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(2022) Keanu Reeves, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Batman, Superman © 2022 – Warner Bros
Teaser Trailer (2022) Daniel Radcliffe, Rainn Wilson, Weird Al Biopic © 2022 – Roku Original
Ozark is nearing the conclusion of its run and Netflix released the final seven new episodes. Ozark’s last season was split into two parts. Season four, part one, was also seven episodes long and premiered on Netflix in January.
Viewers probably thought they knew how the second half of Ozark’s final season would play out after the explosive finale of Season 4, Part 1- the first half of the show’s final season. With cartel chief Omar Navarro (Felix Dolis) behind bars, Javi is left to his own devices.
Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera) gained complete control of the situation, as well as a nice cozy deal with the US government. With this cover, he murders both Darlene Snell and Wyatt Langmore, the latter killing infuriating Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner).
Ruth pursues Javi to Chicago in the first episode of Season 4, Part 2, where she murders him in front of Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), and Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk). But, as all witnessed throughout the show and in the conclusion, the cartel never goes away. The cartel is known for its tenacity. And changes are always being made.
When Javi spoke with his mother, Camila Elizonndro (Veronica Falcón), earlier in the first episode, Camila appeared to be a tiny player in the grand plan of Ozark at first, she turned out to be one of the most powerful figures in the land. Camila, in the end, has the most influence on how the show unfolds and where things wind up.
Camila eventually rises to become the new cartel head, demonstrating that she is just as capable of both violence (murders) and business (the FBI agreement) as her brother and son. She embodies the notion that one cannot defeat the power that certain harmful institutions wield.
Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) was determined to identify the man who shot and killed her cousin Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) and his wife Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) in their home after Part 1 ended on a big cliffhanger.
The last episodes, directed by Chris Mundy, focus on a variety of facets of the show’s strengths: Laura Linney is given plenty of opportunities to show off her talent. Julia Garner gets to delve deeper into Ruth than just pledging vengeance, and for the climax, Bateman returns to the director’s chair, excelling in tiny, fleeting moments onscreen. Bodies are laid to rest. Tension rises. The last 72-minute episode strikes a delicate mix between surprise and foreboding, landing with the force expected of a show that began with a voiceover about the true meaning of money.
As the series draws to a close, “Ozark” stays true to its roots. Even if the Byrdes’ heinous journey is interpreted as a metaphor for the risks and problems of a long-term marriage, raising children, and/or upholding the American ideal of family, the conclusion should be obvious.
It may not tell much more about the Byrdes than has previously been said, but that, in some ways, just emphasizes the last note: Are they going to get away with it, or are they going to pay a bill? Bateman is sure to have wondered before discovering the ending.
Britain’s Andy Murray was forced to withdraw from his Round of 16 match against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain with an illness.
The announcement came about an hour before the match was scheduled to begin. The Telegraph reported Murray has a case of food poisoning.
The match would have been the 37th meeting — first since 2017 — between Murray and Serbia’s Djokovic, who holds a 25-11 lead in the contests.
Djokovic wins in a walkover and will face the winner of Hubert Hurkacz vs. Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals on the clay at Madrid.
–Field Level Media
Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers each blasted three-run home runs on Thursday afternoon and Randal Grichuk added a solo shot to power the host Colorado Rockies to a 9-7 win over the Washington Nationals.
Behind the three long balls, the Rockies took two of three games in the series.
The ball was carrying to all fields at Coors Field, with the teams combining for five home runs and 25 hits. The difference was that two of Colorado’s homers came with runners on base, compared to a couple of solo shots for Washington. Juan Soto, who went 2-for-3 with two walks, and Keibert Ruiz had home runs to right field.
Grichuk’s opposite-field home run in the seventh inning gave the Rockies some insurance.
Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela worked 4 1/3 innings and logged one strikeout in a no-decision, giving up three runs (two earned) and seven hits. Aaron Sanchez (1-2) of the Nationals struck out four in 4 1/3 innings, yielding seven runs (six earned) and six hits.
Senzatela entered the game with just six strikeouts 19 2/3 innings. Sanchez came into the game having fanned five in 9 1/3 innings.
Jhoulys Chacin (3-1) picked up the win in relief and Daniel Bard collected his eight save.
Soto’s sixth solo shot of the season came in a two-run first. A throwing error at third by Ryan McMahon on Maikel Franco’s ground ball enabled a second run to score.
In a four-run second inning, Rodgers had an RBI double and Hampson crushed his three-run shot.
The Nationals closed the gap to 4-3 in the fifth inning on Josh Bell’s RBI double. But Soto, representing the tying run at third, was later picked off by catcher Dom Nunez.
Rodgers’ two-out, three-run homer off left-hander Josh Rogers, who relieved Sanchez in the fifth inning, broke open a five-run Rockies’ lead.
After falling behind by five runs, the Nationals chipped back. Ruiz homered in the sixth, and in the seventh, Franco and Ruiz added RBI doubles.
