Sports
Rangers lament what went wrong as Blue Jays come to town
Aug 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images There has not been a back-to-back World Series champion in 23 years and it looks like there will not be one this year either.
The Texas Rangers hit a brick wall in their bid to win consecutive World Series titles and all that’s left is 12 more regular season games, beginning with the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
The Rangers (71-79) have lost three in a row and five of six to drop 8 1/2 games back of the final American League wild-card spot entering Monday.
“I wish I knew what the answer was,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “Obviously, I don’t have it figured out.”
A four-time World Series champion as manager, Bochy ran out of buttons to push this season.
“It shows how difficult it is to win a championship,” Bochy said. “To repeat, a lot of good things have to happen. You need your guys to have a similar year to the year before, you need to avoid injuries and you need a surprise or two.”
Texas belted 233 home runs during the regular season last year, but only 158 balls have cleared the fence so far this season. Corey Seager, who was just ruled out for the season with a sports hernia, played in 123 games this season and hit 30 home runs after playing in 119 games last season and hitting 33.
“Our guys will tell you they haven’t had the years they had last year,” Bochy said. “We weren’t the same team offensively, and it’s hard to explain why. We just didn’t have that same slug as we did last year.”
The Rangers plan to start right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the series opener.
Eovaldi (11-8, 3.67 ERA) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings in his most recent start last Tuesday, a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that ended a three-start winning streak.
“I felt like I wasn’t really locating my fastball and splitter (against Arizona), and those two pitches really cost me,” Eovaldi said. “It didn’t feel like I made as many adjustments as I should have. I got a little stubborn.”
Eovaldi has made 13 appearances against Toronto, including 12 starts, and is 1-3 with a 5.24 ERA.
Chris Bassitt is scheduled to take the mound for the Blue Jays (72-78), who are only one game better than the Rangers in the wild-card standings.
Bassitt (10-13, 4.20) is coming off a solid performance in which he limited the New York Mets to one run and five hits and struck out eight in six innings, earning the victory in the 6-2 win on Tuesday.
Bassett played for the Mets in 2022 and still has a few fans in their dugout.
“Playing behind him, you know he’s going to leave it all out there every single time,” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said. “If you do that, it’s really cherished in the locker room because everyone knows how hard it is — anything can happen over the course of the season.
“There’s this old saying in baseball, the best ability of a player is availability. He’s out there every fifth day and leaves it all out there every single time he throws the rock.”
Bassitt has made 15 appearances against the Rangers in his career, including 11 starts, and is 5-3 with a 3.72 ERA.
The Blue Jays have won three in a row after losing seven of nine.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sei Young Kim rides ups, downs to hold lead at LA Championship
Aug 27, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Sei Young Kim hits out of bunker on the fifteenth green during the final round of the CPKC Women’s Open golf tournament at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images South Korea’s Sei Young Kim endured a rough back nine with four consecutive bogeys on Saturday but retained her lead after three rounds at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Tarzana, Calif.
Ranked No. 10 in the world, Kim had a one-shot lead entering the day and expanded that to two strokes with a 1-under-par 71 to move to 15-under 201 at El Caballero Country Club.
“Oh, wow, it’s feel like, yeah, roller coaster,” Kim said of her round. “I didn’t know still two-shot lead until the last hole. Yeah, after finish I look at the scoreboard and I still (hold a) two-shot lead. OK, one more day. Yeah, I’m going better tomorrow.”
Four players are tied for second at 13 under: Australia’s Hannah Green (5-under 67 on Saturday), Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (67), South Korea’s Ina Yoon (71) and Jessica Porvasnik (68).
Kim shot a blistering 31 on the front nine with five birdies (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) and four pars to get to 19 under for the tournament. The back nine, however, was a different story with four pars followed by bogeys at Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 before a par on No. 18 for 40.
Kim had carded one bogey in a first-round 65 and followed with a bogey-free 65 on Friday.
She hit seven of 14 fairways on Saturday and 13 of 18 greens in regulation while totaling 28 putts.
“I don’t know forget about (the third round) because I want to keep thinking and then I want to why, why, why, why. I don’t want to make (it) happen again,” Kim said. “But it’s golf. It can be happen again. It’s learn and then learn and learn. Mistake and then learn, yeah. Hopefully, success (at the) end of the day tomorrow.”
Green’s adventurous 67 featured seven birdies and two bogeys. Vinijchaitham made eagle on the par-5 16th hole, and also have five birdies and two bogeys.
