Any optimism the Mets carried into the weekend after snapping a 12-game losing streak and winning two straight was completely siphoned over six hours Sunday.
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Manager Carlos Mendoza’s beleaguered bunch managed only one run over 18 innings in getting swept by the hapless Rockies in a Citi Field doubleheader.
The three-game series sweep by Colorado was complete with the Mets’ 3-0 loss in the nightcap. The Mets fell 3-1 in the doubleheader’s first game.
With Monday’s off-day, questions will continue to swirl about Mendoza’s job security. Mendoza isn’t the one swinging to weak contact at the plate, but Mets owner Steve Cohen can’t fire the entire team.
Chase Dollander and his 100 mph heat provided the resistance in the nightcap. It was quite the contrast to journeyman Jose Quintana’s assortment of junk in Game 1.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) reacts in the dugout during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
In the nightcap, Kodai Senga continued his free fall by lasting only 2 ²/₃ innings and allowing three earned runs on three hits with three walks. It was a third straight start in which the right-hander failed to complete even four innings.
Hunter Goodman’s two-run homer in the third that gave the Rockies a 3-0 lead suggested Senga might be facing short work. And after Senga walked two batters in the third inning, manager Carlos Mendoza removed him.
Carl Edwards Jr., in his Mets debut, gave the team a chance with 3 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in relief. Edwards, who struck out five, walked three batters without allowing a hit.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) reacts on the mound in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The Mets had a chance to rally in the fifth after Carson Benge and Ronny Mauricio delivered consecutive singles to begin the inning. But Tyrone Taylor’s ensuing line drive was snagged by first baseman TJ Rumfield and was turned into a double play.
The Mets took a shot at a late rally in Game 1, but it fizzled in the eighth. After Juan Soto walked to load the bases with one out, Luis Robert Jr. popped out and Mark Vientos struck out, eliciting boos from the crowd.
Nolan McLean was removed after five innings in which he allowed two runs, one unearned, on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
The start matched McLean’s shortest of the season — he also went only five innings against the Pirates in his initial outing.
McLean allowed an RBI single to Troy Johnston in the fourth, but the inning could have gotten much worse. With the bases still loaded and nobody out, McLean struck out Kyle Karros before getting Brett Sullivan to hit a soft comebacker that started a 1-2-3 double play. The rally started with two straight singles before Rumfield walked to load the bases.
Two fans sit among empty seats during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Taylor’s homer leading off the bottom of the fifth tied it 1-1. Quintana had retired 11 straight batters before Taylor cleared the fence in left-center for his second homer this season.
Vientos’ throwing error helped the Rockies score an unearned run in the sixth. Vientos, at first base, fielded Rumfield’s grounder and attempted a throw to second to nail Mickey Moniak. But the throw hit Moniak, leaving the bases loaded and nobody out. Huascar Brazobán replaced McLean and induced a double-play grounder from Johnston, with the run scoring.
Brazobán surrendered an RBI single to Jake McCarthy in the seventh that widened the Mets deficit to 3-1. Sullivan’s double started the rally. Luis Torrens nailed McCarthy attempting to steal second before Jordan Beck reached on a pitch clock violation for ball four. Brazobán retired Edouard Julien for the final out.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 26: Jasson Domínguez #24 of the New York Yankees bats against the Philadelphia Phillies during their game at Yankee Stadium on July 26, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier today, the Yankees optioned Luis Gil to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after taking the loss in the series finale in Houston. In a corresponding move, the Yankees are reportedly calling up outfielder Jasson Domínguez from Triple-A.
A path to playing time for Domínguez opened up on Friday night when Giancarlo Stanton exited mid-game due to a calf injury. The Yankees haven’t placed Stanton on the injured list, but the 36-year-old DH will presumably still need some more time to recover even if he doesn’t ultimately hit the IL in the coming days, potentially giving Domínguez his first chance at major-league at-bats this season.
Domínguez had gotten off to an excellent start at Triple-A, posting a .306/.404/.471 slash line with three home runs and eight stolen bases. He may be the primary option to take over DH duties against right-handed pitchers for now, with Paul Goldschmidt on hand to enter the lineup against lefties.
It’s possible this isn’t a long stint back in the majors for Domínguez; his role in the organization at the moment seems to be to stay ready for times exactly like this, when a veteran goes down and the Yankees have a need for another bat in the lineup. Though this kind of job isn’t exactly what Domínguez or the club had in mind a few years ago as the outfielder shot through the minor league ranks, it’s representative of the depth the Yankees have right now that when injury hits, they can just plug in a competent young bat still with loads upside.
NEW YORK (AP) — Denver's Nikola Jokic was fined $50,000 and Minnesota's Julius Randle was fined $35,000 for their roles in an altercation near the end of Game 4 of the teams' playoff series, the NBA announced Sunday.
Both will be eligible to play when the series resumes Monday with Game 5 in Denver.
The incident was evidently sparked when Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels took an uncontested layup with 2.1 seconds left and the Timberwolves already leading by 14 — a play the Nuggets took exception to, given how the game had been decided.
Jokic, the NBA said, “initiated the incident by confronting and shoving” McDaniels in reaction to that play. Randle, the league said, “escalated the incident by forcefully inserting himself into the scrum and shoving Nuggets guard-forward Bruce Brown.”
Jokic and Randle were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game.
“He scored when we’d stopped playing,” Jokic said. “You guys saw what happened.”
The teams are meeting in the postseason for the third time in the last four years. Minnesota leads the series 3-1, but will be without guard Donte DiVincenzo for the rest of the season because of a torn Achilles and will be without fellow guard Anthony Edwards indefinitely because of a knee injury. DiVincenzo and Edwards both got hurt on Saturday.
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander (32) pitches in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
After rain bumped the Saturday matchup from the MLB schedule, the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets played two on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
Game 1: Rockies 3, Mets 1
The Rockies started the day with a victory to lock up a series win on the road.
Putting the ‘K’ in New York
Strikeouts were a key theme across the first few innings.
After Nolan McLean struck out two batters in a quick top of the first, the game got off to a dicey start for José Quintana. Walks have plagued Quintana in 2026 and he struggled to find control early, walking Bo Bichette before striking out Juan Soto and then walking Luis Robert Jr. to put runners on first and second.
A Mark Vientos single loaded the bases with one out. Quintana responded by striking out Marcus Semien. Brett Baty proved to be a difficult final out, working his at-bat to a full count. The sixth pitch was initially called a ball to walk in a run, but a successful Brett Sullivan ABS challenge overturned the ruling, sparing the Rockies with a third strikeout for Quintana.
