Sports
Spring training roundup: Braves' Chris Sale outduels Red Sox's Garrett Crochet
Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images In a matchup of left-handed Opening Day starters, Chris Sale got the better of Garrett Crochet as the visiting Atlanta Braves defeated the Boston Red Sox, 6-1, on Saturday afternoon in Fort Myers, Fla.
Sale allowed just one run on two hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one in an 86-pitch outing to lower his spring ERA to 2.75. Austin Riley went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. Matt Olson also went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Crochet’s spring ERA ballooned to 7.36 as he permitted six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three in an 89-pitch effort. Boston managed only four singles and its lone run scored in the second on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s RBI groundout.
Rays 3, Twins 2
Chandler Simpson hit a two-out, two-run hoamer in the bottom of the seventh to rally Tampa Bay past Minnesota in Port Charlotte, Fla.
All five runs were scored via the long ball. Jonathan Aranda opened the scoring with a solo shot in the third, but Minnesota’s Matt Wallner and Ryan Jeffers countered with solo homers in the fourth and sixth, respectively.
Minor leaguer Jackson Baumeister started for Tampa Bay and allowed Wallner’s home run, but only one additional hit in 4 1/3 innings. Probable Twins Opening Day starter Joe Ryan finished with a 1.50 spring ERA as he permitted only Aranda’s long ball, along with two other hits and a walk, while fanning two in five innings.
Nationals 3, Mets (ss) 1
Joey Wiemer hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give Washington a walk-off win over New York’s split squad in Palm Beach, Fla.
After seven innings of shutout baseball by both staffs, the Mets’ Mark Vientos homered to put his side on top in the top of the eighth. Kervin Pichardo knotted the score with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning, which set up Wiemer’s heroics.
New York minor-leaguers Joander Suarez (4 innings) and William Watson (3 1/3 innings) held the Nationals scoreless through 7 1/3 innings. Washington starter Cade Cavalli, who threw 14 scoreless innings this spring, went five innings and allowed three hits. He is expected to start Opening Day versus the Cubs in Chicago.
Cardinals 7, Marlins 4
The first six Cardinals reached base in a four-run first inning as host St. Louis held off Miami in Jupiter, Fla.
Alec Burleson drove in the first two runs with a double and went 2-for-4 in the game. Thomas Saggese (2-for-3) homered in the sixth to extend the Cards’ lead to 6-4. Five St. Louis relievers held the Marlins scoreless over the final five innings.
Griffin Conine (2-for-3) hit a two-run homer and Connor Norby followed with a solo blast in the fourth inning to trim a 5-0 deficit to 5-4. Starter Janson Junk’s struggles continued as he allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk in three innings. He concluded spring with a 10.13 ERA.
Tigers 3, Yankees 1
Prominent offseason acquisition Framber Valdez continued to look the part as he allowed one run and scattered seven hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings as host Detroit prevailed over New York in Lakeland, Fla.
Valdez lowered his spring training ERA to 0.98 in 18 1/3 innings. The only run he allowed Saturday occurred on Austin Wells’ sacrifice bunt athat gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the fourth.
The Tigers scratched out single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Javier Baez went 2-for-3 with a run scored. New York starter Cam Schlittler was held to 62 pitches and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out one.
Pirates 8, Blue Jays 3
In a battle between Opening Day starters, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes outdueled Toronto’s Kevin Gausman in Bradenton, Fla.
Oneill Cruz and Spencer Horwitz homered as Cruz (2-for-4) scored twice, drove in two runs stole his fifth base of the spring and pushed his batting average to .417. New infielder Brandon Lowe went 3-for-4. Skenes threw 36 of 56 pitches for strikes as he allowed one hit and three walks while fanning five over four innings.
Gausman pitched five innings and allowed four runs (three earned) and nine baserunners (six hits, three walks) while fanning two in five innings. Andres Gimenez went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Astros 7, Mets (ss) 5
Houston scored four times in the top of the eighth to rally past New York in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Christian Walker delivered the key blow as he blasted a three-run homer after the first two Astros reached base in the inning. Yainer Diaz (2 runs) and Nick Allen (2 RBIs) each had two hits in a nine-hit Houston attack. Starter Mike Burrows, pitching against his old team, allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings and finished the spring with a 1.50 ERA.
New Mets second baseman Marcus Semien cleared the bags with a three-run double in the sixth to give his side a 4-3 lead. Journeyman Aaron Salgado, on his sixth team since 2017, went 3-for-3 with a triple, a run and an RBI.
Orioles 10, Phillies 8
Jhonkensy Noel hit a grand slam to snap a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth as Baltimore prevailed over Philadelphia in its Florida finale in Sarasota, Fla.
After Philadelphia sliced its 8-4 deficit in half in the top of the seventh, minor-leaguer Victor Figueroa added a two-run single. Swingman Tyler Wells struck out the side in the sixth to pick up the win.
Bryson Stott and Bryan De La Cruz each contributed a pair of hits for the Phillies and Liover Peguero drove in a pair with a seventh-inning double.
