PHOENIX (AP) — Deni Avdija scored 41 points — including a go-ahead 3-point play with 16.1 seconds left — and the Portland Trail Blazers clawed back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 114-110 in the NBA’s play-in tournament on Tuesday night.
Jordan Goodwin drove for a layup to give the Suns a 110-109 lead with 32 seconds left, but Avdija, who also had 12 assists, responded with a physical take to the rim, making a layup while getting fouled and made the free throw for a 112-110 lead.
The Suns had a chance to go back ahead but Jalen Green’s 3-pointer was off the mark. Goodwin grabbed the offensive rebound but was stripped by Matisse Thybulle to seal the win for the Blazers.
Portland earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Suns will host the winner of the Clippers-Warriors game on Friday. Whoever wins will earn the No. 8 seed and face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. The loser’s season is over.
The final few minutes were white-knuckle basketball with the lead changing several times.
Jerami Grant — who returned after missing the final seven games of the regular season because of a calf injury — made a corner 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers a 107-106 lead with 1:54 left. Devin Booker responded with a pair of free throws for a 108-107 lead but Avdija made a finger roll at the rim for a 109-108 lead with 37.3 seconds left.
Green led the Suns with 35 points. Booker had 22.
The Blazers led 83-82 going into the fourth despite shooting just 1 of 11 on 3-pointers in the third quarter. Phoenix pushed to its first lead of the second half when Green made a jumper on the opening possession of the fourth.
It was the start of an 11-0 run that gave the Suns a 93-83 advantage. Royce O’Neale’s steal and 3-pointer put Phoenix ahead 98-87 lead with 7:13 remaining, but that’s when the Blazers started their comeback.
The Suns led 33-31 after one quarter, but the Trail Blazers pushed to a 55-41 advantage by midway through the second. Phoenix bounced back to cut the deficit to 65-62 at the break after Green completed a four-point play — hitting a 3 while being fouled — with one second remaining.
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 14: Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket during the game against the Phoenix Suns during the 2026 SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 14, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns lost to the Portland Trailblazers 114-110 Tuesday night in the 7/8 play-in game. The Suns were down as much as 14, but stormed back to take an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, but allowed Deni Avdija and company to close it late. Avdija led all scorers with 41. Jalen Green led the Suns with 35.
After spending nearly the entirety of the season in the seventh seed, the Suns will not be ending it there. A disappointing outcome considering how consistently they held the position and the gap that they held in the standings from the eighth seed. Portland will now face the two-seeded San Antonio Spurs
Awaiting the results of the Clippers/Warriors game tomorrow night, the Suns’ season comes down to Friday night, where with a win they’ll play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round as the eighth seed, and with a loss, their surprising season comes to an end.
Game Flow
First Half
Phoenix struck first, getting Scoot Henderson into early foul trouble and taking an 8-2 lead. The two teams traded baskets early on, as both teams played at a fast pace with the Mortgage Matchup Center roaring. Phoenix started the game 9/11 from the field with Jalen Green leading the attack with 10 points on 4/4 shooting. Considering his experience in big playoff and Olympic games, it was no surprise to see Jrue Holiday get off to a strong start for Portland, he had 11 points in the first eight minutes.
After one, the Suns led 33-31. Devin Booker and Green had 2/3rds of the team’s points.
Deni Avdija started to get it going and spearheaded the Blazer’s 12-2 run to start the second, giving them their first lead of the game and forcing Phoenix into a timeout. After the timeout, Devin Booker re-entered the game and his hot start continued, scoring a quick two baskets, but the Blazers matched his scoring and extended their lead to double digits. What wasn’t helping the Suns was their inability to hit threes; the team went nearly 21 minutes to make their first triple, while Portland already had 10 by the 5:22 mark.
Being down as much as 14, Phoenix stormed back by the end of half and trailed 65-62 thanks mainly to Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin. Jalen Green completed a huge four-point play with a second left in the half to give Phoenix the momentum heading into the break. Phoenix hit four triples in the final 3:11 of the first half after hitting none in the first 20:49.
The Blazers started the third on a 10-2 run, and Phoenix went cold as Portland built a lead. With Booker on the bench with four fouls, others needed to step up for the Suns if they wanted to get back in the game, and a few triples got the Suns within seven.
As the game went on, both teams played with more physicality. Bodies were flying all over the court, fouls got harder, and the game slowed down. Booker returning to the game helped increase that flow as the Suns cut into the lead, and for the first time since early in the quarter, Phoenix cut the lead to three with 38 seconds left. A 13-4 run had the team down 83-82 heading into the fourth.
Phoenix started the fourth flying, Green hit two quick baskets, and Brooks had a steal and score that forced a Portland timeout. The Suns stayed hot after the break, taking their first double-digit lead of the game and starting the final quarter on an 11-0 run. The only thing the Suns did wrong to start the fourth was that the Blazers got into the bonus less than four minutes into the frame.
Up as much as 11, Portland went on an 8-0 run and cut the game to a single-possession contest with 4:14 left. Thanks to a flagrant foul by Donovan Clingan and a Jalen Green three, the Suns added some cushion to their lead, just for Portland to crawl right back with Devin Booker picking up his fifth foul in the process.
The final minutes of the game were intense, to say the least. Both teams went back and forth with the lead, but the Blazers got the last word. Deni Avdija’s and-one gave Portland the lead in the final seconds and they didn’t relinquish it.
Up Next
The Suns will host the winner of the Clippers/Warriors game on Friday night. In a win-or-go-home game, Phoenix’s playoff lives will be on the line.
The Los Angeles Kings (35-26-20) come up short against the Vancouver Canucks (25-48-8) after giving everything they had on the road; the home team capitalizes in overtime to stun the Kings' hopes of capturing home-ice advantage in the postseason.
LA was fighting all night in this game from start to finish, trying to bury the Canucks, who had nothing to play for, but defensive lapses, struggles to win key faceoffs, and poor defensive zone coverage cost the Kings a 4-3 overtime loss.
The game began with Vancouver taking an early advantage in the first period. At the 10:39 mark, the Canucks converted on the left point, beating Darcy Kuemper to give the Canucks the 1-0 lead.
Vancouver got away with a moving screen up high, but the call would stand; Canucks up 1-0.
