The Los Angeles Clippers’ turnaround is not yet complete. If they want a spot in the playoffs proper, holding onto their current standing will be crucial. That focus should come at the Dallas Mavericks’ expense on Tuesday, April 7.
But my Mavericks vs. Clippers predictions and these NBA picks also look ahead at what Los Angeles should already prioritize.
Mavericks vs Clippers prediction
Mavericks vs Clippers best bet: Kawhi Leonard Under 28.5 points (-112)
The Los Angeles Clippers cannot let off the gas. They are only half a game ahead of the Blazers for the No. 8 spot in the West, a vital difference in the Play-In Tournament, and those two match up once more this week. But that is also exactly why the Clippers should ease up tonight if given the opportunity against the Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles plays again tomorrow, and then Friday’s trip to Portland looms as a third game in four days.
Sometimes, not letting off the gas shows up by looking ahead. An endurance athlete might call that pacing.
Once the Clippers find a healthy lead tonight, expect them to limit Kawhi Leonard’s minutes. It will be the savvy choice to make when considering what is at stake the rest of the week. Beyond that, it should be noted, Leonard has not cleared this prop in any of his last seven games.
Mavericks vs Clippers same-game parlay
Every thought here aligns: An early Clippers lead should prompt fewer minutes from Leonard, who has already fallen short of this modest rebounding prop in his last two games and in five of his last eight.
Mavericks vs Clippers SGP
Kawhi Leonard Under 28.5 points
Kawhi Leonard Under 6.5 rebounds
Clippers -7 — 1H
Our "from downtown" SGP: Less Leonard Is More
While this is a counterintuitive same-game parlay, it has actually cashed in the last two games. Leonard’s lessened scoring of late has not included lessened shooting.
Mavericks vs Clippers SGP
Kawhi Leonard Under 28.5 points
Kawhi Leonard Over 2.5 threes
Kawhi Leonard Under 6.5 rebounds
Mavericks vs Clippers odds
Spread: Mavericks +11.5 | Clippers -11.5
Moneyline: Mavericks +450 | Clippers -600
Over/Under: Over 238.5 | Under 238.5
Mavericks vs Clippers betting trend to know
All the season-ending praise of Cooper Flagg and his likely Rookie of the Year award hides the fact that Dallas has gone 1-3 against the spread in its last four games despite facing four teams all a bit distressed as the season’s end nears. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Clippers.
How to watch Mavericks vs Clippers
Location
Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Date
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Tip-off
10:30 p.m. ET
TV
KFAA, FDSN-SoCal
Mavericks vs Clippers latest injuries
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ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 6: Tolu Smith #35 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the Orlando Magic on April 6, 2026 at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As the Detroit Pistons prepare not just for what they hope is a deep playoff run, but also for next season, the team is shuffling its roster with a new signing and releasing a little-used member. Center Tolu Smith is signing a two-year contract that will make him available for the playoffs and potentially ensure he’s on board next season as well. To make room for Smith on the roster, the Pistons waived second-year forward Bobi Klintman.
The news was first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN and later confirmed by Omari Sankofa with the added detail that the second year of the deal is non-guaranteed.
Smith has been a two-way player for the Pistons over the past two seasons and adds depth with the anticipated return of backup center Isaiah Stewart. Smith has played in 13 games for the Pistons this season. He’ll be behind starter Jalen Duren, Stewart, and Paul Reed. But Smith is a big body at 254 pounds that the Pistons can turn to if they feel like Reed, who weighs just 210 pounds, can’t bang down low against a specific opponent, and either Duren or Stewart is unavailable. The added depth at center might also allow JB Bickerstaff to play a two-big lineup with Duren and Stewart on the floor without worrying about how to allocate the minutes.
Smith is averaging 10 minutes per game, hitting 51% of his shots, and 3.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks a night.
Klintman, meanwhile, didn’t seem to be in the plans for the Pistons. He represents Trajan Langdon’s first draft miss as a relatively high second-round pick (37th overall). Of course, very few second-round picks do much of anything in the NBA, but there are nine players selected after Klintman who have logged more than 2,000 minutes, while Bobi has played just 113. That includes Ajay Mitchell and Jaylen Wells, selected with the two picks immediately after Klintman, as well as Oso Ighodaro (40th overall), Pelle Larsson (44th), Jamal Shead (45th), and Cam Spencer (53rd).
