e Page 22 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Brittney Griner, Sun finding their footing while Mercury has gone cold
Brittney Griner will return to Phoenix for only the second time following her 11-year career with the Mercury when the Connecticut Sun visit for consecutive games, beginning with a contest on Friday night.,Connecticut (6-18) will then play Phoenix (8-17) on Sunday in a two-game set between two strug...

Mariners see reasons for optimism heading into series against Giants
Leave it to Jerry Dipoto to look on the bright side.,"If the season ended today, somehow, magically, we're in the playoffs," said Dipoto, the Seattle Mariners' president of baseball operations.,For as much hand-wringing there has been in the Pacific Northwest about the Mariners' dreary season, Dipot...

Cards, D-backs open second half in thick of NL wild-card hunt
It was a middling first half of the season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hovering around the .500 mark for much of the campaign. However, things started to look up leading into the All-Star break, with the Diamondbacks winning four straight, including a three-game sweep against the league-leading Lo...

Eduard Lowen's late PK lifts St. Louis City over Sporting KC
Eduard Lowen converted a penalty for the eventual match-winner in the 86th minute, and St. Louis City recovered from a blown two-goal lead to defeat visiting Sporting Kansas City 3-2 on Thursday night.,In its first match since May 23, St. Louis (5-6-4, 19 points) saw a two-goal lead vanish as Capita...

Series at sliding A's could be just the boost the Nationals need
The Washington Nationals haven't been part of the postseason since winning the 2019 World Series, but they hope to kick off a run toward a berth when they resume play after the All-Star break against the struggling Athletics on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.,The Nationals have experienced s...

Tigers hope for happy homecoming for Troy Melton against Angels
Right-hander Troy Melton will make his first career start against his hometown team when the Detroit Tigers open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.,The hard-throwing Melton (5-1, 1.82 ERA) went to high school at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, ...

Royals, Padres look to rebound from disappointing first half of season
Both the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals have underachieved thus far in 2026.,Coming out of the All-Star break, the two look for a positive restart when they open a three-game series Friday night at Kansas City.,San Diego was a playoff team each of the past two seasons and has reached the po...

Toronto, Montreal play to scoreless draw in return from break
Toronto FC and host CF Montreal both looked less than their best in an uneventful Canadian Classique on Thursday night that ended in a 0-0 draw.,Both sides looked rusty in their return to league play following the World Cup break, frequently misplacing even simple passes. Neither Montreal (4-8-3, 15...

Earliest Opening Day in history highlights 2027 MLB schedule
Taking out Opening Night games, the Major League Baseball season has never started earlier than March 26. But the league will host its earliest Opening Day ever in 2027 as part of its regular season schedule.,On Thursday, MLB announced a start next season with an Opening Night game on March 24, foll...

Fire avenge 4OT loss by shutting down Mystics
Carla Leite scored 14 points and the visiting Portland Fire shut down the Washington Mystics in a 75-56 victory on Thursday night in a rematch that failed to match the drama from when the teams met last month.,Serah Williams notched 12 points and Sarah Ashlee Barker added 10 for the Fire (11-14), wh...

Trying to stay afloat in wild-card race, Reds face NL-worst Rockies
The Cincinnati Reds' long-shot bid to remain in the National League wild-card race resumes on Friday, when they begin a critical 10-day, nine-game trip with a matchup against the Colorado Rockies.,Eight games out of the final wild-card spot, the Reds are 23-41 since May 1 and will likely be sellers ...

Orioles try to stay hot in second half as Astros open homestand
The Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros begin the next phase of the season after the All-Star break with Friday night's game in Houston.,Somehow, these teams have managed to reach this stage of the schedule still in playoff contention in the American League.,Remaining in that position will need som...

Mets' battery combines to take down rival Phillies
Christian Scott pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Francisco Alvarez homered twice as the visiting New York Mets notched a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday., ,In the only game on the MLB slate, the Phillies and Mets played in a smoky scene due to spreading Canadian wildfires. ...

MLS-leading Nashville out to extend Atlanta United's struggles
With the best record in MLS as the season resumes, Nashville SC is in go-for-it mode.,Ahead of its home match Friday night against Atlanta United, Nashville has added to an already formidable roster by signing Tunisian winger Elias Saad and 21-year-old midfielder Famara Camara of Senegal.,Already st...

Whitecaps-Fire match postponed due to air quality conditions
Thursday's match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and host Chicago Fire was postponed until Oct. 6. The local air quality was deemed to be too dangerous for players and fans to attend the outdoor event at Soldier Field, as Chicago and much of the Great Lakes area has been impacted by wildfire smoke.,...

Twins, Cubs enter series hoping All-Star break didn't cool them off
The Chicago Cubs entered the All-Star break on a red-hot streak.,After a few days off, they will hit the play button and try to pick up from where they paused the action.,The Cubs will welcome the Minnesota Twins to open a three-game interleague series beginning Friday night at Wrigley Field. Chicag...

Nneka Ogwumike eyes Sparks' scoring record against Sky
Nneka Ogwumike told reporters after Wednesday's 96-87 loss to Minnesota that she hopes she is talking about a victory the next time she's in a press conference.,But she also took time to share thoughts on tying Lisa Leslie's mark for most points in Los Angeles Sparks history. Ogwumike scored 23 poin...

Angel Reese, Dream look to build momentum against skidding Tempo
The Atlanta Dream have won just twice in their last eight games.,Both games shared a few key highlights: Angel Reese contributed a double-double, and the Dream's defense provided a boost to their offense.,Atlanta (14-10) will try to continue both trends when it visits Toronto (10-14) on Friday. The ...

Despite strong first half, Brewers want more, starting with Marlins series
Despite a surprising first half that produced the second-best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers are hoping the All-Star break provided a reset heading into the series opener against the visiting Miami Marlins on Friday.,Right-hander Logan Henderson (3-1, 3.18 ERA) starts for the Brewers, whi...

ACC notebook: Dabo Swinney trusts Clemson's QB options
Clemson didn't bring a quarterback to ACC media days, but the Tigers' most important position battle still followed Dabo Swinney to Charlotte on Thursday.,Christopher Vizzina remains the favorite to replace Cade Klubnik, though Swinney stopped short of formally ending a competition that also include...