It was just the second time in the last five games that LA has given up a goal in the first period. In the midst of the King's five-game winning streak, defense has been its greatest strength, but they got off to a slow start.
The Kings looked too comfortable out there after officially clinching a playoff spot on Monday; they didn't look as motivated to get off to a good start, which allowed Vancouver to get on the board quickly.
At one point, the Kings went 15 minutes without even generating a shot on goal. And that shot on goal that ended LA's drought was a goal in transition with Alex Laferriere leading the 2-on-2 rush to find Quinton Byfield for the goal, tying the scoreboard 1-1.
LAK Goal - 23 for 55!
Byfield ties a career high with his 23rd of the season. Red hot down the stretch. Great dish by Laferriere to set it up. 1-1
Byfield continues his red-hot scoring down the stretch of the final games of the season, heading into the playoffs. The first period was a pretty even match, despite LA's slow start. The Kings did a good job tying the game after 20 minutes.
We entered the second period, where the offense would go red-hot for the Kings. After the Canucks converted on their power play goal to retake the lead 2-1 off a face-off win, it looked like the Kings were on upset alert.
But, in a span of nearly a minute and a half, Los Angeles scored two goals to take their first lead of the game, 3-2. Nearly 12 seconds after Vancouver scored, Adrian Kempe scored the goal to tie the game at two.
Kempe did a good job drawing Vancouver's defenders away from him after passing the puck to Anze Kopitar. Kempe got the puck back alone in the slot and beat Vancouver's goaltender to even up the game.
LAK Goal - What a response!
Kempe scores 12 seconds after the Vancouver PPG to tie the game at two. Decent response time. 2-2.
Over a minute later, Drew Doughty's point shot was kicked in by Alex Laferriere on the rebound shot, giving LA the 3-2 advantage. After the Canucks took a one-goal lead, they took a brief defensive break, which led to those two quick goals by the Kings.
LAK Goal - There's that line again!
Doughty's point shot is kicked out by Lankinen and Laferriere buries the rebound. 3-2 Kings.
Credit to Los Angeles for quickly amping it up after going down by one goal; they found a way to take a one-goal lead in a span of a minute.
LA's biggest problem, though, was its defense and faceoff wins. Vancouver was winning key faceoffs that led to goals, and the Kings' zone defense was terrible in the second period.
After a broken stick, LA lost track of the puck and the defender, allowing Vancouver to take advantage and score an easy shot in the slot, tying the score at 3-3. The Kings were not engaged at all in this game, especially defensively; there were too many lapses and errors that we haven't seen in a while, certainly not in the winning streak.
Both teams were careless, turning the puck over in the second period, and had several chances to score on fast-break transitions, but couldn't capitalize. Just like the first period, the second ended with the game tied 3-3.
LA had 15 shots in the second period after a measly four in the opening period, scoring two goals, but the defense and faceoffs struggled, giving up two goals and keeping Vancouver in the game.
We entered the third period, and both teams were sluggish offensively, combining for four shots in the first seven minutes of the final frame. It was one of the quieter periods that the Kings have played this season; nothing was going their way offensively.
Whichever team didn't make any mistakes and cleaned up their errors on offense was going to steal this game in the final minutes of regulation. The Canucks had nothing to lose here, while the Kings need this game.
It would stay that way, forcing the game into overtime. It was the first time LA had gone to extra periods in over a week.
In extra periods, Vancouver would call the game with under two minutes left, with nice puck movement to get an open look and score the game-winner, upsetting the Kings.
Key Takeaways
Big missed opportunity for the Kings in tonight's loss to the Canucks. Despite earning a point and tying Anaheim for the three seed, the Kings could have earned two points; instead, they remained with 90 points. If LA earned two points today, they would've been in a clear position to gain home-ice advantage in the first round after Anaheim lost on Tuesday.
Now, it looks like the Kings' first-round matchup will be against the Colorado Avalanche if Edmonton and Anaheim win their final game, leaving LA at the second wild-card spot.
Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere both had a very good night on offense tonight, each recording one goal, one assist, and two points.
Darcy Kuemper got his first start under the crease for the first time since April 4th. Kuemper was solid, finishing with 21 saves on 25 shots and making a couple of huge saves in the final period, but once again couldn't come up clutch when the game went to overtime.
The Kings will have everything to play for in their last game of the season on Thursday against the Calgary Flames at 6:00 PM PT.
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Apr 14, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (22) reacts after being called with a ball during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
Yesterday the Mariners made the most of their mopportunity against the Astros; the same unfortunately cannot be said for today’s series opener against the Padres. The Mariners put up some good at-bats but were again unable to come through with a big hit, dropping the first game of the Vedder Cup against the Padres by a score of 4-1.
Bryan Woo made it three straight Mariners starters in a row working through the seventh inning, giving up three runs across his seven innings of work but also needing to navigate around eight hits. It feels wildly unfair to Woo to call a quality start not his best work, but scratching below the surface of Woo’s outing, there were some uncharacteristic mistakes, largely concentrated in the third inning.
Woo lost his iron-fist command of the zone somewhat in the third, failing to throw a first-pitch strike to the first five of the seven hitters he faced in the inning – an overall issue in this game, as Woo only threw 15 of 29 first-pitch strikes. He fell behind Ramón Laureano 2-0 before sending a fastball into the middle-lower part of the zone that Laureano punished for a triple (thanks to some semi-adventurous fielding from Luke Raley); Laureano would come home on a single from Fernando Tatís on a 1-0 slider, tying up the game at 1-1 after the Mariners had scored an early run.
If Woo had been able to cap the damage there, this game might have had a different outcome, but things continued to be a struggle for Woo in the inning. He went to a full count with Jackson Merrill, who eventually singled on the seventh pitch of the at-bat and then stole second. Woo was still close to escaping trouble, getting Manny Machado to pop out for the second out of the inning and getting ahead of Xander Bogaerts 0-2, but he “threw two really bad sliders” – his words – to Bogaerts, again going to a full count before leaving a sweeper too much on the plate for a two-RBI hit.
