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Top 100 NHL Players: 51-57 - Apr. 17 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 10
51 JAKE OETTINGER
POS: G | AGE: 27 | LY: 51
‘Otter’ has helped the Stars author three consecutive trips to the conference final, but his success has halted there – often in shocking fashion. In fact, entering the 2026 playoffs, Oettinger had an .881 save percentage across 18 conference-final outings. No goaltender with more than five games had fared worse.
52 JAKOB CHYCHRUN
POS: D | AGE: 28 | LY: 95
Should he have been on Canada’s Olympic team? You won’t find any dissenters in Washington. Big, athletic and talented, Chychrun led the Capitals in ice time while also providing a nice helping of offense. And on a team featuring Alex Ovechkin, it was Chychrun with the most game-winning goals this year.
53 WYATT JOHNSTON
POS: C | AGE: 22 | LY: 63
Buoyed by a career-best shooting percentage and league-leading 26 power-play goals, three-time 30-goal scorer Johnston hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time. That offensive outburst is just another tool in his arsenal. The most respected aspects of his game, though, are his two-way acumen and high hockey IQ.
54 JAKE SANDERSON
POS: D | AGE: 23 | LY: 88
Sanderson is easily the best Senators defenseman since Erik Karlsson. Sanderson resembles Karlsson in many respects, namely skating, puckhandling, hockey IQ and a penchant for being a one-man breakout. Even when Ottawa was struggling early in the season, Sanderson was one of the bright spots.
55 SAM REINHART
POS: C | AGE: 30 | LY: 25
He’ll probably never score 57 goals again – as he did two seasons ago – but you can pretty much put Reinhart down for 30 a year in indelible marker. He can also be counted on to be a Selke-level player in the defensive zone. There are really no deficiencies in his game, and he’s one of the NHL’s most cerebral on-ice performers.
56 DYLAN LARKIN
POS: C | AGE: 29 | LY: 53
If there’s a modern-day player who was destined to play for the Red Wings, Larkin is the guy. His 200-foot game is almost without peer, and he’s developed a surprising sneaky-dirty facet to his overall game. Larkin is a possession beast, and when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, he’s very good at getting it back.
57 KYLE CONNOR
POS: LW | AGE: 29 | LY: 38
Connor’s consistency is remarkable. He’s eclipsed 30 goals in each of his full seasons, barring the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He’s also an all-strengths asset in Winnipeg. Over the past five seasons, Connor ranks second in even-strength, first in power-play and sixth in shorthanded ice time among Jets forwards.
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The rumors flew after Jaylen Brown sounded frustrated on his Twitch stream earlier in the week, calling out Joel Embiid as a flopper and the referees for being biased — the NBA fined him $50,000 for his comments about officiating. Adding fuel to the fire was Tracy McGrady, who said on his podcast "Cousins" with Vince Carter: "I think [Brown's] frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don't really have the details to. There's just been a lot of stuff that I've been hearing just going on with the Boston organization, with JB."
"A lot of stuff swirling around the Celtics and the organization. I hate that our president of basketball operations even had to respond to this. Me and Brad [Stevens] have a great relationship. I love Boston. And if it was up to me I could play in Boston for the next 10 years."
Stevens was asked about the rumors at his end-of-season press conference earlier on Wednesday and said Brown had not said anything to him.
"I talked to Jaylen Monday a little bit... and was nothing but positive. He has not expressed those frustrations to me."
Brown also reiterated that this was his favorite season as a pro, despite the early exit from the playoffs. For him, it was about the Celtics coming together while Jayson Tatum was out injured for much of the season to become the No. 2 seed in the East.
"You got to see all of these guys, all of my teammates, grow. I got to see them overcome adversity as a group, up close and personal…
"Obviously, we're not satisfied with the result. If it sounds like an excuse, it's not. But to fight and maneuver through adversity and grow, and galvanize with a bunch of guys and to have that mindset and approach, this was my favorite year."
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals hits a grand slam in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Nationals Park on May 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. Washington defeated Minnesota 15-2. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats bats responded in a big way last night after getting crushed 11-3 on Tuesday, dropping 15 of their own en route to a 15-2 victory. Miles Mikolas made his deepest start of the year, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing 2 runs, before handing it off to Mitchell Parker and newest National Zak Kent to finish it off. 4 Nationals went yard, beginning with a 2-run shot from Drew Millas in the 5th, a 2-run bomb from Brady House in the 7th, a grand slam from CJ Abrams in the 8th, and a solo shot by Jose Tena in the 8th as well.
Blake Butera isn’t messing with the lineup that scored 15 runs last night, keeping it the same aside from Keibert Ruiz swapping in for Drew Millas behind the dish. Getting the ball as the Nats look for the series win and an even homestand is Jake Irvin, who has gone at least 5 innings and allowed 3 or fewer runs in 6 of his 7 starts this season.
As for the Twins, while the names in the lineup remain roughly the same, with Austin Martin and Victor Caratini in for Josh Bell and Ryan Jeffers, the construction of the lineup is heavily shaken up, with new faces in the 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 spots of the lineup from yesterday. The pitcher for the Twins in the rubber match is Simeon Woods Richardson, who has allowed at least 4 runs in 4 of his last 5 starts and has an ERA north of 6 on the year.
