v Page 644 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Cubs intend to extend crosstown dominance over White Sox
The Chicago Cubs have had little trouble with the Chicago White Sox over the last two seasons -- a trend the club wants to prolong in their Rivalry Weekend opener Friday afternoon against the visiting South Siders.,The Cubs have won five straight in the crosstown rivalry and taken seven of eight sin...

Red Sox's Garrett Crochet, Braves' Chris Sale to duel in opener
A battle of ace left-handers is on tap for Friday night as Garrett Crochet's Boston Red Sox face old friend Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a three-game weekend series in Boston.,"It's going to be a fun night," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.. "Obviously, hate to face Chris, ...

Journalism named morning line favorite for 150th Preakness Stakes
Two weeks after losing the Kentucky Derby, Journalism gets a second crack at a Triple Crown jewel as the 3-year-old colt is the morning line favorite for the Preakness Stakes on Saturday in Baltimore.,Trainer Michael McCarthy's stakes-winning horse, who started the Derby as the 3-1 favorite, rallied...

Reds' Terry Francona faces Guardians, his former employer
In 11 years as Cleveland's manager, Terry Francona earned 921 wins, led the team to six playoff appearances and came within one game of claiming the 2016 World Series title.,In seven weeks as the Cincinnati Reds' manager, Francona has earned just 21 wins as his talented squad has yet to live up to i...

Eager Valkyries prepared for WNBA debut against Sparks
When the Golden State Valkyries open WNBA play on Friday night, the initial goal is simply to be competitive.,The expansion Valkyries begin pursuit of that mission when they face the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco.,Golden State can use one hand to count the victories by the WNBA's last expansio...

'Full-circle moment' as Paige Buckers opens Wings career vs. Lynx
Paige Bueckers grew up just outside of Minneapolis, where she shined at basketball and admired the Minnesota Lynx.,Now, Bueckers is about to make her WNBA debut against the team she grew up watching. The Dallas Wings selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, and she is eager to ...

Jhonattan Vegas grabs surprise lead at PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE -- Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas surged into the lead late in the first round of the PGA Championship, shooting a 7-under-par 64 on Thursday at Quail Hollow Club.,Vegas, who started on No. 10, posted birdies on five of his final six holes. He capped it with a 27-foot putt on his last hole.,C...

D-backs in search of traction against downtrodden Rockies
The Arizona Diamondbacks will get their first view at the new-look Colorado Rockies this weekend, although the Rockies have looked a lot like their old selves since owner Dick Monfort fired manager Bud Black on Sunday.,Buoyed by the return of Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks have won three of five game...

Padres' Stephen Kolek out to shut down Mariners, his former club
In tossing 14 1/3 scoreless innings during his first two MLB starts, San Diego Padres right-hander Stephen Kolek has at the very least staked his claim on a rotation spot down the road, even though Yu Darvish is about to come off the injured list.,Kolek has a chance to make another statement Friday ...

Dream, Mystics take on '25 season after hitting reset button
Two first-year head coaches hoping to record the first victory of their respective WNBA careers will square off on opening night on Friday, when the Washington Mystics host the Atlanta Dream.,Washington, which parted ways with former head coach Eric Thibault after a 33-47 mark over two seasons, hire...

Royals face Cardinals out to rediscover recent form
The St. Louis Cardinals enter rivalry weekend filled with confidence, while still amid their most successful stretch of the season. ,Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals have cooled off since their lengthy winning run. ,The "I-70 Series" begins Friday night at Kansas City, where the Royals look to keep...

Ranger Suarez, Phillies take on new-look Pirates
Left-hander Ranger Suarez will try to build on what manager Rob Thomson called a "fantastic" start when he takes the mound Friday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.,An All-Star last season, Suarez (1-0, 5.91 ERA) began the season on the injured list w...

Nuggets G Jamal Murray (illness) listed as questionable vs. Thunder
The Denver Nuggets have listed star guard Jamal Murray as questionable due to illness before Thursday night's critical Game 6 against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.,The Nuggets trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series to the top-seeded Thunder.,Fourth-seeded Denver alr...

Alive and well, Celtics out to even series vs. Knicks in Game 6
It appears it wasn't mentioned to the Boston Celtics that they were supposed to go away quietly in the wake of Jayson Tatum's devastating Achilles injury.,The Celtics were loud and boisterous while facing elimination and won in dominant fashion Wednesday. Now, they have the opportunity to even the E...

Mets' Juan Soto expects 'fun' time in return to Yankee Stadium
Toward the end of last season and into a postseason run where the New York Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009, the affection between the fans and All-Star outfielder Juan Soto was evident and highlighted by daily "re-sign Soto" chants.,Six weeks after the Yankees lost Game 5...

AJ Smith-Shawver leads Braves past slumping Nationals
AJ Smith-Shawver threw six quality innings and Drake Baldwin tallied three hits and an RBI, helping lead the Atlanta Braves to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.,Smith-Shawver (3-2) allowed one unearned run on two hits while striking out six and walking two f...

Panthers looking to close out wilting Leafs in Game 6
The Florida Panthers know it won't be easy finishing off the Toronto Maple Leafs.,After all, Florida went 4-5 in elimination games last season en route to winning the Stanley Cup.,The Panthers will get their first opportunity to knock out the Maple Leafs when they meet in Game 6 of the Eastern Confe...

GM survey: Napheesa Collier MVP, Lynx to win title
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier is favored to win MVP honors and lead her Lynx to the WNBA title, according to the results of the league's annual survey of general managers released Thursday.,Collier was runner-up for the award last season, when she earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and ...

5-star LB Xavier Griffin decommits from USC
Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin has decommitted from Southern California's 2026 recruiting class.,The Gainesville, Ga., native committed to the Trojans' top-ranked class last July but reopened his recruiting on Wednesday ahead of the summer official visit window.,The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Griffin ...
How I Could Defend Nikola Jokic (Seriously)
He’s slow. He can’t jump. And if I were 6-7, I’d lock him down. A former high school basketball player explains why guarding Nikola Jokic isn’t as hard as it looks....