McLean continued to pile up the strikeouts as well, including the 1,000th strikeout of his career. He matched his first inning total, striking out two more each inning in the second and the third. McLean looked sharp mixing his pitches for those six strikeouts, with two Ks coming on curveballs, two on four-seam fastballs, one on a sinker, and one on a sweeper. He also picked off Jake McCarthy at first base in the bottom of the third.
Ducks on the pond, only one gets home
The Rockies found their spark in the fourth inning. With only one hit through the first three innings, they got to work with three more.
Edouard Julien hit a line drive leadoff single, before Mickey Moniak moved him to third with a single of his own. McClean would then walk TJ Rumfield to load the bases with no outs. Troy Johnston seized the opportunity, hitting an RBI single to right.
Unfortunately, that would be all the Rockies could muster. McClean bounced back to strike out Kyle Karros, before fielding a Sullivan grounder to turn a 1-2-3 double play to get out of trouble.
The pitchers (mostly) settled in
Coming into the game, the question was how Quintana and McClean might respond after they both struggled in their last outings. The answer was a low-scoring pitchers duel, plenty of quick innings, and several jams navigated.
Getting out of his rough first inning, Quintana would cruise, sitting down 11 straight batters in a masterful performance.
Bad news: he couldn’t make it 12 straight. Tyron Taylor kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer to left center to tie things up at 1-1.
Good news: That would be the only run Quintana would give up all day.
The Rockies got to McClean in the sixth, ending his day by putting him in a pickle. A Julien leadoff double, a Moniak walk, and a throwing error to put Rumfield on first would load the bases and force the Mets to go to the bullpen. McLean’s day ended at 5.0 innings pitched, with five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
Huascar Brazobán entered and gave up a run — charged to McLean — on a double play ground ball. He and the Mets would get out of the inning trailing just 2-1 after Karros hit a grounder for the third out.
Quintana would also call it a day in the sixth after 5.1 innings pitched, with one run given up on just two hits alongside five strikeouts and two walks.
Late ups and downs
Leadoff hits were a common theme for the Rockies today, and it worked out for some seventh inning insurance. Sullivan hit a double out to right field and was brought home by a McCarthy RBI single, giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead. Juan Mejia, who came in to relieve Quintana, kept things clean by sitting down Semien, Baty, and Taylor to end the inning.
Things got a little too close for comfort in the eighth. It was three straight outs for the Rockies offense in the top, followed by three straight baserunners for the Mets offense in the bottom.
Jaden Hill replaced Mejia and, after getting the first out, quickly found himself in trouble. He surrendered back-to-back singles to Francisco Alvarez and Bichette, before walking Soto to (once again) load the bases. But (also once again) the Rockies would prove resilient. Hill would get Robert Jr. to pop out on a 1-2 count and lock in to strike out Vientos, getting him to swing on a slider down in the zone.
Start spreadin’ the news!
The Rockies went on the road and secured their third series win of the season behind Quintana’s best outing of the year. Quintana’s first win in 2026 came with season-lows for hits and runs given up. He had more strikeouts today (five) than he had thrown all year (four across three games).
Both teams had plenty of chances, including multiple bases loaded opportunities, but neither could fully capitalize. Each team left 13 runners on base. The game ultimately was a classic Citi Field showdown, decided one run at a time in a low-scoring affair with the Rockies getting runs across when they needed them most.
Game 2: Rockies 3, Mets 0
Less than an hour after game one, the Rockies were back on the field to face the Mets again. With a series win already locked down, the Rockies rode a dominant day from their pitching staff to a sweep in Flushing.
Dominant Dollander
For the first time this season, right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander started a game. After operating largely as a bulk reliever with an opener through his first six appearances, Dollander was given the nod for the second game in today’s doubleheader.
He then made a case to stay in the rotation.
Dollander was a little shaky with his command early. However, he ended up only giving up two hits and two walks through his first three innings of work. He then settled into a powerful rhythm. Dollander ended up pitching seven shutout innings on 105 pitches while giving up five hits and two walks while striking out seven hitters. The seven innings were a career high for Dollander.
It looked like manager Warren Schaeffer was coming to get Dollander when he gave up a two out single in the bottom of the seventh. However, Dollander gestured to the dugout as if to ask for one more batter to end the inning. Dollander then induced a pop-out to end the inning.
With Ryan Feltner out for an unknown period of time with right ulnar nerve inflammation, it might be time for Dollander to take his place in the rotation.
The Rockies’ offense wasn’t exactly dominant, nor was it the real reason the Rockies won this game. In fact, the Rockies had just one total hit after the third inning. That hit came off the bat of Mickey Moniak, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Tyler Freeman wore a pitch and TJ Rumfield drew a walk to set up the Rockies in the top of the second inning. Kyle Karros grounded into a force-out to advance Freeman to third, and Freeman then scored on a single off the bat of Troy Johnston.
In the top of the third, Edouard Julien singled to star the inning before Hunter Goodman gave the ball a ride over the fence for his seventh home run of the season.
Thanks to strong outings in the first game of the doubleheader and Chase Dollander’s seven inning start, the Rockies bullpen had just one job in this game: get it done in two innings.
Seth Halvorsen came in first, making his second appearance with the Rockies this season. He allowed no hits, but did issue a walk in a scoreless eighth inning. He then gave way to Zach Agnos, who gave up a double but kept the Mets off the board and earned his second save of the season.
Now the bullpen gets an additional day of rest tomorrow before the Rockies start their next series.
The Rockies get a day of rest Monday before heading to Ohio for a three game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.42 ERA) and Chase Burns (2-1, 2.57 ERA) are expected to start the first game of the series on Tuesday at 4:40 p.m. MDT.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a lot of great playoff success from 2009 to 2015. During that span, they had five trips to the Western Conference Finals and three Stanley Cup championships. They also created some great rivalries with teams from within the West.
One of these teams, the Los Angeles Kings, was as good as any they faced. During the same span, the Kings reached three West Finals and won the Stanley Cup twice. The two organizations won a total of five Cups from 2010 to 2015.
Leading the way for LA through that era of championship success was forward Anze Kopitar. He was as admirable a playoff foe as the Blackhawks faced during that time. As their best forward, he was a key part of their core, which included stars like Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, and Dustin Brown.
On Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche completed their first-round sweep over Kopitar and the Kings, putting an end to Kopitar’s 20-year NHL career, all with LA. He was their 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, and he has exceeded every expectation since.
Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Toews drew a lot of comparisons to one another as they were very similar players. They could each contribute offensively at a high level, but both put emphasis on being great two-way forwards. There were multiple Selke Trophies, Stanley Cups, and leadership awards won between the two of them.
In 59 regular-season games played against the Blackhawks, Kopitar had 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points. There were some incredible battles, including all of those postseason matches where he was the most impactful forward.
Now and again, a player is so great both on and off the ice that they will receive praise and respect from everyone, even their biggest rivals. Kopitar is one of those players.
There is a chance that this is not the last that hockey fans will see of Kopitar. For one, he is going to have his number retired, be in the Hall of Fame, and have many other accolades thrown his way.
He may also be someone interested in front office or coaching work. He is a smart hockey man who has the knowledge needed to be involved one way or another down the line.
Blackhawks fans will remember him amongst the greatest individual rivals to ever play against them, especially since he was prominent during such a successful stretch for both teams.
Anze Kopitar makes his way through the handshake line after his final NHL game 🥹 pic.twitter.com/gdmM1f5mcm
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The Los Angeles Kings have been fighting all season long to get into the playoffs, but today that fight ended as the Colorado Avalanche completed the sweep with a 5-1 win in Game four.
After debating whether they should shuffle the top line, D.J. Smith finally pulled the trigger, opting to put Artemi Panarin, Quinton Byfield, and Trevor Moore in the top line and moving Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar to the second line with Alex Laferriere.
The early results were encouraging in the second period, when the changes were made; it was the best shift of the period by Laferriere, with Kopitar and Kempe together on the line, setting up Joel Edmundson right away to score and cut the deficit to one goal.
But, as they've done all series, the Avs responded. A three-goal burst in the final period by Colorado quickly put the Kings in a three-goal hole. Things only snowballed from there as the Kings' offense went stagnant and Colorado began to dominate the neutral zone and convert on their open looks.
It was safe to say that with their backs against the wall, the Kings were going to play with desperation to open the game. Ten minutes into the match, LA was very aggressive on offense, outshooting the visiting team 6-2, and, once again, the opportunities to score were there.
Kings' forward Alex Laferriere has had the most scoring chances out of every player in the playoffs who hasn't yet scored a goal. The 24-year-old had a great look in the slot, but came up short, and so did forward Adrian Kempe, who overshot the puck above the net and went wide right.
Add 2 more to that total for Alex Laferriere on his first shift of the game. He's been around it all series, has two assists, but can't buy one himself. https://t.co/5eL7Gvw4ki
Not only that, but the Kings got onto the power play twice in the early parts of the opening period and failed to convert a goal in both instances. The energy and hostility were there for LA fighting for their lives to force a game 5, but they couldn't overcome Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
With that, LA left the door open again for the Avs to score, who got onto the power play after Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin got caught for interference. Colorado would convert on the interference, scoring its first power play goal of this series after going 0-for-9 in the first three games.
Nathan MacKinnon capitalized on the one-timer shot, converting on the nice setup to score his first goal of the playoffs. That's been the story of this series, Colorado taking advantage of the Kings' missed shots and getting on board first to hold the one-goal lead.
Things got physical in the final two minutes of the first period after Kings forward Jeff Malott and Avs Center Jack Drury got in a fight, which resulted in another power play opportunity for Colorado.
Los Angeles, though, did a good job of killing the power play and avoiding going down by two goals after Colorado got a little bit of momentum late in the period.
1-0 Avalanche after 20 minutes.
Big late kill from the Kings. Could feel Colorado taking over a bit, see if that helps stop the momentum a bit at the intermission.
At the 14:12 mark of the second period, Avs defenseman Cale Makar beat Kings forward Taylor Ward 1-on-1 with an impressive drive to the net while getting fouled and still scored to bury the goal on the short side, giving Colorado a two-goal advantage.
Colorado was doing a good job keeping possession of the puck to start the second period, limiting shots on goal by the Kings, who went nearly 11 minutes without getting a shot on goal.
It was a very bad period for the Kings, who hadn't sustained much of anything since that second power play in the first period. Colorado was in control of the game from that point on, with a 2-0 lead.
Just two shots on goal for LA through nearly eleven minutes until Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson stepped on the blue line and scored the goal, picking up Kempe's backhand pass, squeezing the shot past Wedegwood.
LAK Goal - And it pays off!
Best shift of the period by Laferriere with Kopitar/Kempe and the Kings convert. Edmundson crashes down and buries one. 2-1.
Huge goal for the Kings, who were very stagnant and slow on offense to start the second period, now getting some momentum with that goal and cutting the deficit to one goal.
Other than scoring that goal, it wasn't a good period at all for Los Angeles, only generating seven shots on goal. But the Kings did a solid job at keeping the Avalanche at two goals and not further extending the lead after 40 minutes.
Just when the game felt like the Kings' season was nearing an end with a shots-on-goal drought and the visitors in control, that goal helped bring momentum and left one more period to extend the season.
In the third period at the 16:47 mark, the Avalanche won the battle in the neutral zone against the Kings, creating a 2-on-1 led by Avs forward Artturi Lehkonen, whose shot was stopped by Anton Forsberg but was cleaned up by Nicolas Roy, giving Colorado the two-goal lead back.
No matter how hard the Kings played in this game and throughout the series, Colorado just has too many weapons and playmakers on offense for LA to compete with.
The damage was being done to the Kings. Nearly three minutes after the Avs scored, the visitors once again got on the scoreboard. This time, defenseman Devon Toews made his mark on the game, scoring on the high glove over Forsberg to make it a three-goal lead.
The Avs' ability to do what they want in the neutral zone against the Kings was very evident in Game 4; Colorado's depth and offense were just dominating LA's defense.
Colorado put the nail in the coffin after scoring on the empty net at the 5:38 mark to run away with this game and close out the Kings on the courtesy of a sweep.
The @LAKings season comes to an end in four games.
Emotional moment in the building for Anze Kopitar. Credit to the fans for showing their love.
Joel Edmundson scored the loan goal for the Kings late in the second period, cutting the decicit to one goal, but the offense struggled to generate any more shots from that point on.
Anton Forsberg had another solid game under the crease, finishing with 28 saves on 32 shots. Despite giving up five goals today, credit Forsberg for playing hard all series long and making every shot tough for the Avalanche.
There will be plenty of time to discuss roster construction and coaching decisions, especially with this being Anze Kopitar's final game. What direction will the Kings move into?
Disappointing way for the Kings to go out, especially for Kopitar, who was looking to extend his season. All good things come to an end, and it was a great career for Kopitar, with the legacy he left for nearly 20 years with the silver and black.
