Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers
Monday, April 6, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / RSN, Victory+)
The Shed
RHP Logan Gilbert vs. RHP Jacob deGrom
Go Rangers!
Game 10 Game Day Thread – Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers
Mariners Game #11 Preview and Discussion: SEA at TEX, 4/6/2026
The Mariners head to the Lone Star State in their attempt to bounce back from losing two very winnable games in a row. They’ll hand the ball back to their Opening Day starter, Logan Gilbert, who has looked better than he did last season but still shakier than he did in 2023-24.
I’m increasingly concerned about Gilbert’s slider, which probably warrants its own article. It was his best pitch for about two and a half seasons, but collapsed last year despite having a pretty similar shape. It lost about one mph of velocity, but that shouldn’t be that big a deal, especially for a breaking ball. Yet it started losing its bite, in a way that’s both been hard to for me to articulate and without an obvious cause. (Hence why I haven’t written about it.)
He’s added some additional drop to it this year, which is a smart idea because with the new cutter, he risks simply having his pitches all blend together. But it still looks more hittable to me. Anyway, this is what I’ll be watching most closely from his start tonight.
His opponent will be Jacob deGrom, baseball’s most boring star—which is a highly competitive category. Both deGrom and Gilbert attended Stetson College. They’ve never faced off before, nor did either of them ever face Corey Kluber, the other most notable Hatter. So all TV sets in St. Petersberg will be locked in to this game.
Lineups
We can all breathe a sigh of relief as Brendan Donovan is back in the lineup today. Presumably in an effort to let J.P. Crawford ease into things a little bit post-injury and because he missed the back half of Spring Training, Leo Rivas will be at shortstop.
Looking at the Rangers lineup, I’m reminded that for as much as it still feels like the same iteration of the organization, the Rangers have actually experienced a substantial amount of turnover in their roster since their 2023 title run. I enjoy how the Rangers’ social team stretched out the photo of deGrom here to make him look taller—baseballs are not shaped like that. Fraudsters all the way down over there.
Game Info
First Pitch: 5:05 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old reliable
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Game Thread: Orioles (3-6) at White Sox (4-5)
Fresh off a three-game sweep of last season’s American League champs, the White Sox will host the Baltimore Orioles for a cold home stand.
Some news and notes from the team ahead of the series: the White Sox claimed left-handed pitcher Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians and have optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Also, the team improved to 3-0 at home to open the season for the first time since 2004. They also completed their first three-game sweep of Toronto since April 25-27, 2016, at Rogers Center, and their first home sweep of the Blue Jays since Sept. 1-3, 1995.
Grant Taylor will once again be the opener on the mound tonight. He has been quite successful in this role, and it sets the table for a regular starter to come in (and ideally) eat innings.
Brandon Young will make his season debut today, after being called up this morning from the Norfolk Tides. He started the year in Norfolk and was optioned on March 7, 2026.
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen via ESPN Chicago 1000.
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Mets Player Meter: Pitchers, March 26-April 5
It’s that time of year, folks. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, baseball is back, and so are our meters, which provide the community with a nice little snapshot of how each player is performing. To be transparent right from the jump, this year I am doing something new with the meters: instead of weekly, they will be posted biweekly (as in, every other week, not twice a week). This cadence is much more manageable with my schedule and I also think a two-week sample size is more meaningful to look at than a one-week sample. In the case of this first set of meters, because the first week of the season was not a complete one, these numbers cover the first ten games of the season. Hereafter, meters will appear on the site every other week on Mondays—maybe occasionally on Tuesday if your imperfect Mets Meter Maid (that’s me) is having a bad week.
Now we’re onto the more fun meter of the two in our first set: the pitchers. The Mets are second in the National League in both team ERA and pitching fWAR over these first ten games. The Mets’ losses in the early going have overwhelmingly been due to a lack of run production, but not a lack of run prevention. The pitching has been immaculate. Outside of David Peterson’s one clunker, no one in the rotation has had a bad game and bad bullpen performances have been limited to guys who may not even be on the roster in a few weeks. The Mets’ high leverage relievers—Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, and Huascar Brazobán—have yet to give up an earned run. Tobias Myers has emerged as a potent multi-inning threat. Kodai Senga is looking more like the pitcher with ace potential we’ve seen in the past, Freddy Peralta is as advertised, Clay Holmes hasn’t missed a beat, and Nolan McLean is looking like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Sean Manaea’s velocity is certainly a concern, but he has gotten positive results out of the bullpen. There is a hell of a lot to like here and almost no red to be found.
| Player | This week |
|---|---|
| Huascar Brazobán, RHP |  |
| Luis García, RHP |  |
| Clay Holmes, RHP | |
| Richard Lovelady, LHP |  |
| Sean Manaea, LHP | |
| Nolan McLean, RHP | |
| Tobias Myers, RHP | |
| Freddy Peralta, RHP | |
| David Peterson, RHP | |
| Brooks Raley, LHP | |
| Kodai Senga, RHP | |
| Luke Weaver, RHP | |
| Devin Williams, RHP | |
We’ll start with Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta, who is the one new face in the Mets’ rotation this year. I waffled back and forth about whether to give him a positive grade despite the fact that he had mediocre results in his first game and good results in his second game, thus balancing out to a side arrow. Because he really did pitch better on Opening Day than his line indicates. Yes, he gave up two home runs. But one of them was sort of a cheapie, if you ask me—and if you ask Peralta, who said he made one mistake that day. And the Mets won the game anyway thanks to plenty of run support. In his second start, Peralta had the opposite problem. He gave up just one run on three hits in 5 1/3 strong innings of work, but got no run support and the Mets lost the game. Across his first two starts, Peralta has struck out fourteen batters and walked only two—a very good ratio. I would argue that so far Peralta has been exactly as advertised—a front-end starter who is somewhat prone to the home run ball and racks up a lot of strikeouts, but is not going to go deep into the game.
