Sports
Guardians rookie Parker Messick out to extend woes of Red Sox
May 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) follows through on a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The Boston Red Sox hit a season low Friday night with 4-3 road loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The setback dropped Boston 10 games below .500 for the first time in 2026.
Boston (23-33) will attempt to start moving in a positive direction when it faces Cleveland in the second game of the three-game series Saturday afternoon. The Red Sox will look to match the one bright spot from Friday — the performance by Brayan Bello, who entered the game in the second inning and pitched seven scoreless innings.
The Guardians scored their four runs in the first inning against Tyler Samaniego, who was used as an opener before Bello entered the game.
“(Bello) was awesome,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said. “And obviously, the way it started he came in and quieted that game down pretty quickly and gave us a shot. Just pounded the strike zone. … He was as good as you could ask for.
“Ultimately having him be that way in a starter role would be awesome. We’re still trying. Obviously, we’ve had some of those (games with an opener) where we haven’t gotten off to the best start and he comes in trailing. Credit our guys for battling back again.”
Boston has lost six of its past seven games. It’s the first time the Red Sox have been 10 games below .500 since the 2020 season.
Saturday’s game will feature an excellent pitching matchup. Rookie left-hander Parker Messick (6-1, 2.24 ERA) will start for Cleveland and will oppose Boston right-hander Sonny Gray (5-1, 3.27).
Messick, 25, has allowed no more than three earned runs in 10 of his 11 starts this season. He has 108 strikeouts and 25 walks in 18 career starts (104 innings), including in 2025.
According to MLB.com, only two Cleveland pitchers have had more strikeouts through 18 starts: Herb Score (139) and Danny Salazar (112). Shane Bieber also had 108 strikeouts in 18 starts.
“It’s really cool company to be in,” Messick said. “But at the same time, if I want to stay in that same category, I’ve just gotta go out there and keep doing it. So whatever I can do to keep doing that.”
Messick has one career appearance against the Red Sox, a no-decision last Sept. 4 in a 6-4 loss. He allowed three runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Cleveland is 9-2 in games he’s started this season.
“It doesn’t matter who he’s pitching against,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He’s just gonna go attack.”
Gray is 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 20 career appearances (all starts) against the Guardians, leaders of the American League Central.
Gray, 36, struggled with his command in his last start, a no-decision in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. He was pulled after four innings and gave up three runs on six hits, walked two batters and hit another.
Cleveland played without outfielder Steven Kwan on Friday. He was placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list and is expected to miss the entire three-game series.
“Obviously our thoughts are with Kwany and his family as they’re going through their situation,” Vogt said. “We’re going to miss Steven this weekend.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
OpTic, Royal Ravens sweep CDL Stage 3 Major qualifying openers
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images OpTic Texas, coming off a runner-up finish at the Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major, began Stage 4 qualifying with a 3-0 sweep of the Vancouver Surge on Friday.
In the day’s other results, the Carolina Royal Ravens trounced the Toronto KOI 3-0, and G2 Minnesota dumped Cloud9 New York 3-1.
The 12 Call of Duty League teams are playing five qualifying matches apiece to determine seeding for the fourth major of the season, to be held June 25-28 at Nanterre, France. Each team receives 10 CDL points for every win.
On Friday, Texas toppled Vancouver 250-98 on Sake Hardpoint, 6-5 on Hacienda Search and Destroy and 4-3 on Den Overload.
Carolina beat Toronto 250-178 on Sake Hardpoint, 6-4 on Fringe Search and Destroy and 3-2 on Gridlock Overload.
Minnesota opened with a 250-140 victory on Den Hardpoint and a 6-3 triumph on Fringe Search and Destroy before New York captured Den Overload 6-2. G2 sealed the series by taking Scar Hardpoint 250-109.
The weekend schedule:
Saturday
–Los Angeles Thieves vs. FaZe Vegas
–Paris Gentle Mates vs. Carolina Royal Ravens
–Vancouver Surge vs. Boston Breach
–Riyadh Falcons vs. Miami Heretics
Sunday
–Riyadh Falcons vs. Paris Gentle Mates
–OpTic Texas vs. Miami Heretics
–Cloud9 New York vs. Boston Breach
Call of Duty League Stage 4 Major qualifying, with match record and map differential
T1. Carolina Royal Ravens, 1-0, +3
T1. OpTic Texas, 1-0, +3
3. G2 Minnesota, 1-0, +2
T4. Boston Breach, 0-0, 0
T4. FaZe Vegas, 0-0, 0
T4. Los Angeles Thieves, 0-0, 0
T4. Miami Heretics, 0-0, 0
T4. Paris Gentle Mates, 0-0, 0
T4. Riyadh Falcons, 0-0, 0
10. Cloud9 New York, 0-1, -2
T11. Toronto KOI, 0-1, -3
T11. Vancouver Surge, 0-1, -3
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hot at home: White Sox chase series win vs. tumbling Tigers
May 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) is dunked by second baseman Chase Meidroth (10) and shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) after hitting a walk-off home run against the Detroit Tigers during the tenth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images One victory shy of securing their sixth straight home series win, the Chicago White Sox applauded the fans who have backed them through the early stages of what’s shaping up as a turnaround season.
“Having all of them (a crowd of 30,019) here in the stadium, showing all the love for us, and seeing them support the team the whole year, that brings all the energy for us in the clubhouse,” third baseman Miguel Vargas said.
After Vargas delivered his first career walk-off home run Friday in the 10th inning, the White Sox will try to win the three-game series from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon. But they will play without slugging first baseman Munetaka Murakami, who left in the third inning of Friday’s 4-3 win with right hamstring tightness.
Chicago manager Will Venable said Murakami — the American League co-leader with 20 home runs — will undergo further evaluation Saturday but is facing a recovery of “probably a couple of weeks.”
Colson Montgomery and Vargas are next for the White Sox with 13 homers apiece. Murakami shares the AL home-run lead with Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.
“Home run” is a four-base hit for every club but arguably is a four-letter word to the Tigers. Detroit has surrendered four walk-off homers this season and has lost two straight games and 19 of its last 23.
“It’s not numb,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It still hurts. Obviously, we want to win every game.
“We want to win as many games as we can, and we’re having a hard time. … There’s no good way to walk off the field. When you’re the visiting team and you’re walking off the field, the emotion is pretty deep. It’s not a great feeling, and we’ve got to go home with it, come back tomorrow and play another game.”
White Sox pitching limited the Tigers to four hits in the series opener, including a pair of Riley Greene singles. Greene is 4-for-12 in his past three games on the heels of an 0-for-11 slump.
Dillon Dingler’s two-run blast in the third inning extended his team lead to 11 homers for the season.
Saturday’s pitching matchup will pit a pair of left-handers in Chicago’s Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96 ERA) and Detroit’s Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28).
Kay will aim for his second victory of the homestand and fourth in six May starts. He defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Monday behind six innings of one-run, five-hit ball with one walk and five strikeouts.
After three straight starts without allowing a home run, Kay gave up a solo shot to Minnesota’s Brooks Lee. He has yet to face the Tigers in his career.
Valdez boasts plenty of experience and success against Chicago. He is 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances, including nine starts, with 60 strikeouts in 57 innings.
While Valdez is 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in four starts this month — which started with a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Boston’s Trevor Story in a May 5 loss — Valdez has shown more consistency lately.
He has delivered two quality starts in his past three turns in the rotation. The latest came Sunday, when Valdez scattered one run, two hits, two walks and five strikeouts in six innings in a no-decision at Baltimore. The Tigers lost 5-3.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fresh off late rally, Blue Jays bid to fluster Orioles again
May 29, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Braydon Fisher (63) celebrates with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) after a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays have found answers even with an evolving lineup, and that might be one of the biggest parts of their emerging confidence midway through their series with the Baltimore Orioles.
The teams will meet Saturday afternoon in the third contest of a four-game series in Baltimore.
The Blue Jays have a pair of one-run victories to start the series, including rallying from a five-run hole for Friday night’s 6-5 victory.
Toronto is 8-2 in its last 10 games. Manager John Schneider has found the right combinations, including from second baseman Charles McAdoo, who homered in his first big-league game Friday.
“Just really honing in on where I want to swing the bat and where I want the ball to start,” McAdoo said before the series about his approach upon his promotion to the major leagues.
There was lots for the Orioles to dissect after the late-inning struggles. But manager Craig Albernaz said he remains confident in reliever Yennier Cano even though he had troubles in the eighth inning and suffered the loss.
“We love the matchups with Cano, and he has been throwing the ball extremely well,” Albernaz said. “We were more than comfortable bringing him in there.”
The Orioles weren’t able to generate offense in the late innings, however.
“Thought we swung the bat really well the first half of the game, and sometimes that happens,” infielder Jackson Holliday said. “Sometimes they make good pitches and hitting is really hard.”
There were encouraging parts of the performance for the Orioles. Holliday hit his second home run of the week.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel like I’m seeing the ball good. I’ve enjoyed working with the hitting guys and trying to keep simple thoughts up there. I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Right-hander Trey Yesavage (2-2, 2.25 ERA) will start for Toronto on Saturday and will try to maintain a clean slate of keeping the ball in the park. He hasn’t given up a home run in 32 innings this season.
Since starting the season on the injury list, Yesavage expanded his durability to a season-high 98 pitches in Monday’s 6 2/3-inning stint in an 8-2 home loss to the Miami Marlins. He’s a key part to what at times has been a patchwork rotation.
In Yesavage’s six starts this season, the Blue Jays have alternated wins and losses, so based on that trend they’re due to win Saturday. He has never faced the Orioles.
Schneider said Yesavage has been more deserving than what some of the results have produced this season.
Right-hander Brandon Young (3-1, 3.47 ERA) will start for the Orioles on Saturday. He will look to build off Sunday’s outing vs. the Detroit Tigers, who he held to two unearned runs in a season-high 6 2/3 innings of Baltimore’s 5-3 win.
The Orioles are 6-1 in games in which Young has pitched. Last July, in his only career matchup against Toronto, he had a no-decision while tossing six innings and allowing two runs.
–Field Level Media
OpTic, Royal Ravens sweep CDL Stage 3 Major qualifying openers
Hot at home: White Sox chase series win vs. tumbling Tigers
