Kevin Kelsy scored in each half and totaled two assists, and the Portland Timbers romped to a historic 6-0 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Kelsy’s third and fourth goals this season helped the Timbers (4-6-1, 13 points) earn a six-goal victory for the first time in their MLS club history. Portland also scored six for the first time since a 7-2 win over the same SKC side in a regular-season home match on May 14, 2022.

Kristoffer Velde, Ariel Lassister and Cole Bassett also had a goal and an assist each, and the Timbers also benefited from an own-goal while racing out to a 4-0 lead by the 26th minute.

David Da Costa had two assists as Portland won for the third time in five home matches and third time in five games overall. A SKC own-goal completed the scoring.

James Pantemis made three saves to keep his first clean sheet.

Sporting (1-8-2, 5 points) conceded at least three goals for a seventh time while watching their winless run extend to seven league matches (six losses, one draw) under first-year manager Raphael Wicky.

They’ve been outscored 25-4 during that slide and 32-8 overall during the 2026 regular season.

Going back further, Kansas City has won only twice in its last 24 league games, a run that began with a 3-2 home loss to Seattle on July 12, 2025.

After Velde opened the scoring with a bombastic sixth-minute strike, Kelsy scored his first in the 15th on a slick attack through the right side of Kansas City’s defense.

After playing a combination with Bassett and Da Costa, he ran onto Da Costa’s clever backheel and drove a low finish beyond Stefan Cleveland.

Bassett’s 22nd-minute strike marked his first MLS goal for his new club after his previous 31 came in portions of seven seasons with the Colorado Rapids

After an own-goal made it 4-0 by the 26th minute, Lassiter scored from a direct free kick to make it five in the 71st. Then he provided the cross on Kelsy’s second in the 74th, a sliding first-time finish at the back post.

–Field Level Media

Khamzat Chimaev’s first UFC middleweight title defense surprisingly marked a changing of the guard, as Sean Strickland ruined his plans by becoming a two-time UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328 in Newark, N.J., on Saturday.

Strickland’s (31-7 MMA) split decision victory – 47-48, 48-47, 48-47- handed Chimaev (15-1 MMA) his first loss as both men embraced each other after a four-day buildup peppered with a ton of animosity.

“He’s a f***ing savage. That motherf***er would not go back,” Strickland said of Chimaev. “I’m hitting him with everything, and he just keeps coming forward. Crazy.”

After a dominant opening round from the incumbent which nearly saw Chimaev secure a rear-naked choke, a stuffed Chimaev takedown in the second led to Strickland being in side-control, landing strikes from the top position – a sequence rarely seen in Chimaev’s career to that point.

In Round 3, both men kept the fight standing as Strickland found a home for the jab. Chimaev ignored Prudential Center jeers of “F*** you, Khamzat” as he attempted to remain focused.

By Round 4, Chimaev used a much more tentative approach on the feet as Strickland’s nose was visibly bloody and compromised. A late takedown from Chimaev, a Russian who fights out of the United Arab Emirates, gave him his third in his last five attempts, albeit briefly, as the round ended.

With five minutes remaining, Chimaev kept Strickland against the fence in the clinch as Strickland eventually broke free back to the center of the octagon. Chimaev ended the fight with nine takedowns, but Strickland held a sizable 123-98 edge in significant strikes.

The co-main event saw UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) of Myanmar successfully defend his title for the first time, securing a TKO win against Japan’s Tatsuro Taira 1:32 into the fifth and final round.

The fight encountered many twists and turns. As Taira (18-2 MMA) kept getting takedowns and the mount position, Van’s jab and a near rear-naked choke attempt in Round 3 were the perfect counter to a potential Fight of the Year candidate that many pundits had 2-2 entering the final round.

Van had a few choice words for Alexandre Pantoja, from whom he took the title in December when Pantoja dislocated his elbow after a bad fall, resulting in a TKO via an unexpected finish to their UFC 323 fight. Pantoja had a front-row seat to the action in Newark, N.J.

“We can run it back if you want,” Van said to Pantoja during his post-fight interview.

Taira had never been finished in his previous 19 fights, only losing a decision to Brandon Royval in October of 2024 at UFC Vegas 98.

In the featured heavyweight main card bout, second-ranked Alexander Volkov of Russia outlasted fourth-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta of Cuba, earning a unanimous decision win 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Although it wasn’t a dynamic TKO from Volkov (40-11 MMA) that he’s primarily used to, volume striking made the difference.

Cortes-Acosta (17-3 MMA) had a three-fight winning streak snapped. The entire division remains at a standstill until Tom Aspinall returns to full health from his eye injury and the interim title fight between Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane at UFC Freedom 250. After that, what’s next for Volkov can be determined.

