Sports
Reds hope to have Austin Hays back for DH vs. Cardinals
Apr 27, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Austin Hays (12) during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Austin Hays was not listed in the Cincinnati Reds’ starting lineup for the scheduled Tuesday game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals before Mother Nature intervened, causing the postponement of that contest.
With a split doubleheader on tap between the National League Central rivals on Wednesday, Hays’ availability for either game was not immediately known.
Reds manager Terry Francona revealed Hays received an MRI for a “tender” hamstring on Tuesday, one day after the slugger sprinted from first base to home plate during the sixth inning of Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory.
Hays is batting a robust .365 to go along with five homers, 13 RBIs and 15 runs in 13 games this season.
Noelvi Marte went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and two walks in the series opener, helping Cincinnati win a season-best fifth game in a row.
The third baseman is 16-for-34 (.471) with 16 RBIs in his past eight games.
Marte started the season at Triple-A Louisville with Francona indicating that he would have to earn his way back onto the major league roster.
After batting .353 through nine games for Louisville, Marte was called up, but he was sent back down after going 1-for-6 in three major league games.
A few days later, the Reds promoted Marte again, and he took over as the regular third baseman on April 18.
“He’s been a good worker, and he was the same worker when we sat him down in spring training, which is always a good sign,” Francona said. “And like hitting, he’s moving his feet better at third, which is good offensively. You could tell he feels good because he’s swinging hard. But he’s also not just abandoning that right-center approach, which I think really keeps him balanced and staying through the ball.”
The Cardinals are looking for any signs of hope on the road as they have started the season 2-12 away from St. Louis.
The Cardinals were victimized Monday by another aspect of Cincinnati’s hot streak — slick defense. Center fielder TJ Friedl robbed Nolan Gorman with a sliding catch in the fourth inning. In the fifth, catcher Jose Trevino threw out the lead runner at third for the first out and then McLain robbed Lars Nootbaar of an RBI single when he picked off a grounder and started an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
“You’re hoping for a crooked number there, especially with the way (Nootbaar) has been swinging it at the top of the lineup, if we get those guys over and get them in,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “But that didn’t happen.”
St. Louis will send Miles Mikolas (0-2, 5.70 ERA) to the mound in the opener against Cincinnati’s Brady Singer (4-0, 3.62) in a battle of right-handers. Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (2-0, 1.80) will start the nightcap. The Reds had yet to announce their Game 2 starter.
Last Wednesday, Mikolas had his best outing of the young season, throwing six shutout innings, allowing six hits but receiving a no-decision in a 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals have lost all five of Mikolas’ starts this year.
Mikolas, 36, is 5-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 career appearances (19 starts) against Cincinnati.
Singer, 28, has been the beneficiary of strong run support, as Cincinnati has posted 42 runs in his outings. Singer has started just once in his career against St. Louis, a loss on Sept. 22, 2020. He allowed three hits and three runs while walking five over three-plus innings.
Matz, 33, will make his second start of the season on Wednesday, having won the other one with five innings of one-run ball against the Houston Astros on April 16. He is 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) vs. the Reds.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
Jan 31, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up a three-game road trip at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon with a chance to improve their seeding in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Minnesota has won the first two games of its trip and now faces a tough task against its Northwest Division rival.
Denver already secured the tiebreaker in the season series by winning the first three matchups. With both teams holding identical 37-23 records, the winner of Sunday’s game will have sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference standings.
The Nuggets have lost three of their first five games out of the All-Star break, including a 127-121 overtime setback at Oklahoma City on Friday night. Sunday’s game gives them a chance to get back some momentum.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic appears to already have a postseason mindset after mixing it up with the Thunder during the loss.
Jokic was knocked down when Luguentz Dort hit him with his hip in the fourth quarter and then confronted the Oklahoma City forward. There was pushing and shoving before Dort was assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected.
Jokic, who leads Denver in points (28.7), rebounds (12.6) and assists (10.5), has a casual and deliberate demeanor on the court that belies his competitive nature.
“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Denver head coach David Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be to cower away. He’s competitive.”