Reds 11, White Sox 7
P.J. Higgins hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam to lift Cincinnati past Chicago in Goodyear, Ariz.
After Frankeli Arias hit Austin Hendrick with a pitch with runners on second and third and two outs, Higgins hit the seventh pitch of his at-bat over the fence in right to end the game. It was Higgins’ second home run of the spring.
Everson Pereira was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs in a losing effort for the White Sox. His two-run single tied the game at 7-all in the eighth.
Athletics 5, Dodgers 5
Prospect Leo De Vries tripled in a run then scored on an Emmet Sheehan wild pitch to cap a three-run second inning for the Athletics as they played Los Angeles to a tie in Phoenix.
De Vries again gave the Athletics the lead when he stole home with the game tied at 3-all in the fifth inning. The shortstop finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, upping his spring average to .426.
The A’s got to Sheehan for four runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two. A’s starter Jacob Lopez gave up a run on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts over two innings.
Royals 6, Rockies 5
Outfielder Rudy Martin singled in Abraham Toro with two out in the ninth to give Kansas City a walk-off win over Colorado in Surprise, Ariz.
Toro had tied it earlier in the inning by doubling in Jack Pineda with one out. The Royals trailed 4-0 after 3 1/2 innings before scoring once in the fifth and once in the seventh, then twice more in each of the final two innings.
Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland was solid across four shutout innings, allowing only four hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. Royals starter Cole Ragans struck out eight across 5 1/3 innings but gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks.
Giants 10, Guardians 7
Lefty Robbie Ray gave up one run on three hits across five innings to lead San Francisco past Cleveland Scottsdale, Ariz. Ray struck out six and lowered his spring ERA to 1.37.
Matt Chapman’s two-run double opened the scoring in the third inning then he scored on Rafael Devers’ infield single. Devers finished 3-for-4.
Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, was 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and drove in five runs for the Guardians. He is batting .381 in Cactus League action with three home runs, and missed time to play for Australia in the World Baseball Classic.
Diamondbacks 5, Rangers 2
Ryne Nelson tossed a dominant five innings as Arizona beat Texas in Scottsdale.
The 28-year-old right-hander gave up four hits and struck out seven without a walk and did not surrender a run. Spencer Giesting struck out the side in order to get the save.
Alek Thomas’ three-run home run off Texas starter Austin Gomber in the third opened the scoring. Nolan Arenado hit his second homer of the spring for Arizona.
Brewers 6, Padres 1
Milwaukee hit three home runs off San Diego starter Randy Vasquez, and Robert Gasser more than made that stand up as the Brewers won in Phoenix.
William Contreras got Milwaukee on the board with a two-run shot in the fourth inning and Jake Bauers followed with another three pitches later. Jackson Chourio homered in the sixth to end Vasquez’s day.
Gasser threw six shutout innings, striking out seven, walking one and giving up five hits.
Cubs 7, Mariners 1
Dylan Carlson broke a tie with a solo home run in the sixth inning and Chicago scored the final six runs of the game to beat Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.
Ben Cowles hit a two-run single to cap the scoring in the sixth, then added a bases-loaded single that plated one more run to start a three-run eighth.
Colin Rea gave up an unearned run with four strikeouts in four innings for the Cubs. Mariners starter George Kirby was solid as well, permitting one run on six hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks over 5 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bruins surge in third, down Red Wings in race for playoff berth
Mar 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (71) handles the puck against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson (20) during the first period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images The visiting Boston Bruins scored twice in a 3:20 span in the third period to turn around a one-goal deficit en route to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings in a crucial matchup between Atlantic Division rivals on Saturday night.
Nikita Zadorov scored the eventual game-winner with 10:18 remaining to lift Boston (39-23-8, 86 points), which improved to 3-0-2 in its last five.
David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm each registered a goal and an assist, Marat Khusnutdinov also scored, Morgan Geekie had three assists and Charlie McAvoy two.
Jeremy Swayman backstopped the victory, making 41 saves.
Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat lit the lamp and John Gibson made 23 saves for Detroit (38-24-8, 84 points), which had been on a 2-0-1 run.
The teams entered Saturday’s game in a tie for the two Eastern Conference wild-card playoff positions, while the Montreal Canadiens held the No. 3 slot in the division by virtue of a better points percentage.
Lindholm netted the game-tying goal for 2-2 at 6:22 of the third period. After Mason Lohrei kept the puck in at the blue line, Geekie fired a cross-ice pass to Lindholm to slot home five-hole on Gibson from the bottom of the left circle.
Aided by another Geekie pass, Zadorov’s winner followed on an off-angle wrister coming down the left wing.
Gibson kick-saved Lukas Reichel’s penalty shot with 6:08 left in regulation to give Detroit some life, but Swayman stood tall in the final minutes and Khusnutdinov scored an empty-netter with 1:52 to go to preserve the win.
