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Red-hot Padres on to NLDS

The past seven days have been highly successful for the San Diego Padres organization.

After giving starter Casey Mize a chance to show he was healthy enough to participate in the postseason, the Padres placed the right-hander on the injured list after he surrendered seven hits and seven runs in four innings in the 11-4 loss on Sept. 25, to the Diamondbacks.

Walker Buehler started Game 2, which the Padres won 10-7 to clinch home-field advantage for the Wild Card round of the NL playoffs. Buehler was not particularly sharp, but the Padres eeked out the win despite a rare hiccup by Mason Miller, pitching in a non-save situation to finish the game.

In a game that meant nothing in the playoff picture, Rándy Vásquez went six strong innings to lead the Friars to another win. He combined with Griffin Canning to finish off the D-backs and give the bullpen two full days of rest before their homestand against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card series.

A fairytale series

It couldn’t have gone any better for the Padres against the Cubs. Rookie manager Craig Stammen had the least stress-inducing playoff series any manager could have. 

After naming a playoff roster that surprised many by including both Joe Musgrove and Gavin Sheets, Stammen used both of those Padres in two dominant performances versus Chicago. 

Musgrove, who had spent almost two years on the IL, pitched in the ninth inning of the first game, finishing off the Cubs for the first win.

Stammen was given the softest landing ever imaginable for both himself and Musgrove. 

Sheets, who spent most of the past month in a boot for a plantar fascia tear in his left foot, was activated at the end of the season and played in two games versus the D-backs. After showing he was able to perform in those games, Sheets provided the pitching staff with some breathing room in the second game, blasting a 101 mph fastball 394 feet into the right-field stands. 

The Padres pitching staff held the best offense in the National League to one run on eight hits in the two games. The two best hitters on their roster, NL MVP-to-be Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, went 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts against the Padres dominant pitching staff.

Meanwhile, Fernando Tatis Jr. put on a show in the first game with a leadoff home run while also scoring from first on a stolen base and a throwing error in his last at-bat.

Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts turned their worst professional seasons around by going 7-for-15 with two homers, two doubles and four RBI combined in the two games.

Second-half momentum carries on

The Friars had a 50-53 record before their second-half surge. After struggling offensively for much of May, June, and July, the Padres went on a 43-18 tear to end the season. They carried that over into the series against the Cubs.

With home-field attendance that topped 47,000 for both games, the Padres had a vocal and raucous crowd behind them that served as their 10th man in snuffing out the Cubs.

The stars were stars

The Padres’ top four earners are Machado, Tatis Jr., Bogaerts and Musgrove. For the first time in two years, all four played for the Friars during the Cubs series. Although limited to one inning of work, Musgrove was able to contribute to a win. All the others played the way we would expect them to play in the postseason.

NBC scores a win

Including Musgrove in their plans for the postseason gave the team and their fans a huge emotional lift. Even the decision-makers at NBC acknowledged the importance of Musgrove’s inclusion. 

Rather than cut away at the end of the eighth inning, NBC bypassed its lucrative commercial break and showed Musgrove’s entrance from the bullpen. As the left-field crowd rose and began cheering, Musgrove stepped through the bullpen gate and set foot on the Petco Park field for the first time since October 2, 2024.

The ensuing spread of cheers through the park and Musgrove’s entrance was covered live for the TV audience. It was a brilliant moment for San Diego.

Postseason ambition

After reaching the postseason for a record third consecutive season, the Padres have also reached at least 90 wins for the third straight season. In an unprecedented era of success for the organization, new Padres owner Jose E. Feliciano paid tribute to late owner Peter Seidler with his attire for the second game versus the Cubs.

With their official ownership of the team now almost two months in, Feliciano and Kwanza Jones are enjoying the first fruits of their investment in the Padres. Attending the season-ending games in San Diego and the playoff games versus the Cubs, Jones and Feliciano have shown their support, and Jones’ dancing skills, on the field and in the locker room.

On to Milwaukee to play the Division Series against the team with the best record in baseball. In a best-of-five series, the Friars take on hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1. After two in Milwaukee, the Padres return home for Tuesday and Wednesday games at Petco Park. 

There is little doubt that home-field advantage will be in full force at Petco. The magic of the Cubs series could carry over into a series win at home against the Brewers.

The baseball gods could be shining on San Diego.

Why not the Padres? Why not us?

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Ohtani’s injuries lingering into postseason, and even he can’t pinpoint what’s behind them

shohei ohtani

LOS ANGELES — Even Shohei Ohtani isn’t sure the extent of injuries to his right biceps, left knee and neck that kept him off the mound after the All-Star break and landed him on the injured list for the first time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this, so I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I’m going have a little bit more time to be able to address it,” he said Friday through a translator. “As of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

Ohtani’s health is key to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning a third consecutive World Series championship, starting Saturday against Atlanta in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Manager Dave Roberts isn’t sure what Ohtani can deliver.

“I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened,” he said. “I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough for me to forecast it.”

The two-way superstar came off the IL with just five games remaining in the regular season. He was 5 for 21 with eight strikeouts, a walk and a double.

