Sports
Spring training roundup: Offseason acquisitions shine as Tigers, Orioles tie
Mar 12, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Offseason acquisitions Justin Verlander and Chris Bassitt set the tone on the mound as the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles battled to a 1-1 tie in spring training action Tuesday at Lakeland, Fla.
The 43-year-old Verlander, who won his first of his three Cy Young Awards with the Tigers in 2011, returned to Detroit this offseason and struck out six while walking none over 4 1/3 innings of one-run work to lower his spring ERA to 5.40.
Bassitt, 37, signed with the Orioles after spending the last three years with Toronto. He was even better in his start, allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Bryan Ramos provided Baltimore’s only run with a fifth-inning homer, while Detroit’s sole run came on an eighth-inning wild pitch from Jose Espada which scored Max Clark. The teams each stranded eight runners and were a combined 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Yankees 3, Rays 2
Jacob Morales’ two-run single in the ninth pushed New York past Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Fla.
J.C. Escarra (3-for-4) added a solo homer for the Yankees, who preserved their one-run lead when Kervin Castro worked around the tying run at second base with no outs for his second save.
Raynel Delgado cut the 3-1 lead in half with a ninth-inning single, and Ben Williamson drove in a run with an RBI groundout. Ryan Pepiot issued more walks (three) than strikeouts (two), but he allowed just one run over five innings to maintain his spring ERA at an impressive 0.90.
Mets 5, Marlins 5
Bo Bichette drove in all five New York RBIs with two extra-base hits, but Jacob Jenkins-Cowart’s eighth-inning homer helped Miami come away with a tie in Jupiter, Fla.
Bichette, who signed a three-year, $126 million contract in January, hit his unofficial first homer as a Met and surpassed his RBI total (three) from his first 11 spring games combined. Sean Manaea tossed four perfect innings in his start.
Jenkins-Cowart’s three-run homer paired with an Esteury Ruiz sacrifice fly helped the Marlins rally from a 5-1 deficit in the final three innings. Ace Sandy Alcantara (5.63 ERA) continued an underwhelming spring showing, allowing two runs over four innings.
Red Sox 4, Braves 3
Nate Eaton’s two-run single in the fourth put Boston ahead for good in its defeat of Atlanta in Fort Myers, Fla.
Carlos Narvaez recorded the other two RBIs on a groundout and a single for Boston, which got a two-hit day that included a triple from Trevor Story. The No. 1 Red Sox prospect per MLB Pipeline, Payton Tolle, preserved the win with five strikeouts over four scoreless relief innings for a hold.
Brett Wisely, Kyle Farmer and Jordan Groshans each had RBI singles for the prospect-laden Braves squad. Reynaldo Lopez struck out six and allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings but still has a 2.84 ERA this spring.
Nationals 1, Cardinals 0
Jake Irvin tossed five scoreless frames to set the tone for Washington’s four-hit shutout of St. Louis in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Irvin struck out five and scattered three hits, while Brady House plated the only run of the game on a first-inning double, his sixth of spring.
The Cardinals got a similarly strong start from former Dodgers and Red Sox pitcher Dustin May, who allowed one run over five innings. The top four hitters in the Cardinals’ lineup were 0-for-12 with six strikeouts.
Phillies 2, Twins 0
Adolis Garcia knocked in both runs of Philadelphia’s shutout victory over Minnesota in Clearwater, Fla.
The former Ranger, signed to be Nick Castellanos’ replacement, went 4-for-4 with a homer, accounting for over half of the Phillies’ seven hits. Jesus Luzardo’s five shutout innings headed the combined shutout by five different pitchers and lowered his ERA to 2.31.
Brooks Lee had two of Minnesota’s six hits, all of which were singles. Bailey Ober suffered a tough-luck first loss of spring, allowing one run on two hits over four innings.
Astros 10, Pirates 2
Top-11 Houston prospects Brice Matthews and Zach Cole cranked back-to-back homers to spark a runaway victory over Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Fla.
Shay Whitcomb added a pair of RBI singles for the Astros, who also got a two-run single from Cavan Biggio, who signed a minor league contract with his dad’s longtime team this offseason. Lance McCullers Jr. (3.38 ERA) allowed one run over four innings.
