Apr 15, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) celebrates with right wing Reilly Smith (19) and defenseman Shea Theodore (27) after the Golden Knights defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS — Mitch Marner broke a third-period tie and the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division for the fifth time in their nine-year history, beating the Seattle Kraken 4-1 to close the regular season.
Two points ahead of Edmonton entering the night, Vegas only needed a point to win the Pacific and set up a first-round series against Utah. Edmonton will finish play at home against Vancouver.
Reilly Smith had two late goals, Shea Theodore also scored and Carter Hart made 22 saves to help Vegas win its third straight. The Golden Knights finished 39-26-17, going 7-0-1 since John Tortorella took over as coach for the fired Bruce Cassidy.
Shane Wright scored for Seattle, and Nikke Kokko stopped 22 shots. The Kraken have lost two straight to fall to 34-36-11 with a game left at Colorado.
Marner gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 1:23 of the third. Off a faceoff, defenseman Brayden McNabb took a long, straightaway shot that Marner tipped in for his 24th goal of the season.
Theodore tied it with 2:25 left in the second. The defenseman got the puck at the right point off a faceoff, moved to the top of the circle and fired a wrist shot past Kokko’s glove.
Wright opened the scoring at 2:24 of the second after missing the previous eight games because of an upper-body injury.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone played his 400th game for the franchise.
Up next
Kraken: At Colorado.
Golden Knights: Host Utah in the first round of the playoffs.
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson makes the nineteenth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Christopher Hanewinckel/Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks extended general manager Kyle Davidson’s contract without providing the length of the deal.
“We are committing to Kyle to continue the plan he has put in place,” chairman and owner Danny Wirtz said before the team’s season-ending game against San Jose. “We feel confident in that. We feel he has the right insight, the right team around him, and the belief he can continue to build a championship team.”
The Blackhawks are locked into 31st place in the 32-team NHL and haven’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs since the expanded COVID playoffs of 2020.
The 37-year-old Davidson took over as interim general manager when Stan Bowman was fired in October 2021. The interim tag was removed in March 2022.
The Calgary Flames wrap up their season with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
My Kings vs. Flames predictions are targeting Blake Coleman to stay hot in the season finale at home.
Kings vs Flames best bet: Blake Coleman Over 0.5 points (-110)
Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman has 20 goals and 15 assists, and has picked up the pace of late. He’s notched points in back-to-back contests, tallying an assist on Sunday against Utah before scoring Calgary’s lone goal in Tuesday’s loss to Colorado.
The 34-year-old has now cashed the Over in points in four of his last six home appearances. The opportunities tend to be there when he faces the Los Angeles Kings as well, notching eight SOG in the three matchups.
Much of his production has come at the Saddledome, where he has registered 22 points in 32 outings.
Kings vs Flames same-game parlay
Morgan Frost has cashed the Over in SOG in three of his last five contests. He had two shots on target against the Avalanche and five against the Mammoth over his last two games.
The Kings are allowing 10.1 SOG per game to centers, which ranks toward the bottom of the league. Frost is averaging 1.85 shots on net at the Saddledome in 2025-26 as well.
Calgary won 3-2 against the Kings last month, and it's actually 2-1 against them this season, with all of those games being decided by two goals or fewer.
The Flames are also 22-13-5 at home, while L.A. has lost three of its last five on the road.
Kings vs Flames SGP
Blake Coleman Over 0.5 points
Morgan Frost Over 1.5 shots on goal
Flames moneyline
Kings vs Flames odds
Moneyline: Kings -140 | Flames +120
Puck Line: Kings -1.5 (+165) | Flames +1.5 (-200)
Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-130) | Under 5.5 (+110)
Kings vs Flames trend
The Calgary Flames have hit the Moneyline in 7 of their last 9 games at home (+7.05 Units / 72% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Flames.
How to watch Kings vs Flames
Location
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Date
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Puck drop
9:00 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet One
Kings vs Flames latest injuries
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MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 11: Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens stands during the anthems prior to the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre on April 11, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Montréal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NHL regular season wrapped on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for hockey fans around central Ohio, the Columbus Blue Jackets fell just short of making the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season where the playoffs were held in the bubble. This marks the second straight season where the Blue Jackets were officially eliminated from postseason contention on the night before their final game of the season.
