Sports
Small-ball White Sox strive for repeat win against Blue Jays
Apr 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Tristan Peters (29) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the 10th inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox hope going small will bring big results.
The approach has given them a chance to clinch their three-game series with the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. The White Sox used small ball as they defeated the Jays 5-4 in their home opener Friday afternoon after a 1-5 road trip.
A double steal in the third inning set up Austin Hays’ two-run single.
In a two-run 10th for Chicago, Derek Hill’s bunt single and an errant throw to first by Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman — who had just entered the game after Alejandro Kirk departed with a left-thumb injury — allowed him to reach second as the tying run. Tristan Peters won the game with a single to right.
“That bunt was incredible,” Peters said. “Just to keep us in the game like that. And then I’m just thinking, I know Derek is very fast, so a single scores him. I’m just trying to make contact and get it on the grass in the outfield somewhere.”
Chicago manager Will Venable said the win was crucial.
“We’ve got to find any way we can, especially in the AL Central in April,” he said. “We know there’s going to be wind, weather. Slug is maybe not part of our offensive package, and we’ve got to find any way we can.”
“That’s just the way we kind of have to play the game,” Hill said. “We’re not like a huge slugging team like the Dodgers, where you have four guys that can hit 30 (homers). So we’ve got to play that small ball, we’ve got to play clean.”
For the Blue Jays, Kirk’s situation is troublesome. He left the game after taking a foul ball off his glove hand and was diagnosed with a fractured left thumb.
“It’s more the thumb,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, before the results of the X-rays. “It hurts, especially on a cold day. We’re hoping that it’s nothing serious. He’s about as tough as they come, so for him to come out, you don’t love it.”
Brandon Valenzuela, who spent training camp with the Blue Jays, was called up Saturday morning from Triple-A Buffalo. He has yet to make his major league debut.
The Blue Jays opened the season by sweeping a three-game series against the Athletics. Toronto has dropped three of four since, including losing two of three to the Colorado Rockies. The game in Chicago was the Jays’ first on the road this season.
They have scored a total of five runs in their past two games — both 10-inning losses — as their offense has yet to click consistently.
Former Blue Jays left-hander Anthony Kay (0-0, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to be the bulk pitcher for the White Sox on Saturday. He has never faced his former team.
He pitched for the Yokohama BayStars in the Japan Central League in 2025, going 9-6 with a 1.74 ERA in 24 games.
In 28 games (seven starts) for Toronto from 2019-22, he posted a 4-2 record with a 5.48 ERA.
Grant Taylor (0-0, 3.00), who pitched a perfect first inning on Friday as the opener for Sean Burke, is expected to open again on Saturday. Taylor threw only nine pitches on Friday.
Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer will miss his scheduled start on Saturday because of illness and is scheduled to pitch Sunday instead. Toronto will go with an opener on Saturday, with left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty (0-0, 10.80 ERA) expected to lead a parade from the bullpen.
Fluharty’s one career outing against the White Sox came on June 20, 2025. He allowed three runs in one relief inning in a 7-1 loss.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB roundup: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles slug past Giants
Apr 11, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Gunnar Henderson continued his homer barrage and Jeremiah Jackson also slugged a home run as the Baltimore Orioles beat the visiting San Francisco Giants 6-2 on Saturday night to even their series.
Henderson has six home runs, including four in the last five games, to share the MLB lead with St. Louis outfielder Jordan Walker.
Colton Cowser had two hits and Coby Mayo drove in two runs. Grant Wolfram (1-0) was the winning pitcher with one inning of scoreless relief. He was the first of five relievers to follow starter Chris Bassitt.
Heliot Ramos, who knocked in two runs, and Jung Hoo Lee each had two hits for the Giants, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. They allowed just three runs during their streak. San Francisco ace Logan Webb (1-2) worked six innings and was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
Mariners 8, Astros 7
J.P. Crawford’s walk-off single with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning capped Seattle’s’ rally from a five-run deficit to edge visiting Houston.
