Sports
Mets, Marlins on quest to avoid last place in NL East
May 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The New York Mets were thinking about playing in the World Series when the season started.
But now, 51 games into the 2026 campaign, the Mets will look to climb out of last place in the National League East Saturday afternoon when they visit the Miami Marlins in the middle game of a three-game series.
The Marlins head into play Saturday 13 games behind the Atlanta Braves, with the Mets 13 1/2 games out.
Freddy Peralta (3-3, 3.31 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Max Meyer (4-0, 2.85 ERA).
Eury Perez and a trio of Marlins relievers combined on a three-hitter Friday night as Miami earned a 2-1 victory.
The win lifted the Marlins past the Mets into fourth place in the NL East — one day after New York climbed out of the basement for the first time since April 28.
The loss Friday was the third in the last four games for the Mets, who have struggled to pair a productive offense with effective pitching throughout their disappointing first two months of the season.
The Mets have been outscored 20-13 over the past four games. The current skid was preceded by a seven-game stretch in which New York went 6-1 while outscoring the opposition 53-29.
“You take the positives. Obviously, it’s not what you want as far as the results, not getting the job done, not able to get the win,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Consistency has also been an issue for the Marlins, who have won consecutive games just once this month while going 8-13.
But pitching and defense helped lift the Marlins on Friday, when they won a game while scoring two runs or fewer for the first time since they edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on April 28.
Perez allowed just two hits — both to Juan Soto, who homered in the first and singled in the fourth — over 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander benefited from a pair of highlight-reel plays by center fielder Jakob Marsee, who robbed Mets leadoff hitter Carson Benge with a running catch at the right-center field wall in the first and a leaping catch at the center field wall in the sixth.
“To win games like that 2-1, you generally are going to need a little bit of luck on your side and also (are) going to have to make some plays,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
Peralta didn’t factor into the decision in his most recent start last Sunday, when he allowed three runs over five innings as the Mets edged the New York Yankees, 7-6, in 10 innings. Meyer earned the win Monday night after giving up three hits over six scoreless innings in the Marlins’ 12-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Peralta is 3-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 career games (eight starts) against the Marlins. Meyer is 1-1 with a 3.48 ERA in two starts against the Mets.
-Field Level Media
Sports
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
May 23, 2026; Carson, California, USA; Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz (19) moves the ball while pressured by LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil (28) and midfielder Justin Haak (15) during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Guilherme Santos scored the tying goal in the 41st minute and Jonathan Bond recorded five saves as the visiting Houston Dynamo earned a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on Saturday in a Western Conference dustup in Carson, Calif.
It was the final game for both teams before MLS’s two-month World Cup break. The draw was the first this season for the Dynamo (7-6-1, 22 points), who head to the break two points clear of the Galaxy (5-5-5, 20 points) in the West standings.
Houston has earned points in four of its past five league matches (3-1-1). Los Angeles is 3-1-2 in its past six MLS contests.
The Galaxy were the aggressor in the early minutes of the match, as Erik Thommy and then Joseph Paintsil tested Bond with shots on target in the 14th and 17th minute, respectively.
Paintsil broke through in the 30th minute, making short work of a scoring play that started when Edwin Cerrillo passed to the right side of the box to Miki Yamane. Yamane worked hard to center the ball but it bounced through traffic in front of the goal before Paintsil ripped a right-footed shot past Bond and into the top-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.
Guilherme had an excellent chance to produce the equalizer for the Dynamo five minutes later but missed over the crossbar from short range.
Guilherme made the most of his next opportunity, taking a pass from Jack McGlynn outside the top of the box and hitting a curving shot past Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski (three saves) into the bottom-right corner. Antonio Carlos was credited with a secondary assist on that tying tally.
The second half was full of unrealized scoring chances.
Marcinkowski kept the match knotted with a stop on a low-percentage shot by McGlynn in the 56th minute. He then stopped shots from Mateusz Bogusz in the 70th minute and Jose Artur in the 73rd to quell Houston scoring chances.
Cerrillo, Matheus Nascimento and Gabriel Pec had shots on target in the final 15 minutes for the Galaxy, but Bond rose to the task to save each of them and allow the Dynamo to split the points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ketel Marte leads Diamondbacks past Rockies
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) watches after hitting a two run home run against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) during the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images Ketel Marte went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Phoenix.
Nolan Arenado had a two-run double and Geraldo Perdomo contributed two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Ryan Waldschmidt had two hits and scored once as Arizona improved to 2-1 in the four-game set that concludes Sunday.
TJ Rumfield went 3-for-4 with a homer for the Rockies, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games. Troy Johnston had two hits and an RBI and Hunter Goodman also had two hits for Colorado.
Arizona’s Paul Sewald recorded two outs on fly balls in the ninth before striking out Goodman for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen (3-4) gave up three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen (2-7) was touched up for five runs and eight hits over five innings. He fanned five and issued one walk.
The Rockies pulled within 5-4 when Rumfield smacked a 2-0 sinker from Brandon Pfaadt over the wall in left-center field leading off the eighth.
Tyler Freeman followed with a single and Pfaadt was replaced by Kevin Ginkel. Johnston walked but Colorado’s threat took a big hit when Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice bunt attempt was fielded by Ildemaro Vargas and the first baseman’s throw forced Freeman at third.
