Category: Sports News

The Dodgers scored three runs in the sixth inning to back a strong start by Emmet Sheehan to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium and salvage a series split after dropping the first two games.

Teoscar Hernández figured prominently on both sides of the ball in and around left field on Thursday, and it was his third hit of the night that finally chased San Francisco starter Landen Roupp with one out in the sixth inning with a tie score and runners on second and third base.

Left-hander Matt Gage was called in for his third appearance of the series and struck out lefty-hitting Dalton Rushing for the second out of the frame. Alex Call, a right-handed batter, pinch-hit for Hyeseong Kim, and dunked a single into short right field to give the Dodgers their second lead of the night, and he took second base on the throw home. Call scored on the second single of the game by Miguel Rojas, who started at shortstop for Mookie Betts.

It took until the sixth inning of the seventh and final game, but the three runs in the sixth marked the Dodgers’ largest-scoring frame of the homestand.

Hernández had no extra-base hits in his previous 15 games before this series, but doubled twice on Thursday, including a third-inning ball to the right field wall that set up another run. Hernández was caught between third base and home later in the frame, when Rojas attempted a safety squeeze but bunted it right back to pitcher Landen Roupp. Rojas was so displeased with the bunt that he slammed his helmet to the dirt when the inning ended one out later without another run scoring.

Sheehan was effective all night against the Giants, inducing 19 swinging strikes — his second-most in a start this season — including 10 whiffs on the fastball and seven on the slider. That fueled Sheehan’s six strikeouts in six innings in which he nearly escaped unscathed.

San Francisco didn’t get a hit off Sheehan until Rafael Devers dropped a bloop single into shallow left field in the fourth inning. Sheehan walked a pair, both after 0-2 counts, including one in the fifth to Drew Gilbert. The second hit against Sheehan was another properly placed looper into left field, this one by Jung Hoo Lee that somehow managed to scoot past Hernández for an inside-the-park two-run home run.

Instead of a 2-0 lead in which Sheehan was relatively cruising, suddenly the game was tied. But he rebounded to retire his next four batters to complete six innings for the third time this season.

Sheehan famously pitched six scoreless no-hit innings against the Giants in his major league debut at Dodger Stadium in 2023, and has allowed only four runs and five hits with 31 strikeouts in 28 innings against them for a 1.29 ERA in five career games, including four career starts.

Notes

• Call has four hits in six at-bats as a pinch-hitter this season, including a double. Rest of the Dodgers have two hits in 25 pinch-hit at-bats.
• Hernández in the series had three multi-hit games and three total doubles in the four games.
• With Shohei Ohtani sitting, Will Smith got the start at designated hitter on Thursday after catching the first three games. Smith batted leadoff for the first time in his career and homered in the first inning.

Thursday particulars

Home runs: Will Smith (4); Jung Hoo Lee (3)

WP — Emmet Sheehan (3-1): 6 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts

LP — Landen Roupp (5-4): 5 1/3 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (4): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

Technically the Dodgers are on the road next, though close enough for many to still sleep at home, starting a three-game series against the Angels on Friday night (6:38 p.m.; SportsNet LA, KTTV channel 11) in Anaheim. Blake Snell goes in the opener, with Jack Kochanowicz on the mound for the Halos.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were silenced by the Nashville Sounds (Brewers), 6-5.

Starter Doug Nikhazy struggled with control tonight, walking seven batters in just 3.1 innings. But he kept the Sounds to only two hits and two runs. He struck out four.

Luis Peralta pitched the seventh inning, gave up an unearned run on no hits and took the loss. He walked one and struck out one.

The I-Cubs rally in the top of the ninth fell short. I don’t normally, or ever, show the highlights of the opposing team, but I will make an exception in this case. This is the deep fly that Justin Dean hit that Jordyn Adams turned into a game-ending double play.

Dean was 1 for 4 with the sacrifice fly. He also scored one run.

Pedro Ramírez started this game in left field, the first time he’s played the position since four games with South Bend 2024. He did move to third base in the eighth inning after BJ Murray was pinch-run for. Anyway, Ramírez went 4 for 5 with a stolen base. He scored one run and drove in one.

Murray went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He also had one RBI and one run scored.

First baseman Jonathon Long was 2 for 5 with one run scored.

Catcher Christian Bethancourt was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies poached the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 5-1.

Jake Knapp was activated off the injured list and got the Smokies off to a good start. Knapp did not allow a run or a hit over 2.2 innings. He struck out five and walked just one.

Knapp was relieved after 45 pitches by Jace Beck, who pitched the next three innings and got the win. Beck allowed one unearned run on two hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Frankie Scalzo Jr. pitched the next 2.1 innings without allowing a run and Evan Taylor threw a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.