Julio Rodriguez doubled and homered, his first two extra-base hits of the season, and Cal Raleigh also went deep for the Mariners and drove in three runs. Seattle closer Andres Munoz (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory.
Astros reliever Bryan Abreu (0-2) struck out Luke Raley leading off the ninth, then walked the bases loaded. Crawford, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, lined a 0-2 fastball to left field to plate the decisive run.
Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper’s back-to-back home runs proved to be enough for host Philadelphia to snap a three-game losing streak with a defeat of Arizona.
Their third-inning homers helped get Taijuan Walker (1-2) his first win of the season. He settled in after a rough first frame, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings. Jhoan Duran recorded his fifth save.
Adrian Del Castillo had three hits and Ketel Marte homered to lead off the game for the Diamondbacks. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (0-1) gave up four runs (three earned) and five hits over six innings.
Nationals 3, Brewers 1
James Wood doubled in two runs and Foster Griffin and three relievers combined on a two-hitter as visiting Washington defeated Milwaukee, handing the Brewers their fourth consecutive loss.
Milwaukee managed just one hit until William Contreras opened the ninth with his second homer, but the hosts stranded the bases loaded.
The Nationals snapped a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth off starter Kyle Harrison (1-1). Jacob Young singled leading off and took third on Nasim Nunez’s double. One out later, Wood drove in both runners with a line-drive double to left. Washington added a run in the ninth when Nunez walked with two outs and Keibert Ruiz followed with an RBI double into the right field corner. Griffin allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings.
Tigers 6, Marlins 1
Riley Greene homered, singled and drove in four runs as Detroit defeated visiting Miami for the second straight game.
Greene had an RBI single in the first inning and has reached base safely in all 15 games this season. Colt Keith added an RBI double for the Tigers, who have won two straight games after losing five in a row. Spencer Torkelson walked twice and had an RBI single in the eighth inning to extend Detroit’s lead to 6-1. Starter Casey Mize allowed one run on six hits.
Otto Lopez had two doubles to lead the Marlins, who fell to 1-4 on the road this season. Connor Norby doubled, and his sacrifice fly in the fourth that scored Liam Hicks accounted for Miami’s only run.
Pirates 4, Cubs 3 (11 innings)
Pitcher Caleb Thielbar’s throwing error with two outs in the 11th allowed Nick Gonzales to score the eventual winning run as Pittsburgh prevailed in Chicago.
Leadoff batter Oneil Cruz went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases and Nick Yorke added three hits for the Pirates, who won for the eighth time in 10 games and clinched their first series win over the Cubs since September 2024. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft allowed just four hits and one run over five innings while fanning nine. Yohan Ramirez (2-0) did not allow a hit while working the 10th and 11th.
Alex Bregman and Moises Ballesteros poked two hits apiece for Chicago, which went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 16 on base. Starter Edward Cabrera gave up three runs and eight hits over five innings. Thielbar (1-2) struck out two and issued an intentional walk before throwing away Brandon Lowe’s tapper in front of the mound.
Rays 5, Yankees 4 (10 innings)
Jonathan Aranda chopped an infield single against a five-man infield with one out in the 10th inning and Tampa Bay outlasted New York for a win in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays scored twice off David Bednar (0-2) in the 10th without hitting a ball out of the infield. Chandler Simpson scored both the tying run in the eighth and the winning run, helping Tampa Bay rally from a trio of one-run deficits. Cole Sulser (1-0) got the win despite allowing the automatic runner to start in the top of the 10th.
Jose Caballero had two hits and three RBIs for the Yankees, who were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 to lose their fourth straight game. Max Fried tossed eight innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Twins 7, Blue Jays 4
Trevor Larnach hit a three-run homer, Joe Ryan pitched seven effective innings and visiting Minnesota defeated Toronto.
Ryan (2-1) allowed two runs, two hits and one walk while striking out five. Brooks Lee added a solo home run and a single to help the Twins split the opening two games of the three-game series.
