Apr 14, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) attempts a shot against the New York Islanders during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images | Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes closed out their season with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at USB Arena.
After clinching the Eastern Conference title by earning a point in Philadelphia last night for the first time in franchise history, they finished with 113 points which is good enough for second place in the league, behind only Colorado. This means the Hurricanes will have home ice against any team in the playoffs except the Avs.
After Boston won their game, it was determined that Carolina will face the Ottawa Senators in round one of the playoffs. Canes Country will have more about that this week.
Felix Unger Sorum earned his first NHL point in his first game when he knocked a puck up to Nikolaj Ehlers, who was streaking up the ice. Ehlers made no mistake and he gave his team a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game.
Bo Horvat tied the game in the second, but Mark Jankowski found an open spot and put in the game-winner with five minutes and change left.
Brandon Bussi had an excellent game and made 28 saves on 29 shots to earn his 31st win of the season. Bussi had to play in back-to-back games somewhat unexpectedly as Pyotr Kochetkov was not allowed to play for “technical” reasons after being listed as the starting goalie for the game. The team removed him from the injured reserved list at about this same time.
In the meantime, Fred Andersen was not “available” for whatever reasons. This was an odd occurrence.
It was a pretty mild game with little hitting on either side and it looked like the Canes escaped injury free. They will take Wednesday off and then return to practice on Thursday to prepare for the Sens.
Now that we have reached the playoffs it is time to examine some questions, first of which is what goalie should start this series?
AUDIO/VIDEO: Ronan Seeley, Mark Jankowski and Rod Brind'Amour addressed the media after Carolina's 2-1 victory against the Islanders:https://t.co/XOSEEJw6Pr
This is exactly why Charlotte has become everybody's second favorite team — who doesn't love chaos?
The Hornets have thrived in end-to-end chaos all season, and it paid off Tuesday night in a back-and-forth, win-or-go-home play-in game — one filled with controversy after the Heat's Bam Adebayo had to leave the game in the second quarter.
When it mattered most, the Hornets made the big plays. With 4.7 seconds remaining in overtime, LaMelo Ball made up for a bad previous couple of plays with a game-winning driving layup, then Miles Bridges sealed the win with a block, and Charlotte picked up a wild 127-126 overtime victory in the first play-in game in the East.
With the win, Charlotte will travel to another win-or-go-home game on Friday night, this one against the loser of Wednesday night's showdown between Orlando and Philadelphia.
Miami's season comes to a disappointing early end despite late-game heroics from Tyler Herro and 28 points from Donovan Mitchell.
Ball finished the game with 30 points and 10 assists, while Bridges finished with 28 points and the defensive play of the night.
The controversy in this game came in the second quarter, when Ball — on the ground after going for a loose ball — took a swipe and knocked the leg out from under Miami's Bam Adebayo, who fell hard on his back. Adebayo went straight to the locker room and did not return to the game, playing just 11 minutes.
The play where Bam Adebayo got taken out. LaMelo Ball was complaining to the referees afterward. pic.twitter.com/xbKAhslFHB
Ball was not called for a foul on the play and it could not be reviewed because there was no foul called. Ball is likely to face a fine from the league for the action.
This was a tight game all night, with the largest lead by either team being eight.
Miami had a game plan, and in the clutch it was a lot of it was to isolate and attack Ball, who is not a great defender and, the Heat hoped, could be worn down. In the end, that didn't work as Ball had enough to make the biggest play of the night.
Charlotte got big games from Brandon Miller with 23 points, and from Coby White off the bench, who had 19 points and some huge shots.
Hornets Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel struggled on the big stage, shooting 2-of-12 overall and missing all six of his 3-pointers.
Miami got 23 from Tyler Herro — including six straight in overtime that put the Heat in front with 8.7 seconds left — as well as 27 points from Andrew Wiggins. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamie Jaquez finished with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
Basketball fans were forced to scramble on Tuesday night after the Prime Video broadcast of the Hornets-Heat Play-In Tournament overtime thriller cut out for nearly two minutes with less than a minute left in OT.
The “technical difficulties” occurred with the Hornets holding a three-point lead with 48.1 seconds left on the clock.
Prime Video’s broadcast of the Hornets-Heat game cut off for nearly two minutes. Prime Video
Analyst Stan Van Gundy was speaking when the audio cut out and then the screen went black.
For several seconds, nothing appeared before the truck was able to slate a “TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES” banner on the screen.
The feed was down for roughly one minute and 47 seconds before it came back with the game clock down to 26 seconds and the Hornets now leading 125-120.
Charlotte held on for a 127-126 win.
It’s unclear if the broadcast team of Ian Eagle and Van Gundy was aware that the stream experienced any issues.
The issue angered just about everyone watching, which included NBA superstar LeBron James, who took to social media to voice his displeasure.
LaMelo Ball (1) celebrates with guard Coby White after scoring during the Hornets’ 127-126 OT win over the Heat aduring the second half of an NBA play-in game in Charlotte, N.C. on April 14, 2026. AP
“Tell me the game didn’t just cut off?!!? Am I trippin?? WTH,” he posted on X.
That wasn’t the only reported problem for the Prime broadcast on Tuesday night.
The Sports TV News & Updates account on X posted that “The audio on Prime has been slightly ahead of the video feed for the whole game tonight.”
There were no further issues in the waning moments of the game as basketball fans were treated to a wild finish that included Tyler Herro hitting a 3-pointer to bring the Heat within two and then getting fouled after Miami stole the ball, and hit the three foul shots to put Miami up by one.
Lamelo Ball topped it, though, by making a layup with seconds left and then the Hornets blocked the ball on the other end to secure the win and advance in the Play-In Tournament.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 14: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays lines out to second base against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at American Family Field on April 14, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well that was dramatic. Two teams in deep skids early in what were supposed to be their years. Whoever lost was going to have serious questions about their season, while whoever won would have to wonder if this represented turning the corner. It was about as dramatic a game as it gets, too, with multiple lead changes late setting up a tense tenth inning. Great win, but let’s try to make it a little easier on ourselves tomorrow, K?