Left fielder Carter Trice hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning. It was Trice’s second-straight game with a home run, his third in four games and his fifth overall. Trice went 1 for 5.

In the second inning, catcher Ethan Hearn connected for a solo home run, his second on the year. Hearn was 2 for 4.

In the third inning, the Smokies smashed their third home run of the game. This one came with a man on and off the bat of right fielder Alex Ramírez. It was his third home run of the season. Ramírez was 2 for 5 with three overall runs batted in.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs called the exterminator on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 25-6. No, that’s not a typo.

South Bend actually fell behind in this game early as starter Ethan Flanagan allowed three runs in the bottom of the first. But Flanagan settled down and finished with three runs on five hits over four innings. He walked two, hit one batter and struck out five.

South Bend came back to take a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Kevin Valdez coughed up the lead with two runs in that frame. However, Valdez got the win because South Bend scored 19 runs from the seventh through the ninth inning. Valdez’s final line was two runs on two hits over three innings. He struck out an excellent seven batters while walking two.

The Cubs scored 25 runs on 20 hits and 15 walks. South Bend scored one run in the fourth, two in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh, nine in the eighth and six more in the ninth. Only in the ninth inning did the Rattlers throw a position player on the mound.

Matt Halbach gave the Cubs a charge in the seventh inning with a three-run home run, his third of the year. Wisconsin literally couldn’t get Halbach out as he went 5 for 5 with two walks tonight. Halbach drove in six runs and scored five times.

Catcher Justin Stransky hit a grand slam in the ninth off of the position player. It was his second on the season. Stransky went 1 for 3 with two walks. He scored twice and had five total runs batted in.

Left fielder Kane Kepley was 4 for 5 with two walks and four stolen bases. He now has 23 steals in 29 games. Kepley scored five runs and drove in two.

Right fielder Leonel Espinoza went 2 for 5 with a double and a walk. He also stole one base. Espinoza score twice and drove in two.

Center fielder Kade Snell was 2 for 5 with two walks. Snell scored four runs and drove in two.

Second baseman Alex Madera went 2 for 3 with three walks. Madera drove home three and scored two times.

Shortstop Christian Olivo was 2 for 6 with a triple and a steal. He scored two runs and had two RBI.

Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit.

Here are some early highlights.

Halbach’s home run.

And here’s the nine-run eighth.

The six-run ninth.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans shot five-under par against the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves), 6-1.

Starter Dominick Reid tossed six scoreless innings and got the win. Reid surrendered just one hit and faced just one batter over the minimum. The one hit was an infield single in the fourth and that runner was thrown out trying to steal. The other baserunner was an error in the sixth. Reid struck out four.

Left fielder Geuri Lubo clubbed a two-run home run in the second inning, his first with the Pelicans and second overall. Lubo was 1 for 4.

Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn hit his fifth home run of the year. It came with a man on in the seventh. Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with a two-run double in the third, giving him four overall RBI.

Shortstop Alexis Hernandez went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Hernandez scored twice.

Highlights.

ACL Cubs

Beat the Padres, 10-9.

The Yankees made it almost a month into the season without any real injury concerns. They have spent the three weeks since making up for that.

Max Fried became the latest and most important piece to enter an MRI tube Thursday, with the Yankees’ hopes and dreams potentially riding on the result of it.

Fried left Wednesday’s start in Baltimore after just three innings due to left elbow posterior soreness.

While the left-hander insisted he was “not too worried about a super long-term thing,” Thursday’s imaging and examination by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad would have the final say on that.

Even if the tests rule out the worst, it would be somewhat surprising if Fried was able to make his next start Tuesday in The Bronx against the Blue Jays, meaning the Yankees would likely need a spot starter for at least a turn or two until Gerrit Cole is ready to come off the injured list, likely by the end of this month.

With some strong rotation depth, the Yankees are in a position to withstand a short-term Fried absence.

The top candidates to replace him, should he need a stint on the injured list, would be Elmer Rodríguez and Brendan Beck.

Rodríguez, who made two spot starts after Luis Gil (now on the IL at Triple-A with shoulder inflammation) was optioned and before Carlos Rodón returned, is scheduled to start Saturday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Beck started there Wednesday, meaning Tuesday would be his regular day to pitch if needed.

Both Rodríguez and Beck would only be eligible to be recalled if they are replacing an injured player, since they were both optioned within the last 15 days.

Fried, meanwhile, became the latest Yankees injury worry after Giancarlo Stanton, Jasson Domínguez and José Caballero all landed on the IL within the last three weeks.

Caballero’s injury was the most recent, suffering a fracture in his right middle finger Sunday, although he also is expected to be the first to return from the IL — as soon as his 10 days are up, if it is up to him.

The Atlanta Braves were unable to come away with the series sweep after Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Chris Sale got the start, where he threw six innings. He allowed an unearned run, walked two, and recorded eight strikeouts.

