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Bassitt struggles in debut, Orioles fall 5-2

BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 30: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 30, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Orioles have shied away from drafting pitchers in the first round under Mike Elias. The team recently acquired and extended a former first-round starter in Shane Baz, but Baltimore has opted time and time again to prioritize position players in the draft. Tonight’s opponent—the Texas Rangers—used top 10 picks on a pair of starters in 2021 and 2022. The Orioles faced the higher of the two draft picks tonight.

Former number two overall pick Jack Leiter held Baltimore to two runs over six strong innings. Leiter made an early mistake against Gunnar Henderson, but he minimized hard contact for the duration of his outing. Baltimore’s offense failed to build on Sunday’s strong offensive performance, and the Birds fell 5-2 in the first of three games at Camden Yards.

The Orioles built their rotation through trades and free agency. Baltimore inked Chris Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5 million deal, and the 37-year-old made his Oriole debut tonight against Texas. Bassitt took the loss after allowing four earned runs over 4.1 innings.

Bassitt ran into trouble right out of the gate. The former Blue Jay allowed a leadoff single to Brandon Nimmo, and Wyatt Langford beat out an infield hit after an assist from instant replay. Corey Seager advanced both runners with a soft ground out to second base, and Bassitt made his first true mistake after his next pitch.

Bassitt generated a comebacker that could have been a rally killer, but the righty failed to make another quality throw to home plate. The starter had Nimmo dead to rights, but he spiked a comically bad throw that allowed the leadoff hitter to score.

Bassitt recovered by striking out Joc Pederson and retiring Josh Jung, and Henderson picked him up in the bottom of the frame. Leiter fell behind 2-0 before grooving a middle-middle fastball to Baltimore’s shortstop. Henderson jumped at the pitch and sent the ball 410 feet to dead center. Just like that, the score was event at one.

Bassitt wasted no time relinquishing the lead for the second time. He allowed a leadoff double to Evan Carter before walking Kyle Higashioka. Nimmo struck again with his second single in as many innings to provide Texas a 2-1 advantage. Higashioka advanced to third on a fly out by Langford, and Bassitt loaded the bases with a free pass to Seager. Jake Burger increased the early lead with a base hit up the middle, and Pederson drove in the Rangers’ fourth run with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Bassit allowed base runners in the third and fourth innings but managed to post a pair of zeros. He issued a leadoff walk in the fifth inning, and exited after striking out Jung. His final line read 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. He threw 61 of 100 pitches for strikes.

Orioles fans may have some concern after watching Charlie Morton and Kyle Gibson fall off a cliff, but Bassitt deserves more than one start before we all press the panic button. The veteran was not sharp in his Camden Yards debut, but he’ll have an opportunity to make a stronger second impression next week.

Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia kept the Orioles in it with impressive performances out of the bullpen. Enns struck out four batters over 1.2 innings, and Garcia blanked three over two clean frames.

Baltimore cut the deficit in half with a run in the fifth. Colton Cowser got things started with an infield single, and Blaze Alexander moved him into scoring position with a base hit up the middle. Cowser advanced to third on a flyout by Ward, and Henderson drove in Baltimore’s only other run with a sharp single up the middle.

Baltimore’s best chance to even the score came in the bottom of the eighth. Ward and Alonso singled to put the tying run on base with one out. Unfortunately, Adley Rutschman lined out to center and Tyler O’Neill produced a harmless grounder to end the threat.

Tyler Wells continued his rocky start to the season with an earned run in the ninth inning. The former starter allowed a one-out double to Burger before allowing consecutive singles to Andrew McCutchen and Josh Smith.

Pinch hitters Jeremiah Jackson and Ryan Mountcastle failed to generate a rally in the ninth inning.

The Orioles will look to climb back above .500 with Zach Eflin on the mound tomorrow at 6:35 p.m.

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Bryce Elder keeps Athletics quiet in 4-0 shutout win for Braves

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 30: Atlanta pitcher Bryce Elder (55) throws a pitch during the MLB game between the Athletics and the Atlanta Braves on March 30th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA.(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Bryce Elder’s first start of the season was a successful one, as his six strong innings and some early offense ended up being the formula for a comprehensive 4-0 series-opening win for the Atlanta Braves over the Athletics.

The game got off to an auspicious start for the Braves, as Elder got his night going with a 1-2-3 inning and then the Braves pounced on A’s starter Jacob Lopez right out of the gate. Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the game with a walk and usually when Acuña reaches base to begin a game, good things usually follow. Sure enough, good times were on the way as Matt Olson put the Braves ahead early with an RBI double and then Mauricio Dubón plated both Olson and Drake Baldwin (who got on with a single earlier on in the first) with an RBI single to make it a three-run first inning for the Braves.

While pitching with a lead has gotten Bryce Elder in trouble at times in the past, that wasn’t the case here on Monday night. Elder sat down the A’s in order in the second inning — even though he gave up a hit to the returning hometown hero Lawrence Butler, Butler’s time on the base paths was short-lived after Elder picked him off at first to end the inning. That was actually Elder’s first career pickoff throw and it also should’ve been the clearest sign that he was going to be on top of his game on the mound tonight.

Elder ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth inning when Tyler Soderstrom and Mississippi State legend Brent Rooker were both on base together with just one out in the fourth inning. Fortunately, Elder was able to retire Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler in consecutive harmless fly ball outs (both off of changeups) in order to escape the mini-jam without sustaining much damage. Elder then struck out the side (a Carlos Cortes walk, notwithstanding) in the fifth inning with a nasty-looking sinker punching Nick Kurtz out looking to end the fifth.

Elder eventually finished his outing with six shutout innings under his belt along with five strikeouts. There were still a fair share of baserunners for Elder to deal with as he gave up five hits and a walk but ultimately, he was able to prevent the A’s from doing any type of serious damage. While this might only be Elder’s first start of the season, it would certainly be an incredibly encouraging development if Elder can be consistently relied upon like he was during the first half of the 2023 season.

