The Cleveland Cavaliers can clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are still missing star guard Stephen Curry, who is expected to return next week. The Cavs are currently seeded third in the East while Golden State appears headed for the West’s play-in tournament.
How to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
Explosive knocks by openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first win of the IPL season with a 65-run thrashing of Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.
Mar 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson (14) runs to third base against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The Rays have completed their first week of games facing off against a pair of NL Central teams. Below are five early trends to watch as the Rays look to build momentum in April. It’s still early, but these indicators can give us a directional sense of what’s real and what might regress.
36.7%
is the zone-minus-out-of-zone swing rate for the offense so far – slightly better than average, and good enough for 13th in the league. This group showed plus swing decisions during the spring with a rate of 40.0%, and that trend is continuing into the regular season although a few hitters have shown slightly more early-count aggressiveness than they did in the spring. The eye test and data both support the high quality of at-bats we’re seeing from this Rays offense. I expect this to continue given the players they have on the 40-man roster as they settle in more during April.
79.6%
is the team’s contact rate so far. Again, this was a pretty obvious one to see coming when we look at the roster moves they’ve been making over the last ~10 months, and the Spring Training data supports this trend as well. The Rays offense is making contact at a comfortably plus rate, ranking 3rd in the league so far.
105.9mph
is the team’s 90th percentile exit velocity. They’re currently above-average here as well and have the 5th highest EV90 in the league. The above average raw power shown from the Rays hitters so far combined with the quality of at-bats and high contact rate has helped produce a strong and efficient offense. Yes, there’s some BABIP luck that we can expect to regress a bit eventually, but they project to be one of the better BABIP teams in the league given their plus contact rate and how hard they’re hitting the ball.
59.3%
is the Rays combined line drive plus fly ball rate for the offense. This was an indicator I was a bit skeptical about heading into the regular season as it was just 46.0% in the spring and near the bottom of the league. However, they’ve done well to improve on this number so far compared to their Spring Training data and the 46.6% (last in the league) they showed in 2025. This will be something to monitor as a higher rate can raise the offensive ceiling of the group. It’s unlikely they sustain a top 10 mark over a full season, but even settling in around league average would represent a meaningful step forward from 2025.
66.5%
is the rate at which batted ball events are being converted to outs by the defense – the 9th lowest in the league. This is not a red flag yet as it’s still early, but it’s maybe a yellow flag – the defense is simply allowing too many additional outs and extra bases. The outfield has been pretty solid at 66.1% on their own (average for the outfield is 60.7%), so it’s mainly the infield and their 82.6% (average for the infield is 89.1%) which ranks near the bottom of the league. Given that they have average or better defenders at every infield position, this should improve over a larger sample. This is something to monitor through April, especially with a heavier divisional schedule coming in May.
Just as a small side note, Chandler Simpson has been one of the most impressive defenders on the team so far this season. He had a strong spring, and that has translated well into the regular season. He has made several impressive catches with relative ease, including this one with a 20% catch probability and this one with a 50% probability. The only blemish is this opportunity with a 10% catch probability that he nearly turned into an out. The reactions and routes are night and day difference from 2025, and it’s easy to see a path to him earning a larger role.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 27: New York Mets mascot Mr Met walks onto the field to celebrate San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal's induction to the Mascot Hall of Fame prior to the game against the New York Mets at Oracle Park on July 27, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Being a Mets fan must be exhausting. Being of New York is a status symbol, which carries privilege but also responsibility. The Mets are expected to win! And short of that, they’re expected to do everything they can to win. And if they don’t, there’s no choice as a fan but to be miserable. Plenty of Giants fans would like to think their favorite team is in the same boat, but I would hope a close inspection of the franchises situations would reveal that they’re not anywhere close to the same. For the Mets, the floor is “good,” but the expectation is great. For the Giants, “good enough” is the primary philosophy.
It’s hardly a distinction without a difference, too. “Good” means spending way, waaaaaay more than it should’ve cost to acquire Juan Soto (15 years, $765 million).“Good enough” means trading for Rafael Devers in his decline phase or filling out a thin rotation with oft-injured Tyler Mahle and fifth-starter-at-best Adrian Houser. “Good” carries the expectation that the team will make the postseason, meaning that David Stearns, the Mets’ President of Baseball Operations, had compose an actual offseason plan after “let beloved Mets figures Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk.”
Our colleagues over at Amazin’ Avenue gave the team an “A-” for their offseason additions of free agents closer Devin Williams, first baseman Jorge Polanco (he’d played just 1-2 innings at the position prior to the signing), reliever Luke Williams and infielder Bo Bichette (whom they pivoted to after losing out on Kyle Tucker) along with trades for infielder Marcus Semien, outfielder Luis Robert, and starter Freddy Peralta.
It was a substantial rebuild of the team’s core done within the span of a single offseason with enough bona fide talent that it blows past the “well, if everything works out”-style prognostication that typically follows a Giants winter. The Giants have typically operated in that “good enough” area where if a couple of things break right, the team will be really successful. “Good,” or the pursuit of it, means building something that is less likely to fail.
But that’s why they play the games and all that very relevant history of Baseball. The Mets aren’t the Dodgers (who’ve started 4-2) nor are they the Yankees (5-1). Then again, they could be. The Giants picked up their first two wins of the season in games started by pitchers who are probably very close to the end of their major league careers (Walker Buehler & German Marquez). Like with the Yankees series, the moment they faced an average-to-above average major league starter (depending on how you want to label Nick Pivetta), their bats went cold.
