The Warriors are the only team in the NBA who haven’t made an offseason move leading up to the 82-game slate in 2025-26. But Golden State superstar guard Steph Curry isn’t worried.
At his Curry Camp on Thursday, the 11-time NBA All-Star detailed to reporters where his confidence in the Warriors comes from, particularly before training camp starts in late September.
“It’s different, for sure,” Curry prefaced about Golden State’s move-less offseason. “But … my confidence is built on the identity that we were able to create over the last third of the regular season last year (and) the playoff journey. We have a really good team, and we do know we need some pieces to help get us to the next level.
“I think the veteran presence that we have — with me, Jimmy [Butler], Draymond [Green] – like, we understand how to prepare through that uncertainty and be able to hit the ground running in training camp, knowing we should have some movement by then.”
Curry, a four-time NBA champion and 17-year veteran with his Warriors, isn’t writing off the campaign before it even starts. And unlike those fairly critical of Golden State’s current makeup, Curry is choosing to remember just how good the Warriors were after acquiring Butler right before the 2025 NBA trade deadline — they had a 23-7 regular-season record with Butler on the floor.
Curry also lightly mentioned the Warriors’ promising playoff run, which was cut short after he suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain that kept him out of the devastating second-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Whether it’s the acquisition of veteran center Al Horford, the trading of up-and-coming forward Jonathan Kuminga or something else up Golden State’s sleeve, Curry isn’t losing any sleep over the Warriors’ current roster.
“But, you control what you can control,” Curry said. And no matter how many new experiences you have or whatever the difference is from this offseason to the previous ones, you don’t let it affect your own personal preparation for the season and then the conversations that we’re having on what we need to do to get ready.”
Its Friday, August 15 and the Marlins (58-63) are in Boston to take on the Red Sox (66-56).
Sandy Alcantara is slated to take the mound for Miami against Lucas Giolito for Boston.
The Sox return home after losing two of three in Houston despite outscoring the Astros 21-12 over the three games. The Marlins lost two of three in Cleveland earlier this week including 9-4 Thursday evening. Edward Cabrera was rocked by the Guardians allowing five runs in just 5.1 innings.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Marlins at Red Sox
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Fenway Park
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: FDSNFL, NESN
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Odds for the Marlins at the Red Sox
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Marlins (+140), Red Sox (-168)
Spread: Red Sox -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Marlins at Red Sox
Pitching matchup for August 15, 2025: Sandy Alcantara vs. Lucas Giolito
Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (6-11, 6.55 ERA) Last outing: August 9 at Atlanta - 9.00 ERA, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 4 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
Red Sox: Lucas Giolito (8-2, 3.77 ERA) Last outing: August 9 at San Diego - 7.71 ERA, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 6 Walks, and 1 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Marlins at Red Sox
The Marlins have won 3 straight games at the Red Sox
The Red Sox's last 3 games against the Marlins have gone over the Total
The Red Sox are up 3.33 units on the Run Line in their last 5 at home
Trevor Story was 3-13 against Houston
Wilyer Abreu was 4-11 against Houston
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Red Sox
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Marlins and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Miami Marlins at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.
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Its Friday, August 15 and the Orioles (55-66) are in Houston to take on the Astros (68-53).
Brandon Young is slated to take the mound for Baltimore against Framber Valdez for Houston.
Houston had Thursday off following a series win in Space City over the Boston Red Sox. Hunter Brown was special on Wednesday throwing 6.2 innings of one-run ball to earn his tenth win of the season. Yainer Diaz smacked a two-run homer to pace the offense.