Detroit was held without a shot for more than 12 minutes to begin the game, but finished at 10-10 advantage following a scoreless first period. J.T. Compher narrowly missed making it a 1-0 lead before intermission, as his rebound bid slid past Swayman just after the final tenth of a second expired off the clock before intermission.
The hosts officially drew first blood 3:35 into the middle frame. Raymond cashed in on another man-up sequence, burying a one-time goal from the bottom of the left circle off Andrew Copp’s cross-ice feed.
Pastrnak responded with a game-tying, power-play goal at 5:07. The star winger blasted a one-timer from the left side after receiving McAvoy’s feed from the top of the formation.
DeBrincat put the Wings back in front at 4:06 of the second, slipping down to the top of the left circle to slot a high wrister past Swayman.
–Field Level Media
Sports
FC Dallas outlast Houston with late winner in Texas tussle
Mar 21, 2026; Frisco, Texas, USA; Houston Dynamo forward Ezequiel Ponce (10) attempts a bicycle kick as FC Dallas midfielder Ramiro (17) defends during the first half at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Logan Farrington scored twice in the opening 14 minutes, Petar Musa scored a late winner in the 86th minute in a rare appearance off the bench, and FC Dallas earned a 4-3 victory over the 10-man Houston Dynamo on Saturday night in Frisco, Texas.
Musa also helped create the second-half equalizer — an own goal off Houston’s Duane Holmes — after his halftime entrance for Dallas (2-1-2, 8 points), which earned its first win since its season opener on Feb. 21.
Guilherme scored his fourth goal and assisted tallies from Erik Sviatchenko and Lawrence Ennali for Houston (2-2-0, 6 points) in its first road match of the season.
But Sviatchenko was dismissed in the 68th minute for his second booking, becoming the fourth Dynamo player to receive his marching orders this season.
After scoring five times in Dallas’ first four matches, Musa was not listed on the league’s availability report for the weekend yet began the night unexpectedly outside the starting lineup.
And while it worked out well early, by halftime Dallas manager Eric Quill found his side trailing 3-2 and summoned his Croatian striker.
He immediately provided an impact, helping Dallas pull level in the 54th minute.
Herman Johansson took down a bouncing ball on the right flank, then played the ball up the side for Musa to run onto. Musa dribbled into the box and then tried to drag a cross toward the penalty spot, one that caromed off Holmes and over the line.
The goal was originally ruled offside, but was overturned following a video review.
Just under a half-hour later, Musa showed up again on the same right side, this time to finish off Joaquine Valiente’s tantalizing inswinging service at the back post with a one-touch volley after outmuscling his defender.
Guilherme helped turn Houston’s two-goal deficit into a one-goal advantage in the space of four minutes.
In the 29th minute, he intercepted Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi’s wayward pass and turned it into a simple finish before the goalkeeper could recover.
In the 31st, his outswinging corner found Sviatchenko at the back post for a clear header Collodi had little chance of saving.
He capped off the remarkable individual stretch in the 33rd when he found Ennali running in behind around the edge of the Dallas back line with a perfect throughball.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LAFC continue unbeaten start with scoreless draw at Austin
Mar 21, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; LAFC forward Son Heung-Min (7) drives the ball against Austin FC defender Brendan Hines-Ike (4) during the first half at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images Los Angeles FC continued its unbeaten and unscored-upon streak to begin the season as it played host Austin FC to a scoreless draw on Saturday.
Both goalkeepers earned clean sheets while saving a combined three shots. LAFC’s Hugo Lloris (two saves) earned his fifth shutout of the campaign and extended his stretch without allowing a goal to 450 minutes while Austin’s Brad Stuver (one save) posted his second clean sheet of the year and the 40th of his MLS career.
LAFC (4-0-1, 13 points) have outscored their opponents 8-0 while earning points in their first five matches of the season and continuing the best start to a season in team history.
Austin FC (1-2-2, 5 points) heads to the year’s first international break on a three-game winless streak.
Los Angeles had the best scoring chances of the game, two of which came in the final minutes. First, Mark Delgado ripped a shot from well outside the box past Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver in the 85th minute that clanged off the crossbar and then out of harm’s way.
A minute later, LAFC’s Son Heung-Min sprinted down the pitch and into the goal mouth before Austin defender Brendan Hines-Ike literally stole the ball off his right foot as Son attempted his shot.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Los Angeles forced Stuver into his only save when Denis Bouanga ripped a shot on net.
Myrto Uzuni had Austin’s final shot on goal four minutes into second-half stoppage time, testing Lloris with a high, twisting shot four minutes which he was forced to leap to bat away. Lloris has now stopped all 16 shots he’s faced this season
LAFC was playing their third game in eight days and was worse for wear, going the entire first half without producing a shot on target while being out-possessed 58%-42% and finishing the opening 45 minutes with a 200-pass discrepancy (368-168).
The Verde didn’t have weariness as an excuse but also did not place a shot on goal in a sluggish first half.
–Field Level Media
Bruins surge in third, down Red Wings in race for playoff berth
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