The Mets’ staff has a 2.50 ERA through their first 6 games (57.2 IP) of the season, but given the peripherals, they’re right around where the Giants are (3.74 team ERA btw) in terms of value (+0.7 fWAR vs. +0.6fWAR). But they’re also just 20th in runs scored (23). Of course, the Giants are last (14 runs scored). It’s so early in the season that the sample size factor ought to be our main consideration when comparing the two teams. Of course, the next consideration is substantial, too.
While the Giants have a group that looks solid on paper, it doesn’t really measure up to the Mets. There’s the Juan Soto of it all, of course. He just hit his first home run of the season yesterday, but has started the year with a line of .346/.414/.538 (29 PA). Last season, he hit 43 home runs in 160 games and drew 127 walks. He’s quite good; and, at Oracle Park, he’s been stellar: a career .313/.422/.604 in 25 games and 116 plate appearances. So, you know, let’s look at him as a given. A guy to pitch around and a guy who will hurt you late in the game.
The Mets are missing Pete Alonso now, and that’s a nice development. Then again, they have Francisco Lindor and now Bo Bichette. While he doesn’t have much experience logged against the Giants, the guy with a career .292 average is off to a .111 start. Can the Giants sneak past his bat in this 4-game series?
The tougher part will be the pitching, as Nolan McLean is considered by some to be an ace in waiting. Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and Freddy Peralta are all #2-type pitchers. Devin Williams is a great closer when he’s not pitching for the Yankees. There are plenty of obstacles in the Giants’ way.
I don’t think it’s right to do this, but I can see the argument in assuming the Giants are in no way competitive against the Yankees or Dodgers and figure all of those will be losses. The problem is, if you start doing that with two teams, then why not three teams? The only way the Giants will be able to upend some assumptions about their .500-ness is by winning games against good teams, especially at home. It’s not too early in the season to start doing that. On the other hand, winning a game or two with the aim of getting through this tough part of the schedule around 3-5 games under .500 is the sort of “good enough” we might expect from the Giants.
The Mets have been constructed for the express purpose of winning the National League East. The Giants have been built in hopes of competing for a Wild Card slot as deep into the season as possible.
Series overview
Who: San Francisco Giants (2-4) vs. New York Mets (3-3) Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, CA When: Thursday at 6:45pm PT, Friday at 7:15pm PT, Saturday at 6:05pm PT, Sunday at National broadcasts: Friday (MLB Network simulcast)
Projected starters Thursday: David Peterson (LHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (LHP, 0-1, 3.38 ERA) Friday: Nolan McLean (RHP, 0-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (RHP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA) Saturday: Clay Holmes (RHP, 1-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Landen Roupp (RHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) Sunday: Kodai Senga (RHP, 0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Logan Webb (RHP, 1-1, 7.36 ERA)
Players to watch (besides Logan Webb & Juan Soto)
Mets
Francisco Lindor: He has just 3 hits on the season, but 2 of them are triples! He also has drawn 7 walks to just 3 strikeouts. He has a career .909 OPS against the Giants with a .927 OPS specifically in Oracle Park.
Brett Baty / Mark Vientos: Why not put Bo Bicette here? Well, frankly, because I wrote about him above. He’ll either continue slumping or get some hits against the Giants in this series to frustrate them and boost his batting average. But with these two, it’ll be key to watch how they’re used. In a lot of other front offices, these two would’ve been penciled in as starters to maintain “payroll flexibility.” The Mets don’t have such considerations and so now these two ostensible corner guys are being used in a variety of roles — DH, first base, outfield, third base, second base. Baty took a step forward last season when he hit 18 home runs and drove in 50 across 130 games (432 PA) on a .748 OPS. Vientos had 27 home runs and 71 RBI on a .266/.322/.516 line in 2024 (454 PA) before backsliding to a .233/.289/.413 line with 17 homers and 61 RBI (463 PA). The Mets shed three Giants killers in the offseason: Pete Alonso, Ronnie Mauricio, and Jeff McNeil. Will either or both of these guys take their places?
Sean Manaea: The former Giant seemed to have been in a career renaissance at the end of his sole year with the Giants (2023), catching on with the Mets in such a big way that they signed him to a 3-year, $75 million deal at the end of 2024. Now he’s in the bullpen. Will he frustrate his former team late in the game or over multiple innings if one of the Mets’ starters goes down? Let’s hope not.
Giants
Rafael Devers: Rafael Devers is probably still nursing an injury. How else to explain his .593 OPS to start the season? Well, he’s getting a lot of pitches outside the strike zone (54.8%) and swinging at them more than his career average — 35.1% through the first 6 games of 2026; 32.6% for his career. He’s also making 80% contact on those pitches. The dreaded zone contact rate that is the canary in the coal mine for his contract being underwater the moment the Giants traded for him remains… stable, compared to recent years. 2024: 74.9%, 2025: 73.9%, 2026: 74.3%. So, really, it’s that he’s swinging at pitches he can’t do a lot of damage on. His average exit velocity is at 84.5 mph. His career average is 92.6. It’s been 93 since 2020. So, there you go.
Ryan Walker: He will probably have a save situation in this series, in which case, we’ll all be holding our breaths for good reason. He’s looked as shaky this season as he did through half of last season. The Giants’ defense is a bit shaky right now and, at best, is prone to giving up lots of hits (just ask Logan Webb), which is exactly what Ryan Walker doesn’t need right now as he tries to minimize baserunners.