After a 1-3 start to the homestand, winning the final two games and at least going even would be a big morale boost for a Nats club that has played much worse at home than on the road. It would also put them back to just 2 games under .500, with a chance to climb over the .500 mark this weekend in Miami. Follow along in the comments below and let’s go Nats!
DEFEATING THE WINNERS: In each of the Cubs’ eight consecutive wins, their opponent has had a winning record going into the game. This is the Cubs’ 60th winning streak of at least eight games since 1901. Only once before did a streak include eight straight wins over opponents that were above .500: Sept. 16-27, 1935. Those were the final nine of 21 straight wins, still the National League record. During their recent 10-game winning streak, the Cubs won only one game vs. an opponent that was above .500: the last game, at Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
STREAKING, PART 1: The Cubs have won 14 straight games at home. A win this afternoon will make it their second-longest such streak since 1901. They won 18 straight, Sept. 4-22, 1935, during a surge that lifted them to the pennant. They have had six previous streaks that ended after 14 games, most recently May 18-June 22, 2008. The earlier ones were in 1906, 1910, 1928, 1932 and 1936. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
STREAKING, PART 2: The Cubs are 18-3 in their last 21 games, their best 21-game record since they also were 18-3 from July 27-Aug. 18, 2016. That is their only span of 18-3 or better since they went 18-3 on June 30-July 18, 1945. They were last 19-2 on June 4-26, 1936. They were 20-1 in 12 overlapping spans in 1906 and four in 1935. They won 21 in a row, still the National League record, Sept. 4-27, 1935. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
CUBS vs. REDS:This is the Cubs’ 83rd series vs. the Reds at Wrigley Field since 1994, first season of the Central Division. It is the 17th of the 83 that was scheduled to be more than three games. The Cubs have swept four games just once, in 2018. The current series is the only other in which they won the first three games. They went 3-1 in four earlier series, including the most recent before the current one, in 2023. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Shōta Imanaga has just been excellent this year. A couple of starts have been not-great, but overall his numbers are outstanding, especially regarding long balls, considering his issues with them last year. He has allowed just three home runs in 41.1 innings. Keep that up!
Shōta did okay vs. the Reds last year: two starts, 3.18 ERA, three home runs in 11.1 innings, 11 strikeouts. If he can keep the ball in the yard today — and thank heavens Cubs nemesis Eugenio Suárez is out right now! — good things should follow.
Rhett Lowder was the Reds’ No. 1 pick (seventh overall) out of Wake Forest in 2023. He made his MLB debut in 2024 and threw five shutout innings vs. the Cubs Sept. 28, 2024 at Wrigley Field. Then he missed all of last year (except for a handful of rehab starts) with elbow and oblique issues.
This year he has made seven starts and was doing pretty well until his last outing, last Saturday in Pittsburgh, when he didn’t make it out of the second inning and was part of the Reds tying a MLB record with seven straight walks (he had four of those).
The Cubs are a pretty patient hitting team, so perhaps they can use that to their advantage.
Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter. If you do go there to interact with Reds fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES - MAY 06: Josh Hart (3) of the New York Knicks in action during the Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs between New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden in New York City, U.S., on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
Mitch was ill, Embiid was sore, and the Sixers are growing sour.
New York swept the home half of their second-round series, and it’s now time to do the same, only a few miles out southwest.
Here’s the latest from a delightful Game 2 victory.
BP "When Brunson runs offense how come OG's not getting the opportunities he's gotten when offense thru KAT?"
Wally "Normally when JB running it, it's high PnR…OG spaces floor…in corners…When ball in KAT's hands, JB's a cutter…as a result help from all over…OG free to roam" pic.twitter.com/VIjHNgHCeH
“I haven’t talked to anybody. He looked like he was hopping.”
On OG Anunoby’s overall impact throughout his career:
“He was freaking good back then, and he’s freaking good now. At that size and athleticism and IQ, feel, two-way player — you want a guy like OG on your team.”
On Anunoby’s feel for the game:
“As we continue to move along, you really get a better sense or a better feel of his feel for the game. He’s more than a willing passer at his size. He causes matchup problems because you can’t really always switch a smaller guy on him because he’s pretty big and strong and athletic around the basket, especially if the spacing is right. He could play pick-and-roll. He can come off a pin-down and make plays. So these are things that you learn more and more about him as you kind of go along and see him in different situations.”
On Anunoby’s never-ending sacrifices:
“He’s a quiet guy, so you have to observe more than anything else, like a few other guys on our team. The ultimate definition of sacrifice is where you just go and do your job as best you can to try to help the team win.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s illness keeping him out of Game 2:
“I don’t know. I know he’s sick and that will be up to our performance group, the doctors and then him at the end of the day. But I know just as much as you do.”
On Philadelphia’s scoring threats without Joel Embiid:
“We know that [Tyrese Maxey is] going to be ultra aggressive. Paul George is going to be aggressive. [VJ] Edgecombe is going to be aggressive. Those guys probably see it as an opportunity for more touches for themselves. Those guys are all capable of stepping their game up to another level.”
On defending Tyrese Maxey collectively:
“You’re gonna have to keep working and give multiple efforts and the team defense behind him is gonna have to be great in order to even think you’re gonna slow him down, because he’s a great player. But Mikal did what he could, as well as everybody else behind him. And then on top of that, Mikal hit some big shots for us down the stretch, especially when we looked a little discombobulated offensively. He got to his spot and knocked down some big shots. So great game on both ends of the floor for Mikal.”
