NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
In case you’ve forgotten, Pete Alonso is really, really good. and O’s fans are lucky to get to watch him. Last night, the Orioles’ best player continued to rake in the honors, finishing an impressive fifth place in the AL Most Valuable Player vote.
Alonso didn’t receive any first-place votes — and neither did anyone aside from the unanimous winner, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez — but the O’s first baseman was well represented in the final tally. Alonso appeared on 28 of the 30 ballots, which run 10 players deep. Alonso got a pair of third-place votes, and 13 votes as a top-five finisher. The only voters to leave him out of their top 10 entirely were Dave Skretta of the Associated Press and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Prepare the angry emails!
Additionally, Alonso was named as the first baseman for the All-MLB First Team. To be clear, it’s not an actual team — they’re not setting out on a barnstorming tour of America or anything like that — but it’s the league’s recognition of the best regular-season player at every position this year. Alonso was a slam-dunk selection as the MLB leader among first basemen in home runs (40), RBIs (113), runs (100), and fWAR (5.0).
Alonso’s latest honors are just another reminder that, as Stacey wrote, the Polar Bear was the best thing about the 2026 Orioles. Not only did he provide superb on-field production — arguably the best since his rookie season in 2019 — but he was a respected clubhouse leader and an immediate fan favorite. Alonso has jelled so perfectly with the Baltimore community that it’s like he’s been here all his life.
The O’s made a huge splash last offseason when they signed Alonso to a team-record five-year, $155 million contract, and Year 1 was a resounding success. I only wish the Orioles had built a better team around him.
Bonus Banner content (the publication, not the new GM). Jon Meoli wants the Orioles to be aggressive and start making moves right now. I would appreciate that, too, if for no other reason than to give us some O’s content to chew on while we’re waiting out a months-long lockout.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 29th birthday to Trevor Rogers. The left-hander transformed from an iffy 2024 trade acquisition into a bright spot in the Birds’ rotation the past two years, winning Most Valuable Oriole honors for his sensational 2025 campaign. Rogers is set to get a big payday in free agency this offseason, and I hope it comes from the Orioles.
Other players in O’s history born on Nov. 13 include lefty Wade Miley (40), third baseman Josh Bell (40), righty Pat Hentgen (58), and outfielder Larry Harlow (75).
On this day in 2023, Gunnar Henderson was unanimously voted AL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Oriole to win the award in 34 years. Henderson batted .255/.325/.489 with 28 homers, 82 RBIs, and 100 runs, posting a 6.1 WAR. And I’m sure Gunnar has only gotten better since then, right? …Right?
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 15: Dante Nori #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies stands in the batter's box during a game between the Surprise Saguaros and Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch on October 15, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The offseason has been quiet thus far, with only a few under-the-radar signings across the league, but it seems like a foregone conclusion that things will pick up in the next couple of weeks leading into the lockout on December 1. As requested, these weekly threads will now begin with a question to get the conversation rolling. This week’s question: Which player(s) would you most like to see the Brewers add in free agency? Feel free to also weigh in on our MVBrewers #3 voting at The Feed post below.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
Happy birthday to Arodys Vizcaino*, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1984 – Ryne Sandberg wins the National League MVP Award, becoming the first Chicago Cubs player to do so since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg hit .314 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases and led the NL in runs (114) and triples (19), and other stories as well.
1989 – After 16 years with the same team, outfielder Jim Rice is released by the Boston Red Sox. Rice retires from the game with 382 home runs and a .298 average. He will eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
2000 – Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first pitcher to win the American League Cy Young Award unanimously in consecutive years. Martinez, who posted an 18-6 mark with a 1.74 ERA, has copped the “top pitcher” honor three of the last four seasons.
2001 – Pitcher Randy Johnson, who posted a 21-6 record with a 2.49 ERA and 372 strikeouts, wins his fourth Cy Young Award, his third straight as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Previously, Johnson also won the honor in 1995 with Seattle, and is the second pitcher to win three consecutive Cy Young awards, joining Greg Maddux who won four in a row from 1992–1995.
1789 – In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin writes “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
1980 – US spacecraft Voyager 1 sends back first close-up pictures of Saturn during its fly-by.
1982 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens in Washington, D.C., featuring the names of over 58,000 US soldiers killed or missing in the Vietnam War.
1992 – Riddick Bowe wins the undisputed world heavyweight boxing crown with a unanimous points decision over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas; first of their three meetings.
2001 – Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira‘s fifth studio album and first English language album, “Laundry Service”, is released.
2002 – Eminem releases the single ‘Lose Yourself’ from the soundtrack of “8 Mile,” the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
2015 – Terror attacks in Paris at bars, restaurants, the national football stadium and Bataclan music venue leave 130 dead. Isis claim responsibility.
2020 – Kylie Minogue becomes the first woman to top the UK album chart over five consecutive decades with “Disco”
KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 18: St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom talks with Kansas City Royals Manager Matt Quartraro before a MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on June 18, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Soon enough, if it hasn’t started by the time you read this, individual transactions for teams should have started up, perhaps even skyrocketed. I started writing this the day after the World Series ended, and I see even that first day that a few transactions have occurred. No time to like now to get started! I will try to keep up with Cardinal transactions as they occur, before this article posts.
