Worldwide Sports News

Happy Memorial Day everyone! The A’s are back at home and return to the friendly confines of Sutter Health Park still in first place in their division after a 4-3 road trip. Now the team will go head-to-head against the team that won the AL West last year and are hot on our heels this season in the Seattle Mariners. Tonight marks the opening of this three-game series that could have huge implications down the line at the end of the year.

Scheduled to get the ball tonight for the home team is veteran Aaron Civale. The right-hander has had a great season overall but got hit hard his last time on the mound. He surrendered five earned runs to the Angels in an eventual A’s win, getting bailed out by the offense down in Anaheim. He’ll carry a 3.31 ERA into tonight’s contest, a number he’ll be looking to lower and get closer to 3.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks for the series opener:

The A’s will welcome Brent Rooker back to the starting lineup after the DH got the series finale off yesterday. He’ll slide back into his usual cleanup spot behind Carlos Cortes, Nick Kurtz, and Shea Langeliers (who is back behind the plate tonight), with Tyler Soderstrom’s left-handed bat right behind him.

The back half of the lineup gets a little shuffle as center fielder Henry Bolte rises up to the sixth spot in the batting order. Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof follow at second and third base, respectively, while Darell Hernaiz also returns to the starting lineup batting ninth after getting a breather yesterday as well.

For Seattle, they’re sending their own veteran to the mound in Luis Castillo. The 10-year vet has been a reliable arm atop the Mariners’ starting rotation for years now but is perhaps beginning to show signs of falling off. The righty is having by far his worst statistical season to date as he’s consistently gotten hit hard in all of his outings. That, plus the Mariners’ deep and young rotation options, caused the M’s to reconsider his stance as one of the team’s five starting pitchers but they’re planning to stick with him for a little while longer. The A’s could push up that decision up with a big showing on offense against Castillo.

And the Mariners’ starting lineup this evening:

The A’s maintain a 2.5 game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. One win guarantees us remaining there through the series but the team should be aiming higher for a series win or possible sweep. One game at a time though. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:

Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

Nolan McLean had been dominant to begin his big-league career. 

The Mets' young right-hander appears to have officially hit his first rough patch at the highest level, though, as he’s been extremely ineffective each of his last two times out. 

The latest came on Monday afternoon, when McLean allowed runs in three straight innings and was pulled after failing to complete the top of the fourth in a series-opening loss to the Reds.

His once stellar ERA has quickly risen to 4.40 through 11 starts on the the season after allowing 16 runs (13 earned) on 13 hits and four walks over that two-outing span. 

McLean and Carlos Mendoza explained postgame Monday that the struggles have been a combination of things. 

“He’s having a hard time landing the secondary pitches,” the skipper said. “There’s a ton of movement side-to-side and not so much depth, and he’s getting into bad counts -- it comes down to execution.”

“It’s just bad pitching, honestly,” McLean added. “Getting behind in counts, not landing my off-speed pitches, and I’ve been hitting guys with two strikes -- I haven’t been pitching my best and I gotta be better.”

McLean felt that he did too much mound work this week trying to work through the issue, which led to him losing his legs after striking out the first three hitters he faced in order on Monday. 

The 24-year-old right-hander will now use this as a learning point moving forward, trying to find that balance as he works to get things right ahead of his next turn out against the Marlins. 

Mendoza and the Mets are confident that he'll be able to do just that. 

“He’s a competitor,” Mendoza emphasized. “He’s not happy, but he’s going to keep going -- this is a guy who isn’t going to back down, he’s going to show up tomorrow, put his head down and get back to work -- he’s going to get back on track.”

By now, A.J. Minter has become familiar with surgeries and recoveries. In 2024, it was for his hip. Before that, it was Tommy John and thoracic outlet syndrome procedures at Texas A&M. But this one — surgery to repair a torn lat last May and the yearlong recovery that followed — has been a “weird one,” even by Minter’s standards.

It felt easy at first. Then, a rough patch followed. Minter didn’t want to rush the recovery process, and just when it seemed earlier this month that he was on the verge of finally returning, the Mets removed him from his rehab assignment due to hip discomfort.

Minter described the setback as “super minimum,” but after resuming and making his latest minor league appearance Sunday, his return could happen as early as Tuesday or Wednesday — though it’ll arrive with a lingering velocity question he’ll need to answer.

