Sports
MLB roundup: Phillies crush Mets, clinch playoff berth
Sep 20, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Alec Bohm hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fourth inning Friday night for the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who clinched a playoff berth by beating the New York Mets 12-2 in the second game of a four-game series.
Bohm finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the Phillies, who have reached the postseason for the third straight year. Philadelphia’s magic number for clinching the National League East for the first time since 2011 is one as the Phillies wrapped up the head-to-head tiebreaker vs. the Mets.
The Phillies scored the final 12 runs Friday to cool off the red-hot Mets, who had their four-game winning streak snapped but remained two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the race for the third and final NL wild-card spot.
J.T. Realmuto also homered for Philadelphia, and Nick Castellanos collected three hits. Cristopher Sanchez (11-9) tossed five innings of two-run ball to earn the win over David Peterson (9-3), who gave up five runs (four earned) in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.
Dodgers 6, Rockies 4
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run to move one off the major league lead as Los Angeles rallied past visiting Colorado.
Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez also homered for the Dodgers. Ohtani remained hot one day after going 6-for-6 with three homers and 10 RBIs while becoming the first player to reach 50 homers and 50 steals in a season. His homer and steal totals both rose to No. 52 on Friday.
Alex Vesia (4-4) got the win, and Michael Kopech registered his 14th save. Charlie Blackmon, Sam Hilliard and Michael Toglia each hit home runs for the Rockies. Kyle Freeland (5-8) gave up four runs in six innings.
Orioles 7, Tigers 1
Colton Cowser and James McCann each hit two of host Baltimore’s five home runs.
Anthony Santander also homered, for the second consecutive game, to give him 43 and Corbin Burnes (15-8) pitched seven shutout innings against Detroit for the second time in six days. The Orioles have won two straight games since losing eight of 10.
The Tigers were trying to build on their three-game sweep at Kansas City.
Giants 2, Royals 1
Heliot Ramos went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run to help visiting San Francisco beat Kansas City.
Mason Black (1-4) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his first major league victory. Patrick Bailey also drove in a run as the Giants won for the third time in the past four games.
Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits for Kansas City to raise his major league-leading average to .334. The Royals have dropped five straight games and 14 of their past 21 but remain in possession of the American League’s second wild-card spot.
Yankees 4, Athletics 2
Juan Soto, held out of the starting lineup because of a bruised knee, lined a pinch-hit double in the middle of a three-run, 10th-inning uprising as New York outlasted host Oakland in the opener of a three-game series.
The Yankees retained their four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles atop the American League East. New York’s magic number to win the division title dropped to five with eight games remaining.
The Athletics were held to three hits and have lost four of their past six games.
Guardians 5, Cardinals 1
Jose Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as visiting Cleveland defeated St. Louis and reduced its magic number to clinch the American League Central title to one.
Andres Gimenez and Lane Thomas also hit home runs for the Guardians, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Ben Lively (13-9) allowed one run in five innings, and Erik Sabrowski worked the last 2 1/3 innings to earn his first career save.
Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson (8-8) gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings.
Cubs 3, Nationals 1
Jameson Taillon scattered two hits across six scoreless innings as host Chicago topped Washington.
Taillon (11-8) walked two and struck out four while throwing 50 of his 80 pitches for strikes. He retired the final 10 batters he faced. Meanwhile, Dansby Swanson clubbed a solo shot to center and Mike Tauchman hit a two-run single as a pinch hitter for the Cubs, who have taken the first two games of a four-game series.
The Nationals’ sputtering offense failed to come through for starter Trevor Williams (5-1), who held the Cubs to one run and three hits in five innings. James Wood provided the only Washington offense with an eighth-inning homer, the only hit among the top five batters of the Nationals’ lineup (1-for-16).
Reds 8, Pirates 3
Tyler Stephenson had three hits, five RBIs and scored three times to help host Cincinnati top Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game series.
Reds starter Nick Martinez (10-6) threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine without walking a batter. Meanwhile, after giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead with a first-inning solo shot to center field, Stephenson smacked a three-run double in the third.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (11-11) had a rough night, allowing eight runs (all earned) on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five and fanned one. The Pirates struggled to get on base against Martinez, but finally got a run across on Oneil Cruz’s solo homer off reliever Brent Suter in the seventh inning. Pittsburgh then added two in the ninth.
Marlins 4, Braves 3
Jake Burger and Kyle Stowers each had two hits and an RBI to power Miami, which damaged visiting Atlanta’s playoff hopes with a narrow victory.
The Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League, have had some success against Atlanta this season, going 4-7 with two games remaining this weekend. Valente Bellozo (3-4) earned the win, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Miami used four relievers to lock it down as Jesus Tinoco earned his second save with a perfect ninth inning.