Even though Columbus won’t be a part of this year’s NHL playoffs, there will be a couple players from Ohio State who will be competing in the NHL postseason. Goaltender Jakub Dobeš of the Montreal Canadiens and defenseman Mason Lohrei of the Boston Bruins will take the ice in the two-month grind to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup which will begin on Saturday and run through June.
Jakub Dobeš – Montreal Canadiens
After starting the season as the second-string goaltender for Montreal, Jakub Dobeš has established himself as the starter for Montreal.
Dobeš enters the postseason having started 42 games for Montreal during the regular season, posting a 29-10-4 record with a 2.78 goals against average. The former Ohio State netminder stopped 90.1 of the shots he has faced this season.
Dobeš is a big reason why the Canadiens were able to rack up 106 points during the regular season. Down the stretch, Dobeš was tough to put pucks past. Before losing his final two starts of the regular season, Dobeš had won his previous seven starts.
The streak was snapped when Columbus was able to score five goals on him in Saturday’s game in Montreal in a game where the Canadiens had already secured a playoff spot. In his final start of the regular season, Montreal was beaten 4-2 at Philadelphia, who had clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference the night before.
Now Dobeš will face a Tampa Bay team who he started three games against during the regular season. In his first game against the Lightning on Dec. 9 he allowed three goals in 19:50 before he was pulled in a 6-1 loss.
Dobeš fared much better in the other two games, saving 36 shots in a 4-1 win on March 31 at Tampa Bay, followed by a 17-save performance in a 2-1 win at home against the Lightning on April 9. Montreal was 2-2 against Tampa Bay during the regular season.
The former Ohio State goalie at least has a bit of playoff experience to lean on heading into this year’s postseason. Last season against Washington, Dobeš was thrust into action in the middle of the series with the Capitals, appearing in three games.
In his initial playoff run, Dobeš was 1-2 across three games, saving 52 of the 59 shots he faced before Washington was able to end Montreal’s season.
Mason Lohrei – Boston Bruins
The other former Ohio State Buckeye who will be playing in this year’s NHL playoffs is Mason Lohrei. The defenseman for the Boston Bruins appeared in 73 games during the regular season, registering 26 points.
While Lohrei had seven more points in four more games last season, this year he had a career-high seven goals. The biggest improvement for Lohrei came in his plus/minus rating. Last year Lohrei finished the regular season with a -43. This season Lohrei was a +17.
The Bruins will entered the playoffs as the first wild card team in the Eastern Conference, meaning they will be taking on the Buffalo Sabres, who won the Atlantic Division to secure their first playoff berth in 13 years.
Despite the Sabres being one of the hottest teams in hockey over the last few months, Boston will take some confidence into the series since they are 3-1 against Buffalo, including a 4-3 overtime win on March 25th.
Lohrei played in three of the four games against Buffalo this year, but didn’t record any points. In the most recent meeting between the teams, Lohrei uncorked two shots and was a +1 in the game. Lohrei does have 11 games of playoff experience, which all came during the 2024 playoffs.
The Bruins beat Toronto in seven games before falling to eventual Stanley Cup winner Florida in six games. Lohrei netted a goal and was credited with three assists during his initial playoff run.
‘Etihad is the ultimate test – bring it on,’ says midfielder
‘We have six games to go and we know how big it is’
Declan Rice has insisted Arsenal must be better at Manchester City on Sunday if they are to press their Premier League title claims.
The midfielder is conscious of his club’s curious situation: six points clear of City at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra game, and the only English team in the Champions League semi-finals. But the mood is edgy and Rice is aware that the fans have concerns over the style of play.
Apr 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (29) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
Monday night’s zany 11-10 walk-off win over the Angels will be remembered for the offensive heroics of both lineups far more than any pitching performance. However, there was a sequence from Will Warren right before his start got turned on its head that caught my eye. So, I’d like to share what I felt was a good illustration of the growth Warren achieved over the offseason in terms of stuff but also sequencing.
