Sports
Tigers, returning to health, chase road sweep of Rays
Jun 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch felt his team would add some punch with some healthy additions creating a more potent lineup.
He was right so far.
Riding their first two-game winning streak in a month, the Tigers will try to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon when the teams meet in the finale of a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Tigers have slugged their way to 18 runs, eight home runs, 15 extra-base hits and 24 hits in the two victories.
Power-hitting outfielder Kerry Carpenter (left shoulder sprain) returned Sunday in Chicago, and second baseman Gleyber Torres (oblique) homered in his first at-bat back on Tuesday as Detroit rolled to an 8-0 victory.
“They are huge bats to get back for us because it just slots guys in better spots to be successful,” Hinch said. “It’ll allow the middle of our order to have an on-base threat in front of them. Whether I hit Gleyber 1 or 2, he generally gets on base at a high clip.
“That’s going to help (Dillon Dingler), Riley (Greene), it’s going to help Kevin (McGonigle) if he hits behind him. Guys on base just change the dynamic of an inning.”
Carpenter batted cleanup in his Sunday return, going 1-for-2, then hit No. 3 in the order on Monday against the Rays, going 3-for-5 with a homer. He got a day off on Tuesday. Carpenter’s presence is key, as the Tigers managed only 80 runs while compiling a .602 OPS during his three-week absence, the lowest marks in the big leagues during that stretch.
“With Carp, we just missed the big blow,” Hinch added. “The big homer, the threat that comes with it and the carefulness which they pitch Carpenter. He’s a difference-maker.
“Those two guys lengthen the lineup and stabilize what we hope is a better offense in June … more similar to April. We swung the bats well then. May? I’d like to forget as soon as possible.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash, as he tries to forget the past two games, likely will pencil in some combination of Taylor Walls, Ben Williamson and Richie Palacios to man the middle infield on Wednesday.
Walls has transformed into a defensive wizard.
“Taylor Walls is the best shortstop in the league, and to watch him go to work every single day? Truly, it’s an honor,” Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan said. “There’s probably six or seven or eight plays so far this season where I’m like, ‘It’s a hit,’ and there’s Taylor.”
Williamson has provided some timely hits, and he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Tuesday blowout.
The latest loss left Tampa Bay with a 2-7 record since a five-game winning streak from May 17-22.
“We’re going through it,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Simple as that. We’re just not playing that well. We’re not being opportunistic like we are. We’re not preventing runs like we are (used to), but we’ll turn it around here real soon.”
Rays right-hander Nick Martinez (5-1, 1.62 ERA) gets the ball on Wednesday, attempting to extend his season-long hot streak. Through 11 starts, he has yet to allow more than two runs in an outing. He has a 5-0 record and a 1.21 ERA in his past seven starts.
Martinez is 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA and a save in eight career appearances (four starts) against the Tigers.
The visitors counter with right-hander Troy Melton (1-0, 1.42 ERA), who will make his third appearance of the season, all starts. He will be opposing Tampa Bay for the first time.
Melton, 25, is coming off a strong start against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. He threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out one, in a no-decision.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers score 3 runs in 9th inning to subdue Cardinals
Jun 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Nicky Lopez (33) throws out St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Joc Pederson had three hits, including a go-ahead RBI single in a three-run ninth inning, and the visiting Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 on Tuesday.
Josh Jung followed with a run-scoring single against Riley O’Brien (3-3) to help Texas extend its winning streak to a season-high five games. Pederson scored on Brandon Nimmo’s sacrifice fly to cap the decisive rally.
Kyle Higashioka had three hits for the Rangers, who won despite being outhit 13-9.
Cal Quantrill (3-0) recorded the final out in the eighth inning before Jakob Junis worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his fourth save.
Nolan Gorman hit a solo homer for St. Louis, which lost for the seventh time in its last nine games. Alec Burleson and Jimmy Crooks each contributed a pair of hits and an RBI. The Cardinals went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 baserunners.
The Rangers’ starting rotation shutout streak ended at 28 innings with a run in the second inning against Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed Crooks’ one-out RBI single.
The 28-inning scoreless streak is the third-longest in franchise history and the longest for Texas since July 9-16, 2011, when the run ended after 30 1/3 scoreless frames.
Gorman added to the lead with a one-out homer in the fourth inning. The 373-foot shot was Gorman’s seventh homer this season.
Texas pulled even with two runs against Dustin May in the fifth inning. Evan Carter hit a one-out single, moved to third on Higashioka’s single and scored on Nicky Lopez’s fielder’s choice grounder. Pederson tied the game with an RBI double to right field, scoring Lopez from first.
The Rangers moved ahead in the sixth inning when Alejandro Osuna’s two-out single scored Jake Burger from second base.
May allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
Texas added to its lead with a run in the seventh inning. With runners on the corners and one out, Higashioka scored on Jung’s sacrifice fly.
