The Nature Boy is very upset with the Lakers’ wonder boy.
After Luka Doncic missed Game 1 of Los Angeles’ conference semifinals matchup with the Thunder on Tuesday night due to a hamstring strain, Ric Flair laid into the point guard for not playing injured.
Luka Doncic missed Game 1 of the Lakers’ conference semifinals matchup with the Thunder on Tuesday night. AP
Flair then went on to say he was so ticked over the matter, he hopes LA trades the 27-year-old this offseason.
“Nobody Wants A Lame Duck On Their Team!” he said.
Following backlash, Flair fired off another message about the situation early Wednesday morning, and while he softened a bit, he nonetheless remained critical of Doncic.
Ric Flair laid into the point guard for not playing injured. Getty Images
“FYI-,” Flair wrote, “Obviously They Are Not Going To Trade Luka. He’s Their Future. He’s Their Franchise. But Do The Math- He Averages 33 Points A Game. If He Has 20, LeBron @KingJames Has 27, And The Rest Of The Team- They Win!
“I Would Have Said The Same Thing About @jaytatum0 On The @celtics, But I’m Not A Boston Fan. For 46 Million Dollars A Year, I Think You Can Play! Everyone Is Allowed To Have Their Own Opinion. And This Is Mine!”
Doncic sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain during a regular-season game against the Thunder on April 2. He has not suited up since, though he’s taken measures — including traveling overseas for treatment — to get back on the court as soon as possible.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 03: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) checks on Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) after he injured his leg being picked off at second base during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 3, 2024 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers haven’t had a good road trip since the first week of April. But after their malaise through St. Louis and Houston, the Dodgers will return home to Los Angeles with a tall task at hand — facing the Atlanta Braves, owners of the best record in baseball, at 26-11 through Tuesday.
Emmet Sheehan starts on the mound for the Dodgers on Friday night, coming off a loss last Friday in St. Louis, when he struck out eight and walked none, but also allowed four runs on two home runs.
Chris Sale starts Friday for Atlanta, taking a personal four-game win streak into his outing. The veteran left-hander has a 2.14 ERA and 2.84 xERA in seven starts this season, with 49 strikeouts (29.9-percent rate) and 12 wlaks in 42 innings.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 05: Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the second half of a game against the Detroit Pistons in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With 5:28 seconds left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers tied things up at 93 points apiece. They mounted an 18-point comeback against the Detroit Pistons, the top seed, capped off by three James Harden free throws. A whole new ballgame.
But Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson made one of his many questionable coaching decisions at this moment.
In between free throws two and three, the Pistons brought back in their best player, Cade Cunningham. The Cavs, however, stuck with their lineup at the time — which did not include Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley. It would be over a minute later before those two would enter the game, a period in which Cunningham and starting center Jalen Duren took back momentum with a block and two pick-and-roll dunks. By the time Atkinson brought in his closing lineup, the winds had shifted. Duren had another dunk a few seconds later, and the Cavs would remain at arm’s length.
The playoffs have a way of exposing every flaw a team has and then magnifying them to the national audience. Harden and Mitchell’s turnovers are one of them, but Atkinson’s puzzling decision-making is another. He waited too long to use his timeouts, and not getting Mitchell and Mobley back into the game when the Cavs seemingly had the Pistons on the ropes is another. Does Duren get those easy dunk opportunities with Mobley in the game? Hard to say for sure, but not having your best defender out there in crunch time would have made things harder.
Opposing head coach, and former Cavs scapegoat, J.B. Bickerstaff, sensed the Pistons losing control of the game and brought his best player back in to disrupt Cleveland’s rhythm. It worked.
Atkinson has talked a lot about rhythm this season, largely as it relates to the many different lineups the Cavs had to trot out during the regular season due to injury. Whether it was Darius Garland’s nagging toe ailment or the revolving door of small forward, finding rhythm has been a key emphasis for last year’s NBA Coach of the Year. But last night his decision-making was not sound.
When answering a question post-game about Jarrett Allen’s foul trouble, which limited him to 18 minutes last night, Atkinson said it disrupted the rhythm and his rotations. That is understandable, but not putting Allen back in the game with just a few minutes left is not.
The only Cavalier starter with a positive +/- rating was Allen, and he did so playing bench-level minutes. Atkinson subbed him out during that “too little, too late” timeout, and Allen never saw the floor again. The puzzling part is that Allen had four fouls, not five, and — most importantly — it was crunch time with the opportunity to steal a game on the road. Why not put Allen in? Bickerstaff was still playing Ausar Thompson and Duncan Robinson with four fouls, and both of those players impacted the game late.
There is an argument to be made as well that Mitchell, Mobley, and Harden should have played more minutes. Coincidentally, they all finished with 35, which is less than what Tobias Harris logged for the Pistons. Atkinson noted post-game that he wanted to conserve some energy with certain guys and try to find new energy off the bench, likely due to the grueling seven-game series they played against Toronto. But Detroit also played an equally demanding series against the Orlando Magic and still had its best players playing the most minutes.
It will be very difficult for the Cavs to win this series, whether on the road or not, if Atkinson is routinely getting out-coached by Bickerstaff. Game 1 can be a feel-it-out effort to try and see what works and what doesn’t, but the Cavs had a real chance to win – despite playing exceptionally poorly for most of it. Like the Cavs’ backcourt, Atkinson has to be better. And, like his team, Atkinson needs to be moving with a sense of urgency.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 01: Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals looks on against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming into the season, I didn’t have very high expectations for Kansas City Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV. Last year, he posted a perfectly acceptable 3.06 ERA over 67.1 innings, but the underlying statistics (4.53 xERA, 4.76 FIP) suggested that he had good fortune and was due for a rude awakening this year. The southpaw always impressed talent evaluators with his stuff and potential, but he had yet to produce results commensurate with his talent. In 363 innings before this year, Lynch logged a 4.56 ERA (5.00 xERA, 4.74 FIP) over five seasons. Lynch has one more minor league option remaining, and I figured he was more likely to be on the I-29 Shuttle to Omaha than helping the Royals in the bullpen.
It’s still early, but Lynch has been the most effective reliever in Matt Quatraro’s bullpen. The lefty tossed a scoreless eighth inning in the Royals’ 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night, lowering his ERA to 1.84 this season. His 0.61 WHIP, 2.22 xERA, and 2.34 FIP are all major improvements over his previous numbers, suggesting that he has earned his sparkling ERA with quality pitching. It’s been a truly impressive start for Lynch and one that the Royals really needed. Carlos Estévez had a disaster outing to start the year and is now out with injury, while Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm have both had shaky moments to start the season. Lynch has provided much-needed stability and has started receiving higher leverage assignments as a result.
What changes have led to his new success? I looked through Lynch’s Baseball Savant and Fangraphs pages to try to see what is different this season. While we are still in the land of small sample sizes (Lynch has pitched 14.2 innings this year), there are three changes that stand out this year.
More sinker, less fastball
Lynch has changed his pitch mix up each of the last two seasons. In 2025, Lynch threw more sliders than four-seam fastballs for the first time in his career (29% slider, 23% four-seam fastball). He increased his sinker usage (19%) in 2025, but he still threw his four-seamer second-most out of any pitch in his arsenal.
This season, Lynch is still throwing 29% sliders, which is his most-used pitch so far, but has increased his sinker usage to 28%. Against lefties in particular, Lynch has essentially become a two-pitch pitcher; 93% of his pitches against lefties have been either the sinker or the slider. Royals fans know how effective a good sinker and slider combination can be; Brady Singer was an effective major-league starter, particularly against same-handed hitters, with mastery of just those two pitches. Lynch has been death against lefties this year, striking out 9 of the 24 batters he has faced, with an opponent’s average of just .087.
Even against right-handed hitters Lynch is still throwing his sinker more often. His four-seam fastball is down to just 15% of his offerings, which is less often than he throws a changeup and is below his 2025 sinker numbers. I assume the thinking is that the slider is Lynch’s best pitch, and his sinker pairs better with the slider than the four-seam fastball does, therefore more slider and less four-seam will help Lynch get better results. So far, so good.
Higher arm slot, less extension
Lynch has not settled on a consistent arm slot during his career, which presumably has not helped him find consistent results. Last year, the southpaw had the lowest average arm slot of his career at 36 degrees. This season, he has raised his arm slot to 42 degrees.
He also has a lower extension this year than he has had in previous years, which means he is releasing the ball farther away from the plate. The 6’6” pitcher has generally had an above-average extension; last season he was in the 70th percentile for extension. This season, Lynch has released the ball a few inches earlier and farther away from the plate than he has in previous seasons, which places him in the 48th percentile among pitchers.
Generally, pitchers like to get more extension on the ball. The closer you release the ball to the mound, the higher the perceived velocity by the hitters is, because they have less time to react. Bailey Falter essentially has a career because he has such elite extension. Extension is particularly important when you are throwing four-seam fastballs, but can be counter-productive when throwing sinkers. Sometimes heavy sinker pitchers want less extension because they want the ball to have more time to break.