As the Cardinals get involved in those transactions, the focus of discussion will inevitably narrow to the characteristics and potential of the player(s) involved, so very detailed. I wanted to take advantage of this interlude to take a high-level look at the pipeline, without getting into the merits of any individual player. The way I’m going to do this is to bucket players into various position groups and into various timeline brackets. The focus will be on the position groups and time brackets, not so much in trying to differentiate potential among individual prospects. My intent is to get a high level look at where the overall system (and roster) is stronger and where it is weaker, both now and into the future. Likewise, I didn’t spend copious amounts of time on the current iteration of the MLB roster. We know the weaknesses (and strengths). But which ones have solutions coming?
I had a little bit of a methodology here, which I will describe, and then talk through the groupings I formed up.
First, I separated players into position and pitching groups. I subdivided the MLB roster into position players, bench, starters and bullpen. I sub-divided MiLB players into just position players and pitcher. For the most part, only regulars in MiLB progress to MLB and almost all MLB pitchers come from the starter group. There are exceptions (Gastelum, for one), but few enough where a separate group doesn’t seem necessary.
Then I added in some timeline elements that hopefully mostly self-explanatory. I did try and avoid specific time forecasts, but one could look at each column and roughly estimate a season where a player in that column might begin to impact the MLB roster. Timing is so inexact, I took a different route in labelling the columns. They are as follows,
MLB – these are the players that by and large finished the season on the active 26-man roster (with some expected pruning yet to be announced).
MLB ready – these are the players that are not on the MLB active roster but have a realistic potential for doing so as soon as Opening Day and will more than likely see MLB time in 2027. To try and be consistent, my first screen for this was a player has to be on the 40-man roster and not on the 26-man, with one exception (Cijntje). The player has to be at AAA as well. Let’s face it, the Cardinals don’t call up players from AA, and don’t view AA players as MLB ready. Not every org thinks this of every player, but it is a good screen to apply here.
Near-ready – these are the players that appear near MLB readiness, but realistically won’t make the Opening Day roster because they have more boxes to check at AAA. Right now, the main composition of this group are the many players likely to move up to AAA from AA that are not on the 40-man roster.
Distant – this next group of players are guys who are identifiable as potential impact players, but are not near-ready. As you might suspect, these would be the guys expected to open at High-A or make it up to AA next season. This group has no chance of joining the MLB roster in 2027 and we can hope that they are at least near-ready by 2028. Some are further away, but their star burns bright enough to see.
I also had a Hospital ward – this group of players are the ones that would be in one of the upper groups if not for injury. I removed this grouping to reduce the size of the graphic. So as not to forget players like Henderson or Dobbins, who may (or may not) re-enter this pipeline at some future date.
I included only upper-tier prospects in the groups. Players not ranked on a prospect list or players below 40 FV on Fangraphs didn’t get grouped. There will certainly be an MLB-caliber player in there, but not many and likely not super impactful, and not enough to really change the overall picture. Some will want to argue this. But, but, what about Ortiz? He looks like a hitter and could fit in the 1B/DH group! Well, Deniel Ortiz has finally made it onto someone’s prospect list (BA has him at 27), but he carries a 35 FV. The potential of this one player impacting the major league roster is quite low. This isn’t a projection on Ortiz himself. I don’t know enough him individually. But right now, he doesn’t appear to make that group of incoming players materially stronger in a way that can be counted on. I left guys like this off. From 30,000 feet, we can’t see them until their star burns brighter. It may.
So, I plunked each chosen player into a position group and a timeline and came up with this distribution:
The groupings allow me to look at the system at a higher level without getting into frenzied debates about whether player X has more potential than player Y or what position the player should end up in. Here, we will look at the depth of the group, not the individual components so much.
I embellished the original groupings a bit, adding arrows to show the general flow of talent through the pipeline, which is roughly right-to-left. Once in MLB, bench players usually come from the stock of position players who can’t quite make the everyday circuit. Think about it. How often do teams promote from MiLB to the bench to improve the talent level of the team?
I added some color. MLB roster players are red if I view this as a roster spot that really just needs an upgrade. Yellow colored names are guys we don’t quite yet know what they are. These are the runway guys. On the non-MLB side, I color coded the groups based on perceived strength (and quantity). I also added prospect counts in each group, to keep the focus on the group, not the individuals.
Notice the position player side of the pipeline. It narrows from right to left. I’d kind of generally expect this. 10 Low-A prospects might be 4 by the time they get 2-3 years down the road. Peculiarly, the pitching pipeline has a more uniform shape, with pitching prospects pretty equally distributed. Just at a high level, I’d think this side of the pipeline is healthier because of that.
Some things that jump out immediately:
Notice the shortage of MLB-ready position players. I colored coded this grouping red, indicating this is (at a high level) probably the biggest area of deficit in the Cardinals system. If the MLB roster had no immediate needs, this wouldn’t be a huge problem, but the MLB roster has obvious deficits (3b, CF) and some potential deficits if the more unknowns struggle (Baez, Bernal). Jimmy Crooks isn’t going to fill all of these deficits (or perhaps any of them). With the known problems and the potential for injury or under-performance lurking, this gap is … concerning.
Worsening this look is the Near Ready group has but 4 players. An unusual amount of good fortune will have to pass over this group if they, as a group, are going to impact the MLB roster positively at some future date. The math tells us the likelihood is more like that only 1 or 2 will ascend in an impactful way.
When you look at the position players in the Distant comets group, the group itself starts to look stronger and more foundationally sound. We do have to remember that the attrition rate in this group is higher, though. And a ways away.
On the pitching side, the Cardinals come in with a solid if unspectacular rotation and a very weak bullpen. When you look at the MLB-ready pitching group, you see another 8 names (assuming Fitts is healthy). This group is colored code green as more of a strength.
