Sports
White Sox brace for big homestand, beginning with Braves
May 10, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin (65) after closing out the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Despite slumping to a 2-4 road trip to Minnesota and Philadelphia, the Chicago White Sox boast 34 victories — a total they didn’t reach last season until July 19.
Squarely in the American League Central hunt entering Tuesday’s visit from the Atlanta Braves, the White Sox are eager to return to Chicago for a six-game homestand against the Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The White Sox hope their fans can add oomph against the clubs with the two best winning percentages in baseball.
“When Rate Field has 38,000 or 39,000 people, it’s a hard place to play,” said White Sox right-hander Davis Martin. “I hope Chicago shows up. … On the road, it’s a different story. At home, the crowd and the energy, we feed off that.”
Chicago lost two of three at Philadelphia over the weekend and was unable to keep pace in the late innings during Sunday’s 9-5 defeat in the series finale.
Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk delivered a go-ahead, pinch-hit, two-run single in the fifth inning to give Chicago its last lead at 5-4.
Grichuk homered twice against Philadelphia in a loss Friday and is batting .385 (5-for-13) with four RBIs in June. The White Sox put him near the top of the lineup whenever they face a left-handed starter and rush him into a game as soon as a lefty reliever toes the slab.
“He is a guy that is feeling very good at the plate,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “He is a huge weapon for us.”
Atlanta enjoyed pinch-hitting heroics of its own on Sunday. Michael Harris II cleared the bases with a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning to secure a 3-2 victory that cemented a three-game sweep of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.
As with Martin in Chicago, Harris can attest to the boost raucous supporters can provide.
“Just coming in and knowing I got to do a job,” Harris said Sunday. “Big-time situation, just kind of staying poised. I fed off the crowd today. Once I came in to pinch-hit, it was really loud — it sounded like a playoff game. I couldn’t let them down.”
With four straight series victories, the Braves haven’t disappointed lately. Pirates pitching limited Atlanta to three hits on Sunday, but the MLB-leading Braves still prevailed for their eighth win in 10 games.
Matt Olson, who leads the Braves with 17 home runs and 47 RBIs, went 0-for-4 Sunday but had three multi-hit efforts during Atlanta’s 5-1 homestand.
Atlanta will try to win a sixth straight series opener on Tuesday as it turns to righty Grant Holmes (4-2, 3.86 ERA).
Holmes contributed a quality start for the second time in his past four outings during Wednesday’s victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. He scattered two runs and five hits in six innings with two walks, one hit batter and four strikeouts.
Holmes has not faced the White Sox in his career.
Chicago will rely on righty Erick Fedde, who made five appearances and four starts with the Braves last season.
Fedde (1-5, 4.94) pitched five scoreless innings on Wednesday at Minnesota to earn his first victory since Aug. 9, 2025, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Fedde stopped a streak of six straight outings with at least one home run allowed. He spaced two hits, one walk and two strikeouts against Minnesota but has struggled against the Braves in his career, going 0-6 with a 9.59 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts). He has surrendered 16 homers in 50 2/3 innings against Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Defender Chris Richards returns to USMNT practice
June 8, 2026; Irvine, California, U.S.; Chris Richards of the U.S. signs an autograph for a fan during training. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Defender Chris Richards is back on the field with the United States Men’s National Team on Monday and appears to be on track for the World Cup opener against Paraguay this week.
“We will see … first time with the team,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said Monday. “Nearly everyone ready to be selected for the game.”
Richards sustained an ankle injury last month and is viewed as a vital defender in the center of the backline.
Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie filled in for Richards on Saturday in the final World Cup tuneup against Germany in Chicago.
At Monday’s practice in Irvine, Calif., Tyler Adams was not on the field. He worked in the gym for load management purposes, Pochettino said.
Richards, 26, suffered a pair of torn ligaments in his left ankle on May 17 as his Crystal Palace team played Brentford in a Premier League match. He did complete the match but limped off the field and has not competed since.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Kings to hire Peter Laviolette as head coach
Mar 29, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette instructs his team as left wings Artemi Panarin (10), Chris Kreider (20) and Brennan Othmann (78) look on against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Kings are set to hire Peter Laviolette to a three-year deal as their next head coach, Sportsnet and ESPN reported Monday.
Laviolette had been in talks to become the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs as recently as last week, according to multiple reports, and the Edmonton Oilers had also reportedly looked at him as a candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy.
Laviolette, 61, has been an NHL head coach for 23 seasons.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He also reached the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.
He most recently coached the New York Rangers from 2023-25. The Rangers went 55-23-4 (114 points) in Laviolette’s first season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in a six-game series. New York went 39-36-7 (85 points) the following season to finish six points out of a playoff spot, leading to Laviolette’s dismissal in April 2025.
He owns an 846-562-161 record (25 ties) as head coach with the New York Islanders (2001-03), Hurricanes (2003-09), Flyers (2009-14), Predators (2014-20), Washington Capitals (2020-23) and Rangers.
His 846 regular-season wins are the most among United States-born coaches in NHL history and seventh all-time.
Laviolette appeared in 12 NHL games during his playing career as a defenseman, all during the 1988-89 season with the Rangers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top 2 seeds ousted in chaotic opening day at Libema Open
Aug 27, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia serves against Wang Xinyu of China in the second round of the women’s singles at the US Open at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds each fell in straight sets on a chaotic first day of women’s competition in the Libema Open at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands on Monday.
No. 1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia — a two-time winner at the event in 2022 and ‘23 — fell 6-4, 7-6 (5) to Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, who ranks nearly 50 spots lower (65th to 17th). In a match that was statistically even in a number of spots, the difference may have been Udvardy’s one more converted break (3 of 6) in an equal number of chances.
Second-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark lost 6-4, 6-4 to Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova, a 17-year-old who won the final five games of the match to secure her first career top-30 win. No. 3 seed Belgian Elise Mertens avoided the same fate with a thorough 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.
In other Monday action, Poland’s Magda Linette rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Australian Kimberly Birrell, Robin Montgomery pulled out a 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory against Daria Kasatkina of Australia and Ukraine’s Daria Snigur swept Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-6 (2).
HSBC Championships
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rallied for a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-3 defeat of McCartney Kessler in first-round action at London.
Pliskova was sloppy on her serve with three aces and 11 double faults but made up for it by winning 51% of her return points and converting 8 of 11 break-point opportunities.
In the only two other matches completed on Monday, when multiple matches were delayed or postponed by rain, Great Britain’s Harriet Dart beat Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian swept Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 7-6 (4).
The final match of the day, which pitted No. 8 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, was suspended due to darkness with Fernandez up a set and the second set level at 3 games apiece.
–Field Level Media
The Milky Ways black hole may have formed this curious tunnel in space
Defender Chris Richards returns to USMNT practice
