Sports
Padres optimistic offensive resurgence will continue against Rangers
Jun 17, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23, left) congratulates San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) at the dugout after Merrill hit a ninth inning home run against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill have endured up-and-down seasons at the plate.
The San Diego Padres’ most recent game showed a glimpse of what the team’s offense can look like if both players are swinging hot bats.
The Padres will look for more good things from Tatis and Merrill when they open a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
San Diego is coming off a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. The Padres salvaged a victory in the finale of the three-game series and improved to 3-3 on a road trip that will conclude with the trio of games in Texas.
Tatis drove in a pair of runs and Merrill belted a two-run homer in the latest win, with each providing three hits.
“You get two of those guys going at the same time and that produces some runs,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “That’s what we’ve been lacking a little bit. We’ve been hitting OK, but we just haven’t been able to score the runs.
“Getting those two guys hot, being able to hit in those types of situations which they’re really good in typically, it’s only going to bode well for our offense.”
In his past 22 games, Tatis is hitting .376 (35-for-93) with two homers and 10 RBIs. Over his previous 50 games to start the year, he batted .238 (44-for-185) with no homers and 16 RBIs.
Merrill is batting a modest .260 (20-for-77) with four home runs and 11 RBIs since May 27, but that’s still an improvement on his prior figures this season: .194 (37-for-191) with four homers and 19 RBIs in 51 games.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are desperate for a spark at the plate and a good performance on the mound. They will try to bounce back from a three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Minnesota Twins, who outscored them 25-7 in the series.
Texas manager Skip Schumaker said slow starts have cost his team in recent losses. The Rangers allowed four runs in the top of the first inning during a 9-3 loss Thursday afternoon.
“The first inning, I don’t know if it’s becoming a thing like mentally, maybe,” Schumaker said. “But it’s something that we’ve got to continue to address because we’re playing from behind too often, and it’s tough to play catch-up.
“… We have to clean up a lot of different areas. The good news is we have the talent to do it, but we can’t continue to start games like that.”
Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (5-4, 3.17 ERA) is scheduled to make the start on his 38th birthday. He has 89 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings this season.
In his most recent outing, deGrom drew a no-decision on Saturday despite limiting the Boston Red Sox to two runs on six hits in six innings. He walked none and fanned five.
In 10 career starts against San Diego, deGrom is 6-3 with a stellar 1.28 ERA to go with 12 walks and 82 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings. However, he hasn’t opposed the Padres since 2021.
San Diego is set to counter with Randy Vasquez (6-4, 3.63 ERA). The 27-year-old right-hander is looking for back-to-back victories after holding the Baltimore Orioles to two runs on six hits in five innings on Saturday.
Vasquez has made one career start against the Rangers, last July 4 in San Diego. He wound up with a no-decision but posted a quality start by allowing two runs on three hits in six innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
After first win, Tiger-Cats feeling confident with Lions set to visit
Nov 8, 2025; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (19) throws a pass during warm up before the start of the Eastern Final against the Montreal Alouettes at Hamilton Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images After pulling off a road win last week in Winnipeg to make up for losing the home opener the week before, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will try to defend home field on Friday night when they take on the BC Lions.
Hamilton’s 37-27 win over the Blue Bombers featured a balanced offensive effort. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-24 accuracy, while Larry Rountree III racked up 124 yards on 23 carries for his first 100-yard game as a pro.
This week, Mitchell advised his teammates to not look back.
“Attack the day, attack the play,” he said. “Do everything you can do to be the best you can be on that day. We weren’t perfect … but this is a damn good football team.”
Hamilton (1-1) got a fine performance from its offensive line, which allowed just one sack against an opponent that used the pass rush as a big part of its Week 1 win in Calgary, registering four sacks. And Marc Liegghio added three field goals, including a game-sealing 23-yarder in the last minute.
Meanwhile, BC is coming off a season-opening 31-27 loss at Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan last Saturday. The Lions owned the lead until giving up a touchdown with 46 seconds left.
Adding injuries to insult, BC will be short-handed at receiver this week. Seven McGee (foot) has landed on the six-game injured list and Jevon Cottoy (thigh) wasn’t able to finish the game in Saskatchewan. Another receiver, Stanley Berryhill, was ruled out with a thigh injury as well, and wideout Keon Hatcher Sr. (thigh) is questionable after missing Wednesday’s practice.
The Lions were reduced to using backup fullback Jacob Bond at receiver on their final drive. They have signed receiver Jermaine Jackson to the practice squad but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were elevated sooner instead of later.