The bench: With the Giants now setup to play 7 games in a row, we’ll finally get to see Tony Vitello deploy his bench players a bit more. How will Jared Oliva, Jerar Encarnacion, Daniel Susac, and Christian Koss fare in this series? Not sure, but it’s going to be important to see how they’re used because it’s a long season and it would be great if they got more regular work. The two off days in the team’s first 4 games was unusual.
Tony Vitello watch
Not only will we be watching how he deploys his bench, we’ll see how he manages a pitching staff across a 4-game series. Now, the front office determines a lot of the pitching plan, of course, but he’s going to become familiar with the Mets by the end of the series and he’ll be far enough along with this roster that the repetitive nature of a 4-gamer might make him comfortable enough to do something distinctly Tony.
Don’t worry. I’m thinking of ways to improve this section.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates as he walks off the field in the seventh inning during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This opening weekend and homestand have felt especially sweet after last year’s nightmare start. Drake is raking, TBS-era Braves enjoyers are eating good with the newly revealed City Connects and various BravesVision homages… and the Braves aren’t climbing out of an early season deficit.
Let’s hope the good vibes made the team plane headed West.
First stop on the trip will be Chase Field, where Reynaldo López and the Braves will be kicking off a four-game set against the Diamondbacks (lots of “A” logos in the scorebug in this stretch – Athletics in the rearview, Arizona on deck, and Angels in the hole). A battle of #2 starters with no-decisions awaits in the desert.
López’s performance in Game 2 is probably a touch overshadowed by Dom Smith’s history-making grand slam, but it was a good one nonetheless. After the worriers and haters said he couldn’t do it (and by it, I mean fix his fastball velo), he had a “here, damn”-type of an outing in his season debut. He touched 97 mph and rarely dipped below 93 mph during his six innings of one-run ball. All hail the magical mechanical adjustment?
On the other side will be longtime D-back Ryne Nelson. Alternating between starting and long relief in the beginning of 2025, he cemented his role in the rotation after Corbin Burnes went down for the year. He would go on to toss a career-high 154 innings with a 3.39 ERA. In his last outing against the Braves in 2024, he went five innings with five hits (a homer apiece from Olson and Harris II), three earned runs and seven strikeouts. He’ll be looking to bounce back from his Opening Week performance after being tagged for 4 ER in 4.2 innings by the vaunted Dodger lineup.
This Diamondbacks team, like the Athletics, started the season 0-3 but completed a sweep of the Tigers yesterday. Their lineup continues to be headlined by Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo.
It’s going to be a late one – perhaps consider taking a page out of Team Italy’s book and getting beaned up if you’re following along here in Atlanta or on the East Coast.
Connor McDavid is chasing down another Art Ross and needs to keep stacking multi-point performances down the stretch.
My Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks predictions expect him to do just that tonight.
Find out more in my free NHL picks for Thursday, April 2.
Blackhawks vs Oilers prediction
Blackhawks vs Oilers best bet: Connor McDavid Over 1.5 points (-130)
The Edmonton Oilers are on a four-game win streak, thanks to Connor McDavid's nine points over that stretch — which includes three multi-point games.
What's even more impressive is none have come on the power play, meaning McDavid is doing his damage 5-on-5. Considering the Chicago Blackhawks have a -38 goal differential in those scenarios, McDavid can still get points even if their lethal power play is quiet.
Chicago has given up five goals per game in their last four— and now it has to contain a man who has averaged 1.8 points per game over the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
Blackhawks vs Oilers same-game parlay
An Evan Bouchard assist is an SGP staple at this point. The Oilers blue liner leads all NHL defensemen with 86 points, 66 of them being assists. He’s also registered at least one assist in 14 of his last 18 games.
Getting 24:41 minutes of ice time on the fifth-best offensive team in the league has its perks, especially when over half of that time is spent skating with the best player in the world.
For my final leg, I’ll take the Oilers team total Over 3.5, a number they eclipsed in seven of their 14 March games. Now they run into a Blackhawks squad bleeding goals.
The Oilers have covered the first-period puck line six of eight. Find more NHL betting trends for Blackhawks vs. Oilers.
How to watch Blackhawks vs Oilers
Location
Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Date
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Puck drop
9:00 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet West
Blackhawks vs Oilers latest injuries
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Lindor forgot how many outs there were in the first inning and got picked off at first base later in the game, while also going 0-for-4 to drop to .143 spanning six contests.
“Relax everybody… my guy Francisco Lindor gonna be good,” Reyes posted Thursday morning.
“Bad days happen — that’s baseball. Could happen to anyone. He’s human just like all of us. Watch how he responds… this gonna be good for him and for the organization.”
Lindor is catching some flak after a rough mental day Wednesday that dropped the team to 1-3 in its last four games, all against non-contenders from the 2025 season.
With one on and one out in a scoreless game in the first, Lindor fielded a tailor-made ball at shortstop and ran to second and continued toward the dugout.
Francisco Lindor getting tagged out at first base. Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
But his out marked just the second, and Freddy Peralta threw another five pitches in the inning to strike out Masyn Winn and prevent any damage.
“He forgot how many outs there were,” SNY announcer Gary Cohen said of Lindor. “Lindor thought that was the third out, did not try for the double play.”
Analyst Todd Zeile added: “That was unusual for Lindor, he usually knows the situation out there.”
Lindor didn’t make any excuse, and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza added “that can’t happen.”
“I forgot the outs,” he said. “I made a mistake that probably cost Peralta to go an extra inning … Inexcusable.”
Francisco Lindor forgets how many outs there were and doesn’t turn the double play. @MLB/YouTube
Five innings later, Lindor reached via an error to start the sixth inning.
Cardinals southpaw Matthew Liberatore then caught him veering too far off the bag before a steal attempt and a quick throw left the veteran dead to rights on the bases.
Acknowledging the fallacy of the predetermined outcome, that mistake loomed large since Juan Soto hit a solo homer moments later to plate the game’s first run.
Jose Reyes at David Wright Day in 2025. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“They got us there,” Mendoza said. “He was gonna go, we thought we had a tip there and they got us with a quick step-off move there. I wouldn’t consider that one a mental mistake because he was trying to get some momentum there and being aggressive.”
Fans piled on Lindor since the Mets ultimately fell in extra innings and the shortstop is supposed to be one of — if not the — leaders of the team and shouldn’t be making those mistakes.
And while a 3-3 start is far from disaster, the Mets have not been all that impressive to start the season.
Reyes knows a thing or two about manning shortstop for the Mets after spending 12 seasons with the team from 2003-11 and then 2016-18.
He played the third-most games in franchise history, ranks second in hits and has the most steals.
The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated in overtime on Tuesday night at the United Center by the Winnipeg Jets. In their one home game that split two separate multi-game road trips, they played better, but still failed to skate off with a win.
Now, they have another huge test back on the road. They will face the Edmonton Oilers in Alberta in a game that has playoff implications. The Oilers, who have won four straight games, are just two points behind the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division.
Scouting Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers are surging. It's been an up-and-down year as the back-to-back defending Western Conference champions, but they are figuring it out at the perfect time.
Everything to do with the Oilers starts and ends with Connor McDavid, the best player on the planet. McDavid currently leads the National Hockey League with 125 points and is starting to heat up to another level with his overall game.
An issue for the Oilers is that Leon Draisaitl is out for the rest of the regular season. He hasn't played since March 15th, and he is still 4th in points (97), which quantifies just how dominant he is on his own.
McDavid and Draisaitl don't play together at even strength, so you know that they give the Oilers a magnificent two-headed monster when both are healthy. The Blackhawks won't have to deal with it in this game.
Podkolzin - McDavid - Savoie
Hyman - Nugent Hopkins - Roslovic
Henrique - Dickinson - Kapanen
Frederic - Samanski - Lazar
Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Murphy
Walman - Emberson
Ingram
Jarry
With Draisaitl out, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has resumed playing center. He normally plays wing now when Draisaitl is in the lineup, but his absence has created the need for him to play his natural position, as he did full-time back in the day.
Jason Dickinson was traded from Chicago to Edmonton to be the shutdown center that they've been lacking. This will be his first game against the Blackhawks since the trade. Dickinson admitted that he has given some tips to his new teammates on how to play against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks' penalty kill.
This is also Connor Murphy's first game against the Blackhawks in close to a decade. He claims nobody asked him for advice, and then joked that they probably saw him fail to stop Bedard during practice when they were teammates.
Evan Bouchard is the defenseman for everyone on the ice to always be wary of. He brings one of the hardest shots in the league, along with an incredible ability to generate offense for those around him. His 86 points lead all NHL defensemen.
Whether it's Tristan Jarry or Connor Ingram in the net is essentially a moot point for the Blackhawks. They are both middle-of-the-pack goaltenders who rely on the team in front of them to maintain their structure and feed on offense from their top guys.
Last Sunday, the Blackhawks let Jack Hughes take over the hockey game for the New Jersey Devils. If they want to have any chance of even slightly slowing down Connor McDavid, they must be much better defensively on the West Coast than they were on the East Coast.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks will have Sacha Boisvert back in the lineup on Thursday after a healthy scratch on Tuesday. Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, and Frank Nazar playing in front of him down the middle gives the Blackhawks a great young center core. The wings on those lines have been pretty set for a while.
Greene-Bedard-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Mikheyev
Donato-Nazar-Burakovsky
Teräväinen-Boisvert-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro
Knight
Soderblom
The Chicago Blackhawks appear to be going with Spencer Knight again against the Oilers. Arvid Soderblom spent a lot of time on the ice during Chicago's Thursday optional morning skate, a sure sign of backing up.
Outside of Boisvert coming in for Slaggert, they have been rolling with this lineup ever since Frondell moved to be a center. Defending well has been a problem for this makeup on the road, but scoring goals can come in bunches for this young group if they're all clicking at the same time.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 8:00 PM CT.
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Detroit's Cade Cunningham, who has already missed eight games with a collapsed lung, will be out another week and be re-evaluated at that time, the Pistons announced Thursday.
This fits with the buzz out of Detroit, which has been that Cunningham will not return during the regular season, but there is optimism he will be back for the playoffs that start April 18.
With the Pistons new timeline, Cunningham will not play in 65 games, missing the league's cutoff to be eligible for postseason awards. Cunningham had been mentioned in MVP conversations, may well have finished in the top five in MVP voting, and unquestionably would have made his first All-NBA team. Now that discretion has been taken out of voters' hands.