The Orioles arrive in Houston following back-to-back wins over the Seattle Mariners. Tomoyuki Sugano won his tenth game of the season Wednesday as the O's took the rubber game of the series, 5-3. Gunnar Henderson extended his hitting streak to six games with one hit in four trips to the plate.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Orioles at Astros
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 8:10PM EST
Site: Minute Maid Park
City: Houston, TX
Network/Streaming: MASN2, SCHN
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Odds for the Orioles at the Astros
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Orioles (+196), Astros (-239)
Spread: Astros -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Orioles at Astros
Pitching matchup for August 15, 2025: Brandon Young vs. Framber Valdez
Orioles: Brandon Young (0-6, 6.70 ERA) Last outing: August 9 vs. Athletics - 18.00 ERA, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts
Astros: Framber Valdez (11-5, 2.97 ERA) Last outing: August 9 at Yankees - 6.35 ERA, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 8 Hits Allowed, 4 Walks, and 1 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Orioles at Astros
The Astros are 15-8 (.652) this season when Framber Valdez takes the mound
The Under is 9-2 (82%) in the Astros' home games this season with Framber Valdez starting
The Astros are up 3.24 units on the Run Line in their last 5 at home
Framber Valdez has struggled in his last 2 starts allowing 9 earned runs in 11.2 innings
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Orioles and the Astros
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Orioles and the Astros:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Houston Astros on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Baltimore Orioles at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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Its Friday, August 15 and the Yankees (64-57) are in St. Louis to begin a series against the Cardinals (61-61).
Luis Gil is slated to take the mound for New York against Andre Pallante for St. Louis.
New York took two of three from the Twins in the Bronx earlier this week. The series win keeps them in possession of a Wild Card spot but 0.5 games over Cleveland and within 6.5 games of Toronto in the American League East.
After taking two of three from the Cubs last weekend, the Cards spit the bit this week losing two of three at Busch Stadium to the Rockies. Sitting at .500 for the season, St. Louis sits 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the National League.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Yankees at Cardinals
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 8:15PM EST
Site: Busch Stadium
City: St. Louis, MO
Network/Streaming: YES, FDSNMW
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Odds for the Yankees at the Cardinals
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Yankees (-132), Cardinals (+111)
Spread: Yankees -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Yankees at Cardinals
Pitching matchup for August 15, 2025: Luis Gil vs. Andre Pallante
Yankees: Luis Gil (0-1, 7.27 ERA) Last outing: August 9 vs. Houston - 3.38 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 7 Strikeouts
Cardinals: Andre Pallante (6-9, 4.95 ERA) Last outing: August 9 vs. Cubs - 32.40 ERA, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 0 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Yankees at Cardinals
The Yankees have won 28 of 55 games following a defeat
In 2 starts since being activated off the disabled list, Luis Gil has struck out 10 hitters in just 8.2 innings
Giancarlo Stanton has hit in 5 straight games (9-17) with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs
It has been 3 games since the Cardinals last covered the Run Line
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Yankees and the Cardinals
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Yankees and the Cardinals:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the St. Louis Cardinals at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.
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Its Friday, August 15 and the Brewers (76-44) are in Cincinnati to take on the Reds (64-58).
Winners of twelve in a row, the Brewers have not yet announced their starting pitcher for tonight's game. Nick Martinez gets the ball for Cincinnati.
There is no hotter team in baseball than the Brew Crew. Milwaukee is an incredible 45-16 since June 1. Let me do the math for you. That means they are winning 73.8% of the time they step between the lines. The Reds are a distant third in the National League's Central Division sitting 13 games behind the Brewers. They are, however, within 0.5 games in the race for the final Wild Card in the National League.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Brewers at Reds
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 6:40PM EST
Site: Great American Ball Park
City: Cincinnati, OH
Network/Streaming: Apple TV+
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Odds for the Brewers at the Reds
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Brewers (-145), Reds (+119)
Spread: Brewers -1.5 (+116)
Total: 9 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Brewers at Reds
Pitching matchup for August 15, 2025: TBD vs. Nick Martinez
Brewers: TBD
Reds: Nick Martinez (10-9, 4.49 ERA) Last outing: August 9 at Pittsburgh - 1.29 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Brewers at Reds
The Brewers have won their last 3 games against divisional opponents
The Over is 4-1 in the Brewers' last 5 games against NL Central teams
The Brewers have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 4.28 units
Christian Yelich was 7-12 (.583) against the Pirates earlier this week
William Contreras has hit in 5-straight games (10-18)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Brewers and the Reds
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Brewers and the Reds:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.
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Its Friday, August 15 and the Pirates (51-71) are in Chicago to open a three-game series against the Cubs (68-52).
The Bucs have yet to announce their starter for tonight's game. Colin Rea takes the ball for Chicago.
The Pirates had Thursday off to lick their wounds following a three-game beatdown at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. Pirates' pitching allowed 33 runs while the offense scratched out just six runs in the series.