While that was going on, Jacob Lopez ended up only lasting four innings in this one as the Braves were able to keep him throwing a ton of pitches on the mound. Atlanta racked up five hits against Lopez but they also coaxed five walks out of him as well. That’s a pretty quick way to get the pitch count up and Lopez ended up throwing 91 pitches on the night. Meanwhile, it took Elder 83 pitches to get through six innings — one guy was dealing and the other guy was scuffling and fortunately, the guy who we’re all rooting for was the one doing the dealing.

The A’s bullpen entered the game and eventually settled things down as the Braves didn’t really threaten too much from the fifth inning onwards. Ronald Acuña Jr. did hit a deep fly ball to left-center that looked like it was leaving the park off of the bat but instead, it landed at the base of the wall for a double and that’s where he would be stranded to end the frame.

The Braves offense eventually returned to the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth inning, which is exactly when you want to start adding some breathing room before the final inning of the contest. Mike Yastrzemski got things going in a big way by hitting a line drive that got over Jeff McNeil’s head. Once the A’s finally got to the ball and the smoke cleared, Yaz was at third with a triple. Mauricio Dubón brought Yaz home with his third hit of the game and just like that, the Braves had a four-run advantage heading into the ninth. Dubón may have had a couple of errors in this one but his big day at the plate helped to balance things out.

The Braves bullpen entered the game in the seventh inning and things went pretty smoothly for that particular group. Aaron Bummer struck out a pair during his scoreless seventh inning and then Robert Suarez did his job as the set-up man by inducing an a ground ball for an inning-ending double play that completely snuffed out the A’s chance at potentially getting a rally going in the eighth inning. That set things up for Raisel Iglesias to finish things off in the ninth inning. A double play and a pop-out made it a relatively quick inning to finish things off and push the Braves to 3-1 on the year.

Again, it bears repeating that the Braves could absolutely do with having guys like Bryce Elder step up and deliver some reliable production at the back of the rotation. If they can get pitching like this on a somewhat regular basis then that alone should help this team improve from how they finished last season. On top of that, the offense seems to be in solid form to start the season as well. While this wasn’t a perfect win (the errors and some sloppy base running (which manager Walt Weiss is willing to accept for the time being as the team learns to be more aggressive on the base paths) come to mind), a win is a thousand-times more pretty than a loss and so far the Braves are doing pretty well here in the early going.

Hopefully things will continue in the right path as the Braves go for another series win on Tuesday night starting at 7:15 p.m. ET.

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TSN Analyst On Linus Ullmark: 'What He Did On Saturday Was Completely Unacceptable'

As the Ottawa Senators prepare to take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, it's not unreasonable or even sarcastic to wonder if their eight-million-dollar starting goalie will be rested enough to play or not. 

On Saturday, two days after Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was expected that Ullmark would start in Tampa against the Lightning. After all, their next game was still three days away.

Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Linus Ullmark sitting out Saturday's game because he needed rest.

But when game time rolled around, it was 38-year-old backup James Reimer who led the Sens onto the ice for what turned out to be a 4-2 loss to the Lightning. Reimer wasn't the reason for the loss, but not going with Ullmark seemed like a curious choice.

With no local media on the road, Sens host Jackson Starr, who's a Senators employee, asked head coach Travis Green after the game what went into the decision to start Reimer over Ullmark.

"I want to play Linus every night," Green replied. "But he needed a rest and he wasn’t available to start tonight.”

Ullmark has yet to give his account of why he didn't play, but Green's explanation that he needed a rest has had Sens Nation and the hockey world buzzing over the past two days. 

Former NHL player Jeff O' Neill is never one to pull punches on his TSN Toronto radio show, Overdrive, and he certainly didn't on this story.

"What Linus Ullmark did on Saturday night was completely unacceptable," O' Neill said on Monday's show. "I know he's had his difficulties this year. His team stood by him, and the organization stood by him. This is about the team chasing the playoffs and everybody contributing.

"And he said he needed a day off in the biggest game of the year? Not buying it. It's not part of the league. You don't get to pick and choose when you wanna feel good and when you don't."

O' Neill was clearly fired up, loudly interrupting co-host Jamie McLennan, who got all of five words into his reply.

"It's hard. And I think..." McLennan began.

"You're damn right it's hard!" O Neill yelled. "When everyone else is busting their nuts, they've got defenseman out (of the lineup), and they've got kids playing back there. And everyone's dying to try to get into the playoffs, and a guy just says, 'Not tonight?' Unacceptable! Can't have it in the NHL."

O' Neill had some sympathy for Sens' head coach Travis Green and how he must be feeling when everyone else seems to be buying in and giving their all, even though most of them are banged up and running on low fuel at the end of the season.

"Travis Green has done such a great job with that Ottawa team. He's established himself as a great coach. The team has come together, and everybody is pushing. You can't have a guy who's the most important player on your team say, 'Not really feeling it tonight.'

"Can't happen in the NHL. Sorry."

You can hear the full conversation here.

The Senators face the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Tuesday night.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

 

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Penguins/Islanders Recap: Pens chase Sorokin, demolish Islanders 8-3

ELMONT, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders reacts to a goal by Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:54 of the third period at UBS Arena on March 30, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame

There are lots of moving parts for the Penguins, who are using three different lines for tonight. The happiest change is that Sidney Crosby is able to return and Bryan Rust shrugs off his maintenance day yesterday to play too. Rickard Rakell stays at center for the second game in a row, this time between the ‘big’ winger duo of Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau. Tommy Novak slides to the wing for the first time in a while, joined by Ben Kindel and Avery Hayes. Arturs Silovs gets the start in net.

First period

Both teams play a little tight and tense at first. The Islanders get the puck down low and try to jam it in, nearly doing so a couple times. On the other end of the ice, Erik Karlsson shoots a puck off Ilya Sorokin’s stick nob and then a Sidney Crosby shot hits the crossbar a little later.

The Islanders gain momentum and start stacking up chances. Adam Pelech shoots from the blueline through plenty of traffic, Silovs doesn’t track the puck but luckily for him it hits the post and stays out. Crosby and Karlsson then hulk up and generate a bunch of chances.

