County Championship updates from around the grounds
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Thanks to Tim Maitland who has an eye on the Headingley stream. “Lengthy stoppage after the first ball of the day at Headingley, after Tom Price injured an ankle fielding on the boundary.”
Lawrence tucks into Simon Harmer, muscling him to the rope to reach fifty off 74 balls.
Continue reading...Fans of the Detroit Red Wings will have to wait another year for their beloved franchise to play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season.
Unfortunately, the Red Wings unraveled in the month of March once again, losing what was a comfortable playoff cushion and eventually being eliminated from contention in the 80th game of their centennial campaign.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have already punched their ticket to the second round of the postseason thanks to a clean four-game sweep of Detroit's Atlantic Division rival, the Ottawa Senators.
In doing so, they matched an impressive mark set by the Red Wings in 2009 that had not been repeated until now.
The Hurricanes became the first team since the 2009 Red Wings, who swept the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, to never trail at any point during an opening-round series.
Talk about staying ahead of the game 🏃♂️💨
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) April 25, 2026
The Canes are the first team to never trail in a game in the first round series since the Red Wings vs. the Blue Jackets in 2009 🙌 pic.twitter.com/YiUboBdkFN
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As Red Wings fans may remember, they entered the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the defending Stanley Cup champions.
"We Had Concerns": Steve Yzerman Saw Warning Signs For Red Wings During Thursday's press conference, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke honestly about what needs to improve for his club, which just missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. Detroit was matched against the Blue Jackets, who were making their very first playoff appearance.
Just like the Hurricanes did to the Senators, the Red Wings proved to be simply too much for the Blue Jackets to handle.
The only competitive game of the series was Game 4 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, a wild back-and-forth affair that ultimately resulted in a 6-5 victory for Detroit.
Johan Franzen scored the game-winning goal with 46 seconds left in regulation after an ill-advised bench minor penalty assessed to the Blue Jackets for too many men on the ice.
Detroit would then go on to enjoy a thrilling seven-game series win over the Anaheim Ducks, followed by a five-game series win over the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.
However, it would be the Pittsburgh Penguins pulling off a stunning upset, winning the series in seven games and skating the Stanley Cup on Joe Louis Arena ice.
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Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18, first in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (45-37, seventh in the Western Conference)
Phoenix; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Thunder -10.5; over/under is 213.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Thunder lead series 3-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder look to clinch the series over the Phoenix Suns in game four of the Western Conference first round. The Thunder defeated the Suns 121-109 in the last meeting on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 42 points, and Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33.
The Suns are 29-23 against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix has a 19-29 record against teams above .500.
The Thunder are 41-11 in Western Conference play. Oklahoma City is second in the league giving up only 107.9 points while holding opponents to 43.7% shooting.
The Suns score 112.6 points per game, 4.7 more points than the 107.9 the Thunder allow. The Thunder average 7.9 more points per game (119.0) than the Suns allow their opponents to score (111.1).
TOP PERFORMERS: Devin Booker is averaging 26.1 points and six assists for the Suns. Brooks is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Cason Wallace is shooting 43.2% and averaging 8.6 points for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Suns: 3-7, averaging 106.3 points, 42.2 rebounds, 21.2 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.2 points per game.
Thunder: 8-2, averaging 122.0 points, 44.7 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 10.6 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points.
INJURIES: Suns: Mark Williams: day to day (foot), Jordan Goodwin: day to day (calf).
Thunder: Isaiah Joe: day to day (personal), Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Orlando, Florida; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Pistons -2.5; over/under is 214.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Magic lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference first round with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Magic won the last meeting 113-105 on Saturday, led by 25 points from Paolo Banchero. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27.
The Magic have gone 26-26 against Eastern Conference teams. Orlando is ninth in the Eastern Conference scoring 115.7 points while shooting 46.4% from the field.
The Pistons are 39-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit is fourth in the league scoring 18.0 fast break points per game. Tobias Harris leads the Pistons averaging 3.7.
The 115.7 points per game the Magic score are 6.1 more points than the Pistons give up (109.6). The Pistons average 117.8 points per game, 2.7 more than the 115.1 the Magic give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Magic. Desmond Bane is averaging 17.5 points over the last 10 games.
