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Tigers face O's in series with sudden playoff implications

MLB: Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red SoxSep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) reacts with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn (32) after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles were hoping to be involved in showdowns for the American League East title late in the season.

Instead, they’re in a different kind of tussle regarding qualifying for the postseason and the Detroit Tigers are a big part of that equation.

The Tigers, who’ve surged into the middle of the AL playoff conversion, begin a three-game series in Baltimore on Friday night.

It will be critical for the fast-falling Orioles (85-68) to pick up some wins this week to at least guarantee something is still at stake in terms of the AL East when they visit the Yankees for three games next week.

While they enter Friday in the top wild-card slot, they are four back of the Yankees in the race for the East. Anthony Santander’s two-run walk-off home run gave the Orioles a 5-3 triumph against San Francisco on Thursday afternoon, a jolt of momentum that they’ll want to see grow.

“It was a good win to kind of build into these few series that are probably really important,” Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday said.

For Detroit (80-73), it’s a matter of going from one crucial series to another in quest to earn a wild-card spot.

“First off, we believe,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We come every day to try to win the game, and we are winning a lot.”

The Tigers are flirting with a wild-card spot after sweeping three games in Kansas City from the playoff-contending Royals. That gives them a four-game winning streak and victories in five of their last six games overall.

This latest strong stretch began by winning two of three meetings with the Orioles last weekend.

“We’ve got a good group, a resilient group,” Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal said. “I think if you just look at the season we’ve had.”

The Tigers, tied with the Minnesota Twins for the third and final AL wild-card slot, are seeking their third winning streak of five or more games this year.

“I think our team has done a really good job of just being day-by-day, game-by-game,” Skubal said. “We need to keep winning and hopefully we can control our own destiny down the stretch.”

Baltimore has won only three of its last 11 games, but Thursday’s outcome was emotional.

“We need that win right there,” Santander said. “We need that momentum for next week.”

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that because of the team’s low scoring numbers recently, most any victory has come in a tight result.

For Friday night, both teams will have pitchers who were dominant when the teams met last weekend.

Right-hander Corbin Burnes (14-8, 3.06 ERA) will be Baltimore’s starting pitcher. He limited the Tigers to two hits and one walk in throwing seven shutout innings Saturday when the Orioles won in Detroit. That was the team’s only victory in a six-game stretch before Thursday’s dramatics.

Burnes has allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings this month, a big turnaround from a rough August when he gave up three or more runs in all five starts.

The Tigers will begin the series by sending right-hander Keider Montero (6-6, 4.60) to the mound. The rookie will be making his 16th start and 17th appearance overall. The 24-year-old has won five of his last six decisions.

Montero has something to build on after blanking the Orioles for five innings Sunday in Detroit. That stretched his scoreless streak to 14 innings after his three-hit shutout Sept. 10 against Colorado.

Detroit is 6-1 in its last seven road games. The Tigers’ last two losses away from home came in extra innings.

–Field Level Media

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Ole Miss snaps losing skid at Auburn's expense

Syndication: The Montgomery AdvertiserOle Miss Rebels guard Ilias Kamardine (6) shoots a floater as Auburn Tigers take on Ole Miss Rebels at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Ole Miss snapped its longest losing streak since 2002-03 to crush Auburn’s seemingly slim March Madness dreams with a gutsy 85-79 Southeastern Conference road win Saturday night.

The Rebels (12-17, 4-12 SEC) had dropped their last 10 games but came alive with their second-best shooting day of the season, making 31 of 58 shots from the field (53.4%).

AJ Storr and Patton Pinkins led all scorers with 26 points apiece. Storr came off the bench for the Rebels shooting 9 for 15 from the field to go along with four assists. Pinkins made 8 of his 10 shots, including 4 for 5 from 3-point range, and Malik Dia finished with 10.

Keyshawn Hall helped lead the charge for Auburn (15-14, 6-10) with 21 points, including making 9 of his 10 free throw attempts. Tahaad Pettiford chipped in 24 points, Elyjah Freeman had 15 and Kevin Overton dropped 10.

Auburn built an early second half lead, but Ole Miss responded with a 22-4 run to blow open the game and take a 67-55 lead with 7:32 left.

The Tigers brought it close, but the Rebels never let go of the lead after that.

Ole Miss iced the game with a huge alley-oop, second-chance dunk by James Scott, who had a season-high four blocks, to stretch the lead to 78-71 with 1:11 left.

With the Help of Storr, Ole Miss’ bench dominated Auburn’s, outscoring the Tigers 28-4.

Both teams came out the gates hot with the Rebels making 7 of their first 8 shots and the Tigers making 6 of their first 8. Auburn fell behind by six early but used a 14-2 run that was capped by an acrobatic layup from Filip Jovic to pull ahead 31-25 with 4:46 left in the half.