The Dodgers have said Ohtani is feeling better since his return, and Roberts believes his at-bat quality showed improvement.

“(My body) feels really good overall,” Ohtani said. “I do feel like my swing is in a better place — it feels smooth. Just little tweaks here and there and I’ll be ready.”

Ohtani was single when he went on the IL twice during his six years with the Los Angeles Angels. He’s now married and a father of two, with his son arriving in late June to join a daughter born in April 2025.

“If I’d been by myself this time, I probably would have had a lot more time to think about everything, and I imagine it would have been much harder mentally,” he said in Japanese. “But I had a house full of people around me, so that made a big difference in terms of how I felt.”

Ohtani throws right-handed and bats left-handed. He explained that he was better able to use his left arm with his daughter. His infant son, however, requires two arms to hold, which limited him because of the injury to his right biceps.

Ohtani took live batting practice against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier in the week. The last time they’d faced each other was in 2017 in Nippon Professional Baseball, when Ohtani struck out and singled off Yamamoto.

“I think it was a valuable experience for both of us in terms of getting some game-like repetitions. I got to take a few at-bats and see all of his different pitches,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “It was a lot of fun. It felt fresh and exciting. His stuff also felt quite different from what I remembered.”

Braves’ strained rotation

The Braves’ rotation is seriously strained coming into the Division Series.

Their three-game win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series forced ace Chris Sale into pitching the final four outs on short rest Thursday night. He threw 95 pitches while starting Game 1, leaving his possible start against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS up in the air.

“A lot of it’s going to depend on how Chris feels. Certainly don’t want to jeopardize him and his health,” manager Walt Weiss said Friday. “He’s had to grind here recently, so we’re going to err on the side of giving him more rest, if it’s even close.”

On Thursday, the Braves ruled out starters Martín Pérez (back) and Bryce Elder (knee) for the NLDS.

“There’s a chance we’re going to have to pitch a lot of innings out of our bullpen, especially the first couple games,” Weiss said. “We’ll have to add some arms to the roster.”

The Braves had a late night after eliminating the Phillies and then traveling Friday to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have been resting and preparing for five days.

“My world is spinning right now,” Weiss said.

High heat

Los Angeles is under an extreme heat warning, and it’s expected to continue into late next week.

Saturday’s forecast calls for a high temperature of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) for the day game, when Tarik Skubal takes the mound for the Dodgers. The average high in early October is 81 degrees.

“I know the pitchers are going to have a hard time,” Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani said. “I’m wishing all the best for Scooby.”

Skubal grew up in Kingman, Arizona, where the average July temperature is 96 degrees (35 Celsius). He said he’ll drink plenty of water Saturday.

“You’re just not going to the bathroom because you’re probably sweating it out,” he said.

Sunday’s game begins at 8 p.m. EDT but conditions won’t be much better, with a projected high of 99 degrees.

The highest game-time temperature ever recorded at Dodger Stadium is 103 degrees (39 Celsius), recorded twice. The first time was Oct. 24, 2017, for Game 1 of the World Series against Houston. It was equaled on Sept. 8, 2024, for a regular-season game against Cleveland.

The Dodgers are encouraging fans to wear hats and sunscreen. They’re allowed to bring in non-alcoholic drinks of one liter or less in factory-sealed plastic bottles. Empty refillable water bottles are allowed. Bottle filling stations and water fountains are scattered around the stadium.

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Zack Of All Trades Tries To Get One More Win: In Court

DETROIT, MI - JULY 09: Athletics left-fielder Zack Gelof (20) grabs his leg after sliding into the railing trying to catch a foul ball during game between Athletics and Detroit Tigers on July 9, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Zack Gelof is one of those athletes who only has one speed: full bore ahead. It’s part of what makes him an elite athlete and at times it makes it difficult for him to stay on the field. But there is also a difference between playing with “reckless abandon” and having “no regard for your body,” and hitting the ER because the other team’s stadium operations executives had no regard for your body.

In July, 2017 the A’s acquired Dustin Fowler from the New York Yankees as he was recovering from a serious knee injury, a rupture of his right patella tendon. In December, 2017, Fowler sued the Chicago White Sox, claiming negligence due to an unpadded, metal electrical box that was located in precisely the area where Fowler impacted the wall. Fowler’s lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount of cash.

Now comes Gelof’s lawsuit filed against the Detroit Tigers after Gelof badly lacerated his leg on July 9 when his pursuit of a foul fly ball took him into the side wall — where instead of padding there was a stretch of metal wiring that sliced Gelof’s knee like a Veg-O-Matic and kept him out of action for a month.

Some injuries are preventable and many aren’t. Some mishaps are the result of foreseeable gross negligence and many are just plain bad luck. Stadium operators are obliged to notice clear safety hazards, and many hazards only reveal themselves when a fluky play exposes a formerly unknown truth.

The question in front of a judge or jury, first to be mediated by posturing attorneys, is whether Gelof’s injury was caused by a negligence that anyone could have, and should have, reasonably foreseen. The law doesn’t compensate you for bad luck like it does for bad faith.

