Mark Few, who is being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has guided Gonzaga from being a nice little Cinderella story to a national powerhouse this century.
He led Gonzaga to NCAA title game appearances in 2017 and 2021, and the Bulldogs currently have appeared in 25 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Few, a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year, was an assistant at Gonzaga for a decade before taking over from Dan Monson. He has a 773-156 record in 26 seasons, and his teams have won 23 West Coast Conference regular-season crowns and 21 conference tournament titles.
He has the highest winning percentage of any Division I men's college basketball coach, as Gonzaga has won 20 or more games every year since he took over the program in 1999.
Few was an assistant coach for the 2024 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team that took home the gold medal against France.
Mike D'Antoni has his prints all over the modern game of basketball.
The coach, who began his NBA career as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets in the 1997-98 season before becoming head coach of the Phoenix Suns in the 2003-04 season, is being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday, Aug. 15 as part of the class of 2026.
In the 2000s, 'experts' thought D'Antoni was insane for idolizing offense and less defense. D’Antoni influenced the game through his up-tempo, 'space-and-pace' philosophy that helped redefine offensive strategy – emphasizing ball movement, shooting, and efficiency, and shaping the analytics-driven era of the sport.
His Suns' offense was deemed 'seven seconds or less,' meaning that players had the green light to shoot good, high-volume shots within seven seconds of a 24-second shot clock.
D'Antoni's impact spans continents, having coached professionally in Italy for eight seasons before bringing his ideas to the NBA. In addition to his stints with the Nuggets and the Suns, he was also head coach of the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets and an associate head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers before ending his NBA career as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.
Through his 16 NBA seasons, D'Antoni racked up nearly 1,200 career wins. He was named NBA Coach of the Year twice, in 2005 and 2017. He also served as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning 2012 U.S. Olympic Team and was recognized as one of the 50 Greatest Contributors in EuroLeague history in 2008.
Longtime NBA referee Joey Crawford, who is being inducted into the Naismith Basketball of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 15, officiated 2,561 regular-season games over 39 seasons, including a record 374 postseason games and 50 NBA Finals games. He worked in 23 consecutive NBA Finals.
Officiating with an iron fist and known for his quick whistle and quicker temper, Crawford got on the nerves of NBA players and fans, including an infamous incident in 2007 when he ejected Spurs star Tim Duncan for laughing from the bench.
Crawford was suspended indefinitely for the incident and sat out the rest of the regular season and playoffs that season.
The Buffalo Sabres got into the Stanley Cup playoffs last season after missing the playoffs for the previous 15 years. Buffalo also won the highly-competitive Atlantic Division in the regular-season last year, and the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in the post-season’s opening round before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2.
There was much to like about the Sabres’ long-awaited growth last season. But in TheHockeyNews.com’s annual grades for Buffalo players, we’re also handing out grades for players who no longer are with the Sabres. And in today’s “Sabres Grades” file, we’re turning our attention to one of the centerpieces of one of this summer’s two big blockbuster trades for Buffalo – star defenseman Bowen Byram, who was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a package featuring the 2026 fourth-overall draft pick.
Playing behind Sabres star D-men Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, Byram’s opportunities in Buffalo were going to be more limited than what he’ll get with the Blackhawks. But just because Byram went on post-trade to sign a six-year contract extension paying him $12.5-million per-season with the Hawks, that doesn’t mean Byram had an A+ season. In fact, he still has room to grow his game before it gets to‘A’ territory.
But let’s focus on Byram’s 2025-26 impact, and see why he’s going to be judged by his lucrative new contract for the next half-dozen seasons in Chicago:
Bowen Byram
Position: Defense
Grade: B+
The Skinny: To be sure, Byram did many good things in his second-and-final full season in Buffalo. In 82 games last year, the 25-year-old generated new personal-bests in goals (11), points (42) and plus/minus (plus-15). And those totals came with Byram getting slightly-less time-on ice – averaging 22:20, down from 22:42 in 2024-25.
So, although Byram is going to be judged by his contract extension, the truth is he’s going to be paid $6.25-million next season before the extension kicks in next summer. And on a Blackhawks team desperate for playoff success, Byram is going to be paid as their top blueliner right away, and he’s going to be judged accordingly.
Byram’s 2025-26 totals were slightly better than his 2024-25 totals including seven goals and 38 points in 82 games. So you can see why some are calling his extension into question. Byram is a better-than-average D-man – and a much-better-than-average D-man at that. But he’s not a defenseman on the level of a Cale Makar with the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes with the Minnesota Wild. And fairly or unfairly, the change in his financial compensation means Byram is going to be judged against the performances of the crystal-clear best defensemen in the game today.
Did Byram have a good year in 2025-26? There’s no question. He found a new level for his game, and in 13 playoff games with Buffalo, he produced four goals and seven points. But that’s going to be the bare-minimum people expect out of Byram in Chicago, regardless of his change in salary next summer. And Byram isn’t close to the peak of his powers, so there definitely could be a world where he becomes more than a half-point-per-game player with the Blackhawks and a key contributor on an up-and-coming Hawks team.
