MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 19: Emilio Pagan #15 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Cincinnati Reds on April 19, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagan threw just one pitch in the Bottom of the 9th against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, and it’s a pitch he’ll surely hope to forget.
Immediately after letting it fly to Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner, he reached for his left hamstring – the same left hamstring that had dogged him earlier in the 2026 season. This time, though, it was clear the injury was much more significant than when he was dealing with pain there back in April.
The trainers came out, and it was quickly determined that the cart was going to be needed to come drive him off the field as he couldn’t put any weight on it at all. Righty Jose Franco was summoned to replace him in the 2-2 game in the second game of this series between these two long-time National League Central rivals.
All the best to Emilio, who it looks like the Reds will be without for some time.
May 5, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (19) gets doused with ice water from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) after beating the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
American League Central foes, pay close attention to the “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear” note in your rear view mirror. After a less-than-stellar April, the Kansas City Royals have won all five of their games in May and are now half a game out of first place. Kansas City’s efficient 5-3 victory against the Guardians marks the second consecutive win against Cleveland and ensures a series split an minimum.
The Royals got their first runs on the board extremely quickly. Maikel Garcia led off with a walk and a sassy little bat toss, and Bobby Witt Jr. followed that up with a line drive double. Though Vinnie Pasquantino hit a harmless infield popup, Salvador Perez knocked a line drive to right field to score Garcia and Witt. Royals lead, 2-0. Kansas City starting pitcher Stephen Kolek—throwing from the mound in place of Noah Cameron, who’s sidelined due to a back spasm—surely appreciated it.
After that, Carter Jensen struck out (as did Jac Caglianone). This would be a theme of the night.
Kansas City nearly scored again in the second inning, as an Isaac Collins single and Kyle Isbel walk put runners on first and second with one out and bring Garcia and Witt up to bat for the second time in two innings. Unfortunately, they couldn’t push a run across.
This loomed large two innings later. Kolek had largely trucked through the Guardians lineup, but Cleveland started to make some seriously hard contact in the fourth inning. Chase DeLauter led off with a single, after which Royals nemesis Kyle Manzardo singled. Rhys Hoskins then launched a line drive barely fair inside the left field foul pole for a three-run home run to put Cleveland ahead 3-2.
But that was really it for the Guardians offense against Kolek, who turned in a perfectly acceptable, even laudable, performance. Kolek pitched six full innings and didn’t walk anybody, striking out three and only giving up those three runs.
Cleveland wasn’t able to enjoy its meager lead very long. In the bottom of the same inning they scored three, the Royals roared back. Caglianone struck out (I told you, this was a theme), but then Collins notched his second hit of the night—a hustle double to the gap. Then, Cleveland starter Gavin Williams worked Michael Massey to a 1-2 count. Williams unleashed a pitch that was close but was called a ball, and the Guardians challenged. The ball stood, bringing the count even.
And the very next pitch, Massey turned into his alter ego MICHAEL MASHEY and crushed a no-doubter to right field for a two-run shot that put the Royals back on top, 4-3.
Once again, the Royals threatened in the fifth, but another Pasquantino popup and Salvy double play de-fanged the situation. And once again, a different Royals batter picked him up: Collins, whose solo home run in the sixth inning won someone $100 in the Sonic Slam Inning and gave the Royals some additional wiggle room. It was Collins’ third hit of the night.
Unfortunately, Collins wasn’t able to get a fourth at bat and chance for the cycle, because the rest of the game was relatively perfunctory. Lucas Erceg did walk a batter in the ninth, but it was with two outs and he managed to get a quick groundout. Lights Out Lucas did it again. Royals win, 5-3.
And that trend Jensen was on? He struck out four times, earning the ignominious (yet unofficial) ‘Golden Sombrero’ moniker. Fortunately him, tonight was Taco Tuesday Cinco de Mayo. Let’s just say that Jensen is a cultural ambassador and be pleased with it.
Quotes of the game
“Really good Major League pitcher.” – Matt Quatraro, on how he views Stephen Kolek
“That’ll be a great problem for us to have.” – Q again, on what will happen to the closer spot when Carlos Estevez returns
Look: there have been years in Royals history—multiple—many, even—where Kolek would have been the staff ace. But he’s the sixth pitcher. Quatraro was asked postgame what he thought of Kolek, who to date has delivered six solid starts for Kansas City dating back to last year. The Royals clearly like Kolek, and for good reason. I wonder if Cameron continues to scuffle if they will swap places eventually.
