w Page 48 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Roki Sasaki needs strong start for Dodgers against Cardinals
With a proven veteran ready to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff, every start counts for the existing members of the rotation.,All eyes will be on right-hander Roki Sasaki when he starts for the Dodgers on Saturday in a road game against the St. Louis Cardinals.,Los Angeles left-hand...

Walt Weiss, Braves pursue more success vs. Rockies
Walt Weiss had a successful return to Coors Field on Friday, and the Atlanta manager hopes to make it two straight wins there when the Braves play the second of three games against the Colorado Rockies in Denver on Saturday night.,Atlanta will send left-hander Chris Sale (5-1, 2.31 ERA) to the mound...

Tigers battling bullpen woes as Rangers visit
The concerns about the Detroit Tigers' bullpen figure to be amplified following another late-inning setback.,Detroit has lost three of its last four games heading into Saturday night's matchup against the visiting Texas Rangers, who opened the three-game series with a 5-4 win on Friday.,Detroit rall...

Phillies clash with Marlins, work to continue turnaround under Don Mattingly
After a slow start to the season, the Philadelphia Phillies have a simple -- and obvious -- goal under interim manager Don Mattingly.,"We've got to win ballgames," right-hander Zack Wheeler said after the Phillies defeated the Marlins 6-5 on Friday night in Miami. "You can't get too far behind. The ...

Rays' Griffin Jax adjusting to potential new role as Giants await
Tampa Bay right-hander Griffin Jax may be taking a new step in his career on Saturday evening when the Rays meet the San Francisco Giants in St. Petersburg, Fla. ,For the second time this season, the career reliever will make a start and perhaps get settled into what could be a new role. ,Jax, 31, s...

Red Sox eager to ride Jarren Duran's blast to another victory over Astros
There were encouraging signs from the Boston Red Sox's offense on Friday night, and the team will look to build on that performance when it hosts the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon., ,Jarren Duran's three-run home run was the big blow in Boston's 3-1 victory Friday. The home run, Duran's secon...

Stingy starters take mound for Brewers, Nationals
Milwaukee's William Contreras will aim to extend his torrid hitting stretch when the Brewers visit the Washington Nationals for the second game of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon.,Contreras had four hits and drove in three runs in the Brewers' 6-1 win on Friday. That performance came after...

Losing streak over, Pirates strive for another win vs. Reds
Fresh from snapping their five-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look for back-to-back wins when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon.,The Pirates hit four home runs in Friday's 9-1 rout of the Reds, including two by catcher Henry Davis, who scored three times and drove ...

Guardians' Rhys Hoskins making new hometown memories vs. A's
Two decades ago, the young-teen version of Rhys Hoskins could be found on the right-field lawn at what is now called Sutter Health Park, hoping a home-run ball would come his way.,The Sacramento, Calif., native did himself one better on Friday night by sending a souvenir into the small set of seats ...

Red-hot Ildemaro Vargas, struggling D-backs gear up for Cubs
Arizona's Ildemaro Vargas is the top hitter in baseball now that he has reached the qualifying threshold, but that might not mean the kidding will stop.,Vargas raised his batting average to a major-league-leading .404 with a four-hit game in the Diamondbacks' 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday, ...

'Wrecking ball' Ben Rice, Yankees take on Orioles again
In the offseason, the New York Yankees never sought Pete Alonso in free agency because they were confident in Ben Rice's bat and development.,Through the first month of the season, Rice is among the best hitters in baseball, and the Yankees hope to see more productive at-bats from their first basema...

Blue Jays flying high as they continue surge against Twins
The player known as "Big Oak" is starting to swing the lumber.,That could be bad news for the Minnesota Twins as they face the Toronto Blue Jays and their hard-hitting third baseman, Kazuma Okamoto, on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.,Okamoto is coming off the first two-homer game of his brief car...

Red-hot Carson Hocevar tops Kyle Busch to win Truck race in Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The glass slipper still firmly on his foot from last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega, Carson Hocevar mashed the gas in overtime on Friday night and ran away to victory in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.,Beating runner-up and Spire Motorsports teammate...

USL, players' union reach tentative CBA deal
The United Soccer League is set for at least four years of labor peace after coming to a tentative agreement with the players' union on a collective bargaining agreement.,The league and the USL Players Association wrote in a statement that the agreement represents "a significant step forward for the...

Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey arrested on fake ID, alcohol charges
Minnesota starting quarterback Drake Lindsey was arrested Friday for allegedly using a fake ID and for possessing alcohol as a minor.,The arrest took place in Lindsey's native Arkansas, where Fayetteville police responded to a call from a bar in town about a possible fake identification.,Per a preli...

Kazuma Okamoto's first 2-homer game guides Blue Jays past Twins
Kazuma Okamoto hit two homers and drove in three runs as the Toronto Blue Jays pulled away for a 7-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night in Minneapolis.,Yohendrick Pinango finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Toronto, which evened the series at one win apiece. Lenyn Sosa went 3-for-4 with a d...

Fire, Cincinnati bring unbeaten streaks into rematch of draw
Two weeks after playing to a draw, the Chicago Fire and visiting FC Cincinnati battle again on Saturday.,The 3-3 draw in Cincinnati on April 18 contributed to both teams' ongoing unbeaten streaks in MLS play. FC Cincinnati (3-4-3, 12 points) are 1-0-3 in their last four regular-season matches, while...

Dynamo strive for more clinical finishing vs. Rapids
Houston Dynamo coach Ben Olsen wants a sharper offensive performance when his club hosts the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.,The Dynamo (4-5-0, 12 points) have struggled to capitalize on possessions around the box, a trend that Olsen said must improve.,"We are a little toothless in our attack," Olsen s...

NBA fines Mitchell Robinson, Dyson Daniels for tussle
The NBA handed out fines on Friday to New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels for their on-court altercation the night before.,Robinson was docked $50,000 and Daniels was fined $25,000. NBA head of basketball operations James Jones announced that Robinson's fig...

Galaxy in need of 3 points vs. Whitecaps
While there's a lot of time left in the MLS season, it's also true that every result you book now means one less you need in October.,That's why the Los Angeles Galaxy could use three points from Saturday night's fixture with the Vancouver Whitecaps in Carson, Calif.,While Vancouver (8-1-0, 24 point...