And if that’s what he does for the Blackhawks next season, you can bet Byram’s grade from THN.com next summer will be at least an ‘A’.
Former members of the Vancouver Canucks will take the spotlight in this off-season article series. From those skating with new NHL teams heading into the 2026–27 season to those who are now playing for international clubs, these featured players have skated in at least one game at the NHL level as a member of the Canucks.
Today’s segment will take a look at the 11 former Canucks that are set to compete for teams in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division during the 2026–27 season.
While Chatfiled may have only played in 18 games with Vancouver, the defenceman was part of the Canucks organization for much longer than that. Prior to making the jump to the NHL with Vancouver, Chatfield playaed for the Canucks’ then-AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, from 2017–18 to 2019–20. After his 18 games with Vancouver in 2020–21, he signed with the Hurricanes in free-agency.
After five seasons with the Hurricanes, Chatfield became a Stanley Cup champion in 2025–26, winning the trophy alongside Carolina after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games during the Stanley Cup Final. The defenceman had a goal and seven assists in 19 post-season games. He’ll enter the final season of a three-year contract with the Hurricanes come the start of 2026–27.
As a Canuck, Garland quickly made a name for himself as a hustling, no-quit player who put effort into every shift that he played in. He set a new career-high in points in his first season with the Canucks in 2021–22, scoring 19 goals and 33 assists in 77 games. In every near full-season he played for Vancouver in, he consistently registered season point-totals of above 45.
Though he signed a six-year contract extension with Vancouver during the 2025 off-season, he was traded ahead of the 2026 Trade Deadline and now plays for the Blue Jackets. In his first 21 games with Columbus, he scored five goals and two assists. Four of these goals came within his first three games with his new team.
Danton Heinen, Columbus Blue Jackets
Vancouver acquired Heinen by signing him to a two-year contract during the 2024 free-agency period. The forward only ended up skating in 51 games for the Canucks though, scoring six goals and 12 assists, before he was shipped back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade package for defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor.
Heinen was traded once again in 2025, this time being sent to Columbus along with two picks in exchange for Egor Chinakov. The forward skated in 33 games with the Blue Jackets in 2025–26, putting up five goals and five assists. Columbus signed him to a one-year, $1M extension during the off-season.
Erik Gudbranson, Columbus Blue Jackets
A veteran defenceman who spent three seasons with the Canucks, Gudbranson came to Vancouver via trade with the Florida Panthers. In his first year with Vancouver, 2016–17, he averaged a near career-high of 20:20 minutes per game, but saw his ice time drop slowly in the following seasons. He was traded to the Penguins in 2019 in exchange for Tanner Pearson.
After stints with the Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames, Gubranson seems to have found a fit in Columbus, having spent the past four seasons with the Blue Jackets and re-upping with the team with a one-year extension. In 2025–26, he scored a goal and two assists in 37 games but missed most of the season due to various injuries.
The captain of the Canucks for four of the nine seasons he spent with the team, Horvat quickly established himself as a leader as his time with Vancouver went on. The forward put up his first 20-goal season with Vancouver in 2016–17, registering his first 30-goal year in 2021–22. After 621 games with the Canucks, Horvat was traded to the Islanders in January of 2023.
After being acquired by New York, Horvat signed an eight-year contract that enters its fourth year at the start of the 2026–27 season. Though injuries slightly derailed his season, Horvat notched the fourth 30-goal season of his NHL career in 2025–26, putting up 31 goals and 26 assists in 68 games. He was also named to Canada’s 2026 Winter Olympic team.
Mar 3, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing J.T. Miller (8) controls the puck against New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Miller was acquired via draft-day trade in 2019, with the forward immediately setting a then career-high (72 points) in his first year with the Canucks in 2019–20. He continued to follow these efforts up with more career-highs in 2021–22 (99 points) and 2023–24 (103 points), before he was traded to the team that drafted him, the Rangers, in January of 2025.
Miller, who’d spent six seasons with New York in his first stint with the team, was named the captain of the Rangers at the beginning of the 2025–26 season. He scored 17 goals and 36 assists in 68 games with New York and also won a Gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Including the 2026–27 season, Miller has four more years remaining on the seven-year contract he initially signed with Vancouver.
Marcus Pettersson, New York Rangers
Part of one of the most notable days in recent Canucks history, Pettersson was acquired in the second trade made by Vancouver on January 31, 2025. The defenceman was signed to a six-year contract extension only a couple of games after that, though he only ended up playing in one of them for Vancouver before being flipped to the Rangers for a 2030 first-round pick.
In his first and only full-season with the Canucks, Pettersson was one of only three players to skate in all 82 games for Vancouver. He put up three goals and 15 assists but struggled defensively at times. Pettersson still has five years remaining in his $5.5M AAV deal.
