Sports
Nationals optimistic offense is back after breakout vs. Twins
May 6, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a grand slam against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Washington Nationals will look for their first home series win of the season on Thursday when they host the Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set.
While winning four of six road series, Washington has completed five home series thus far and lost each one. After a 15-2 victory on Wednesday, the Nationals have split the first two games against the Twins and are 5-13 at Nationals Park.
Minnesota is tied for last in the American League with six road wins. Only the Miami Marlins, with five, have fewer victories away from home.
The Nationals will look to right-hander Jake Irvin (1-4, 4.93 ERA) on Thursday while the Twins counter with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 6.49).
Irvin, 29, won his first start of the season and is 0-4 with a 5.16 ERA since. After tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox on April 25, he yielded four runs (three earned) in five innings against the Brewers on Friday. He allowed six hits and four walks to Milwaukee while striking out five.
Irvin is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two career starts against the Twins.
The Twins have lost six of the seven starts made this season by Woods Richardson, 25. He had a 2.31 ERA after his first two outings, but it has ballooned since.
Last time out, Woods Richardson gave up six runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings of a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. He allowed nine hits, two of them home runs, and walked one while fanning two.
“It’s just balls in the middle of the plate,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “He left the two balls in the middle of the plate for the home runs in deficit counts. We’ve got to continue to execute better.”
Woods Richardson is 0-0 with a 4.82 ERA in two games (one start) versus the Nationals.
After totaling eight runs in their previous four games, the Nationals exploded for 15 runs on 14 hits on Wednesday.
CJ Abrams had a grand slam and two doubles, and Brady House, Drew Millas and Jose Tena each had a home run and a double.
“I know the offense started off really, really hot (this season) and then cooled down a little bit, but I thought our at-bats were still pretty good,” Washington manager Blake Butera said. “So, it was good to see some balls going over the fence and finding some holes and have some success tonight.”
Abrams is batting .423 (11-for-26) with three doubles, two homers, six runs and 12 RBIs in his past seven games.
Millas hit his first major league home run since June 21, 2024.
“I think today was more of a momentum thing,” the catcher said. “You could feel it. CJ was going. Tena was going. Brady got his hit, and he also hit a nice one off a righty. So it was good to feel the momentum, and it was really contagious, to be honest.”
Minnesota, which had won two straight, was held to three hits on Wednesday. Matt Wallner had two of them, including a home run. He has four hits in his past five at-bats after an 0-for-19 slump.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Late surge leads Knicks past Sixers to 2-0 series edge
May 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to drive past Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) during game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jalen Brunson scored eight of his 26 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who took control of their Eastern Conference semifinal final by stopping the Philadelphia 76ers down the stretch to earn a 108-102 win in Game 2.
The Knicks lead the best-of-seven set series 2-0. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Philadelphia.
Karl-Anthony Towns produced 20 points and 10 rebounds despite playing just 27 minutes due to foul trouble for the Knicks, who ended the game on a 12-3 run to close out a contest that included 14 ties and 25 lead changes.
OG Anunoby had 24 points while Mikal Bridges added 18 points as New York won its fifth straight game overall. The Knicks’ average victory margin in the previous four games was 33.8 points.
New York center Mitchell Robinson was a late scratch due to illness.
Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points for the 76ers, who managed just 12 points on 4-of-19 shooting (21.1%) in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia took its final lead at 99-96 on Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 3-pointer with 6:52 left, after which it the Sixers hit 1 of 10 from the field with two turnovers.
Oubre and Paul George each finished with 19 points. VJ Edgecombe had 17 points.
Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid missed the game for the due to ankle and hip injuries.
The 76ers took their biggest lead by opening with a 15-8 run in which George scored 11 points. The Knicks responded with a 10-2 surge to go in front for the first time at 18-17 and begin the seesaw affair in earnest.
The 76ers led 33-31 at the end of the first, 62-61 at the half and 90-89 through three quarters.
Midway through the fourth quarter, New York’s Josh Hart answered the 3-pointer by Oubre with a trey to begin a decisive 9-0 run. The Knicks grabbed their biggest lead to that point at 105-99 on Bridges’ 20-footer with 2:56 left.
