CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 31: Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, this has certainly been a busy night! It makes sense given the short turnaround between tonight’s 8-6 win for the Braves over the Nationals and Thursday afternoon’s Getaway Day game to end the series. We already got the huge news that consensus Top 100 prospect JR Ritchie would be called up to start Thursday’s game and now we’ve got a little more news to coincide with the big move.
Sadly, Dylan Dodd’s latest stint is coming to a close as he’ll be heading to the IL. In his place, the Braves will be bringing back Carlos Carrasco. Mark Bowman of MLB.com was the one who reported this news initially.
Cookie Carrasco will come up to provide a long relief option in the pen tomorrow. Dylan Dodd is going on the IL with a back or oblique strain. And in case you missed it earlier, Fuentes is going down to make room for Ritchie to start tomorrow.
Dodd ended up making two appearances for the Braves in his latest stint, where he pitched four innings and only gave up a run. He looked fine against the Nationals on Tuesday night so I’m guessing that this probably started acting up on him overnight or right after he got done pitching on Tuesday. Either way, the Braves will have to do without him for the time being.
This current Braves squad has put a premium on long relief and the hope is that Carlos Carrasco can provide any type of value once called upon. The good news is that he pitched six scoreless innings in his most recent start for Triple-A Gwinnett and he’s looked decent at that level so far. With that being said, we all know that there’s a pretty big difference between what you see at that level and what you see in the bigs and for Carrasco, he’s had a rough go of it in the bigs for the past three seasons. As long as Carrasco can eat innings when called upon, that’ll probably be all the Braves ask of him in this coming stint. We’ll see what happens!
"When we play defense at the level we're capable of, it triggers everything for us," said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
In the third quarter, the Pistons put it all together and looked like a No. 1 seed. Detroit went on a 30-3 run to blow open what had been a tie game at the half. It wasn't just one guy taking over, it was a full team effort: Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart each had six points during the run, while Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson had five apiece. Those six players combined to shoot 13-of-18 during that stretch.
From there, the Pistons went on to get the 98-83 win, tying their first-round series with the Magic at 1-1. Game 3 takes place Saturday in Orlando.
This home win for the Pistons snapped their record 11-game home playoff losing streak, dating back to 2008.
Cunningham was in peak form with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead Detroit, and he showed off some nasty moves.
Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit.
However, what was most important for Detroit was that its elite defense showed up, holding the Magic to just 32.5% shooting. Franz Wagner was 4-of-11 shooting, Desmond Bane 2-of-11, Wendell Carter Jr. and Anthony Black were both 1-of-6.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and Paolo Banchero added 18.
Mar 17, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Pedro Ramirez against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
There was not a lot of good pitching today in Des Moines and the wind was steady out to left field. Starter Charlie Barnes pitched solidly anyways, giving up three runs on five hits over five innings. Two of those five hits were solo home runs. Barnes struck out five and walked two.
Tyler Santana got clobbered for five runs over just two innings, giving up two more solo home runs. Collin Snider allowed one run on two hits in the eighth inning, but he got the win when Iowa scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning. Snider walked one, hit one batter and struck out no one in his one inning of work.
Ryan Jensen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout in a non-save situation.
Second baseman Pedro Ramírez had two home runs and eight RBI today. Ramírez hit his first home run with a man on in the fifth inning. His second home run was a grand slam in the eighth. He also tied the game 8-8 with a two-run single in the seventh.
Ramírez went 3 for 5. The two home runs give him seven already this year. His career-high for a season is eight. The eight RBI ties a franchise record set several times, the last time by Ian Stewart in 2013.
Right fielder Dylan Carlson hit a solo home run in the fourth Raminning. He went 1 for 5.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored four times.
Third baseman BJ Murray doubled twice in a 3 for 4 game. He also walked one time, drove in three and scored three times.
Starter Yenrri Rojas went four innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Luis Martinez-Gomez retired the side in order in the seventh, but then he came out for the eighth and got into a lot of trouble. Martinez-Gomez took the loss after giving up five runs on three hits and a walk over 1.1 innings. he also hit one batter. Martinez-Gomez did not strike anyone out.
DH Owen Ayers had his first Double-A hit in the first inning and it was an RBI single. Ayers went 1 for 4.
Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored one run.
Right fielder Andy Garriola had a two-run single in the fifth that temporarily gave Knoxville the lead. He was 1 for 4.
Nazier Mulé only threw the first inning, but he took the loss after he surrendered two runs on one hit and two walks. One of the two runs was unearned. Mulé struck out one.
First baseman Cole Mathis hit a pair of doubles in a 2 for 3 night. He also walked twice and stole a base. His double in the ninth inning scored a run. Mathis scored two times himself. In just two games in High-A, Mathis already has three doubles.
