Sports
Red Sox, Braves set for rubber game after two thrilling finishes
May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images The Boston Red Sox and host Atlanta Braves have authored two dramatic finishes to begin their weekend interleague series.
What will Sunday’s rubber game have in store?
Boston hands the ball to right-hander Brayan Bello (2-4, 6.46 ERA) as it looks to build off a 3-2 Saturday win, which came on the strength of a two-out, two-run home run by Willson Contreras in the eighth inning. Aroldis Chapman stranded the bases loaded in the ninth for a save, making the big swing and Payton Tolle’s eight-inning start stand tall.
“It feels great to be able to help the team,” Contreras said. “We’re trying to play better baseball, we’re trying to have better at-bats. … I come here every single day to play baseball and play for the guys. Tonight, we played for each other.”
Tolle and Bello have helped the Red Sox pitch the ball incredibly well in May, as their 2.34 team ERA for the month is tops in the American League.
Sunday is expected to be a true start for Bello, who has followed an opener in each of his last two outings. After going 1-4 with a 9.12 ERA through six starts to begin the season, Bello is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last two outings (13 1/3 innings).
Bello followed Jovani Moran into the game and ultimately tossed 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his Tuesday appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Sometimes you gotta flip something,” Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez said. “Flip that mentality, and coming out of the bullpen he probably thinks, ‘OK, I gotta be convicted right now. It’s not like, OK, I got five innings, 90 pitches.’ Something in his mind has changed.”
In three career starts against Atlanta, Bello is 1-1 with a 6.61 ERA.
The Red Sox started Saturday with shortstop Trevor Story being placed on the 10-day injured list with a sports hernia, but he is contemplating surgery that would sideline him for at least six weeks. Nick Sogard was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take Story’s roster spot.
“He’s meant a lot to me in my transition here, the way he’s accepted me and pushed other guys to do so. So he’s a big piece of it,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said of Story.
The Braves were unable to duplicate their series-opening magic, as Mike Yastrzemski — a Massachusetts native and grandson of Red Sox legend Carl — hit a 10th-inning double to make the difference in a 3-2 Friday win.
On Saturday, they were held to just four hits by the duo of Tolle and Chapman. Drake Baldwin and Jose Azocar both had two, with the former leading off the bottom of the first with a home run. It was the team’s National League-leading 64th of the season.
“Bryce (Elder) was throwing the ball well, pitch count was OK. It’s unfortunate (to lose),” Atlanta skipper Walt Weiss said. “The game was going to be Bryce and Martin (Perez).”
Baldwin, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, has swung a hot bat of late. He has socked first-inning homers in the first two games of the series.
“There’s no egos here,” Yastrzemski said earlier this week. “Nobody feels like they own any piece of this team. We’re all pulling on the same rope together, the same direction. Whatever opportunities come for you that day, that’s good enough.”
Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.35) looks to earn his first win since April 24 against Philadelphia and lift Atlanta in the series. Last Tuesday, Holmes allowed two runs on one hit and four walks while striking out five in a four-inning start against the Chicago Cubs.
The Braves have won four consecutive Holmes starts.
Holmes is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox, both coming in May of last season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB roundup: Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez K's 13 Pirates in CG shutout
May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Cristopher Sanchez struck out a career-high 13 in his second career shutout to guide the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Bryce Harper hit a mammoth three-run homer and Trea Turner went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Philadelphia, which evened its record at 23-23 with its 14th win in 18 games since Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson as interim manager late last month.
Marcell Ozuna went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts for Pittsburgh, which managed only six hits and drew no walks against Sanchez (5-2). Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (1-5) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks in three innings.
Sanchez struck out two in the eighth before surpassing his career high in punchouts with a strikeout of Ozuna in the ninth. His 108th and final pitch of the day resulted in Nick Yorke’s game-ending grounder.
Blue Jays 2, Tigers 1 (10 innings)
Daulton Varsho’s one-out single in the 10th drove in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to lift Toronto to victory over host Detroit.
