Category: American Sports

Rhyne Howard had 21 points and eight rebounds on Sunday afternoon to help the Atlanta Dream rally for an 82-80 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in College Park, Ga.

Allisha Gray added 18 points and Angel Reese posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double for Atlanta (4-1), which trailed by 12 with five minutes left. Jordin Canada had 11 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in the win.

Alyssa Thomas had 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Phoenix (2-5), which dropped its fifth game in six tries. Kahleah Copper chipped in 20 points, while Jovana Nogic scored 11 and Kyara Linskens finished with 10.

After trailing by seven at halftime, Atlanta began the second half on a 10-4 spurt to slice its deficit to a point on Reese’s hook shot.

From there, the Dream made just one field goal across the final seven minutes of the third quarter and Phoenix took a 57-49 lead into the fourth.

Howard’s 3-pointer and Gray’s layup cut the Dream’s deficit to three, but Thomas’ mid-range jumper stamped a 7-0 run to extend the margin to 10 with 7:37 remaining.

After Te-Hina Paopao and Howard connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the margin to 70-64, Thomas made a layup and Reese picked up a technical foul for arguing. Copper made the technical free throw to push Phoenix’s lead to nine at the 3:44 mark.

Atlanta mounted another rally, though, as Isobel Borlase’s 3-pointer pulled the Dream within two. After a challenge overturned Reese’s shooting foul, Canada’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining gave the Dream their first lead since the 8:35 mark of the first quarter.

Noemie Brochant then missed a jumper and Howard hit a 3-pointer to extend Atlanta’s advantage to 79-75. Copper answered with a 3-pointer, before Reese made a foul shot but missed the second. Naz Hillmon pulled down the offensive rebound and Gray made both free throws to give the Dream an 82-78 advantage with 7.9 seconds left.

Reese fouled Copper on a 3-point attempt with 3.5 seconds left. Copper made the first two and Natasha Mack got the rebound on the purposefully missed third, but the Mercury were unable to get off a shot as time expired.

–Field Level Media

The Baltimore Orioles will be eager to build momentum and the Detroit Tigers are anxious to snap out of their funk.

There could be ample opportunities for those scenarios when the teams meet in Sunday’s day-night doubleheader in Baltimore.

With Saturday’s game rained out and a shaky forecast for Sunday, it might not be a smooth day of action.

Yet there’s a big push to get the games played Sunday as this series marks the only scheduled visit of the season for the Tigers in Baltimore.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said it’s crucial that the team focus on what they can control and not become consumed with the possibilities regarding the schedule.

“There’s always the thought of coming back here (to make up a game or two), but we can’t get our heads too far down that path,” Hinch said.

The teams played through wet conditions when the Orioles won 7-4 in Friday night’s series opener.

Once again, Baltimore first baseman Pete Alonso has been leading the rallying cry that the Orioles are on the verge of a sustained breakthrough, delivering his 10th homer and four total RBIs in the win.

“I still believe in these guys,” Alonso said. “This team, this organization, I think we’re right there, and I just think collectively, once we kind of get the ball rolling, so to speak, and starting to connect the dots on all sides of the ball … it’s going to be a lovely snowball effect when we get it going.”

The result from the series opener left Detroit with a seven-game losing streak and losses in 15 of its past 17 games. Much of the shortcomings are connected to the offense, as the Tigers are batting a combined .199 since May 3.

The teams combined to use 11 pitchers Friday night, so the rainout allowed them to replenish their bullpens.

The Orioles are expected to use right-hander Brandon Young (3-1, 4.25 ERA) and left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-5, 6.87) as Sunday’s starting pitchers in Game 1 and 2, respectively.

Young has allowed two runs in each of his last two outings, but those covered only a total of nine innings. He has faced Detroit only once, picking up his first big-league decision on April 26, 2025 with a loss when he worked 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs in a road assignment.

Rogers posted victories in his first two outings, but he hasn’t reached the six-inning mark in his last five starts, taking the loss in all of them. In his last three games, he’s surrendered 17 runs (16 earned) in a combined 9 1/3 innings.

