Sports
Red Sox C Connor Wong making most of playing time at Guardians' expense
May 17, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong (12) celebrates scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Connor Wong hasn’t seen much action of late behind the plate for the Boston Red Sox, so he has to maximize every opportunity he receives.
Thanks to his big game Saturday, the Red Sox have a chance at earning a rare series victory against the host Cleveland Guardians.
Boston will send left-hander Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.02 ERA) to the mound against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (0-7, 4.57) on Sunday, seeking its sixth series triumph in 19 sets this season.
Wong drove in three runs, including the go-ahead double in the sixth inning, and had a pair of hits for the Red Sox in a 9-1 win. It was just his third start at catcher in a 22-day span as Mickey Gasper and Carlos Narvaez have taken most of the playing time.
“Just a really, really good performance by a guy who hasn’t played much,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said. “Don’t forget, he also had a rocket in the second that (Daniel Schneemann) made a great play on in center. Most days, that falls for a double here.”
Wong finished 2-for-5 with a run and was able to wear the Red Sox’s prized Wally the Green Monster mascot head for the first time, only to have a replay review by crew chief John Tumpane take away the home run that earned him the privilege.
The 30-year-old’s double in the sixth was initially called a homer, which would have been his first since 2024, but the MLB command center ruled the ball had struck the yellow line atop the fence before hitting the guardrail.
“It sucks that was taken away,” said Wong, who is a .442 hitter with five homers and 12 RBIs in 13 career games against Cleveland. “I still think it was a homer. I wish I could have appealed it myself. But any time you get the win, it feels great.”
Wong played a significant role defensively as well, as winning pitcher Sonny Gray allowed only one run in six innings and credited him for calming him down after a rough first inning.
“He’s great back there,” Gray said. “I was happy for him with the way he played today.”
Suarez has either been terrific or terrible in his first 10 starts for Boston, giving up four or more runs in four of them — and one total run in the other six outings. He was rocked for a season-high five runs in a loss to the visiting Atlanta Braves in his last game on May 26.
In three career appearances against Cleveland, all as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Suarez is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA.
The American League Central Division-leading Guardians have endured a historically bad first two months from Bibee. His low point occurred on May 25, giving up a franchise record-tying five homers in three innings during a 10-2 loss to the visiting Washington Nationals.
“I thought it was a lack of execution, and we just haven’t seen that from Tanner,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It was a tough one, just a lot of mistakes over the middle. He didn’t have much. That was it.”
Bibee went exactly five innings in both of his previous games against Boston, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The Red Sox have worked him for four walks and struck out only five times.
A roster move could be in the offing for the Guardians, who are now without two starting outfielders. Left fielder Angel Martinez is scheduled to have an MRI after exiting Saturday’s game with left foot inflammation in the fifth inning.
Center fielder Steven Kwan, a multiple-time Gold Glove winner in left, remains on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Stuart Fairchild was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take his place and went 0-for-2 with a throwing error on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB roundup: Mariners slug 4 HRs, top D-backs for fifth straight win
May 30, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez (44) cheers a solo-home run by right fielder Luke Raley (20) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Seattle slugged four solo home runs and Bryan Woo pitched seven scoreless innings as the host Mariners downed the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Saturday for their fifth consecutive victory.
Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone and Colt Emerson went deep as the Mariners moved above .500 (30-29) for the first time since they were 3-2 on March 30.
Woo (5-3) retired the first 13 batters he faced before Adrian Del Castillo lined a one-out single to center field in the fifth. An out later, Ildemaro Vargas lined a single to center, but Woo caught Jose Fernandez looking at a called third strike to get out of the inning. Those were the only two hits Woo allowed. The right-hander didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine, matching his season high.
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (2-4) gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander didn’t walk a batter and struck out three as Arizona lost its second straight game.
Braves 5, Reds 2
Ronald Acuna Jr. launched a pair of home runs to help Atlanta down host Cincinnati and take the first two games of the three-game weekend series.
Acuna tallied his first multi-homer game of the year, hitting his third and fourth home runs in the last three games after he had just two in his first 42 games. Jorge Mateo and Matt Olson each added a solo homer for the Braves, who won their fourth game in five tries and became the first team in the majors to reach 40 wins.
Martin Perez (3-3) allowed two runs on four hits over five innings, striking out a pair and walking three. Raisel Iglesias completed his 10th save in as many tries with a perfect ninth inning. Brady Singer (2-5) yielded three runs on four hits in five innings, walking four and striking out two as the Reds dropped their third straight and fell to 9-17 in May.
White Sox 7, Tigers 1
Edgar Quero, Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi hit home runs as host Chicago defeated struggling Detroit.