On the need to avoid falling into foul trouble:
“We can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle on the referees’ hands of making a call or no call. So we gotta do a better job of leading with our chest and showing our hands.
“We have to try to do something about it, because they’re killing us from the free-throw line in this series. I know it’s only two games, but they had 34 and 28 tonight. So let’s add them up now. That’s 62, and we had 17 and 25, so that’s 42, right? Forty-two to 62. So, we have to do something right. I have to do a better job addressing it. Hopefully, it can get evened out a little bit more throughout the course of the series, but it’s tough to win a ballgame if you’re getting beat from the free-throw line like that versus a really good team.”
On Maxey’s ability to draw fouls:
“Maxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls. Maxey’s speed, he’s going to drive and he’s gonna attack your chest. I thought our guys did on some of the calls, but most of them you can’t lead with your hands, you got to lead with your chest. You hope that the referees see that at times, we’re not initiating the contact. We can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle in the referees hands of making a call or no call. We’ve got to do better of leading with our chest and showing our hands. With Embiid he’s really crafty … we have to be disciplined and we have to stay down … we can send those two guys to the free-throw line, and the rest of their team, 34 times, and expect to get a win.”
On the team’s defensive effort late on Wednesday:
“The shots are not going to always go in. And you’ve got to give Philly’s defense some credit. Just like you got to give our defense some credit. But we know we missed some shots that we normally make. And they missed some shots that they normally make. And it’s about trying to find a way to get a stop. That’s what you can control more than the ball going in. And I thought our guys did a decent job of that as we were going down the stretch without fouling.”
On Brunson’s play late in Game 2:
“They started switching a little bit and he got to his spots and scored. That’s what he’s expected to do for us.”
Q "You & OG rly good chemistry…No update on [him] but if you do wind up having to play w/o him…can you find somewhere else?"
KAT "Uh yeah but I don't have any plans of doing that. I don't rly know. We'll regroup tomoro, see what whole situation is. Obv they'll give you update" pic.twitter.com/jYizMvY2Rk
On the need for more discipline to stay out of foul trouble:
“I don’t ever want to lose the physicality. That’s done us well. I’ll look at the tape. I’ll get better, more disciplined. I don’t want to put my team in that position again, so I gotta do a better job. For better, for worse, I may not have been able to play many minutes in the first half, but I tried to use that as an advantage to have a more rested body than everybody else on the court and try to be a spark plug for our team coming out of halftime.”
On wanting to impact winning no matter what:
“I just want to [make] the right plays when the ball hits my hands, whether that’s driving, passing, taking the shot or slowing down our offense to get us organized. I just want to impact winning, and I was able to do that.”
“Most importantly just staying poised, staying composed, just figuring out one play at a time, one step at a time and not looking too far ahead. Just focusing and paying attention to the details and finding a way to make the next play.”
On the fourth-quarter defense:
“I think we made things difficult. I also think they missed some good looks, so we got away with a couple, but we strung some stops together down the stretch when we needed to.”
“This team just came back from 3-1, so you can’t sit here and be happy about where we are or complacent. There are 15 or 16 teams, ever, that have come back from 3-1, so we know what this team is capable of. We have to continue to be focused.”
On Anunoby’s status:
“Hey, man, I don’t know. You gotta holler at him on that one.”
Jeremy Sochan and Kevin McCullar attempt to congratulate VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre for not getting blown out but for some reason it is not received with the intended warmth pic.twitter.com/6TS45kE8AR
On how he feels about replacing OG in the lineup if he misses time:
“Extremely comfortable. I feel like the coaching staff trusts me, I know my teammates trust me and I trust myself overall. So if that happens, I know I’ll be ready.”
On how to replace OG:
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league so it’s tough to replace that but you don’t replace him with one guy. Everyone is going to have to step up.”
On Bridges’ Game 2 defense:
“Honestly, it started with Mikal. He’s just been great for us at the point of attack. And the team has been locked in. He’s a tough player. And for Mikal, he’s just going to keep going at him. He’s going to step up every time.”
On the final minutes of Game 2:
“We’re really comfortable. We’ve got a bunch of leaders in this locker room, a bunch of guys who want this moment. And we’ve been here before, so we just got to attack it with an open mind, with an aggressiveness, and just trust it.
“I feel like we just had to lock in. It was a tough game. I felt like our focus could’ve been a little bit better. Sometimes it takes a little scare like that for you to lock in in the fourth.”
“They’re not two completely different players because they’re both lockdown defenders. When they make up their mind to start guarding people, it gets pretty tough. OG’s a better shooter…Kawhi’s probably a better 1-on-1 player.”
On Anunoby’s career development:
“OG’s just continually, year after year, just keeps getting better and better. And he was amazing in our last series. He was really, really great and I thought he was really, really great in Game 1, too. He’s kind of always been really great at defense, and then the shooting came and now he’ll rebound heavily when they need him. His cutting game’s gotten a lot better. I think his starting and ending on drives have gotten better as well. So he just kind of keeps getting better year after year, and he’s just a hardworking guy.”
On Anunoby’s shooting improvement being the most impressive to him:
“When I had him, he was really fascinated with the art of shooting, and that was really cool to see him dig into that and just take his own journey on it to improve. He’s a guy you cannot leave open, so he’s really done a great job at just working, and so that’s what happens when you do that year after year, and you keep playing heavy minutes and all that stuff. You’re going to get better.”