We can see 5 more names in the Near Ready pitcher group. Not all of these guys will contribute in 2027, but it sure looks like the Cardinals could go ten deep in starters without going outside the organization. While I can see where they might want to bring in a veteran from the outside, this looks like a deep group.
As you look at the reliever group, the MLB talent level leaves a bit to be desired. Over time, it is pretty easy to imagine that a number of the MLB ready or Near Ready starters will either 1) push an existing starter to the bullpen or 2) end up a reliever themselves. When one thinks about the average MLB team in the average season rolls out 30 arms on MLB mounds, 12 (MLB) + 8 (MLB ready and near ready) doesn’t seem like quite enough quantity. While there is strength in the depth of the MLB Ready and Near Ready pitchers, there probably isn’t the numbers needed to both improve the rotation and improve the bullpen, unless everyone remains healthy and everyone progresses. Even with guys this close, I would call that unlikely. Some of this math probably helps inform the acquisition of Lopez and potentially others to come.
The challenge
If the MLB-ready position group is the biggest challenge, even more perplexing is how to fix it. Waiting doesn’t seem like a grand strategy. Inaction usually isn’t. Money to fill the MLB positional gaps with free agents would alleviate pressure on the AAA team, but non-performance or injury could strike at any time and expose this gap even with heavy spending.
As discussed widely, there are some potential redundancies at starting pitcher and catcher that could be dealt to fill some of these holes with trades. The match-ups don’t seem that great in the market, but it only takes one.
The longer-term option would be to take the MLB players closest to free agency (Burleson, Pallante) and deal them to acquire near-ready MLB talent. This would be unpopular with the fanbase, who are growing restive and perhaps a bit tired of the perceived slow pace of the rebuild. Plus, acquiring near-MLB ready talent is no guarantee they become impactful, which would submarine the whole affair. High risk, for sure. Even with the keen talent evaluation skills of this management group.
This bifurcated off-season should be fascinating to watch unfold.
May 9, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a double against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
For the first time since November 2023, someone other than Aaron Judge won the AL MVP award last night, with Yordan Alvarez taking home his first MVP. The last full-season AL MVP to go to someone other than Judge or Shohei Ohtani was Mike Trout in 2019. The junior circuit has been to an extent defined for the last decade by the exploits of those three greats, Judge, Ohtani, and Trout, though Alvarez’s breakthrough probably represents more of a career peak for the DH than it does a passing of the torch.
It’ll be a relatively quiet day on the site as we ease into another offseason weekend. In the morning, you can catch Josh’s discussion of Luis Garcia’s Jr.‘s fine, if lackluster, debut with the Yankees, as well as Matt’s appreciation of Mel Stottlemyre, who would’ve turned 85 today.
Questions/Prompts:
1. If the Yankees were to deal from their starting pitching surplus this winter, who would you most expect them to shop, and who would you be most OK with them shopping?
2. Which of last night’s MVP award winners has the best shot at going back-to-back next year? And which of the Cy Young Award winners?
It took 65 minutes and an eight-round shootout to finally get a goal, but at 10 PM Mountain Standard Time, the game between the Utah Mammoth and the St. Louis Blues finally ended. Unfortunately for the home team, their losing streak extends to four games with a 1-0 shootout loss on Thursday.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. You definitely can’t blame the Mammoth’s efforts. There was so much going against them. The team just came back from Las Vegas the night before, after an intense game against the Vegas Golden Knights. A couple of minutes out from this one, it was announced that the Mammoth would be rolling without three of their top five forwards.
After Nick Schmaltz was injured off a hit in the game against the Golden Knights, it was speculated that he likely wouldn’t play on Thursday. That speculation ended up being correct, as he joined Dylan Guenther, John Marino, Nate Schmidt, and Logan Cooley on the injury row. Head coach André Tourigny confirmed that a majority of those players are still a long way away from returning.
One man's loss is another man's gain. Coming into the lineup to replace Schmaltz was Ben McCartney, who hadn’t played an NHL game in 1,832 games, despite multiple NHL call-ups over the past couple of years and some really strong American Hockey League campaigns with the Tucson Roadrunners. Tourigny and the coaching staff had spoken highly about McCartney on Wednesday before the game against the Golden Knights, saying his time was coming. Thursday, his time finally did come.
"There are a lot of emotions,” McCartney said. “It was a grind to get back here, but I'm just so happy to be here. I just want to try to help the team win in any way possible."
It was his first game since Nov. 6, 2021, with the Arizona Coyotes. Zac Jones also made his Mammoth debut against the Blues, appearing in his first game since April 17, 2025, with the New York Rangers. Another player who has had a very good season so far with the Roadrunners.
“It took a lot of hard work, a lot of belief in myself,” Jones said. “Being a guy who was the seventh defenseman in New York for my entire career, it was tough to make a name for myself. It was nothing against them; they were great there; it was just time to move on. I think last year in Rochester, getting to play all the time rebuilt my confidence again and proved to myself that I can be a pro hockey player.”
Mammoth fans were on edge early on. Mikhail Sergachev went down early on, limping off the ice and into the locker room. Jones got extra shifts, but the Russian defenseman eventually returned and played more than 28 minutes.
This was a defensive-minded game from the very beginning. Two teams desperate for points, trying to figure each other out. A lot of credit has to be given to the blueline. They weren’t that great against the Golden Knights, but they really did well against the Blues.