Playing Minnesota again should keep that fiery spirit alive for Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets. The teams have forged a rivalry over the last four seasons, including two playoff series.
There is no question about the fiery nature and competitive spirit of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Edwards missed the first game against the Nuggets this season but is averaging 35.0 points in the two games between the teams. That includes a 44-point performance on Christmas night before he was ejected in overtime for arguing foul calls.
Edwards, who leads the Timberwolves in scoring at 29.6 points a game, doesn’t confine his arguments to opponents and officials. He got into a verbal exchange with head coach Chris Finch after hitting a 3-pointer to seal a 94-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
It is a feature of their relationship, according to teammates.
“They go at it. Honestly, they do,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “They go at it… They have days where they’re getting ready to fight, and then after the game they hug each other.”
Finch confirmed that in an interview on Fox Sports Radio.
“We’re both fiery competitors. It’s been part of our relationship since Day 1. … We say these things to each other and we move on,” Finch said. “We don’t take it personally.”
The task of stopping Jokic will fall mainly on Rudy Gobert, who leads Minnesota in rebounds (11.4) and blocks (1.7). Nobody could stop Jokic when the teams met on Christmas, with the three-time MVP recording a 56-point triple-double, including 18 points in overtime.
Jokic has averaged 36.0 points 15.7 rebounds and 12.0 assists in the three games against the Timberwolves.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) makes a basket from the two point line in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. Day Day Thomas heated up from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and host Cincinnati rolled to a 91-68 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), which entered No. 54 in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each finished with 11 points for Cincinnati.
Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Parsa Fallah to a torn ACL, was overwhelmed throughout. Vyctorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.
The Bearcats seized control early, going on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Thomas and Thiam to lead 12-4 less than four minutes into the game.
Those early minutes foreshadowed the rest of the game.
Cincinnati dominated from the start, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 20-15 in the first half. They finished with a two-handed dunk by Thiam. Miller was credited with an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.
In the second half, the Bearcats pulled away. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas to lead 65-37 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Cincinnati continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as 32 points, with an 81-49 advantage after another 3 from Thomas at the 8:22 mark.
Cincinnati finished with 14 made 3s, dished out 24 assists, and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led for 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati hosts No. 19 BYU, while Oklahoma State travels to UCF.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bobby Durkin has career night as Minnesota tops UCLA
Feb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) dribbles against Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Bobby Durkin scored a season-high 23 points with seven made 3-pointers and Langston Reynolds added 21 points with six assists as Minnesota claimed another victim at home with a 78-73 victory over UCLA at Minneapolis.
Cade Tyson also scored 21 points for the Golden Gophers (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who shot 62.3% from the floor and 52.2% from 3-point range. Durkin, who reached 1,000 points for his college career in the first half, went 7 of 11 from long range.
Minnesota improved to 12-4 at home this season with victories in its own building over a trio of ranked teams in Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State.
Tyler Bilodeau scored 32 points with eight rebounds and Eric Dailey Jr. added 18 points for the Bruins (19-10, 11-7), who failed to build off huge victories over No. 10 Illinois and rival Southern California over the past week.
Skyy Clark scored 17 points, while Donovan Dent had 15 assists but just three points, as UCLA now prepares for a key home game upcoming against No. 12 Nebraska.
With the game tied 61-61 with 7:59 remaining, Cade scored four points in a 6-0 run for Minnesota to give the Gophers a 67-61 lead with 6:15 left. The Bruins got within 76-73 on a three-point play from Bilodeau with 1:50 remaining.
The Bruins then missed four consecutive 3-pointers over the final 1:08, including two by Bilodeau, as the Gophers held on for the victory.
In a first half of swings, Minnesota led by as many as nine points early before UCLA went on a 17-3 run to lead by as many as seven points before taking a 41-40 lead into the break. Bilodeau had 16 points in the first half, while Dent had nine assists for UCLA.
Durkin scored 15 points in the first half for Minnesota and reached 1,000 points on one of his five 3-pointers before halftime. UCLA’s Clark reached 1,000 career points on a basket in the second half.
–Field Level Media
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage
