SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 09: Sal Stewart #27 of the Cincinnati Reds tosses his bat after hitting a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the 11th inning at Petco Park on June 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Into the wee hours of the morning went the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres after their 9:40 PM ET start time on Tuesday evening in southern California, the second game of their three-game series heading to extras after neither team could quite figure out Chase Burns or Lucas Giolito, respectively.
Tied at 2-2, the two clubs reached bonus baseball just before 1 AM ET, with Eugenio Suarez socking an RBI double to score the Manfred Man and give the Reds a 3-2 lead heading into the Bottom of the 10th. Not to be outdone, Samad Taylor responded in the back half of the frame with an RBI single to score a fellow Padres and level the score at 3-3, at which point the game headed into the 11th inning.
It was then that Sal Stewart took matters into his own hands.
Cincinnati’s star rookie sat back on a breaking pitch from San Diego lefty Yuki Matsui and launched it over the wall in the deepest part of Petco Park, a 2-run homer that gave the Reds a 5-3 lead that they would not relinquish.
Zach “Big Sugar” Maxwell came on to nail down the first save of his career right after, a nearly perfect 9-pitch Bottom of the 11th that gave Cincinnati a much needed win to bust up their latest stretch of futility.
A win is a win, and the Reds will take them any way they can these days. Still, it was the kind of game where it felt like Cincinnati should have been ahead by several runs the entire way. Burns, to his credit, was once again pretty electric, allowing just 2 ER in 5.1 IP with 7 K against just 2 BB. The Reds, though, coaxed 8 walks, poked 8 hits, and swiped a season-best 7 bases on the night, yet still found themselves needing Stewart’s 2-run blast late in the game after leaving runners stranded just about everywhere imaginable throughout the course of the night.
In the end, though, it was Mustang Sally who rose to the occasion and claimed the night for the Reds. Maybe, just maybe, it ends up the kind of swing that changes the fortunes of this sputtering club.
When the Nashville Predators signed Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in the summer of 2024, the expectation was pretty simple. He was coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Vegas Golden Knights, had just scored 42 goals, and looked like the type of player who could help push Nashville into contender territory, playing alongside Steven Stamkos.
That obviously hasn't happened.
The Predators have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and now that Chris MacFarland is running the front office, it feels like some difficult conversations are coming. One of them probably has to involve Marchessault.
It's tough to look at the last two years and call the signing anything other than disappointing. This past season was especially rough. Marchessault finished with 12 goals and 31 points in 62 games, dealt with injuries, and never really found the offensive rhythm Nashville brought him in to provide.
At the same time, the Predators are no longer a team built entirely around veterans. There are younger players pushing for bigger opportunities, and that's where things get interesting. Matthew Wood, Joakim Kemell, and Luke Evangelista are part of the future. And, eventually, those players need more ice time and bigger roles if the organization wants to find out exactly what it has.
That's why a trade should happen this season.
Not because Marchessault can't still help a team, but because Nashville may have reached the point where moving forward is more important than trying to make an old plan work. Reports have already suggested that both sides could be open to a fresh start, although his no-movement clause means he will have a significant say in where that might be.
The contract is probably the biggest hurdle. Nashville may need to retain salary, and the return likely isn't going to be anything headline-grabbing. However, sometimes it's just worth moving out a heavier contract even if the return isn't overly impactful.
If MacFarland can clear some cap space, open up a roster spot, and give one of the organization's younger forwards a bigger opportunity. Then it starts with moving on from Marchessault, which could happen as early as the 2026 NHL Draft.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 19: Caden Powell #38 of the Houston Astros hits a game-winning fielder's choice in the ninth inning during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros at Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (27-37) lost 5-4 (BOX SCORE)
Javier made a rehab start for Sugar Land last night and was really good tossing 3 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the first on a Ferreras walk. Javier was relieved by Alexander who allowed 5 runs over 4 innings. Sugar Land got 2 runs back in the 6th on RBI singles from Ferreras and Perez. In the 9th, they got a run on a Winkler RBI double but the comeback fell short as Sugar Land fell 5-4.