Did the Tigers expressly have an obligation to put padding, or avoid putting a wire facing, in a part of the playing field a fielder might slide or crash into? Did Gelof have some obligation either to avoid going full tilt into a very visible wire structure or to notice the hazard during batting practice and bring it to someone’s attention?

Separately there is the question of “damages” as the two sides haggle about the “value” of the case. Certainly there was appreciable pain and suffering — that much was clear at the time of the collision as well as the fact that Gelof could not take the field in a big league game for 32 days.

But he was also paid while on the IL and rehab assignments, so there was no loss of income there. His future value, and how this injury did or did not affect it, is a pretty subjective question, but we do know that Gelof put up a 116 wRC+ before the injury and a very similar 112 wRC+ after.

One thing is for sure: Fowler’s case will be raised, by both sides, in conversations around Gelof’s chances of prevailing in his lawsuit and the value of any settlement. Fowler created precedent that informs comparable cases. And once again, here is an outfielder who was racing into foul territory when he bludgeoned himself on an exposed and unforgiving barrier to his pursuit.

What do you think are the material facts in Gelof’s case and who do they ultimately favor? In all likelihood this case, like the one before it, will settle and never go to trial and the settlement amount will not be made public. But if you were on a jury and were asked to rule on the merits, what information would most inform your verdict and what would that verdict look like? In the end, will Gelof get the 65th win of the season to bring vengeance upon the stadium where Oakland’s season was ended 20 years prior?

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Shaikin: Dodgers face risky dilemma if Shohei Ohtani's injuries worsen in NLDS

There are all the stars in this series — Mookie Betts, Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr., Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal, Michael Harris II and more — and then there is the face of baseball around the world.

Major League Baseball wrapped a postseason advertisement around the front page of The Times this week. “OCTOBER STARTS TODAY,” the headline screamed.

Beneath those enormous letters, Shohei Ohtani smiled. Who else?

And so dozens of reporters crammed into a cramped room within Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon, on the eve of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, waiting for Ohtani to answer a few versions of “How are you?”

It’s not just about attracting casual fans to watch the icon whose face adorns everything from airplanes to skin care products. For the Dodgers and their fans, it’s about whether their most famous player can be a game-changer in October.

Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Braves in the NLDS

The Dodgers could have shut him down as a pitcher rather than let him continue to try to pitch through knee and biceps injuries. They didn’t, and that backfired.

The Dodgers could have shut him down as a hitter, not for the season but for a stint on the injured list. They didn’t. They gave him just a few days off, and that backfired.

Then the Dodgers did put him on the injured list, but activated him for the final five games of the regular season rather than give him extended rest for the playoffs, limiting his activity to controlled workouts.

That might backfire, or it might not, and the repercussions of the former could represent a significant hurdle in their quest for a third consecutive World Series championship. Giving Ohtani time off during the regular season would have carried no penalty; the Dodgers would have won the NL West with or without him.

If the Dodgers decide Ohtani needs a few days off now, they would face this unpleasant dilemma: play one man short, or put him on the injured list. Under MLB rules, a player put on the injured list during a postseason series must sit out the next series. So, if Ohtani starts wincing at the end of his swings during the NLDS, a stint on the injured list would mean he could not play again until the World Series — if the Dodgers get there.

Shohei Ohtani speaks during a news conference at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani speaks during a news conference at Dodger Stadium on Friday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Ohtani has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. Since then, he is batting .157, and he has struck out in 41% of his at-bats. In those final five games, he hit the ball hard in the first two, then hit ground balls in the final three. In the on-deck circle, he did not always take a swing.

In batting practice Friday, he hit lots of home runs.

The general sense of how Ohtani is feeling now: good enough.

Ohtani said he feels “really good” as compared to before he went on the injured list, but acknowledged he isn’t sure what he might need to do to address the injuries over the winter.

“As of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered this medical update: “Shohei’s not 100%, but he’s going to be in the lineup.”

Same for Freddie Freeman, who has not homered in a month. The difference, Roberts said, is how encouraged the manager was by Freeman’s workouts this week.

“With Shohei, I’m not so sure,” Roberts said. “I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened. I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough to really — for me to forecast it.”

Read more:'I'm excited for it.' Tarik Skubal to start for Dodgers in NLDS Game 1

Ohtani plays when he says he can. After he tore up his left shoulder in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, he had trainers tape the shoulder in place and took 11 at-bats over the final three games of the series. He had one hit, a single.

“I do pride myself on playing every day,” Ohtani said. “I do see it as an obligation as a professional to be on the field every single day.”

Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, acknowledged recently that communication with Ohtani has been “awesome” but “fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome.”

Said Friedman: “He’s not always the best reporter of how he feels. Freddie’s the same way. Clayton Kershaw. I’ve been around a lot of these guys that feel like their job is to be out there to help the team however they can, and sometimes will downplay some things that are bothering them. But again, it’s because he wants to help the team win.”

The Dodgers are talented enough that Ohtani not hitting well would not damage their chances as much as, say, Sale not pitching well for the Braves. In the NLDS and the first three games of the NLCS last October, Ohtani hit .103 with no home runs and struck out in 48% of his at-bats.