After a strong start to spring, Pirates starter Mitch Keller was lit up for six runs over four innings of work, striking out six but walking four. Pittsburgh mainstay Bryan Reynolds provided the team’s only run-scoring hit of the day, an RBI single in the third.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Should the Celtics Blow It Up? Analyzing Every Major Option
Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to “fix” the Celtics.
You’ll probably not be surprised to hear I have a few myself. OK, more than just a few.
Raising a 7-foot bar on a bunch of wishful thinking among Celtics fans and senseless knee-jerk reactions among the unfaithful, here’s where I stand on some of the more popular suggestions:
Fire Brad Stevens.
Let’s get the most ridiculous one out of the way.
Stevens was NBA Executive of the Year this year for a reason. He did the seemingly impossible (or so Golden State tells us) … He got rid of a bunch of overpaid veterans, remained competitive even without Jayson Tatum for the most part, and restructured a roster that should be able to compete for Eastern titles for most of the next decade.
Fire him? I say: Reward him.
Fire Joe Mazzulla.
He did such a great job during the regular season, he set himself up for a hard fall in the playoffs. And even at that, you have to wonder what might have happened had Tatum not contracted a case of Embiid-itis.
Did he mismanage the Philadelphia series? Sure. The Pistons would have fired their coach if he’d done that. Maybe even the Knicks and Cavaliers. But they haven’t won a title, made the Finals twice and been a perennial contender for the better part of a decade.
Based on the improbable regular season alone, Mazz deserves the benefit of the doubt. But don’t let it happen again.
Trade Derrick White.
On the surface, this one makes sense. As the 76ers series demonstrated, the Celtics could use a Robert Williams III type more than a White type. But that’s what Stevens, in a rare blunder, thought when he exchanged Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic.
Look at the Eastern Conference. When Joel Embiid isn’t playing – which is most of the time – the top players are almost all guards: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton … You need somebody to slow them down.
Yeah, the Celtics could move Jaylen Brown fulltime to the backcourt, but that likely would force Tatum to actually have to guard somebody. Giving Brown the tough frontcourt assignments allows Tatum to freelance, grab cheap rebounds and stay fresh for his late barrage of missed 3-pointers. Wait, that was supposed to be a positive.
Trading White maybe gets you Wendell Carter Jr., but does that make you better? I say: Just bigger.
Trade Jaylen Brown.
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7)after Philadephia’s win in game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Let’s be honest: Breaking up the Brown/Tatum tandem would take a lot of guts. But after watching the Celtics play without Tatum for two-thirds of last season, it’s at least worth considering.
So which one gets shopped? That depends what type of team you want.
We’ve seen what the Celtics look like without Tatum – energetic, defensive-minded and all-inclusive on offense. And that’s without whatever high-level player or players you would get by trading Tatum.
You turn Brown into, say, Naz Reid and Terrence Shannon Jr., and you improve defensively on the interior and offensively on the perimeter. But you lose what made the Celtics so fun to watch this season – the team’s best defender and emotional leader.
I’d keep Brown.
Trade Jayson Tatum.
It might take just one call to turn the Celtics into the Eastern frontrunner again …
Stevens: If we give you Tatum for Giannis, how many first-round picks would you want?
Bucks GM Jon Horst: Let me get back to you on that.
If the response is anything you can count on one hand, the Celtics’ off-season is complete.
Tatum has done a lot of good things for this team, but he’s not in Giannis’ league. Few players are.
The Celtics would get their interior force, a runner who would allow the team to pick up the pace and another elite shot-blocker who would make Boston the most well-rounded defensive force in the league, with White shadowing star little guys, Brown locked onto mid-sized scorers and Giannis pitching a tent in the middle.
Stop dreaming? OK, then I’d settle for Domantas Sabonis and De’Andre Hunter.
Stand pat.
Stevens earned a nice, long vacation. Maybe he should take one.
No phones. See you in October with the same pieces that made the Celtics the favorite in the Eastern playoffs. Even with Tatum at less than 100 percent.
After all, it ain’t broke.
Unless, of course: Brad, this is Horstie getting back to you …
Sports
Manchester City look to extend win streak, take on Everton
[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 30, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) celebrates scoring their second goal with midfielder Rodri (16) during a round of 16 match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images Manchester City will try to keep pace with Premier League front-runner Arsenal on Monday night when they pay a visit to an Everton side still on the fringes of the European picture.