The Cubs concluded their series with Toronto north of the border yesterday with a 2-1 loss. Matthew Boyd went seven innings and allowed but two hits and two runs but it was not enough as Max Scherzer was just that much better. Chicago now sits eight games back of Milwaukee in the National League Central Division but remains 4.5 games up in the race for a Wild Card spot.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Pirates at Cubs
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 2:20PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: SNP, MARQ, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Pirates at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Pirates (+162), Cubs (-196)
Spread: Cubs -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Pirates at Cubs
Pitching matchup for August 15, 2025: TBD vs. Colin Rea
Pirates: TBD
Cubs: Colin Rea (9-5, 4.09 ERA) Last outing: August 9 at St. Louis - 1.50 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 3 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Pirates at Cubs
The Cubs have a winning record (9-6) in home games against divisional opponents this season
Each of the Cubs' last 4 home games against the Pirates have stayed under the Total
The Cubs have failed to cover in their last 4 games against the Pirates
Kyle Tucker was 0-11 in the series against Toronto
Nico Hoerner was 4-12 against Toronto
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for today’s game between the Pirates and the Cubs
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Pirates and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 9.0.
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The Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting young players in their system as they continue their rebuild. They will certainly be hoping that their promising youngsters can continue to develop in the right direction during the 2025-26 season.
We recently discussed how Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight was named the team's top breakout candidate for the 2025-26 campaign by The Hockey News' main site. However, Chris Meaney of NHL.com has now argued that another exciting young player is Chicago's top fantasy hockey breakout candidate for the 2025-26 season - forward Frank Nazar.
Given the season Nazar just had, it is understandable that Meaney views him as the Blackhawks' top breakout candidate. The 2022 first-round demonstrated that he is already capable of producing solid offense at the NHL level, as he recorded 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points in 53 games during the 2024-25 season. These are good numbers, and it would not be surprising in the slightest if his offense goes up in 2025-26, now that he has more NHL experience.
Meaney also noted that Nazar has the potential to be the Blackhawks' second-line center this upcoming season. Playing in a big role like that could certainly benefit the Detroit, Michigan native, as it would give the opportunity to have plenty of playing time.
With Nazar getting better as this past season went on, it is certainly possible that he could build off that in 2025-26. It is going to be very intriguing to see if he can put together a big breakout season for Chicago from here.
Blackhawks New Forward Is Interesting AdditionThe Chicago Blackhawks have made a few additions this off-season in what has been a pretty quiet summer for them. One of their moves was bringing back old friend Sam Lafferty, as they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick back in July. This marked the third time that the Blackhawks have traded for Lafferty.
Padres and Dodgers benches clear after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch by Dodgers pitcher Jack Little in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 19. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Three years later, the quote still resonates.
When it comes to the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, late Padres owner Peter Seidler framed the dynamic best.
“The Dodgers are the dragon up the freeway we’re trying to slay,” Seidler said back in August 2022, during an in-game interview with ESPN as the two teams played a Sunday Night Baseball game at Chavez Ravine.
“We have a lot of respect for them, obviously. But our goal, and San Diego knows this as well, is to win a championship.”
And from that pursuit, one of baseball’s most heated modern rivalries has sprouted.
To the rest of the baseball world, the Padres have been a plucky feel-good story over the last half-decade. They’re a small-market team that has become an annual postseason contender. They have an aggressive front office, a roster full of big personalities, and an ever-pulsing current of emotion and intensity reverberating from the dugout through their frenzied home crowds.
In Los Angeles, however, the perspective couldn’t be more different. The Dodgers have long been the ruling power in the National League West, champions of the division 11 times in the last 12 years. The Padres, on the other hand, are the rebels who won’t surrender, the barbarians at the door trying to steal away their crown.
“I just think that it starts with them wanting to overtake us,” manager Dave Roberts said this week, ahead of the Padres' latest visit to Dodger Stadium on Friday. “I think that we've clearly dominated the division in the last decade … But I think that they're trying to overtake us. I think that with that, that certainly brings out emotion.”
While the Dodgers have quelled similar challenges during their decade-long reign in the division, the Padres have proved to be a different kind of foil — coupling a contrast in style and culture with enough staying power to fuel increasingly contentious bouts.