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
J.P. France, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (26-32) won 8-7 (BOX SCORE)
Nezuh started for the Hooks and allowed 4 runs over 4 innings of work. The Hooks got on the board in the 3rd inning on a Spence Rbi groundout. They got another run in the 5th on an Encarnacion RBI single. Santos allowed 3 runs in relief as the Hooks found themselves down 7-2. They picked up 2 runs in the 6th on a Holy RBI single and Sullivan RBI triple. In the 7th, the offense scored 3 runs to tie it on a Brutcher RBI double, Guillemette RBI double and Whitaker RBI double. In the 8th, Austin connected on a solo home run to give the Hooks the lead. McLoughlin and Chirinos closed it out with scoreless outings as the Hooks won 8-7.
A+: Asheville Tourists (16-41) won 13-3 (BOX SCORE)
Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Thomas solo home run. They got 2 more runs in the 2nd inning on a Nunez 2 run home run. Rodriguez started for Asheville and pitched well allowing 2 runs over 6 innings while striking out 4. The offense played add on scoring 4 runs in the 4th on a Moss RBI single, Garcia 2 run double and Powell RBI double. The offense picked up 2 more in the 5th on a groundout and Moss sac fly. The offense would add 4 more runs in the 6th inning on a Powell 2 run single, Ochoa RBI double and Moss sac fly.
Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (WIN)
Anthony Cruz, RHP: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K (SAVE)
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (26-32) won 7-6 (BOX SCORE)
The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning scoring 2 runs on an error. They got 4 runs in the 2nd inning on a Flores solo home run, Lytle RBI double, a run on an error and a run on a balk. Beck got the start and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5.1 innings with 3 strikeouts. The offense got one more in the 4th inning on a Huezo RBI single. Varela allowed 3 runs in relief and didn’t retire a batter. Fraide came on after him and pitched well closing the game out with 6 strikeouts over 3.2 innings allowing just 1 run.
Burnley relegated in 2022 after Everton breached PSR
Everton ‘angered’ by verdict and have appealed
Burnley have won a landmark legal case against Everton for breaching Premier League financial rules, with the Merseysiders ordered to pay nearly £40m in compensation. It is the largest financial penalty ever imposed on a Premier League club.
The verdict by a Premier League independent disciplinary commission – comprising the same three-man panel that deducted Everton 10 points over the same £19.5m breach in November 2023 – has widespread ramifications for the competition and increases the likelihood of more clubs taking legal action against members who have broken league rules.
“No way the NBA was going to do the correct thing and upgrade Wemby’s uncalled foul to the flagrant on Jalen Brunson that it was obviously glaringly was,” famous sports pundit Skip Bayless posted to X.
“The Alien is now the face of the league the new ratings magnet, the most protected player in the NBA. This is exhibit A.”
Wembanyama may not be a Trae Young-level villain to Knicks fans quite yet, but he’s Public Enemy No. 1 at the moment after shoving Brunson.
As Brunson stood near the 7-foot-4 big man from France in the first quarter, Wembanyama shoved the back of Brunson’s head, which sent the much smaller Knick toward the court.
Brunson raised from the floor quickly and went toward Wembanyama, who smirked while play continued since the referees did not call a foul.
NBA senior vice president of referee operations Monty McCutchen told ESPN on Tuesday: “I think we can all agree a foul was missed on that play.”
The post-game review allowed for the NBA to upgrade the foul if the league deemed it necessary, and that review meant quite a bit since Wembanyama is at risk of being suspended for flagrant fouls.
He has two points this postseason and receiving a flagrant 2 foul would disqualify him for the next game, while a pair of flagrant 1 fouls would also lead to him missing a game.