There is a chance Klintman stays in the fold by signing a new two-way contract with the Pistons, using the slot vacated by Smith, but Detroit never seemed to prioritize or reward Klintman with playing time. Getting 113 minutes in two seasons is a drop in the bucket. Detroit has had its fair share of blowout wins, and Klintman has played less than 18 minutes since November.
If this is the end of his tenure, he walks away averaging 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in just under six minutes per game while shooting 33% from the floor.
James was questionable as he manages a chronic left foot injury. The Lakers are fighting for playoff seeding with four games left before the postseason, but with two consecutive losses and major injuries mounting, they have slipped to fourth in the West, a half-game behind Denver. The lowest they can fall is into fifth place, ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Doncic is out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves is sidelined with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. The Lakers (50-28) are also without starting guard Marcus Smart, who will miss his eighth consecutive game with because of a right ankle contusion. Now with James out, the Lakers will be down four of their five regular starters.
The 41-year-old James had played in 13 consecutive games with the Lakers going 10-3 during that span. Adjusting to a reduced ball-handling role to let Doncic and Reaves control the offense, James was shooting 54.4% from the field, averaging 17.6 points per game on only 12.3 shot attempts in the first 12 games before Doncic and Reaves were injured.
With both guards out in the Lakers' last game against Dallas, James shot 12 for 22 from the field, scoring 30 points with 15 assists. It was the most shot attempts for James in a game since Dec. 20, 2025, when Reaves was out because of a calf strain and Doncic suffered a a leg contusion that limited him to just the first half.
The Thunder (62-16) have won five consecutive games. The defending NBA champions are 3-0 against the Lakers this season, including a 43-point drubbing last week. The Lakers finish the regular season at Golden State on Thursday, at home against Phoenix on Friday and against Utah on Sunday. The playoffs begin April 18.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets drives against Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Toyota Center on January 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Who: Phoenix Suns (43-35) vs. Houston Rockets (49-29)
When: 8:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Peacock/NBC
Listen: SiriusXM Channel 214
78 down, 4 to go. The Rockets have clinched a playoff spot, and the Suns have clinched a Play-In spot. While not technically impossible for the Suns to take the Timberwolves’ standings spot number 6, it is increasingly improbable, given the 3-game deficit. The Suns, and basically everyone else, are playing warm-up for the postseason at this point.
That said, the Suns have won 3 of their last 5. Though the victories haven’t always been pretty at times, they are still victories. Most importantly, the Suns have finally started to get healthy. Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks are both back and playing big minutes.
With that health has come a shortened rotation. Sunday against the Bulls, none of Rasheer Fleming, Ryan Dunn, or Khaman Maluach saw minutes.
Will the trend continue? We will see tonight against the Rockets.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
Haywood Highsmith – OUT (Right Knee)
Rockets
Steven Adams – OUT (Ankle)
Fred VanVleet – OUT (ACL)
What to Watch For
The Rockets are healthy, and when they are, they are BIG. They are second in the league in blocks per game and first in rebounds despite being eleventh in defensive rebounds. That means they crash the offensive glass hard. They are first in the league in offensive rebounds per game at 15.0. Now, that said, your Phoenix Suns are fourth in the league in offensive rebounds per game at 13.0.
Overall, by the numbers, the Rockets have a better offense, better defense, are better at crashing the glass, and are much taller. I have thought all season that this is a top-two worst matchup in the NBA for the Suns.
That thought is sustained by history. The Suns have lost the last seven matchups against the Rockets. Their last win against Houston came on February 29th, 2024, in a game that saw Kevin Durant score 24 points for Phoenix and Jalen Green score 34 for Houston.
Tonight, we are watching to see if the Suns can get a big win against a bad matchup going into the play-in.
Key to a Suns Win
If the Suns want to win, they are going to have to play bigger than they are. Against the Bulls, Jordan Ott started Jordan Goodwin. Goodie may be the best in the league at playing bigger than he is, so I hope to see him starting again. He had a good night, after all, putting up 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Tonight, it is all about crashing the glass. Phoenix can’t do anything about the hands they are going to have in their faces; all they can do is work hard to secure the rebound after misses.