Daulton Varsho and Jesus Sanchez each hit two-run homers for the Blue Jays. George Springer suffered a left big toe fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in the third. Eric Lauer (1-2) gave up seven runs, five hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 2, White Sox 0
Michael Wacha struck out seven over eight stellar innings and Maikel Garcia clubbed a leadoff home run, leading Kansas City to its second straight shutout victory by the same score against visiting Chicago.
Wacha (2-0), who turns 35 in July, allowed just four hits and a walk. He’s allowed one run and 10 hits over 21 innings (0.43 ERA) in his first three starts. Lucas Erceg recorded his fifth save.
The White Sox got doubles from Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa but no baserunner past second base. Starter Erick Fedde (0-3) settled in after giving up a homer on his first pitch, allowing one run on three hits over five innings.
Athletics 11, Mets 6
Tyler Soderstrom and Carlos Cortes each homered during a five-run third inning for the surging Athletics, who held off a rally by host New York.
Soderstrom, who hit a two-run homer in the third, added a three-run round-tripper in the eighth for the Athletics, who have won four in a row and five of six following a 2-6 start. Cortes delivered a three-run shot in third against Kodai Senga (0-2). Shea Langeliers had a run-scoring single immediately before Soderstrom’s eighth-inning homer.
Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer while Francisco Alvarez and Jorge Polanco had solo shots for the Mets, who have dropped four in a row after a four-game winning streak. Bichette reached base four times via two hits and two walks and collected three RBIs. Senga allowed a career-high seven runs on eight hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings.
Guardians 6, Braves 0
Parker Messick continued the impressive start to his career by tossing 6 2/3 strong innings, earning the win as Cleveland beat host Atlanta in the middle contest of a three-game interleague series.
Jose Ramirez homered in the first for the Guardians, who have won three of four. Five players had a hit apiece for the Braves, who had won three in a row. Messick (2-0) gave up four hits and walked two while striking out five. The 25-year-old rookie lowered his ERA this season to 0.51 and dropped his career ERA to 2.04 in 10 starts dating back to last year.
Atlanta starter Martin Perez (0-1) took the hard-luck loss after allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out two over five innings. The 35-year-old left-hander, who is pitching for his seventh big league team, lowered his ERA to 3.14 in three games (two starts).
Reds 7, Angels 3
Spencer Steer belted a home run and Nathaniel Lowe hit a three-run double as host Cincinnati beat Los Angeles, knotting up the three-game series heading into Sunday’s decider.
Winning pitcher Pierce Johnson (1-1) provided a pivotal 1 1/3 innings of relief for the Reds, striking out Yoan Moncada to strand the tying runs on base in the fifth and working around a one-out Zach Neto double to keep the Angels off the board the next inning.
Cincinnati attacked Angels starter George Klassen (0-1) early on, scoring four off the rookie right-hander in the first. Klassen was pulled after a leadoff walk to Tyler Stephenson in the bottom of the third and was diagnosed with a fingernail contusion, per the team. He allowed five hits, five runs and five walks with two strikeouts in two-plus innings in his second major league start.
Red Sox 7, Cardinals 1
Ranger Suarez scattered three hits over six scoreless innings and Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to lead Boston over host St. Louis.
Suarez (1-1) walked two, struck out six and retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. Jarren Duran went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run, Marcelo Mayer reached base three times with a single and two walks and Carlos Narvaez had two hits and scored a run for the Red Sox, who won for the third time in four games.
Jordan Walker hit his sixth homer — tying for the major league lead – for the Cardinals, who had a three-game win streak snapped. Kyle Leahy (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over four innings while striking out two.
Padres 9, Rockies 5
Manny Machado and Ramon Laureano homered as San Diego overcame an early 4-0 deficit to stop visiting Colorado.
The Padres’ German Marquez (2-1) won in his first start against the team for which he pitched the last 10 years, permitting four runs on four hits in five innings. Laureano had two hits and two walks, knocking in three runs and scoring three. Jason Adam came out of the bullpen with the tying run at the plate to record a one-out save, his first of the season.