It was a pitchers’ duel between Jacob Misiorowski and Kevin Gausman early on. William Contreras walked in the bottom of the first, Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the second, and a Sal Frelick pop up dropped in front of a diving Nathan Lukes in the third. In the fourth, Sanchez notched his second single. That was it through three and a half innings.
Gausman blinked in the fourth. Brice Turang singled to lead off the inning, and Gary Sanchez followed with a walk. That set up a three run Jake Bauers homer to centre field. He gave up one more single but was able to limit the damage there.
The Jays got one back in the next half inning, as Andres Gimenez homered to left field to make it 3-1 Milwaukee. Gausman wobbled in the fifth, giving up a walk and a single to open the frame, but recovered with a K, a pop fly and a soft grounder to get out of it. The Jays kept reeling them in in the top of the sixth, with Daulton Varsho’s third home run of the season cutting the gap to one. A Vladimir Guerrero jr. line single knocked Misiorowski out of the game at just 76 pitches and 5.1 innings pitched. DL Hall came on and got the next two batters, so the Jays remained down one. Gausman faced one batter in the bottom of the sixth, giving up a long single off the centre field wall. Mason Fluharty took over and walked Garrett Mitchell to put two on. Joey Ortiz laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving the runners into scoring position with one out. Mason rebounded with back to back punch outs to escape the jam.
Angel Zerpa took over for Milwaukee in the seventh. Kazuma Okamoto beat out an infield single with one out, but a double play erased him. Braydon Fisher got the first two in the bottom of the inning but then Gary Sanchez tagged a hung curveball, extending the Brewers’ lead back to two.
Lenyn Sosa made his Blue Jays debut hitting for Brandon Valenzuela in the eighth, against Abner Uribe. He singled on a soft fly ball to centre field to turn the Jays lineup over. One batter later, Ernie Clement popped a broken bat fly into shallow centre field for a single. Sosa stretched for third. He was called safe on the field, the Brewers challenged, and after a long review the call stood. Clement did manage to take second on the throw, putting the tieing run in scoring position. Guerrero rolled over a slider, which allowed Sosa to come home to bring the Jays back within a run. Taking the extra base was not at all a good decision for Sosa, but it paid off. One run was all they’d get, though, as Sanchez grounded out to end the inning before Clement could come home. Tyler Rogers took the home half, giving up an infield single but getting out of it with the help of Guerrero, who made a superman dive to just tag out Joey Ortiz after fielding a bunt.
Eloy Jimenez worked a walk off closer Trevor Megill in the ninth. Myles Straw came on to pinch run, representing the tying run. Davis Schneider crushed a line double to left-centre that bounced off an angled section of the wall and just over the fence. His hitting it too hard cost him an RBI, as Straw would easily have scored had it been a regular ball in play, instead of moving to third on the ground rule double. Okamoto cleaned it up, though, with a ground ball through the hole that plated Straw and moved the go-ahead run to third with none out. Andres Gimenez hit a chopper that second baseman Turang had to dive to field, allowing Schneider to come home and give the Jays their first lead of the night, 5-4. After a Tyler Heineman fly out, Clement lined a single to left. Okamoto got the wave and beat the throw home, increasing the lead to two. Clement was thrown out trying to go to second, ending the inning there. That set up Jeff Hoffman for the two run save. He battled his command, walking Frelick leading off. He came back from down 2-0 to get Contreras to ground out, but Frelick was able to steal second and then move up to third. Turang grounded through the hole to score Frelick and then stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position. Hoffman got Sanchez to chase a high fastball for the second out. They decided to intentionally walk the lefty Jake Bauers, putting the go ahead run on but getting Hoffman a more favourable match-up with Tyler Lockridge. That proved to be too clever by half. Lockridge doubled on a ground ball to left, tying the game and forcing Hoffman to face lefty Garrett Mitchell with the winning run at third. He walked him, which forced John Schneider to call on Louis Varland to try to avert disaster. He K’d his man on three pitches, sending it to extras.
Grant Anderson faced the heart of the Jays order in the 10th. He got Varsho to pop out, but then Guerrero ripped a double off the right field wall to make it 7-6. Sanchez was intentionally walked to allow Anderson to face Straw. In keeping with the trend this evening, that was a serious mistake. Straw laced a double into the left field corner, scoring both runners to give the Jays a three run advantage. Straw got himself thrown out stealing third and then Schneider hit a check swing roller to first, so three runs would have to stand up. Varland fielded a come-backer for the first out, then got Frelick to hit a soft fly for the second. Contreras hit a soft grounder towards the hole. Gimenez would have likely had him, but Okamoto cut in front of him and deflected the ball, allowing him to reach and the runner to score. Another ground ball single put the tying run on base. Varland got Sanchez swinging, though, locking down the win.
Jays of the Day: Schneider (0.29), Varsho (0.27), Vlad (0.25), Straw (0.10), Okamoto (0.21), Varland (0.20)
Less so: Gausman (-0.13), Hoffman (-0.57)
Same time, same place tomorrow. Dylan Cease (0-0, 2.45) gets the ball for the Jays, while Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.73) goes for the Brewers.
The Philadelphia Flyers have just about everything going their way as they head to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in six years, thanks in large part to their young talent.
To drag the Flyers back into Monday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Matvei Michkov found the back of the net with a moment of brilliance. Then he single-handedly set up the first three Flyers goals against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Standout rookie Porter Martone deflected a Michkov shot on a delayed penalty to put the Flyers up 1-0, then a deft pass from the Russian phenom put Oliver Bonk, called up Tuesday morning to make his NHL debut, in position to score his first NHL goal.
Then, to put the Flyers ahead 3-0, Michkov rattled home a rebound from his favorite spot: the right side of the opposing net. Who knew?
Finally, Alex Bump, who has been in and out of the lineup since making his NHL debut for the Flyers last month, sealed the deal with a strong finish on a transition rush with Martone, who recorded his second point of the night in the process.
Michkov, whose sophomore season was long thought to be a lost cause, finished the year with 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points.
