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Offense can’t pick up Jose Suarez in 5-2 loss

Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jose Suarez (54) throws against the Athletics in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Looking for another series win, the Braves had Jose Suarez on the mound facing the A’s and Aaron Civale.

Things started nicely for Atlanta and for Suarez, as Jose struck out two of the 3 A’s he faced in the first. Drake Baldwin continued his torrid hitting to start the season with a first inning homer to right center, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead. Olson notched an opposite field single, but that was the extent of the offensive output in the first.

Jose allowed some traffic in the second, as he allowed a leadoff single and induced a double play before a walk, a balk, and a single allowed the A’s to level the game up at 1 run. Suarez continued to struggle, issuing two more walks to load the bases with two outs. A ground rule double brought home two more runs for the A’s, as Suarez was lucky it bounced over the fence, sparing a third run from scoring on the play. Suarez was able to limit the damage with a strikeout of former Braves’ prospect Shea Langeliers, but that second inning is exactly the fear when starting a guy like Suarez, even as it didn’t involve any homers.

After three groundouts from Atlanta in the home second, Suarez came back with another two strikeouts and another scoreless inning. The A’s offense broke through again in the fourth with a double and a single to go up 4-1. Suarez got two more outs to finish his second time through the Athletics’ order before Weiss wisely pulled the plug before allowing him to face the top of the order again. Joel Payamps was the first pitcher out of the bullpen and extinguished the threat in a couple pitches. Suarez issued more walks than you would want in a 3.2 inning outing, but he did also miss more bats than you would expect for his profile, accumulating 6 strikeouts and 9 whiffs. After another hapless inning on offense against Civale, Payamps came out and left a sweeper center and up in the zone to Langeliers who yanked it just inside of the left field foul pole for a solo homer, putting Atlanta in a 5-1 hole. Payamps then struck out Kurtz and Rooker before he was pulled for Martin Perez. Perez finished the inning with a strikeout of Tyler Soderstrom.

The Braves clawed a run back with singles from Dominic Smith and Mauricio Dubon and a sac fly from Ronald Acuna. Perez worked a clean sixth on three contact outs. Back to back walks from Austin and Yaz presented an opportunity for Atlanta in the sixth with one out, but righty Ozzie and Michael Harris were unable to convert the opportunity. A line drive single and a bunt single spelled trouble for Martin Perez in the seventh, but a double play and a flyout got him out of the inning.

A walk and an error put two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the seventh for the top of the Atlanta order. Ronald struck out, as he continues to scuffle to start the season, at least in terms of results. Baldwin hit a ball well but it turned into an out and Matt Olson struck out ending the threat and keeping the score at 5-2 going into the eighth. Perez worked another scoreless inning on three contact outs, making for a very efficient 4.1 inning outing with no runs, 6 whiffs, and 3 strikeouts.

The Braves didn’t lie down without a fight in the bottom of the ninth, as singles from Harris and Dubon put the tying run at the plate with one out and Ronald Acuna at the plate as well as Drake Baldwin on deck. Ronald had a pretty brutal at-bat to strike out, handing the keys to the game over to Drake, who got under one and popped up to second base, ending the game.

Join us again for a getaway game at 12:15 PM ET with Chris Sale on the mound to decide the series.

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Penguins/Red Wings Recap: No one can stop Mantha and Rakell; Pens win 5-1

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 31: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame

The Penguins welcome Evgeni Malkin back from a four-game absence with a hand injury, but they have a scratch so late it doesn’t make the lineup card. Bryan Rust does NOT play tonight after taking warmup, his lower body injury keeps him out so Avery Hayes is in the game in place with the top lines all scrambled around at the last moment.

The visiting Red Wings bring the following lineup to town.

First period

Great start for the Penguins, who are able to keep the momentum from last night’s seven-straight goals to close the game against the Islanders going for a while longer. Pittsburgh strikes 4:19 in, Sidney Crosby wins a puck off the wall and centers for Rickard Rakell. Rakell patiently waits and holds, traffic builds in front of the net and Rakell shoots back against the grain to the top corner. 1-0 Pens.

It’s Anthony Mantha time a few minutes later after a scramble happens right at the goal in front of John Gibson. Mantha is able to collect himself, pull the puck out of the mayhem far enough to lift it back over the dogpile. 2-0 Pens, and Mantha is now a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.

Looks like Jacob Bernard-Docker is trying to give his team a lift by talking Connor Dewar into a fight, which is pretty admirable since it doesn’t look like Bernard-Docker actually knows how to fight. Or maybe he bit off more than he could chew and just hung on for dear life as Dewar sent some glancing blows off him before wrestling him down.

Pittsburgh gets the first power play of the game when Elmer Soderblom gets high-sticked by a former teammate, a most unusual power play occurs where neither team changes any players, it’s all zone time for the Pens and a few looks off the stick of Erik Karlsson, but no goals.

Undeterred, the Pens score shortly after the power play. Egor Chinakhov kinda pulls up on the rush and fires a shot that glances off the defenseman and make the puck change directions to end up going short-side on Gibson. He was already leaning the other way. 3-0 Pens.

