BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 07: Members of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Monday, September 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On April 25, the Red Sox were 10-17, tied with the Royals for the second-worst record in the American League. Boston management shocked the baseball world by firing popular championship-winning manager Alex Cora and replacing him with minor league manager Chad Tracy.
Since then, the Red Sox have gone 70-50, the second-best team in the AL over that time. They have climbed back into the pennant race, sitting comfortably in the #2 Wild Card spot. It has been one of the best turnaround in recent history, and Tracy will likely get support for Manager of the Year.
Kansas City Royals (65-82) vs. Boston Red Sox (80-67) at Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Red Sox: 4.44 runs scored/game (17th), 3.88 runs allowed/game (5th)
The Red Sox have been hit by injuries to Triston Casas, Willson Contreras, Curtis Mead, and Masataka Yoshida, and Roman Anthony and Trevor Story only recently returned to action. Jarred Duran has had a rough season – he has the third-worst wRC+ of qualified hitters, and Adley Rustchman has hit just .188 since being acquired from the Orioles. But the Red Sox have gotten offense from some surprising places like utility players Mickey Gasper, Nick Sogard, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Andruw Monasterio.
Who’s hot:
Trevor Story is hitting .341 (14-for-41) with five doubles in ten games since coming off the Injured List.
Carter Jensen won American League Player of the Week and is batting .292/.434/.708 with seven home runs and 16 walks in his last 19 games.
Who’s not:
Caleb Durbin has just one extra base hit in his last 20 games and is hitting .188/.325/.203 over that time.
Kyle Isbel is hitting .156/.208/.178 in his last 14 games.
Interesting matchups
Wilyer Abreu is a career .300 hitter (3-for-10) with a home run and two walks against Seth Lugo
Salvador Perez struggles against Sonny Gray, hitting .167/.189/.222 in 37 career plate appearances with just two extra base hits and no walks.
Seth Lugo has a 6.19 ERA in 14 road starts this year.
Sonny Gray is 10-2 with a 1.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Royals.
Randy Dobnak has a 2.54 ERA since joining the Royals, the 7th-lowest ERA in the American League since the start of July.
Lefties have a wOBA of .334 against Ranger Suarez, the fifth-highest against any left-handed starting pitcher.
Noah Cameron has 1.7 rWAR since July 24, the fifth-most among any starting pitcher.
Payton Tolle is second among all rookie pitchers with 3.7 rWAR
The Red Sox have the second-fewest blown saves in baseball and their 3.14 bullpen ERA is second-best. Former Royals closer Aroldis Chapman has a 32.3 percent strikeout rate, ninth-highest among relievers. Erik Miller, acquired mid-season from the Giants, is fifth at 35.1 percent, but his 14 percent walk rate is fifth-highest. Brayan Bello has a 2.03 ERA in 14 games since moving to the bullpen.
The Dodgers are on the cusp of qualifying for the postseason tournament, where they will attempt to successfully defend their championship for the second year in a row. Shocking, I know.
It would have been a far more unexpected story had the Dodgers somehow bungled their way to an early trip to Cancun. But imagine spending that much money just to be terrible?
Picking a preferred opponent is some bad baseball juju. The Dodgers will ultimately need to best all comers if they wish to pull off the first threepeat in National League history. The Dodgers likely have the mindset of bring it on, without caring who they play.
The drama in the National League is largely limited to what seed the Dodgers will end up with and who ends up with the sixth seed in the National League between the perpetually disappointing San Diego Padres and the scrappy, underfunded Arizona Diamondbacks.
If pressed, I would predict that the Diamondbacks prevail with the sixth seed, in defiance of what ESPN predicts, because the Diamondbacks lack a history of being perpetually disappointing when yoked with the burden of expectations.
While the Miami Marlins are technically alive in this chase, in the same way that someone is only mostly dead after an unfortunate encounter with “The Machine” in The Princess Bride, the Dodgers can effectively end the Fishes’ season in Miami.
The Dodgers in Miami in September; nothing interesting has ever happened with that quirk of the schedule.
SB Nation asked its readership who the Dodgers would prefer to face to start the tournament, as the team largely controls its own destiny through its creampuff finale of a schedule. We asked whether you preferred the Dodgers as the top seed or the second seed.
The readership overwhelmingly agreed with this essay: ride the second seed to glory.
If the Dodgers end up with the NL’s top seed, they would face the winner of the current projected matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.
Considering how the Cubs play in 2026, with likely Most Valuable Player Pete Crow-Armstrong, as either world beaters or clowns who have somehow never touched a baseball before, and the city of Philadelphia salivating over avenging Kerkering’s Blunder from last year, which requires another look, I have just one thing to say:
Have fun dealing with that portion of the bracket, Milwaukee!
Personally, Brewers/Cubs 2: Electric Boogaloo would pop like the sequel everyone in Cream City needed and likely have the same result, which I am absolutely fine with. However, based on the events of the past week, an interesting wrinkle has become possible, but for right now, we will operate under the current projection.