After being air-dropped into the lineup following one lone NCAA campaign, Martone tallied 10 points in his first 9 games as a Flyer.
Bonk, 21, became the 10th defenseman in NHL history to record multiple points in his debut, according to NHL PR.
Defenseman David Jiricek played 19:37 in his Flyers debut and looked right at home, while Hunter McDonald recorded his first NHL point with a +3 rating in just 15:11 of ice time.
The Canadiens, whose lineup was much stronger than the Flyers', had the game taken to them by a handful of inexperienced players.
As head coach Rick Tocchet said after the Hurricanes game Monday night, "they're growing under these circumstances."
The greatest news of all for the Flyers is that their two most talented players--Michkov and Martone--have largely looked like their best players over the last two weeks. They are 21 and 19 years old, respectively.
Whatever happens from here on out will only benefit them and the organization in the long run.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 14: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 14, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians and St. Louis Cardinals had a back and forth battle in game two of the three game series.
José Ramírez kicked off things for Cleveland with a solo homer to right field.
Iván Herrera responded with a solo homer of his own, but Daniel Schneemann has his own home run locked and loaded.
JJ Wetherholt answered back with his second home run of the season to tie it up, again.
It was looking like the only way to score would be home runs. Joey Cantillo had a great outing, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out four but not before the Guards defense turned a gem of a double play.
Things stayed even until the top of the eighth when the Guardians decided to play some Guards Ball. With one out, José hit a single liner to right field. Kyle Manzardo followed up with a single of his own, giving José the perfect hit to go from first to third. George Valera, who was just activated off of the injured list, doubled to left on a crazy hit that originally landed foul just outside of the batter’s box before bouncing fair.
Juan Brito came on to pinch run for Valera. With Brito on 2nd and Manzardo on 3rd, Angel Martínez knocked his own double, scoring two.
Shawn Armstrong pitched in the 7th, only allowing a hit and striking out a batter. Erik Sabrowski had an uncharacteristic outing, pitching the 8th. A walk and JJ Wetherholt’s 2nd home run of the night put a two run blemish on Sabrowski’s otherwise impressive season start. Cade Smith was tasked with closing out the game, getting two quick outs before a fielding error by Juan Brito allowed the game tying run on base. Cade gave up a double, sending the game to extras.
A wild pitch from St. Louis pitcher, Riley O’Brien got the ghost runner, Chase DeLauter, in scoring position. There wasn’t a follow up, leaving it to the Cardinals to lose. Tim Herrin’s wild pitch allowed their ghost runner to move to third and a long fly to right gave them the walk off.
The rubber match is tomorrow, first pitch at 1:15PM EDT.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets shoots a three point basket during the game against the New York Knicks on April 12, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After committing a blunder on the previous possession, LaMelo Ball more than made up for it by converting a leaning lay-in with seconds to go, and Miles Bridges swatted away Davion Mitchell’s floater at the other end. The unbelievable game-winning sequence came after Tyler Herro executed a personal 6-0 run in the waning seconds to secure what Miami must have imagined were the winning points. In an enthralling 9/10 play-in game that resembled an Elite Eight matchup (think 1992 Duke / Kentucky), Charlotte solved the Heat’s defensize zone late in the fourth quarter and Coby White sent the game to overtime with a catch-and-shoot three straddling the sideline – his fifth one in the second half. Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges then carried the Hornets to play-in glory with Ball’s points finishing Miami off.
Charlotte’s shooting touch betrayed them for wide swaths of the fourth quarter while Miami took advantage of the frequent misses to jump ahead for good. After rolling out a zone defense to start the fourth quarter, the Heat pieced together a 11-2 run to pull themselves ahead of Charlotte. For the Hornets, it was the B’s – LaMelo Ball (15) and Miles Bridges (17) that put up 32 points together to pace Charlotte in the first half and trade deadline acquisition White who detonated a barrage of threes on the Heat in a third quarter comeback.
Ball (26 points and 6 assists) and Bridges (28 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks – including the game preserving one) excelled in the Hornets’ first home playoff game in 10 seasons. The win was aided by White’s (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) third quarter superboost. Brandon Miller (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) caught fire in the second half, and Charlotte managed to recover 17 of their own misses to help their victorious cause. Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Kneuppel (6 points, 2-for-12 FG) was unable to overcome his recent shooting slump.
Miami’s Andrew Wiggins (27 points and 7 rebounds) and Mitchell (28 points and 6 assists) salvaged a disastrous first half injury to Bam Adebayo. Herro (23 points and 6 assists) was thisclose to being a hero tonight. Kelel Ware (12 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 blocks) bolstered the Heat backline over the last 2+ quarters. The Heat managed to stay in the game early on with 22 of their first 30 points coming in the painted area.
The teams remained within one possession of each other over many of the first period minutes. Ball and Bridges stood out after some time with their respective abilities to attack the rim and hit difficult shots. Aside from a Ware three, Miami found most of their early success in the lane but found the going tough later on. Kneuppel missed on his handful of relatively open looks. Miami closed the quarter on a 6-0 run and it was 24-26 after one.
With Adebayo exiting with a lower back injury (after awkward contact with Ball), Ware and Mitchell took over the scoring duties and Pelle Larsson annoyed the Hornets’ perimeter players to draw the Heat closer. Bridges did his best Keldon Johnson impression by bulling over Heat defenders to get to a dozen points. Charlotte – behind Bridges and Ball – looked like they might surge ahead, but Miami’s 5-0 burst at the end put them up two at the half.
After what seemed like a litany of minutes where the teams traded baskets, Wiggins turned into the 2022 Finals version of himself to put up eight quick points, and Ware more than made up for Adebayo in the paint by getting to his fourth block. A Ware catch-and-dunk gave Miami its biggest lead of five. Charlotte scuffled to find any offensive bearing outside of Ball’s randomness, and then White put his stamp on this play-in game by connecting on three triples to wrest the lead away from Miami for good.