Pittsburgh traps some tired Islanders in their d-zone and amps up the pressure to the max by double shifting the first line following an NYI icing call but they can’t quite get it to go.

First penalty is called with 3:15 to play, Sam Girard goes for holding and Mat Barzal joins him for the extra spinning, turning fall to exaggerate the hold. The 4v4 is uneventful, after it ends J.G Pageau bonks Chinakhov on the head with a stick and that creates the first power play with 56 seconds left in the period. The Islanders get a 2-on-1, period ends.

The whole period felt like a desperate race mainly between Crosby and Karlsson trying to create a goal before the Islanders could get on the board. Neither ended up succeeding in the first 20 minutes. Shots were 11-7 Pittsburgh, both team struck some iron, yet the score stays 0-0.

Second period

Pittsburgh starts the period with a little over a minute on the carryover power play, they still don’t get anything going. Bo Horvat chugs down the ice and Rakell has to hook him to slow him down for the first NYI power play.

The Islanders score on their chance, Adam Boqvist sends a shot wide off the back wall, it takes a healthy bounce and Anders Lee is able to steer it in to open the scoring 1:27 into the second.

The Pens respond with a good shift following the goal but then it dries up. NYI gets a 2-on-1 and Silovs cheats too much to the near side so Barzal snipes him to the far-side top corner. 2-0, 2:56 in.

The Islanders apply more pressure and trap the Pens. Faceoffs are 21-6 NYI, Pittsburgh can’t win a draw and get in trouble after Silovs can’t freeze a high shot. They survive long enough to get a change and start pushing back. The fourth line gets a great shift and creates some traffic of their own. Karlsson glances another shot off the post, Noel Acciari and Elmer Soderblom go to work down low with Soderblom finding the puck after a scramble and lifting the puck over a fallen Sorokin. 2-1.

The Islanders answer back, Silovs goes to catch a low shot but doesn’t snag the puck, rebound sits there for Brayden Schenn to put into the net. 3-1.

Acciari takes a penalty, and it’s the Penguins who score on the PK. Rakell and Bryan Rust work a give-and-go that ends with Rust setting Rakell up to steer a puck through Sorokin’s five-hole. 3-2 game.

Game is wide open now, the Pens let Barzal get behind them again, his breakaway shot sails wide. Pittsburgh answers again with their second goal in 2:28. Anthony Mantha goes low-to-high to Ryan Shea and this time it’s Sorokin who is caught deeper in his crease and Shea’s shot hits the mark. 3-3.

Pittsburgh then takes their first lead of the night. Mantha gets behind the NYI defense and Justin Brazeau sends it into space for him to skate into. Mantha tries his classic breakaway move to feint and lay the backhander through the five-hole, it works. 4-3 PIT.

There goes that man again! As if on repeat, Brazeau makes another great pass to Mantha after Kris Letang pinches down and wins a puck back. The Islanders defensive structure is totally gone, no one picks Mantha up so he skates it all the way in, makes another move to the backhand and uses his long reach to steer in a second goal of the period. 5-3 Pens.

Well, that was a wild ride. Eight total goals, the Islanders look like they’re about to run away with things but then four unanswered goals by the Penguins put them ahead 5-3 at the second. Shots are 13-8 PIT in the middle frame.

Third period

Matthew Schaefer takes the puck to the net trying to make something happen, the Pens survive.

Soderblom and Scott Mayfield get tied up and are angry enough to get in a fight. Soderblom uses his size and strength to hold the smaller player off and throws a few nice shots in to drop the Islander.

Two rookies combine to extend the lead to 6-3. Sorokin stops Ben Kindel with the Pens on a 3-on-1 rush but leaves a rebound and loses his net. A great second effort by Kindel passes the puck back to the mouth of the crease for Avery Hayes to score an easy one, courtesy of no defender getting to him in time.

Pittsburgh ends Sorokin’s night, Brazeau blisters a shot that the goalie can’t handle. The generous NYI defense can’t get the stick or body of Rakell, who drives to the net and finds a way to finish it. 7-3 with 12:06 to play forces a goalie change to put David Rittich in.

The Isles get a chance, Silovs waves his blocker hand at the puck and falls to his stomach, the rolling puck ends up on his back and down behind him heading for the goal-line. Parker Wotherspoon is there to save the day and jam it back into the goalie to get a stoppage.

Game is ambling on, the Pens make a normal looking breakout but Scott Mayfield offers no resistance to Bryan Rust. Crosby hits Rust with a pass and it’s way too casual defending to let Rust snap a shot in. 8-3.

That does it for this game.

