Sports
Top clubs collide as Arsenal visit Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images The Premier League title could well be on the line when leaders Arsenal visit second-place Manchester City on Sunday.
In fact, that’s exactly how City manager Pep Guardiola sees it.
“If we lose, it’s over,” Guardiola said Friday. “They are so strong in all departments. Duals, physicality. If you allow them to make a good process by not being aggressive they make a good build-up.”
Both teams can still control their own destiny with a victory, given that City (19-5-7, 64 points) has one more match remaining than the Gunners (21-4-7, 70 points). But a loss would leave Guardiola’s men with nine points to make up in six matches, a nearly impossible task without an Arsenal collapse of historic proportions.
Yet the mood around the first-place North London club has been one of nerves over the last month, during which a combination of other competitions and the March international window has limited both clubs to only one league game.
Those came last weekend, when Arsenal suffered a stunning 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth the day before City earned a 3-0 win at Chelsea.
City also beat the Gunners 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in the Carabao Cup Final on March 22 on Nico O’Reilly’s second-half brace.
And Arsenal have the decisively longer injury list, one that again includes striker Bukayo Saka (lower body) and midfielder Martin Odegaard (knee), two players who have worn the captain’s armband in recent matches.
Both teams also still have other competitions to think about: City an upcoming FA Cup semifinal against Southampton and Arsenal a UEFA Champions League semifinal against Atletico Madrid.
Given that context, Guardiola’s counterpart, Mikel Arteta, appeared to disagree slightly with the City manager’s assertion that this game could unilaterally decide the title.
“I don’t know, there are six games to go,” he said. “It’s a really important one for both teams, and it will incline the balance a little bit, but winning a game in the Premier League is so tough for everybody, so after this one, they will still have some very difficult matches for all of us, and we’ll have to wait and continue whatever happens.”
If Guardiola’s squad has a weakness, it is that it remains too reliant on striker Erling Haaland for goals.
The Norwegian international has 22 in the league, one ahead of Brentford’s Igor Thiago for the league lead. But he has found the net only once in his last five league appearances as City has taken 11 points, settling for draws against Nottingham Forest and West Ham prior to the win over Chelsea.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jalen Green, Suns shoot past Warriors, charge into playoffs
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton (8) during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Jalen Green’s 36 points helped lift the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs with a 111-96 play-in win over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Friday.
The Suns earned the Western Conference’s eighth postseason seed. They will visit the defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday to open a first-round series.
Phoenix scored 30 points off the Warriors’ 21 turnovers.
After Phoenix let a late lead slip away against the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in opener, the Suns held on this time.
There was some late drama, though.
With the outcome already decided, Golden State’s Draymond Green fouled out with just more than a minute remaining. Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared a moment with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, embracing both. The three were part of four NBA championship runs.
However, as action resumed, Draymond Green and the Suns’ Devin Booker began a heated discussion that carried on for several moments before the whistle blew and both players were issued a technical foul. Green was ejected.
Phoenix jumped out to a big lead with a 13-0 run after the Warriors scored the game’s first two points, then closed the quarter with eight consecutive points to lead 33-15.
Golden State’s 15 first-quarter points were their fewest in a quarter since scoring 14 in the fourth quarter March 7 against the Thunder.
The Suns, who shot 52.4% in the first quarter, struggled in the second quarter as the Warriors roared back.
Phoenix was just 5 of 20 from the field in the second, and Golden State pulled within two on Curry’s free throws with 19.6 seconds remaining in the half.
As time ran down, Jalen Green elevated for a 3-pointer from the wing and drained it for the Suns’ first field goal in more than five minutes to give Phoenix a 50-45 lead at the break.
Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski scored 10 of his team-high 23 points in the second. He also led the Warriors with 10 rebounds.
The Suns used an 11-1 run — featuring two 3-pointers from Jalen Green — to regain control in the third quarter.
Booker finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin added 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals.
