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Mets shutout Padres behind solid outing from Christian Scott

Jun 5, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Too often this season, the New York Mets have been the slumping team that opponents are looking to beat up on. Those roles were reversed Friday night in a 5-0 win over the San Diego Padres.

San Diego has now lost 10 of its last 11 games, while the Mets have won six of their last eight, thanks in large part to New York’s starting pitcher Christian Scott. The Florida product pitched five 2/3 shutout innings against a Padres lineup that is last in baseball in runs scored. Jared Young and Luis Torrens each hit home runs to lead the Mets’ offense.

Scott allowed a base runner in each of the first three innings but was able to keep San Diego off the board. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled in the first, Ty France singled in the second, and Rodolfo Durán walked in the third. All three Padres were stranded as Scott appeared to settle in as the game went on.

Scott retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings, then ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth. He walked Durán before striking out Tatis Jr. and getting a popout from Gavin Sheets. Manny Machado singled to center, advancing Durán to third base and ending Scott’s night at 98 pitches. Huascar Brazobán entered in relief and struck out France, ending the threat and securing Scott’s shutout appearance. Scott, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, has allowed just one run across his last three starts.

Brazobán, Luke Weaver, and A.J Minter were solid out of the bullpen for the Mets, combining with Scott for the team’s third shutout win of the season.

Young started things for New York’s offense with a solo home run off San Diego starting pitcher Michael King to lead off the second inning. Young worked a full count before hitting King’s center-cut changup 422 feet. That’s Young’s third home run in his last six games.

The Mets were back for more in the third inning with multiple extra-base hits and another run scored. Torrens doubled off the wall before advancing to third base on a flyout from Carson Benge. Bo Bichette tripled to the right-field corner to score Torrens. Tatis Jr. fumbled the ball in the corner, and Bichette’s good read allowed him to easily get to third. The Mets could have added another run when Juan Soto grounded the ball to second baseman Sung-Mun Song, who didn’t field the ball cleanly. Soto put his head down in frustration before realizing Song’s mistake had given him a chance to beat out the throw, score Bichette, and keep the inning going. None of that happened as New York settled for the 2-0 early lead.

New York went up 4-0 with Torrens’ two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning. Brett Baty reached on a single before Torrens took King deep to centerfield. The homer was Torrens’ first of the season.

Bichette added a double with two outs in the eighth inning, but Padres reliever David Morgan struck out Soto to strand him. Bichette is showing signs of awakening from his season-long slumber with six hits combined in his last two games. He had six hits in the nine games previous to his current outburst. Soto finished hitless for the 11th time in 46 games played this season.

The Mets tacked on in the ninth inning against San Diego’s closer, Mason Miller, who was only in the game to get his first work in a week due to the Padres skid. AJ Ewing knocked a one-out single, then stole second and third base. Baty brought him home with an RBI single.

Saturday’s game (10:10 PM ET) sets up nicely for New York. The Mets have Nolan McLean on the mound going against former Met Griffin Canning, who has a 0-4 record and a 7.16 ERA through six appearances this season.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Christian Scott +25% WPA
Big Mets loser: Carson Benge, Marcus Semien -6% WPA
Mets pitchers: +34% WPA
Mets hitters: +16% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Torrens home run in the fifth, +13.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Marcus Semien grounds into double play in the fourth, -3.8% WPA

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Twins 5, Royals 3: Gutsy Zebby and Austin’s arm get it done

Catcher Alex Jackson, whose name I didn’t know four hours ago, GOT ‘IM. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

A less-controlled-than-usual Matthews manages to last longer than we (or I) expected, and he’s helped by some Cuddyer/Rosario-style cannon shots from the outfield. Inning-by-inning notes:

(Rain Delay): Hey, remember when rain delays might have Kris Atteberry interviewing a baseball book author or something interesting like that?

No. It’s a 1991 game. I like hearing Herb Carneal and John Gordon as much as anybody, but this is LAZY, WCCO.

1: Apple’s game preview has “U Got The Look” for Zebby (he doesn’t walk a lot of guys) and “When Doves Cry” for the bullpen ‘cuz it sucks.

Original choice on one Prince title, kinda cliched on the other.

Zebby promptly walks Bobby Witt, Jr., only the fastest guy on the team. He steals but didn’t need to; he would have scored on the subsequent Vinnie Pasquantino double anyways. Then it’s Jac Caglianone’s turn to put one in the gap.

Two stung liners to second, and a two-out Klobberin’ Kody Klemens single. He doesn’t score because all the Twins fell asleep during the boring rain delay radio filler. Royals 2-0

2: Apple tells us that during the “rain delay,” no actual rain fell at Target Field. I know none did where I am in Saint Paul. So thanks, Twins, for 75 minutes of Stoopid provided by whatever AI bot is making your weather decisions.

Zebby walks the #8 hitter with one out and realizes “I’m pitching to the #8 and 9 guys” and gets the GIDP.

Another two-out hit, this an Austin Martin double. He doesn’t score either. I told you the Twins are all sleepy like me they should call it a Royals win now so we can all go to bed

3: Short delay when Bux hits the wall after catching a long hard fly. He is OK, we think.