To his credit, Woo made adjustments and was able to finish strong, but unfortunately those three runs would be all the Padres would need, although they did add another in the eighth against Casey Legumina. But the offense, maybe struggling with some form of shock after four days of facing the Astros’ limping pitching staff, could only manage one run against the Padres pitching staff, despite Michael King showing some inefficiency and allowing a handful of baserunners between hits and free passes. It looked like the Mariners might be able to break things open against King in the second inning, loading the bases with one out, but all they could manage was a sacrifice fly from Dominic Canzone as Cole Young was punched out looking at King’s wicked sinker to end the inning.
The Mariners were able to get King out of the game after the sixth, but lefty Adrian Morejon put down Cole Young and Brendan Donovan (and pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom) with ease, and in the eighth Jason Adam also hung a zero thanks to Josh Naylor hitting into a double play. The Padres were then able to activate their human cheat code in Mason Miller, who dispatched his trio of hitters on 15 pitches and we’ll consider it a win because he only struck out one of them (Luke Raley). A’s pitcher Mason Miller was terrifying; the Padres version is an utter nightmare. See you when you’re closing the All-Star Game for the National League in July, MM, and hopefully not before then.
For a loss, there were some positives to take away from this game. The Mariners did create traffic on the bases, showing some of the lessons they learned from the Astros series wouldn’t be left behind in Seattle. They only struck out six times (and once against Mason Miller, which does not count), and worked three walks – two of which were taken by Julio Rodríguez, which is very encouraging. If the early Julio turnaround is coming, it’s going to need to be driven by him forcing pitchers to get into the zone against him by proving he won’t expand. The problems that plagued this lineup in those early season losses are still there – once again, only Randy Arozarena showed any kind of consistency in the top half of the lineup, providing two of the Mariners’ four hits and putting up a good battle against MechaMiller – but feeling more muted than during their double digit strikeout-paloozas despite the Padres possessing a pitching staff on par with some of the early staffs they’ve faced like Cleveland or New York. It’s totally fair not to trust this offense yet, but there are cathedrals roadside chapels here for those with eyes to see.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 14: Carlos Narváez #75 of the Boston Red Sox is late with the tag on Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins who scored from second base on a single off the bat of Luke Keaschall in the first inning at Target Field on April 14, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the third time on this road trip, the Red Sox entered a game with a seemingly large pitching advantage and lost. They got shut down by Dustin May last Friday, watched Garrett Crochet get bombarded while matched up against Bailey Ober yesterday, and saw Sonny Gray get thoroughly outpitched by Mick Abel tonight.
On an evening where the Sox needed both length and effectiveness from their starter, they got neither. Gray lasted just four innings and allowed five earned runs. Oh, and as bad as he was, it easily could have been worse as he narrowly wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the third.
Meanwhile, the bats were going up against a guy with a 6.19 ERA in 52.1 career innings entering tonight. They scored zero runs and struck out ten times.
If this is what things look like when matchups are favorable on paper, what type of horror show are we in for when this butter knife offense starts running into the teeth of real rotations? Although I guess in some ways it can’t get any worse. You can’t score less than zero runs, and you can’t have less than zero wins, which is how many the Red Sox have against American League opponents 17 games into this season.
If you dive deeper into the details, it somehow only gets uglier. Willson Contreras left the game with lower back tightness, which unfortunately feels like the most natural injury ever when you’re talking about a guy who will be 34 next month, has never played more than 138 games in a season, and started all 17 games this year. I don’t have time to look it up, but I bet there’s a decent chance this is the first time he’s ever started 17 straight games in his career. It also feels like another byproduct of a completely unbalanced roster that includes way too many outfield / DH guys, and not enough quality infielders.
Speaking of subpar play by an infielder, did you see the strike Andruw Monasterio (who came into the game for Contreras) challenged tonight? This puppy wasn’t even close!
And it should be noted, this stands juxtaposed to Roman Anthony’s more disciplined decision to not challenge a ball in the third pitch of the game tonight. If you saw this live, you could see he really, really wanted to tap his head on this one (pitch 3 below), but ultimately decided to be a good teammate and not risk burning a challenge in the very first at bat of the night.
But you know what, as we continue to iron out the best way to handle these challenges, maybe they should let Roman use them early in the game if he’s confident. He seems to have a much better handle on the strike zone than most guys on this team. Perhaps the player challenging matters almost as much as the spot? (Within reason of course)
Oh, and we also have to mention that Jarren Duran flipped off a fan in this game, but that didn’t manage to get me nearly as angry as the hideous and downright shameful play of the team on the field, so this was a real masterclass of a fiasco tonight!
Three Studs
Jack Anderson: Even somebody as cynical as me is a sucker for a major league debut, and Jack Anderson had a good one tonight. He came into a horrible situation needing to clean up the mess made by both of the top two men in the Red Sox rotation over the last 36 hours, and he delivered big time. The rookie gobbled up three innings of grunt work and struck out the side in his first frame ever pitched on a major league mound. His family was also in attendance, so for them it’s a wonderful evening they’ll never forget. (At least something good came out of this dumpster fire.)
Roman Anthony: Anthony’s slowly starting to heat up at the plate. After getting on base four times yesterday, he went 2-4 tonight, including the only extra base hit of the game for the Sox. (In case you’re wondering, his arm didn’t get challenged in this game.)
Masataka Yoshida: He took advantage of his time back in he lineup at DH and recorded a pair of hits. My guess is he’ll get another chance tomorrow too as Duran will likely be in time out.
Three Duds (You gotta clear a high bar to get on this list)
Sonny Gray: Not even close to what the Sox needed from this guy after Crochet got bombed yesterday. Five runs over four innings including two gopher balls is a dreadful outing on any night, but it stings even worse given the current state of this team. They needed somebody to step up, and instead he dug the hole deeper.
Jarren Duran: 0-4 on the night. Batting Average down to .182 on the year.
Carlos Narvaez: Should we start getting concerned about this guy? 0-4 with four strikeouts tonight, and with that golden sombrero he’s now batting .195 with a .409 OPS on the season.
Highlight of the game:
It’s Jack Anderson’s first career strike out. He’s the only person in that clubhouse who should have a smile on their face tonight.