City (21-5-7, 70 points) will begin the day six points back of Arsenal with two matches in hand after the Gunners dispatched Fulham 3-0 on Saturday. The Cityzens won’t be even on games played until May 13, when they make up a postponed match against Crystal Palace that was delayed because of City’s triumphant League Cup run.
As a result, there continues to be the appearance of a chase, although the teams would finish level on points if they win out.
Manager Pep Guardiola insists it shouldn’t matter.
“It’s normal, so it’s the calendar,” Guardiola said on Friday. “Sometimes you play first. Sometimes behind. It is what it is. So, nothing changes in these stages, and you know exactly what you have to do.”
City have won six in a row in all competitions, the last three by a single goal: A 2-1 home league win over the Gunners on April 19, a 1-0 league victory at Burnley three days later, and a 2-1 FA Cup semifinal triumph over Southampton on April 25.
Erling Haaland scored once in both league fixtures to bring his EPL-leading total to 24. In the FA Cup semifinal, Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez scored inside the final 10 minutes to complete a late rally.
Everton (13-13-8, 47 points) finished Saturday in 11th place, but only four points out of seventh, which currently would earn a berth in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Should City win the FA Cup, it could be the top eight English league finishers who earn a spot in Europe.
And if Everton could return to continental competition for the first time since 2017-18, it would conclude a much-improved first season at their new Hill Dickson Stadium, after bringing the curtain down on historic Goodison Park last May.
“We still believe there could be something out there for us. And we’ll keep pushing,” manager David Moyes said. “Building Everton back up is a process which I think is going to take quite a bit of time, but I think the first year or so here, we’ve certainly put decent foundations down. And hopefully we can continue to build on it.”
The Toffees are looking to avoid a third consecutive league defeat for the first time this season after a 2-1 home loss to derby rivals Liverpool on April 19 and a 2-1 away defeat at West Ham last weekend.
Beto, one of two Everton players with eight goals, departed the former contest late with a head injury and missed the latter fixture working through the league’s concussion protocol. He should be available Monday night, Moyes said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees tee off on Orioles to win third straight in 4-game series
May 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jasson Dominguez scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning before hitting a two-run homer and an RBI double during a seven-run eighth as the New York Yankees pulled away for an 11-3 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees won for the 13th time in 15 games and beat the Orioles for the 11th time in the past 12 meetings.
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off Baltimore rookie Trey Gibson. Ben Rice hit his 12th home run of the season in the first and doubled ahead of Judge’s 13th homer in the third.
Rice exited after the Yankees batted in the third because of a bruised left hand. The Yankees announced X-rays were negative and the first baseman is day-to-day. Rice appeared to get injured fielding a low pickoff throw from Max Fried and was replaced by Paul Goldschmidt.
Dominguez started the tiebreaking rally with a double to left field against Grant Wolfram (1-1) and advanced to third on a groundout by Austin Wells. Ryan McMahon, facing a drawn-in infield, followed with a single that first baseman Coby Mayo couldn’t handle after diving to stop it.
Dominguez started New York’s big inning with a two-run drive into the right field seats off Andrew Kittredge for a 6-3 lead. After an RBI sacrifice fly by Trent Grisham, Goldschmidt ripped a two-run single after the Yankees executed a double steal.
Following a sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm Jr., Dominguez added a double to left field for an 11-3 lead.
The Orioles tied it twice before losing their fourth straight and for the 12th time in 18 games.
Blaze Alexander had an RBI single in the third before getting thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. After Judge’s 413-foot drive bounced into Baltimore’s bullpen in left field, Leody Taveras hit an RBI infield single and Tyler O’Neill scored on a double play grounder by Jeremiah Jackson in the fourth.
Fried allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out six and walked three.
Fernando Cruz (3-0) got the final two outs of the sixth and the first out of the seventh. Brent Headrick ended the eighth by getting a double play grounder against Mayo.
Gibson allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings during his major league debut.
The four-game series concludes Monday.
–Field Level Media
Aurora lands McLane deal to run driverless truck routes in Texas
Should the Celtics Blow It Up? Analyzing Every Major Option