“It’s just two contrasting styles,” third baseman Max Muncy said, “that have just grown into this beast.”
This year, more tinder has been added to the fire, thanks to a flurry of hit batters and a benches-clearing melee during a series at Dodger Stadium in June.
And this week, ahead of a 10-day stretch in which the clubs will play their final two regular-season series, the Padres provided another plot twist, erasing what once felt like an insurmountable nine-game deficit in the standings to arrive in Los Angeles with a stunning NL West lead.
The dragon, of course, hasn’t been slayed yet. The Dodgers are still the defending World Series champions, even if their recent middling form has complicated their title defense.
Still, the conquest that Seidler — who died after the 2023 season at age 63 — long envisioned has never seemed so attainable.
The threat posed by the Padres has never felt so real.
“I feel like we’ve just been facing each other in [a lot of] big spots,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Ever since that [playoff] series in ‘22, this team took it a little bit personal over the next couple years. Obviously last year, going through them to go all the way to the World Series was a big part [of our run]. But it feels every time we face each other, even in the regular season, it’s a big spot.”
While the Dodgers and Padres have shared a division ever since the latter’s founding in 1969, much of their co-existence featured very little shared history.
For most of the Padres’ first half-century, the club was mired in perpetual mediocrity. Before 2020, they’d made the playoffs only five times. Where the Dodgers boast eight World Series titles, the Padres own the distinction of the league’s oldest team to have never won it once.
There was one close division race between the clubs in 1996, when the Padres swept the Dodgers in the final series of the season to claim the NL West by one game. In 2006, they tied atop the standings but both flamed out in the playoffs.
After that, the Dodgers ascended to annual contender status. The Padres, meanwhile, searched for an identity amid a 13-year playoff drought.
At the start of 2019, one finally arrived.
While Manny Machado was productive during his brief Dodgers tenure at the end of 2018, helping the club win a second straight NL pennant, his style of play was an awkward fit with the team. He wouldn’t always hustle, and wouldn’t always apologize for it. He burnished his reputation as an occasionally dirty player, and never seemed too interested in trying to change it.
The Dodgers never really planned to bring him back as a free agent. But they also didn’t expect him to wind up in San Diego, where he signed a $300-million deal with the Padres ahead of the 2019 season.
"It's about bringing a championship to San Diego," Padres general manager AJ Preller said the day Machado was introduced. "A lot of people over the last few years have been very patient as we've tried to build something that's going to stand up long term. Obviously, it's an exclamation point here today with the signing of Manny."
And in the six years since, the Padres have been crafted in his fiery image; built around similarly unabashed stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Jurickson Profar and Joe Musgrove.
The Padres' Manny Machado follows through on a two-run home run in Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS against the Dodgers. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
That ascent began in 2020. The Padres embraced their "Slam Diego" moniker, adopting a noticeable, fiery edge. They weren't afraid to flip bats or talk smack or taunt fans. Their brand of baseball, at least in the eyes of that dragon up the freeway, was rooted in their persona as much as anything; a sharp juxtaposition to the Dodgers’ more subdued, even-keeled approach.
“When you look at what the Padres have become, it’s a team that plays with very high energy, very high emotion. And they’ve created an atmosphere down there that drives off that,” Muncy said. “We are almost the opposite. We play on very little emotion. And I just think those two styles contrast very differently. You started seeing that in the games.”
The Dodgers’ perpetual perch atop the standings stoked San Diego, too, making the Padres' performance in the long-dormant rivalry a manifestation of their championship ambitions.
“When I was there, we always wanted to beat the Dodgers,” said Blake Snell, who played for San Diego from 2021 to 2023 and will face them for the first time since joining the Dodgers on Saturday in Los Angeles. “Because that’s the team you gotta go through to get to the World Series.”
That dynamic was evident in the 2022 playoffs, when the underdog Padres conjured an intensity the Dodgers couldn’t match.
It was at the forefront of last year’s October rematch, too, when the Padres ran away with a Game 2 victory punctuated by Machado throwing a ball toward Roberts in the Dodgers’ dugout, and the Chavez Ravine crowd showering trash near Padres players on the field.
“What I got out of it was a bunch of dudes that showed up in front of a big, hostile crowd with stuff being thrown at them and said, ‘We're going to talk with our play; we're not going to back down,’” Padres manager Mike Shildt said that night.