Looking Ahead: Tomorrow’s game is Early, both in time (a 1:40pm start) and in matchup. Connelly Early will take the mound tasked with trying to prevent a Twins sweep and to salvage a .500 road trip for the Sox.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched McLean jab for jab before Brooks Raley dented in the eighth, allowing an RBI single to Kyle Tucker that sent the Mets to their seventh straight loss, 2-1 to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Tucker, whom the Mets pursued last winter in free agency before he landed in Hollywood on a $240 million, four-year contract, delivered a bloop single to left for the go-ahead hit after Raley walked pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas to start the inning.
McLean pitched a gem, allowing one earned run on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.28.
“I try to treat every start the same, no matter who is standing in the box or where I’m at, I just want to win every time I go out there,” McLean said. “Growing up a baseball fan, getting to watch some of these guys on TV as I am growing up, it’s really cool to go compete against them.”
The game had only seven hits, four of which belonged to the Mets (who have one run total to show for their last three games). Francisco Lindor’s homer leading off the game gave the Mets their only run on a night Yamamoto dominated over 7 ²/₃ innings, striking out seven and walking one.
What is the Mets’ desperation level for a victory?
“The urgency level is really high,” Lindor said. “I don’t think anyone here is desperate, but we understand that we have to win. It’s a must win. I don’t want to sit here and say, ‘We’ll get them.’ Everybody in here has a sense of urgency and we are all trying to win. It’s just a matter of time. It’s still the middle of April and we have an opportunity to finish the month on the positive side.”
Nolan McLean throws a pitch during the first inning of the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 14, 2026 in Los Angeles. Getty Images
The Mets were overmatched by lefty Justin Wrobleski, who fired eight shutout innings a day earlier. They won’t receive a reprieve in Wednesday’s series finale with Shohei Ohtani scheduled to start for the Dodgers.
“They are good, but we’re good too,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We have got to get back to attacking, so you can’t give them too much credit. We have got to trust who we are. We have got good players here and we have just got to go out there and do it and execute.”
Lindor’s first homer and RBI this season gave the Mets a 1-0 lead only three pitches into the game, ending the team’s scoring drought at 20 innings. Lindor jumped on a 95-mph fastball and cleared the right-field fence for his 32nd career leadoff homer. Before the game, Mendoza indicated that moving the slumping Lindor from the leadoff spot wasn’t a consideration.
Freddie Freeman’s RBI ground out in the bottom of the first tied it 1-1.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws a pitch during the second inning of the Mets’ loss to the Dodgers. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
McLean walked Tucker to begin the rally and Will Smith’s sinking line drive double that just eluded Carson Benge’s grasp in left field put runners on second and third with one out before Freeman drove in his 14th run this season.
McLean kept the go-ahead run at third base by striking out Teoscar Hernández to end the inning.
Neither team had another base runner until McLean walked Hyeseong Kim with two outs in the fifth. McLean’s errant pickoff attempt on Kim moved him to second before Alex Freeland was retired to end the threat.
Kyle Tucker (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run during the first inning of the Mets’ loss to the Dodgers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
McLean showed no sign of fading as he worked the third time through the batting order. He quickly retired Ohtani and Tucker to begin the sixth before getting Smith to pop out on a full-count fastball.
Yamamoto didn’t allow his second hit until the seventh, when Bo Bichette stroked a two-out double. Francisco Alvarez, elevated to the fifth spot in the batting order, walked.
But Brett Baty was overmatched by Yamamoto’s 1-2 splitter, striking out to end the inning. It was Yamamoto’s 94th pitch, but he wasn’t finished.
Francisco Lindor celebrates as he scores after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of the Mets’ loss to the Dodgers. AP
McLean struck out Freeman and Hernández on six pitches to begin the bottom of the inning before Max Muncy’s single to left gave the Dodgers their second hit. McLean recovered to strike out Andy Pages swinging on a 1-2 changeup.
Yamamoto returned to the mound for the eighth and retired Mark Vientos on a weak comebacker before Marcus Semien hit a drive to the warning track in left that was caught.
Benge singled to left and Lindor’s ensuing single to right moved the go-ahead run to third base, ending Yamamoto’s night at 104 pitches. After Lindor stole second, Luis Robert Jr. was caught looking at Strike 3 on Blake Treinen’s full-count sweeper to end the inning.
After Tucker’s RBI single against Raley gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the eighth, the Mets were retired in order by lefty Alex Vesia, who subbed for hurting Edwin Díaz in the closer’s role.
The real story, though, was the dueling brilliance of starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean; a back-and-forth, step-for-step, exhilaratingly boring masterclass between the reigning World Series MVP and early-season Rookie of the Year favorite.
“I mean, there was just nothing happening,” manager Dave Roberts quipped. “We haven’t seen McLean up close, I don’t recall. But, man, he’s special. And our guy matched him.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a ptich. APNolan McLean matched Yamamoto in the ptiching duel. AP
Indeed, in a game that saw the two right-handers combine for 14 ⅔ innings, 15 strikeouts and only two runs allowed, Yamamoto and McLean gave each other no margin for error.
Both allowed runs in the first; Yamamoto on a leadoff home run to Francisco Lindor, McLean on a run-scoring Freddie Freeman grounder following a one-out walk from Tucker and a double from Will Smith.
After that, though, it was nothing but zeroes. Literally.
Over the next five innings, neither pitcher allowed another hit –– let alone another run.
“They were both awesome,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Yamamoto was pretty nasty. But Nolan was pretty nasty too. They went head-to-head, inning after inning, batter after batter, pitch after pitch.”
Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
McLean retired 14 batters in a row at one point, mixing a “wiffle ball” sweeper, as Roberts described it, with a relentless onslaught of fastballs, cutters and equally deceptive sinkers.
Yamamoto recorded 20-straight outs after Lindor’s leadoff homer, leaning heavily on his trademark splitter while also fastballs with his typically pristine command.
Not until the end of their outings did either pitcher ever face any real stress.
The Mets (7-11) put two aboard in the seventh, after Bo Bichette hit a two-out double and Francisco Alvarez drew a walk. However, Yamamoto stranded them, snapping off a wicked splitter that fanned Brett Baty for an inning-ending strikeout.
McLean faced his own danger in the bottom of the inning, after Max Muncy hit a two-out single, but also got through it by fanning Andy Pages.
Yamamoto runs off the field. Getty Images
That marked the end of McLean’s night, a seven-inning, one-run, eight-strikeout gem.