Yohendrick Pinango poked his first career homer for the Blue Jays while Matt Vierling homered to account for the Tigers’ run. Riley Greene extended his hitting streak to 11 games – the longest active streak in the bigs – with a ninth-inning single.
Louis Varland (2-1) threw two scoreless innings, which included escaping from a first-and-third jam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Detroit starter Casey Mize gave up just two hits over six scoreless innings in his first start since April 28. Tyler Holton (0-2) allowed the unearned run in the 10th.
Cardinals 4, Royals 2
Kyle Leahy’s strong start led host St. Louis past Kansas City. Leahy (5-3) got his third win in his last four starts, throwing six innings of one-run ball.
Alec Burleson knocked in two for the Cardinals, and Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn also added RBIs. Nathan Church went 2-for-3 with a run scored. George Soriano picked up his second save.
Royals starter Noah Cameron (2-3) pitched six innings and allowed five hits, no walks and fanned four. Jac Caglianone hit his fifth home run of the year and Vinnie Pasquantino went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2
Mickey Moniak drove in two runs as Colorado evened its weekend series with Arizona in Denver.
Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle and Willi Castro added two hits apiece for the Rockies in just the third game this season at Coors Field without a home run. Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3) allowed two runs and seven hits in his five-inning stint while Antonio Senzatela picked up the save.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. stole home for the Diamondbacks as he and Ketel Marte each went 2-for-4 with a run. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-1) gave up three runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Marlins 10, Rays 5 (10 innings)
Liam Hicks ripped a two-run single and Javier Sanoja added a three-run double to highlight an eight-run 10th inning that fueled Miami to a victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The late offensive eruption made a winner of former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (1-2), who saw former Marlin Nick Fortes rip an RBI single off the glove of third baseman Sanoja with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at 2.
Hunter Bigge (1-1) was charged with eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and two walks in one inning. Tampa Bay’s Richie Palacios celebrated his 29th birthday by collecting two hits, and Chandler Simpson added an RBI single for the Rays, who saw their 11-game home win streak snapped.
Nationals 13, Orioles 3
Keibert Ruiz had three hits, including a homer, and drove in five runs, and Cade Cavalli pitched into the seventh inning as host Washington beat Baltimore.
Jacob Young and Brady House each had two hits with a homer and three RBIs, and CJ Abrams had three hits for Washington, which reached the .500 mark after losing their previous 15 games when they had a chance to do so going back to 2024. Cavalli (2-2) allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out eight without a walk in 6 1/3 innings.
Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neil hit back-to-back home runs for Baltimore, which has scored three runs or less in eight of its past nine games. Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (3-3) gave up four runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.
White Sox 8, Cubs 3
Munetaka Murakami hit two home runs to lead a five-homer barrage and right-hander Davis Martin allowed one run and five hits over six strong innings as the host White Sox defeated the Cubs.
Murakami, in his first major league season, highlighted the power display with his first career multi-homer game. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery each went deep for the second straight night while Andrew Benintendi contributed his first round-tripper since April 23.
Miguel Amaya had two hits for the Cubs, including a solo homer. Pete Crow-Armstrong capped the scoring with a two-run blast in the ninth.
Astros 4, Rangers 1
Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez slugged first-inning home runs to key a four-homer assault that propelled Houston to a victory over visiting Texas.
Houston prevented Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-3) from securing his 100th win by doing something only one other team has accomplished against deGrom in his illustrious career — hit four home runs off the two-time NL Cy Young winner. Christian Walker and Zach Cole took deGrom deep in the fourth. Altuve departed in the eighth, clutching his left side after grounding into a double play. He is set to undergo imaging Sunday morning.
Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-3) worked five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and issued four walks while notching seven strikeouts. Joc Pederson produced an RBI single in the seventh, but the Rangers finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 baserunners overall.