Read more:‘We are the team to beat.' How the Dodgers are preparing for showdown with Braves

In the NLCS clincher, he hit three home runs (and struck out 10 batters). The Dodgers could trade a few bad days from Ohtani for that one really good day.

In that MLB advertisement, the one that featured Ohtani, the league acknowledged that its screaming headline was not exactly accurate. The explanation also fits the Dodgers’ hopes of Ohtani starring in October.

The ad, after all, appeared on Sept. 29.

October starts today?

“Logic and reason would tell you otherwise,” the ad read. “But October isn’t about being reasonable.

“It’s about belief.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Freddie Freeman vs. Atlanta? Dodgers star not buying into playoff narrative

LOS ANGELES — The tears have stopped flowing.

The quivering voice, the nerves, the raw emotions have long been in check.

It will be just like any other postseason game, even on the road.

That, at least, is what Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman keeps telling himself.

The last time Freeman stepped on the playing field at Truist Park during the postseason, he was helping Atlanta win a World Series championship, Atlanta knocking off the Houston Astros in 2021 for its first title since 1995.

He was a homegrown hero, a crowd favorite, their biggest star. He believed he would be playing the rest of his career in Atlanta.

Instead, he was gone three months later when Atlanta stopped negotiating with him in free agency and turned to Matt Olson, acquiring Olson from the Oakland Athletics and quickly signing him to an eight-year, $168 million contract extension.

Freeman, who scrambled to find a team with only a few weeks remaining before the start of the season, wound up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, receiving a six-year, $162 million deal, and tearfully parting with the team he loved, and a fanbase that loved him right back.

Freeman, who broke down in tears several times when he first returned to Atlanta in 2022, no longer cries when the Dodgers play annually there, trying to treat it like any other city.

But this will be different.

These are the playoffs.

Freeman can end Atlanta’s fabulous comeback season with his bat, or Atlanta can stop the Dodgers’ bid to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series championships.

The Dodgers face Atlanta in Game 1 of the NL Division Series Saturday (4 p.m. ET) at Dodger Stadium, with the winner of the best-of-five playing the winner of the San Diego Padres-Milwaukee Brewers series. The loser goes home.

“I'm going to try and not treat it any differently, and nor should anybody else treat anything differently,’’ Freeman told USA TODAY Sports and MLB.com outside the Dodgers’ clubhouse. “I understand it will be a storyline. I get it, but it is five years later. But I’m not going to try and look at it any differently. It's another team that I'm trying to get through to win another championship, and I know they're thinking the same thing.

“It's not the Los Angeles Freddies, you know? But I understand. I get the storyline. And it's an easy storyline. So, I try not to think about it like that. Come game time, I don't think anybody's going to be worrying about it. We could talk about it now, but by (Saturday), I don't think anybody's going to be worrying about who played for what team.’’

Certainly, it will be impossible during the series not to draw the comparisons between Freeman and Olson, but the truth of the matter is that it’s worked wonderfully for both teams.

The Dodgers don’t win back-to-back World Series championships without Freeman, who is beloved in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old grew up in nearby Orange County.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) singles against Atlanta during the ninth inning at Truist Park.

Olson, 32 and five years younger, has been everything Atlanta envisioned, too. He has become one of the game’s finest power hitters, hitting 187 homers since joining Atlanta five years ago − averaging 37 homers and 106 RBI a season. Olson also has become the game’s premier ironman, playing in every game since he joined Atlanta with a consecutive game streak of 944 games − ninth-longest of all time.

Yet, for those who believe there’s a rivalry between the two, or that Freeman may harbor ill feelings towards Olson, there’s absolutely no truth to it.

The fact of the matter is that the two have become close friends, and have even attended Morgan Wallen concerts together in Atlanta.

“I mean, there is nothing but love there,’’ Freeman said. “I know people are going to want to pit us (against one another) and that, but our families have hung out together. Sorry to ruin those rumors or anything if there is anything, but no, we've had great times.’’

And, yes, Freeman, whose career should land him in Cooperstown one day, roots for Olson to excel ... except when the Dodgers are facing Atlanta.

“He's a great guy, an unbelievable baseball player,’’ Freeman said. “I mean, he's one of the (best) power hitters in our game right now. He goes out there and he hits 50 homers a year. So it's fun, and he's from there, it’s cool.’’

And hopefully, Freeman says, when the two teams play one another in the postseason, it will simply be two superstars facing one another, and no comparisons − or flashbacks to five years ago.

“We can go up and just play baseball, and obviously everything else on the outside, people are going to do that,’’ Freeman said. “There's nothing we can do about it. He came in after me. I left. It's just how it is, and he understands it. …

“No one’s thinking about five years ago. I’m not. I’m just trying to help win a baseball game for the Dodgers. That’s all I’m trying to do. He’s trying to help the Braves win. There’s nothing else to it.’’

It won’t be anything different whether the games are in Los Angeles, or in Atlanta. It may be his former home, and the memories there will forever be cherished, but there’s no time for sentimentality. Freeman plans to treat this just like he’s going to Philadelphia or New York, although the boos certainly won’t be as loud.

“Time heals and time moves on,’’ Freeman said. “No one's really worried about it anymore, except when this happens. I think it's just the narrative that leads up to the series. And once the series starts, that narrative is going to be gone.

