2026 NBA Awards: Full ballot, picks including Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama race for MVP

For as long as the NBA has honored me by asking me to be one of the postseason award voters, each year there are a couple of awards that keep me up at night, trying to split hairs between players who all deserve recognition for monster years. For example, Third-Team All-NBA is always brutal. Some years it's the big ones, such as MVP. This year I struggled more with Most Improved Player than other award on the board.

What follows is my official ballot for the NBA's end-of-season awards. [Note, this ballot assumes that the league grants Luka Doncic's challenge and makes him eligible despite having played in 64 games, one short of the league threshold. It would be some frighteningly bad PR for the league to say Doncic is out because he chose to fly to Slovenia for the birth of his child and missed a couple of games — the league is very sensitive to those kinds of image issues.]

NBA Most Valuable Player

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
3. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
4. Luka Doncic (Lakers)
5. Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

This is an incredibly deep MVP field, and it had the vibe of a real race for a while over the last month, with all four top players playing at their peak and making their case. However, it was never quite that close in my mind — this is a season-long award, and SGA was the most consistent of this group, both in terms of minutes and efficient production. Wemby returned from an injury earlier in the season in time to meet the 65-game threshold, but that same injury put him on a strict minutes limit and even had him coming off the bench in some games. Jokic dipped from his incredible standards for a stretch after his injury. Doncic was out for a critical final push of the season (and likely the first round of the playoffs) with his hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander just kept scoring, kept defending at a level that put him in All-Defense consideration, and was at his best in the clutch, which is why the Thunder have the best record in the NBA.

If the league does not make Doncic eligible, I will move Jaylen Brown up a spot and slide the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard into fifth. Also, if he had played enough games, Cade Cunningham would have been in my top five.

All-NBA Teams

First Team

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
3. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
4. Luka Doncic (Lakers)
5. Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

Second Team

1. Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
2. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
3. Tyrese Maxey (76ers)
4. Kevin Durant (Rockets)
5. Jalen Brunson (Knicks)

Third Team

1. Jalen Johnson (Hawks)
2. Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
3. Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
4. Jalen Duren (Pistons)
5. Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)

It was painful for me to leave Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Portland's Deni Avdija off this list, both had strong seasons and were central to their team's success (and both teams exceeded expectations). Mr. 83 Bam Adebayo from Miami also merited a long look here.

NBA Rookie of the Year

1. Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
2. Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
3. VJ Edgecombe (76ers)

The betting odds shifted in recent weeks as Cooper Flagg had some monster nights and some talking heads wanted to make this a race — and, to be fair, Flagg was brilliant, would have won the award most years. He will be the best player from this class in a few years. However, Knueppel had the most efficient rookie season in NBA history, played in 10 more games and nearly 200 more minutes, and most importantly, his play lifted his team to the postseason. Knueppel was essential to the Hornets' improvement this season.

I believe the Spurs' Dylan Harper will be the second-best player out of this class in five years, but the award is about this season, and Edgecombe was simply better and more important to his team.

NBA All-Rookie Teams

First Team

1. Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
2. Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
3. VJ Edgecombe (76ers)
4. Dylan Harper (Spurs)
5. Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)

Second Team

1. Ace Bailey (Kings)
2. Ryan Kalkbrenner (Hornets)
3. Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans)
4. Derik Queen (Pelicans)
5. Maxime Raynaud (Kings)

Ace Bailey almost played his way onto the first team for me, and good on the Kings (and Hornets, and Pelicans) for having two players making All-Rookie. Tre Johnson of the Wizards almost made the cut for me, but was just too inefficient. Also, Brooklyn took five guys in the first round and none of them made the cut... ouch.

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
2. Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
3. Ausar Thompson (Pistons)

Not much debate here. Honestly, no real debate about the top two spots on this list in my mind. For the third slot, I went with the best on-ball hawk in the league and a representative of an elite Pistons defense, but Rudy Gobert or Bam Adebayo were also under consideration for that spot.

All-Defensive Teams

First Team

1. Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
2. Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
3. Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
4. Bam Adebayo (Heat)
5. Ausar Thompson (Pistons)

Second Team

1. Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
2. OG Annunoby (Knicks)
3. Derek White (Celtics)
4. Cason Wallace (Thunder)
5. Dyson Daniels (Hawks)

More than many voters (at least I think), I lean more into guards and wings who defend well for this award rather than just listing seven or eight bigs, even though a good rim protector can change a defense (four of my first team selections are bigs). It was hard to leave off Amen Thompson. Also, it was strange not to vote for Draymond Green — and he has a legit case. The Warriors' defense was top five before the Jimmy Butler injury (and others) crushed their depth, and he was quarterbacking it. He also nearly made my list.

NBA Coach of the Year

1. Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
3. Jordan Ott (Suns)

This, to me, is a two-man race, and there is a very good case for Bickerstaff, but I will lean into Mazzula. It's not just because this team was unexpectedly good (remember when this was a "gap" year in Boston?), but also because of the culture he has built and his ability to put in place a system that develops guys like Neemias Queta and turns them into quality rotation players. I think this season he did that better than Bickerstaff. That same logic has me putting in Phoenix's Joran Ott third, just ahead of San Antonio's Mitch Johnson.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year

1. Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
2. Jaime Jaquez (Heat)
3. Reed Sheppard (Rockets)

This was a very close two-man race for me between Johnson and Jaquez. To me, the difference ultimately was Johnson's locker room leadership in San Antonio, which was a foundational part of allowing this San Antonio team to blossom the way it did. It was a tough call giving Sheppard the third spot over Naz Ried or Tim Hardaway Jr.

NBA Most Improved Player

1. Jalen Duren (Pistons)
2. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)
3. Neemias Queta (Celtics)

This was the hardest choice on the awards list for me this season. There is a tremendous case for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who in his seventh season took on a new and larger role and thrived. Ultimately, I gave my vote to Duren because he showed significant improvement on both ends of the court, not because his situation changed but because he simply got better. His handle got better, his shot creation improved while his turnovers dropped, and he became a high-level paint protector. Then Duren showed real leadership when Cade Cunningham went out at the end of the season, he had the Pistons going 8-3.

NBA Clutch Player of the Year

1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Thunder)
2. Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
3. Tyrese Maxey (76ers)

This was a pretty straightforward call, SGA was brilliant in the clutch, which is also part of why I have him as MVP.

Justin Turner heads to Tijuana

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Justin Turner #3 of the Chicago Cubs warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Old friend Justin Turner signed with the Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League, the team announced on Friday. The longtime Dodgers third baseman took to Instagram to talk about his new team as well, in both English and Spanish.

Turner, 41, played last season with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he hit .219/.288/.314 with a 71 wRC+ and three home runs in 80 games and 191 plate appearances. That ended a string of 11 consecutive seasons with at least a 116 wRC+, the first nine of which were with the Dodgers.

In 17 major league seasons thus far, the two-time All-Star Turner has 354 doubles, 201 home runs in 1,758 games, hitting .283/.360/.454 with a 125 wRC+ for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Cubs.