The Tigers also might have a left-hander and right-hander in starting roles on the mound.

Right-hander Troy Melton appears ready for his season debut in the big leagues after rehabilitation assignments that included throwing Tuesday in a Class-A game for Lakeland. Prior to the start of the series, Hinch called the possibility of having Melton in a game this weekend likely. Bringing Melton on board would have to involve player moves that would include the 40-man roster.

The Tigers will use lefty Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.58), who’s 0-2 with a 6.12 ERA across his last five outings, in the first game of the day. Valdez has faced the Orioles seven times in his career — all while with the Houston Astros — and holds a 1-2 mark with a 4.17 ERA across 41 innings.

–Field Level Media

Memorial Day, which is the unofficial first major mile marker of the Major League Baseball season, arrives next Monday — which is May 25, the earliest possible date for the final Monday of May.

Of course, the Major League Baseball season started earlier than ever this year, so Memorial Day remains a pivotal point for everyone — especially those who are struggling. Here’s a look at nine players for whom it’s no longer too early to get worried.

—Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres 3B & 2B/RF: A 2-for-1 deal here for the Padres, who are in the thick of the National League West race with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite their franchise players batting a combined .209 with seven homers — all by Machado — and 37 RBIs. The slow start for Machado, whose .178 average is the fifth-lowest amongst qualified batters, is a reminder he’s going on 34 and hasn’t posted an .800 OPS since 2022. And Tatis possessing a .590 OPS — the 11th-lowest in the game — is a reminder his post-PED bust OPS of .781 is nearly 200 points lower than his pre-PED bust OPS of .965. Oh and Machado is signed through 2033 and Tatis through 2034. Gulp.

—Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles SS, and Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies SS: It’s not good when the AL and NL leaders in at-bats (209 for Henderson, 201 for Turner) are both posting an on-base percentage below .300. Henderson (10 homers, 24 RBIs) is providing some pop, but he’s got 14 walks and 63 strikeouts after entering the season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of a little more than 2:1. Plate judgment has never been a strength of Turner, who has walked more than 45 times just once in nine full seasons, but the defending NL batting champ is hitting just .236, which would be his lowest mark since a 27-game cameo as a rookie in 2015.

—Bo Bichette, New York Mets 3B/SS: Of course one of the game’s most consistent and clutch hitters forgets how to hit and hit in the clutch upon joining the Mets. Bichette, who took to third base pretty well before shifting back to shortstop following injuries to Francisco Lindor and Ronny Mauricio, is batting just .225 overall and .200 with runners in scoring position, well below his career marks of .290 and .322, respectively. His three homers in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday were two more than he had in his first 46 games combined.

—Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants 3B: The Giants, whose 173 runs are the fewest in the majors, have no shortage of disappointments in their lineup. But nobody’s struggles are as jarring as those being endured by Chapman, who has one homer, 13 extra-base hits and a .312 slugging percentage in 186 at-bats after averaging 23 homers, 54 extra-base hits and a .458 slugging percentage per season over his first nine years.

—Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners P: Gilbert entered this season with a 3.58 ERA while allowing an average of one homer every 7.5 innings over his first five seasons. But he has a 4.45 ERA in 11 starts this year while surrendering 11 roundtrippers, tied for the most in the AL. The Mariners have no shortage of quality starting pitchers, but they need something close to a peak Gilbert to make another run at that elusive first pennant.

—Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies P: Nola was one of baseball’s most reliable pitchers from 2015 through 2024, when he ranked amongst the top five in wins (fifth with 104), strikeouts (third with 1,779) and innings pitched (fourth with 1,621 1/3) while posting a 3.70 ERA. But the mileage might have caught up to Nola, who posted a 6.01 ERA while being limited to 17 starts due to ankle and rib injuries last year and has a 6.04 ERA this year, the second-worst amongst qualified starters.

—Framber Valdez, Detroit Tigers P: The Tigers thought they were getting one of baseball’s best No. 2 starters when they signed Valdez, who led baseball with 68 wins and ranked fifth with 902 1/3 innings pitched while posting a 3.20 ERA from 2021 through 2025. But Valdez is 2-3 with a 4.58 ERA for Detroit, which is without ace Tarik Skubal and tied for last place in the AL Central. Valdez also got suspended five games for throwing at Trevor Story, which raised familiar questions about his maturity level.