On the other side of the ball, the Braves’ bats were quiet, with the offense tallying just five hits on the night. The Chicago bullpen was not messing around and sat down the Braves as soon as they walked to the plate. 

Atlanta fell to 30-14 on the season but despite the loss, still managed to win the series over the NL Central-leading Cubs. 

More Braves News:

The Braves wrap up the homestand with a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox. Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes are expected to start. 

Walt Weiss discussed several lessons learned from Bobby Cox.

Eric Hartman continues to shine for the Rome Emperors, this time robbing a home run. More in the minor league recap.

MLB News:

The Washington Nationals signed left-hander Alex Young to a minor league deal. For now, he has been assigned to the Florida Coast League but will make the transition to Triple-A.

The Athletics have acquired lefty Jose Suarez from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash. Prior to the Mariners, Suarez was a Brave, but he was designated for assignment earlier this month. 

For the first time in his career, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has been placed on the 10-day injured list. He is dealing with an oblique strain, and there is not yet a timetable for his return.

From the Feed:

After Thursday’s low-scoring series finale, cast your vote for Braves player of the game. 

LOS ANGELES — Two nights after Eric Haase etched his name in the lore of the Giants’ rivalry with the Dodgers as the first San Francisco catcher to homer twice in one game at Dodger Stadium, his teammate made more history in the same venue.

Only, Jung Hoo Lee took the long way.

What looked like a bloop hit that landed on the warning track down the left-field line morphed into the first inside-the-park home run by a Giant inside their arch rivals’ ballpark, rounding the bases while Teoscar Hernandez gave chase as the ball careened away from him in the left-field corner.

The Giants outfielder dove across home plate as the throw from cutoff man Miguel Rojas sailed over catcher Dalton Rushing’s head, completing his 360-foot sprint around the base paths that tied the score at 2 in the fifth inning of the finale of the four-game series Thursday night.

That, however, proved to be the only highlight — and one of just two Giants hits — in a 5-2 loss, splitting the series two games apiece.

“It was fun. I mean, it was a meaningful moment because it tied the game,” manager Tony Vitello said. “[We] were doing anything to fight and get on base.”

JUNG HOO LEE INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN!

TIE GAME! pic.twitter.com/Bu2CkdQvVv

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2026

Despite Hernandez’s misplay, there was no error assigned on the play, resulting in a rulebook inside-the-park home run — the first-ever by a Giant inside Dodger Stadium and the first by a San Francisco player since Patrick Bailey walked off the Phillies at Oracle Park last July.

“I got lucky, for sure,” Lee said through a team interpreter.

The Giants caught a break in more ways than one on the play.

Lee fought off a tough 0-2 fastball at the top of the zone from Emmet Sheehan with an inside-out swing that resulted in an exit velocity of only 73.2 mph. It would have been a difficult play to make on the fly, and when the ball bounced on the warning track dirt, it came up inches short of going into the stands, which would have put an end to the play and resulted in a ground-rule double.

Instead, the ball bounced off the wall in foul territory and away from Hernandez toward the Dodgers’ bullpen. Hernandez recovered and made a strong throw to Rojas, but the relay was late and off-line.

Giants third base coach Hector Borg windmilled Lee home. Catcher Eric Haase, who started the play on first base, scored easily. Luis Arráez, who was standing on deck, laid prone on the ground, signaling to Lee to get down. The headfirst dive ended up only as an unnecessary flourish.

Lee showed more emotion than usual upon returning to the dugout, emphatically slapping hands with his teammates, a few of whom had poured out to greet him.

“I’m not one of those players that show a lot of emotion on the field,” Lee said. “But that two-run home run tied the game. It just came out from inside of me.”

The third-year outfielder from Korea displayed more fire earlier in the series, uppercutting the air with his right fist and letting out a yell after a two-RBI double in the Giants’ win Tuesday night.

“Jungy’s really come out of his shell I think the last couple months,” Vitello said. “Anytime you see him emotional, it’s pretty fun.”

The inside-the-parker was Lee’s third homer of any variety this season and the first time in his career — dating all the way back to youth ball, he said — that he recorded one in that fashion.

There hadn’t been an inside-the-parker from anyone at Dodger Stadium, let alone their chief rivals, since Nick Ahmed did it on May 9, 2018. The last Giants player to do it against the Dodgers came at Candlestick Park, all the way back in 1981, by Larry Herndon off Fernando Valenzuela.

The Little League-style home run resulted in the Giants’ only runs off Sheehan, who otherwise mostly breezed through six innings. Their only other hit came on an equally weak piece of contact — another bloop hit, a single that dropped into shallow left field off the bat of Rafael Devers.

“When [Sheehan] is mid-90s and it’s up in the zone, it’s a challenge to lay off,” Vitello said. “He combines it with a pretty good slider and a couple other pitches tonight. But it’s really about that combo. He was pretty good. We chased up and made him better.”