Center fielder Kane Kepley was 1 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored twice.
Noah Edders got hammered for two runs in the first inning, two more in the second and three more in the third. He took the loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits over three innings. Two of those seven hits were two-run home runs. Edders struck out one, walked no one and hit one batter.
Catcher Logan Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs.
Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 5 and also scored twice. He drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 5 with one run scored.
Apr 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) celebrates his goal with right wing Porter Martone (94) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA — Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored three goals on four shots in the second period in Philadelphia’s first home playoff game in eight years, pushing the Flyers to the brink of a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 Game 3 win on Wednesday night in their best-of-seven first-round series.
Game 4 is Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The Flyers’ trio of goal scorers gave their raucous fans more reason to celebrate than just a first home playoff game since April 22, 2018, and first home playoff win since April 20, 2016, they can clinch their first playoff series win since the 2020 bubble season — and they can do it against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled Stuart Skinner in net.
Not long after Vladar was hit, Erik Karlsson scored on the power play to cut it to 3-2.
Forget the rally. Noah Cates put the finishing touches on one of the biggest Flyers’ wins in the last 16 years with a power-play goal for a 4-2 lead. Owen Tippett added an empty-netter in the waning minutes.
The Flyers wasted all the pregame energy in a hurry when Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal only 4:18 into the game. The Penguins were doomed by an 0 for 5 effort on the power play in Game 2 and Crosby went scoreless in Pittsburgh. Crosby’s assist helped the Penguins, who had the seventh-ranked power play in the regular season, score their first power-play goal in eight attempts in the series.
Malkin’s 29th career postseason power play goal tied him with Mario Lemieux for most in Penguins history.
The game erupted in the second period into a scene straight out of the day when the old school enforcer of the Broad Street Bullies era roamed the ice.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny to the ice and smothered the Flyers forward and all the lines joined the fray until they were separated by officials. Konecny ripped off his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him. No dice. They instead traded verbal barbs from the penalty box.
The Flyers and Penguins could have held team photo day inside their respective penalty boxes.
Rust got four minutes while four of his teammates joined him and Konecny and four of his teammates tagged along inside a jammed box.
Public address announcer Lou Nolan had just started to rattle off the list of names — “the penalties, we think ... ” — when Zegras ripped one past Skinner for the power-play goal that evened the score 1-1. The Flyers mobbed Zegras and pinned him in celebration against the penalty box.
Ristolainen — whose 820 regular season games before making the playoffs were the most of any active player — made it 2-1 and Flyers started fans started derisive “Skinner! Skinner” chants that echoed long after the go-ahead goal. Seeler scored 2:12 later on a shot from the point for the 3-1 lead against — and made it 3 of 4 on Skinner after he stopped the first 18 shots.
Apr 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) hits a sacrifice ground ball RBI against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
…we came in? Anyway, I saw Exit 8 a few days ago. It’s a horror film about a man who finds himself trapped in an endless, looping train station passage, returning again and again to the same place. It’s come to mind, watching the Phillies recently. There’s always an element of repetition to a baseball season, playing out every day, with variations, across the spring and summer. But the routine that the Phillies find themselves in goes beyond the typical patterns and patter of daily baseball. They are playing the same game, again and again. It has resulted in their eighth straight loss.
The Phillies went with Kyle Backhus as an opener, hoping to escape Taijuan Walker’s first-inning woes. But the woes found them nevertheless: Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman hit seeing-eye singles, ushered through the infield by the BABIP gods, and the Cubs had runners on the corner, none out. A grounder from Ian Happ was just tough enough to prevent the double play; the Phillies got the runner at second, but surrendered an RBI.
The BABIP gods are fickle, though, their actions inexplicable to mortal minds. The Phillies, for reasons known only to the cosmos, suddenly entered into their good graces, with Felix Reyes reaching first on an infield single against Cubbie starter Matthew Boyd. Alec Bohm slapped a single to right, Sosa hit a ball against the famed ivy, not yet in full summer splendor, for a double, and the Phillies had it tied. Justin Crawford hit a little dribbler that was far from the ivy, but far enough to score Bohm. Taijuan Walker thus entered the game in the bottom of the second with the lead.
Walker’s first inning almost went cleanly. He got the first two outs with little trouble. The third should’ve come on a fly ball to Justin Crawford. But Crawford bobbled the ball. He would not get a chance to bobble the next: Pete Crow-Armstrong hit one to the wall in center for an RBI double, and the game was tied.
