Sports
Tigers face O's in series with sudden playoff implications
Sep 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
Sports
'Stubborn' Angels seek rare series win vs. Astros
May 30, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers (48) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels will attempt to win a series against the Houston Astros for the first time in nearly 25 months when the teams complete a three-game set on Wednesday night at Anaheim, Calif.
The Astros regularly have beaten the Angels since, winning six series and tying two others, including a four-game. season-opening split in Houston in March.
After Houston won Monday’s series opener, 5-4 in 10 innings, the Angels scored seven runs in the first two innings and sailed to a 10-1 victory on Tuesday.
Oswald Peraza had three RBIs and Jo Adell and Wade Meckler drove in two runs apiece. Meckler scored three times and reached base five times on three walks, one hit and once via error.
“We had a good approach as a team,” Meckler said. “Guys were being stubborn, looking for it in the zone and making pitchers work.”
Astros manager Joe Espada was OK with his team’s approach but it didn’t pay off when needed.
Houston had three hits and five walks in five innings against Los Angeles starter Walbert Urena but couldn’t score against him.
“One big hit,” Espada said of what the Astros needed. “And I thought that we were going to get him, just to get us back in the game. Drove the pitch count, we were really patient. But we just couldn’t get a big hit.”
Houston’s only run came in the seventh inning on pinch hitter Brice Matthews’ RBI single. The Astros were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
It was a tough Tuesday on the injury front for the Angels.
During the game, Angels catcher Sebastian Rivero had two singles to give himself a streak of seven straight hits before injuring his left wrist while fouling off a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning. Logan O’Hoppe replaced him for the final two pitches of the at-bat and he took a called third strike. with the strikeout charged to Rivero to end his streak.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Rivero will undergo a CT scan on Wednesday.
Los Angeles first baseman Nolan Schanuel (left calf tightness) departed the game prior to the top of the fourth inning and is day-to-day. He was plunked by a pitch in the calf in the opening inning.
Before the game, the Angels revealed that third baseman Yoan Moncada (right knee) will undergo surgery next week and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (torn UCL) will undergo Tommy John surgery.
Kochanowicz could be sidelined through the 2027 season while Los Angeles is in wait-and-see mode regarding Moncada.
“We don’t know the timetable,” Suzuki said of Moncada. “All I heard was he decided to get surgery and we’ll know more after it gets done. That’s the best answer I can give you.”
Left-hander Reid Detmers (2-5, 4.26 ERA) will be on the mound for the Angels. He is tied for seventh in the majors with 88 strikeouts.
Detmers received a no-decision last Friday when he allowed two hits over six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1-0 loss.
Two outings earlier, Detmers struck out a career-best 14 batters while giving up just one hit – a homer – over eight innings of a no-decision against the Texas Rangers in a 2-1 win.
Detmers, 26, is just 1-4 with a 7.63 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts) against the Astros. Jose Altuve is 7-for-21 with two homers and Jeremy Pena is 7-for-20 off of Detmers.
Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (5-4, 3.55) will look for his fourth consecutive victory when he takes the mound on Wednesday.
Lambert, 29, gave up five hits in each of the three wins. He beat the Athletics on Friday when he allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings.
Lambert has allowed two hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings in two career relief outings against the Angels.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Myles Garrett's revised deal includes $37M guaranteed in '26
Jun 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett looks on prior to throwing out the honorary first pitch before a game between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Defensive end Myles Garrett’s revised deal with the Los Angeles Rams includes a $5.5 million raise for this season, according to numbers reported by multiple outlets Wednesday.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was acquired by the Rams in a June 1 trade that sent Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks, including a first-round selection in 2027, to the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett’s restructured five-year, $208.2 million deal includes $37 million fully guaranteed in 2026 and $99 million guaranteed through the 2028 season along with a signing bonus and multiple option bonuses, according to Spotrac.
Garrett’s revised cap numbers include $8.8 million in 2026, $15.0 million in 2027, $27.6 million in 2028, $39.9 million in 2029 and $48.2 million in 2030, with another $39.9 million not scheduled to count against the cap until after the contract voids in February 2031, according to NFL Network.
His salary for the upcoming season climbs from $31.5 million to $37 million, per the reports.
The Rams have become a heavy favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played in their own stadium in February 2027. The last time the Rams won a Super Bowl after the 2021 season, it was also in their stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Garrett, 30, had an NFL-record 23 sacks for the Browns last season. His 125.5 career sacks equate to an average of 15.9 per season. He also led the league with 33 tackles for loss last season.
The five-time All-Pro selection was the first overall draft pick of the Browns in 2017 and had 412 tackles, 149 tackles for loss and 239 quarterback hits in 134 games (131 starts) with Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Chiefs, T Wanya Morris exploring trade options
Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris (64) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Kansas City Chiefs and offensive lineman Wanya Morris are exploring trade opportunities, ESPN reported.
Morris, 25, is looking for more playing time after starting a total of 16 games during his first three seasons.
The 6-foot-6, 307-pound tackle has appeared in 43 games since the Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2023.
Morris won a Super Bowl championship during his rookie campaign but made only one start last season.
–Field Level Media
'Stubborn' Angels seek rare series win vs. Astros
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