Some thoughts

  • Egor Chinakhov has been so productive this season and when you’re a winger on the Penguins having great success, you’re going to find your way to Crosby’s line sooner or later. The need for Rakell as a center (though the team did have Novak as a typical option for their second line center) meant that Chinakhov-Crosby combo got tried for the first real time in earnest with little build up on practices, instead of going with Rakell.
  • That’s one of those things if it works, the coach looks like a genius and if it doesn’t, well, that makes for a tougher conversation. The genius touch (or, hey the one that worked and makes the coach look good) ended up being the call to reunite Mantha and Brazeau. Those two each had three-point games and combined to put the biggest impacts on this game when it was up for grabs.
  • Same with the choice of goalie, though perhaps neither option is really a preferable one. Silovs was as impassive and deep in the net as a shooter tutor on the Barzal goal. NYI scored three goals on 1.24 expected. After that, the Pens were able to give the Islanders basically nothing while they went and out-scored their problems in net. Luckily for Pittsburgh they were able to exploit the Islanders’ biggest weakness (a blatant disegard for playing competitive defense) before NYI could touch up the Pens’.
  • Crosby was on a mission in the first period: six shot attempts, some smart passes, super-high battle level, he was dialed in. You could tell it was a big game just from watching him, fun to see him turn the clock back before our eyes coming back from injury and leading the team during an important game. He didn’t end up being THE story of the game but it’s great to see him back in the lineup and playing such a driven brand of hockey.
  • Defensemen had 8/19 of the Islanders’ shot attempts in the first period. They weren’t trying anything fancy, they were getting forwards to the net and letting their blueliners shoot from a distance to see what would happen.
  • Rust and Rakell creating a shorthanded goal was incredibly pivotal. The Pens were down 3-1 and possibly on the ropes while killing a penalty. Then, boom, they’re right back in it. Then Mantha put his imprint on the game with a primary assist and two goals to completely change the game. Recently when good things have been happening, it usually has something to do with those names, this was no different.
  • In that way, it was very fitting for the Pens’ season; it may not always be pretty and they might be on the ropes at time, but they’re always going to keep pushing. This team has some admirable fight from within.
  • Great adjustment by the Pens going into the second. Early on, they were often looking for passes and trying to find back door plays to do the work. They simplified in the second, and you saw a lot of the size and muscle of this team taking over. Soderblom was a beast down low. Brazeau and Mantha were doing their things along the walls and then by the net. It might go unnoticed (but probably not for long) about just how much length and strength that the Pens have built up lately into their team. It’s not easy to get the puck off of 6’5”, 6’6” and 6’8” forwards from down low when they can really lean into it.
  • The support plays for the Pens were so good too. Wotherspoon grabbed a couple of secondary assists getting the puck going north. Letang pinched and won a puck back to start the sequence for a Mantha goal. Novak slipped the puck off the wall for Kindel to skate into for an odd-man rush. Crosby got a puck behind the net over for Mantha to start a play. The finishes and immediate setups were nice too, but every play has to start somewhere, the Pens had some great building blocks to start sequences.
  • Seven goals and Evgeni Malkin didn’t play, Erik Karlsson had no points and Crosby had the one assist. That’s an incredible offensive output from up and down the lineup. 15 out of the 18 Penguin skaters for tonight registered a point. Very few had multiple point games until the garbage time goal, all things considered from the first seven goals (Mantha 2G+1A, Rakell 2G, Brazeau 3A, Wotherspoon 2A until Crosby, Rust and Letang joined the multi-point club with the late third period goal). Just a lot of balance and obviously a couple of massive efforts from the like of Mantha and Rakell.
  • If NYI/PIT does end up being a first round playoff game, my goodness, I don’t know how we’ll survive. Certainly the blood pressure will be going up, neither team is all that dutiful at defending and both have some scary forwards when they get time and space to sneak behind all-too-oblivious opponents. Thought the biggest factor in this game, probably by far, was the awful effort of the NYI defense, whether it was in their structure or just showing basic pro level competitiveness. They must have sensed the game was slipping away from them and pretty much packed it in for the night and let the Pens do whatever they needed to do in the last 30 minutes.
  • Best thing: no more Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle is long gone and Kyle Palmieri is on IR. All the old familiar NYI nightmares are over. Players like Horvat, Barzal and Schaefer present enough challenges on their own but it’s no small comfort that a lot of those from the past can’t show up on a night like tonight.
  • Pittsburgh ends the year 2-0-1 against NYI, who they now are ahead of by one point in the standings (the Pens do have a game in hand). That’s a massive outcome to take 5 out of 6 available points against a critical opponent, while seeing them walk away with just two from the season series. Will there be more in the playoffs? If the Islanders play such sloppy and uncommitted defense like they displayed tonight, sign us up!

This week was accurately billed as so crucial to the playoff hopes of the whole season. It couldn’t really have started any better, the Pens score the last seven goals of the game and don’t exactly have a tough or physical, bruising type of contest so they should have a lot of momentum when they return home for another huge game tomorrow night against Detroit.

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It's official: NBA formally approves sale of Trail Blazers to a group led by Tom Dundon

The expected has become official: The NBA Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers, a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.

The vote was unanimous, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic.

The franchise was valued at $4.25 billion for the sale. The new owners purchased the team from the Paul Allen Trust, which has been run by Allen's sister Judy Allen since 2018, when the Microsoft co-founder died. All proceeds from the sale will be directed to charities, as the trust requires.

Dundon takes over a team that has just received state approval for major upgrades and renovations to the Moda Center. On the court, the Trail Blazers are a transitioning team that has veterans — Jrue Holiday, next season Damian Lillard — but is really built around younger stars such as Deni Avdija, Sharron Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.

"I'm just getting to know Tom," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said of Dundon after last week's Board of Governors meeting. "I've known him by reputation for a long time, not just through his ownership of the Carolina Hurricanes, but also through the other sports investments he's made. He's a go-getter, he's got a great reputation from having led a turnaround in the NHL. He has enormous passion and spirit. He wants to be successful both as a businessman in Portland and he wants to be successful with the team on the floor."

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Sixers follow up big win with clunker in Miami

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 30: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on March 30, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. 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 Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Well, at least it wasn’t just the third quarter that sunk them tonight.

Philadelphia fell apart down the stretch, losing 119-109 to the Miami Heat Monday night.

They are now41-34, still the seventh seed but have lost the season series tiebreaker to Miami.

Tyrese Maxey had another solid second half to finish with 23 points shooting 7-of-20 from the floor with nine assists. Joel Embiid struggled for much of the night but still led the Sixers with 26 points going 10-of-25 from the field along with seven rebounds.

Paul George cooled off after the first half, going for 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting.VJ Edgecombe played well in front of family and friends until he ran into foul trouble. He went for 13 points and five assists shooting 5-of-8 from the field. Tyler Herro led all scorers with 30.

The Sixers were only missing Johni Broome while the Heat were without Norman Powell (illness).

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

  • Embiid was hot to start the game again, making three of his first four shots of the night. He knocked down a couple jumpers before settling in with a layup and a trip to the line posting up. After knocking down a corner three George burst through the line to throw down a two-handed dunk. It was probably his best looking drive as a Sixer.
  • That was barely keeping up with Miami’s 7-of-10 start to the game. PG poking a steal away from Bam Adebayo was the only resistance the Sixers had early. They got beat off the dribble quite a bit before Miami started making everything from three.
  • George continued to look good going to the basket, finishing an and-1 in transition. Edgecombe’s jumper was falling for him early, but a couple scoreless minutes allowed the Heat to easily rip off a 10-0 run. Maxey ended it with his first points of the night, then swatted a Herro jumpshot attempt to create a transition basket for Edgecombe. Maxey went on to hit a floater with an and-1 and hit George on the wing for three to bring the Sixers within four.