This could be small-sample noise, but if Lynch has made an intentional change with his arm slot and his extension to accentuate the horizontal movement of his pitches, particularly his sinker, then it makes you feel better about his ability to replicate the results he has had so far this season. His sinker has had great horizontal movement both in 2025 and 2026, and his changeup and slider have more average horizontal movement so far in 2026 than they did last year. My suspicion is that Lynch, Brian Sweeney and the rest of the Royals pitching staff (along with any private team that Lynch uses) tinkered with his mechanics in the offseason to emphasize horizontal movement of his pitches. So far everyone should be pleased with the results
Increased sharpness
If I’m right and Lynch tweaked his pitching mechanics in the offseason to help him get the most out of his slider/sinker combination, it has increased his overall effectiveness and sharpness. So far, Lynch has thrown better pitches while retaining the ability to locate the ball. Lynch has struck out 18 batters in 14.2 innings. He’s in the 89th percentile in chase percentage, 98th percentile in whiff percentage while remaining in the 86th percentile in walk percentage. If you can strike guys out and not walk guys as a major-league pitcher, then you are going to find a lot of success.
Stuff+ is a metric developed by Eno Sarris at Fangraphs that looks at the physical characteristics of a pitch (release point, velocity, vertical and horizontal movement, spin rate, etc.) to determine how effective of a pitch it is regardless of results. Lynch has had a below average Stuff+ (92, 100 is average) for his entire career until this season. All of his pitches grade better this season, and his overall Stuff+ number has jumped to 107 this year.
The southpaw has generally been above-average when it comes to locating the ball coming into this season. Even throwing nastier stuff in 2026, he still has above-average command of his pitches, according to Location+. If your pitches get nastier while you keep your ability to locate pitches, which is what Lynch has done this year in a small sample, then you are set up for success as a pitcher.
Relievers are fickle and things can change quickly, but studying the information we have on Lynch makes me think that he has made multiple intentional changes to his repertoire and mechanics, which are leading better results this year. Hopefully, these changes stick throughout the year and give Quatraro another high-leverage option.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 4: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game One on May 4, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 39-point defeat the Sixers suffered in Game 1 of the second round at the hands of the New York Knicks was disappointing, but not that surprising. Not just because the Sixers weren’t wearing what’s become their lucky white jerseys, but it was a very quick turnaround from their Round 1 triumph in Boston to starting the next series.
Having less than 48 hours to come down from the emotional high, the Sixers looked pretty tired in Game 1. On top of that, the Knicks hit everything. They finished the game shooting 63% from the field. The silver lining in this was that the Sixers were able give all their key guys the night off early. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe all had their nights end before the third quarter.
That’s about as much recharging as the Sixers will be able to get as one day off in between games becomes the norm as the playoffs progress. After the game, the Sixers didn’t want to use exhaustion as an excuse for their performance, but the Knicks shooting unsustainably well was something pointed to as a reason they can bounce back.
“Yeah, they just had a good game plan. We had a couple breakdowns and we’ll be better next game,” Maxey said.
George acknowledged the miscues, but also thought the Knicks couldn’t miss a shot.
“Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight but they also shot the shit out of the ball,” he said. “They came out hot, they came out on fire. But you know, it’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at.”
It would be quite the feat if the Knicks shoot over 60% from the field for the series, one that would definitely sink the Sixers’ chances of being competitive in this series. Nick Nurse’s answers after the game explained a little bit more why the Knicks shot so well, and why it might be more than shooting variance.
“I think [on] five or six mid pick-and-rolls in a row that they scored on in every way they could,” Nurse said. “I think they hit six straight times off that and that kind of extended a little bit.”
Nurse is talking about a five-minute stretch in the first quarter, one that got the Knicks running away with the game. The Knicks, primarily through Jalen Brunson, were able to generate a really good shot nearly every time down the floor against the Sixers’ drop coverage.
When Embiid came up high to flash against Brunson, Mitchell Robinson was able to slip behind him for a lob. If Embiid stayed lower, Brunson was able to get over a screen easily and walk into an open jumper. All of these baskets are in this clip below by Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com
The Sixers allowed 10 baskets in the final 7:09 of the first quarter during their Game 1 loss to New York on Monday. Nick Nurse lamented the Sixers' pick-and-roll defense during this stretch: pic.twitter.com/f3e7VWSI16
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) May 5, 2026
This had the Sixers’ defense so flummoxed that they resorted to Hack-A-Mitch as soon as the Knicks were in the bonus in the first quarter. Nurse brought Justin Edwards in the game for the single purpose of using his fouls to get Robinson on the free throw line.
“I think it was right on the end of that famous pick-and-roll series I’m talking about,” Nurse said, “so I think it was a chance to try to stop their momentum a little bit.”
