Sports
Surging Mariners, Diamondbacks set for litmus test in Seattle
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Paul Sewald (38) reacts after defeating the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images The reigning American League West champion Seattle Mariners have finally moved atop the division.
Their reward is a series against the hottest team in baseball.
The Mariners will play host to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game interleague series beginning Friday night. The Diamondbacks have won five in a row and 10 of their past 11 games.
The Mariners are coming off a three-game sweep of the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif., to take a half-game lead over the A’s in the division.
Seattle outscored the A’s 22-4 in the series, including a 9-1 victory Wednesday as Rob Refsnyder and Julio Rodriguez hit three-run homers and Logan Gilbert pitched six scoreless innings.
“Heck of a series, and (Wednesday) was kind of an exclamation point,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “This is as good as we’ve played all season long and as consistent as we’ve been.”
Refsnyder, signed in the offseason to combat left-handed pitching, was batting just .113 going into the game but homered in the first inning to get the Mariners going.
“The timing is great,” Gilbert said. “Being a resilient team is stuff we talk about, but to go out there and actually do it, and against a good team that was in first place at their place, that’s exactly how we wanted the series to go. All the way around – offense, defense – I think everybody’s on a good page right now.”
The Diamondbacks finished off a three-game sweep of host San Francisco with a 3-2 victory Wednesday.
Former Mariner Paul Sewald earned the save, the 100th of his career and his 14th in 15 opportunities this season.
The 36-year-old Sewald wasn’t sure he’d get another shot after appearing in just 22 games for Detroit and Cleveland last season.
“I wasn’t even healthy enough to throw (much) last year, so a lot of (my thought) was just, am I going to get to play again? Because I’m getting older, and I wasn’t healthy,” Sewald said. “… I’m just fortunate to be out there pitching, really, is what it comes down to.”
The Diamondbacks’ recent run, all against Colorado and San Francisco, has taken them from below .500 to tied atop the National League’s wild-card standings.
“Those aren’t the best two teams in the league, but, you know, you’ve got to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat,” Sewald said.
Sewald said he’s excited to head back to Seattle against a Mariners club many predicted in the preseason to meet the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The Mariners remain without catcher Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) and third baseman Brendan Donovan (left groin strain).
“No Cal, no Donovan, you know, that’s a little different for (the Mariners),” Sewald said. “They won’t be at full strength, where we’re getting healthier and we’re getting better. But they’re a really good team, they play really well at home. It’s a tough, loud environment, so it’ll be a good test. We feel good. We feel good about playing anybody in this league.”
Friday’s series opener is set to feature a pair of right-handers in Arizona’s Zac Gallen (3-4, 4.80 ERA) against Seattle’s George Kirby (5-4, 3.54).
Gallen, who has won his past two starts after losing his first three in May, is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two career appearances against the Mariners.
Kirby, who has lost his past two starts, has made one previous appearance against Arizona, pitching seven shutout innings with two hits allowed and 12 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory April 27, 2024 at T-Mobile Park.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Grayson Rodriguez and surging Angels shut down Tigers
May 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (21) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Grayson Rodriguez allowed one run and two hits over five innings to help the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 7-1 win against the Detroit Tigers in the rubber game of their three-game series on Thursday afternoon.
Rodriguez (2-1) struck out five and walked two in his third start of the season since being activated from the injured list on May 17 because of shoulder inflammation and soreness that developed during spring training.
The 26-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in November for outfielder Taylor Ward.
Donovan Walton had three hits and scored two runs, Mike Trout had two hits, two RBIs and a run scored, and Zach Neto had two hits, an RBI and scored a run for the Angels, who have won five of six, including back-to-back series for the first time this season.
Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-7) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits with nine strikeouts and a walk.
Wenceel Perez doubled and homered for the Tigers, who have lost 10 of 12.
With two outs in the second, Perez homered into the first row in right-center field to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.
Angels right fielder Jo Adell led off the fifth with a 110-mph line drive into the left-center field gap for a double. He moved to third on a wild pitch with one out and came home on a single through the left side of the drawn-in infield by Sebastian Rivero to tie it 1-1.
Following a single by Walton, Neto doubled down the third-base line to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. Trout was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Vaughn Grissom delivered a sacrifice fly to center to extend the lead to 3-1.
Trout walked to lead off the eighth and Grissom hit a line drive into the gap in left center, scoring Trout from first for a 4-1 lead. Jorge Soler then singled home Grissom to make it 5-1.