Cunningham is averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists for the Pistons. Duncan Robinson is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 7-3, averaging 114.9 points, 45.2 rebounds, 27.2 assists, 9.7 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.
Pistons: 7-3, averaging 115.5 points, 44.3 rebounds, 29.4 assists, 9.4 steals and 7.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.0 points.
INJURIES: Magic: Jonathan Isaac: day to day (knee).
Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (54-28, third in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 10:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Nuggets -10.5; over/under is 223.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Timberwolves lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves look to clinch the series over the Denver Nuggets in game five of the Western Conference first round. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-96 in the last meeting on Sunday. Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 43 points, and Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 30.
The Nuggets have gone 11-5 against division opponents. Denver is fourth in the NBA with 29.0 assists per game. Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets averaging 10.7.
The Timberwolves are 9-7 against opponents from the Northwest Division. Minnesota is eighth in the Western Conference scoring 50.3 points per game in the paint led by Dosunmu averaging 11.5.
The Nuggets average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Timberwolves allow. The Timberwolves average 118.0 points per game, 1.1 more than the 116.9 the Nuggets allow to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Murray is averaging 25.4 points and 7.1 assists for the Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 22.7 points over the last 10 games.
Julius Randle is averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Bones Hyland is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 121.6 points, 46.9 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.6 points per game.
Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 117.2 points, 42.1 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.3 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards: day to day (undisclosed), Donte DiVincenzo: out for season (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Well, we had our first “home game” in Mexico City this afternoon, and here at the end of it I find myself in an absolutely filthy mood. A big part of that, I’m sure, is how the game ultimately turned out. Some portion is also that, like others have remarked over the last couple of days, it seems grossly unfair that, in a divisional series, one team—the Diamondbacks, in this instance—got the “honor” of being assigned as the home team despite the fact that we, like the San Diego Padres, are playing very far from home in fact, and in facilities and at an elevation that are both deeply unfamiliar and likely uncomfortable for both teams. And given that end-of-year tiebreakers, should they happen to come into play in September when postseason berths are being decided, have division records and whatnot pretty high up on the list, having two less actual home games, in our actual home park, against a divisional foe puts us at a distinct disadvantage, and makes these games much more high-stakes for us than they would be otherwise, and much more high-stakes than they should be. It seems distinctly unfair, and also pretty wildly unnecessary, at least if one’s primary interest is Major League Baseball. But more on that later, I suppose….I’m supposed to be a recapping a baseball game here. So I suppose I should get to it.
The Padres brought former Rockie German Marquez to play today, while we brought Zac Gallen. Since we were pitching “at home,” Gallen got to go first, and while he was hardly wowing with his control or his efficiency—of the seventeen pitches he threw in the top of the first, only eight of them landed for strikes—he did retire the top of the San Diego lineup in order, and put up a welcome zero. Marquez did the same to us, in the bottom of the first, but with rather more efficiency, needing only thirteen pitches to sit down Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll in order with two looking punchouts and a grounder to short. Gallen was a bit better in the second, recording another clean inning with two strikeouts of his own, and only throwing fifteen pitches.
In the bottom of the second, meanwhile, we managed to make Marquez work a little bit harder, to say the least. Adrian Del Castillo flew out to center and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. rolled a grounder to second for two quick outs, but then the bottom half of our lineup showed that they, at least, had gotten their bats through customs. Ildemaro Vargas kept his hit streak going with a line-drive single to shallow center, Nolan Arenado hit a shot that glanced off Manny Machado’s glove and wound up in left field for another single. Jose Fernandez, today’s designated hitter, roped a line drive double into the gap in left center to drive in Vargas and Nolan. Then Alek Thomas stepped to the plate, and on the third pitch he saw from Marquez demonstrated what hitting a fly ball at 7,300 feet above sea level can do for your offensive production:
Steve and Tom, who were our broadcasters today, kept describing the hit as “towering” and so on and so forth, but if you look closely, he kind of got under it and hit it pretty much off the end of the bat, and if you look at where it lands (in what I presume is a bullpen area just over the right field fence), I don’t think there’s any way that ball goes for a home run in any MLB ballpark. But what the heck? We’ll take it. 4-0 DBACKS
And that was the Diamondbacks One Big Inning on offense. You may have noted in the “dek” or the tagline for this post that One Big Inning laid Brandon Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks low, but this wasn’t it. You may not have noticed, but the Diamondbacks definitely seem to have OBI problems fairly frequently, not only in terms of our pitching but also in terms of our offense. For our offense, it manifests a bit differently—we score a chunk of runs in one inning of the ballgame, usually early, and after that it’s, well, nothing. Crickets. So it was today.