Cesar Hernandez, who extended his hit streak to 11 games, had an RBI groundout in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
The Minnesota Twins said Thursday that manager Rocco Baldelli, starting pitcher Dylan Bundy and infielder Luis Arraez tested positive for COVID-19.
Bench coach Jayce Tingler will fill in as the Twins’ manager in Baldelli’s absence.
Minnesota general manager Thad Levine also told reporters that the clubhouse is dealing with a separate, non-COVID illness that has affected players including right fielder Max Kepler. But Kepler was in the lineup for the Twins’ road game Thursday at the Baltimore Orioles.
Bundy, 29, is in his first season with Minnesota after five with Baltimore and two with the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 5.76 ERA in five starts, tossing 22 strikeouts and only five walks in 25 total innings.
He pitched Wednesday and took the loss in a 9-4 defeat to Baltimore, giving up nine runs and 11 hits (two home runs) in 3 2/3 frames.
Arraez, 25, has played in 23 games for the Twins in his fourth season with the club. He is batting .301 with one home run, seven RBIs and seven runs scored.
Tinger managed the Padres the past two seasons and compiled a 116-106 record.
–Field Level Media
The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury both feel like they have unfinished business from last season.
Both teams have undergone significant changes, but still have championship aspirations as they open the WNBA season against one another Friday night in Phoenix.
The opener is a rematch of last season’s semifinal playoff series that the Mercury won 3-2 before losing to Chicago 3-1 in the WNBA Finals.
Phoenix has a new head coach in former Aces assistant Vanessa Nygaard.
“I have a little bit of an advantage before the first game in that nobody knows exactly what I’m going to do,” Nygaard said.
One thing she’s likely to do is lean heavily on Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, but half the roster is new and star center Brittney Griner is being detained in a Russian prison after being arrested at a Moscow airport.
“I think about her every day,” Diggins-Smith said, “and I can’t wait until she gets back here with us.”
Griner’s place will be taken by newly acquired Tina Charles, who led the league in scoring (23.4 points per game) and was tied for third in rebounding (9.6) last season.
Las Vegas also has a new head coach as former San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon takes over for Bill Laimbeer, who became a consultant.
“There’s definitely unfinished business,” said Riquna Williams, who spurned overtures from other teams in free agency to re-sign with Las Vegas. “We’re going to get it done. Some way we’re going to figure it out.”
The Aces lost star center Liz Cambage to the Los Angeles Sparks in free agency, but re-signed star wing A’ja Wilson, the WNBA MVP in 2020.
“If we stay healthy, the sky’s the limit for this group,” Hammon said.
Las Vegas was well-positioned for a title run last season after earning the No. 2 seed and a double-bye, but fell to the visiting Mercury 87-84 in the deciding fifth game.
“We know we left a lot on the table last year,” guard Kelsey Plum said.
–Field Level Media
Willy Adames homered twice and drove in four runs as the host Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the woeful Cincinnati Reds with a 10-5 win Thursday afternoon.
It was the eighth win in nine games for the Brewers, who clubbed five home runs off Cincinnati rookie starter Hunter Greene. Christian Yelich homered as part of a three-hit game for the National League Central leaders, who outscored the Reds 34-12 in the series.
Adrian Houser (3-2) survived five innings to earn the win, allowing seven hits and five runs — four earned — while striking out six and walking one.
Tyler Stephenson homered and singled for the Reds, who lost their ninth straight and were swept in an entire road trip for a second consecutive time.
Since splitting their first four games of the season, the Reds have dropped 20 of their next 21 games. The loss was Cincinnati’s 13th straight on the road, its longest such skid since dropping 19 straight between July 5-Aug. 24, 1933.
At 3-22, the Reds extended the worst start in the history of baseball’s first professional franchise.
The Reds jumped out to an early three-run lead against Houser on an RBI single from Stephenson and a two-run single from Colin Moran with two outs.
But Greene (1-4) immediately gave back all three runs without retiring a batter in the bottom of the first. Luis Urias and Yelich drilled 99 mph fastballs over the fence for back-to-back solo homers before Rowdy Tellez doubled home Adames to tie the game, 3-3.
The Brewers added three more in the second off Greene when Yelich doubled home Jace Peterson with two outs. Adames then hammered a two-run homer to left-center for a 6-3 advantage.
The Brewers capped their home run derby against Greene in the third when Tyrone Taylor and Keston Hiura belted long solo shots off Greene’s fastball for an 8-3 lead. Adames added another tape-measure homer off Reds reliever Art Warren in the eighth for Milwaukee’s sixth homer of the day.
Since beating the Braves on April 10 in his major league debut, Greene has struggled badly, losing all four starts, allowing 17 earned runs in just 15 2/3 innings. In addition to the five home runs Thursday, Greene was tagged for eight runs in just 2 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits. Greene did strike out seven and walk just one.
The Reds loaded the bases in the fifth inning against Houser but could only manage one run as Houser left with an 8-5 lead.