ESPN reporter Shams Charania’s tweet revealing the league’s decision drew considerable backlash from Knicks fan.
Another X user wrote: “This is the 2nd egregious action he’s had with no consequence this playoffs. It’s honestly comical.”
One account posted: “It was obvious Wemby wasn’t getting suspended for Game 4. The NBA isn’t dumb they know global viewership would’ve taken a massive hit without the generational talented Wemby in MSG tonight.”
The New York Post’s backpage on June 10, 2026. NY Post
All eyes will now be on the referees Wednesday night with a spotlight on how they call the pivotal Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Knicks coach Mike Brown already has tried greasing the referees for a more favorable whistle by complaining about the 24-8 free-throw advantage for the Spurs in the second half of Game 3.
“I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight,” Brown said. “I don’t think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free-throw attempts. San Antonio is a great team. They are a great team, OK. It’s going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4 and in the second half, they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight. Maybe we were fouling. Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too.”
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 30 : Gabe Landeskog, captain of Colorado Avalanche, poses for a portrait at the locker room of Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
As we get deeper into summer, more and more NHL award winners have been announced. Colorado Avalanche fans are still waiting to learn the results of several major awards and were pleasantly surprised to hear Gabe Landeskog was announced as the winner of two different awards: the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Landeskog was surprised with the Masterton trophy earlier today by his family, in a super sweet video posted by the NHL. Landeskog was being interviewed about winning the Messier award in the video, before watching a video informing him he won the trophy, followed by his family bringing the Masterton trophy out to him.
Gabriel Landeskog is the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner for the 2025-26 season! 💪
The trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. #NHLAwardspic.twitter.com/hMbgQ8g71B
Obviously, Landeskog’s knee injury and journey to get back to NHL action have been very well-documented up till this point, and he’s shown incredible resiliency and perseverance in his return to the Avs, which is exactly why he’s being recognized with the Masterton Award. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’ll never not be amazed by Landeskog’s return to the NHL, as no professional athlete has ever really successfully returned to playing their sport from a knee cartilage replacement procedure before him, and yet, here we are.
Full voting table for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, won by Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. #GoAvsGo#NHLAwards
Landeskog was nominated for the Masterton trophy for a second consecutive year but that did not deter voters as they elected him in recognition of his perseverance. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was a close second and also a very worthy candidate after his fiancée dealt with incredible health struggles. Many different players were also received votes in what is a very prestigious award. Congratulations, Gabe!
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JUNE 07: Elias Diaz #35 and Luis Curvelo #57 of the Texas Rangers celebrate after a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field on June 07, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ross Fenstermaker, in his then role as a scout, described Chad Comer as “not a legitimate prospect” but thought he had a future as a coach. That turned out to be a spot-on assessment.
Cole Winn is back from the IL after receiving a Botox injection for thoracic outlet syndrome and is hoping to return to his 2025 form.
Brandon Nimmo has seen his numbers plummet over the last 30 days, though the data suggests that’s largely been a result of bad luck.
Nathan Eovaldi gave up some hard hit balls in the sixth and the offense failed to capitalize on opportunities as the Rangers failed to get back to .500 for the sixth time this season.
The last time the Rangers were at .500 was May 1, when they were 16-16.
On Ezequiel Duran giving himself the nickname The Solution, Skip Schumaker says “sometimes you need a delusional type of player.”
It’ll be tougher for the Reds against Michael King. The Reds rank 23rd in wOBA and 25th in ISO when facing righties on the road, and King has posted a 1.14 WHIP while allowing 0.94 HR/9 at home.
Singer has conceded at least three earned runs in five of his last six starts. He is struggling, and there’s no reason to expect the bullpen to pick him up.
The Reds ‘pen ranks 27th in xFIP over the last 60 days and isn’t overflowing with fresh arms after using six on Tuesday night.
Four of their relievers — including Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon — pitched in consecutive days and will be unavailable.
