Sports
Pirates ace Paul Skenes sizes up Astros, Spencer Arrighetti
May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Following a brief stint on the restricted list, Pittsburgh right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski was available out of the bullpen on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game interleague series against the host Houston Astros.
Mlodzinski did not appear in the Pirates’ 10-6 victory, as right-hander Wilber Dotel worked three hitless innings in relief of starter Bubba Chandler. The issue that resulted in Mlodzinski being placed on the restricted list on Sunday — a reluctance to work out of the bullpen, according to reports — has been resolved.
Mlodzinski is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two relief appearances and 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA in nine starts.
“He’s a fierce competitor, and he’s fully committed to the team, to help us win in any way,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “To come out of the pen, it’s going to be huge for us to have him out there doing what he does.”
Staff ace Paul Skenes (6-5, 2.89 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Pirates on Wednesday.
The right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 home loss to the Chicago Cubs last Thursday. That marked the third consecutive losing decision for Skenes, who has a 5.87 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings during that stretch.
Skenes is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. In his most recent appearance against Houston on June 3, 2025, Skenes allowed one run on three hits and one walk with eight strikeouts across eight innings in a 3-0 home loss.
Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-1, 1.34) has the starting assignment for the Astros.
Arrighetti allowed one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts across six innings in a 5-1 road win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday. He went 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA in five starts last month. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of eight starts this season, including six in succession.
Arrighetti will make his first career appearance against the Pirates. He is 6-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 career interleague starts.
After opening the season as the odd pitcher out in a crowded rotation, Arrighetti has emerged as the staff ace. He began the season with Triple-A Sugar Land and arrived in Houston on April 15 only after a spate of injuries to starters opened the door for his promotion. With ace Hunter Brown (right shoulder strain) on the injured list since April 2, Arrighetti has filled in admirably.
With only 47 innings on his ledger, Arrighetti isn’t yet in a position to qualify for the ERA title. But he is in the mix for AL Pitcher of the Month honors for May, and his performance thus far makes his matchup against Skenes, the 2025 National League Cy Young winner, one worthy of hype.
“I’m excited to watch Spencer go out there and compete and get us the first win of this series,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s been really, really good for us.
“We have one of the hottest guys in the American League on the mound for us. So, it should be good.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
A’ja Wilson scores 25 points to carry Aces past Sparks
Jun 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) is defended by Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike (30) as she drives to the basket during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images A’ja Wilson scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Jackie Young added 16 points and nine assists and the visiting Las Vegas Aces opened their Commissioner’s Cup schedule with a 79-69 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.
Chelsea Gray scored 12 points while handing out 11 assists for the Aces (6-3), who have won consecutive games following a two-game losing streak that started with a home loss to the Sparks.
The Aces are one of three teams to have reached the Commissioner’s Cup final twice in the first five seasons of the tournament, winning it all in 2022. This season’s final is scheduled for June 30.
Rae Burrell scored a career-high 22 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 12 points with 12 rebounds as the Sparks (4-5) dropped to 1-2 without guard Kelsey Plum, who sprained her right ankle in practice last week. Plum, who leads Los Angeles with an average of 26.8 points per game, played for Las Vegas from 2018-24.
The Aces shot 44.9% from the floor, while the Sparks shot a season-low 30.8%.
The Aces took a 14-10 lead after one quarter by holding the Sparks to 23.1% shooting from the floor. Las Vegas grabbed a 31-16 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first half after a 3-pointer from Young, before the Sparks pulled within 35-30 with 1:35 left before halftime.
The Aces led 37-30 at the break by holding the Sparks to 29.0% from the floor, while getting 13 points and eight rebounds from Wilson.
Los Angeles was within 43-38 with 7:25 remaining in the third quarter before Las Vegas went on a 14-4 run to take a 57-42 lead with 2:38 left in the period. The Aces entered the fourth quarter with a 64-51 advantage.
Las Vegas led 71-56 with 5:16 remaining before Los Angeles went on an 8-0 run to pull within 71-64 with 2:48 remaining after a three-point play from Burrell. The Aces halted the run on a three-point play from Wilson with 1:40 remaining.