Robinson did miss all four of his free throw attempts, but with the Sixers’ offense unable to make them pay on the other end, the Knicks were able to get back to their pulverization of Philly.
The Sixers pulled off their comeback against the Celtics thanks in large part to the defensive adjustments they made. They were able to limit Boston’s three-point shooting as much as they could. They’ll similarly have to reduce the Knicks’ shot quality if they want to have a chance in this series. With an offensive threat at center in Karl-Anthony Towns and an offensive strategy that is more than getting up as many threes as possible, the Knicks pose more complicated challenges, and it’s on the Sixers to figure them out.
It was once the simplest – or, as the robber barons of today say, “frictionless” – broadcast experience: Turn on TBS. Watch the Atlanta Braves.
For baseball fans in the Atlanta area, it was even more basic: Flip the dial to Channel 17. Watch baseball. Become a fan.
Or, eventually, a superfan, thanks to a superstation.
The sports and broadcast world Ted Turner left when he died Wednesday, May 6 at 87 was nothing like the universe he had a large part in constructing as owner of Atlanta’s Braves and Hawks. In the days before his passing, scores of NBA fans were enraged that playoff games – the only ones that really count of the thousands contested a year – were snatched from their standard carriers and placed behind Jeff Bezos’s Prime Video wall.
Wanna watch the Braves nowadays?
That will require a subscription to their broadcast and streaming arm, yet you may need Apple TV on occasion, and oh, perhaps Peacock, and with any luck they won’t be plucked for a Netflix game and yes, old-school basic cable might be mandatory should they land on an FS1 national broadcast.
Old man yells at cloud warning: Back in my day, we never needed any of that to see Zane Smith or Rick Mahler get their teeth kicked in by the Mets or Cardinals.
As we gaze upon this atomized and extremely stratified media and entertainment landscape, it is stunning to think that the Braves – the Atlanta Braves! – became a reliable segment of the sports monoculture.
It’s hard to remember in the wake of the 14 consecutive division titles that would come in the 1990s and 2000s, the lone World Series championship in that run landing in 1995, but the Braves were an awful, awful team for a long while.
Between 1975 and 1990, they had just three winning seasons and one playoff berth, losing 89 to 106 games between 1985 and 1990. In that span, Turner went from media rightsholder to owner of the team.
Not that it was easy. The low point likely came in Turner’s second season as owner, when he made an ill-fated attempt to manage the team whle it was mired in a 16-game losing streak. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn put a kibosh on that after one day, claiming individuals with ownership stakes in the club couldn’t manage it.
“They must have put that rule in yesterday,” Turner, then 38, groused.
Eventually, they got it right, even if in real time, the construction job laid out by Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz, and eventually overseen from the dugout by Cox, seemed like a miracle.
Yeah, the Braves got so good you became sick of them. That’s success.
But before then, they were the epitome of baseball comfort food. Nothing on TV in the afternoon? Flip it to TBS and somehow, you’d stick around, even as Skip Caray might have said, “And so that brings on Paul Assenmacher, Atlanta trailing 11-1.”
It forged a concept they now call "Braves Country," the franchise dominating what’s now a booming part of the nation, from the Carolinas down into SEC territory, uncontested at least until they throw a team in Nashville or Charlotte. Yet you could be on the West Coast and know of this erratic but promising lefty named Tom Glavine. Or in the Upper Midwest, pondering whether that trade for Terry Pendleton really was having an outsize effect on the 1991 squad.
It’s interesting to hear the modern fan bemoan the fact their team’s game – just one game – got snatched up by Apple TV or FS1. Kids, back in the day we’d be lucky to get 50 or 60 of our team’s games on TV, maybe more if your parents or your friends’ parents paid big bucks for a subscription to “SportsChannel” or whatever the very premium all-sports offering was in your area.
Yet there were always the Braves. The Cubs, too, as WGN followed in the superstation model, though their games were typically over or almost over by the time a kid got home from school, thanks to the Wrigley Field factor.
But TBS was everywhere and always had an absolute banger of an afternoon lineup – shows, movies, game shows – as Turner acquired the rights to them all. A glorious library, one best shared with the people.
Less glorious? The Atlanta Hawks, Turner’s NBA entry that still has yet to reach an NBA Finals. Counterpoint: If you’re going to be a television product, never a bad idea to employ a player known as the Human Highlight Film.
As baseball lurches toward a lockout, you wonder what effect Turner might have in the room. As the game stood on the verge of its nuclear winter of 1994-95, Turner gazed upon a landscape still reeling from ownership collusion a few years earlier, and about to take a massive step back by canceling the 1994 World Series.