Observations
My relative sent this to me at tipoff: “A Spurs fan, an OKC fan, and a Nuggets fan are climbing a mountain and arguing about who loves his team more. The OKC fan insists he is the most loyal. ”This is for the THUNDER!” he yells and jumps off the mountain. Not to be outdone, the Spurs fan is next to profess his love for his team. He yells “This is for the SPURS!” and pushes the Nuggets fan off the mountain.”
Amazon Prime seems to treat the occasion of the games with the requisite respect and tone. I don’t know that ESPN can say the same.
The Hornets’ Sion James (Duke alum) seems like what Justice Winslow (Duke alum) should have been – physical two-way talent.
I walked by Ryan Kalkbrenner at a Vegas casino during summer league. He’s a legitimate 7-footer.
“That Looked Like Wemby” Sequence of the Game: Ware, halfway through the third, swatted away two attempts in successive possessions which led to fast break dunks for Wiggins.
Coby White ‘Kaboom’ sequence: Late in the third period, it wasn’t just the first three that banked in from 25+ feet, White topped it with a transition three to finish off turning a 5-point deficit into a 5-point advantage.
Sequence of the Game #3: After a riveting third quarter finish, the Charlotte’s Diabate tipped home a White miss and threw up a hook that touched all parts of the rim before gently dropping in.
Game Rundown
Ball turned down a 30+ footer on the first possession and instead scored on a floater and a driving lay-up for Charlotte. Bridges swatted away a Herro attempt at the rim and swished a wing three seconds later. Ball did connect on a straightaway triple and the teams combined for 21 points in three fast-paced minutes. However his assignment – Davion Mitchell – obeyed the game plan and raced past him for a lay-up at the other end. A pull-up three from Miller briefly put Charlotte up, but was answered by a Wiggins three. Miami did the bulk of its damage in the paint, but conceded a flurry of points to Bridges, including a shotclock beating turnaround, and he helped put the Hornets up six. Diabate did yeoman’s work on the boards, while fending off the Heat’s bigger players. After Miami was down as much as eight, Adebayo connected on several attempts to bring his team to 24-26.
Adebayo crumped to the floor when Ball fell on his leg and remained down for some time before hobbling off the court. Kneuppel missed his sixth shot in seven attempts, and Norman Powell threw up a prayer to help Miami get within two. Ware’s second three was followed by Miller picking up his third foul at the offensive end. Bridges continued to score over anyone in front of him and defended doggedly – blocking a Wiggins three. A pair of Mitchell threes put the Heat back up. The teams traded the lead numerous times over many minutes until audacious threes from Bridges and Ball put Charlotte back up. The Heat still went to the half up two.
The teams traded baskets over the first three minutes of the third until Jacquez’s three put a halt to the margin between the Heat and Hornets yoyo-ing between 0 and 2. Ball’s off-balance and-1 tied things at 63. After some spectacular paint protection from Ware, his teammate Wiggins was the recipient of outlet passes for a trio of transition finishes. Mitchell answered White’s three with one of his own. White’s second three moments later ended a 10-0 Charlotte run. White ended the third with a stunning buzzer-beating three to get the Hornets to the fourth up 89-83.
The winning Hornets weirdly play the 7/8 loser on Friday to determine the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed.
The Hawks are one of the NBA’s hottest teams, surging in the second half of the regular season.
The consensus is the Knicks ended up with a harder first-round opponent with them instead of the Raptors. After the All-Star break, the Hawks’ winning percentage (.769) was third best in the NBA.
So, how did this young, spunky upstart get here?
It all starts with the Trae Young trade. He had been the face of the franchise since he arrived in the league. For Knicks fans who remember how Young tormented them in their 2021 first-round series, it must be hard to fathom how he held the Hawks back. But midway through this year, the Hawks decided it was time for a fresh start.
Before they traded him, they were actually better without him than with him — they were 15-12 without him compared to 2-8 with him.
Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The move — sending Young to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert — was a conscious decision to begin building around their young core — breakout stars Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker along with Onyeka Okongwu and defensive ace Dyson Daniels.
Without the ball-dominant Young, the Hawks offense became much more free-flowing and provided much more opportunity for Johnson and Alexander-Walker.
They averaged 22.5 and 20.8 points per game, respectively — both career highs. Alexander-Walker had never averaged more than 11.0 points per game over a full season in his career.
The Hawks have been a better team since they traded Trae Young to the Wizards earlier in the season. Getty Images
And without Young, there were no longer any glaring defensive weak links. They were 16th in defensive rating (114.9) before the trade. After the trade, they were seventh (111.1).
Then there is McCollum, who at the time of the trade seemed like a salary throw-in. But he emerged as a veteran glue guy who helped bring a young core together. Hawks coach Quin Snyder said McCollum “settled” the team. He averaged 18.7 points in 41 games with the Hawks, providing valuable shotmaking ability but not as ball dominant as Young.
“CJ has been a huge part of our turnaround since the trade,” Snyder said earlier this year. “His scoring, playmaking, and leadership have been invaluable.”
Another trade acquisition, Jonathan Kuminga, has provided a new punch off the bench.
Now, for the caveat: Part of this rise has been the result of a soft schedule.
Their best stretch started Feb. 22 and went through the end of the regular season — they went 19-5.
But only three of those wins came against true playoff (non play-in) teams — the Pistons, Celtics and Cavaliers. The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham, the Celtics were without Jayson Tatum and the Cavaliers were without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
So, for how much they’ve been a changed team after their trades, much of it came against weak opposition. The Knicks will soon find out just how dangerous they are.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles past Kawhi Leonard #2 an Kris Dunn #8 of the LA Clippers during the first quarter at Chase Center on October 28, 2025 in San Francisco, California. 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors face the LA Clippers on Wednesday night, in the first round of the play-in tournament. For the Dubs, the stakes are simple: win and advance, or lose and go home.
Golden State is not the favorite to win, and you can point to any number of reasons why. They were the worse team this year, finishing with a 37-45 record and a -1.0 garbage time-adjusted net rating, compared to 42-40 and +1.4, respectively, for the Clippers. They ended the season with seven losses in their final eight games, while LAC eight wins in their last 12 games. And in the regular season finale, which fittingly pitted the Warriors against the Clippers, LA prevailed … despite resting Kawhi Leonard, while the Dubs used Steph Curry (but not Draymond Green).