Dominant performance, shots are 14-5 PIT. Had Gibson not made a few nice saves there could have been even more damage done than the 3-0 score after 20.

Second period

The Red Wings put Cam Talbot in the net for the start of the second period.

Detroit gets their first power play of the game after Mantha gets himself in trouble on the forecheck for holding/hooking the defender and gets on the board five seconds into it. The Red Wings win the faceoff, Patrick Kane fires a low shot to create a rebound and Dylan Larkin is able to punch in the rebound. 3-1.

The Pens find an answer, Connor Clifton steps in front of a slow clearing attempt and sends a shot back. Justin Brazeau is there to get a small deflection on it near the front of the net. 4-1 game.

Detroit gets a few chances late but can’t shrink the score again in the second period. Sam Girard and Lucas Raymond get too chippy with each other after a whistle in a scrum and we get 4v4 hockey as a result.

Shots in the second are 9-8 Red Wings, the Pens aren’t going full throttle but they’re still engaged enough to maintain.

Third period

Larkin gets called for a tripping minor to grant Pittsburgh a 4v3 power play for a limited amount of time.

In the second night of the b-2-b and up big in this one, the Pens are drifting off now. The Red Wings hit a crossbar really hard, it barely stays out.

Total coast mode for the Pens at this point, Detroit’s able to get into the zone, work it around, Pittsburgh keeps them mostly to the outside and then chips the puck out for the process to repeat. Stuart Skinner earns his supper with some saves, the clock keeps heading to the end.

The Pens get one more goal for the road with 7:51 remaining. Ryan Shea shoots from the point with two players posted up near the goal. Noel Acciari is the closest to the rebound and he fights off no less than Mo Seider to win a battle to punch the puck in. 5-1.

Detroit gets caught with six players on the ice. The top power play gets to work a little stress-free practice, they snap the puck around but don’t score.

Both teams come together and exchange pushes and shoves after the final whistle, won’t change the score at this point. Pens secure the victory.

Some thoughts

  • Sidney Crosby entered the night two points behind Steve Yzerman for 7th place all-time on the NHL scoring list. Yzerman, GM and legend of the Red Wings, shame Crosby could only tack on one point to inch closer but not tie or pass on this night. Given the bigger picture, hardly a note anyone ought be concerned with.
  • Anything and everything was going the Pens way early. Bryan Rust a very last minute scratch? No worries, just kinda make some last minute changes as you go, it all works out. Rakell and Mantha will score anyways.
  • Those two are just scorching hot right now. Rakell now has seven goals in the last five games. Mantha, per Bob Grove, scored three goals over the course of six shots. Always a thing of beauty when really good players start performing at clincal levels.
  • A lot has been made (well, OK, maybe more accurately a little) about Blake Lizotte’s absence from the penalty kill. It’s true the PK has been bad without him. Would it be any better with him? Perhaps but that’s a hypothetical that could have any answer you’d want to imagine. Statistically though, there’s a good case to be made it wouldn’t have mattered on the first DRW PPG: Lizotte has only won 43.6% of his 126 PK faceoffs this season. Noel Acciari (the player who took the faceoff and lost it) had won 50.6% of his 189 PK draws. So probability-wise, it’s not like Lizotte would have been likely to prevent the exact same result on that play. (That example aside, it certainly is a big loss and harmful to the PK and team in general to not have Lizotte available).
  • Crosby had four hits on the nights officially and these were not getting credit for little bumps, a couple were big hits. One sent Andrew Copp crashing down off his feet. The intensity is definitely ramped up.
  • Five shots on goal and eight total attempts for Malkin. Looked pretty good in his return considering his hand was banged up.
  • The more I’ve seen of Soderblom, the more I’m liking it. He’s an active player and certainly makes the most of his opportunities to stand out in limited moments. His size alone can kinda make him a novelty in ways but beyond that you can see why the Penguins wanted him. He’s still just scratching the surface of the type of player he could be and seemingly *^this close^* to breaking through and being a force out there. Maybe that eludes him to fully reach his potential but it’s a worthy project to take on and see what could happen. (Can’t hurt the cause that a similarly-sized and skilled prototype in Brazeau had his major breakout this season). Threw this note in any case and stray Detroit people were checking this out of curiosity to see how Soderblom is fitting in. Slightly more impressed than anticipated.
  • More surprising occurrence to happen for a second night in a row: chasing the opponent’s goalie or seeing actual, legit hockey fights? Sign of the times that it’s a reasonable question. Really raises the entertainment factor on a game, if you’re cheering for the Penguins, anyways, fights and making the opponent put in their backup goalie are always good fun.
  • This game might have been more interesting had Alex Debrincat’s aim been true on two shots that both nailed the crossbar. The Penguins put it in coast for a good bit of this game. Luckily they survived without having to try and turn the competitiveness all the way back on.
  • Two more points is huge for the playoff picture, the out of town scores mostly look helpful, though all are incomplete and potentially subject to change. Columbus is tied with Carolina at press time. The Flyers longshot hopes are even on further life support courtesy of losing an unfinished game as of now to Washington. The Islanders are trailing the Sabres. The beauty of winning for the Pens is the out of town scores don’t matter as much, at this part of the year is the biggest factor is one more precious game ticks away for all parties. The runway getting shorter is one of the most important parts of them all.

Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down for the Pens right now. These last two games were long pegged as some of the most crucial and the response for two convincing wins is very encouraging. The race to the finish line isn’t quite over yet and the Pens still do have three games in a four day stretch that begins anew on Thursday night on the road in Tampa.

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Paint by numbers: Phillies 3, Nationals 2

Andrew Painter’s Phillies debut may have come a few years later than originally anticipated, but he made sure it was worth the wait. The 22-year-old right hander tallied 8 strikeouts through 5.1 innings while being charged with one run on four hits and a walk. Painter flashed an impressive arsenal of pitches and poise beyond his years as he acted as a de facto stopper for the Phillies’ three game losing streak. Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia both homered to make sure the rookie’s efforts weren’t wasted.

Brush of greatness

Painter got his career off to a fast start, picking up his first career strikeout on the first hitter he faced in James Wood with a beautifully executed curveball. That started a clean inning in the first on just 11 pitches, with first pitch strikes thrown to all three batters. His fastball velocity sat around 97-98 MPH in his first inning of work.

Painter started the second allowing a pair of singles to Daylen Lile and Jorbit Vivas, but quickly settled back in to retire the next three hitters in order to escape any damage, needing only 14 pitches total. He began the third with his second strikeout, utilizing another devastating curveball in the dirt to get Nasim Nuñez swinging. After a groundout by Wood, Painter notched his third punchout after a called third strike on a changeup was confirmed against Luis García Jr. This was already the Nats’ second failed challenge, as catcher Keibert Ruiz challenged a ball called to Alec Bohm in the second that was upheld, meaning Washington was already out of challenges by the end of the third inning.

Bohm helped Painter out to begin the fourth with a sliding catch in foul territory near the rail for the first out. But Painter’s defense then failed him on the next batter, as Lile hit a high pop up into shallow center that was not seen by any of Trea Turner, Bryson Stott, or Justin Crawford, allowing the ball to fall in and Lile to advance to second. But the young righty showed poise beyond his years, as Painter struck out the next two hitters to erase the mistake, getting Vivas on a changeup to end an eight pitch at bat and Ruiz on a slider.

Painter collected strikeout number six to begin the fifth with a slider to José Tena before Joey Wiemer worked a walk on five pitches. But once again, Painter was able to settle down and strikeout the next two hitters, getting Nuñez again on a changeup and Wood on a high 97 MPH fastball.

Painter emerged for the sixth and got Garcia Jr. to pop up before allowing a single to Abrams, ending his night. Abrams later came around to score after Painter left, but he finished strong on an impressive debut. He commanded all of his pitches, getting whiffs on his curveball, slider, changeup, and fastball. He did not get rattled when things went wrong and, most notably, got ahead of hitters and held his velocity through 84 pitches while averaging 96.7 MPH.

Just enough

Kyle Schwarber launched his second homer of the season off of the second deck in the third to give his rookie starter an early lead and take some of the edge off of the Phillies offense.

Adolis Garcia added his first homer of the season in the fourth after barely missing one in the second. Garcia has hit the ball hard so far this season but has mostly found gloves. This time he muscled a sinker just over the right field wall for an opposite field home run that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

The Phillies then loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on singles from Justin Crawford and Trea Turner and a walk to Schwarber. That brought Bryce Harper to the plate who hit a bouncing ground ball to first that was mishandled for an error by Nationals’ first baseman García Jr., allowing Harper to be safe at first and Crawford to score from third to push the lead to 3-0. But that was all the Phillies would get, as Bohm then grounded into an inning ending double play on the second pitch he saw.

Preserving the win

Tanner Banks allowed a run in the sixth in relief of Painter when a single by Lile went to the outfield where Garcia came up firing, but the ball skipped past Bohm into the dugout, allowing Abrams to score. Washington added another run off of Banks in the seventh when a ball hit by Wood deflected off of Banks and past Harper for a double, scoring Nuñez who previously singled. But Banks was able to escape further damage and finished 1.2 IP with three hits, one run, and two strikeouts. Brad Keller walked one in the eighth but that was it, while Jhoan Duran allowed an infield single and a stolen base before a sharp line drive was caught near the warning track by Brandon Marsh to seal the win.

Tomorrow’s matchup

The Phillies will go for their first series win of the young season when they send Cristopher Sánchez (1-0, 0.00) to the mound against Cade Cavalli (0-0, 4.91) of the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

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Washington Nationals die hard in a tough luck 3-2 loss against the Phillies

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 30: Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper #3 runs down Washington Nationals infielder Jorbit Vivas #84 during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on March 30th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Nationals showed all of the heart and desire, but just did not do enough offensively to get over the line in Philly. While the Nats lost 3-2 tonight, they played well and hung in there despite not having a great offensive performance. It went right down to the wire with James Wood’s line drive being just within Brandon Marsh’s reach to end the game.