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Zebby finishes this inning with 41 pitches thrown, a nice rebound after the earlier wildnessyness.

Bux maybe not OK. Tristan Gray now pinch-hitting. He drops a bunt down the third base line, and Alex Jackson (who led off with a single) takes third on a Wacha airmail throw to first. He’ll score on a Brooks Lee FC. Visiting fans’ team 2-1

4: Apple graphic shows that in Royals history, the only player to make it to the majors faster than Caglianone was Bo Jackson. Boy, THAT takes me back. Anyways, BoJac knows Zebby; he takes the 3-2 walk after the earlier double. Then Isaac Collins singles. Then Michael Massey does… but Martin’s throw beats Caglianone by a millimeter. Wow, can’t believe Zebby got out of this one.

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1-2-3 for the Twins. We so TIRED

5: 1-2-3 for Zebby too. I have to get a sammich. I so hungered.

AND for the Twins, too. They also hungered. For BED.

6: Another good frame for Zebster.

OH NO! A Brooks Lee leadoff homer! I mean, yay for him, but if this game goes to extra innings I will curse his favorite hamster. Clemens follows with a double. So does Josh Bell! Then Orlando Arcia singles to right, and Caglianone’s throw to the infield is WAY offline, so Bell scores and Arcia takes second. A Keaschall lineout. Then a passed ball sends Arcia to third. Wacha has Martin down 1-2… and Sal Perez lets another one get by! (He’s a very good catcher, this usually doesn’t happen.) Arcia scores!

Actually, those were officially scored as wild pitches and not PBs, but that’s because a bad person instead of me is the official scorer. Hard-throwing Steven Cruz finishes the inning, but it’s Twins 5-2

7: Zebby still in there, and he walks Collins on four pitches. He gets the next hitter, then steps off/throws to first one too many times, and it’s an automatic balk. (I hate this rule.) Gets Nick Loftin, then Kyle Isbel singles to right… and Martin throws out the runner at home! Again! Crazy!

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Tristan Gray has a one-out double but does not score because the Twins are sleepy again.

8: Here we go bullpen time. Anthony “The Last Waltz” Banda pitching. Boy does he love throwing sliders. It works on Starling Marte but not Witt, Jr., who doubles into the right-center gab. Then it works on PH Lane Thomas, and Perez goes down on one pitch. Yay!

RHP Beck Way making his MLB debut at age 26. His debutante inning goes fine.

9: Travis Adams in for the Twins with his 8.18 ERA in 11.0 IP. Leadoff hit by Caglianone, one-out hit by Michael Massey, sending Caglianone to third and putting the tying run at the plate in PH Maikel Garcia. He groundout RBIs, and Isbel pops out. Whew! Twims wim! (Yes we spell it wrong on purpose here sometimes.)

Studs: Zebulon, Martin (duh), two hits apiece for Gray and Clemens, 2 RBI for Lee. Duds: the Twins’ fuggin’ weather department.

COTG to Minnesota1952 and nagurksi for food / mob movie references, and me for predicting that Zebby couldn’t possibly go seven innings (which we call in the sports-scribing business an “intentional reverse jinx”). Thanks everyone who was at least adding something from time-to-time; I know this one went late.

Tomorrow’s game is at 1:10 and features something called a Luinder Avila against our own Joe Ryan. Byron Buxton T-shirt giveaway, he may be playing or not. (It’s a “shoulder contusion,” day-t0-day.) Catch ya next time!

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Mets shut out Padres in 5-0 win

The Mets opened their series in San Diego with a 5-0 win over the Padres on Friday night.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- In a game where the Mets totaled nine hits, they made sure to make them count, with four of them accounting for all five of New York’s runs. 

-- Jared Young kicked things off with a second-inning solo home run against Michael King that traveled 422 feet and had an exit velocity of 111.1 mph to put the Mets ahead, 1-0. The cleanup hitter finished 2-for-4 and has been taking full advantage of his increased playing time since returning from the IL, hitting .313 with a .945 OPS on the season.

-- Fresh off his four-hit game against the Seattle Mariners, Bo Bichette stayed hot with two more hits, including a run-scoring triple in the third inning and a double in the eighth. Bichette is up to .230 at the plate with a .609 OPS.

-- The biggest night offensively, though, belonged to No. 9 hitter Luis Torrens, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run while driving in two and scoring two runs. His double came before Bichette’s third-inning triple and his home run, a two-run shot to straightaway center for his first bomb of the year, happened in the fifth inning to double New York’s lead. 

With Francisco Alvarez potentially returning from the IL on the next Mets homestand, Torrens is doing what he can to make manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision at catcher that much more difficult.

-- Brett Baty tacked on a run in the ninth inning, scoring A.J. Ewing, who singled and stole second and third base, with his second hit of the game. Baty became the fourth player of the game to have a multi-hit night and also made a nice play in the field, diving for a popped-up bunt attempt in the second inning.

-- Meanwhile, Christian Scott shut out the Padres for 5.2 innings to match his season-high and has allowed one earned run over his last three starts (16.1 IP). 

Scott made quick work of the Padres, allowing just three singles and two walks while throwing a season-high 98 pitches (67 strikes). He was pulled after Manny Machado’s single, which was San Diego’s last hit of the game.

