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  • WTA: Iga Swiatek jolts Karolina Muchova, defends French Open title

    WTA: Iga Swiatek jolts Karolina Muchova, defends French Open title


    Top-seeded Iga Swiatek successfully defended her French Open title and won her third championship in Paris by posting a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over unseeded Karolina Muchova on Saturday.

    Swiatek captured her fourth career Grand Slam championship in impressive fashion and became the youngest woman since Monica Seles from 1990-92 to claim consecutive titles at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old from Poland improved to 4-0 in major finals, joining Seles and Naomi Osaka as the lone women in the Open Era to win each of their first four Grand Slam title matches.

    Swiatek was so charged during her post-match celebration that she inadvertently knocked the lid off the trophy. Undaunted, she was able to put the lid back on and sealed the trophy with a kiss.

    Despite the win, Swiatek told her supporters that she knows that she’s been tough to take on her journey to glory.

    “Sorry for being such a pain in the …,” Swiatek said. “I’ll try to do better. I know that we won this tournament, but it’s not easy. Being on tour for a couple for weeks without breaks, it’s tough. I’m really happy that we can feel satisfied right now and celebrate.”

    Swiatek appeared to be on her way to a convincing victory after winning nine of the first 11 games of the match. Muchova, however, won the next three matches to level the match and closed out the second set with a service winner.

    Muchova claimed a quick 2-0 lead in the final set and pushed it to 4-3 before Swiatek countered with a late surge, capped by a double fault from her opponent to end the match in 2 hours, 46 minutes.

    “In the third, it was all about belief. It was getting rid of all these thoughts about the score and doing my best,” Swiatek told NBC Sports after the match.

    Swiatek also avenged her lone career meeting against Muchova, a three-set setback in Prague in 2019.

    Muchova, who is ranked No. 43 in the world, was denied in her bid to become the fourth unseeded woman to win the French Open. The 26-year-old from the Czech Republic, in fact, was hoping to join Swiatek in that group.

    “This is so close but so far, but that’s what happens when you play one of the best in Iga,” an emotional Muchova said.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLS: Both teams seek offensive spark as FC Dallas visit Timbers

    MLS: Both teams seek offensive spark as FC Dallas visit Timbers


    Jesus Ferreira will look to continue his bid for the MLS Golden Boot when FC Dallas visit the Portland Timbers on Sunday night.

    Ferreira scored the decisive goal on Wednesday night as Dallas (7-5-5, 26 points) defeated St. Louis 2-0 in a game resumed after it was suspended due to inclement weather in early May.

    With his MLS lead-tying 10th goal of the season, the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad member secured his second consecutive double-digit goals season at age 22. And yet manager Nico Estevez believes he can be even more productive.

    “He’s been consistent, which is really important for a young player like him,” Estevez said. “We know his potential, so we know he can do better. We have to push him not just to be one of the best, but to be the best striker in this league. I think he’s going to use what he learned from last year in the second part of the season, with his experience to do better than he did last year.”

    Ferreira’s performance could be especially important on Sunday, given that Dallas remains without injured attackers Paul Arriola (thigh) and Sebastian Lletget (thigh).

    Estevez’s squad has scored no more than one goal in any of its road matches this season. That could be enough to earn at least a point against a Timbers team that continues to struggle offensively.

    Portland (4-7-5, 17 points) gutted out a 0-0 draw at the rival Seattle Sounders last weekend, but has scored only once in its last four matches.

    “I think if we were on the table in a better spot, you would feel like this point is really good,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said postgame. “We feel that our performance, the first half was really good. Overall, a good performance.”

    The return of Sebastian Blanco from the injured list should help, although the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament MVP is likely no longer a 90-minute player at age 35.

    Offseason signing Evander leads Portland with four goals despite a slow start and playing in central midfield.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLS: RSL acquire F Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango from Pachuca

    MLS: RSL acquire F Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango from Pachuca


    Real Salt Lake have completed the acquisition of striker Cristian “Chicho” Arango from Liga MX side Pachuca.

    The deal announced Saturday runs through the 2025 MLS season and includes an option for 2026.

    Financial terms were not disclosed, but The Athletic reported a transfer fee of $6 million for Arango.

    The 28-year-old Colombia native will fill a designated player spot once the secondary transfer window opens on July 5.

    Arango returns to MLS after notching 30 goals and seven assists in 51 games for Los Angeles FC from 2021-22.

    Arango’s earliest debut for Real Salt Lake would be on July 8 at home against Orlando City SC.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLS: Report: Minnesota United pursuing Finland’s Teemu Pukki

    MLS: Report: Minnesota United pursuing Finland’s Teemu Pukki


    Minnesota United FC are pursuing former Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki, multiple outlets reported Saturday.

    The 33-year-old Finnish forward could replace Luis Amarilla, who reportedly is headed to Liga MX club Mazatlan this summer.

    The MLS secondary transfer window opens July 5, although the two sides can agree to terms before that. Pukki is currently with Finland for Euro 2024 qualifiers.