Second Quarter

  • Maxey’s game continued to look like his return. He opened the quarter with a turnaround jumper. George pulled up for another three on the next possession, but he missed his heat check trying to iso Simone Fontecchio. Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. both got on the board by pushing the pace, but the Heat got those baskets back doing the same.
  • Embiid had missed four straight shots to end his first shift, but he quickly knocked one down from the elbow upon checking back in. He hit Dominick Barlow on the block, hit some sort of runner, and backed Adebayo down to draw a foul as the Sixers swung the game their way. Miami’s shooting was already coming back down to earth with a 4-of-15 start to the quarter.
  • It’s so easy for momentum to swing back, especially on a possession where you give up three offensive rebounds. Despite Nick Nurse calling a timeout after the Sixers did, Miami was able to eat into the newly formed Sixers lead. A pair of free throws from Edgecombe had Philly holding on by three at the break.

Third Quarter

  • The second half didn’t start as well for Embiid as the first did. He opened the third with a turnover, and fumbled the ball with the shot clock winding down a few possessions later. The heave from that was way off and he missed a rhythm attempt from the top of the key. It was a rough start for the whole team, who missed seven of their first eight field goal attempts.
  • A timeout was called to stop what had become an extend 18-4 run for the Heat. Edgecombe turned it over right out of the inbounds play. He then picked up his fourth foul of the night and got T’d up for pleading his case that Adebayo set a moving screen.
  • Turnovers and offensive rebounds helped Miami push their lead to the largest of the night at 15 before the Sixers snapped out of it. Maxey scored or assisted the first nine points of a 12-0 Sixers run while getting his hand on the ball a couple times on the other end of the floor as well. Herro got past Oubre for a layup to break that, and responded to a Maxey three with a pair of free throws to keep the Heat leading by four.

Fourth Quarter

  • A scary moment for Maxey as he came up favoring that still recovering right hand after getting fouled on a drive, but he was at least fine enough to make both free throws. The Sixers continued to miss decent looks all second half so Oubre knocking down a three from the wing to get back within three was big.
  • Nothing had gone Embiid’s way since the opening minutes, but he quickly made up the five-point deficit when he checked back into the game. He knocked down a couple of jumpers, drawing a foul on the second. Miami called a timeout after the free throw, but Maxey came right out of it and buried a three from just inside the logo. He connected on another a few moments later to let Kate and Alaa show off their knowledge of the Miami area, but an illegal screen called on Embiid took it off the board.
  • Embiid made up for that foul with a three from the wing, but the Heat running quick off that made basket gave Adebayo a wide open putback dunk. Two threes from Herro put the Heat up by four while Maxey and Embiid could not answer with jumpers of their own.
  • George wasn’t able to check back in until there was 1:35 left with a six-point deficit. After sitting for nearly six minutes he had his three blocked by Herro. A Pelle Larsson drive, an offensive foul on Maxey, and a floater from Herro capped off a 14-0 Heat run, as disastrous a finish as the Sixers could have had.
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Ken Clay, two-time Yankees’ World Series champ, dead at 71

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Ken Clay smiling in the dressing room after a Yankees victory, Image 2 shows Baseball players Reggie Jackson and Ken Clay congratulate each other on the field

Ken Clay, who won World Series championships with the New York Yankees in 1977-78 to highlight his five-year major league career, has died at the age of 71.

Dr. Jim Warner, executive medical director for the Centra Heart & Vascular Institute in Lynchburg, Virginia, notified the Yankees on Sunday that Clay died Thursday at home in Lynchburg. Warner said Clay’s cause of death was heart and kidney issues.

A reliever for most of his career, Clay made his major league debut in June 1977 and appeared in two games in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1978, also against the Dodgers, he gave up a three-run homer to Davey Lopes in Game 1 in his only appearance.

Pitcher Ken Clay smiles in the dressing room after a Yankee victory over Kansas City in the American League championship opener, Oct. 3, 1978 AP

His best postseason outing came in the opener of the 1978 American League Championship Series against Kansas City. The Yankees led 4-0 when Clay entered with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Clay pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings and earned the save in a 7-1 win.

Clay was 1-7 in 1979 and finished the season in the minors. He was still in the minors when the Yankees traded him to the Texas Rangers for Gaylord Perry the next year. He made eight starts for the Rangers in 1980, going 2-3, and was traded to the Seattle Mariners after the season. The Mariners released him in spring training in 1982.

Yankees’ Reggie Jackson, center, who hit a three-run home run, and Ken Clay, who pitched more than three innings without giving up a hit, congratulate each other as New York won the American League playoff opener over Kansas City, Oct. 3, 1978. AP

Clay made 111 appearances in the majors in his career, including 36 starts, and was 10-24 with three saves and a 4.68 ERA.

As Clay struggled in 1979, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner criticized him for underachieving, famously calling him a “morning glory,” a reference to racehorses that turn in excellent morning workouts but don’t perform well in races.

Clay also had a run of legal issues. In 1987, he pleaded guilty in Virginia to stealing more than $16,000 from a ring distributor he worked for after his baseball career ended. In 1992, he was sentenced to one year in a Virginia jail for stealing $550 from the car dealership where he worked. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to forgery and other charges in Florida and agreed to repay more than $40,000 to creditors for using an ex-girlfriend’s personal information to defraud three credit card companies.

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Chase Burns notches 1st major league win in Reds' 2-0 victory over Pirates

CINCINNATI (AP) — Chase Burns allowed one hit in five innings for his first major league win, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Burns (1-0) walked three and struck out seven, including Jared Triolo with two on and two outs in the fourth. Jose Franco retired five batters before leaving with two on. Graham Ashcraft struck out Henry Davis to end the seventh and fanned two more in a scoreless eighth. Conner Phillips walked Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O'Hearn before retiring three straight for his first career save.