We join Warren in the top of the third with the Yankees already winning, 4-0, courtesy of a pair of two-run home runs by Aaron Judge and José Caballero. Warren is coasting to this point, only Jo Adell having reached on a hit-by-pitch. Warren’s collected a pair of quick outs in the frame on a Logan O’Hoppe groundout and Adam Frazier strikeout, but has to face the top of the order for the second time.
Warren has already struck out Zach Neto to open the contest — making him look silly on a sweeper down and away (though it did require a nine-pitch battle). In the first encounter he started Neto with a first-pitch sinker in on the hands that Neto swung through, so Warren feels he can achieve a similar result with a first-pitch four-seamer in the same location.
Similar pitch and an even more painful outcome, Neto fouling this pitch off his front foot and collapsing in a heap of pain.
After a result like that, the hitter might become a little gun-shy against future pitches inside. Warren leverages that hesitation with a front-door sweeper trying to steal a called strike two.
This is perfect execution of his pitch, Warren landing this sweeper right on the corner down and in. You can see Neto flinch slightly as it appears this pitch is heading right for his front kneecap and gives up early, only for the sweeper’s foot-and-a-half of horizontal break to bend it into the zone at the last moment. You don’t always want to throw your sweeper for strikes, but this is an encouraging development from Warren to be able to command this pitch to the corner rather than pigeonholing himself into throwing the sweeper only for chase.
In the blink of an eye, Warren is in the driver’s seat, 0-2. He has a wealth of options available to him — fastball above the zone, sweeper off the plate away, or he can even go back inside with a pitch running towards the hitter and away from the barrel. Warren elects the latter option given the success he’s had busting Neto inside so far.
Another excellent pitch from Warren, this sinker running viciously in on Neto’s hands. Neto is barely able to nub it foul with the handle of his bat to stay alive.
After three straight pitches inside, Warren has the situation perfectly set up to get Neto to chase a breaking ball down and away.
This is just a filthy pitch. The sweeper looks like a fastball down Broadway out of the hand, only to take a sharp left hand turn. Neto waves weakly at the pitch, his bat nowhere near making contact to give Warren five strikeouts through the first three innings. You might wonder why Neto is swinging at a pitch that ends up so far off the plate away. Not only is the command of this individual pitch just as Warren intended, it comes out of almost exactly the same tunnel as the sinker that immediately preceded it, a pitch that Neto also swung at. It’s truly the perfect two-pitch sequence given all the other pitches Warren had thrown Neto to this point.
For as smoothly as Warren’s outing was going up until this point, it was abruptly derailed an inning later. The leadoff error by José Caballero certainly didn’t help, but you can’t let four of the next six hitters to reach the minute you encounter the first inconvenience of your start. That being said, I think we can still acknowledge the excellence of Warren’s first three innings this game. Warren recorded strikeouts on four different pitches — four-seamer, sinker, sweeper, and changeup — which to me is an encouraging sign given I feel he can become a little over-reliant on his four-seamer and sweeper in two-strike counts. I liked that he varied his approach with the sweeper, throwing it for called strikes and chase, and I though he tunneled pitches well on a handful of occasions. Obviously, the biggest adjustment is to not let a single moment derail his entire start, maturation in that department one of the keys in taking him from an MLB starter with question marks to a legitimate middle-of-the-rotation arm.
Scott O’Neil sends rallying cry to staff after reports
McGinley says PGA Tour could now ‘play hardball’
LIV Golf has insisted the tour intends to continue “uninterrupted and at full throttle” this season amid claims its Saudi Arabian backers will imminently withdraw having funded the breakaway league to the tune of $5bn (£3.68bn).
The future of the rebel tour was mired in confusion on Wednesday following an executive meeting in New York and publication of a new Saudi investment strategy that did not mention sport and emphasised sustainability.
Cricket fans down under will get to see more of the world’s best in action as Bangladesh hosts New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia over the next couple of months.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan isn't sure if he'll join the AHL's Toronto Marlies for their Calder Cup Playoff run.
The 20-year-old wrapped up his first NHL season on Wednesday night with an assist on William Nylander's goal in the third period in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. His rookie year came to a close with 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games.