At the end of the presser, I asked Q the one burning question on my mind: what happens when Carlos Estevez is back? Will Erceg remain the closer? Quatraro thinks it’s a good problem to have, and didn’t give away the Royals’ thought process. On one hand, Erceg as a Wade Davis-type fireman might be the better usage of him. On the other, can the Royals really trust Estevez with the closer role when his underlying metrics are scary, to say the least?
Time will tell. We’ll figure it out later. For now, the Royals clubhouse bumps celebratory rap music as Kansas City continues to roll forward with momentum.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 05: Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after hitting a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nationals got on the board first in this game. After a walk to Daylen Lile, Curtis Mead doubled to make it 2nd and 3rd with just one out. CJ Abrams hit a grounder to Luke Keaschall who tried to get Lile out at the plate, but Lile was too quick, putting them up 1-0.
The Twins answered back in the 2nd, though, as Brooks Lee hit a 2-run double with 2 outs to put the Twins in front 2-1.
After a 26 pitch 1st inning, Bradley allowed a walk to Nasim Nuñez and a single to José Tena. He retired the next 3 batters, but with his pitch count at 47 through two innings, it was looking like Taj might not have his best stuff tonight. From the 3rd inning on, though, Taj Bradley settled in. He made quick work of the Nationals batters in the 3rd and 4th innings, throwing just 18 pitches total. In the 5th, he gave up a double to Lile then an RBI single to Curtis Mead, but came back with a clean 6th inning to cap off his night.
In the 4th, the Twins nearly batted around on Cade Cavalli. After a single and two walks, Brooks Lee hit a grounder to Cavalli that he couldn’t handle, allowing a run to score. Then, after a Royce Lewis sac fly RBI, Trevor Larnach plated two more with a double, putting the Twins up 6-1.
In the top of the 8th, Byron Buxton got his first hit this season with runners in scoring position, a 3-run homer to left to put the final nail in the coffin. That’s his 11th of the year, all of those in his last 19 games. That puts him in some good company.
Brooks Lee would hit another RBI double in the 9th, pushing the score up to 11-3, our final tonight.
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 05: Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández (37) strikes out in the top of the sixth inning during the MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros on May 5, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani pitched his deepest into a game in three seasons, but got very little offensive support in the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Daikin Park.
Ohtani was efficient on the mound with eight strikeouts and no walks. Not only did he record an out in the seventh inning for the first time with the Dodgers, he completed seven innings on only 89 pitches. It’s his longest pitching start since pitching a shutout on July 27, 2023 with the Angels.
Ohtani didn’t allow a home run in any of his first five starts this season. That streak ended on Tuesday with an expected source, as Christian Walker crushed a ball in the second inning, his 30th career home run in 95 games and 352 plate appearances against the Dodgers. Ohtani’s second home run allowed came shortly after, when Braden Shewmake hooked one just over the left field wall into the Crawford Boxes, akin to Alex Freeland’s home run for the Dodgers in Monday’s series opener.
Those were the only two runs against Ohtani, whose ERA skyrocketed up to 0.97. He leads the National League in ERA again, as he has after each of his six starts this season. And pitching seven innings means he’ll be on the leaderboard through Thursday, with Ohtani now at 37 innings, the Dodgers playing their 37th game on Wednesday before the off day.
Snapping their home run drought at six games with an eight-run effort on Monday was not the start of an offensive turnaround for the Dodgers, who have been held to two or fewer runs five times in their last seven games.
The Dodgers did not score in seven innings against former San Dimas High School pitcher Peter Lambert, who allowed 27 runs in 24 innings in seven previous career outings against them while with the Colorado Rockies. Lambert walked four and allowed three hits but none of those runners came home.
It took until the eighth inning, against the Astros bullpen, for the Dodgers to score their first run. Pinch-hitter Alex Call opened the frame with a double, and scored on a two-out single by Kyle Tucker. That tally snapped a string of 19 straight innings without a run by the Dodgers offense while Ohtani was in the game on the mound.
The Dodgers have scored eight total runs with Ohtani still in the game as a pitcher in his six starts, and 17 runs total in those starts, which goes a long way in explaining how the team has lost four of six games for their starting pitcher with the sub-1.00 ERA.
The original plan was for Ohtani to pull double duty on Tuesday, but during Monday’s game manager Dave Roberts made the change, opting to have Ohtani only pitch this game, as he works through another slump at the plate. Ohtani has pitched twice since his last hit, going 0-for-17 over his last five games hitting, though with six walks, a hit by pitch, and four strikeouts.