The Marlins got to Braves starter Charlie Morton (8-9) right away with a three-run, first-inning rally on Burger’s RBI double, Stowers’ run-scoring single and Jonah Bride’s sacrifice fly. Morton allowed four walks, seven hits and four runs in six innings.
Rays 1, Blue Jays 0
Jonathan Aranda ended Toronto starting pitcher Jose Berrios’ seven-game winning streak with one swing of the bat as Tampa Bay topped the Blue Jays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Down 1-2 while facing Berrios (16-10) in the sixth inning, Aranda struck for the game’s lone run when he golfed an 85 mph slurve 411 feet out to right-center, his fourth homer this season and first in a week after homering in Cleveland last Friday.
The Blue Jays managed five hits and fell to 4-7 against the Rays this season. Berrios gave up just the solo homer — his 30th surrendered — and five other hits. He struck out six and issued a walk.
Mariners 8, Rangers 2
Julio Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs and Josh Rojas homered and had two RBIs to lead Seattle past host Texas in the opener of a three-game series.
It was the fourth multi-homer game of Rodriguez’s career, while the five RBIs tied a career high. Victor Robles also had two hits, a stolen base and an RBI for Seattle. George Kirby (13-11) improved to 7-0 in nine career starts against Texas, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings while striking out four.
Adolis Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, Nathaniel Lowe had a two-run single and Ezequiel Duran also had three hits, including a ground-rule double for Texas. Jack Leiter (0-3), who entered at the start of the fourth inning in relief of Jacob deGrom, suffered the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits over five innings.
Astros 9, Angels 7
Alex Bregman, Jake Meyers and Kyle Tucker hit home runs to power Houston past visiting Los Angeles, a win that reduced the Astros’ magic number to four to clinch the American League West.
Bregman and Meyers keyed a five-run third inning that lifted Houston to a 6-1 lead. Bregman hit his 24th home run to center field, a two-run blast, before Meyers added a three-run shot to left field, his 13th. Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (10-14) surrendered both homers.
Anderson allowed six runs (three earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 4
Ketel Marte hit his career-high 33rd homer and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a solo shot as Arizona kept pace in the National League wild-card race with a victory over host Milwaukee.
The Diamondbacks snapped a 4-all tie with three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Gurriel’s 18th homer. Zac Gallen (13-6) allowed four runs, all on three homers in the fifth. He gave up seven hits, striking out five and walking one in five innings. Arizona is two games behind the San Diego Padres for the NL’s top wild-card spot. The Mets dropped a game behind the Diamondbacks with a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Milwaukee, which has lost two straight to Arizona since clinching the NL Central on Wednesday, got homers from William Contreras, Joey Ortiz and Garrett Mitchell. DL Hall (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Twins 4, Red Sox 2
Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner each had RBI singles during a three-run top of the 12th inning, helping to propel Minnesota over host Boston in the opener of a three-game series.
The Twins moved to a game ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card spot. Detroit lost 7-1 to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Connor Wong and Trevor Story each had two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox, who have lost four of five games.
Padres 3, White Sox 2 (10 innings)
Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped an RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning as San Diego nipped visiting Chicago, reducing the Padres’ magic number for earning a playoff berth to three.
With pinch runner Brandon Lockridge serving as the automatic runner at second, Tatis lined an 0-1 offering from Justin Anderson (1-2) to the gap in right-center. It was his second game-winning hit in his career, both this month.
Chicago fell to 36-118, two losses away from tying the 1962 New York Mets for the single-season record in the major leagues’ modern history. The White Sox, who have lost three straight, will have to win seven of their final eight games to avoid 120 defeats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knicks and Nuggets Blow Big Leads: What Went Wrong in Game 2?
Roughly 5,000 feet of elevation separate Denver and New York City.
Still, gravity works the same regardless of where one stands. Just ask the NBA teams in both towns.
“You get too high, and you get, I don’t want to say cocky, but feeling yourself,” Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said.
That sensation went south on either side of the country Monday night.
After squandering sizable leads that would have cemented commanding 2-0 advantages in their respective first-round playoff series, the Nuggets and Knicks now find themselves bracing for a fight.
Should their opponents ultimately have their number, Denver and New York will look back with disdain on 19 and 14. Those were the Game 2 cushions the teams coughed up as the No. 3 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference.
“It’s a game we should’ve won,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said. “In the playoffs, we can’t give away games.”
Be that as it may, the Knicks did just that against the Atlanta Hawks. They controlled the outcome for much of the night and took a 12-point edge into the fourth quarter after leading by as many as 14.
Then New York shot 5-for-22 from the floor in the final 12 minutes compared to 10-for-15 for Atlanta. Fighting through vulgar chants from the Madison Square Garden faithful, Hawks star CJ McCullom scored six straight points down the stretch during one key sequence on the way to a game-high 32.