On why Embiid missed Game 2:
“He woke up with a bunch of soreness. They were treating him during shootaround, etc., and then after shootaround, they determined he’d be out.
“I mean, listen, he’s really disappointed. He really wants to be out there. He has been doing — I mean I said this before — but coming back from that appendectomy so quickly was not easy for him to do. He’s worked extremely hard to get back and he continues to want to play badly and I feel really bad for him. He really wants to be out there and we want him out there.”
On the Sixers’ bigs gettting quickly into foul trouble:
“Yeah, I mean it’s a bit of a concern. All the bigs on both teams were in foul trouble tonight, so I don’t know what to tell you about that.”
On being forced to give extended minutes to the backups:
“Well, there was a number of things. I thought Barlow — excuse me, Bona — was impacting the game, especially early with the rim protection. He got in foul trouble. They went small, so there was a couple factors that at least get out there and look at it. We felt we could switch a little bit more too with him. We had a couple breakdowns on some of that stuff, but I thought again, I mean we played good enough defense to win that game, especially in the fourth. Yeah, that certainly had a factor of them being in there and then we — it’s like you go through the playoff series and you’re trying some stuff and we decided to throw Paul on Towns and he did a nice job so we just kind of rolled with it.”
“I shot, like, one shot in the third quarter. Mainly, they were just putting two on the ball. Every ball screen, every action, every switch, they would just put two on the ball, and I was just getting rid of it, getting off of it. That’s really it. I was just trying to create and do different things like that and use my gravity.”
On Dominick Barlow’s unexpected cameo:
“He was pretty good. He was pretty good. He got in, he was active, played the right way, so we appreciate him for that.”
VJ Edgecombe: "We feel like we shoulda won it…came down to shotmaking…Brunson made a lot of tough shots towards the end, we missed wide open ones…We did pretty good [on Brunson.] He's gonna score 😆 we're not gonna hold him scoreless, he's a good player" pic.twitter.com/pkfNu1tSdQ
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Rainiel Rodriguez #88 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat during a spring training game against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 22, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s think about the horizon for the St. Louis Cardinals. Is it too early in the rebuild to do this? Yes, of course. Are there more ups and downs coming than a prairie dog in the summer? No doubt. But, isn’t this what it is to be a fan? I love a numbers deep dive that reveals something about a player’s approach that has changed in some way. That’ll always be the bulk of my writing for Viva El Birdos. There will be numbers here, too. But, I’d like to think philosophically about the larger forces that will shape the franchise over the next few years.
Let’s consider the future of Rainiel Rodriguez. The readers of this site are legendarily plugged in to this team, so it’s not like you need an introduction. He’s the all-world 19 year old catching prospect in single-A that’s rocketing up national prospect lists all over the place. How’s he doing so far this season? Well, I’m glad I can set up a straw man question to answer whenever I want. In short, he’s lighting the world on fire.
It’s early (Can we just all caveat this until June? We all know it is, so let’s just all know it inherently together!), but Rodriguez (R-Rod? Rainman? Something else?) is torching the Peoria environs to the tune of a .307/.440/.557 slash line, good for a 157 wRC+. He’s walking nearly as much as he’s striking out and hammering balls all over the yard for a .249 ISO. He’s also adjusting, at least according to the inimitable coverage of Kyle Reis.
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) May 3, 2026
Did I mention he’s 19 years old and will be the entire season? He’s the youngest player in single-A as of this writing. MLB.com has him ranked 31st in their pipeline and if he continues this type of offensive pace, he’s surely going to rise on that list. He’s a precocious hitter. So much so that I compared his 18 year old season to Juan Soto’s for a site that you’re not going to like (before I joined VEB!) and found his batting line to be comparable, but Rodriguez hit for more power at age 18. Is this exciting? Um, was Ozzie Smith good at defense? (I’m not going to answer that – you’ve got this!)
To me, this is where things get interesting. There are several issues that present themselves here about the future of Rodriguez, and those questions overlap to a stunning degree with the questions about the future of the franchise. Alas, Rainiel Rodriguez is a catcher. That’s an interesting position for a top prospect to have to begin with, but especially in a franchise that has two (flawed) catching prospects older than him and an awkward middle school dance with Ivan Herrera and his future at the position. Obviously, we have no idea if Jimmy Crooks or Leo Bernal will work out at the position, but my concerns run deeper than the stockpile of catchers the franchise has.
A study published at fangraphs compared the top position players at each position in their careers and found catchers to be noticeably lagging.
Granted, these are the ten highest WAR players of all time at each position, but it’s not a massive logical leap to tell you that trend would continue down the player value spectrum. So, let’s assume for this argument that Rainiel Rodriguez’s career will be shorter and his offensive production will be lower if he stays at catcher. It’s not like his production will crater at the position, but there’s a clear indication that catching is going to cost some offensive value.
Here’s where R-Rod’s (I’m just going to start trying out nicknames casually until one feels right) ascent through the minors crashes headlong into the Cardinals trajectory. In case you weren’t aware, the Cardinals are in a rebuild (ok, don’t call it a rebuild – but it’s a rebuild!). However, ss of this writing, they are winning at a pace that no one really expected. What if that…keeps up? I have doubts about the ability of the pitching staff to continue to support wins at this rate, but let’s consider a path where the Cardinals contend quicker than anyone expects.