The drama just writes itself. Can the Dodgers avenge 2021? Can the Diamondbacks shock the world again as they did in 2023? Does the baseball world really need Dodgers/Padres 4: The Revenge?!?
In order, hopefully: Yes; I hope not; And, heavens no!
Let the Dodgers rest up and deal with a likely exhausted portion of the bracket before a return trip to the NLCS, as that path seems like the best route for success.
The worst-case scenario is if the Dodgers have to deal with either the Diamondbacks/Padres for a three-game series in Los Angeles, only to turn around and have to fly to Atlanta, assuming the Diamondbacks/Padres are vanquished, which is no guarantee.
I knew the 2025 Cincinnati Reds, and neither of these squads will lay down like last year’s Reds.
Unless they do, because baseball. Time will tell either way.
ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 15: Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) makes a pitching change during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on August 15, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Earlier this week, we asked you whether manager Matt Quatraro could be looking for another job this offseason:
I was actually quite gratified by the results. The majority of you, 53%, voted that Q shouldn’t and wouldn’t be fired. Only 8% of you thought he might be fired, whether he deserved it or not. That means a whopping 92% understand that he’s not going anywhere.
I have to say I’m a touch disappointed by the 38% who felt that Q wouldn’t be fired but should be. I understand that baseball managers are essentially hired to be fired. It’s really almost impossible to say whether they are good at their jobs, especially for us fans. Sure, we can point to decisions they make that we disagree with, but just because we disagree doesn’t make us right.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve screamed at my TV that such-and-such reliever should have been used instead, only to find out later that said reliever was unavailable for some reason that I hadn’t known when the decision was being made. And I’m certain that number is dwarfed by the times a player wasn’t used when I would have used them for reasons we still don’t know, but that made the choice obvious to the manager.
That isn’t to say that Matt Quatraro can’t be wrong, or that I haven’t disagreed with him or questioned his choices. I’m a baseball fan; of course I have. But I will say Matt Quatraro makes choices I can’t comprehend far less frequently than most MLB managers. Sure, it would make sense to replace him if you thought you could do better, but I just don’t know how you’d accomplish that feat. Even modern “legends” like Terry Francona and Bruce Bochy aren’t infallible. Given that, I’m content to keep the guy who at least doesn’t give me obvious concerns about the clubhouse.
And, just because I can’t help myself, let me address some of the biggest complaints about Q that I’ve seen over and over.
He isn’t fiery enough!
That kind of manager is dying out in the modern day; the only especially fiery manager I can think of is Aaron Boone, and no one likes him. If MLB players couldn’t self-motivate without a fiery manager, they wouldn’t have made it to MLB.
He makes the wrong calls with the bullpen!
There were zero right calls to make with this year’s bullpen. Daniel Lynch IV wasn’t even a good call. This is highlighted by the last two weeks in August, when, really, he couldn’t make a bad call. Mostly, a manager’s bullpen choices come down to whether they work or not, and that mostly comes down to the quality of arms that have been brought in for him to call on.
He always wants his lineup to go L-R-L-R!
I might dig into this a little this offseason, but anecdotally, he’s far from the only manager who prefers this. If you put a bunch of righties or lefties in a row, you’re making the opposing manager’s job much easier when he calls to his own bullpen.
He bats Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez too high in the lineup! (Also, he plays Isaac Collins too often!)
I will say the Vinnie and Salvy things have also driven me nuts, too. But also, to a degree, he can only build the lineups with the guys he’s got. I’m not sure how much more sense it makes to bat Nick Loftin or John Rave in the four-spot.
Having knocked down all of your strawmen, I hereby grant myself an exemption from arguing with you all in the comments. Have a great weekend!
Mar 4, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula against Team Mexico during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blake Snell may be in the middle of a dominant run of form—quickly settling in after his return—but all eyes will be on Josue De Paula as the Dodgers’ top prospect makes his MLB debut this Friday against the Marlins. Chosen as the primary option to temporarily replace Shohei Ohtani as this team’s starting designated hitter, Josue De Paula—whose path to playing time has been blocked for quite a while—gets his opportunity, coming off a magnificent campaign in Double-A.
Looking back at recent seasons, various factors have made it so that the most exciting Dodger debuts have come from outside the organization. Seeing Tarik Skubal take the mound for the Dodgers for the first time in Wrigley was the most recent of the moments, but there’s always a special element when we’re talking about someone who has been developed in-house.
Even without Shohei Ohtani for basically a week’s worth of games, the Dodgers’ offense has been producing at a high level without their best hitter—inevitably, that takes some pressure off De Paula. In the end, it almost doesn’t matter what type of pressure is placed upon the youngster—the key to his success will be in how he handles the internal pressure of being asked to perform in the short term. De Paula, more than anyone else, is fully aware of the limited number of opportunities available to him, almost regardless of his skill set and what that means moving forward.
For now, though, the mindset for De Paula and the fans should be similar: to enjoy this rare moment as much as possible. The fact that the offense has been performing well—including coming off a 14-run output in a blowout win over the Reds—certainly affects how this call-up can be perceived. Lastly, if you want to read a bit more about the type of player De Paula is and what we should expect from him, Eric Stephen has covered that here.