“I try not to get too far in the weeds on that, because it’s moot. He’s going to do both,” Roberts said, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s one of our best pitchers, he’s one of our best hitters.”
Ohtani continued to prove the former on Tuesday, and he’ll have a chance to turn things around at the plate on Wednesday, along with his lineup mates.
Tuesday particulars
Home runs: Christian Walker (9), Braden Shewmake (2)
One more game remains on the road trip, with Tyler Glasnow pitching on his third straight afternoon getaway day on Wednesday (11:10 a.m. PT; SportsNet LA, MLB Network). Lance McCullers Jr. starts for Houston.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jim Rutherford is stepping down as the Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations following next month’s NHL draft.
“I’m going to get away from the day-to-day operations,” he said Tuesday at an unrelated news conference. “I’m going to stay with the team as an adviser and alternate governor. But as far as the day-to-day operations, we’re going to put together a really good staff here going forward.”
The 77-year-old, three-time Stanley Cup winner said Tuesday that he’s been thinking about his future a lot recently.
“This is something I’ve thought about anyways for a couple of years,” Rutherford said. “But it’s time for me to do that. I feel bad that I have to do it at such a young age, but decided to do it anyways.”
The news comes after the Canucks finished the season last in the standings with a 25-49-8 record.
Rutherford said the search for a new GM has involved more than 15 candidates, and the list has now been narrowed down to five. A final decision is expected by next week, he said.
How Vancouver’s front office is structured following the new hire remains to be seen, Rutherford added.
“I’ll help with the transition and the new person, new people, new positions, things like that,” he said. “But I’ll still be part of the organization. When someone wants to bounce something off of me, I’ll be happy to do it.”
Rutherford and Allvin orchestrated an era that saw the Canucks go from playoff outsiders to Pacific Division winners and back again.
Rutherford was initially hired as Vancouver’s president of hockey operations and interim general manager on Dec. 9, 2021, four days after then-general manager Jim Benning was fired.
A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders’ category, he previously served as GM for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014 to 2021, and led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17.
He was also Carolina’s general manager for 20 years, and helped the Hurricanes win the Cup in 2006.
After finishing at the bottom of the standings, the Canucks had the best odds at claiming the top pick in next month’s draft, but the balls did not fall their way in Tuesday’s lottery.
Instead, the Toronto Maple Leafs will get the first overall selection. Vancouver will pick third.
“Despite the fact that the Canucks aren’t going to pick No. 1, that doesn’t mean we need to be all upset over this,” Rutherford said. “This is a real strong draft. We really don’t know how the draft is going to fall. … But whatever way it falls, we feel very strong that we’re going to get a really good player. Who that player is, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against Jacob Degrom #48 of the Texas Rangers during their game at Yankee Stadium on May 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees were down 3-0 in the top of the first inning. There were runners on second and third with two out and a 3-2 count on Jake Burger. Struggling rookie pitcher Elmer Rodríguez was on the verge of being pulled as he neared 40 pitches. Before the Yanks even had a chance to bat, they were in danger of being out of it.
But so far, they haven’t quite been out of any game. Rodríguez got through the frame and made it to 4.2 innings in his second MLB start, giving the offense enough time to make up for leaving him out to dry in his debut. Home runs by Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr., along with a pair of RBI doubles by Cody Bellinger, gave Jacob deGrom his worst outing of the season as the Yankees opened this three-game set in The Bronx with a 7-4 win — their 15th in the last 17 games since splitting that strange mid-April series against the Angels.
Rodríguez’s primary pain point from his debut last week in Texas was his very inconsistent command, and that reared its ugly head early with a pair of walks to Evan Carter and Corey Seager to start the game. A single by Josh Jung and a long sacrifice fly by Joc Pederson put the Rangers on the board early, and they’d tack on with Ezequiel Duran’s RBI single and a spiked slider that got away for a wild pitch to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
After getting shut out and giving Rodríguez no margin for error in his last start, the Yankees jumped all over deGrom. Aaron Judge snuck a one-out double into the right field corner and scored one pitch later on a scorched RBI double by Cody Bellinger that once again teased us all by hitting the very top of the right-field wall, getting a run back immediately.
Aside from a Carter double with one out, Rodríguez worked a clean second inning, which allowed his offense to get back to work. Paul Goldschmidt, making a rare start against a righty because of Ben Rice’s hand injury, ripped a leadoff single to set up Ryan McMahon. The much-maligned third baseman is slowly heating up as the season goes along, and he deposited his third home run of the year into the short porch in right field to tie the game at three.
