Towns plays himself in the movie, appearing in a scene in which he attends a party at the Hamptons house of Miranda Priestly, who is played by Meryl Streep.
He is introduced to Anne Hathaway’s character, Andy.
She tells him she’s a big fan of his and the Knicks.
“It was an honor,” Towns said. “It was an honor and it was awesome to just see the masses of work at work in the acting world, and to be able to see them just do what they do at the highest level, it was such an honor.”
Towns was invited to the red-carpet premiere, but he couldn’t make it.
Karl-Anthony Towns addresses reporters during a May 2 press conference. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
It was the same night as Game 2 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Hawks.
In real life, the 43-year-old Hathaway is a big fan of the Knicks, frequently attending games at the Garden.
Anne Hathaway is pictured in a scene from “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” AP
“I’m very chill, loving and calm, but I’m also the type of fan that I considered wearing an OG [Anunoby] jersey out here today,” Hathaway said in a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“When I’m at the game, I want them to know that I know who they are and that they’re going to win. I don’t want to get out into like, ‘What are you doing?’ [and] all that; I want them to know that you can do no wrong. I’m trying to be a gentle, loving, motherly fan.”
The Knicks began using Jalen Brunson as a screener more frequently toward the end of the Hawks series.
Coach Mike Brown believes he has seen only one guard better as a screener: John Stockton.
“You have to have a toughness about you to screen, because if you are a point guard, you are probably screening somebody bigger than you every time you screen somebody,” Brown said. “John had a toughness about him. And Jalen has a toughness about him. Steph [Curry] has a toughness about him. It takes that first and the rest of the stuff comes after.”
BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 23.5 VJ Edgecombe – 16 Joel Embiid – 13.5 Paul George – 9 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5 Justin Edwards – 4 Andre Drummond – 3 Quentin Grimes – 3 Jared McCain – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 MarJon Beauchamp – 2 Adem Bona – 1 Porter Martone – 1 Cam Payne – 1 Jabari Walker – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
Here we are, in what might be the heaviest Bell Ringer post in quite some time. The seven-seeded Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Boston Celtics with a 109-100 Game 7 win on the road, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
This game had big stakes beyond just the current playoff picture. The Sixers hadn’t beaten the Celtics in over 40 years, and until now had never come back from 3-1 down to win a series. This year’s team has officially made history, knocking off the favored Celtics in the process.
They’ll take on the New York Knicks in the second round starting Monday night.
Many names were vital in this team effort, of course. I’m not one to put an asterisk on this award, but this Bell Ringer carries a little something extra. Let’s dive into the box score and see which guys are up for it.
Embiid came out as a man on a mission, playing the entire first frame and immediately producing in a variety of ways: 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and five assists to go along with zero turnovers. The big man was playing in his own world, and it showed right from the jump. A tale as old as time, the backup big came in and nuked a lot of Embiid’s early work, with Andre Drummond doing the damage tonight. Embiid checked back in less than four minutes later and was a big stabilizer in the Sixers not leaking away their entire early lead.
That domination carried over quickly into the second half, with Embiid plowing his way to the rim on numerous possessions, generating free throws, and even having a back and forth with Celtics star Jaylen Brown. Head coach Joe Mazzula hasn’t had an answer for Embiid since he returned mid-series, and this game was an embodiment of that, with the Celtics resorting to Hugo Gonzalez and other small defenders just to switch things up and throw him off. Embiid looked like a man possessed during this stretch — sealing, blocking out, and just going to the rim over and over.
Unsurprisingly, Embiid was instrumental down the stretch. The Celtics went on a run to trim the lead to single digits, but he poured in a few midrange baskets and was all over the place on loose ball plays, diving and doing a lot of the dirty work down low. He didn’t play much in the final minutes as the game devolved into free throws, and he took two nasty collisions to the knee, but this was a massive statline and performance. He finally beat the dreaded Boston Celtics, and he was a major factor in doing so.
One of the under-the-radar storylines of this series has been the Sixers’ 3rd overall pick getting valuable playoff reps, and now experiencing a Game 7. We’ve seen highs and lows from the 20-year-old, with this game being one of the higher points for the rookie. It came at the best time possible, as it was his most efficient performance since Game 2 when he scored 30 points. Edgecombe did well staying ready, as the Celtics frequently put help defenders on him which opened up several looks that he mostly cashed in on. His three-point shot had been missing for stretches of this series, but it was falling tonight. He also did well converting on several fast breaks in the first half.
Edgecombe took on some of the tougher assignments defensively as well. He was the primary defender on Derrick White, who finally found some offensive rhythm in the first half, and really made him work for baskets. White ended the game just 8-of-21 from the field. Edgecombe also took on some of the Payton Pritchard assignment, who has been one of Boston’s better players this series. Defense is hard to track in a box score, but Edgecombe did well affecting this game on both ends. The third quarter featured some excellent offensive sequences from him, including a nice pass fake and made three, and a clutch corner three to keep the Celtics at bay.
Edgecombe wasn’t much of a factor down the stretch, as Maxey and Embiid did their thing to seal the game. But the rookie looked far from out of place in this high-stakes environment and was a big factor in his first ever Game 7. He finished with five made threes, and shot a solid 8-of-17 from the floor. Some players just thrive under the lights, and Edgecombe continues to be one of them. Edgecombe finished with a game-best +19 in plus-minus, with Embiid trailing behind at +11.
This was an interesting game for Maxey in the sense that it wasn’t a flashy, or even hot, scoring start. In fact it was the opposite. Maxey was mostly quiet from an individual scoring perspective, finishing the half in single digits and rarely generating his own shot. Early on though, he did well in other areas, particularly playmaking and rebounding. Maxey logged six assists in the first quarter alone and was crucial crashing the boards, which led to run outs and fast breaks.
He began to make some noise offensively in the third quarter, hitting a pair of threes and converting some layups off drives. The Sixers began to pull away largely because of Maxey not just protecting the lead, but extending it. Embiid briefly left in the third to get some treatment on his side, and Maxey kept the team afloat. His understated box score had ballooned to an impressive 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists after three quarters.