The Toros begin their Mexican League schedule Friday on the road against Saltillo.

Links

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic broke down all four at-bats by Andy Pages on Friday night, showing how well the Dodgers center fielder has progressed at the plate this season.

“I’m just trying to find the pitch that I can do the most damage on,” Pages told Ardaya. “It’s continuing my plan, and not changing it in the middle of the at-bat, and trying to wait for my pitch.”

Longtime major league infielder and manager Phil Garner died on Saturday night at age 76. The Associated Press has more.

Garner played 16 major league seasons, including the final three and a half months of the 1987 season with the Dodgers, then later managed another 15 years, including leading the Houston Astros to their first pennant in 2005.

Flyers Set Up For Win-And-In Scenario vs. Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers got all the help they could have possibly asked for, and now it's up to them to seal the deal and book their place in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On Sunday night, with a brutal 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

That leaves the Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals to vie for the last playoff spot--third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Blue Jackets lost 3-2 to a Boston Bruins team resting some of its players on Sunday night, putting them on the precipice of elimination as well.

With a win over the Carolina Hurricanes at home at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night, the Flyers can clinch themselves a playoff berth outright with no further strings attached.

Flyers Get Massive Playoff Help from Claude Giroux, SenatorsFlyers Get Massive Playoff Help from Claude Giroux, SenatorsEven though he isn't on the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> anymore, Claude Giroux, with the help of his Ottawa Senators teammates, lent his former club a helping hand in their playoff race Saturday afternoon.

Because they have two more points than the Blue Jackets with a game still in hand, just one point from an overtime or shootout loss will allow the Flyers to knock Columbus out of the running.

Then, it's down to Washington, who have 93 points in 81 games and can only reach a maximum of 95.

The Flyers are sitting at 94 in 80 games, so their magic number is, obviously, two. A win or two overtime losses seals the deal for Philadelphia.

In anticipation of Monday night's game against the Hurricanes, it's worth noting that Carolina was without Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, William Carrier, Jalen Chatfield, K'Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake in their most recent game--a 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth.

Flyers Call Up David Jiricek In Surprise MoveFlyers Call Up David Jiricek In Surprise MoveThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have made a bit of a surprising transaction with their playoff push coming to its final few games, recalling top defense prospect David Jiricek from the AHL on Sunday afternoon.

The Hurricanes have already clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division and can clinch home-ice advantage and the Eastern Conference with one more point over their final two games, so they don't have all that much to play for while already resting some players.

Weekly Cupcakes: Bednar to miss at least a couple of games

VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 9: Head coach Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Colorado Avalanche News

  • Head Coach Bednar will not travel with the team on this road trip due to a facial injury after taking a puck during a game. [TSN]
  • Top college free agent T.J. Hughes to sign with Colorado Avalanche. [The Athletic]
  • Can juggernaut Avalanche break Presidents’ Trophy curse? [The Score]
  • Masterton Trophy nominations announced and Landeskog, Ullmark among those up for award for perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication. [NHL]
  • Sam Malinski selected for Avalanche’s 2026 King Clancy Trophy Nominee. [The Hockey News]
  • With plenty of fresh blood, NHL will have new Stanley Cup champion after the back-to-back champs failed to make the playoffs. [CBC]
  • Avalanche say Nazem Kadri will miss a few games. [Sportsnet]



News Around the League


  • Suzuki becomes first Canadien in 40 years to record 100 points in a season. [TSN]
  • Do the Maple Leafs really play in a tough NHL market? It depends on who you ask. [The Star]
  • Ovechkin appreciates ‘nice’ tribute during possible last game in Pittsburgh. [ESPN]

Small changes make big difference for Jordan Walker

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 12: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox at Busch Stadium on April 12, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Winter Warmup as a reporter. Last year, I used that experience to write several season previews. Due to the late start of the top 20 prospect series (caused by waiting for Brendan Donovan to be traded), my Winter Warmup stories have been pushed to now instead of at the beginning of spring training. Thus technically, these could also be called season previews, but there’s a good chance I write a couple of these after the season has already started. I’ll try to pick stories that are not outdated for the ones during the season.

Coming into the season, the infield looked fairly strong, the bullpen looked like it should be competent, and the starting rotation, well that took a bit more hoping, but each individual member was fully capable of being average or better and there’s a good amount of depth for when things went wrong. Average rotations have certainly been built on flimsier material.

Outfield though, that took some imagination. The kind of imagination that would get you labeled a homer who was incapable of looking at things objectively. Too much had to go right and nobody was a safe bet. There were only two sure starters and both gave you reason to doubt them. Victor Scott can’t hit and Jordan Walker can’t really do anything. As for that third spot, hope things don’t go too badly and pray Lars Nootbaar gets back quickly.

Two weeks into the season, the biggest homer in the world wouldn’t dare predict what Jordan Walker has done. It’s almost inconceivable, which is itself kind of a crazy thing to think for a man once considered a top 10 prospect in the game. Of course, he was capable of this. It just doesn’t usually happen after 1,000 plate appearances of failure. Obviously, that affected him.

“When you go into the MLB, you know there are gonna be struggles,” Walker said.  “I knew that as a rookie coming up.  I didn’t think everything was gonna go my way immediately and that it was always gonna go my way.  But it’s still tough to deal with.”

Walker began his journey to this point by starting at Driveline. Interestingly, Driveline seems to be getting all the credit (as judged by an MLB Network clip, which also erroneously seemed to suggest he’s now successful because of more consistent playing time), but if I’m hearing his quote correctly, he instituted his changes at a different sports performance facility.

“At the beginning of the season, I went Driveline and did the whole body analysis thing, how I move and I brought that program over to Cressey,” Walker said. “We took that Driveline program and I incorporated it to the movement and workouts at Cressey.”

I’m pretty sure he meant offseason, but he definitely did say season. If I were an actual reporter, I would contact Walker to clarify, but I don’t have his number and I’m not going to change a quote based on an assumption. It’s not the point anyway. He gave a special shout-out to Shane Olive and Max Rios at Cressey as people he worked closely with. He didn’t mention their last names, but they do have a website, so it wasn’t hard to find.

But they didn’t start from the vantage point of let’s increase the launch angle.

“To be honest, it was really how forward I was coming when I was hitting and what we learned is that when I’m hitting off my backside, I’m driving the ball in the gaps way more consistently,” Walker said. “I’m not rolling over, I’m not getting that topspin on the ball.  The focus is really how far back I’m onto my hip and how I’m hitting on my backside rather than me focusing on launch angle.”

Essentially, he doesn’t need to focus on launch angle. Launch angle is more of a consequence of smart, effective changes.

“If I’m moving correctly, then the launch angle and exit velo and driving it where I want to will come up with it,” Walker said.

That is certainly a sentiment that Nathan Church would agree with. Though in a different spot and with different expectations, his career did hang in the balance because of a concern about power. It’s just that his power was lacking in the minor leagues. He reached AA in 2024, but only managed a .106 ISO, which also happened to be his professional high at the time. After starting 2025 injured, he then suddenly had power en route to a surprise debut in the MLB.