Stay tuned for the offseason, free agency and beyond.
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Kings players pay tribute to Anze Kopitar as he skates off the ice to a standing ovation from the crowd following the team's season-ending playoff loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Seven times in the past 12 seasons the Kings have advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs, only to leave after the first round.
They’ve changed coaches five times, general managers twice, even the team captains have changed over that span. But the results have not.
The Kings will begin the offseason for the first time in two decades without Anze Kopitar, who played the final game of his Hall of Fame career Sunday.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar acknowledges the crowd after playing in his final NHL game Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Fans at Crypto.com Arena chanted "Thank you, Kopi!" in the final minute of the game, giving him a standing ovation. Kopitar received another standing ovation after the team handshakes, acknowledging the cheers from the crowd.
If anything, the Kings are heading backward because they won at least one game in their last five playoffs appearances. Against the Avalanche they not only failed to win, they led just once, for three minutes and 24 seconds late in Game 2.
Colorado, the best team in the NHL during the regular season, was clearly the best team in this series as well, going ahead to stay Sunday on MacKinnon’s power-play goal with less than seven minutes left in the first period. That spoiled what had been the Kings’ special-teams advantage in the series.
The Kings, who had a power-play goal in each of the first three games of the series, were shut out with the man advantage twice in the first 12 minutes of Game 4. Then their penalty kill was beaten for the first time in 10 tries when MacKinnon lined home a slap shot in from the center of the left circle 16 seconds after Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin was sent off for interference.
For MacKinnon, who led the NHL with 53 goals during the regular season, the score was his first of the postseason.
And those weren’t the only penalties in the opening 20 minutes. Just more than two minutes before the first intermission, the physical nature of the series boiled over in a series of scuffles that ended with referee Graham Skilliter meeting with the captains of both teams.
Kings center Anze Kopitar warms up before Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)Kings captain Anze Kopitar stands on the ice during the national anthem before Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Skilliter then handed out four penalties, a two-minute misconduct to Colorado’s Jack Drury while the Kings’ Samuel Helenius received a two-minute roughing and a 10-minute misconduct and teammate Jeff Malott got a two-minute roughing.
And with that, D.J. Smith’s game plan went out the window.
“We have to be disciplined,” the Kings interim coach had said before the game. “Two [penalties] or less.”
The Kings doubled that total in the first 18 minutes.
Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, left, battles Colorado forward Gabriel Landeskog for the puck in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Speaking of doubling, Makar gave Colorado a 2-0 lead 5:48 into the second period, collecting a bouncing puck at the blue line, then skating around Kings’ forward Taylor Ward to score on a wrist shot from the edge of the right circle.
But the Kings, less than 35 minutes away from the end of their season, refused to quit with Edmundson cutting the deficit in half about eight minutes later, sending a wrister from the top of the left circle on goal. Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood appeared to stop the puck, only to have it fall to the ice and trickle across the goal line.
Roy got that one back for Colorado 3:13 into the final period, banging the rebound of an Artturi Lehkonen shot between the pads of Kings goalie Anton Forsberg. When Toews scored less than three minutes later, the Avalanche had the biggest lead of the series and the rout was on.
MacKinnon added the final score into an empty net.
And with that another disappointing postseason ended for the Kings and another long offseason began, one the team and general manager Ken Holland will enter with more questions than answers, beginning with the status of his interim coach and the aging core of his roster.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar raises the Stanley Cup as he floats across Lake Bled in Slovenia with family and friends in 2012. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
While it's a disappointing fact that the Detroit Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, one positive aspect that leaves no room for disappointment in the season that was is the performance of defenseman Moritz Seider.
Seider firmly put himself into consideration for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, not only establishing new career-highs in goals (10), assists (50), points (60), and average ice time (25:39 per game), but he also earned a new career-best plus-15 rating.
The Norris Trophy is something that Red Wings fans are quite familiar with, considering how many times that former franchise defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom earned the award.
Speaking of Lidstrom, Seider has equaled a pair of scoring stats no Red Wings defenseman has reached since Lidstrom last suited up in the NHL.
Seider not only became the first Red Wings defenseman since Lidstrom in 2007-08 to register at least 50 assists, but also the first since Lidsrom in 2010-11 to to reach at least 60 total points .
Seider's durability was also on full display, as it was his fifth straight season of appearing in all 82 regular-season games; he's never missed a game in his NHL career thus far.
“Mo is just Mo,” head coach Todd McLellan said earlier in the campaign. “There’s no better way of saying that, because you get the same thing every night, over and over again. The energy he plays with, he never seems tired. He plays with some physicality, defends fairly well, and can provide offense.”
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Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks the basketball during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
The Spurs had a rollercoaster of a Game 4 in Victor Wembanyama’s return to action. San Antonio was dreadful, especially on offense, in the first half and trailed by a wide margin heading into the break before making a roaring comeback in the second half, outscoring the Trail Blazers 73 to 35 to get the 114-93 win. Now, they’ll return home up 3-1 in the series and with a chance to close it out on Tuesday.
The start of the matinee game was predictably sloppy, with both teams struggling with turnovers and the Spurs showing some poor shot selection and questionable transition defense. As the minutes passed, things stabilized, and the two squads tried to play their games. San Antonio locked down on defense with a dominant Wembanyama deterring and altering shots near the rim and the perimeter defenders being active and energetic. The Silver and Black took a small lead that would, unfortunately, disappear when the bench checked in, as they struggled massively on offense. As they tend to do, after a drought, the Blazers went on a run to regain the lead, and the poor shot selection from earlier returned when the starters did for the visitors, allowing the hosts to stay ahead by two after the opening 12 minutes.
It was a low-scoring first quarter, and unfortunately for the Spurs, their offense would only get worse in the second. Mitch Johnson tried some strange lineups in hopes of getting a spark, but nothing worked. The Blazers’ defense was suffocating in the halfcourt, with Jrue Holiday doing a great job of containing Wembanyama on the perimeter and San Antonio showing the lack of variety and imagination in its attack that hurt them occasionally in the regular season. The bench got outscored 23-5 in the first half, showing that the entire team was struggling and there would be no unexpected hero to save it. They were helped by a Spurs defense that wasn’t sharp and by some outrageous shotmaking from unlikely sources, but the Blazers should be commended for running every chance they got and moving the ball until it found the open man. At the break, they led by 17, and they deserved that buffer.