Bet to -125.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 25-22, -3.63 units
Over/Under bets: 22-23-2, -4.01 units
Reds vs Padres odds
Moneyline: Reds +140 | Padres -160
Run line: Reds +1.5 (-140) | Padres -1.5 (+120)
Over/Under: Over 8 (-115) | Under 8 (-105)
Reds vs Padres trend
Cincinnati has hit the Over in 15 of the last 23 games (+6.25 units, 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Padres.
How to watch Reds vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
First pitch
4:10 p.m. ET
TV
Reds.TV, Padres.TV
Reds starting pitcher
Brady Singer (2-6, 5.89 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Michael King (4-5, 3.41 ERA)
Reds vs Padres latest injuries
Reds vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - MARCH 13, 2025: Brooks Brannon #71 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammates after scoring on a two-run home run hit by Kristian Campbell during the third inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Complex on March 13, 2025 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
For the first part of this game in Rochester (Nationals AAA), the WooSox suffered from a common problem the Red Sox deal with on almost a daily basis; great starting pitching, no runs. Jack Anderson was nearly lights out through the sixth, but the WooSox didn’t provide any run support until the seventh inning. By that point Tyler Samaniego had allowed a two-run shot and the WooSox had another hole to dig themselves out of. But, unlike the Major League squad, the offense could not have come at a more clutch time. First baseman Matt Lloyd drilled the game-tying shot in the ninth to drive in three runs and send this game to extras; Braiden Ward, Matt Thaiss and Kristian Campbell would all do their parts to get two insurance runs, in which Noah Song slammed the door in the bottom of the tenth despite walking two.
Is Franklin Arias or Brooks Brannon doing better as a hitting prospect? Who’s to say, it seemingly varies on the night. Though, I rather enjoy it when they’re both hitting well. They each captured three knocks including a double on the night off the Fightin’ Phils in Lehigh Valley. Anthony Eyanson ran into some walks trouble in the third cutting his night very short, but Lehigh Valley wouldn’t break through until Patrick Halligan’s next inning, and the deficit was too much to cut despite the usual suspects and Johanfran Garcia showing up as well as Caden Rose’s first Double-A home run in the ninth.
By some miracle, Greenville pulled out this game against Winston-Salem (White Sox High-A). A quick glance at Devin Futrell’s line leads to some celebration that he struck out six and didn’t walk anyone but then realization sets in that he allowed two home runs for five runs on eight hits. Tyler Uberstine also wasn’t exactly pristine in his rehab start, allowing four hits of his own. And yet Calvin Bickerstaff righted the ship, because, well, Isaiah Jackson and Ronny Hernandez already helped out enough in the second inning with twin home runs. Not to mention, six Drive batters had multiple total bases. It shouldn’t have had to come to some good late relief pitching. But a win is a win.
Jason Gilman took a rare shelling out of the gate, and the rest of the staff couldn’t really recover from it, though just one Woodpecker (Astros A) run was allowed after the second inning. Adonys Guzman also had a rough night behind the bump, committing three throwing errors. This isn’t to say the RidgeYaks’ offense was absent, just uninspired: the team lacked an extra-base hit on the night, though let’s debunk any claims that the team wasm’t opportunistic, either: three of their five RBI hits came with two outs. Sometimes, that’s juts baseball.
Have a wonderous Wednesday. As in, I wonder how the Red Sox are going to mess up today’s game.
Jun 8, 2026; Summerlin, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws the ball during the first inning against the Athletics at the Las Vegas Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Kyle Harrison got rocked Monday night in Las Vegas in a venue where the dimensions resemble your local Little League park, but the stats count nonetheless. Traded by the Red Sox to the Brewers for Caleb Durbin this offseason, the terrible outing — 8 ER in 2.1 IP — boosted his ERA by more than a full point, from 1.57 to 2.72. For a moment at least, it’s a milestone with respect to the Sox, who finally have a starter with a lower ERA than their former prospect: Peyton Tolle, whose 2.70 mark cleans the clock with Kyle’s. Regression, ramshackle stadium, randomness — whatever the reason, Harrison might be coming back to Earth.