A former near 40-goal scorer for the Canucks, Kuzmenko was a highly sought-out free-agent when Vancouver first signed him in July of 2022. He put together an impressive 74-point campaign in his first NHL season in 2021–22 but quickly saw his play drop-off after. Kuzmenko was packaged up and sent to the Flames in the Elias Lindholm deal in 2023–24.
Since his time with the Canucks, Kuzmenko hasn’t quite hit that same offensive gear that he found in his first NHL season. He spent the 2025–26 season with the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. The forward missed a good chunk of the end of the regular season recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus, slotting in to play in one game during the Kings’ post-season run. He has since signed a one-year, $5M deal with the Penguins.
Artūrs Šilovs, Pittsburgh Penguins
Šilovs has had some of the most memorable moments in his career throughout the past few seasons, ranging from helping Latvia to their first medal at the IIHF World Championships in 2023, to being named MVP of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs with Abbotsford. He made a name for himself in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by backstopping Vancouver to Game 7 of the second-round after injuries to both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith.
Traded to the Penguins during the 2025 off-season, Šilovs continued his stretch of notable play in pressure-filled situations by winning two of his three starts in Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2026. He registered a SV% of .900 or higher in all three games, including allowing only one goal in the eventual series-clincher for the Flyers. With Stuart Skinner departing in free-agency, it appears Šilovs could take the role of starting goaltender for Pittsburgh.
One of three pieces acquired in the Horvat trade, Beauvillier spent a total of 55 games with the Canucks split over 2022–23 and 2023–24. He put together 11 goals and 17 assists during this span of time. In November of 2023, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024.
A couple more trades resulted in Beauvillier finding his way to Washington, with whom he signed a two-year contract extension with in 2025. He played in all 82 games for the Capitals in his first full season with the team, doing so for the first time in his NHL career, and scoring 15 goals and 13 assists.
Vincent Desharnais, Washington Capitals
Signed and traded by the Canucks within the span of less than a season, Desharnais skated in 34 games in his time with Vancouver, recording three assists. He was traded to the Penguins as part of the Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor deal, finding himself on the move a month later after also being traded from Pittsburgh to the San Jose Sharks.
Desharnais stuck with the Sharks for the 2025–26 season, playing in 53 games and logging a career-high average of 18:11 minutes played per game. He also put together a goal and six assists in this span. Notably, he signed a four-year, $4.2M AAV contract with the Capitals during the 2026 free-agency period.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Kate Douglass shattered the women’s 50m freestyle world record on Saturday, clocking 23.49sec in the heats at the Pan Pacific Championships to set a tantalizing showdown with former record-holder Gretchen Walsh.
Douglass improved on the world mark of 23.55sec that fellow-American Walsh set on 28 June at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome.
This past week, the Portland City Council approved $120 million to pay for much-needed renovations to the Moda Center, home to the Portland Trail Blazers. Combined with already approved state and county funds, that totals $586 million for the renovations.
However, all the funding hinges on the Trail Blazers agreeing to a new lease that would keep the team in Portland through 2050. The Trail Blazers — particularly owner Tom Dundon — and the city disagree over some key terms of that lease and are entering negotiations. There is a deadline to sign that lease by the end of the year, or the state money ($365 million) goes away.
There are two ways this is likely to play out: Either, by Dec. 17 (a deciding City Council vote on the lease terms), the City of Portland and Dundon's Trail Blazers will have agreed on a new lease that will keep the beloved franchise in Portland for another two decades; or we will know that Dundon bought the team with the intention of moving it, a script the Pacific Northwest has seen before.
What does Dundon want?
Notice that the Trail Blazers themselves are not on the list of groups contributing to the Moda Center refurbishment — Dundon said at a meeting in Portland he thought the team contributed enough by the taxes it pays in the state. That follows his pattern since buying the team.
Dundon has not made friends in Oregon since buying the Trail Blazers — and absolutely wasted the honeymoon period new owners usually get with fan bases. He has come off as entitled, a billionaire penny-pincher treating the team like a private equity asset, not acting as a steward of a brand and franchise important to the community.
There have been so many penny-pinching moves. There was the public relations mess of not bringing two-way players to a postseason game. There was the story of the team masseuse and other Portland personnel waiting for hours in a hotel lobby because he wouldn't pay for late checkouts. There was the lowballing of coaching offers — something he denied but was discussed plenty around the league — that ultimately saw a successful coach in Tiago Splitter head to Chicago (while they found a good coach in Mica Nori, he had to sign an owner-friendly contract, essentially a one-year deal, that the coaches' association decried). A lot of team staff was let go on the business side. Most recently, long-time and popular Trail Blazers television play-by-play voice Kevin Calabro walked after refusing a "subprime" offer, while analyst Michael Holton, studio hosts Neil Everett and Jamie Hudson, radio voice Travis Demers, and Tom Haberstroh, who brought a statistical take, were all let go.
Dundon and the Trail Blazers say the organization has been losing money, and argue this was cutting out fat and waste. The team says the primary reason it is losing money is an unfavorable lease deal. Dundon and the Trail Blazers argue that in negotiations with the city, they need to get the best deal possible to make the team profitable. To fans in Portland? It all reads as what people nationwide have come to despise about billionaires and private equity.