Unlike last night, the Nats did not have their A game. Andrew Painter was having his way with the Nats lineup in his MLB debut and Zack Littell looked like a guy who signed midway through Spring Training. However, the Nats hung in there and made the Phillies work for their win.

Not rolling over when things don’t go well early is something I love to see from the Nats. While the game never got out of hand, the Phillies always felt in control. However, the Nats were always hanging around and made a valiant comeback attempt.

The Nats actually started this game with an opener. While the concept of an opener has been around for a while now, it is not something the Nats have deployed often. With Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at the top of the Phillies lineup, Blake Butera wanted a lefty to deal with them in the first inning. That is why he turned to PJ Poulin, who fired off a 1-2-3 inning on just nine pitches. He also made a nice defensive play.

After that, the Nats new signing Zack Littell came into the game. He had an up and down outing. His velocity was up from where it had been in the spring, but his execution was still not perfect. He gave up a pair of solo homers to Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia. It was not a flashy performance by any means, but Littell did go 5 innings while allowing three runs. That is a decent showing for the Nats new right hander.

However, with the Nats offense struggling to hit for impact, those three runs were all the Phillies needed. Andrew Painter made his MLB debut and showed why he is seen as a top prospect. His heater sat at 97 MPH and he mixed in a few secondary pitches as well. Painter looked like a guy who will be pitching in the big leagues for a long time.

The one guy who did see Painter well was Daylen Lile. For the day, he went three for four and did not get out against Painter. Lile is such a pure hitter and is continuing what he did in September of last year. Right now, he is mostly hitting singles, but those extra base hits are coming. Lile is the best hitter on the team.

Overall, I loved the spirit and tenacity the Nats played with, even in a losing effort. Tonight was a loss that you could accept because you could see the team fight to the bitter end. There are some nights where the Nats just don’t have the talent to get over the line yet. This team does not have a Kyle Schwarber type slugger who can swat homers at will. Maybe James Wood gets there one day, but he is not there yet.

You can question the talent on the roster, but one thing you cannot question about this team right now is their compete level. I can see them fighting out there, which is not something you could say often last year, especially down the stretch. It is nice to watch a fun team. Hopefully they can repeat what they did in Chicago and win the first and third games of the series.

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4-1 – Rangers exit March with 8-5 victory over O’s

Mar 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) celebrates with Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored eight runs while the Baltimore Orioles scored five runs.

Jacob deGrom’s few days delay to his 2026 season was going well despite his former New York Mets teammate Pete Alonso seemingly having his number. For his first four innings, deGrom looked like his vintage self aside from a couple of hits from the Polar Bear, including a solo home run.

Staked to a 3-1 lead in the middle innings, deGrom ran into unexpected issues with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. With the ability to qualify for a victory appearing an afterthought, the O’s rallied and knocked out Texas’ co-ace.

Baltimore’s No. 9 hitter reached via a single, and an infield single one batter later brought up Baltimore’s most dangerous hitter. Gunnar Henderson delivered a two-run double on a ball that left fielder Wyatt Langford seemed to misplay and that ended deGrom’s night with the game tied 3-3.

All in all, deGrom finished his evening going 4 2/3 innings allowing six hits, three runs, while striking out seven and walking none. Not the worst outing, but not one deGrom will likely recall at his Hall of Fame speech.

And luckily for the veteran legend, the Rangers bats were up to the task of having his back. With runs scored in five of the nine separate innings, Texas collected 13 hits and scored a season-best eight runs.

Meanwhile the bullpen was also held up their end of the bargain post-deGrom with Cole Winn, Jakob Junis, and Robert Garcia each enjoying scoreless outings before Chris Martin labored a bit to get through the ninth inning, allowing a couple of runs after Texas had pretty much turned it into a blowout.

With a pair of wins in Baltimore, the Rangers have earned themselves no worse than two series wins on the road to begin the year and will go for a sweep of the O’s tomorrow.

Player of the Game: The three hitters at the top of the order had two hits apiece with Corey Seager launching a solo home run in the ninth to cap off the scoring for Texas, Wyatt Langford smacking a triple that ignited the early scoring, and Brandon Nimmo collecting the eventual game-winning RBI single after Baltimore had come back to tie things in the middle innings.

But the guy tonight was catcher Danny Jansen to add to the cache of new acquisitions who have contributed to victories early this season. Jansen went 3-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI with those runs coming off the biggest hit of the night when Jansen turned a tight one-run game into an eventual easy win with a two-out, three run home run.

Consider the momentum shifted.

Up Next: The Rangers will attempt an early season sweep in tomorrow’s finale with RHP Nathan Eovaldi named Tuesday’s starter. The Orioles, meanwhile, will also go with their Opening Day starter with LHP Trevor Rogers making his second start of the year.

They’re starting the April Fools finale from Camden Yards in the ante meridiem local time with first pitch set for 11:35 am CDT and you can watch it on the Rangers Sports Network.