Add in the fact that the game will be played at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, and the Clippers are the clear favorites. But that doesn’t mean the Warriors can’t win. Far from it, in fact. Here are a few different ways that the Dubs can best the Clippers in the best-of-one series.
Steph Curry
That’s it. That’s the entire point. Leonard is healthier and in more rhythm than Curry, but the Warriors still have the most dynamic player on the court, and the one who is capable of taking over a game the most. He’ll be on a minutes restriction, but we all know what he’s capable of during the time he’s on the court. The Warriors are 3-1 when Curry clears 40 points this year, and all three wins are mighty impressive: a home contest against the Denver Nuggets, and two road victories over the San Antonio Spurs.
When the postseason rolls around, the biggest advantage a team can have is to employ the best player in the game or series. Curry is the best player in this game.
Draymond Green locks down Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is an all-time great player, and even at this stage in his career, we’ve seen just how brilliant he can be. But the Clippers, for as well coached as they are, are not the world’s deepest team, and they live and die by Leonard.
The Klaw has scored 40 or more points on five occasions this season, and the Clippers have amassed five blowout victories in those games. He’s been held to 20 points or fewer just seven times, and LA has gone a lowly 1-6 in those contests, including an October loss to the Warriors.
If there’s one thing the Warriors should be focused on, it’s limiting Leonard. And if there’s one person who is up for that job, it’s Draymond Green.
Green’s defense has been erratic at times this year, but when he’s locked in he’s still among the very best in the world, and likely headed for a historic 10th All-Defense selection. If he takes the game and the matchup seriously, he could help keep Leonard in check, and that’s the key to victory for Golden State. The Clippers have become more well-rounded and deep following the James Harden trade, but they’re also more reliant on Leonard. The biggest task of the night will go to Green defending Leonard, and hopefully getting some help in the paint from his bigs.
Play in control, but still freely
I’m not exactly breaking news when I say that the Warriors struggled with turnovers this year, as they finished with the fifth-worst turnovers committed per 100 possessions this season.
The Dubs turned the ball over 16 or more times in exactly half of their games this year, and they went 17-24, compared to 20-21 when they had 15 or fewer turnovers.
Interestingly, the Warriors had a losing record (11-12) when they turned the ball over 12 or fewer times. I might just be getting too granular with the data here, but it would suggest to me that the Warriors are at their best when they take decent care of the ball, but still play free and loose. Their system is always going to result in turnovers, and when they’re at their best, the ball is going to go through someone’s hands a few times as they try to make a great pass. That’s just the cost of playing motion basketball.
In fact, the Warriors had single-digit turnovers on four occasions this year (including once against the Clippers), and lost three of those four games (including the one against LA). The goal has to be playing freely but not carelessly.
Turn rebounds into offense
The Clippers were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league this year. They were just 25th in garbage time-adjusted defensive rebounding, and 23rd in offensive rebounding. That means the Warriors — no great rebounding team — should have an easier time than usual collecting boards.
Golden State has a lot of players — namely Curry and Brandin Podziemski — who love to swoop in from the perimeter to grab a rebound, and push the offense forward. That’s going to be a huge key in this game. The Warriors offense is always at its best when it’s pushing up the court, and LA’s defense is much more vulnerable when they can’t get set, and get Leonard on their preferred matchup.
Neither team is particularly young or fresh, but if the Warriors can play like they are, that will go a long ways.
Run them off the perimeter
LA is one of the best-shooting teams in the league, as they finished seventh in the NBA with a 36.8% mark from deep. But part of why they shoot so well is that they’re selective: they were just 22nd in the league in threes attempted per 100 possessions, a mark that has surely gone down since trading away Harden.
The Clippers can beat you from deep if you let them, but they’re happy to step inside the arc if you ask them to. It would behoove the Warriors to do exactly that, especially since Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis — who both provide strong interior defense — are healthy.
And finally…
Catch a few breaks
It’s been a woefully unlucky season for the Warriors. But after four recent championships and six runs to the finals, the Dubs won’t be getting sympathy points from anyone. Still, no matter how talented you are, most teams have to rely on a few shreds of luck to win in the postseason. The Warriors have ridden that luck to parades through the Bay Area, and they’ve seen it capsize their dreams early in the playoffs. In a single-elimination postseason game, a little bit of luck could go a long way.
The Heat lost big man Bam Adebayo in the second quarter of their play-in tournament game against the Hornets after Charlotte guard LaMelo Ball seemed to trip him.
He was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a lower-back injury by the Heat before they fell 127-126 in an overtime heartbreaker.
The injury occurred with 11:10 left in the second quarter after Ball had a shot attempt blocked by Simone Fontecchio of the Heat.
Ball was falling backward as he shot, leading to Adebayo trying to grab the ball from going out of bounds. That’s when the Hornets guard swiped at the left leg of the Miami big man, sending him to the ground.
Replay of LaMelo Ball grabbing Bam Adebayo’s ankle before Bam Adebayo landed on his tailbone pic.twitter.com/KVv1rkjxm2
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) April 15, 2026
Adebayo was down on the ground in pain and attended to by team trainers. No foul was assessed on the play, which infuriated Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and several of Adebayo’s teammates.
“I didn’t see it [when it happened], but I don’t think it’s cute,” Spoelstra told reporters after the game, per ESPN. “I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out.
According to The Athletic, Prime Video analyst Udonis Haslem had indicated that he didn’t think that Ball had been trying to hurt Adebayo on the play, though he did call it “a little WWE there.”
“What I will say is LaMelo is not a dirty player, so I don’t think he meant to do that intentionally to try to hurt Bam. But in the heat of the moment … you sometimes make split-second decisions. I think he made a split-second decision,” Haslem said.
Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat reacts after a fall in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on April 14, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Getty Images
The loss of Adebayo is a tough one for the Heat, who have seen him be their third-best scorer this season with 20.1 points per game and top rebounder with 10.0 per game.
Adebayo also made national headlines this year after he scored 83 points in a game against the Wizards.
To add insult to injury, Ball hit the game-winning layup in the waning seconds of overtime to give Charlotte a huge victory and end Miami’s season. The Hornets advance to play the 76ers-Magic loser for the right to be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.
Apr 14, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Williamson (15) scores against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Rays took the first game of this series against the White Sox, with Shane McClanahan picking up his first win in well over a year while his teammates gathered twelve hits and six walks. Every player was on base at least once.
This game received national attention because of the White Sox starter: Noah Schultz, a 6’10” top pitching prospect. Although I can’t point to specific games, I do have the deep belief that the Rays have struggled: a. against lefties; b. against pitchers making their major leagues debuts; and c. especially against lefties making major league debuts.
On the other hand, sometimes a pitcher making his debut can have some nerves, get over amped, and generally fall apart, at least in the first inning.
Then on the other side, Shane McClanahan is still a work in progress. No shade on him. You can’t be gone from the game for a year and a half and return with your best stuff and command. So far this year, McClanahan clearly doesn’t have the fastball velocity he did pre-injury (in baseball, sitting at 98mph vs sitting at 94mph are two entirely different pitchers), his control is shaky, and while he shows flashes of great it’s been uneven.
So tonight we had something great — a game whose outcome seemed completely impossible to predict.
The first inning gave us some idea that this might go well for the Rays.
Schultz got Yandy Diaz to fly out, things went south for him quickly thereafter. He walked both Aranda and Caminero, and not as in “pitching around the best hitters” but as in “I have no idea where this pitches are going.” Ryan Vilade doubled home Aranda, and then Ben Williamson (on his own or with prompting from the dugout?) laid down a very smart bunt that died between the plate and the mound. Smart because Williamson did a great job placing it, but also because you are forcing a rattled newbie pitcher to field a ball. Schultz hurried a throw to the plate even though Junior was already at the plate, and he overthrew which then allowed Vilade to score as well. Rays up, 3-0.
Shane McClanahan looked a little shaky in the Chicago half of the first, also walking two batters. But after a visit from Kyle Snyder, he got a quick two outs to retire the side.
The Rays added a fourth run in the in third inning, as Ben Williamson doubled to drive in Ryan Vilade. But in the bottom of that inning, McClanahan unraveled. Meidroth reached on catcher’s interference, when someone on the Chicago bench noticed something about Fortes’ stance and complained. After a walk, Everson Periera homered to put the White Sox within a run, 4-3. McClanahan walked the next batter, who then stole second. All seemed to be well as Tanner Murray hit a sharp grounder right to Junior for what should have been a routine out, but Junior’s rushed throw pulled Aranda off first base, so the runner was safe. Fortunately Junior managed not to botch the next play, that also went right to him. At the end of three innings, McClanahan had thrown 60 pitches and given up four walks.
But you know what, McClanahan came back to pitch efficient fourth and fifth innings. He left on the winning side of the game, and had ten whiffs (albeit just four strikeouts along with his four walks). With the fastball not as fast (although he did hit 97 on a few pitches) he is relying more on secondary pitches with some success.
The Rays got the lead back to three in the sixth inning, playing the smallest of small ball.
Williamson walked, got to third on two ground ball outs. He was then able to score when Fortes did….this:
Two out singles by Walls and Diaz drove in Fortes to make the score 6-3.
The Rays piled on more in the seventh inning. Vilade and Williamson teamed up for a single and run-scoring double, followed by another run-scoring double from Johnny DeLuca.
Would it even be a Rays win without some ninth inning drama? Kevin Cash brought in Yoendrys Gomez to pitch the eighth, and he got through the inning without damage. In the ninth inning, though, he gave up a two run home run to make the score 8-5, and then gave up a single to the next batter. That forced Cash to do what he did not want to do: warm up and then bring in Bryan Baker to get the last out.
Despite the catcher interference call and Junior’s throwing error, the defense was sharp. Here’s a nice catch by DeLuca, playing centerfield tonight:
I heard a few folks wondering about hitting Ryan Vilade in the clean up spot. Well, he was 3 for 5 today.
Ben freaking Williamson. Three RBI today, and some sharp fielding.
I have been a Rays fan for 20 years, and this is the first year they have been a bunting team. It’s remarkable how they’ve gone from almost never bunting to laying down several bunts a game – plain old sac bunts, bunting for hits, bunting for runs. “Don’t flail away trying to hit dingers, bunt!”
Shane McClanahan postgame interview. He’s nearly crying. I’m crying. He’s talking about struggling, about losing his dad, saying he loves his mom, but ultimately feeling satisfaction with getting through five innings and helping the team win.
Apr 14, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Tuesday night’s game at Busch Stadium was a parade of solo home runs for both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Guardians. JJ Wetherholt homered twice and made some epic plays in the field as the Cardinals showed their come-from-behind heart yet again to walk off the Guardians in extra innings.
Michael McGreevy gave the Cardinals a solid start pitching 5 innings allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs over 5 innings to an entirely lefthanded Guardians lineup if you include the switch-hitters. He was touched by two home runs by the Guardians, but fortunately they were both solo shots. Jose Ramirez gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning while Daniel Schneemann would add another in the top of the 2nd inning.
The St. Louis Cardinals would add a couple of bombs, too, with Ivan Herrera hitting a 401 foot shot in the bottom of the 1st inning.
JJ Wetherholt hit his 2nd home run of the season when he launched a 396 foot shot in the bottom of the 3rd inning which would tie the game at the time 2-2.
Wetherholt would also make an amazing leaping grab on a line drive by Rocchio in the top of the 5th inning, but the problems would fall on the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen yet again. JoJo Romero started out wild and would give up a hit and a walk over his 1 and a third inning, but it was Ryan Stanek who would get touched for 3 late inning runs in the top of the 8th inning giving up a double to Velara which would score Ramirez making it 3-2 Guardians. Martinez would then rip a double down the left field line scoring Brito and Manzardo extending Cleveland’s lead to 5-2.
