Sports
Mariners look to continue leaning on strong bullpen vs. Twins
Apr 16, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images A bullpen, like an umpiring crew, often goes unnoticed unless it makes mistakes.
The Seattle Mariners would like to challenge that approach. Seattle has enjoyed one of the best bullpens in baseball as of late, and it hopes the trend will continue as it faces the Minnesota Twins to kick off a three-game series Monday in Minneapolis.
The Mariners are coming off a 3-2 road win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. Seattle’s bullpen combined to pitch three scoreless innings, and Jose A. Ferrer closed the door in the ninth inning for his first save.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson said he was fortunate to have a top bullpen.
“We’ve got guys we trust in those spots,” Wilson said. “And they just continue to do the job.”
The Mariners have won four games in a row and six of their past eight.
Minnesota is careening in the opposite direction and hopes to stop its skid as it opens a seven-game homestand. The Twins are coming off a 4-2 road loss against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday that marked the team’s fifth loss in a row and its ninth loss in the past 10 games.
Twins manager Derek Shelton wants his young team to focus on its next game instead of worrying about the past 10 contests.
“We’re going through a tough funk,” Shelton said. “We have to stay on the course. We have to stay positive. It seemed like early in the season, we were capitalizing on everything. Right now, we’re not capitalizing. We need to flip the switch.”
Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (0-1, 5.01 ERA) will try to prevent that from happening. Castillo remains in search of his first victory heading into his sixth start of the season, but he has fanned 23 in 23 1/3 innings.
Castillo recorded a quality start in his season debut but has not pitched six innings in any of his past four outings. In his last start Tuesday against the Athletics, he allowed two runs on five hits in five innings.
This will be Castillo’s 10th career start against the Twins. In his first nine contests, he is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings.
Minnesota will counter with left-hander Connor Prielipp, who is set to make the second start of his career. He made his big-league debut on Wednesday and allowed two runs on four hits in four innings against the New York Mets. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk.
Prielipp, 25, began his career on the road and will start in front of his hometown fans for the first time. He is from Tomah, Wis., which is about 175 miles from the Twin Cities.
The rookie hurler will try to silence Cal Raleigh, who belted his sixth home run on Sunday afternoon. Raleigh is hitting .204 with 15 RBIs on the season.
Raleigh, who finished as the runner-up in the American League MVP vote last season, deflected praise to his teammates in the bullpen.
“They’re a massive part of this team,” Raleigh said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Warriors bringing back key reserve Gary Payton II
Apr 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) makes a layup past Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images Gary Payton II is returning to the Golden State Warriors on a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, according to multiple reports on Saturday.
Payton, 33, is a 6-foot-2 guard with the athleticism to play in the frontcourt. He’s coming off one of his best seasons after dealing with injuries in earlier seasons. Payton averaged a career-high 7.5 points along with 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 15.6 minutes in a career-best 73 games (one start) last season.
He averages 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 15.1 minutes in 343 regular-season games (52 starts) for the Milwaukee Bucks (2016-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018), Washington Wizards (2019-20), Warriors (2020-22, 2023-present) and Portland Trail Blazers (2022-23).
He won the NBA championship with the Warriors in the 2021-22 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Walk-filled 3rd inning helps Pirates beat Reds, snap 4-game skid
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) tags out Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) on his way to second in the third inning between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft threw five solid innings and Jake Mangum had two hits and a run to lift the visiting Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
Ashcraft (11-4) allowed one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts before a 106-minute weather delay preceded the bottom of the sixth inning.
Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez, Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis finished with an RBI apiece for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Gregory Soto pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 14th save. Three Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Cincinnati to three hits. The Pirates recorded six hits.
Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the third despite collecting only one hit. Davis drew a leadoff walk, Mangum singled and Brandon Lowe coaxed a walk to load the bases. Reynolds and Valdez drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 2-0.
Gonzales followed with a fielder’s choice to plate Brandon Lowe and give the Pirates a three-run lead. As a steady rain fell throughout the inning, the grounds crew briefly tended to the mound.
Cincinnati got on the board in the fifth when Jose Trevino opened the frame with an opposite-field homer to right.
The Pirates extended their advantage to 4-1 in the sixth when Davis feathered an RBI single into shallow center, just beyond the reach of a diving TJ Friedl.
The Reds, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, threatened in the fourth. Sal Stewart was hit by a pitch before being forced out at second on JJ Bleday’s fielder’s choice. Nathaniel Lowe singled to center and, after Noelvi Marte popped out, Bleday advanced to third when no one covered second on Ashcraft’s pickoff attempt. But Eugenio Suarez struck out to end the inning.
Elly De La Cruz lined a rocket to center to open the eighth, but Mangum chased it down and made a leaping catch.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott (5-7) allowed three runs on three hits while matching a season high with five walks over five innings. He struck out one.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hunter Goodman (2 HRs, 5 RBIs), Rockies rough up Royals
Aug 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) celebrates with center fielder Brenton Doyle (9) in the dugout after hitting a three run home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Hunter Goodman homered twice and drove in five, Willi Castro also went deep and the Colorado Rockies beat the Kansas City Royals 12-6 in Denver on Saturday night.
TJ Rumfield finished with three hits and three RBIs, Kyle Karros had two hits and two RBIs and Jake McCarthy also had two hits for Colorado, which won its 44th game of the season, eclipsing last year’s victory total with 51 games remaining.
Jac Caglianone, Salvador Perez homered and John Rave all went deep and Tyler Tolbert and Nick Loftin had two hits each for Kansas City, which pulled outfielder Lane Thomas from the game in the middle of the fourth inning. Multiple outlets reported Thomas had been traded to Atlanta along with left-hander Bailey Falter.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner worked out of a jam in the first inning but couldn’t escape trouble in the second. Isaac Collins led off with a triple to the gap in right-center and one out later scored on Michael Massey’s sacrifice fly to left.
Tolbert started the third with a double to right and stole second, and two outs later Caglianone hit his 18th home run of the season. Perez followed with his 16th homer to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.
Feltner (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings.
Kansas City starter Luinder Avila faltered in the third when Colorado sent 11 batters to the plate. The Rockies loaded the bases with two walks and a single, then Karros drove in the first two with a double and Rumfield made it 4-3 with a single.
Goodman capped the scoring with his 32nd home run of the season, breaking his franchise mark for homers by a catcher in a season that he set last year, and gave Colorado a 6-4 lead.
Avila (5-4) was charged with six runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Colorado added to the lead in the fourth on Rumfield’s RBI single. Castro hit a solo homer in the fifth, his 12th, to make it 8-4.
Goodman extended his franchise record with a leadoff homer in the seventh and drove in another run in the Rockies’ three-run eighth. The Royals scored twice in the ninth.
-Field Level Media
Reports: Warriors bringing back key reserve Gary Payton II
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