Detroit has gone an impressive 6-2 with Cunningham out and with that has kept a solid grip on the No. 1 seed in the East — the Pistons are four games up on the Celtics with six games to play. With that, there is no reason to rush Cunningham back for regular season games, other than the concern about awards.
Cunningham was injured in the first quarter on March 17, a game against the Wizards. Cunningham colliding with Wizards' rookie Tre Johnson diving for a loose ball. He did not return to that game and was soon diagnosed with a left lung pneumothorax."
The two teams have split the previous two meetings, with the Penguins winning 4-3 on Dec. 4 and the Lightning winning 2-1 in a shootout on Jan. 13. Both games have been fantastic to watch, and Thursday's game should be no different.
The Penguins are 8-4-2 in their last 14 games against the Lightning, but they might be getting an upset Bolts team since they lost 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. The Bolts are also trying to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday.
Nikita Kucherov was named the NHL's First Star of March after finishing the month with nine goals and 26 points in 14 games. He compiled six multi-point games in March and has 40 goals and 121 points in 68 games this season. He has a great shot of winning the Hart Trophy this year.
Former Penguin Jake Guentzel has fit like a glove with the Bolts, compiling 36 goals and 81 points in 74 games this year. He plays a lot with Kucherov and Brayden Point, the latter of whom has 17 goals and 46 points in 56 games.
Darren Raddysh has also been great for the Lightning this season, racking up 20 goals and 66 points in 67 games as a defenseman. He's set to be a free agent after this season and will get a huge pay raise from the $975,000 salary he earned this year.
Don't forget about Anthony Cirelli, either. The two-way center has 20 goals and 49 points in 66 games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will start in goal for the Lightning, and he has been his usual self this year with 22.2 goals saved above expected and a .912 save percentage.
The Penguins will get Bryan Rust back from his brief one-game absence, meaning Avery Hayes will come out of the lineup.
Here's a look at the projected lines and pairings:
Forwards
Chinakhov-Crosby-Rust
Novak-Kindel-Malkin
Mantha-Rakell-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Clifton
Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Penguins after playing great against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
He didn’t have much of a choice, really. It was all over social media. (Seriously. Go to any platform and search for it.) ESPN pretty much had it on a loop. His teammates were watching it repeatedly.
The last day or so, however, Mullins has been consciously avoiding it.
“I'm not trying to keep focused on that,” he said Thursday, April 2, after Connecticut’s practice at the Final Four.
“That game was in the past. It wasn't the national championship,” Mullins said. “I know it was a very competitive game, but we’ve got to focus on the next one.”
That’s the message UConn coach Dan Hurley had for his entire team, not just the freshman sensation.
Duke, the overall No. 1 seed, was leading the Huskies by two when Silas Demary Jr. deflected a pass by Cayden Boozer with six seconds left.
Mullins scooped up the ball around halfcourt and dished to Alex Karaban, who gave it right back. Mullins then drained the 35-footer with 0.4 seconds left to beat Duke and send UConn to its third Final Four in four years.
“That moment is over. It's an incredible moment. You'll have that moment the rest of your life. But we came here for rings, not watches,” Hurley said.
“Everyone that comes to the Final Four gets a beautiful watch, but only one group is going to get a ring,” he said. “So get off social media, stop injecting the dopamine into your arm and get serious about the preparation and the practice because we don't hang banners for Final Fours at UConn. We hang national championship banners.”
UConn now plays Illinois on Saturday, April 4, in what is also a homecoming for Mullins.
If Mullins isn’t being asked about his shot, he’s being asked about coming back to Indiana, where he was Mr. Basketball last year. No, he doesn’t have advice for his teammates on what to do in Indianapolis. He grew up in Greenfield, which is about 30 minutes east of Lucas Oil Stadium.
He’s never been to an Indianapolis Colts game, but this isn’t his first time at Lucas Oil. He was here for a couple of state high school football championships as well as the Big Ten football title game.
And yes, he’s seen his family. His parents came by the team hotel after UConn arrived.
“It's unbelievable to be in the position I am,” Mullins said. “I think it just makes everything a little sweeter knowing that I’m playing in front of family and friends. I can't wait to see everybody in open practice tomorrow and see everybody at the game.”
The Los Angeles Lakers’ recent surge has revived hopes of a Finals run, so tonight’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder is the clear headliner on the six-game slate.
If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against Luka Doncic isn’t enough to stir up the NBA player props market, we’ve got Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs chasing a 10th straight win and a tasty clash between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Check out my Top NBA picks for the April 2 action.
Prop #1: LeBron James Over 12.5 rebounds + assists
+100 at bet365
LeBron James’ willingness to be a No. 3 option has unlocked a new level within the Los Angeles Lakers, and he’s still putting up strong numbers in that role, including 6.9 rpg and 7.0 apg in March.
I’m zeroing in on those statistical categories tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what’s shaping up to be a marquee matchup, and James has cleared this Over in five of his last seven games.
He can still control possessions with his passing, and he’s dished 8+ dimes in four of his past five outings. That’ll be the key here, and he’s a perfect outlet when the Thunder’s premier perimeter defenders are swarming Luka Doncic.
Coming off 34.4 mpg in March, LeBron has his bounce back, and he finished with 10 assists and six rebounds against OKC in February.
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Prime Video
Prop #2: Brandin Podziemski Over 21.5 points + rebounds
He’s a threat to hit all his Overs tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I’m pairing his scoring and rebounding for this prop pick. Podziemski has breezed past this combo number in four of his last five outings – in fact, he’s nailed it on points alone in three of those games.
Podziemski continues to be a sneaky-good rebounder too, and he’s hauled in 6+ rebounds in six of his past eight games. The Warriors are probably locked into the No. 10 seed at this stage, but look for Podz to make the most of the extra reps.
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-Ohio, NBCSBA
Prop #3: Victor Wembanyama Over 25.5 points
-112 at bet365
After serving up consecutive 41-point clinics, Victor Wembanyama is coming for the rest of the NBA, and he might just be hitting the next level in time for the playoffs.
Wemby averaged 26.8 ppg in March, and he’s nailed this Over in nine of his last 14 outings. The scariest part for the rest of the league is that the Frenchman is doing so much damage despite shooting just 35% from beyond the arc.
I like tonight’s matchup against a Los Angeles Clippers squad that’s thin in the frontcourt. We’ll likely see L.A. put wings on Wemby here, and he should feast in the paint and on the offensive glass. He may not add to his 40-point run, but I’ll grab the Over on this reasonable O/U line.
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-SW, FanDuel Sports Network-SC
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The New York Mets will try to get their offense back on track when they visit the San Francisco Giants tonight.
San Francisco is going through its own struggles at the plate, and I’m taking New York to pick up a road win in my Mets vs. Giants predictions.
Read on to see my free MLB picks for Thursday, April 2.
Who will win Mets vs Giants today: Mets ML (-118)
Both teams are looking to recover from early offensive struggles, but it’s San Francisco that has been truly putrid at the plate early this season. The Giants are dead last in runs per game at 2.33 and are second-worst in MLB in terms of OPS (.558).
New York Mets starter David Peterson showed a little regression in the second half of 2025 but came out strong in his first start this season, throwing 5.1 innings of shutout ball. The Giants have struggled even more against left-handed pitching this year, so I like New York to pick up the win tonight.
COVERS INTEL: The Giants were poor against left-handed pitching in 2025 as well, hitting .214 with a .631 OPS against southpaws last season.
Mets vs Giants Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-110)
While nobody is hitting quite as badly as the Giants right now, the Mets are going through their own issues at the plate, scoring 3.83 runs per game so far. New third baseman Bo Bichette somehow has a .249 OPS, while Francisco Lindor is hitting .143. Overall, New York is hitting .162 with runners in scoring position to start the year.
The Mets aren’t getting a break in this pitching matchup either, as San Francisco is sending 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray to the mound tonight. I’m taking the Under at a generous 8.5 runs.
Ed Scimia's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 3-0, +2.97 units
Over/Under bets: 0-1, -1 units
Mets vs Giants odds
Moneyline: New York -117 | San Francisco +105
Run line: New York -1.6 (+140) | San Francisco +1.5 (-165)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Mets vs Giants trend
The Mets are 5-2 straight up in their last seven games against San Francisco. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Giants.
How to watch Mets vs Giants and game info
Location
Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Date
Thursday, April 2, 2026
First pitch
9:45 p.m. ET
TV
SNY, NBCSBA
Mets starting pitcher
David Peterson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Giants starting pitcher
Robbie Ray (0-1, 3.38 ERA)
Mets vs Giants latest injuries
Mets vs Giants weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Mar 9, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) throws a pitch Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Last year, the Yankees dealt two legitimately interesting prospects, Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, to get reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies at the Trade Deadline. Their experiment wasn’t successful, at least in 2025, as he posted a 27.00 ERA in a couple of innings with the team before being optioned to Triple-A, where he also struggled to the tune of a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 frames.
It was an ugly initial showing for Bird, but the bright side was that the Yankees knew they had three years of team control remaining on the righty, whose tantalizing pitches helped him fan 62 batters in 54.1 innings for Colorado prior to the trade. This offseason, Bird effectively hit the reset button as he turned 30, worked on his stuff, and resurfaced with New York in February, ready to turn the page and make his mark on a new year with his new team. He had no guarantee to make the team, but he earned his Opening Day spot in the 2026 bullpen.
After a fine spring that included a 2.70 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 10 innings, Bird has pitched 3.1 scoreless frames to open the campaign, with three punchouts, no walks, and just one hit allowed. The sample is still, of course, quite tiny, but it’s plain to see that he looks confident and in control on the mound. Last year, let’s just say that wasn’t the case.
What’s behind Bird’s early success? Why is he looking so much better this year than last? Well, he made some key adjustments in his repertoire and pitch mix, and they are paying off.
In 2025, Bird’s most frequently used offering was the sweeper, which he threw 40.5 percent of the time. The sinker, at 33.6 percent, was his second most frequently used pitch, and the curveball checked in at third with 22.7 percent. He also threw a cutter (2.5 percent of the time) and a four-seamer (0.6 percent) to complement his arsenal.
Again, it’s still too soon to conclude that the pitch mix he has used in 2026 will stick, because he has only faced 11 hitters, but Bird and the Yankees completely overhauled the way he uses his pitches.
This time around, Bird is prioritizing the sinker, throwing it 56.4 percent of the time. He is also getting amazing results with it: a .119 xwOBA and 30-percent whiff rate from 22 offerings, amazing for the pitch type in question, but almost certainly unsustainable once the sample grows. Nonetheless, the progress is quite apparent.
The four-seamer, which is up a tick in comparison to last season (95.2 mph this year vs. 94.2 mph in 2025), is now second in his arsenal after barely being used in 2025. In fact, he’s already thrown it more times this year than all of last year, 9-6. The only hit he’s surrendered, a ground-ball single from Heliot Ramos that snuck by Ryan McMahon and José Caballero, came off a four-seamer, but it certainly wasn’t well-struck.
Bird’s third pitch thus far is his familiar sweeper, which he’s thrown eight times. Although four missed the zone (as sweepers are wont to do), he got called strikes on two of them, induced a groundout from Casey Schmitt, and struck out Willy Adames. Not bad at all. It’s fair to say that this is closer to the pitcher the Yankees thought they were acquiring last year.
So what has changed besides the pitch mix? Well, a couple of things.
Last year, Bird’s sinker averaged 11.3 inches of horizontal movement, and when he came to the Bronx, his command of the pitch was not good. In 2026, the pitch is averaging 16.5 inches of horizontal movement. That, coming in at an average speed of 94.8 mph while also being wary of the filthy sweeper, is just not easy to hit.
Or even as a swing and miss pitch due to its incredible arm-side movement:
Jake Bird having a strong season would change the outlook for the pen. One of the nastier relievers when his sinker command is working. pic.twitter.com/SmuER3m4so
Last year, it quickly became evident that the command of the pitch just wasn’t there, as can be seen in this short clip of Kyle Stowers’ grand slam on a middle-middle sinker with little movement:
That was the meatball of all meatballs in a nightmare of an introduction. In the small sample that this year has given us, Bird has mostly avoided the fat part of the zone with his sinker.
When Bird gets ahead of the count against a righty, the probability of him getting a strikeout on a sweeper away and out of the zone is quite high.
Bird’s 63.6 percent first-pitch strike rate would be a career-high, but it’s still far too early to declare him fully back until we see it for a much longer period. It wasn’t right for fans to declare him toast after just three games in pinstripes last year, and it wouldn’t be right to declare him the next great setup man after just three games this year. All the same, the early signs of a breakout are there, and the Yankees will hopefully reap the benefits of their patience and the pitcher’s hard work.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 10: Eric Haase #18 of the San Francisco Giants watches batting practice during Spring Training at Scottsdale Stadium on February 10, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Great news, prospect fans. Yesterday was the last day (off days notwithstanding) that only one San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliate was in action. Today there will be two affiliates playing baseball, and on Friday we get four. As summer rolls closer, we’ll get seven!
For now though, it’s just one team and a lot of news. Let’s dive in.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Wednesday brought a lot of news to the farm, because of the release of rosters. But before we get to that, a small amount of transactions came across the wire. Most notably, the Giants re-signed veteran catcher Eric Haase to a Minor League deal. Haase was signed over the offseason as a Minor League free agent with an invite to camp, but lost the backup catcher battle to Daniel Susac (No. 20 CPL). Rather than being reassigned to Minor League camp, he was released, presumably due to an opt-out in his contract. But with no better situations calling his name, Haase has returned to San Francisco’s system, which is huge. While the Giants have an intriguing prospect in Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) in AAA, he’s still a little bit of a question mark with the glove. They’ll need a third-string catcher at some point — either injury or Susac struggles will mandate it — and having a veteran in Sacramento is very important.
That’s the only transaction for now, but there’s probably another coming down the pipeline. During Wednesday’s loss to the San Diego Padres, San Francisco reliever José Buttó exited the game with arm discomfort, which usually means a trip to the Injured List. AAA Sacramento’s game followed San Francisco’s, so the coaching staff already had that information. Despite that, RHPs Tristan Beck and Michael Fulmer both pitched in the game, which would suggest that RHP Spencer Bivens is the player the Giants will call up if Buttó does, indeed, hit the IL.
Now, let’s get to the rosters! AA Richmond, High-A Eugene, and Low-A San Jose all released their rosters on Wednesday. Check them out:
A few things to note here. While not surprising, the team’s top two draft picks from last year — first-round infielder Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) and third-round outfielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) both got the aggressive assignment to High-A. That’s not shocking for early-round college bats who have polished skillsets, but it’s certainly notable, especially since Kilen had just 43 plate appearances in Low-A last year, and really struggled (though he was playing through an injury), while Cohen had 130 plate appearances in Low-A (he played quite well).
Kilen should get everyday reps at shortstop for now, due in part to a mildly surprising assignment: shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) is opening the year in AA Richmond. On the one hand, it makes sense, as Ahuna, a 4th-round pick in 2023, is entering his third full season in the Minors, just turned 24, and is a defensive wizard. On the other hand, he has a massive hole in his contact tool, and injuries have limited him to just 11 games in High-A … after just 60 in Low-A. Whether this assignment is due to the Giants being confident in Ahuna’s ability to shine in AA, or due to roster logistics, it’s an exciting show of faith in Ahuna, who played for Tony Vitello at Tennessee.
Another exciting assignment is LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) getting to front High-A Eugene’s rotation. De La Torre had a breakout 2025 which started in rookie ball, but ended with Low-A San Jose. He only made 8 starts with the Baby Giants, but shined. An aggressive, but well-deserved assignment.
You might notice that LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) and infielder Jean Carlos Sio (No. 44 CPL) are absent from the rosters, along with RHP Josh Bostick (No. 22 CPL). Bresnahan (who will definitely be in High-A), and Sio (who will probably be in High-A, but possibly in AA) are seemingly a little behind on the health front, though neither seems to have a serious issue. Bostick, as has been reported, tore his Achilles in the offseason and will likely miss the entire season.