“That is kind of part of their game,” Muncy countered ahead of Game 3. “Trying to get under your skin and trying to have the emotion come out and get you to do something that you're not normally doing.”
This time, the Dodgers responded, prevailing in a five-game series that Roberts compared to a “street fight.” On the verge of a potential slaying, his team instead breathed fire back.
"I just felt last year, where they were going, how they were kind of feeling, and our mindset and psyche, we needed to kind of match their intensity,” Roberts said.
The fight is no longer confined to press conference taunts. This year, the rivalry boiled over into physical clashes. And at the center were the two respective managers.
Over the years, there’s been plenty of pettiness imbued into Dodgers-Padres games, from a scoreboard graphic of a crying Clayton Kershaw at Petco Park, to Will Smith’s description of the since-departed Profar as “kind of irrelevant” last year.
But this June, the antagonism was ratcheted up, after the teams combined for 11 hit batters — and not-so-veiled accusations of intentionality — over seven games played in a 11-day stretch.
The Padres took exception to three different plunkings of Tatis. The Dodgers were dubious of two balls that pelted Shohei Ohtani. By the time Tatis was hit in the hand in the final game of the latter series, Shildt had seen enough, shouting in Roberts’ direction as he walked onto the field to check on his star player.
Roberts responded in kind, racing out to meet Shildt with a slight, but nonetheless surprising, shove. Suddenly, the benches had cleared. Roberts and Shildt continued jawing through it all.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts yells at San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt after benches clear in the ninth inning of a June 19 game at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“After a while, enough’s enough,” Shildt said afterward. “Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is we took exception with it. I responded.”
“I felt that he was trying to make it personal with me,” Roberts countered in his postgame press conference. “Which then, I take it personal.”
Machado delivered the most memorable quote of the night, cautioning the Dodgers to “set a little candle up for Tati” and “pray” he hadn’t suffered a serious injury (X-rays on Tatis’ hand came back negative).
But in the aftermath, all the attention centered on Roberts and Shildt, who were each suspended by the league for one game.
“It’s ultimately about the defense of our team,” Shildt said the next day when asked about Roberts. “And anybody that is going to take the steps that I feel are inappropriate against our team, then I will take action. I’m not a personal guy. I’m not a grudge guy. But I am a foxhole guy.”
Roberts snapped back when asked about Shildt (whom he said he has spoken with since the incident) this week.
"It definitely added to the intensity of the series, when you've got two managers going at it,” Roberts said. “And I never want to make it about me, I really don't. I just took offense to his response towards me. I thought it was directed at me. But for me, I just want to go out and play good baseball. That's kind of where my head's at."
Given the Dodgers’ struggles of late, simply stacking wins has never been a bigger priority. Over the next week and a half, they could reclaim a division lead they have so clumsily squandered, or enter the final month of the season with substantial ground to make up.
“We can’t make it more than what it is,” Mookie Betts said. “It’s another series in August. Obviously, we all know it’s big and X, Y and Z, but we can’t make it that way. We have to just look at it as the same game as today and play our game and not try to get too high or too low.”
"I'm not a grudge guy. But I am a foxhole guy," said San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, walking with Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and utilityman Kike Hernandez after a bench clearing in the ninth inning of a June 19 game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Still, the Dodgers won't feign passivity this time. Not as long as the Padres continue to lean into their trademark intensity.
"They told me right away, obviously, we don't like those guys a whole lot," newly-acquired Padres reliever Mason Miller said on Foul Territory last week, of the message he received from his new teammates upon being traded to San Diego at the deadline. “I haven't really [experienced] a rivalry to that extent.”
Roberts wasn’t surprised to hear it.
“We think about whoever we're playing,” he said. “I do think it's one of those things where, they're very hyper-focused on us. But I guess it's a compliment. Still, we've got to match their intensity. Because they want to beat us more than anything."
The crisis at Salford Red Devils has deepened on and off the field in the past 24 hours. On Thursday, their chief operating officer claimed she had resigned after the club’s ownership suggested she “sleep with someone at the RFL” to alleviate their financial issues and on Friday the club’s Super League game against Wakefield on Sunday was cancelled.