Elly De La Cruz singled leading off the fourth against Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) for the Reds but was thrown out trying to steal second. Sal Stewart walked, took third on a single by Eugenio Suárez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Steer. Suárez scored on a triple by Will Benson to cap the scoring in a third straight win for Cincinnati.

Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) gave up two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings in his ninth career start. Isaac Mattson pitched the seventh and Justin Lawrence struck out the side in the eighth.

Stewart, the reigning NL player of the week, went 1 for 2 and walked twice. He is 8 for 12 at the plate through the first four games.

Burns went 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA in eight starts over 13 appearances for the Reds last season.

Up next

Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler will square off with Reds LHP Brandon Williamson on Tuesday in their first starts of the season.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb37

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Colorado Rockies vs. Toronto Blue Jays game no. 4 OVERFLOW THREAD

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 30: Colorado Rockies Infielder Kyle Karros (12) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run during the MLB regular season game between the Colorado Rockies and the Toronto Blue Jays on March 30, 2026, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Friends, you’ve been so engaged that we had to put together an overflow thread! We’ll start doing that for game threads that reach 300+ comments (Sunday’s got a little unwieldy!).

The Rockies just put up a seven-spot on the reigning AL champion Blue Jays after getting in around 2:30am. Also, it was the largest road inning since May 7, 2023 at the New York Mets.

They’re currently up 9-1, and Chase Dollander just made his first appearance out of the bullpen.

In case you forgot, here are the lineups:

Keep it civil, friends, and please remember the Purple Row Community Guidelines as you’re commenting!

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3-1 – Leiter lights ‘em up as Rangers take opener from O’s 5-2

Mar 30, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (22) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Baltimore Orioles scored two runs.

The east coast road trip to begin the 2026 season rolled into Baltimore where the Rangers got an early look at the American League East’s Orioles. Unfortunately for the O’s, that meant they would get an early look at Jack Leiter and they didn’t find much to their liking.

There was plenty to like about Leiter from our perspective, however, as the former first-rounder had his good stuff and enough command to wield it tonight.

Fresh off a rookie season where he turned the corner and situated himself as a rotation mainstay, Leiter’s sophomore year began a tad dicey as he struggled to find the strike zone in the first inning after Texas had staked him to an early 1-0 lead. Needing strikes, Leiter tried one right down the middle to Gunnar Henderson and Henderson did what he often does by depositing it over the fence to even the score.

From there, until another brief bout of wildness in the fifth inning when Baltimore scored their second run, Leiter was cruising with scintillating swing-and-miss stuff. In fact, on the night, Leiter elicited 21 swings and misses in his 92 offerings which is now his big league best total and the third most from a pitcher so far this season.

Supporting Leiter was a lineup that came out looking to make Baltimore starter Chris Bassitt sweat in his first start with the Orioles. Texas worked Bassitt to 70+ pitches into the third inning with leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo batting in each of the first three frames. However, despite scoring a run in the first and tacking on three more in the top of the second, it felt like the Rangers left a lot of meat on the bone with the early rallies against Bassitt.

Indeed, Texas left ‘em loaded in the top of the first and overall went just 4-for-16 with RISP while leaving 12 runners on base. Two of those hits with RISP didn’t come until Texas added an insurance run in the ninth, so the lack of cracking this one open meant the game remained tight throughout despite the disparity between starting pitchers.

Nevertheless, Nimmo, Jake Burger, and Evan Carter each had a couple of hits apiece and the bats did enough to score early and help Leiter settle in while the run in the ninth helped alleviate the “bloop and a blast” fears.

After three scoreless innings from a trio of Jakob Junis, Jalen Beeks, and Tyler Anderson to follow Leiter, the Rangers are 3-1 and guaranteed no worse than a .500 road trip to open the year.

Player of the Game: Leiter produced a line of six innings, five hits, two runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts to pick up his first win in his first start of the 2026 season.

Leiter’s fourth inning was the highlight of the night as he struck out the side each on a different pitch type and all swinging on 11 pitches with five swinging strikes. Excising just one frame from one baseball game, I don’t think you’d find a better inning for a pitcher than Leiter’s fourth tonight and ultimately he begins the year 1-0.

Up Next: The Rangers haven’t made it official yet but RHP Jacob deGrom is again expected to make his 2026 debut for Texas in tomorrow’s contest. Baltimore will counter with RHP Zach Eflin.

The Tuesday evening first pitch from Camden Yards is again scheduled for 5:35 pm CDT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #4: 3/30 vs. Tigers

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 27: A general view of Chase Field during the national anthem prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Thursday, March 27, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Today’s Lineups

TIGERSDIAMONDBACKS
Kerry Carpenter – RFKetel Marte – 2B
Gleyber Torres – 2BCorbin Carroll – RF
Colt Keith – DHGeraldo Perdomo – SS
Riley Greene – LFGabriel Moreno – C
Spencer Torkelson – 1BNolan Arenado – 3B
Kevin McGonigle – 3BAlek Thomas – CF
Dillon Dingler – CCarlos Santana – 1B
Parker Meadows – CFIldemaro Vargas – DH
Javier Baez – SSJordan Lawlar – LF
Justin Verlander – RHPMichael Soroka – RHP

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.

  • Recalled from Triple-A Reno: INF Jose Fernandez (No. 11)
  • Placed on the 10-day injured list: INF Pavin Smith (left elbow inflammation; retro to March 29)

Hmm. This is another case where a Diamondbacks player was hurt, is initially cleared to play, and then a few days later has to go on the injured list. Seems to be rather more of a trend than I’d like. Anyway, it gives Jose Fernandez his MLB debut after an impressive spring. He had largely come out of nowhere after being added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft: at that point, Fernandez was largely unknown to casual fans. This promotion comes after precisely one (1) game at the Triple-A level for Jose, so we’ll see how the 22-year-old right-hander copes. It does leave Arizona with only two “true” lefties (Carroll and Thomas), though there are five switch-hitters.