“A lot of it is not really trying to put up power numbers to be honest,” Church said.  “A lot of it is just trying to get stronger in the gym and knowing how my body moves correctly is kind of the main thing.  The numbers kind of spoke for itself.  Put all the work in the gym and the training room and the cage kind of shows out in the field.”

I realize that Walker went to outside sources to improve his hitting, but the verbiage both use suggest the Cardinals are also preaching this. Both reference that if their body moves correctly, the power will naturally come. That cannot be a coincidence. Joshua Baez, in the organization since he was drafted in 2021, thinks the coaching has improved since he got here.

“It’s been going upwards every single year,” Baez said.  “They’re really involved with the players, they want to know about them, what they’re doing, their routine, to help them prepare for spring training and the season.”

And yes, if you’re good at math, if he is indeed correct about it being better every year, it means things were improving before Chaim Bloom even got there. Probably a consequence of him getting better instruction as he rose through the system, but I thought I’d point that out. But he did get more specific in how things are different now.

“It was just a more personalized program for me,” Baez said. “They know me better now, it was more about me and not so much comparing or saying ‘maybe this could work for you.’  Going by experience and just try to find things that will continue to make me better.”

Baez could commiserate with Walker on struggles, albeit he got a lot less attention for them. Nonetheless, he was a high draft pick, a somewhat highly rated prospect, and the road has probably been bumpier than he thought it would be.

“Going through the down times, yeah it definitely questions you,” Baez said. “Being drafted high, having all these expectations, then just hitting that brick wall, it just builds character.  I just found a way to get up and keep going every time.”

Is there a more character-building sport than baseball? My experience is on a far smaller scale and not specifically about baseball, but when I first came onto this blog, I spammed the fanpost section with recaps back when the fanpost was considered sacred and I got roasted here in the comments and I soon learned on Twitter and I was an 18-year-old trying to skip a few steps, so it wasn’t entirely unjustified, but it definitely hurt me.

But it was character-building. Didn’t matter who it was, I used to take criticism so personally. But after that, a random person on social media doesn’t affect me at all. So on the larger, more public scale that Baez and Walker had to deal with, I’m guessing it’s significantly easier to remain confident even when slumping after their struggles. And confidence is not seen in the advanced stats, but we’re all human and it’s going to affect play.

And to again relate to my own experience: that experience also made me a better writer and a better baseball fan. It’s why I bothered to learn about advanced analytics, which only made me love the sport more. Walker, who has previously been somewhat hesitant to change a swing he was comfortable with, became someone ready to make changes.

“He has had a better, more engaged and more communicative offseason than any than I think people can remember from him,” POBO Chaim Bloom said. “Obviously, the proof will be in the pudding.  But I’m encouraged by where his head is at in terms of understanding what the adjustments need to be for him to have consistent success at this level.”

Bloom followed that up with a quote that may have been scoffed at in spring training, especially in the middle of it, but seems like the most obvious statement ever given how Walker has started his season.

“You don’t have to squint to see why the upside is worth staying with him,” Bloom said.

What’s funny is that at the time he said that, some may have argued that you do actually have to squint. But you really don’t have to squint now. It’s smacking you right in the face.

“I still have the same mentality,” Walker said.  “I want to come here, I want to win a spot, and I want to have a crazy year.”

So far, so good.

Who is the biggest White Sox rival and the team you hate the most?

Nothing says “crosstown rivalry” quite like A.J. Pierzynski slapping the plate and Michael Barrett throwing hands. | (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

We’ve spent plenty of time talking ourselves into hope. Convincing ourselves that this rebuild will be different, that this time the plan will actually resemble a plan, that the next good White Sox team won’t just be a two-year window duct-taped together with waiver claims and good vibes.

But let’s be honest, hope is fragile on the South Side. And if there’s one thing this fan base knows better than anyone, it’s how quickly things turn from optimism to open disdain.

So, today’s question is simple: Who is the South Siders’ biggest rival — and which team do you hate the most?

Is it the Cubs, the natural crosstown foe, where every game feels less like baseball and more like a referendum on the city itself? Is it the Twins, who somehow always seem to have things figured out just enough to be annoying? Or maybe it’s a newer kind of resentment for a team that’s crossed the Sox one too many times recently, building a grudge that didn’t exist a decade ago.

And then there’s the second part, which isn’t necessarily the same answer. Rivalries are supposed to be competitive. Hate? That’s really personal.

Is it the team whose fans you can’t stand? The one that always seems to get the call, the bounce, the breakout season? The one that turns every series into a slow boil?

Or, and be honest, is it the White Sox themselves? Because sometimes the most exhausting rivalry is the one between expectation and reality.

Let it out. Your grievances, fresh wounds, all of it. Because if there’s one thing Sox fans know how to do, it’s hold onto a grudge like it’s a retired number.

So, who’s your biggest rival, and who do you truly hate?

Monday Rockpile: Chase Dollander and Antonio Senzatela are settling into the Rockies bullpen

SAN DIEGO, CA - APRIL 09: Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Thursday, April 9, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ryan Levy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Antonio Senzatela and Chase Dollander are two very different pitchers, but both have found themselves transitioning from starting to long relief over the last year.

For Senzatela, the move came after struggles over the last few seasons that saw him returning from a variety of health challenges, including Tommy John surgery. Finally in August, the Rockies re-envisioned his role as a pitcher and moved him to the bullpen. He had a chance to regain his spot in the rotation this spring, but was ultimately returned to the bullpen because he was not stretched out after his participation for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

Although Dollander did not experience Senzatela’s physical challenges, he struggled in 2025 to be an effective MLB pitcher. In the spring, he battled against Ryan Feltner for the fifth opening in the starting rotation. Feltner ultimately won the job, and Dollander was kept on the roster as another long reliever. The Rockies see him as a starter long-term, but felt like this was the best way to allow him to progress. 

“We want Chase to develop at the big-league level, too, and feel like facing big-league hitters on a consistent basis is going to lead to his development better than it would in Triple-A at this point,” manager Warren Schaeffer said of the move at the time.

So far, through 15 games, both players have been thriving in different ways and are adjusting to their 2026 roles. Senzatela has made four appearances and has thrown nine innings while allowing just two hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts. Dollander has also made four appearances, allowing seven runs (all earned) on 14 hits with three home runs, four walks and 14 strikeouts over 13.2 innings.

“It’s different, for sure,” Dollander said. “When that phone rings, your heart gets pumping pretty quick. I mean, you have an idea of when you’re going to pitch, but you don’t have a definite clue of, ‘Hey, I’m pitching today’ It’s so funny when the phone rings because everybody’s just looking over at [Matt Buschmann] to see if it’s them being called.”

Senzatela has experience in the bullpen both from last season and from the WBC, but is feeling more comfortable.

“(The WBC helped) for sure,” Senzatela said. “Even last year, I threw a couple innings as a bullpen guy. I’m out there with the high-leverage situations, it gives my heart a little bump. So right now, it feels really good being in the bullpen and having that experience.”