“Gentlemen,” he famously told his colleagues who enjoyed the antitrust exemption granted by Congress, “we have the only legal monopoly in the country and we are (expletive) it up.”
Those same owners would follow Turner’s lead, establishing regional sports networks, many of them team-owned, as baseball revenues zoomed to stratospheric levels, to the point that the San Diego Padres are now a $4 billion property.
Yet Turner was the first one in, enjoying a national imprint for a ballclub he bought for $500,000 in 1976. Along the way, he changed the way we view sports, his eponymous networks still a presence in our daily diet.
The landscape is a lot more cluttered now – much of it Turner’s doing, unwittingly or not. He essentially invented the 24-hour news cycle with CNN, which spawned Fox News, a 30-year spiral of disinformation that’s only deepened in time.
Basic cable once was a highly affordable utility, yet became so prohibitive in cost – thanks in large part to lobbying efforts that killed any chance at an a la carte option viewers would have appreciated – that it eventually opened the door for streaming.
And now, here we are, needing an abacus to see who’s broadcasting what while sports leagues sign up any desperate media entity willing to pay a billion dollars for live sports inventory.
Alas. Turner’s vision might have tipped this snowball down the mountain, and no entity is powerful enough to stop it.
But for generations of fans who leaned on Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz as their Larry, Moe and Curly, his vision was perfect.
He’s recorded a hit in five straight games, going Over his posted base total four times. Over this stretch, he’s posted a 1.554 OPS, averaging 2.8 bases per game.
It’s a good matchup for Okamoto, too, with Shane McClanahan on the hill.
McClanahan has been solid this season, but his bread-and-butter pitch is his fastball, which Okamoto has been pounding this year.
The Jays slugger owns a .327 batting average and .654 SLG against the pitch.
Myles Straw has been very consistent this year, hitting .291 on the season, grabbing hits in each of his last three starts. He’s also 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI against McClanahan in his career.
For the final leg of the SGP, I’ll take George Springer to record a hit. He’s gone Over this number in three of his last four starts and owns a .278 average against McClanahan with three homers throughout his career.
Blue Jays vs Rays SGP
Kazuma Okamoto Over 1.5 total bases
George Springer Over 0.5 hits
Myles Straw Over 0.5 hits
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Blue Jays vs Rays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+450)
I’m only betting a half unit on this one, as McClanahan has only given up one home run this season.
However, Okamoto can’t stop hitting dingers, and I can’t stop backing him.
He has homered in four of his last five games with five total long balls in that stretch.
Okamoto has six home runs against the fastball, which is McClanahan's most utilized pitch.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 14-21, -3.50 units
SGPs: 7-28, -0.20 units
HR picks: 8-27, +10.15 units
Blue Jays vs Rays odds
Moneyline: Blue Jays +118 | Rays -138
Run line: Blue Jays +1.5 | Rays -1.5
Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5
Blue Jays vs Rays trend
The Blue Jays have hit the F5 team total Under in 24 of their last 35 games (+12.65 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Rays.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Rays and game info
Location
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Date
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
First pitch
1:10 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet, Rays.TV
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.65 ERA)
Rays starting pitcher
Shane McClanahan (3-2, 3.10 ERA)
Blue Jays vs Rays latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Rays 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.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 4: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 4, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brewers are back in action today for the series finale of what will effectively be a two-game series against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals after yesterday’s rainout.
Neither team opted to skip the spot in the rotation, so today’s pitching matchup is still Brandon Sproat against Andre Pallante. Sproat has flashed serious potential during his rookie season, but those highs have come along with some blow-up innings. He carries a 6.75 ERA into today’s start. Pallante, a 27-year-old right-hander who was the Cardinals’ fourth-round pick in 2019, struggled last season but has bounced back nicely with a 3.73 ERA over six starts for St. Louis.
Jackson Chourio (hitting second, playing left field) and Andrew Vaughn (hitting sixth, at DH) are again in today’s lineup after both players were activated from the injured list on Monday. Chourio reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with a walk and a pair of doubles, while Vaughn went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and hit by pitch.
Garrett Mitchell leads off again, followed by Chourio and Brice Turang, who punctuated a three-hit performance in the series opener with a ninth-inning homer. William Contereas, Jake Bauers, and Vaughn make up the middle of the order. Rounding out the lineup are Sal Frelick, who went 1-f0r-3 on Monday, David Hamilton, and Joey Ortiz.
Today’s game will be broadcast on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
Oklahoma City's Ryan Ward catches the ball for an out during a minor league baseball game between the Oklahoma City Comets and the Albuquerque Isotopes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 27, 2026. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
We’ll keep track of every time a Dodgers player is optioned to the minor leagues during the 2026 season.