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GameThread: Tigers vs. Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers hits a two-RBI single during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Detroit Tigers (2-2) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (1-3)

Time/Place: 9:40 p.m., Chase Field
SB Nation Site: AZ Snake Pit
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Casey Mize (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections

PlayerGIPK%BB%ERAFIPfWAR
Mize28144.020.86.74.114.082.0
Pfaadt29162.019.24.84.213.952.0

Lineups

TIGERSDIAMONDBACKS
Colt Keith – 3BKetel Marte – 2B
Kevin McGonigle – SSCorbin Carroll – RF
Gleyber Torres – 2BGeraldo Perdomo – SS
Riley Greene – LFGabriel Moreno – DH
Kerry Carpenter – DHAlek Thomas – CF
Spencer Torkelson – 1BJose Fernandez – 3B
Zach McKinstry – RFCarlos Santana – 1B
Parker Meadows – CFJames McCann – C
Jake Rogers – CJordan Lawlar – LF

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Mariners Game #6 Preview and Discussion: NYY at SEA, 3/31/26

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 26: Cal Raleigh #29 and Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners gather at the mound during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on March 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Mariners recorded their first walkoff win of the season last night and in narrative-pleasing fashion, it was Cal Raleigh who dealt reigning MVP Aaron Judge’s Yankees the loss. Ah, that’s the good stuff. The Mariners really needed that win because they have two rough draws for the rest of this series, starting with Max Fried tonight. It’s a second straight day against a lefty, so once again I must implore you to read this piece on lefty lineup construction from Zach Mason if you have not. Or even if you have.

Pre-game Reading:

Lineups:

Injury Updates:

SS J.P. Crawford (shoulder) has reported to Tacoma, where he will begin a rehab assignment tonight. If you have Mariners TV, you also have access to the Mariners minor-leagues so you can watch the game if you are so inclined.

Today’s Game Information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: TBS; Mariners.TV, which you can stream or watch on local cable. Details here. Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Angie Mentink will be on the call.

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

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Portugal beats US 2-0 in World Cup warmup, Americans' 8th straight loss to European opponents

ATLANTA (AP) — Francisco Trincão scored in the 37th minute, João Félix added a goal in the 59th and Portugal beat the United States 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night to deal the Americans their eighth consecutive defeat against European opponents.

U.S. star Christian Pulisic was moved from a wing to the top of the attack but failed to convert a pair of good scoring chances.

Pulisic, who played only the first half, is scoreless in eight national team games dating to November 2024 and in 12 games with AC Milan since Dec. 28.

Preparing to co-host the World Cup, the U.S. has been outscored 22-6 during its losing streak against Europe and is winless against the continent in 10 matches since 2021.

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26, and the Americans play their last warmups against Senegal five days later and Germany on June 6. The Americans open the World Cup on June 12 against Australia, face Paraguay a week later and close the first round vs. Turkey on June 25.

Before a pro-US crowd of 72,297 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Portugal went ahead after American midfielder Weston McKennie knocked a hard-to-control pass from Alex Freeman to Vitinha, who played a through ball to Bruno Fernandes. As defenders Chris Richards and Auston Trusty converged on the midfielder, he dropped a backheel pass to Trincão, who took a touch and slotted it past Matt Freese and inside the far post for his third international goal.

Félix scored his 12th international goal following Fernandes' corner kick. Left unmarked just outside the penalty area, Félix sent a half-volley in on two bounces off the far post.

Freese was back in goal after his streak of 12 straight starts ended when former No. 1 goalkeeper Matt Turner played in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Belgium.

Preparing for a World Cup group with Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia. Portugal was missing captain Cristiano Ronaldo (hamstring).

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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New York Yankees @ Seattle Mariners: Max Fried vs. Logan Gilbert

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning on Opening Day at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Yankees finally took one on the chin Monday night, as Cal Raleigh delivered the walk-off winner for the Mariners in Seattle. After opening the season with a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, New York dropped its first game of 2026 in a frustratingly getting walked off in a 2-1 loss.

It might be early in the season, but the games still count the same now as they do in September and these head-to-heads with the Mariners could have playoff seeding implications later in the year. The good news for the Yankees is that they could not ask for a much better bounce-back setup.

Thanks to the rare Sunday offday due to the Netflix Opening Night game on Wednesday, skipper Aaron Boone was able to skip the fifth spot in the rotation and line things up for Max Fried to take the ball tonight on normal rest. It is the kind of subtle early-season advantage smart organizations should exploit, and it gives New York exactly who they want on the mound after their first loss.

Fried looked every bit like the ace in his Yankees debut, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings, while allowing just two hits, and striking out four Giants. What made it even more impressive was that Fried did not appear to have his sharpest stuff or his best command, yet he still found a way to navigate through the Giants lineup down by the bay. Tonight, the task shifts from setting the tone for the season to resetting it after a loss, exactly what you have aces for in baseball.

Seattle counters with Logan Gilbert, one of the more underrated power right-handers in the American League. Gilbert might not be the definite ace of this loaded staff but he is a gem of a starting pitcher nonetheless. Gilbert’s combination of fastball shape, extension, and swing-and-miss secondaries gives this matchup the feel of another pitchers’ duel, which means the Yankees’ offense may once again need to capitalize on a small handful of mistakes. However, there is some reason for optimism.

