Sports
Phillies, Taijuan Walker shoot for road sweep of Rockies
Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Phillies started their first road trip of the season with a pair of impressive wins over the Colorado Rockies. They will go for the sweep when the teams wrap up the three-game series in Denver on Sunday.
Philadelphia, which squeaked out a 2-1 win Saturday night, will send Taijuan Walker (0-1, 11.57 ERA) against Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano (0-0, 1.93 ERA) in a matchup of right-handers.
Walker struggled in his first start of the season for the Phillies, allowing seven on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings against Washington on Monday, but he can turn things around against the Rockies. In 10 career starts against Colorado he is 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA.
He went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two outings against the Rockies in 2025.
Walker can build on the first two starts of the weekend by the Phillies. Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo combined to strike out 20 batters and give up just one run each in their outings. Nola benefited from strong run support in a 10-1 win Friday but Philadelphia scored just a pair Saturday night.
The Phillies have struggled to score runs, outside of the 10 runs on Friday, but the players aren’t worried about the offense.
“That’s kind of how seasons go sometimes,” Bryce Harper said. “Some guys have good first months and then have a terrible rest of the season. Or they have a really bad first month and then they win an MVP. That’s why you play the whole season.
“You don’t put too much stock in the first couple games. You just play your game, understand it’s a long season and you’ve just got to find value in playing a full season.”
Philadelphia will go against a pitcher it has never faced. Sugano was sharp in his debut with Colorado on Monday when the Rockies routed Toronto, 14-5. He allowed just a run on two hits but an elevated pitch count limited him to 4 2/3 innings.
Colorado brought in Sugano, 36, to help shore up a rotation that struggled in 2025. The Rockies have pitched better this year but their offense, like the Phillies’, has struggled. Colorado has scored five runs over its last four games.
The Rockies fanned 15 times in their home opener on Friday and 13 more Saturday night.
It has been a factor in the Rockies starting 1-4 in one-run games.
“The big thing (Saturday) with the strikeout is we missed too many pitches in the zone, early in the count,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the 2-1 loss. “You can’t miss pitches early and chase late, it’s a bad combo.”
Even with the strikeout issues, there have been some bright spots. Rookie TJ Rumfield is batting .360 with a home run, Ezequiel Tovar is hitting .294 after going 1-for-4 Saturday night and Troy Johnston, who played 44 games with Miami last season, is batting .333 with one of Colorado’s five home runs through the first eight games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alice Pereira Delivers Knockout of the Year Contender at UFC Vegas 115
UFC Vegas 115 was another night filled with that trope that a card that seems weak on paper and is filled with a lot of unknown names can be more entertaining than some of the bigger cards the UFC puts on. From Renato Moicano’s submission win over Chris Duncan, to any of the other exciting finishes on the night, to a seemingly soccer-kick KO (that wasn’t a KO), which generated a lot of controversy, UFC Vegas 115 was a fire card.
And yet, one of the bigger highlights from the night came from the undercard. And for the second straight week, a fight on a UFC card has produced a Knockout of the Year contender. Last week, it was Alexa Grasso sending Maycee Barber into oblivion. This week, it was the strength of the hard-hitting Alice Pereira.
First of all, no, Alice Pereira is not related to Alex Pereira. But when you look at what Alice Pereira did on this night, it might be hard for some fans not to draw a connection between the two.
During the UFC Vegas 115 prelims, Alice Pereira squared off with Hailey Cowan. The first round proved well for Pereira, known as “Golden Girl.” Pereira was able to beat her opponent to the (literal) punch, using her quickness and power to batter Cowan during the opening five minutes. Cowan, in fact, was visibly bruised around her face as a result of that frame.
But Cowan is a tough fighter who was not to be deterred. In the second round, Cowan landed a major slam in the center of the Octagon, and it appeared that she was in control of the action. Cowan was unable to do much with her ground game, however, and she didn’t seem to put up much of a fight as Pereira got the action back to the feet.
And then, just as round two was coming to an end, Pereira unleashed a devastating knee that landed directly on Cowan’s face. Cowan dropped in a heap, and the referee quickly stepped in to wave off the fight.
It was definitely a needed performance from Pereira. She dropped her UFC debut to Montse Rendon at Noche UFC 3 in September, a performance that Pereira has openly admitted she’d like to move on from. Well, here, move on is what she did.
Pereira displayed the power that got her attention from the UFC in the first place. And the thing is, even though her name is “Golden Girl,” she isn’t an elderly woman from the classic TV show. Pereira is just 20 years old.
Imagine what this power turns into if she continues to develop well over the next five years.
Sports
Wizards, Nets clash while draft lottery positioning looms large
Apr 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith (18) dribbles the ball up the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Sunday marks the fourth and final time the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets face off in the regular season, and despite their places in the standings, the implications are large.