That stellar stretch carried well into the fourth, with Maxey continuing to make shots long after the offense went stagnant around him. Embiid was the only other Sixer to score multiple baskets in the frame. Without Maxey, the Sixers don’t generate enough offense and probably sink in the fourth quarter.
These aren’t the same 76ers that went 45-37 during the regular season.
They are finally healthy.
Superstar center Joel Embiid returned after missing the first three games of the playoffs following emergency surgery for appendicitis that cost him the tail end of the regular season.
Jalen Brunson attempts a shot during the Knicks’ Game 5 win over the Hawks on April 28, 2026. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
He was terrific in the series against the second-seeded Celtics, averaging 28 points and nine rebounds in four contests, although he did appear to hurt his left knee in the final seconds of Game 7.
“I felt great, I feel amazing. I was faking it,” he told reporters after the victory.
The big three of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey appeared in only 15 regular-season games together.
But they looked formidable against Boston.
Maxey, in particular, was brilliant.
He owned Game 7 down the stretch and finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
There is recent postseason history between the two teams.
They met in a thrilling first-round series two years ago, won by the Knicks in six games.
Five of those contests were decided by single digits.
It included what the Knicks called a “dirty” play by Embiid, in which he committed a flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson by grabbing his leg while airborne.
Joel Embiid reacts during the 76ers’ 109-100 Game 7 series-clinching win over the Celtics on May 2, 2026 in Boston. Imagn Images
It led to the Knicks’ center’s ankle injury worsening, and eventually ended his postseason early.
The Knicks began preparations Saturday for their next opponent, even though they didn’t know at the time it would be Embiid and Co.
The Celtics and 76ers were hours away from meeting in Boston in a winner-take-all Game 7.
Not that it mattered much to Mike Brown.
“It’s about us, and a lot of times it’s about us even if we know who we’re playing,” the Knicks’ coach said. “There’s plenty that you can work on without knowing who your opponent is because you’re trying to get better or sharper in the areas that make you who you are.”
The Knicks will enter the next round a confident group, after eliminating the Hawks in six games.
OG Anunoby dunks the ball during a Knicks’ May 2024 playoff game against the 76ers. Charles Wenzelberg
That’s not to say that the series was easy, Brown’s team trailing 2-1 at one point.
They responded like a champion, winning the last three games by a combined 96 points.
Asked if the Knicks played at a championship level in those final three games, Jalen Brunson said they performed at a level capable of getting out of the first round.
The Knicks’ response was impressive, especially considering how much the other top seeds in the Eastern Conference — the top-seeded Pistons and second-seeded Celtics — have struggled.
Detroit needed a massive comeback Friday night from a 22-point halftime deficit against the Magic just to force a Game 7 Sunday.
The Celtics didn’t even get out of the first round.
The Knicks, meanwhile, are enjoying a weekend off.
There is a chance that when the first round is complete, they will be the highest seed left in the conference.
“I haven’t really thought about it. It’s one of those things that you can’t really worry about,” Brunson said. “You have to control what you can control. Focus on one day at a time and focus on the task at hand.”
This is now four straight seasons the Knicks have advanced past the first round of the playoffs, the first time since 1992-2000.
The series win over the Hawks was different.
For one, Brown, and not Thibodeau, was the coach.
Plus, the Knicks rallied from a series deficit, a feat last accomplished in the 2000 postseason.
It led Brown to compare this group to some elite ones he has been a part of that reached the NBA Finals, such as the Spurs, Warriors and Cavaliers.
“The first thing is they’re resilient because in the playoffs you’re going to have a lot of highs and a lot of lows, which means you’re going to face some adversity, so when [that happens], can you stay connected? And this group can,” Brown said. “So the connectedness that this group has is similar. The sacrifice that this group has is similar, the competitive spirit that this group has is similar and then the belief is similar as well.”
DENVER, CO - May 1: Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuña Jr. (13) prepares to bat in the first inning during a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 1, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Just when it seemed like the Atlanta Braves were starting to turn a corner with injury luck with all of the positive updates on players who are currently on the injury list and Michael Harris II continuing to rake despite quad issues of his own, the injury bug appears to have taken another bite from this squad.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has exited Saturday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies with what appears to be a left hamstring issue. Acuña was simply running out a ground ball to second base and pulled up grabbing at his left hamstring. He walked off the field under his own power but he did need help getting down the stairs according to what we saw on the television broadcast.
OF Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed from tonight’s game with left hamstring tightness.
We’ll provide more updates as they become available and hopefully it’s not as bad as looks for Acuña.
[UPDATE 11:08 p.m ET]: Walt Weiss talked to the media following the game and stated that Ronald Acuña Jr. will be going for an MRI. He said he was hoping for it to be a cramp but also it’s “never good” whenever you see a guy going in for an MRI for this sort of thing. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best at this point.
May 2, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; A squirrel runs behind Coors Field home plate in the second inning between the Atlanta Braves against the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies were hoping their offense would take flight after last night’s showing, but unfortunately it did not. Instead, the offense was limited to just four hits, while Chase Dollander got roughed up for the first time this season.
Playing from behind
Brennan Bernardino served as the opener, and he left Dollander with a mess right off the bat. Bernardino failed to get out of the first inning giving up a single to Ronald Acuña Jr., and then he surrendering a two-run homer to Drake Baldwin to make it a 2-0 ballgame with zero outs in the first.
Ozzie Albies then doubled before Matt Olson finally flew out to center record the first out for Bernardino. A wild pitch allowed him to advance to third, and then Bernardino struck out Michael Harris II.
Warren Schaeffer likely envisioned Bernardino finishing at least the first inning, if not multiple innings, but ended up lifting him after just 0.2 innings. Dollander entered and immediately walked Mauricio Dubón, but then struck out Austin Riley to limit the damage.
The Braves Chase’d Dollander
Dollander started off the second inning strong with a strikeout of Mike Yastrzemski, but then gave up a double to Jorge Mateo. Acuña then came up to the plate and grounded out, but he pulled up halfway to first base. Hopefully it’s not an extended injury, given his history.
Next up, Baldwin singled to score Mateo and put the Braves up 3-0 but then Ozzie Albies struck out to end the inning.
Dollander recorded a 1-2-3 third, but the fourth and fifth got dicey.
The fourth started off with a walk to Austin Riley, which inevitably came back around to haunt. Yastrzemsky popped out to Karros, but then Riley stole second and then was knocked to third by a Mateo single. Eli White — who entered for Acuña — bunted, which scored Riley and moved Mateo to third. Baldwin struck again, though, with an RBI double to put the Braves up 5-1 and then Albies hit a sac fly to score White. Matt Olson flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
The fifth inning started with a single by Harris, which turned into two bases on an error committed by Troy Johnston. Dubón grounded out, but Riley homered to center to put the Braves up 8-1.
It was just Dollander’s fourth home run allowed this year, but he came back to get Yastrzemski and Mateo.
The sixth featured a lot of traffic, but nobody came around to score. Dollander was lifted after the sixth with a final line of 5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR. He threw 97 pitches, 61 for strikes.
“I thought (Dollander) was just a little behind today,” Schaeffer said after the game. “I think (it was) unusual, with some walks. The breaking ball and the off-speed stuff — not enough strikes out of those so he relied on his fastball a little more. And they got him. I mean, that’s a good lineup. Tip your hat to that lineup, it’s a really good lineup.”
Dollander echoed that postgame with the media.
“I just didn’t get ahead and then didn’t put guys away when I needed to,” he said. “I started falling behind when I got ahead and it’s not conducive to success.”
When asked about pitching behind an opener versus starting, Dollander responded that it doesn’t change his mentality.
“I’m just trying to get the guys innings and put up zeroes just like I was when I was starting,” he said. “The mentality does not change at all. If you fall into that trap, it’s not good for pitching.”
You can watch Dollander’s full postgame interview here (courtesy of Patrick Saunders).
Offensive Offense
The Rockies offense, once again, was MIA tonight. They did not record a hit until the third inning, when Kyle Karros singled to lead off the inning. Ezequiel Tovar and Troy Johnston both flied out to center, but then Jordan Beck smacked a double to (barely) score Karros and end the shutout.
Brenton Doyle struck out, but at least the Rockies plated a run.
But that was the end of the scoring.
There was some traffic in the fifth, when Karros and Tovar walked back-to-back to start the inning, but Johnston grounded into a force out, Beck was called out on strikes, and Doyle struck out swinging to strand the runners.
Their next hit wouldn’t come until the seventh, when Brett Sullivan led off with a single. But then three-straight strikeouts stranded him at first. Willi Castro got a hit with one out in the ninth, but Sullivan grounded into a double play to end the game.
In total the Rockies offense mustered just four hits, but walked three times and struck out 12 (11 of those were against Chris Sale).
Up Next
The Rox will look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Braves tomorrow afternoon. Kyle Freeland will face Spencer Strider, who is making his 2026 debut. First pitch is at 1:10pm.
May 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Willy Adames (2) reacts to the umpire during the second inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
Soon after the 27th out was recorded in the 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Giants players filed out of the dugout into the clubhouse as somber as one leaves a church pew at a funeral. Heads were mostly bowed. Hats pulled low. Eyes kept down. The coaches busied themselves with their game-prep clipboards and binders. The auxiliary staff gathered equipment. Amidst the muffled bustle, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames stayed frozen on the bench, bearing expressions infinite in their emptiness.
The pair have sat shiva together after each loss so far in Florida. After today’s defeat, a camera operator slowly zoomed in on the two processing their grief. Adames started to distractedly wipe his brow of sweat, hiding his face in the crook of his arm. Beside him, Devers’s wide, glazed-over eyes laid the hollowness behind them bare as Katrina and the Waves 1983 hit “Walking on Sunshine” blasted over the stadium PA system. The song’s refrain “I’m walking on sunshine…wooah!” repeated again…and again…and again… and again… as the camera closed in on Devers’s face, numb and in hell.
Pure cinema. The clip was better than anything Giants fans had watched all game, and thank god the camera caught the moment, considering how one failed to track the flight of a consequential ball off of Heliot Ramos’s bat in the 2nd.
I say consequential because in theory, this hit should’ve been the Giants’ first home run since last Sunday — coincidentally the last outing of the evening’s starter, Landen Roupp, and San Francisco’s last win.
Runs have been hard to come by for this club. Wall-clearing power, nearly impossible. Going into Saturday’s contest, the 2026 Giants have gone homer-less in a MLB-leading 19 games. Their record in those games: 3-16, good for a .158 win-loss percentage that’s the lowest in the National League. Conversely if a Giant homers in a game, the team is 10 – 3, which is a much better .769 win-loss percentage, which means good things happen when the Giants hit a home run, which means it was kinda messed-up when Ramos’s 108 MPH shot to center somehow got knocked out of the sky and fell to earth twenty feet short of the wall.
Baseball should be played outside. God wants it that way. Hurricane Milton made that abundantly clear in 2024, and yet, the Rays organization stubbornly spent all of last season rebuilding Tropicana Field’s roof in blasphemous defiance.
Because of this repeated hubris, new rules were made to account for totally foreseeable occurrences like a baseball hitting a bunch of metal hanging down from the ceiling. The rule: If a fly ball hits one of the lower two catwalks between the foul lines, a home run should be awarded. That rule makes a lot of sense. What doesn’t make a lot of sense is having a rule and not enforcing it. Or not having a way of enforcing it. Or not having a back-up plan, like an all-seeing eye-in-the-sky in case something goes awry.
Something went awry in the 2nd inning of Saturday’s game. Heliot Ramos ripped a 96 MPH four-seam from Rays’ starter Griffin Jax to dead-center. It shot off his bat at 107.9 MPH with a 33 degree launch angle. A baseball with similar off-the-bat metrics left Ramos’s bat under a roofed park in Arizona back in June 2024. 108 MPH exit velocity, 35 degree launch angle. It cleared the center field wall with ease, officially traveling 424 feet, officially outta here in all 30 Major League parks. It stands to reason a similarly struck ball in a similarly, climate-controlled enclosed arena, would also clear an outfield wall by plenty.
Apparently not. Ramos’s projected 420 foot bomb was quickly downgraded to a routine 380 foot flyout after it fell into center fielder Cedric Mullins glove. Ramos lingered around second base, mouthing “No way,” looking around in disbelief. What went on up there was apparently beyond the field of vision for the four bleary-eyed umpires in attendance, and out of frame of the dozens of officially sanctioned cameras that Big-Brother MLB games nowadays. Giants coaches voiced their discontent, gesturing towards the heavens, towards he obvious. The umpires performed an official review on the play, waiting on the field for visual confirmation to bail them out for their collective blink. They surely understood what had happened by that point, but now needed visual proof, another angle. There were plenty that provided cursory evidence. How ‘bout Heliot Ramos trotting out of the box as if the ball was destined to splash down in the aquarium; or Griffin Jax rubbernecking the drive from the mound? With his eyes pinned to the ball at the center field wall, Cedric Mullins clearly says “Oh sh*t” before retreating back across the warning track to catch the baseball dropping from the sky like a dead dove.
One of the catwalks turned a sure-fire tater into a can of corn, and I guess since the lens’ eye missed it, it didn’t happen, no matter what physics and geometry and logic dictates. What is written in the official scorebook is what happened. No questions asked. Baseballs fall from the sky all the time.
The home run that never was cost the Giants the game.
Well, probably not.
It cost them an early lead, at least, a brief boost in energy, a reprieve from the suffocating bleakness that has blanketed the team. The solo shot could’ve meant something — but it didn’t happen, so nothing happened. A couple of frames later, the Rays scored first with three consecutive weak singles off Landen Roupp in the 4th. A lead-off double, a pair of walks, and a single helped chase the right-hander off the mound with just an out recorded in the 5th, serving Roupp his shortest outing of the year. The Giants bullpen kept things mostly steady in relief, and the offense avoided the complete embarrassment of another another shutout when Devers doubled home Luis Arraez in the 6th.
Arraez’s one-out double gave San Francisco their first at-bat with a runner in scoring position. They managed just one yesterday; today they got three and a hit! Devers punched a hard-hit liner towards left field that Chandler Simpson jumped after, pocketed in his glove momentarily before jostling free after colliding with the wall.
So I guess things evened out. Tropicana’s structural features, they giveth and taketh. Thanks to a wall, the Giants had their first run in the series — four innings late, but what can ya do? Be mad at a building?
ANAHEIM, Calif. — They were once core four prospects and considered the Mets’ future, but these days Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio are an overall reflection of the team’s disappointing play.
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The foursome began Saturday with a combined -0.8 bWAR, a troubling factor in the Mets’ 11-21 start.
Baty and Vientos have taken on larger roles than originally anticipated due to injuries: Juan Soto missed nearly three weeks in April and Jorge Polanco has missed the past 2 ½ weeks. Mauricio became the starting shortstop last week when Francisco Lindor hit the injured list with a left calf strain.
The Mets need improvement, and it might start with these four, all of whom have shown flashes over the last few seasons. A closer look:
Alvarez
After a fast start to the season, the 24-year-old catcher has cooled, both offensively and defensively.
Though his strikeout percentage has dropped, so has Alvarez’s hard-hit ball rate. The idea that he can help anchor a lineup as a consistent 25-homer-a-season presence might be fading.
Will the Mets ever get the offensive presence from Alvarez that compensates for his difficulty behind the plate?
Most notably, Alvarez ranks only in MLB’s fifth percentile for blocking balls in the dirt. Alvarez has been league average in throwing out base stealers.
Francisco Alvarez ranks only in MLB’s fifth percentile for blocking balls in the dirt and has been league average in throwing out base stealers. AP
There was so much hope Baty had finally arrived following a strong two-month stretch to conclude last season, but mostly he’s just appeared lost at the plate and frustrated by umpires.
Baty, 26, has bat speed — he ranks in MLB’s 75th percentile in that category — but his strikeout percentage and hard-hit ball rate are problematic.
Bretty Baty’s strikeout percentage and hard-hit ball rate have been problematic for the Mets. AP
After spending the last two seasons at third base and second base, he’s playing neither position this year as he receives work in right field and at first base. Has the change been too much for Baty to absorb?
Vientos
Other than the Mets’ first road trip of the season, when he helped carry the lineup, it’s been a slog for the 26-year-old as he adjusts to playing first base on an almost regular basis.
Vientos’ underlying numbers paint an ugly picture, with his average exit velocity, strikeout percentage and walk percentage all ice cold. Ideally, the Mets would just use him against left-handed pitching, but that luxury hasn’t been possible due to the injuries.
Vientos entered Saturday with an .833 OPS in 26 plate appearances against lefties. But in 56 plate appearances against righties, that number dropped to .548.
Mark Vientos has struggled offensively this season adjusting to playing first base on an almost regular basis. Getty Images
Defensively, he’s a work in progress at first base. He earned praise early in the season for his glovework, but there have been glaring letdowns. And his baserunning doesn’t earn him bonus points.
Most glaringly, he ran through a stop sign at third base last week and was thrown out by plenty at home plate.
Mauricio
Of the four players, the 25-year-old Mauricio is the least tested. He began Saturday with only 321 major league plate appearances, largely a result of losing the 2024 season rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The Mets received a reminder of his power potential Friday when he crushed a go-ahead, seventh-inning homer. The blast was Mauricio’s first this season. He began the day with 10 strikeouts in 29 at-bats, without a walk.
“It’s been difficult,” Mauricio said. “I think there are moments where maybe you are trying to focus on too many things. In order to kind of make it a little bit easier on myself I kind of have to simplify the game, focus on the things I can control, and the things you can’t control you just let that go and play the game.”
Jake Bird and Camilo Doval had uneven performances for the Yankees on Saturday.
With fireman Fernando Cruz having pitched Friday night and three of four days, it was Jake Bird who got the call in the role Saturday, which began an uneven string of relief work from a Yankees bullpen that is fighting for roles.
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After Ryan Weathers (with the help of a misplay from Ben Rice) loaded the bases without an out in the sixth in a game the Yankees led by five, manager Aaron Boone went to the righty Bird for the righty Pete Alonso.
A move that might have looked poor on paper worked, Alonso grounding into a double play that scored a run.
But on the verge of escaping, the inconsistent Bird walked Tyler O’Neill and gave up an RBI double to Samuel Basallo before getting out of the inning with the Yankees in front 6-3.
Jake Bird throws a pitch during the Yankees’ 9-4 win over the Orioles on May 2, 2026 at the Stadium. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
“Jake Bird had some really good moments again today,” Boone said. “I thought [he] stabilized through a dangerous part of the game for us.”
Bird passed the baton to Doval, one of the quietly more important Yankees considering his potential and his volatility for a team that needs quality setup men ahead of David Bednar.
Pitching for a second straight day, Doval walked Dylan Beavers and displayed a career-long issue: a struggle to hold runners on base.
Beavers stole second and third and then scored on a groundout.
“I thought he threw the ball well, but a little slow in the running game,” Boone said of Doval, who had been excellent Friday and on Saturday recorded two outs before giving the ball to Tim Hill, who once again just needed one pitch (which induced a groundout from Gunnar Henderson) to escape.
Paul Blackburn pitched the final two scoreless innings as the Yankees ran away from Baltimore and helped preserve further work from an unorthodox bullpen.
Camilo Doval walks back to the dugout after getting pulled during the Yankees’ May 2 win. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
The Yankees are carrying Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough, two arms capable of starting, while searching for reliable bridges to Bednar.
The bullpen as a whole started well, became an issue for a short while and has pitched better of late, posting a 2.79 ERA in the past 14 games.
“I think our pen’s done a really nice job,” Boone said. “I think leaving spring training, maybe we had some question marks to answer down there. And it’s still going to evolve and get there. But I think by and large, those guys have done a really nice job.”
Jasson Domínguez, who was drilled in the elbow and left Wednesday’s game, returned to the lineup and served as designated hitter.
Domínguez went 1-for-4 with a single.
Giancarlo Stanton has begun hitting, Boone said, taking cuts Friday for the first time since straining his calf April 24.
There is no known timetable for Stanton to start running.
Elmer Rodríguez is expected to receive at least one more start and is lined up to pitch Tuesday in a series opener against the Rangers.
His teammate earlier this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Carlos Lagrange, remains on the Yankees’ radar.
The fireballing righty has pitched to a 3.75 ERA in six starts — while maxing out at 83 pitches in an outing — and struck out 30 while walking 14 in 24 innings.
There is still uncertainty whether Lagrange, whose four-seamer has averaged 99.2 mph, can better help this season in the rotation or bullpen.
“[He] continues to give us reason to be very excited about him,” Boone said of the 22-year-old, who finished last season at Double-A Somerset. “Another step up to Triple-A, and starting there and getting rolling. So far I think it’s been good.”
Anthony Volpe, who remains at Double-A Somerset despite being healthy enough to return to the majors, was set to play his 12th rehab game Saturday night.
Volpe is expected to play for Somerset again Sunday before his rehab clock runs out and the Yankees will have to decide whether to bring him back — and if so, whether he would be the starting shortstop over José Caballero — or whether to option him to the minors.
Boone and Gerrit Cole greeted Sarah Langs, an MLB researcher who is fighting ALS, on the field before the game and gave Langs a signed bat for her birthday.
Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks' April 30 game.
The top-seeded Pistons — one year removed from being eliminated by the Knicks — need to win a third consecutive elimination game to advance to the second round for the first time in 18 years.
The Cavaliers — who haven’t been past the second round since LeBron James left Cleveland for the second time — are on the verge of underachieving again, needing to win Game 7 against the Raptors to keep their season alive.
And the Eastern Conference favorite was eliminated Saturday night when the 76ers completed their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and defeated the Celtics 109-100 in Game 7 in Boston, setting up a rematch of the electric 2024 first-round matchup, when the Knicks beat Philadelphia in six games.
Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks’ Game 6 series clinching win over the Hawks on April 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg
The Knicks — coming off three of their best efforts of the season, including a 140-89 beatdown of the Hawks to reach the second round for the fourth straight season — will have had three days off before Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden against the 76ers and oft-injured nemesis Joel Embiid.
They return a core that broke a 25-year conference finals drought.
Now, there is no question of the team to beat in the East.
“I haven’t heard of it,” Jalen Brunson said Saturday, “and I don’t care.”
He is supposed to ignore what Nick Saban long described as “rat poison,” the kind of premature praise that can make a team overconfident and underprepared.
The Knicks captain is supposed to embody the cliches they have perfected — getting one percent better every day, controlling the controllables, etc. — leading a group that has made the East’s most convincing case as a contender on both ends of the court.
Jalen Brunson is pictured during his May 2 press conference for the Knicks. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Chemistry, health and momentum are on their side.
So is history, which has seen the Knicks defeat the conference’s biggest remaining threats (Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia) in the playoffs in recent years.
“I mean, I would hope that when we step on the court against anybody, I feel we could beat anybody,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “So, [the past three] games shouldn’t be the reason we have confidence. We should have confidence because we put the work in and we put the time in in the gym. So, then we have trust in each other. I feel like our confidence was built way before the game was played.”
Mike Brown is in his first season with the Knicks, but in his 17th postseason as an NBA coach.
In Cleveland, he led the Cavs to the NBA Finals.
As an assistant in San Antonio and Golden State, he won four rings.
Even without the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Tim Duncan, Brown sees similarities between these Knicks and some of the most successful teams of all time.
“The first thing is they’re resilient,” Brown said. “… The connectedness that this group has is similar. The sacrifice that this group has is similar, the competitive spirit that this group has is similar and then the belief is similar as well.
“It’s been like that since the beginning of the year and this group is up there with those other groups.”
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 02: Pitcher Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves throws against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Coors Field on May 02, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With a chance to secure the series win, the Braves had ace Chris Sale on the mound at Coors Field with young Rockies star Chase Dollander expected to take the mound after an opener.
The Braves followed my recommendation in the first inning, jumping on the opener Brennan Bernardino, as Ronald hit a line drive single and Drake Baldwin sent an opposite field shot over the left field wall for a two-run homer. Ozzie doubled before Bernardino recorded two outs and was yanked for Dollander to face Dubon. That’s a pretty disastrous opener scenario for Colorado. Dubon walked, but Austin Riley struck out to end the inning.
Chris Sale worked a clean first and handed things back to the offense. Jorge Mateo doubled with one out in the second and advanced to third on a Ronald Acuna groundout. Unfortunately, Ronald pulled up limping on that play and appeared to have injured his hamstring, walking off under his own power. Drake Baldwin brought Mateo home with a opposite field line drive single. The next threat was in the bottom of the third, as the Rockies got a leadoff single from Karros. Mauricio Dubon made a spectacular sprinting catch, crashing into the wall in center field, robbing double bases and an RBI for the first out of the inning. That was a big deal, as the Rockies ended up getting an RBI double, but that easily could have been a 2 or 3 run inning without that catch.
The Braves broke things open in the fourth, however, scoring three runs on an Austin Riley walk, a Jorge Mateo infield single, an Eli White bunt single, and a Drake Baldwin frozen rope double. Atlanta now carried a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, where Chris Sale worked around a walk for another scoreless frame. Onto the fifth and Michael Harris doubled ahead of Austin Riley, who absolutely launched a homer off a 98 MPH fastball into the left field seats. That’s Austin’s second productive game straight at the plate, as getting real production from him would be huge for this team.
Chris Sale lost his command to start the bottom of the fifth, walking the first two batters. This seemed to frustrate Sale a bit, as he started pumping upper 90s with his fastball. One soft grounder and two strikeouts later, the inning was over with no damage done. The game settled down from here, and Sale completed two more innings, finishing with a flourish of three consecutive strikeouts following a leadoff single in the seventh. Chris ended up with 7.0 innings of 1-run ball with a season-high 11 strikeouts on a monstrous 20 whiffs.
Dylan Lee pitched a clean eighth inning and Matt Olson launched a moonshot of a solo homer in the ninth, at just under 110 MPH off the bat and a 39 degree launch angle, his 11th homer of this young season.
Hunter Stratton got mop-up duty in the ninth, with an eight run cushion. He had no issue finishing the game, with some assistance from a tailor-made double play to end the ballgame. That’s now 10 series wins and one split through 11 series and a 23-10 record for Atlanta. They will go for a sweep behind the returning Spencer Strider tomorrow.
Joel Embiid showed just how tired of losing to the Celtics he was — he overpowered the Celtics inside and scored 16 of his 34 on the night in the paint, plus he pulled down 12 rebounds. He was the best player on the court and a force all night.
And he got help, especially from Tyrese Maxey, who scored eight straight points in the clutch, finishing with 30 on the night.
Tyrese Maxey TOOK OVER down the stretch to help the Sixers get the Game 7 win! pic.twitter.com/D6DJ3DdT1c
Embiid also got help from the Celtics, who shot just 13-of-49 (26.5%) from 3-point range on the night and were 0-of-9 in the clutch (the final five minutes).
All of that combined to give the 76ers a 109-100 victory and make history: Philadelphia beat Boston in a Game 7 for the first time since 1982. It's the first time the 76ers have ever come back from 3-1 down to win a series in franchise history, and also the first time Boston has ever lost a series up 3-1 (it is now 32-1).
Philadelphia advances to take on a rested New York Knicks team starting Monday night in Madison Square Garden. "What changed this series is Joel Embiid came back and they're a completely different team," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Boston had to play Game 7 without star Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out earlier in the day with left leg stiffness. It's a sad way for Tatum's season to end after he battled back from a torn Achilles last playoffs to be on the court for his team in this series, only not to be able to play in the biggest game of the season.
On the other side, this was a cathartic moment for Embiid, who was 0-for-3 in Game 7s in his career — and was gutting it out at the end. He earned this win, and in the final minutes was playing through a sore knee after Maxey had fallen into him.
This night went Philadelphia's way from the start.
With Tatum out, Mazzulla tried to inspire his team by making a dramatic change to his starting lineup. Only Brown and White remained as starters from Game 6, with Baylor Scheirman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. getting the start.
It didn't work. Boston started 1-of-7 from the floor with three turnovers and was quickly down nine, which grew to 13 points by the end of the first quarter. Boston became the first team in NBA playoff history to have three starters go scoreless (Scheirman, Garza and Harper).
Things started to change in the second, and Boston went on a 22-6 run behind White getting red hot and Mazzulla leaning more into guys he had gone to all season in Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta. It also started to change because the Celtics hit their 3-pointers. After going 2-of-12 from deep in the first quarter, they hit 5-of-7 in the second, and Derrick White led the way with 19 points. Still, Philadelphia was up five at the half, 55-50. Embiid had 19 points, five boards and five assists in the first half, plus one monster block on Brown at the rim.
"EMBIID MET HIM AT THE SUMMIT!"
Jaylen Brown challenged Joel Embiid at the rim and Embiid pulled off the INSANE denial.
"[VJ Edgecombe] came out at halftime said "I got White"…." Philly coach Nick Nurse said. "White was cooking, and I think he had 2 points in the 3rd quarter. Those are the things that make a big difference in these games."
The third quarter looked a lot like the first, except that Mazzulla went small for a stretch and Embiid just started to take over, overpowering Brown in the post and talking to him the whole time. Mazzulla was banking on the math of made 3-pointers, but the Celtics made just 4-of-17 in the quarter (23.5%) while the 76ers were scoring comfortably every time down. The lead was 13 after three.
Boston started the fourth on a 16-4 run, and suddenly it was a one-point game. Boston was touching the paint on drives, not settling for 3s, and got some old-school 3-point plays, while their zone defense was confounding the 76ers, who started playing slowly. That said, Philly took the punch from Boston, stayed upright, and the game remained tight the rest of the way.
However, in the clutch, Maxey took over for Philadelphia while Boston went cold from 3, and that ended up being the game. And the series.
ST. LOUIS — Roki Sasaki might’ve finally turned a corner from his recent struggles Saturday night.
Too bad the Dodgers’ offense took too long to do the same.
Despite a season-best six-inning, three-run start from Sasaki, the Dodgers remained mired in their recently maddening slump during a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
In their latest sign of futility, they endured eight shutout innings that included as many hits as double plays (four each). Then, despite some good batted-ball luck that keyed a last-gasp, two-run rally in the ninth, they fittingly ended the game by stranding the tying and go-ahead runners on base.
“Just comes down to, we didn’t score enough tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Roki Sasaki might’ve finally turned a corner from his recent struggles Saturday night. Getty ImagesDespite a season-best six-inning, three-run start from Sasaki, the Dodgers remained mired in their recently maddening slump during a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Getty Images
Indeed, Saturday followed what has become an uncomfortably common script for the Dodgers (20-13) in recent days.
They couldn’t generate power, failing to hit a home run for a fifth straight game (the longest drought for the club since 2015). They couldn’t take advantage of situational opportunities, either, going hitless with runners in scoring position until their short-lived comeback attempt in the top of the ninth.
That inning was keyed by three two-out singles that all deflected off the glove of a Cardinals fielder. Andy Pages then snuck a seeing-eye grounder through the infield to cut the deficit to one.
Alas, Dalton Rushing struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the game and send the Dodgers to a fourth straight defeat.
They still somehow finished with six runners left on base, even when accounting for all the double plays they hit into.
Andy Pages then snuck a seeing-eye grounder through the infield to cut the deficit to one. AP
In the first inning, Will Smith became the first victim on an inning-ending grounder that was turned by shortstop Masyn Winn. In the third, Alex Freeland got doubled off after an overly aggressive jump on a lineout to second from Shohei Ohtani. Another double play ended the fourth, when JJ Wetherholt made a spinning turn at second on a ground ball from Teoscar Hernández. Then in the fifth, Hyeseong Kim couldn’t leg out a tapper back to the mound that was also turned for two.
“Once we started to build something, the double plays got us,” Roberts said. “They turned a couple really good ones. That certainly kills innings.”
It also meant that, when Sasaki stumbled in a three-run third inning, the 3-0 deficit might as well have felt like 30.
Even with some fortunate bounces at the end, the Dodgers fell to 5-9 in their last 14 games.
“There’s gonna be times where we’re not clicking,” Pages said through an interpreter afterward. “And this is one of those times right now.”
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Before Saturday’s game, Roberts joked he was an “eternal optimist” while declaring “today’s the day” the lineup would finally turn things around.
By the end of the night, such laughter was gone –– but the manager was still trying to put a spin on the team’s confounding recent struggles.
Roberts maintained that the club’s slide is “what every team is going to go through in baseball throughout the course of a season.” He downplayed the notion that it has revealed larger concerns in the offense, noting what he felt were higher quality at-bats throughout Saturday’s game.
“I thought the intentions were better on balls in the hitting zone,” he said, after noting pregame that his hitters seemed too “passive” on pitches they should attack.
“Yes, we hit into some double plays tonight. But I thought we took some good walks and, obviously, in the ninth inning, I thought we put together some good at-bats. I just think we need to be aggressive and take what the pitcher gives you. But every team goes through this through the course of the season.”
The Dodgers continue to look for answers to their offensive shortcomings. Getty Images
Who’s hot
Sasaki … at least by the end of the night.
After drastically changing his signature splitter last week — abandoning his traditional forkball grip for a more prototypical splitter release — the right-hander used both variations of the pitch Saturday. It led to varying degrees of success.
Early on, Sasaki had his usual command problems, walking two batters and hitting another in his first two innings. Then in the third, the Cardinals finally got to him. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson hit back-to-back doubles off his fastball. Jordan Walker got a hanging forkball in an 0-2 count that he belted for a two-run blast.
Just like that, it was 3-0 with no outs in the inning.
Another disastrous performance seemed to be at hand.
The one thing Sasaki has done well this season, however, is bounce back from such adversity. And over the rest of Saturday night, he provided his best example yet. The 24-year-old retired 12 of his final 13 batters to complete six innings for the first time this year. He also recorded only his second “quality start” (at least six innings, no more than three earned runs) in 14 career starting performances in the majors.
There’s still a long way to go in his development. And his ERA is still an unsightly 5.97.
But the trend line, for the first time this year, finally appears to be pointing up.
“I do think that there was a lot of growth,” Roberts said. “Each of his last handful of starts, he’s gotten better.”
Early on, Sasaki had his usual command problems, walking two batters and hitting another in his first two innings. Getty Images
Who’s not
Of the many, many hitters who don’t look right in the Dodgers’ lineup, no one’s slump has been more consequential than Ohtani’s.
After his ice-cold bat, the rest of the offense seemed to follow his lead.
On Saturday, the two-way star went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. In this series, he has now made an out in all nine trips to the plate. Overall, Ohtani hasn’t recorded a hit since Monday. And after it seemed like he was getting back on track last week, his season batting average is back down to .252 and his OPS is down to .835.
When Ohtani last spoke to reporters Tuesday, he framed his slow start as nothing out of the ordinary, saying it usually takes until May for him to typically find his swing. However, he also acknowledged that, when his hitting mechanics are off, his two-way duties can make it more difficult (or at least take longer) to get his swing synced back up.
Case in point: He has just one home run in his last 18 games and only two extra-base hits in his last 12.
Up next
The Dodgers will try to avoid getting swept for the first time this season Sunday, when Justin Wrobleski (4-0, 1.50 ERA) will face off against ex-Dodger Dustin May (3-2, 5.28 ERA).
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 24: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Sixers are moving on to the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs!
There should be plenty of time for the fanbase to bask in the glory of this comeback and true signature playoff moment for Joel Embiid. There won’t be much rest for the weary, though. Their next opponent in round two will be the New York Knicks, and the first game will be Monday, May 4, at 8 p.m. at MSG.
The TV networks seem to be spinning on a wheel again as Game 1 will be on NBC and Peacock. Game 2, also in New York, will be on ESPN, and that one’s at 7 p.m. on Wednesday May 6. Game 3 will be on Prime Video as the series shifts back to Philadelphia — that one will be on Friday May 8, also at 7 p.m. Game 4 will be a Sunday matinee and another chance for the Sixers to ruin Mother’s Day as that one will be at 3:30 p.m. on ABC on the 10th.
If a Game 5 is necessary, that will be on the 12th, Game 6 the 14th. A potential Game 7 would be the first time these teams would have more than a day of rest as that would take place on May 17. TV networks are not assigned to games until they are sure to be happening.
Eastern Conference Semifinals schedule: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/q1UMwKeGDu
So with such a quick turnaround, the Sixers will hope Joel Embiid’s knee didn’t get too banged up from the collision he had with Tyrese Maxey in Game 7 against the Celtics. It will take the Sixers’ best to pull off another upset against an Atlantic Division rival.
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 24: Jrue Holiday #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2026 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Jake Fischer, the Blazers will “field plenty of external trade interest in (Jrue) Holiday in coming weeks and months.”
There’s quite a bit of detail in here on Atlanta, Houston and Washington, but the item you’re going to see aggregated — and want to read more about — is the belief that Portland, sources say, wants to get back into this summer’s Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Fischer also writes that Holiday hopes it doesn’t happen and wants to be a part of something and build.
Too bad.
Holiday might be the perfect addition for this Utah Jazz team, and if they want to make a bid for him, they should. Utah will need more ballhandling and defense, and Holiday would provide both. That said, Holiday is 35 years old and also has two years left on his contract ($34.8M for the next two seasons).
Would Utah be willing to make a trade happen? It might be difficult. Utah has a few big contracts to send, but they don’t make sense. The only ones close are Markkanen and Jackson’s contracts, and they’re obviously not going to do that. So the question is: is there a sign-and-trade that makes sense? Outside of that, it probably can’t happen. But it is worth considering moves like this going forward for the Jazz. Now that they are in win-now mode, there’s no reason they shouldn’t look at moves that could help them fill gaps in their roster. Maybe Jrue Holiday could be one of those additions at some point.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 21: Kaleb Wing #51 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Arizona Complex League, a.k.a. Rookie Ball, started this afternoon. I normally don’t do a full recap of the ACL Cubs. Instead, I just give a link to the box score and comment if anything extraordinary happened today. I also don’t wait for the ACL Cubs to finish before I hit “publish” on the nightly wraps. I’d rather get the recaps to you before you go to bed at night than wait for a West Coast rookie ball team to finish up. Today was a day game so that was not a problem, but once summer rolls around and things get scorching hot in Arizona, the games will almost all start near sundown.
Last night shortstop Ty Southisene scored the winning run for Myrtle Beach in the bottom of the ninth. That’s the last thing he’s going to do for the Pelicans because he was promoted to High-A South Bend.
So the Saints scored in every inning but the sixth. Doug Nikhazy’s I-Cubs debut was one he’d like to forget as he got clobbered for eight runs on six hits over 2.2 innings. Nikhazy walked three and struck out four.
Close to all of the I-Cubs offense came from right fielder Kevin Alcántara. Alcántara singled and scored in the second inning on a double by DH BJ Murray. Then in the seventh inning, Alcántara hit his league-leading 11th home run of the year.
Alcántara went 3 for 4 with the home run and he scored both of Iowa’s runs.
Murray was 2 for 3 with the double and a walk.
Center fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with two walks.
Starter Tyler Schlaffer pitched 4.1 innings and surrendered two runs, one earned, on three hits. Schlaffer did walk four while striking out three.
Schlaffer was relieved by Jace Beck who allowed one inherited runner to score and five more of his own. Beck’s final numbers were five runs on seven hits over 1.2 innings. Beck walked one and struck out two.
Left fielder Andy Garriola homered twice tonight: a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth. Garriola leads the Smokies with seven home runs. Tonight he finished going 2 for 3 with walk and the two home runs.
Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Rojas scored on Garriola’s first home run.
Kevin Valdez started and allowed four runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Ethan Flanagan took over in the fifth inning and gave up just one run on four hits over the next four innings. Flanagan struck out four and walked one.
JP Wheat was called upon to get the save in the top of the ninth and in typical wild JP Wheat fashion, he took the loss after allowing two runs on no hits and four walks. Wheat also uncorked two wild pitches. He struck out one in the one inning of work.
Second baseman Drew Bowser tied the game up 5-5 with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Bowser went 1 for 2 with two walks and a hit batsman.
First baseman Cole Mathis was 1 for 3 with a triple and two walks. One of the two walks came with the bases loaded for one run batted in. He scored twice.
Dominick Reid turned in a decent start, going five innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. He did walk four batters while striking out six.
Hayden Frank tossed the final four innings, gave up his first two runs of season and took the loss. Frank allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out two.
Catcher Logan Poteet was 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Left fielder Jose Escobar went 1 for 4 with a two-run single in the first.
Kaleb Wing, the Cubs’ fourth-round pick last year, made his professional debut in this game and allowed one run on two hits over four innings. He struck out six and walked no one. Something tells me he’ll be in Myrtle Beach soon.
Second baseman Juan Cabada, a top 20 prospect in most Cubs prospect lists, went 3 for 5 with a triple, a run sored and three RBI in his stateside debut.