The teams combined for four consecutive empty trips before Maxey split a pair of free throws with 1:33 left. Brunson answered by making two foul shots before Maxey’s layup cut the margin to five. Hart and George traded missed 3-point attempts, after which McBride hit 1 of 2 free throws with 22.1 seconds left.
Maxey missed a 26-footer and Brunson collected the rebound with 12.6 seconds left and dribbled out the clock.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Another walk-off for Cubs, who beat Reds for 8th straight victory
May 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11), right, after he hits a two run home run during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Michael Busch drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the 10th inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the visiting Cincinnati Reds 7-6 on Wednesday for their eighth straight win.
Cincinnati moved ahead 6-4 after Spencer Steer sparked a four-run ninth inning with a leadoff homer. The Cubs pulled even in the bottom of the ninth on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer against Graham Ashcraft.
Ian Happ went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Cubs, who have opened the four-game series with three straight walk-off victories. Right-hander Trent Thornton (1-0) pitched a scoreless 10th inning for the win in his Cubs debut.
Chicago has won 14 straight games at Wrigley Field, matching the team’s longest home-winning streak since winning 14 in a row in 2008.
Matt McLain homered among his two hits for Cincinnati, which has lost a season-high six consecutive games and eight of its last 10.
Busch capped the Cubs’ victory by drawing a five-pitch walk from Brock Burke (1-2).
Cincinnati took the lead in the top of the ninth after Steer’s homer against Corbin Martin. The Reds loaded the bases with one out before JJ Bleday singled in a run against Hoby Milner and two runs scored on Elly De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly to deep right field.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Colin Rea when TJ Friedl drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw, took third on Bleday’s single to left and scored on De La Cruz’s groundout.
Rea allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Chicago answered with two runs in the bottom of the first against Brady Singer, who retired the first two batters before Alex Bregman singled and scored on Happ’s two-run shot to left-center field.
Happ extended his on-base streak to 27 games with the 399-foot shot, his ninth homer of the season and the 33rd of his career against the Reds.
Chicago tacked on two runs in the fourth. Happ singled to begin the inning and scored on Seiya Suzuki’s double. Suzuki moved to third on Busch’s single and scored when Carson Kelly grounded into a double play.
Singer gave up four runs on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts over six innings.
McLain snapped a 0-for-19 hitless streak with a single in the third inning before slugging a leadoff homer in the fifth. The 371-foot homer was McLain’s third of the season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Cantillo, Guardians snap Royals' 5-game winning streak
May 6, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Petey Halpin (0) slides into home plate to score a run during the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Rookie Chase DeLauter’s two-run, go-ahead single in the fifth inning highlighted a two-hit night, and Joey Cantillo yielded one run over five innings as the visiting Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Wednesday.
DeLauter, batting .308, extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a third-inning double, then came through in the fifth with the Guardians down 1-0. Austin Hedges opened the frame with a walk and went to second on Petey Halpin’s single. Following a double steal, DeLauter drove in both on a single past the drawn-in Royals infield to put Cleveland ahead for good.
Meanwhile, Cantillo (2-1) allowed three hits and three walks while striking out one as the Guardians snapped a three-game skid.
Maikel Garcia had two of the four hits collected by the Royals, who had won the first two games of the four-game set that concludes Thursday. Kansas City had a five-game winning streak end.
The Royals opened the scoring in the third inning. Garcia singled and was forced out at second on Bobby Witt Jr.’s grounder. After Lane Thomas walked, Witt stole third with a nifty swim-move slide and scored on Salvador Perez’s sacrifice fly to right field.
Royals starter Cole Ragans was pulled after three innings due to left triceps and elbow soreness. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four in a 58-pitch effort.
Luinder Avila (0-2) gave up Kansas City’s lead in the fifth. He was permitted two runs in two innings.
The Guardians, clinging to a 2-1 lead, added another run in the eighth. Jose Ramirez walked to open the inning, stole second and went to third on a flyout. He scored on a ground ball that third baseman Garcia knocked down but went to first base for the sure out on David Fry.
Cleveland relievers Matt Festa, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith combined to allow one hit and two walks while striking out seven in four innings. Smith gave up a hit but fanned three in the ninth for his ninth save.
–Field Level Media
Late surge leads Knicks past Sixers to 2-0 series edge
Another walk-off for Cubs, who beat Reds for 8th straight victory
