Sports
MLB roundup: Red Sox rout Orioles, fire manager Alex Cora
Apr 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Garrett Crochet pitched six shutout innings and Andruw Monasterio drilled a late-game grand slam as the Boston Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak in dominant fashion with a 17-1 win over the host Baltimore Orioles Saturday afternoon.
Later on Saturday, the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five others on staff. Chad Tracy, the club’s manager at Triple-A Worcester since 2022, was named interim manager.
Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras (five RBIs in the game) joined Monasterio with ninth-inning home runs as part of Boston’s 10-run blitz in the final inning. Connor Wong drilled a three-run double in the fifth inning. Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela had three hits apiece.
The Orioles, who racked up 20 hits on Friday night, had one hit through five innings Saturday. Taylor Ward had two of Baltimore’s six hits.
Dodgers 12, Cubs 4
Max Muncy hit a two-run home run and Andy Pages had three RBIs as host Los Angeles snapped Chicago’s 10-game winning streak thanks in large part to a six-run fourth inning.
Teoscar Hernandez had two hits and two RBIs, Alex Freeland had two doubles, a run and an RBI, and Hyeseong Kim had two hits, a run and an RBI for the Dodgers.
Seiya Suzuki, Moises Ballesteros and Miguel Amaya hit solo home runs for Chicago. Suzuki also had a three-hit game.
Phillies 8, Braves 5 (10 innings)
Bryce Harper’s bases-loaded single in the 10th inning drove in two runs and sparked visiting Philadelphia to a win over Atlanta to end its 10-game losing streak.
Harper was 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Philadelphia right-hander Zack Wheeler made his first appearance since Aug. 15 of last year after missing time due to undergoing surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
Atlanta right-hander Bryce Elder pitched seven innings, matching his season high, and allowed three runs on six hits.
Nationals 6, White Sox 3 (10 innings)
Nasim Nunez had a pair of two-run singles, one of which capped off a breakout 10th inning to help Washington come away with a victory over host Chicago.
Nunez finished with four of Washington’s five RBIs, nearly doubling his total of six RBIs he had in his first 24 games this season. Cionel Perez (2-3) worked around two walks for a scoreless ninth inning and Brad Lord pitched the 10th for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak despite stranding 10 runners on base.
Only the automatic runner scored in the 10th for Chicago, which had won four of five. Miguel Vargas had a double and a pair of walks for the White Sox, who were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners.
Yankees 6, Astros 3
Austin Wells socked a leadoff home run to ignite a three-run seventh inning as New York claimed a three-game series against host Houston.
Wells’ second homer was the third of the game for the Yankees, who improved to 5-0 on their current nine-game road trip and have won eight straight overall. The Yankees were locked in a pitcher’s duel before Wells snapped a 2-2 tie by driving an inside fastball from Astros reliever Kai-Wei Teng (1-1) out to right field.
Astros starter Mike Burrows matched his career high of eight strikeouts while working five innings. Burrows surrendered a solo home run to Grisham, his fourth on the season, with one out in the third inning that enabled the Yankees to erase a 1-0 deficit.
Blue Jays 5, Guardians 3
Kevin Gausman pitched an effective 6 2/3 innings, Kazuma Okamoto homered and Toronto beat visiting Cleveland.
Gausman (2-1) allowed two runs, six hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Louis Varland allowed one run on two singles and a double in the ninth to pick up his second save. Andres Gimenez keyed a three-run sixth with a two-run double to help the Blue Jays gain a split of the first two games of the three-game series.
David Fry hit a solo homer for the Guardians. Joey Cantillo (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits in five-plus innings.
Mariners 11, Cardinals 9
Leo Rivas’ tie-breaking, two-run single in the ninth inning propelled Seattle to a victory over host St. Louis.
Julio Rodriguez, Will Wilson and Cole Young homered for the Mariners, who posted their third straight victory and sent the Cardinals to their third loss in a row, overcoming a poor start from Bryan Woo, who allowed seven runs on nine hits in three innings.
For St. Louis, Nathan Church hit two home runs and JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages also went deep. The Cardinals took a 9-7 lead into the eighth before Connor Joe’s pinch-hit two-run single tied the game.
Giants 6, Marlins 2
Casey Schmitt hit a two-run homer, Drew Gilbert and Heliot Ramos added solo shots, and San Francisco evened its three-game home series against Miami at a game apiece.
Robbie Ray combined with four relievers on a six-hitter, lifting the Giants to their first home win over the Marlins since August of 2024. Miami had won six straight in San Francisco, including 9-4 in the series opener Friday night.
Schmitt, Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and Luis Arraez had two hits apiece for the Giants, who out-hit the Marlins 11-6 en route to snapping a two-game losing streak. Xavier Edwards and Agustin Ramirez collected two hits each for Miami.