The City Council approved a term sheet with the money, and that's what the negotiations over the coming months will be about. The city sees its term sheet as putting in protections for itself in this process, but Dundon has already dismissed the sheet out of hand.
What are the expected issues with the negotiation?
• It's going to start with the $3 million annual rent charge.
Portland City Council approves amended Moda Center by an 8-4 vote.
Added more than $3m annual rent to a term sheet that Blazers already scoffed at, so some tough negotiations ahead. But it's a term sheet nonetheless.
• Taxes. The city gets a six percent tax on each ticket sold and every parking fee at the building. The team wants that number reduced.
• The city wants the Trail Blazers to agree to hire union workers for the renovations and construction process, as well as for concession workers and others on game night.
• The Trail Blazers want increased security in and around the arena on game night and for the city to pay for that.
The Trail Blazers see all of this as costing the team money.
Could Dundon move the team?
Never say never, but this would be an incredibly tough sell to the NBA league office and the 29 other owners. While the term sheet can be negotiated, local and state governments stepped up with money to do the renovations. That matters.
Also worth noting, one of the challenges with the Trail Blazers has been that they are isolated on the map, there is not another team in the Pacific Northwest, which makes travel much longer. That appears likely to change in the next few years if (really, when) an expansion team in Seattle is approved — the league doesn't want to put a team in Portland and have them be the ones isolated.
Where would Dundon move the team? With expansion teams — paying massive franchise fees — targeted for Seattle and Las Vegas, the league is not going to let another team swoop in and take over those markets. Maybe he wants to move the team to Raleigh, North Carolina, where his NHL team, the Hurricanes, play. That, however, is about 170 miles from an existing NBA team in Charlotte, and you can bet that ownership group would push back about having another team in what they see as their market.
Also, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, back when he was David Stern's deputy, led the push to find an owner and keep the Kings in Sacramento. He didn't let that team move to a bigger market in Seattle. Silver likes stability. Finally, make no mistake, moving the team out of Portland would be a public relations disaster for the league.
Never say never with the NBA, but Dundon finding the political will with the league and the other 29 owners to sign off on him moving the team is a long shot.
That is not going to make the negotiations over the next couple of months any easier. Expect both sides to try to negotiate through the public in the coming months, there will be contentious moments, but in the end, the money is on the table to get the upgrades done. A deal should be struck.
Unless Dundon never had any intention of striking a deal.
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 14: San Diego Padres pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez (72) and San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) celebrate following the Major League Baseball interleague game between the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guardians on August 14, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
San Diego Padres (66-57) at Cleveland Guardians (59-64), August 15, 2026, 4:10 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our thread
Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Joshua Baez (22) hits a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I hope that St. Louis Cardinals fans will one day look back at this game as the start of a historic career. Not trying to be overdramatic, but Saturday’s Cardinals game vs the Cubs was the Major League debut of Joshua Baez and his impact was immediate. On the mound, it was the Cardinals Michael McGreevy doing battle with the Cubs Matthew Boyd, but it was Baez who would steal the show as he did something no player has ever done.
The St. Louis Cardinals came out of the gate fast in the top of the 1st inning as JJ Wetherholt drew a leadoff walk. Iván Herrera was then hit in the back foot by a pitch and Jordan Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice avoiding the double play and giving St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out. Alec Burleson drilled a ball up the middle which resulted in a force out at second, but he beat the throw at first which proved to be key for two reasons. First, it allowed JJ Wetherholt to score the first run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and it kept the St. Louis 1st going. That brought us the first Major League at-bat from Joshua Baez. How would he respond to the pressure of his first plate appearance in The Show? Answer – he absolutely destroyed a 93 mph four-seam fastball from Matthew Boyd and sent it into the stratosphere 449 feet over the centerfield wall for a 2-run home run making it 3-0 Cardinals. Hello world. Meet Joshua Baez!
After that truly electric debut moment from Joshua Baez, the Chicago Cubs jumped right back into the game with an unintended assist by the Cardinals defense. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball that Blaze Jordan simply missed at third base. That would end up being a costly error as Ramirez followed that with a double and then Michael Conforto lifted a sky high fly ball to right field that somehow ended up in the stands for a game-tying 3-run home run. Don’t get too excited, Cub fans. That tied game would only last until the next Joshua Baez at-bat.
In the top of the 4th inning, Joshua Baez led off and quickly fell into an 0-2 count. He would eventually work the count full when he waited on a 77 mph Matthew Boyd changeup and blasted it 382 feet into the left field stands. Ridiculous (in the best possible way)! 4-3 Cardinals!
Think about the following fact. Never in Major League history has a player ever hit a home run in his first three at-bats. Never. No one. EVER. Until today. After Alec Burleson walked in the top of the 6th inning, Joshua Baez strolled to the plate and did something that no one has ever done. Not Hank Aaron. Not Aaron Judge. Not Mark McGwire. Not Barry Bonds. No one has hit three home runs in their first three Major League at-bats except Joshua Baez who hit an 83 mph slider 368 feet into the right field stands for a 2-run homer. HISTORY and a 6-3 Cardinals lead!