Outside of Artem Duda and Jones, the top four defensemen each played upwards of 20 minutes. Especially when you consider the five times the Mammoth found themselves shorthanded, the blueline was the strongest part of the Mammoth’s game against the Blues.
“The way we defend, 5-on-5 (or) PK, all the time, a lot of pride, a lot of aggression,” Tourigny said. “I’ve talked a lot about that in the past, about how great we are when we have that aggression defensively. Tonight, we were rock solid defensively. I need to talk about Sergachev. He was really, really good. Best player on the ice, in my opinion, for both teams. He’s a big factor in why we got the point. He was at 28 minutes, and yesterday he had a lot of minutes as well. Kudos to him.”
The penalty kill ended up killing all five penalties, as mentioned. Lawson Crouse was another big factor in that. He played a very reliable two-way game and was out for a lot of the biggest shorthanded moments.
Karel Vejmelka also has to be credited with a huge part of why the Mammoth ended up getting a point. The goaltending has been highly criticized all season long. Vejmelka in particular has received a lot of flak for his play. Yet, he walks away from this one with a shutout. 22 saves in the game isn’t too shabby.
Again, it’s about finding consistency. This cannot be a one-and-done for Vejmelka. Both he and Sebastian Cossa need to find a way to perform well and win games repeatedly. Thursday’s game is a good start for the goaltender.
As mentioned, the Mammoth took this game all the way to the shootout. It is the first time in franchise history that the team went into a shootout tied at 0-0. Yet, they had some good opportunities to score throughout the match. They managed to outshoot the Blues 29-22. Not bad considering the Mammoth were missing three of their top five forwards.
“I think any team, throughout the course of a season, you're going to have injuries, and it's very important for the depth to step up and fill the role of whatever they're asked to do, and I thought everybody did that tonight,” Vincent Trocheck said.
In the shootout, the Mammoth were once again competitive. Both Trocheck and Barrett Hayton managed to force the competition all the way into the eighth round, where Connor McMichael eventually ended it. It's a sour way to end such a hard-fought battle, but at the very least, the Mammoth do get a point out of this one.
CONNOR MCMICHAEL WINS IT IN ROUND 8 OF THE SHOOTOUT FOR THE BLUES 🔥
Losing isn’t acceptable. Especially with losses in each of their four most recent games, points need to start flowing the Mammoth’s way, or they’re going to slip further and further out of the top three in the Central Division. Excuses shouldn’t be a go-to either, generally speaking.
However, you can’t fault the Mammoth for this one. They played and worked hard, which was impressive considering the number of injuries they have and the fact that they just got back from a road trip less than 24 hours ago. They also get a point, the first one they’ve picked up since their overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
“Losing the top guys that we have out, you can't really replace those guys,” Jones said. “But the guys that played, I thought, did a great job of just sticking to our roles, and honestly, we played a great game today. Credit to their goalie; he played well, and it's the way it goes sometimes.”
It is honestly the way it goes sometimes. Luckily, they do get some easier games coming up. The San Jose Sharks are a struggling team, while the Vancouver Canucks are in the middle of an all-out rebuild. They will also play the next four games at home, meaning the fatigue from traveling so much won’t be an excuse. Maybe just don't wear the Hometown Remix jerseys in those games. They are now 0-0-2 while wearing them.
Would a win be better than a shootout loss? Everyone will tell you yes. However, considering the circumstances, this is an outcome you can’t complain too much about.
“On the back-to-back, obviously we wanted the two points,” Tourigny said. “There are no moral victories in the NHL. But we lost in a shootout. We didn’t lose in a 3-on-3; we lost in a skills competition. We wanted the two points, I won’t lie, but I cannot be more proud of our guys.”
It’s a good way to look at it. The Mammoth lost in a skills competition, one they hadn't faced since April 2025. One that can be quite a gamble sometimes. There’s a lot to take and build on from this one, though. The only thing the Mammoth really can do is take those moral victories, move on, and win some of their upcoming games—something they desperately need to do.
The Mammoth will play the Sharks on Saturday. The Sharks are 8-11-2 this season and are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs were named the AL and NL Most Valuable Players on Thursday.
The 29-year-old Alvarez and 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong were the runaway winners, taking home the awards unanimously.
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals finished behind Alvarez in the AL voting. Crow-Armstrong ended Shohei Ohtani’s streak of three straight MVPs, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star finishing second and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang in third.
This year marks a changing of the guard after years of dominance by Ohtani and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. They were the MVPs in both 2024 and 2025, and at least one of them had been an MVP every year from 2021-25. Both players battled injuries throughout this season, with Judge playing just 66 games and Ohtani hitting his fewest home runs (30) since 2020.
Alvarez, the 2019 Rookie of the Year, had a standout season to carry the Astros to the AL West title, despite going just 81-81. He set a career-high with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs, and he led MLB in walks (109), batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601) and OPS (1.033).
After battling injuries in 2025, Alvarez played 158 games in 2026 while making his fourth All-Star appearance (and second start at DH). He hit three grand slams in June alone, becoming the 11th player in MLB history to pull off that feat.
Alvarez previously finished third in MVP voting in 2022, and this is his third top-10 finish. He joins teammate Jose Altuve (2017) and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell (1994) as just the third Astro to win the award.
Crow-Armstrong’s MVP campaign came in his third season, and his victory was emphatic. He led the NL in runs (119), home runs (45), slugging (.570), OPS (.943) and WAR (9.8) while playing all 162 games.
While the Los Angeles Clippers seem to be seeing strides made by some of their other injured players, Bradley Beal doesn’t appear to be on the same trajectory.