The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t done as JJ Wetherholt showed his power to all fields in the bottom of the 8th inning by lifting a 366 foot home run barely over the left field wall with José Fermín on base to bring the Cardinals within a run making it 5-4 Guardians.
In an effort to say something nice about the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen, Matt Svanson did a fine job keeping the Guardians quiet in the top of the 9th inning to give St. Louis a chance setting Cleveland down 1-2-3. Herrera deserves a nod for a good ABS appeal to get the final out in the 9th.
The Cardinals would show their fight in the bottom of the 9th inning as they were down to their last strike after Jordan Walker popped out and Nolan Gorman flied out. Masyn Winn reached on an error and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. He would then score on a clutch double by Yohel Pozo to tie the game 5-5. He would be stranded when Thomas Saggese struck out, but that sent the game to extras.
Riley O’Brien was sharp in the top of the 10th inning with the exception of a wild pitch that allowed the designated runner to advance to third, but he was stranded when O’Brien was able to get Brito on a ground out to first.
The Guardians basically handed the Cardinals the game in the bottom of the 10th inning when Herrin threw a wild pitch allowing Thomas Saggese to take third base. He scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Church. Really close play at the plate, but sucks that the Guardians catcher couldn’t hold onto that ball. Oh, wait. No, it doesn’t.
St. Louis will try to win the series against Cleveland Wednesday afternoon as Dustin May (1-2 with a 9.45 ERA) will get the start for the Cardinals and Slade Cecconi (0-2 with a 5.11 ERA) will be the starter for the Guardians. 12:15pm is the scheduled first pitch at Busch Stadium Wednesday.
Freshman Drew Grego has another big night at the plate. | Nebraska Athletics
Looking to get back in the win column and the fact that the rival Creighton Bluejays were coming to town provided all of the motivation Nebraska needed in the second game of their three-game season series at Haymarket Park.
Pryce Bender got the start against the boys from Omaha, but his night ended up being much shorter than anyone hoped. He struggled to get the ball low in the zone and thus gave up four hits and three runs in the one inning he pitched. Most significant was a two-run homer to Nate McHugh that gave the Jays a quick 2-0 lead. The Jays tacked on another run to make it 3-0 after a half inning.
Tucker Timmerman came in for the second inning from Nebraska. With one out, Bluejay Nick Venteicher smacked a no-doubter solo homer to put Creighton up 4-0.
The story of the game tonight was the bottom third of the lineup making its return. After struggling over the weekend, Grego, Overbeek, and Stokes were the difference in the game tonight as they were responsible for all five of the Cornhusker runs.
In the bottom of the second, designated hitter Preston Freeman led off the inning with a walk and scored when Drew Grego hit an opposite way home run off starter Mac McClellan to cut the Bluejay lead in half, 4-2.
Creighton brought in Evan Stratton to face Nebraska in the third inning. He got a quick out on a come-backer from Case Sanderson but then walked both Dylan Carey and Jett Buck. Preston Freeman then flew out to centerfield to make it two on with two outs.
It was at this point that the game turned, thanks to those bottom three batters in the lineup. Grego singled to bring in Carey. Overbeek singled to bring in Buck. And then Stokes singled to bring in Grego. Nebraska was up 5-4 after three innings. Neither team would cross the plate again.
While you don’t see it in the stats, Dylan Carey made three outstanding defensive plays, covering ground and making outstanding off-balance throws to keep Creighton base runners from advancing and ending innings. After the second inning, three Jay baserunners reached second base, but none advanced any further.
Nebraska pitching also looked very solid after the rough start. Surprisingly Friday starter Ty Horn made an appearance in relief. It is not uncommon for a Friday starter to pitch on Tuesdays as part of their bullpen session, but Nebraska has rarely done it. Horn pitched three innings and threw 30 pitches. He also got the chippiness ramped up by staring down the Creighton dugout a couple of times.
Nebraska did put multiple runners on base in the fourth and eighth innings but were unable to push any additional runs across the plate. That included a well-executed hit-and-run by Jeter Worthley to move Mac Moyer with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. The freshman catcher has some very solid bat skills.
J’Shawn Unger came on in relief of Horn in the eighth inning and finished off the game without giving much hope to Creighton to get back in it. This was Unger’s seventh save in seven opportunities this season.
The win tonight marks the first season series win over Creighton since 2017. It also gets the bad taste out of the team’s mouth from this past weekend with some big games coming up this weekend.
Friday the top-five ranked USC Trojans come to town for three games. This is a huge series with a lot riding on it in terms of post-season implications. It’s time for Cornhusker fans to come out and be a factor. Coach Will Bolt in his post-game comments said he’d like to see 10,000 loud and enthusiastic fans dressed in red in the stadium.
Notes:
Nebraska pitching only gave up one walk tonight, and that happened in the eighth inning. They also had one hit batter.
Grego, Overbeek, and Stokes had five of the team’s seven hits and all five of the runs batted in.
After the win tonight, Nebraska is 16-1 at Haymarket Park this season.
There was a little over 6100 fans for tonight’s game in the best weather yet this season for a game in Lincoln. They were treated to a relatively quick two-hour-and-47-minute game. This is unique this season as most Nebraska games have gone well beyond the three-hour mark.
The bell rang for Round 2 to begin and only the Angels came out punching, delivering a trio of right hooks to Ryan Weathers in the form of back-to-back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning and then cruising from there as the Yankees fell 7-1 on a warm night in The Bronx.
Angels lefty Reid Detmers silenced the Yankees lineup that broke out for an 11-10 win Monday, putting it right back in the rut it found itself in entering the series opener.
Facing a lineup that did not include Ben Rice, the major league leader in OPS who sat in favor of the right-handed hitting Paul Goldschmidt, Detmers allowed just four hits and one run across seven-plus innings, not letting a runner touch second base until the eighth inning.
“I thought [Detmers] was good, but we know we got to do a better job of creating some things,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We just got to get going.”