“I’m just trying to help win baseball games.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Freddie Freeman vs. Atlanta? Dodgers star not buying into playoff narrative

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Purple Row After Dark: Which former Rockies are you rooting for in the MLB Postseason?

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 24: Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after winning the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Trevor Hayes/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The MLB Postseason is in full swing and the Division Series are set:

  • American League
    • (2) Cleveland Guardians vs. (6) Chicago White Sox
    • (1) Tampa Bay Rays vs. (4) New York Yankees
  • National League
    • (1) Milwaukee Brewers vs. (4) San Diego Padres
    • (2) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) Atlanta Braves

There are numerous former Rockies on these playoff rosters.

  • White Sox
    • Drew Romo
    • Brenton Doyle
    • Randal Grichuk
  • Rays
    • Ryan Vilade
  • Yankees
    • Ryan McMahon
  • Brewers
    • Antonio Senzatela
  • Dodgers
    • Seth Halvorsen
  • Braves
    • Brent Suter

So my question this evening is this: Which old friend(s) are you rooting for in the Division Series? Let us know in the comments!

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Red Wings Shut Out in Tense Home Opener Against Rangers

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It was a tense atmosphere from the onset at Little Caesars Arena during the Detroit Red Wings' home opener against the New York Rangers to begin the 2026-27 campaign. 

Injured former captain Dylan Larkin was heavily booed when he was introduced alongside the other scratches, while multiple audible "Sell the Team" chants broke out from frustrated fans following Detroit's turbulent offseason. 

It all culminated in a 2-0 shutout loss, marking the Red Wings' third consecutive home-opening defeat.

The Red Wings were playing without Larkin, who was announced as officially unavailable for Friday's game as well as Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets; whether he can play on Tuesday remains to be seen.

Detroit also didn't have defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is in the midst of a contract stalemate and is currently in his native Sweden. 

Meanwhile, the Rangers, who traveled from Manhattan to Detroit after playing Thursday evening, earned their second win in just over 24 hours.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

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Sean Durzi, whom the Rangers acquired from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade, connected on the power-play for the Rangers at 5:12 of the first period, whistling a one-timed shot through the pads of goaltender John Gibson for a 1-0 New York lead.

That would do it for the scoring until, with Gibson pulled for an extra attacker, Eeli Tolvanen hit the empty net with 1:16 left in the game. 

The Red Wings fired 22 shots at Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand, who was appearing in only his fourth career NHL contest; he picked up his first shutout.

Meanwhile, Gibson stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced. 

Dylan Larkin Receives Icy Reception From Red Wings Fans During Introductions Dylan Larkin Receives Icy Reception From Red Wings Fans During Introductions Former Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was met with a hostile reception from fans at Little Caesars Arena during the pre-game introductions.

Detroit had several chances to find the back of the net, most notably in the first period when a shot from rookie Anton Johansson, making his NHL debut, hit the post after being deflected by Andrew Copp.

Newcomer Viktor Arvidsson also came close, attempting to redirect a centering pass out of the air from close range, only to be denied by Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand.

However, Detroit managed only two shots on goal during the game's final frame. 

Offense isn't going to be easy to come by for the Red Wings even if they had iced a full lineup, considering the combined 88 points lost due to the departures of both Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk. 

The Red Wings have no choice but to put this loss behind them and prepare for their next game, a Sunday matinee affair against the visiting Winnipeg Jets. 

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The best moments and Twitter reactions from Big Blue Madness

When it’s Big Blue Madness, basketball season is officially underway in the Bluegrass.

Friday night, a sold-out Rupp Arena welcomed the men’s and women’s teams in their first looks at both of them ahead of their upcoming seasons. It was a raucous crowd, with excitement building for the season.

Women’s Team shows off shooting ahead of highly anticipated season

The Women’s Basketball team tipped off the festivities as they entered the arena. Coming off a Sweet 16 berth last year, Kenny Brooks and the Cats have a lot of momentum coming into this season. The crowd at Rupp Arena clearly concurs, giving each player and Brooks a rousing ovation when they were introduced.

In the “Hot Shot” competition, Team 1 featured Asia Boone, Me’Arah O’Neal, Gabby Brooks, and Savvy Swords. They put up a solid 16 points to tip off the drill. They were followed by Team 2, featuring Clara Strack, Diana Collins, Emily McDonald, and Jemma Amoore. Behind a blistering start, they started draining shots from deep to take the lead.

On Team 3, a fan joined Ajša Sivka, Maddyn Greenway, and Dominika Paurová. They tied Team 1 with 16 points, meaning Team 2 won the drill.

Then came everybody’s favorite: The 3-point shooting contest. Asia Boone tipped it off with a solid 15 points, with Me’Arah O’Neal draining her final two shots to put up 18 points. A confident Emily McDonald made six in a row early and came up just one point shy of the lead with 17. All three advanced to the final round; Boone made all five shots on the final rack to accumulate 20 points.