Maybe we should give that phenomenon a slightly different acronym, to distinguish the offense problem from the pitching problem. Maybe call the offense one Only One Big Inning, or OOBI. Yeah. I think that works.
Anyway. Gallen allowed his first bit of traffic in the top of the third, though to be fair it was hardly his fault. With out out already recorded, Zac threw a knuckle curve to Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, who hit it right back up the box. It hit Gallen in his right shoulder and then dribbled away onto the infield for a single. The trainers came out, they had Gallen throw a number of practice pitches off the mound, and when they were satisfied, they went back into the dugout and Gallen finished up the inning with a grounder to second and his third strikeout of the game. That was the end of his outing, however, as presumably the shoulder started to swell and stiffen up, and by the time to top of the fourth rolled around Brandon Pfaadt was warming up in the bullpen, and it was announced that Zac was out of the game due to a “right shoulder contusion.”
That didn’t seem like so bad a thing, really, because Pfaadt came out dealing. He struck out two in a nine-pitch top of the fourth, and pitched around a two-out solo dinger from San Diego first baseman Ty France in the top of the fifth. 4-1 DBACKS
The top of the sixth started off a bit rougher, with Jake Cronenworth drawing an eight-pitch leadoff walk from the nine hole. He struck out Ramon Laureano, though, and induced a very hard grounder from Fernando Tatis, Jr. that Perdomo scooped to start a very slick inning-ending double play.
You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned the offense, but that’s because the offense wasn’t doing anything except swinging early at Marquez pitches and allowing him to cruise through the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings with only 38 pitches thrown. They scattered two singles, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch across those four frames, and yet Marquez wound up having to throw, on average, fewer than ten pitches in any one of those innings. It was uninspiring, to say the least.
Meanwhile, Pfaadt was only at 36 pitches through his three innings of work, so he came out to start the top of the seventh, and that was when the wheels came off. He walked Jackson Merrill on ten pitches to open up the action, then surrendered a single to Machado, and then stepped off the mound three different times to balk the runners to second and third before walking Zander Bogaerts on six pitches to load the bases with nobody out. That earned Pfaadt the hook, with Taylor Clarke coming on to try and get out of the mess. Long story stort: he failed, though not for lack of effort. Gavin Sheets greeted his first pitch with a two-run single to right, Ty France reached on a fielding error by Perdomo that led to Perdomo leaving the game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained ankle, and two sacrifice flies later, the Padres had the lead. 5-4 San Diego
And that was pretty much that. Ty France hit another solo dinger off Trevor Andrew Hoffman to lead off the ninth, the Diamondbacks managed a bit more traffic on the basepaths but couldn’t get anyone else home, and that gives us our disappointing final score of 6-4 San Diego
Your Neighborhood Arizona Taco Shack: Zac Gallen (3 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 0 BB, +14% WPA), Jose Fernandez (4 AB, 2 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI, +13% WPA)
That Taco Bell Just Off the Interstate Outside Dubuque, Iowa: Adrian Del Castillo (4 AB, 0 H, 1 K, -14% WPA), Brandon Pfaadt (3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 HR, 5 K, -15% WPA)
Jack in the Box: Taylor Clarke (1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 IBB, 1 HBP, -31% WPA)
The Gameday Thread today was sparsely attended, at least, with only 137 comments at time of posting. Probably just as well, really, as this game was really pretty desultory and disappointing. By popular acclaim, Comment of the Game goes to MikeMono:
I don’t entirely agree with this one, though I do agree that this is another game that can and should be added to the 2026 list of games that we should have won but didn’t. Myself, I feel like this was a more unusual circumstance, and less of the same-old-same-old, which reminds me….