    Pukki played for Norwich City in the Premier League and EFL Championship from 2018-23, posting 88 goals and 29 assists and 210 games across England’s top two flights.

    Before joining the Canaries, Pukki played for Denmark’s Brondby, Scotland’s Celtic, Germany’s Schalke 04, Finland’s HJK and KTP, and Spain’s Sevilla and Sevilla Atletico.

    –Field Level Media

  • NBA: Heat’s Erik Spoelstra focused on getting Finals back to Miami

    NBA: Heat’s Erik Spoelstra focused on getting Finals back to Miami


    Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t hanging his head after seeing his team lose both of its home games in the NBA Finals.

    Although the Heat are facing elimination as they head to Denver to play Game 5 on Monday, Spoelstra remained confident that his charges would extend the series to Game 6 back in Miami.

    “All we’re focused on — I told the guys, feel whatever you want to feel tonight. It’s fine. You probably shouldn’t sleep tonight any amount of time. I don’t think anybody will,” Spoelstra said following the Heat’s 108-95 setback on Friday.

    “We have an incredibly competitive group. We’ve done everything the hard way, and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now, again. All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly.”

    The Heat know that all too well, especially since they saw their 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final go by the boards. They righted the ship by winning Game 7, however.

    “You take it one game at a time,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “We’ve seen a team come back from 3-0 firsthand. So we just have to believe, and one game at a time.”

    Jimmy Butler had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Adebayo amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. Kyle Lowry scored 13 points while Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson added 12 apiece for Miami.

    The Heat are still holding out hope that they can become the second team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals.

    “It’s the same thing that it’s always been — it’s a game at a time,” Butler said. “Now we’re in a must-win situation every game, which we’re capable of. We’ve got to correct some things, but it’s not impossible. We got three to get.”

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Reds reinstate OF TJ Friedl, place OF Jake Fraley on IL

    MLB: Reds reinstate OF TJ Friedl, place OF Jake Fraley on IL


    The Cincinnati Reds reinstated TJ Friedl on Saturday, with fellow outfielder Jake Fraley taking his place on the 10-day injured list.

    In corresponding moves, the Reds recalled Kevin Herget from Triple-A Louisville and optioned fellow right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel to the same location.

    Friedl, 27, has not played since May 30 due to a left hamstring strain. He is batting .326 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 42 games this season.

    Fraley, 28, is dealing with a right wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch during Tuesday’s 9-8 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is hitting .262 with seven homers and a team-high 38 RBIs in 55 games.

    Herget, 32, is 1-2 with one save and a 4.79 ERA in 12 relief appearances this season for Cincinnati.

    Kuhnel, 28, has pitched in two games for the Reds with no decisions and an 8.10 ERA in 3 1/3 innings.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Twins 2B Jorge Polanco (hamstring) returns to IL

    MLB: Twins 2B Jorge Polanco (hamstring) returns to IL


    Minnesota Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco returned to the 10-day injured list Saturday due to his troublesome left hamstring.

    Polanco, 29, was reinstated from the IL on June 1 after missing 12 games with the same injury.

    He is batting .250 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 30 games in his 10th season with the Twins. The 2019 All-Star is a lifetime .270 hitter with 103 homers and 415 RBIs in 782 games.

    Minnesota recalled infielder Edouard Julien from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. He made his MLB debut on April 12 and is batting .226 with four homers and eight RBIs in 19 games with the Twins.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Tigers place OF Akil Baddoo (quad) on 10-day IL

    MLB: Tigers place OF Akil Baddoo (quad) on 10-day IL


    The Detroit Tigers placed outfielder Akil Baddoo on the 10-day injured list Saturday and recalled utilityman Nick Solak from Triple-A Toledo.

    Baddoo, 24, sustained a right quad strain during the fourth inning of the Tigers’ 11-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

    He is batting .231 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 50 games this season.

    Solak was claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves on Friday. He was then optioned to Toledo after Detroit cleared room on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Spencer Turnbull to the 60-day injured list.

    Solak, 28, was designated for assignment Tuesday after appearing in just one game for Atlanta. He is a career .252 hitter with 21 homers and 93 RBIs in 254 games with the Texas Rangers (2019-22) and Braves.

    –Field Level Media

  • NHL: Golden Knights popular underdogs entering Game 4 at Panthers

    NHL: Golden Knights popular underdogs entering Game 4 at Panthers


    Despite losing Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in disappointing fashion, the Vegas Golden Knights appear relaxed heading into Saturday’s road clash with the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla.

    Then again, the Golden Knights still hold a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series, giving them plenty of confidence even after they squandered a late lead en route to a 3-2 overtime loss that has the Panthers back in the series.

    “We’ve managed to stay composed throughout these playoffs,” Vegas forward William Karlsson said. “I’ve never expected it to go super easy. It should not be. To win is a grind and sometimes you lose, but all that matters is the next game. I think we’ve done a great job throughout the playoffs being composed and going into the next game, trying to win that one.”