"I know I'm an NHL player. I feel comfortable, but I still got a lot more to give and I know I'll have a good summer here and get bigger and faster," Cowan told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.
"Everyone says that, but just take some time off and just get back to work, put in the work, and just get ready to have a better year next year."
Along with his 29 points, Cowan played throughout Toronto's forward group and finished the year averaging 14:43 of ice time. He also spent some time on the Maple Leafs' top power play unit after Auston Matthews' season ended due to a knee injury.
He impressed many this season and grew as the year continued. What caught a lot of people's eyes was how he reacted in the aftermath of Matthews going down, fighting Jackson LaCombe in the game against the Anaheim Ducks, and then standing up to Boston Bruins defender Nikita Zadorov a few games later for his hit on John Tavares.
At the trade deadline, though, the Maple Leafs sent Cowan down to the Marlies, making him eligible for the AHL club's Calder Cup Playoff run later this month.
He's one of seven players on Toronto's NHL roster — along with Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, Michael Pezzetta, Ryan Tverberg, William Villeneuve, and Dennis Hildeby — who can return to the Marlies for their postseason.
But will Cowan be there when the Marlies' playoff run begins?
"I'm not exactly sure," Cowan said on Wednesday. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to play more hockey. But it's not my decision. Whatever the management thinks is right, I'll agree with them."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was also asked if Cowan would go down to the Marlies after their exit interviews on Thursday, to which Toronto's coach said, "We'll discuss that tomorrow."
Berube continued, "Definitely a benefit for him playing in the (AHL) playoffs, right? You can look at the league, and you can dissect it anyway you want. It's a good league, and it's a good experience for him."
The Marlies have two more regular season games — on Saturday and Sunday against the Laval Rocket at Coca-Cola Coliseum — before their playoffs begin. Toronto currently holds the fourth spot in the North Division, but could squeeze into third place, depending on how the Cleveland Monsters' final two games go.
If the Marlies lock up third in the division, they'll begin their playoffs in the division semifinals (a best-of-five series) against the second-seeded team in the division. However, if Toronto ends up in fourth, they'll play a best-of-three series against the fifth-seed in their division.
As the start of the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning approaches, the Habs coaching staff has plenty of strategizing left to do and wisdom to impart on their players. Part of that strategy should be warning their young player about Corey Perry.
The former Anaheim Ducks first-round pick at the 2003 draft may not score like he once did; he put up 98 points in the most productive season of his career, but he’s still as much of a pest as he always was. In his 1463 NHL games, the veteran has racked up 1566 penalty minutes and has made it a habit to get in people’s faces. Furthermore, he’s got a wealth of experience in the playoffs, which makes him an even more formidable foe.
While the one-time Hab (one season in 2020-21) has only won a Stanley Cup in his first NHL season, he has come very close to winning another one in the last few years, making an appearance in five of the last six Cup finals; twice with the Edmonton Oilers, once with the Bolts, once with the Canadiens and once with the Dallas Stars.
After 237 playoff games, the veteran knows all the tricks of the trade and is the kind of player who makes the most of the fact that the referees are somewhat more permissive in the playoffs, which is what makes him so dangerous.
With the extra leeway, he’s got plenty of opportunities to get in players’ faces and haggle with them; a push here, a slash there, that’s just another day at the office for Perry. In the last game between the two teams on April 9, he did just that and baited Arber Xhekaj into taking a roughing penalty. Something coach Martin St-Louis did notice: telling the media that Perry has been setting traps for 40 years, and Xhekaj fell for it. A cautionary tale if there ever was one. The Canadiens will need to take a page out of Lane Hutson's book, who just ignored Perry when he came knocking.
How one should deal with Corey Perry. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
While the Lightning haven’t had the best power play this season, they are in 16th place with a 21% success rate. You do not want to give them any opportunities. The Bolts are the kind of team that will “make you pay cash”, as the coach so often said last season, when you shoot yourself in the foot. There’s a reason why Tampa Bay went out and got Perry from the Los Angeles Kings, and it’s because they know he can be a difference maker in the playoffs.