Coming back to the point I gestured toward at the end of my intro paragraph, there seems to me that there is absolutely no reason for “events” like this to exist while the MLB regular season in going on, and it frankly offends me that things like this do happen. In hopefully succinct bullet-list form, here’s why:
So, yeah, that’s my rant. This sort of greedhead idiocy has no place in regular season MLB baseball. It should be abolished.
So join us tomorrow, if you feel so inclined, as we try to salvage a “series” split against the Padres. Michael King goes for San Diego, Ryne Nelson goes for us. Ulp. But I’m sure it will be fine. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 Arizona time, so bring your lunch, your beverage of choice, and your external oxygen tank. Hope to see you!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
ATLANTA -- A few notes on the Knicks’ performance in a do-or-die Game 4 win.
The Knicks put Josh Hart on CJ McCollum to start the most important game of their season and Hart delivered. With Hart as the lead defender on McCollum, the Knicks limited him to eight points and three turnovers in the first 20-plus minutes of the game. That allowed New York to build an early 15-point lead.
“Yeah Josh was really good on the ball," head coach Mike Brown said. "Josh is a guy with quick feet, he’s strong and when he gets locked in he’s locked in."
The Knicks also used Hart on Jalen Johnson in Game 4. Johnson had been Hart’s primary assignment earlier in the season.
It will be interesting to see how the Knicks handle MJ – I mean CJ McCollum early in Game 5.
With Jalen Brunson playing below his standard, the Knicks needed to get production from other sources. Brown said New York changed its early offense during Game 4 and that resulted in the ball landing in Karl-Anthony Towns’ hands.
Towns did the rest. He had 10 points and four assists in the Knicks’ tone-setting first quarter. He continued to make plays throughout the game – whether it was at the elbow or in the post.
“He really put us in a position to win,” Brunson said of Towns, who had his first career playoff triple-double.
The number of touches/shots for Towns has been a hot button around the Knicks all year. On Saturday, they got him the ball and he certainly delivered.
After the game, Hart reiterated that the Knicks need to be deliberate in finding Towns on offense.
“He’s a hub," Hart said. "He’s a guy that can score the ball, but also pass the ball and find guys when they’re open. We have to continue to do that."
Towns wasn’t the only Knick to pick up the scoring for Brunson. OG Anunoby was again strong on both ends for New York. He led the team with 12 first-half points and made life difficult on the other end for Atlanta. He also rebounded the ball well, helping the Knicks take a 14-point lead into halftime.
Anunoby has arguably been the best Knick through four postseason games. In the first three games, he averaged 20 points on 56 percent shooting (8-for-15 from beyond the arc). On Saturday, he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He’s averaging nearly nine rebounds per game, which is roughly four more than his per-game average in the regular season.
Whether it was Anunoby, Towns, Hart or strong bench play from Jose Alvarado, the Knicks found a way to dominate without relying on Brunson.
“No matter who it is – if KAT is struggling, he’s gotta find other ways to help us win. If Jalen’s struggling to shoot it, he’s gotta find other ways to help us win. If OG is struggling to shoot it or not getting enough touches, or Mikal [Bridges], whoever it is, they just gotta keep trying to find different ways to help us win,” Brown said. “[Jalen] created double-teams, [Miles McBride] got some some wide open looks. If they’re gonna keep doubling him, we gotta make sure we knock the shot down. He’s setting great screens. We gotta keep doing those little things when we’re not shooting the ball at the highest level. Jalen did that [in Game 4].”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Denver-Minnesota rivalry took another dramatic turn in the closing seconds of Game 4 on Saturday, when Nuggets star Nikola Jokic confronted Jaden McDaniels after he took an uncontested layup with the Timberwolves on the way to victory and a 3-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series.
After McDaniels made the unsportsmanlike basket with 2.1 seconds left with the Nuggets having conceded the 112-96 decision, Jokic ran from one end of the court to the other to shove him. Players from both teams converged around them to broaden the scuffle before order was restored. Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who was livid with Jokic, was ejected along with Denver's center.
