SARASOTA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles smiles during practice at Ed Smith Stadium on February 16, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Baltimore Orioles/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s beginning to feel more like spring, kind of. Temperatures in Baltimore will reach nearly 60 degrees today. It’s positively balmy around here.
The Orioles, of course, have been enjoying pleasant weather for a couple of weeks now, and they’re back in action in Sarasota today. Kyle Bradish will make his second start after a somewhat rocky debut earlier this week. Most of the Orioles’ regulars will be behind him, though not Samuel Basallo, who left Thursday’s game with right abdominal discomfort. There’s no indication that Basallo’s injury will be long lasting, and he told the media yesterday that he felt fine, but there’s no reason to push him back into the lineup yet.
Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O’Neill will take the top two spots in the lineup, collecting as many at-bats as they can before they leave for the World Baseball Classic. Coby Mayo gets another start at third base. The O’s will face former NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Spencer Strider, making his spring debut for the Braves.
Orioles lineup:
SS Gunnar Henderson RF Tyler O’Neill 1B Pete Alonso LF Taylor Ward C Adley Rutschman DH Ryan Mountcastle 3B Coby Mayo CF Leody Taveras 2B Jeremiah Jackson
Tyus Jones signing with Orlando seemed like one of the smarter pickups of the offseason, a team that needed stability at the point signs up a veteran guard who knows how to run a team and doesn't turn the ball over. It didn't work on the court as smoothly as expected, and Jones was traded to Charlotte, then a day later was re-routed to Dallas as part of the three-team Anthony Davis trade.
Jones did not find a home in Dallas either, and the team has waived him, a move that had been expected for days.
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have waived guard Tyus Jones.
Jones (6-0, 196) appeared in eight games (two starts) with the Mavericks and averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 assists in 16.6 minutes per game.
Dallas needed to open a roster spot to convert Ryan Nembhard's two-way contract to a standard contract, reports Marc Stein. Nembhard has more than earned that contract.
Jones is a free agent who will be eligible for playoff rosters. Expect some team to snap him up.
Dan Vladar delivered a magnificent performance in net, spearheading the Flyers to a 3-1 win Saturday afternoon over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The 28-year-old didn’t crack until there were just 6:57 minutes left in the game.
“He has just had a great year for us,” Rick Tocchet said. “Another outstanding effort from him.”
Travis Konecny broke a scoreless tie 3:41 minutes into the third period. Jamie Drysdale provided critical insurance over eight minutes later.
Sean Couturier iced things with an empty-netter, snapping his 31-game goal-scoring drought.
“I’ll take them any way I can,” the Flyers’ captain said. “It feels good, but the wins are more important right now. That’s all my focus.”
The Flyers (27-21-11) won consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 3-6. That was the season’s halfway mark, when the Flyers were in playoff position after beating the Ducks, 5-2, to take over third place.
“We’ve been pretty resilient, but we’ve got to string consistency together,” Tocchet said before the game. “We’ve been chasing that all year.”
The Bruins (33-21-5) hold one of the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots. This was just their third regulation loss in the last 20 games (13-3-4).
“I think [general manager] Don Sweeney has done a great job in they have an identity, they’re big, they’re tough, they play to who they are,” Tocchet said before the game. “I know we played them in Boston, they’re a big team. That’s a team that has an identity when you play them, so it’s a good challenge for us.”
• Two goalies that played in the Olympics put on a pretty good show.
Vladar, who represented Team Czechia, was terrific for the Flyers. He converted 26 saves on 27 shots.
After making a series of big stops with the Flyers on the penalty kill late in the second period, he received a standing ovation from the fans behind his net.
“The fans have been awesome the whole year,” Vladar said. “We really feel that they have our back. … We just don’t want to waste this opportunity, we want to play well, especially for them, especially for ourselves, as well. We need them. Great job by them and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Vladar bailed out the Flyers twice in the first period. He denied Michael Eyssimont on a semi breakaway and later stopped Mark Kastelic when the Flyers’ power play gave up a look.
The Flyers repaid Vladar in the third period.
“He does so much for us off the ice, as well,” Drysdale said. “In the locker room in between periods, he’s always talking, just saying whatever’s on his mind and usually it’s awesome stuff coming out of his mouth. Real positive guy.”
Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman, who played for Team USA, made 14 saves on the Flyers’ 16 shots.
The 27-year-old robbed Christian Dvorak in close during the second period to keep the game scoreless. That came 53 seconds after Vladar turned away Morgan Geekie right around the doorstep.
• The Flyers have 23 games left and two to go before next Friday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
They entered Saturday eight points behind the third-place Islanders in the Metropolitan Division race. They’re six points back of the Bruins in the wild-card hunt.
“We’re a confident group, we knew we have it in us,” Vladar said. “We had it at the beginning of the year, then it kind of slipped away. We’ve just got to find the swagger back because we have it here.”
General manager Danny Briere is not expected to be a major seller. After all, the Flyers didn’t want this season to be about subtraction. But we’ll see if Briere looks to make a future-centric move for the rebuild.
• Dvorak was quietly effective all game. He had a good stick defensively a couple of times and picked up helpers on both of the Flyers’ goals.
The Flyers needed that from him. Over the previous nine games, Dvorak had recorded only two points (both assists).
“Just stay within yourself, we’re not looking for anything more; just who he is,” Tocchet said. “He had a solid game.”
The 30-year-old has been playing as the Flyers’ first-line center. He earned a five-year contract extension with a strong a first half, but the Flyers just hadn’t gotten the same guy recently.
But on Saturday, he looked like the first-half Dvorak.
“Try to not get frustrated, it’s not an easy game,” Dvorak said. “You’ve just got to stick with it, stay positive and turn it around. I thought it was a step in the right direction.”
• Denver Barkey was a healthy scratch as Nicolas Deslauriers drew into the lineup.
The Flyers were playing a physical, tight-checking Boston team. Meanwhile, Barkey has hit a little bit of a wall recently, so this wasn’t a terrible time to let the 20-year-old rookie watch a game.
Deslauriers and Tanner Jeannot had a chat in warmups, setting up a first-period fight. It was a heavyweight bout.
• The Flyers are back in action Monday when they visit the Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Walker Jenkins #75 of the Minnesota Twins lines out during the first inning of a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on February 24, 2026 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):12:05 TV: Twins.TV (via NESN) Radio: NA Know Yo’ Foe:Over the Monster
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. #43 of the Houston Astros delivers a pitch during the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 28, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) | Getty Images
His first Grapefruit League appearance of 2026 didn’t last long, but it was certainly encouraging.
Maybe there’s still a little gas left in the tank after all.
Friday’s 2026 Grapefruit League debut by Lance McCullers Jr. may not have seemed like much, but it was huge. For Lance, for the Astros, for fans who may not even know it yet, it was huge.
Coming off a season where his fastball velocity was so bad he couldn’t even throw it, Friday was a massive step forward. Not only could he throw his sinker, he could throw his four-seam. It allowed him to do something he couldn’t do last year at all, and that is get quick outs.
Saddled with low velocity last season that sometimes saw him unable to break 91 MPH on his fastball and sinker, Lance relied on his knuckle curve and slider. His curve is legendary in Houston, and his slider is a very good pitch, but there were several issues relying heavily on those two pitches.
The first was he struggled with command, and it was difficult for him to throw them for strikes.
Second, they are both ‘swing-and-miss’ type pitches. They aren’t designed to get weak contact, ground balls, pop ups, etc. They are supposed to make you look helpless at the plate and put you away.
Between his lack of command and inability to get any quick outs, Lance was going deep counts far too often on seemingly every batter, and usually behind in the count as well.
When you can’t throw a fastball, and can’t locate your curve, guys sit on your slider. When MLB hitters sit on a pitch with no fear of getting caught by a different one for a strike, they are going to get to you. Lance felt the pain of that last season.
It’s why there was so much consternation of what could Lance do this year to be a part of the team. Could he even make the team? Can Lance pitch out of the bullpen? Would the Astros put him through waivers for the purposes of giving him his unconditional release and eat the final year of his contract?
None of those questions can be fully answered in the 8 pitches McCullers threw on Friday, but there was something found that maybe had not been seen over the past two years for him: Hope.
McCullers second pitch of the game was a four-seam clocked at 93.2 MPH. Maybe you noticed. Maybe you didn’t. Now you will. He threw 4 pitches to C.J. Abrams, and got him to pop up on a knuckle curve.