And he has made some adjustments to his routine, knowing what his role is on this team.

“(I’ve made) different changes, because right now I have to be ready for any game everyday,” he said. “So I do like working and doing some stuff before heading out. It’s different, but it’s good. I’m feeling great right now.”

Additionally, Senzatela has made some sweeping changes to his arsenal – something that’s been limited for most of his career. Historically, Senzatela has used his four-seam fastball more than half the time. Now, he has six pitches and uses his four-seamer about one-third of the time instead.

“I was working in the (Push Performance) facility in Arizona,” he said. “We added two pitches, and we’re still working on it, but so far so good.”

Dollander hasn’t made a lot of changes, but he’s been getting good advice from Buschmann throughout the game.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “He and I have had some really good conversations, just whether it’s just about life or if it’s about, ‘Hey, this is what your routine needs to look like’ or if he has suggestions as to what I should do to get warmed up for the game, or if he thinks that I’m going to be in the game today or not. He’s really smart with that kind of stuff.”

And Dollander and Senzatela have turned to each other since they’re both in the same boat of being starters-turned-long-relievers.

“We’ve talked a little bit,” Dollander said. “We’ve both said it’s very different from starting, but at the same time, it’s a lot more fun. Well, not more fun – starting is really fun and being in the bullpen with all the guys is really fun, too. There’s definitely different aspects of it, but I think we’re both just trying to have fun with it, to be honest.”

“I just started (saying) we need to be ready for any time,” Senzatela said. “We’ve enjoyed time together out there and we’re just trying to be the best we can on the mound so we can have another opportunity.”

Schaeffer has noticed a change in Dollander so far in his new role, and he likes what he sees.

“I think any big spot that you’re going to see Chase in and you see results like that, and he continues to attack the zone, I think is maturation for sure,” Schaeffer said last Saturday. “The other part that I liked with him tonight is the consistent one line to the plate. I mean, that’s a different Chase to enter this year.”

And specifically, he doesn’t see these long relievers as ‘eating innings’ – he sees them as an important part of the entire pitching staff.

“I think it’s huge, specifically in April in Coors Field,” Schaeffer said. “It takes a load off of our bullpen to be able to do that and to have guys go out there and attack the strike zone. Hopefully we see a more rested bullpen in August and September because of this. But it’s not just eating innings with these guys. Those were high-leverage innings for Chase. That’s not eating, he’s out there to get a win.”

In addition, Dollander is learning important lessons in the bullpen that he can take back with him to the rotation.

“I think for me, it’s going to be just the mindset of staying on the attack and being aggressive,” he said, “because when you come out of the pen, it’s like, ‘all right, you have this many innings to work with and you need to get through those innings.’ So I have to come out with my best stuff and I’m going to be aggressive with it.”

But most importantly, “last year, obviously, is what it is and you can’t change it. But this year, I’m very, very much more confident in my abilities and myself just because of all the work that I’ve put in this offseason.”

There hasn’t been any indication of when Dollander will return to the rotation, but both he and Senzatela have made the most out of their opportunities and will hopefully continue to do well in their current roles.


On the Farm

Triple-A:Albuquerque Isotopes 19, El Paso Chihuahuas 12 (F/10)

While the Rockies had an anemic offense in San Diego, the Isotopes had the opposite. They racked up 19 runs on 17 hits against the Chihuahuas’ 12 runs on 13 hits. Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBI. Ryan Ritter went 1-for-6 with a home run, two runs scored, two RBI and two strikeouts. Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) went 2-for-6 with two runs scored, one RBI and one strikeout. Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) continued his torrid Triple-A affair, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, three RBI, one walk and one strikeout. He also hit a three-run homer, his fourth in 10 games. On the pitching side, Sean Sullivan (No. 8 PuRP) went six innings and allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and two home runs. Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) ended up with the win, though, after he pitched two innings with nothing but three strikeouts.

Double-A:Reading Fightin’ Phils 6, Hartford Yard Goats 3

The Yard Goats came up short against the Fightin’ Phils. Aidan Longwell, Conner Capel and Andy Perez all recorded two hits, and Capel also had an RBI (as did Skyler Messinger). The third run was scored on a throwing error in the first inning. On the pitching side, only Cade Denton pitched unscathed. Granted, he only pitched 0.1 innings, but the other three pitchers all gave up at least one run (Eiberson Castellano and Alberto Pacheco each gave up multiple).

High-A:Hillsboro Hops 5, Spokane Indians 2

The Indians also came up short against the Hops, going 1-for-9 with RISP and leaving 12 men on base. Jacob Humphreys and Alan Espinal each recorded two hits, while Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP), Kevin Fitzer and Kelvin Hidalgo each recorded one. The worst thing, though, is that the Indians struck out 17 times. The Indians used two pitchers — LHP Everett Catlett and RHP Hunter Mann — and neither escaped unscathed.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 11, Stockton Ports 1

The Fresno Grizzlies were outstanding last night. The pitching staff combined for just five hits and 13 strikeouts without walking a single batter and only allowing one run. Angel Jimenez gave up the run — a single in the third to Bobby Blandford — but Ethan Cole and Austin Emener shut things down. Emener in particular pitched two innings without allowing a single hit while striking out four. On the offensive side, Jack O’Dowd and Matt Klein each home runs. Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) hit a triple and Luis Mendez hit a double. Brito, Klein and O’Dowd also each had two RBIs. Offensively, they struck out seven times.


Rockies’ Kyle Freeland wears 10 years of pitching at Coors Field with pride | Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders profiles Kyle Freeland in his 10th season with the Rockies not only through his own eyes, but also through the eyes of some Rockies alumni — Aaron Cook and Jason Jennings.

Monfort brothers confronted a break-up before selling 40% stake to Broncos owners | Denver Gazette ($)

Dick and Charlie Monfort surprised a lot of folks when they sold 40% of the Rockies to the Penner Sports Group on Friday. Mark Kiszla details some of the behind-the-scenes things that led to this moment.


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Kansas City Royals news: Michael Wacha is dealing

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 11: Michael Wacha (52) of the Kansas City Royals delivers a pitch during an MLB game against the Chicago White Sox on April 11, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Michael Wacha was in control all night in a win on Saturday, writes Anne Rogers.

Since joining the Royals in 2024, Wacha has recorded a quality start in all seven outings against the White Sox. He’s pitched to a 1.31 ERA in that stretch, and has tossed seven scoreless frames in four of those seven starts.

“The efficiency was what was most impressive,” Quatraro said. “He was in control the whole game. Curve, changeup, putting the fastball where he wanted. That was a masterclass right there.”

Jaylon Thompson also writes about Wacha.

“I knew kind of going into it the stuff was moving good,” Wacha said. “I had some good command. Had a good game plan going into hit, me and Sal (catcher Salvador Perez). He was pressing the right buttons.”

He also writes about how Maikel Garcia is brimming with confidence these days.