Beal is exactly one year removed from having undergone season-ending surgery to repair his fractured hip. The three-time All-Star’s hip has been cleared, but Beal remains on the injury report with right knee inflammation.
Beal has continued to serve as “a veteran leader” who spends time talking with the young guys, but when he will be able to get back on the court remains undecided.
“Every time we get him on the court to do something three days in a row, then it's like, it's not good results,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters on Nov. 12.
Beal averaged just 8.2 points, 1.7 assists, and 0.8 rebounds in his six games played last season before his injury.
For his career, Beal has averaged 21.4 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game through 14 seasons.
Beal re-signed with the Clippers as a free agent in August to a two-year deal worth $13.2 million. The deal has a player option for the second year.
The New York Islanders (8-6-4) got Matias Maccelli and Ryan Pulock back in the lineup and returned to winning ways with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings (5-10-2) on Thursday night.
Brayden Schenn had a three-point night (one goal, two assists), while Victor Eklund scored for a fourth straight game to tie all Eastern Conference rookies with seven.
Matthew Schaefer recorded his sixth goal of the season in his 100th career game, with points in all 18 games this season (six goals, 12 assists). Bo Horvat joined him with his 18th point late in the game (eight goals, 10 assists).
Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves to snap his four-game slide, while Pulock recorded two assists in his return, and Maccelli earned an assist.
The Kings went 10-0-1 in their last 11 games against the Islanders, and the Islanders haven't had a regulation win in their last 12 meetings. It's their first win in that building in about eight years.
The Islanders were held to just 21 shots but were productive enough.
Here's how the game unfolded:
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead at 5:50 of the first period after Brayden Schenn buried a rebound to Darcy Kuemper's right, which was created after Mitchell Chaffee and Ryan Pulock's point shot:
The Kings answered at 8:55 of the second period courtesy of a Trevor Moore slot tip on a Brandt Clarke point shot.
But at 12:56 of the first period, Matthew Schaefer scored on the power play to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. Maccelli fed him at the point, and there was a ton of traffic in front as the shot went off the glove-side post:
Quinton Byfield buried an Artemi Panarin rebound at 7:52 of the third period to cut the Kings' deficit to 3-2.
But, the Islanders got insurance early in the third when Simon Holmstrom turned around with a snipe from the slot at the 39-second mark of the period to extend the Islanders' lead to 3-0:
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 12: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates his three-point basket against Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Target Center on November 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Mavericks 133-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Do you remember the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves played basketball?
Since the Wolves last played, the Minnesota football team got flat-out embarrassed on national television, then went through all five stages of grief before building a time machine that sent them back to the days of Kirk Cousins, and now, in one fell swoop, has gone from pumpkins to the NFL’s new belle of the ball.
And somewhere in the midst of all of this, Joan Beringer is officially no longer a teenager and is starting to go gray.
I’m not saying having no Wolves games is responsible for any of this, or that if we had played sooner, maybe Beringer wouldn’t have had to have a birthday (is that how that works?). I’m not saying that! But man, does it feel good to finally have this team back on the court and on our screens again.
In their first game back in eons, the Wolves laced up and faced off against a team in the Dallas Mavericks that seems to be fast-tracking a soft rebuild. On paper, both teams are pretty evenly matched in several categories, namely FG% (DAL #4, MIN #5), turnovers (DAL #10, MIN #11), and steals (DAL #14, MIN #15), so the Wolves needed to win the possession battle.
Certainly, the Mavericks would be up for the challenge, so it would stand to reason that this would be a challenging game for the Wolves. Right?
Right?
Wrong
To start the game, Jonathan Kuminga was on a torrid pace, muscling to the basket for a lay-up and cutting to the rim for a dunk off a beautiful find by LaMelo Ball, who proceeded to find Jaden McDaniels on a similar play a few possessions later.
The Mavericks settled in and muddied the game as the quarter went on. At the 5:16 mark, TJ Shannon subbed in, and PJ Washington proceeded to bully him to the rim for an and-one. This was a great quarter for Washington, as he finished with 10 points in the quarter.
Perhaps an accurate distillation of the rest of the game, though, is that those 10 points would be it for Washington, and the Mavs 24-19 lead would soon be relinquished and gone for good.
Ayo Dosunmu and the bench mob of Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark, Trey Lyles, and Joan Beringer burst the Wolves out of the mud like the Snoats brothers in “Raising Arizona”, spurring an 11-0 run that got the crowd dancing on their feet. After a couple of free throws by Naji Marshall to stop the run, a Gobert offensive rebound off a missed Dosunmu corner three allowed the Wolves to close out the quarter with this Clark nuke.
The second quarter saw more of the same for the Wolves. After a sloppy turnover by Dosunmu led to a corner three by Zaccharie Risacher, the Wolves had given up 15 points off of six turnovers. Those numbers would balloon to 25 and 11 by the end of the first half, and it wouldn’t matter.
Because everything else was aces.
Dosunmu continues to truck along as Mr. Consistency, a perfect cog in the absence of Anthony Edwards. He finished the half with 12 points by doing what he does best: being an absolute bully out on the break.
As for Ball, he was unconscious from deep, and finding cutters left and right. Much has been said about his fit with Gobert, and there were still a couple of miscues on the Ball-Gobert feed tonight. Near the end of the half, though, Ball slipped into the paint as the ball guided him around. He faked once, and then floated the ball up for a Gobert slam.