He earned the win when the group of Trevor Gott, Brad Boxberger, Devin Williams and Hoby Milner combined on four scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media
Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky will launch the defense of their WNBA title Friday night when the Los Angeles Sparks visit for both teams’ season opener.
And to hear the 36-year-old Parker tell it, she’s just as excited for the 15th year of her career as she was for the first after graduating from Tennessee in 2008.
“I think just being back and seeing the excitement around the season definitely motivates me to continue to work hard,” Parker said. “And, you know, I think last year was amazing and to be able to come back and to do it with a similar group this year in terms of competing … I’m excited about it.”
Indeed, Chicago focused its offseason on keeping its core group together, although it did add scoring center Emma Meesseman from Washington. A former WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2019, Meesseman gives the Sky three former Finals MVPs on their roster, joining Parker (2016) and Kahleah Copper, who earned the honors in 2021.
Chicago brought back both starting guards, Courtney Vandersloot and Copper, as well as sharp-shooting reserve Allie Quigley. The Fire return four of the five players who averaged in double figures in scoring a season ago — losing only guard Diamond DeShields to the Phoenix Mercury.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is coming off a disappointing season that saw it miss the playoffs. The Sparks simply didn’t have enough firepower offensively to go along with their scrappy defense.
General manager/coach Derek Fisher sought to change that this offseason. Adding Las Vegas center Liz Cambage in free agency gives the team the post threat it needed. Cambage scored 14.2 points and grabbed 8.2 boards per game last season, although she wasn’t the Aces’ No. 1 option with A’ja Wilson on the roster.
Los Angeles added help on the perimeter by picking up 3-point shooter Katie Lou Samuelson along with Chennedy Carter. The Sparks also signed Jordin Canada, last with Seattle, in a move that should give them better depth in the backcourt and a capable scorer off the bench.
“Crowd’s gonna be lit, building’s gonna be lit, women’s basketball gonna be lit,” Cambage said. “It’s gonna be the most wild summer WNBA’s ever seen — that’s how I think this summer’s gonna go.
“And we’re gonna have a ring at the end of it.”
–Field Level Media
Gerrit Cole did his part to contribute to the New York Yankees’ recent 11-game winning streak and he now gets a chance to start the club on another run of success.
After a pair of stellar performances during the winning streak, that followed three rough performances, Cole will be back on the mound Friday night when the Yankees play host to the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
New York will enter off a 2-1 defeat Wednesday at Toronto, its first loss since April 21.
Cole (2-0, 3.00 ERA) tossed 12 2/3 scoreless innings in victories over the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals last week. He will attempt to pitch three straight scoreless outings for the first time in his career and may be pitching to catcher Jose Trevino for the third straight time after throwing to Kyle Higashioka for all but two starts going back to the start of 2021.
Cole contributed to New York’s third win in the streak April 24 against the Guardians when he allowed four hits and struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings of a 10-2 win. On Saturday, he allowed five hits and struck out six in six innings of a 3-0 win against the Royals, highlighting by getting Salvador Perez to hit into a groundout with the bases loaded to end the third.
“He was able to make some pitches,” Trevino said. “That’s what he does. He’s an ace for a reason. He comes out and makes pitches when he needs to and he did that tonight.”
Before the two outings, Cole lasted a career-low 1 2/3 innings April 19 in Detroit and saw his ERA rise to 6.35 before it plummeted during the win streak.
Cole is 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 11 career starts against the Rangers and none of those starts were with Marcus Semien and Corey Seager in the Texas lineup. Seager is 3-for-10 against Cole, while Semien has three home runs, but just a .172 average against the right-hander in 29 at-bats.
In Wednesday’s streak-busting defeat against the Blue Jays, the Yankees’ Joey Gallo — formerly of the Rangers — hit a home run after missing three games because of a tight left groin. The Yankees loaded the bases in the ninth but couldn’t pull out the victory.
“Winning 11 in a row, that’s no small task,” Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”
Texas lost nine of its first 11 games but heads to New York on a four-game winning streak. After winning the final two games of its three-game series against the visiting Atlanta Braves, Texas swept a two-game series with the host the Philadelphia Phillies this week. Brad Miller hit a two-run single in the 10th inning to give Texas a 2-1 victory Wednesday.
Texas pitchers own a 2.42 ERA in the past 12 games, and in the past 14 games the relievers own a 1.95 ERA after pitching three scoreless innings Wednesday.
“I just think internally that the guys have kind of come together and really embrace the challenge,” Texas manager Chris Woodward said. “Everybody in that room has belief. Guys are starting to find their roles and you can see the bullpen really starting to throw the ball well. Guys are starting to get comfortable out there and embracing the expectations.”
Former Yankees prospect Glenn Otto (1-0, 2.89) will look to keep the run of effective pitching extended for the Rangers when he makes his ninth career start.
Otto is 1-3 with a 7.44 ERA for the Rangers over the past two seasons since being acquired in last summer’s trade for Gallo. He last pitched April 27 against the Houston Astros when he allowed two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media