Sports
No. 10 St. John's hopes to get healthy in time for UConn
Feb 16, 2025; Queens, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm guard Deivon Smith (5) walks to the bench with head coach Rick Pitino in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Beating DePaul was expected for St. John’s, even with leading scorer RJ Luis Jr. sidelined for the first time this season due to a groin injury.
On Sunday, the 10th-ranked Red Storm face one of their biggest tests of the season when they oppose UConn — and having Luis available likely will be much more critical for the game at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Luis had not been ruled out for the game, and St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said Friday said the decision was up to Luis as the Red Storm attempt to complete a season sweep of the Huskies for the first time since 1999-2000.
Luis, a Big East Player of the Candidate, tops the Red Storm (23-4, 14-2 Big East) with 17.6 points per game, a figure that ranks fourth in the conference.
He scored 23 points in the Red Storm’s win over Creighton on Feb. 16 but was replaced in the starting lineup by Sadiku Ibine Ayo three days later. Ibine Ayo scored a career-high 15 points as St. John’s cruised to an 82-58 win over the Blue Demons. Ibine Ayo would draw the start again if Luis remains out.
“Everything takes time. We’re starting to mesh well together, playing off each other,” St. John’s senior guard Kadary Richmond said. “That’s what it took, some time to get adjusted to each other.”
Devion Smith joined Ibine Ayo in moving from the bench to the starting lineup against DePaul, and he led the Red Storm with 18 points, his second-highest total of the season. Smith had been dealing with a neck injury that Pitino thought was going to sideline the guard indefinitely.
Richmond, who added 17 points and nine rebounds, is averaging 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in his past six games, though Pitino said the guard played through the same injury as Luis.
The Huskies (18-8, 10-5) were handed a 68-62 home loss by St. John’s on Feb. 7 after they blew an early 14-point lead. Luis capped a 21-point outing by hitting the clinching jumper with 11 seconds remaining.
UConn is 6-5 since winning its first four Big East games, though it owns road wins over then-No. 9 Marquette and then-No. 24 Creighton in that span. The Huskies were held to 70 points or fewer in each of the past four games, most recently being forced to gut out a 66-59 win over Villanova in Hartford on Tuesday.
Liam McNeeley scored 16 of his 20 points after halftime against the Wildcats, including 11 points in the game-ending 27-6 run. McNeeley missed eight games with a high ankle sprain and is averaging 21.8 points in four games since returning, including an 18-point outing against St. John’s and a 38-point showing at Creighton.
UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. added 13 off the bench against Villanova after scoring a combined three points the previous two games. The Huskies won despite a quiet showing from Alex Karaban (six points), who is 6 of 47 from 3-point range in his past nine games.
UConn got past Villanova after taking a disappointing 69-68 overtime loss at Seton Hall on Feb. 15 when it blew a seven-point lead in the final 36 seconds of regulation.
“The season was hanging in the balance for us (against Villanova),” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “If we lost this game, going to play St. John’s in the Garden over the weekend, this is definitely going to galvanize us. With having some high-end wins, and then having some really bad low floor moments, this team’s gotta find a way to finish strong, go into the Big East tournament with great momentum.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alan Roden provides only runs in Twins' low-scoring defeat of A's
Jul 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kendry Rojas (60) throws to the Athletics in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Alan Roden delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning, and that was all the Minnesota Twins needed for a 2-0 win over the Athletics on Saturday evening in Minneapolis.
Ryan Kreidler doubled and stole a base for Minnesota, which evened the series at one win apiece. The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Jeff McNeil accounted for two of the Athletics’ three hits with a pair of doubles.
Twins left-hander Taylor Rogers (6-3) earned the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Rogers followed starter Kendrys Rojas, who allowed one hit in four scoreless innings.
Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett (1-1) allowed two runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Twins right-hander Yoendrys Gomez fired a scoreless ninth to pick up his 13th save.
After five scoreless innings, Minnesota had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth when Barnett got Victor Caratini to pop out to shallow left field for the second out of the inning.
Roden stepped to the plate and delivered a two-out, two-run single to right field. He pumped his fist as his line-drive hit found an opening between first and second base and allowed Josh Bell and Royce Lewis to score standing up.