Details on these transactions can also be found on our 40-man roster tracker, but here we will chronicle every specific time a player gets sent down, relative to the limits set by MLB.
Major League rule 7(d) states that a player cannot be optioned to the minors more than five times during a single season. If a player who has been optioned five times is called back to the majors, they cannot be sent back down to the minors without being placed on waivers first.
For purposes of this rule, only options after opening day count. So anyone sent down during spring training won’t have that count against the limit of five.
NORTH PORT, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Jim Jarvis #94 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during the Atlanta Braves photo day at CoolToday Park on Friday, February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Braves have made a somewhat eventful call-up ahead of their series finale against the Seattle Mariners. Following a strong start to the 2026 season in Triple-A and following up a successful 2025 campaign in Gwinnett as well, infielder Jim Jarvis has gotten the call to the big leagues to join the Atlanta Braves.
The #Braves today selected INF Jim Jarvis to the major league roster and designated OF José Azócar for assignment.
Jarvis is currently slashing at a .305/.418/.445 clip for the Gwinnett Stripers, with a .398 wOBA, 135 wRC+ and four homers, to boot. This is after he flourished in Atlanta’s minor league system after arriving in a trade that sent Rafael Soriano to Detroit. Jarvis has been doing pretty well with the Braves organization and now he’ll have a shot to make something happen at the big league level.
There’s always a corresponding move and this time, it’s José Azócar’s turn to hop on the DFA cycle. Azócar’s latest stint with the Braves saw him appear in two games — one as the starting right fielder on May 3 against the Rockies and the other as a pinch runner against the Mariners on this past Monday night. Azócar didn’t record any hits but he did steal a base during his pinch-running stint so he’s not leaving here empty-handed. We’ll now have to wait and see if Azócar clears waivers and then it’ll be up to him to decide whether or not he’ll elect free agency or go to his minor league assignment — or he could just end up signing a minor league deal as a free agent to return. We’ve seen this happen enough times with other guys already during this season.
For now, though, it’s time to see what one of the more intriguing prospects in the Braves system can do going forward. Who knows how long this’ll last but hopefully we’ll see Jim Jarvis make an impact now that he’s been called up.
Los Angeles, CA - April 15:Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart during warmups before a game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The first of the 10 Dodgers to open the season on the injured list has been activated, with reliever Brock Stewart joining the team in Houston on Wednesday ahead of the series finale against the Astros at Daikin Park.
Stewart was slowed this spring after right shoulder debridement surgery late last September. In eight rehab games — two with Class-A Ontario, then six with Triple-A Oklahoma City — Stewart struck out 13 of his 27 batters faced (48.1 percent) in 6 1/3 scoreless innings, with four hits, three walks, and a hit batter. In those 6 1/3 rehab innings, Stewart threw 112 pitches and induced 23 swinging strikes, including 15 in 4 2/3 innings in Triple-A.
Stewart in six games for the Comets averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seam fastball and 94.8 mph on his sinker, down a bit from his 96.2-mph average on both pitches last season.
After not pitching during spring training, Stewart had his build-up over three weeks with Ontario and Oklahoma City. The final week in Triple-A checked off the usual boxes for relievers. He pitched on back-to-back days Wednesday and Thursday, including a one-batter appearance in the second outing, then entered in the middle of an inning on Sunday at Round Rock.
“As a starter, you’ve got your day that you’re pitching, and you’ve got four or five days in between, and have it scheduled out, have a program,” Eder said last Tuesday. “I’m still getting used to [relief] but I’m basically just doing whatever I can before the game to be ready every night.”
CHICAGO — Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán is headed to the injured list after he crumpled to the ground and was carted off the field with a left hamstring injury in the ninth inning of a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Manager Terry Francona said the team will have a better idea about the extent of the injury after the right-hander undergoes goes scans.
“He is such an integral part of what we do,” Francona said. “He’s struggling right now, and we’ve got to be there for him.”
Pagán, who has six saves this season, entered the game with the score tied at 2. As he followed through on the first pitch he delivered to Nico Hoerner, Pagán hopped off the mound in pain and then went to the ground, clutching his left hamstring. He lay there until Reds training and medical staff arrived.
When Pagán was helped back to his feet, he was unable to step on his left leg and was helped into a cart.
Reds righty Jose Franco replaced Pagán and walked Hoerner, but ultimately got out of the inning unscathed to send the game to the 10th.
Pagán has had a difficult start to this season with a 6.43 ERA and three blown save chances in 14 innings pitched. He was unable to protect a one-run lead on Monday night, allowing two runs, including a game-winning solo home run to Michael Conforto in a 5-4 Cubs victory.