Like their BABIP counterparts, the gods of baseball miscues were intent on proving they do not play favorites. In the top of the third, Trea Turner hit a grounder to short, then made it to first safely when Dansby Swanson chucked it over the head of Michael Busch. But the Phillies couldn’t turn the good fortune into a reclaimed lead, and their fortune turned again when Alex Bregman hit a fly ball that bounced against the basket over Wrigley’s outfield fence, preventing Crawford from potentially catching it. The result was a leadoff triple, and then a lead for the Cubs when Happ singled. The next deep fly ball would not test one’s knowledge of Wrigley’s ground rules: Busch sent one well over the basket to put the Chicagos’ lead to two.
We weren’t quite done with questions about homers, though. Adolis García hit a deep fly ball to left, which sailed to the wrong side of the foul pole. Something fooled the umpire’s eyes, and it was ruled a homer, though there was little tension in the subsequent review and overturning. There was more tension in the next homer—Seiya Suzuki off Walker on a cutter, scoring two— though none of it came from the question of whether or not it was gone. Rather, the tension was entirely in the emotions evoked in the fractured, fractious Phillies fanbase.
The replacement of Boyd with Ben Brown didn’t help the Phillies break through; neither did putting in Bryson Stott to pinch-hit for Edmundo Sosa. Alan Rangel took over from Walker, and navigated the bottom sixth with ease. He did the same in the seventh. But the Phillies could not get runners on, and did not threaten the Chicago bullpen.
Rangel came out again for the eighth, and finally faltered, allowing a leadoff double to Moisés Ballesteros, skipping and bouncing up the first base line. A strong throw from García was not quite enough to put him out. Crow-Armstrong scored him with a bloop single that was as short as his name is long.
The Phillies faced Hoby Milner in the ninth. Bohm singled to right to begin the frame, but no more damage was done . The last out was made on a Rafael Marchán strikeout, with the final strike coming on an overturned ABS call.
Much of what can be said about tonight’s game has already been said. The story is familiar, repetitive, looped. The Phillies’ pitching allowed too many runs, the bats were too quiet, too often. Isn’t this where…
In the fourth inning, Francisco Alvarez lined a double that split the center and right fielders while Lindor was on first base. Lindor rounded third base and seemed to grimace before sliding safely feet first into home plate. Lindor went into the tunnel, but did not come out for the top of the fifth.
Bo Bichette moved to shortstop and Brett Baty came in to play third.
"We announced the calf. He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow, and we’ll see what we’re dealing with," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It sucks. When you see a guy as tough as Lindor… I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. We’ll see what we got."
Mendoza confirmed Lindor will receive an MRI.
When asked if he expects it to be the same situation as when Juan Soto went down with a similar injury, the Mets skipper said he does.
"Yeah, but we gotta wait," he said. "We’re talking about a calf. We got relatively good news with Soto and still [he was out] three weeks. We’ll see what we’re dealing with."
Lindor left after going 2-for-2 with an RBI infield single in the first inning, and is one of the Mets' hottest hitters. Over his last seven games, including Wednesday, Lindor is 9-for-25 with two home runs and five RBI. That production allowed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to move Lindor to the cleanup spot in Wednesday's game.
The injury also comes as the Mets welcomed back Soto to the lineup after their slugger missed 15 games with a calf strain. And now, the Mets, who just broke their 12-game losing streak, will have to continue without one of their best hitters.
"It’s what we’re dealing with right now. We can’t sit here and make excuses. It's all part of it," Mendoza said. "We lost Soto and we had a hard time. Now we're potentially going to be dealing with losing another really good player, and we got to figure it out. We got to find a way. But, again, we got to wait and see."
Mendoza added that Bichette would be an option at shortstop, but if Lindor lands on IL, the manager indicated the club is likely to bring up somebody with the ability to play short.
"Just finished the game, I gotta talk to David [Stearns] and see what we got with Lindor and go from there," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate if we need to play Bo there, but I am pretty sure we'll bring someone in here that is capable of playing the position as well."
Francisco Lindor has been pulled from tonight's game after grimacing rounding third on Francisco Alvarez's RBI double pic.twitter.com/wi7PGalANx
PHILADELPHIA , PA - APRIL 22: A large brawl breaks out during game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburg Penguins on April 22nd, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins enter Game 3 with some adjusted forward lines, left wings shuffled all around the first three lines from the start of last game. Otherwise it’s the same, including Stuart Skinner back in net.
It’s a good start for the Penguins, the road venue doesn’t make any impact. Pittsburgh gets the first few shots and then the first power play when Sean Couturier trips up Sam Girard. Lo and behold, they score a goal on that power play, the first of the series, to take their first lead in a game. Sidney Crosby passes to Bryan Rust, who quickly feeds Evgeni Malkin at the other side of the crease. Malkin knocks it home, 1-0 Pens.
Late in the period, before a faceoff Garnet Hathaway flung his stick up behind his back and it went inside the visor of Crosby, who fell to the ice. Crosby stayed down a minute after it. The refs send both players off the ice, feeling Crosby milked it a little too much once the crowd and Hathaway threw a fit over it. Maybe he shouldn’t have been swinging his stick around the eyeball of a Mount Rushmore player?