“Maikel has been aggressive early in the count starting games …” Quatraro said. “If you are going to be ready to go and you get a good pitch to hit, let it rip.”

Garcia could be on his way to another All-Star nomination. And the big moments don’t faze him. He takes it all in stride — in large part due to his routine.

It works for him. Just as the Royals hoped it would. “I’m doing my routine and having confidence,” Garcia said. “I think that’s the key.”

He also talked to White Sox pitching coach Zach Bove about coming back to Kansas City, where he once coached.

Preston Farr takes a closer look at the offense.

The Royals are essentially in the same place as they were a year ago in runs scored, but there is some promise here in the underlying offensive metrics. The walk rate is the clear standout here. Only once (1973) have the Royals finished a season with a walk rate north of ten percent. 2002 was the last time the team even finished with a walk rate over 8%. Will it last all season? Only time will tell, but the Royals’ 15-game mark last season only finished 0.2% better than the team’s full-season mark (7.2%).

The barrel rate was highlighted as a concern early last season, but Kansas City has done well there thus far. The Royals rank fourth in that regard, behind only the Dodgers, Yankees, and Braves. 

Vahe Gregorian writes that the focus of the stadium search is on downtown, as it should be.

Plenty more pieces still need to be put in place to frame this one properly, of course.

Most of all, a clearer picture of the funding and just how the Royals would create more tangible benefits to the community.

Those would be essentials for both the city and Royals to prioritize and communicate, especially because a significant construction project there will mean years of inconvenience to nearby institutions before it comes to fruition. And just because the city and the Royals have sought to avoid a public vote doesn’t mean they don’t have a duty to be transparent and accountable. In fact, that seems all the more critical in this context if they want buy-in.

But at least the downtown-site part of the original premise is back in focus, and that’s where it should stay.

Thomas Friestad at the KC Business Journal writes that Mayor Quinton Lucas wants an aggressive timeline.

Mayor Quinton Lucas set a “very” aggressive goal to get a Kansas City Royals ballpark open at Washington Square Park by Opening Day 2030….

“There is time pressure,” he said. “This is the right way to get a deal done, looking at basically incentive tools, economic activity redirections, that sort of work to do it. And I think that’s why we’re saying now is the right time to make sure we can get this done. Fortunately, this gets us started on this before the World Cup kicks off.”

Charlie Keegan at KSHB has a bit more on potential transportation upgrades for a new ballpark.

Lexy French at Fox 4 has fan reactions to the idea.

Former Royals pitcher Hunter Harvey is back on the Injured List.

The Tigers sign former Royals outfielder Tyler Gentry.

Christian Yelich exits with a hamstring injury.

George Springer lands on the Injured List and the Blue Jays add Eloy Jimenez to the roster.

41-year-old Justin Turner signs with a team in the Mexican League.

What young stars are next to get a long-term contract extension.

Shohei Ohtani breaks Ichiro’s record for Japanese players with a 44-game on-base streak.

Zach Eflin looks to 2027 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai has arm fatigue.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. admits he didn’t understand baseball rules why trying to turn a double play.

Former MLB infielder and manager Phil Garner dies at the age of 76.

The Kansas Jayhawks baseball team wins their tenth in a row to take over first place in the Big 12.

The Indiana Fever re-sign Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Plum is returning to the Sparks in a flurry of WNBA moves.

Why do we always remember how to ride a bike?

How Kodak is trying to turn things around after teetering on bankruptcy.

The New York Times looks at whether memes have already nuked our culture. [$]

Your song of the day is Mr. Big with Wild World.

Braves vs. Guardians series recap: A powerful powder-blue beatdown

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 10: Michael Harris II #23 and Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate in the sixth inning during the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Well here we are, folks — our Atlanta Braves are 16 games deep into this season and they are in a pretty solid groove. They’ve dropped at least one game to every team that they’ve played this season but they’ve also taken two games off of every team that they’ve played so far. That was also the case for their opponents this past weekend in the form of the Cleveland Guardians. Something had to give, as these were the last two teams in baseball who had yet to drop a series.

Let me tell you, it would’ve been a crying shame if the Braves were the ones who ended up dropping this series. I’m not saying that based on any type of underlying data or anything like that but I’m saying that because the vibes have been impeccable at Truist Park and The Battery since the new City Connect uniforms were officially unveiled on Thursday morning. Friday was 80s Night, Dale Murphy got some shine, T.I. was in the building on Saturday and the team was on prime time network television on Sunday. There were a lot of eyes on this series and this was a chance for the Braves to really show off for their home crowd. It’s time to get into just how the Braves fared during what ended up being a very fun weekend series.


Friday, April 10

Braves 11, Guardians 5

Atlanta debuted their clean new City Connect uniforms in stylish fashion, as a huge sixth inning in in this game and two more run-scoring innings following that allowed the Braves to pull away in this contest. It took a while for the Atlanta lineup to figure Slade Cecconi but once they did, it led to some real fireworks before the post-game Friday Night Fireworks in Cobb County.

It all started with Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting an absolute bomb for his first dinger of the season. As it turned out, that was the first of three homers in this inning alone and the shortest one of them all. Matt Olson put Acuña’s shot to shame as he hit a two-run dinger that landed on top of the Chop House. Michael Harris II’s moonshot with two outs made sure that the Braves left the inning leading by five after they entered it trailing by one.

Ozzie Albies and Dominic Smith both delivered RBI singles in the eighth inning to extend the lead and then Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley (with help from an error) made sure that any hope that the Guardians had after a three-run eighth inning of their own was snuffed out immediately. The bats had a major impact in this game and it made for some fun viewing on a special night at the ballpark.

Saturday, April 11

Guardians 6, Braves 0

If Friday night was a peak for the Braves then Saturday night was certainly a valley in terms of performance. Credit is due to the now-DFA’d Martín Pérez, who recovered from a first-inning homer from José Ramírez to go five innings while only giving up one run in the process.

That was about it for highlights as far as this game is concerned. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a triple but outside of that, the Braves had nothing to deal with Guardians starter Parker Messick and the rest of the Guardians pitching staff on this particular night. A disastrous ninth inning which saw the Guardians add on three runs was the icing on a poison-laced cake for the Braves in this one.

Sunday, April 12

Braves 13, Guardians 1

This was more like it from the Braves, as Atlanta’s first appearance on Sunday Night Baseball in 2026 felt like a bit of a statement game from the guys in powder blue. The pitching matchup was a strong one as Chris Sale was tasked with keeping Cleveland quiet while the Braves had to figure out a way to take down Tanner Bibee.

As you can tell by the gaudy scoreline above, the Braves ended up taking Bibee and the rest of the Guardians’ pitching staff out behind the woodshed. This was Atlanta’s night nearly from the words “Play Ball,” as the Braves plated three runs in the second inning thanks to RBI doubles from Mauricio Dubón and Ronald Acuña Jr. and a Jorge Mateo RBI single sandwiched in there as well. Mateo drove in Dubón to make it 2-0 — just like we all predicted back in February, right?