“He scored when we'd stopped playing,” Jokic said. “You guys saw what happened.”
McDaniels, who spiced up the series after Game 2 by declaring Denver's team was full of “ bad defenders,” said afterward he didn't know what Jokic said to him during the confrontation.
“I just seen someone who was big as hell,” McDaniels said.
So why did he take the meaningless two points?
“The clock still be running, so I might as well go score,” McDaniels said.
As teams in the same division playing four times each regular season, and facing each other in the playoffs for the third time in four years, the Nuggets and Timberwolves have become quite the archrivals.
“Obviously I didn't like what McDaniels did,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “The game was over. The game was conceded both ways. In 2026, that stuff just doesn't happen anymore. That's something that happened in the ‘80s, where teams would continue to score. But that’s who he is, you know? And so if that's what they want to do, that's what they want to do.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The Lakers aim to close out their first round series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday
The purple and gold are looking to sweep an opponent in the playoffs for the first time since May 2010.
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Apr. 26
Where: Toyota Center
Watch: NBC, Peacock
Just like that, the Lakers are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. They’ve shocked the world with their performance over the last three games, but their rising to the occasion is nothing new.
The Lakers’ challenge in Game 3 was to counter the Rockets’ strongest response yet and they successfully did so. In Game 4, it’s going to be about closing the series and putting this young Rockets team to bed. That itself is going to be a different challenge, but perhaps the biggest advantage that Los Angeles now has is that they’ve snatched away Houston’s fighting spirit — at least that’s what it seems.
Over the last three games, the Lakers have continuously proven that they’re just the better team, even without two of their best players. It’s still extremely weird typing that but that’s what happens when the team has LeBron James, Marcus Smart and experienced role players. The chemistry — especially during clutch time — that the team worked so hard to build during the regular season is one of the reasons why they’re on top right now.
On Sunday, the Lakers are going to need their chemistry and composure to be in full effect more than ever. It’s uncertain how these Rockets will approach this one given that they don’t seem confident that they can get back in the series. But what’s certain is that no team wants to be swept, so there’s a good chance that Houston will go all out in this one, especially since they’re composed of young players all around.
With Kevin Durant’s status up in the air again, expect Alperen Şengün to lead the Rockets’ offense. He did a good job doing so in Game 3, but it obviously wasn’t enough. What’s going unnoticed in this series is how the Lakers have kept up with the Rockets in what the latter does best, which is controlling the paint and outexecuting them on defense. Los Angeles will have to double down on this to close out the series.
Maybe the Rockets play like a team that knows they’re down 0-3 and doesn’t want to travel to Los Angeles anymore. What we do know is that this Lakers team will be determined to sweep this series. Let’s see if the purple and gold book their ticket to the semifinals on Sunday.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
Based on everything I’ve seen, it is incredibly difficult being a general manager of a major league baseball team. You have to balance the needs of the present and the future, wrangle the egos of any number of high-profile individuals, and negotiate with a media ecosystem that must always be fed and is likely less sympathetic than ever before. It also requires knowing when a veteran player might have to be released or moved to give a prospect or younger player an opportunity for more playing time. That final responsibility now faces Mike Hazen as Alek Thomas continues to struggle at the plate in his fifth major league season – his slash line for the year sits at .194/.239/.358 entering Saturday’s game against the Padres. And there are multiple high-level prospects currently sitting down in Reno chomping at the bit for an opportunity including Tommy Troy, Ryan Waldschmidt, and eventually A.J. Vukovich when he returns from injury. That’s also not taking into account Jordan Lawlar’s eventual return to the mix when his recuperation and rehabilitation are complete after looking much more like the former top prospect he was supposed to be in the season’s first few games. By my count, that would put six outfielders on the roster if you include utilityman Tim Tawa in the calculation (Thomas, Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Lawlar, and Jorge Barossa).
