Deadspin | Bryson DeChambeau humbled by misadventures, opening 76 at Masters Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Bryson DeChambeau reacts to his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau knows the feeling of something between proud accomplishment and elation, walking off the 18th green after the first round with the lead at the Masters. And he got reacquainted with the opposite emotion on Thursday. DeChambeau blasted a patron with his tee shot on No. 6 and the generous bounce was a benefit with the ball fading hard left. The patron, later greeted by DeChambeau and gifted the golf ball to pair with the parting bruise, was struck and the ball rolled closer to the green. He whacked and hacked his way out of a sand trap for a triple-bogey 7 at No. 11 and spent time staring at the green on 18, leaning heavily on his upside-down putter and closing out his round of 4-over-par 76 with a a three-putt finish. He birdied Nos. 3 and 17, and made bogey at Nos. 2, 16 and 18. “Bunker was softer than I anticipated,” DeChambeau said exiting the course of his beach challenge at 11. Entering the first round Thursday, DeChambeau had eight consecutive rounds within the top 10 at the Masters. He was closer to the bottom 10 on this day. Iron play was a letdown. DeChambeau overshot the green multiple times. He hit 44% of greens in regulation and was tied for 63rd when he signed his scorecard at 3:30 ET on Thursday afternoon. Of course, he transitioned straight to the driving range where the celebrated grinder appeared certain to test the curfew on the grounds Thursday night. “Just going to give what the golf course gives me. I have to try to hit my irons better,” DeChambeau said. “I drove it left numerous occasions. Did a great job on 18. Wind didn’t hurt it like we thought, and that’s this game. That’s the golf course.” A turnaround isn’t remotely out of the question. DeChambeau held the 18-hole lead with a 65 in the first round in 2024. That followed first-round scores of 76 in 2021 and 2022 and 74 in 2023. No player who has carded a triple-bogey during the tournament has wound up wearing the green jacket on Sunday. “Why am I hooking … everything!?” DeChambeau shouted rhetorically after floating his second on 18 out of the sand and well short of his greenside target. His third, a chip from off the green, landed well left of the hole and side spin took it 30 feet from the hole. A three-putt mercifully ended his round. In his 2024 opening round, the streaky DeChambeau had five birdies in the final seven holes. He doesn’t feel like he’s out of anything yet. “You know, everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird,” DeChambeau said. “It’s been good coming into it.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Bryson #DeChambeau #humbled #misadventures #opening #Masters

Deadspin | Forward-thinking Red Sox take momentum into series vs. Cardinals Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings. Finally, the Boston Red Sox have a turn in the right direction. Back-to-back victories over the Milwaukee Brewers have the Red Sox feeling good as they turn their attention to another National League Central opponent, with the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. Strong pitching performances set the stage for Boston’s two latest victories, as left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Sonny Gray each pitched 6 1/3 innings en route to their respective 3-2 and 5-0 decisions. Now, manager Alex Cora looks to southpaw Connelly Early (0-0, 2.89 ERA) to continue the trend. “We will pitch. We’re going to be better,” Cora said. “And for this team to make it to October, we have to pitch. And we will.” Though the Red Sox lost his first two starts of 2026 by 3-2 scores, Early has picked up where he left off as a rookie last September. The 24-year-old has allowed just three runs and struck out 10 through 9 1/3 innings, including four innings of two-run ball in his start Saturday against the San Diego Padres. Across four starts late last season, Early was 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 frames. “Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said earlier this season. “He slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.” Like Gray did after Crochet, Early will look to help the Red Sox continue building momentum from their first series win. There were more positive signs, too, as Wilyer Abreu continued his hot start (.383 average) with a 2-for-4 effort on Wednesday, and Trevor Story erased an 0-for-16 funk with a four-game hit streak and three straight multi-RBI performances. “(The slow start is) already in the past. We’ve got to move forward,” catcher Carlos Narvaez said. “We won the series. That’s all that matters now. We’ve got six on the road.” The Cardinals return home with momentum themselves, having followed up a 7-6, 10-inning triumph on Tuesday with a convincing 6-1 effort on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. It has been a stretch to remember for 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker, who homered in all three games against Washington and four of the last five, giving him 12 RBI and a 1.049 OPS for the season. “Man, I always feel like I can do it,” Walker said. “But just working with the guys all day … (my confidence) is just going through the roof right now and I’ve got to get it to stay there.” On top of Walker continuing his recent exploits, Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and starter Michael McGreevy (1-1) pitched six solid innings to lead to Wednesday’s win. It was just the second of seven St. Louis victories that did not require a comeback effort. “It’s a very complete team. That’s how it feels,” McGreevy said. “Everything you want out of a baseball team. You’ve got great defenders behind you. You’ve got great offense. I never felt like we were out of any game on this road trip.” Manager Oliver Marmol agrees. “The style of play, how we’re winning these ballgames, has been consistent,” he said. “More proud of that than anything.” However, the struggles of Dustin May (0-2, 15.95) have been a sore spot for St. Louis thus far, as the veteran righty has been touched up for 13 runs on 17 hits in just 7 1/3 innings. He lasted just 3 1/3 and allowed seven runs last Saturday in an 11-6 setback to the host Detroit Tigers. May made six appearances (five starts) for the Red Sox late last season. His only career appearance against them was a five-inning losing effort on July 27, just four days before the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to Boston. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Forwardthinking #Red #Sox #momentum #series #Cardinals

#Deadspin #Forwardthinking #Red #Sox #momentum #series #Cardinals">

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings.

Finally, the Boston Red Sox have a turn in the right direction.

