Sports
Padres a study of contrasts as series with A's closes
May 23, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielders Gavin Sheets (30), Bryce Johnson (29) and Jackson Merrill (3) celebrate with shortstop Sung-Mun Song (24) after defeating the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen cracked a joke about a lack of hitting on Saturday night, when his team managed only two hits in a 2-0 shutout of the visiting Athletics.
“If you want to put it into football terms, we got our safety and got out of there,” he said.
Stammen will hope for a bit more offense from his team, as well as a series sweep, on Sunday afternoon when the Padres wrap up their weekend series against the A’s.
All jokes aside, winning without much offense has been the norm for San Diego much of this season. The Padres are last in the majors in batting average (.219) and are tied for last with San Francisco in on-base percentage (.293). San Diego stands 27th in slugging percentage (.365) and 24th in runs (209).
Yet the Padres are 11 games over .500 and have won six of their past eight games, mainly because they seem to score runs when absolutely necessary. And San Diego rarely gives up a late-inning lead because of its high-leverage arms in the bullpen.
Stammen said the Padres will figure things out offensively, citing the eight walks they drew Saturday night as proof they are taking the proper approach at the plate.
“We celebrate the small wins, and if we have enough of those, it’s going to turn into big things,” he said. “Any time we can find a way to hand a lead to our bullpen, it’s a good day for us.”
Having right-hander Michael King (4-2, 2.31 ERA) on the mound typically gives San Diego a chance to win, and he will start against the A’s on Sunday. King excelled in a 1-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, firing seven scoreless innings and allowing just four hits while walking two and striking out nine.
In three career games against the Athletics, two of them starts, King is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA. The win, 5-4, occurred on April 7, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif.
Opposing King will be right-hander Luis Medina, who’s 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 14 relief appearances. This will be the first start since 2024 for Medina, who fired two scoreless innings Wednesday night at the Los Angeles Angels in a 6-5, 10-inning win for San Diego.
In his only previous game against San Diego, Medina worked 3 2/3 innings of relief in 2023, striking out seven and walking four while allowing two hits and an earned run.
This will likely be a second straight game in which the A’s bullpen does most of the work. J.T. Ginn left after only 2 1/3 innings Saturday night because he had thrown 73 pitches, given up two runs, walked six and hit a batter, forcing relievers to record 17 outs.
The bullpen gave up just two hits during its lengthy stint to keep the Athletics in contention, but the A’s couldn’t come up with timely hits for a second straight game. They were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners.
But San Diego did see Nick Kurtz tie Rickey Henderson for the third-longest on-base streak in franchise history. Kurtz’s first-inning single marked the 46th straight game he has reached base. If he makes it 47 on Sunday, he’ll tie Jimmie Foxx for second. Mark McGwire leads with a 62-game streak.
“Every day is a new day for him,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said of Kurtz. “He’s not a hitter that chases hits. He’s a hitter that takes what’s given to him.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
May 23, 2026; Carson, California, USA; Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz (19) moves the ball while pressured by LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil (28) and midfielder Justin Haak (15) during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Guilherme Santos scored the tying goal in the 41st minute and Jonathan Bond recorded five saves as the visiting Houston Dynamo earned a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on Saturday in a Western Conference dustup in Carson, Calif.
It was the final game for both teams before MLS’s two-month World Cup break. The draw was the first this season for the Dynamo (7-6-1, 22 points), who head to the break two points clear of the Galaxy (5-5-5, 20 points) in the West standings.
Houston has earned points in four of its past five league matches (3-1-1). Los Angeles is 3-1-2 in its past six MLS contests.
The Galaxy were the aggressor in the early minutes of the match, as Erik Thommy and then Joseph Paintsil tested Bond with shots on target in the 14th and 17th minute, respectively.
Paintsil broke through in the 30th minute, making short work of a scoring play that started when Edwin Cerrillo passed to the right side of the box to Miki Yamane. Yamane worked hard to center the ball but it bounced through traffic in front of the goal before Paintsil ripped a right-footed shot past Bond and into the top-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.
Guilherme had an excellent chance to produce the equalizer for the Dynamo five minutes later but missed over the crossbar from short range.
Guilherme made the most of his next opportunity, taking a pass from Jack McGlynn outside the top of the box and hitting a curving shot past Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski (three saves) into the bottom-right corner. Antonio Carlos was credited with a secondary assist on that tying tally.
The second half was full of unrealized scoring chances.
Marcinkowski kept the match knotted with a stop on a low-percentage shot by McGlynn in the 56th minute. He then stopped shots from Mateusz Bogusz in the 70th minute and Jose Artur in the 73rd to quell Houston scoring chances.
Cerrillo, Matheus Nascimento and Gabriel Pec had shots on target in the final 15 minutes for the Galaxy, but Bond rose to the task to save each of them and allow the Dynamo to split the points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ketel Marte leads Diamondbacks past Rockies
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) watches after hitting a two run home run against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) during the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images Ketel Marte went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Phoenix.
Nolan Arenado had a two-run double and Geraldo Perdomo contributed two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Ryan Waldschmidt had two hits and scored once as Arizona improved to 2-1 in the four-game set that concludes Sunday.
TJ Rumfield went 3-for-4 with a homer for the Rockies, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games. Troy Johnston had two hits and an RBI and Hunter Goodman also had two hits for Colorado.
Arizona’s Paul Sewald recorded two outs on fly balls in the ninth before striking out Goodman for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen (3-4) gave up three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen (2-7) was touched up for five runs and eight hits over five innings. He fanned five and issued one walk.