Do the Cardinals consider moving Rodriguez off of catcher? Decoupling the bat from the onerous position would certainly speed his movement through the minors. What if you could add a solidly above average bat as soon as late next season? What if it’s a monster bat? Where do you play him? You already have Herrera soaking up lots of DH appearances. Burly is a solidly above average major league hitter at first base. Can the Rainman even play anywhere else? He’s listed at 5’10”, not a traditional first baseman by any stretch. Is it even worth changing his position? What if you just have Samuel Basallo on your hands? That’s an incredibly valuable commodity!
It’s really only an odd situation if the Cardinals decide to hit the gas pedal. I do not believe that’s the plan from Chaim Bloom and Co, but I’ve been thinking lately about the scenario in which the team makes Bloom hit the gas a little and contend. I’m not talking about selling the farm for vets – I don’t think that will ever happen. But I do wonder if, because of the unique position the Cardinals franchise is in with the catchers they have, and due to the nuclear nature of Rodriguez’s bat, the Cardinals would consider moving him off of catcher for his long term offensive benefit and a potential accelerator pedal on the rebuild.
This is all premature. No doubt. But, I just let my mind wander down this path. I’ve also had some compelling conversations about this IRL and wanted to write this into the universe. The Cardinals will likely do a smarter version of Mo’s path of least resistance (sorry for the unexpected Mo drop). As for me, due to the unique nature of the current franchise and R-Rod’s skills, I’d be looking for a secondary position for him (he’s played some 1B already this year) at a minimum. Flexibility is always good when it comes to a roster.
It’s worth watching how they handle this 19 year old wunderkind if he continues to produce at such high levels. There are lots of legitimate positions to stake out on this issue – let me know what path you see in the comments. And, as always, thanks for reading!
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 1: Simeon Woods Richardson #24 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Target Field on May 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):12:05 PM TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: Federal Baseball
After what we’ve seen from the Twins’ bullpen of late, we might need a stronger word than “implosion” to describe what’s happening. It’s unlikely to get better today with Simeon Woods Richardson amid arguably the worst stretch of his career.
So far in 2026, SWR’s strikeout rate is half of his career average at just 10.6%, the second worst in baseball among players with at least 30 IP. His 8.76% walk rate is around league average, but you can’t be league average in walks while not striking anyone out. The main issue seems to be Sim’s splitter, which was a big part of his resurgence in the second half of 2025. Opponents are hitting .350 with a .625 SLG off his splitter this season. His slider isn’t any better (.343 BAA, .600 SLG) so batters are just sitting on his fastball which has also made that pitch underperform. SWR’s path to success was already very limited, but this has been pretty much a worst case scenario for a rotation already missing Pablo Lopez, Mick Abel, David Festa, and had a Joe Ryan injury scare a few days ago.
What’s the solution? Beats me! With every one of his pitches getting hammered and nothing generating swing-and-miss, the solution might be moving to the bullpen where you can see if his funky delivery could get some added velocity and movement. Given the state of things down there, it’s not like he’ll be worse than Justin Topa or Luis Garcia. And the Twins have a knack for rescuing pitchers careers after flaming out in the rotation (see: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, etc).
For now, Woods Richardson will get a chance to right the ship at least until Mick Abel is ready to return. Andrew Morris and John Klein seem to be transitioning to bullpen roles, at least for this season, and Kendry Rojas is still severely limited on pitch count at the moment. Unless Zebby Matthews rediscovers how to pitch, SWR will be a mainstay.
Lineup notes:
Austin Martin gets yet another start against a righty, something that should become increasingly common with Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, and Matt Wallner all severely struggling.
Speaking of Wallner, he gets bumped up to the 5th spot in the lineup after 1 good game. Shows how desperate the Twins are for anyone to get going outside of the top 4 of Buxton, Larnach, Martin, and Jeffers.
Tristan Gray is starting at 3B over Royce Lewis for the third time in the past five games. Gray is thoroughly outperforming Lewis both offensively and defensively, and the Twins probably need to start thinking about replacing the former #1 pick. Kaelen Culpepper is playing well in St. Paul and will likely be a regular for the Twins by the All-Star break.
NEW YORK — Nathan Eovaldi certainly has the New York Yankees’ number — even if nobody else does lately.
The veteran right-hander cooled off Aaron Judge & Co. for the second time in eight days, pitching eight masterful innings for the Texas Rangers in their 6-1 victory.
“That’s the tough part, right? We don’t really do this very often, where we have to face that same team back-to-back starts,” Eovaldi said. “Fortunately for me the last time it was a good one. I know I threw a lot of splitters and cutters. Today with the curveball being as effective as it was, it just allowed me to I guess rely on that pitch a little bit more, but also keep doing what was working before.”
Eovaldi threw 31 curveballs — his most in a game since 2019 with Boston, manager Skip Schumaker noted.
“The last two outings with Evo have been fantastic. I mean, today was exactly what we needed and hoped for against a really good lineup,” Schumaker said. “I thought there was a chance he’d go the distance, but I wasn’t going to push him with a five-run lead.”
The 36-year-old Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star who pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, struck out a season-best eight and walked none, firing 72 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He allowed just three hits — albeit against a lineup minus injured sluggers Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton — after tossing seven innings of four-hit ball in a 3-0 win over New York on April 29 at home.