The starter that has pitched the most innings across his first two starts is Clay Holmes, who has started strong in 2026, earning the win in both outings. A week ago in St. Louis, Holmes gave up two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five batters and walking three. He was even better in San Francisco on Saturday, delivering the best starting pitching performance for the Mets so far with seven scoreless innings—matching his career high from last year—over which he gave up just three hits. He may not be striking batters out at the impressive rate of some of the Mets’ other arms, but he has been an expert in inducing soft contact and limiting damage.
Saturday’s game was a nice tidy victory for the Mets, as Holmes handed the ball right over to Tobias Myers, who pitched the final two innings of the game without allowing a base runner. Just ten games into the season, Myers has already made himself indispensable as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen for the Mets. All four of his outings thus far have been more than one inning in length and he has only allowed one earned run in eight total innings of work—a solo homer on Opening Day, on which he pitched three innings in relief of Peralta. It’s true that his unearned run was an important one—the decisive run in the series finale in St. Louis, which was the Mets’ third extra inning game in a young season. But Myers features a starter’s arsenal out of the bullpen and Carlos Mendoza has not shied away from using him in high-leverage spots and Myers has risen to the occasion more often than not.
Sean Manaea is another starting pitcher currently being featured out of the bullpen due to the diminished velocity he showed in spring training. His velocity is still not back yet, but it is creeping upwards with each appearance. Though his fastball may not be where he wants it yet, his sweeper is still a devastating pitch and he is getting results with it. So far Manaea has appeared in two games—the series finale against the Pirates and the series opener in San Francisco. Both were ultimately Mets losses, but neither was Manaea’s fault. He was shaky in his first appearance against the Pirates, but didn’t allow a run in his 1 1/3 innings of work. In San Francisco he did mop-up duty for David Peterson, giving up one run in 3 2/3 innings of work, striking out two batters and walking two.
Speaking of that David Peterson performance, it was ugly and the only starting pitching performance in these first ten games one could really classify as poor. He got knocked around for six runs—five of them earned—on a whopping nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. However, he avoids a bad grade because his other outing was a good one. Peterson started the thrilling extra inning victory in the opening series against the Pirates and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in that game, matching zeroes with Mitch Keller. He did give up six hits, but managed to wriggle his way out of trouble each time, as the Pirates ended up leaving 17 men on base in total in that game.
That extra-inning game also began the saga of Richard Lovelady’s return to the Mets in 2026. Lovelady was one of the heroes of that game, letting the ghost runner cross the plate in the 11th but nothing more, helping pave the way for a thrilling victory in the bottom of the 11th. He earned the victory for that effort, but gave up at least one earned run in each of his subsequent appearances—sometimes costly, sometimes not. Lovelady was sent back out there the very next day, also in a tie game in extra innings. He gave up a single to lead off the inning and score the ghost runner, but then got a double play to clear the bases and you thought that maybe, just maybe, the Mets would get away with it again. But it was not to be. He then couldn’t put the inning to bed and walked two batters in a row and an RBI single plated a second run, which proved to be the difference in the game. So the day after he earned the victory in an extra-inning game, he took the loss in an extra-inning game. Being the guy that has been DFA’d and then re-added to the roster seemingly more times than we can count, Lovelady has the unfortunate role of simply wearing it sometimes or being overworked so the more “important” relievers are not. Just two days after those back-to-back extra-inning appearances, he gave up a run in the seventh inning in the series opener in St. Louis, only to be sent out again for a second inning of work to save the rest of the bullpen. He also gave up a run in Friday’s lopsided victory against the Giants. All told, a 5.40 ERA for Richard Lovelady is not awful and about what you’d expect from him, especially given how much he’s been abused in the early going.
Lovelady’s two innings of work in the series opener came in relief of Kodai Senga, who pitched well, but was given no run support by his team and so he took the loss, despite putting up a quality start. Over six innings, Senga gave up two runs on four hits, striking out nine batters and walking three. Though he didn’t get credit for the win, the Mets pulled off the victory in Senga’s second start of the season yesterday thanks to Luis Torrens’ late-inning pinch hitting heroics. Senga did similarly well, giving up two runs over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven (including striking out the side in the second) and walking two. After he struggled so much last season, seeing Senga seemingly healthy and throwing hard and looking like himself is refreshing and a massive relief.
Huascar Brazobán was the pitcher who earned the victory in yesterday’s game for 1 1/3 hitless innings of work. Brazobán has come out of the gate absolutely dealing and alongside Myers is a guy who can handle an up-and-down out of the bullpen, which has been essential for the Mets. Brazobán is one of multiple relievers who has yet to allow an earned run in 2026 across five appearances totaling 5 1/3 innings of work. He hasn’t walked a single batter and has allowed just two hits, striking out three.
As I mentioned in the introduction, all of the Mets’ back-end relievers have been spotless so far. Like Lovelady, Luke Weaver appeared in both extra-inning games in the Pirates series and pitched a scoreless inning in each of them. In fact, Weaver appeared in all three extra-inning games the Mets have played in, pitching a scoreless inning on April 1 in St. Louis as well. Weaver earned his first hold of the season with a scoreless eighth inning in yesterday’s come from behind victory.