First period ends with the shots 11-11, which is much more the type and style of game that the Penguins want to play compared to the quagmire that those early games of getting very few shots in the first. Pittsburgh up on the board 1-zippy.
Second period
The ref show continues in the second period, Travis Konecny hits Kris Letang after a whistle, Letang joins Konecny in the penalty box after a halfhearted response. Then on the ensuing 4v4, Erik Karlsson gets rung up on a tripping infraction that didn’t create or deny a scoring chance or change possession of the puck. Philadelphia gets a long 4v3 power play. Skinner stops Porter Martone in front of the net on the best scoring chance they get.
As soon as Konecny gets out of the box he’s right back on his BS giving Rust an elbow to the head. This sends Rust off the deep end as they scrap after the whistle. Somehow out of the scrum all 10 skaters on the ice end up in the penalty box for roughing and Rust picks up an extra minor for…unknown reasons.
HUUUUGGEEE scrum mainly between Konecny and Rust resulted in A LOT of penalties… pic.twitter.com/wn7AEHJR4B
The Flyers can’t stop Flyering, Nick Seelers throws three crosschecks at Crosby away from the puck and the PEns get a power play out of it. With Rust and Karlsson still in the box, it doesn’t get much going.
That builds momentum for the Flyers, they get a long shift in the period and send some shots in that Skinner can’t smother or corral and the defense can’t clear. Philadelphia hits the post and it looks like the Pens are on the ropes. They are, Rasmus Ristolainen sneaks a long-range low shot by Skinner. 2-1 Philadelphia gets their first lead of the night.
The Penguins have three shots in the period and the Flyers score their third goal of the period. Connor Clifton chips a puck back to the Flyers and they get it back high and go around the horn. Seeler throws a long range shot on, there’s a bit of traffic but Skinner can’t nab it with the glove. 3-1 game.
The Penguins get a golden chance when Ristolainen breaks his stick and is trapped. Rust walks around him but Dan Vladar stops the shot and the follow-up can’t get there in time.
Period ends, what a doozy it was. Shots are 15-7 Philadelphia. Goals were 3-0 in the second. The Penguins have to be wondering what the hell just happened, I know I’m doing the same.
Third period
Egor Chinakhov’s hard wrister knocks the skate blade off Vladar’s skate. The refs give him a whistle, they shouldn’t have.
No stoppage for a lost skate blade (or glove). Should be playing until the whistle there… Flyers get a break there
A few minutes later, the Penguins get a power play, Tyson Foerster is off for tripping Ben Kindel. Rust drives the net and falls on Vladar’s arm to get a whistle and that’s as close as the Penguins get.
Soon after, a gift when Matvei Michkov getting too aggro after a whistle. This time, it strikes. Erik Karlsson booms a slapper by the blocker side of Vladar. 3-2 game with 10:21 to go.
Anthony Mantha has one he wants back, flipping the puck over the glass for a penalty. Skinner makes his first stop of the period and it’s a big one on a Noah Cates breakaway. Cates gets his revenge, slipping behind Ryan Shea and bringing the puck forehand down low. 4-2 with 7:30 to go.
The Pens get another power play with 6:32 to go, they take their timeout to gear up, nothing happening this time.
It gets down to desperation time, Skinner pulled for the extra attacker with about 3 minutes to play. Doesn’t work, Owen Tippett sinks the empty net goal with 1:12.
Some thoughts
For matchup watch: the Pens started the Crosby line at the beginning of the first and third periods (their was a power play at the start of the second). They surely knew what that would bring with the Flyers getting last change and using the Couturier line out there to meet them.
It always funny (but sometimes not ‘ha-ha’ funny) to watch a power play oscillate between atrocious and glorious for no reason. Everyone’s a critic (which, hey, here too) about changing personnel or changing strategy, do this, do that. The Pens dismiss all that, score on a tic-tac-toe fancy passing play that ends with a backside tap in from the same guys they wanted. They’re always going to do it their way, because it’s what they know and what they’re best at. (But that play was setup by good wall work by Rakell and Rust plus the benefit of a Flyer breaking his stick and skating off the ice for some reason. They still did need to perform better before getting to the fun stuff).
However, it did look like there were some adjustments made at 5v5, before we get to the part where, you know, it all goes to hell. Pittsburgh put bodies to the net and then got the puck there, battling through as they went. After only recording seven total SOG in the first and second games combined, the Pens put up 10 alone in the first period of this game.
