Sports
Long-ball White Sox chase series win vs. Angels in clash of aces
Apr 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Back-to-back home runs from Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas sparked the Chicago White Sox to a seven-run outburst in the seventh inning on Monday night.
While the long ball proved the key to an 8-7 home victory against the slumping Los Angeles Angels, the White Sox also are confident in their ability to play small ball — including bunting — as they seek to secure a series victory Tuesday night in the second contest of a three-game set in Chicago.
“We’ve been talking about bunting as a weapon starting in spring training and how important that was going to be for guys in certain spots,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Some more than others. But that’s got to be part of our game as we’re trying to find ways to score runs.”
Los Angeles, meanwhile, is seeking answers for preventing runs late in the game. A beleaguered bullpen again was unable to hold a lead Monday in a game that was delayed by rain and thunderstorms for three hours.
Los Angeles has lost four straight games and eight its last nine. The past two defeats have been frustratingly similar, with left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz allowing tying or go-ahead home runs to the first batter he faced in the seventh inning or later.
On Sunday, Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone reached Pomeranz for a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth to force extra innings.
Murakami took his turn in Monday’s series opener against the White Sox, greeting Pomeranz with a three-run blast in the seventh for his major-league-leading 12th homer. Vargas followed with a solo shot.
“We mingle together a lot, so I’m just glad that he’s a teammate and I’m glad to have him here,” Murakami said through a translator.
The Angels have kick-started their attack recently after a dry spell. Paced by two hits apiece from Mike Trout, Vaughn Grissom, Nolan Schanuel and Bryce Teodosio, Los Angeles out-hit the White Sox 14-9 on Monday.
A day earlier, the Angels built an early 6-0 advantage before losing 11-9 in 10 innings.
Grissom started at second base Monday as the Angels faced left-handed starter Anthony Kay. Grissom hopes to translate his success to more regular time in the lineup.
“It’s not my decision,” he said, “but that would be sick. As a ballplayer, you want to be in there every single day. So it’s definitely something that I’d love, but I do whatever helps the team win.”
Tuesday’s pitching matchup will feature a pair of ace right-handers as Davis Martin (3-1, 2.01 ERA) of Chicago faces Jose Soriano (5-0, 0.24) of Los Angeles.
Martin will aim to close a sharp April in which he has pitched to a 1.37 ERA over 26 1/3 innings covering four starts.
Soriano has been even more dominant, allowing only one run in 25 2/3 innings in four starts this month. He pitched five shutout innings in a no-decision against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. The Angels won 7-3.
“He’s got serious stuff,” Schanuel said. “I feel bad for hitters who have to go face him three or four times in a game. I saw it while standing in there during spring training. He’s got [a] Wiffle ball. I’ve never seen a baseball move that much.”
Soriano has flourished in two career appearances (one start) vs. the White Sox, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has allowed two hits and struck out 10 batters over nine scoreless innings.
Martin is 0-1 with a 3.07 ERA in three career appearances (all starts) against the Angels.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knights pull level with Mammoth on Shea Theodore's OT goal
Apr 27, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) shoots and scores against Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70), center Alexander Kerfoot (15) and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Shea Theodore scored with 52 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 5-4 win over the Utah Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday in Salt Lake City.
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, as the Knights rebounded after losing the previous two games and squandering a 3-0 lead on Monday to fall behind 4-3. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Las Vegas.
As double overtime approached, a broken play in front of the Utah net left goalie Karel Vejmelka without a stick. The puck was quickly moved in front to Theodore, and the defenseman buried the shot for the first playoff OT goal in his 11 NHL seasons.
Brett Howden had two goals and an assist for Vegas, and Jack Eichel had three assists. Noah Hanifin had two assists, and Cole Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev scored the other Vegas goals.
Carter Hart stopped 27 of 31 shots to earn his second win of the playoffs.
Mikhail Sergachev had three assists for the Mammoth, and Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist. Clayton Keller, Ian Cole and Michael Carcone contributed Utah’s other goals.
Vejmelka stopped 31 of 36 shots.
Dorfeyev and Howden bookended the first period with their first goals of the playoffs, beginning with Dorfeyev’s tally just 1:12 into the game. During a Mammoth power play at the 18:38 mark, a Mitch Marner takeaway set up Howden for the short-handed goal.
At 3:26 of the second period, Smith slickly redirected Hanifin’s point shot to give Vegas a 3-0 lead.
Just when the Golden Knights seemed to be in full command, the Mammoth responded with two goals in 29 seconds.
