Sports
Marlins face NL-leading Braves as difficult stretch continues
May 7, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Max Meyer (23) throws in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images It doesn’t get any easier for the Miami Marlins. After playing a three-game series at Tampa Bay, the team with the best record in the American League, they return home to open a four-game set Monday against the Atlanta Braves, the team with the best record in the National League.
The Marlins lost the rubber game of the series 6-3 against the Rays on Sunday and have lost nine of their last 14. The Braves beat the Boston Red Sox 8-1 on Sunday to take two-of-three and post their major league-best 32nd win.
This will be the second series between the two National League East teams. The host Braves took two of three from the Marlins in mid-April.
The pitching matchups for the opener features Miami right-hander Max Meyer (3-0, 3.21 ERA) vs. Atlanta righty JR Ritchie (1-0, 3.32).
Meyer is coming off a workmanlike effort at Minnesota on Wednesday when he picked up a win after throwing 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs. He fanned a season-high nine batters and walked only two.
“Max was fine,” manager Clayton McCullough said afterward. “He grinded through this a little bit. Nice to have the weapons he does. He’s come so far as a starter. His ability to navigate through lineups, he has more weapons at his disposal. To pitch into the sixth, get out of a few jams in earlier innings, was big.”
Meyer is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta. He faced the Braves on April 14 and did not receive a decision, pitching five innings and allowing three runs in an eventual 6-5 Atlanta win.
Ritchie continues to impress since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and inserted in the starting rotation. He did not receive a decision in his last outing on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs, a game the Braves won 4-1. Ritche’s high pitch count (87) caused him to be removed after 4 1/3 innings, although he allowed only one run on two hits. He has never faced the Marlins.
“I’ve talked about Ritchie having the weapons, for left-handed hitters, right-handed hitters,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “He spins the ball well, and there’s some power with the heater. So, he’s got all the weapons.”
Atlanta has led the opposition to three or fewer runs in 11 consecutive games dating to May 5. The Braves have pitched to a 1.95 ERA (21 earned runs in 97 innings) over that stretch. It is the longest such stretch by Atlanta since going 12 straight games in 2002.
Ritchie will need to deal with Miami shortstop Otto Lopez and catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks. Lopez had two more hits on Sunday and leads the majors with 63 hits and a .344 batting average. He is the seventh player in franchise history with 60-plus hits through 45 games to start the season. Hicks has 40 RBI, joining Giancarlo Stanton as the only players in Marlins history to reach that milestone through a season’s first 43 games.
The Braves are 28-5 when scoring at least four runs. The Braves hit two more home runs (Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski) on Sunday and upped their NL lead to 66.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Spirit cruises past Team Falcons in PGL Astana grand final
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. Team Spirit swept Team Falcons 3-0 in the grand final on Sunday at the $800,000 PGL Astana tournament in Kazakhstan.
Winning the best-of-five championship earned Team Spirt the $256,000 first prize. Team Falcons collected $120,000.
MOUZ downed magic 2-0 in the best-of-three match for third place and $96,000, with $56,000 for fourth.
Sixteen Counter-Strike 2 teams began the event on May 9, with eight advancing through the Swiss System group stage to the single-elimination playoffs.
Team Spirit beat Team Falcons 16-12 on Dust II, 13-7 on Mirage and 14-10 on Ancient.
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets of Russia as Player of the Match with a match-high 62 kills to 46 deaths for Team Spirit. Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin of Russia recorded 58 kills for the Falcons.
MOUZ dispatched magic 13-2 on Mirage and 13-7 on Inferno.
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius of Lithuania was voted Player of the Match, pacing MOUZ with 28 kills to 14 deaths. No magic player scored a positive K-D ratio, with Nikita “tenzy” Kochenyuk of Russia posting 22 kills.
PGL Astana 2026 prize pool:
1. $256,000 — Team Spirit
2. $120,000 — Team Falcons
3. $96,000 — MOUZ
4. $56,000 — magic
5-8. $40,000 — FURIA, 9z Team, Aurora Gaming, G2 Esports
9-11. $20,000 — The MongolZ, Monte, Gentle Mates
12-14. $12,000 — HEROIC, PARIVISION, The Huns Esports
15-16. $8,000 — K27, Fisher College
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Falcons, Natus Vincere finish atop DreamLeague Season 29 groups
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Team Falcons and Natus Vincere secured wins on Sunday to finish atop Group A and Group B, respectively, on the final day of round-robin play of the DreamLeague Season 29 event.
Falcons rallied past GamerLegion 2-1 to finish group play as the only unbeaten team in either group at 7-0. Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf from Jordan led Team Falcons’ comeback after dropping the opener with a combined 20-10-24 kill-death-assist ratio in the match. Daniel “Ghost” Chan of Hong Kong led GamerLegion with a 24-12-23 K-D-A ratio.
The $1 million Dota 2 event began with the 16 teams divided into two groups for round-robin play. The top four teams in each group have earned 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.
Before the playoffs begin on Tuesday, Xtreme Gaming, PlayTime and Tundra Esports will contest a three-team tiebreaker on Monday, each facing one another to settle a three-way tie for fourth place in Group B.