They also schemed up a way to generate more speed through the neutral zone to bump or drop passes back and hit a player with speed to break through the layers of the Flyers’ defensive structure. Now we’ll see if Philadelphia has an adjustment for the adjustment. Nice to see the Pens’ coaches be able to install something useful that helped unlock the middle of the ice, even though ultimately they still ended up with a big goose egg with 0 5v5 goals for a second straight game.
The second period was infuriating and all those shrewd adjustments and best laid plans unraveled and went completely down the drain. Didn’t help to have Konecny go unpunished (and at times rewarded) for stirring the pot post-whistle by targeting opponent’s heads, but the Pens got pushed way away from where they wanted to be and were finding success. It’s 2012 all over again with the game unraveling. Wasn’t fun then, isn’t fun now!
Unravel is the word for Skinner too, which is a shame. He was so good in the early going. You could see his play and form slipping away, a puck hit his glove and he couldn’t keep close it up. Rebounds were starting to be placed in areas his team couldn’t get to them. A few seconds before the Zegras PPG, the puck rolled into Skinner’s stomach, he couldn’t stop it from rolling off it. Then the shot off the post seemed to put him on tilt, giving up a bad goal to Ristolainen seconds later to a shot he saw the whole way. Two game minutes later, another bad goal against from Seeler. Went it goes south for Skinner, it goes all the way there and very quickly. Turned out to be at the absolute worst moment, which again is a tough development since he was really good early in this game and serviceable enough up until the point where the bottom drops out.
Will Rust losing his mind be the moment that we think back of all summer and maybe beyond? He fell for the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Handed the Flyers a power play when the Penguins were up 1-0 and doing just fine. It was all downhill from there. Personally, I find it hard to criticize someone for responding and sticking up for themselves when getting elbowed in the head but the Pens always talk about how they need to be smart, walk away, let it go. Then they just never do, and the problem with rolling around with pigs is that you end up covered in the muck and the pig likes it.
Two power play goals aside for each team, two weak ones for Philadelphia were the difference. The Penguins going from 201 5v5 goals (2nd most in NHL) to now one 5v5 goal in three games is the story of the series. .
There’s disappointments about as far as the eye can reach, doesn’t help that 2024 playoff Anthony Mantha showed up. The one who got scratched by Vegas. Pittsburgh was within reach at 3-2 with time left and looking somewhat stable for a comeback effort. Mantha’s careless play of the puck and the subsequent PHI PPG to extend the lead to 4-2 put the game practically out of reach
Well, that’s that. The Penguins fall into a 3-0 series hole without much hope at this point. Their even strength offense has been nonexistent. Their goaltending has shown signs of cracks to where it’s not going to be anything to lean on. They play into their opponent’s hands by lacking discipline. About all of this paragraph applied in 2012 when the Flyers went up 3-0 and it now looks practically the same 14 years later. They get one more chance on Saturday in Game 4 to earn another one after that.
The Mets’ losing streak has finally come to an end, but their 3-2 win came at a cost. Francisco Lindor, who drove in the Mets’ first run of the night and scored their second, left the game after the fourth inning with left calf tightness on the night that Juan Soto returned from his stint on the injured list with a calf injury of his own.
Lindor opened the scoring in the game on a two-out infield single in the bottom of the first that scored Bo Bichette, who was in the leadoff spot tonight and started the inning with a double. And after Victor Caratini hit a sac fly off Clay Holmes to tie the game in the top of the fourth, Lindor smoked a single that tipped off Twins third baseman Royce Lewis’s glove. Francisco Alvarez smoked a double into the right-center field gap, and Lindor scored—barely—from first base, as he looked to be in discomfort as he completed his run around the bases.
That was the end of Lindor’s night, and the Twins tied the game up again when Clay Holmes served up a solo home run to Byron Buxton in the top of the sixth. Holmes had a very good night, though, as he wound up going seven innings, struck out three, walked one, and gave up five hits.
After Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver combined for a scoreless top of the eighth, the Mets eked out a run in the bottom of the inning when Mark Vientos, who had blown through a stop sign at third base earlier in the game to end an inning, hit a bloop single to right field to bring home Brett Baty with the go-ahead run.
That hit helped erase a pair of baserunning mistakes by the Mets, the first of which was made by Vientos himself when he blew threw a stop sign at third base and was thrown out at home by a wide margin to end the bottom of the sixth. The other was made by Soto, who attempted steal a base against lefty reliever Taylor Rogers after hitting a single in the eighth. Instead, he was picked off and thrown out just as easily as Vientos has been earlier.
As for the ninth inning, Weaver remained in the game and struck out the side, working around a two-out infield single to finish the game and give the team a sorely-needed win.