Schmaltz started the comeback at the 8:04 mark of the middle frame by converting his own rebound. Cole then added the quick follow-up with a long-range shot that deflected off the post and into the Knights’ net.
Carcone scored the equalizer on a one-timer from the right circle 1:45 into the third period, and Keller gave Utah its first lead on a deflected goal 5:10 into the third frame. It was then the Knights’ turn to equalize on a Howden tip-in at the 10:25 mark.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kyle Tucker's walkoff single caps Dodgers' rally past Marlins
Apr 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman Connor Norby (1) hits a single against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Kyle Tucker delivered a game-ending two-run single in the bottom of the ninth as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 victory over the visiting Miami Marlins on Monday to open a three-game series.
Shohei Ohtani added a run-scoring ground-rule double in the ninth and scored the game-winning run as the Dodgers won their third consecutive game and six of their last seven home contests.
Teoscar Hernandez had a two-run single and four Los Angeles relievers held Miami scoreless over the final four innings. Jake Eder (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the win.
Liam Hicks hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning for the Marlins while right-hander Pete Fairbanks (0-2) was charged with three runs in the ninth, while departing with an injury. Jakob Marsee had two hits for Miami.
The Dodgers opened the ninth inning with consecutive walks from Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing against Fairbanks. Miguel Rojas popped up a bunt attempt before Ohtani delivered an RBI ground-rule double to right to pull Los Angeles within 4-3.
After an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman loaded the bases, Fairbanks departed. Right-hander Tyler Phillips struck out Will Smith before Tucker hit an 0-1 splitter into center field for the game-winning runs.
Los Angeles got off to a fast start when Ohtani and Freeman opened the bottom of the first inning with consecutive singles. Hernandez came through with a two-out two-run single for the early lead.
The Marlins cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning when Dodgers shortstop Hyeseong Kim committed an error on a ground ball from Javier Sanoja that allowed Otto Lopez to score.
After Yamamoto walked both Marsee and Xavier Edwards in the fifth, Hicks hit a two-strike splitter for a three-run home run down the right-field line for a 4-2 lead.
The Dodgers threatened in the seventh by loading the bases with two outs against left-hander Andrew Nardi before Smith grounded out to second base to end the inning.
Ohtani had three hits for his second consecutive game after collecting just three total hits over his previous six contests.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami blasts 3-run homer to spark Angels' rally past White Sox
Apr 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Bryce Teodosio (22) runs after hitting an RBI-double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Munetaka Murakami belted a go-ahead three-run home run and Miguel Vargas followed with a solo shot to key a seven-run seventh inning and lift the host Chicago White Sox to an 8-7 victory against the skidding Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Chicago regrouped from a sluggish start to send the Angels to their fourth straight loss and eighth defeat in nine games.
Grant Taylor allowed two runs in the ninth, including a Nolan Schanuel bloop double with two outs that brought the Angels within the final margin. Bryan Hudson retired Adam Frazier on a groundout to second with two runs in scoring position to earn his first save.
The White Sox trailed by four runs entering the seventh. Tristan Peters started the rally with an RBI single and Andrew Benintendi added a two-run double to put two men aboard for Murakami, who greeted reliever Drew Pomeranz with his major league-leading 12th home run.
Vargas connected one batter later.
Showing little hesitation in a game that began after a three-hour rain delay, the Angels scored a run in the first inning, two in the second and another in the fourth.
Jorge Soler opened the scoring against White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay with a sacrifice fly. Bryce Teodosio doubled home a run in the second before Zach Neto followed with an RBI single.
Vaughn Grissom sent a run-scoring sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to make it 4-0 in the fourth.
Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz was sharp behind the early run support. After yielding first-inning singles to Murakami and Colson Montgomery, he allowed just one baserunner over the next three innings.
Benintendi’s RBI forceout in the fifth drew Chicago to within 4-1 but the Angels got the run back on Soler’s solo home run in the seventh.
Mike Trout, Grissom, Schanuel and Teodosio had two hits apiece for Los Angeles while Soler contributed three RBIs. Murakami had two hits and three RBIs, Benintendi drove in three runs and Peters had two hits.
Kay scattered four runs and seven hits in four innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Kochanowicz spaced three runs, two earned, and five hits in six-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Osvaldo Bido (2-0) allowed one run and two hits over three innings.
Nick Sandlin (0-1) allowed three runs in the seventh without recording an out.
–Field Level Media
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Knights pull level with Mammoth on Shea Theodore's OT goal