It almost seemed like an afterthought after the historic Baez homer, but Blaze Jordan hit a big blast of his own 408 feet into the left field bleachers to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of us who make up Cardinals nation were so overwhelmed with emotions that it was hard to pay attention to details of the baseball game that was continuing as we all tried to soak in what we had witnessed. This was literally the kind of day where you will remember where you were when it happened. What I (and others) nearly overlooked was Michael McGreevy pitched a great game throwing 6 complete innings giving up no earned runs (we can blame those on Cardinals defensive errors) while striking out 6 and walking only 1. It was a quality start that was really more than that when you consider he threw it at Wrigley Field.
For Saturday’s game to be truly satisfying for Cardinals fans, the bullpen would have to hold the lead. Justin Bruihl entered the fray in the bottom of the 7th inning. He pitched an uneventful inning thanks to a well-turned double play by Winn/Wetherholt and a very weak flyout by Pete Crow-Armstrong.
I was telling my wife as the top of the 8th inning started that anyone batting in front of Joshua Baez would get better pitches to hit. That happened just as the words left my mouth as Cubs relief pitcher Rea threw a 95 mph four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate to Alec Burleson who sent it flying 403 feet into the left-centerfield bleachers upping the Cardinals lead to 8-3. Something special happened in the fourth Joshua Baez at-bat even though this one did not leave the park. After he lined out to left field, the entire stadium gave Baez a standing ovation as he left the field. Imagine that. A St. Louis Cardinal getting a standing ovation from Cubs fans. That phrase “how can you not be romantic about baseball?” comes true again.
Ryne Stanek would run into trouble in the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Suzuki to start it and then mishandled a dribbler from Michael Busch to give the Cubs runners at first and third with no outs. He gladly gave up a run on a double play turned again by Wetherholt and Winn to make it 8-4 Cardinals and that’s fortunately the only run Chicago would get.
After the Cardinals failed to add to their lead in the top of the 9th, it was up to Riley O’Brien to wrap up a historic baseball game with a St. Louis victory. He did so without drama which now allows all of us Cardinals fans to think about what we witnessed Saturday.
Where were you when Joshua Baez hit 3 home runs in his first 3 Major League at-bats? I’ll never forget. Will you?
The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs Sunday. Hunter Dobbins is the starter for the Cardinals. He’ll go up against Edward Cabrera who will start for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via ESPN/ABC.
Los Angeles, - August 12: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts in the dugout prior to a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The Dodgers finish off their National League showdown series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Tarik Skubal is on the mound, making his third start for the Dodgers and looking for his first win for his new team.
Rookie right-hander Logan Henderson has started 11 times this season, interrupted only by seven weeks on the injured list with a low back strain. But Henderson in those 11 starts has yet to allow more than three runs, and has only allowed three runs twice, with a 2.88 ERA in 56 1/3 innings with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Among major league pitchers with at least 10 starts this season, Tarik Skubal’s 7.11 strikeout per walk is tops, with Henderson third at 6.27. In second place is Jacob Misiorowski (6.80), Saturday’s starting pitcher for Milwaukee.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The day before Amar’e Stoudemire was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Bright Side sat down with the five-time All-NBA selection and the six-time All-Star for a conversation about his time with the Suns, playing for Mike D’Antoni and what he’s feeling before his big day.
(The following answers have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.)
You’re about to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. What are you feeling right now?
Amar’e Stoudemire: Tomorrow, I’m gonna feel probably even more ecstatic, right? I’m soaking in the moment. I’m really cherishing the time. I’m walking slowly. I’m enjoying my family. I’m watching their faces, see all the other Hall of Famers that are here, and just really soaking in the moments and really taking my time with that.
When did you realize you were gonna be a Hall of Famer?
AS: Well, you always try to reach for the stars when you’re a player, right? You set goals and you try to accomplish those goals, and it’s never easy to accomplish those goals. So I always had high goals set for myself when I was a kid, and it kept me straight. You know, it kept me focused, man. And I think because of that, I was able to persevere through a lot of things and be able to make it here to the Hall of Fame, so it’s great to be here.
It’s well documented how bad the Suns wanted you. How did that help you buy into the Seven Seconds or Less offense?
AS: I spoke to Coach Mike D’Antoni today, and he was like, “Amar’e, when I first mentioned the new offense to you, you really didn’t care. Like you wasn’t upset about the change that we’re making playing you at center.” And so, I was ready to go, man. I think you know, for us, I always looked at my coaches as leaders, as leadership, and so whatever they feel is the best for the team, but I was always willing to sacrifice or make that happen. So when Coach D’Antoni mentioned we’re going to play this style of basketball, I was like, all right, cool, let’s go. I can adapt to any type of basketball game or play, and so I was ready from the start.
For more on how hard the Suns pursued Amar’e Stoudemire:
How were you able to adapt in your career?
