Sports
Royals find winning formula against punchless Nationals
Sep 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (19) celebrates with Royals first baseman coach Damon Hollins (39) at first base after hitting an RBI single against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Robbie Grossman supplied a two-run single, and the visiting Kansas City Royals survived the early departure of starter Michael Lorenzen in a 3-0 win against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
Michael Massey and Salvador Perez had two hits each for Kansas City (84-74), which helped its American League wild-card chances by winning its second straight game after losing seven in a row.
Both Kansas City and Detroit (also 84-74) won on Wednesday to hold the second and third wild-card spots behind the Baltimore Orioles, who have already clinched a postseason berth.
Lorenzen, making his first start back from a hamstring injury, motioned for a trainer and left the game with one out in the third inning.
Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the win as six Royals pitchers combined on the two-hit shutout. Lucas Erceg pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
The Nationals (69-89) have been shut out three games in a row for the second time in franchise history and have gone 31 innings without a run. Washington has lost eight of nine and scored one run or less in seven of those games.
Nationals starter DJ Herz (4-9) allowed a run on three hits over five innings in the final start of his rookie campaign. Herz made 19 starts and finished with a 4.16 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings.
Kyle Isbel led off the Kansas City third inning with a walk and Tommy Pham singled. Isbel went to third when Bobby Witt Jr. flied out and scored the game’s first run when Masey lined a single to right.
Perez led off the sixth with a single against reliever Eduardo Salazar. Yuli Gurriel’s hard grounder was deflected by shortstop Nasim Nunez and rolled into left field for a double. Grossman lined a single to center, scoring both runners to make it 3-0. He was 3-for-24 with no RBIs for the Royals before the at-bat.
The Nationals led off with a pair of walks against John Schreiber in the seventh, but he rebounded to strike out Jacob Young and Nasim Nunez, and Dylan Crews flied out to Pham at the wall in right to keep Washington scoreless.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reds activate LHP Nick Lodolo ahead of 2026 debut
Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Cincinnati Reds activated left-hander Nick Lodolo off the injured list for the first time this season and he will start in Friday’s home game against the Houston Astros.
In a corresponding move, the Reds optioned right-hander Jose Franco to Triple-A Louisville.
Lodolo, 28, had the start to his season delayed by a blister on his left index finger. His return to the major leagues comes as the Reds are on a seven-game losing streak.
In 29 appearances (28 starts) for Cincinnati last season, Lodolo was 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA and finished the season with two complete games and one shutout. Over four seasons with the Reds, he is 24-22 with a 4.06 ERA in 76 appearances (75 starts). He finished sixth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022.
Franco, 25, made his major league debut March 30 and has a 4.30 ERA in eight relief appearances.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Jets sign RB Breece Hall to 3-year, $45.75M extension
Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images The Jets stayed true to their commitment to keep Breece Hall in New York, signing the running back to a three-year deal, according to multiple reports Friday.
The deal is worth a total of $45.75 million with an annual payout of $15.25 million, making him the third-highest paid player at his position, per NFL Network, behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million annually and the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey at $19 million.
Hall, who turns 25 on May 31, acknowledged the deal on X, re-posting the news and writing, “Shoutout everyone in my corner. Lot of work left to do. God Bless.”
The Jets had applied the non-exclusive franchise tag to Hall in early March but also said at the time that a long-term contract was the priority for both sides.
The non-exclusive version of the tag guaranteed Hall $14.293 million for 2026 but meant Hall could negotiate with other teams, and a transition franchise tag would have paid Hall $11.323 million for one season but would have made him more attractive to another team considering an offer sheet.
“Ideally, we’d find a way to get a deal done and keep Breece around,” Jets General Manager Darren Mougey said at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. “I think I’ve said that for the last year since I’ve got here. Breece is a good player. We want to find a way to keep him around.”
Hall has rushed for 3,398 yards and 18 touchdowns in his first four seasons since the Jets selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.
He amassed a career-high 1,065 yards in 2025, becoming the first Jets player since Chris Ivory in 2015 to surpass 1,000 rushing yards.
Hall also has 188 receptions for 1,642 yards and nine scores in 56 NFL games (50 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
TKO Group says Saudi Arabia support of events 'unwavering'
Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view outside of Ball Arena before the start of Fight Night. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images TKO Group revealed Friday in an earnings call with investors that Saudi Arabia will continue its financial partnership with UFC and WWE owners.
“Our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that (a financial divestment) will not be the case with TKO,” president and COO Mark Shapiro of TKO holdings said to Sports Business Journal. “Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering.”
Questions about Saudi Arabia’s commitment to sports-related entities arose amid the news that the country’s Public Investment Fund had elected to stop funding its LIV Golf league following the 2026 season.
Saudi Arabia is scheduled to move forward with multiple UFC and WWE events in the region.
According to Yahoo Sports, TKO has six events scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia between UFC, Zuffa Boxing and WWE.
WWE events have taken place in Saudi Arabia since 2018, with that partnership set to continue at least through 2027.
–Field Level Media
Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2026
Reds activate LHP Nick Lodolo ahead of 2026 debut