UFC welterweight Sean Brady overwhelmed Joaquin Buckley with ground strikes from the mount position across four takedowns, 12:09 of ground control time, and several submission attempts, winning a dominant unanimous decision – 30-25, 30-25, 30-27.

Brady (19-2 MMA) bounced back, having now won four of his last five, with his only loss coming to Michael Morales in that span. Buckley (21-8 MMA) has done the opposite, taking back-to-back losses. Buckley is still seeking his first win since December of 2024, landing only 21 strikes throughout the 15-minute contest against 245 from Brady.

King Green kicked off the UFC 328 main card emphatically with a first-round rear-naked choke (4:20) submission over fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens at lightweight — even though Stephens came in four points overweight — in a one-sided affair. Green (35-17-1 MMA) picked up his 16th UFC win, extending his winning streak to three.

Meanwhile, Stephens (29-23 MMA) is in his second stint with the promotion, having competed on and off overall since 2007, and is still searching for his first UFC win since February of 2018.

–Field Level Media

Josh Jung and Justin Foscue each hit solo homers and the Texas Rangers ended the Chicago Cubs’ 10-game winning streak with a 6-0 victory on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

Jung went 3-for-4 with two runs, Alejandro Osuna had two hits and two RBIs, and Joc Pederson added two hits and an RBI for the Rangers. Starter Jack Leiter allowed three hits with a season-high five walks and six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. Jalen Beeks (2-1) replaced him and threw the next 1 1/3 innings with no baserunners allowed.

The Cubs had won 20 of their last 23 games before being shut out for the fourth time this season. They went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base.

Chicago starter Edward Cabrera (3-1) gave up five runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts over five innings.

Braves 7, Dodgers 2

Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson each delivered two-run singles in the second inning and visiting Atlanta spoiled the season debut of left-hander Blake Snell with a victory over Los Angeles.

Right-hander Spencer Strider (1-0) allowed just one hit over six innings with eight strikeouts and two walks in his second start of the season as the Braves improved to 5-3 on a nine-game trip. Michael Harris II tacked on an RBI double in the fifth and Drake Baldwin had a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Snell (0-1) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits over three innings with five strikeouts and two walks as he returned from lingering shoulder fatigue. He was pitching for the first time since recording four outs in Game 7 of the World Series when Los Angeles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. Andy Pages hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to end Atlanta’s shutout bid.

Reds 3, Astros 1

Chase Burns worked six strong innings, and Cincinnati took advantage of a critical fifth-inning fielding error to top visiting Houston and snap a season-worst eight-game skid.

The Reds set the table for a rubber match on Sunday for this three-game interleague series. Cincinnati did so by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-1), who suffered his first defeat in five starts this season.

Burns (4-1) retired the side in order only once, doing so in the top of the third, and he matched his season low with two strikeouts. But he induced Isaac Paredes to ground into an inning-ending double play in the first and stranded runners in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Blue Jays 14, Angels 1

Brandon Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to cap a seven-run fifth inning and Toronto defeated visiting Los Angeles.

Valenzuela had four hits and Ernie Clement recorded his second career five-hit game, including a solo homer as Toronto rapped out 20 hits to take their second straight in the three-game series.

Jesus Sanchez added a solo homer as the Blue Jays padded statistics against infielder Adam Frazier, who pitched a four-run eighth for the Angels, who have lost four of five to Toronto this season.

Royals 5, Tigers 1

Michael Wacha allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. sped his way to a two-run inside-the-park homer and Michael Massey broke things open with a conventional three-run shot, as host Kansas City beat scuffling Detroit.

Wacha (4-2), who turns 35 in July and boasts an ERA of 2.63, yielded only a single to Kerry Carpenter and a double from Spencer Torkelson to help the Royals take the first two of this three-game set. Kansas City, which secured its series win over Detroit since August 2024, is 12-5 since losing eight in a row.

Riley Greene had an RBI double in the eighth inning for the Tigers, who managed just four hits while matching a season high with their fifth consecutive loss. Detroit swept a three-game home set during the Royals’ extended skid last month but is in danger of that favor being returned this weekend.

Athletics 6, Orioles 2

Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and the Athletics won their third game in a row by defeating host Baltimore.

Aaron Civale (4-1) had his third consecutive strong start, pitching five scoreless innings despite allowing six hits and three walks. He struck out six. Hogan Harris, Scott Barlow and Joel Kuhnel each pitched one shutout inning while Mark Leiter Jr. was charged with Baltimore’s two runs.

Pinch hitter Colton Cowser provided a two-run single for the Orioles, who lost their third in a row and eighth in their last 10. Baltimore starter Shane Baz (1-4) was chased after 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with five runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Phillies 9, Rockies 3

Alec Bohm hit two home runs and drove in four runs in his return to the lineup as the host Philadelphia evened the weekend series with a win over Colorado.