The right-hander struck out only three and instead relied mostly on weak contact to get the job done. New York also turned a double play behind Scott to help him go deeper in the game. Scott’s ERA is now at an impressive 2.50 through eight starts, and after earning his first career win in his last start, he’s now won back-to-back games to go to 2-0 on the year.

-- The Mets’ bullpen matched Scott’s zeros for 3.1 innings as Huascar Brazoban (1.1 IP, 2 K), Luke Weaver (1 IP) and A.J. Minter (1 IP) didn’t allow a hit in their appearances. Baty’s fielding error with one out in the ninth ended a string of eight consecutive batters retired, but Minter got the final two outs with ease and gave New York a series-opening win

Game MVP: Mets pitching

Mets pitchers were on point on Friday and shut out their opponent for just the third time all season.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets continue their three-game set with the Padres on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.21 ERA) will face off against former Met RHP Griffin Canning (0-4, 7.16 ERA).

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Not worth the wait; Royals fall to Twins

Jac Caglianone fails to catch up to a flyball down the line in right field
Jun 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) cannot catch a ball hit by Minnesota Twins right fielder Austin Martin (16) in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Despite a rain delay of over an hour, the game started off so well for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. took a one-out walk, Vinnie Pasquantino hit an RBI double, then Jac Caglianone drove him in with his own double. The Royals wouldn’t score again until a weak groundout in the ninth brought home Caglianone again in a 5-3 loss.

As you might imagine, Michael Wacha didn’t have one of his stronger starts of the season. But what you also need to realize is that this game featured two Royals errors and three wild pitches. The Royals played really crappy defense. On the other side, Byron Buxton was everywhere in centerfield until he crashed into the wall to rob Carter Jensen of extra bases. Austin Martin in right field gunned down two runners at home with assists from catcher Alex Jackson making excellent tags.

Of the five runs, four were earned, but the Royals’ lack of speed in the corners led to at least three different hits, and two of the wild pitches took a runner from second all the way home. Again, let’s not pretend it was only the defense. Wacha threw fewer than 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 fifth but gave up a home run and then back-t0-back double to surrender the lead before the poor defense helped put the game out of reach.

Austin Martin will be the story from the Twins’ side. In the top of the fourth, Caglianone took a one-out walk, advanced to second on an Isaac Collins single, and then Michael Massey crushed one on the ground into right. I was yelling at my TV, begging them not to send Caglianone home, but home he went on a no-signal from third-base coach Vance Wilson. Martin had everything lined up for him, and, despite Caglianone making it closer than I had dreamed possible, he was clearly out. That is at least the second time this season a runner has been thrown at home when he probably shouldn’t have gone but didn’t get a signal from his third base coach. That certainly won’t quiet the calls for coaches’ heads to roll from the Royals faithful.

Isaac Collins led off the seventh with a walk of his own, then advanced to second when Zebby Matthews disengaged from the mound for a third time without recording a pickoff. This time, the hard-hit ball into right was off the bat of Kyle Isbel, and Martin had to move laterally a bit to field it. Vance Wilson actually signalled to Collins he should head home, and that seemed more reasonable to me, but he was thrown out by even more than Cags.

Those of us who recall the 2014-2015 Royals remember that running on guys and hoping they make a mistake can be a terrific gamble, but it absolutely didn’t pay off tonight, despite how Mickey Mouse the Twins’ defense looked in the first series these two teams played. You can blame the runners – both of whom chose to slide feet-first instead of using a head-first slide to give them an opportunity to swim around the tag. You could absolutely blame the coaches, too, and I wouldn’t argue with you either way. But there’s also an element of the other team being good at their jobs that’s involved here, too.

There were certainly some bright spots in this one. Steven Cruz pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Beck Way made his big league debut and struck out a pair of his own, including the first batter he faced, in a scoreless eighth inning. The Royals can use any help they can get from their bullpen.

Michael Massey continued his hot hitting with a pair of hard singles on the night. Vinnie only went 1-for-3, but he tattooed a lineout in the sixth inning. Jac went 2-for-3 with a walk, and his only out was a similarly smoked lineout in the sixth.

At this point, moral victories mean even less than they did earlier this year when you hoped they’d might lead to better play before things got out of hand. Things are out of hand. The season is lost until and unless the Royals have the kind of ridiculous winning stretch that simply doesn’t feel possible with this club, which was built to be solidly above-average with a high floor. The floor fell out, and they don’t have the top-end potential to make up for it. But I’ll take all the bright spots I can get that tell me that they might be able to find some guys to help them do better next year.

Anyway, tomorrow’s game is an afternoon match; it will start at 1:10 Central. Luinder Avila (4.44 ERA) will face off against Joe Ryan (3.20 ERA). We’ll just have to hope KC can hammer Ryan for the third straight time.

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Raise your hands if you hit two homers today!

Jun 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

As ridiculous as it sounds, figuring out a punny name to properly capture the Giants recent power surge was a bit of a pressing matter for announcers Hunter Pence and David Flemming after Matt Chapman lifted a grand slam in the 4th inning off Cubs starter Edward Cabrera. The opportunity was too good to pass up. Baseball had become fun again. The improbable occasion had to be christened.