And those are the rosters! What stands out to you?
AAA Sacramento (3-2)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 10-5 Box score
Just as the Giants did on Tuesday, the River Cats’ offense finally broke through on Wednesday, with a performance much more befitting the Pacific Coast League environment than their earlier games. Despite miserable weather — which ended the game in the middle of the 9th inning, costing the Bees a chance for a 5-run comeback — the River Cats exploded for 14 hits, 6 extra-base hits, and 10 runs.
Leading the charge was the fill-in at shortstop, Thomas Gavello, who hit 2-5 with a pair of RBIs and a strikeout, while becoming Sacramento’s first player to hit a ball over the fence this year.
It’s a wildly exciting time to like shortstops and follow the Giants farm. Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) will be splitting reps in the ACL; Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) and Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) will be doing the same in San Jose; Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) and Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) will be anchoring Eugene and Richmond’s respective rosters. But there’s a hole in AAA, where shortstop has really just been a spot for emergency depth. Osleivis Basabe figures to get the bulk of the reps there when he returns from the Injured List, and starting the year at the six was Tyler Fitzgerald, until he was DFA’d a few days ago.
So now it’s Gavello who gets to fill in, and the utility player did an admirable job on Wednesday, though he committed an error.
While Gavello had the 4-bagger, the most runs batted in went to right fielder Grant McCray, who bounced back from a rough series opener to have an utterly dynamic game, hitting 2-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.
when the ball wedges into the wall, you don't question it…
It’s extremely early days, but one thing to watch with McCray this year is his swing-and-miss. He’s always had a lot of whiff in his game, and last year in AAA had a 27.1% strikeout rate, while carrying a career 42.9% rate in 156 MLB plate appearances. He made some significant changes to his setup this offseason, and struck out just 15.0% of the time in Spring Training. So far that number is a tidy 16.7% in AAA though, again, we’re only 5 games into the season. Something to watch.
Joining McCray in the double-double category was catcher Eric Haase, who made his Sacramento debut after re-signing with the organization on a Minor League deal. Haase jumped straight into the lineup, and hit 3-5 with 2 doubles, while also striking out twice. It’s always good to see players have great days, though Haase — a 33-year old who has spent parts of 8 seasons in the Majors — is a known entity at this point. He’s not really going to play his way onto the MLB roster … he’s just there to be a quality veteran fill-in whenever it’s needed.
First baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) had his best game of the season, which will certainly go noticed given San Francisco’s rough offensive start and Casey Schmitt’s difficult defensive day at first base yesterday. Eldridge went 2-4 in this game, smacked a double, and reached base 4 times total, as he also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch, without striking out.
We’ve yet to see Eldridge’s transcendent power — he doesn’t have a home run this year, and that double was his first extra-base hit — but he’s showing a polished offensive game in the early going. In 5 games he’s already drawn 5 walks, and, painfully enough, has also been hit on 3 different occasions. He’s also had an encouraging 23.1% strikeout rate though, again, extremely early and small sample size.
A pair of other players reached base thrice: third baseman Buddy Kennedy, who has been the team’s hottest hitter so far this year, went 1-4 with a walk, a hit by pitch, 2 strikeouts, and an error, while designated hitter Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) hit 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout. In all, 4 River Cats were hit by pitches, while 0 Bees were. Rude, though I guess not surprising … cats are significantly easier to hit with baseballs than bees are.
The pitching was less exciting, but reasonably effective against a Salt Lake offense that is full of players with MLB experience, including former Giant Wade Meckler, who drew a walk off the bench.
LHP John Michael Bertrand got the start and gave up a lot of baserunners, but limited the damage. In just 4 innings, Bertrand allowed 6 hits and 2 walks, but thanks to a combination of sequencing and soft contact — all of the hits were singles — he only allowed 2 runs, just 1 of which was earned. He also struck out 4 batters.
Bertrand, a 28-year old who was taken in the 10th round of the 2022 draft, is in a bit of an odd spot. He’s certainly a low-profile starter compared to some of the other arms in Sacramento, and he doesn’t have the nasty stuff that makes an MLB career inevitable. But he just gets outs wherever he goes, and has some funk from the left side. One would think there will be a role for him in the Majors some day.
RHP Tristan Beck continued to show off some serious electricity, as he seems notably nastier than in past years. He entered the game in the 6th inning with 2 outs and a runner on, and promptly gave up a single and a 2-run double (which gave an earned run each to himself and RHP Marques Johnson), the latter to Vaughn Grissom, a rehabbing Major Leaguer. But after that, Beck struck out the next/last 4 batters that he faced, and he did it in phenomenally dominant fashion, needing just 14 pitches — only 2 above the minimum – for those 4 Ks. Nasty!
RHP Michael Fulmer also got into the game, as he continues to audition for a role in San Francisco’s bullpen. The rain got to him a bit as he walked 2 batters in his inning of work (he came out for the 9th as well, before the inning was cancelled), but he didn’t allow any hits or runs, and struck out 2 batters.
Home run tracker
1 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at Salt Lake (SP: Carson Whisenhunt) Richmond: Season starts Friday Eugene: Season starts Friday San Jose: 7:05 p.m. PT at Stockton (SP: TBD)
Brandin Podziemski
COVERS INTEL: The Giants were poor against left-handed pitching in 2025 as well, hitting .214 with a .631 OPS against southpaws last season.