Prediction
My confidence isn’t high after recent performances, and the Rockets have had the Suns’ number for over two calendar years now. What’s important is that the Suns fight hard and feel warmed up going into their first play-in game.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - May 22: Michael Malone speaks before the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on May 22, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Michael Malone has accepted an offer to be UNC’s next basketball coach, the first one outside “the family” in most of our lifetimes. Malone became familiar with UNC thanks to his daughter Bridget, a rising sophomore, who plays volleyball for the Tar Heels. While reportedly in the mix to return to the NBA as a head coach, Malone opted instead to step into the vacancy left open for almost two weeks after the dismissal of Hubert Davis.
Inside Carolina reports that Malone will be the second-highest paid coach in college basketball behind Bill Self. Malone agreed to a six-year deal that will average just over $8 million per year. The contract was approved by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday.
Malone won a NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. The star of that team, Nikola Jokic, “the Joker,” entered the NBA as the 41st pick in the 2015 draft. His rookie season and Malone’s first as the Nuggets’ head coach coincided, and Malone helped craft Jokic into one of the NBA’s foremost talents.
Malone brings 12 years of NBA head coaching experience, 10 with the Nuggets and two with the Sacramento Kings. Prior to that, he spent 10 seasons as an assistant with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Along the way, he developed much respect with UNC’s NBA alumni, such as Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Tyler Hansbrough, who have been praising the hire. Before his professional experience, Malone worked in the college game at Manhattan, Providence, and Oakland.
You can stream the introductory press conference today at 6:00 pm on GoHeels.com or on YouTube. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
On The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo break down this week in New York baseball, including the injury to Juan Soto and the offensive outburst from Bo Bichette and Mark Vientos.
The guys then take a look at the bullpen's success so far and put a spotlight on Clay Holmes' start to the season before going Down on the Farm to determine if it is too early to talk about Elian Peña.
Later, Connor and Joe update their scoreboard predictions and open the Mailbag to answer questions about Carson Benge and Nate Lavender.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 02: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on before tipoff against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just when it looked like the Lakers’ injury report couldn’t get worse, it has.
The Lakers will have to play against the Thunder without LeBron James, who has been ruled out due to left foot injury management.
The team is already playing without Marcus Smart, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, so now the only starter who will be suiting up for the purple and gold is Deandre Ayton.
Via the Lakers: LeBron James, left foot injury management, has been downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game vs. Oklahoma City.
The only good news here for Los Angeles is that this injury is being labeled as left foot injury management. So, it’s just about LeBron getting some rest and not another massive injury to a key player.
After Tuesday, the Lakers have three games left, including a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday. If LeBron resting here means he can play the rest of the way, then that’s probably a smart move.
Still, LeBron’s absence from this game doesn’t make winning any easier. With Dončić and Reaves out, the Lakers have been relying on James even more.
He ran the entire offense for LA in their game against the Mavericks and played well. It’s going to be extremely difficult for Lakers head coach JJ Redick to find LeBron’s level of production with the players he has left available.
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 05: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks smiles on the court during warm ups before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on April 05, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It had to feel like it was all slipping away. Cooper Flagg missed games with a foot injury, and while he was sidelined, his former Duke roommate was busy doing the one thing more impactful than posting impressive stat lines — Kon Knueppel was reshaping the narrative. More games played, cleaner shooting metrics, a winning context in Charlotte. On the surface, the case was building. The straw poll of NBA media members had Knueppel firmly in the lead.
Then Flagg dropped 51 on a Friday and 45 on a Sunday, and the conversation was over.
Jason Timpf breaks down exactly why Flagg should be — and now almost certainly will be — the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. The analytical case is airtight: of Flagg’s 96 points across those two games, 52 came directly out of pick-and-roll creation or isolation. Knueppel is at his best as a chaos agent alongside LaMelo Ball — and Timpf’s numbers make that dependency impossible to ignore. In the 2,172 possessions Knueppel has played without LaMelo on the floor, Charlotte posts a zero net rating and scores 112.8 points per 100. Flagg is the offensive engine, on the third-worst spot-up efficiency team in the league, drawing the best defender every single night. These are not comparable situations.
Commissioner Dynamo made me laugh, more than once. Worth your time.
Which brings us to the Rorschach test hiding inside Flagg’s season stats. Look at his October numbers — 13.4 points per game on 41% shooting, including a 2-point disaster against Oklahoma City. Jason Kidd, operating in a context where Anthony Davis was still on the roster and Kyrie Irving’s return felt possible, ran an experiment: Flagg at point guard. If you are a Kidd supporter, that experiment unlocked something in Flagg — accelerated his development, expanded his creation toolkit, made him the player currently dismantling NBA defenses in April. If you are not a Kidd supporter, those early games represent ROY votes that now risk favoring the Hornet sharpshooter. Kidd himself has suggested the experiment was formative. It is, conveniently, impossible to disprove.
What we can say with certainty is this: however those first weeks shaped him, what’s on the other end of it is a 19-year-old who just dropped 51 and 45 in back-to-back games while the basketball internet scrambles to keep up. The Mavericks have a future because of Flagg, potentially a bright one. At the very least, his incredible season beckons the scariest thought experiment this side of “what if Harrison was still in control?” and that is…where would the Mavs be without getting so lottery lucky?
Following the announcement that Main Street Sports Group LLC would cease operation, which owns the FanDuel Sports Network, the Nashville Predators have announced a new broadcast partner for the 2026-27 season.
The Predators have signed a multi-year broadcast deal with Scripps Sports to broadcast games free, over-the-air to viewers in the Middle Tennessee region. This includes preseason, regular season and first-round playoff games.
Scripps also owns WTVF NewsChannel 5, but plans to broadcast Predators games on its second station, WNPX or The Spot – Nashville 28.
We’ve partnered with @ScrippsSports to become the TV and streaming home of #Preds hockey, beginning next season.
Fans across our broadcast region will be able to watch games for free on a new local station, “The Spot – Nashville 28.”
Alongside local access, games will also be available via the team’s soon-to-be-released live-streaming app and the Tablo over-the-air DVR and streaming platform.
The new broadcast deal also includes "a direct-to-consumer experience where fans can livestream games throughout the local broadcast territory."
“Scripps Sports could not be more pleased to become the broadcast partner for the Nashville Predators. Nashville is a hockey town, and this partnership makes Predators games available to the widest possible local audience,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports, in a press release.
“The combination of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that all Preds fans can follow the action wherever they choose to watch, on whatever device they choose.”
The Predators are the fifth NHL franchise to partner with Scripps Sports, joining the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth.
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) — The United States Hockey League on Tuesday unveiled a standard player development agreement that introduces benefits, including support for travel and secondary education and reimbursements for training and career-ending injuries.
The agreement enhances academic support, strength and performance resources, host family housing, mental wellness services and coaching already in place, and the U.S.-based Tier I junior league says it ensures players receive consistent development across all 16 teams.
“The standard player development agreement reinforces that structure by creating clarity and consistency for players and families while supporting the environment that continues to produce more NCAA Division I players and NHL draft selections than any single league in the world," USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan said. "This is about strengthening a pathway that already works.”
The USHL has partnerships with USA Hockey and the NHL. It says the agreement reaffirms the league's longstanding player-first approach to help athletes pursue participating in Division I college hockey and beyond.
That approach requires a 2-1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends. U.S. Olympic gold medal-winners Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor and Jeremy Swayman are among the USHL products who reached the NHL.
Boston, MA - April 6: Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony fields the ball in the eighth inning. The Red Sox played the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Among all the disasters baked into the Red Sox’ cake of calamity that’s defined the early part of this season, there’s one reoccurring theme that has me shook. Granted, this level of concern should probably be reserved for things like the “give a damn about baseball” vs. “give a damn about what the private equity folks have to say” balance that runs from the top down in this organization. Or perhaps it should targeted towards the struggles of the starting rotation, which is supposed to be the strength of the team. Or maybe even the constant low IQ baseball plays we see from a seemingly new character on a daily basis.
But you know what horrifying development just won’t leave my mind after these first ten games? Roman Anthony’s anemic arm. Everything about this situation feels disquieting, and the somber reality is it has the potential to cut deep into both the present and future of the Red Sox if the issue isn’t fixable.
Simply put, Roman Anthony is the embodiment of where the Red Sox are going as a franchise. Fans already adore him, ownership hitched their wagon to the tantalizing upside and gave him an eight year extension, and he’s rapidly becoming a household name on a national level. Just last night, the Sox were giving out Roman Anthony bobbleheads, and they were gone almost two hours before first pitch.
The Red Sox game starts at 6:45PM and they ran out of Roman Anthony bobbleheads at 5PM.