McDonald responded by hitting her final shot to tie the score. It came down to O’Neal, who made all five from straightaway and then her final two shots on the last rack to tie the score at 20. That brought the tiebreaker to half-court, with a moneyball rack and the first player to make a shot winning the contest. Boone rattled one in after multiple rounds of attempts to take home the trophy.

Mark Pope welcomes back Karl-Anthony Towns

First of all, the thunderous applause started when Malachi Moreno was introduced. Then, things got real. A tall white sheet acted as a projector screen to play an intro video for Mark Pope, who appeared on a gigantic pedestal to address the crowd in Rupp Arena. Dressed in all black, including a Kentucky varsity jacket, Pope then said he had one more Cat to introduce. Pope unveiled that he was wearing a Karl-Anthony Towns No. 12 jersey, a fitting welcome home for one of the greatest Cats of all time.

Coming off winning the 2026 NBA Championship with the New York Knicks, Towns was greeted to a raucous ovation from the Rupp Arena crowd. In just one season with Kentucky, Towns averaged 10.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Keep in mind, he played on Kentucky’s platoon squad. NBA scouts knew what Towns had, and he was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.

In the NBA Playoffs this past Spring, Towns averaged 15.9 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.1% from the field and 45.6% from 3-point range. Towns tipped San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper’s final inbounds pass in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, enabling Josh Hart to hold serve underneath the basket against the Spurs’ Stephon Castle and cement the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, with the Knicks coming back from down 29 points in the second half.

Mark Pope Shines Spotlight on coaching staff

I think it’s great that Pope took several minutes to highlight his assistant coaches and staff, particularly what each of their roles are. Pope introduced each of them, with all of the members in various entrances to different sections in the upper deck of Rupp Arena.

Earlier this week, Pope said there’s great synergy with this current coaching and basketball staff. That was on display Friday night at Big Blue Madness.

Lighting it up from deep

Mark Pope said earlier this week that he thinks this Wildcats’ team’s shooting will be elite and they have a depth of shooters. In the 3-point shooting competition, we saw glimpses of what that can look like. Mason Williams tipped off the competition with 24 points. Then, Alex Wilkins showed off his shooting potential with a blistering 31 points. Milan Momcilovic participated and got hot at the end to finish with 22 points.

Then, it was reigning 3-point champion Trent Noah, who went 4-5 on the final rack to finish with 18 points.

The final round came down to Wilkins and Ousmane N’Diaye. N’Diaye finished with eight points, with Wilkins following it with a raining performance at 21 points and deciding to dunk in the final ball for the win.

Milan wins fan $10,000

A fan named Jake from the crowd got two half-court shots to win $10,000. He missed both, but he was able to select one player on the team to shoot from half-court to win him the money. He chose Milan Momcilovic. Wise choice. Momcilovic calmly let it fly, banking it in and winning Jake $10,000.

McBride and N’Diaye WOW in dunk contest

Justin McBride started off the dunk contest with an explosive between-the-legs dunk. In the final round, Ousmane N’Diaye threw a pass off the backboard that he put back for an emphatic slam. McBride followed with a thunderous windmill reverse dunk that netted him a 50 score from the judges.

Twitter Reactions to Big Blue Madness

Kentucky players lit up the Blue Carpet and then made it a memorable night in Rupp Arena. Here are some Twitter reactions from Big Blue Madness.

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History of Dodgers playing the Braves in the postseason

Baseball: NLDS Playoffs: Los Angeles Dodgers Juan Uribe (9) victorious after hitting game-winning home run vs Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Game 4. Sequence. Los Angeles, CA 10/7/2013 CREDIT: Robert Beck (Photo by Robert Beck /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X157033 TK2 R1 F295 )

LOS ANGELES — The 2026 National League Division Series is the sixth postseason matchup between the Dodgers and Braves, dating back to 1996, and the fourth playoff matchup between the two teams in the last nine years.

This doesn’t count when the Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves tied for the best record in the National League in 1959, and the Dodgers won a best-of-3 playoff for the pennant in two games, since those counted as regular season contests.

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The Dodgers beat the Braves in the NLDS in 2013 and 2018, both in four games, then beat Atlanta in seven games in a classic 2020 NLCS, coming back from down three games to one.

Atlanta swept the Dodgers in the 1996 NLDS and beat the Dodgers in six games in the 2021 NLCS.

Let’s take a brief look back at each previous October tilt.

1996 NLDS: Braves 3, Dodgers 0

In the first few years of the Division Series, “home-field advantage” meant playing the first two games on the road before coming home for the final three. So the wild card Dodgers were home to start off against the 96-win Braves, but it didn’t affect Atlanta much.

The Braves won two one-run games at Dodger Stadium, with John Smoltz allowing a run in nine innings of Game 1 before Javy López homered off of Antonio Osuna in the 10th inning. Greg Maddux allowed two unearned runs in seven innings of Game 2, then the Braves cruised in Atlanta in Game 3 to complete the sweep.

2013 NLDS: Dodgers 3, Braves 1

Juan Uribe was terrible in the first two years of his Dodgers contract, but turned things around in 2013. Even when he failed, he came up aces that year, including bunting foul twice down a run with Yasiel Puig on second base and nobody out in the eighth inning. Forced to swing, Uribe hit a two-run home run off David Carpenter while Craig Kimbrel watched from the visiting bullpen, sending the Dodgers to the NLCS.