Bohn, who had been homerless since March 26, led off the third and fourth inning with homers, tacking on a two-run double in the eighth. Kyle Schwarber broke a 1-1 tie in the third with a three-run homer, his third in as many nights.

Willi Castro had a home run and Kyle Karros hit a two-run double for the Rockies, who saw starter Kyle Freeland (1-4) allow seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits over five innings.

Marlins 8, Nationals 7

Jakob Marsee hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning and host Miami held on to beat Washington.

With the score tied 4-4, Kyle Stowers led off the eighth with a single against Mitchell Parker (2-1) and Connor Norby walked. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Marsee homered. Xavier Edwards also homered, Andrew Nardi (3-2) pitched a 1-2-3 inning and John King earned his first save.

Luis Garcia Jr. had three hits and two RBIs, James Wood homered and doubled and CJ Abrams added two RBIs for the Nationals, who had won three straight.

White Sox 6, Mariners 1

Miguel Vargas homered twice and Colson Montgomery also went deep to boost Chicago to a victory against visiting Seattle.

White Sox starter Anthony Kay (2-1) spaced three hits, all singles, and one run in five innings. Relievers Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson and Tyler Schweitzer combined on four shutout innings to finish a combined four-hitter which snapped Chicago’s three-game losing streak.

Mariners starter Luis Castillo fell to 0-4 after scattering five hits for four runs in four innings. He allowed two homers for the second time in three outings. Seattle’s only run came on a Rob Refsnyder sacrifice fly.

Twins 2, Guardians 1 (11 innings)

Byron Buxton’s RBI double in the 11th inning gave Minnesota a win over host Cleveland in a game where each team managed only two hits.

Buxton had both of the Twins’ hits as he led off the game with his 13th homer, snapping the Twins’ three-game losing streak. The Guardians’ lone run came on a pair of fourth-inning singles, with Kyle Manzardo knocking in the run.

Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee allowed a run on one hit in six innings. Minnesota’s Joe Ryan gave up a run and two hits in six innings.

Brewers 4, Yankees 3 (10 innings)

William Contreras delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Milwaukee a comeback win over visiting New York.

The Yankees scored one in the top of the 10th to go in front 3-2. Fernando Cruz (3-1) relieved to start the bottom half. Automatic runner Garrett Mitchell advanced to third on a wild pitch and Luis Rengifo walked. After pinch hitter Gary Sanchez flied out, Jackson Chourio followed with an RBI infield single to tie it at 3-all.

Tim Hill relieved and Brice Turang bounced back to the mound, but Hill threw wildly to third to load the bases. Contreras then lofted a fly ball to right deep enough to score Rengifo and secure a series win for the Brewers. Aaron Ashby (7-0) pitched the final two innings for his major league-best seventh victory.

Pirates 13, Giants 3

Braxton Ashcraft threw seven innings of one-run ball, batterymate Joey Bart matched his career high with four hits and Pittsburgh used a 20-hit assault to roll past host San Francisco.

Nick Gonzales also collected four hits and Brandon Lowe had four RBIs for the Pirates, who won for the sixth time in their last eight games. Oneil Cruz also scored three times and had three hits, while Lowe and Spencer Horwitz scored twice apiece. Ashcraft (2-2) limited the Giants to six hits, striking out six without walking a batter.

Bryce Eldridge launched his first career home run to get San Francisco on the board in the fifth. Heliot Ramos had a pair of singles and a run for the Giants, who won the series opener 5-2 on Friday night. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 11 games.

Padres 4, Cardinals 2

Ty France and Manny Machado homered, while Fernando Tatis Jr. supplied a tiebreaking hit during a three-run fifth inning that lifted host San Diego past St. Louis.

Starter Randy Vasquez (4-1) scattered six hits over five innings while allowing just one run. The right-hander walked none and fanned six before the Padres’ high-leverage relievers took care of the rest. Mason Miller collected his 12th save in as many chances.

Right-hander Dustin May (3-4) pitched well for the Cardinals aside from the fifth. He permitted three hits and three runs (two earned) over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Diamondbacks 2, Mets 1

Ildemaro Vargas had a two-run single, Merrill Kelly delivered his most effective start of the season and Arizona beat New York to even the three-game series in Phoenix.

Kelly (2-3) gave up one run on three hits in seven innings in his fifth start since returning from an early-season back injury. Vargas’ bases-loaded single off Clay Holmes (4-3) in the third followed two-out singles by Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo and a walk to Adrian Del Castillo, giving Kelly the only support he would need.

The Mets (15-24) are one-half game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels (15-25) for the worst record in the majors. They had won four of five. New York had three hits, none after Tyrone Taylor’s two-out double in the fifth.

–Field Level Media