The fun was nowhere near over after that second inning outburst. There were still a few more outbursts to come — Dominic Smith cracked a dinger to make it 5-0 in the fourth inning and then Atlanta pushed four more runs across the plate in the fifth inning with two runs on the board.

Bibee ended up with eight runs conceded off 11 hits and one walk allowed and things didn’t get much better for our old friend Kolby Allard, either. The Braves tagged him for five runs, with four of those coming in the eighth inning. Things really got out of hand at that point, as Atlanta loaded up the bases with nobody out to start the inning and took full advantage of it in order to bring them to their final tally of 13 runs on the night.

While the Braves were busy battering Bibee, Chris Sale went cruising as he eventually finished with six innings (including his 2,600th career strikeout) and just one run allowed. The Guardians put some traffic on the baepaths with eight hits against Sale but any time that they came close to getting something going, Sale would put the clamps down on Cleveland in order to keep the door shut. Cleveland went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and also left five runnings in scoring position throughout. The only breakthrough for the Guardians was a solo homer for Rhys Hoskins but all that did was make it a 9-1 game for the Braves at that point. outside of that, this was a dominant display from the Braves in front of a national audience on network television. Boom.


That’s about as comprehensive of a series win as you can get without it being a sweep. The Braves were clearly the better team across the course of three games and that’s even including the loss where the offense got completely blanked. Parker Messick’s brilliant start was essentially the exception rather than the rule for Cleveland in this series, as the Braves were otherwise locked in at the plate. Ronald Acuña Jr. racked up six hits across the three games with three of them being of the extra-base variety, no less. Austin Riley collected four hits in this series as well — those are two players who the Braves need to get rolling and if they both end up going on a tear in the near future, this could be the point in time that you could look at as being the genesis of it all.

The offense coming alive was huge since this wasn’t a completely pristine performance from the pitching staff. Chris Sale did a great job of limiting the damage that the Guardians threatened to do on Sunday night and Martín Pérez did well to cover five innings on Saturday evening. Outside of that, it was a bit of a shaky weekend for the pitching. Bryce Elder was lifted up by his lineup as he only made it through 4.2 innings on Friday night and the bullpen had a lot of work to do during the first two games of this series. It was mostly good work though and for what it’s worth, this staff as a whole has earned the benefit of the doubt to be less-than-perfect for a series after getting off to a fantastic start to begin the season. I’m not complaining too much since it’s not like the Braves had a disasterclass during this series on the mound but it’s also something to keep a close eye on going forward in terms of quality.

Outside of what feels like nitpicking, this was a fantastic series for the Braves. They’re now one of only three teams with 10 wins so far this season with the other two being the Dodgers (because, duh) and the Padres (who got off to flying start last season as well). Atlanta’s rough start to the 2025 season is a thing of the distant past as this Braves team. appears determined to make sure that whatever momentum they have lasts for as long as possible. They still have yet to drop a series but this upcoming week could be another tricky one. Atlanta will be hosting the Marlins up next and while they’ve slowed down and gone 3-7 over their last 10, this squad would love nothing more than to trip up the Braves early on. Once the Braves get done with Miami, they’ll be traveling to Philadelphia for the weekend and that’s always a tough trip in any given season.

The Braves will certainly have their work cut out for them when it comes to maintain this series winning streak but with the way this team has looked to start the season, would you wager against them keeping it going through this next week? We’ll have to see what happens but right now, this is a team that looks like it means business going forward. The uniforms look clean as well. Everything’s looking really spiffy right now, folks.

MLB News: Ichiro Suzuki statue, Mason Miller, Phil Garner, Jo Adell, White Sox Pope promo

It feels unbelievable to say, but we are already almost halfway through April, and what’s more, we are almost three weeks into this season. We’ve been seeing a lot of injuries, which is nothing new, and also still the case this week. We’re also seeing baseball teams having a very short leash with struggling players.

In our news bites today, we look at some big stories from over the weekend. First, the unveiling of an Ichiro Suzuki statue in Seattle went terribly wrong. Then Shohei Ohtani continues to build his legacy, of course. And in an “it can only happen in baseball” story, the White Sox announced they would be honoring their most famous fan with a Pope-themed promo night.

All that and more below, so let’s get right into it!

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Which series are Giants fans most interested in this week?

CINCINNATI, OH - MARCH 26: A general view inside the stadium during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeffrey Dean/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Good morning, baseball fans!

It’s a new week of San Francisco Giants baseball, so it’s time to take a look ahead at what’s on deck for this week.

First up, the Giants have an off-day today before heading to Cincinnati to begin a three-game series against the Reds. After that, they head to the nation’s capitol to start a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

Honestly, I have a hard time picking which of these series I have more interest in. Considering I tend to forget that the Reds exist every year until this exact moment in the season.

Meanwhile the Nationals evoke bittersweet feelings from me. I got to cover their majestic 2019 World Series run, which is one of my favorite writing memories that doesn’t include a local team. But then they haven’t been particularly good since then, placing last in their division in five of the last six seasons since.

But I can’t ask y’all to pick one without doing the same, so I’m going to go with the Reds, who are the much more competent baseball team.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants are off today, but they’ll be back at it in Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon.

NBA awards picks for every honor, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, and more

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 08: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles during the second half of an NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome on April 08, 2026 in Inglewood, California. 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 Ryan Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NBA’s 65-game rule is wreaking havoc on the awards landscape to end the 2025-26 season. Luka Doncic won’t be eligible for MVP, Cade Cunningham doesn’t qualify for the First-Team All-NBA honors he deserves, and Anthony Edwards didn’t play enough games for an All-NBA nod, either.

This year will be remembered for another close MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic — only this time, Victor Wembanyama made it a three man choice. Wembanyama’s ascension is the biggest story of the season, even if it isn’t surprising for a player getting compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a year before he was drafted. Wembanyama will be the favorite to win MVP next season, and he’ll almost certainly win the league’s top individual honor at least a few times in his career, but he’s not quite there yet.

With the regular season now over, here’s our picks for every NBA award this season.

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the world for the last five years, but this is the season Gilgeous-Alexander stole that title away from him. It’s excruciating not to give Jokic his fourth MVP after a season where he led the league in both rebounds and assists while scoring just about as well as ever, but it’s a testament to SGA’s level that he’s still ultimately most deserving of the honor. Don’t believe the narrative that Gilgeous-Alexander is simply a free throw merchant (Austin Reaves had a higher free throw rate this year) or that OKC’s success is only about its defense. Switch SGA with even another offensive star like Jalen Brunson, and there would be so many more holes to pick in the Thunder. He was already the best guard alive even before he unleashed a deadly step-back three-pointer this year, which he used to win several games at the buzzer. Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 45.3 points per 100 possession on 66.5 percent true shooting is simply absurd stuff for a 6’6 guy. He’s legitimately one of the best guards the league has seen post-Michael Jordan, and Steph Curry is really the only guard I feel comfortable saying had an objectively higher peak in the time since. SGA crushed Jokic in EPM (+9.3 to Jokic’s +8.0) and estimated wins (+19.1 to +17.1) this year. Some of the other advanced stats slightly favor Jokic or even Wembanyama, but Shai grades out as an elite player in all of them, and the Thunder would have been nowhere close to 64 wins without him, especially in a year where Jalen Williams barely played. Wemby is coming for the Best in the World title next season, but SGA has it for now, along with what should be his second MVP.

Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama

There’s no need to spend much time on this one. Apologies to Bill Russell, but Wembanyama is already maybe the best defensive player in league history at age-22. With an 8-foot wingspan, incredible speed, and a high motor, he’s going to win this award every year for the foreseeable future as long as he plays enough games. If Wembanyama weren’t eligible this season, I’d go with Chet Holmgren as a distant second choice.

Rookie of the Year: Kon Knueppel

I went longer on this year’s Rookie of the Year race last week, but Knueppel deserves the award over his college teammate Cooper Flagg because he was simply a better and more impactful player this season. Knueppel’s shooting and screening have been elite traits from day one. I’d say he’s been a top-50 player in the entire league as a rookie. Flagg would still go No. 1 in a redraft, but Knueppel has been the NBA’s best rookie this season, and I honestly don’t think it’s all that close.

Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson

I agree with Mat Issa’s analysis of the Sixth Man of the Year race: this is Keldon Johnson vs. Jaime Jaquez, and Johnson has a slight edge for being a little bit more impactful.

Coach of the Year: JB Bickerstaff

I considered Joe Mazzula, Jordan Ott, and Charles Lee for this honor, but ultimately Bickerstaff deserves the nod for getting this Pistons team from 14 wins to 44 wins to 60 wins. I felt like Detroit downgraded over the offseason by losing Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley among others, but Bickerstaff got the most out of the defense, developed two-way guard Daniss Jenkins into a key contributor, and found ways to prioritize Jalen Duren offensively as he made a huge leap. Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit for Detroit going 13-5 without Cade Cunningham this season, and he’s the brains behind the league’s No. 2 overall defense. The Pistons’ preseason over/under was only 46.5 wins. No one thought this would be the best team in the East this season, and Bickerstaff’s fingerprints are all over their success. The Monty Williams era seems so long ago at this point, and that might be Bickerstaff’s biggest accomplishment yet.

Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexnader led the league with 175 points in the clutch this season. Jamal Murray (166) and Nikola Jokic (155) were second and third in that category, but unlike Denver’s star duo, SGA didn’t really have anyone else to take the pressure off him in late-game situations. Chet Holmgren was the only other Thunder player to finish top-100 in clutch points this year by checking in at No. 49. The development of his step-back, like the game-winner against Denver above, is going to make him so much harder to guard in the playoffs.

Most Improved Player: Jalen Duren

There are plenty of worthy candidates for this award, but it still feels like it’s going to come down to Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs. Duren. I’m going with the Pistons center because I feel like the leap he made this season — going from a pretty good starter to a potential All-NBA nod — is more difficult than the one NAW made. I had Duren at No. 5 on my 2022 draft board, so I always believed he had this type of development in him coming out of Memphis. Duren was the NBA’s youngest player as a rookie, and he was the first guy to enter the league who was born after LeBron’s debut. It’s wild to think he’s still only 22 years old, and he’s younger than several projected first-round picks in the 2026 draft, including Bennett Stirtz, Thomas Haugh, and of course Yaxel Lendeborg. His ability to attack off the dribble just exploded this year, and he also became more efficient from short mid-range, while continuing to crush the glass at both ends. Detroit’s offense scored 122 points per 100 possessions with Duren on the floor this year for more than 1,800 minutes — which would have led the league. When he was off, the team only scored 114.7 points per 100. His free throw improvement from 66.9 percent last year to 74.7 percent this year is also part of the story. Duren’s defense can still get better, and he’s got plenty of time for that. He’s one of the best centers in the league right now, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming before this season started.

NBA All-Defensive Team picks

First team: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White, Rudy Gobert

Second team: Scottie Barnes, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, OG Anunoby, Cason Wallace

All-NBA Team picks

First team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell

Second team: Jaylen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Jamal Murray, Jalen Duren, LaMelo Ball

Third team: Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant, Derrick White, Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes

NL West report: Padres heat up

San Diego, CA - April 12: Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres and Bryce Johnson #29 run off the field after a 7-2 win against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 12, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

After a rough start to the season for the non-Dodgers teams in the National League West, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks had strong weeks to build on from April 6-12.

Arizona was break-even after a week and a half, but last week won a pair of road series against postseason hopefuls, winning two of three against both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. But the Padres turned things up a notch with six wins in seven games, including the last five in a row.

Game of the week

Thursday night at Petco Park saw the Padres and Colorado Rockies in lockstep with each other all night. The each scored one run in the third inning, then nothing else through nine innings. Then they each scored single runs in both the 10th and 11th, and left a combined eight runners on base in those four half-innings.

After the Rockies left two more on in a scoreless top of the 12th, Colorado opted to intentionally walk both Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to load the bases. Xander Bogaerts made them pay with a walk-off grand slam.

Division news & notes

NL West standings

Dodgers 11-4, – –
Padres 10-6, 1.5 GB
D-backs 9-7, 2.5 GB
Rockies 6-10, 5.5 GB
Giants 6-10, 5.5 GB

The week ahead

  • Dodgers: vs. Mets, at Rockies (4-game wraparound)
  • D-backs: at Orioles, vs. Blue Jays
  • Padres: vs. Mariners, at Angels
  • Rockies: at Astros, vs. Dodgers (4-game wraparound)
  • Giants: at Reds, at Nationals

Only one divisional matchup this week, with the Dodgers at Coors Field to play the Rockies for four games beginning Friday night.

Red Sox bats woke up behind Ranger Suárez over the weekend

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 8: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox, lright, and Wilyer Abreu #52 are congratulated by teammates and manager Alex Cora #13, left, after their win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on April 8, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If there’s anything that I learned over the past week of watching the Red Sox, it’s that baseball can—believe it or not—be fun! God, remember what it was like to actually enjoy this team’s play?

After many in Red Sox Nation (myself included) started to worry about the trajectory of the 2026 season, Boston has won two straight sets against NL Central clubs. A series win against a very good Brewers team got things going, and a two-outta-three swing in St. Louis immediately afterwards helped get the club back on track (relatively). Just like that, guess who’s two games back of the Yankees (some other teams as well, sure, but I think that narrative more) while posting a positive run differential?

The bats have woken up (more on that in a few paragraphs), the defense looks far better, and starters are actually pitching into the fifth inning—or, hell, even later! By the time we sit here next week, we could be back north of .500 after some existential questions regarding this project were being asked. Granted, we could also be right behind the eight ball again if we fail to take care of business against the Twinkies and the Motor City Kitties in the coming days.

Weird game, baseball.

Regardless, I’m just happy to see some quality play at long last. So let’s talk about some of that while we still can.

It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.