So given who he is and what he already means to this organization, we need to take a closer look at what’s going on with Roman Anthony’s arm. To keep it bearable (because this is hard stuff to watch), we’ll look at one throw from each of the first four series of the year, starting with this one against the Reds when Cincinnati walked off game 2 of the season:
On one hand, this was a horrible throw. But at the same time, it didn’t raise any alarm bells. It would have taken an absolute cannon to get the speedy TJ Freidl, and Anthony probably had to rush it given the do-or-die nature of the situation. It was one bad throw in one bad game that wasn’t going to define the player or the season. Move on, right?
So this throw wasn’t nearly as bad as the weak, wobbly worm ball from the weekend, but something about it really bothered me. In the context of the game, it represented a missed opportunity to throw a guy out at the plate, and given the fact the Red Sox were on their way to losing their fourth straight, they really could have used a highlight reel play from their young superstar to change momentum. It would have been yet another version of “Wow! Roman Anthony saved Boston’s bacon again. This guy’s awesome!”
But in the grand scheme of things, it’s more than that. This throw still wasn’t even close, and it got me thinking “Roman Anthony just made two of the worst throws I’ve ever seen him make in the last four games. Something’s wrong here.” So since it’s Freak-Out season, I went to the most rationale place on Earth to share my thoughts: Twitter!
Roman Anthony's arm was way, way better last year compared to what we've seen on these first few plays of 2026. None of the possible reasons for this are good.
At first I thought the reason might be an injury. I spent A LOT of time watching Roman Anthony’s journey through the minors, and I can’t ever remember him making a pair of such poor defensive plays so close together. He never struck me as a gold glover, but he was always more than adequate regardless of where you put him in the outfield. Good Ol reliable Roman!
Hell, even now he has a +8 career Defensive Runs Saved number in just 58 big league games in the outfield. That’s great stuff!
Knowing that, something is clearly wrong here. And the Red Sox took notice, too, because in each of the next four games, Anthony didn’t start in the outfield. In the series finale against the Astros, he started the day on the bench, and despite a pinch hit homer in the late innings, he never took the field. Then against the Padres, he started all three days at DH, which is extremely noteworthy because, since being called up last June, this is the first time the Sox had ever done that with Anthony. In fact, they only even started him at DH in back to back games twice last season.
But of course, starting at DH doesn’t mean finishing at DH, and Anthony ended up in left field for one crucial frame during ninth inning after Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Jarren Duran in the 8th. Right away, the baseball gods found his arm and inflicted more punishment:
If Anthony’s arm issues are a mental and mechanical thing, this could not have gone any worse! The Sox tried to work him out of the role for a few days to steady the ship behind the scenes, and instead he gets shuffled right back into the deck for one critical inning and immediately gets a throwing error attached to his name. Yikes!
To take this one step further, it doesn’t appear to be an injury thing. As Red Sox Stats pointed out on Monday, Anthony’s strongest throw of the season is right up there with Wilyer Abreu’s.
2026 max throw speed from the outfielders
91 mph – Wilyer Abreu 91 mph – Roman Anthony 87 mph – Ceddanne Rafaela 83 mph – Masataka Yoshida 81 mph – Jarren Duran
Instead, this appears to be a bug that’s crawled right inside Anthony’s head, and now, he can’t shake it. Even worse, other teams have noticed and are picking on him like a wounded animal, ready to drown the distressed star his own nightmare. All of this culminated in last night’s game against the Brewers when Anthony unleashed whatever this hideous thing was during a tied game in the eighth inning:
This is what a complete meltdown looks like. Anthony started fielding this ball when the runner was three steps from third, and the Brewers said we don’t think you can make that throw with whatever it is you’ve got going on right now — and boy were they right! This challenge rattled Roman Anthony to his core in a way I just can’t remember him ever getting rattled since he put on a Red Sox uniform. He just completely locked up and couldn’t make a remotely competitive thrown. His footwork fell apart, his body was pointed the wrong direction, and I’m sure his head was filled with demons.
If you’re able to take your eyes off the wayward ball on that reply in the second shot above, you can vaguely see Anthony put his hand in front of his mouth as the ball heads to the backstop as if to say “Huh? I can’t believe I just did that.”
So now the question is where do we go from here, and unfortunately, there’s no easy answers. If it’s the yips, and that’s clearly what this looks like given the wide variety of velocity on all of his throws, we just have to hope Roman can fight through it and beat this thing. If he can’t, it severely damages what he can become as a player, instantly sabotaging the above average jumps he gets and routes he takes on fly balls. You go from Anthony’s ceiling being an above average outfield defender as a top notch bat to a really, really good DH, and I don’t even want to think about all the ramifications that could have right now.
In fact, I’m still just trying to digest how sad he looked in the dugout after the game last night:
But man, sometimes these gremlins get guys. Remember how Jon Lester completely lost the ability to throw accurately to first base despite displaying pinpoint control when firing the ball 60 feet, six inches? He was at least able to battle through that by getting enough guys out at the plate, but for an outfielder, there’s really no way to deal with this thing besides facing it head on and beating it.
Worse yet, it’s something that’s incredibly difficult to prepare for. You can’t build up a routine leading into a high pressure moment like you would for a plate appearance when you’re 0-20 or something. You just need to be ready to fix it all of the time despite potentially going days without getting a chance to show off how you worked on the skill. When the monster is mental, it’s not easy!
And if this thing does get our golden boy, I’m going to be furious at this organization, even though there’s no way to definitely prove how the yips start. The Red Sox have anointed Roman Anthony the savior and put everything on him! They put him at the top of the lineup, they locked him up long-term on a team friendly deal, they gave him no real right handed protection to bat behind him, they’ve marketed him as “The guy!” and they just keep stacking more and more stuff on his plate like he’s this universal get out of jail free card for the way they’ve behaved as a franchise for the last handful of years.
So I can’t help but wonder, what if these throws are how all of the pressure is manifesting itself? What if Roman Anthony in working his tail off to balance his role as leadoff hitter at the plate and new leader in the clubhouse as a 21-year-old managed to hold it all together for that, but then cracked in this manner because they want him to be Mr. Everything? Could this just be the ridiculous load they’ve put on him finally being too much to bear?
Ideally, this Roman will find a way to fight off the soul sucking barbarian coming for his defensive career. He’ll even learn from the experience — like he does everything else, come back stronger, and put it so far in the past we’ll just laugh when we look back in the future. But at this point, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t concerned. The Red Sox need Roman Anthony to be the best version of himself, and for the first time, there’s a legitimate and obvious obstacle in his way he’s struggling to negotiate.
So how concerned should we be about Roman Anthony’s throws? I honestly don’t know, and that’s kind of the scariest thing of all.
JERSEY CITY, NJ - MARCH 30: The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on March 30, 2026, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Luis Robert – CF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Brett Baty – RF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Mark Vientos – 1B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Alek Thomas – CF
Carson Benge – LF
Jorge Barrosa – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Zac Gallen – RHP
Freddy Peralta – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Selected from Triple-A Reno: INF Luken Baker (No. 21)
Placed on 10-day injured list: INF Carlos Santana (strained right adductor; retro to April 6)
Transferred to the 60-day injured list: INF/OF Jordan Lawlar (fractured right wrist)
As expected, Santana goes onto the IL, with Lawlar going to the 60-day IL due to his broken wrist. That now gives Arizona seven players on that. Baker was signed as a minor-league free-agent in January. He was originally a Cardinals draft pick, and appeared 73 times for them over the past three seasons. Baker was picked off waivers by the Dodgers in August, but didn’t play in Los Angeles and was released in November. With Tyler Locklear, Pavin Smith and Santana now all on the injured list, Baker gets his chance. He hasn’t impressed in the bigs to date, with a line of .206/.317/.338 for a .655 OPS (83 OPS+). The right-handed hitter turned 29 last month. Needs must.
According to the weather forecast, the temperature at first pitch this afternoon in New York is going to be 48F, although it will feel like 40F. Quite glad for the team that they moved this one up, because at 7 pm, the “feels like” temperature would be a disturbing 30F – and you can take a few degrees off that over the course of the evening. Definitely a shock to the system to fly from Phoenix, where the high on Sunday was a balmy 96F. I hope none of the Diamondbacks shatter when they get off the plane. Maybe they’ll end up setting fire to the dugout at Citi Field to keep warm.
Caleb Durbin (3B Red Sox): Rostered in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues
Durbin was a surprising trade target for the Red Sox after they failed to re-sign Alex Bregman and struck out on acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Astros. Coming off a surprisingly successful rookie season in Milwaukee, he figured to be a keeper for the thrifty Brewers. Probably the fact that they made him available in the first place should have been a red flag. Just two weeks in, getting Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton for him already looks like a bit of a heist.