AS: I think for me, I wanted to be a team player. Obviously, I had goals and wanted to be the best and dominate and show the world how good I am. But I also was willing to be a team player, and I think for me as a leader, you want your teammates to be leaders also. I always tell my guys all the time, ‘Hey, I know I’m the franchise guy, but we all must be leaders here’. And so, with that being said, all of us, everyone can play at a high level and play their game and have fun. And that’s how you build the camaraderie. That’s how you build a championship-caliber team. And that’s what we did in Phoenix.
Was there a moment where it felt everything clicked?
AS:In training camp, when we got Steve Nash. When Steve came back to Phoenix and we started training camp, we all were in top shape, ready to go. And from training camp, we saw something special. We saw the style of play and the speed we were playing with. I was at my athleticism peak, and we had Shawn Marion, who was a brilliant floor runner and Swiss Army knife type of player, and Nash was the pass first guy who could get the ball to whoever was hot. So we took that mentality and ran with it. And I think I was surprised by how good we were.
How was having Scott Williams around for your first few seasons help you as a young player?
AS: Scott Williams’ mentorship was brilliant for me because I was a young player. I was 19 years old, and I had a lot of veteran guys around. Scott Williams is one of my veteran guys who I always leaned on and swept with and hung out with the most. Eddie Johnson, who is still doing the color commentator stuff, but EJ was one of the guys who I also spent a lot of time with. We had a security guy by the name of Kevin Tucker, and I call all those guys my “throwbacks”. I gave them the name throwbacks because I hang out with those guys. I was too young to go out to clubs and all these type of things, so I would hang out with those guys, and those guys would always give me positive leadership and information, and that helped stem me on the right path as far as what I needed to do as a player.
How did their mentorship carry with you the rest of your career?
AS: Those guys, man, was there with me. They were holding me down. They would talk to me about certain things. I’d be frustrated about certain games. They would talk about it, and we’d discuss it, and so my throwbacks were key for me.
What did the amount of change you had to deal with growing up teach you about how to adapt quickly?
AS: I grew up in poverty and I had to grow up fast. Had to raise my little brother. I had to do a lot of things far as maturity wise, and so I was able to somewhat figure that part out pretty quickly. I had the goals in mind of being an NBA player, and I also had my faith in God that was always very close to my heart. So with those tangibles that I had within me, allowed me to somewhat grow up fast with a sense of character, with positive character traits, and that helped me propel myself and get ready for the NBA.
Whose a player in the NBA right now that reminds you of yourself in how you needed to make many changes early in your career?
AS: I don’t see it. I mean, for me, I was a high school player who had a fearless attitude and I was just dominant from the start. And so, a lot of players are dominant, and I respect all the guys who are in the NBA because it’s not easy to get there. But I don’t really see that type of player, my style of play, in the league right now. I’m sure some guys have come along and fill that role, but I haven’t seen it yet.
No matter the industry, what is one piece of advice you give to people about the best ways to embrace something new, to be a team player?
The best advice I can give someone is to learn. Whatever it is you get yourself involved in, it’ll take time to be a student and learn, study, read, rehearse, review, and then once you’re ready for that, then you step into that role, ready to go, right? So that’s the most important thing: is being able to study about whatever craft or field you get into.
Los Angeles, CA - August 14:Dodgers Kyle Tucker (23) strikes out swinging during 8th inning action at Dodger Stadium on Friday, August 14, 2026. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 3-1. (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are facing Milwaukee Brewers Jacob Misiorowski, who has been the best pitcher in baseball this season, the toughest right-hander in the game who throws 105 mph. But in the corner outfielders the Dodgers on Saturday are starting a pair of right-handed hitters Teoscar Hernández and Alex Call.
Hernández has slumped so badly that manager Dave Roberts said this week he would probably sit him more against right-handers. Call barely plays at all, so any start he gets his news. Left-handed batter Kyle Tucker is not in the lineup, not necessarily for matchup reasons, but for the simple reason that he hasn’t hit a lick at Dodger Stadium this season.
Tucker is hitting a execrable .192/.270/.276 with a 62 wRC+ at home this season. His batted ball numbers at Dodger Stadium are a little better — .241 expected batting average and .329 expected slugging percentage — but still bad.
“For Kyle, being at home right now, I see the frustration,” Roberts said. “I felt for him to kind of use today as a work day, then he’ll be back in there tomorrow, and he’ll play all three in Denver.”
Saturday is day nine of 13 game days in a row for the Dodgers, and every regular position player has been rested at least once during this stretch already, save for center fielder Andy Pages. Tucker already didn’t start on Monday at home, though he walked as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and scored on Max Muncy’s three-run double.
Tucker only has five hits in his last 50 at-bats at Dodger Stadium, a 16-game stretch dating back to July 7. His last extra-base hit was on July 10, with 48 plate appearances since. His last RBI came on July 8, 51 PA ago. And Tucker hasn’t homered at home since a two-run shot off Nick Martinez of the Tampa Bay Rays on June 16, exactly 100 plate appearances ago.