Pagán tweaked the same hamstring on the final pitch of the Reds’ 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. The next day, he said it wasn’t as serious as he’d feared.
“I just went and saw him,” Francona said. “He said he hadn’t felt it. He said he warmed up fine. He goes ‘I would never do that.’ I believe him.”
Martin Perez has been a stud this season for the Atlanta Braves. He’s gone 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA across six appearances, including six starts. The lefty takes the hill today against the Seattle Mariners, and he’s cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in four straight appearances.
Perez tossed five scoreless last time out against the Detroit Tigers, and he’s had success against Seattle in the past. The veteran has limited them to a .227 average across 75 at-bats, and the M’s have been an underwhelming offensive team this year, ranking 22nd in runs scored.
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Mariners.TV
Zack Wheeler Over 6.5 strikeouts (-102)
Zack Wheeler only made his 2026 debut on April 25, but he’s been dominant since returning. The right-hander has overpowering stuff, and he’s struck out 14 in just 11 innings of work. Last time out, Wheeler racked up eight Ks in six frames against the Miami Marlins.
Today, he’ll face an Athletics group that is towards the bottom of the Majors in strikeouts, and they were just carved up by Cristopher Sanchez on Tuesday, striking out 10 times. Wheeler’s stuff is nasty, and he’s always been a strikeout pitcher. This matchup certainly plays in his favor.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCSCA, NBCSP
Aaron Judge Over 0.5 runs (-149)
Aaron Judge is batting .273 this season, and he’s come across the plate 35 times in just 36 games, playing a key part in the New York Yankees offense on a daily basis. Judge has cashed the Over in runs in every contest in May so far, collecting eight runs during that span.
He’ll face Texas Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi tonight, and he’s 14-for-46 against him lifetime with a .304 average. Judge is getting on base a lot, and his track record of success vs. Eovaldi is hard to ignore. The slugger will keep the run streak alive.
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Prime Video
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 14-27, -0.65 units
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Ted Turner, the legendary businessman and philanthropist, passed away Wednesday at the age of 87.
His obituary contains layers upon layers, including his status as the founder of cable news, when he formed Cable News Network, now known as CNN. Turner began his career as the head of the advertising agency his father formed, Turner Advertising Company. That is the outlet that Turner spun into WTBS, the first nationally distributed “superstation” in the United States. This network helped change television forever, even before Turner launched what we now call CNN.
But of course, Turner’s legacy also contains two sports layers, and as this is a sports website, we need to discuss those. There is his journey in the world of professional wrestling, where he was an owner of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and there is his ownership in various Atlanta franchises, most notably the Braves, Hawks, and Thrashers.
There is also his short-lived — as in one day — stint as the manager of the Braves.
If you’ve forgotten that, or are just learning this today, let’s take a step back. During the 1970s, Turner was compiling several broadcast networks in the South, networks that would eventually fall under the TBS umbrella. This is when Turner reached an agreement with the Braves to broadcast their games on WTCG, one of the stations Turner owned, and a station that, thanks to satellite technology, was being beamed into nearly two million households.
Turner, after reaching that initial agreement with the Braves, turned around to sell the broadcasting rights to stations in 24 other states, creating a massive network for Atlanta’s baseball team. With this near-monopoly on Braves media rights, Turner was able to purchase the club — along with the Hawks — ahead of the 1976 season.
He was nowhere near a hands-off owner.
Turner sparked controversy early in 1977 when he reached an agreement with San Francisco Giants outfielder Gary Matthews, before his contract with the Giants had expired. MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn dropped the hammer on Turner, suspending him for a season for contract tampering. Undaunted, Turner fought the suspension in court while he remained in control of the team.
Then came May of 1977.
Atlanta had gotten off to a dismal start that year, and limped into their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11 with an 8-21 record, and in the middle of a 16-game losing streak. The team had lost a double-header the day before. That afternoon, Turner told manager Dave Bristol to take ten days off.
Turner was going to manage the team.
Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, who was set to start the game for Atlanta, recalled this moment during batting practice.
“I just got through swinging in the cage, and I came out and walked behind the batting cage for the next round and Ted came out of the dugout and he walked behind the batting cage,” said Niekro. “I looked at him and jokingly I said, ‘Ted, what spot you got me hitting in today?’ And he said, ‘Hell, I don’t know. You want to lead off? You want to hit second or third? We just lost 16 in a row. You’ve been around here long enough. Hit wherever you want to.’
“I said, ‘I don’t think that’s going to work, Ted. Put me in that ninth spot.'”
There was Turner, wearing 27, managing the team he owned.