“He was fooling ’em all night,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent 2017-23 with the Yankees. “He just uses all his pitches in a manner that just keeps people guessing, forcing them to commit hard or soft. I think it’s just, his stuff lends itself to really keeping guys off balance. He’s always a tough at-bat and he really knows how to pitch. He’s got a great capacity for that. So I mean, it’s no surprise to me he shut ’em down twice.”
Each splendid performance snapped a three-game slide for Texas. In between, the American League-leading Yankees (25-12) scored 46 runs while going 5-0 against the Orioles and Rangers.
“You know how good that team is over there. Their game planning is elite, so you have to mix it up. You cannot get into patterns,” Schumaker said. “I didn’t know what he was throwing, either. I mean, his game plan, he has such good feel for swings and what the hitters are trying to sit on. So, there’s a game plan but then he also goes out there and he can navigate a game on his own as good as anybody based on what he’s seeing. And that’s the part of the game that sometimes gets lost today, right?”
Eovaldi became the first Rangers pitcher to last longer than seven innings this year and improved to 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA in his last 11 starts against the Yankees since April 8, 2022.
“That’s the biggest thing for me is, I enjoy the challenge. I want to face the best teams, and I want to go out there and attack the zone as best I can,” Eovaldi said.
“I played here in Yankee Stadium enough to know like, how big the crowd plays into effect, how they can get the players going. It’s one of those things about being able to pitch on the road is just being able to try to take the crowd out of the game.”
New York had won eight in a row at home.
“They’re a good-hitting team, so they’re going to come out and learn from the last game, because he threw fantastic against them last week,” Higashioka said. “They’re going to learn from that and they’re going to make adjustments, so we have to kind of figure out a way to mitigate that without straying too far from Evo’s strengths. So, he did a great job adjusting.”
Eovaldi thought he mixed his pitches well and said it helped that the Rangers scored early, building a 4-0 lead by the third behind homers from Corey Seager and Evan Carter.
That allowed Eovaldi to “just try to stay on the attack the whole time,” he said.
The only blip came when Judge hit his major league-best 15th homer with two outs in the sixth for the Yankees, who had won 15 of 17 overall. But that merely trimmed the margin to 6-1, and Eovaldi retired his final seven batters after that.
As they fight to keep their series with the Carolina Hurricanes competitive, the Philadelphia Flyers are walking a fine line managing a myriad of untimely injuries.
Most notable of all is that of Owen Tippett, who has not played for the Flyers since their 1-0 Game 6 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 29.
After morning skate, head coach Rick Tocchet told attending media that Tippett will again be unavailable for the Flyers ahead of Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday night.
But, Tippett isn't the only important Flyers forward dealing with some issues.
Top-six center Christian Dvorak is a game-time decision, according to Tocchet, but the general expectation is that the 30-year-old will be available for the Flyers.
Dvorak is one of many forwards who could benefit from a greasy goal at some point; he has zero goals in eight playoff games despite his 15 shots on goal and three assists.
Dvorak had four goals in his previous 14 playoff games with Arizona and Montreal, so he's due for some positive regression in front of goal.
As we now know, the Flyers are going to be without center Noah Cates for the remainder of this series, so now is as good a time as any for Dvorak to step up with some offensive production.
The Flyers could also turn to top prospect Jett Luchanko, but inserting him into the lineup fresh off the end of his OHL season would be a tall task. Perhaps he is called on to gain some experience if the team loses Game 3 and falls into a 3-0 series hole.
At the Hurricanes' morning skate, it was reported that Nikishin skated on a defense pair with former Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, with his replacement, Mike Reilly, getting bumped down to a makeshift fourth pair with forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
The 24-year-old Russian sat out the previous two games after absorbing a massive hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven in Game 4 of Round 1 of the playoffs.
On paper, the Flyers are getting weaker, while the Hurricanes are getting stronger and healthier. Philadelphia sorely misses Tippett's speed and physicality, but it was clear even before his absence that he was not particularly close to 100%.
That kind of speed helps to create chances against an aggressive Carolina forecheck, but the Flyers will have to come up with some other solutions to keep the series alive on Thursday night.
PHOENIX — Paul Skenes struck out the side in the eighth inning, throwing a nasty splitter past Gabriel Moreno on his 97th and final pitch of the evening before smacking his glove in approval as he walked back to the dugout.
Watch out big-league hitters — the defending National League Cy Young winner is starting to heat up.
The 23-year-old right-hander threw eight innings of two-hit ball, leading the Pirates to a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a stellar performance that was among the best of his career.
“It’s not easy, but it’s simple,” Skenes said. “It you execute your pitches, it’s going to go the way you want it to.”
It was the second time in the past three outings that Skenes has been at his best. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on April 24.
Skenes pounded the strike zone with his five-pitch mix, coaxing the aggressive Diamondbacks hitters into quick outs. He retired the first 14 batters of the night before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached base on a soft dribbler down the third-base line that was ruled a single.
Skenes tried to make the play, but couldn’t get off the mound fast enough. His throw to first base sailed well wide of the bag.
“I got a good grip — just threw it away,” Skenes said, flashing a small grin. “Didn’t throw it to the right place. Got to throw it to the right place next time.”
Nolan Arenado followed with a sharp single to left field, but that was the last baserunner Skenes allowed. He struck out seven and he rarely fell behind in the count, throwing 65 of 97 pitches for strikes.
He has a 5-2 record this season with a 2.36 ERA, striking out 46 batters over 42 innings. It’s a big reason the Pirates look like contenders this season in the NL Central with a 20-17 record.
“I don’t know what else there is to say — he was unbelievable,” manager Don Kelly said. “Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, putting guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”
It was a mild surprise that Skenes wasn’t back on the mound in the ninth to try for his first career shutout. Left-hander Gregory Soto handled the ninth, working around a one-out walk to secure his second save of the season.
Kelly said Skenes’ command wasn’t quite as sharp in the eighth inning and his velocity was down slightly, prompting the change.
Skenes — the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 out of LSU — has never thrown a nine-inning complete game in his big league career. He threw 8 1/3 innings once as a rookie in 2024 and threw an eight-inning complete game last season in a 1-0 loss against the Phillies.
This time, Skenes was on the winning end of a 1-0 game. Brandon Lowe supplied the only offense, hitting a 435-foot solo homer to center field. After that, the veteran second baseman had a leisurely evening in the field.
On nights like this one, Skenes doesn’t need much help.
“It was really easy — didn’t have to do a whole lot,” Lowe said. “Just get out there, watch him do what he does and consistently roll out great appearances. It’s fun when you can sit back and let him go on auto-pilot.”
Draymond Green and Austin Rivers’ feud has become a hot-button topic, and a former Heisman trophy winner — who knows a little bit about criticism — is adding their opinion to the fold.
“Every day you look up, it’s a new beef, it’s a new disagreement, it’s a new person in their feelings about another said person,” Newton said.
Rivers got Green’s attention after discussing the four-time NBA All-Star’s belief that Warriors coach Steve Kerr might have “hindered” his career, and Green snapped back comparing his NBA career to Rivers’.
“That’s what you’re going to keep getting from these athlete-led platforms who take offense to what’s said,” Newton said. “But to the athletes, you have to understand, you’ve got to be able to have diversity in your content. Because if you’re just going back and forth saying, ‘I, I, I’, ‘me, me, me,’ that’s not a sustainable recipe, brother.”
Green made the discussion personal when he stated Rivers’ career was bailed out by his father, Doc Rivers, signing him to multiple contracts. Rivers said he was disrespected in another follow-up via Instagram and said Green is as highly regarded as he is because of his situation and surrounding cast on the Warriors.
Newton explained on his podcast that the debate over who has done more than the other is one that athletes and former athletes have to be careful of when debating.
“Talk about the take, not the person,” Newton said as he wrapped up his thoughts on the matter.
Most recently, Rivers discussed the feud when he joined the “To the Baha” podcast and called Green out for a 1-on-1 game of hoops.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sabres forward Ryan McLeod didn’t mind fielding questions about Buffalo’s power-play production.
A unit that converted just 1 of 24 opportunities in its six-game first-round playoff series against Boston went from being anemic to prolific in a 4-2 second-round series-opening win against Montreal.
Buffalo finished 2 of 3 with the man advantage against the Canadiens. McLeod scored on the Sabres’ second opportunity before setting up Bowen Byram’s goal on the next one to build a 4-1 lead.
“Maybe keep asking, if we’re going to keep scoring now,” McLeod said with a laugh to reporters. “Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. But it’s a process of building it and getting your look. So I think, we got them tonight.”
The Sabres host Game 2 of the series.
Buffalo’s power play was so bad in the first round, the Sabres’ 4.2% conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978. The struggles actually carried over from the final seven regular-season games during which the team went 0 for 22.
“It was hit or miss throughout the last couple of games there, and tonight was one of those nights where we had to get more pucks back in retrievals,” Josh Doan said.
Though Buffalo’s top unit, featuring Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, had difficulty generating offensive-zone pressure against Montreal, the second unit delivered.
Doan played a key role in setting up McLeod’s power-play goal to put Buffalo ahead 2-0 with a power-play goal 13:26 into the first period.
Doan won a puck battle in front of the Canadiens’ net by pushing the puck into an open spot to the left, where teammate Zach Benson immediately fed a pass through the crease to set up McLeod.
Then it was McLeod’s turn, setting up Byram’s goal 9:01 into the second period. After batting down Mike Matheson’s clearing attempt, McLeod chased down the puck and fed Byram, who scored from between the circles.
“Just trying to keep it in the zone any way I could,” McLeod said. “I just kind of get a little lucky sometimes, but it was nice to get that one.”
A change in opponent may have benefited the Sabres.
Montreal finished the regular season ranked 18th with a 78.2% penalty-killing rate. And the Canadiens were coming off a seven-game, first-round series win over Tampa Bay in which the Lightning converted 5 of 29 power-play opportunities.
Montreal coach Martin St. Louis chalked up Buffalo’s power-play success to fortunate bounces.
“I felt like we killed pretty well on entries and stuff, and didn’t feel like they beat us with some of the looks that they like, so that’s a positive,” St. Louis said.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff liked what he saw.
“We took advantage of some good breaks, made a couple of good plays,” Ruff said, noting Dahlin hit the crossbar on one opportunity.