White Sox starter Anthony Kay gave up one run and six hits in five innings. Chicago goes for the three-game sweep Sunday. The Tigers have lost three straight and are just 6-21 in May.
Detroit’s Framber Valdez gave up four runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. The southpaw struck out four and walked two in 89 pitches. Wenceel Perez homered for the Tigers.
Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5
Pete Alonso capped host Baltimore’s five-run ninth inning with a walk-off single to stun Toronto and end a two-game skid.
The Orioles, who drew 11 walks in the game, rallied with four hits, three walks and a hit batter in the ninth after being held to three singles through eight innings. Albert Suarez (2-0) pitched the ninth and allowed one run but earned the victory.
The Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto doubled in two runs in the eighth, but Toronto’s winning streak was halted at four games. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. racked up four hits, including a double, and scored twice, while Ernie Clement had two singles as part of the Blue Jays’ 11-hit attack. Jeff Hoffman (4-4) gave up ninth-inning runs on Leody Taveras’ triple, Baltimore’s first extra-base hit of the game, and Jackson Holliday’s single.
Rangers 7, Royals 6
Ezequiel Duran dropped a walk-off, RBI single into right field, and Texas rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to win over scuffling Kansas City in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers trailed 6-4 entering the ninth, when Joc Pederson led off with an opposite-field homer to right off Lucas Erceg (3-3). Josh Jung and Brandon Nimmo followed with back-to-back infield singles and Jake Burger’s third hit tied the contest. Duran came through with a ball that fell in front of right fielder Jac Caglianone, allowing Nimmo to score.
The Royals, who have lost five straight, managed just three hits and could not take advantage of three walks allowed by Texas’ Kumar Rocker, who had a 3-0 lead when he left following the sixth inning. However, Kansas City finally broke through in the seventh and eventually built a 6-3 lead in the eighth.
Pirates 10, Twins 9
Jake Mangum and Nick Gonzales each totaled three hits and two RBIs to lead host Pittsburgh to a wild win over Minnesota.
Mangum’s second-inning solo home run off Twins starter Bailey Ober (6-3) was his first as a Pirate, and ignited a six-run second inning that gave Pittsburgh a 7-1 lead. Ober allowed three home runs in the first two innings, including a three-run homer to Oneil Cruz in the second and a leadoff solo homer to Spencer Horwitz in the first.
Minnesota answered in the third on a Kody Clemens RBI triple, and produced five runs in the fourth off Pirates starter Mitch Keller to tie the game at 7. Mangum’s RBI single in the fifth then put the Pirates ahead for good. After starter Mitch Keller lasted just four innings, Yohan Ramirez (3-2) pitched the first of four scoreless innings by Pirates relievers to get the win.
Astros 9, Brewers 2
Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes capped three-run uprisings with two-run, extra-base hits to help Houston down visiting Milwaukee.
Pena finished 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs while Paredes went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Yordan Alvarez and Jake Meyers also produced multi-hit games for the Astros, while Christian Walker clubbed a three-run shot in the eighth.
Brewers right-hander Brandon Sproat (1-4) retired seven of the next eight batters after the Pena homer, but the right-hander came undone when Pena led off the fifth with a single. He was lifted after two more batters but was charged with two of the three runs that scored.
Red Sox 9, Guardians 1
Jarren Duran had a three-run homer and Connor Wong singled home a pair in a six-run ninth inning, lifting visiting Boston to a victory over Cleveland.
Wong gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the sixth with an RBI double off Matt Festa (1-1), scoring pinch hitter Marcelo Mayer, and tacked on two more in the ninth against Will Dion. Boston won for the second time in its last eight games, buoyed by a strong start from Sonny Gray (6-1), who secured his fourth May win by allowing one run on four hits over six innings.
Jose Ramirez had a first-inning RBI double for the Guardians, who scored their only run two batters into their half of the first. Starter Parker Messick didn’t factor into the decision but was again effective, giving up one run on five hits over five innings.
Angels 14, Rays 3
Rookie Wade Meckler slugged his first career grand slam in the opening inning, and Los Angeles evened its series with Tampa Bay by pummeling the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Meckler went 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base and staked his club to a 4-0 lead before the Rays batted as the Angels breezed to their sixth win in eight games. Mike Trout was 2-for-3 with a homer, three runs and two walks. Jo Adell ripped a three-run homer and Oswald Peraza also went deep. Reid Detmers (2-5) allowed three runs on five hits in five innings.
Yandy Diaz homered in his two hits and scored twice, and Junior Caminero had two doubles, two walks and an RBI for Tampa Bay. Drew Rasmussen (4-2) surrendered a season-high five runs on four hits to lose for the first time in five May starts.