Curry recorded 17 points in the loss but was just 4 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 10 from 3-point range.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jake deGrom, Rangers extend Mariners' skid in shutout
Apr 17, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Brandon Nimmo homered leading off the game and that was enough as six Texas Rangers pitchers combined for a six-hitter in a 5-0 victory against the host Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Reliever Gavin Collyer (1-0), a rookie right-hander, pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn his first major league victory in just his second appearance.
In the opener of a three-game series, the Rangers improved to 4-0 against Seattle this season and have outscored the Mariners 13-3. Texas has won four of its last six, while Seattle has lost four in a row.
Nimmo jumped on a 2-0 fastball from Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (1-3) in the first, lining it over the right field fence for his fourth homer of 2026.
Texas extended its lead in the third as Corey Seager led off with a double to right and Wyatt Langford followed with a run-scoring single to left to make it 2-0.
The Mariners threatened in the sixth but came up empty. Josh Naylor lined a leadoff single to center and took second on Randy Arozarena’s groundout. Pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder hit a comebacker to the mound, preventing Naylor from advancing. J.P. Crawford lined a single to left, but Naylor was thrown out easily at the plate by Langford to end the inning.
With one out in the seventh, Seager lined a double into the gap in left-center off reliever Jose A. Ferrer. Langford singled to left, sending Seager to third, and Jake Burger lined a single to center to make it 3-0.
The Rangers added two runs in the ninth off Casey Legumina. Langford and Burger led off with singles and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Carter. Andrew McCutchen lifted a sacrifice fly to right and Josh Jung hit a run-scoring double into the left field corner to make it 5-0.
Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom didn’t allow a run but an elevated pitch count knocked him out after four innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out three, throwing 88 pitches.
Gilbert gave up two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
Mariners third baseman Brendan Donovan left after the third inning with an apparent injury. There was no update on his condition by the time the game ended. Leo Rivas replaced Donovan.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels hammer Padres hours after learning of Garret Anderson's death
Apr 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoán Moncada (10) gestures after hitting a home run during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Yoan Moncada and Josh Lowe each homered and Jose Soriano allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings for his fifth win as the Los Angeles Angels, only hours after announcing the death of franchise icon Garret Anderson, snapped San Diego’s eight-game winning streak with an 8-0 victory on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano (5-0) walked four and struck out eight, lowering major league-leading ERA to 0.28. He has allowed just one run — a homer by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin — and 11 hits over 32 2/3 innings while striking out 39.
Nolan Schanuel went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for Los Angeles, which finished with 13 hits. Adam Frazier doubled and had two hits and two runs scored, Jo Adell doubled and drove in two runs and Zach Neto and Oswald Peraza also had two hits for the Angels, who won for the third time in their last four games.
Matt Waldron (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in in the second inning. Moncada led off with third home run, a 388-foot drive to right-center. Two outs later, Logan O’Hoppe was hit by a pitch and then scored on a double by Frazier. Neto followed with a single to drive in Frazier.
San Diego loaded the bases with two outs in the third on a single by Ty France and walks by Luis Campusano and Fernando Tatis Jr. But Soriano got out of the jam by getting Jackson Merrill to ground out to second.
The Angels extended the lead to 6-0 in the fourth on an RBI single by Schanuel and a two-run line-drive double by Adell into the gap in left-center off reliever David Morgan.
Lowe then broke the game open in the fifth inning with his third home run, a two-run shot down the right field line to drive in Peraza, who had been hit by a pitch.
Anderson, the all-time hits leader among other offensive categories for the Angels’ franchise, died at age 53 on Thursday. The Angels did not disclose a cause of death in announcing his passing on Friday. TMZ reported Anderson died following a medical emergency at his home in Newport Beach, Calif.
–Field Level Media
Jalen Green, Suns shoot past Warriors, charge into playoffs
Jake deGrom, Rangers extend Mariners' skid in shutout