“Opportunities for guys to step up, opportunities for guys that you know have been here working,” second-year coach Buck Pierce said of the receiver situation. “It’s no different than any other team.”
BC quarterback Nathan Rourke is coming off a 330-yard effort at Saskatchewan, where he also ran for a team-high 59 yards and a touchdown.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals throttle Cards but see Bobby Witt Jr. exit game
Jun 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone (14) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Bobby Witt Jr. homered and was one of seven Kansas City players with at least two hits — but later exited with right knee discomfort — while Salvador Perez’s solo shot made him the all-time home run leader at Kauffman Stadium as the host Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-6 on Thursday night.
The star shortstop injured himself going into the hole to field Jordan Walker’s RBI infield single in the fourth. Witt finished the inning but was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the frame.
Witt’s departure overshadowed a potent night for the Royals, who set season highs for runs and hits (17), while posting eight doubles, including a club-record five during their six-run second inning.
Meanwhile, Perez had three hits and his 137th homer at home — a 385-foot shot to left in the sixth inning — broke George Brett’s record to give Kansas City a 12-4 lead. Starling Marte also had three hits and Jac Caglianone clubbed a two-run homer for Kansas City, now 2-2 versus St. Louis this season.
Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt each had three hits while Jose Fermin added two with two RBIs for the Cardinals, who recorded 13 hits but stranded 15 runners.
St. Louis wasted no time getting to the Royals’ Noah Cameron (4-4) in the first. Wetherholt singled, advanced when Ivan Herrera walked, and scored on Walker’s grounder that went under Witt’s glove. A walk to ex-Royal Nelson Velazquez loaded the bases, then Alec Burleson delivered a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the first, Witt sent a Matthew Liberatore pitch over the left field wall.
Perez opened the Royals’ second with a double off the right field wall. Kansas City then went ahead after RBI doubles from Carter Jensen and Isaac Collins, who scored when Velazquez dropped Michael Massey’s fly ball to left. A run-scoring double from Lane Thomas and Witt’s RBI hit followed.
Marte’s double down the right field line scored Witt for a 7-2 Royals lead and chased Liberatore (3-4), who was charged with seven runs — five earned — over 1 2/3 innings.
The Royals scored four more in the fourth. After Caglianone’s homer with a man on, Nick Loftin’s two-run double made it 11-3.
Cameron allowed four runs — three earned — and eight hits with two walks, while striking out six in five innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Goalie error leads Mexico past South Korea, seals first place in Group A
June 18, 2026; Guadalajara, Mexico; Mexico’s Luis Romo celebrates scoring their first goal with Erik Lira as South Korea’s Son Heung-min reacts. Mandatory Credit: Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images Luis Romo punished a critical 50th-minute error by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, and co-host Mexico’s historical dominance of South Korea at the World Cup continued with a 1-0 victory in Zapopan, Mexico, on Thursday to win Group A.
Raul Rangel made a spectacular late double-save to keep Mexico’s second clean sheet and secure the top group spot, one that guarantees Mexico will play a round-of-32 match and a potential round-of-16 fixture in Mexico City.
Both heroes for Mexico (2-0-0, 6 points) were starring in the venue where they play their club football for CD Guadalajara. Their actions sealed El Tri’s third World Cup victory in as many appearances against South Korea.
South Korea (1-1-0, 3 points) still would finish second in the group with a win in their finale against South Africa (0-1-1, 1 point), regardless of how Mexico performs against Czech Republic (0-1-1, 1 point).
South Korea all-time caps leader Son Heung-min didn’t go the whole 90 minutes for a second consecutive match, with the attacker departing before the hour mark.
Romo’s finish — only his fourth international goal — could not have been simpler after Seung-gyu crashed into a teammate while trying to make a catch and spilled the ball near the penalty spot.
Romo connected on the first bounce, stabbing it with his right foot into an open goal to send a crowd into delight after the fans had been critical of their side not long before.
Seung-gyu made some measure of amends, denying Raul Jimenez with a strong stop in the 75th minute at the near post and making a sprawling denial of Obed Vargas in the 85th.
Shortly after, the rarely tested Rangel was forced into an exceptional sequence, first denying Cho Gue-sung’s header at the back post and then maintaining his position just long enough to deny Yang Hyun-jun’s second effort.
It was a late outburst during a match that took time to get going.
Mexico’s Julian Quinones had the only effort on target before the half, with Seung-gyu denying his glancing header in the 20th minute.
By halftime, the home crowd had tired of Mexico’s passiveness and booed the co-hosts off the pitch.
–Field Level Media
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After first win, Tiger-Cats feeling confident with Lions set to visit
