Sports
Rays' Steven Matz looks for continued success against Guardians
Apr 21, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against Cincinnati Reds at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images The Cleveland Guardians spent the weekend on a working vacation in Toronto, playing a series against the Blue Jays and attending Game 3 of the NBA playoff series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
Now, they’re back at home to begin a three-game set Monday against the surging Tampa Bay Rays.
Guardians left-hander Parker Messick (3-0, 1.76 ERA) takes on Rays lefty Steven Matz (3-1, 4.81) in a matchup of pitchers whose teams have won nine of their 10 combined starts in 2026.
Their trip started on a high note as Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan posed on the court before cheering for the Cavaliers, while Austin Hedges was one of several players featured on social media videos from the stands.
Cleveland then won its series opener over the Blue Jays — thanks to Angel Martinez’s first career multi-homer game — before dropping the next two. Starting pitchers Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi unraveled in the sixth inning on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“That’s two nights in a row we’ve gotten burned in that pocket in the sixth inning,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s a tricky situation because you don’t want to go to your bullpen too early, so you have to show some trust in your starters.”
The Guardians have won all five of Messick’s starts, each of which has occurred after a Cleveland loss — as will again be the case. The rookie had his first iffy outing in a no-decision against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, giving up three runs in five innings.
Messick made two late-season appearances against Tampa Bay last year, going 2-0 with a sparkling 0.69 ERA. He racked up 10 strikeouts without a walk over 13 innings, relying on his change-up to keep the Rays guessing.
“It’s been my pitch since I was a freshman in high school, so, hopefully, I can keep it rolling,” said Messick, who ranks third in the American League in ERA. “Every game is a new game, so I just trust myself to attack in a new way.”
Tampa Bay is rolling into town with a four-game winning streak, completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory Sunday. Yandy Diaz belted a two-run homer in the third, coming to the plate after Jonathan Aranda stroked a two-run single.
Matz is still building up his arm after spending the past two years as a reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. He took his first loss Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up four runs in three innings.
“It’s just not who I am as a pitcher,” Matz said of his rough game against the Reds. “I’m a strike thrower and I just wasn’t able to do that.”
The 34-year old has been terrific in eight lifetime appearances against Cleveland, posting a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. Matz’s wins all came against the then-Indians in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen will be on call early as Matz has gotten through the sixth inning only once. Setup man Cole Sulser and closer Bryan Baker each pitched twice in the last two days against Minnesota, but the team traded for right-hander Casey Legumina after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
“With where the bullpen is right now, we need to be opportunistic,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And Casey is a guy we like. Hopefully, this helps him and he can help us.”
In one of the more quirky splits this season, Tampa Bay is 11-1 against AL opponents and 5-10 against National League Central foes.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians to call-up Travis Bazzana, 2024 No. 1 overall pick
Columbus Clippers’s Travis Bazzana holds the ball during practice at Huntington Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. The Cleveland Guardians are expected to call up second baseman Travis Bazzana, the top overall selection in the 2024 draft, on Tuesday for the second game of a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
According to multiple media reports, rookie Juan Brito, who had started five of the last seven games at second base, will be optioned to Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move.
Bazzana, a 23-year old native of Sydney, Australia, has appeared in 24 games for Columbus, batting .287 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He has 15 extra-base hits and has drawn 21 walks, and he possesses a .511 slugging percentage and a .933 OPS.
The Oregon State product (2022-24) rose quickly through the minor league ranks in 2025 but sustained oblique injuries in the summer and only got into 26 games in Columbus.
Bazzana is the lone No. 1 overall draft selection in Cleveland’s franchise history. The Guardians had a 2% chance of landing the top pick but won the draft lottery in December 2023.
Brito, who is hitting .176 with no homers and three RBIs in 51 at-bats, didn’t play in the Guardians’ 3-2 loss to the Rays on Monday. The 24-year old also has committed four errors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kody Clemens knocks in 5 runs as Twins take down Mariners
Apr 27, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Josh Bell (56) hits a single against the Seattle Mariners in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Kody Clemens went 2-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins cruised to an 11-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer and Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Minnesota, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer for Seattle, whose four-game winning streak ended.
Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp (1-0) earned his first big-league victory in his second career start. The 25-year-old allowed two runs on one hit in five innings, and he walked three and struck out five.
Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (0-2) continued his bumpy start to the season. He surrendered seven runs on seven hits in five innings, and his ERA increased from 5.01 to 6.35.
Minnesota opened the scoring in the second. Josh Bell hit a leadoff single and sprinted around the bases to score on Luke Keaschall’s double to right field.
In the third, the Twins piled on four more runs to pull ahead 5-0.
Jeffers started the big inning when he stepped to the plate with runners on first and third and one out. He delivered with a single to right to drive in Larnach.
Moments later, Clemens hit a three-run homer to right to give the Twins a five-run lead.
Buxton added a two-run shot in the fourth to give Minnesota a 7-0 advantage. It was his sixth home run of the season and his third in the past six games.
Seattle pulled within 7-2 in the fifth. Mitch Garver hit an RBI single to score Randy Arozarena, and Cole Young hit a sacrifice fly to drive in J.P. Crawford.
The Twins made it 8-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Larnach.
Raleigh clubbed a two-run homer to right to cut Seattle’s deficit to 8-4 in the eighth. The shot marked his seventh homer of the season and his fifth in the past seven games.
Minnesota tacked on three more runs in the eighth. Jeffers hit an RBI single, and Clemens followed in the next at-bat with a two-run single.
–Field Level Media
Sports
New Rams QB Ty Simpson reveals pre-draft meeting with Sean McVay
Apr 24, 2026; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams first-round draft pick Ty Simpson speaks to media during a press conference at Code Next at Hollywood Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images After being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, quarterback Ty Simpson downplayed his pre-draft interaction with the team, calling it “really brief.”
The ex-Alabama signal-caller admitted Monday that the communication was far more extensive, as he had a private meeting with Rams coach Sean McVay.
The Rams already have Matthew Stafford, 38, as their starting QB, but they chose Simpson for a long-term view.
Simpson said Monday on ESPN Radio’s “Amber & Ian” of his pre-draft communication with McVay, “We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could. It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested.
“So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody.”
The discussion lasted “hours and hours,” according to Simpson, “and it was just football. It was just straight football. And it was like a kid in a candy store. Me and him are sitting there, and we’re just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game, and you can tell the love he has for quarterback play.
“It’s something that I appreciate, and it’s something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing the position and value the position. So, being with him and then getting to know him and then just seeing a little bit of how I would get coached if I was fortunate enough to go there was something that I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”
McVay was viewed by some analysts as portraying a negative vibe in interviews after the Rams chose Simpson with the No. 13 overall selection. He said, “Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team.”
The next day, though he said he “couldn’t be more excited about being able to add (Simpson).”
On Saturday, McVay added about the team’s quarterback situation, “Whenever that time comes for (Simpson) to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms.”
Simpson said Thursday of the pairing with Stafford, “It’s something that I cherish, being in the same room as a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a guy who is so smart like (McVay). We watched his film all the time when I was at ‘Bama, all the stuff they did. … So the fact that I get to be in a room and soak up all that knowledge, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
–Field Level Media
Guardians to call-up Travis Bazzana, 2024 No. 1 overall pick
Kody Clemens knocks in 5 runs as Twins take down Mariners