As dominant as Portland was in the first half, they tend to be inconsistent, so it didn’t feel like the game was out of reach. The Spurs just needed to remember their identity, get some stops, and hit some threes, and the hope was that they could eventually chip away at the deficit, taking advantage of their often erratic opponent. There was room for optimism, but not even the most bullish fan could have predicted how quickly San Antonio would get on track and catch up on the scoreboard. The defense, which was lackadaisical earlier, became a blur of movement, with everyone in the perimeter showing energy and aggression. Stephon Castle was everywhere on both ends, playing through foul trouble, and Victor Wembanyama sealed off the paint. Even the second unit found some scoring. Everything went well for the Silver and Black and poorly for the Blazers, who only scored 16 points in the frame.
The score was tied heading into the final period, and the concern was that the Spurs might have spent all their energy climbing their way out of a hole. The opposite seemed to happen. If anything, the Silver and Black looked energized after the fantastic third quarter and only got more dominant in the fourth. Castle was finding Wembanyama for easy buckets inside, and when the young guard had to take a break, De’Aaron Fox took over the game. It didn’t hurt that the Blazers went through one of their turnover-filled droughts, but San Antonio’s defense was partly responsible for their poor play on that end. A close win felt possible even at the worst points, but it would have been hard to predict the Spurs running away with it, dropping 40 in the fourth, one shy of the amount of points they had in the entire first half. It was a terrific comeback that showcased how high San Antonio’s ceiling really is.
Game notes
Wembanyama finished with an insane stat line in his return. He looked like himself on defense throughout and came alive on offense when he got to play off the ball more as a finisher instead of trying to create against smaller defenders with a lower center of gravity. Fantastic return for Wemby.
Dylan Harper, the hero of Game 3, didn’t have it going on Sunday, but the two other guards did. Stephon Castle was limited by foul trouble but still managed to get 16 points and eight assists in 27 minutes while playing elite defense for stretches. De’Aaron Fox, seeing that the team needed him to look for his shot more aggressively, dropped 28 points in 17 shots and played almost 40 minutes, taking over when needed.
It wasn’t just Harper who struggled off the bench. Luke Kornet and Carter Bryant, who were hugely important in Game 3, were not effective on Sunday. Harrison Barnes did well, but in a small role. And Keldon Johnson once again scored in single digits. The second unit wasn’t a major factor in the win.
One possible reason for the struggles of some role players, apart from facing a deep opponent, might be due to experimentation by Mitch Johnson. Some of it has been forced by Wembanyama’s absence, but Mitch tried some strange lineups in the first half that simply didn’t work. He stuck with a more traditional rotation in the second half, and everyone seemed to feel more comfortable.
After the Scoot Henderson and Dylan Harper verbal battle in Game 3, things got chippy between Stephon Castle and Deni Avdija. Castle put the ball in Avdija’s chest after scoring on him, the Blazers’ forward shoved him, Castle shoved him back, and then the two exchanged some heated words after being separated. The officials went with double technicals, and things didn’t escalate, but it’s clear that familiarity is breeding contempt between the two teams.
Play of the game
Luke Kornet, channeling his inner Wemby with the dunk of the inbounds pass.
‘Heartbroken’ Tottenham midfielder stretchered off in win at Wolves
Netherlands star faces eight months out after scans confirm injury
Xavi Simons has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for around eight months. The Tottenham midfielder suffered the injury in his team’s 1-0 win at Wolves on Saturday and will be unavailable for the remainder of the club’s Premier League survival fight. His devastation has been compounded by the knowledge that he will not be able to play for the Netherlands at the World Cup finals this summer.
Simons was stretchered off at Molineux in the 63rd minute after twisting his knee in the turf as he chased a ball towards the byline. It is a terrible blow for him and the club, whose new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was counting on the 23-year-old’s creativity in the battle against relegation. Despite the victory over Wolves, which was Spurs’ first in 16 league games, they remain 18th in the table, two points behind 17th-placed West Ham with four matches to play.
The Mets once again failed to produce any offense, dropping the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, 3-0, to the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field.
Kodai Senga failed to get out of the third inning, surrendering three runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout while getting eight outs on 50 pitches (30 strikes).
But the story of Game 2 was the same as Game 1: The bats failed to produce. The Mets left seven runners on base and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and have now scored one run or fewer in 10 of 28 games this season. Rockies starter Chase Dollander was the beneficiary, allowing just five hits and two walks as he struck out seven batters in seven shutout innings.
- Senga collected his first strikeout of the day on a good forkball in an eight-pitch, 1-2-3 first. The second was less successful with a hit batter and a walk to start the frame. After a fielder’s choice, a Senga 0-2 forkball hung over the plate and was ripped into right for an RBI single. But a pair of flyouts to left field stranded two runners. Through two innings, Senga had been leaning heavily on his fastball and forkball, with those two pitches making up 32 of his first 34 offerings.
Senga started the third with a first-pitch curve, and Edouard Julien lined it up the middle for a single. Senga then got stung by Hunter Goodman staying on a down-and-away fastball for a two-run shot to right-center on a ball that carried 390 feet (104.9 mph off the bat). It wasn't a bad pitch; Goodman just crushed it.
A four-pitch walk followed, and pitching coach Justin Willad was out for a visit. After a flyout, Brett Baty made a good play down the line at first for an out, but threw the ball into left field trying to do too much, putting a runner at third with two down. After a third walk of the game, manager Carlos Mendoza came out to grab the starter.
Senga, who was working on eight days' rest as the Mets looked to reset him after a tough outing in Chicago, just didn’t find his groove after the first and saw his ERA balloon to 9.00 through his first five starts. He’s now allowed 21 runs (20 earned) on 26 hits (five homers) and 13 walks to 23 strikeouts in 20 innings for a 1.950 WHIP.
- The bullpen then did its job shutting down Colorado's offense: Carl Edwards Jr. entered in his Mets debut with runners on the corners and two down, and walked the first guy he faced, but got a groundout to stop any further damage. Edwards issued a one-out walk but struck out the side in the fourth, with all three going down swinging at the curveball. He followed with a walk and strikeout in the fifth before adding a 1-2-3 in the sixth with another strikeout.
Luke Weaver allowed a one-out single, but picked off Mickey Moniak at first to get a clean seventh, Brooks Raley added a strikeout in a 1-2-3 eighth, and Devin Williams struck out the first two on the changeup in a 1-2-3 ninth to keep the Mets in the game, but the offense never arrived.
- The Mets had a chance in the first inning against Dollander. Juan Soto ripped a bullet one-out single up the middle (106.5 mph off the bat) and Baty, who had a tough time in Game 1 with three strikeouts looking, walked on four pitches to put two on and two out. But MJ Melendez popped out a 3-2 offering to the shortstop in shallow center.