Brent Peterson, former assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and longtime hockey ambassador in Nashville, has died. He was 68.
The Predators announced Peterson's death in a social media post on Friday, Sept. 11.
Peterson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002 and founded the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson's in 2009 as part of his battle.
He is survived by his wife Tami, his son Brad, and his daughter Kristin. Brad Peterson has served as an assistant equipment manager for the Predators since 2019.
"In addition to serving as a beacon to so many involved in the fight against Parkinson's, Brent served as an inspiration to hundreds of Predators players, coaches, and staff members for nearly 30 years," the team said.
We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend Brent Peterson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and all those who knew Petey 💛 pic.twitter.com/nrRIsfg9fs
Peterson was named assistant coach of the Predators under Barry Trotz in 1998, serving in that role until 2011. In 2014, he joined the Predators' radio team as a broadcaster until 2017.
The night Shohei Ohtani’s injury problems first became prevalent this season, that was how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described his initial concern level with the two-way star.
Months later, of course, the circumstances have ominously flipped.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “I think that we tried to kick the can as much as we could.”
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Dodgers Mismanagement
Indeed, the saga dates all the way back to a mid-June series in Pittsburgh; when, a night after making a two-way start, Ohtani was pulled from the team’s subsequent game early with swelling in his left knee.
At every step along the way since then, there has been a common pattern of decisions that simply haven’t panned out.
Granted, at most points, there were few obvious answers about what to do in a given moment. And on several occasions, the club did dial down the four-time MVP’s workload amid his ongoing left knee and, later, right arm issues.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after fouling a ball off his foot during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Monday, September 7, 2026. Getty Images
But the team certainly didn’t think it was barreling toward this place either –– where Ohtani is going on the IL after looking physically diminished at the plate in recent weeks, and still feeling pain even after multiple days out of the starting lineup.
“Anyone can do [look back], and say, ‘What could you have done better or different?’ Absolutely,” manager Dave Roberts conceded this week. “That’s something going forward we’re gonna look at. But it’s certainly not a blame game thing.”
Blame game or not, however, Ohtani’s IL stint does bring about a moment of reflection.
Thus, the California Post retraced the timeline of his injury problems this season, to recount exactly how his health drifted so far off course that it is now threatening to impact his play the rest of the year.
June 10: After 10 dominant outings to begin his season as a pitcher (6-2 record, 0.74 ERA), Ohtani suffered his first relative clunker on the mound in Pittsburgh. He gave up four runs (three earned) in 6 ⅔ innings. He also quietly dealt with flaws in his pitching mechanics, with too much force being absorbed by his front landing leg. He would later point to that as the initial cause of his knee injury. But in the moment, there was no sign anything was amiss with his health.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani speaks with first base coach Chris Woodward at first base in the first inning of an MLB game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. CHRIS TORRES/EPA/Shutterstock
June 11: That would change the next night, when for the fifth time this season Ohtani DH’d the day immediately after a pitching start.
The Dodgers rested Ohtani the following day, but never seriously seemed to consider the IL, after medical imaging produced “no findings” of further damage. Instead, once the swelling in Ohtani’s knee went down, and the player reported to the team that he felt “great,” they reinserted him in the lineup two games later –– when, in his first at-bat back, he hit a leadoff home run.
Less than a week later, he wouldn’t even have his next pitching start delayed.
“I think I can continue playing … without any uncertainty,” Ohtani said in Japanese on June 12. “I think I should be able to recover [as a pitcher] adequately while making adjustments.”
June 17: Pitching for the first time since his knee injury, Ohtani struggled in a six-inning, four-run start against the Rays. Afterward, he acknowledged that he still wasn’t 100%, while Roberts echoed that his knee problem wasn’t “completely behind us.”
Yet, the right-hander threw 91 pitches in the outing, despite also battling a blister that left his fingers bloodied. And though he didn’t start the game as DH, he came off the bench to pinch-hit.
“Things like this happen over the course of a season,” Ohtani said in Japanese of his ailments after the victory, in an effort to calm external worries. “I think it was big to be able to win under those conditions.”
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
July 3: Ohtani made what would turn out to be his final appearance on the mound this season in a six-inning, three-run, nine-strikeout start against the San Diego Padres –– looking almost back to his normal self before, in the seventh inning, he was suddenly pinch-hit for after feeling tightness in his right biceps.
That prompted the biggest revelation of the night, with Ohtani saying afterward he had quietly dealt with a similar problem about a month prior.
Roberts later conceded he hadn’t even been aware of that episode, though insisted that was only because it “was so benign.” This time, both Ohtani and the team expected that to be the case again.
July 10: The first sign Ohtani’s situation was worse than he and the team had let on came in an unexpected club announcement a few days before the All-Star Game.
The Dodgers said Ohtani would be skipping his final pitching start of the first half, as well as all Midsummer Classic festivities. Instead, he was set to get treatment on his knee during the break, in the form of a lubricant injection that was hoped to resolve the issue.
