Sports
Vancouver, San Jose fight to draw in battle of top 2 MLS teams
May 9, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes defender Daniel Munie (5) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Brian White (24) battle for the ball during the first half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Sebastian Berhalter scored the tying goal in the 76th minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps salvaged a 1-1 draw with the host San Jose Earthquakes in an MLS showdown on Saturday night.
Preston Judd scored in the fourth minute for San Jose and his goal held up for 72 minutes before the Whitecaps notched the equalizer in the battle between the league’s top two teams so far this season.
The Earthquakes (9-1-2, 29 points) remained three points ahead of the Whitecaps (8-1-2, 26 points) atop the Western Conference standings. San Jose has played two consecutive draws after winning six straight MLS matches.
It was the second meeting between the teams this season. San Jose prevailed 1-0 in Vancouver on March 21 in the first matchup.
Daniel made four saves for the Earthquakes as Vancouver applied consistent pressure while trying to make up its deficit. The Whitecaps out-shot San Jose 17-6, held a 5-3 edge in shots on target and possessed the ball twice as long as the Quakes.
Yohei Takaoka registered two stops for Vancouver, which tied for the second straight match following a four-game MLS winning streak.
Judd’s team-best eighth goal of the season came in the fourth minute and was set up by Paul Marie.
Marie had the ball on the right side and spotted a marked Judd running toward the net. He delivered a pass that Judd was able to catch up to and boot the ball past Takaoka to give the Quakes the early lead.
Vancouver had a stellar opportunity in the 54th minute but Andres Cubas’ hard left-footed shot was stopped by Daniel.
In the 65th minute, the Whitecaps again came up empty as Bruno Caicedo’s shot was wide right of the net.
Eleven minutes later, Vancouver got the equalizer in a less fearsome manner. A battle in the box for the ball saw it squirt loose to Berhalter, who was close to the net and unmarked and easily sent it into the net.
In the 90th minute, San Jose’s Ronaldo Vieira’s close-range left-footed shot was stopped by Takaoka.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spencer Strider, Braves spoil Blake Snell's season debut for Dodgers
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws to the plate during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson each delivered two-run singles in the second inning and the visiting Atlanta Braves spoiled the season debut of left-hander Blake Snell with a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Right-hander Spencer Strider (1-0) allowed just one hit over six innings in his second start of the season as the Braves improved to 5-3 on a nine-game road trip. Atlanta arrived in Los Angeles following its first series loss of the season at Seattle.
Snell (0-1) allowed five runs on six hits over three innings as he returned from lingering shoulder fatigue. He was pitching for the first time since recording four outs in Game 7 of the World Series when Los Angeles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.
Andy Pages hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning for Los Angeles to end Atlanta’s shutout bid. The Dodgers dropped to 1-1 on their seven-game homestand and fell to 9-11 since April 18.
The Braves got to Snell early by loading the bases three batters into the game on a walk and singles from Mauricio Dubon and Albies. They scored just one run in the inning on a ground out from Austin Riley.
Atlanta loaded the bases again in the second inning, this time with two outs, before Albies and Olson delivered their back-to-back two-run singles for a 5-0 lead.
Snell pitched a scoreless third inning before he departed after 77 pitches.
The Braves’ Michael Harris II tacked on an RBI double in the fifth against right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, and Drake Baldwin had a run-scoring single in the eighth against right-hander Paul Gervase.
Strider allowed two walks with eight strikeouts as he rebounded from a rough season debut on Sunday when he gave up three runs with five walks in 3 1/3 innings. Strider missed the first month of the season with a left oblique strain.
Pages’ two-run home run in the ninth inning for the Dodgers, against right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, was his ninth of the season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Byron Buxton accounts for both Twins runs to beat Guardians in 11
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Byron Buxton’s RBI double in the 11th inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 2-1 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night as each team managed only two hits.
The game’s start was delayed two hours and 6 minutes by rain.
Buxton had both of the Twins’ hits as he led off the game with a home run. His double in the top of the 11th was the game-winner, scoring automatic runner Matt Wallner from third to snap Minnesota’s three-game losing streak.
The Twins escaped bases-loaded, one-out situations for the Guardians in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings.
Cleveland had its three-game winning streak ended.
Minnesota reliever Eric Orze (1-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Luis Garcia worked the 11th for his first save.
Guardians right-hander Peyton Pallette (1-2) allowed one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in two innings.
Both starters were outstanding.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee allowed a run on one hit — Buxton’s homer — in six innings with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. His run of retiring 10 straight batters was snapped by a walk to Luke Keaschall with two outs in the fourth.
The Twins’ Joe Ryan gave up a run and two hits in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kyle Manzardo’s RBI single tied the game 1-1 in the fourth for Cleveland. Jose Ramirez, who got the first hit off of Ryan with one out and stole second, scored on the play.
Ryan worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam later in the inning by striking out Angel Martinez and Austin Hedges.
Buxton’s homer was his 13th this season as he took Bibee’s 1-1 cutter over the wall in left.
The Twins placed starting pitcher Taj Bailey (4-1, 2.87) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 6, with pec muscle inflammation. Minnesota also recalled RHP Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul.
The Guardians acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and Cleveland’s Competitive Balance Round A pick (29th overall) in the 2026 draft and sent catcher Bo Naylor to Triple-A Columbus.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jeong Sang-bin's goal lifts St. Louis City past Rapids
May 9, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; St. Louis City midfielder Conrad Wallem (6) and Colorado Rapids midfielder Paxten Aaronson (10) battle for the ball in the first half at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Jeong Sang-bin scored in the 26th minute Saturday and visiting St. Louis City SC logged its first clean sheet since last year, blanking the Colorado Rapids 1-0 in a contentious match.
It was the first goal this year for Sang-bin. Goalie Roman Burki started the sequence with a long goal kick that Simon Becher conveyed to a streaking Sang-bin. Racing down the pitch’s middle, Sang-bin easily dribbled by goalie Nicolas Hansen and poked the ball home.
Colorado’s bid at a second-half rally took a hit when Rob Holding was sent off in the 51st minute after fouling Becher. St. Louis (2-6-3, 9 points) played 36 minutes of 11-on-10 soccer before Chris Durkin was booked for the second time in the 87th minute, leveling the teams at 10 men each.
Rafael Navarro, Keegan Rosenberry and Georgi Minoungou each had good chances to equalize after Durkin’s dismissal. But Navarro’s header sailed right of the net in the 87th minute and Rosenberry couldn’t finish two minutes into stoppage time.
Minoungou then sailed a header over the crossbar, a shot that was estimated to have a 48% chance of going into the net. St. Louis held on through six more minutes of stoppage time for its first road win of the year.
The Rapids (3-5-4, 13 points) wasted a major advantage in possession time (58.1% to 41.9) and got just two of their 11 shots on frame, with Burki denying both. Colorado created a whopping 11 corner kicks but couldn’t convert its set pieces into goals.
Both teams were hoping to display better form than they showed in recent fixtures. St. Louis was 0-3-2 in its previous five matches and the Rapids were 0-3-1 in their prior four matches.
The first half was played on even terms until Sang-bin struck. Despite Colorado controlling the ball 55.1% of the time, each team took five shots and got one to net.
Referee Tim Ford whistled 36 fouls and administered a total of nine cards in a physical match.
–Field Level Media