Wasted in the loss was a big game by Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak, who went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs. Ryan Feltner (1-1) allowed seven hits and six runs in four innings
Dodgers 6, Rangers 3
A four-run first inning for host Los Angeles, with a leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani and a three-run shot from Teoscar Hernandez, keyed a victory over Texas.
Hernandez, Ohtani and Will Smith had two hits each for the Dodgers, who won their seventh game in the past eight. Emmet Sheehan (2-0) allowed three runs on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk over six innings.
The Rangers led briefly on Brandon Nimmo’s home run two pitches into the game, and he added a two-run homer in the sixth off Sheehan. Nimmo had three of the team’s four hits. Texas starter Jack Leiter (1-1), who looked sharp in his first two outings, got through 3 2/3 innings with five runs on five hits in his first career appearance against Los Angeles. He walked four and struck out four, after walking just two in his first two starts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Derrick Lewis fight added to UFC's White House card at Trump's urging
Jan 24, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Derrick Lewis (blue gloves) before the fight against Waldo Cortes Acosta (red gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images The UFC has added Derrick Lewis versus Josh Hokit to the UFC Freedom 250 card set for this summer at the White House, a move which UFC CEO Dana White says came at the request of President Donald Trump.
The heavyweight fight between Lewis (29-13 MMA), who holds the UFC knockout record with 16, and Hokit (9-0 MMA), who beat Curtis Blaydes at Saturday’s UFC 327 event in Miami, becomes the seventh fight at the June 14 event, which is commemorating the United States’ 250th birthday.
White said at his press conference Saturday that Trump, who was in attendance Saturday, asked him why Lewis was not on the card for the White House event.
“I’m sure you guys just saw the Hokit fight,” White said. “About an hour ago, the president leans over to me and says, ‘Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?’ and I said, ‘Hold on, Mr. President.’ I stepped away and called Derrick Lewis and said, ‘Derrick, the president just asked why you’re not on the card. Do you want to fight on the White House card?’ He said, ‘Of course.'”
White said the match was confirmed shortly after that when he talked to Hokit after his unanimous-decision win, which improved his UFC record to 3-0.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Canucks pull out win over Sharks in shootout
Apr 11, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (6) and San Jose Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (85) battle for control of the puck during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Macklin Celebrini tallied his 109th and 110th points of the season, but the San Jose Sharks couldn’t win their home finale of the season, falling 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout on Saturday night.
Teddy Blueger and Linus Karlsson found the back of the net for the Canucks in the shootout, which went to six rounds.
Blueger, Marco Rossi, and Jake DeBrusk scored in regulation, and Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for the Canucks (23-48-8, 54 points), who had lost four straight games and nine of their last 10. Vancouver has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Igor Chernyshov scored twice, Celebrini had two assists, and Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for the Sharks (37-34-8, 82 points), who have lost three straight. Saturday’s loss keeps the Sharks five points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who are currently in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Chernyshov put San Jose ahead 1-0 at 16:19 of the first period. Celebrini won a faceoff in Vancouver’s zone and fell as he fed the puck to Chernyshov, who scored on a backhanded shot in front of the net.
Rossi tied the game 1-1 at 5:56 of the second period. Askarov went to play the puck behind the net, then tried to adjust before Rossi’s shot caught him out of position. The netminder pulled the net down on the puck, but officials called the goal good for Vancouver.
Tyler Toffoli gave the Sharks the 2-1 lead at 9:02. Sam Dickinson broke up the ice and set Toffoli up with a drop pass. The veteran center scored on a wrist shot.
DeBrusk tied the score back up 2-2 on a power play at 17:37. Askarov stopped a shot by Filip Hronek, and DeBrusk successfully scored on the rebound. San Jose challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but the call stood. It was DeBrusk’s 20th goal of the season, and 17th on the man advantage.
Chernyshov’s second goal of the night put the Sharks up 3-2 at 12:44 as Celebrini set him up for a wrist shot. Blueger tied the game 3-3 with 3:00 left in regulation with a wrist shot of his own.
–Field Level Media