NEW YORK — Carlos Rodón is expected to rejoin the New York Yankees’ rotation in Milwaukee, but first baseman Ben Rice remained out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game with a bruised left hand.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it doesn’t appear Rice will need to go on the injured list. The slugger got hurt catching a low pickoff throw during a win over Baltimore and left the game.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be an IL. Again, if it continues to not get to a point where he’s playable, then obviously we’ll have that conversation. But it does seem day to day,” Boone said. “I know he felt better today. So hopefully he’s able to do some things and maybe even be available on some level, but we’ll see.”
Paul Goldschmidt started at first base again versus Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. The left-handed-hitting Rice was batting .343 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs, and leading the majors in on-base percentage (.455), slugging percentage (.759) and OPS (1.214).
Rodón has been sidelined all season while recovering from surgery Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. He also had a setback in late March when he felt tightness in his right hamstring while throwing at the Yankees’ complex in Florida.
The three-time All-Star made his third minor league rehabilitation start, allowing six runs — five earned — and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out four, walked two and threw 83 pitches against Worcester, a Boston Red Sox affiliate.
“I think he’s felt ready to go now the last couple times,” Boone said. “We feel like he’s ready to go. Feel like he’s been throwing the ball well. He’s starting to command his stuff well.”
Rodón will slide into the rotation spot occupied recently by rookie Elmer Rodríguez, who went 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in his first two major league starts — both against Texas.
The 22-year-old right-hander was optioned back to Triple-A following his most recent outing at Yankee Stadium.
“I think it was very valuable for him to get up here. Get a couple starts, get a feel for it, face a little bit of adversity in each outing. I thought (he) handled that adversity pretty well. I don’t think he pitched his best,” Boone said. “Proud of his resilience. I think great experience for him. And so, go down and continue to pitch and be an option if we need someone.”
New York added a bullpen arm in Rodríguez’s place, recalling Yerry de los Santos from Triple-A before the middle game against the Rangers. The right-hander struck out five over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief in a 6-1 loss and walked off the mound to a warm ovation from the crowd of 40,269.
After the game, he was optioned back to Triple-A.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his fourth minor league rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
The right-hander gave up six runs and seven hits while throwing 69 pitches in 4 1/3 innings for High-A Hudson Valley against Winston-Salem. He struck out four and allowed solo homers to Caleb Bonemer and Kyle Lodise.
“He is filling up the strike zone, popping some 98 and 99s (mph). I think there was a lot of good yesterday,” Boone said. “He got whacked a couple times, which is not a bad thing. He’s working on different things I think each time out. I really like where he’s at. I watched his and Carlos’ outing again. I think they’re both where they need to be at this time, and look forward to him continuing to progress to get closer to getting back with us.”
Cole is expected to pitch two or three more times in the minors before making his first big league appearance since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees have targeted a return in late May or early June for the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner.
“It’ll be at least a couple more. And then we’ll see,” Boone said.
Yankees starters began the day with a major league-best 2.77 ERA. New York entered with the top record in the American League at 25-11 but was just one game ahead of second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
The Philadelphia Flyers enter their second-round NHL playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes needing a victory to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. The Hurricanes won the first two games of the best-of-seven series, including a 3-2 victory in Game 2. The Hurricanes are favored by 1.5 goals with an over/under for the matchup set at 5.5 goals.
How to watch Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: J.C. Escarra #25 of the New York Yankees and Paul Blackburn #58 of the New York Yankees celebrate a 9-4 win against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 02, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s getaway day game time at the Stadium! The Yankees are up bright and early for a 12:35 pm start as they host the Rangers, seeking to win their sixth consecutive series. The Bombers outslugged Texas and handed a second loss to Jacob deGrom in the opener, before suffering a second defeat at the hands of Nathan Eovaldi. This time around, both teams will be seeing new pitchers in the rubber match.
Forgive me in advance for the joke, but sometimes they write themselves: Ryan Weathers is under the weather. He was originally scheduled to make this start, but a bout with a nasty illness has him unable to go. Paul Blackburn, who has plenty of MLB starting experience, will take the ball in his place. Blackburn has appeared in nine games so far in relief, and has only gone more than two innings once, so I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to put up a full start. It’ll probably be closer to a bullpen game—especially since all the high-leverage arms got the night off in yesterday’s defeat. The Yankees also brought Brendan Beck up from Triple-A for a potential debut, sending Yerry De los Santos down after quite a few pitches of near-mop-up work on Wednesday.
Lefty MacKenzie Gore was the Rangers’ big offseason prize from a blockbuster trade with the Nationals, but his first season in Texas has been up-and-down. The 27-year-old has a 4.67 ERA through seven starts and has had issues with command, ballooning his pitch counts and shortening his outings. He only managed 3.2 inconsistent innings against Detroit in his last start, and hasn’t pitched into the sixth since his first two assignments of the year. Gore has always been a can’t-miss talent and remains one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball (29.8 K% this year), but the walks have been uncomfortably frequent (11.9 BB%). It’s up to the Yankee lineup to make him labor again.
Today’s lineup is kind of a weird one. Still no Ben Rice; Paul Goldschmidt moves back into the leadoff spot ahead of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, followed by cleanup hitter Amed Rosario. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez will bat next, with Trent Grisham moving from the leadoff position to the seven-hole. Max Schuemann will play shortstop in lieu of José Caballero, who got hit by a pitch last night, and J.C. Escarra will catch this day game following a night game.
How to Watch:
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First Pitch: 12:35 pm EDT
TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network, MLB Network
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)