Whatever kind of story it is, it is decidedly otherwise not about the Red Sox. It’s fair to judge trades by the outcomes, especially when it comes to trading prospects, but it’s the longer-term view we’re after. That’s when it’s about us, insofar as it ever is. Chris Sale winning the Cy Young? Sure, but even then, am I gonna say a bad word about the guy? No. But a single bad start does not a Boston story make. Or at least not a good one, because apparently it does make for a story, several times over. MassLive did it. So did NESN, which got picked up by (an automated, but widely viewed) MSN. And folks, I just don’t know what we’re doing here anymore. I sure don’t. It’s tautological. If this is the story, this isn’t the story. The story is the Red Sox sucking. Do not wish bad on Kyle Harrison, do not celebrate his down moments and for dog’s sakes, don’t look away from the disaster before us!
Stokes in talks with agent and advisers over his future
Atkinson also left out with Barker and Archer set to play
Joe Root will captain England in next week’s second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.
While the England & Wales Cricket Board continue their investigation into that incident Stokes, the team’s full-time captain, is being given some time to consider his future. He is reported to have spent Wednesday in meetings with his agent and advisers debating whether to permanently stand down as captain, or to end his international career completely. He may still choose to do neither, with the former England captain Michael Vaughan having joined those backing him to stay. “Yes, he broke a curfew,” Vaughan said. “Is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I don’t think so. A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”
The Calgary Flames hired current head coach Ryan Huska on June 12, 2023, replacing the former Jack Adams Award winner and Alberta native, Darryl Sutter.
Despite not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs through his first three seasons as an NHL bench boss, Huska has guided the Flames to a 113-105-28 record through 246 games. With a combined 254 points, Calgary has amassed the 25th-highest point total in the past three seasons.
Interestingly, as news breaks that the Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette and the Edmonton Oilers are interested in bringing Mike Babcock back to the NHL, the Flames are the only team in the Pacific Division not to have changed coaches at any point in the past three seasons.
Let's take a look at each team and how much the coaching carousel has spun since the Flames hired Huska, ranked by seniority.
Edmonton Oilers
Current Head Coach: Vacant
Despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025, with Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers are looking for their third head coach since 2022.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Head Coach: Peter Laviolette (June 9, 2026)
The Kings have qualified for the playoffs for the past five seasons, all first-round losses. Now, they are searching for their fourth head coach since 2020 after relieving D.J. Smith of his interim duties and naming Laviolette as their new head coach.
Vancouver Canucks
Current Head Coach: Manny Malhorta (June 1, 2026)
After plummeting to the bottom of the NHL standings in 2025-26, the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house, replacing their President, General Manager, and, most recently, hiring Manny Malhorta as their bench boss. This upcoming season will mark the third consecutive year with a new coach.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Head Coach: John Tortorella (March 29, 2026)
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with former bench boss Bruce Cassidy, who the team relieved of his duties with only eight games left in the 2025-26 season. The organization brought in John Tortorella, who has guided the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final.
Anaheim Ducks
Current Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (May 8, 2025)
After several losing campaigns under Dallas Eakins and Greg Cronin, the Anaheim Ducks made a controversial move by bringing in Joel Quenneville last summer. Surprisingly, the Ducks contended for the Pacific Division title for most of the year and advanced to the second round of this year's playoffs.
Seattle Kraken
Current Head Coach: Lane Lambert (May 29, 2025)
Lane Lambert became the third head coach in the Seattle Kraken's five-year history, guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division during his first year.