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Pence, ever the wordsmith, stumbled over the syllables as he proposed the blocky Slam Cancisco.

Flemming, ever the editor, simplified it to a much more sensible, if unimaginative, Slam Francisco. 

They’re both wrong.

Considering how many of these four-run, four-baggers the Giants have packed into such a short period of time, the proper nickname is obviously Slam Slamcislamco. 

Say that six times fast — one for each blast. The Giants are the seventh team in MLB history to hit six grand slams in a span of 18 games (including the 2020 Slam Diego Padres). Chapman’s shot that landed in the basket over the ivy was the team’s third of the road trip and broke a 5-5 tie with the Angels for the Major League lead. 

Turns out this odd beast of a line-up was just getting started.

Three batters later Casey Schmitt rocketed  a flat 3-2 change-up 411 feet to left-center. A no-doubter that at the time felt a little superfluous at 8-0, but would prove to not reach be half of the run total of what the team would eventually score in their 18-3 blowout at Wrigley. 

San Francisco hitters just kept feeding the bleacher creatures. They peppered seven total homers in all, the most for any team in a single game all season, and the most for a Giants order since April 2023 — a 12-3 win also played in Chicago, just on the Southside. 

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Willy Adames followed up his 427-foot, 2-run shot in the 1st with another off sidewinder, Hoby Milner, in the 6th.

A couple of beats passed before Chapman capped the 7-run frame by demolishing a hanging curveball from reliever Ethan Roberts into the NUTRL sign floating above the left field seats. The 3-run homer earned him his sixth, seventh, and eighth RBIs on the day, tying a San Francisco-era single game record most recently matched by Wilmer Flores’s 3-HR performance against the Athletics in early 2025.

Not to be out done by the veterans, Schmitt claimed his pair of homers with a 9-iron shot off of position player Carson Kelly — a pitch after recent call-up Jonah Cox had done the same.   

Over the past week, the Giants’ offense has posted hit totals of 25, 20, and 19, and run totals of 19, 12, and 18 — and they’ve won those three games too! Call it trying to make up for lost time, blowing off steam — whatever is happening, it’s excessive and over-the-top and pretty dang fun to watch.

Many were skeptical of the 20-run outburst in Colorado and were then vindicated by the early returns in Milwaukee, and yet here we are on the following weekend back to stuffing ourselves on loaded taters. It’s obviously not sustainable — but it feels slightly less ridiculous than it did back in Colorado. 

I wrote last week how it wasn’t the offense that worried me, it was the pitching. The game following the 20-run win, the San Francisco arms gave up 16 runs to the Brewers. A poor ability to challenge hitters and attack the zone allowed the tying run to come to the plate in the 9th in a game the Giants once led 12-3 thanks to a Eric Haase grand slam.  

But the bullpen did end up holding on in that one. The night before, Logan Webb took a no-hitter into the 7th inning in a 1-0 win. And today, the all-around pitching performance didn’t want coaches and fans to pull at their eye sockets in exasperation. 

That’s not to say the arms were perfect. Pitching with a lead for his entire outing, Robbie Ray was as inefficient as ever. He walked 5 hitters and only struck out 4 while needing nearly 100 pitches to do it. He did, however, allow just two inconsequential singles and managed to get through that pesky fifth frame for the first time since May 8th, logging his 14th and 15th outs of the game on his 97th and final offering. 

Back in May, the relationship between Giants line-up and Giants starter was completely flipped. The toothless offense had handed Ray losses in five starts in which he allowed 3 earned runs or fewer. Now they’ve hit grand slams in each of his last three games, it’s just the veteran hadn’t managed to hang around the mound long enough to qualify for a statistical win until Friday’s scoreless outing. 

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Bullpen reinforcement in Carson Seymour may have been still jet-lagged from the last-minute red-eye from Sacramento, and was far from “lights-out” in his 2026 debut, but the right-hander managed to relieve the beleaguered pen with three innings of work.

A double play ball, closing out frames — these are small feats compared to what the offense did today, but its those types of in-game victories that the pitchers need a lot more of if this team wants to really make strides getting back to .500.

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Victor Wembanyama turnover, foul leads to Knicks' winning point in Game 2 of NBA Finals

A bad pass from Victor Wembanyama turned into the game-winning point for the New York Knicks as the San Antonio Spurs dropped Game 2 of the NBA Finals 105-104 on Friday, June 5.

With 13.6 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 104, Wembanyama nabbed a defensive rebound after Jalen Brunson missed a jump shot. The Defensive Player of the Year took a few dribbles and then tossed the ball toward point guard Stephon Castle, who wasn't looking. Brunson then swooped in and stole the rock before colliding with Wembanyama and falling out of bounds.

Wembanyama was called for a foul on the play and he scrunched his face in frustration.

The Knicks guard made one of his free throws to put his team up 105-104.

The Spurs had the last possession of the game and Wembanyama attempted a jumper, but he missed.

The victory marks eight straight road wins in the playoffs for the Knicks and 13 straight victories overall. The series goes to New York for Game 3 on Monday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victor Wembanyama's bad pass leads to Knicks' winning point in Game 2

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NBA finals: Knicks within two wins of elusive title after holding off Spurs in Game 2

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns leaves the court after his team’s Game 2 victory.Photograph: Eric Gay/AP

The white-hot New York Knicks moved within two wins of their first NBA championship in more than half a century on Friday night, edging the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in a Game 2 thriller to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA finals before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden.

After stealing Game 1 with a furious fourth-quarter comeback, the Knicks once again turned to Jalen Brunson when the game hung in the balance. The All-NBA guard sank the go-ahead free throw with 7.5 seconds remaining after a costly turnover by Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Moments later, Wembanyama’s clean look from the elbow at the buzzer caromed off the back rim, allowing New York to become only the third team to win the first two games of an NBA finals on the road after the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets.

The victory also extended the Knicks’ remarkable postseason run to 13 consecutive wins, matching one of the longest single-season playoff winning streaks in NBA history and fueling belief that a franchise still chasing its first title since 1973 may finally be on the verge of ending decades of frustration.

Brunson, who scored 30 points in Wednesday’s opener despite battling a sore knee and ankle, finished with 20 points on 7-for-25 shooting but once again provided the composure New York needed in the biggest moments. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 21 points and 13 rebounds and delivered several crucial baskets down the stretch.

Wembanyama looked determined to atone for a frustrating finals debut in which he shot just 6 for 21 and committed six turnovers. The 21-year-old French star responded with 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in 40 minutes, but his late giveaway and narrowly missed jumper ultimately defined a heartbreaking finish for San Antonio.

No team has lifted the trophy after dropping the first two games of the finals at home.

San Antonio trailed by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter but used a run of 14-0 behind Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox to tie it at 97-97 with 3:00 remaining, then took their first lead of the half with less than a minute to go.

Brunson responded immediately, knotting the game at 104-104 with a driving basket. Wembanyama came up empty on San Antonio’s next trip and Anunoby gathered the rebound before New York called timeout.

The Spurs briefly seemed to catch a reprieve when they forced a miss, only for Wembanyama to throw the ball away on the ensuing possession. Brunson capitalized, drawing a foul and sinking the free throw that ultimately won the game.

Now the series shifts to New York, where anticipation has reached levels unseen in a generation. Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night at Madison Square Garden, with Donald Trump planning to attend and secondary-market ticket prices approaching $9,000 for the worst seats in the house.

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The Knicks have broken the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals after Game 2 win

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 05: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with his father Karl Towns Sr. after the 105-104 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 05, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The New York Knicks are headed back to Madison Square Garden with the opportunity to bring home the franchise’s first championship in 53 years without leaving the city. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 105-104, in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals to become the third team in league history to win the first two games of the championship round on the road, joining the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets.

The Knicks have now won 13 straight playoff games, with 11 of those victories coming by double-figures. The Spurs were a 2-1 favorite in the betting markets entering the series, but the Knicks have out-classed a young San Antonio team on both ends to take complete control in the matchup so far.

The Knicks took a 97-83 lead with six minutes remaining on a driving dunk by OG Anunoby. From there, the Spurs went on a 14-0 run to tie the game. The end of the fourth quarter featured a wild sequence where Jalen Brunson missed a mid-range jump shot with 13 seconds left, Victor Wembanyama grabbed the rebound and tried to throw an outlet pass to teammate Stephon Castle. Only problem: Castle wasn’t looking for the ball, so it hit him in the back and resulted in a turnover. Brunson was fouled after the Knicks recovered the possession, and he split two free throws to give New York the lead. The Spurs had one last chance, but Wembanyama missed an attempt at the game-winning jumper at the buzzer:

For long stretches in this game, it felt like the Knicks had mastered basketball. After the Spurs ended the first quarter with a nine-point lead, New York roared back in the second quarter with what’s quickly becoming their signature blend of selfless ball-movement, skilled shooting, and tough defense. The Knicks have a true five-out offense, and the threat of their shooting is putting San Antonio’s defense in constant rotation. New York has immaculate spacing and an entire lineup that all dribble, pass, and shoot.

It all came together on this possession where all five players touched the ball before Mikal Bridges walked into an opener corner three, which he drilled.

The Knicks have so many weapons offensively that it would be easy to overlook their defense, but their dedication to the other end of the floor is what’s given them such a strong grip on this series. Victor Wembanyama looked like the best player in the world after leading the Spurs to a 7-game Western Conference Finals victory over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks are flustered Wembanyama through two games in the NBA Finals by pushing him out to the perimeter, getting into his dribble when he puts the ball on the floor, and making him defend out on the perimeter to pull him away from the paint.

The key for the Knicks on both ends has been Karl-Anthony Towns. He should be Finals MVP if the series ended today.

Towns’ defense has been questioned through his career. He’s completely turned it around defensively during this playoff run. Towns looks comfortable pressuring Wembanyama out on the perimeter defensively, and he has the strength to keep him away his spots around the elbow or inside the paint. He’s also an elite defensive rebounder who has been cleaning up on the glass and allowing New York to win the possession game. Offensively, Towns’ knockdown shooting ability means Wemby can’t hang around the rim. When he sees an opening, KAT is also consistently attacking off the dribble to put pressure on the rim and finish through Wembanyama and other Spurs defenders.

Jalen Brunson took the Knicks home with clutch shot-making down the stretch in Game 1, but for the most part San Antonio has done an excellent job defending him. It’s been the other Knicks who have picked Brunson up. New York’s offense felt way too dependent on Brunson to create everything in previous years. The Knicks no longer feels like a one-man show on offense, and it’s making them so much harder to defend.

Brunson has 50 points on 56 shots so far in this series. He’s still been emptying the clip when the Knicks really need a bucket, but it’s players like OG Anunoby, Bridges, Hart, and reserve guard Landry Shamet have kept the offense humming.

Wembanyama ended the game with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting. The late turnover looking for Castle at the end of Game 2 might haunt the Spurs for a long time.

The Knicks are now up 2-0 in the 2026 NBA Finals. Game 3 is Monday in Madison Square Garden. It’s going to be incredible. The series just keeps getting better and better.

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Karl-Anthony Towns-led Knicks outlast Victor Wembanyama, Spurs with gutsy win in Game 2 of NBA Finals

The Knicks proved that Wednesday's 105-95 Game 1 win at the San Antonio Spurs was no fluke, doubling down in Friday's 105-104 Game 2 victory and taking a commanding 2-0 lead as the NBA Finals heads to New York.

Takeaways

  1. Karl-Anthony Towns was the best player on the floor, continuing his dominance of Victor Wembanyama. Whether New York pushed ahead against San Antonio or ended the Spurs' momentum -- the Knicks faced a largest deficit of 12 points, 37-25, after Stephon Castle's triple at the second quarter's 11:32 mark -- Towns was a common denominator on both ends. Towns scored 17 of his 21points in the first half, including a corner trey with 10 seconds before halftime to give New York a 56-52 lead at the break. He was the X factor, bringing physicality and energy from the jump while Wembanyama struggled to get going until the second half.
  2. Alongside Towns, Mikal Bridges stepped up in a development that especially mattered while Towns hit foul trouble and Jalen Brunson struggled shooting. Bridges blossomed after nine points two days ago, scoring 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and a 4-for-6 clip from deep. Among other moments, Bridges' jumper at the third quarter's 1:15 mark pushed the Knicks ahead 82-73 and assisted an alley-oop dunk to Mitchell Robinson on the ensuing New York possession to create an 8-1 run into the 35-second point. Wembanyama ended the spurt on a field goal with 19 seconds left to keep the Knicks' lead at single digits, 84-75, entering the fourth quarter but not before New York's momentum was apparent.
  3. As mentioned, Brunson was not himself from the field, posting a 7-of-25 mark. He found his spots for timely buckets, but the Spurs were physical with him early and kept the Knicks' leader out of sorts. For Brunson to have that type of game and New York still dominate San Antonio on the road speaks volumes about where the team is at entering Games 3 and 4. Brunson's five points in the final two minutes of the game, including the decisive free throw on a 1-of-2 trip to the line, should also not be discounted.
  4. Landry Shamet's return to the Knicks for the 2025-26 season is perhaps the move of the past offseason. Shamet, as he has been in spots throughout his second year with the franchise, was nails for New York off the bench. Shamet scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes, including two triples to start the fourth quarter and maintain the Knicks' 12- and eight-point leads, 87-75 and 90-82.

Who's the MVP?

Towns, whose 21-point, 13-rebound on 8-of-12 shooting and a 3-for-5 clip from deep while delivering on both ends went far in 33 minutes.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks return to MSG for Monday's 8:30 p.m. Game 3. New York has not played a home game since May 21 when it notched its 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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A’s Drop First Game in Houston

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 05: Brent Rooker #25 of the Athletics is congratulated in the dugout after a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Athletics began a pivotal three-game series at the surging Houston Astros, who are closing in on them in the American League West. The Astros jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning the series-opener between these division rivals 5-1. The A’s appeared to carry over the effects of yesterday’s ninth-inning collapse, struggling to capitalize on their limited scoring opportunities.

Astros Strike First

Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert worked a scoreless first inning, though A’s catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz each hit balls hard to left field that were tracked down by Yordan Alvarez.

Houston took the lead in the bottom of the first inning against A’s starting pitcher Jack Perkins, who made his first start of the season. Astros’ designated hitter Isaac Paredes launched his ninth home run of the season, a three-run shot to left center field that gave hosts an early 3-0 advantage.

A’s Waste Golden Opportunity

The Athletics attempted to respond the next inning. With one out, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom walked and then center fielder Henry Bolte and third baseman Zack Gelof hit soft singles to load the bases. Lambert escaped the jam unscathed, striking out Jeff McNeil and Darell Hernaiz to keep the momentum on Houston’s side. McNeil started the season strong, validating the A’s offseason trade for him. However, he has since fallen into a significant slump, and the team needs him to turn things around sooner rather than later.

That was a big chance for the Athletics to get back in this game, but the bottom of their lineup let them down. Thankfully, Perkins pitched better in the second inning, retiring the side after opening the frame with back-to-back strikeouts.

Astros Add On

The Astros extended their lead in the third inning. Alvarez singled with one out and later scored on Christian Walker’s triple to right field, another line drive misplayed by A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes. Of the 84 players with at least 10 attempts in right field, Cortes ranks last with -5 outs above average. His poor defense has hurt the A’s on multiple occasions this week, a trend that must be corrected if they want to remain in the division race.

Walker crossed the plate moments later on Paredes’ sacrifice fly, giving the Astros a 5-0 lead through four innings.

Bolte was the lone bright spot for the A’s offense in the game’s early goings, recording singles in his first two at-bats. The rest of the lineup, meanwhile, was stifled by Lambert, who held the A’s scoreless through five innings.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay removed Perkins after he issued a leadoff walk in the fifth. The right-hander allowed five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six over four innings. Right-hander Mason Barnett replaced him and set the next three Astros hitters down in order.

A’s Won’t be Shut Out

The Athletics finally got to Lambert in the sixth inning. With one out, Brent Rooker hit his ninth home run of the season, a solo blast to left field. Soderstrom drew a walk, and Bolte followed with his third hit of the game, a double that advanced Soderstrom to third base.

A’s Fail to Inch Closer

That was all she wrote for Lambert. Astros’ right-hander Enyel De Los Santos replaced him with runners on second and third and one out. As they had earlier in the game, the A’s failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position and less than two outs. De Los Santos retired Gelof and McNeil to escape the jam and preserve his team’s four-run lead. If the A’s scored during those two prime scoring opportunities, this game could have been tied or much-closer.

As the A’s offense went quietly the rest of the night against Astros’ relievers, Barnett kept the Astros from further increasing their lead. He worked four scoreless innings in long relief, striking out seven while allowing just one hit. Not only did Barnett pitch well, but by finishing the game, he ensured that everyone else in the Athletics’ bullpen will be fresh to pitch tomorrow and/or Sunday.

A’s Hope to Have More Success Tomorrow

This was an uninspiring performance by the Athletics to open this series. Aside from Bolte and Barnett, there were not many positives to take away from this game.

The A’s will try to bounce back and even up the series tomorrow afternoon. Right-hander Kade Morris will make his first MLB start for the “Green and Gold”. He will be opposed by Astros’ right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who has been pitching better as he gets more acclimated to competing in MLB. In his second-to-last start, he pitched the first six innings of the Astros combined no-hitter.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m., see you all there!

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St. Louis Cardinals and Reds Bullpen Wreck Cincinnati Big Time Friday

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 5: Alec Burleson #41 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Busch Stadium on June 5, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Kyle Leahy’s finish was better than his start and the St. Louis Cardinals bats were more than enough to overcome the Cincinnati Reds Friday night at Busch Stadium with an honorable mention going to the Reds bullpen for a big assist during the latter half of the game.

Trying to explain what happened in both halves of the 1st inning is similar to describing the plot of a very twisted soap opera. Let’s start with the Reds top half of the 1st. The game began with what looked like Kyle Leahy trying to improve Cincinnati’s barrel rate. Blake Dunn led off the game with a solid single to center. Bleday followed that with a lineout to Jordan Walker in right. Kyle Leahy then walked Spencer Steer giving Cincinnati runners at first and second with just one out. Sal Stewart cracked a double to center scoring both Dunn and Steer giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. Cincinnati wasn’t done yet. Eugenio Suarez singled to left scoring Steward making it 3-0 Reds.

The St. Louis bottom of the 1st inning was almost as lively as Lars Nootbaar celebrated his return to the lineup by beating out a ball to shortstop and advanced to 2nd on an errant throw. Ivan Herrera grounded into a fielder’s choice where Lars made the unfortunate decision to try and reach third making the first out of the inning there. That did not kill the Cardinals rally, though, as Alec Burleson drilled a single to right with Herrera advancing to third. After Jordan Walker struck out, Herrera scored when Bryan Torres was called safe at first on an error by Sal Stewart who review confirmed came off of the base for what would have been the last out of the inning giving the Cardinals their first run of the game making it 3-1 Reds. Reds manager Terry Francona got tossed out of the game after arguing with the umpires after their challenge failed. Alec Burleson then scored on a wild pitch by starter Brady Singer allowing the Cardinals to creep closer at 3-2 Reds. Nolan Gorman struck out to end the Cardinals 1st.

Kyle Leahy would settle down after the extremely shaky 1st inning giving the Cardinals 4 innings allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs while striking out only 1 and walking 2. Hunter Dobbins would come in from the pen to handle the Reds for the rest of the game and I’m not even kidding about that. He would even get the win, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Cardinals would tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Alec Burleson delivered a 387 foot Burly bomb into the bullpen in right field making it 3-3.

The next bit of excitement would happen in the Cardinals bottom of the 5th when Ivan Herrera walked followed by Alec Burleson hitting into a fielder’s choice. He would move up to second base when he was caught leaning by relief pitcher Brock Burke, but Burke’s throw went flying into right field. Whoops. Jordan Walker made the Reds pay by smoking a double over the center fielder’s head scoring Burleson and giving St. Louis its first lead of the night at 4-3.