The Rangers were able to get baserunners against Rodríguez, but he did a great job at preventing damage while filling up the strike zone. After two relatively quiet innings, he looked to be rolling through the fifth when a pair of soft-hit singles put two on with two out before Jake Burger drew a walk to end his outing.
With the bases loaded and two out, Brent Headrick entered to strike out the pinch-hitting Sam Haggerty, ending the inning.
This will probably be the last we’ll see of Rodríguez for a bit with Carlos Rodón due back for his next start, but Elmer showed real poise in this one despite a worse line than his debut. To rebound after that unmitigated disaster in the first to being a hair away from getting through five solid innings is admirable, and he left with a no-decision.
deGrom really started to settle in after the McMahon home run, only walking Bellinger in the third before retiring 10 consecutive batters to get through 5.2 innings. Then he served up a 1-0 fastball to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that was crushed into the right-field bleachers to make it 4-3, Yankees.
Tim Hill was next out of the bullpen to pitch the seventh, and for once, he wasn’t an automatic ground-ball machine. A long single by Jung and blooper by Yankees legend Kyle Higashioka suddenly put two on with one out, prompting Aaron Boone to come out of the dugout and make the move for Fernando Cruz, whose splitter looked filthy as ever as he retired the next two batters to get out of trouble.
Some insurance would be appreciated, and Skip Schumaker’s decision-making after the seventh-inning stretch opened the door for it. Another good piece of hitting by McMahon and a bunt single by Caballero put two on with one out against a laboring deGrom, who was finally pulled for Jalen Beeks.
After he got Grisham to fly out, Schumaker took advantage of an open base to intentionally walk Judge, but was quickly punished for his misdeeds by the baseball gods, as Bellinger ripped a two-run double over the head of Burger to make it 6-3 after seven. That’s six runs charged to deGrom in 6.1 innings. Not too shabby.
Cruz stayed on to start the eighth and plunked Danny Jansen with one out. After looking great through three batters, he suddenly stopped throwing the splitter and fell behind the next two hitters, allowing a single before walking Carter to bring up Seager with the bases loaded. Boone called on David Bednar to escape a perilous jam, which he did by striking out Seager and inducing a quick pop-up out of the red-hot Jung.
The Yankees scored more insurance against MLB’s No. 1 bullpen, as Goldschmidt got an at-bat against the lefty Tyler Alexander and didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, smacking an 0-1 changeup into the right-field seats for his second home run of the season to make it 7-3.
Bednar came back out to finish off a five-out save, and he did his job, aside from a mostly-meaningless triple by Duran that wound up leading to a run. He’s now tied for the AL lead with 10 saves on the year. The Yankees’ 25-11 record is tied with the Braves for the best in baseball, though Atlanta is playing out in Seattle at the moment.
The Yankees will look to push this winning streak to six games and lock up another series victory tomorrow at 7:05 pm on Amazon Prime Video. To do so, Will Warren and company will have to beat the only pitcher to hand the Yanks a loss within the last week: old frenemy Nathan Eovaldi.
On a night when they were short in the bullpen and facing one of the game’s tougher pitchers, the Yankees fell behind by three runs in the top of the first inning.
Ho hum.
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That proved to be little more than a bump in the road as a humming Yankees lineup came back to crack Jacob deGrom for six runs on the way to their fifth straight win, 7-4 over the Rangers on Tuesday in The Bronx.
Ryan McMahon tied the game 3-3 in the second inning with a two-run shot before Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees (25-11) the lead for good with a solo blast in the sixth, sending them to their 15th win in the last 17 games.
“Every time someone goes up to the plate, we expect them to get a hit,” said Chisholm, who has hit all four of his home runs this season in his last 12 games. “Every time a pitcher gets called into a game, we expect them to get out of every jam. The positivity in the clubhouse right now is just super crazy.
“Everybody’s on a real high horse right now and we just want to ride it out as long as we can.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. flips his bat after he hits a solo homer in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 7-4 win over the Rangers on May 5, 2026 at the Stadium. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Just about everything has been clicking lately for Aaron Boone’s club, from the rotation and bullpen to the offense and defense. On Tuesday, the highlight may have been the bullpen picking each other up throughout the night to keep the Rangers (16-19) in check, with Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and David Bednar (five-out save) combining to inherit eight runners and strand all of them — only the second time the Yankees have accomplished that feat in the expansion era.