When the Dodgers are on the road, Tucker is hitting .275/.371/.469 with a 131 wRC+, right in line with Tucker’s overall career line of .268/.355/.489 with a 133 wRC+, the very player they signed to a whopping four-year, $240 million contract in February, setting a record for highest average annual value for competitive balance tax purposes ($57.2 million).
“I don’t think he even realized it until recently when people brought it to light. But the fact is the split are stark, home and road,” Roberts said. “I don’t think we have a reason behind it. I wouldn’t say he’s fixated on it, but certainly he’s conscious of it.”
Aug 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Brewers and Dodgers are two teams with struggling offenses who have had to fight for every run they’ve earned through the first two games of this four-game series. The teams have split the first two, with a combined score of 7-6 in favor of the Dodgers. Things won’t get easier for the Dodgers’ offense, at least, as today the Brewers send Jacob Misiorowski to the mound to face the high-powered Los Angeles lineup. The Dodgers counter with an All-Star of their own, Justin Wrobelski, who is having a bit of a breakout season in his third season in the big leagues.
Before we get to the pitching matchup, we’ve got a roster move to report, as the Brewers continue to struggle to find a last guy on the bench. After less than a week, the Jihwan Bae era in Milwaukee as over, as the Brewers have acquired the recently-DFAd Jonathan Ornelas from the Athletics for cash. Ornelas, 26, is a right-handed hitting infielder who was a third-round pick of the Rangers way back in 2018. He first appeared in a major-league game in 2023, but has only had sporadic action since then—he has just 71 plate appearances scattered over 38 games in four major-league seasons. This year, Ornelas went 2-for-12 in six games with the Athletics, though he spent most of the season in the Yankees’ system, where he hit a solid .299/.362/.480 in 75 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Back to the pitching matchup! Misiorowski is looking to bounce back off of a couple of starts that, while not remotely bad, weren’t as good as he surely would have liked. Miz pitched well on August 2nd against the Angels but his offense failed him, as the Brewers lost 3-0 in a game in which the young ace went seven innings, allowed two runs, and struck out ten. Last time against the Twins, Miz went six, struck out nine, and allowed three runs to the Twins, but the Brewers were able to win that game in ten innings. This will be Misiorowski’s first career start against the Dodgers, though he did of course throw five innings in game three of last year’s NLCS when he followed opener Aaron Ashby. In that game, Miz struck out nine and allowed only one earned run (and one further run of the unearned variety), but the Brewers could only score once.
Wrobleski, who turned 26 last month and is left-handed, is having a solid season: in 20 games (19 starts) and 120 1/3 innings, he’s got a 3.44 ERA and an 11-4 record. He isn’t striknig out a ton of batters this season (7.0 per nine innings), but he’s not walking them, either (2.0/9). That said, he does sport a FIP that’s quite a bit higher than his ERA (4.13) and his Statcast page has a lot of blue, so the Brewers will hope there’s some regression there. Wrobleski primarily uses a four-seamer/slider combination, though he’s got a bunch of other pitches that he’ll mix in occasionally.
Brice Turang remains out of the Brewers’ lineup, though Curt Hogg mentioned that he’ll do some work on the field today and is optimistic he won’t have to go on the IL. (That decision would likely come tomorrow, as they can only backdate an IL stint three days, and Turang has already missed three games.) Ornelas, the new guy, gets a start today—why not try anything to wake the offense up?—and will start at second base, giving Hamilton the evening off against the lefty. There are further shakeups to the batting order: Luis Lara, who is playing center field, moves up to the two-hole, while Andrew Vaughn (again at third base) bats third, Jake Bauers (in right field) hits fourth, and Gary Sánchez (first base) hits fifth. The lineup is rounded out by Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Joey Ortiz (at shortstop), and Ornelas.
First pitch is at 6:15 p.m., and recall that this game is being nationally televised on Fox rather than on Brewers TV. As always, it’ll be on the Brewers Radio Network as well.
San Diego Padres SP Randy Vasquez (Photo by Meg McLaughlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Saturday’s contest brings another edition of the San Diego Padres “pitching chaos,” as Wandy Peralta will be the opener for this evening’s game. Randy Vasquez will be the bulk pitcher and go against Cleveland Guardians Joey Cantillo. It is a very intriguing matchup, as both young pitchers have shown promise on the mound this season.
The Padres will take the diamond riding a six-game winning streak. After losing the home series opener to the Houston Astros, the Friars responded with a blistering offensive attack that led to a 5-1 homestand.
The bats have carried the team through the starting rotation’s dry spell, masking the starters’ inability to record outs. The lineup is hitting a robust .324 since August 8, with Jackson Merrill, Luis Rengifo, and Fernando Tatis Jr. being the hottest hitters of the group.
Merrill has carried the offense with a .344 batting average and .615 slugging percentage to begin August. Rengifo has been the perfect addition to the roster. He posted a .321 batting average with three home runs during the six-game winning streak. Tatis Jr. has smacked four home runs over the last 10 games.
