Sports
No. 18 Purdue takes on Rutgers with eye on league standings
Purdue’s Braden Smith (3) during the Indiana versus Purdue mens basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. No. 18 Purdue is hoping its recent troubles have come to an end and that it can look ahead toward postseason play.
With a four-game slide in the rearview mirror, the Boilermakers look to win a second straight game when they face Rutgers on Tuesday night in Big Ten play in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten) dropped four straight games — three to ranked teams — before ending the slide with Friday’s 76-66 home victory over UCLA.
That leaves the Boilermakers in a three-way tie for third place with Wisconsin and Maryland as they hunt for positioning for the upcoming Big Ten tournament.
“I don’t care who you are as a coach, I don’t care who you are as a player, you have self-doubt,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
“When you lose games, now you start to look into it, but you’ve got to stick to what you’re doing.
“If you stick to what you’re doing and you stay connected and you fight, you’re going to grow and you’re going to get out of some things. So, hopefully we can build and just get better.”
Boilermakers star junior point guard Braden Smith became the school’s all-time leader in career assists when he had eight against the Bruins. It raised his total to 696 in 103 games, passing Bruce Parkinson (690 from 1972-77).
“Bruce Parkinson was a great player here and a very successful player,” Painter said. “To hold honors or records or anything that long is pretty cool, because records are made to be broken. But for someone to do it in their junior year (like Smith) is pretty cool.
“He’s got a knack, he works hard, he’s a good player. A lot of times, people want to give you credit, but like, he walked in here passing. He’s got a feel and he’s got a read, comes from a basketball family. Just happy for him.”
Smith leads Purdue in assists (8.7 average), 3-pointers (66) and steals (69) and stands second in scoring at 16 points per game. Trey Kaufman-Renn averages a team-best 19.6 points.
Rutgers (14-15, 7-11) is in a four-way for 11th place and will be trying to bounce back from a painful 84-82 road loss at then-No. 15 Michigan.
The Scarlet Knights appeared destined to be owners of a three-game winning streak when they led 74-62 with 11-plus minutes remaining.
Rutgers later fell behind, but was back in front by a point as the clock wound down before Michigan escaped when Nimari Burnett drilled a long 3-pointer as time expired.
Even though the Scarlet Knights blew the huge lead, coach Steve Pikiell pointed at the officiating, and not solely because the Wolverines attempted 14 more free throws (32 to 18) than Rutgers.
“Just (expletive) devastated for our (expletive) guys,” Pikiell said on the Rutgers postgame radio interview. “Played so hard (expletive) the whole time. Excuse my language.
“A couple of (down the) stretch calls, I thought there were travels (on Michigan). We couldn’t get a stop, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. Coming into this place and playing toe-to-toe with them the whole time, and you lose on that play?”
Lathan Sommerville scored a career-high 17 points and Dylan Harper also scored 17 for the Scarlet Knights. Tyson Acuff added 16 points.
Harper averages a team-best 19.3 points while Ace Bailey chips in with 18.2 per game for Rutgers, which has lost the last four meetings with the Boilermakers.
Purdue posted a 68-50 win over host Rutgers on Jan. 9. Smith stood out with 16 points, 14 assists and three steals. Bailey had 17 points and seven rebounds for Rutgers, which established a season low for points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers hope to steal a series from Rangers
Detroit Tigers pitcher Drew Anderson (38), left, hugs catcher Dillon Dingler (13) after 5-1 win over Texas Rangers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Aggressiveness on the bases could become a new dynamic for the Detroit Tigers.
As the Tigers look for a series win in the finale of a three-game home set with the Texas Rangers on Sunday night, Detroit’s sudden penchant for stealing bases could be a key.
The Tigers swiped four bases in a 5-1 win on Saturday to raise their season total to 14. While they haven’t torn it up on the bases this season, the Tigers are expected to turn to a bullpen game on Sunday, and Dillon Dingler said baserunning is a way to manufacture runs.
“It’s fascinating because we aren’t usually a team that runs the bases,” said Dingler, who hit a three-run home run in the first inning on Saturday. “It is something that applies pressure, though.”
Dingler leads the Tigers in RBIs (23) and slugging percentage (.495) and is tied with Kerry Carpenter for the team lead in home runs (six).
An injury to Casey Mize (right adductor strain) sent the right-hander to the 15-day injured list on Friday and has forced Detroit to turn to its bullpen to wrap up the series.
Tyler Holton (0-1, 5.54 ERA) is set to be the first pitcher for the Tigers. In nine career appearances against the Rangers, he is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 innings.
On Tuesday, he gave up four hits and two runs while recording one strikeout in one inning as the Tigers lost 5-2 at the Atlanta Braves.
While the Tigers will piece together their pitchers on Sunday, the Rangers are scheduled to start right-hander Jack Leiter (1-2, 5.17 ERA), who made his major league debut, and only career appearance, on the road against the Tigers in 2024. He allowed eight hits, seven runs, walked three and struck out three in 3 2/3 innings.