Cubs 6, Cardinals 1
Pete Crow-Armstrong busted out of his slump with a season-high four hits to lead Chicago to a victory over host St. Louis.
The Cubs center fielder entered with a modest four-game hitting streak, but he was hitting just .154 (10-for-65) in his last 19 games. His 4-for-5 night included a double and his seventh home run of the season. He scored twice and drove in a pair. Ben Brown (2-2) limited the Cardinals to just three hits and a run over seven innings, which tied his career high.
St. Louis struck first in the fourth with Alec Burleson’s one-out single to right scoring JJ Wetherholt, who led off the inning with a single up the middle. Starter Kyle Leahy scattered six hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.
Rockies 8, Giants 3
Jake McCarthy homered, singled twice and drove in four runs, Ryan Feltner returned to the rotation with six shutout innings and Colorado beat San Francisco in Denver.
Kyle Karros also went deep, and TJ Rumfield and Willi Castro had two hits each for Colorado, which has won consecutive games for the first time since May 7-8. Drew Gilbert homered among his two hits, and Jung Hoo Lee and Matt Chapman also had two hits for the Giants, who have lost five in a row.
Feltner (2-1) was activated from the injured list (right ulnar nerve inflammation) to make his first start since April 23. The right-hander retired the first five batters he faced before Chapman’s two-out double in the second, and he erased leadoff singles in the third and fifth innings with double-play grounders.
Nationals 9, Padres 4
Luis Garcia Jr. hit a two-run single to highlight a six-run seventh inning as host Washington rallied past San Diego.
Garcia had two hits and Drew Millas homered for the Nationals, who had lost two straight.
Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the Padres, who have lost five of their past six games.
Mets 6, Marlins 1
Christian Scott pitched five effective innings for his first career win, and New York supported him with three runs in the fourth inning of their victory over visiting Miami.
Mark Vientos hit a two-run double and Marcus Semien hit an RBI single in the fourth, when the Mets went ahead 3-0 against the Marlins’ Tyler Phillips (0-1). Scott (1-0) allowed one run on five hits to lift New York to its second straight win over Miami after getting swept in a three-game series in Florida last weekend.
Liam Hicks delivered an RBI single in the fifth for the Marlins, who dropped their fourth straight and lost for the seventh time in 11 games. Miami also set a season high by striking out 15 times.
Athletics 6, Yankees 4
Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz drilled two-run homers and Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo shot as the Athletics beat visiting New York at West Sacramento, Calif.
J.T. Ginn (3-3) pitched six solid innings, yielding just one unearned run and four hits as the Athletics snapped a four-game losing streak. Kurtz went 3-for-4 and scored twice and Soderstrom reached four times on three hits and one walk.
The Yankees had just six hits — none producing a run — while seeing a five-game winning streak come to an end. New York’s Ryan Weathers (2-3) served up three homers and allowed five runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander matched a season-best with 10 strikeouts and walked three.
Phillies 4, Dodgers 3
Edmundo Sosa hit a go-ahead two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning as Philadelphia rallied past Los Angeles to improve to 4-1 on a six-game West Coast road trip.
Bryce Harper added an RBI single in a three-run eighth, while Alec Bohm hit a second-inning home run for the Phillies. Orion Kerkering (3-0) gave up a run in the seventh and Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth for his 12th save.
Alex Call had an RBI single and a run scored for the Dodgers, who saw their season-best six-game winning streak snapped. Left-hander Tanner Scott (1-2) gave up all three Philadelphia runs in the eighth inning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Orioles, Blue Jays set for finale of dramatic series of late comebacks
May 30, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Teammates surround Baltimore Orioles infielder Pete Alonso (25) after Alonso hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays and host Baltimore Orioles have played three one-run games during their series that wraps up Sunday afternoon.
No lead has been safe in the late innings, with the winning run in each of the three games coming in the eighth or ninth innings.
“I feel like we kind of just flip-flopped,” said Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, who had the game-winning single Saturday. “(Friday) night, we had a pretty good commanding lead and then they took it from us. And then, same thing happened but the other way. So I feel like (Friday) night we should have won, and then (Saturday), they should have won. So I feel like baseball has a funny way of kind of evening out.”
Toronto came back from five down Friday night. The Orioles erased a four-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5 on Saturday, with eight consecutive batters reaching base.
“We never feel like we’re out of a game,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “Everyone was in the dugout saying, ‘Get the tying run up, one at-bat at a time.’ We don’t waver.”
That type of comeback could bode well in future games for the Orioles.
“I think we’re never really out of the game,” infielder Jackson Holliday said. “And it’s pretty awesome to put together some really good at-bats, just next-guy mentality.”