Have to wake up bats

No way to sugar coat it: the Red Sox’s offensive output in the first few weeks of the season was subpar. After dropping the first game to the Cardinals on Friday, Boston ranked 25th in the league in total team OPS; not a great sign for a team that plays half of its game at a hitter-friendly park and has played at other yards that allow for more offense such as Cincy and Houston.

However, an interesting tweet from Thomas Nestico (great follow) crossed my desk this weekend—one that certainly caught me by surprise. That post pointed out that the Red Sox’s hard hit rate has actually been pretty good so far this season, ranking within the top 10 across MLB prior to the start of play on Friday.

Again: those hard hit numbers don’t account for the crooked numbers our guys put up on Saturday and Sunday to secure their second consecutive series win. Entering play Sunday, the Sox’s hard hit percentage went up by just over a percentage point to 42.7% per Savant. What it looks like after Sunday’s victory…….I’m not sure, since I don’t believe that the site has been updated, but the trends are positive for us!

That information did give me some relief from what we’ve seen in terms of the run output thus far. Yeah, the offense has looked anemic at points, but the offensive profiles I had been optimistic about before the season still remain. Prior to Sunday’s finale, a total of nine Red Sox hitters had a hard hit rate that ranked within the 50th percentile league-wide or better. A good cohort of those same guys rank within the top half of MLB in other under-the-hood metrics; xwOBA, expected slugging, barrel rate, all that fun stuff.

One name notably not towards the top of those metrics: Roman Anthony, who’s been slow out of the gates when compared to the expectations many had for him at the season’s start. To reemphasize the point about profiles, though, that’s not someone I worry about. I still think he’s gonna come around in 2026 and be a great bat at the top of the order. I still think Willson Contreras projects to be a key part of this lineup (and you’ve really seen that come to fruition over the last few games). While he won’t keep up with the incredible pace he’s had to start the year, I think Wilyer Abreu’s breakout is here in earnest.

The skeleton of a solid (maybe not incredible, granted) offense is there, and the underlying metrics show it. During an entire season, those quality-of-contact traits should start to win out. This offense was never going to be as bad over the course of 162 games that we saw in the first 10. Perhaps this weekend was the shot in the arm this lineup needed to really get things cookin’. Or, maybe they’ll keep up with the backbreaking strikeouts and revert right back to their old ways. Who knows?

I’m willing to stick my neck out for the former, though. I’m not saying this is the ‘27 Yankees, and there are still fair questions to ask (Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin, let’s get some more consistent production with the lumber please) but I like enough of the pieces here in Boston and believe we’ll see a competitive lineup this season.

Suarez steps up

After a couple of false starts, let’s just go ahead and declare Saturday as the true start of the Ranger Suarez era! Best we just forget those first two appearances, right?

In all seriousness, nice job by the newest member of the rotation to bounce back following a pair of bad outings to start his tenure in Boston. Across six shutout innings in the Gateway City, Suarez struck out six Cards while surrendering just a trio of hits and a pair of walks. Things seemed like they were going to get hairy early on, but after a prolonged first inning he was able to lock in and efficiently work his way to a quality start.

It isn’t a secret as to how Ranger was able to produce a nice start in St. Louis, because it’s the thing that got him a nine-figure deal in the first place. He could make for a great real estate agent, because Suarez’s game comes down to three words: location, location, location.

According to FanGraphs, Suarez’s Location+ metric (“Location+ is a count- and pitch type-adjusted judge of a pitcher’s ability to put pitches in the right place”) was 111 in the prior two seasons; 100 is always average for these plus stats, in case you weren’t aware. That’s the second-best mark out of pitchers who threw at least 300 total innings across 2024 and 2025; only Paul Skenes (!!!!!) had him beat. It’s a huge reason as to why he posted ERAs below 3.50 in both of those campaigns: his location and his pitch mix is his bread and butter.

And yet, we really didn’t get to see that bread and butter until Saturday. I’m glad we eventually saw the blueprint for what works for Suarez, though! After having Location+ figures of 97 and 102 in his first two starts, that mark jumped up to 107 in Ranger’s third—and so far, best—outing.

He threw five offerings on at least seven occasions across his 84 pitches over the weekend, putting an added emphasis on the sinker (which he threw 46% of the time compared to the 31% usage of that pitch on the year) while notably logging three whiffs with his changeup. All of that success starts with the command, as Tommy Bennett points out below.

You can read more about Suarez by taking a look at the great Matthew Gross’ article that was posted onto OTM the other day, but Ranger’s charmed me with this most recent appearance. Once more, this is the profile of a pitcher that I’m not worried about long term. That’s the word of the day—profile—because I still trust in him to be a strong deputy to Garrett Crochet in the pitching staff considering his track record. Suarez isn’t the type of demon that can mow batters down like it’s nothing thanks to an incredible ability to miss bats, like Crochet, but he doesn’t have to.

Locate that junk and mix up the pitches. That’s how we win, Ranger.

For Whom The Bell Tolles

A quick word on southpaw prospect Payton Tolle to wrap things up, as all accounts show that he’s been cooking down in AAA and could be knocking on Boston’s door once again for a call up soon.

With the WooSox this weekend, Boston’s top prospect logged six punch outs across five innings and 75 pitches. He gave up three hits and issued only one free pass, while he initiated whiffs on 25% of his pitches. The piglet to Crochet’s pig, indeed.

What’s interesting about this stat, to me, is the amount of times he threw his cutter: 20 times, to be specific, so just over a quarter of the time. For reference, Tolle threw his cutter 42 total times (a rate of nearly 14%) in his 16.1 innings of MLB ball in 2025.

I think we all knew that the secondary offerings had to come before Tolle could be fully entrenched within Boston’s pitching staff. The four-seamer is incredible, yes, but he was throwing it about two-thirds of the time during his cup of coffee. Something with glove-side movement and a change of pace like that cutter, along with the breaking curve and the arm-side bite of a sinker, can keep batters honest. It’s simple analysis, but it seems to be coming to fruition.

I forget what date for a call up would guarantee the Red Sox another year of team control for Tolle, but I think it’s approaching in a matter of weeks. I’m sure we’ll be seeing him soon enough.

And if the pitching thing doesn’t work out, at least Tolle can fall back on his history teaching as a career option.

Song of the Week: “Going Shopping” by The Strokes

The boys are back, baby.

Same time and same place next week, friends! Go Sox.

Napoli’s title defence looks done – without McTominay it would have ended sooner | Nicky Bandini

Midfielder has again been Napoli’s star but ageing squad has taken club backwards and Conte’s future is uncertain

Was this the end of the Serie A title race? On a weekend when the last two teams pursuing them both slipped up, Inter delivered another statement victory, recovering from two goals down to win 4-3 away to a Como side who had been playing some of the best football in the division.

When the final whistle went, manager Christian Chivu celebrated like a man who knew exactly what it meant, hugging an assistant so hard he lifted them off the floor. Inter were nine points clear now in first place, with six games to go. But when the cameras arrived for post-game interviews, he played coy.

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