Sports
Orioles ace Corbin Burnes ready for October opener vs. Royals
Sep 8, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images BALTIMORE — The Orioles had October in mind when they traded for right-hander Corbin Burnes back in February.
The former Cy Young Award winner played his role, remaining the steady force of an injury-riddled rotation to help Baltimore secure its second straight postseason berth.
After a strong first regular season with the Orioles, Burnes will take the mound on Tuesday when Baltimore hosts the Kansas City Royals to begin a best-of-three American League wild-card series.
“It’s an honor,” Burnes said. “To get the ball on Opening Day (and) Game 1 of the postseason, not many guys get to do that in their career. I’ve been fortunate to do it a couple times, and to do it my first year here in Baltimore is special. This is a great group of guys, and they accepted me from Day 1.”
Tuesday’s start is one eight months in the making for Burnes, who became the Orioles’ ace as soon as Baltimore swapped two prospects with the Milwaukee Brewers for him shortly before spring training.
The 29-year-old went 15-9 with a team-best 2.92 ERA while making 32 starts, eight more than any other Orioles pitcher. He’ll make his third playoff start and ninth postseason appearance of his seven-year career.
Burnes is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in the playoffs, including last year’s National League wild-card round with Milwaukee against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He started Game 1 and surrendered four runs on five hits — including three home runs — across four innings in the Brewers’ 6-3 loss to the eventual NL champions.
“Postseason baseball is a different monster,” Burnes said. “… (It) isn’t necessarily about going out there and trying to score the most runs. It’s about controlling the momentum.”
Burnes made two starts against Kansas City in April, allowing a total of five runs across 11 1/3 innings while walking one and striking out seven.
His counterpart on Tuesday, Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA), will make his postseason debut.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a stout young arm in his first full season with Kansas City a year after the Royals tied a franchise record with 106 losses.
Ragans pitched to a 1.08 ERA in his four September starts and finished with the fifth-most strikeouts in the majors (223). He blanked the Orioles on one hit over 6 1/3 innings on April 3 before being shelled for seven runs in 1 2/3 frames on April 20.
“I don’t forget the second (start),” Ragans said. “It just wasn’t a good day that day. … I don’t think it’s gonna affect how I prepare. Everybody’s good in the playoffs, so just prepare the same that I have all season.”
Kansas City is making its first playoff appearance since winning the franchise’s second World Series in 2015. The Royals were baseball’s biggest turnaround team this year, posting a 30-win improvement from their historically futile 2023.
“You want to create something new,” shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “In the past, everyone in Kansas City has talked about the (2015 team), and so we want to create our own legacy.”
Witt hit a major league-best .332 in the regular season to secure his first AL batting title. He also clubbed 32 homers and stole 31 bases to become the first-ever shortstop with multiple 30-30 seasons.
The 24-year-old will get his first taste of playoff baseball after enduring last-place finishes in both of his first two seasons with Kansas City.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Witt said. “… Some guys never make the postseason … so you definitely got to make the most of it, but also enjoy each and every day.”
–Tanner Malinowski, 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
Sports
Nathan Eovaldi leads Rangers to another win over Mariners
Jul 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers a pitch to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven strong innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the visiting Seattle Mariners 7-1 Saturday night in Arlington, Texas. to increase their lead over the defending American League West champions to 2 1/2 games.
The top three batters in Texas’ order — Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran — went a combined 8-for-13 with three doubles, a triple, three RBIs and four runs. The Rangers have won the first two games of the four-game series.
Eovaldi allowed one run on three hits — a one-out single by J.P. Crawford in the third then a two-out single by Luke Raley followed by a double to right by Crawford to score Seattle’s lone run in the fifth. The veteran right-hander walked one and struck out eight.
The Rangers scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second against Seattle’s Bryan Woo (7-7), whose road woes continued.
In the first, Langford lined a one-out double to right field and Duran followed with a liner that eluded a diving center fielder Raley and rolled all the way to the wall for a run-scoring triple. Following a walk to Brandon Nimmo, Evan Carter doubled down the left field line to score Duran. Nicky Lopez’s groundout to short scored the third run.
Woo retired the first two batters in the second on a total of three pitchers before Pederson grounded a single to right and stole second. Langford hit a run-scoring double to left and Duran lined an RBI single to center to make it 5-0.
Woo gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander dropped to 1-7 in away games this season with a 6.52 ERA.
The Rangers added two runs in the seventh. Carter drew a two-out walk off Cole Wilcox, who was replaced by Nick Davila. Carter advanced to second on a balk and Lopez walked. Alejandro Osuna doubled to center, scoring both runners.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers jump ahead early, hold off Mets to win fourth straight
Jul 25, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) talks to starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Kyle Tucker homered for a second straight game and Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just a run over six innings Saturday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won their fourth straight game by beating the host New York Mets 4-3.
The Dodgers outfielder, who on Friday went deep for the first time since June 27, led off the third with a 392-foot shot off Nolan McLean (7-7) that hit the right field foul pole.
Andy Pages (1-for-4) drove in two, and Freddie Freeman had three singles in four at-bats for the Dodgers.
Bo Bichette went 2-for-5, and Tyrone Taylor hit a pinch-hit, two-run double for the Mets.
Yamamoto (11-6) could not match his last start, a complete-game victory last Sunday against the New York Yankees. Still, he was able to secure his eighth win in his last 10 starts. The right-hander struck out five against five hits and three walks.
The Dodgers staked Yamamoto to a three-run lead in the third thanks to Tucker’s power and some errant Mets defensive play. First baseman Brett Baty threw wild after fielding a Shohei Ohtani chopper. Rather than starting a possible inning-ending double play, it gave the Dodgers runners at the corners.
Pages grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice, and then went to third on a Freeman single and scored on a passed ball by catcher Francisco Alvarez.
McLean went six innings, and only two of the four runs he allowed were earned. The Dodgers got seven hits and two walks off the righty, who struck out seven.
Pages added to the lead in the fifth with a single to right that scored Teoscar Hernandez, who led off the frame with a double.
The Mets, who have lost three straight, were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 on base. They got two runners on base against Yamamoto three times but only capitalized once, when Bo Bichette’s two-out single got Baty home in the fifth.
Dodgers reliever Edgardo Hernandez hit Carson Benge and walked Luis Robert Jr. to start the eighth. He retired the next two before giving way to Tanner Scott. Taylor welcomed him with his two-bagger to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Brock Stewart threw a perfect ninth to record his third career save, the first for the 34-year-old right-hander since 2023.
–Field Level Media
Robert Gasser holds Rockies in check as Brewers win
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