Yamamoto kept going, meanwhile, getting two outs in the eighth before back-to-back base hits finally chased him from the game.
“It was kind of vintage Yamamoto,” Roberts said, noting the Opening Day starter had looked slightly off in two solid-but-unspectacular starts leading up to Tuesday. “Just the command. The split. The breaking ball when he needed it … Yeah, this was special. And it’s kind of who he is right now.”
Yamamoto received a huge roar from a crowd of 48,138 as he exited with 104 pitches. Then, he watched from the dugout as reliever Blake Treinen preserved his 7-⅔ inning, one-run, seven-strikeout stat line, with Luis Robert Jr. going down a called third strike in an at-bat that featured ample ABS challenge drama (including a failed appeal by Robert on the last pitch).
Kyle Tucker celebrates with his teammates. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Dodgers (13-4) took the lead on Tucker’s go-ahead flare to shallow left field in the next half-inning, capitalizing on a small-ball rally set up by a leadoff walk from Miguel Rojas and a sacrifice bunt from Santiago Espinal.
Fittingly, that meant both Yamamoto and McLean finished the night with no-decisions.
After all, while one of the teams always had to lose the game, neither of them deserved to after such dominant performances.
What it means
The Dodgers might have the majors’ best offense to this point of the season.
But their rotation is proving to be an equally dangerous weapon.
The last two nights alone, Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski have combined for 15 ⅔ innings of one-run ball. And now, the team’s starters have a combined ERA of 3.26 –– one that would be even lower if not for the early struggles of Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.
Even more encouraging: The group has also combined for 96 ⅔ innnigs to this point, one shy of the Miami Marlins for most in the National League.
Who’s hot
Yamamoto had been plenty good in his first three starts this season, going six innings in each of them with a 2.50 ERA.
Tuesday, however, was the first time he tapped back into the dominant form he displayed during last year’s postseason, carving up the Mets lineup with a splitter-heavy game plan.
Lindor celebrates his homer. AP
Lindor’s leadoff homer came on a 2-0 fastball in the zone. After that, Yamamoto went on the attack. He used a career-high 42 splitters, and generated whiffs half the time the Mets swung at it (12 of 24). The rest of his six-pitch arsenal only threw them further off balance, leading to a start that further cementing his place as one of the sport’s premier arms.
Who’s not
On Tuesday? Edwin Diaz.
At least, not when it mattered.
After getting three days off amid an ongoing battle to regain his normal velocity, the team’s $69 million closer was tasked with throwing a pregame bullpen session on Tuesday afternoon.
Roberts described it as a final check-mark for Díaz, confirming the team’s belief that his velocity drop was not injury-related.
But, it meant that when a save situation arose in the ninth, the Dodgers had to look elsewhere for the final three outs.
Their answer was Alex Vesia, who pitched a 1-2-3 frame to record his second save this week.
Díaz, meanwhile, should be back online to pitch in Wednesday’s series finale, Roberts said, just so long as he rebounds well from Tuesday afternoon’s pregame activity.
Up next
The Dodgers wrap up this series, and homestand, on Wednesday against the Mets. Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his third pitching start of the year for the Dodgers. Right-hander Clay Holmes (2-1, 1.50 ERA) goes for the Mets.
Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The pitchers’ duel that was advertised delivered and then some, with both the Mets and Dodgers getting stellar starts, in a nail biter of a game that, unfortuantely, didn’t break the Mets’ way. A 2-1 loss is never easy to take, but especially not when your ace pitches the game of his young career in the process.
Francisco Lindor decided that enough was enough with the 20-inning scoreless streak, leading the game off with a no-doubter solo home run off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It was the type of veteran leadership move that gets pointed to at times as ‘turnaround’ points in a season.
If only any of the other Mets’ batters would step up.
Thankfully, Nolan McLean was up the task tonight in Los Angeles. McLean walked Kyle Tucker with one out in the first, and that would come back to bite him after Will Smith doubled down the left-field line. putting men on second and third with one out. A weak Freddie Freeman ground out scored Tucker and tied the game at one.
Despite the early run, McLean would settle in and dazzle. After retiring 14 Dodgers in a row, a fifth inning walk to Hyeseong Kim and an errant throw by McLean put a running in scoring position for the first time since the first. However, McLean buckled down and got a Alex Freeland ground out to end the threat. A Max Muncy single in the seventh didn’t go anywhere, either.
McLean’s final line was seven innings pitched, one earned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts, including three ring ups of Teoscar Hernández and two for Freeman. It was an impressive performance.
After Lindor, Yamamoto would retire the next 20 Mets in a row, until Bo Bichette ripped a double with two outs in the seventh. Francisco Alvarez then walked, and the Mets had their first real threat of the game. However, Yamamoto would strike out Brett Baty to end the seventh and keep the game knotted up at one.
In the top of the eighth, Carson Benge lined a two-out single to left, which was followed by a weak Lindor grounder between first and second, which advanced Benge to third. That would do it for Yamamoto, who would be pulled in favor of Blake Treinen. After allowing Lindor to steal second, Treinen struck out Luis Robert Jr. looking to end the Mets’ threat.
Brooks Raley relieved McLean in the bottom of the eighth, and he walked Miguel Rojas to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt by Santiago Espinal moved Rojas to second, and an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani put two one with one out. Tucker would loft a ball over third base, scoring Rojas and breaking the tie. Raley struck out Will Smith and induced a line out to right off the bat of Freeman to end the inning.
Alex Vesia, not old friend Edwin Díaz, would pitch the ninth for the Dodgers, and easily fanned Jorge Polanco on three pitches. Bichette would follow suit, leaving Alvarez as the Mets’ final hope. Alvarez would be punched on a check swing to end the game.
The Mets have now lost seven straight games and have shown only marginal offense over most of that run. Tomorrow night, the Mets play in the Jackie Robinson Day game on ESPN with Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Dodgers and Clay Holmes starting for the Mets.
Apr 14, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Justin Sterner (60) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Arden Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Area Athletics scored two runs.
The Rangers should have saved a few of those eight runs from last night for tonight’s contest. In a strange contest, Texas took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st with another RBI from Jake Burger in this series and then the strike zone became a mystery for Rangers pitchers.