Guardians 7, Reds 4
Angel Martinez hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning off Pierce Johnson and scored three runs, lifting Cleveland Guardians to a comeback win over visiting Cincinnati.
Cleveland trailed 4-2 before scoring five times over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Erik Sabrowski (2-1) struck out Elly De La Cruz — the only batter he faced — in the seventh. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo pitched five innings, giving up four runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Spencer Steer’s two-run double gave the Reds their initial advantage in the fifth inning. Chris Paddack, who was released by the Marlins on May 11, worked five innings in his Cincinnati debut, allowing six hits and striking out three with one walk.
Red Sox 3, Braves 2
Willson Contreras crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, lifting visiting Boston to a win over Atlanta.
Contreras’ big swing made a winner out of Peyton Tolle (2-2), who tossed a career-high eight innings in the victory. The Red Sox rookie left-hander allowed just two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three. Aroldis Chapman stranded the bases loaded in Atlanta’s ninth to record his 10th save of the season
Drake Baldwin (home run) and Jose Azocar (two doubles) both went 2-for-3 for the Braves, combining for all four of the team’s hits. Bryce Elder (4-2) was a tough-luck loser, allowing three runs on seven hits through eight innings.
Mets 6, Yankees 3
Mark Vientos had three RBIs for the host Mets, who received gritty relief work from Luke Weaver in the victory over the Yankees in the second game of the Subway Series.
Weaver, who signed with the Mets last December after two-plus seasons with the Yankees, entered with the bases loaded in the seventh and struck out Amed Rosario and Trent Grisham before getting Anthony Volpe to hit into a forceout. Austin Wells singled off Weaver to open the eighth, but Weaver got Ben Rice to hit into a double play and retired Aaron Judge on a flyout to center.
Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt had RBIs for the Yankees, who have dropped seven of 10. The Yankees prevailed 5-2 in Friday’s series opener.
Giants 6, Athletics 4
Casey Schmitt hit two homers for the second time in his career and finished with four hits and three RBIs to lead San Francisco to a victory over the Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif.
The four-hit outing was the fourth of Schmitt’s career and it helped the Giants halt a three-game losing streak. Willy Adames had three hits and two RBI and Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert added two hits apiece for San Francisco, which had 14 overall, eight for extra bases. Trevor McDonald (2-0) allowed one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings.
Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and joined Darell Hernaiz in having two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the fourth time in their past six games. Luis Severino (2-5) gave up five runs and 10 hits over six innings.
Dodgers, 15, Angels 2
Shohei Ohtani drove in five runs with a late triple and double, Justin Wrobleski combined with three relievers on an eight-hitter and the Dodgers took advantage of Jose Soriano’s wildness to wallop the Angels 15-2 in the Freeway Series in Anaheim, Calif.
While the game was still competitive, Alex Call had the only hit of a five-run sixth, a two-run single, helping the Dodgers pull away and sending the Angels to their fifth straight loss. Soriano allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings but was charged with six runs. He walked six and struck out six.
Jo Adell’s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning got the Angels on the scoreboard, but that’s all they got against Wrobleski in his six innings. The left-hander limited the Angels to two runs and seven hits, walking one and striking out five.
Brewers 2, Twins 1
Jackson Chourio doubled and hit a go-ahead solo shot for his first home run of the season, and Milwaukee edged Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Chourio had the only extra-base hits for the Brewers, but it was all they needed to win their third straight game and for eighth time in their last nine. Right-hander Logan Henderson (1-1) allowed one run on six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
Trevor Larnach hit a solo home run for the Twins, Kody Clemens finished 2-for-4 with a double, and James Outman hit his first triple of the shander Connor Prielipp (1-2) took the hard-luck loss despite limiting Milwaukee to two runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings. The rookie from Tomah, Wis., walked two and fanned eight against the team from his home state.
Padres 7, Mariners 4
Gavin Sheets, Nick Castellanos and rookie Rodolfo Duran homered as San Diego defeated host Seattle to improve to 5-0 in the series this season.