“In that fourth quarter, you could tell [the Hawks] were playing with a level of desperation,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “There were four 50-50 balls, and they got three of the four. We always use that stat to gauge the level of aggression in a game. In that fourth quarter, their aggression stepped up.”
New York’s melted at the same time. How many late possessions saw the Knicks pass or hold the ball around the perimeter before settling for subpar looks from 3-point range? The Knicks went 3-for-11 from deep as part of their flop.
Denver led the Minnesota Timberwolves by 19 points early in the second quarter before crumbling. The Nuggets still were ahead by three points to start the fourth quarter but a combined 2-for-12 shooting effort from pillars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the final 12 minutes took a toll.
“I feel like we had the game in hand, and then we just didn’t make our shots,” Murray said.
As with the Knicks and Hawks, the reversal of fortunes stemmed both from the hosts’ miscues and an outstanding effort from a visiting player, as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards had 30 points.
“Great leadership, positive,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “He recognized he needed to get into attack mode and get downhill a little bit more. He did that.”
The Knicks and Nuggets no doubt sensed the need to amp up their own urgency as things started slipping away Monday.
That neither could act upon it didn’t signal the end for either New York or Denver, of course. But now there’s unnecessary added weight for the climb back to the top.
Sports
Pistons seek return to identity vs. Magic after Game 1 shocker
Apr 19, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) is defended by Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) in the second half during the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images After an exceptional regular season, this wasn’t the start to the NBA playoffs that the Detroit Pistons envisioned.
Reeling from a stunning Game 1 loss in which only two players reached double figures, the Eastern Conference’s top seed heads into Game 2 Wednesday against the visiting Orlando Magic facing early pressure to reset the best-of-seven series.
The eighth-seeded Magic controlled the opener from the start, never trailing and leaning on a balanced offensive attack. Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points while Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter to help close out the 112-101 win.
For Detroit, the issue wasn’t just the loss — it was how it happened. The Pistons never established their defensive identity and struggled to find consistent offense beyond star guard Cade Cunningham, two areas that will be central entering Game 2.
“It starts, always, with us defensively,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “When you go back and watch the film of that (game), we weren’t ourselves defensively. The telling tale is typically when we play them, they go to the free-throw line a ton.
“… We went 38 (times) but they went 19. So that means we weren’t playing our brand of basketball, being physical, being handsy, being aggressive. That kind of sets the tone for us.”
Offensively, the Pistons leaned on Cunningham, who scored 39 points, but got little other support — scoring their fewest points in nearly three months, since a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 29. Detroit will need more help from All-Star center Jalen Duren, who was held to just eight points and seven rebounds in Game 1.
“They came out ready from the jump,” Duren said. “We didn’t really meet their intensity. They’ve been playing with their backs against the walls the last few weeks, so they were already kind of already rolling. I think we just got to do a better job meeting that intensity.”
Duren said the Pistons remain confident despite the loss, which extended their home playoff losing streak to 11 games, the longest in NBA history.
“We know the type of team we are,” Duren said. “We feel like we’re the better team. We know that we’ve just got to make adjustments and come out smarter, come out playing harder.”
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said he has talked to his team about not becoming too overconfident coming off Sunday’s win.
“It’s one game at a time,” Mosley said of his message to the team. “It’s the reality that, yeah, you did get the Game 1 win, but now you have to go and figure out how to get a Game 2 (win). There’s going to be, obviously, the positive talk about what you’ve done, and thinking there’s reasons to celebrate, but at the end of the day, it’s one game, and that’s the most important piece that we’ve talked about: just taking it one game at a time.”
Banchero said the team has received the message, and he believes the key for the Magic is to play defense like they did in the opener.
“I thought we were on a string, just communicating, talking out coverages,” Banchero said. “I think it’s just going to continue to take that, being aggressive, being the aggressors on defense and just not trying to give them much. Obviously they’re going to make shots, but just not trying to give them any free looks.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lynx star Napheesa Collier (ankle) targets June for on-court work
Mar 2, 2026; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Unrivaled Co-founder Napheesa Collier at Barclay’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The Minnesota Lynx said Tuesday that star forward Napheesa Collier’s rehab from left ankle surgery is “progressing as expected,” and she could resume on-court activities in early June.
The team plans to release updates on Collier’s progress when available.
The timeline means Collier will miss, at minimum, the first month of the WNBA season, which begins May 10 for the Lynx.
Collier underwent surgery on her ankle on March 24 after sustaining a severe injury during the 2025 playoffs. Per reports at the time, she sustained a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in the ankle and a muscle in her left shin on a collision during Game 3 of the playoff semifinal series vs. Phoenix.
Collier, 29, averaged a career-high 22.9 points and shot 40.3% from 3-point range to go with 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game last year. The back-to-back WNBA Most Valuable Player runner-up, Collier is a five-time All-Star and earned MVP honors in the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup final and the 2025 All-Star Game.
–Field Level Media
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