“I think they’re just better than everyone thinks,” Boone said of his bullpen that is gaining confidence and becoming a tight-knit group with each passing game.
Ryan McMahon hits a two-run homer during the Yankees’ win over the Rangers on May 5, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
That standout effort came on a night when rookie Elmer Rodríguez, making his second career start and his last (for now) with Carlos Rodón set to return from the IL the next turn through, put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole in the first inning while throwing 37 pitches.
The right-hander battled more command issues with four walks, the same number he had in his debut, but again settled in to give his team a fighting chance before being optioned back to Triple-A after the game.
“Unbelievable game,” Boone said. “In the first there, we’re short in the pen and you’re just thinking of ways you hopefully can finish the game. Credit to Elmer for picking himself up and giving us 4 ²/₃ after a rough start. And then so many good at-bats to pull us back and take the lead. Then the pen did a great job of just handing it off to one another. That’s a really good one right there.”
Fernando Cruz reacts as he walks back to the dugout after ending the seventh inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rangers. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Cody Bellinger created some breathing room late with a two-run double in the seventh — his second double of the night, this one coming left-on-left after the Rangers had intentionally walked Aaron Judge to load the bases with two outs — and Paul Goldschmidt, starting for the injured Ben Rice, added a solo shot in the eighth.
“It’s a really special group and up and down the lineup, there’s no breaks,” Bednar said.
McMahon and Chisholm had been two of the coldest Yankees hitters through the first few weeks of the season, but both have begun to heat up to give the lineup even more depth.
Rookie starter Elmer Rodríguez throws a pitch in the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rangers. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
McMahon, who went 2-for-4, tied the game in the second inning after an eight-pitch battle with deGrom ended in his third home run of the season. He is now batting .304 (14-for-46) with an .877 OPS over his last 17 games after hitting .119 (5-for-42) with a .379 OPS through his first 17 games.
Chisholm, who put the Yankees ahead 4-3 with a 413-foot shot in the sixth — flush with a bat flip that went nearly as far — has taken off after starting the season without a homer in his first 23 games, batting .173 with a .498 OPS through April 22.
In 12 games since then, he has hit 13-for-45 (.289) with a .908 OPS and four home runs.
“It’s something we talked about in spring — it can’t just be one or two guys,” Goldschmidt said. “It can’t just be one way we beat teams. We got to be able to do it in all different ways, and we’ve done a good job so far. But there’s a long way to go, too.”
Leo Carlsson has been a huge shooting threat in the playoffs, leading a talented Anaheim lineup in shots on goal and scoring chances.
My Ducks vs. Golden Knights predictionsexpect his shooting prowess to be on full display again in Game 2.
Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for May 6.
Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 2 prediction
Ducks vs Golden Knights best bet: Leo Carlsson Over 2.5 shots (-155)
Leo Carlsson has taken his shooting to a whole different level in the playoffs. The star center has averaged 4.6 shots on goal and 6.4 attempts through seven games, clearing 2.5 shots in six of them.
The Vegas Golden Knights had a difficult time slowing him down in Game 1, allowing seven attempts, five chances, and four shots on goal.
They were clearly out-played during Carlsson’s 5-on-5 minutes, losing the shot attempt battle 19-7 and getting out-chanced by eight.
Look for Carlsson and the Anaheim Ducks' top line to cause Vegas problems in Game 2.
Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 2 same-game parlay
Carlsson is averaging more than a point per game in the playoffs and ranks second to Nathan MacKinnon in scoring chance contributions. It’s tough to keep him off the scoresheet once, let alone multiple times in a row.
Troy Terry is Carlsson’s partner in crime and facilitates a lot of chances for him at 5-on-5 and on the power play. Terry also had five points over three games against Vegas during the regular season, with four coming by way of assist.
Ducks vs Golden Knights SGP
Leo Carlsson Over 2.5 shots
Leo Carlsson Over 0.5 points
Troy Terry Over 0.5 assists
Ducks vs Golden Knights odds for Game 2
Moneyline: Ducks +135 | Golden Knights -155
Puck Line: Ducks +1.5 (-180) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+155)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+115) | Under 6.5 (-135)
Ducks vs Golden Knights trend
The Anaheim Ducks have hit the game total Over in 11 of their last 20 games (+4.00 Units / 16% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Ducks vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Ducks vs Golden Knights Game 2
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Date
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Puck drop
9:30 p.m. ET
TV
TNT, SN
Ducks vs Golden Knights latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) in the first half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Well, I missed the first few minutes of this game because we had to take our puppy to the pet urgent care after she found some chocolate on the floor of the pantry – just to turn right back around as soon as we got there to find out she didn’t eat enough chocolate for it to be toxic. Fun times!