Big Mets winner: Mark Vientos, +25% WPA Big Mets loser: Luis Robert Jr., -17% WPA Mets pitchers: +40% WPA Mets hitters: +10% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos hits an RBI single in the eighth, +29% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Byron Buxton hits a game-tying solo home run in the sixth, -17% WPA
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals takes batting practice prior to the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will have a vexing decision to make about Jordan Walker sooner rather than later. Should they work to extend him or do they wait? There are arguments to be made that it’s worth considering, but at least an equal amount for why the team should wait.
I asked the question a few days ago on The Feed about who the St. Louis Cardinals should work to extend first. While JJ Wetherholt was the winner in a landslide, I was surprised to see that Jordan Walker was the second most popular choice.
The fact that this is even a conversation is borderline miraculous. Very few of us saw Jordan Walker starting the 2026 season in such an impressive way. Through the first 24 games, Jordan Walker is batting .292 with 8 home runs, 16 RBI’s with an OPS of .964. What’s even more remarkable to me is Jordan’s defense which has been a real eye-opener. He’s currently 2nd in the league in defensive runs saved with a +4 margin. I had to remind myself that Walker was not a natural outfielder, but was a 3rd baseman until the Cardinals began to convert him in 2022. His arm strength is becoming elite. There’s a lot to love about how far Jordan Walker has come, but there are also big reasons to pump the brakes on overreacting, too.
Before I look at the reasons why a Jordan Walker extension might be a terrible idea, let’s imagine what that contract might look like. There’s an interesting player to compare Jordan to and that’s Oneil Cruz. He signed a one-year contract for $3.3 million to avoid arbitration for the 2026 season. He’s under team control through 2028 just like Jordan Walker. He has a high-strikeout profile of around 32%. Jordan Walker’s strikeout rate was hovering around the same rate as of this week. Depending on who you ask, I’ve seen possible extensions for Cruz somewhere in the neighborhood of 6–8 years for between $100–$150 million. Cruz has elite exit velocity and a high barrel rate. The one thing that Cruz now trails Walker in is defense. Cruz is considered a massive defensive liability while Walker is more than a plus defender now. If (and that’s a big word that needs emphasis) the Cardinals were to seek an extension with Jordan Walker, I could see a deal looking very similar to Oneil Cruz.
If I were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, I would wait before going down the extension road with Jordan Walker. We’ve all seen some of the strikeout tendencies over the past week that look similar to the Jordan Walker we were all worried about during Spring Training and the past couple seasons. I’ve seen better decision making at the plate by Jordan Walker this season than any other previously, but I still want to see him be able to make the necessary adjustments now that opposing pitchers now recognize him as a threat. Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown said during a pre-game interview this past week that he’s working with Jordan on his approach now that he’s producing and other teams know it. At the bare minimum, I want to see Walker successfully adjust his approach and stay productive through the All-Star break.
Waiting brings with it a risk that the price of Jordan Walker will go up exponentially if he suddenly becomes an all-star near the top of the league in home runs in addition to his now spectacular outfield arm. He could be that middle of the order righthanded bat and a vital part of the new Cardinals core for years to come. But, the possibility remains that he could regress back to the Jordan Walker that some wanted sent back to the minors before the season started. Yes, I was one of them. My vote is that we all continue to enjoy and hopefully see the ascent of Jordan Walker into the player we all knew he was capable of becoming. When and if we commit to locking him into a long-term deal will be one of the most important decisions Chaim Bloom makes – for better or for worse.
The Mets broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and held on to defeat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 at Citi Field on Wednesday night, ending their 12-game losing streak.
It was the Mets’ first win since April 7.
Here are the top takeaways...
-Mark Vientos, who made a boneheaded play in the sixth inning, running through a stop sign to get thrown out at the plate, found redemption in the eighth, blooping a single to right field with two outs to drive in Brett Baty from second, breaking a 2-2 tie.
Baty and Francisco Alvarez had each walked to set up the go-ahead run. Alvarez battled in a nine-pitch at-bat against reliever Justin Topa.
Mendoza chose to have Luke Weaver close out the win, keeping him in for the ninth after Weaver got the final out of the eighth inning to work out of a bases-loaded situation.
-Juan Soto looked good at the plate in his return to action from the calf injury suffered on April 4.
He hit two hard fly-ball outs in his first two at-bats, both of them over 104 mph off the bat, then walked his third time up, and singled to right in the eighth inning off lefty reliever Taylor Rodgers.
However, Soto got nailed trying to steal second, leaving too early as Rodgers threw to first and Soto was then thrown out at second base.
-Clay Holmes gave the Mets a strong start, allowing two runs over seven innings. Holmes gave up five hits while striking out three, inducing plenty of weak contact with his nasty sinker.
Holmes continues to have a very good season. His ERA after five starts is 2.10.
The right-hander had a 2-1 lead into the sixth but left a sinker up, thigh-high, to Byron Buxton, and Buxton hammered it to left, 409 feet for a no-doubter home run.