It was a thing of beauty, and exactly why sticking to the process matters.
Going into this game, Ball’s assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62) wasn’t pretty to look at, but for the most part, I don’t mind it.
The way I see it is that they are mostly a statistical fallout of process-driven stuff that should temper with time. Some of the results might be an eyesore for box score perusers, but I love the process. I love that Ball is not afraid to continue to funnel the ball into Rudy, even if his individual numbers risk taking a hit. The box score won’t tell the whole story. It seldom does. But Ball’s commitment to the process should pay dividends as the season bears itself out.
Minnesota scored 33 points in the second quarter. LaMelo Ball created 18 of those points (10 with his scoring and 8 with his assists).
He was — once again — in total command. Has been the case consistently over the last four.
The Wolves would go into halftime leading 67-52. And then…
It got fun. Real fun.
Ball continued his unconscious streak from long-range, followed by a Dosunmu transition trey. Dusty May would call a timeout not even two minutes into the second half to try to stop the bleeding. That worked just as well as trying to stop a Beringer nosebleed.
The Wolves were playing loose and fast. McDaniels was gliding down the court for barely contested lay-ins. Kuminga was hitting threes, and the lead would soar to 32 points midway through the third after McDaniels was blocked, got the ball back, and then threw down a vicious slam.
Right before the McDaniels sequence, Beringer re-entered the game with a clear mask (!). Before the mask change, Beringer had zero points and zero blocks. After the mask change: 13 points and three blocks. Need I say more? That new mask is magic.
Although there were times through the third where it looked more like a horse race at Canterbury, with players running around with their manes on fire, any and all sloppy play was a moot point, and the Mavericks would end up waving the white flag before the third quarter had even concluded.
The fourth quarter was mostly a non-event because of the score (Wolves 103 – Mavericks 69 at the end of the third), outside of a Gobert and-one off a Kuminga miss (where he converted on the free throw!) and a smooth jump hook by the magic-masked-man Beringer, but I wanted to shout out Isaiah Evans on his first official points in the NBA.
I know it was on a goal-tend, but still, a milestone is a milestone.
And a shout-out to Jon “Boog” Sciambi on the call tonight, his first Wolves game of the season. I know he is beloved in Wrigleyville as the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs. As a Twins fan, I hold no ill will towards the Cubs. It’s that other team on the South Side that I have problems with.
In the end, the Wolves were able to completely stifle Cooper Flagg for 12 points on just 5-12 shooting. Seeing the Wolves, he was probably having nightmares about his last game against them, when he went 5-19 for 12 points. I guess this game was an improvement? Baby steps, teenager. Baby steps.
The Wolves were also able to silence Kyrie Irving, who up until now had looked rejuvenated and was outperforming his career shooting splits across the board.
Caleb Martin just about doubled his scoring average (seven points tonight). He should be proud of that.
But this was perhaps the Wolves’ best all-around effort in this season’s infancy. Off a long break against a good team, Target Center was rocking, and from start to finish, it was just a rollicking good time.
79-3.
Quick! Say something nice about the Mavericks!
Right now, the Mavericks have 13 guys logging double-digit minutes. It’s clear that Dusty May and his coaching staff have spent the early part of this season seeing what works and what doesn’t. I’d expect the rotations to get tighter as the season wears on, as players fill out their roles and the overall numbers flesh out into something a bit more comprehensive. So far, though, May has struck a good balance of thinking big picture while still keeping his team competitive on a nightly basis.
In a fairly perforated coaching pipeline, May’s seamless transition from college to the NBA has been nothing short of impressive. I was late to the magic of May, only first hearing about him last year as the coach of the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines. Chalk it up to object permanence on my part, but I know who he is now, and it’s almost as if he was built in a lab to know ball and coach ball.
Yesterday also marked the one-year anniversary of the Mavericks dumping disgraced GM and possible secret Los Angeles Lakers operative Nico Harrison. Going from Harrison to Masai Ujiri seems to have stabilized this organization. Finally, adults have returned to the table.
Enmities from the 2024 WCF aside, I’m happy for Mavericks fans.
Game Highlights
Up Next
The Timberwolves continue their eight-game homestand on Saturday, as Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s Bulls fly into Target Center. O’Hare ranks first as the busiest airfield in the world. Meanwhile, their team ranks first in a bunch of categories you’d rather not rank first in. Liftoff is at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MN and NBA League Pass.
Dončić suffered a right ankle injury with 4:25 left in the game after landing on Kyle Kuzma while attempting a shot. The point guard was awarded a foul and attempted his free throws before leaving for the locker room.
Coach JJ Redick stated after the game that Dončić had an ankle "tweak."
"I'm good," said Dončić, who finished with 32 points. "Obviously painful a little bit, but I'll be fine."
The Phoenix Suns led 48-31 halfway through the second quarter, and it looked like they were on their way to another stress-free win against a depleted Charlotte Hornets team. Without the franchise cornerstone players Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, and with a superb stretch from the Suns bench, the Hornets looked dead in the water, but ultimately fought back and made this game a slog for the final two and a half quarters for the Suns, who won 101-96.
Two things were apparent in this game: the Phoenix Suns could not rebound, and the Charlotte Hornets could not stop turning the basketball over. The Hornets outrebounded the Suns 64-to-43 and outscored the Suns 16-7 in second-chance points. The Suns forced 27 Hornets turnovers (each Hornets starter had at least four turnovers) while the Suns committed eight turnovers. So the rebounding numbers are skewed in favor of the Hornets because they had 13 fewer shots on goal than the Suns did. However, 22 Suns defensive rebounds compared to 15 Hornets offensive rebounds is not getting the job done at all for a Suns team that can be much better than they have been this season at rebounding.
