Sports
Sadiku Ibine Ayo comes through as No. 10 St. John's tops DePaul
Feb 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. John’s Red Storm forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo (2) dunks the ball against DePaul Blue Demons during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Sadiku Ibine Ayo made his first start of the season and scored 13 of his career-high 15 points during a decisive first half as 10th-ranked St. John’s, minus its leading scorer, rolled to an 82-58 victory over DePaul on Wednesday in Chicago.
Deivon Smith scored a team-high 18 while Kadary Richmond added 17 points and nine rebounds, but it was Ibine Ayo who was instrumental in the Big East leaders taking control of the contest late in the first half.
With star RJ Luis Jr. sitting due to a groin issue, Ibine Ayo started for the first time in his two years with St. John’s (23-4, 14-2 Big East). He had totaled 20 points in 21 games this season prior to Wednesday, but he went 3-for-4 from 3-point range as the Red Storm shot 7-for-12 from beyond the arc en route to a 41-25 halftime lead.
Isaiah Rivera had 16 points for the Blue Demons (11-16, 2-14), who shot 32.7 percent. DePaul has lost four in a row by a combined 61 points, and the Blue Demon have dropped their past seven matchups with the Red Storm.
Dunks by Ibine Ayo and Zuby Ejiofor (13 points) highlighted an 8-0 run that gave St. John’s a 20-12 edge. However, Rivera hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Jacob Meyer made two free throws for DePaul to tie the game with eight consecutive points of its own.
The Red Storm, though, didn’t wait long to regain control of the game for good. Ibine Ayo and Simon Wilcher made 3-pointers to ignite an 11-0 spurt that put St. John’s ahead 31-20 with 5:18 remaining in the opening half.
St. John’s scored 17 points off 11 first-half turnovers by the Blue Demons. Richmond put up five points during the Red Storm’s 7-0 surge in the opening minutes of the second half to expand the advantage.
St. John’s, which went 9-for-21 from beyond the arc on the night and shot 46.4 percent overall, is eying its first regular-season conference championship since 1992.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers aim for rare season sweep of Mets
Jul 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) celebrates his two run home run against the New York Mets with first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images When the Los Angeles Dodgers wrap up their three-game series at the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon, they will have a chance to do something they have only accomplished once in 65 seasons.
A win in the finale, which also doubles as the conclusion of their nine-game road trip, would give them a sweep of the weekend series. It also would mean the Dodgers won all six games against the Mets this season.
According to MCubed.net, the only season that Los Angeles accomplished this unblemished run was in 2017 (7-0) since the Mets’ inaugural season in 1962.
Emmet Sheehan (4-7, 5.13 ERA) will start for the Dodgers and face the Mets for the first time in his career. The right-hander has been tagged with the loss in six of his last eight starts, including last Monday in Philadelphia. He gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings as the Phillies won 10-7.
Similarly, Mets starter Freddy Peralta (5-9, 5.01) also has struggled of late, posting an 0-4 record with an 8.44 ERA in 26 2/3 innings over his last six starts.
The 30-year-old righty, though, has pitched well against the Dodgers. In eight career starts, he’s gone 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA.
As a member of the Milwaukee Brewers last season who led the National League with 17 wins, Peralta beat Los Angeles twice in less than two weeks. He allowed a combined four runs across 11 innings on 10 hits and four walks. In the first game, on July 7, he blanked them over six innings, yielding just five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Since the Dodgers’ road trip started right after the All-Star break, at least some of the players have been away from Southern California for nearly two weeks. Before venturing to Queens and facing the Mets, Los Angeles took two of three from both the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, two teams that hold wild-card spots in their leagues with two months left in the regular season.
“It seems like we’ve been on the road a long time, but the travel has been nice as far as staying in this time zone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Los Angeles Daily News. “We’re finding ways to win. So that’s the main thing. That’s the object of the game.”
Freddie Freeman is one of the Dodgers who has been out on the East Coast for two weeks. The National League All-Star first baseman has not shown any road wear. He went 3-for-4 in Saturday’s win. It was his third straight game with three or more hits. That’s the fifth time Freeman, 36, has done that in his 17-year career.
His last such streak happened nearly three years ago.
The Mets, losers of three straight and five of their last seven, have struggled against Dodger pitching in the series, getting just 10 total hits while striking out 22 times.
Rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing went 0-for-5 and struck out twice batting leadoff for the Mets on Saturday. Since play resumed from the break, he’s hitting just .194 (7-for-36) with 13 strikeouts. Interim manager Andy Green told reporters that the 21-year-old is experiencing what most others face during their big-league careers.
“I see him as plenty capable, and he’s going to respond,” Green said. “But at this moment, it’s time to punch back.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies face tall task vs. Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski in finale
Jul 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Colorado Rockies have the worst record in the National League, but it is a big improvement over last season.