Although Toronto’s four-game winning streak has been dashed, the Blue Jays have won eight of their last 11 games. Had they won Saturday, they would have been above .500 for the first time since April 3.
Still, there were notable developments for the Blue Jays despite the result. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 4-for-5 to boost his batting average to .305, with four multi-hit games in his last six.
“Try to believe in my approach and go out there and have fun,” Guerrero said.
Outfielder Nathan Lukes is 7-for-16 in five games since coming off the injury list following a hamstring injury.
“He’s a good player, man. He showed it all last year,” manager John Schneider said. “It’s having that consistency of the at-bats and his heads-up plays defensively.”
The Orioles have right-hander Kyle Bradish (2-6, 3.86 ERA) lined up as their starter Sunday. He has given up three total runs in 11 1/3 innings covering the past two starts, yet has a 0-1 record to show for it.
This will mark Bradish’s sixth outing in his last seven starts against an American League East opponent.
Bradish is 1-3 with a 5.18 ERA in eight previous starts vs. Toronto, which he last faced more than two years ago (May 15, 2024). He has allowed six homers to the Blue Jays in 40 innings.
The Blue Jays have been juggling their pitching rotation most of the week, landing on right-hander Spencer Miles (2-0, 2.16) as their starter for the series finale.
While 14 of his 15 appearances since his major league debut March 28 have been out of the bullpen, he’s built out to throwing more than four innings in each of his last two outings. Over his last four appearances (one start), he’s allowed just one run on nine hits across 15 1/3 innings.
This will be his first career appearance against Baltimore.
Miles’ ratio of 32 strikeouts to nine walks should be music to the ears of the Blue Jays after their pitching staff walked 11 batters and hit another Saturday.
“It’s just our guys being disciplined throughout the game,” Albernaz said. “… Take your walk and pass it to the next guy. That was fun to watch.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Offense keeping Pirates above .500 as they go for sweep of Twins
May 30, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales (3) greets left fielder Jake Mangum (28) crossing home plate to score a run against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Pirates opened the month of May with a three-game sweep and could close it with another if they beat the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.
A big reason the Pirates have kept themselves at or above .500 since April 1 has been an improved offense backing up their talented rotation.
In the first two games this weekend against the Twins, the Pirates scored 16 runs with 23 hits, including 15 in Saturday’s 10-9 win.
Pittsburgh will try to keep things rolling and back up one of its best starters so far in right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.75 ERA), who will oppose Twins righty Zebby Matthews (1-2, 2.37) in the series finale.
“It’s just the work before the game (with) the coaches and trusting the guys. The results look pretty good right now,” Pirates’ first baseman Spencer Horwitz told Sportsnet Pittsburgh after Saturday’s game. ” … Everyone knows they don’t (always) have to be the guy and if they don’t come up that time, you can pass it on to the next guy and trust that they’re going to get it done behind you.”
Horwitz has been one of the Pirates’ hottest hitters this month.
Since May 2, Horwitz is hitting .346 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. Horwitz started Pittsburgh’s offensive surge on Saturday with a leadoff homer in the first inning. Bryan Reynolds is also hitting .323 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in May.
The Pirates might also welcome back one of their other big bats Sunday, as Ryan O’Hearn (right quad muscle strain) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list, according to multiple media reports. He has seven homers and 29 RBIs in 44 games this season.
Ashcraft, who has never faced the Twins, is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA over five May starts. He gave up one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Cubs.
The Twins have had frustrating results this week as they look to snap a four-game losing streak. On Friday, Minnesota lost despite taking a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning when Reynolds hit a two-run walk-off home run off closer Taylor Rogers. It was the Pirates’ first win in 23 games when trailing after eight innings.
On Saturday, Kody Clemens came up a home run short of hitting for the cycle and helped the Twins tie the game after falling behind 7-1 in the second inning. But Minnesota pitching faltered and the Twins took another one-run loss.
Matthews has delivered three quality starts since joining Minnesota’s rotation on May 14. In his most recent outing, Matthews struck out six and walked one, but allowed three runs on five hits, including two home runs, over six innings in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Monday.
“I missed my spot pretty bad on both of those homers,” said Matthews, who will pitch against the Pirates for the first time. “…So I’ve just got to be better. Then we adjusted, second, third time through the lineup, (I) was able to kind of limit the hard contact there later on in the game. But I just need to be better early.”
The Twins designated right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment before Saturday’s game and recalled rookie righty John Klein from Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota has seven days to either trade Woods Richardson, who was out of minor league options, or place him on outright or release waivers.
–Field Level Media