St. Louis pulled even in the bottom of the seventh. Burleson doubled in a run and Jordan Walker added an RBI single against Eovaldi, who gave up four runs on 11 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over six-plus innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Aaron Donald’s Return Would Make the Rams’ Myles Garrett Trade a Victory
If Aaron Donald comes out of retirement to suit up for the Rams, then Los Angeles officially wins the Myles Garrett trade.
Really, if the trade results in a Super Bowl championship for Los Angeles, the trade is a win. But Donald and Garrett on the same defensive line with that offense would be lethal.
According to ESPN’s Pat McAfee and NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Donald is contemplating coming out of retirement if he could find the fire to lace up the cleats one more time. Garrett’s arrival in Los Angeles has piqued Donald’s interest following the legendary defensive tackle’s retirement in 2024.
Garrett, Donald and newly-acquired superstar cornerback Trent McDuffie would make life a living hell for NFC West quarterbacks including turnover-prone Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett and Brock Purdy. The Rams are already a big Super Bowl favorite, if they added Donald, even at 35, those odds would move even further.
The Rams sent the Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first round pick, 2028 second round pick and 2029 third round pick. After Rams general manager Les Snead drafted Ty Simpson No. 13 overall, Los Angeles felt comfortable going all in for Garrett.
A Super Bowl is the expectation. Anything less would be a disappointment.
Offensively, the Rams should be loaded. They’re returning Matthew Stafford for his age 38 season. The reigning MVP is defying time, battling through back injuries to lead the Rams through another Super Bowl title window. Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams are all star players in their respective ways, giving Stafford plenty of options to put up points.
Why Garrett could be even more dangerous on the Rams
That’s what could make this Garrett thing even more lethal, with or without Donald in Los Angeles.
Last season, Garrett broke the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23. The Browns won only five games. Many of Cleveland’s 12 losses were blowout defeats. Yet still, Garrett was finding ways to get sacks when the other team was running the ball with a massive lead.
In Los Angeles, Garrett will be exposed to something relatively unfamiliar – playing with the lead. This is going to allow him to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback at a rate unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. If Donald returns, opposing offensive lines won’t sleep the entire week leading up to the Rams on the schedule.
Even after breaking the single-season sack record and winning back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, Garrett still feels underrated. But he’s such a generational talent that his arrival in Los Angeles is causing another all-time great in Donald to contemplate giving it one last go.
Sports
Rookie hurler Gage Jump, Athletics shut down slumping Cubs
Jun 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Athletics third baseman Zack Gelof (20) reacts after hitting an RBI-single against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Gage Jump pitched seven stellar innings in his second big league start and Zack Gelof had the decisive tiebreaking single to lift the Athletics to a 2-1 victory over the host Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
Jump (1-1) allowed one run and three hits and retired the final 14 batters he faced in an 85-pitch effort. He struck out five and walked one.
Nick Kurtz homered to help the Athletics win for just the third time in the past 10 games.
Justin Sterner pitched a perfect eighth inning and Hogan Harris replaced an ineffective Scott Barlow to record the final out for his fifth save.
Before Harris retired the final batter, Barlow encountered troubles in the ninth as Nico Horner led off with a walk and Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a single, Chicago’s first hit since the second inning. Barlow then struck out Alex Bregman and retired Seiya Suzuki before being pulled.
The left-handed Harris came in, forcing the switch-hitting Happ to bat right-handed. Harris retired Happ on a fly to center to end it.
Bregman had the lone RBI for the slumping Cubs, who lost for the 13th time in their past 16 games.
Jameson Taillon (2-5) gave up two runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. Taillon has allowed nine homers over his past four outings.
The A’s took the 2-1 lead in the fourth when Brent Rooker and Henry Bolte hit consecutive one-out singles to put runners on first and second. One out later, Gelof lined a single up the middle over the leap of Chicago second baseman Hoerner and into center to score Rooker.
Jump didn’t get off a great start, giving up singles to Hoerner and Crow-Armstrong in the bottom of the first. Crow-Armstrong proceeded to steal second.
Bregman’s infield grounder scored Hoerner. But the uprising was short-circuited when A’s catcher Shea Langeliers gunned out Crow-Armstrong trying to steal third. Jump then struck out Suzuki to end the inning.
In the second, Jump hit Happ with a pitch and allowed a one-out single to Michael Busch, the Cubs’ final hit off the 23-year-old. The inning ended when Langeliers threw out Kevin Alcantara trying to steal second with runners at the corners.
The Athletics tied the game in the third when Kurtz came up with two outs and smacked an 0-1 sweeper from Taillon over the wall in left-center.
–Field Level Media
Rangers score 3 runs in 9th inning to subdue Cardinals
The New Star Wars Movie Just Made History In The Worst Possible Way