Devin Williams, who has also yet to be scored upon, earned his second save of the season yesterday when he worked around two hits to pitch a scoreless ninth. Williams also followed Weaver with a scoreless ninth in the series finale in St. Louis before the Mets lost in extras. He earned his first save as a Met in the series opener in St. Louis, striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 frame to help secure the victory for Clay Holmes. Williams’ first appearance in the orange and blue was in the extra-inning victory against the Pirates, in which he allowed two baserunners, but kept the game tied thanks in part to two strikeouts. Obviously it’s a long season and there will inevitably be some heartbreakers along the way, but early returns are looking great for the Mets’ new closer.
Brooks Raley rounds out the group of Mets relievers who have been nails so far in 2026. Raley is reprising his role as the primary lefty out of the bullpen with incredible mastery. He has yet to allow a run across four appearances and in fact he has only allowed one base runner across those four appearances. Raley has amassed two holds and five strikeouts against zero walks. As the Mets await A.J. Minter’s return to the bullpen, “Where would they be without Brooks Raley?” is a question I often ask myself. And the answer is simply: in a worse place than they are now.
Luis García rounds out the bullpen contingent and much like Richard Lovelady, he hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been a complete disaster either, which is about in line with one’s expectations. He pitched poorly on Opening Day and gave up two runs, but luckily the Mets had a nice cushion to work with and his performance didn’t cost them. He preceded Lovelady in the second game of the season, giving up the ghost runner in the tenth inning, but nothing more. The Mets went on to tie the game back up in the bottom of the tenth, sending it to the eleventh. García had a far less eventful outing on Friday, in which he pitched a scoreless ninth inning to finish off that lopsided win.
Of the entire pitching staff, perhaps no one has more hype around his 2026 season than Nolan McLean. And though he hasn’t been perfect, he’s been pretty darn good. And throwing video game stuff. Despite striking out eight over five innings in his 2026 debut in which he gave up just two runs, that was the ill-fated extra-inning loss to the Pirates. He did earn the win in his second start though on Friday in which the Mets gave him plenty of run support. In that outing, he was perfect into the sixth, but then faded quickly. He ultimately gave up two runs—only one of them earned—in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Devin Booker’s All-NBA case hinges on a rule that may not bend
The end is here. One week left before the second season begins. It’s the one that matters: the postseason. But this final stretch still carries weight for the Phoenix Suns, and not only in the standings. There is another layer to watch. Devin Booker and his path to an All-NBA nod.
Since the league implemented the 65-game rule back in 2023, eligibility has become part of the conversation. To qualify, a player needs to appear in at least 65 qualifying games, with at least 20 minutes played in 63 of them. For the other two games to play, the player must have played at least 15 minutes.
Per the CBA:
A player shall be considered to have played in a Regular Season game if he played at least twenty (20) minutes of such game, provided that in respect of no more than two (2) Regular Season games per Season, such player will be considered to have played in a Regular Season game if he played at least fifteen (15) minutes and fewer than twenty (20) minutes in such game.
As we enter the final week, Booker has played 62 games. Of those, 60 meet the 20-minute threshold. Only two fall short: the early exit against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 1 and the limited run against the San Antonio Spurs on February 19. Both were under 10 minutes played.
And this is where the challenge arises for Booker. Four games remain. If Booker plays in all four and logs more than 20 minutes in each, he clears the threshold relative to games and becomes eligible for All-NBA consideration on the surface. But his “eligible” games are 64, seeing as he did not play 15 minutes in his early exits against the Lakers and Spurs.
You might look at it on the surface and say it doesn’t matter. That this isn’t an All-NBA caliber season for Devin Booker. And statistically, there is an argument there. 25.8 points per game, technically up from last season’s 25.6, but the efficiency has dipped. 45.5% from the field, his lowest since 2017–18. 33.0% from three, his lowest since 2018–19. Add in 6 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 turnovers, and it doesn’t scream peak Booker. It feels steady. Productive. Not dominant.
But the 65-game rule has changed the landscape.
Look at who is falling off the board. Luka Doncic sits at 64 games and is done for the regular season. Had he not hit 16 techs, thus being suspended for one game, he’d be eligible. Stephen Curry has only appeared in 40. Cade Cunningham, who had a real case for All NBA First Team, is sidelined at 61. Anthony Edwards is at 60, and even if he plays out the final 4 games with the Wolves, he will not reach the threshold. He’d end up at 64, with 63 games deemed “eligible” after he played just three minutes against the Pacers in October.
That changes the field. When you filter it down to guards who are actually eligible, Booker’s profile looks different. He becomes one of the top scoring options in that group, sitting sixth among eligible guards. His 6 assists per game places him 11th. Not elite, but solid. Consistent. Available.
So while it may not feel like one of his best seasons when you watch it night to night, when you stack it against the league and apply the rules that now govern awards, there is a real path there. Not because he has been perfect. But because he has been present, and in today’s NBA, that counts for more than it used to.
So what happens? Do the Suns make an appeal, seeing as Booker played in 66 games but had to leave due to injury? Rumor has it the Lakers will be doing the same for Luka, who sits at that 64-game mark, and all of his games exceed 15 minutes played.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: the 65-game rule feels arbitrary. I understand the intent. The league wants its stars on the floor, wants fans to see the players they paid to see, and wants availability to matter. That part makes sense. But the game does not operate in a vacuum. Injuries exist. They always have. And this season has been a perfect example. Top-tier players are missing time not by choice, but because their bodies forced it. That is what has reshaped this race. That is what has created openings for players who stayed on the floor.
And that is where Booker may benefit. Not because he has had his best season. Not because he has been dominant every night. But because he has been there. Because he has played. Because in a year where availability has thinned the field, that matters more than it used to. How the NBA navigates this scenario with Booker will be interesting.
Game Preview #79 – Timberwolves at Pacers
Minnesota Timberwolves at Indiana Pacers
Date: April 7th, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM CDT
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The Wolves entered Sunday night’s game against Charlotte desperately needing a win to gain stability and maintain some semblance of control in the Western Conference standings. For three quarters, it looked like a normal, competitive NBA game. Minnesota hung around, traded punches, defended just well enough, and kept things within a possession or two. It wasn’t pretty (it rarely is with this team lately) but it was functional. You could see a path. You could talk yourself into it.
And then, somewhere late in the third, the whole thing cracked open.
Not slowly. Not subtly. Just… boom.
A one-point game turned into a double-digit deficit in what felt like two minutes. Then it stretched to 20+, and suddenly the Wolves weren’t just losing, they were disintegrating. The defense became a series of late rotations, wide-open looks, and revolving doors to the hoop. The offense devolved into turnovers, rushed threes, and missed layups that made you wonder if the rim had been raised a few inches mid-game.
It was one of those stretches where every possession feels like it’s somehow worse than the last. And the worst part? You’ve seen it before. This isn’t new. This is the recurring nightmare of the past week where the five-minute meltdown erases 40 minutes of decent basketball.
And just like that, they were done.
The Standings Gut Punch
If this were happening in January, you shrug, maybe fire off a few angry texts, and move on.
But it’s not January.
It’s the final stretch. And this loss didn’t just sting. It shifted things.
With Houston taking care of Golden State and the Lakers dropping one to Dallas, the Western Conference picture, which had been this chaotic, constantly shifting mess, suddenly snapped into something a little more rigid. A little more real.
Minnesota is now three games back of Houston with four to play.
Read that again. That’s not a gap you close. That’s a gap you stare at and try to rationalize.
Yes, there’s still a head-to-head matchup looming. Yes, mathematically, it’s not over. But realistically? The Wolves are holding an engraved invitation to the six seed.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the uncomfortable part nobody wants to say out loud: Phoenix is still there. Still lurking. Still holding the tiebreaker.
Would it take a collapse of truly spectacular proportions for Minnesota to fall into seventh? Absolutely. But if you’ve followed this franchise long enough, you know the phrase “spectacular collapse” isn’t exactly foreign territory.
So now Wolves fans are living in that weird emotional space where you’re 90% sure it’s the six seed… and 10% terrified you’re about to watch something go sideways in a way that ruins your season.
So Now What?
At this point, the conversation starts to shift. Yes, the standings still matter. Yes, you want to hold off Phoenix. Yes, maybe you squint and convince yourself there’s still a path to fifth. But more than anything, this is about getting right before the playoffs.
Because if this version of the Wolves, the one that unravels under pressure, is the one that shows up in round one?
It won’t matter who they play.
The Pacers Game
What appeared to be an early-April afterthought has suddenly become a must-win game for the Wolves. On paper, this is the easiest game left. A bottom-of-the-standings team. The kind of opponent you’d normally pencil in and move on. But nothing about this Wolves team is “pencil in” anymore, and the team can’t afford to let this one slip.
With Minnesota unable to field a healthy roster, their opportunities to notch a critical victory are growing thin. Their last battle with the Magic resulted in them being run out of the gym. Expecting them to go into Houston and pull out a short-handed W is asking a lot. Lose here to Indiana, and it’s not too far-fetched to envision a scenario where this team heads into its finale in New Orleans needing a victory to avoid the play-in.
This game with the Pacers isn’t about style points. It’s not about a bounce-back statement.
This is about survival.
Keys to the Game
1. Finish Defensive Possessions
At this point, the Wolves don’t have a defensive scheme problem. They have a finishing problem.
On many trips down the floor, they are actually doing enough on the initial action. They’re contesting. They’re forcing tough looks. They’re getting to that point where a possession should end… and then it doesn’t. The rebound kicks out. The loose ball bounces the wrong way. Someone hesitates instead of attacking it. And suddenly what should have been a stop turns into a putback, a reset three, or worse, a momentum swing.
That’s been the difference in these recent losses.
You can live with great offense beating great defense. What you can’t live with is giving teams second and third chances when you already did the hard part.
Against Indiana, this has to be a point of emphasis from the opening tip. Rudy Gobert can’t be the only one treating rebounds like they matter. Julius Randle has to bring force. The wings have to crash. It has to look like five guys who understand that the possession doesn’t end until someone in a Wolves jersey actually secures the ball.
2. Recognize the Avalanche, and Stop It Before It Starts
Every Wolves fan can feel it now. That moment when the game starts to tilt. When the offense gets a little rushed, the defense a half-step slow, and suddenly the teems is teetering. It’s subtle at first, a turnover here, a missed rotation there, but it builds.
And the Wolves keep letting it build.
Good teams don’t eliminate runs, that’s impossible, but they interrupt them. They sense when things are slipping and they respond immediately. A timeout. A set play. A drive to the rim to get to the line. Something to stop the bleeding. Minnesota hasn’t been doing that. They’ve been letting those stretches snowball into game-deciding runs.
That’s where Chris Finch comes in. That’s where the veterans come in. That’s where the group has to show some awareness and maturity. If Indiana strings together six quick points, the response can’t be another rushed three and a blown defensive rotation. It has to be intentional. It has to be controlled.
Because the difference between a 6–0 run and a 16–0 run? That’s the season right now.
3. Tighten the Rotation and Ride the Players Who Have It
We’re past the point of experimentation.
If someone doesn’t have it, whether it’s Naz Reid struggling through the shoulder issue, or a shooter who clearly doesn’t have his legs, Finch has to adjust. He can’t wait for it to fix itself in real time.
The Wolves need energy. They need decisiveness. They need players who are going to play with force.
If that means leaning into younger legs, giving someone like Beringer a real look, if that means riding the hot hand instead of the expected one… so be it.
The worst thing this team can do right now is stick to a script that clearly isn’t working. Find the five guys who are ready to compete that night. Then trust them.
4. Push the Pace
When this team gets stuck in the halfcourt right now, things tend to stall. But in transition? There’s still life. Bones Highland pushing tempo. Ayo getting downhill. Randle attacking early before the defense sets. Those are the moments where the offense feels natural again.
More importantly, upping the tempo prevents the kind of stagnation that leads to bad shots and live-ball turnovers, which are the exact things that have fueled opponents’ runs this past week.
Against Indiana, the Wolves need to play like a team that understands its current reality. They’re not at full strength. They’re not at full rhythm. They can’t afford to make the game harder than it needs to be.
Run. Attack. Force the issue. Get easy ones before the defense can settle in. When this team is playing fast and decisive, it looks like a completely different group.
5. Play With Urgency, Not Anxiety
This is the fine line.
The Wolves know what’s at stake. They know the standings. They know the margin for error is basically gone. And sometimes, that awareness shows up as tightness instead of urgency. That can’t happen here.
Urgency means focus, energy, purpose. It means sprinting back on defense, making the extra pass, attacking the glass.
Anxiety is the opposite. It’s rushed decisions, forced shots, and trying to make the “big play” instead of the right one.
The Wolves don’t need to play desperate. They need to play locked in. Because when they do, we’ve seen what it looks like. Boston. Houston. Those weren’t accidents.
That version of this team that still exists. They just have to channel it.
This Is About Who They Are, Right Now
At some point, the standings become secondary to something more important.
Identity.
Right now, the Wolves are sitting in that uncomfortable space where they’re good enough to beat anyone, but not stable enough to trust it. They’ve shown flashes of being a team nobody wants to see in a playoff series… and stretches where they look like a team that’s one bad quarter away from packing it up early.
That’s the tension of this moment. The six seed is probably where this is headed. The Houston gap is real. And unless something dramatic happens, Minnesota’s playoff path is starting to come into focus.
But how they arrive there still matters. If they limp into the postseason, still dealing with the same issues like the rebounding lapses, the offensive stagnation, and the mental collapses, then it won’t matter who they draw. Denver. Los Angeles. Whoever. That series is going to feel like an uphill battle from the jump.
But if they use these final games, starting with Indiana, to clean this up, to reestablish their defensive identity, to rediscover their rhythm and confidence?
Then suddenly the conversation changes. Then you’re not talking about a fragile six seed. You’re talking about a dangerous one.
That’s the opportunity sitting right in front of them.
Because the truth is, for all the frustration, for all the missed chances, for all the “what are they doing?” moments, this team is still right there. Still talented enough. Still experienced enough. Still capable of flipping this thing in a way that makes the last few weeks feel like noise instead of foreshadowing.
But that switch? It doesn’t flip itself.
And if they don’t find it now, against teams like Indiana, in games they absolutely have to bank, then we’re not going to be talking about matchups or paths or possibilities. We’re going to be talking about another season that felt like it had more in it… and never quite got there.
And at this point?
Nobody in that locker room, or watching from the outside, wants to sit through that ending again.
Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game I chat
Let the World Series rematch commence.
Monday game info
- Teams: Dodgers at Blue Jays
- Ballpark: Rogers Centre, Toronto
- Time: 4:07 p.m. PT
- TV: SportsNet LA (Joe Davis, Orel Hershiser), FS1 (Kenny Albert, A.J. Pierzynski)
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
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Happy return to historic Tropicana Field: Rays 6 Cubs 4
The Rays played all last season in the home run prone Steinbrenner Field, and made their return to the pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field by….hitting three home runs. They won their home opener against the Chicago Cubs 6-4.
Let’s start with the bad news. Anyone who had the wild fantasy that Shane McClanahan would return after over a year and a half away from baseball looking like his old self find today’s pitching performance disappointing. He was pulled after four innings, with the second inning standing out as his worst. He walked three batters and then gave up a two-run single. Honestly he looked so rattled I though getting out of that inning with just two runs scored was very fortunate.
Also troubling — his fastball velocity is down from high 90s to mid 90s. Can you be a successful major league pitcher with a 94 mph fastball? Of course! But when you used to throw 98, it takes an adjustment.
But the Chicago lead was soon erased.
Chandler Simpson singled. And stole second. And stole third. With Cedric Mullins up at bat, I was thinking Chandler should consider stealing home because Cedric has not done much with the bat. But I clearly underestimated the man (or didn’t think pitcher Jamison Taillon would actually throw him an offspeed pitch given how he struggles to catch up with a fastball) because he put the Rays on the board with a two-run homer.
The home run itself was a thing of joy, but my favorite part was watching Simpson’s reaction as he skipped down the line to score. Yep, Chandler, baseball is fun!
Taylor Walls, back on the team after his IL stint, then doubled (!) and was driven home by Yandy Diaz, to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.
We were probably all holding our breathes a bit when McClanahan returned to the mound in the third. He did retire the side quickly, on three fly balls, but one of them looked like this:
Guys who work hard to improve in areas of weakness are my favorite players, so lots of respect to Simpson, who has supposedly spent his off season working to improve his outfield play.
The Rays went up 4-2 in the bottom half of the inning, when Caminero hit a no-doubt homer — 106 mph, 400 feet.
McClanahan left after a successful fourth inning — presumably Kevin Cash thinking to lift him on a high note – and was replaced first by Kevin Kelly, and then by Ian Seymour. Seymour got himself into trouble giving up a series of hits and a sac fly to make the score 4-3, but he managed to get out of the inning without reminding us too much how he looked in the season opener.
The Rays hitters weren’t done however; in the seventh inning Jonathan Aranda also homered, scoring Ben Williamson, who had drawn a walk, and giving the Rays a three run lead. Although closer Bryan Baker did give up a solo home run in the ninth, the Rays bullpen was on the whole quite effective, with Hunter Bigge contributing 1.2 strong innings.
The Rays won today with the continued offensive strength of Yandy Diaz and Chandler Simpson (two hits each), and less expected contributions from Taylor Walls and Cedric Mullins. It is great to see the bullpen settling down, and those of us who looked forward to the return of Hunter Bigge – both for his skills and the endless possibility for puns — are pleased to see that he hasn’t seem to have lost a step.
Rays 6, Cubs 4: Not enough hitting or relief pitching
Remember last year, when the Cubs bats were on fire for most of the first half? Yeah, me too.
Remember last year, when the Cubs bullpen was solid for most of the year? Yeah, me too.
Neither of those things is going well for the Cubs so far in 2026, and those were the primary reasons for the 6-4 loss to the Rays Monday afternoon, the first time this year the Cubs have lost consecutive games.
The Cubs scored first in this one. In the top of the second, Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson led off with walks. After Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out, Miguel Amaya walked to load the bases.
Nico Hoerner’s single gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead [VIDEO].
But Jameson Taillon could not hold the lead. A single in the bottom of the second followed by a two-run homer from Cedric Mullins tied the game in the bottom of the second. Taillon got the second out of the inning, but then gave up a double.
A ground ball to deep short scored the Rays’ third run when Swanson made an ill-considered throw [VIDEO].
That clip is from the Rays broadcast (with former Cubs radio guy Dewayne Staats!), but on the Marquee broadcast Jim Deshaies said Swanson should have probably just eaten the ball. Had he done so, the runner would likely have held at third. Taillon then got the third out.
The Rays made it 4-2 in the third on a solo homer by Junior Caminero.
In the fourth, Swanson contributed this fine defensive play [VIDEO].
The Cubs tied things up in the sixth. Ian Happ led off with a double. Carson Kelly also doubled, but Happ had to hold at third because it wasn’t clear if Kelly’s ball would be caught.
Busch’s sacrifice fly made it 4-3 [VIDEO].
So the Cubs trailed by only one run when Taillon’s afternoon was wrapped after six innings. It was a decent start, six innings, seven hits, no walks. The two home runs weren’t good, but he does get a “quality start” for that effort, for whatever that’s worth. Here’s more on Taillon’s outing [VIDEO].
And a bit more on Jamo’s pitch selection [VIDEO].
So it’s a one-run game heading to the bottom of the seventh and Phil Maton entered in relief. Maton walked the leadoff hitter, which is never, ever good. He did retire the next two hitters, including Taylor Walls on this nice diving catch by Happ [VIDEO].
Unfortunately, Jonathan Aranada then put one in orbit to make it 6-3 [VIDEO].
Riley Martin made his MLB debut throwing the bottom of the eighth, and it was a success. He gave up a one-out infield single, but got out of the inning with a double play. Congrats to Martin, whose journey to MLB came from a Division II school (Quincy University). Looks like he could be a useful part of the Cubs bullpen — which they could use, because so far in this young season only Caleb Thielbar and Daniel Palencia have been reliable.
The Cubs did get one run back in the ninth when Shaw hit a two-out home run [VIDEO].
The Cubs did hit some baseballs hard for outs in this game but in general, the offense has just not shown up so far this year. The Cubs had just four hits on the afternoon and four walks and that’s just not going to cut it. The current team BA of .199 ranks 27th and the team OPS of .628 ranks 25th.
Now, this offense is better than that and when Seiya Suzuki returns on Friday it should get better. If the team was getting better relief pitching I’d worry less, but… that’s been another concern. It is still very early in the season, and things can turn quickly, as you know.
It would be nice if that would start tomorrow.
Today was the Rays’ first game back at the renovated Tropicana Field, but they still had the upper deck closed and reported 25,114 paid for the afternoon. It looked nice, though:
Javier Assad will start Tuesday’s game for the Cubs after Matthew Boyd hit the injured list with a bicep issue. Drew Rasmussen will go for the Rays. Game time Tuesday is 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
Islanders painfully aware of what comes next after jarring coaching change
Mathew Barzal is familiar with the business.
Nearly a decade removed from making his NHL debut with the Islanders, the 28-year-old forward has played games under five head coaches.
Jack Capuano was fired midseason, months after leading the franchise to their first playoff series victory in 23 years. Doug Weight was gone after less than two full seasons. Barry Trotz was fired one year after the Islanders made their second consecutive run to the conference finals. And Lane Lambert was let go before finishing his second season with the team.
What could surprise Barzal now?
“When [John Tortorella] got hired in [Las] Vegas the other week, I kind of laughed, [coming] with eight games left,” Barzal said Monday. “And then this happens. There was no sense of that.”
The shock of Patrick Roy’s firing was still evident after Monday’s practice on Long Island, less than 24 hours after the head coach was dismissed with four games remaining in the regular season.
Islanders players staunchly defended Roy, denying he had lost the locker room near the tail end of his third season in charge, shouldering the blame for the season-worst four-game losing streak that has put the team’s playoff hopes in jeopardy.
“We all love Patty and wish that we could have done better over the last 10 days,” Barzal said. “You look in the mirror and there’s chances that I missed … As competitors, you feel disappointment, just thinking you could have done more.
“The biggest thing I’ll take away from Patrick is just the accountability and the honesty within the room … He was so honest in discussion, and the way he looked you in the eye and was completely honest with you. Never told a lie. And that’s something you really appreciate out of a coach.
“But I think at this time of the year you can’t let anything linger too long. You move on as a player. You ride with what you’re given. You wake up this morning and you’re excited to give everything you’ve got.”
It was time to move on because there is so little time left in the season, so little time to become acquainted with new coach Pete DeBoer and the basics of a structure that has allowed him to lead four different teams to the conference finals.
“He was being honest with us about what we can do better,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said following Monday’s practice. “He’s had a lot of success everywhere he’s been and we’ll listen to everything he has to say. It’s not gonna be a problem to buy into his system. It’s exciting to have that little reset and fresh start.”
Star rookie Matthew Schaefer shared similar enthusiasm, speaking of the opportunity to learn from the accomplished coach.
And despite the sudden change, the team’s mindset remains the same.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to expect to make the playoffs,” captain Anders Lee said. “We can go out there and get this thing done.”
A coach can only do so much, center Brayden Schenn said:
“It’s on the players to execute.”
Observations after Sixers lose key game to Spurs despite Embiid's 34 points
Observations after Sixers lose key game to Spurs despite Embiid's 34 points originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers’ odds of needing to go through the NBA’s play-in tournament increased Monday night.
With a 115-102 road loss to the Spurs, the Sixers dipped to 43-36. The defeat again meant that the Sixers fell from sixth to seventh in the ever-changing Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors hold a half-game lead over the Sixers for the final spot above the play-in. Toronto will host the 10th-seeded Heat on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Both the Hornets and Magic now also sit at 43-36. The Sixers hold tiebreakers over each team.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with a 34-point, 12-rebound performance.
Paul George scored 16 points. Tyrese Maxey tallied 15 points and VJ Edgecombe added 14.
Stephon Castle posted a triple-double for San Antonio with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Sixers were down Cameron Payne (right hamstring strain) and Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery).
The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was ruled out at halftime with a left rib contusion. He had 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks in the first half.
The Sixers’ next stop in Texas will be Houston, where they’ll play the Rockets on Thursday night. Here are observations on their loss in San Antonio:
Injuries a central story
Kelly Oubre Jr. started instead of Dominick Barlow. It’s the first time that’s been the case since Oubre returned from his left elbow sprain in late March and that Sixers had all their rotation pieces available.
George drained three three-pointers in under six minutes. He had another excellent first quarter, posting 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. George also picked up an early steal when he poked that ball away from De’Aaron Fox on the perimeter. That started a fast break which Oubre finished off with a put-back layup.
Uncertainty about Embiid’s status was the largest story of the first quarter.
The Sixers’ star big man landed awkwardly after blocking Wembanyama in the first minute of the game. Embiid sat on the scorer’s table with 7:42 left in the first quarter and the Sixers called timeout. Andre Drummond entered. It wasn’t clear exactly what was bothering Embiid, though he appeared to be flexing his left foot or ankle at one point.
Whatever the issue, Embiid subbed back in with 3:33 to go in the first. He swished a jumper from the right elbow 23 seconds later, although Embiid continued to move gingerly late in the first quarter. Eventually, he looked more steady and forceful.
For the Spurs, Castle and Wembanyama also had apparent injuries pop up in the first half.
Castle was cleared to return and fine for the rest of the night, but Wembanyama kept dealing with discomfort that seemed to stem from a collision with George. Luke Kornet started the second half at center.
Nothing doing for Maxey in first half
Maxey entered Monday averaging 28.6 points. He scored zero in the first half on 0-for-4 shooting.
The Sixers’ All-Star guard dished out seven assists over the first two quarters and wasn’t blatantly gun-shy. He was certainly more deferential than usual, though.
Embiid got into a good offensive rhythm in the second quarter. His highlights included a nimble step-back three over Wembanyama that cut the Sixers’ deficit to five points. The team trailed by seven at halftime.
The last time Embiid and Wembanyama matched up before Monday, Embiid scored 70. He was never anywhere near that pace Monday, but Embiid showed he’s still a serious challenge for any defender to face 1-on-1.
While Embid served as the Sixers’ primary defender on Wembanyama, Barlow also got key minutes guarding the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 superstar in the first half. As usual, he was intelligent and high-effort in that task.
Crucial Embiid-less stretch goes poorly
The teams exchanged runs early in the third quarter. The Sixers briefly went in front with an Embiid triple, but San Antonio replied with a 9-0 spurt.
The Spurs shifted to small ball after Kornet subbed out. Embiid’s physicality was a plus against whoever San Antonio had on the floor. The seven-time All-Star’s rebounding and free throw numbers were two reflections of his strong night in that department.
Embiid recorded five offensive boards and seven defensive boards. He set new season highs in free throws made (16) and free throws attempted (19).
Embiid played the whole third quarter. Andre Drummond opened the fourth on a night Adem Bona never left the bench.
The Sixers didn’t fare well during that important Embiid-less stretch. Drummond missed a corner three. Kornet then beat him down the floor and slammed in an alley-oop dunk. A Dylan Harper three put the Spurs up by 14 points.