The Red Devils have been embroiled in controversy for most of 2025, following a takeover by a consortium led by Dario Berta. Players and staff have repeatedly been paid late, most of their first-team squad have left and the club is in court next month over an unpaid tax bill of almost £700,000.
SAN FRANCISCO — At 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Giants manager Bob Melvin was asked if it might be time to start playing some younger guys over veterans who might not be part of the 2026 mix.
“Not yet,” Melvin said.
He admitted that every day that went by changed the math a little, but added that hopefully the final game against the San Diego Padres would be the one where the Giants would “break out of it.”
At 3:30 p.m., the messaging had changed a bit.
“We might be at the point here pretty soon where we give some guys some days off and look at some other guys,” he said after the blowout. “I still hate to admit that we’re at that point.”
In the hours between Melvin’s media sessions, his team lost 11-1 and played some of the ugliest baseball of the season. Losers of 13 of their last 14 home games, the Giants are three games under .500 and five out of the final NL playoff spot.
The New York Mets, who seemingly take a gut punch every night, are single-handedly keeping the Giants alive, although their postseason odds have dipped to 3.5 percent, per FanGraphs. Managers in this situation like to say that their team is one good week away from being back in it, and that’s fair, but right now it’s hard to see how the Giants might put that week together over the final quarter of the season.
They still have 41 games to play, though, and there are things they can accomplish other than trying to get back above .500. Here are five ways they can make the most of this finishing stretch, one that, as Melvin hinted, might include a lot of new faces:
Bryce watch
The biggest question this August and September will be whether the Giants let top prospect Bryce Eldridge get used to life in the big leagues. There are key decision-makers in the front office who would prefer to see him continue to learn in Triple-A and sharpen his skills at first base, but there has been increased talk internally in recent weeks about the possibility of calling him up.
Eldridge still has some holes in his game — that’s the case with any 20-year-old — but even Giants people who believe he could benefit from finishing the Triple-A season rave about his makeup and work ethic. He has done nothing but impress, and even if the strikeouts might be high — he’s at 33 percent in Triple-A — there’s little doubt within the organization that the power would immediately translate.
A few Eldridge homers in September would go a long way in terms of energizing the fan base, and if the Giants believe Eldridge is going to be on the 2026 Opening Day roster regardless, they might benefit from getting any initial hoopla and jitters out of the way now.
Ultimately, this is up to president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, who has a unique perspective. He was a superstar prospect himself, and he didn’t feel he benefited much from his September cameo in 2009. He poured cold water on Eldridge rumors after the deadline, but that’s getting harder and harder to do.
Figure out who they are
The Giants discussed a Marco Luciano promotion when they needed a right-handed-hitting outfielder on Tuesday but instead went with Tyler Fitzgerald. Luciano’s defense in Triple-A has continued to be an issue, and it’s entirely possible the Giants have just decided that ship has sailed. Luciano, now an outfielder, hasn’t played a single game in the big leagues this season.
He is part of a group that debuted under Farhan Zaidi but never stuck, joining Luis Matos and Wade Meckler, in particular. They’re all running out of options and taking up 40-man spots, and the Giants need to make some final evaluations. This is a good time to do that.
Grant McCray is further behind in terms of minor league options, but he’s also part of that class that has plenty of experience at Triple-A at this point. With Casey Schmitt’s emergence, Fitzgerald’s future looks like it’ll come in a utility role, and if that’s the case, he should get more experience in the outfield.
Schmitt is the one member of that 2023-24 group of call-ups that looks locked in. He had four hits when he was moved up to the No. 2 spot against a lefty on Tuesday, and he has earned the right to continue hitting in front of some of the veterans in the lineup.
The newcomers
Blade Tidwell has 16 strikeouts through two Triple-A starts. The right-hander, acquired in the Tyler Rogers trade, should probably be the one to get the call the next time a rotation spot is needed.
The Giants already are taking a look at Drew Gilbert, who has started all but one game since being called up from Triple-A. Gilbert is 1-for-17 but looks comfortable in right field, and he can play center, too.
Jesus Rodriguez, acquired in the Camilo Doval trade, has been limited to DH duty because of shoulder soreness, but if he’s capable of catching later this season, he should join Patrick Bailey at the big league level. The 23-year-old is a .307 career hitter in the minors and, as a right-handed hitter, is an obvious partner for Bailey next spring.