Taking the mound: Wandy Peralta (SD) vs Joey Cantillo (CLEV)
Arguably, Vasquez (8-6, 4.16 ERA) has been the Friars’ best pitcher since the All-Star break. He has found his groove and consistently shut down opposing lineups. Slowly, the right-hander has built his confidence with each positive outing.
Vasquez has posted a 2.37 ERA since July, and over his last five starts, he has allowed five earned runs in 19.0 innings pitched. For the 2026 season, the four-year vet has posted a 1.37 WHIP.
However, Vasquez is vulnerable to pitching to contact, but it has not affected him in recent appearances. But he has recorded four strikeouts over his last 15.2 innings pitched and holds a 66: 31 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.
The Guardians will send out Cantillo (8-7, 3.91 ERA) to even the series at a game apiece. But the team’s front office has concerns with his command of late. He has regressed a bit, pitching to a 5.74 ERA over his last 18.2 IP.
Cantillo throws hard, as he recorded 132 strikeouts in 25 starts. But the left-hander is having trouble throwing his fastball and changeup consistently for strikes.
It has not allowed him to pitch deep into starts, as opponents are hitting .263 off Cantillo. If the young pitcher can get his control in order, Cantillo’s repertoire should gain him more swing-and-misses in games.
The Padres lineup must be patient and drive up his pitch count, which forces Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to use his bullpen early for the second straight night.
Bryan Hudson’s easy ninth inning earned him his fifth save, and capped off a glorious effort from the entire Chicago pen. | Scott Marshall-IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Despite struggling to find any manner of consistency since the All-Star break, the White Sox are winning the games that matter. Today’s slim, 4-3 win over the Tigers makes for their 64th on the season, and the fourth straight series won or split against an AL Central opponent. Chicago’s destiny is in its own hands in the Central, and to this point they’re doing their best to make sure they stay in control.
Tigers starter Troy Melton was all over the place this afternoon. His command hasn’t always been sharp despite elite results as of late, and today the batted-ball gods swung the other way on him. The Sox posted seven hits through the first two innings, and Melton finished with a final line of nine hits and three earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings, handily his shortest outing of his season.
The particular boogeyman for Melton was his breaking balls, which kept leaking out over the plate against a lefty-heavy Sox lineup. It resulted in a boatload of pulled hits through the right side, with a couple of extra-base hits coming from lefties sitting back on a breaking ball and shooting it the other way. No single Sox hitter stood out as a star, but eight of the nine hitters in the starting lineup recorded a hit, with Randal Grichuk providing two more off the bench, as well as the game-winning run in inning number seven. RBIs were spread between Colson Montgomery (2), Braden Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi.
Melton’s batterymate Eduardo Valencia, meanwhile, had quite a mixed bag of a game. He had a second straight multi-hit effort and launched his sixth home run in just 18 games, but he also cost his team both of their ABS challenge before the conclusion of the fifth inning. Sox catcher Jake Rogers was successful on the team’s only contestation of the day.
Back-to-back doubles to start the fifth looked like it might have been the beginning of the end for Kay, who also had far from his best control today. He threw a lot of pitches that both caught way too much of the zone and many that were way too far away from it. Still, when he missed, he tended to miss low in the zone or below it. Somewhat remarkably, he allowed seven batted balls of at least 95 mph, but none of them managed to break 98. So when Dillon Dingler lined into a tag-up double play to end the back-to-back doubles threat, it allowed Kay to bear down and work into the sixth inning, keeping the Sox bullpen relatively fresh for another day.
This brutal stretch of nearly three weeks without an off-day will in great part depend on how well the bullpen can endure what’s sure to be a lot of strain, and today, they pulled through. Jordan Hicks threw a fantastic 1 2/3 hitless innings of relief after taking over for Kay in the sixth. Two innings later, Grant Taylor looked excellent for the second day in a row, lowering his season ERA to 2.11. To cap off an impeccable day of relief, Bryan Hudson threw an all-too-rare, easy 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the year.
The Sox had multiple opportunities to extend or take the lead, leaving runners on third base in both the fifth and seventh innings, and leaving eight men on base in total. Nonetheless, that stellar job from the bullpen secured them the win in a lockdown manner that they’ve struggled to get on a consistent basis all season.
The win brings the White Sox to 64-58 on the year and, more importantly, extends their lead in the AL Central to a season-high 4 1/2 games at the moment. They’ll go for the series sweep tomorrow, putting the ball in the hands of Sean Burke, who certainly hopes that his hot stretch will last a little longer than Melton’s. That’ll be followed up on Monday with Luis Castillo’s third turn through the rotation on his new team, hoping that he can open a huge series at Wrigley Field looking more like his second start with the South Siders than his first. First pitch tomorrow is set for 12:40 p.m. CT, and we’ll see you there!.
MVP The Bullpen (Jordan Hicks, Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson): 4 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 SO
Runners-Up Randal Grichuk: 2-for-2, 2B, R Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI
