Sports
Jake Burger stars as Rangers salvage win vs. Astros
May 17, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (21) hits a two-run home run to right field against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Jake Burger produced a pair of extra-base hits, including a two-run double that ignited a five-run seventh inning, and Nathan Eovaldi twirled seven shutout innings as the visiting Texas Rangers averted a three-game series sweep with an 8-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Burger was the linchpin in the series finale for a flagging Texas offense that totaled one run in the first two games of the series. He finished 2-for-4 with a home run, the double and four RBIs.
Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (2-4) matched zeroes with Eovaldi (5-4) through four innings before Burger swung momentum in the Rangers’ favor with one out in the top of the fifth.
Alejandro Osuna produced an infield single, the first hit Lambert allowed before Burger followed by drilling a 2-1 fastball the opposite way for a two-run homer that snapped a scoreless deadlock. Burger drove his eighth homer this season 356 feet to right field.
Lambert reclaimed control when he retired the next five batters. But Joc Pederson walked to lead off the seventh before Ezequiel Duran (double) and Osuna (hit by pitch) chased Lambert. Burger greeted Astros reliever Cody Bolton with a double to left that doubled the lead to 4-0.
Kyle Higashioka added a single that plated Osuna and Burger. Two batters later, Brandon Nimmo doubled off the scoreboard in left to score Higashioka, who capped the scoring with a homer in the ninth.
Lambert allowed five runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six-plus innings.
Eovaldi improved to 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA across seven starts in his hometown. He allowed five hits and two walks with a season-high-tying eight strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 64 for strikes.
Eovaldi induced an inning-ending double play from Brice Matthews in the third inning, and he stranded runners on the corners when he got Braden Shewmake to fly out to left in the fourth. The Astros fashioned a threat in the seventh when Cam Smith followed a Shewmake double with a walk, but Eovaldi responded with a pair of groundball outs to conclude his stellar outing.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians blast six home runs in rout of Reds
May 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Kyle Manzardo led a long-ball barrage with two home runs and Gavin Williams tossed six strong innings to lead the Cleveland Guardians past the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 10-3, on Sunday in the rubber game of the three-game series.
The Guardians belted six homers on the day, accounting for all 10 runs, and won for the fifth time in six games and for the eighth time in 11 games. After opening 20-11, Cincinnati lost for the 12th time in 16 games.
Williams (6-3) stopped a personal two-game losing streak and won for the first time since April 29. The flame-throwing righty, who won five straight decisions in April, allowed just two runs and eight hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking none.
Jose Ramirez broke a 24-game homerless drought with a two-run shot in the eighth and walked twice as the Guardians belted six home runs in a game for the first time since June 17, 2017 against Minnesota.
Cleveland jumped on top with a Chase DeLauter two-run homer in the first against Cincinnati starter and loser Brady Singer (2-4).
Elly De La Cruz launched his team-leading 11th home run, an opposite field solo shot off Williams that cut Cleveland’s lead to 2-1 in the top of the third.
But Cleveland answered immediately in the bottom of the inning with the first of Manzardo’s two home runs, a long drive down the right field that hit off the foul pole and put Cleveland ahead, 4-1.
After the Reds cut the lead to 4-2 on a Nathanial Lowe RBI single against Williams in the fourth, Brayan Rocchio added his fourth of the year on a hanging Singer breaking ball in the bottom of the frame for a 5-2 Cleveland advantage.
One start after taking a line drive off the right side of his right foot, Singer was charged with five runs on seven hits in four innings, including a season-high three home runs.
Manzardo added his second homer of the game and his fourth of the season in the fifth off lefty reliever Brock Burke. Angel Martinez also had a two-run homer off reliever Connor Phillips in the seventh.
Travis Bazzana went 3-fo-4 for the Guardians, while DeLauter, Manzardo and Rocchio all contributed two hits.
De La Cruz went 2-for-5, but fanned twice as the Reds struck out a dozen times.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chelsea Gray's big day helps Aces hand Dream first loss
May 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) is boxed out by Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon (00) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Chelsea Gray scored 21 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds left on Sunday afternoon, to propel the visiting Las Vegas Aces to an 85-84 win over the Atlanta Dream.
A’ja Wilson and Chennedy Carter each added 20 points for the Aces (4-1), who won their fourth straight game — all coming away from home. NaLyssa Smith scored 13 points for Las Vegas, which squandered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before Gray’s game-saving jumper.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta (2-1) with 25 points, followed by Te-Hina Paopao’s 19 points and Madina Okot’s 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Jordin Canada scored 11 in the Dream’s first loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, the Aces pushed the margin to 16 on Wilson and Gray’s back-to-back 3-pointers.
Carter’s three-point play at the 3:35 mark extended Las Vegas’ lead to 73-54, before Okot’s layup began a 9-0 Atlanta run. The Aces took a 75-63 lead into the final quarter.
After Smith’s three-point play gave Las Vegas an 80-63 lead, Atlanta answered with a 17-1 run, cutting its deficit to a point on Paopao’s 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining. Wilson’s layup with two minutes left marked the Aces’ first made field goal in nearly seven minutes.
Gray made a pair of free throws with one minute left to pull the Dream within a point, before Canada’s steal and layup gave Atlanta an 84-83 edge.
Gray’s jumper then put the Aces ahead, and then she stole the ball from Alisha Gray on the Dream’s final possession to seal the victory.
Las Vegas jumped out to a 14-7 lead on Smith’s layup with 6:01 left in the opening quarter. Canada’s three-point play finished the first and trimmed the Dream’s deficit to 24-23.
Gray opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give Atlanta its first lead of the game. Las Vegas answered with an 11-0 run — which included Gray’s two 3-pointers — to give the visitors a 35-26 advantage.
After Jewell Loyd’s 3-pointer and Wilson’s free throws put the Aces ahead by 12, Gray’s basket began a 7-0 Atlanta run to pull the Dream within five.
Carter’s layup with 11.2 seconds left gave Las Vegas a 51-44 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Zack Wheeler rises to occasion as Phillies blank Pirates 6-0
May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits an RBI single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout innings to outduel Paul Skenes as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-0 victory Sunday.
Wheeler (3-0) gave up just three singles and a double with a walk and eight strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 1.99 in five starts.
Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott hit home runs for the Phillies, who are on a four-game winning streak and moved to 24-23 after they were 9-19 when Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as manager late last month.
The Pirates managed only five hits in the game while failing to score a run for the second straight day. Skenes (6-3) allowed five earned runs — his most since Opening Day — in five-plus innings. He yielded six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Wheeler retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced in the first four innings, allowing only an infield single to rookie Konnor Griffin in the second inning. He gave up a single and a walk in the fifth but benefited from J.T. Realmuto throwing out Griffin attempting to steal second.
Skenes struck out the side in the first inning and was in control until running into trouble in the fifth. The Phillies’ Adolis Garcia opened with a walk and moved to second on a single by Realmuto. Griffin made a diving stop for an out on a grounder to short by Crawford, but Garcia scored on the play to make it 1-0.
Trea Turner followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
In the sixth, the Phillies put three more runs on the board, starting with Harper’s leadoff homer, his 12th of the year.
Bohm singled and Marsh doubled, ending Skenes’ outing. Isaac Mattson came on and hit Garica with a pitch before Stott’s twi-run double extended the lead to 5-0.
The Pirates appeared to score in the sixth inning on a home run from Brandon Lowe, but it was overturned on replay to a double on fan interference.
Stott’s long home run against Dennis Santana in the eighth gave the Phillies a 6-0 advantage.
Jonathan Bowlan and Tanner Banks each logged an inning of relief for the Phillies to complete the shutout.
–Field Level Media
Guardians blast six home runs in rout of Reds
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