Rays 6, Twins 1
Jake Fraley hit a two-run homer and Ben Williamson went 3-for-4 with a triple, double and two RBIs to power Tampa Bay Rays to a victory over slumping Minnesota in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Junior Caminero extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single and Yandy Diaz scored two runs for Tampa Bay, which extended its winning streak to three games. Shane McClanahan (2-2) allowed three hits over five shutout innings.
Byron Buxton had two hits for Minnesota, which took its fourth straight loss and eighth in the past nine games. Bailey Ober (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits over six innings.
Rangers 4, Athletics 3
Josh Jung hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning as Texas beat the Athletics in Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager had two hits and an RBI for Texas, which rallied from a 3-0 hole to level the series and set up a Sunday rubber match. Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. Cole Winn (2-1), Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis each pitched a scoreless inning before left-hander Jacob Latz retired the Athletics in order in the ninth for his first save.
Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson had two hits apiece for the Athletics, who lost despite out-hitting the Rangers 7-5. The Athletics saw Jeffrey Springs (3-2) give up four runs on five hits over six innings.
Padres 6, Diamondbacks 4
Ty France hit two bases-empty homers, Mason Miller recorded his major league-leading 10th save, and San Diego beat Arizona in the Mexico City Series at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu.
Miller has not allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings this season, and he extended his scoreless streak to a franchise-record 34 2/3 innings. France hit his second and third homers of the season and Gavin Sheets had a two-run single in a four-run seventh for the Padres, who overcame an early 4-0 deficit. They have won 13 of 15.
Alek Thomas homered in a four-run second inning, his second homer in three games, for the Diamondbacks, who are the designated home team in the two-game series. They have lost four of five. Arizona infielder Ildemaro Vargas extended his season-opening hitting streak to 19 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Vargas has a 22-game hitting streak dating to 2025.
Royals 12, Angels 1
Salvador Perez had three hits including a home run, Cole Ragans pitched six strong innings and Kansas City routed visiting Los Angeles.
Nick Loftin had two hits and drove in four runs for the Royals, who have won three of four. Ragans (1-4) allowed a run on five hits and struck out 11 batters without a walk. It was the third time this season he went six innings and allowed one run or less.
Jo Adell homered and Vaughn Grissom had three hits for the Angels, who have lost six of seven. Walbert Urena (0-3) lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Los Angeles pitchers issued 10 walks, including two with the bases loaded.
Pirates 6, Brewers 3 (10 innings)
Bryan Reynolds singled in the go-ahead run to trigger a three-run 10th inning and lift Pittsburgh to victory and hand host Milwaukee its fourth consecutive loss.
Left-hander Angel Zerpa (0-2) started the 10th for the Brewers. Pinch hitter Marcell Ozuna drew a one-out walk. Nick Yorke ran for Ozuna and Reynolds singled to left, scoring automatic runner Henry Davis from second. Both runners advanced on a groundout. Grant Anderson relieved Zerpa, and Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI single to left, with Reynolds continuing home on a bobble by left fielder Greg Jones.
Yohan Ramirez kept Milwaukee off the board in the 10th for his first save. Gregory Soto (2-0) delivered a scoreless ninth. Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski struck out nine in six innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Reds 9, Tigers 2
Sal Stewart homered and drove in five runs to help host Cincinnati clinch a series win over Detroit.
Brady Singer (2-1) allowed two runs on eight hits across 5 1/3 innings for the Reds, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Singer struck out three and TJ Friedl went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, as Cincinnati scored nine runs for the second straight day.
Jack Flaherty (0-2) lasted just two innings for the Tigers, yielding six runs on five hits. Spencer Torkelson homered in his fourth straight game for Detroit, which has dropped four of its last six.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fire endeavor to keep unbeaten run alive vs. last-place SKC
Apr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Fire FC forward Hugo Cuypers (9) (center) dribbles forward during the second half of an MLS match against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images After letting a second-half lead slip away in their last outing, the host Chicago Fire renew their rivalry with fellow Midwestern foe Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
While the Fire (4-2-2, 14 points) are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions (4-0-1), they blew a 3-1 second-half lead against FC Cincinnati on April 18. Evander’s penalty kick in the 79th minute and Dje D’Avilla’s own goal seven minutes later engineered Cincinnati’s 3-3 come-from-behind draw.
“For us, there were a couple things we did wrong, and a lot of that is correctable. We looked at the video and worked on it. It’s something we want to stay focused,” Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter said.
Though Kansas City (1-6-1, 4 points) is currently at the bottom of the Western Conference, that’s “a little bit misleading,” Berhalter said.
“They have played better at times than the results show, and they pose some problems. For us, it’s being really focused on what we’re trying to do, being aggressive and trying to set the team up for success,” he said.
Sporting KC have dropped five in a row across all competitions, including a 3-0 upset loss to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on April 14. They have been outscored 16-3 in that span.