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2018 NLDS: Dodgers 3, Braves 1

Hyun-jin Ryu (seven innings in Game 1) and Clayton Kershaw (eight innings in Game 2) did the heavy lifting in two shutout wins in Los Angeles, then the Dodgers closed out in four games in Atlanta. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a grand slam off Walker Buehler to win Game 3 for the Braves, a moment Buehler has cited multiple times as helping him learn how to deal with failure and embrace pressure situations going forward.

That Game 3 win in Atlanta was the last Braves win in a game facing elimination before Thursday’s wild card win over the Phillies in Game 3.

2020 NLCS: Dodgers 4, Braves 3

The Dodgers erased a 3-1 series deficit at Globe Life Field in Texas. Will Smith homered off Will Smith to key a Game 5 win, and Cody Bellinger hit the pennant-winning home run in Game 7, and dislocated his shoulder in the celebration.

2021 NLCS: Braves 4, Dodgers 2

The Dodgers three healthy Cy Young Award-vote-getting starting pitchers broken down by the NLCS, with Max Scherzer unable to pitch in the series at all. Eddie Rosario was Superman, hitting a robust .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs to win NLCS MVP.

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Tuch scores twice in his first game for Washington, helping the Capitals beat the Hurricanes 5-2

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Alex Tuch scored twice in his first game for Washington, Alex Ovechkin opened his 22nd NHL season with an assist and the Capitals beat the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Friday night.

Tuch joined the Capitals in an offseason trade after five seasons with Buffalo. The 41-year-old Ovechkin assisted on Tuch's opening goal in Washington's three-goal first period.

Cole Hutson, Jakob Chychrun and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, and Logan Thompson made 31 saves.

Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven scored for Carolina, and Brandon Bussi stopped 22 shots. The Hurricanes opened Tuesday night at home with a 1-0 overtime loss to Florida.

Tuch opened the scoring at 6:33 of the first period, beating Busso with a wrist shot. Hutson scored on a snap shot with 8:27 left in the period, and Tuch connected on a backhander with 5:37 to go.

Jakob Chychrun made it 4-0 on a power play at 1:36 of second.

Aho got one back for Carolina on a power play with 3:10 left in the second, and Leonard made it 5-1 eight seconds later. Stankoven scored midway through the third.

Up next

Capitals: At Tampa Bay on Saturday night.

Hurricanes: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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More Bad News: Flyers Prospect Maksim Sokolovskii Out With an Injury

As if the start of the 2026-27 season couldn't be more glum for the Philadelphia Flyers, one of their top prospects is already set to miss time through an injury.

On Friday night, Sokolovskii's club, the OHL London Knights, announced that the 18-year-old defenseman will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Sokolovskii is now the latest in a growing line of Flyers injuries, joining players like Denver Barkey, Nikita Grebenkin, and Helge Grans on the shelf.

So far, the Flyers' 2026 first-round pick has played in just one game for the Knights this season: a 7-4 win against the Owen Sound Attack on Sept. 25.

In that game against Owen Sound, Sokolovskii quickly got himself on the highlight reels, laying a devastating hit on Attack forward Lucian Bernat and sending his opponent's stick flying in the air in cartoonish fashion.

Of course, Sokolovskii would have to answer for that and fight Julian Brown, a 6-foot-4 fellow defenseman who he was teammates with last year on London before Brown joined Owen Sound.

Unfortunately for the Flyers and their new top prospect, Sokolovskii's season will get off to a bit of a slow start after he played in only 44 regular season games for the Knights last year, plus five playoff games.

The silver lining, on the other hand, is that the 6-foot-8 Russian blue liner looked pretty good in his lone OHL appearance this season, building on the growth that the Flyers saw from him over the course of the last season that vaulted him into the first-round conversation heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.

Sokolovskii was one of the more impressive, noticeable players throughout rookie camp and the early stages of development camp, so as long as the injury isn't a long-term deal, this bump in the road shouldn't end up hampering his development this season all that much, if at all.

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Jake Sanderson Likely To Play In Saturday Opener After Senators Send Rookie Down To Belleville

The Ottawa Senators got some encouraging injury news on the eve of their 2026-27 NHL season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Defenceman Jake Sanderson is expected to play Saturday night, although his status won’t be completely certain until the Senators see how he feels on game day.

Sanderson has missed a number of practices throughout training camp with an undisclosed injury. He returned to make his preseason debut against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday, helped set up one goal, but left the game and did not return.

Though he was sent down on Friday, Hoyt Stanley was pleased earlier this week to make it through to the final 23 man roster (Senators YouTube).

Sanderson skated at practice on Friday and admitted it may take a little longer to get up to speed.

"Obviously, I've only played one period of preseason," Sanderson said. "I think, for me, I (need to) control what I can control, and that's my effort and my mindset, making sure I'm locked in."

Sanderson's expected return means rookie Hoyt Stanley has been returned to the Belleville Senators. Stanley was a surprise addition to Ottawa’s 23-man roster, largely because of injuries to Sanderson and Artem Zub.