Through a couple of innings, Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore seemed more or less like the guy we’d seen over the first few starts during his tenure with Texas until he allowed a two-out double to A’s No. 9 hitter Denzel Clarke in the bottom of the 3rd.
At that point, Gore just kind of fell apart for many minutes as he walked the next two batters and then allowed a two-out, two-run RBI single to Jacob Wilson. Frustratingly, Wilson had already impacted the game with a couple of nice plays at shortstop with runners on base for the Rangers.
After the Wilson hit gave the A’s a 2-1 lead, Gore got out of the inning without any further damage but then walked the next two hitters he faced in the bottom of the 4th. Gore wiggled out of that inning too to keep the score a one-run game thanks in part to the A’s deciding to give up an out with a sac bunt. However, after a hit and another walk in the 5th, Gore’s night was finished.
Overall, Gore walked six A’s batters but he also only allowed three hits and struck out five. It was a bad command night for the left-hander but it was also a close game throughout. With Gore struggling and with Springs settling in after the 1st inning run, the game had a mystifying vibe that the Rangers were getting soundly defeated even though it was a 2-1 score from the 3rd inning on.
Despite some early chances, and a few at-bats late with runners in scoring position, the bats just couldn’t break through against former Ranger Jeffrey Springs and then collected just one hit off the Athletics’ bullpen.
Player of the Game: Though the Rangers walked a total of eight batters tonight with six from Gore and two more from the bullpen, and though Robert Garcia was one of those relievers who issued a walk, the recently demoted from high-leverage lefty gave Texas 1.2 innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts after Gore got the early hook in the 5th.
Garcia’s stock has fallen a bit in the season’s first few weeks but, in a one-run game, he helped keep the Rangers in this one by bridging the game from Gore to the late innings.
Up Next: The Rangers and A’s are back at it tomorrow with RHP Kumar Rocker expected to make the start for Texas opposite RHP J.T. Ginn for formerly Oakland.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 8:40 pm CDT once again and will be telecast via the Rangers Sports Network.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 14: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma Sharon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean engaged in a wonderful pitching duel on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, pitchers with different styles but equally vast repertoires, and both exceedingly difficult to score against. Offenses were kept mostly at bay until the eighth inning, when both teams threatened but only the Dodgers were able to push across the game-winner, beating the Mets 2-1.
Pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas walked to open the eighth, and was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal. With first base opened, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked (extending his on-base streak to 48 games, by the way), setting up a struggling Kyle Tucker to dunk one just behind third base for the Dodgers’ first lead of the night.
Both starting pitchers gave up single runs in the first inning, and nothing else. Francisco Lindor hitting a leadoff home run off Yamamoto, and Will Smith doubling off McLean to set up two runner in scoring position, only one of whom scored, on a groundout.
Yamamoto struck out seven in his 7 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and a walk in a tidy 104 pitches. McLean struck out eight in his seven innings, giving up two hits and two walks on 95 pitches. By all accounts, an incredible duel.
Yamamoto not only kept the Mets in the ballpark after the Lindor home run, he mostly confined them to the infield. He induced 10 groundouts, five of which were to Freddie Freeman at first base, who dutifully fed a covering Yamamoto four times.
Yamamoto retired 20 batters in a row after the Lindor home run, until Bo Bichette snapped the string with a double over third base with two outs in the seventh inning. Yamamoto then issued his first walk of the night, to Francisco Alvarez on five pitches, in his first real jam of the night. But he struck out Baty to end the seventh, keeping the game knotted at one apiece.
With Thursday’s off day pending and a six-man rotation, Yamamoto’s next start will likely be next Tuesday, on six days rest, which made the decision to keep him — at 94 pitches — in for the eighth inning much easier to make. Yamamoto got the first two outs, but a pair of singles put runners at the corners and ended his night.
Blake Treinen rode the tightrope, allowing Lindor to steal second base to put two runners in scoring position, but then struck out Luis Robert Jr. on seven pitches to keep the game tied.
With closer Edwin Díaz still day-to-day, the Dodgers turned to Alex Vesia for the ninth inning with a one-run lead, and he struck out all three batters he faced on only 10 pitches.
After Monday’s win took two hours, 13 minutes for the shortest Dodgers game of the season, Tuesday night needed only two hours, three minutes to complete.
One more game remains on the homestand, with Shohei Ohtani starting on the mound Wednesday night (7:10 p.m., ESPN), and Clay Holmes pitching for the Mets.
ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 14: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) shots the puck past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) for a goal during an NHL game where the St. Louis Blues hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday April 14th, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pregame
It’s a very Game 82 lineup for the Penguins; there’s no Crosby, Malkin, Rust, Chinakhov, Rakell, Karlsson, Letang, Wotherspoon or Girard as all the top-6 forward/top-4 defenders set their sights on the playoffs. Recent signee Jake Livanavage makes his NHL debut and Rafael Harvey-Pinard makes his Penguin debut after toiling away all season in the AHL.
The Blues are on their front foot for most of the first half of the period, taking control of the puck for the majority of the time but the Penguins weather that storm.
Rutger McGroarty gets the scoring started almost out of no where when an offensive draw by Kevin Hayes pops over to him and McGroarty quickly fires the puck by Jordan Binnington. 1-0 Penguins.
St. Louis gets the first power play of the game, right as it’s ending Avery Hayes pressures Logan Mailloux at the blueline and wins the puck away. Hayes is off to the races and snipes Binnington’s glove side to extend the lead to 2-0 on what offiically goes into the books as an even strength goal but really got started as a shorthanded play.
St. Louis was about to breakout on up to a 3-on-1 rush but Oskar Sundqvist can’t get the puck past Kevin Hayes. Hayes stretches to just barely keep the play onside and quickly moves it down to Anthony Mantha with the Blues out of sorts. Mantha adds to his career-high in goals with number 33 by blowing a shot by Binnington’s blocker. 3-0.
The Blues get on the board courtesy of Ilya Solovyov and Ryan Graves crossing their wires. Graves goes behind the net to make himself available as an option but the puck rolls off Solovyov’s blade to the middle of the ice. That’s trouble, a quick pass finds Jimmy Snuggerud wide open and he fires one by Stuart Skinner to bring the score to 3-1.