The Athletics tried to mount a comeback in the top of the eighth.
Twins reliever Andrew Morris walked the leadoff hitter, Lawrence Butler. Morris snared a one-hop comebacker by Jacob Wilson in the next at-bat and wheeled toward second base to try to start a double play, but his throw sailed wide into right-center field.
Morris’ throwing error put runners at second and third with nobody out. He settled down after a visit from Twins pitching coach Pete Maki and retired the next three batters by striking out Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom and getting Jonah Heim to ground out to short.
That proved to be the Athletics’ last chance to tie or take the lead as they went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranding seven on base.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Hunter Brown in control, Astros down White Sox for 5th straight
Jul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Hunter Brown allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and Isaac Paredes drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the host Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Jeremy Pena was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Paredes 2-for 4 for the Astros, who have won five straight, including the first two of the three-game weekend series.
The White Sox, who managed five hits, have lost three of their last four.
They threatened in the eighth with runners on second and third and two out, but reliever Bennett Sousa replaced Bryan Abreu and got pinch hitter Randall Grichuk on a pop up to first.
After Colson Montgomery’s RBI single in the ninth, Josh Hader came in to get the last two outs for his 12th save.
Brown (2-1) finished strong, setting down 12 consecutive batters from the fourth through seventh innings. The right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out seven as he fired 60 strikes in 90 pitches.
Chicago starter Sean Burke (7-5) surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits in six innings with a walk and 10 strikeouts.
It was a 0-0 pitcher’s duel through five with Burke also retiring 12 in a row, from the second through the fifth, but heading for trouble.
The streak was broken when Burke hit Cam Smith leading off the sixth. Pena’s single and a walk to Yordan Alvarez loaded the bases. Paredes then grounded a single to right that got past right fielder Braden Montgomery for an error that also allowed Alvarez to score, for a 3-0 Houston lead, and Paredes to reach third.
Burke then limited the damage by getting Jose Altuve on a groundout and striking out LaMonte Wade Jr. and Christian Walker.
Paredes added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 4-0.
White Sox left fielder Sam Antonnaci robbed Paredes, who was leading off the fourth, of a likely home run with a leaping catch of Paredes’ long drive by pulling the ball in just above the fence.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Robert Gasser holds Rockies in check as Brewers win
Jul 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Robert Gasser (54) delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Cooper Pratt homered and drove in three runs, Robert Gasser tossed six solid innings, and the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Saturday night.
Luis Lara had two hits and also drove in three runs, Jake Bauers contributed two hits and scored three times and Brice Turang added two hits for Milwaukee.
The Brewers have won four of five games from Colorado this season, with the teams wrapping up the 2026 schedule Sunday.
Gasser (3-4), in his first career start against the Rockies, allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Jake McCarthy extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a single and Kyle Karros had two hits for Colorado.
The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Bauers led off with a walk, stole second and went to third on a groundout. Lara drove him in with a sacrifice fly and Pratt hit a solo home run, his second of the season.
Colorado rallied to tie it in the fourth.
Karros led off with a single, Cole Carrigg doubled and Hunter Goodman followed with a two-run single.
Milwaukee went back in front in the bottom of the inning when Pratt drove in Bauers with a single, and then broke it open in the sixth inning.
William Contreras and Bauers started the rally with singles, chasing starter Ryan Feltner (3-5), who allowed five runs on nine hits in five-plus innings. Juan Mejia walked Garrett Mitchell to load the bases and Lara drove in two with a double to left.
Pratt’s sacrifice fly made it 6-2 and Rockies catcher Braxton Fulford’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt at third allowed Lara to come home. The Brewers tacked on a run in the eighth on Christian Yelich’s sacrifice fly.
But Colorado mounted a rally in the ninth. The Rockies loaded the bases on two walks and a fielder’s choice, and McCarthy drove in two with a single. Trevor Megill gave up an RBI single to Karros before striking out Carrigg to earn his 17th save.
–Field Level Media
Alan Roden provides only runs in Twins' low-scoring defeat of A's
Hunter Brown in control, Astros down White Sox for 5th straight