Because the Suns could not rebound the ball and play as fast as they needed to get the offense going, the game became a half-court slog in the second half. The Suns shot 13-for-42 from the 3-point line, and a lot of the looks that went in on Tuesday did not fall for the Suns against the Hornets. Overall, the Suns were 41% from the field, and only one player had a field goal percentage higher than 50%. Devin Armani Booker scored 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, 4-for-8 from the 3-point line, and had seven assists with just two turnovers. He made every big shot for Phoenix in clutch time, including a deep dagger 3 with 23 seconds left to give the Suns a decisive six-point lead.
All eyes were on Miles Bridges, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale in this game because of the Bridges trade that happened this offseason. Bridges scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had three assists, and was effective playing with the bench units, but continued to struggle to make an impact with the starting group. Allen scored 14 points, while O’Neale scored 7 points, all coming in the fourth quarter. The Hornets were led by Coby White, who scored 21 points but did not play in the fourth quarter due to what appeared to be a minutes restriction. That certainly helped the Suns win this game, because White was getting wherever he wanted against the Suns’ defense.
A win is a win, but the Suns’ starting unit continued to not find any type of consistency in this game. The best stretches of basketball continue to come from this team at the beginning of the second and fourth quarters when there are at least four bench players in. The Suns closed the game with a Booker-Luke Kennard-Jordan Goodwin-Dillon Brooks-Oso Ighodaro lineup, while Jalen Green played just 21 minutes and none in the final quarter.
Green’s continuing to show growth in the areas the Suns need him to grow in, but the fit with everyone else on the roster continues to be a problem, and the trust in him is obviously dwindling as he continues to not see minutes in fourth quarters. The Suns’ record is now 5-6, and sometime in the near future they are going to have to change the starting lineup if it continues to look this disconnected.
Game Flow
First Half
All eyes were on Miles Bridges, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale to start this game, and it was Grayson Allen who got things going for the Hornets early, connecting on a pair of triples. The Suns’ defense lacked focus and gave up multiple wide-open layups and threes early, with Coby White hitting a wide-open 3 in semi-transition to go up 15-10. Jordan Ott called a timeout and subbed out Bridges for Ryan Dunn. The Suns’ energy immediately changed on that end of the floor, as they quickly jumped on the Hornets defensively, leading to a 7-0 run engineered by Jalen Green knocking down two free throws and a corner 3 off of Suns stops.
There were two big takeaways from the Suns’ first quarter: defense forced 10 turnovers and Devin Booker’s pull-up 3-point shooting. Booker was dialed in, scoring 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3. His comfort level shooting from long range continues to grow, and it is opening up everything for the rest of his game. The Suns led by six to end the first quarter because the Hornets did just enough on the offensive glass to stay in it, down 28-22 after one.
The Suns bench took over in the second quarter because of their hustle and tenacity on both ends of the floor. Jordan Goodwin forced multiple turnovers, leading to a wide-open dunk for Bridges and free throws off of an excellent out-of-bounds play. Collin Gillespie got free for multiple long-range bombs that went in as the Suns pushed their six-point lead out to 15 four minutes into the second quarter, 46-31.
The Suns led by as much as 17 before putting the starters back in, but there was some slippage. The Hornets went on a 14-2 run to cut the Suns’ lead to 50-43. A couple of defensive breakdowns and Bridges fouling Grant Williams on a 3-point shot, leading to a 4-point play, were the catalysts for the Hornets getting back into the game. Williams scored 9 points in the second period, and another Allen 3 got the Hornets’ deficit down to five at halftime, 55-50.
Even though the Suns were out-rebounded 28-to-15, the Suns still won the possession battle because the Hornets had 15 turnovers compared to the Suns’ three total turnovers in the first half. The two worst stretches of the game came when the majority of the Suns’ starters were on the floor, as they continued to get in their own way of being a good team.
Second Half
The Suns’ sloppiness from the starters continued to start the second half. As the Hornets jumped out to a 12-to-4 run to start the third quarter, the Suns’ poor offensive flow led to easy shots and even more offensive rebounds for the Hornets, who led 62-59 with 8:22 left to play in the third. Since the Suns’ 17-point second-quarter lead, the Suns were outscored 31-to-11 across both halves, and Coby Whites 19 points up to that point were a big reason why.
For the rest of the quarter, the Suns started to play better once Dunn, Gillespie and Maluach checked in for Ighodaro, Bridges and Green. But the Hornets responded immediately after two tough Booker midrange buckets. Both teams finished the quarter cold from the field, but Christian Anderson’s solid play off the bench for the Hornets put the Hornets up 76-72 after three quarters. The Suns continued to look allergic to rebounding and playing consistent, mistake-free defense, and now a game that was once in cruise control completely slipped away from them. At no point should Jalen Green ever lead the Suns in rebounding with four total rebounds after three quarters.
It wasn’t the prettiest 11-3 run ever to start the fourth quarter, but the Suns bench just never relents on their pressure. It started with the Suns grabbing a defensive rebound and a Bridges dunk in transition. The Suns attacked the rim and glass early in the quarter, capped off by a Gillespie midrange pull-up after a travel from Reid. Next play, the Suns force a turnover, Gillespie misses another midrange shot, but Goodwin chases down the rebound and lobs it up to Ighodaro to give the Suns an 83-79 lead.