Good start for the Pens and the unrelated Hayes boys. Kevin nabs two primary assists, Avery scores a goal to help Pittsburgh to an early 3-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Second period
Elmer Soderblom with a power move for the ages. Ben Kindel gives the big guy a good pass and then he drives to the net with authority wearing the 6’1”, 204 pound defender Tyler Tucker like a cape. While that was happening, Soderblom managed to pull the puck through Michael Kesselring and around Binnington and slam it into the net. Wow. 4-1 Pens lead.
Sundqvist gets on the board to bring the Blues back to within two goals. Livanavage gets turned around and didn’t protect the middle of the ice on Alexey Torpochenko’s shot, Jack St. Ivany was shading over to help cover and Sundqvist was unmarked for the followup. Nothing egregious but certainly a ‘welcome to the NHL’ moment.
The goalfest continues and the Blues get within one goal. The Pens get running around on their defensive coverages a little bit and a fortunate St. Louis bounce has the puck end up on Mailloux’s stick. He wheels to the left, steps into space and shoots it in. 4-3.
The game gets pretty heated considering the non-existent skates, the Pens get a power play after Harvey-Pinard got mauled in front of the net. No dice. Later another post-whistle scrum puts Mantha in the penalty box and this time the Blues score on it to tie the game. Snuggerud nets his second of the night from right in front. 4-4 game.
Well, once down 3-0 and then 4-1, the Blues weren’t packing it up early by any means at home. They claw back to tie the game back up heading into the third period.
Third period
Arturs Silovs takes over at the start of the third. He makes a couple of nice saves then gives up a goal within five minutes. The play breaks down and Livanavage can’t step up to block a shot from Dylan Holloway. 5-4 Blues in front for the first time.
The collapse for the Pens continues, Binnington starts a breakout that catches Solovyov and Graves waaaay too wide when Graves makes a false step forward to pressure a guy he wouldn’t have got to if he had three more seconds. Pavel Buchnevich is the receipent with a breakaway and his shot hits the mark to the top corner of Silovs’ blocker. 6-4.
Dan Muse uses his timeout to settle things down and shout at his team a little, but it looks like that horse has already left the barn and cleared the field at this point.
The Pens get a power play, Avery Hayes scores just after it ends after a great individual effort that sees him get a zone entry, shot, and follows up on the rebound to knock it in off Binnington. 6-5 game.
Pittsburgh pulls the goalie to try and tie it up, doesn’t work when Holloway ices the game on an empty net goal with 1:43 to go and set the score at 7-5.
Some thoughts
Overall a fine debut from the youngster Livanavage to jump from college to the big time. He got a two-year entry level contract starting in 2025-26, so the first year was going away regardless but it was good to see him get a game in the big league. The scouting report was pretty accurate: he’s a great skater that can do a lot with puck retrievals. He’s very small (officially listed at 5’10, which must have been the same measuring tape that said 5’8 Max Talbot was 5’10). He made a few plays that show a nice defensive mindset going to tie up sticks of opponents on the backside of the play with a few choppy moments that are bound to happen along the way. Naturally he showed needing the learning curve that he can’t always hold pucks and skate out of danger in the top league and let the passing change the point of attack quicker than his legs, nothing unexpected. It’ll be interesting to see just how much he’ll be in the mix for an NHL lineup spot next preseason. One would think Livanavage still probably has some time in Wilkes-Barre in his future but this probably won’t be his only NHL appearance given the skillset.
This might be the end of the line for Kevin Hayes, great to see his perseverance rewarded with a couple of assists against one of his former teams. He handled this season impeccably despite what had to be the frustrations of barely getting to play.
Liked to see McGroarty score and noticed he was with the first group of some regular penalty killers (Acciari, Shea and Clifton). McGroarty’s immediate path ahead looks like a lower line winger, adding some PK work to his portfolio could be big for his progression as he aims to find a full-time NHL niche. Much of the same applies for Avery Hayes, who made a bigger impact with the short-handed group tonight. The overall game was meaningless for the team but these kinds of individual opportunities won’t be forgotten moving forward with how coaches and management see what happens with players like this getting some chances they otherwise wouldn’t.
Not to be outdone, Soderblom left a reminder that he’s going to be in the picture and take up a lot of room somewhere on the bottom lines next season too. It’s almost sacrilege to describe a goal as Lemieux-esque but the thought came to mind if only for a big guy paying no mind to a defender all over him and making a nice move to score. Someone like Chinakhov really set the bar high on impressive debuts as a castoff trade but Soderblom’s 5G+5A in 20 games from a low minute role exceeded expectations in a major way.
Loopy after midnight thought: gotta wonder if anyone in NHL history has ever scored two goals in the same game that came within five seconds of a PK ending AND five seconds after a power play ends like Avery Hayes did today.
Felt sorry Stuart Skinner had to be in there for this game, Silovs too for that matter. Not much the goalies could do on a lot of it with the breakdowns in front of a substandard defensive team. The Pens surely wanted to get Skinner some action before the start of the playoffs, today’s game didn’t lend itself to being a nice launching point for a goalie to go into the postseason. Putting Silovs in for the third period does prime an interesting angle for just which goalie will be playing the next game, though his performance was no better (and arguably worse). Hopefully the goalies can turn the page and not put too much stock in a write off game.
Speaking of that, not sure if the Penguins were out of their post-deadline recalls but maybe they should have thought of bringing up Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov to play in this throwaway game. Obviously it makes sense of the benefit of getting the goalies in a rhythm and some playing time late, the trade off is putting them in an impossible situation where the bottom can drop out, which happened tonight. Both goalies already dealt with a three-week Olympic break, what’s a one week game break after that? Every other player of the team of significance got at least a game where they didn’t have to dress (apologies to Tommy Novak and Justin Brazeau), perhaps that strategy should have extended to the netminders too.
Gotta admit, it’s darkly humorous the Pens’ season ends blowing a three-goal lead. Not worth any consternation given that more than half the team was out, just made sense on some levels.
Getting season debuts from Livanavage and Harvey-Pinard put the total number of players to appear in a game for the Penguins at 40 this season, the most in the league this season. They had some injuries and certainly no hesitation about shuttling players in and out of the lineup all over the place. Now, ironically, they’ll hope for someone like Blake Lizotte to heal up soon and health for everyone else to get as much stability as they can for the rest of the way.
