Sports
No. 3 Iowa State shoots for 10th straight win, faces skidding Utah
Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) goes for a layup between Baylor Bears guard Robert O. Wright III (1) and guard VJ Edgecombe (7) during the second half in the NCAA men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. For now, at least, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger is more obsessed with how his players are working together on the court than he is with how many victories the team is stacking up.
But it’s hard to ignore the results for No. 3 Iowa State, which has surged to a 12-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones will host Utah (8-5, 0-2) on Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State will go for its 10th win in a row. Its only loss this season was a two-point setback against then-No. 4 Auburn on Nov. 25 at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii.
“More than anything, we’re not as outcome-based, even though we understand that on the day of the game, the job is to come out with a win — find a way to win by any means possible,” Otzelberger said. “We want to continue to keep our focus on staying in our routine each and every day, getting the most out of our day, focusing on our daily habits and making sure that we stay locked in.
“It’s, ‘How you do anything is how you do everything.’ That’s such a big deal in our program. How you carry yourself, how you treat people, how you practice, how you stay humble, how you focus. … We’re just going to keep our head down and keep doing the hard work.”
That could lead to a tough challenge for Utah, which is on a three-game losing streak after falling short against Iowa, then-No. 25 Baylor and Texas Tech over the past two weeks.
The Cyclones boast a deep roster with five players scoring in double figures. Keshon Gilbert leads the way with 16.3 points and a team-high 5.0 assists per game, and Curtis Jones is next with 16.2 points per game.
Milan Momcilovic (11.4 points per game), Joshua Jefferson (11.2) and Dishon Jackson (10.3) round out the top five scorers. Tamin Lipsey is not far behind with 9.8 points per game.
Gilbert said he and his teammates take just as much pride in their defensive effort. They are coming off a 74-55 win over Baylor in which they limited the Bears to 29.7 percent shooting (19 of 64) from the field and 24.1 percent (7 of 29) from 3-point range.
“It just shows that we can win in so many different ways,” Gilbert said. “Even if we don’t turn people over, our defense comes first.”
Twin brothers Gabe and Mason Madsen lead Utah in scoring. Gabe Madsen is averaging 16.5 points per game, and Mason Madsen ranks second with 11.3 points per contest.
Utah coach Craig Smith is eager to see better defense from his players after their latest performance. The Utes lost 93-65 at home against Texas Tech.
“I thought it was a potpourri of everything,” Smith said. “Got to get stops.”
Utah is looking for its first win against a Top 25 opponent since it knocked off No. 14 BYU on Dec. 9, 2023. The Utes have not taken down the third-ranked team in the country since they toppled Kentucky on Dec. 18, 1976.
The Utes are 70-164 (.299) all-time against ranked opponents, and 11-66 (.143) in road games against ranked foes.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andrew Vaughn's homer powers Brewers over Cardinals
May 6, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Andrew Vaughn (28) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a three run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Andrew Vaughn hit a three-run homer for the Milwaukee Brewers, who had five pitchers team up to limit the host St. Louis Cardinals to just four hits in a 6-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon.
Vaughn, reinstated from the injured list Monday after breaking the hamate bone in his left hand on Opening Day, capped a four-run first with his first homer of the season, which he hit off Andre Pallante 403 feet to left-center field.
Pallante (3-3) got the first two Brewers batters out to start the game, but he allowed Brice Turang to reach on a single and hit William Contreras. Jake Bauers singled home Turang before he and Contreras scored on Vaughn’s blast, which came on a full count.
Milwaukee scored all its runs with two outs. Joey Ortiz scored on a Pallante wild pitch in the fifth, and Jackson Chourio’s ninth-inning double to right off Matt Svanson scored Sal Frelick.
The Brewers pounded out 11 hits to split the two-game series with the Cardinals. Bauers went 2-for-3 with a walk. Vaughn added a single as part of a 2-for-4 day, while Chourio and Frelick both enjoyed 2-for-5 games.
Brandon Sproat threw four shutout innings and allowed just a hit while striking out five. However, three walks and a hit batsman kept the 25-year-old right-hander, who entered Wednesday having allowed 20 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings, from being able to claim his first career major league victory.
Aaron Ashby (6-0) allowed just a walk in two innings of relief to get the victory. DL Hall pitched a perfect fifth inning with a strikeout for the Brewers.
Pallante went six innings, gave up eight hits and two walks and struck out three.
The Cardinals’ only hit through seven innings was Ivan Herrera’s first-inning double. Alec Burleson put the hosts on the board with an eighth-inning single off Trevor Megill that scored Victor Scott II to end the shutout.
Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church exited after three innings due to a left leg contusion he suffered when Sproat hit him in the second.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers place 2B Gleyber Torres (oblique) on 10-day IL
Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) bats a single against Texas Rangers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The Detroit Tigers placed three-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left oblique strain.
Torres, 29, had progressed in recent days but continued to feel pain while swinging. He was unable to serve as a pinch hitter, leading the Tigers to put him on the IL, retroactive to Monday.
“It’s a mild left oblique strain that continues to nag him,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Obviously, Gleyber has been getting treatment and getting looked at by doctors — and it continues to be stagnant. Hopefully, this will resolve itself within a short time period, but nowadays, I don’t know.”
In his ninth MLB season, Torres is hitting .259 with two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .716 OPS in 32 games.
“I was getting better and better, but I still feel it a little bit in that area,” Torres said. “At this point, we don’t want to push it. It’s not a really big strain, so hopefully, I can get back (on a rehab assignment) in five days — not two weeks. Let’s see what’s going to happen in the next couple of days.”
Torres is a career .264 hitter with 156 homers, 526 RBIs and a .769 OPS in 1,065 games with the New York Yankees (2018-24) and Tigers.
Third baseman Jace Jung, 25, was recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. He has appeared in two games this season for Detroit, collecting one hit and one run in four at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers' Framber Valdez suspended for beaning Trevor Story
Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, on May 5, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan, with players and coaches from the Tigers and Red Sox on the field after a hit-by-pitch from Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez. Detroit Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez received a six-game suspension and an undisclosed fine Wednesday for intentionally throwing at Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story on Tuesday night.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch also received a fine and a one-game suspension, which he will serve in Wednesday night’s series finale against the visiting Red Sox. Bench coach George Lombard will fill in as manager.
Both benches emptied in the fourth inning after Story got plunked by a fastball from Valdez, earning the pitcher an ejection following the worst start of his career.
Valdez allowed a career-high 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits, including three homers, in three-plus innings, taking the loss in the 10-3 setback.
Valdez, 32, is 2-2 with a 4.57 ERA through eight starts in his first season with Detroit, which signed him to a three-year, $115 million deal in February.
A two-time All-Star with Houston (2022, 2023), Valdez is 83-54 with a 3.41 ERA in 196 career games (174 starts) with the Astros (2018-25) and Tigers.
–Field Level Media
Andrew Vaughn's homer powers Brewers over Cardinals
Tigers place 2B Gleyber Torres (oblique) on 10-day IL