“It’s been a difficult one for sure,” Minter told The Post of his recovery before the Mets opened a series against the Reds. “Obviously, I would love to [have] been back sooner, but just kinda taking me a little bit to get back. But I do feel like I’m in a good space physically, mentally.”

It could be a different version of the 32-year-old — at least to start. He might not have the same velocity. His fastball averaged 94.5 mph in 2024 and 2025, but during his most recent appearance for Triple-A Syracuse, Minter maxed out at just 93.7 mph and hit only 90.7 on May 20.

He hopes that will change once he returns to an MLB environment. Manager Carlos Mendoza agreed and cited an example of how that was the case for Minter in spring training last year, though he also admitted that it could take time.

“He’s still gonna be able to compete with whatever he’s got,” Mendoza said. “The 91 [mph], 92, he’s got weapons to get righties and lefties. I’m not worried about it, but it’ll be something that I’m pretty sure it’ll be a topic, but like I said, I think he’s more than capable of competing with what he has right now.”

Compared to an invisible lineup and woeful starting pitching, the Mets bullpen hasn’t been a glaring concern, as the team collected the ninth-best ERA in the majors (3.46) entering Monday’s game.

But Minter, who recorded a 1.59 ERA across 12 minor league appearances this season, would serve as another lefty alongside Brooks Raley and demoted starter Sean Manaea.

Minter has tried to avoid getting caught up in the velocity. He just wants to make hitters work and earn everything. And when that happens, when Minter makes a return that Mendoza said the lefty “can’t wait” for, it’ll cap a grueling journey back to the Mets bullpen that’s now more than a year in the making.

“Whether I’m throwing 92 or 97, I feel like I’m just gonna go out there and just attack the strike zone and see what happens,” Minter said.

Eric Lauer will make his Dodgers debut by starting against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers acquired the veteran left-hander from the Toronto Blue Jays on May 17.

It’s a battle of southpaws on the mound, with Kyle Freeland starting the middle game of the series for Colorado.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Tanner Gordon will be looking to help the Rockies break a two-game losing streak and perform better than the last time he faced the Dodgers when he takes the mound for Colorado in the series-opening game in Los Angeles tonight.

After a solid 2026 debut, when he threw four scoreless innings against the Astros on April 15, Gordon has struggled. His second game came against the Dodgers when he gave up six runs on seven hits, including three homers, in four innings in a 12-3 loss on April 20 at Coors Field.

In seven starts, Gordon is 0-0 with a 6.59 ERA in 27.1 innings with 30 strikeouts, six walks and six homers. With Jose Quintana forced to leave Sunday’s game after 1.1 innings with elbow soreness and with him now headed to the IL, the Rockies could use a longer start from Gordon to give some relief to the bullpen.

The Rockies (20-34) are going through a rough May where they have put up a 6-16 record, including dropping five of their last six games. In their only showdowns with the Dodgers this season, Colorado split a four-game series against L.A. at Coors Field in April. 

The Dodgers (33-20) are returning to Dodger Stadium after going 7-2 on their latest road trip against the Brewers, Padres and Angels. Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.93 ERA) will be on the mound for L.A. The 26-year-old RHP has given up nine home runs and 13 walks with 51 strikeouts in 45.2 innings in nine starts.

The Rockies faced Sheehan on April 18. In a 4-3 Rockies victory, Sheehan earned a no-decision when he surrendered two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)

SBN Site:True Blue LA

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Kiké Hernández is back.

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated the fan favorite utilityman from the 60-day injured list on Monday, May 25 after Hernández missed the first 53 games of the season while recovering from offseason elbow surgery. Hernández is in the starting lineup and will make his 2026 debut against the Colorado Rockies.

Santiago Espinal was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, the Dodgers announced. Hernández will bat ninth in the order and gets the start at third base in place of Max Muncy, who was hit by a pitch on his right wrist in the Dodgers' 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, May 22 and has missed the last two games.

"He'll bounce around, which he has the ability to do," manager Dave Roberts told reporters. "He'll play some third. He'll play some second. If there's an opportunity to spell somebody out there in the outfield, he might do that, too. He'll be available off the bench in pinch-hitting spots, but some of it depends on Max, how Max is feeling, and see how that goes."