History suggest the Yankees can make Gilbert uncomfortable. In seven career starts against New York, Gilbert is just 2-3 with a 6.57 ERA and 31 strikeouts, and several of those outings have turned into short, high-stress nights. That includes his lone start against the Yankees last season when the Bombers were able to chase Gilbert after 5.1 innings of five-run ball (one unearned) in the Bronx.

After mustering just one run Monday night, the Yankees will hope they can get to Gilbert early and often with the bats. Boone continues to tinker with the lineup, and tonight backup catcher J.C. Escarra gets his first appearance of the young season after four consecutive starts from Austin Wells. Escarra, Ben Rice, and Ryan McMahon all get their first cracks at Gilbert. That puts the focus squarely on the big bats of the order.

Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are the types of hitters who can change this matchup with one swing, especially against a pitcher who tends to live in the zone early with his fastball. If the Yankees are going to bounce back tonight, it likely starts with their stars doing damage rather than matchup specialists exploiting a split.

Can Judge and company cash in on their opportunities this time, or will Seattle’s pitching staff keep making life difficult in T-Mobile Park?

How to Watch

Location: T-Mobile Park — Seattle, WA

First pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET

TV broadcast: YES Network, Mariners.TV, TBS (National broadcast)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App

Listen: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Seattle Sports 710 AM

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

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How Colt Emerson is forcing the Mariners’ hand

PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 11: Colt Emerson #85 of the Seattle Mariners looks on in the dugout during a Spring Training game against the Colorado Rockies at Peoria Stadium on March 11, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Mariners surprised the baseball world today with the news of a record-breaking extension for prospect Colt Emerson. While much of the extension chatter has focused on the Mariners’ pitching core, the Mariners instead locked down the 20-year-old shortstop who has steadily climbed prospect lists since his draft year in 2022, when the Mariners took him 22nd overall out of John Glenn High School in East Concord, Ohio.

Seattle Mariners Agree to Record-Setting Extension with Top Prospect Colt Emerson

“[Colt] has run up the food chain so quickly because of his performance, maturity, work habits, etc.,” said Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto. “He is going to be a very young major league debut player and as such was trending toward being a very young major league free agent, and it was a priority for us to make sure that we kept him here as a part of this for longer.”

Emerson had a strong spring, but it wasn’t necessarily his performance on the field that impressed Dipoto the most. “The way he integrated with the other players and just how easily he fits,” is what Dipoto described as Emerson’s standout quality from the spring. “Listening to him talk in the cage with Rob Refsnyder, Brendan Donovan, the ease with which he was operating with guys who have been in the league a long time.”

This is something I saw firsthand at spring training; Emerson was hard to pin down to talk to, simply because he was always either participating in a drill, or deep in conversation with one of his teammates. He, Donovan, Naylor and Refsnyder were regular fixtures in the team’s newly-revamped batting cages.

Even more impressive is Colt Emerson the person: watching him do everything from encouraging a teammate to picking up an errant piece of trash in the batting cage and tossing it in the proper receptacle to the way he treated everyone, from teammates to media to complex staff, with equal measures of respect.

“You have to be a good player to garner this type of interest, this type of contract, but you also have to be the person at at 20 years old, you can say, over the course of the next nine years, we trust you to go do this. And if you’ve spent any time around Colt, you know that he checks every one of those boxes. He’s such a humble, mature, well-thought-out human being…Just as much as we think he’s an impact player, we think he’s an impact person.”

From the team’s perspective, locking down Emerson to an extension was a no-brainer. From a roster construction perspective, it’s a little trickier.

“We have no hard date [for his debut],” said Dipoto. “But I suspect he will be a big leaguer sooner than later, and he will contribute heavily to this season. And I thought that was the case before we signed him – this signing was more about the long term, than it is about the season, how it all fits, especially with Leo [Rivas] being the only one who hits from the right side.”

J.P. Crawford, Brendan Donovan, Colt Emerson, Cole Young – all hit from the left side. Leo Rivas is a switch hitter, meaning there’s no true righty in the infield mix other than Ryan Bliss. Dipoto says the team has an advantage, though, in the positional versatility for Brendan Donovan, as well as Colt Emerson, who is equally comfortable at either shortstop or third base; they just have to be “creative” in figuring out how to leverage it.

“We’re in no rush. We’re going to let Colt to continue to get his feet on the ground and do the things he’s been doing in his development. He’ll play in Tacoma…he’ll continue to get reps at third base, and we will continue to develop him the same way we always have, which is to give him exposure. Because when he gets to the big leagues, it’s no slam-dunk where he’ll be playing.”

It does sound like, for now, third base is the likelier option, at least as long as J.P. Crawford is healthy. Dipoto reasserted that after J.P. Crawford plays tonight and tomorrow in Tacoma “he’s our shortstop” [LL community, drink the beverage of your choice] when the team gets to Anaheim.

“That was always our plan,” affirmed Dipoto. “That’s why you saw Colt so frequently at third base in the spring. We were preparing for that. And third base came pretty easily for Colt.”