Corey Perry was telling Lane Hutson to get off the ice while both teams were in a big scrum, Hutson wasn't listening and Perry wasn't happy 😭🫣 pic.twitter.com/9NRv3hVXqz
WINNIPEG, CANADA - APRIL 11: Porter Martone #94 of the Philadelphia Flyers takes part in the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre on April 11, 2026 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
A young power forward with swagger drafted early in the first round can be an amazing thing for an NHL team. And unlike Cutter Gauthier, this one actually was willing to sign a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers! Porter Martone joined up with the Flyers after his 2025-26 season at Michigan State wrapped up and boy did he make a seamless transition to the NHL. The youngster put up 10 points in nine important games down the stretch to announce his arrival to the league in a major way.
Martone has played the part of the net front power forward, looking like an old pro despite being brand new (and a teenager). He scored his first goal in overtime less than two weeks ago and then has kept it going, riding a six-game point streak at the end of the season.
The Flyers badly needed the skill infusion, they only had four 20-goal scorers this season (Owen Tippett’s 28 leading the way) and just two players who recorded 52+ points on the year. That added up to an offensive output of 2.93 goals/game, 22nd in the league and lowest among Eastern Conference playoff teams. The Flyers’ power play was dead last at 15.7% and is another area where Martone (who has five power play points already) has provided a massive lift to his new team to give them a tangible boost in an area they needed it the most. As a result, inserting a young, talented and productive forward ended up being a Godsend for a Philadelphia team that’s playing some of their best hockey in these last 10 games that Martone appeared in.
Martone has found his fit on the second line, skating with center Christan Dvorak and with Travis Konceny on the other wing. That mix of veterans with the brand new rookie has worked out to the tune of out-scoring the opposition 5-1 in the brief time they’ve been together. That grouping of talent allows Philadelphia to work with another line featuring Tippet and Trevor Zegras and then still a third line where Matvei Michkov operates, then a checking line led by veteran Sean Couturier. Adding Martone has diversified the attack and made for a much more dangerous team capable of coming at opponents in waves and transformed the Flyers into quite the squad down the stretch.
The Penguins will probably be dealing with Martone as a key opponent for many, many years to come. They’ll get a first look at him in these playoffs and hopefully will give him an introduction to the world of NHL playoff hockey and limit the amount of success he will have in this first taste of action.
The Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to five straight games on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. They also improved to a robust 7-1 at home so far this season.
On Thursday afternoon, the Motor City Kitties have a chance to sweep their second straight series with a win over their American League Central rivals. On the topic of the division, Detroit (9-9) is currently third in the standings, with the Minnesota Twins (11-8) and Cleveland Guardians (10-9) ahead, respectively, while the Royals (7-11) and Chicago White Sox (6-11) trail behind.
On the hill for the Tigers is right-hander Keider Montero, who has looked sharp so far in his first two starts, while the Royals send lefty Kris Bubic to the bump. The last time K.C.’s southpaw faced the Olde English D, he tossed seven innings of one-run ball on four hits and two walks while striking out nine in a 1-0 loss on June 1, 2025.
Here is a look at how the two hurlers match up on Thursday.
Detroit Tigers (9-9) vs. Kansas City Royals (7-11)
Time (ET): 1:10 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Royals Review Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 19: RHP Keider Montero (1-1, 1.74 ERA) vs. LHP Kris Bubic (2-1, 2.50 ERA)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 15: Colton Cowser #17 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 15, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The Orioles are back down to .500. Monday’s exciting comeback win availed them of absolutely zero momentum, even though Trevor Rogers was the next day’s starting pitcher and Kyle Bradish was the guy the day after that. They lost an annoying one to the Diamondbacks yesterday to close out the homestand. Check out my recap of the extra innings 8-5 loss for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
For me, there were two stories of the game. One played out all through the game, and that was the outfield defense. An alignment that any idiot could have looked at and thought, “Hmm, I’m not sure that’s going to work” did not work. You cannot get by with a corner outfield consisting of Weston Wilson and Johnathan Rodríguez with a center field manned by Blaze Alexander. Maybe you could deal with one of those things at a time, but all three was asking too much and the O’s paid the price for it.