Protect the arms
It’s impossible to be positive right now, but the 2026 Giants actually will have a nice head start in their bid to get to the postseason.
Logan Webb is still in his prime and All-Star Robbie Ray is under team control for one more season. Landen Roupp was better than anyone on the staff in the weeks before he got hurt, and if he goes into next spring healthy, that’s a strong top three.
But there are reasons for the Giants to be careful with all three over the next six weeks.
Webb has earned the right to choose his own adventure, and he has made it clear he would like to reach 200 strikeouts — he’s 32 away — for the first time. If he wants to lead the league in innings for a third straight season, it shouldn’t be hard to win the race. There’s no reason, though, for the Giants to keep pushing him quite this hard. He has thrown 317 pitches over his last three starts.
Ray threw 113 pitches — his most since Tommy John surgery — on Tuesday but felt strong at the end. Afterward, Melvin admitted that the recent workloads have been in part because the Giants are desperate to win behind their aces and in part because their bullpen lost two key arms at the deadline.
But what’s done is done.
It’s time to save some of the co-aces’ bullets and also be careful with Roupp, who has doubled his 2024 big league workload. He will return to the rotation Friday and there are no longer concerns about where his innings total will end up since he missed a few starts and got a chance to rest, but the Giants need to make sure he’s in a good spot heading into 2026. The same is true for relievers Randy Rodriguez and Erik Miller, who should play huge roles next year.
Find a way to entertain
The Giants have looked lifeless on this homestand, and that’s perhaps the most disappointing aspect. They drew 180,000 fans over the five-game losing streak and those who continue to fill the ballpark are absolutely desperate for reasons to stand and cheer. They gave Justin Verlander a nice ovation when he reached 3,500 strikeouts on Sunday and did the same for Gilbert’s first hit on Monday.
The offense has been horrible, but there are ways to at least try to manufacture some more excitement. For example, would it kill the Giants to at least attempt to run a little bit more?
They’re last in the National League in stolen bases, and when pushed about it, Melvin points out that they don’t get many baserunners most nights and don’t want to kill those rare potential rallies. But the numbers tell a different story.
They haven’t been caught trying to steal since June 25, but over the 41 games since, they have just nine attempts. Nine! And they’re nine-for-nine! Sure, they’re not reaching base at the desired clip, but they still have 216 singles and 122 walks over those 41 games. There have been plenty of opportunities to take off.
They should consider this another way to get a head start on 2026. At some point, a team that plays 81 games a year at Oracle Park needs to actually commit to playing a more athletic brand of baseball.
The 23-times gold medallist warns of drift and weak leadership. Governance failures, and a troubled safeguarding record, could cost the US more than podium places at LA 2028
In three years’ time, the swimming programme for the Los Angeles Olympics will unfold over nine days and nights on the grandest stage the sport has ever known. A purpose-built pool inside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will be the centerpiece of a 38,000-capacity open-air natatorium, transforming the $5bn home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers into the largest swimming venue in modern history. For the United States, a rare Summer Games on home soil should be a coronation, a chance to showcase the depth of its talent in the country’s most spectacular arena. Yet Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of them all, fears the US swimming program is in no shape to seize the moment.
Phelps has launched a withering attack on USA Swimming’s leadership, accusing it of “weak” stewardship, “poor operational controls” and presiding over years of organizational drift. The 23-times Olympic gold medalist said he would think twice about letting his own sons join the system in its current state. His concerns, he says, stretch back to his own competitive career, when athlete voices were too often brushed aside in the name of keeping the peace and presenting a united front. “This isn’t on the athletes,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. “This is on the leadership of USA Swimming.”
Nostalgia never stops. Vintage is always in for a culture sprinting to be first in line to future endeavors.
Fashion for teenagers is a not-so-subtle reminder of the gray hairs I’ll find on the side of my head, TikTok has turned songs that are 25 years old back into hits and the top movies at the box office domestically this year have been about a computer game made in 2011, another Lilo & Stitch, a new Superman and the seventh movie from the Jurassic Park franchise.
The NBA this season is jumping into the pool of reboots with their return to NBC, queuing up John Tesh’s Roundball Rock to deliver memories of the 1990s. Look at how NBC advertised its opening slate of the Houston Rockets playing the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Warriors facing the Los Angeles Lakers, going full NBA Jam with Tesh’s theme song playing in the background of old video game sounds.