The left-handedness, unfortunately, is non-negotiable. It’s not the defense that will keep Emerson in Triple-A; the thing that Dipoto and the Mariners are looking for from Emerson in Tacoma is reps in the box.

“Upper-level pitching in general is something he hasn’t had…not a huge volume for him,” said Dipoto. “He’s played fifty-ish games above A-ball. But it’s the left-handed pitching and the exposure to it, you don’t get a lot of exposure to lefties with breaking balls that move away from you in rural Ohio as a high schooler.”

Emerson had mostly neutral splits against lefties and righties last year, but he did struggle with the more advanced lefties this spring, with an OPS of just .489 – under half of his OPS against righties. His challenge in Tacoma will be to maintain his positional flexibility while gaining experience against more seasoned pitching. It doesn’t sound like it will be a particularly difficult thing for the uber-learner Emerson to check off, especially after a self-directed swing change that’s helped him unlock more power while not sacrificing any of this plate discipline.

Colt Emerson Taps To the Top

Getting this deal done required trust on both sides: the Mariners’ trust in their scouting and development of Emerson has been evident from the jump, and his steady progress up the minor-league ladder and into the lists of top prospects in the game has rewarded the team’s early faith in him. But Emerson, too, had to trust the organization that he was essentially signing away his 20s to, as a place where the ultra-competitive Emerson can win and be supported by a core built for sustained success.

“I think Colt always envisioned himself as a Mariner,” said Dipoto. “From the day he entered the organization, he has a vision for what it’s going to look like here. He is a championship type player with a championship mentality, and when we talk about our team, he always sees himself in it…

He finishes every conversation, ‘we’re gonna win a lot of games’. ”

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Dodgers’ High-A Great Lakes 2026 opening day roster

ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 22: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero looks on during the MLB Spring Training game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels on March 22, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers’ High-A affiliate in the Midwest League, unveiled their 2026 opening day roster on Tuesday, which among other things highlighted the strength and depth of outfield prospects in the system.

Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope, both consensus top-100 prospects, plus centerfielder Kendall George, who stole 100 bases last season, graduated from Great Lakes and are on Double-A Tulsa’s roster to start this season. But even with those absences, the Loons boast an outfield contingent of Eduardo Quintero, ranked atop twoDodgers prospect lists this offseason; Mike Sirota, who made five top-60 prospect lists; and Charles Davalan, the No. 41-overall draft pick last year.

Sirota might have already been in Double-A were it not for a knee injury last July 5 that ended his season. In the 59 games he did play between Great Lakes and Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, Sirota hit .333/.452/.616 with a 189 wRC+, 13 home runs and 32 extra-base hits in only 59 games.

Quintero won California League MVP last season, then held his own with a 135 wRC+ in six weeks of his first taste of High-A, all before turning 20 in September.

Quintero and Christian Zazueta won Branch Rickey Awards in 2025 as the Dodgers’ minor league pitcher and player of the year, respectively. Zazueta is part of a Loons rotation that also includes Zach Root, the Dodgers’ first draft pick last year (one pick before his Arkansas teammate Davalan), and Sterling Patick, the West Covina native and 2023 draft pick who ended last season with two starts for Great Lakes.

You might remember Root from his eight strikeouts in three dominant innings in the Dodgers’ spring breakout game in March at Camelback Ranch.

Great Lakes Loons 2026 roster

  • Possible rotation (4): Zach Root, Christian Zazueta, Sterling Patick, Aidan Foeller
  • Right-handed relievers (7): Davis Chastain, Nicolas Cruz, Dilan Figueredo, Joseilyn Gonzalez, Alex Makarewich, Logan Tabeling, Reynaldo Yean
  • Left-handed relievers (5): Myles Caba, Justin Chambers, Jacob Frost*, Cody Morse, Jakob Wright
  • Catchers (2): Jesus Galiz, Victor Rodrigues
  • Infielders (6): Cameron Decker, Eduardo Guerrero, Jose Izarra, Jose Meza, Nico Perez, Logan Wagner
  • Outfielders (4): Charles Davalan, Samuel Munoz, Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota

*Frost, drafted last year in the 10th round out of Kansas State, will be making his pro debut.

Great Lakes opens its season at home on Friday night against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a Padres affiliate.

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Utah Mammoth’s ‘Next Gen’ Game Highlights Future Amid Playoff Race

The Utah Mammoth are bringing back their “Next Gen” game for a second time this season, presented by America First Credit Union, on April 11. When the Mammoth host the Carolina Hurricanes that afternoon, Delta Center will transform into a kid-powered experience, with young fans stepping into game-day roles throughout the arena, broadcast, and in-game entertainment.

Designed to celebrate and inspire the next wave of hockey enthusiasts, the event gives participants ages 8–14 a unique, behind-the-scenes opportunity to help shape the game-day atmosphere.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of it—secure your tickets now and join in supporting the growth of hockey’s future in Utah.

Playoff Hopes

If the Mammoth hold onto their wild card spot secure a postseason berth, their most probable first-round opponent appears to be the Anaheim Ducks.