The Rebels scored the last eight points of the half, including a layup and jumper from Storr, to take a 38-37 lead into the half.

Ole Miss was lights out in the first half making 16 of 27 shots (59.3%) and 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Dia, Storr and Pinkins each got into double digits in the first half with the latter two logging 10 points and the former with 11.

Auburn made 14 of 26 shots (53.8%) in the first half with Hall leading the way with 10 points.

This was Ole Miss’ first win over Auburn, breaking a 10-game head-to-head skid, since the Rebels pulled out an 86-84 overtime win Feb. 6, 2021.

–Field Level Media

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LAFC capitalize on red cards, blank Dynamo 2-0

MLS: LAFC at Houston Dynamo FCFeb 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga (99) shoots the ball as Houston Dynamo FC defender Antonio Carlos (3) defends during the first half at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Mark Delgado scored and had an assist after halftime, Stephen Eustaquio also struck from long range and visiting LAFC defeated the nine-man Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday night.

Son Heung-Min had secondary assists on both goals and also drew both red card fouls from his opponents as LAFC (2-0-0, 6 points) remained perfect through four matches in all competitions under new manager Marc Dos Santos.

In first-half stoppage time, Antonio Carlos raked down Son’s Achilles area and was shown a straight red card for violent conduct. In the 76th minute when it was 1-0, Agustin Bouzat pulled down Son on the break and was ruled to have denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Hugo Lloris made two saves to keep his second clean sheet. Jonathan Bond stopped four shots for Houston (1-1-0, 3 points), which will have two weeks before its next match after a scheduled trip to New England next weekend was postponed because of delayed field installation.

Bouzat put a scare into LAFC early in the second half when he tried to catch Lloris off his line and struck the crossbar from near midfield.

But the visitors eventually had their lead in the 56th minute.

From Son’s short corner, Denis Bouanga fed the ball to Delgado above the left half of the penalty area. Delgado took a touch to his right, then unfurled a 24-yard curling effort that beat Bond to the bottom right corner.

Eustaquio — a Canada World Cup hopeful on loan from FC Porto — scored his first MLS goal six minutes after Bouzat’s dismissal on a similar sequence.

This time, it was Son who dribbled toward the penalty area from Bouanga’s short corner, then laid the ball to his right for Delgado, who spotted Eustaquio above the penalty arc.

Eustaquio took a controlling touch, then uncorked his own 25-yard strike through traffic, beyond Bond and into the bottom left corner in the 82nd minute.

Even 11-on-11, LAFC controlled affairs, holding 63% of the first-half possession, and leading 9-6 in shots and 2-1 in efforts on target before halftime.

Both LAFC efforts on goal came in the first 45 came in the same sequence, when Bouanga and Son forced consecutive saves from Bond in the 37th minute.

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Nashville, Dallas play to hard-fought scoreless draw

MLS: Nashville SC at FC DallasFeb 28, 2026; Frisco, Texas, USA; Nashville SC defender Maxwell Woledzi (3) and FC Dallas forward Logan Farrington (23) chase the ball during the first half at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

After overwhelming their opening opposition, FC Dallas and Nashville SC played to a hard-fought 0-0 draw Saturday in Frisco, Texas.

Nashville (1-0-1, 4 points) goalkeeper Brian Schwake earned his first MLS clean sheet in the encounter, recording a pair of saves.

The team overcame playing the final six minutes plus stoppage time down a man after Matthew Corcoran earned a second yellow card for a late sliding challenge on Dallas midfielder Kaick

Dallas (1-0-1, 4 points) held the advantage in shots (10-7), shots on goal (2-1) and corner kicks (4-3). Michael Collodi made one save in net.

Dallas’ Petar Musa had the best chance of a rather uneventful first half, stopping the ball in a pocket of space outside the box and blasting it at Schwake, who stopped and held it in the 44th minute of play.

Musa had an even better opportunity in the 59th minute, linking up with his strike partner Logan Farrington on a sly one-two through Nashville’s backline, only to send the ball wide of the near post.

Farrington wound up with the ball at his feet after Joaquin Valiente’s cross took a fortuitous bounce off defender Jeison Palacios in the 70th minute, but appeared to lose his footing in tight space.

Cristian Espinoza had two wonderful opportunities in close succession halfway through the second half for Nashville, missing wide in the 75th and 78th minutes respectively.

Schwake was called upon a final time, denying substitute Anderson Julio’s long-range strike in stoppage time.

The Boys in Gold swapped out nine players who started their Tuesday night CONCACAF Champions Cup fixture against Atletico Ottawa, with only Schwake and Corcoran remaining in the starting eleven.

Valiente and Nashville defender Jordan Knight both made their MLS debuts. The match marked the two teams’ first encounter since June of 2023. The visitors were without the services of star striker Sam Surridge, who was out due to an illness.

–Field Level Media

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