And now, we get to the good part. The Pens can take the rest of the week to gear up for their Saturday or Sunday home playoff game against the Flyers. Another regular season is in the books, thanks to all who have come along for the journey!
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nick Schmaltz scored twice as the Utah Mammoth beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Tuesday night and secured the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Schmaltz scored his first goal for the Mammoth 4:54 into the second period on the power-play, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Dylan Guenther. He added a power-play goal 7:16 into the third, assisted by Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller.
JJ Peterka, Alexander Kerfoot and Cooley also scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves in the win for the Mammoth.
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist and Isak Rosen also scored for the Jets. Gabriel Vilardi added two assists, and Eric Comrie had 31 saves for the Jets, who lost a third straight.
The Mammoth will face the winner of the Pacific Division in the first round of the playoffs, either the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers or Anaheim Ducks.
Up next
Mammoth: Host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday evening.
Jets: Host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday evening.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The matchup between Nolan McLean and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lived up to the hype, but the Mets could not push across enough runs in their 2-1 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday night.
Both McLean and Yamamoto allowed just one run each and struck out a combined 15 batters across 14.2 innings.
Including Tuesday night, they have scored 10 runs in their last seven games, and have now lost seven games in a row.
Here are the takeaways...
-Francisco Lindor had gone the first 17 games of the season with an RBI -- the longest of his career -- but got off the schneid in a hurry, taking a 95 mph fastball from Yamamoto deep to lead off the game with a home run. The blast went 402 feet and snapped the Mets' 20-inning scoreless streak.
But Yamamoto would settle in quickly, retiring the next 20 batters before Bo Bichette hit a two-out double in the seventh inning. Francisco Alvarez followed with a walk, setting up Brett Baty. The left-hander struck out swinging to leave two runners on and get Yamamoto through seven innings.
Yamamoto wound up starting the eighth, and after getting the first two outs -- Marcus Semien narrowly missing a solo shot (101.9 mph off the bat) that died at the warning track -- Carson Benge hit an opposite-field single. Lindor followed up with a single that put runners at the corners. The back-to-back singles knocked Yamamoto out of the game for Blake Treinen to face Luis Robert Jr. Lindor stole second on the first pitch and Robert worked the count full but was frozen on a strike-three pitch that ended the threat.
Yamamoto tossed 104 pitches (65 strikes), allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven.
-McLean matched Yamamoto and then some. The young right-hander was given a 1-0 lead, but would be a tough-luck pitcher in the first. He allowed a one-out walk to Kyle Tucker and Will Smith hit a blooper to left field that Benge dove for, but couldn't come up with it. The ball kicked away a bit, allowing Tucker to reach third and Smith to get to second. Freddie Freeman hit a dribbler down the first base line, which Mark Vientos picked up and stepped on first for the second out, but Tucker scored.
McLean would also settle in after that first inning. McLean would retire 13 straight batters before navigating through a tough Dodgers lineup.
McLean allowed just one run on two hits and two walks through seven innings (95 pitches/68 strikes) and struck out eight batters. He lowered his ERA to 2.08.
-Brooks Raley was the first reliever out of the pen and his command wasn't there to start. He walked the leadoff man and a bunt moved Miguel Rojas to second base for Shohei Ohtani. Raley intentionally walked Ohtani to pitch to Tucker. The left-hander dumped an RBI single to left field to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
-In the top of the ninth against Alex Vesia -- not Edwin Diaz, who has been dealing with velocity issues of late -- the Mets went down in order. Jorge Polanco, Bichette and Alvarez struck out to end the game. The Mets outhit the Dodgers 4-3, but could not get the hit that mattered.
Game MVP: Kyle Tucker
With the pitcher's duel, someone needed to push across the winning run and Tucker did just that.
Highlights
A leadoff home run for Francisco Lindor off Yoshinobu Yamamoto!
The Atlanta Braves began the day with a roster move that recalled southpaw Hayden Harris to Atlanta and simultaneously optioned right-hander Rolddy Muñoz to Triple-A Gwinnett. The move is a classic bullpen shuffle, and an underwhelming one at that.
The #Braves today recalled LHP Hayden Harris to Atlanta after optioning RHP Rolddy Muñoz to Triple-A Gwinnett following last night’s game. Additionally, C Sean Murphy tonight begins a rehabilitation assignment with High-A Rome.
Muñoz made his first appearance of the season on Monday night, and in two innings, he surrendered three runs on five hits. He walked one and recorded three strikeouts. Given this performance, it wasn’t overly shocking to see he was demoted Tuesday morning, which brings up none other than Hayden Harris.
Harris has yet to make his 2026 debut, and he’s gotten off to a rough start in Triple-A. He’s appeared in five games, where he gave up three runs. He’s recorded six walks and seven strikeouts. The Braves will be hoping he can settle in and provide some stability out of the bullpen.
In the latest minor league recap, we continue the game of who’s hot, who’s not.
MLB News:
The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. He exited Sunday’s start after three innings due to elbow stiffness.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal at 15:07 of the third period to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
The score was tied at 1 in the final five minutes of the game when Cale Makar sent a pass across to Brett Kulak, whose shot deflected in off Landeskog in front.
Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan Mackinnon, with his league-leading 53rd goal into an empty net, also scored for Colorado (54-16-11). Makar, a Calgary native, was back in the Avalanche’s lineup after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. He assisted on all three goals.
The Avs won their final eight road games of the season and were 14-1-0 in their last 15 games away from home. Colorado’s 29-7-5 road record this season is a franchise best. Their 119 points in 81 games ties the franchise record set in 2021-22.
Blake Coleman scored his 20th goal for Calgary (33-39-9). The Flames had their eight-game (7-0-1) home streak halted.
MacKenzie Blackwood made 30 saves for Colorado and improved to 23-10-2. Dustin Wolf made 36 saves for the Flames, slipping to 23-29-3.
After playing Monday in Edmonton, Colorado rested veterans Brock Nelson and Devon Toews. Nazem Kadri (finger) also did not play.
Calgary's Matt Coronato, who has a five-game point streak, did not play. Veteran Ryan Strome also was a healthy scratch.