Still, the Dodgers did not put Ohtani on the IL, maintaining a belief his injuries only impacted his pitching. Initially, their hope was even for him to resume his two-way role once the second half of the season began.
“We all know with where we’re at, who he is as a player, if there’s opportunities to be extra cautious and mindful, it’s just prudent,” Roberts said, before later insisting: “Nothing is gonna come in front of being healthy for October.”
July 22: For the first time since his knee injection, Ohtani attempted a pitching ramp-up with a 31-throw bullpen session in Philadelphia. It would be short-lived.
Though the immediate reports on his bullpen were positive, Ohtani experienced what Roberts said was “regression” with his knee in the days that followed. It shut him down from throwing again. It forced the Dodgers to re-evaluate his pitching plan.
“We’re not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident, we feel 100% confident that we should do it,” Roberts said. “So right now we didn’t do it.”
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani takes part in a bullpen session before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
July 28: Amid his repeated pitching setbacks, Ohtani also stumbled into a midseason slump at the plate. One potential reason, as he revealed in late July, was that, in addition to his knee injury, his right arm still didn’t feel right.
In the same press scrum where Ohtani made that revelation, he also indicated his pain level with both issues might not get back to zero before the end of the season.
But instead, after a day off on July 30, Ohtani went on to start at DH in each of the team’s next 30 games.
August 28: Just as Ohtani’s hitting rebounded in the early weeks of August, the Dodgers decided to let him try ramping up once more as a pitcher again. At first, it went OK, with Ohtani reporting no issues following a couple bullpen sessions. But then, discomfort in both his knee and arm returned after a live session against hitters on Aug. 28. It continued to linger in a subsequent bullpen on Aug. 28.
At that point, the Dodgers scratched Ohtani from his tentatively scheduled return to the mound two days later.
They halted his throwing activities for the third different time this year.
“His value offensively is hugely important,” Roberts said. “So if throwing potentially cuts into that, that’s not worth the squeeze.”
The only problem: Ohtani’s swing had already seemingly been affected by that point, with the slugger mired in the early stages of what would become a homer-less 6-for-49 slump.
Yet, the team still wasn’t planning to pull the plug on Ohtani’s pitching, despite him running out of time to get fully stretched out. As president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on the first day of September: “I think anything he can do is very additive and very helpful.”
President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers Andrew Friedman is seen on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Getty Images
Sept. 2: The very next night, Ohtani reached the tipping point, when he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts while showing visible pain with his arm. That finally forced the Dodgers to give him his first extended break of the season, holding him out of their next four games.
Ohtani returned to action Monday only for his arm pain to persist in an 0-for-3 showing. However, Ohtani evidently didn’t alert the team to his latest discomfort until the following evening, according to Roberts, after he’d been removed from the lineup again in a form of load management.
Thus, at long last, the Dodgers finally opted to place Ohtani on the IL –– making one last delayed decision with which even Roberts voiced some regret.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates with designated hitter Shohei Ohtani after he scored in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 22, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It’s not the absolute worst-case scenario for the Dodgers, who remain hopeful Ohtani will be a productive member of their lineup for their World Series three-peat push. There’s no guarantee that, regardless of what they did, he would find himself back at full strength by now, either.
Still, his current circumstances couldn’t be much further from ideal.
In a year the Dodgers and Ohtani thought they could manage his injuries and preserve his everyday two-way role, they instead might’ve pushed too hard –– and left too little time –– for him to feel right by the time October begins.
“It’s, I guess, under the thing of, ‘you don’t know until you know,’ and it’s important to kind of learn from experiences,” Roberts said this week while reflecting back on the team’s handling of Ohtani this season. “I think it’s good for all of us to kind of appreciate that he’s not supernatural, as much as we think he might be at times.”
This is a real blow to Phoenix, which was so impressed with center Mark Williams last season that it gave him a new three-year, $38 million contract and planned to have him as its starting center.
Williams underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. While there is no timeline, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (maybe the most plugged-in Suns reporter) says to expect at least five months, which would mean a return around the All-Star break at the earliest.
In his first three seasons in Charlotte, Williams showed real promise but never played more than 44 games in a season due to a variety of injuries (foot, ankle, thumb, and back). Last season, that changed as he played 60 games for the Suns, averaging 11.7 points and eight rebounds a game, and was a solid defender in the paint. Now the Suns will be without him for more than half the season.
Look for second-year center Khaman Maluach to get a lot more run, he showed potential last season and then made his case at Summer League, averaging 19.5 points and 12.8 rebounds a game (in four games). Also expect to see more of third-year big Oso Ighodaro, who was solid last season, playing in all 82 games and averaging 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a night.
For the second time in our five-part series, we have a performance in the postseason from Joel Embiid that came against Nick Nurse. It started with Game 3 against Toronto in 2019, which took place in Philadelphia, and continues with Game 3 versus the Raptors in 2022 in Toronto.
By this point in Embiid’s career, pressure was beginning to mount on both Embiid and the franchise. The honeymoon between the Sixers and their fans after winning a round in each of the first two postseasons Embiid was a part of in 2018 and 2019 was over. The team got whitewashed by the rival Celtics in the COVID bubble in 2020 and had one of the more embarrassing choke jobs in Philadelphia sports postseason history against Atlanta in 2021.
There was still plenty of talent on the roster, as the Sixers won 51 games in 2021-22, with only Miami’s 53 wins being greater than that, and the headache that was Ben Simmons gone. But this series against the Raptors was one in which the Sixers could really do themselves no favors with the fans regardless of the outcome. It was a Toronto team that was struggling to remain relevant in league circles after winning a championship in 2019. Everyone knew the Raptors weren’t going to win another title any time soon and they would be rebuilding soon enough. Essentially, there wasn’t much to gain for the Sixers when it came to quelling the growing perception that they were a team of choke artists.
To no one’s surprise, Philly won the first two games of the series easily, blowing Toronto out by 20 in Game 1 and coasting to a 15-point victory in Game 2. But, as you often see in a playoff series with one team’s talent being vastly superior to the other’s, the underdog came out packing its biggest punch back on its home floor in Game 3 down 2-0. The Raptors led by 10 in Game 3 both at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. The Sixers were sleepwalking during the first 24 minutes as Embiid had just five points, only attempted five field goals in the first half and turned the ball over four times in the opening two quarters.
But Philadelphia decided to fight in the second half rather than pack it in and get ready for Game 4 still holding a lead in the series. Embiid had 18 points in the third quarter alone and looked much more aggressive going 6-of-9 from the field in the quarter, one that he played all 12 minutes of. Suddenly a 10-point halftime deficit was down to just one heading into the fourth.
So often in recent postseason history for this franchise, the Sixers have been the team that might look good early in a game but would get caught blinking and get tight in the second half and find a way to lose. This game was a rare occurrence in which Philadelphia appeared to smell blood in the water, knew it was the superior team and the Raptors were the team whose hot start dissipated and struggled to execute in the guts of the game.
The Sixers trimmed off the final point of the 10-point halftime deficit in the fourth quarter and pushed the game to overtime. Whether it was nerves from both teams or fatigue, it was apparent that the two teams were limping to the finish line as the fourth quarter was the lowest-scoring quarter of regulation and the two teams combined for just 15 points in the five-minute overtime.
But it was the final three points that became particularly memorable. Having engineered the comeback in the second half, Embiid got a chance to put the icing on the cake and give the Sixers a stranglehold on the opening round series. He did just that.
Joel Embiid’s buzzer beater vs. the Raptors to take 3-0 series lead in the first-round of the playoffs. Embiid finished the game with 33 points pic.twitter.com/W6dxLJladi
It wasn’t quite a buzzer beater, but it might as well have been and Philly took a 3-0 series lead. In typical Sixers fashion, they found a way to make it interesting, losing Game 4 in Toronto and then getting thoroughly outplayed in Game 5 at home before going back to Canada to close the series out in six.
Sixers fans, how do you feel about this game and moment for Embiid now? As we discussed, this was a Raptors team that everyone knew was coming out of a contention window and no longer viewed as a viable threat to win an NBA championship. Other than Embiid’s shot to win Game 3, there really wasn’t anything in this series, or in the next series against Miami, that stands out as a notable postseason memory for the franchise. But the Sixers did trail by double digits at halftime against the same team that eliminated them in heartbreaking fashion three years earlier. They came back to win the game and stick a dagger in the hearts of the Raptors and their fans thanks to a shot that will forever be remembered as one of Embiid’s greatest. That’s got to be worth something, right?
In practice on Friday with the named roster, Toronto Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan said the Leafs' 2026 first overall pick won't be travelling with the team for the two games taking place in Gatineau, Que.
The Maple Leafs' rookies play against the hosts of the event, the Ottawa Senators, on Saturday, and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. McKenna will not be participating in either of them.
The 18-year-old isn't participating because the organization wants him to rest and prepare for his first NHL season, with training camp kicking off in about one week. Not to mention the lengthy summer of events, media opportunities, and other responsibilities that come with being a No. 1 pick on the Maple Leafs, no less.
"Gavin will not be travelling with us to Gatineau," Sullivan told reporters at the Ford Performance Centre. "Management has made the decision to have him participate last night in the opening dinner, also have him practising with the group."
Practising with the rest of the Prospects Challenge roster, McKenna was skating as the left winger on a line with center Luke Haymes and Brandon Buhr on the right wing.
"But what's best for him is to stay here, continue to train with the NHL players, and prepare for a big season," Sullivan added. "Short training camp for them, they got an 84-game schedule. He's got a lot coming in front of him, and he had a really, really busy summer. So for him, those three, four days in Gatineau is probably not beneficial for him. So we think that staying back and preparing for the season is going to be best for him.
"Watching him in practice, he's impressive," the Marlies bench boss added.