    The Panthers are favored by 1.5 goals at BetMGM, where the Golden Knights have drawn 56 percent of the puck-line bets and 66 percent of the money. Las Vegas’ +100 moneyline has been even more popular, having been backed by 80 percent of the total bets and 87 percent of the money.

    The Golden Knights certainly could have won Game 3 and taken a stranglehold on the series. Thanks to a pair of power-play goals — the fifth and sixth Vegas has scored in the series — the Golden Knights earned their lead in the tight affair.

    It took a late Matthew Tkachuk goal to tie it while the Panthers had their goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, and then Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime winner to turn it into a defeat.

    Had it not been for fantastic goaltending by Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, the result would have been a one-sided Golden Knights victory.

    “We’re playing against a really good goaltender and a good hockey team. That’s how it goes,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’re not going to beat ourselves up over (Thursday’s) game. We’re going to do what we’ve always done. We’re going to look at what we can do to get better and keep growing our game.

    That said, another Panthers win on Saturday, and the Golden Knights may not be so relaxed, which is exactly Florida’s quest going into the affair.

    As exciting and entertaining as their victory was, the Panthers cannot spend their time relishing it but must build on it. After all, a loss on Saturday would have Vegas looking to clinch the franchise’s first championship on home ice.

    In the Panthers’ favor is the fact some of their big guns finally had an impact on the series.

    Tkachuk recorded more misconducts than points in the first two games, but he responded with his clutch goal in a two-point outing. Verhaeghe then scored his fourth career overtime winner, and second of this year’s playoffs — with the other the Game 7 opening-round winner against the Boston Bruins.

    “He’s one of those guys who just has that in him,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said of Verhaeghe. “He has an incredible shot. Whenever he shoots, it’s dangerous, no matter from where he’s shooting. To have that guy on the ice in overtime is always dangerous. I will give the puck to him any time.”

    And if that’s not enough for the Panthers to go into the clash with a boosted confidence, they can also look at their overtime success. With Thursday’s win, they boast a 7-0 record in overtime playoff games this year.

    “Everybody will probably say how they were leading most of game, which they were, but at the end of the day, nobody cares how we got here,” Tkachuk said. “It’s a 2-1 series. We came into (the) game just to win one game, and we did that, and we’re going to do the exact same thing going into Game 4.”

    The public is expecting a high-scoring affair, with the 5.5-goal Over/Under at BetMGM seeing 62 percent of the bets and 77 percent of the money backing the Over. The most popular Game 4 player prop is Bobrovsky to have more than 27.5 saves at -120.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Angels hope to ride improved bullpen to series win vs. Mariners

    MLB: Angels hope to ride improved bullpen to series win vs. Mariners


    The Los Angeles Angels are not the same team the Seattle Mariners faced in the first week of April.

    The Angels will look to show how much they’ve improved on Saturday when the American League West rivals continue their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.

    In particular, Los Angeles has revamped a bullpen that struggled during the first two months of the season.

    Five relievers who were on the opening day roster — Jimmy Herget, Matt Moore, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Wantz and Jose Quijada — are currently not on the active roster, either on the injured list, in the minors or released.

    The Angels have opted to go with some young and inexperienced arms, calling up Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman and Jose Soriano. But they also are relying on Chris Devenski, a 32-year-old veteran who has playoff experience and was an All-Star with the Houston Astros in 2017.

    Devenski began the season at Triple-A Salt Lake before being called up April 29. He has been the Angels’ best reliever other than closer Carlos Estevez, who improved to 17-for-17 in save opportunities after shutting the door in Friday’s 5-4 win over the Mariners.

    Devenski grew up in Southern California, was an Angels fan and attended nearby Cal State Fullerton. He is 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 16 relief appearances this season. He has 22 strikeouts and zero walks in 21 1/3 innings.

    Devenski also been good at putting out fires. He has stranded 17 of 20 inherited runners (85 percent), significantly better than the league average of 68 percent.

    “I think you just go out there and make your pitches and focus on executing,” Devenski said. “Those are big situations. I like those situations. I feel an extra little boost of adrenaline so I can use that to my advantage.”

    Angels manager Phil Nevin is comfortable with Devenski in those high-leverage situations.

    “He throws strikes and he understands the situation,” Nevin said. “He’s just really smart, understanding the situation, where they can potentially hit a ball if he throws it in the right place. He’s been there. He’s done that.”

    Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (3-5, 4.14 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for Los Angeles. He is 0-3 with a 2.45 ERA in seven career starts against Seattle.

    Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo (0-1, 27.00) will make his second major-league appearance on Saturday. In his only start this season, Woo got rocked for six runs and seven hits in two innings against the Texas Rangers in a 16-6 loss on June 3.

    Woo, who was called up from Double-A Arkansas to start in place of the injured Marco Gonzales, tried to focus on the positive despite the numbers.

    “I was definitely able to settle in a little bit,” Woo said. “My fastball was coming out pretty well. I was, obviously, a little amped up. My energy was a little high, so I tried to control it the best I could and take it pitch by pitch.”

    –Field Level Media