Now, back to basketball.
Cleveland big man Jarrett Allen picked up three quick fouls early and Detroit was able to take advantage. After Cleveland started the game 5-0, Detroit responded with a 30-9 run to take a 30-14 lead late in the first quarter. Javonte Green drilled a buzzer-beating three to give Detroit a 37-21 lead after one.
Donovan Mitchell looked good early as he was the focal point of the Cavs offense. They opened the quarter on a 7-2 run, but James Harden was struggling against Detroit’s defense as the Pistons held a 49-35 lead with five minutes left in the half. Ausar Thompson chased down Keon Ellis in transition with one of the nastiest chase-down blocks I’ve ever seen:
Detroit was up 59-46 at halftime after leading by 18 late in the first quarter. Cleveland turned the ball over 11 times in the half as Detroit’s defense was giving the Cavs issues, particularly for Harden as he was guarded mostly by Cade. Cunningham led the way for the Pistons with 14 points while Tobias added 10 – the two combined to shoot 11-for-13 from the free throw line. Donovan Mitchell had 14, but no other Cavs player was in double-digits.
The Pistons opened the second half with back-to-back threes from Duncan Robinson, but Cleveland was battling back despite more Harden turnovers turning into Detroit points. After being up 16 early in the third, Cleveland cut the Detroit lead to four after a 23-10 run. The momentum looked to be shifting in the Cavs direction until a Ron Holland three at the buzzer ended the third with Detroit up 83-76.
In what should be an incredibly fun series, things got chippy after Dennis Schröder got a technical foul for standing over Robinson. Detroit responded with some incredible play from Jalen Duren. He had a great block at the rim on Thomas Bryant, then snagged an offensive rebound off a missed free throw to find Duncan for an open three. After Robinson followed that up with an and-one layup, both of them let James Harden hear about it – this picture captures it in all its glory:
Cleveland responded with an 11-0 run behind some Harden floaters and flopping free throws to tie the game at 93, but that’s when Cade and Duren took over. Cunningham found JD on three consecutive possessions for dunks, including two pretty drop off passes after Cade collapsed the Cleveland defense. It was too much for Cleveland to come back from and Detroit would go on to win Game 1 111-101.
Cunningham led the way for Detroit with 23 points despite not shooting it well, but five other Pistons were in double-digits to help him out. Tobias “Unc” Harris had another 20-point game along with eight rebounds and continues to wear the #2 scorer’s hat for the Pistons this postseason. Duncan Robinson had 19 points and added five threes while Daniss Jenkins provided some quality backup PG minutes off the bench with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren both had 11 points, but Detroit does not win this game without their effort, rebounding, and defense. Duren added 12 rebounds and four assists while Thompson had eight rebounds and five assists. If you only check the box score, it’s going to severely underscore the impact that Duren had on this game. He had some fantastic contests at the rim and had multiple sequences that helped Detroit maintain the lead – the few that come to mind are the block on Thomas Bryant, the offensive rebound and pass to Duncan for three, and his three consecutive dunks late in the fourth. This was JD’s best game of the postseason.
It was way more of a team performance for Detroit in their first game of Round 2. They were able to force 19 Cleveland turnovers to turn that into 31 points, and I believe them turning their defense into offense was what carried them to beating the Cavs tonight. We’ll see if they can repeat this performance in Game 2 Thursday night on Amazon Prime.
DETROIT — Cade Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris had 20 and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Duncan Robinson added 19 points for the top-seeded Pistons, who ended an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent, a drought that dated to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.
Game 2 is Thursday night in Detroit.
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, ending his NBA-record streak of scoring 30-plus points in nine straight series openers.
James Harden had 22 points and Max Stus scored 19 for the No. 4-seeded Cavs, who pulled into a tie midway through the fourth quarter after trailing for most of the night and by as much as 18 points.
Cleveland center Jarrett Allen was limited to two points and three rebounds, coming off a 22-point, 19-rebound performance in an elimination game against Toronto.
May 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
After two innings in Tuesday’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics, it looked like it might be another frustrating night for the Phillies’ offense. One night after squeaking out a 1-0 win over the Marlins, the Phillies seemed determined to leave as many runners on base as possible.