Obviously, there aren’t enough at-bats to go around with that many outfielders and some decisions will need to be made about the roster – a problem further complicated by impending Rule 5 Draft eligibility for several top prospects including Troy (December 2026) and Waldschmidt (December 2027). Thomas has been a mainstay in the Arizona lineup since debuting in 2022 other than a down year in 2024 when he was hampered by a left hamstring strain that kept him out of the big leagues for most of the season. Amazingly, he’s already amassed over 1,400 plate appearances in his career and has likely demonstrated his ceiling at the plate.
Presumably the most likely candidate to be called up from Reno given his aforementioned Rule 5 eligibility, Troy has flown under the radar somewhat, appearing just once on the Top 100 list for MLB Pipeline prior to the 2024 season and promptly falling back off it. Thankfully, he’s thrived out of the spotlight appearing at six different defensive positions – including all three outfield positions – while making some excellent offensive contributions. The team seems to view him as another superutilty player given the crowded outfield, but putting him at second base seems counterproductive to me given how entrenched Ketel Marte is there. Regardless, in 61 combined games with the Aces, Troy possesses a .308/.396/.457 slash line and likely has little seasoning left with AAA before making his major league debut. Now it’s just a question of where he’ll play.
One of the last minor leaguers to be reassigned to minor league camp out of Spring Training, I thought there was a real, but slim, possibility Waldschmidt might make the big league club for Opening Day, but the front office decided to delay his debut given that he hadn’t yet even appeared in AAA before this season. The organization’s lone representative on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect list, Waldschmidt has continued to impress since being drafted two years ago with Corbin Carroll’s Prospect Promotion Incentive pick. There isn’t quite the same kind of urgency for Waldschmidt as there is for Troy since he has another year of eligibility before being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, but the ceiling for the young righty seems pretty high. He certainly hasn’t appeared intimidated by the highest levels of the minors, posting a .313/.422/.510 slash line through his first 25 games in Reno while roaming centerfield. I suspect that Waldschmidt is a prototypical September call up that gives him an opportunity for a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2027 – assuming baseball is still around then.
While Thomas seems like an excellent person and still holds the honor of one of the biggest swings in D-Backs history, it’s time that the front office starts having some serious conversations about his future with the organization if they haven’t already. He’s clearly an extremely capable defender who’s capable of using his excellent speed to cause chaos on the bases to make up for an underwhelming offensive contribution, but that strikes me as the profile of a fourth outfielder or depth piece rather than a starting outfielder in the major leagues for a contending team. I suspect that when the roster crunch eventually does hit, Barrosa will find himself as the odd man out first given his similar player profile to Thomas (with worse numbers) and a lack of minor league options leaves him the most vulnerable. But the time to make a decision about Thomas is approaching and would be made much easier if he started hitting even a bit more than he has in the past – like hitting a two-run homer this afternoon as I was writing this piece.
In one of the most insane games in the history of Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the Denver Nuggets 112-96 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.
Unfortunately, the outcome of the game felt like a side story most of the night. A little more than a minute into the game, Donte DiVincenzo took a false step back and appeared to suffer a catastrophic lower-leg injury. Shams Charania of ESPN later confirmed the worst, a torn Achilles for DiVincenzo.
DiVincenzo was taken out of Target Center in a wheelchair with a boot on his right leg and a hoodie draped over his head.
Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch was choked up discussing DiVincenzo’s injury: “He’s the heart and soul of everything we do. We love him and will be there for him.”
The devastating blows didn’t stop there. Just before the end of the first half, Anthony Edwards came down awkwardly on his left leg and appeared to hyperextend it. Charania reported that Edwards will undergo tests on his left knee, the opposite side from the runner’s knee Edwards has been dealing with in this series and down the stretch of the regular season.
With the potential for the game to spiral, the Wolves didn’t allow the game to get out of hand and only trailed by four points at halftime.
With the halftime break to reset their rotations and emotions, the Timberwolves began to fight back. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels locked back down on Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray while Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, and Terrence Shannon Jr. joined the rotation.
Late in the third quarter and into the fourth, the Wolves went on a 21-6 run, turning a two-point deficit into a 13-point lead as they appeared to break the Nuggets’ and Jokić’s will, who struggled yet again with an 8-22 shooting night.
The Timberwolves’ best player on the night was far and away Ayo Dosunmu, who played the best game of his young career. Dosunmu finished with a career-high 43 points on 13-17 shooting, the third most efficient 40-point playoff game in the history of the NBA.
The dagger came from Dosunmu with a minute and a half left in the game when he pulled up for a 3-pointer above Tim Hardaway Jr. and screamed, “I’m Him!” to the Timberwolves faithful.
“I didn’t know he was that damn good,” Randle said of Dosunmu. “I ain’t gonna lie to you. I was in the East, but I don’t remember playing against him. That was DeMar/LaVine teams. I don’t know if the opportunity was there. But, damn, I’m glad we got him.”
The two teams would play out the string from there, but not before a little bit more drama, par for the course in this rivalry. With three seconds remaining in the game, instead of dribbling, McDaniels, in classic Jaden McDaniels fashion, laid the ball in the hoop instead of dribbling the clock out.
That decision, foreshadowed by a McDaniels dunk as the end of Game 7 two years ago between these two teams, caused Jokić to come running down the court for a fight that led to the ejection of both Jokić and Julius Randle.
McDaniels, of course, broke an unwritten rule of basketball by not dribbling the game out, but for Jokić to take such exception to the play is a rough look, given the scoreboard, who was out for the Wolves, and his play in this series, especially on the defensive end.
Where this series and the rest of these playoffs go from here for the Timberwolves is still up in the air. What is certain is that tonight’s game was one of the most memorable nights in the history of Timberwolves basketball.
Finch summed up the season to this point following the game. “[The players] kept telling me it would be different when we get [to the playoffs]. Game 1 wasn’t any different, so we jumped their ass. They lied to us. And they responded.”
This whole season, there have been valid criticisms of the Timberwolves from the players on the roster, their fit together, and the coaching staff’s ability to find the best out of the team. What can no longer be questioned about this team is their heart.
The Timberwolves will take on the Nuggets for Game 5 in Denver on Monday at 9:30 PM CT with a chance to close out the series. Fans can watch the game on NBC and Peacock. The status for both Edwards and Aaron Gordon, who also left this game early, is up in the air.
Brian Snitker was inducted to the Braves Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The Braves lost what essentially turned into a coin flip of a game to the Phillies and will now go for a series win behind Chris Sale today.
The Red Sox fired most of their coaching staff after a rough start to the season, despite winning Saturday’s game 17-1 over the Orioles.
The Cubs are expecting offseason addition Phil Maton back in the next couple of days.
2025 postseason star and Rookie of the Year candidate Trey Yesavage is expected to make his season debut for Toronto on Tuesday.
The Mets hope that Francisco Lindor can return from his calf injury by the end of May, as their rough start to the season continues.
Eugenio Suarez hit the 10-day IL with a mild oblique strain.
Originally, I figured that the most 2026 Houston Rockets thing that could happen is what happened in Game 3: take a sizable lead into the final moments and blow the game, culminating in an overtime loss. The poor play in clutch situations has defined this team, and their 20+ blown fourth quarter leads this year is the evidence.
The Rockets have been the arbiters of hope this season, constantly getting leads and then promptly blowing them in the most heartbreaking fashions imaginable. And it just kept happening. You figure that at some point they would learn from their mistakes, or that the sheer amount of experience would be a boon. “Hey, we’ve all been in this situation before and we’ve all been the reason we lost one of these games. So let’s just do our best and trust each other.” Something, anything that takes terrible experiences and uses them as fuel for the next time a similar event occurs.
And in sports, that’s usually what happens. Teams struggle to get over the hump but get better and more hardened and eventually either blow up or successfully summit the mountain. That’s the blueprint we’ve seen time and time again.
But no team has toyed with its fans’ emotions more than the Houston Rockets. Now 1-8 in overtime, the Rockets have blown just about every sort of game that is possible. 20-point fourth quarter lead? Yep. 99.9% chance of winning based on your favorite site’s analytics? They’ve blown that too. Up double digits in overtime? They lost. Up 6 with 30 seconds left at home in the biggest game of the season? They almost lost in regulation!
