Sports
Nationals push to continue power surge in finale vs. Rockies
Jul 21, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder James Wood (29) hits a double in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Coors Field always has been a hitter-friendly park, and the Washington Nationals have helped continue that narrative.
After belting five homers over the first two contests against the Colorado Rockies, the Nationals will look to do more damage in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon in Denver.
The Nationals will send Cade Cavalli (6-4, 3.78 ERA) to the mound against Colorado rookie Gabriel Hughes (0-1, 3.14) in a matchup of right-handers.
Cavalli allowed two runs on four hits and struck out nine batters over six innings in a 23-4 romp over the Athletics on Friday.
He will face the Rockies for the first time in his career. Cavalli will try to pitch the Nationals to a series victory after Colorado’s 8-7 win Tuesday night.
Washington’s offense is rolling of late and has surged to the top of the major leagues in several categories. The Nationals, who are in fourth place in the National League East at 51-51, are first in the majors in runs (559), home runs (149), RBIs (533) and stolen bases (111).
“A lot of it’s just going about their business the same way and not trying to do anything differently,” manager Blake Butera said Monday. “I think sometimes when you worry about that a little bit, it can change your approach — especially offensively — if you’re trying to get the ball in the air maybe a little bit more because you know that the ball is flying better. So we’re just trying to make sure these guys stay true to their plans.”
The Rockies have power, too, led by Hunter Goodman, who gave them the win with his solo shot in the eighth inning on Tuesday night. He tied his career high of 31 homers, set last season, and has four over the last three games after a 10-game drought.
With the Nationals’ scoring at a high rate, putting up runs is key for Colorado, something Goodman knew heading into the series.
“They have a really good offense, they’ve been doing it all year, but so have we,” Goodman said after Tuesday night’s win. “We knew it was going to be one of those series where we’re just fighting the whole time. It’s the same approach we take every day: We’re never out of the game; we’re always in it.”
Hughes, who has never faced Washington, will make his fourth career appearance and third start. He made his major league debut against San Francisco on July 3 with three scoreless innings, and his first big-league start came at the Los Angeles Dodgers five days later.
He pitched well against the reigning World Series champions, allowing three runs over six innings, and took the loss in his next start, against Cincinnati. He gave up two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 defeat to the Reds.
Hughes, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning (14 over 14 1/3 frames).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reds get first look at Cardinals RHP Dustin May
Jul 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images With both sides attempting to gain ground in the National League wild-card race, the St. Louis Cardinals host the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.
The Cardinals have dropped five of seven games since the All-Star break and sit 1 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final NL wild-card spot. St. Louis also is a half-game behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are currently the first NL team out of the playoff picture.
Trying to stay afloat in the playoff chase, the Reds enter their third consecutive road set riding a pair of series victories. Cincinnati, which is six games behind the Diamondbacks, took two of three from both the Colorado Rockies and the Seattle Mariners.
Since St. Louis’ Dustin May hurled a one-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres on June 15, little has gone right for the right-hander. In five starts since the gem, May (5-7, 4.78 ERA) is 0-1 with a 9.92 ERA.
May threw five innings for the first time in more than a month on Saturday, but he surrendered five runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking four in a 5-3 loss at Arizona.
Despite May’s rough patch, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has confidence the 28-year-old can find his rhythm again.
“He’s competed well. He went through a stretch there where he gave us some really good outings,” Marmol said. “After the complete game, there have been some ups and downs, but he’s good enough to get out of this.”
Making the 91st appearance (77th start) of his major league career, May will face Cincinnati for the first time.
Among the Reds getting their first look at May will be All-Star first baseman Sal Stewart. The 22-year-old ranks fourth in the majors with 74 RBIs after knocking in nine runs across the club’s first two series since the midseason break.
“I think there are guys that relish those opportunities,” Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of Stewart’s success with runners on base. “He’s so strong and he’s got great hitter’s hands. The ball just jumps off his bat.”
Despite the RBI surge, Stewart is batting just .130 (3-for-23) since the break.
On the mound, Rhett Lowder (3-7, 5.75 ERA) will be chasing a bounce-back effort for Cincinnati.
After appearing as a starter for his first 13 outings of the year, Lowder made three appearances out of the bullpen before re-emerging in the rotation after the All-Star break. Last time out, the 24-year-old right-hander lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits in a 10-3 loss to the Rockies on Saturday in Denver. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.
“(Colorado) was just being aggressive and I was probably leaving too many thick pitches for them. Balls were just finding holes,” Lowder said of that outing. “It was very frustrating.”
Lowder has thrown eight scoreless innings across a pair of starts against the Cardinals during his career. He faced St. Louis on June 7, allowing just one hit but walking five across three scoreless innings in a no-decision. The Reds lost 5-3.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Duke-Michigan game canceled over broadcast dispute
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to a referee against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images A blockbuster nonconference game between national champion Michigan and Duke, scheduled for Dec. 21, has been canceled, multiple outlets reported Friday.
The game was set to be played at Madison Square Garden and streamed on Prime Video as part of a three-game agreement with the Blue Devils. Instead, Duke will meet Texas Tech in New York, with the game remaining on Prime.
The Michigan-Duke matchup had been a question mark for about three months, with the Big Ten — backed by Fox Sports — contending it owned the broadcast rights, in part based on the game location. ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference already had given approval for the transfer to Prime Video, which is taking its first steps into the live streaming of college sports with the Duke games.
An effort to move the game to the Miami Marlins’ stadium — chosen, in part, because the venue is outside of a geographic area that the Big Ten could call neutral territory — did not pan out, forcing the cancellation.
The cancellation and rescheduling had not been announced as of Friday morning by Duke, Michigan or Texas Tech.
Amazon’s first foray into broadcasting live college sports also will feature the Blue Devils’ games against UConn on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas and Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Panthers place LB Nic Scourton (knee) on season-ending IR
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Nic Scourton (11) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton’s season is over before it began.
The Panthers placed Scourton on injured reserve on Friday, one day after he injured his right knee on a wet field during the team’s first practice of training camp.
Multiple media outlets reported Scourton sustained a torn ACL. The Panthers did not confirm as much, however the move to season-ending injured reserve indicates the injury is severe.
Scourton, who is seeking a second opinion, appeared to know the severity of the injury immediately on Thursday in an emotional scene on the field.
Scourton, 21, was in tears and shielded his face from cameras as the cart pulled away from the field. Before the cart departed, the entire team and head coach Dave Canales had a moment with him as practice was halted for the day.
In just his second season, Scourton was penciled in to start on the opposite side of Jaelan Phillips, acquired as a free agent in the offseason. As a rookie, Scourton appeared in 17 games (eight starts) and tallied 47 tackles (seven for loss), a team high-tying five sacks and a forced fumble.
Veteran Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen, in his second season, could see game time in his absence.
Also on Friday, the Panthers signed 2026 UFL Defensive Player of the Year Cam Gill and offensive tackle Derrell Bailey and waived guard Joshua Gray.
Gill, 28, recorded 10 sacks in the regular season for Louisville this spring. He also won Super Bowl LV with Tampa Bay and notched 51 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks in 50 career games with the Buccaneers (2020-21, 2023) and Panthers (2024).
Bailey went undrafted out of Georgia State this season.
–Field Level Media
Reds get first look at Cardinals RHP Dustin May
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