They loaded the bases against A’s starter Luis Severino in the first inning but couldn’t get any runs home. In the second, the first two batters reached base, but once again, Severino escaped unscathed.
In the bottom of the third, Bryce Harper realized that the best way to avoid being stranded on base was to drive himself home. For the second straight night, a Harper solo shot got the Phils out to a 1-0 lead.
After they stranded another three runners over the next two innings, it looked like they might have to win a second straight 1-0 game. However, the way that Cristopher Sanchez was pitching, he seemed capable of pulling that off. After retiring the first eight batters he faced, Sanchez allowed a couple of baserunners but worked around them.
Sanchez didn’t allow another hit until the seventh inning when Colby Thomas led off with a single. When Zack Gelof followed with another single, it appeared that Sanchez’s night might soon come to an end. Instead, he retired the next three batters, showing some real emotion when he fanned Darrell Hernaiz to end the inning.
At that point, the Phillies’ offense finally decided to give him some breathing room. Trea Turner led off the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a Bryce Harper walk, Adolis Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. A Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto double extended the lead to 4-0, and Bryson Stott topped off the inning with a solo home run to make it 5-0.
Despite sitting on the bench during the Phillies’ lengthy at bat, Sanchez came back out for the eighth inning. And he finished his night off with a flair, retiring the A’s in order. It was an exemplary showing for the Phillies’ ace lefthander.
In the ninth, Jhoan Duran made his return from the IL, and was a bit rusty, losing the shutout thanks in part to three walks. But a nine-run lead is a good time to work out rust, and he was eventually able to finish things off.
This whole stellar pitching from the starter and home runs from the franchise hitter thing seems like a good formula for victory. Hopefully the Phillies can continue to apply it going forward. They’ll get their first opportunity in game two of the series on Wednesday night.
May 5, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda (8) reacts after hitting a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Rays have taken small ball to new extremes, winning today on 1 double (a bloop that fell into no man’s land) and 10 singles. When your small ball is this small it maybe needs a new name: tiny ball? wee ball? But the key point is that 10 singles and a double added up to a come from behind W.
The only big blast today came in the first inning, when the Blue Jays Okamoto put his team up with a solo home run. The Blue Jays scored their second run in the second inning, with a series of singles, one a bunt RBI. The Jays tried yet another bunt to score run number three, but the Rays were able to cut the runner down at the plate and then get out of the inning.
Gausman kept the Rays guessing with his splitter, but they too were able, eventually, to piece together singles to tie the game. In the third inning, Simpson got a 2 out infield hit, Junior walked, and Aranda singled. With Simpson as the runner on second moving with the pitch, that was an easy RBI.
The Rays second run came in the fourth inning, and again without benefit of an extra base hit. The bases were loaded on two singles and a Mullins bunt that was misplayed by Gausman to load the bases. Feduccia grounded into a double play, which is hardly ideal but it did score a run. At the end of 4 the score was tied, 3-3.
The Blue Jays regained the lead in the fifth inning. A single and a walk put runners on first and second with no outs. Springer flied to center, and both runners tagged. Mullins threw into second and, honestly to my surprise, was able to nail the trailing runner for a double play that looked like it could get the team out of the inning unscathed.
But a seeing-eye single scored the runner from third to give the Blue Jays their third run.
The Rays, however, were able to string together — stop me if you’ve heard this one — a bunch of singles (OK, Aranda’s bloop was a double) first to tie the game and then to go ahead for good. By then the Blue Jays had removed Kevin Gausman and the Rays were facing side arm pitcher Tyler Rogers. Aranda doubled with one out, and Taylor Walls came in to pinch run. He then scored easily on Yandy Diaz’s single. Fraley followed with a single, and Ben Williamson then singled Diaz home for the go ahead run.
Cole Sulser polished off the Blue Jays in the ninth to earn the save.
This was a funny game to watch. It was low scoring but didn’t feel like a pitcher’s duel; neither pitcher seemed to have his best stuff. I can’t even count how many hits — for both teams — were ground balls that managed to sneak over second base for a single. It seems like the laws of probability would suggest that this exact hit can’t happen nearly a dozen times in any one game, yet here we are.
Ben Williamson had two hits and an RBI; he seems to figure so often in important rallies, every time I check stats I’m expecting to see a .900 OPS. He’s at a respectable .670 but his performance somehow feels bigger.
Finally, I would like to go back to the first week of the season and tell my earlier self that the bullpen would indeed find its way. Wow they have been good, complementing what has so far been a pretty effective starting staff. In fact the broadcasters were noting that it’s been nearly two weeks since the Rays have given up more than 3 runs in any game.