Back-to-back victories over the Milwaukee Brewers have the Red Sox feeling good as they turn their attention to another National League Central opponent, with the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

Strong pitching performances set the stage for Boston’s two latest victories, as left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Sonny Gray each pitched 6 1/3 innings en route to their respective 3-2 and 5-0 decisions. Now, manager Alex Cora looks to southpaw Connelly Early (0-0, 2.89 ERA) to continue the trend.

“We will pitch. We’re going to be better,” Cora said. “And for this team to make it to October, we have to pitch. And we will.”

Though the Red Sox lost his first two starts of 2026 by 3-2 scores, Early has picked up where he left off as a rookie last September. The 24-year-old has allowed just three runs and struck out 10 through 9 1/3 innings, including four innings of two-run ball in his start Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

Across four starts late last season, Early was 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 frames.

“Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said earlier this season. “He slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.”

Like Gray did after Crochet, Early will look to help the Red Sox continue building momentum from their first series win. There were more positive signs, too, as Wilyer Abreu continued his hot start (.383 average) with a 2-for-4 effort on Wednesday, and Trevor Story erased an 0-for-16 funk with a four-game hit streak and three straight multi-RBI performances.

“(The slow start is) already in the past. We’ve got to move forward,” catcher Carlos Narvaez said. “We won the series. That’s all that matters now. We’ve got six on the road.”

The Cardinals return home with momentum themselves, having followed up a 7-6, 10-inning triumph on Tuesday with a convincing 6-1 effort on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

It has been a stretch to remember for 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker, who homered in all three games against Washington and four of the last five, giving him 12 RBI and a 1.049 OPS for the season.

“Man, I always feel like I can do it,” Walker said. “But just working with the guys all day … (my confidence) is just going through the roof right now and I’ve got to get it to stay there.”

On top of Walker continuing his recent exploits, Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and starter Michael McGreevy (1-1) pitched six solid innings to lead to Wednesday’s win. It was just the second of seven St. Louis victories that did not require a comeback effort.

“It’s a very complete team. That’s how it feels,” McGreevy said. “Everything you want out of a baseball team. You’ve got great defenders behind you. You’ve got great offense. I never felt like we were out of any game on this road trip.”

Manager Oliver Marmol agrees.

“The style of play, how we’re winning these ballgames, has been consistent,” he said. “More proud of that than anything.”

However, the struggles of Dustin May (0-2, 15.95) have been a sore spot for St. Louis thus far, as the veteran righty has been touched up for 13 runs on 17 hits in just 7 1/3 innings. He lasted just 3 1/3 and allowed seven runs last Saturday in an 11-6 setback to the host Detroit Tigers.

May made six appearances (five starts) for the Red Sox late last season. His only career appearance against them was a five-inning losing effort on July 27, just four days before the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to Boston.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Forwardthinking #Red #Sox #momentum #series #Cardinals">Deadspin | Forward-thinking Red Sox take momentum into series vs. Cardinals

Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings.

Finally, the Boston Red Sox have a turn in the right direction.

Back-to-back victories over the Milwaukee Brewers have the Red Sox feeling good as they turn their attention to another National League Central opponent, with the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

Strong pitching performances set the stage for Boston’s two latest victories, as left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Sonny Gray each pitched 6 1/3 innings en route to their respective 3-2 and 5-0 decisions. Now, manager Alex Cora looks to southpaw Connelly Early (0-0, 2.89 ERA) to continue the trend.

“We will pitch. We’re going to be better,” Cora said. “And for this team to make it to October, we have to pitch. And we will.”

Though the Red Sox lost his first two starts of 2026 by 3-2 scores, Early has picked up where he left off as a rookie last September. The 24-year-old has allowed just three runs and struck out 10 through 9 1/3 innings, including four innings of two-run ball in his start Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

Across four starts late last season, Early was 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 frames.

“Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said earlier this season. “He slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.”

Like Gray did after Crochet, Early will look to help the Red Sox continue building momentum from their first series win. There were more positive signs, too, as Wilyer Abreu continued his hot start (.383 average) with a 2-for-4 effort on Wednesday, and Trevor Story erased an 0-for-16 funk with a four-game hit streak and three straight multi-RBI performances.

“(The slow start is) already in the past. We’ve got to move forward,” catcher Carlos Narvaez said. “We won the series. That’s all that matters now. We’ve got six on the road.”

The Cardinals return home with momentum themselves, having followed up a 7-6, 10-inning triumph on Tuesday with a convincing 6-1 effort on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

It has been a stretch to remember for 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker, who homered in all three games against Washington and four of the last five, giving him 12 RBI and a 1.049 OPS for the season.

“Man, I always feel like I can do it,” Walker said. “But just working with the guys all day … (my confidence) is just going through the roof right now and I’ve got to get it to stay there.”

On top of Walker continuing his recent exploits, Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and starter Michael McGreevy (1-1) pitched six solid innings to lead to Wednesday’s win. It was just the second of seven St. Louis victories that did not require a comeback effort.

“It’s a very complete team. That’s how it feels,” McGreevy said. “Everything you want out of a baseball team. You’ve got great defenders behind you. You’ve got great offense. I never felt like we were out of any game on this road trip.”

Manager Oliver Marmol agrees.

“The style of play, how we’re winning these ballgames, has been consistent,” he said. “More proud of that than anything.”

However, the struggles of Dustin May (0-2, 15.95) have been a sore spot for St. Louis thus far, as the veteran righty has been touched up for 13 runs on 17 hits in just 7 1/3 innings. He lasted just 3 1/3 and allowed seven runs last Saturday in an 11-6 setback to the host Detroit Tigers.

May made six appearances (five starts) for the Red Sox late last season. His only career appearance against them was a five-inning losing effort on July 27, just four days before the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to Boston.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Forwardthinking #Red #Sox #momentum #series #Cardinals

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