Draft positioning will loom large as the Wizards (17-60) face the host Nets (18-59) in New York. The Indiana Pacers (18-59) are the only other team in play for the worst record in the league and an opportunity at the most chances in the draft lottery.
The rough season continued for Washington with a 152-136 setback at Miami on Saturday. It was the second consecutive game, and the third time in less than a month, that the Wizards surrendered 150 or more points.
It was the second time the Heat reached 150 points against the Wizards. Miami’s Bam Adebayo didn’t score 83 points this time, but Miami led by as many as 35 points.
Rookie Will Riley scored a career-high 31 points to lead Washington, which had eight players score in double figures. Jaden Hardy scored 19 points while making half of his 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Washington shot a respectable 47.2% form the floor, but watched the Heat shoot a season-high 58.1%.
A number of key players were unavailable Wizards, led by Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Kyshawn George, D’Angelo Russell, and Alex Sarr.
“For a coach, I think we’re so focused on the day,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “I probably don’t look at the big picture of those things. … For me, I’m just focused on today and our team, so I probably can’t comment too much on that.”
The Nets also have been left to explore all parts of their roster at the back end of a disappointing season.
Nic Claxton led six players in double figures with 16 points as Brooklyn dropped a 141-107 decision at home to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Brooklyn set the stage for a sloppy performance with five turnovers on their first 14 possessions.
“Poor executing on our end,” Jordi Fernandez said. “We just were not good enough, starting with the guys that bring the ball up the floor, They tried to get us into something organized.”
The Nets signed Malachi Smith to a multi-year contract on Saturday one day after he scored 15 points against the Hawks on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Smith, undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, had bounced around the G-League and was on the second of back-to-back 10-day contracts at the time of the deal. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard has averaged 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 18.2 minutes per outing across his first 10 career games with Brooklyn.
“I’m someone that has been praying for this opportunity and working for this opportunity for years. So, I’m not going to take any minute for granted,” Smith said.
The Wizards have five games remaining in the regular season, including three at home. The Nets also have five games remaining with the last two on the road.
–Field Level Media
Sports
White Sox turn to Davis Martin in bid for series sweep of Blue Jays
Mar 13, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images With a young core and some prized offseason acquisitions jelling, the host Chicago White Sox will try to sweep the reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.
Chicago followed a 5-4 series-opening win in 10 innings on Friday with a 6-3 victory Saturday. Munetaka Murakami belted a two-run homer and Colson Montgomery added a solo shot in a go-ahead, three-run sixth inning.
White Sox fans erupted after Murakami’s blast. The former slugger in Japan’s Central League belted his first homer at Rate Field and fourth in eight games to begin his major league career.
“It’s just such a wonderful feeling to hit in front of these crowds,” Murakami said through an interpreter.
Closer Seranthony Dominguez, who signed with Chicago about a month after Murakami, worked around a walk and single in the ninth to pick up his first save.
Toronto has lost four of five after sweeping the Athletics in its opening series. Fielding and baserunning mistakes were costly Saturday.
“We’ve set the tone here to what we expect,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, “and if you’re not doing it, someone else will get a chance to do it.”
The Blue Jays placed catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb) on the 10-day injured list Saturday after he was injured in the series opener. Tyler Heineman got the start behind the plate but made a throwing error on a failed rundown that led to two unearned insurance runs for the White Sox in the eighth inning.
Brandon Valenzuela is expected to be behind the plate for Toronto on Sunday in his major league debut.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered his first home run of the season for Toronto on Saturday and has hit safely in three of the past four games.
Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.38 ERA) will be pitching on one week of rest when he gets the call Sunday.
Lauer initially had been set to pitch Saturday but was dealing with the flu.
“We have the luxury to just give him an extra day,” Schneider said.
Lauer defeated the Athletics last Sunday. scattering two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Striking out the side in the first inning set the tone for Lauer, who collected his most strikeouts since also recording nine on Sept. 29, 2022.
“He pitched with a lot of conviction and a lot of confidence,” Schneider said. “He’s really good when he’s mixing his pitches and when he’s executing. I think that’s what led to the strikeouts.”
Lauer lost to the White Sox in his lone career appearance against them last season. Pitching in Chicago on July 9, he allowed two runs and four hits in four innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
White Sox righty Davis Martin is slated to make his first career start and second appearance against the Blue Jays. He faced six Toronto hitters in a June 2022 relief outing, recording just one out while allowing three runs and three hits with two walks.
Martin (1-0, 5.40 ERA) earned the victory at Miami on Monday, scattering three runs and five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out six while hitting a batter.
–Field Level Media
Alice Pereira Delivers Knockout of the Year Contender at UFC Vegas 115
Wizards, Nets clash while draft lottery positioning looms large