The biggest question leading up to the announcement of the United States’ World Cup roster apparently was answered on Friday when The Athletic reported that Gio Reyna made the squad.

Reyna, 23, is a skillful playmaker, but his extensive injury history, lack of form at the club level and past attitude issues with the national team make him a controversial choice by coach Mauricio Pochettino.

In the current season, Reyna made only four starts and appeared in just 19 games for Borussia Monchengladbach. He managed just one goal and no assists.

He played the prior six seasons for Borussia Dortmund in Germany (along with a brief loan spell with Nottingham Forest in England). After starting 23 times and logging four goals and five assists for Dortmund in 2020-21, Reyna saw his playing time greatly limited due to injuries in ensuing years.

Reyna has nine goals in 36 games for the U.S. men’s national team, but his greatest domestic fame might have come as a result of his lack of playing time at the 2022 World Cup. He reportedly was nearly kicked off the squad due to his reaction to being a reserve.

The other big surprise regarding the reported U.S. roster is the absence of Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna. In 18 national-team appearances, the 22-year-old has four goals. He is known for his gritty approach, personified by him staying in a friendly last year against Costa Rica despite breaking his nose.

Players who were on the bubble but did make the U.S. squad, according the report, were Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner, Toulouse (France) center back Mark McKenzie and Leeds United (England) winger Brenden Aaronson.

Berhalter, 25, is the son of ex-USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino is scheduled to reveal the 26-man roster at a Tuesday event in New York.

–Field Level Media

Some prefer to bet on MLB futures over games, where one wager can keep them invested in the outcome of games for most, if not all, of the season.

Of course, if I make a bad call and the player/team struggles and falls out of contention early, the opposite is true.

But pick right and bet early in the season (like now) and you can lock in a nice price for a contender that will result in a solid payday. I’m not talking about betting on something like the Braves to win the NL East (currently -380 at FanDuel).

No, I’m talking about markets with at least +100 odds, because I want to at least double my money. So, with that in mind, here are the three MLB futures bets I am locking in right now.

National League Winner

Los Angeles Dodgers at +100 (FanDuel)

No one in the NL can hold a candle to these guys.

Despite a 13-game stretch in late April/early May that saw them lose nine games, they lead their division and have the second-best record in the NL. LA’s pitching staff has the second-best ERA in the NL, best WHIP, second-lowest OBA, and has given up the fourth-fewest home runs. They are just as dominant on offense (best OPS, second-best BA, second-most home runs, etc.)

With how the season is shaping up, this may be the last chance you’ll have to get them at plus money odds. So, if you are thinking about betting on the Dodgers, the time is now.

AL MVP Winner

Ben Rice at +1900

Last year, Aaron Judge was the clear and obvious choice for the AL. He wasn’t just a one-trick pony; he hit for power (53 home runs, .688 slugging) but also got on base (.331 BA, .457 OBP). His OPS was by far the best in the AL (1.145).

But this season, at least so far, he’s looking more like a home run and less like the total package. By that metric, Ben Rice is just as valuable, if not more so, than Judge. Both are tied for second in the AL in home runs with 16, but Rice leads the AL in slugging percentage and OPS.

It may not last, or Judge could come alive, but if it does, you’ll be happy you locked him in at +1900.

AL Manager of the Year

Will Venable +460 (FanDuel)

It’s easy to make a case for Rays manager Kevin Cash just because his team is leading the AL East and beating the Yankees. But, I think, when push comes to shove, voters will recognize Venable over him (assuming both seasons play out on their current trajectory).

Cash will have a solid case, but I’d argue that taking a perennial doormat like the White Sox and leading them to even a wild card spot in his second year as manager is a greater accomplishment.

Of course, at 25-24, the season could easily go south for the White Sox. But if you believe this team is for real and ready to be competitive, lock in Venable at +460 before those odds get shorter.