Burrell had to be helped off the floor after the final buzzer with an apparent right ankle injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies build 8-run lead, secure series win over Angels
Jun 2, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman Willi Castro (3) hits a three run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Hunter Goodman, Willi Castro and T. J. Rumfield homered to help the Colorado Rockies to an 8-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels in the middle game of their three-game series on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Jake McCarthy, Troy Johnston and Edouard Julien each contributed two hits and scored a run for the Rockies, who have won four of five, including a 9-8 victory in the series opener on Monday. The series wraps up on Wednesday.
Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4) allowed two runs and five hits over five innings, striking out five and walking two.
Blas Castano, TJ Shook and Juan Mejia combined for four innings of two-hit shutout relief for Colorado.
Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez (2-2) was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked three.
Wade Meckler had two doubles and two RBIs for the Angels, who have lost four of five.
Goodman hit the first pitch of the second inning into the seats in the left field corner for a 1-0 lead.
Johnston followed with a double down the right field line and he continued to third when Jo Adell’s relay throw was errant. Ezequiel Tovar then flied out to Adell in right to score Johnston for a 2-0 lead.
After back-to-back walks, the runners moved up on a groundout and one scored on a single to right by Julien to make it 3-0.
Colorado blew the game open by scoring five runs with two outs in the fourth.
After two straight singles, McCarthy went the other way with a third, driving in Kyle Karros from second base for a 4-0 lead.
Castro then belted a 433-foot home run to right field on a full-count fastball to extend the lead to 7-0.
Rumfield followed with a high fly to deep right that nicked off the glove of Adell on the warning track, bounced off his head and carried over the yellow line on the wall. Rumfield initially stopped at second base before the umpires confirmed it was a home run, extending the lead to 8-0 and ending the night for Rodriguez.
The Angels put a runner in scoring position in four of the first five innings, but couldn’t capitalize until the fifth, when Meckler delivered a two-out double to right-center field that scored two runs and cut the lead to 8-2.
Sam Aldegheri blanked the Rockies on four hits over the final 5 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Shohei Ohtani plays key role in Dodgers' win over D-backs
Jun 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman hits a two run home run in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani doubled, tripled, drove in two and scored twice, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers held on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Freeman had three hits and Dalton Rushing added two hits and two runs for the Dodgers, who led 4-0 after two innings and 6-2 entering the bottom of the seventh.
Ohtani has reached base in 18 consecutive games, during which he is hitting .420 (29-for-69) with seven doubles, four homers, 17 RBIs and 10 multi-hit games.
Corbin Carroll had two hits including a homer and Nolan Arenado had a two-run double in a three-run seventh off Kyle Hurt as the D-backs closed the deficit to 6-5.
Will Klein got Tommy Troy to ground out with the bases loaded to end the seventh and preserve a one-run lead, and he induced Arenado to hit into a double play after Carroll and Gabriel Moreno had one-out singles in the eighth.
Tanner Scott pitched around Ildemaro Vargas’ one-out single in the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances.
The Dodgers have won 12 of 16. The Diamondbacks have lost four of five.
In 20 games at Chase Field, Ohtani is hitting .351 with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 15 RBIs.
Arizona starter Michael Soroka (7-3) gave up four runs and six hits in six innings, with six strikeouts and one walk. He has given up more than two runs in just three of his 12 starts.
Ohtani doubled and scored on Freeman’s homer in the first off Soroka. Ohtani tripled in two runs in the second for a 4-0 lead.
Ketel Marte’s sacrifice fly after singles by Jorge Barrosa and Tommy Troy closed the deficit to 4-2 in the fifth.
Los Angeles starter Eric Lauer gave up two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings, leaving after striking out Carroll with a runner on second in the fifth. He struck out one and walked one.
Blake Treinen (2-1) entered and after a walk got Arenado to fly out to preserve the 4-2 lead.
Andy Pages and Mookie Betts each drove in a run in the seventh to boost the Dodgers’ lead to 6-2.
–Field Level Media
Netflix Just Added The Extremely R-Rated Crime Thriller Secretly Made By Film's Greatest Director
A’ja Wilson scores 25 points to carry Aces past Sparks