"I was just doing whatever the team wanted me to do," McKenna reacted to the news. "Obviously, it would be fun to play some games, but if they think me staying here is best, then I'm okay with that, and I'll listen to what they want.
The first game action that McKenna will get to see will be on Sept. 19, when the Maple Leafs play two pre-season games, both against the Montreal Canadiens. One will be played at the Bell Centre, while the other will be played at home at Scotiabank Arena.
The regular season begins on Sept. 29 with Toronto's home opener, and possibly McKenna's first NHL game, marking the start of his rookie season.
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Police, in a press release, claimed Cruz, the recipient of a $950,000 MLB contract from the Dodgers as a 16-year-old, had “consumed alcoholic beverages prior” to the early-morning crash that occurred on a poorly lit four-lane highway on the Dominican Republic’s southern coast — well beyond the country’s COVID-19 imposed curfew.”
Pirates centerfielder Oneil Cruz (15) tips his hat after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Prosecutors opened an investigation and sought to hold Cruz in “preventive detention” following the Sept. 21, 2020 deaths of Yohan Saba Mercado, 20, Deby Beato Charles, 20, and Daniela Perez Garcia, 19.
According to ProPrublica, Santo Caraballo, a local businessman with ties to former Red Sox star David Ortiz, “oversaw a campaign to persuade the families of the three victims to accept cash in return for signing documents withdrawing all ‘penal, civil or judicial’ claims against Cruz.”
Caraballo, who counted a legal services firm among his businesses, organized a legal team and began reaching out to victims’ families.
Mercado’s mother told ProPublica that on the day of the funeral, “after all the mourners left the house, a driver showed up holding out a phone. On the line was Cruz’s mother offering condolences — and wanting to negotiate.”
The total paid out to the families was $66,000, per the outlet.
Pirates centerfielder Oneil Cruz (15) high-fives in the dugout after scoring a run against the San Francisco Giants. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Garcia’s mother said she was tricked into signing a deal, partially by her son, who was working with Caraballo.
“Rich people, especially baseball players, like to pay for dead people with money,” she said. “I am poor, but I have honor.”
The Pirates, who acquired Cruz in a 2017 trade, told ProPublica the now 27-year-old outfielder “addressed this matter more than six years ago based on the information available and the outcome of the legal proceedings,” while his lawyer noted the Dominican court “issued an order of dismissal based on the findings, a legally binding decision that was a lawful resolution of this matter.”
Cruz made it to the big leagues in 2021, playing a pair of games for Pittsburgh, becoming a full-time major leaguer in the second half of 2022.
Garrett Crochet is aware that laying out some premature expectations can occasionally backfire.
“Whatever I say to you guys [reporters] and I don’t do it, and I look like a dumbass,” Crochet said from the dugout at Fenway Park on Friday. “And I’ve done that a couple of times.”
With that understanding, Crochet laid out the latest in his efforts to return to the mound, as he spoke after throwing a bullpen session where he increased his intensity and threw some sweepers for the first time in this ramp-up period.
Crochet hasn’t pitched in a game since late April, but his 25-pitch session on Friday represented a step forward. Still, Crochet answered cautiously when asked if he believes it’s realistic for him to be able to pitch in a game before the postseason begins.
“I’m not sure,” Crochet said. “Trending well right now. I have a lot more stuff to tick off. I mean this is my first time throwing sweepers in a bullpen, so it’d be a pretty big leap to put myself in a game mindset right now.”
The next step for Crochet will be another bullpen session next week, likely Tuesday, according to Chad Tracy. The Red Sox’ interim manager said that the team continues to proceed with the intention of not causing any long-term damage for a potential short-term gain.
“I know there’s a lot of excitement seeing him get on a mound, especially on the game mound. The game mound pushes intensity,” Tracy said. “We’re still in check one box at a time, not, ‘Oh, he threw off a mound, let’s rush Garrett back.’ We’re very mindful of what he can bring and also very mindful of what he means for the future. So as long we keep taking steps forward, we’re in a good spot. He took another one today, and we’ll see how he does over the course of next week as well.”
Crochet did say that his shoulder feels “really good” and that he’s now acclimating the rest of his body to the workload of pitching. The 27-year-old also indicated that he’s managing his own expectations as much as anything as he navigates toward a return to the field.
“Going back to that last time I threw the live [BP], I thought I was close, and it’s pretty depressing to see that that didn’t work out and then being fully shut down for a month,” Crochet siad. “I’m just excited to be throwing again, excited that there’s even potential for me to get back out there again. And watching what this team’s done all year long, kind of kicking myself because I just want to contribute. Last year, we felt like we had a good squad, and this year they’re taking another step forward, and I hate that I can’t be a part of it. But it’s been a joy to watch. I’m really proud of those guys, but at the same time, want to be a part of what they’ve put together.”
The Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic has become something of an unofficial kickoff to hockey season in Calgary.
Players are back in town. Informal skates are underway. Rookie camp is around the corner, and with that comes the part of the season that can be every bit as important as it is unpredictable: training camp and the preseason.
