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Weekend Sports Wrap

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Rivalries took center stage across Major League Baseball over the weekend as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, leaving both Pennsylvania clubs with identical 24-23 records.

Philadelphia capped the sweep with a 6-0 victory behind another strong pitching performance from Zack Wheeler, who outdueled Pirates ace Paul Skenes in the marquee matchup. Wheeler continued his dominant stretch while the Phillies climbed back above .500 after a difficult start to the season.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, cooled off after its recent strong play in the tightly packed National League Central race.

The Baltimore Orioles avoided a sweep Sunday by defeating the Washington Nationals 7-3 in the finale of their Beltway rivalry series. Gunnar Henderson led Baltimore’s offense with four hits as the Orioles salvaged the final game after dropping the first two contests of the weekend.

Elsewhere around baseball’s rivals weekend, the New York Mets edged the Yankees 7-6, Cleveland routed Cincinnati 10-3, Detroit topped Toronto 4-1, and the Chicago White Sox stunned the Cubs 9-8. The Dodgers defeated the Angels 10-1, while San Diego beat Seattle 8-3.

On the golf course, Aaron Rai captured the PGA Championship at Aronimink, earning the first professional tournament victory of his career. Rai held off the field to claim one of golf’s major championships in a breakthrough performance.

Horse racing also delivered drama over the weekend as Napolean Solo captured the 151st Preakness Stakes, defeating favorite Taj Mahal and a large 14-horse field at Pimlico Race Course.

The NBA playoffs continue this week with the conference finals now set. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder will meet the San Antonio Spurs beginning tonight after Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award.

In the East, the New York Knicks will face the Cleveland Cavaliers beginning tomorrow night after Cleveland advanced by eliminating the Detroit Pistons.

The NHL conference finals also begin this week. The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche open their Western Conference series Wednesday night, while the Carolina Hurricanes will await the winner of tonight’s deciding game between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

Source: MLB, NHL, NBA, The Athletic

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