Every time we’ve been ready to give up on the Rockets, they show us their talent and put together a few games where you think, “Oh maybe they figured it out!” But then they promptly remind everyone that they have not, in fact, figured it out.
So I can’t decide which way to lose this series would be the most 2026 Rockets. I’m hoping for the sweet release of death when it comes to this season, so we know that won’t happen easily. Either the Rockets will once again blow a big lead just for old time’s sake, OR they will fight back in this series and win the next three games. They will look really good and give Rockets fans hope that they’ll become the first NBA team to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit. They’ll be up 20 in the fourth quarter of Game 7. Staples Center will be dead silent. Luka Doncic will be on the bench. Austin Reaves will not be 100%. LeBron James will look old and defeated by Father Time.
And then Luke Kennard will hit a 3. Then Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura will hit a couple. Jaxson Hayes will throw down a dunk and the lead will be single digits and the building will be rocking. LeBron will return, having gotten plenty of rest after JJ Reddick had originally thrown in the towel. And Houston will lose in overtime.
Yeah, that sounds like these Rockets.
8:30pm CT
NBC/Peacock
Steven Adams: OUT
Fred VanVleet: OUT
Kevin Durant: questionable
Luka Doncic: OUT
Austin Reaves: questionable
HOU -4.5
Check here for updates
If necessary, Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles
PHILADELPHIA — Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang each scored goals and the three-time Stanley Cup champion teammates are headed back to Pittsburgh after they helped the Penguins avoid a first-round series sweep with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 on Saturday night.
Game 5 is Monday in Pittsburgh.
Rickard Rakell also scored, and Connor Dewar sealed the win with a late empty-netter for the Penguins. Penguins coach Dan Muse made the right call with the season on the line to bench starting goalie Stuart Skinner in favor of Arturs Silovs.
The 38-year-old Crosby, a career-long foil for the Flyers, not only scored his first goal of the series, but he also set a savvy screen in the third period on defenseman Travis Sanheim that allowed Letang to have a clean look when he ripped his first goal of the series past Dan Vladar for a 3-1 lead.
The goal was crucial after Travis Konecny scored to make it 3-2 and ignite the “Let’s go Flyers!” chants that had largely been dormant with the Flyers down early.
The Penguins received a solid effort from Silovs in the net after Skinner was ineffective with three losses and an .873 save percentage. Silovs, who went 19-12-8 this season, made his 11th career playoff start; the previous 10 came with Vancouver in 2023-24 when it was coached by Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet worked wonders with the Flyers in his first season on the bench and it was his fiery postgame speech after an overtime win in March that sparked an R-rated rallying cry.
The Flyers winked at the unprintable battle cry and gave away Game 4 T-shirts to every fan that read: “Puck Everybody.”
Crosby said, not tonight.
Crosby scored on a one-timer against Vladar only 5 seconds into a power play late in the first period for a 1-0 lead.
Vladar, voted the Bobby Clarke team MVP, stayed in the lineup after he suffered an unspecified arm injury in Game 3. Vladar took off both days of the series break and showed no sign of any physical discomfort.
Vladar, incredulously, let a mental gaffe cost the Flyers a goal only 63 seconds into the second period when he misplayed the puck behind the net. Well out of place, an aggressive Rakell jostled the puck free and poked in an empty-netter for the 2-0 lead for Pittsburgh’s first multigoal lead of the series.
Denver Barkey deflected Trevor Zegras’ shot past Silvos, who had 25 saves, that cut it to 2-1 with 4:20 left in the second period. Barkey and Zegras are roommates — and jelled just as well as linemates.
They can now mull over what went wrong on the plane ride back to Pittsburgh. The Flyers won three straight games seven times this season but hadn’t won four straight games since February 2024.
NHL playoff history is still against Crosby and the Penguins. Only four teams that trailed 3-0 in a seven-game series have come all the way back to win — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1980 New York Islanders, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
MINNEAPOLIS — Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night.
The Timberwolves took a 3-1 lead in the series in a game that ended with ejections of Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Julius Randle after Jokic became angry when Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless layup with 2.1 seconds remaining and confronted the Wolves’ swingman near his bench.
The story before that was Dosunmu, who had the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix on April 15, 1976.