Lindor was having a big night, with two hits in his first two at-bats, a run scored and an RBI. He appeared to feel the calf tightness as he went from first to home on Alvarez’s double to right-center in the bottom of the fourth.
Lindor scored on the play but remained in a sitting position on the ground long enough to indicate something wasn’t right. He then went into the tunnel at the end of the dugout, followed by the Mets’ trainers, and didn’t come out for the top of the fifth.
Bo Bichette moved to short to replace Lindor, while Baty entered the game at third base.
-The Mets’ new-look lineup, with Bichette leading off and Lindor hitting in the clean-up spot, paid immediate dividends with a first-inning run, as Bichette doubled and eventually scored on Lindor’s single down the third-base line.
But otherwise, runs were mostly hard to come by again for an offense that ranks among the worst in the majors in several categories.
They were also hurt by bad baserunning when Vientos was thrown out at the plate, ending the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2.
With two outs, Vientos tried to score from first base on Marcus Semien’s double to the left-center gap. Third base coach Tim Lieper put up the stop sign to hold Vientos at third, but in what can only be considered a sign of how desperately the Mets wanted a win, Vientos ran through it and was an easy out at the plate. All in all, a bad gamble considering how slowly Vientos runs.
Game MVP: Mark Vientos
Mark Vientos. Why not? Vientos redeemed himself for his base-running mistake two innings earlier by coming through with the game-winning hit in the eighth inning.
It wasn’t a rocket by any means, just 70.3 mph off the bat, but it found grass when the Mets desperately needed a hit and a win.
SAN FRANCISCO — Dave Roberts is committed to Shohei Ohtani’s health and keeping him fresh to perform both on the mound and at the plate for the long haul.
And that may look different by the day or week, depending how the two-way star is feeling.
For some games, that could mean Ohtani pitches but isn’t batting as the designated hitter — and the Los Angeles Dodgers manager plans to keep his options open.
Ohtani made his fourth mound start Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants. A week earlier, Ohtani was held out of the lineup while pitching for the first time since 2021 because he was still sore from getting hit by a pitch.
The 31-year-old Ohtani entered with a batting average of .271, five home runs and 11 RBIs in 85 at-bats. He had allowed just one earned run over his first 18 innings of 2026 for an ERA of 0.50 and 2-0 record, surrendering 10 hits with 18 strikeouts and six walks.
Ohtani also had a career-best on-base streak of 53 games, tied for second in Dodgers history with Shawn Green. Duke Snider owns the team record at 58 games from May 13-July 11, 1954. Ohtani’s streak is the longest in the majors since Orlando Cabrera reached base in 63 straight from April 25-July 6, 2006.
“I think if you look at the overall numbers it’s certainly something. I still feel really good about putting his name in the lineup,” Roberts said. “I know the last start I chose not to have him hit and just pitch. I am open to it. We’ll see. It’s something that we’ve certainly flagged, and also you have to look at what’s the option. In years past or last year, you’ve got to kind of weigh, who’s a different option?”
Catcher Dalton Rushing has become a capable fill-in at DH. He’s hitting .414 with seven homers and 13 RBIs.
The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers had dropped three of four after losing the series opener at San Francisco 3-1 on Tuesday night.
When Roberts spoke to Ohtani earlier Wednesday, the four-time MVP — including two-time reigning NL MVP — was “really focused.”
“He wants to reset things, to go out there and pitch well and give us a chance to win tonight,” Roberts said.
Roberts had yet to decide whether Ohtani would play the series finale Thursday. He said beforehand he had no qualms about giving Ohtani five at-bats on a day he’s pitching but would consider moving him down in the batting order if that makes sense.
“I think everything should be on the table,” Roberts said.
The New York Mets entered Wednesday less than 10 games away from the longest MLB losing streak of the 21st century. That title still belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who lost 21 straight contests during their historically bad season, and the Mets will get no closer after they defeated the Minnesota Twins, 3-2, on Wednesday night.
The victory snaps a 12-game losing streak that had plummeted the Mets to the very bottom of the standings. Mark Vientos, who had been cut down at the plate while trying to score earlier in the game, was the hero, his two-out single in the bottom of the eighth plating the winning run.
The win — which came in Juan Soto's return — was not entirely satisfactory to the reeling Mets. They saw star shortstop Francisco Lindor exit with what the team called left calf tightness.
While they hold their breath over Lindor, they can at least rest easy knowing they are winners for a night:
When did the Mets' losing streak begin?
The Mets' losing streak began after the team started 7-4. They then lost 7-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 8, which started a catastrophic chain of events that led us to where we are now.
Since then, the Mets lost another game to the Diamondbacks, were swept by the Athletics, Dodgers, and Cubs, and then dropped their opener to the Twins.