Jacob Young stepped into the box. Sinker. 93.5 MPH. Sinker. 93.8 MPH. Ground ball to first. Two out.
Enter Dylan Crews to the box. Sinker. 94.6 MPH. Four-seam. 93.3 MPH. Pop up to 2nd. Inning over.
1-2-3. 8 pitches.
I know its spring training, but McCullers was able to lean on 2 pitches he could barely throw last season. His velocity was up. He got quick outs. These are the things Lance needs in his arsenal if he can find his way back into the rotation and ever be close to the pitcher he once was. These are things he will need if he can be a reliable arm out of the pen (provided his arm can handle the rigors of Pen Life).
It’s too early to tell if McCullers can maintain that level of velocity, let alone build off it. It’s too early to tell if he can maintain that velocity over 20 pitches, 50 pitches, 90 pitches.
But he showed a velocity increase, one that there were no offseason reports of him having.
He showed us there’s hope.
Were you encouraged by McCullers’ first outing in Grapefruit League? Let us know in the comments below.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are set to square off for the second time in three days.
Saddiq Bey erupted for a season-high 42 points in the last meeting, and my Pelicans vs. Jazz predictions are counting on the NOLA guard to shoulder the scoring load once again.
Read more in my NBA picks for Saturday, February 28.
Pelicans vs Jazz prediction
Pelicans vs Jazz best bet: Saddiq Bey Over 20.5 points (-110)
Saddiq Bey missed the 2024-25 season following ACL surgery, but the New Orleans Pelicans guard has found his rhythm over the past couple of months.
Bey is averaging a career-high 17.2 points per game, and he’s bumped that up to 21.0 ppg since the calendar flipped to 2026 — highlighted by a season-best 42-point outing against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
He’s scored 20+ points in 11 of his last 15 games and will be leaned on to carry New Orleans’ offense with Trey Murphy III sidelined.
The Jazz also rank 30th in points allowed per game, so Bey should have plenty of opportunities to fill it up again.
Pelicans vs Jazz same-game parlay
The Pelicans have won three straight, while the Jazz are mired in a four-game losing streak and will be without Lauri Markkanen.
Both teams rank in the bottom five in team defense, so scoring should come easily tonight. The Over has also cashed in each of the last five meetings between these squads.
Pelicans vs Jazz SGP
Saddiq Bey Over 20.5 points
Pelicans moneyline
Over 243.5
Our "from downtown" SGP: Making It Rain
The Pelicans and Jazz rank 29th and 30th in three-pointers allowed per game, respectively, so we should see plenty of treys tonight.
Bey has connected on at least three triples in nine of his last 14 outings, and teammate Jordan Poole is knocking down an average of 2.5 from deep per game this season.
For Utah, Brice Sensabaugh has hit more than 2.5 shots from beyond the arc in four of his past five contests, while Keyonte George is also averaging 2.5 made threes per game.
Pelicans vs Jazz SGP
Saddiq Bey Over 2.5 threes
Jordan Poole Over 1.5 threes
Brice Sensabaugh Over 2.5 threes
Keyonte George Over 2.5 threes
Pelicans vs Jazz odds
Spread: Pelicans -6.5 (-110) | Jazz +6.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Pelicans -250 | Jazz +210
Over/Under: Over 245.5 (-110) | Under 245.5 (-110)
Pelicans vs Jazz betting trend to know
New Orleans is 6-0 in the last six meetings against Utah. Find more NBA betting trends for Pelicans vs. Jazz.
How to watch Pelicans vs Jazz
Location
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Date
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Tip-off
9:30 p.m. ET
TV
Pelicans+, KJZZ 14
Pelicans vs Jazz latest injuries
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Pakistan 212-8, Sri Lanka 207-6. Pakistan win by five runs
New Zealand into semi-finals on net run-rate
Pakistan went out of the T20 World Cup despite a five-run victory against Sri Lanka in the Group Two Super 8s match in Pallekele on Saturday. Their inferior net run rate meant Pakistan had to win convincingly in order to pip New Zealand and join group winners England in the semi-finals.
“When I lost the toss, it was always going to be challenging [bowling second] because of the dew,” said the Pakistan captain, Salman Ali Agha. “Then it was a very good pitch and restricting them below 148 was going to be a challenge. But we tried. I think if I won the toss then it could have been a different story.”
The St. Louis Blues announced on Friday that the team has sent former Senators forward Mathieu Joseph down to the American Hockey League. Joseph cleared through NHL waivers and will now report to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The 29-year-old has 11 points in 39 games for the Blues this season and with his high-end skating speed, perhaps he might have drawn some interest around the league, if not for a $2.95 million AAV price tag.
The interest certainly wouldn't have come from Ottawa, which sent him to the Blues in the summer of 2024 in what was basically a salary dump, even giving St. Louis a third-round pick to sweeten the deal.
The Senators acquired Joseph at the 2022 trade deadline in a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Nick Paul. The Senators also got a 2024 fourth-round pick in the deal which turned out to Blake Montgomery, a prospect who still has the potential to salvage what looks today like a really bad trade for the Senators.
While Paul is currently on LTIR with an injury, he's been a good, fast-skating, big-bodied soldier for the Lightning, a player who wanted to re-sign here and would have come in very handy for the Senators over the past five seasons. Paul eclipsed 20 goals and 40 points in each of the past two seasons.
The Sens then saved $200K per season to lock up what turned out to be the lesser player.
After the trade, former Sens GM Pierre Dorion signed Joseph to a four-year deal worth $11.8 million ($2.95 million AAV). Tampa signed Paul to seven-year deal worth $22.05 million ($3.15 million).
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published by The Hockey News. More headlines here:
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 20, 2026: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers in the field during the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on February 20, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for February 28, 2026 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rangers are squaring off against the defending World Champion Dodgers of Los Angeles in today’s spring training matchup.
The lineup:
Carter — CF
Langford — LF
Pederson — 1B
Jansen — C
Haggerty — RF
Duran — 2B
Canha — DH
Wade — SS
Bride — 3B
Jack Leiter is starting, and is expected to be followed by Carter Baumler, Michael Otanez, Luis Curvelo, Josh Trentadue and Dalton Pence.
England captain scores twice in 3-2 win in Der Klassiker
Lamine Yamal fires hat-trick in Barça win over Villarreal
Harry Kane scored twice again and Bayern Munich opened an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga with a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday.
Joshua Kimmich let fly with his left boot to score the winner with a volley in the 87th minute, just four minutes after Daniel Svensson equalised for Dortmund with a brilliant volley inside the left post. Nico Schlotterbeck put Dortmund 1-0 up at the break, but Serge Gnabry set up Kane’s response and the England captain got his second from the penalty spot – after a foul by Schlotterbeck on Josip Stanisic – to take his league tally to 30 goals this season.
FORT MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo during the Boston Red Sox photo day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Is it on TV?
Once again it’s on NESN. Moreover, it’s also on WHDH for locals who don’t have cable. The Sox have gotten a lot of crap in recent years for not broadcasting more spring training games, so let’s give them some credit for an increased broadcast schedule this spring. So far every game but two has been televised.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
It’s our first look at Sonny Gray, so expect that to take up most of the attention. But as yesterday’s first inning injury scare against the Braves reminded us, the most important thing in this game is staying healthy.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 17: (ALTERNATE CROP) Josh Jung #6 of the Texas Rangers poses for a portrait during photo day at Surprise Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers infielders Josh Jung and Justin Foscue will each miss about 10 days due to injuries, per manager Skip Schumaker, via the beats. Jung has an adductor strain, and Foscue has a hamstring strain.
Both Jung and Foscue have struggled to stay healthy during their professional careers, and these latest developments aren’t going to help either shake their reputations for being injury prone. In the case of Foscue, the timing is especially bad, as there’s a spot available on the Opening Day roster for a righthanded hitting platoon DH and bench bat, and he’ll be losing opportunities to earn that spot.
Neither player’s ability to be ready for Opening Day would appear to be impacted, which is good news, given the sudden lack of infield depth the Rangers have. After trading Marcus Semien to the New York Mets, the team is expecting Josh Smith to move from a utility role to being the regular second baseman. Ezequiel Duran is currently the utility infielder, with Cody Freeman being out the rest of the spring. Sebastian Walcott, who could have figured into the infield mix at some point in 2026, will miss most of the season after going internal brace surgery to repair the damaged UCL in his elbow.
The man accused of fatally hitting Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau while intoxicated is asking a second time for reconsideration of at least some charges against him – at the same time he's presented a potential counteroffer for a plea deal to prosecutors.
Attorneys for 45-year-old Sean Higgins told a New Jersey judge on Feb. 24 that an expert's analysis raised questions that need to be addressed. Attorney Richard Klineburger said the blood alcohol testing done on Higgins on the date of the crash tested Higgins' plasma, not his blood, and resulted in a blood alcohol level of 0.075, which is below the legal limit for driving.
The information Klineburger said he received came from an expert employed by Higgins' defense team. Klineburger filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against Higgins, saying at least a couple of the charges should be re-presented to a grand jury.
"This is science, it's not speculative," Klineburger said.
Assistant Salem County Prosecutor Michael Mestern said he needed to consult with the state's expert about how the blood testing was done in August 2024 before making any decision about taking the case back to the grand jury. Mestern said that even if there would be a desire to have the grand jury hear evidence about some charges again, it wouldn't impact all of the charges Higgins faces.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew, 29, died after being struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee while bicycling along the side of a road. The brothers were in town for their younger sister's wedding, which was scheduled for the next day.
During the Feb. 24 hearing before Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio, Higgins' attorneys said they have presented a counter to a plea offer Higgins had previously been offered by prosecutors. The details of that proposal were not put on the record in open court.
Higgins rejected an offer in January 2025 that would have netted a 35-year prison sentence. Higgins' next court date will be a pretrial conference on April 14.
The motions and requests by Higgins' attorneys are part of routine efforts for defense lawyers, who are required to provide a zealous defense for their clients.
The Feb. 24 hearing came about 48 hours after members of the Gaudreau family, including the brothers' parents Guy and Jane and Johnny's widow, Meredith, were in Italy to watch the U.S. men's hockey gold medal game.
After the Americans won, Johnny Gaudreau's jersey was skated around the rink and Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Zach Werenski and Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin brought Johnny's two oldest children, daughter Noa and son Johnny Jr., who was celebrating his second birthday, onto the ice for a photo with the team and the jersey.
What happened in the crash that killed Johnny Gaudreau?
Around 8:20 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2024, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling one in front of the other on a two-lane road.
Court records say Higgins was behind two other vehicles he told police were driving slowly. Higgins passed one of the vehicles on the left. The other vehicle moved to the left to give the Gaudreau brothers room. Higgins cut back to the right and hit the brothers.
Both of the brothers died at the scene from their injuries.
According to evidence presented to Silvanio in hearings held so far during the case, Higgins continued to drive past the crash scene, coming to a stop about a quarter-mile from the crash scene. Higgins told New Jersey State police who responded to the scene he'd had a few beers before and while driving the Jeep.
Prosecutors say Higgins' blood alcohol level tested at 0.087, above the legal limit for driving.
Rudoni scores in added time to put leaders eight clear
Drop fears grow for Leicester with 2-0 loss to Norwich
Jack Rudoni’s goal four minutes into second-half stoppage time gave leaders Coventry their fourth win in a row with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Stoke.
Haji Wright headed them ahead before Ben Gibson equalised on the stroke of half-time with what proved to be Stoke’s only shot on target. Rudoni capitalised on an error from the onrushing Tommy Simkin in added time to put Coventry eight points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough, who travel to Birmingham on Monday. The last-gasp defeat meant Stoke, managed by former Coventry manager Mark Robins, have just one win in their last nine matches.
After having to leave the game against Philadelphia after 10 minutes, Miami Heat All-Star wing Norman Powell has been diagnosed with a groin strain and is considered week to week, the team announced.
INJURY UPDATE: MRI results for Norman Powell returned as a Grade 1 right groin strain. He will be week to week.
Nikola Jovic (lower back injury management) has been ruled out of tomorrow's game vs the Rockets.
Powell was a first-time All-Star this year, averaging a career-high 22.5 points per game and shooting 39% from 3-point range. Powell has been playing through a number of nagging injuries, according to reports, which will give him a chance to heal.
Powell will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Not that there is ever a good time for an injury, but this is less than ideal for the Heat, who sit eighth in the East at 31-29 and are fighting to hold on to their No. 8 seed and an easier path through the play-in to the playoffs.
