Sports
Yordan Alvarez bangs two more homers as Astros edge Rangers
May 27, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) and left fielder Taylor Trammell (26) celebrate after Alvarez hits a go-ahead home run against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas.
Alvarez has hit five home runs in his last three games to pull even with Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami for the American League lead with 20 homers.
Mike Burrows (3-6) allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts over seven innings. He retired 20 of his final 23 batters to help Houston win for the fifth time in its last six games. Bryan King gave up Joc Pederson’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the eighth before Enyel De Los Santos pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his fourth save.
Alvarez broke a 2-2 tie by crushing a 3-0 sweeper from Tyler Alexander (1-1) to start the eighth. After Christian Walker walked, another run scored on Taylor Trammell’s sacrifice bunt when Alexander’s throw sailed past first baseman Jake Burger.
Pederson went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers for Texas, which has lost five of its last six. Pederson has gone deep three times in his last two games.
The Rangers claimed a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Burrows, who was greeted by Pederson’s leadoff single. Pederson moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Brandon Nimmo’s one-out single.
Houston answered with a run in the second inning against Jacob deGrom, who was denied in his bid for his 100th career victory.
Trammell doubled to begin the inning, advanced to third on Cam Smith’s fly ball and scored on Braden Shewmake’s sacrifice fly.
Pederson began the third inning by depositing Burrows’ 0-1 changeup over the wall in right center.
Houston pulled even on Alvarez’s leadoff homer in the fourth against deGrom, who allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out six.
With two more home runs on Wednesday, Alvarez has 25 homers against the Rangers in 72 regular season games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ian Happ breaks out of slump, Cubs snap 10-game skid vs. Pirates
May 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) hits a two-run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Ian Happ drove in five runs and ignited a six-run seventh inning with a three-run home run that eventually helped the Chicago Cubs snap a 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
The Cubs last scored 10 runs in a game in their prior win May 15th before the losing streak began. The skid was the longest active losing streak in the majors and the longest for the Cubs since June 4-16, 2022. Chicago won for only the third time in its past 17 games.
Happ finished with two hits, marking his first multi-hit game since May 15th after he entered the game mired in a 2-for-31 slump.
Happ’s 11th home run of the season off Pittsburgh reliever Yohan Ramirez (2-2) helped the Cubs break a 4-4 tie on the way to snapping the Pirates’ three-game winning streak.
After Seiya Suzuki Happ’s homer with a single, Michael Conforto belted his fourth homer of the season off Justin Lawrence to add two more runs. Michael Busch capped the frame with an RBI single.
The Cubs opened the game with two runs in the first on a 2-run single by Happ and another in the second on an RBI single by Nico Hoerner. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five over five innings.
The Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the third when Brandon Lowe smacked his 14th home run of the season off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon.
Chicago took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong before the Pirates tied it again on rookie Konnor Griffin’s fourth home run in the bottom of the inning.
Taillon, who allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four against the team that drafted him, combined with relievers Jacob Webb (1-1), Phil Maton, Caleb Thielbar and Ethan Roberts to keep the Pirates scoreless over the final five innings.
Hoerner finished with two hits and an RBI while Swanson, Carson Kelly and Alex Bregman each had two hits for the Cubs, who totaled 14 overall.
Bryan Reynolds had three hits, including a double, for Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers place IF Kike Hernandez (oblique) on IL, recall Alex Freeland
May 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) hits a RBI double in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers returned infielder Kike Hernandez to the injured list on Wednesday due to a left oblique strain. With Hernandez back on the shelf after a mere two-game return, infielder Alex Freeland has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Hernandez, who started the season on the IL due to offseason elbow surgery, was activated Monday and started his season 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs before exiting Tuesday’s 15-6 win over the Colorado Rockies with the injury.
While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t share a timeline for how long Hernandez will be out, he did admit that his MRI showed a “significant tear.”
Hernandez, 34, is in the fourth year of his second stint in Los Angeles. He’s a career .237 hitter with 131 homers and 472 RBIs over 1,278 games.
Freeland, 24, started the season on the Dodgers’ roster. He hit .235 with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBIs in 33 games before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit four homers and drove in 16 runs in 11 games.
A third-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2022 MLB Draft, Freeland made his debut for the Dodgers in 2025 and hit .190 with two homers and six RBIs in 29 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gucci taking over title sponsorship for F1's Alpine in 2027
Italian fashion company Gucci will take over as the title sponsor for Formula 1 team Alpine beginning in 2027. The Alpine Formula 1 team will have a new look next year when Gucci takes over as the title sponsor.
The Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team will feature the sponsor’s red and green color scheme, a switch from Alpine’s current blue and pink.
According to Alpine, the agreement will create “a new business and experiential platform built around the values of performance, precision, discipline, and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.”
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore added in a statement, in part, “Partnering with a prestigious brand of Gucci’s calibre in Formula 1 as title partner of Alpine Formula One Team is something I am incredibly proud of.
“Not only that, but I am also excited about the possibilities the partnership with Gucci brings and the great things we can achieve together at a global level. The Enstone Team has a history of doing things differently to others and has previously shown that fashion can finish first in Formula 1.
“With the improved performance on track, and Alpine having its best-ever points total to start a season, this new collaboration with Gucci shows the growing momentum behind the team.”
Gucci president and chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini lauded the company becoming the first luxury fashion house to act as the title sponsor of an F1 team.
“That reflects our ambition for the brand and the role we want Gucci to play on this stage,” Bellettini said. “Formula 1 represents today a unique convergence of performance, culture, and global reach, and Alpine Formula One Team is the right partner to bring this vision to life.
“Gucci Racing is more than a presence on the grid. It is an expression of who we are and where we want to take the brand. And there is much more to come. We are grateful to Alpine and the entire Renault Group for sharing this ambition with us.”
After coming in last place (10th) in the F1 team standings in 2025, Alpine currently sit in fifth place. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly holds eighth place in the driver standings, and teammate Franco Colapinto sits in 11th.
–Field Level Media
