the home-run ball. He has been taken deep seven times over 42 2/3 innings this season, including once in each of his last two starts.
“It seems right now the only runs that I’m giving up are via home runs, so I’ve got to figure out a way to limit damage in certain situations,” Rasmussen said, per the Tampa Bay Times. “But other than that, like we’ve talked about, every single outing it just seems to be a pitch or two. That’s pretty hard to complain about in the grand scheme of things. But, like, we’ve got to get back to keeping the ball in the yard a little bit.”
Rasmussen, 30, is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) versus Miami.
–Field Level Media
Sports
OpticTexas, Toronto KOI in upper-bracket final at CDL Major 3
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. OpticTexas and Toronto KOI advanced on Saturday to the upper-bracket final of the Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major in Atlanta.
FaZe Vegas and the Los Angeles Thieves, after falling out of the upper bracket in the double-elimination playoff format, will play each other on Sunday in the lower-bracket semifinals.
The upper-bracket and lower-bracket finals on Sunday will determine the teams in the grand final later in the day.
All 12 CDL teams began play on Friday along with four outside qualifiers in the double-elimination opening round, split into four groups. The group champions and second-place teams advanced to the playoffs which started on Saturday.
Matches are all best-of-five until the best-of-seven grand final on Sunday. The championship team will receive $150,000 and 100 CDL points.
OpTic Texas swept the Miami Heretics in the upper-bracket quarterfinals, winning 250-118 on Den Hardpoint, 6-2 on Plaza Search and Destroy and 5-3 on Scar Overload.
The Riyadh Falcons swept the Paris Gentle Mates, winning on Den Hardpoint 250-199, Den Search and Destroy 6-3 and Scar Overload 4-3.
Toronto KOI held off G2 Minnesota 3-2 after racing out to a 2-0 lead with wins on Den Hardpoint (250-152) and Fringe Search and Destroy (3-2). Minnesota responded with wins on Den Overload (6-2) and Scar Hardpoint (250-230) before Toronto triumphed on Raid Search and Destroy (6-2).
FaZe Vegas outbattled the Los Angeles Thieves 3-2 after dropping the opening map, Sake Hardpoint, 250-136. Vegas drew even with a 6-5 win on Den Search and Destroy, then Los Angeles retook the lead with a 6-4 win on Den Overload.
FaZe Vegas, however, won on Den Hardpoint 250-225 and Raid Search and Destroy 6-2 to capture the match.
OpTic Texas moved on to the upper-bracket semifinals, where they edged the Riyadh Falcons 3-2. The Falcons opened with a 250-202 victory on Sake Hardpoint before Texas drew even with a 6-2 win on Raid Search and Destroy.
The Falcons won 5-3 on Scar Overload before OpTic surged to wins on Den Hardpoint (250-112) and Den (6-3).
Toronto KOI claimed the other upper-bracket semifinal, 3-1 over FaZe Vegas. Toronto started strong with wins on Sake Hardpoint (250-151) and Scar (6-5). Vegas stayed alive with a 6-4 win on Den before Toronto closed out with a 250-193 victory on Den Hardpoint.
In the first round of the lower bracket, the Paris Gentle Mates eliminated the Miami Heretics 3-2. Miami opened with a 250-143 win on Colossus Hardpoint and 6-1 victory on Plaza Search and Destroy. Paris made a huge comeback, winning on Exposure Overload 5-3, Sake Hardpoint 250-212 and Fringe Search and Destroy 6-4.
In the other first-round match, the Los Angeles Thieves ousted G2 Minnesota 3-1. Los Angeles got off to a strong start with wins on Den Hardpoint (250-211) and Scar Search and Destroy (6-4). Minnesota won 2-1 on Den Overload before the Thieves closed out with a 250-104 victory on Colossus Hardpoint.
In the lower-backet quarterfinals, FaZe Vegas eliminated the Paris Gentle Mates 3-1. Vegas led off with a 250-113 win on Colossus Hardpoint, but Paris drew level with a 6-3 win on Plaza Search and Destroy. FaZe Vegas closed out with a 5-3 win on Exposure Overload and 250-213 victory on Gridlock Hardpoint.
In the other quarterfinal, the Los Angeles Thieves swept the Riyadh Falcons, winning on Sake Hardpoint (250-221), Den Search and Destroy (6-3) and Scar Overload (5-4).
Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major prize pool, with money winnings and CDL points
1. $150,000, 100
2. $90,000, 75
3. $50,000, 60
4. $30,000, 45
5-6. $15,000, 30 — Paris Gentle Mates, Riyadh Falcons
7-8. $7,500, 15 — Miami Heretics, G2 Minnesota
9-12. no money, no points — OMiT, Carolina Royal Ravens, Boston Breach, Cloud9 New York
13-16. no money, no points — Vancouver Surge, Huntsmen, Project Notorious, ROC Esports
–Field Level Media
Unbeaten Team Falcons take top spot in Group A
Streak-busting Marlins seek series victory over Rays