"It's an exciting time of year for everybody."#Flames head coach Ryan Huska speaks with the media about getting set for rookie and main camp. pic.twitter.com/piKqoWqVDN
For the established players, exhibition games are largely about getting their legs back, building chemistry and preparing for the regular season. For everyone else, they can mean considerably more.
There are jobs to be won.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska made that clear while speaking with the media during the charity golf tournament. With a number of roster spots still up for grabs, Calgary’s preseason schedule will provide prospects, younger players and veterans looking to re-establish themselves with an opportunity to make an impression.
That opportunity could be particularly important this year.
Yan Kuznetsov. Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Under the NHL’s new preseason guidelines, players with more than 100 NHL games are limited to two exhibition appearances. That means more ice time for younger players and those fighting for a spot on the roster.
It also means there isn’t much room for a bad game.
“I think for people trying to steal jobs, the exhibition games are going to be important,” Huska said.
The Flames have several players who will be looking to do exactly that.
A strong camp can change the conversation quickly. The same is true for Calgary’s younger prospects.
With veteran players limited to two preseason appearances, there should be more opportunities for players who might otherwise spend much of the exhibition schedule watching from the sidelines. A good performance can create momentum. A couple of good performances can make the coaching staff think twice about where a player fits.
“Those are going to be situations where you want to make sure that you really can show that you’re ready to, one: play and two: take someone’s job,” Huska said. “And take advantage of it if you’re in those couple games.”
That’s really what preseason is about for a large portion of the Flames’ camp roster.
The Flames host the Edmonton Oilers in the NextGen Showcase on Monday, September 14, giving fans an early opportunity to see some of the organization’s promising young talent in action.
Matvei Gridin. Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Matvei Gridin, Tyson Gross, Axel Hurtig and Arsenii Sergeev are among the prospects expected to take the ice as they begin making their case.
For some, the preseason will be little more than a tune-up. For others, it could be the beginning of something much bigger.
• The latest offer from the Pistons is in the five-year, $190 million total "range." It's worth noting that we don't know what player or team options are attached to that contract, which impacts its value. Did the Pistons up their offer from the five-year, $175 million ESPN reported about a week ago, or is this more semantics (the final figure depending on incentives or how the deal is structured)?
• The Houston Rockets just gave their young star Amen Thompson a five-year, $208 million extension. Thompson, a rising star due for a breakout, is close to a Duren comp, although Duren's camp would quickly point out that Thompson has yet to be an All-Star or All-NBA player, and Duren is both. Houston gave center Alperen Sengun a five-year, $185 million extension last summer.
What Duren and his camp have made clear from the start is that they expect $200 million — $40 million a season average salary — in this deal. The Pistons have been unwilling to go there. So far. The Pistons do not want to enter the luxury tax and are currently $46 million below that line for next season, although an Ausar Thompson extension is looming and Detroit is looking ahead to how to afford him, Duren and Cade Cunningham.
Duren's ultimate leverage is taking the $9.6 million qualifying offer, which makes him an unrestricted free agent after this season and gives him veto power over any trade the Pistons try to make.
That is a massive risk, however. There's money left on the table: Even the Pistons' $190 million offer is guaranteed generational wealth. Beyond that, injury or a rough season for whatever reason could damage his value on future contracts. A max offer next summer is not guaranteed.
What gives Duren confidence he'll make the money back is that three "serious suitors" for him, according to The Athletic. That means those teams likely would pay him the max. We know one of those is the Sacramento Kings, which would want to pair Duren with just-drafted Darius Acuff Jr. as the foundation for their future (the Kings tried to talk sign-and-trade with the Pistons, but Detroit has shut all such inquiries down).
On top of that is the bad blood built up in these negotiations, with league sources telling NBC Sports the negotiations were "noxious." Duren and the Pistons couldn't reach terms on an extension last summer, then he had a breakout season and his price went up. While he unquestionably struggled in the playoffs, this is still an elite 22-year-old center who is a force on both ends of the court, and those guys are hard to come by. He is a foundation of what the Pistons are building and they can't let him just walk out the door (if he plays for the qualifying offer, Detroit has to look to trade him at the deadline or before).
Plus, all of this can spill over into a locker room that was tight a year ago when the team won 60 games.
Things will get interesting in a few weeks when Pistons training camp opens. Will the sides reach an extension by then? If not, will Duren be there and talk to the media? The qualifying offer deadline is Oct. 1, although the Pistons can push that back to March 1.
However this is ultimately resolved, it's going to leave scars. All of which seemingly could have been avoided.
Senators fans get a chance to gaze into the future this weekend.
The Sens opened their 2026 rookie camp on Friday morning, with players taking the ice at Canadian Tire Centre before heading across the river for this weekend’s NHL Prospect Challenge in Gatineau.
The four-team tournament at Centre Slush Puppie features prospects from the Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets.
Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot was asked this week about the possibility of being the Senators' next captain (Senators YouTube)
Ottawa will face Toronto on Saturday at 6 p.m. before taking on Montreal at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The Jets and Canadiens will open the tournament Saturday at 1 p.m., while the Jets and Maple Leafs meet Sunday at 1 p.m. Ottawa Senators tournament schedule.