Sterlin Thompson grounded out to move the runners to second and third before Ginkel retired Chad Stevens on a fly to center.
Arizona jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Perdomo and the two-run double by Arenado.
The Rockies loaded the bases with none out in the fourth. Johnson’s single plated one run and Tovar’s fielder’s choice drove in another.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tim Tawa was on first with two out when Marte slammed a first-pitch fastball 424 feet over the fence in right to give the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead.
Colorado pushed across a run in the sixth as Johnston singled, stole second, moved to third on Tovar’s grounder and scored on Thompson’s grounder.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ross Chastain wins rain-shortened O’Reilly Series race at Charlotte
May 23, 2026; Concord, North Carolina, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series 2026 driver Ross Chastain (9) celebrates in victory lane after his win during the Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images CONCORD, N.C.-Ross Chastain drove through a succession of challenges-including a patch of oil and a brush with the outside wall-to win Saturday night’s rain-shortened Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The victory was Chastain’s first in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series since 2019, his first at Charlotte and the third of his career. The race was stopped for rain for the second time after Chastain crossed the finish line to win the second stage on Lap 90.
With no hope of continuing, NASCAR called the race after Lap 91 and declared Chastain the winner.
“I did not think we would win one like this, driving into the fence in liquid,” said Chastain, who was driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. “I have no idea what it was. I went into Turn 1 like normal, and there was something on the track.
“No matter how we win, I feel like we could have raced with them again at the end.”
Chastain’s thoughts quickly turned to the absence of champion driver Kyle Busch, who on Thursday lost his life to a sudden illness at age 41.
“This weekend, it’s just incredible trying to grasp losing Kyle,” Chastain said. “I don’t understand how he’s not here racing. I don’t grasp it mentally or spiritually.
“Obviously, racing is the best thing we can to celebrate what he did in the sport and in his life.”
Defending O’Reilly Series champion Jesse Love, who drives for Richard Childress Racing — as did Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series — was second when the race was called.
“If this week taught us anything, it’s that all this doesn’t matter as much as we think it does,” Love said. “As much as I’m angry and confused and upset (about the way the race finished), I also realized there’s a lot of hurt people right now.”
A spate of cautions punctuated the second stage of the race after a rain delay of more than four hours, but the real damage came on Lap 73, when the drivers of eight cars-including Chastain-slid through fluid deposited by the No. 35 Chevrolet of Dawson Cram.
Chastain kept his car on the track with seemingly minimal damage. Other drivers weren’t as fortunate.
Victims of the oily track included series leader Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray and Jeremy Clements. Allgaier stayed on the lead lap after repeated trips to pit road for repairs but finished 29th as the final 18 laps of the race remained under caution thanks to drizzling rain and mist that wet the track and obscured spotters’ views from the top of the grandstand.
Austin Hill, Love’s RCR teammate, finished third, followed by William Sawalich and Corey Day. Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Cole Custer, Carson Kvapil and Rajah Caruth completed the top 10, as JR Motorsports placed three drivers in the top 10.
Rain slowed the race twice in the first 33 laps, the first time for a drizzle under caution for Harrison Burton’s spin in Turn 4, the second time for a harder rain that fell after NASCAR called a competition caution on Lap 26.
The rain persisted while the cars circulated under the yellow flag for seven more laps, with Allgaier in the lead behind the pace car. Ultimately, NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 33, and the cars sat covered on pit road waiting for a resumption.
At 9:45 p.m. NASCAR called the drivers back to their cars, and the race resumed with eight laps left in Stage 1 after a stoppage of 4 hours, 21 minutes, 58 seconds.
On Lap 42, Allgaier got loose over the bumps in Turn 3 and gave up the lead to Zilisch, who took the green-checkered flag as the stage winner three laps later.
Then came the decisive second stage, fraught with all its perils. And after it was over, Chastain took a bow, mimicking Busch’s signature move, before making his own familiar move — a watermelon smash — from the roof of his car.
The rain that halted the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race prematurely also forced postponement of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for the third time.
The event is now scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Charbroil 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 23, 2026
1. (14) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 91.
2. (17) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 91.
3. (6) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 91.
4. (7) William Sawalich, Toyota, 91.
5. (2) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 91.
6. (5) Connor Zilisch(i), Chevrolet, 91.
7. (9) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
8. (29) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 91.
9. (24) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 91.
10. (10) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 91.
11. (8) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 91.
12. (31) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 91.
13. (13) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 91.
14. (21) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 91.
15. (30) Leland Honeyman Jr(i), Chevrolet, 91.
16. (16) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 91.
17. (37) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 91.
18. (23) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 91.
19. (22) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
20. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 91.
21. (27) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 91.
22. (35) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 91.
23. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 91.
24. (33) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 91.
25. (26) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 91.
26. (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 91.
27. (11) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 91.
28. (20) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, 91.
29. (1) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 91.
30. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 90.
31. (25) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 73.
32. (12) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, Accident, 73.
33. (34) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 72.
34. (38) JJ Yeley, Ford, Fuel Pump, 64.
35. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 62.
36. (3) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 61.
37. (18) Brent Crews #, Toyota, Accident, 51.
38. (19) Harrison Burton, Toyota, Accident, 51.
–by Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
Ketel Marte leads Diamondbacks past Rockies