It’s far from what SKC head coach Raphael Wicky anticipated, ahead of his first meeting against the club he helmed for just shy of two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
“When you look at all these games, there’s always moments where we’re good, that we’re in the game, and then very quickly we make a mistake or we concede, and then we’re quickly out of the game,” Wicky said. “So that is always frustrating, but that is where I think we have to keep going.”
Chicago forward Jonathan Bamba (personal matters) will remain out against Kansas City, per Berhalter. Defender Leonardo Barroso (lower-body injury) is out as well.
Wicky was 12-26-14 in 52 matches as the Fire’s head coach.
Hugo Cuypers has netted half of Chicago’s 12 goals. Dejan Joveljic has four of SKC’s seven to lead the visitors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Better-rested Nashville SC welcome Charlotte FC
Apr 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (9) chases the loose ball during the second half against the Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Two months into the regular season, Nashville SC built the best record in the Eastern Conference while juggling matches in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Now, Nashville will have had a rare full week’s rest when it hosts Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Nashville SC (6-1-1, 19 points) had Wednesday off while much of the league was in action. They also didn’t have a midweek Champions Cup fixture for a change: Nashville beat Club America on aggregate last week and will tussle with Mexican power Tigres UANL in the semifinals beginning April 28.
“I think when you actually get a full week of training, you can really focus on yourself for periods of time,” Nashville head coach B.J. Callaghan said. “Obviously when you’re playing every two days, a lot of it has to do with recovery and thinking about what you’re going to do for the opponent.”
Recovery helps, too. Callaghan said Nashville’s top scorer Sam Surridge, who hasn’t played since April 11 due to a hamstring injury, is back at practice and available for selection. He’s tied with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi for third in the league with seven goals.
That April 11 match was the first meeting between regional rivals Nashville and Charlotte this year. Edvard Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek scored in either half to lift Nashville to a 2-1 road win.
“We didn’t play well in the first half against Nashville. We never got the ball back,” Charlotte coach Dean Smith said this week. “I didn’t think we pressed as well as we could’ve, with the intensity that we needed to. We certainly need to go and do that.”
Charlotte FC (4-3-2, 14 points) have dropped two of three in league play, most recently taking a 4-1 road loss to Orlando City on Wednesday. That was Charlotte’s highest yield of the season, yet Smith insisted his team played better than in its previous match, a 2-1 win over New York City FC. Defender Morrison Agyemang, 21, had his first career goal.
Smith said defender and U.S. men’s national team captain Tim Ream (adductor) will miss one more match but should be ready for May 2 at the New England Revolution.
“I think they’ve had to make a few adjustments with Tim Ream out,” Callaghan said, “but I think what you always get from Charlotte is a really well-coached team, organized in a lot of phases and again, that highlights a lot of — I would say, some of their individual attacking qualities really are able to come out from that.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red-hot San Jose Earthquakes seek 1st-ever win over St. Louis City
Apr 22, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Timo Werner (11) celebrates scoring the team’s second goal against Austin FC in the second half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images St. Louis City SC has never lost or tied in six matches against the San Jose Earthquakes in their four-year existence.
If current form holds for both teams, that streak figures to end Saturday night when San Jose invades Energizer Park in a fixture of Western Conference squads.
After routing Austin 5-1 on Wednesday in northern California, the Earthquakes (8-1-0, 24 points) boast the top record in MLS and are tied with Vancouver for the best goal differential at plus-18.
Meanwhile, St. Louis (1-4-3, 6 points) is coming off a 4-1 loss last Saturday at Seattle that extended its MLS winless streak to three matches (0-1-2). Not only is it once again struggling to score goals — it has seven in eight matches — but its defense has conceded at least once in every match.
Midfielder Marcel Hartel didn’t have a real answer when asked why the team continues to struggle to finish its chances.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “We speak about it after every game — analyze the goals we concede, the goals we score. We defend good as a collective. … We have to score more goals. We have good opportunities in every game.”
The return of Eduard Lowen could help St. Louis unlock its offense. He played briefly at the end in Seattle and scored in stoppage time.
As for San Jose, its only problem might be overcheering. The team is scoring nearly three goals per match and its defense, an issue last year when it missed the playoffs, is maintaining its shape beautifully.
It’s adding up to another magical second season for coach Bruce Arena. If the Earthquakes earn the Supporters’ Shield, it would be the fourth team Arena has coached that has earned that honor in his second year with that squad.
“We won nine games last year. We have eight now,” he said. “I attribute it simply that they grind it out, they work hard every day and they like each other.”
Oussemi Bouda and Preston Judd each have five goals, while four other players have scored two goals each.
–Field Level Media
Fire endeavor to keep unbeaten run alive vs. last-place SKC
Every Major Change One Piece Season 2 Made To The Source Material