What should we expect from Soroka? He had a “meh” spring, with a 7.20 ERA across four starts and twelve innings. However, he did strike out 17 batters. The problem was more the 17 hits and 7 walks allowed. Last season, he had a 4.52 ERA over 22 starts between the Nationals and the Cubs, though his FIP was a little better, at 4.23. The 28-year-old right-hander is in his seventh major-league season since debuting for the Braves in 2018. He was the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up the following season, and arguably should have beaten Pete Alonso. But it has largely been downhill for him since.

After a disappointing series in Los Angeles, the Diamondbacks getting swept by the Dodgers, we return home for the home opener. It’s going to mark the official debut of Michael Soroka. He was signed as a starter over the winter, got bounced to the bullpen after the team re-signed Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, then returned to the rotation because of Kelly’s spring injury. It’s likely this will be a brief return, with potentially only two further starts needed for Soroka. Kelly is scheduled to make rehab starts on April 3rd and 8th, and all being well, would then return to the rotation. I’m thinking Soroka back to the bullpen and Joe Ross DFA’d, but we’ll figure that out when necessary.

Soroka missed almost three years between 2020 and 2023 with massive Achilles tendon issues which required surgery on a trio of separate occasions. That included a complete re-tear in June 2021, while doing nothing more strenuous than walking back to the clubhouse. Since finally recovering, he has a 4.91 ERA, which is an ERA+ of only 85. But as now the #6 starter for Arizona – and #7 when Corbin Burnes comes back – the necessary standard is not going to be very high. Last year, after Burnes/Ryne Nelson, Kelly and Zac Gallen, the rest of the Arizona rotation made 73 starts with an ERA of 5.05. So even Soroka’s post-Achilles norm would be an improvement.

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Warriors’ Two-Timelines Bracket, Semifinal: Wiseman vs. Kuminga

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCT. 15 : Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman and Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga on the bench react to the skill of Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who is playing in the first half of an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, in San Francisco, Calif. (Santiago Mejia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

The first round is done. Here’s the full accounting:

Jordan Poole ran through Alen Smailagic 85% to 15% in the first matchup, and James Wiseman crushed Ryan Rollins 80% to 20% in the second. Jonathan Kuminga cruised past Patrick Baldwin Jr. 74% to 26%, followed by an upset when Trayce Jackson-Davis knocked off Eric Paschall 66% to 34%.

The bracket’s down to four, and this is the one that’s been sitting underneath the whole thing the entire time. This is about what you thought the future looked like, and how long you held onto it after it started to slip. We’ve been calling this a vote about belief, but for most of the first round there was still a little distance to it. You could still lean on stats, moments, production, whatever version of the argument made you comfortable. This one doesn’t really give you that option.

Wiseman and Kuminga never really overlapped in that way. Not in how people talked about them, or what they were supposed to become. They sat on opposite ends of the same idea.

(2) James Wiseman — “The Fallen Giant”2nd overall pick, 2020 NBA Draft

With Wiseman, the belief didn’t take time. It was there the second the pick came in.

That whole season had felt like something ending. Steph’s hand, Klay rehabbing, empty arena, fifteen wins…it didn’t feel like a gap year, it felt like the floor had dropped out. And then the lottery hits, and suddenly you’re not looking at the wreckage anymore, you’re looking at what comes next.

What made Wiseman different wasn’t just the tools. It was how cleanly he fit into the one place the Warriors had never quite solved. For years they got away with not having a real center. They didn’t just survive it, they turned it into a philosophy. Spacing, movement, Steph pulling everything out of shape; if you did it well enough, you didn’t need size anchoring anything. And for a long time that was true.

But there was always that quiet question sitting there. What happens when it isn’t enough? What happens when the game slows down, when the margin gets thinner, when you actually need something at the rim that isn’t scheme?

Wiseman made it feel like you didn’t have to ask that anymore.

You could see it right away without having to convince yourself. Steph running a simple pick-and-roll and the possession ending before the defense even gets organized. A mistake on the perimeter not turning into a layup because there’s actually someone behind it. The same offense, the same principles, just with less strain on everything.

That’s what people were buying into. We were looking at confirmation, not reinvention. Everything you already believed about the Warriors still worked. It just worked more easily now. I mean, you remember the hype the team had around adding a limping Boogie Cousins. Imagine what a young #2 overall pick athletic, shooting, ballhandling big would do! Or so the logic went.

That’s why Joe Lacob said what he said barely a month after draft night, calling him a “once in a decade kind of player.” It wasn’t really about Wiseman as a prospect. It was about what he represented. The idea that the dynasty didn’t need to change shape to keep going. It just needed one missing piece.

And then it never really got off the ground.

By the time it’s clear what’s not clicking, the gap between what the team needs and what he does well is already too wide. It wasn’t subtle either. The things that made their centers work — the screening, the reads, the feel for the defense — those were the exact things Wiseman hadn’t had time to learn. The things he was naturally good at weren’t the things the system asked for.

Wiseman was the only Warriors center in recent history whose best skill was his shot and whose weakest skills were the ones the system needed most. What you’re left with isn’t just a player who didn’t pan out. It’s that version of the team you had in your head, the one where nothing had to change, never actually existing outside of a few flashes and a lot of projection.

(3) Jonathan Kuminga — “The Almost”7th overall pick, 2021 NBA Draft

Kuminga never worked like that. There wasn’t a moment where it all snapped into place. If anything it was the opposite: every time it felt like you were about to see the full picture, it would pull back again.

What made him different was that he never really felt like he belonged to the system in the same way everyone else did.

Most young players either figured out how to live inside Steph’s gravity or they didn’t last. You move, you cut, you make the extra pass. Kuminga didn’t quite operate on those terms. There were stretches where he did everything you were supposed to do, and then there were stretches where it felt like he was playing a different game entirely: attacking downhill, taking possessions into his own hands, forcing the defense to react to him and not just orbit Steph. And those moments didn’t feel like mistakes. They felt like something the team didn’t fully have access to otherwise.

That’s where the belief came from. Not that he had already arrived, but that there was another version of the Warriors sitting there if they ever decided to lean into it. One where you still had Steph doing what Steph does, but you weren’t dependent on it every single time down. One where there was another way to win a possession when everything got loaded up on the perimeter.