The Senators’ roster includes four goaltenders, nine defencemen and 16 forwards, with several intriguing names worth watching.
At the top of that list are the Sens' two first-round selections from the 2026 NHL Draft: Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover. The Senators selected Lagerberg Hoen 25th overall after acquiring the pick from Florida in the Brady Tkachuk trade. The Swedish winger missed most of his draft season after suffering a knee injury in October, but the organization believes his offensive ceiling could be elite.
Jonas Lagerberg Hoen (@Senators on X)
Before the injury, JLH had nine goals and 16 points in only nine games with Leksands’ under-20 team. The Sens' scouts have praised his skating, competitiveness and ability to score from different areas of the ice.
However, he wore a yellow non-contact jersey on Friday morning, and his name appeared in italics on the club's official roster, so he may not dress for either game this weekend.
All in all, though, that knee looked pretty strong.
Cover, selected 32nd overall, may have even more room to develop.
The Cayman Islands native played roller hockey until he was 13, but he has less than six years of experience on the ice. Despite that limited background, Cover recorded 20 goals and 52 points during his rookie season with the London Knights.
He is still raw, but his rate of improvement and potential for further development are off the charts. And as his first OHL season showed, he's already a very good player.
The Knights are well represented at Ottawa's camp with three ex-London players who have an excellent chance at good NHL careers.
Along with Cover, Kasper Halttunen will make his first appearance in a Senators uniform after being acquired from San Jose in the William Eklund trade.
At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Halttunen combines power-forward size with an excellent shot. He helped the Knights win consecutive OHL championships and scored 32 goals in 35 playoff games across those two runs.
Halttunen had 16 goals and 35 points during his first full AHL season with the San Jose Barracuda. He should have a prominent role in Belleville and could force his way into Ottawa’s plans if his scoring continues to develop.
His former Knights' teammate, Blake Montgomery, will also be in Gatineau after a solid first season at the University of Wisconsin and a late-season audition with Belleville.
Adam Nemec is another 2026 draft pick who could prove to be a good third-round find.
Nemec spent the first half of last season in Slovakia before joining the Sudbury Wolves. He quickly adjusted to the OHL, scoring 14 goals and 35 points in 31 games and has some excellent hockey bloodlines. Nemec’s older brother, Šimon, was selected second overall by New Jersey in 2022 and now plays for the Calgary Flames.
There's also plenty to like in goal.
The new face is six-foot-six Elliot Lennon, Ottawa’s fourth-round pick in June, who joins a group that includes Lucas Beckman, Jackson Parsons and Kevin Reidler.
Beckman was traded from Baie-Comeau to Chicoutimi last season and helped the Saguenéens win the QMJHL championship and reach the Memorial Cup. He was traded again this summer to Cape Breton, where he will try to help the Eagles make a similar run.
Parsons and Reidler are expected to be part of the goaltending picture in Belleville this season. Leevi Meriläinen, who is not participating in rookie camp, remains ahead of both on the organizational depth chart.
One of the more experienced players at the tournament will be 24-year-old Norwegian forward Eskild Bakke Olsen.
The undrafted free-agent signing helped Norway capture a surprise bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. He played nearly 20 minutes during Norway’s upset victory over Canada and is coming off a 32-point season with Linköping in the Swedish Hockey League.
Bakke Olsen brings good size at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds and will have an opportunity this weekend to show whether his game can translate to North America.
Right-shot defenceman Christian Kyrou is another older free-agent signing who could, if injuries strike, push for an NHL opportunity.
Originally selected 50th overall by Dallas in 2022, Kyrou signed a one-year, two-way contract with Ottawa on July 1. The 23-year-old produced 10 goals and 34 points in 59 AHL games split between Texas and Lehigh Valley last season.
Kyrou’s puck-moving ability will make him a valuable addition in Belleville, especially if Carter Yakemchuk makes the NHL squad in his third camp.
The seventh-overall selection in 2024 had 10 goals and 40 points in 54 games with Belleville last season before making his NHL debut. He recorded a goal and an assist in four regular-season games with Ottawa and added two assists in his lone playoff appearance.
The Senators clearly believe he has now moved beyond the need for another rookie tournament.
The weekend will also include several free activities for fans outside Centre Slush Puppie.
Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday for an open Senators practice. Beginning at noon, the outdoor fan area will feature street hockey along with family events and activities.
Winnipeg and Montreal play at 1 p.m. before the doors reopen for the Senators game at 5 p.m. Ottawa’s rookies will sign autographs on the concourse beginning at 5:15, with the Senators and Maple Leafs facing off at 6.
The outdoor activities return at noon on Sunday, followed by Toronto against Winnipeg at 1 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. for the Sens' game against Montreal, with another rookie autograph session scheduled for 5:15 before the 6 p.m. faceoff.
Many of these prospects will be invited to continue their auditions at the main training camp, which begins Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest THN Ottawa headlines below:
