Sports
MLB roundup: Dodgers beat Rockies, spoil Blackmon’s farewell
Sep 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (19) and wife Ashley and daughter Josie and son Wyatt wave to fans following the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani fell short in his bid to become the first National League Triple Crown winner since 1937, but Chris Taylor’s home run helped power the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday in Denver to spoil Charlie Blackmon’s final game.
Ohtani, who led the NL in home runs (54) and RBIs (130), finished with a .310 average after going 1-for-4 on Sunday. San Diego’s Luis Arraez went 1-for-3 to all but lock up the title with a .314 average. Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna finished Sunday at .304 and will have a slight chance to win the batting title on Monday, when the Braves and Mets play a doubleheader in Atlanta.
Ohtani also stole his 59th base and Teoscar Hernandez had two hits for the Dodgers (98-64), who finished the season with the best record in baseball.
Blackmon, who is retiring after 14 major league seasons spent entirely with the Rockies, was given a standing ovation before the game. He went 1-for-2 before being removed in the third to another standing ovation. Sam Hilliard homered, but Colorado (61-101) sent Blackmon into retirement with a loss.
Mets 5, Brewers 0
David Peterson tossed seven innings of one-hit ball and earned the win, and visiting New York beat Milwaukee to ensure itself an opportunity to play for a postseason berth Monday.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Mets (88-72), who can clinch a National League wild-card spot by winning at least once in Atlanta against the Braves during Monday’s makeup doubleheader. The teams had the final two games of their series postponed last week due to Hurricane Helene.
The Mets are in a virtual tie for the final two wild-card spots with the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-73) and the Braves (88-72). Francisco Lindor was 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two stolen bases against the NL Central-winning Brewers (93-69), who are slated to begin an NL wild-card series Tuesday against the sixth seed.
Diamondbacks 11, Padres 2
Ketel Marte’s two-run home run highlighted a six-run fourth inning as Arizona kept its wild-card playoff hopes alive with a victory over San Diego in Phoenix.
Eugenio Suarez and Randal Grichuk also homered for the Diamondbacks (89-73), who now await the results of the Mets-Braves doubleheader on Monday. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (11-10) allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out nine.
Elias Diaz and Jake Cronenworth drove in runs for the Padres (93-69), who will host a wild-card playoff series beginning Tuesday.
Royals 4, Braves 2
Visiting Kansas City got home runs from Michael Massey and Hunter Renfroe to beat Atlanta, salvaging a game from their three-game series and preventing the hosts from clinching a spot in the postseason.
Gio Urshela homered for the Braves (88-72), who now need one win over the Mets in Monday’s doubleheader to secure a wild-card spot.
Alec Marsh (9-9) pitched five solid innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and two strikeouts for the Royals (86-76), who head into a wild-card series against the Baltimore Orioles.
White Sox 9, Tigers 5
Lenyn Sosa hit a three-run homer and visiting Chicago closed out its season with a win over playoff-bound Detroit.
Sosa had three hits and scored three runs and Bryan Ramos supplied two hits, two runs and two RBIs for the White Sox (41-121), who won five of their last six games.
Kerry Carpenter blasted a grand slam for the Tigers (86-76), who clinched an American League wild-card playoff berth when they beat the White Sox on Friday. Detroit will travel to Houston to face the AL West champion Astros in the playoff opener on Tuesday.
Orioles 6, Twins 2
James McCann hit a three-run home run, Jordan Westburg drove in a pair and Baltimore pulled away to defeat Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Heston Kjerstad hit a solo home run for the Orioles, who completed a three-game sweep to finish the regular season. The Orioles will return home to host the Royals in the American League wild-card series, beginning Tuesday.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. hit his first career home run for Minnesota. Carlos Santana hit a solo shot for the Twins, who finished the season with 27 losses in their last 39 games to squander a shot at the postseason.
Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Kyle Schwarber and Weston Wilson each drove in two runs as Philadelphia wrapped up its regular season with a road victory over Washington.
Kody Clemens made a game-saving catch in left field to seal the victory for Philadelphia (95-67), which finished with its highest win total since going 102-60 in 2011. The Phillies will head to the playoffs for the third straight season — this time as the No. 2 seed in the National League — and will play their postseason opener Saturday at home.
In his final tune-up for the postseason, Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (14-8) struck out seven in five innings. He gave up three runs and nine hits, including a liner off his right hip, although he stayed in the game. Washington finished 71-91 for the second straight season, marking the club’s fourth straight 90-loss-plus campaign. Dylan Crews went 3-for-3 and Luis Garcia Jr. homered.
Yankees 6, Pirates 4
Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and New York held on for a win against visiting Pittsburgh.
Trent Grisham had a two-run home run and an RBI single and Gleyber Torres had two doubles and scored twice for the Yankees (94-68), who will open the American League Division Series at home next Saturday.
Joey Bart had two hits, an RBI and a run and Joshua Palacios drove in two runs for the Pirates (76-86), who finished last in the National League Central.
Reds 3, Cubs 0 (10 innings)
Elly De La Cruz drove in a pair on a go-ahead triple while Jake Fraley finished 3-for-4 as visiting Cincinnati beat Chicago in 10 innings.
After nine scoreless innings, De La Cruz slashed a two-run triple off Ethan Roberts (1-1). Tyler Stephenson then added an insurance run with a single, extending the Reds’ lead to 3-0. Cincinnati (77-85) snapped a five-game losing streak but missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Chicago had its two-game winning streak snapped as the offense mustered just three hits. The Cubs finished 83-79 for a second consecutive year and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Red Sox 3, Rays 1
Quinn Priester limited visiting Tampa Bay to one run on four hits in five innings to help Boston avoid a three-game sweep.
Priester, called up from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, was making his debut with Boston after being acquired from Pittsburgh at this year’s trade deadline. He struck out two and walked one. Priester (3-6) went 2-6 with a 5.04 ERA in 10 games with the Pirates earlier this year.
The victory ended Boston’s three-game losing streak. The Red Sox (81-81) finished third in the American League East. The Rays (80-82) posted their first losing season since 2017 and finished fourth in the East.
Cardinals 6, Giants 1
Brendan Donovan homered, Alec Burleson drove in three runs and visiting St. Louis denied San Francisco a .500 season with a season-ending victory.
Rookie Michael McGreevy (3-0) completed an unbeaten season with eight strong innings, helping the Cardinals take two of three in the series to wrap up a 6-2 year-ending run. St. Louis (83-79) finished in a tie with the Chicago Cubs for second place in the National League Central.
Hayden Birdsong (5-6) was pulled after Burleson’s hit, charged with three runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out 11. Casey Schmitt had two hits and a run for the Giants (80-82), who took fourth place in the NL West.
Marlins 3, Blue Jays 1
Jonah Bride had two hits, a walk and two RBIs as visiting Miami defeated Toronto to complete a three-game sweep.
Otto Lopez — a former Blue Jay — and Xavier Edwards added two hits each for Miami (62-100), which won its last four games.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 0-for-2 with two walks for Toronto (74-88) to finish the season with 199 hits. He was trying to become the sixth Blue Jay to reach 200 hits in a season. Toronto finished the season with a 1-5 homestand and dropped eight of its final nine contests.
Rangers 8, Angels 0
Nathan Eovaldi worked seven scoreless innings and rookie Dustin Harris went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to help Texas sweep the series against Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Eovaldi (12-8) struck out five while yielding four hits for the Rangers (78-84), and Harris hit his first major league home run in his second career game.
Starter Jack Kochanowicz (2-6) gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings for the Angels (63-99), who dropped six in a row and nine of their final 10 games.
Mariners 6, Athletics 4
Logan Gilbert took a perfect game into the sixth inning and Cal Raleigh homered for a third consecutive game as Seattle defeated visiting Oakland to sweep the three-game series.
Gilbert (9-12) retired the first 17 batters he faced before Oakland’s Nick Allen lined a single to left field with two outs in the sixth. That was it for the right-hander, who struck out seven. Justin Turner added a two-run double for the Mariners (85-77), who fell short of the playoffs despite winning eight of their last 10 games.
Tyler Nevin and Darell Hernaiz both drove in two runs for the A’s (69-93), who were wearing their gray road uniforms with “Oakland” stitched across the front for the final time.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blazers face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs to open playoffs
Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images The Portland Trail Blazers will get their first look of the season at erstwhile league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama when they travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Sunday in their opening game of the first round playoff series.
The Trail Blazers (42-40) clinched the seventh seed and a meeting with the second-seeded Spurs with a 114-110 road win over Phoenix on Tuesday in the West’s 7 vs. 8 matchup in the play-in tournament. That victory allowed Portland to earn its first trip to the playoffs since 2021.
San Antonio has won two of the three games with the Trail Blazers this year — most recently a 112-101 decision at home on April 8 — but Wembanyama missed all three contests with injuries. That doesn’t bode well for Portland’s chances to upset the Spurs, who lost just four times in their 34 games since March 1.
“He will play in the fourth game,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said about Wembanyama. “That feels good.”
Wembanyama’s numbers this season — 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers –are a combination never before produced in the NBA. Portland acting head coach Tiago Splitter said his team will employ a combined effort to try to slow the Spurs’ star center.
“Of course Wembanyama is a big emphasis for us both offensively and defensively,” Splitter explained. “He’s a 7-foot-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter and brings something different that other teams don’t have.
“Every game is a team effort,” Splitter added. “Stay connected on offense. Share the ball, play together. It’s a big team effort on both ends of the court.”
Deni Avdija led the way for Portland in Tuesday’s win, scoring 41 points that included his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining that capped the Blazers’ comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.
San Antonio had the second-best record in the NBA this season at 62-20, trailing only defending champion Oklahoma City. The Spurs are on the hunt for their sixth NBA title in franchise history and are one of the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
But this is lofty company for San Antonio, which hasn’t earned a spot in the playoffs since 2019. The Spurs are just the fourth team in league history to win 60 games in a season a year after they won less than 35.
“I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said about the team’s quest for a championship. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts.”
San Antonio is far from a one-man team. The Spurs had seven players average in double-figure scoring, with Wembanyama leading the way at 25 points per game in 65 contests. De’Aaron Fox was second at 18.6 points, and Stephon Castle (who had five triple doubles) racking up 16.7 points.
“We know where we are,” Johnson said this week. “We will be ourselves. We’ll be excited to play. If that means we come out in the first three minutes and there’s some nerves, I think that’s excitement. But I think we’ll get back to being ourselves. That’s what I expect.
“As soon as we can get back to making it the basketball game we’ve been playing all year, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Game 2 will be Tuesday night in the Alamo City before switching to Portland for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and April 26, respectively.
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal wins first game under Philippe Eullaffroy, beat Red Bulls
Apr 18, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) celebrates with teammate midfielder Victor Loturi (22) after scoring a goal against the Red Bull New York during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Prince Owusu recorded a goal and three assists as CF Montreal bested the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1 in the home side’s first match under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
Owusu scored his fifth goal of the season, as Montreal (2-6-0, 6 points) claimed their 100th win all-time at Stade Saputo.
Montreal strode past the visitors’ backline with relative ease in the early going. Red Bulls (3-3-2, 11 points) captain Emil Forsberg failed to control a hurried pass from his goalkeeper, allowing Owusu to play in Victor Loturi, who blasted it past Ethan Horvath in the fifth minute to make it 1-0.
Owusu nearly extended their lead soon after when Ivan Jaime played him through on a one-on-one. The towering center forward opted to hold the ball up before sending it wide of goal.
Owusu made no mistake on his 39th-minute penalty, catching out Horvath with a sly stutter step and slotting it into the left corner to make it 2-0. The penalty came as a result of Dylan Nealis’s handball.
Montreal’s Matty Longstaff knocked balls into both nets at the start of the second half. Longstaff met Owusu’s perfectly threaded through ball to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. The English midfielder then overhit an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Thomas Gillier four minutes later and inadvertently brought the Red Bulls back within two.
More than the flurry of goals, the single biggest change in Montreal’s approach was in their defensive setup. Eullaffroy’s zonal marking stood in stark contrast to Marco Donadel’s aggressive man-marking, the Red Bulls managing just one shot on goal all game long. Eullaffroy also started Samuel Piette in the midfield after the Montreal captain remained on the bench in their last two outings.
Owusu chipped the ball over Matthew Dos Santos and into the path of Kwadwo Opoku, who guided it into the open net to restore Montreal’s three-goal lead.
The victory marked Montreal’s first at home since August of last year. Both of Montreal’s wins this season have come against the Red Bulls. New York, meanwhile, has won just one of its last six league matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carson Kelly's pinch-hit homer propels Cubs over hapless Mets
Apr 18, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pinch-hitter Carson Kelly (15) hits a three-run homer against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Carson Kelly hit a tie-breaking three-run pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon for the host Chicago Cubs, who beat the skidding New York Mets 4-2.
The pinch-hit homer was the second of Kelly’s career and his first since Aug. 25, 2021, when he went deep for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Anthony Banda.
Ian Happ homered in the second for the Cubs, who have won four straight and have scored 51 runs while winning five of their last six games. Chicago scored 59 runs in its first 14 games this season.
Kelly’s homer off Brooks Raley made a winner of Jameson Taillon (1-1), who gave up one run on five hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings.
Mark Vientos provided the visitors a short-lived lead by homering in the top of the second for the Mets, who have lost 10 straight — their longest skid since an 11-game losing streak from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2004. New York hasn’t led at the end of an inning since first inning of an 11-6 loss to the Athletics on Apr. 11 — a span of 62 frames.
New York’s Bo Bichette scored when second baseman Nico Hoerner threw wide of the bag on Francisco Alvarez’s two-out grounder in the eighth. But reliever Ben Brown induced Vientos to ground out to third and strand two before Caleb Thielbar struck out two in a perfect ninth to earn his first save of 2026.
Freddy Peralta (1-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings. Peralta issued both walks with two outs in the sixth, after which Kelly took Raley deep on the first pitch he saw. The homer was the first surrendered by Raley since 2023.
The Cubs only managed five hits as Happ reached in 3-of-4 plate appearances with a pair of walks.
Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. had two hits apiece for the Mets, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
–Field Level Media
Blazers face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs to open playoffs
CF Montreal wins first game under Philippe Eullaffroy, beat Red Bulls