And the reason it held on for so long is because it never went away.

Every time it started to feel like it wasn’t going to happen, there’d be another stretch where it looked completely real again. Like the 11-for-11 game against Atlanta. Or the 30-point Game 3 against Minnesota in the 2025 playoffs with Coach Kerr gushing about the skillset, where the whole fanbase let itself believe again. But the structure never changed.

Over time it stopped feeling like a development curve and started feeling like a standoff. How much of himself was he supposed to give up to fit into this, and how much of that made him less of what made him interesting in the first place?

On New Year’s Eve 2025, I wrote the piece that named it directly: either that playoff run was the turning point that finally saved the relationship, or it was the last great thing Kuminga did as a Warrior. By February 5, 2026, the Warriors had traded him to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis, a mere four months after signing him to a two-year $48.5 million extension.

It just never got to happen here. Neither one really failed in the way we talk about failure. They just didn’t become the version we built for them.

The Matchup

This is the point in the bracket where the question stops being abstract.

The Wiseman belief was easy to hold onto because it made everything make sense right away. You didn’t have to project very far. You didn’t have to imagine the system changing. You just had to picture it continuing, with one gap filled in.

The Kuminga belief asked more from you. It asked you to sit with something that never fully resolved, to keep adjusting what you thought he might become, to keep believing through stretches where it didn’t quite line up. It wasn’t clean, but it stuck.

One of them disappeared while the other one never really let you go. And even now, it’s not completely gone.

That’s the difference you’re voting on.

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New York Yankees @ Seattle Mariners: Ryan Weathers vs. Luis Castillo

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees prepares before a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 25, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Yankees passed their first test of the regular season with flying colors, tranquilizing the Giants in a three-game sweep. Now, following an unconventional Sunday off, the Yankees will pay a visit to a popular preseason World Series pick: the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s, of course, came a game away from reaching the Fall Classic last season, but faltered late against the Blue Jays. Much like the Yankees, they’ve returned with a very similar roster from last year, and their pitching rotation is the same lethal crew we’ve gotten familiar with over the past few seasons. Luis Castillo will face the Yankee lineup, while Ryan Weathers faces a stout test in his Yankee debut.

Weathers had his share of struggles in spring training, but he also flashed the wipeout stuff which made the Yankees zero in on him as a sleeper pick for their rotation. Despite an ERA over 8 in Grapefruit League play, he ultimately made the starting rotation over Luis Gil, and tonight will be something of a referendum on whether that decision was a good one.

Castillo is somehow already entering his age-33 season. The affable righty and three-time All Star hasn’t quite been a top-flight arm in recent years, but given the Mariners’ embarrassment of riches in their staff, he doesn’t need to. All Seattle really needs out of him is another season like the ones he’s put out lately: an ERA around 3.50 and at least 30 starts. While he’s theoretically a poor matchup for the Yankees given his tendency to give up the long ball, he’s excelled against the Bombers in his career.

It’s the top-flight lineup tonight for Aaron Boone’s club. Many of the lefties have been stacked together against Castillo: Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice will hit consecutively, as will Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells. What’s more notable is an absence in Dan Wilson’s starting nine. The Mariners are giving star catcher Cal Raleigh the night off following his struggles in Seattle’s four-game opening series against Cleveland. Raleigh only went 2-for-15 with ten strikeouts against Guardians pitching. So instead Mitch Garver will catch, and lefty-smasher Rob Refsnyder will start at DH. Can the M’s recreate Raleigh’s production in the aggregate? There’s only one way to find out.

How to watch

Location: T-Mobile Park — Seattle, WA

First pitch: 9:40 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Seattle Sports (710 AM)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market)

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Reds shut out Pirates behind brilliant Chase Burns, bullpen

CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 30: Pitcher Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on March 30, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Cincinnati Reds ran their win streak to three games on Monday with a hotly contested 2-0 shutout victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series opener between the NL Central rivals in Great American Ball Park.

Of note was the manner in which the Reds won, as Chase Burns got his first start of the 2026 season and fired 5.0 IP of scoreless, one-hit ball. He struck out 7, walked 3, and generally looked like his completely dominant best self across 78 pitches, putting largely to bed the worries about the de-load outing he dealt with late in spring camp. On top of that, Jose Franco fired 1.2 IP of mostly impressive ball in his big league debut, Graham Ashcraft was electric in fanning a trio in 1.1 IP, and Connor Phillips flashed some pretty electric breaking stuff to lock down his first career save.

Not to be outdone by his fellow new Reds, Sal Stewart had another brilliant day by going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a run scored, and Will Benson chipped in with an RBI triple that plated a rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ Eugenio Suarez all the way from 1B in the process.

Speaking of Sal…

What stood out in this one, I think, is just how much the Reds always felt firmly in command despite the game being close throughout. A quiet confidence, I’d say, which is an odd sight for a team who so obviously leaned on players who are very much still establishing themselves. Stewart entered play today as a 22 year old with 71 career big league PA, Phillips notched his first career save, Franco made his big league debut, and the win for Burns was his first as a big leaguer (and just his 8th at any level as a professional).

Other Notes

  • Elly De La Cruz drew a walk and singled on a sharp liner up the middle, but he also was thrown out trying to steal 2B for his first CS of the season.
  • Through four games, a Reds club that averaged dang near 200 steals a season across David Bell’s final two seasons has just 1 (one) steal as a team.
  • Tyler Stephenson and Ke’Bryan Hayes both went hitless again and neither has managed a base knock yet this year. No pressure!
  • Tuesday’s game between these two is also slated for a 6:40 PM ET start, and lefty Brandon Williamson will get the start for Cincinnati. Pittsburgh will send out top prospect Bubba Chandler for his first start of 2025 after he impressed in 7 G at the end of the 2025 season at age-22.
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Wizards at Lakers discussion

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to shoot the ball in front of Kyshawn George #18 and Jamir Watkins #5 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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 Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Washington Wizards play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Watch it on Monumental Sports Network in the team’s last late night game of the 2025-26 NBA season. Go Wizards!