The Rockies pulled within 5-4 when Rumfield smacked a 2-0 sinker from Brandon Pfaadt over the wall in left-center field leading off the eighth.
Tyler Freeman followed with a single and Pfaadt was replaced by Kevin Ginkel. Johnston walked but Colorado’s threat took a big hit when Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice bunt attempt was fielded by Ildemaro Vargas and the first baseman’s throw forced Freeman at third.
Sterlin Thompson grounded out to move the runners to second and third before Ginkel retired Chad Stevens on a fly to center.
Arizona jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Perdomo and the two-run double by Arenado.
The Rockies loaded the bases with none out in the fourth. Johnson’s single plated one run and Tovar’s fielder’s choice drove in another.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tim Tawa was on first with two out when Marte slammed a first-pitch fastball 424 feet over the fence in right to give the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead.
Colorado pushed across a run in the sixth as Johnston singled, stole second, moved to third on Tovar’s grounder and scored on Thompson’s grounder.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ross Chastain wins rain-shortened O’Reilly Series race at Charlotte
May 23, 2026; Concord, North Carolina, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series 2026 driver Ross Chastain (9) celebrates in victory lane after his win during the Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images CONCORD, N.C.-Ross Chastain drove through a succession of challenges-including a patch of oil and a brush with the outside wall-to win Saturday night’s rain-shortened Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The victory was Chastain’s first in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series since 2019, his first at Charlotte and the third of his career. The race was stopped for rain for the second time after Chastain crossed the finish line to win the second stage on Lap 90.
With no hope of continuing, NASCAR called the race after Lap 91 and declared Chastain the winner.
“I did not think we would win one like this, driving into the fence in liquid,” said Chastain, who was driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. “I have no idea what it was. I went into Turn 1 like normal, and there was something on the track.
“No matter how we win, I feel like we could have raced with them again at the end.”
Chastain’s thoughts quickly turned to the absence of champion driver Kyle Busch, who on Thursday lost his life to a sudden illness at age 41.
“This weekend, it’s just incredible trying to grasp losing Kyle,” Chastain said. “I don’t understand how he’s not here racing. I don’t grasp it mentally or spiritually.
“Obviously, racing is the best thing we can to celebrate what he did in the sport and in his life.”
Defending O’Reilly Series champion Jesse Love, who drives for Richard Childress Racing — as did Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series — was second when the race was called.
“If this week taught us anything, it’s that all this doesn’t matter as much as we think it does,” Love said. “As much as I’m angry and confused and upset (about the way the race finished), I also realized there’s a lot of hurt people right now.”
A spate of cautions punctuated the second stage of the race after a rain delay of more than four hours, but the real damage came on Lap 73, when the drivers of eight cars-including Chastain-slid through fluid deposited by the No. 35 Chevrolet of Dawson Cram.
Chastain kept his car on the track with seemingly minimal damage. Other drivers weren’t as fortunate.
Victims of the oily track included series leader Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray and Jeremy Clements. Allgaier stayed on the lead lap after repeated trips to pit road for repairs but finished 29th as the final 18 laps of the race remained under caution thanks to drizzling rain and mist that wet the track and obscured spotters’ views from the top of the grandstand.
Austin Hill, Love’s RCR teammate, finished third, followed by William Sawalich and Corey Day. Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Cole Custer, Carson Kvapil and Rajah Caruth completed the top 10, as JR Motorsports placed three drivers in the top 10.
Rain slowed the race twice in the first 33 laps, the first time for a drizzle under caution for Harrison Burton’s spin in Turn 4, the second time for a harder rain that fell after NASCAR called a competition caution on Lap 26.
The rain persisted while the cars circulated under the yellow flag for seven more laps, with Allgaier in the lead behind the pace car. Ultimately, NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 33, and the cars sat covered on pit road waiting for a resumption.
At 9:45 p.m. NASCAR called the drivers back to their cars, and the race resumed with eight laps left in Stage 1 after a stoppage of 4 hours, 21 minutes, 58 seconds.
On Lap 42, Allgaier got loose over the bumps in Turn 3 and gave up the lead to Zilisch, who took the green-checkered flag as the stage winner three laps later.
Then came the decisive second stage, fraught with all its perils. And after it was over, Chastain took a bow, mimicking Busch’s signature move, before making his own familiar move — a watermelon smash — from the roof of his car.
The rain that halted the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race prematurely also forced postponement of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for the third time.
The event is now scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Charbroil 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 23, 2026
1. (14) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 91.
2. (17) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 91.
3. (6) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 91.
4. (7) William Sawalich, Toyota, 91.
5. (2) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 91.
6. (5) Connor Zilisch(i), Chevrolet, 91.
7. (9) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
8. (29) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 91.
9. (24) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 91.
10. (10) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 91.
11. (8) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 91.
12. (31) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 91.
13. (13) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 91.
14. (21) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 91.
15. (30) Leland Honeyman Jr(i), Chevrolet, 91.
16. (16) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 91.
17. (37) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 91.
18. (23) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 91.
19. (22) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
20. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 91.
21. (27) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 91.
22. (35) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 91.
23. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 91.
24. (33) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 91.
25. (26) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 91.
26. (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 91.
27. (11) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 91.
28. (20) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, 91.
29. (1) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 91.
30. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 90.
31. (25) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 73.
32. (12) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, Accident, 73.
33. (34) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 72.
34. (38) JJ Yeley, Ford, Fuel Pump, 64.
35. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 62.
36. (3) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 61.
37. (18) Brent Crews #, Toyota, Accident, 51.
38. (19) Harrison Burton, Toyota, Accident, 51.
–by Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
Ketel Marte leads Diamondbacks past Rockies