The other story is Tyler Wells, who has not been up to snuff in high-leverage innings so far this season. I thought he’d be able to do it. I figured the Orioles would be okay with him in the eighth inning. It’s not happening, or at least not so far. After yesterday’s 10th inning clunker, his ERA is up over 5 for the season. That’s barely worth having him as the guy who comes in the fifth inning when the starter got knocked out early by injury or ineffectiveness, let alone putting him in any kind of leverage spot.
Maybe Wells can turn it around. It’s early to give up on anybody. But the team can’t afford to have him out there in crucial situations like this. I think the Orioles know this. There’s a reason Wells didn’t come in until the tenth inning. The only guys left in the bullpen were Rico Garcia, who had pitched the two previous days and was probably unavailable, and Albert Suárez, who based on his own early-season struggles is below Wells on the depth chart. Yesterday’s game played out in a way that there was no hiding Wells and he showed us all why they were trying to hide him.
Cleveland awaits next. This is another team on the pile that’s hovering at or just around .500 so far this season. The Guardians are fresh off losing two out of three to the Cardinals. We don’t really know a lot about who’s for real and who isn’t yet. Anybody might fix some of their problems and anybody might have their problems continue or get worse. The 2026 season story continues at 6:10 Eastern tonight.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
“There’s no running away from it”: Wells on extra-innings loss (Baltimore Baseball) “I asked for the fire,” said Wells on expressing that in spring training he said he wanted the leverage situations. He has been falling short, he knows. Can he fix it? Always the question.
Gunnar Henderson aims to curb frustration, says emotion has “just been me” (The Baltimore Sun) There’s a fine line between being a “fiery competitor” and being an on tilt mess. Henderson is trying to stay on the right side of the line. He could help by working on his two-strike approach this season.
Mountcastle on frustration of fractured foot (School of Roch) Ryan Mountcastle scootered along to speak with Orioles media before yesterday’s game and among the remarks confirmed that he suffered the broken bone in his foot while running between first and second base. What a freak injury.
For the first time since 2019, Frederick hosted a game as an Orioles affiliate (Steve on Baseball) Orioles prospect expert checked in from the scene of the first Keys home game of the year. The affiliate has an exciting roster as their season begins – though who knows how long that will last before the strong performers start getting promoted.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
In their 18th game last year, the Orioles beat the Guardians, 6-2, to move to 8-10 for the season. Tomoyuki Sugano got the win while pitching seven innings with two runs allowed. Each of Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, and Heston Kjerstad homered in the game, with O’Hearn’s homer driving in three runs.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2017-20 reliever Richard Bleier, and 1972-73 catcher Sergio Robles. Today is Robles’s 80th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Revolutionary War loser Henry Clinton (1730), aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright (1867), actor Charlie Chaplin (1889), author Kingsley Amis (1922), actor Martin Lawrence (1965), singer-songwriter Selena (1971), and actress Anya Taylor-Joy (1996).
On this day in history…
In 1746, Jacobite rebels in Scotland supporting the so-called Stuart Pretender were defeated by a British army led by the Duke of Cumberland in the Battle of Culloden. One consequence of the battle was that traditional Scottish tartan kilts were banned by an act of Parliament except for those in the military.
In 1917, the exiled Vladimir Lenin returned to Russian soil, having secretly been aided in his return by Russia’s World War I enemy, Germany.
In 1945, the Soviet Army launched an assault on German positions surrounding Berlin in the Battle of Seelow Heights. Over one million Russian men were involved in the attack, outnumbering the Germans nearly 9:1, in what proved to be the start of the final offensive of the European theater of World War II.
In 1963, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned his letter from the Birmingham jail. One of my college professors summed up this letter as a response to white clergy members who asked why he was in jail, with King offering this distilled reply: “Why aren’t you in here with me?”
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 16. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
Jul 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott (45) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Christian Scott was a hard-luck loser on the night. Scott, who is making a very strong case to be the first Syracuse Met called up to the big league squad if there is a need, surrendered just two hits in his five and one third innings of work, though both hits drove in a run for the RailRiders. He struck out five and walked just one.
Offensively, the Mets just did not have it going for them. No one had more than one hit, with the only run coming on a solo home run by Nick Morabito, which made a 3-0 deficit a 3-1 deficit.