Atlanta lost that night, dropping to 8-22 on the season. While Turner did not make many managerial decisions during the loss — deferring most of them to third-base coach Vern Benson, he did make one. With Atlanta trailing 2-1 in the ninth, calling on reserve infielder Darrel Chaney to pinch-hit with a runner on first.
“I wasn’t much of a hitter, but I had never been asked to pinch hit right-handed in my whole career,” Chaney years later. “So we get in that ninth inning and we get a guy on base and Turner says, ‘Chaney, grab a bat.’ I looked over at my roommate, Rod Gilbreath, and I said, ‘Can you believe this?'”
The switch-hitter dug into the batter’s box against lefty John Candelaria, and laced a ground-rule double to left-center field. Had the ball stayed in the park, it might have brought the runner home to tie the game.
Instead, Pittsburgh brought in Goose Gossage, who closed out the game by stranding runners on second and third.
Despite the loss, Turner was upbeat in defeat.
“I can remember coming off the field, and of course 17 in a row is hard to take,” said Chaney. “And Ted was walking into the clubhouse and, just as loud as he always was, ‘How you like that move, I put Chaney in there!’ We had lost the game. ‘How you like that move putting Chaney in there, hitting that double!’ you know.”
However, MLB had seen more than enough of Turner in the dugout. Citing a rule that anyone who owned stock in a team could not manage it, he was barred from getting back in the dugout the following game.
“They must have put that rule in yesterday,” Turner told the media the next day. “If I’m smart enough to save $11 million to buy the team, I ought to be smart enough to manage it.”
Speaking after the season to Playboy, Turner recalled that he just wanted to see, from the dugout, what was going wrong with his team.
“When things are gong bad, there are 10,000 guys in the stands who think, ‘If I could just take over this ballclub for a while, I’d straighten them out,'” said Turner. “But Kuhn said I couldn’t manage again. I asked him if it was OK if I went and managed in the minors for a year and really learned how to do it. He said, ‘Nope.'”
Bristol returned as manager a few days later and closed out the season for Atlanta, and the Braves finished 61-101.
But Turner must have learned something that night.
As he hired Bobby Cox in the offseason.
Although even that took some time to get right, as it was during Cox’s second stint that the Braves enjoyed an extended run of success, including winning the 1995 World Series.
Because Turner fired Cox after the strike-impacted 1981 season. In his trademark fashion, he quipped to the media after being asked who he wanted as the team’s next manager “[i]t would be Bobby Cox if I hadn’t just fired him. We need someone like him around here.”
A tip of the hat to Ted Turner, entrepreneur, philanthropist and yes, MLB manager.
After being muzzled at even strength by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, the Montreal Canadiens’ first line will have to return to its very productive nature if the Habs are to beat the Buffalo Sabres. While the Habs’ scoring depth delivered in the last series, it would be unreasonable to expect that kind of production to be sustainable.
The good news for the Tricolore is that, historically, all three players have done well against Buffalo. Nick Suzuki has 26 points in 21 career games against the Sabres, Cole Caufield has 16 points in 18 games, and Juraj Slafkovsky has nine points in 13 games. In the regular season, the captain had 101 points, Caufield had 51 goals and 88 points, and Slafkovsky had 30 goals and 73 points.
While the Bolts’ game plan was largely focused on preventing the Canadiens’ top unit from scoring and putting their defensive forwards to good use, the Sabres should have a different game plan. Just like the Habs, the Sabres are a young group with plenty of speed and play an offensive brand of hockey. In the regular season, Buffalo scored 283 goals, four more than the Canadiens.
There should be more time and space on the ice for the Canadiens’ top line to play their usual kind of hockey, to pass the puck and make plays. Against Tampa, as soon as they were in possession, the Lightning’s forward group were on them, pressing them, which led to rushed passes and lost possession. Of course, the Sabres will have done their pre-scout on the Canadiens and seen how the Lightning countered the Habs’ top line, but they don’t have the right personnel to use that strategy.
Furthermore, Lindy Ruff is much more of a traditional coach than Jon Cooper, and he doesn’t juggle his lines and change them on the fly. While Martin St-Louis showed that he was able to coach that kind of game in the first round, chances are he won’t have to resort to that in this matchup and will be back in his comfort zone.
The top line shouldn’t be the only one to benefit from the Sabres’ style; Ivan Demidov, who only got a power play assist in the first round, should also be much more visible in this second round. He should be able to skate with the puck, to make plays, and dazzle as he has in the regular season, which made him a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
The top guns were bailed out by the Canadiens' depth scoring in the first round, and it's time for them to return the favour.
COVERS INTEL: Okamoto owns a 
Martin Perez
Zack Wheeler
Aaron Judge