In his most recent start, Leiter took the loss Monday after he gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings in a 4-2 home defeat to the New York Yankees.
Texas hopes Brandon Nimmo will return to the lineup as the team vies for a series win on Sunday night. He’s pushed through a hamstring strain the last three days but exited the series opener on Friday in the fourth inning after his third at-bat.
The Rangers already are playing without Wyatt Langford, who had a setback in his recovery from a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right forearm. He’s been on the injured list since April 22 and will be re-evaluated in a week.
Because of the chilly temperatures in Detroit on Saturday night, Texas manager Skip Schumaker played it safe with Nimmo. Without the outfielder, the Rangers’ offense managed just one run on seven hits.
“The thought is, if I can give him (Nimmo) maybe 48 hours almost with pulling him (Friday) and hopefully starting him tomorrow,” Schumaker told The Dallas Morning News. “I think that might really settle it down.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Bo Bichette could move to SS with injury to Ronny Mauricio
Apr 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Ronny Mauricio (0) singles during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Mets shortstop Ronny Mauricio broke his left thumb Saturday, meaning starting third baseman Bo Bichette temporarily could take over at his former position.
Mauricio hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning Friday night, leading the Mets to a comeback road win against the Los Angeles Angels.
And in the seventh inning Saturday night, Mauricio broke the thumb on a headfirst slide into first base in the 4-3 loss.
The Mets are expected to put the 25-year-old Mauricio on the injured list Sunday morning before they play the finale of the three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Mauricio has started at shortstop for the Mets as a replacement for All-Star Francisco Lindor, who is expected to be out until at least June due to a serious left-calf strain.
Now, the Mets — the big-ticket team that has the MLB’s worst record — need a replacement for the replacement.
“I am pretty sure Bo is going to be in the conversation,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the chance Bichette could take over at shortstop.
Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million contract in January, knowing he would move to third base with Lindor entrenched at shortstop.
With the Blue Jays (2019-25), Bichette played 716 of his 748 games at short.
“Whatever the team needs,” Bichette told reporters about a possible position switch.
Mauricio, in 10 games, is hitting .219 (7-for-32). He has one extra-base hit, a home run.
Bichette has gotten off to a slow start with his new team, hitting two home runs and driving in 14 in his first 32 games. His average of .238 is well below his career .292. Last season in Toronto, he hit .311 with 18 homers and 94 RBIs.
Mauricio joins a growing list of players on the injured list for New York — a list that includes outfielder Luis Robert Jr., infielder Jorge Polanco and right-hander Kodai Senga.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Clay Holmes to start against Angels for first time
Apr 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images National League ERA leader Clay Holmes will start against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon as the New York Mets try for just their second road series win of the season.
When Holmes takes the mound in Anaheim, Calif., it will be his first career start against the Angels.
The right-handed Holmes (3-2, 1.75 ERA) hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his six starts. He comes in off an 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday that saw him allow three hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six.
“He’s been doing it since last year,” teammate Juan Soto told the New York Post. “No surprise what he’s been doing. He’s a grinder. He’s been putting in the work every day, so I’m really happy to see that.”
Holmes is 0-0 with a 2.35 ERA in nine career relief appearances against the Angels.
New York’s only road series victory came April 2-5 when it took three of four games at San Francisco. The Mets defeated Arizona in their next game to improve to 7-4 on the season but since have lost 18 of their next 22 games.
The Mets won the series opener, 4-3, on Friday on Ronny Mauricio’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. They had several excellent scoring chances to win Saturday’s game and the series before losing 4-3 in 10 innings on Oswald Peraza’s walk-off bases-loaded single off reliever Austin Warren.
It was Peraza’s first career walk-off hit and snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Angels.
“It feels amazing,” Peraza said after lining an 0-2 curveball into the gap in left-center to drive in automatic runner Adam Frazier from third. “We needed that win, and thank God. I was looking for a good pitch to hit and see the ball, and I feel so happy for the win.”
It was just the second win in 13 games for the Angels, who — like the Mets — have won only three series this season.
“I guess there was no other way to do it than a walk off,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It hasn’t been easy. So really proud of them. They grinded, they battled.”
Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.09) gets the start for Los Angeles and will try to give the Angels their first series victory since April 10-12 at Cincinnati. That also was the last time Kochanowicz picked up a victory, allowing two hits and one run over seven innings in a 10-2 win in the series opener.
A big question going into Sunday’s finale is who will be playing shortstop for the Mets.
Mauricio, filling in for injured All-Star Francisco Lindor, broke his left thumb on a head-first slide into first base, beating out an infield single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s loss.
“He’s going on the IL,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s tough obviously. You lose your everyday shortstop and the guy that comes up that is getting the everyday opportunity here now is hurt. Somebody else is going to have an opportunity.”
–Field Level Media
Tigers hope to steal a series from Rangers
Mets' Bo Bichette could move to SS with injury to Ronny Mauricio