San Jose Sharks
Current Head Coach: Ryan Warsofsky (June 13, 2024)
Ryan Warsofky is the second-longest tenured coach in the Pacific Division, having guided the San Jose Sharks since the start of the 2024-25 season. Despite a 59-85-20 record over two seasons, Warsofky has Macklin Celebrini in his lineup, giving him a bona fide superstar. If he stays the course, the Sharks will be a playoff team in no time.
Calgary Flames
Current Head Coach: Ryan Huska (June 13, 2023)
Barring any further coaching changes, Huska will enter the 2026-27 season as the eighth-longest-tenured coach in the NHL. The seven coaches ahead of him, Jon Cooper (2013), Jared Bednar (2016), Rod Brind'Amour (2018), Martin St. Louis (2022), Paul Maurice (2022), Spencer Carbery (2023), and Andrew Brunette (2023), have all guided their clubs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Huska is now the lone exception, making 2026-27 a potentially pivotal season for both the coach and the Flames organization.
Considering Calgary inked Huska to a two-year extension in October 2025, he's set to guide the club through its rebuild, while pushing core players like Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh for career-defining performances for a shot at qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Steve Ott is sticking around for at least a couple more years.
The 43-year-old former assistant/associate coach of the St. Louis Blues who was sent to Springfield of the American Hockey League to become head coach of the Thunderbirds last season, has signed a two-year contract to remain in that position, the Blues announced on Wednesday morning.
The contract will run through the 2027-28 season.
Ott became the fifth coach in Thunderbirds history when he replaced Steve Konowalchuk on Jan. 19 when the Thunderbirds were 13-18-6 and helped them go 19-14-2 down the stretch to reach the playoffs, where they made it as the sixth seed from the Atlantic Division and upset third-seeded Charlotte in three games of a best-of-3 series, then taking down top overall seed Providence in four games of a best-of-5 to reach the division final, ultimately losing to No. 2-seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a fifth and deciding game.
"It's a great opportunity for myself," Ott said after being named to the position, "but not only that, I get to stay in an organization that I truly love. To help develop our young guys with the development side of coaching, it's really exciting for myself. It's a great opportunity.
"... When you get asked to take that opportunity, I look at it as a big honor. It's not an easy lift for everybody. It's a situation I love obviously being a part of the NHL club, but to stay here and be a part of the growing of the future, it's a job I don't take light or easy."
There's been some speculation that Ott could be under consideration for one of the head coaching openings in the NHL but has opted instead to remain in the St. Louis organization to get some more seasoning as a head coach and better prepare himself should an NHL organization come calling for a job in the near future.
Ott joined the Blues as a player in the 2013-14 season and played 122 games with the organization before signing as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season and was promoted to associate coach in June of 2024, holding that title for nearly two seasons.
The Blues were 350-244-74 (.588 points-percentage) in the regular season with Ott behind the bench and made four appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including winning the Cup in 2018-19, just his second season as a coach.
Ott played in 848 NHL games from 2002-17 and had 288 points (109 goals, 179 assists) and 1,555 penalty minutes.
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Jun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Nick Davila (82) celebrates a win against the Baltimore Orioles with Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
The Cubs made a small series of roster moves, activating utilityman Matt Shaw from the IL and optioning outfielder Kevin Alcántara. The North Siders also placed RHP Jameson Taillon on the injured list and recalled RHP Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa.
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 30: Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with teammate Maikel Garcia #11 during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Courtney Kramer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There is something in my DNA that makes me prefer certain types of players more than others, which I am sure is true for all of you as well. What my inclinations push me toward are not a single loud skill, but rather the players who are kind of good at everything. I think it is underappreciated to be pretty solid with no major weaknesses because black ink was always a dominant theme of conversation. Fewer fans care about guys who are simply above average in many categories, but don’t excel in any one area. Offensively, Alex Gordon was one of these guys and a favorite of mine. Now, Daniel Lynch IV may have morphed into that style of pitcher. He has no particular standout skill but he has added quality to everything he is doing. And, more importantly, it is working.