Zub isn’t ready to return yet, but there was some encouraging news on that front as well. He is participating in practice again, although he remains in a yellow non-contact jersey.

There was also good news up front.

Warren Foegele will be in the lineup Saturday night after missing training camp following offseason surgery. After spending most of last season on the fourth line, he's expected to suit up tomorrow in a much better position to succeed alongside Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson.

Foegele says his mission is just to keep it simple. He's in the top six because newcomer Andre Burakovsky remains out. Like Sanderson, he also left last Saturday’s game against Montreal with an injury, but was back at practice Friday. Like Zub, Burakovsky was wearing a yellow non-contact jersey.

So while the Senators aren't completely healthy heading into opening night, their injury situation is beginning to look a lot better than it did just a few days ago.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For more from THN Ottawa, click one of the headlines below:

Hoyt Stanley's Surprising Selection To Senators' 23 Man Roster
Thomas Chabot Named Captain Of The Ottawa Senators
Steve Staios Provides Latest Injury Updates, Weighs In On Yakemchuk Readiness

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Red Wings' Dylan Larkin booed by fans after trade request

Detroit Red Wings star Dylan Larkin received a big reaction from fans as he appeared at Little Caesars Arena amid his trade request.

And it included a heavy layer of boos.

Larkin wasn't playing on Friday, Oct. 2 because of an upper body injury but he was introduced along with the other players who weren't dressed. He gave a wave to fans after the reaction.

Unlike Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who is suspended for not reporting, Larkin agreed to report to training camp. But he missed the early practices because he was hurt while training in the offseason.

The Red Wings placed him on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 15 and he will miss this weekend's games.

Larkin made the trade request after the 2025-26 season, in which Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season. Efforts to trade him were complicated because Steve Yzerman stepped aside as general manager. Shawn Horcoff was named interim GM.

Larkin has five years left on his contract at an $8.7 million cap hit. The longtime captain lost his "C" and the Red Wings will start the season without a captain.

Red Wings fans chant, 'Sell the team'

Larkin wasn't the only person to hear it from fans.

Early in the first period, fans began chanting, "Sell the team."

Dylan Larkin trade request update

The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that Larkin has increased his list of teams where he'd accept a trade.

In addition to the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, Larkin's list now includes the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. 

Contributing: Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Wings' Dylan Larkin booed by fans after trade request

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Zellweger Clears Protocol, Practices And Will Play In Home Opener

The Buffalo Sabres practiced at Key Bank Center on Friday after losing 6-3 in Columbus in the season opener on Thursday, and had defenseman Olen Zellweger on the ice for workouts for the first time since leaving the preseason game against the Blue Jackets late last month following a hit from blueliner Carson Soucy. 

The 22-year-old was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks over the summer for a second round pick, and skated alongside Owen Power, replacing righty Louis Crevier in the top four. Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that Zellweger cleared concussion protocol and should be available to play in the home opener on Saturday against the defenseman he replaced as Power’s tandem partner, Bowen Byram, and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

Where will Connor Hellebuyck end up?

Crevier was shifted down to the bottom pairing, splitting time with Zach Metsa on the right side with lefty Matt Grzelcyk. Veteran Dennis Gilbert was sent back to Rochester, who open the 2026-27 AHL season against the Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies at Blue Cross Arena. 

In ex-Sabres news, Byram through two games with the Hawks is getting #1 defenseman ice time, averaging near 25 minutes, but has no points and is -4. This is less reflective of Byram as an individual, and more reflective of how dreadful Chicago is without Connor Bedard. 

Another former Sabre had an auspicious debut for his new club, the Edmonton Oilers. Goaltender Devon Levi, allowed seven goals on 22 shots in a wild 9-7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. On Friday, Alex Tuch will make his Washington Capitals debut against the Carolina Hurricanes.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

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Heat to host Vice City night to promote 'GTA 6' and Giannis game vs Bucks

Every day they're hustlin'.

The Miami Heat announced Friday, Oct. 2 that they are hosting "A Night in Vice City" to promote the highly-anticipated release of "Grand Theft Auto 6."

The event will serve as the backdrop for the Nov. 18 game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which is the night before the Nov. 19 release date for the latest edition of the popular and controversial video game. It also will be the first time Giannis Antetokounmpo faces off against the team that drafted him and facilitated his journey to superstardom.

In a news release, the Heat said that the partnership with Rockstar Games will transform the Kaseya Center into an immersive experience based on Vice City. The fictional location is where the latest edition of the game is based, "the darkest side of the sunniest place in America." In previews for "Grand Theft Auto 6," there's palm trees, alligators, exotic cars, gold chains, dark alleys and art deco buildings on the beach with neon lights. Basically, Miami.

Best storylines for NBA preseason: Heat vibes, Alpha Sixers, Doncic domination top our list

For the game, the court will have a special design, the players will wear a new uniform and there will be other activations throughout the night. There is also a merchandise collection of T-shirts, hoodies and hats.

The campaign for "A Night in Vice City" started on Thursday, Oct. 1 with a lighting of a neon sign that says, "Welcome to Vice City" on top of the arena. The team said that it will release more information about the event leading up to it.