CF Nick Morabito: 1-4, R, HR (3), RBI, K
RF-1B Ryan Clifford: 1-4, K, E (3)
2B Ronny Mauricio: 0-3, E (3)
1B Jose Rojas: 0-1
RF Cristian Pache: 1-3, K
DH Christian Arroyo: 0-1, BB, K
PH-DH Yonny Hernández: 1-2, K
SS Vidal Bruján: 1-4, K
LF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-2, 2 BB, K
C Hayden Senger: 0-3, 2 K, E (1)
3B Jackson Cluff: 0-3, K
RHP Christian Scott: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, L (0-2)
LHP Alex Carrillo: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Ryan Lambert: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Joe Jacques: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Binghamton and Akron played a rain-shortened affair, with the game only going seven innings and having a delay that was 43 minutes longer than the two hour game time.
Binghamton’s bats simply did not show up, collecting just one hit, a Kevin Parada single in the seventh. They did walk six times, so they had some traffic on the basepaths, but one hit just is not gonna cut it.
Zach Thornton pitched well, surrendering two runs in five innings, but had no run support.
CF A.J. Ewing: 0-2, BB, K
SS Marco Vargas: 0-2, BB, K, SB (4)
3B Jacob Reimer: 0-2, BB
1B Chris Suero: 0-1, 2 BB, K, 2 E (2, 3)
RF Eli Serrano III: 0-3
C Kevin Parada: 1-3, K
DH JT Schwartz: 0-2, BB, K
LF Matt Rudick: 0-3, 3 K
2B Wyatt Young: 0-3, 2 K
LHP Zach Thornton: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 WP, L (0-1)
The game was close in the early stages, as the Cyclones and Grasshoppers were tied at one apiece after two innings, and Brooklyn trailed 3-1 after three. It completely fell apart in the sixth inning, where Brooklyn surrendered eight runs in the frame, with Tanner Witt wearing six of them. They gave up four more in the eighth but it was over and done with by then.
2B Mitch Voit: 0-5, 3 K
SS Antonio Jimenez: 1-5, R, HR, RBI, K
DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-3, R, 2 BB
1B Corey Collins: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 BB
C Ronald Hernandez: 1-4, RBI, BB, E
RF John Bay: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K
3B Colin Houck: 1-4, RBI, 3 K, E
LF Vincent Perozo: 3-5, RBI
CF Kevin Villavicencio: 1-3, BB
RHP Channing Austin: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, L (0-1)
RHP Cristofer Gomez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K ,2 HBP
St. Lucie actually led this game handily at one point. Randy Guzman put them ahead 2-0 with a home run in the first. Elian Peña made it 3-0 with a straight steal of home, which was a really heads up play. Branny De Oleo doubled home a pair to make it 5-0 in the fourth, and they plated two more in the fifth on a Guzman triple and AJ Salgado sacrifice fly.
It all fell apart from there.
The St. Lucie bullpen surrendered five runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, turning a 7-0 lead into a 15-8 deficit in the blink of an eye (Sam Robertson drove in a run in the sixth but the timing of the RBI messes up the narrative flow of the 15 runs in five innings that were surrendered).
Daytona added two more in the eighth, making it 17-8. St. Lucie actually tried to answer back, coring five runs in the ninth, but the lead was insurmountable.
SS Elian Peña: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB (5)
2B Sam Robertson: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, E (1)
1B Randy Guzman: 3-5, 3 R, 3B, 2 HR (1, 2), 5 RBI
DH Julio Zayas: 0-5, K
RF AJ Salgado: 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K, 2 E (1, 2)
CF Simon Juan: 1-4, 2 R, 2 K
LF JT Benson: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
C Chase Meggers: 0-1, R, E
C Francisco Toledo: 0-2, R, BB
3B Branny De Oleo: 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, E (1)
LHP Nicolas Carreno: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 WP
Apr 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Dylan Moore (42) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Well, another day, another embarrassing loss to the Cubs. Jesús Luzardo got shelled, the defense was a disaster, and the bats were silent against another lefty starter. There are 144 more games to go. Take that any way you want to.