The Rays close out the series tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be at the game but I’m too superstitious to bring a broom.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 3 : Colorado Rockies fans celebrate home opening day against Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Friday, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
There was nothing close to a consensus on where the 2026 Rockies record would end up with the range predicted extending from 55 all the way up to 82 wins.
We now have a little over a month of games on the books, which is enough time for opinions to have started to shift.
What are the biggest changes in how you see the season unfolding now as opposed to your predictions before Opening Day?
Are there any of your predictions that seem to actually be coming true?
Have any of your predictions already failed to come to pass?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: Andrew McCutchen #4 of the Texas Rangers cannot get to a home run by Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees in the second inning during their game at Yankee Stadium on May 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored four runs but the New York Yankees scored seven runs.
Yankees starter Elmer Rodriguez has had a peculiar beginning to his big league career. The 22-year-old has been a big leaguer for just two games in which he has played and both have been starts against the Rangers, a team not in his division and one that will face New York just six times this year.
Predictably, in his first outing at Yankee Stadium, Rodriguez let the nerves get to him in his first time on the mound in front of the home fans as he walked the first two batters and faced a bases loaded, no outs situation to start the game. By the end of the top of the first, he had also hit a batter and thrown a wild pitch that scored a run.
Overall, the Rangers benefitted with three runs off Rodriguez during his shaky first home frame but even that felt like a let down. It felt like the Rangers had allowed Rodriguez to escape when they had him and the Yankees on the ropes.
At the time, up 3-0 early, it might have seemed greedy to not be ecstatic about three runs for a club that often has a devil of a time just scoring at all, but not capitalizing on a youngster handing out baserunners with a bigger inning felt like a wasted opportunity to bury the Yankees from the jump, something that could have impacted not only this game but the series going forward.
And, of course, wouldn’t you know it, the Rangers waited until all the way until an out in the ninth to score again and the Yankees — having basically the only productive lineup in the American League — methodically chipped away at the lead until they eventually overtook Texas before blowing the doors open late to essentially render the final few innings an afterthought.
The Rangers had two hits with RISP in the first inning — their first two chances, no less! — to go along with all their other baserunners against a deer-in-the-headlines rookie starter and only one of those hits scored a run.
After that, the Rangers went 0-for-7 with RISP until they eighth inning when they again had a hit with RISP. That runner didn’t score either and they eventually left the bases loaded with the potential winning run at the plate. The Rangers finally did score again in the ninth. On a groundout.
All told, they went 3-for-13 for RISP and left a ghastly 12 on base for the night.
At this point, LSB might as well stand for LOB Statistic Briefing.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung had three more hits but was also the batter that ended the bases loaded threat in the eighth. Sequencing, surely, but this has to be in their heads by this point.
Nevertheless, we’ll go with Ezequiel Duran who is making the most of more regular playing time as he collected three hits including a triple, drew a walk to reach base four times, and had the only hit that scored a run for Texas tonight.
Up Next: The Rangers and Yankees will play again tomorrow with RHP Nathan Eovaldi set to make the start for Texas opposite RHP Will Warren for New York.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network. Tune in to see how many the Rangers can strand tomorrow!
KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 05: Gavin Williams #32 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Gavin Williams had a rare stinker of an outing. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 runs and giving up 8 hits and walking 2 batters. Despite the crooked number put up against him, Gavin still struck out 7 batters.
Kansas started scoring early with Salvy Perez hitting a 2-run single to center field. The Guards offense suffered from a chronic case of “going 1-2-3” tonight. The sole bright spot coming in the top of the fourth.
Chase DeLauter hit a lead off single. José Ramírez grounded into a forceout, leaving CDL out at second and José safe at first. Kyle Manzardo slapped a single to center, putting two on for Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins launched a homer to left field, putting the Guards ahead.
Unfortunately the lead didn’t stay with Cleveland for long. The Royals came back in the bottom of the fourth to tack on two runs and retake the lead.
Colin Holderman held it down for the Guardians bullpen. He pitched 2 innings, replacing Gavin going into the seventh inning, and did not allow a baserunner. An overturned hit by pitch gave Holderman the chance to send the Royals down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth.
Cleveland was unable to rally in the top of the ninth. Chase DeLauter’s single continued his impressive 13 game on base streak and Kyle Manzardo is continuing to show some ramping up in his hitting. The Guards can still split the series, and at least the Tigers lost worse.