The four players highlighted in order are Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry and LeBron James. The last that comes to mind among the four is the 27-year-old reigning NBA MVP whose team won the championship last season.
As the Warriors lean on three players in their mid-to-late 30s, the entire NBA will continue to go all-in on O.L.D. until the wheels fall off on three of the game’s greatest to ever play. Who can blame them, too?
When the Rockets, Thunder, Warriors and Lakers take the court for opening night, Oklahoma City’s ring celebration will be in the background of viewers. An afterthought to how Durant will fit on the new-look Rockets and his reaction to his former team hanging a championship banner 10 seasons after he left. Nearly completely forgotten about once all attention turns to Southern California with Steph and LeBron stealing the show once again.
All 30 seconds of NBC’s Warriors hype video on Instagram are highlights of Curry (37 years old), Jimmy Butler (36 years old on opening night) and Draymond Green (35 years old). Brandin Podziemski isn’t exactly those players, and it’s hard when the Warriors are comprised of only nine players at the moment.
From the Warriors’ standpoint, they better hope Curry continues to push the boundaries of age after playing at least 70 games for the second straight season and being named All-NBA for the 11th consecutive year he has played a full season. Green finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, but his body can only handle so much after more than a decade of slaying Goliaths. Butler proved to be a perfect fit almost immediately after joining the Warriors. He also hasn’t played 65 games or more since the 2018-19 season.
“You look at the league right now, I know there’s a lot of youth taking over,” Curry said three months ago after the 2024-25 NBA season. “But we were one of the last eight teams that realistically had a shot, and if you can run that back, make some tweaks that can help our overall roster – obviously you’ve got to get through an 82-game season, like I said – and you want to be in a position where you’re not chasing, but I feel like we had enough that we showed we could be that team. That’s all you really want.”
That’s also all the league really wants. Same goes with the Lakers and Rockets.
There are clear reasons all three teams are playing on opening night and on Christmas. The Warriors’ final NBA Cup game of Group Play will be their first time playing Durant and the Rockets, and the Lakers’ last NBA Cup game of Group Play is them hosting former teammate Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks. Between cable and streaming services, the Warriors this season are playing in a franchise-record 34 nationally televised games.
This isn’t to discredit youth and the inevitable reality that a new batch of stars will soon dictate the state of basketball. Luka Dončić , 26, had the most-popular jersey by NBAStore.com sales last season. Curry finished second, and James was third. Dončić became the first player since the 2012-13 season to lead in jersey sales ahead of Curry or James.
The trio of Curry, Durant and James also bring back a time of American stardom in the NBA. The three went five straight seasons of winning the MVP from 2012 to 2016, followed by two more American-born players in Russell Westbrook and James Harden holding the hardware. Since then, the MVP has gone to a foreign-born player in seven straight seasons as basketball continues to expand globally in its parity era of a new champion the last seven years as well.
Already, the torch has touched the hands of Anthony Edwards for stretches. Let’s be real, stakeholders are begging for Cooper Flagg to run with it. Until the final flicker of light burns out on Steph, LeBron and KD, it’s still their league and the NBA still will operate knowing that to be the truth.
Just like they should, holding onto the last breath of greatness as long as possible.
Amir Coffey deserves an NBA roster spot. He is coming off a career season with the Clippers, averaging 9.7 points a game, shooting 40.9% from 3, playing 24 minutes a night on a 50-win team.
Milwaukee already has the maximum of 15 players under contract for next season (and the veteran Coffey does not qualify for a two-way contract). Technically, the contract of Andre Jackson Jr. is not fully guaranteed. If the Bucks were willing to eat the $800,000 buyout price, they could let Jackson Jr. go and keep Coffey. It was thought that Jackson and Thanasis Antetokounmpo might battle it out in camp for that final roster spot, now Coffey's name is in that mix.
This is a quality pickup for the Bucks — they need depth at the three and Coffey slots right in. It's a little surprising that reuniting with Doc Rivers — his first coach with the Clippers — was the best offer on the table for Coffey, but if the Bucks keep him around, he adds solid regular-season depth to a roster that could use it.