Yoon recorded four birdies and three bogeys, while Porvasnik carded seven birdies — including each of the last three holes — to counter a double bogey on the par-3 No. 9 and a bogey at the par-3 No. 15.
“I felt like I was playing pretty well,” Porvasnik said. “Had a hiccup on nine and just kind of kept grinding. Knew that just stay patient out there. It’s playing tough. To have the three birdies to close was just really nice.”
Kim, 33, owns 13 career LPGA victories, but just one in the past six years, at the BMW Ladies Championship last October.
Japan’s Chizzy Iwai had led after a course-record-tying 63 on Thursday, then carded a 68 on Friday to get to 13 under. She carded a 3-over 75 on Saturday to fall to 10 under and a tie for 10th.
Iwai made just one birdie, at the par-4 No. 13, and lost ground with bogeys at Nos. 2, 7, 17 and 18.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cedric Mullins, Rays outlast rain, Pirates in 13-inning win
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Cedric Mullins’ two-run leadoff home run in the top of the 13th inning made the difference in an 8-7 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Pirates to end a marathon game in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
The four-hour, 12-minute game was the longest of the season in terms of innings played. It was extended by a two-hour, 27-minute weather delay.
Mullins had two hits and three RBIs and Jonny DeLuca had two hits and two RBIs to help the Rays rally from a 4-0 deficit before the delay and win for the seventh time in their past eight games. Mullins’ 403-foot homer to right field came off Yohan Ramirez (2-1).
The Pirates cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the 13th when Konnor Griffin singled home Jake Mangum. But Yoendrys Gomez recovered by striking out Joey Bart with runners on second and third to pick up his second career save and first of the season.
Chandler Simpson, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda also had two hits each for Tampa Bay, which used seven relievers, capped by Griffin Jax (1-2) and Gomez.
Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna each hit two-run home runs off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen with two outs in the first and fourth innings, respectively, to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead. The game was halted by rain during the ensuing at-bat by Spencer Horwitz.
When play resumed, Cam Sanders took over for Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who threw four scoreless innings, allowed three hits and struck out five on 64 pitches.
The Rays scored five runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
Sanders walked Hunter Feduccia to open the inning, but appeared ready to get through it unscathed after striking out Taylor Walls and Simpson.
Caminero roped a double to left that scored Feduccia to put the Rays on the board. It was the first of five consecutive hits for Tampa Bay as Aranda drove home Caminero with a single. Two batters later, Aranda and Yandy Diaz scored on a double by DeLuca off reliever Evan Sisk to tie the game at 4. Mullins then drove in the go-ahead run with a single.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals get off to fast start in win over Astros
Apr 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin smacked their first home runs, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched an interleague series win over the Houston Astros with a 7-5 victory on Saturday.
Alec Burleson also homered for the Cardinals, who pounced on Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) and rode a solid start from right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1), who worked five innings.
The Astros lost their third consecutive game and have dropped 11 of 13.
McCullers labored throughout his five-inning stint. He plunked JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera with pitches to begin his outing and, after walking Jordan Walker to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, surrendered a single to Nolan Gorman that plated Wetherholt and Herrera and spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.
McCullers issued walks to Fermin and Wetherholt but stranded both in the second. But with Gorman on first and one out in the third, McCullers grooved a 2-0 sinker that Winn launched into the left-field seats. That 373-foot blast extended the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. McCullers allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes.
Yordan Alvarez crushed his league-leading ninth home run to straightaway center with one out in the bottom of the first. Pallante limited the Astros to that lone tally by working around two baserunners in the second and third innings, and stranding Cam Smith at first in the fourth.
Pallante retired the side in order in the fifth, recording strikeouts of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the frame. He allowed three hits and issued three walks while notching five strikeouts.
The Cardinals tacked on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Fermin won a 10-pitch battle with Astros left-hander Colton Gordon with his 370-foot shot to left-center that pushed the Cardinals to a 5-1 lead. Burleson led off the seventh with his third homer, a 408-foot blast into the second deck in right field.
Shay Whitcomb slugged a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever George Soriano in the ninth, but closer Riley O’Brien retired Altuve and Alvarez to earn his sixth save.
–Field Level Media
Sei Young Kim rides ups, downs to hold lead at LA Championship
Cedric Mullins, Rays outlast rain, Pirates in 13-inning win
