Doug Christie is expected to return as head coach of the Sacramento Kings for the 2026-27 season, according to multiple media reports Sunday.

On Sunday, Christie closes out the first season of a three-year contract he signed with Sacramento on May 1. The Kings (22-59) enter the final day of the regular season tied with Utah for the worst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst showing in the NBA.

The former Kings guard became the Kings’ interim coach on Dec. 27, 2024, when Mike Brown was fired. The interim tag was removed last May when he signed the three-year deal, which reportedly has two years guaranteed at approximately $2 million per year.

Christie, 55, played five of his 15 NBA seasons in Sacramento, appearing in more games for the Kings (355) than any of his six other organizations during a career that spanned from 1992-2007. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals with the Kings, and has compiled a 49-83 coaching record with Sacramento.

–Field Level Media

Jose Soriano continued his hot start with 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings and Oswald Peraza homered to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-6 victory over the host Cincinnati Reds in the rubber-game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

It was the second consecutive start that Soriano (4-0), who allowed two singles and walked three, struck out 10 batters. He left after throwing 106 pitches, 69 for strikes, while lowering his ERA to 0.33, tops in the majors.

Soriano has allowed just nine hits and just one run – a homer by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin – in 27 innings this season. He has walked nine and while striking out a major league-leading 31 batters.

Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs and an RBI and Nolan Schanuel had two hits, two walks and three RBIs for Los Angeles, which won a series in Cincinnati for the first time since 2007. Logan O’Hoppe and Jo Adell each added two hits and an RBI, and Zach Neto walked three times and scored a run for the Angels.

Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer and had two hits for Cincinnati, which lost for the fourth time in the last five games. Andrew Abbott (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. He walked two and struck out one.

Los Angeles parlayed five singles into three runs in the top of the first inning. Schanuel made it 2-0 with a bases-loaded single to left-center, and O’Hoppe followed with another RBI single.

The Angels extended the lead to 5-0 in the second inning when Neto walked and scored on a double into the left field corner by Trout, who advanced to third on single by Adell. Jorge Soler then drove in Trout with a sacrifice fly.

Peraza led off the fourth with a line-drive homer to left, and Adell added a bases-loaded fielder’s choice to drive in another run to make it 7-0. Peraza drove in another run in the seventh with a groundout, and Schanuel made it 9-0 in the eighth with a bases-loaded walk.

The Reds made things interesting at the end, scoring three runs in the eighth, including two on a bases-loaded wild pitch, and De La Cruz’s two-out, three-run homer to center in the bottom of the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Good Major League Baseball organizations resist the urge to press the panic button, especially before MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson’s legacy on April 15.

But good MLB franchises also do their best to ensure that poor starts don’t turn into lost seasons — both for their players and the collective. That’s why there are a few expected contenders that likely are watching every pitch and swing with more of a critical eye.

Every team enters Sunday’s action with either 14 or 15 games under their belt, so there’s still 90 percent of the season to go. But here are three teams that aren’t coming close to living up to their potential — and why:

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (7-7)

The two-time defending NL East champs didn’t spend huge dollars on Kyle Schwarber and Cristopher Sanchez and good money on setup man Brad Keller just so they can be mediocre.

While they’re sitting at .500, their numbers suggest they should be worse. They’ve gotten outscored by 15 runs, which combines painful starts from Jesus Luzardo (6.23 ERA) and Taijuan Walker (9.31 ERA) with dreadful production from their infield.

Leadoff man Trea Turner boasts a .237 average, a .591 OPS and just one stolen base in 14 games. That makes him the Phils’ second-hottest infielder as 2B Bryson Stott (.190 average, .477 OPS) and 3B Alec Bohm (.157 average, .470 OPS) are not exactly stinging the ball. Bohm has dropped from cleanup to eighth in the order, but that might not be far enough.

Meanwhile, Schwarber has fanned a league-high 23 times in just 62 plate appearances (37.1%). In retrospect, it’s no wonder the Phillies recently went 20 straight innings without scoring against the scuffling San Francisco Giants.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (6-8)