Sheehan also hit a batter and walked two, including the other run that came home to score on the play.

Hernandez, for his part, quickly made up for the defensive blunder with his bat.

The Dodgers’ slugger had already doubled twice when he came up for a third time and proceeded to reach second again — although it was later ruled a single — putting runners on second and third and knocking San Francisco starter Landen Roupp out of the game with one out in the sixth.

Two batters later, Hernandez came around to score on two-run single to right from pinch-hitter Alex Call, effectively negating Lee’s two-run homer and giving the Dodgers the lead again, 4-2.

“It definitely got us back into the game, for sure,” Roupp said. “I kind of feel bad about giving it up.”

Yes indeed, get ready, because every sentence in this lede is going to sound more absurd than the last.

The Chicago White Sox have defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-2. They swept the Royals in a three-game series. The win has put the White Sox record at 22-21. It has also strengthened the White Sox’s grip on an American League wild card spot. They are only one game back of the Guardians for the Central Division lead.

Sorry, I had to step away for a minute so I could laugh. White Sox baseball makes me happy! I’m writing that, and I don’t even have a traumatic brain injury!

The first inning defined the tenor of the entire game. We had a “Spiderman pointing at himself” pitching matchup between Kris Bubic and Anthony Kay, two lefthanders who lean on their offspeed stuff. They even land their plant foots on the same spot of the mound, as color man Steve Stone helpfully pointed out.

It didn’t come as a shock that both clubs also had the same plan of attack against their respective opposing pitcher: Make him live up in the zone, where they’re uncomfortable. The Royals had success early on. First, Maikel García hit a leadoff single. Then, that damned Bobby Witt Jr. waited on a changeup down-and-away that he smacked for a single, moving García to third.

Kay was up for the challenge (see what I did there?): He started living up in the zone, giving up a sacrifice fly to Lane Thomas before getting Salvador Pérez to chase a head-high fastball for a strikeout, then putting away Vinnie Pasquatino on three pitches to get out of the first inning with only the one earned run.

The bottom of the inning saw started well for Bubic, as he retired Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas. Next up was Munetaka Murakami. This matchup was a double-edged sword for Mune: On one hand, he had gone 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game against Bubic. However, Murakami is finally getting to see some of these MLB pitchers a second time. It’s really quite impressive how well he’s done to this point in the season against a league full of strangers.

Familiarity was a good look on Mune, who drew a walk ahead of fledgling White Sox platoon bat Randal Grichuk. Grichuk spit on a two-strike pitch similar to what put out Vargas earlier in the inning — a high sweeper. His high offer rebuked, Bubic came down in the zone. Grichuk stayed back on the pitch and blasted it out of the ballpark. A one-run deficit flipped to a one-run lead, and Kay had the edge against Bubic in the battle of the high strike.

In the third inning, Kay had to contend with the middle of the Royals lineup. He collected two quick outs from Witt and No. 3 hitter Thomas, then forced second baseman Nick Loftin into an inning-ending fielder’s choice after Pérez muscled a slider off his hands for an ultimately harmless two-out single. And yeah, if I had my choice as a fielder, I’d probably take the force out on Pérez too.

The White Sox started the third off with a four-pitch walk by Meidroth before Vargas hit a single — waiting back on a changeup, of course. Murakami took his second walk to load the bases for Grichuk, who sliced a single into the outfield for his third and fourth runs batted in.

I have a confession to make: I took the garbage out between the top and bottom of the fourth inning, but I was a little late trudging up the stairs. When I got back to my TV, Luisangel Acuña had reached base. I guess I have to believe he got on base somehow, although without having seen it, I still have a hard time believing it. What isn’t in doubt is Acuña’s speed. He stole second base and then scored on Meidroth’s two-out single to expend the lead, 5-1.

As the Chicago bullpen began to stir, Anthony Kay worked a marvelous seven-pitch sixth inning to put the game to bed early. Kay gave up a triple to fellow lefty Kyle Isbel to open the seventh. He’d score on a García ground out induced by reliever Tyler Davis, putting Kay’s final line at 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 Ks. His six innings of work allowed Will Venable’s bullpen get some rest headed into the Crosstown series this weekend.

In the eighth inning, Sam Antonacci came off the bench to hit a double, as a little treat for the South Side fans in attendance. Antonacci came up limping into second, briefly giving everybody a heart attack, but he seemed fine as he completed his run on a Derek Hill single.

Antonacci’s run completed the scoring for the game, as first Davis and then Sean Newcomb closed the door. Regarding their performance, I bestow the highest compliment a bullpen arm can receive: Their innings were boring. And now the White Sox are better than .500 after Cinco de Mayo.

Bring on the Cubs.