I was one of many looking forward to the energy Lars Nootbaar would bring as he returned from injury to the St. Louis Cardinals lineup and he did not disappoint. After Victor Scott II reached on an infield single, Lars put a charge 99 mph four-seam fastball doubling to center and easily scoring Victor all the way from first increasing the Cardinals lead to 5-3. He would then score on a single by Herrera to right making it 6-3 St. Louis. NOOT!

St. Louis would break the game wide open after Herrera’s RBI single with several assists by Cincinnati Reds blunders. Alec Burleson walked which led to a pitching change where Luis Mey would come in and give the “Tarps Off” crew plenty to chant about in right field. After Jordan Walker barely missed crushing a home run flying out to left, Mey made sure that wouldn’t matter as he walked everyone but the ushers in Busch Stadium. Torres walked. Masyn Winn was hit in the back of his left shoulder blade with the bases loaded making it 7-3 Cardinals. Jose Fermin reached on an infield single scoring Burleson then Jimmy Crooks walked and then (stop me if you’ve heard this before) Victor Scott II walked. By the time Mey was taken out of the game, it was 10-3 Cardinals which would end up being the final score. Thank you for that 30-minute half-inning, Reds bullpen.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds will play the second game of the weekend series Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium that will hopefully be as fun for the Cardinals as the first one. For the Cardinals, it’s Matthew Liberatore on the mound as he’ll take on Reds starter Nick Lodolo. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm and the TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.

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Jalen Brunson, De'Aaron Fox stare each other down in heated NBA Finals moment

Editor's Note: Click here for live coverage and all the latest news from Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

What's an NBA Finals series without a good stare down?

We got one on Friday night during Game 2 of the championship series when De'Aaron Fox and Jalen Brunson faced off in a heated moment during the fourth quarter.

Fox was guarding Brunson, who was dribbling in place. When the New York Knicks guard tried to move downcourt, he tripped after Fox seemingly put an arm in his way. The Spurs guard walked up to him, toward the sideline, and the two stared each other straight in the face.

Mikal Bridges and referee Josh Tiven came over to break it up and a few Spurs players came over to try to tussle in defense of their teammate. Knicks coach Mike Brown yelled at Tiven from the sideline, calling for a technical, but no foul was called.

The Knicks were up 87-80 at the time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Brunson, De'Aaron Fox stare down in Game 2 of NBA Finals

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31-32 – A welcomed return as Rangers rally past Guardians 3-2

Jun 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers Shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a 2-run home run during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the Cleveland Guardians scored two runs.

The Rangers had us in the first half, not gonna lie.

In what was shaping up to be a familiar game that you’ve seen a dozen times at The Shed this year, the Rangers found the switch to flip and came through with a crooked number inning that just happened to be the exact digit that was as many as they needed to find the win column tonight in the series opener against Cleveland.

After a day off yesterday, Texas returned home and greeted us like an old friend as the Guardians took a 1-0 lead three pitches into the game when former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana took former two-time first round pick and 2022 No. 3 overall selection Kumar Rocker deep.

With the first inning blues playing once more, Texas was in a hole before they’d even stepped up to the plate. That started to seem like the least of their problems as they came to bat in the fourth inning without a hit. By that point, it was 2-0 Guardians when World Series-winning legend Austin Hedges singled in Steven Kwan with two outs in the top of the fourth.

Cleveland reached to lead off an inning in four of the first five frames but Rocker prevented the big inning throughout his start. One of the key moments in the game came with the Guardians already up 2-0 when Bazzana tripled to lead off the fifth. Rocker buckled down and prevented Bazzana from scoring to keep it close.

Overall Rocker went five innings on 94 pitches where he allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Cleveland starter Parker Messick would make it to two outs in the bottom of the fourth before Josh Jung singled for Texas’ first hit of the night. The Rangers would be held off the board until a few innings later when catcher Kyle Higashioka smacked a solo home run to give Texas some hope as the Cleveland lead was halved.

With the looming threat of a shutout off the table, returning lineup reinforcement Wyatt Langford doubled to put the tying run in scoring position. Also returning was Corey Seager and he followed Langford not just with an RBI hit to tie the game but with a two-run dong that suddenly gave the Rangers a lead as the game exited the middle innings.

Despite the fact that the Rangers snoozed through the first half of the game, they held the lead and turned things over to their bullpen. A combination of Peyton Gray, Jalen Beeks, and Jacob Latz tossed the final four innings with Latz collecting a six-out save that proved a bit laborious.

The trio of relievers struck out six and held Cleveland to just a ninth inning Hedges single that had us sweating a little before Latz finished off the comeback victory on his 35th pitch of the night.

Player of the Game: Seager had been chained to the longest, most dreadful slump of his big league career before hitting the IL with back issues. After missing over half of May, Seager returned and immediately made an impact with his go-ahead and eventual game-winning two-run home run that put Texas up by the eventual 3-2 final score.

Welcome back, Corey!

Up Next: The Rangers and Guardians hit the national airwaves with RHP Jack Leiter expected to pitch for Texas opposite RHP Tanner Bibee for Cleveland.

The Saturday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:35 pm CDT and you can watch the game on FOX.