- There was something really cooking in the fifth as Carson Benge grounded a ball up the middle and Ronny Mauricio yanked one through the right side to put two men on. But Tyrone Taylor looped a line drive at the first baseman to double off Mauricio at first, and Bo Bichette grounded out to short. It ended up being a 13-pitch inning for Dollander, getting the last two batters on four pitches.
- Bichette was hitless in his first two at-bats with a strikeout looking, thanks to a Goodman challenge on a 3-2 pitch that just caught the zone down and away. He was robbed of a hit with one out in the eighth when Ezequiel Tovar made a diving stop at short on a ball he smashed 109.2 mph to finish the day 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Bichette, who played shortstop in Game 1, made a great pick at third on a hard smash off Brenton Doyle's bat (100.9 mph) for the second out in the sixth.
- Benge put a good swing on a 1-2 pitch to poke the ball the other way for a two-out hit in the seventh. He went 2-for-4 as he has looked much better at the plate in recent games, but popped out to left to end the game.
- Melendez, who was hitless in his first three times up with a strikeout swinging, dropped a double into the left field corner with one out in the ninth to finish 1-for-4. He also made a nice running grab tracking down a ball in the corner in left to start the fifth.
- Soto finished 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout swinging on a 100.4 mph heater from Dollander to start the sixth, after losing the Mets’ final challenge of the game on strike one.
- Marcus Semien blistered a single up the middle to start the second inning, but was caught stealing second a few pitches later. He went 1-for-3 with a strikeout swinging.
He made a nice play to start the seventh, ranging to the shortstop side of the bag to backhand the ball and make a nice throw to get Goodman running to first.
- Francisco Alvarez went down swinging on a letter-high 99 mph fastball from Dollander in his first at-bat and went down swinging on a low-and-away Dollander slider in the sixth. He finished 0-for-4.
- Baty finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a smashed liner (102.1 mph) but right at the centerfielder to end the sixth.
- Mauricio finished the day 1-for-3 with a strikeout swinging.
- Taylor was hitless in three at-bats.
Next Up
The Mets have Monday off before opening up a three-game set with the Washington Nationals.
Clay Holmes (2.10 ERA, 1.033 WHIP in 30 innings) gets the ball for Tuesday's 7:10 p.m. first pitch in Queens. Zack Littell (7.56 ERA, 1.680 WHIP in 25 innings, who leads baseball with 11 home runs allowed) goes for the visitors.
In Game 3, with Victor Wembanyama in street clothes recovering from a concussion, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle led a comeback from 15 down in the third quarter to win comfortably.
Sunday in Game 4, the Spurs trailed by as many as 19, and the deficit was 17 at the half. Portland was playing with urgency, and their fans were fired up and loud.
But this time, San Antonio had Wembanyama. He had 18 points and, more importantly, five blocked shots in the second half alone. The Spurs cranked up their defense after halftime, holding the Trail Blazers to 33.3% shooting in the final 24 minutes, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox got rolling and scored 18 on his own after the break. The Spurs went on 62-23 run over 20 minutes of Game 4.
The result was a 114-93 Spurs win, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead heading back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday.
In his return, Wembanyama scored 27 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks — he is the youngest player ever, and only the 10th, to have that stat line in a playoff game — and he was a +28 on the night.
In his walkoff interview after the win, Wembanyama talked to ESPN's Malika Andrews about going through the concussion protocol.
"The Spurs have done an amazing job," Wemby said. "I'm very unhappy about the way the protocol has been handled by other parties. But my staff has been amazing. I've been really healthy starting on day one after injury. The injury was weird, though. It was funny."
Portland came out Sunday with the urgency of a team that knows it needed a win — its defense and energy were way up. Portland led by two after one quarter because they took advantage of the Spurs' 37.5% shooting and got out and ran, scoring 11 fast-break points. Shaedon Sharpe came in off the bench firing and has six points as the Trail Blazers won the bench scoring in the first quarter 14-0.
However, it was the second and third quarters that told the story of this game.
In the second quarter, San Antonio scored just 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting (31.8%), and they were 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Spurs were just 5-of-12 in the paint in that quarter against a pressure defense from Portland. By comparison, the Trail Blazers had a 33-point second quarter on 57.9% shooting (5-of-8 from 3), which included a 13-0 run at one point. The result was a 17-point lead for Portland at the half.
The third quarter was the opposite. San Antonio scored 33 points on 56.5% shooting, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Portland, on the other hand, scored 16 points on 7-of-24 shooting (29.2%). The Spurs started the third quarter on a 13-0 run with better defensive effort. Eight minutes into the third quarter, the Spurs had retaken the lead. It was tied, 74-74, after three quarters.
That's when Fox and Wembanyama kept pouring it on.
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 26 points, and even got into a little scrap with Stephon Castle in the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday was the best Trail Blazer on the floor with 20 points and impressive defense. And Jerami Grant added 17 points off the bench.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - APRIL 26: Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres catches the ball over his teammate Xander Bogaerts #2 during the seventh inning of the MLB Mexico City Series game between San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 26, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael King was dealing in the second game of the Mexico City Series between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-hander completed six innings and allowed two runs on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. King took a no-hitter into the bottom of the fourth inning and did not allow a run until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jose Fernandez hit a solo home run to make the score, 6-1. King allowed the second run of the game to Arizona in the bottom of the sixth inning when Ildemaro Vargas hit another solo home run. San Diego held a 7-2 lead when King walked off the mound after the final out of the bottom of the sixth inning, but that was when the game got interesting as the Padres bullpen imploded and the result was an 12-7 loss at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu on Sunday.
Michael King notches a quality start in one of the hardest environments to ever pitch in Mexico City
David Morgan took over on the mound for the Padres and recorded a flyout to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Morgan then allowed three singles to load the bases before Tim Tawa hit a grand slam home run to left field that made the score, 7-6. The reliever left the game after just 1/3 of an inning and Bradgley Rodriguez came on to try to get the final two outs of the frame.
Rodriguez had his own struggles and allowed a leadoff double before getting a groundout for the second out of the inning. With a runner on third base, Rodriguez walked Corbin Carroll to put runners at the corners. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a double to left that scored two runs and gave the Diamondbacks an 8-7 lead and robbed King of a potential win. Rodriguez got the final out of the inning when James McCann grounded out to second base, ending the six-run frame for Arizona.