In Group A action on the final day of round-robin play, Falcons won 2-1, dropping the first game in 41 minutes on red before winning in 51 minutes and 39 minutes on green.
Team Spirit locked up the second spot in Group A with a 2-0 triumph over ex-HEROIC, winning in 33 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red.
Team Liquid finished in the No. 3 spot in the Group A standings after its 2-1 comeback win over Vici Gaming. Vici won the opener in 36 minutes on green before Liquid surged back with a pair of victories on red in 37 minutes apiece.
Aurora Gaming, the fourth seed, finished group play with a 2-1 defeat of Virtus.pro. Aurora won the first game on red in 40 minutes, Virtus bounced back with a 36-minute triumph on red, but Aurora responded to win the match with a 40-minute deciding victory on red.
On the final day of Group B play, Natus Vincere locked up the No. 1 seed with a 2-0 defeat of Xtreme Gaming. Natus swept the match with a pair of red victories in 51 and 26 minutes.
PARIVISION, also 6-1 in Group B but with a loss to Natus Vincere, is the second seed after coming away with a 2-1 win over last-place REKONIX. PARIVISION won the first clash in 36 minutes on green and closed it out with a 44-minute triumph on red after REKONIX won a 57-minute marathon on green in the middle faceoff.
BetBoom Team locked into the third seed thanks to a 2-0 sweep of Nigma Galaxy, winning in 77 minutes and 33 minutes on red.
Tundra Esports forced the three-way tie for fourth with its 2-1 defeat of PlayTime. After PlayTime won the opener in 39 minutes on green, Tundra rallied with a 65-minute victory on green and a 39-minute red win.
Monday schedule:
Group B tiebreakers
–Xtreme Gaming vs. PlayTime
–XG/PT winner vs. Tundra Esports
–XG/PT loser vs. Tundra Esports
DreamLeague Season 29 group standings, with match record and map record
Group A
1. Team Falcons, 7-0, 14-3
2. Team Spirit, 6-1, 13-3
3. Team Liquid, 5-2, 11-6
4. Aurora Gaming, 4-3, 9-8
5. Virtus.pro, 2-5, 7-10
6. Vici Gaming, 2-5, 6-10
7. ex-HEROIC, 1-6, 2-12
8. GamerLegion, 1-6, 3-13
Group B
1 Natus Vincere, 6-1, 12-4
2. PARIVISION, 6-1, 13-6
3. BetBoom Team, 4-3, 10-7
T4. PlayTime, 3-4, 8-9
T4. Tundra Esports, 3-4, 8-11
T4. Xtreme Gaming, 3-4, 7-8
7. Nigma Galaxy, 2-5, 5-10
8. REKONIX, 1-6, 4-12
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 — ex-HEROIC, Nigma Galaxy
15-16. $10,000, $10,000, 60 points — GamerLegion, REKONIX
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nationals ban individual who displayed white nationalist sign at game
May 12, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Washington Nationals logo on the sleeve of outfielder James Wood (29) as he prepares on deck in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Washington Nationals are investigating an incident during Sunday’s game at Nationals Park when individuals unfurled a sign that directed fans to a white nationalist website and called for the deportation of “100+ million.”
The individuals resisted removing the banner before fleeing the ballpark.
The team has identified and banned at least one individual from Nationals Park and are working with the Metropolitan Police Department on a follow-up investigation, according to a team spokesman. They did not make public the identity of the banned individual.
“The Washington Nationals vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans,” the team said in a statement to multiple media outlets.
The Nationals, who lost the game 7-3 to the Baltimore Orioles, have a daily “Salute to Service” honoring veterans and military personnel before the fourth inning. It was at that time when the banner was unfurled in the upper deck down the first-base line.
An usher attempted to confiscate the banner but the three individuals holding the sign pulled it back and fled, according to a team spokesperson.
Jake Lang, a Jan. 6 rioter and conservative influencer, took credit for the banner on social media.
The Athletic reported that it is not clear at this time how the banner got through security, with the stadium’s magnetometers able to detect weapons but would not flag something like a nylon sign.
The Nationals’ policy includes guidelines that “signs, banners and fan activities do not distract from the enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment …” and includes restrictions on size and material.
The policy on subject matter is that as a baseball park, the stadium complex “is not a forum or place for use by the public at large for assembly and speech, for use by certain speakers or for the discussion of certain subjects.”
Messages must relate to Major League Baseball, Nationals players and/or management and staff, the entity broadcasting the game or specific family-friendly messages about occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and engagements.
“Additionally, banners and signs may not bear a message that (i) is slanderous, (ii) is obscene, vulgar or indecent and inappropriate for viewing by children, (iii) contains “fighting words” likely to provoke a breach of the peace, (iv) is presented for a commercial purpose, or (v) contains derogatory matter relating to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, age, personal appearance, familial status, familial responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business or any other category protected by D.C. law.”
The Nationals, in their posted guidelines, reserve the right to remove a non-conforming banner/sign or require a guest to immediately stop displaying it.
–Field Level Media
Team Spirit cruises past Team Falcons in PGL Astana grand final
Team Falcons, Natus Vincere finish atop DreamLeague Season 29 groups