There is no such thing as an easy series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The league’s parity has all but eliminated true underdogs from qualifying, but certain opponents present a less daunting challenge than others.

Earlier this month, Connor McDavid described the Pacific Division as a “pillow fight,” highlighting the relative lack of dominant contenders in that race. If Utah claims the first wild card position, it would remain within the Pacific bracket for at least the opening two rounds, avoiding Central Division powers such as the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild.

Anaheim and Utah find themselves in similar phases of their respective rebuilds. The Ducks have not qualified for the playoffs since 2018, but their recent high draft selections are beginning to emerge as key contributors at the NHL level.

Head-to-head, the teams have split their six all-time meetings evenly. Their most recent contest saw Anaheim pull away late with two empty-net goals in a 4–1 victory, while Utah previously delivered a decisive 7–0 win—though three of those goals came against a goaltender making his NHL debut.

One potential differentiator in a playoff series could be experience behind the bench. Anaheim is led by Joel Quenneville, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with 121 career playoff victories—third-most in league history. Utah’s André Tourigny, meanwhile, has coached more than 400 regular-season NHL games but has limited postseason experience, with his only appearance coming as an assistant in 2014. While Tourigny has enjoyed success internationally and in junior hockey, he has yet to capture a league championship at the professional level.

That said, coaching pedigree alone will not determine the outcome. Utah enters the matchup with advantages in team save percentage and goal differential, outpacing Anaheim by a margin of 30 goals. As is always the case in the playoffs, a variety of factors will ultimately shape the result—and only the games themselves will provide definitive answers.

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Stephen Curry reportedly targeting Sunday return to lineup vs. Houston

Stephen Curry went through a full practice on Tuesday, his first in two months, and is targeting a Sunday return to the Golden State lineup.

Curry is officially day-to-day but took a big step forward with the practice and scheduled scrimmage on Tuesday, reports Sam Amick and Nick Friedel of The Athletic. Warriors' coach Steve Kerr said after practice that "being healthy is the No. 1 priority," and that he was out Wednesday against the Spurs and doubtful to play Thursday against the Cavaliers. That leaves Sunday against the Rockets, and with that return date he could play in up to five games before the postseason.

"He went through a full practice, but it was very light," Kerr said. "We didn't do anything live. He's gonna scrimmage right now five-on-five. It's a good step for him."

Curry has been out since Jan. 30 with "runner's knee" — and he strained his adductor during rehab — missing 25 games. Without him, Golden State has gone 9-16 and slid to 10th in the West, and it's unlikely it will climb up from there, meaning the Warriors would need to win two games just to get out of the play-in.

Still, the Warriors are optimistic that if healthy they can make a run.

Curry, 38, is at the heart of that optimism, it's his gravity that makes the Warriors' offense work. When healthy this season, he is averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists a game, shooting 39.1% from 3-point range. With Jimmy Butler (ACL) and Moses Moody (knee) out for the remainder of the season, the Warriors need Curry to be his vintage self to have a chance this postseason.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #5: 3/31 vs. Tigers

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Brandon Pfaadt #32 of the Arizona Diamondbacks gets set to throw a pitch during a Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on March 10, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Today’s Lineups

TIGERSDIAMONDBACKS
Colt Keith – 3BKetel Marte – 2B
Kevin McGonigle – SSCorbin Carroll – RF
Gleyber Torres – 2BGeraldo Perdomo – SS
Riley Greene – LFGabriel Moreno – DH
Kerry Carpenter – DHAlek Thomas – CF
Spencer Torkelson – 1BJose Fernandez – 3B
Zach McKinstry – RFCarlos Santana – 1B
Parker Meadows – CFJames McCann – C
Jake Rogers – CJordan Lawlar – LF
Casey Mize – RHPBrandon Pfaadt – RHP

Apologies, GDT today and Thursday are going to be terser than normal, for work-related reasons. Tonight see us complete the first run round the D-backs rotation, with Brandon Pfaadt making his season debut. If the first four games are any clue, this will be a pleasant surprise in terms of his performance. It’s also the major-league debut of Jose Fernandez, who will be playing third-base tonight. That’s in place of Nolan Arenado, who has had an underwhelming start to the season, with an OPS+ so far of -28. Yes, that’s a minus sign. At least that sets the bar low in terms of what’s expected from Fernandez…

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Utah Jazz Reacts Survey: Will Hardy defense and who’s an All-Star?

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 7: Jaren Jackson Jr. #20 of the Utah Jazz plays defense during the game against the Orlando Magic on February 7, 2026 at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Utah Jazz are nearing the end of another season at the bottom of the rankings. Looking forward to next season, the question is going to be, how good can the Jazz be? The major issue with this team during this rebuild has been the defense. At no point has the Utah Jazz defense been even remotely good, and it does bear asking, can the Jazz become a good defense next year? With a potential front court of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler, can they become at least top-10 in the league?

Speaking of next season, Utah has the potential to be one of the best starting lineups in the league. But who will stand out the most among them? My other question this week is, who is most likely to be an All-Star representing the Jazz? Chances are at least one player will, but it’s difficult to decide who.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.