Trout drove in two more in the ninth with a double to deep center field to make it 7-1.
After surrendering the home run to Perez, Rodriguez retired the next nine in a row.
Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz came off the 15-day injured list on Thursday and threw a scoreless sixth. Jose Fermin got a double play to end the seventh. Sam Bachman struck out Riley Greene with the bases loaded to end the eighth, and Ryan Zeferjahn stranded two more in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA owners ratify anti-tanking lottery system
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to media after the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The NBA owners voted on Thursday to approve anti-tanking measures that will go into effect with the 2027 draft.
By a reported 29-1 margin, the NBA ratified a new lottery system that disincentivizes teams from trying to finish last in the league. Here’s how the “3-2-1” plan endorsed by commissioner Adam Silver will work:
The teams that post the worst three records during the regular season each will receive two ping-pong balls for the lottery drawing. That’s the same number that will be allocated to the four teams that finish ninth and 10th in the conference standings.
The two teams that lose the play-in tournament games between the No. 7 and 8 seeds will receive one ball.
The seven teams that neither take part in the play-in tournament nor finish among the bottom three will earn three lottery balls apiece.
All told, there will be 37 balls in the hopper. That gives the teams finishing 21st through 27th during the regular season an 8.1% chance to secure the No. 1 pick, while the bottom three only have a 5.4% chance.
Under the system being replaced, the bottom three teams enjoyed a 14% chance to win the top pick while the next seven teams’ chances varied from 3 to 11.5%.
With the new system that will be in effect for at least the 2027-29 draft, no team can win the No. 1 pick in back-to-back lotteries and no team can collect a top-five pick in three straight lotteries.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff charge into French Open 3rd round
May 26, 2026; Paris, France; Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during her match against Jessica Boozes Maneiro of Spain on day three at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images A pair of top seeds advanced to the third round of the French Open with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 4 Coco Gauff earning straight-set victories Thursday at Paris.
No. 6 Amanda Anisimova also advanced along with No. 16 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 17 Iva Jovic, No. 19 Madison Keys, No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya of Russia and No. 25 Diana Shnaider of Russia.
Sabalenka got through France’s Elsa Jacquemot, earning a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the local favorite. The win set up a third-round match with unseeded Daria Kasatkina of Australia, who claimed a 7-5, 7-6 (11) victory over Susan Bandecchi of Switzerland.
Sabalenka won 68% of her first-service points and saved 5 of 7 break points while converting half of the 10 break points she earned. After trading breaks of serve early in the first set, Sabalenka broke serve again to finish off the first set.
“That was a very tough opponent. Tricky match,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy that I closed it in straight sets.”
The second set was a breeze with Sabalenka breaking serve twice to take a 5-1 lead and again breaking serve to finish off the match.
“She played really incredible tennis and forced me to step in and play on another level,” Sabalenka said. “I am happy I could handle it and win.”
Gauff, the defending champion, earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mayar Sherif of Egypt. It was the 80th grand-slam main-draw win in Gauff’s career.
Gauff lost serve twice in a tight first set that lasted more than a hour before closing out the match to earn a matchup against No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova of Austria in the third round.
“It was a physical, tough match. I was really tested today. It took a lot of strength today,” Gauff said of the 1-hour, 51-minute match. “I will be focusing on getting more my rhythm back because I did not have it today.”
Anisimova handed Austria’s Julia Grabher a 6-0 defeat in their opening set before Grabher retired. Anisimova, who lost just six points in that set, will meet France’s Diane Parry in the third round.
Osaka collected a 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over Dona Vekic of Croatia by winning 71% of her first-service points and converting 5 of 11 break-point chances.
Jovic moved on with an easy 6-0, 6-3 victory over fellow American Emma Navarro, while Keys registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Antonia Ruzic of Croatia. Kalinskaya advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over fellow Russian Alina Korneeva while Shnaider knocked off McCartney Kessler 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Potapova was the only seeded player who needed three sets to advance. After dropping the first set 7-5 to Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, Potapova responded by taking the next two sets 6-4, 6-2.
Two seeded players could not rally like Potapova. No. 23 seed Elise Mertens of Germany was eliminated 6-4, 6-0 by Maja Chwalinska of Poland while No. 30 Ann Li was sent home 6-3, 6-4 by Parry.
Unseeded players to advance included Maria Sakkari of Greece, Camila Osorio of Colombia and Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine.
–Field Level Media
Grayson Rodriguez and surging Angels shut down Tigers
NBA owners ratify anti-tanking lottery system