The Suns continued to string together good possessions for the most part but could not create much separation. Luke Kennard scored multiple midrange shots, and a Gillespie drive-and-dump off to Maluach should have ended in a dunk, but he mishandled it, and O’Neale sprayed in a triple on the other end.
Booker, Brooks, and Ighodaro checked and left Goodwin and Kennard in. After Williams got open for a layup, Booker found Goodwin for an open 3 that just rimmed out. Booker connected on a midrange jump shot to give the Suns a three-point lead. The Suns continued to get multiple stops, and finally a Brooks 3-point shot gave the Suns a 92-86 lead.
The Suns and Hornets traded multiple empty possessions until Reid broke the seal with a 3 of his own, but Booker responded with a tough floater in the lane to get the Suns back up five with one minute to play. A cutting Diabate layup on the other end got it right back to a one-possession game with the Suns up 94-91. Then it was Devin Booker time as he hit a deep, deep 3-point pull with 23 seconds left to give Phoenix a decisive six-point lead. That is, until Brooks fouled O’Neale on a 3-point shot, which, of course, went in for the four-point play.
The Suns inbounded the basketball to Booker. He quickly passed it back to Bridges, who was fouled by Allen, and he made both free throws. Then Booker poetically stole an Allen pass for the Hornets’ 27th turnover of the night, and sank both free throws as the Suns went on to win 101-96.
Up Next
The Phoenix Suns finish up their homestand with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 18: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball while being guarded by OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 18, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are sports movies, there are even some good sports movies. And then there is Hoosiers.
As a basketball romantic you are definitely not flipping the channel when old ball coach Norman Dale a.k.a. Gene Hackman drives his 1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe through the backwoods of Indiana all the way to the little town of Hickory, where he hopes to find a new life, new love and redemption. You let yourself be mesmerized by Angelo Pizzo’s and David Anspaugh’s timeless fairytale, by the very essence of “Hoosier Hysteria,” the beautiful yet tragic tribulations of high school sports, the rough, simple charm of small town America. And you enjoy every second of it, despite a rather predictable underdog story unfolding in front of your eyes that Hollywood has repeated many times over.
The current Indiana Pacers would kill for some of that predictability, the kind they expected going into this season. After a surprising Finals berth in 2025, their following year was doomed by Tyrese Haliburton’s ruptured Achilles. They punted on the next campaign and thought, with their point guard’s return, everything would return normal; that the half-court offense would run smooth as a “picket fence;” and that the jumpers would automatically fall like the ones by Jimmy Chitwood. But Haliburton (unfortunately) isn’t as quiet nor as down to earth as Mr. Chitwood, nor is an NBA season comparable to a Hollywood movie. It’s a lot more complicated than that.
The Pacers are finding that out the hard way. It only took testy Tyrese a handful of games until he got injured again (it’s a hamstring now) and his team sorely misses the All Star as their 4-8 record puts them in the lower region of the Eastern Conference. On Friday against the New York Knicks, Haliburton will also be reduced to trolling from the sidelines, and he won’t be able to right the wrongs that have plagued his squad so far this season. It’s a huge advantage for Mike Brown’s men as Haliburton is the straw that stirs the Apple Cider for Indiana. Most of their strategy revolves around his talent, his scoring and his distribution.
But it’s not like the Pacers are just struggling out of the gate because Hali has only played four games. Even with him they lost to Milwaukee, barely got by New Orleans and were annihilated by Dallas. Indiana can’t shoot threes (just over 33 percent), despite a traditionally fast pace their offense isn’t even close to functioning well (20th in offensive rating), and their D is nothing to write home about either (15th in the league). The Pacers are an atrocious rebounding team (29th in rebounding percentage) and they struggle mightily to hit their free throws.
Do they do anything well? They do, in fact, take good care of the ball and have a one of the best assist-to-turnover-ratios in the entire Association. Individually Pascal Siakam is enjoying a strong start to the season (22.7 points) and Andrew Nembhard has come firing out of the gates as well (17.1 points, 42.9 percent from downtown). A lot of guys are still left from that Finals team two years ago, so in theory they should know what it takes. And Rick Carlisle is still a tremendously respected coach, at least when he isn’t whining like a five year old who didn’t get his wish at Toys-R-Us.
The skipper really has his work cut out for him early in the year. New center Ivica Zubac, a classic, plodding back-to-basket big man with considerable post skills, hasn’t really found his place in an adjusted Pacers system that once was predicated on playing five-out at all costs. Continuity has also been a big issue as Carlisle has already started 11 different players, at times making it seem like the Pacers are still on their tanking ways from last year. They obviously aren’t and it should be noted that slow starts are nothing new for Indiana under Carlisle. Consider yourself warned.
With Friday’s game being another Cup contest you can bet that the Pacers will be highly motivated and our beloved Knicks better be ready for a hostile environment. Keep calm if Haliburton tries some stupid sideline voodoo as he certainly will when he senses a camera being on him. Feed Karl-Anthony Towns in a favorable matchup for him, let Brunson do his thing against Indiana’s supposed Brunson stoppers who always seem to just limit him to 35. Make use of your more talented depth, outshoot the struggling shooting team and control the tempo. Just show that you are the better team – which the Knicks, even with their current ups and downs, are at this point in the season.
And please leave the Indiana underdog stories where they belong and where they are actually fun. Leave them to Hoosiers.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (6-5) at Indiana Pacers (4-8) Date: Friday, November 13, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM ET Place: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN TV: Prime Video Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