Colorado didn’t win its 43rd game until Sept. 21 and finished with 119 losses.
On Sunday afternoon, the Rockies will have a chance to record their 43rd win of the 2026 season when they wrap up a three-game series against the host Milwaukee Brewers.
Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-9, 7.28 ERA) will oppose right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.57) in the decisive contest of the series.
Misiorowski leads the majors with 173 strikeouts and in ERA. He consistently hits 100 mph or more on the radar gun, as the Rockies experienced in Denver on June 6 when he held them to one unearned run over seven innings in a 7-1 Milwaukee victory.
It was the first time he has faced Colorado in his career.
Freeland, meanwhile, has lost his last two decisions, allowing four runs over six innings in both outings. He also added a little drama when he faced Washington on Monday.
Freeland took exception to Andres Chaparro running over the mound following a flyout, leading to the pitcher having words with Chaparro and the benches clearing. Despite his record and ERA, Freeland has maintained his intensity, and he will carry that into his 12th career start against the Brewers.
He is 5-4 with a 3.55 ERA in the previous 11 outings.
Freeland credits the offense for the team’s improvement from last year and acknowledged the pitching staff has been a weak point.
“They’re doing a good job of putting runs on the board, but the big thing is pitching,” Freeland said. “It’s been the trend the whole season. We’re not throwing the ball especially well. We’re making our offense fight and claw at the end of games to come back.”
Milwaukee, conversely, has been one of the better teams offensively and on the mound. The Brewers lead the National League in ERA (3.44) and saves (33) while being fifth in the majors in runs (524) and ranking tied for fourth in stolen bases (103).
The offense has gotten a boost from a pair of rookies, who were instrumental in Saturday night’s 8-5 Milwaukee win. Cooper Pratt hit his second career home run and drove in three runs, while Luis Lara reached base four times and had three RBIs.
Lara’s sacrifice fly and Pratt’s home run in the second inning got the Brewers off to a fast start.
“I knew that one was gone, not like the first one,” Pratt said of his homer after the game. “It felt good, and we won, too. Definitely starting to slow down, starting to breathe, starting to relax and just play baseball.”
Pratt said he isn’t surprised by Lara’s early success.
“He’s a dog. I was with him in Triple-A, and he was doing the same thing,” Pratt said. “He’s starting to heat up and he’s a dude, for sure. That’s every day for him.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Against White Sox, Ronel Blanco looks to lead ascending Astros to sixth consecutive win
Jul 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (56) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Ronel Blanco will have a tough act to follow when he makes his second start in more than a year on Sunday for the Houston Astros against the host Chicago White Sox.
Fellow right-hander Hunter Brown stymied the White Sox on Saturday over seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits, in a 4-1 victory that saw that Astros move into second place in the American League West, two games behind the Texas Rangers.
Blanco (0-0, 7.71) had not pitched since May 2025 when he took the mound on Monday against the Miami Marlins. He didn’t get a decision in the 8-5 win after allowing four earned runs on two hits — both home runs — in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Of his 86 pitches, 55 were strikes.
“Just focused on throwing a lot of strikes and attacking the zone because they’re a team that doesn’t go out of the zone too often,” Blanco said after the game. “So that was the main focus.”
In his most recent full season, 2024, Blanco was 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA with 166 strikeouts in 167 1/3 innings.
Blanco has only faced the White Sox once in his career in a two-inning relief stint in which he did not allow a run, walked a batter and struck out four. That was in 8-4 victory on April 1, 2023, in which Blanco left without a decision.
The Astros have won five consecutive games. On Saturday, Brown got help from Isaac Paredes, who drove in three runs on two hits, and Jeremy Pena, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Josh Hader got the final two outs for his 12th save.
On Sunday, right-hander Erick Fedde (5-6, 4.16) will start for the White Sox, trying to avoid a series sweep after a 9-5 loss in the series opener on Friday. He has made two career starts against the Astros and is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA.
His most recent start was a no-decision in a 10-3 win over the host Texas Rangers on Monday. Fedde gave up two runs and four hits in four innings, did not walk a batter and struck out six.
Chicago could be without shortstop Colson Montgomery on Sunday.
Before hitting a single that drove in Chicago’s only run of the game in the ninth inning on Saturday, Montgomery fouled a pitch off the same spot on his shin/calf area as he had in a game during the team’s previous series in Texas.
Even though he was wearing a shin guard, Montgomery immediately fell, and the team’s trainer came out to tend to him. He stayed in the game, then lined a pitch into the right-field corner that usually would have been an easy double. But Montgomery held at first for a single.
“It was just above where it got him the other day, so pretty sore,” manager Will Venable said. “Obviously was able to finish that at-bat. He’ll get treatment and see where we’re at tomorrow.”
The White Sox are 6-4 in their past 10 games but have lost two in a row. With Cleveland’s 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, Chicago stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of the Guardians in the American League Central.
–Field Level Media