Duran’s seventh-inning homer was his first career major league hit. He was robbed of a second two-run homer in the ninth by Julio Rodriguez. Right-hander Walker Buehler (3-2) worked five innings for the victory, allowing two runs on five hits.
J.P. Crawford homered and Cole Young knocked in two runs for the Mariners, who fell behind 5-0 in the fourth inning. Logan Gilbert (2-4) allowed seven runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Natus Vincere, GamerLegion advance to IEM Atlanta grand final
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. Natus Vincere and GamerLegion advanced to the grand final of the Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta event Saturday with semifinal victories.
Natus Vincere swept BetBoom Team 2-0, while GamerLegion survived with a 2-1 triumph over Legacy. They’ll play in Sunday’s grand final after the semifinal losers face off in a third-place match.
The $300,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with 16 teams divided into two groups for the double-elimination opening round. The top six teams reached the single-elimination playoffs.
All matches are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final. The winning side will receive $125,000.
Natus Vincere completed the sweep with a 13-8 victory on Triumph followed by a 13-6 win on Nuke.
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy of Ukraine led Natus Vincere in kills (33) and had the fewest deaths (19), but all five team members had 28-plus kills. Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov led the all-Russian BetBoom Team with 26 kills and 11 assists.
GamerLegion opened with a 13-9 win on Ancient before Legacy bounced back with a 13-3 beatdown on Mirage. GamerLegion responded to close out the match with a 13-6 triumph on Inferno.
Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner led GamerLegion with 40 kills, 19 of which came in the deciding third game. Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer led the all-Brazilian Legacy squad with a match-high 49 kills.
Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta prize pool
1. $125,000
2. $50,000
3. $30,000
4. $20,000
5-6. $12,500 — Team Vitality, paiN Gaming
7-8. $7,000 — B8, Astralis
9-12. $5,000 — FUT Esports, FaZe Clan, SINNERS Esports, Team Liquid
13-16. $4,000 — BC.Game Esports, NRG, Passion UA, M80
–Field Level Media
Sports
Shopify Rebellion earns LCS Spring playoff spot with Disguised defeat
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Cloud9 closed out an undefeated regular season while Shopify Rebellion clinched a playoff spot with a win on Sunday at the LCS Spring event in Los Angeles.
Cloud9 improved to 7-0 with a sweep of Team Liquid, while Shopify Rebellion swept Disguised, which was in the final playoff spot but will now finish in seventh place and fail to advance.
Eight teams will compete in best-of-three matches in the round-robin regular season before advancing to the playoffs of the League of Legends event, which will be contested in best-of-five matches in a double-elimination format. The top two teams will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational.
Cloud9 opened with a 38-minute win on blue and finished off the sweep with a 34-minute defeat of Team Liquid on blue.
Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen of Denmark had a 10-3-19 kill-death-assist ratio for Cloud9, supplemented by Robert “Blaber” Huang’s 10-5-23 K-D-A ratio. Argentina’s Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas led Team Liquid, which will be either the third or fourth seed depending on Sunday’s LYON result, with a 6-9-9 K-D-A ratio.
Shopify’s sweep came on 30- and 37-minute triumphs on blue. Juan “Contractz” Garcia led Shopify Rebellion’s victory with a 20-4-17 K-D-A ratio. South Korea’s Oh “Callme” Ji-hoon led Disguised with a 8-6-10 K-D-A.
The seven-week regular season concludes Sunday with FlyQuest taking on LYON and winless Dignitas facing Sentinels.
Regular-season standings (Win-loss total, map differential)
1. Cloud9, 7-0, 14-4
2. LYON, 5-1, 11-4
3. Team Liquid, 5-2, 11-7
4. FlyQuest, 3-3, 9-7
5. Sentinels, 2-4, 7-9
6. Shopify Rebellion, 2-5, 5-10
7. Disguised, 2-5, 4-11
8. Dignitas, 0-6, 3-12
–Field Level Media