Meanwhile, over half of the Angels lineup homered — all solo shots, but damaging nonetheless as Weathers surrendered a career-high four and reliever Yerry De los Santos gave up another late. The five homers matched the number the Yankees pitching staff had given up in their first 16 games combined.
The poor pitching and poorer hitting handed the Yankees (9-8) a seventh loss in their last nine games as they will try again Wednesday to shake this early-season funk for good.
Aaron Judge reacts after he strikes out swinging during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 7-1 blowout loss to the Angels on April 14, 2026 at the Stadium Robert Sabo for NY Post
“It’s tough for me when we win a game [Monday] night with good momentum, I come in and give up three in the first on three solo shots,” Weathers said. “There was some good tonight, but when I pitch, I want this ballclub to win games and I did not put us in a good position to win a game tonight.”
Weathers came into the night having not allowed a home run through his first three starts (16 innings) this season.
The left-hander had also not received a single run of support from his offense while he was still in any of those games.
Only one of those things changed Tuesday, though, on a strange night in which the left-hander struck out 10 across five-plus innings but had four pitches end up in the seats.
In a span of five pitches in the top of the first, Weathers gave up 1,276 feet worth of homers to Mike Trout, Jo Adell and Jorge Soler.
They all came on low fastballs — Adell’s was actually below the zone — and all came off the bat loudly as the Angels (9-9) stormed out to a quick 3-0 lead.
“They’re a really good low-ball hitting team, and three misfires against a good low-ball hitting team is not a good start,” Weathers said.
Weathers went on to retire 10 of the next 11 batters before former Yankee Oswald Peraza — as part of a 3-for-3 night in which he added a 12-pitch walk — crushed another solo shot in the fourth inning to make it 4-0.
Ryan Weathers reacts as he walks back to the dugout after getting out of the fourth inning during the Yankees’ blowout loss to the Angels. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“You see it all there [with Weathers],” Boone said. “You see all the things that you get excited about. But a little bit tough just command-wise with the heater.”
After Weathers struck out the side in the fifth inning, he issued a leadoff walk in the sixth that ended his night.
Paul Blackburn then entered and evoked some boo birds as he allowed four straight batters to reach base — on three singles and a walk — as the Angels padded their lead to 6-0.
Yoán Moncada later took De los Santos deep to lead off the eighth inning, stretching the lead to 7-0 before the Yankees finally mustered a run in the bottom half.
Mike Trout reacts after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of the Yankees’ blowout loss to the Angels. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Randal Grichuk broke his 0-for-15 start to the season by roping a double into the gap, and after Austin Wells singled, Rice pinch hit for Ryan McMahon and delivered a sacrifice fly to snap the shutout.
“I think you see how streaky this game is,” Goldschmidt said. “You just got to take it in stride. When things are going good, you can’t think you got it all figured out. When we’re struggling, you can’t get down on yourself. … We’ve played a lot of close games. We’ve lost unfortunately too many of them here lately.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 14: Cionel Pérez #51 of the Washington Nationals reacts after an inning-ending double play during the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was tenuous and I was convinced the Pirates were going to win until that Nick Yorke pop up landed in Curtis Mead’s glove, but the Nats got the job done. They just barely made their early 5-1 lead stick thanks to some solid work by the bullpen. Tonight, the bullpen and CJ Abrams were the stars of the show.
Speaking of Abrams, he has made quite the statement to start this season. He was in the middle of everything good tonight. The Nats shortstop was three for four with a homer and two RBI’s. His homer off of Mitch Keller tied him with Gunnar Henderson for most home runs by a shortstop with six. The Alien is on a roll right now, and he is leading the Nats to victories.
Hot April’s are nothing new for Abrams. He has started the season strong in the two previous seasons, but tailed off in the second half. With this new coaching staff and an extra year of maturity, I am confident that Abrams will make his hot April stick this time. While he is unlikely to hit .356 with a 1.121 OPS the rest of the way, I think Abrams could be in for a career year.
However, Abrams was not the only offensive contributor tonight. The Nats lit up Mitch Keller early, getting three runs in before the Pirates right hander got an out. They could have created even more separation if not for a couple outs on the bases.
It did not end up costing the Nats the game, but it did make things much more stressful. By the bottom of the 5th, it was a 5-4 game after Miles Mikolas did some Miles Mikolas things. If you told me there would be no more runs in the game, I would have called you a mad man.
That is exactly what happened though. Mitchell Parker, Cionel Perez, Clayton Beeter and Gus Varland combined for 4.2 scoreless innings to end the game. Parker looked particularly sharp, showing off a new slider heavy mix that resulted in a lot of Pirates whiffs.
Final: Nats 5, Pirates 4. The bullpen quartet of Mitchell Parker, Cionel Perez, Clayton Beeter and Gus Varland combined to make a 1-run lead hold up over 4 2/3 innings.
It was not smooth sailing for Nats relievers, but they ended up getting the job done. Cionel Perez worked out of a bases loaded jam by getting a double play ball on a 3-1 count. That really felt like the turning point of the game. Pirates manager Don Kelly pulled Brandon Lowe in favor of a right handed hitter, and that decision backfired.
While that may have been the turning point, the result was in doubt throughout. The Nats infield defense was pretty shaky tonight, but Daylen Lile made a stellar basket catch in the outfield that really helped Clayton Beeter get out of the 8th inning.
It was one of the best catches of Lile’s young career. While the hits are not falling the way they did at the end of last year, Lile looks much improved on the defensive side of the ball. I also think his swings are looking a lot better the past few days. He had a couple really unlucky outs tonight.
All of this set up a ninth inning for Gus Varland, who is just coming off his first career save. Now, he was going for save number two. He did not make it easy, allowing a double and a walk to the 8 and 9 hitter. However, Varland locked in with a strikeout of Oneil Cruz. Then he got Nick Yorke to hit a weak pop up to Curtis Mead.
It may have taken some years off my life, but the Nats ended up pulling it out with a 5-4 win. That was a very gritty win, which showed their offensive fire power as well as some positive signs on the mound. Hopefully that can carry over, and the boys can at least split this four game series in Pittsburgh.
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