Longest losing streaks in Mets history
The longest losing streak in Mets history came during the team's inaugural season in 1962. That team not only lost a franchise record 17 straight games during the season but also had other losing streaks of 13 and 11 games.
Since the turn of the century, the longest losing streak in Mets history stands at 12 games, a tie between their losing streak coming into Wednesday night and the 2002 team, which lost those 12 consecutive games between Aug. 20 and Aug. 31 that year.
Longest losing streaks in MLB history
The longest losing streak of the 21st century belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who lost 21 straight games. However, that is not the longest such streak in MLB history. That dishonor belongs to the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight games.
Here is a list of every team in the modern era (since 1901) to have lost at least 20 consecutive games:
The man who is the heart and soul of the Spurs is also now the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year.
San Antonio's Keldon Johnson — who came off the bench in all 82 games this season and set a Spurs franchise record with 1,081 bench points — was honored as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Johnson talked about his journey in an ESPN interview when the award was announced.
"I started for a long time. Now, it's my time to come off the bench," Johnson said. "I just continue to analyze the game, come off the bench, go in there and just do my thing."
Johnson's thing was to average 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game for the Spurs, but that sells short what he means to this team. He's the longest-tenured Spur and a leader in the locker room, the guy who keeps the mood light but can get serious when the time is called for.
Johnson got 63 first-place votes from the panel of 100 media voters, besting Miami's Jaime Jaquez (34 first-place votes). Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. finished third in the voting, with Minnesota's Naz Reid finishing fourth and the Thunder's Ajay Mitchell fifth.
NEW YORK — No sooner did the struggling New York Mets get a star player back than another one went down with a similar injury.
Francisco Lindor was removed Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins with left calf tightness, just hours after teammate Juan Soto came off the injured list. The switch-hitting shortstop will have an MRI on Thursday, putting the top of New York’s punchless batting order in flux once more.
“Here we go again,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
New York (8-16) ended its 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota, but it might have come at a cost.
“We’ve got to wait and see what we’re dealing with,” Mendoza said.
Lindor labored around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s one-out double up the right-center alley in the fourth inning. He grimaced as he rounded third and paused for a bit from the seat of his pants after beating the relay throw with a feetfirst slide.
“I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. So, we’ll see what we’ve got,” Mendoza said. “Right away, he scores and you could see his face. Looking from the dugout, I knew something wasn’t right.”
Lindor headed down the dugout tunnel with an athletic trainer and was replaced in the lineup by Brett Baty, who entered at third base in the top of the fifth. Bo Bichette slid over from third base to shortstop.
Batting cleanup, Lindor knocked in a run when he legged out an infield single with two outs in the first. Moments earlier, he made an outstanding leaping grab at shortstop for the second out of the game.
Soto was reinstated from the 10-day IL earlier in the day. The slugging outfielder had been sidelined since straining his right calf while running from first to third on April 3 in San Francisco.
“We got good news, relatively good news with Soto, and it was still three weeks,” Mendoza said. “So, we’ll see what we’re dealing with.”
After a slow start this season, Lindor was starting to come on recently. He launched a three-run homer Tuesday night and is hitting .226 with two home runs and five RBIs.
“Can’t sit here and make excuses. It’s all part of it. We lost Soto, and we had a hard time,” Mendoza said. “Another really good player, and we’ve got to figure it out.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 06: General Manager Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics watches warmups before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the TD Garden on February 06, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Tuesday, during his pre-draft availability, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen indicated that he picked the brain of Boston Celtics’ NBA Champion President of Basketball Operations (and former Butler University Men’s Basketball coach) Brad Stevens.
Only, it wasn’t really about basketball.
Rather, Steichen sought out any guidance that Stevens may be able to share regarding Achilles post-surgery recovery, after Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum previously underwent Achilles surgery by the same surgeon who recently performed Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones’ procedure a few months ago (via The Athletic’s James Boyd).
#Colts HC Shane Steichen spoke to #Celtics president Brad Stevens about Jayson Tatum’s Achilles recovery. Tatum and Daniel Jones both got surgery from Dr. Martin O’Malley.
It’s not the first time that Stevens has offered his insight he has firsthand experienced with his star player’s recovery from a torn Achilles with an Indianapolis professional sports head coach.
It is good to know that Jones, who’s already throwing and performing drop-backs on his road to regaining his prior breakout career year form, isn’t alone in his recovery.
Rather, there have been a number of star professional athletes who have suffered the same injury and underwent the same surgery, and there’s an established protocol for rehabilitation and recovery. There are likely some helpful tips that Stevens can share regarding what worked well and what didn’t—and what to reasonably expect.
The early signs regarding Jones recovery are encouraging, and he’s arguably ahead of schedule—with a hopeful and still realistic return by Colts training camp in mid-to-late July.