Quentin Grimes’ subpar outing also did not help when the Sixers were were trying to tread water without Embiid. Grimes had five points on 2-for-7 shooting and two rebounds in 23 minutes as the Sixers’ sixth man. Oubre had an identical stat line of five points on 2-for-7 shooting and missed multiple late jumpers. Barlow subbed in for Oubre with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers were left with almost no margin for error in the final minutes against an opponent that’s grown very accustomed to winning. The Spurs cemented their 60th victory.
Game #10 GameThread: Dodger @ Jays
Stupid Dodgers are in town to play the Jays. Stupid Dodgers.
We 1/16th of the way through the season, after this.
I’m in Kitakyushu, Japan, one of those places I’m really interested in seeing, when this game happens. And roughly halfway through the holiday.
I bought the new OOTP Baseball the other day. The early roster isn’t exactly what the Jays started the season with, but I could restart the game when the season starts and get the roster closer to what it will really be. I’m enjoying it so far. You could also start with the teams the way they were at the end of the season, and sign your own free agents, or try to re-sign Bo Bichette if you really wanted, which might be fun to do. If you have never played OOTP, well, I really enjoy it. You can play as GM and Manager. Or you could play as just the GM and let the game do the in-game stuff by itself. I like playing the games as the manager. But then it takes a lot longer to get through a season. Give it a try.
Go Jays Go
Game 10: Twins vs Tigers
First Pitch (CT): 6:40
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Bless You Boys
The Minnesota Twins are back in action this evening facing the division-favorite Detroit Tigers. The Tigers ran back essentially the same squad as 2025 with two key additions. Primarily All-Star starter Framber Valdez, who the Twins will face on Wednesday. But don’t overlook rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle. The Top-5 prospect has an .865 OPS and a few key hits in this young season. For a lineup that was often lacking some punch, McGonigle could be a welcome addition for a team trying to make a title push before likely losing back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in 2027.
Save us, Joe Ryan. You’re our only hope.
Lineups
| Twins | Opponent |
| SP: Joe Ryan | SP: Casey Mize |
| 1. Byron Buxton, DH | 1. Kevin McGonigle, SS |
| 2. Trevor Larnach, LF | 2. Gleyber Torres, 2B |
| 3. Luke Keaschall, 2B | 3. Colt Keith, 3B |
| 4. Josh Bell, 1B | 4. Riley Greene, DH |
| 5. Victor Caratini, C | 5. Spencer Torkelson, 1B |
| 6. Matt Wallner, RF | 6. Zach McKinstry, RF |
| 7. Royce Lewis, 3B | 7. Matt Vierling, LF |
| 8. James Outman, CF | 8. Parker Meadows, CF |
| 9. Brooks Lee, SS | 9. Jake Rogers, C |
North Carolina reportedly to hire former Nuggets coach Michael Malone to take over program
It was widely expected that Michael Malone would return to coaching next season. His jumping to college was not.
Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the franchise's only NBA title, reportedly will soon be announced as the new head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, a story broken by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and since confirmed by other reports.
North Carolina had been big game hunting to replace Hubert Davis, who was fired after the Tar Heels' second consecutive first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament (his teams had won two total tournament games in the past four years and missed the big dance one of those seasons, an unacceptable outcome in Chapel Hill). Reports had linked Bulls coach — and two-time NCAA champion at Florida — Billy Donovan to the job, and he didn’t exactly deny it. Two coaches in the Final Four — Tommy Lloyd of Arizona and Dusty May of Michigan — also were liniked to the job.
Malone came more out of nowhere, but he brings an NBA pedigree that should be a draw for players (that and a large NIL budget). Malone did start his career as a college assistant coach, but the last time he was in the college game was 2001 at Manhattan. Malone is a respected Xs and Os coach, and with the dynamics of college basketball moving closer to those of the professional ranks, the theory is that Malone can step right in and have an impact.
Malone was expected to get a long look from some teams changing coaches this offseason, with reports that the New Orleans had a strong interest in him. With the North Carolina job off the table, it is more likely that Donovan returns to the Bulls. According to Marc Stein of the Stein Line, they want to keep him despite firing Arturas Karnisovas, the executive vice president of basketball operations and decision maker, as well as general manager Marc Eversley, on Monday.
Pistons vs Magic Discussion: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More
The headline of today’s extremely good and compelling game preview by Brennan Sims was “The Pistons are not done.” The Detroit Pistons’ injury report might slightly disagree with that take. Detroit is down several players: Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, and Caris LeVert, notably among them.
Now, the Detroit Pistons have spent an entire season proving every doubter wrong, and that includes the team’s ability to win games no matter which players are suiting up. This is the same team that took the Oklahoma City Thunder to overtime shortly after losing Cunningham to a collapsed lung, after all. But the Orlando Magic, tonight’s opponent, is no Washington Wizards or Utah Jazz. They are a playoff team and currently sit above .500. You can’t sit that many core rotational pieces and expect to have an easy path to victory.
But I like Detroit’s odds. It feels like a special Ausar game to me. Maybe that’s just me being tricked by the pleasant spring weather I experienced today. But Ausar is often special in invisible ways, and I’m manifesting a very visible dominating performance that sends a handful of highlight plays ricocheting through social media. It could also be another good Daniss Jenkins night. The Magic are not shy about fouling players who force the action inside, and when Jenkins has everything working, he can put some sauce on his drives and create real contact.
Game Vitals
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -1
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (57-21)
Daniss Jenkins, Kevin Hueter, Ausar Thompson, Javonte Green, Jalen Duren
Orlando Magic (42-36)
Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.