Ron Marinaccio came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning for San Diego and allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases to open the inning. Tawa flied out to shallow left field, which prevented any movement from the runners and gave Vargas another opportunity to put runs on the board for Arizona. He did just that with a triple to right field which put the Diamondbacks ahead of the Padres, 11-7. Ketel Marte followed with a single to right field, which pushed the score to 12-7 and knocked Marinaccio out of the game.
Wandy Peralta was called on to get the final two outs of the inning for San Diego but allowed a single to Carroll to put runners on the corners with one out. Peralta then walked Gurriel Jr. to load the bases before he induced a ground ball off the bat of McCann that was fielded by Jake Cronenworth, who tagged the runner and threw to first base for a double play to end the inning.
The Padres brought the top of their lineup to the plate in the top of the ninth inning and Ramon Laureano led off with a single. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a lineout to right field and Jackson Merrill flied out to right field. With two outs and Laureano on base Manny Machado stepped to the plate and hit a line drive to third that was caught by a diving Nolan Arrenado to secure the win for the Diamondbacks.
Manny Machado was the offensive highlight of the game for both teams in the early innings. He hit a two-run home run in the top of the third inning and followed that with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to give San Diego a 6-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth. The Diamondbacks got on the board in the bottom of the inning and the Padres answered in the top of the sixth when Luis Campusano hit a solo home run to push the lead to 7-1.
The first player to represent the Royals in the All-Star game, catcher Ellie Rodriguez, passed away last week at the age of 79.
Rodríguez was born Eliseo Rodríguez Delgado, May 24th, 1946, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. His family moved to New York City in 1953, settling just 10 blocks from Yankee Stadium, where young Ellie and his brother would often go. His first major league idol was Yogi Berra, a player that inspired Rodriguez to become a catcher.
Before he committed himself to baseball, Rodriguez trained as a boxer and participated in Golden Gloves tournaments. He gave up boxing after suffering a broken finger.
He caught the eye of a Kansas City Athletics scout during a high school tournament and signed with the Athletics shortly after graduation.
He hit well enough in the Athletics minor league system to interest the Yankees, who selected him in the First Year Player draft. From 1965 to 1968, he made a steady climb through the Yankee system before getting his first call up.
He made his major league debut on May 26th, 1968, against the Chicago White Sox in a game at Yankee Stadium which for a New York kid had to be a dream come true.
His locker was next to Mickey Mantle, and Mantle and Bobby Mercer helped Rodriguez secure enough tickets to accommodate the 30 family members on hand to witness the occasion. Classy move by the veterans.
Rodriguez went hitless in three at bats that day but did pick up his first career hit in his next game with an 8th inning single off Mickey Lolich in Tiger Stadium. Lolich was one of the best pitchers in baseball in those days, but Rodriguez seemed to have his number, tagging the hard throwing lefty for three of his 16 career home runs.
The expansion Royals selected Rodriguez with the 13th pick in the expansion draft, and he immediately became their starter.
Rodriguez was superb in the first half of the 1969 season, hitting a solid .260. That earned him a berth on the American League All-Star team, though he didn’t see action in the game.
Rodriguez slumped in the second half of the season which opened the door for Ed Kirkpatrick.
Rodriguez and Kirkpatrick platooned for most of the 1970 season, Ellie being the superior defensive catcher while Spanky was a better hitter.
Rodriguez best days as a Royal came during an early June series at Yankee Stadium. Playing against his former teammates and in front of a large contingent of family and friends, Rodriguez went 5 for 13 with a three-run home run in the series opener, helping the young Royals win two of three. He also threw out two would be base stealers.
With Kirkpatrick and Buck Martinez emerging as their primary catchers, the Royals traded Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers after the 1970 season. While in Milwaukee, he developed a friendship with and helped mentor another young catcher named Darrell Porter. He spent three productive seasons in Milwaukee, often battling injuries. He made his second All-Star team in 1972 but again didn’t see any playing time in the game.
With Porter ready to assume the catching duties, Milwaukee sent Rodriguez to the California Angels, where he spent two seasons and became Nolan Ryans favorite catcher. Rodriguez caught Ryan’s 4th career no-hitter and had arguably his best season as a player in 1974 when he appeared in a career high 140 games, hitting .253 with career highs in home runs and RBIs. He later appeared in 36 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1976.
He spent the entire 1977 season with the Pirates AAA affiliate in Columbus before closing his career with four seasons in the Mexican League.
Rodriguez will be remembered for two things in particular. The first was his long running dispute with Bill “Spaceman” Lee, a feud which ended in fisticuffs on two different occasions. The duo first fought in a Puerto Rican winter league game in 1970, in which Lee lost four teeth, and more famously in a May 1973 game at Fenway Park.
The second was the fact that Rodriguez was an excellent defensive catcher. He had terrific footwork behind the plate, often attributed to his time as a boxer. He was one of the first catchers I recall that caught with his body at a slight angle, his left shoulder closer to the pitcher, so he could use that leverage on his throws. He was also one of the first I remember seeing that held his right hand behind his body when catching to protect his throwing hand from foul tips.
After his time in the majors ended, Rodriguez stayed in baseball. He did some coaching in the Mexican Leagues and held various jobs in the sport up until 2018.
He passed away April 23rd at the age of 79. All of us at Royals Review extend our condolences to the Rodriguez family.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 26: Matt Olson #28 (L) celebrates at home plate with Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A couple of weeks ago, the Atlanta Braves embarked on a 13-game run of games that were solely in the NL East. Initially, it seemed like a tough task considering that they’d be seeing the Philadelphia Phillies twice during that run. At the same time, the Braves had gotten off to an encouraging start to the season as well so it seemed like this was an opportunity for the Braves to make an early statement in the division if things went well.
So here we are: 13 games later and folks, the Braves have indeed made an early statement. Atlanta’s gone 10-3 over that 13-game stretch and half of those wins came against the Phillies. The sweep in Philadelphia was absolutely lovely and Atlanta also got to welcome in the Phillies with their ballclub in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. This was a golden opportunity for the Braves to really put a significant amount of space between the and the Phillies and now we’re going to look at how things went over this weekend series.
The Braves found themselves in what was an increasingly familiar position once the third inning rolled around: Trailing the opposition. Indeed, Atlanta went behind in the top of the third inning after Trea Turner reached back to his days of being a regular Braves tormentor by hitting a two-run dinger off of Grant Holmes to break the deadlock. Fortunately for Holmes, his lineup responded immediately and got after Andre Painter with a leadoff single from Eli White and a two-run response dinger from Ronald Acuña Jr. to bring the game back to a deadlock.
Philadelphia once again went ahead in the fifth inning with another long ball — this time it was Bryce Harper hitting a solo shot as he began his usual routine of gleefully drawing the ire of Braves fans. Atlanta didn’t respond immediately but it didn’t take long, either. Once they did, it was a true game-changer and another example of Walt Weiss hitting nearly all of the right buttons to start this season.
With two outs in the sixth inning and two men on, Weiss went to the late scratch Michael Harris II for a pinch-hitting opportunity. The crowd erupted once Money Mike came out of the dugout and he repaid that excitement by hitting a deep fly ball that just about eluded the grasp of Brandon Marsh in left-center for a huge two-run double that gave the Braves the lead. Weiss promptly put in Jorge Mateo to run the bases, he stole third base and then ended up scoring after Andrew Painter uncorked a wild pitch. Both moves paid off in spades, Joel Payamps pitched a crucial scoreless eighth inning and then Robert Suarez finished things off in the ninth to give the Braves an exciting victory.
The pregame was all about Brian Snitker, who was rightfully inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in a ceremony that took place before the game started. Rain also pushed back the start by 55 minutes and while Walt Weiss and the Braves players never want to make excuses, their outfielders had a devil of a time dealing with the wet track on the field. The Phillies hit three triples in this game and aside from Ronald Acuña Jr. simply misjudging a jumping catch (which resulted in a run for the Phillies), the other two triples were aided by some literal slipshod defense.
Philadelphia went up 1-0 in the first inning thanks to Mike Yastrzemski coming up short on a diving catch that allowed Adolis García to scamper to third and then later on in the eighth inning, Kyle Schwarber picked up a stand-up triple (good luck seeing that again) after Eli White never really looked comfortable trying to get to the ball.
This was all a bit of a crying shame for the Braves because had even one of those plays in the field resulted in outs, the Braves probably end up holding on to a slim win. The bats for the Braves continued to get it done, as they were able to get to Zack Wheeler in the fourth inning with a Michael Harris II sacrifice fly and an RBI double from Austin Riley that kept Wheeler from cruising and made it a tie ballgame. Ozzie and Mike linked up together again in the sixth inning as Ozzie’s double tied it at three and then Money Mike’s RBI single actually gave the Braves the lead.
Unfortunately, tonight ended up being The Bryce Harper Show. The man who apparently enjoys tormenting Braves fans as much as he enjoys raw milk ended up with four RBIs on the night and all four of them felt like big whammies. His RBI single off of Bryce Elder in the fifth made it 3-2, his sacrifice fly in the eighth inning made it 4-4 and then he came up with the big bases-loaded knock in extras to make it a 6-4 game for the Phillies. By the time the Braves had a chance to respond, it was 8-4 after Jose Suarez had a bit of a nightmare in the tenth. Atlanta actually got the tying run up to the plate after Drake Baldwin delivered an RBI single but the game ended with Michael Harris II grunding out to none other than Bryce Harper, who flipped it to a late-covering Kyle Bachus to end their miserable (joyful for us) 10-game losing streak.
Remember last season when it felt like the Braves couldn’t buy a win in rubber games? Boy, oh boy, times have sure changed. Not only did the Braves end up winning yet another rubber game to keep their streak of avoiding series losses going, it felt almost business-like. Chris Sale got the ball and with all due respect to Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes who delivered perfectly fine starts of their own, Sale proved why he’s at the top of the rotation with yet another great start. Sale went six innings without giving up a run and he only gave up a hit and two walks in the process. He struck out nine batters and at one point had a run where he struck out five-straight Phillies batters.
He even made an incredible heads-up catch where it seemed like he was either going to catch it or sacrifice a digit after the batted ball got through with him. Either way Philadelphia couldn’t do anything with Sale a week ago and they certainly couldn’t handle him on this particular Sunday.
While Sale was making things miserable for the Phillies, the Braves were making things miserable for Aaron Nola early on. Matt Olson got things going in the first inning after he crushed a three-run shot that may have landed in the actual city of Atlanta and then they added three more runs in the second inning. Mauricio Dubón hit a triple that felt eerily similar to the triples that they gave up the night before and then Eli White left no doubt by crushing one into the road bullpen to make it a 5-0 game. Drake Baldwin eventually came up to the plate with one out and Ronald Acuña Jr. at second base (following Acuña’s sixth stolen base of the season so far) and Baldwin duly delivered with a liner that found green and plated Acuña to make it 6-0.
The only two runs that Philadelphia could muster came in familiar fashion, as Kyle Schwarber got a hold of one in the eighth from Aaron Bummer and sent it to the Chop House for a typical Schwarber bomb that made it 6-2. Fortunately, that’s how it ended! Robert Suarez finished things off in a non-save situation in order to put the Phillies right back in the “L” column after a one-night respite.
The Braves and Phillies won’t see each other again until September, which makes it all-the-more sweeter that the Braves have already banked five wins in six opportunities against them. If the Phillies eventually wake up and start trying to seriously dig themselves out of this early-season hole, they’ll have to do it while relying on other teams helping them out against the Braves.
That is going to be a tough task in itself since the Braves have continued to rack up the wins. They’re the first team to reach 20 wins this season and although the Padres an Dodgers have gotten off to just as good of a start so far, it’s still just really nice to see that nice, round number on the leaderboard. This upcoming week could be tricky with the Tigers bringing in the top of their rotation for a three-game series starting on Tuesday and then going to Colorado is always an unpredictable situation (even if the Rockies are bad like usual).
With that being said, the Braves still have some breathing room to play with in the division with their scalding-hot start to the season. They’re already 10 games clear of both the Phillies and the Mets and earlier on in this 13-game NL East Gauntlet, the Braves took care of both the Marlins and the Nationals as well. The Braves are going to eventually slow down but their quality of play seems to indicate that whatever valleys they may reach likely won’t be as deep as they had been in both 2024 and 2025. That middle game against the Phillies was a great example, in my opinion — Atlanta didn’t play all that well and they still had a shot to keep the game going in the tenth inning with one swing of the bat. If you’re winning a ton of games and your losses look like that, that’s a sign that things are really clicking for you.
Hopefully they continue to click like this, since this is certainly a lot more fun than how things started last season. Atlanta didn’t win their 20th game of the season until May 12 and they didn’t go over .500 for the first time until nearly a week after that. That one day over .500 was all they had last season — now, this appears to be a matter of just how high and far the Braves can get over .500 this season. It’s a much better situation, isn’t it, folks?