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Admittedly, this isn’t reading as much of a recommendation so far. But while Durbin’s future as a major league regular should be in some doubt, the Red Sox are going to give him an extended opportunity here. Durbin’s big issue this year is that he’s been hitting too many grounders, something that hasn’t been a problem previously. Once he solves that, he and the Green Monster should become fast friends. Durbin can’t hit 400-foot flies with any regularity, but 340-360 foot shots to left should be pretty common. He was in the 68th percentile in pulled fly ball rate last year, and as rarely as he strikes out, getting back to that make for a bunch of doubles.
The Red Sox offense has been dreadful so far, but this still projects to be an above average group. While Durbin was dropped from sixth to seventh in the lineup on Monday, he might just wind up batting second once he heats up some; the Red Sox need a right-handed hitter there and he's certainly better suited than Trevor Story for the spot. He’ll have a decent enough average in the end and probably swipe 15-20 bases. He’s not someone who should be sitting on the waiver wire in standard leagues.
Garrett Mitchell (OF Brewers): Rostered in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues
The strikeout-prone Mitchell remains a flawed player, and it sounds like he might have been sent down this spring if it had been manager Pat Murphy’s choice (though he might have gotten his spot back anyway with Jackson Chourio hurt).
Pat Murphy with an honest take on Garrett Mitchell: "I was the first one to believe that Garrett wasn't ready. He had really poor results in spring training, but the front office was really adamant that this guy can be our best player and in a lot of ways I was skeptical."
Since the season started, however, Mitchell has been a beast, hitting .333 with a homer and three steals in nine games. He’s currently tied for first in the majors with 13 RBI. Mitchell has struck out 41 percent of the time, but eight of his 15 balls in play have been hard hit, with six of those topping 106 mph off the bat.
In the long run, Mitchell is going to strike out too often to hit for quality average. However, the power is certainly legit, as is his basestealing ability. He’s struggled mightily to stay healthy since first arriving in Milwaukee in 2022, but he has a career 116 OPS+ and is 26-for-32 stealing bases in 150 games. Even though he’ll probably need to be dropped at some point, there’s no way he should be unrostered in 85 percent of leagues right now. Pick him up and enjoy it while it lasts.
Caleb Kilian (RP Giants): Rostered in one percent of Yahoo leagues
Very little was made of Kilian returning to the Giants organization in December, 4 ½ years after he and Alexander Canario were traded to the Cubs for Kris Bryant in a deadline deal. Kilian was a fine rotation prospect at the time, but he never mastered Triple-A and then missed much of the last two seasons before showing some ability in a stint in the Iowa down the stretch. He was averaging 96 mph with his fastball then, up about one mph from his peak as a starter and 2.5 mph from his couple of appearances with the Cubs in 2024. When he arrived this spring, he was up to 97.5 mph, and he’s maintained that velocity in throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season.
With his fastball working so well, Kilian’s cutter has at least temporarily vanished from his arsenal. It was his most used pitch this year, and he was still throwing it regularly this spring. However, he’s taken to featuring his curve as his No. 2 pitch, and it’s easy to see why.
Kilian is probably a big injury risk, given his recent shoulder problems and the velocity spike. He also hasn’t actually pitched with a lead yet in his five appearances, though he got into his biggest situation yet in Monday’s loss and fared well. Still, he has the best stuff in a lousy Giants bullpen. Manager Tony Vitello has already showed he’s not married to Ryan Walker in the closer’s role, and that’s probably for the best, especially with Walker’s velocity down one mph from last year; he’s thus far gotten one whiff on 30 swings. If Kilian doesn't have to be snatched up in mixed leagues just yet, he’s well worth keeping an eye on. If he gets a chance and turns in a couple of scoreless eighth innings and Walker remains shaky, he might quickly become the man for the Giants.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- The White Sox didn't call up prospect Sam Antonacci to replace the injured Austin Hays on Tuesday, but maybe they would have had Hays waited another couple of weeks to strain his hammy. Antonacci is still learning left field after playing exclusively in the infield prior to this year, but he's opened up 9-for-26 with two homers and a 3/8 K/BB in seven games for Triple-A Charlotte. He's also 4-for-4 stealing bases after going 48-for-58 last year. The power probably isn't going to be there in the majors, but if he gets a chance to start regularly for the White Sox, he might steal enough bases to be pretty useful.
- Off to the hotter start in Triple-A, Juan Brito (.314/.405/.457) got the nod over Travis Bazzana (.212/.316/.394) to serve as Gabriel Arias's replacement in Cleveland. Neither are options at shortstop while Arias is out, so that wasn't a factor. With Bazzana locked in at second base for Columbus, Brito had started six games at third and two at first to begin the year. Brito, a switch-hitter, looked like he might be the Guardians' long-term second baseman before Bazzana was drafted first overall two years ago. He's an iffier prospect now after missing most of last year, but his great approach helps make up for his lack of power potential. He's probably not going to be much of a factor in fantasy leagues this time around.
It is a little early to be looking at underlying data for positives to take away but after the way these 1o games have gone I needed to look for my own sanity and figured I would put the positives out into the world to hopefully will the Jays bats into scoring some runs.
Below I have listed the first four Blue Jays hitters in this series looking at underlying data for positives, I will be looking at Blue Jays hitters in order of plate appearances from the most to the fewest.
some were a lot easier to find a positive for than others…..
George Springer 150/261/325 – 72 WRC+
Not a good sign that by starting with the leader in PAs also lead to one of the harder bats to find much positive underlying data, due to Springer’s age my immediate concern was bat speed as last season’s major bounce back also came along with a fairly large jump in bat speed increasing from an average of 71.9 during the 2024 season to 73.7 during the 2025 season.
The good news is Springer is still showing the improved bat speed averaging 73.4 so far this season but his main issue has been in squaring up the ball when he hits it ending up with far too many lazy flyballs and infield pop ups. Generally this could be good news for Springer as batted ball spray angles is an extremely noisy stat over a small sample so it is very possible even likely that this will improve and with him still showing the higher bat speed from last season once he gets his spray angle more in line the positive offensive numbers should follow.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 265/419/353 – 126 WRC+
I had already mentioned this in a comment yesterday but Guerrero has already looked to come out of his early season singles fest over the past few games in fact since April 1st he is tied for 2nd in MLB with 4 barrels and out of players with at least 20 PAs over that time he is 4th in Barrel%.
Unfortunately for Guerrero and the Jays he does not have a lot to show for it yet, this season the league as a whole is hitting 648/639/2,131 on balls in play classified as a Barrel.
Guerrero however is hitting 200/200/800 on his 5 barrels with a BABIP of 000, Guerrero’s only Barrel this season that didn’t find a glove was his HR against the White Sox.
With Guerrero barreling the ball a lot more often over the next week he is likely very close to an extended stretch where those balls fall in or land on the other side of the fence.
Kazuma Okamoto 263/349/421 -125 WRC+
Okamoto is 10 games into his MLB career so on the surface a 125 WRC+ is a pretty nice start!
Unfortunately it has come with an unsustainably high K rate of 41.9%….
Okamoto does deserve some time to get acclimated to MLB and the MLB ball as the pitchers in MLB are much stronger than average compared to the NPB and the baseball has some differences which affects the movement on pitches.
The good news is while is whiff rate is elevated based on his history I would expect this to come down as he gets more comfortable against MLB pitching and he could also cut down on the Ks by being more aggressive on in zone pitches.
Over in Japan it was probably much easier to get away with a low in zone swing rate because the pitchers there didn’t have the pitches to put Okamoto away but in MLB where the pitchers have better stuff he will likely need to adjust his approach a bit to be more aggressive on in zone pitches.
Currently Okamoto has a Called Strike% of 23.1% which last season would have ranked 143rd of 145 qualified batters, Okamoto’s contact quality in his brief MLB career has been well above average to elite so I believe once he gets the approach locked in and more experience he should be more than fine as an MLB hitter.
Ernie Clement 293/293/366 – 88 WRC+
Clement has actually been pretty close to what I would expect from him, he has been swinging often and putting the ball in play a ton without doing much damage which comes with major fluctuations in outcomes depending on his BABIP.
The good news is he has already hit a ball harder than any ball he did last season and his hard hit% is 4.8% higher than it has ever been in his career, if he keeps swinging it and making contact like he always has and can keep up the slightly higher hard hit rate he should be right back around the mid to high 90s for his WRC+ sooner than later.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 1: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 1, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Diamondbacks lineup
Ketel Marte – 2B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Gabriel Moreno – C
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Alek Thomas – CF
Jorge Barrosa – LF
SP: Zac Gallen – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 4:10 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