Daniel Lynch IV was a heralded prospect at one point, even making some top 100 lists. He is tall and left-handed, though lacking a bit in velocity for modern baseball. His fastballs, especially the four-seamer, have always graded out pretty poorly both from a scouting perspective and from a run value perspective, leading to diminished usage. When he first made the big leagues, the 4-seamer made up over 40% of his pitches, but that has dropped and dropped until this year it is only making up 17.4% of his pitches.
He has adjusted by using the sinker a lot more, although still only about a quarter of the time. His changeup and slider make up nearly half of pitches now with the knuckle curve showing up every now and again to keep batters off balance. That pitch mix evolution has over time taking some pressure off of the four-seam fastball to improve its performance while become more a sinker, slider, change profile. That is not enough to explain how he has significantly i,proved, however.
The change in pitch mix may have helped Lynch become a viable middle-reliever, but it is the changes to the quality of his pitches have taken him to a higher level this year. Last year, pitch modeling metrics graded out his pitches at or below-average with only two minor exceptions – his change up and sinker. PitchingBot had his changeup as a 53 and Stuff+ put the sinker as a 103, both just barely above league-average stuff for those offerings.
This year, the modeling metrics are improved almost across the board. None of his pitches are elite but now PitchingBot has his four-seamer, sinker, and change at 54, 62, and 53 respectively along with a one-point improvement to his slider and knuckle curve. Similarly, Stuff+ now has four pitches above-average, with his sinker over a full standard deviation above-average with an above-average grade for his slider as well. Only the knuckle curve is still not favored sitting below the average 100. Both systems now have his composite stuff overall as above-average, which he has never done before. Beyond stuff, they think his command is around or slightly better than average now too and Stuff+ has his Pitching+ as above-average. Almost everything about what Daniel is doing this season is better than at any other point in his career and he is kind of a bit better than average at most things now. If you are better than the typical pitcher on stuff and command and process, it turns out good things happen.
None of this seems to be velocity-related. Some of it seems to be spin-related. His RPM values for the fastball, sinker, and slider are all higher than in any other season. The sinker, which has the biggest stuff value change, is now averaging 2,215 rpm is the largest difference more than 100 rpm above last year’s spin rate. This does not seem to change the movement a lot, but it might be shifting the shape of the pitch, later break or something along those lines. You can see below that the pitch movements, 2025 on left and 2026 on right, are not all that different. Sorry that the color-coding changes from one year to the next, Fangraphs is not perfect, but it does take a little time to read since the sinker is orange in 2025 and black in 2026 for instance.
There might be some subtle differences there and the clusters might be tighter, but that could just be a sample size effect. Whatever it is, the statistics models are picking up on the change, and the results can be seen on the field. Lynch has a strikeout rate of 9.91 per-nine innings this year, when his previous best mark was 8.34 back in 2022. He also has his lowest walk rate ever. Higher strikeout rates and lower walk rates are generally a good recipe. His average against and WHIP have also come way down, though a bit of this is BABIP luck, which is sitting at .239. I don’t think the 1.71 ERA is his true talent level, but his xERA, FIP, xFIP, and SIERRA are 2.67, 2.54, 3.63, and 3.02 respectively, so the improvement seems to be real. His home run rate is quite low, leading to his xFIP being quite a bit higher. Regardless, those are all much lower than any other season of his career as well.
His exit velocities, barrel rates, and hard-hit rates are all lower too. This does not look like a fluke. His whiff rate on the slider is the other exceptional change statistically. That pitch has gone from a 13.3% swing-and-miss rate to 23.4%, an 80% increase in rate. The slider whiff rate is up even more, nominally at least, going from 29.9% to 48.1%. So far, the knuckle curve is also way up, but since he has only thrown that pitch 32 times I would like to see more before I declare that worth paying attention to. He uses all of his pitches against right-handed batters and then against lefties 93% of his offerings are sinker or slider. This is similar but more extreme than his past mix too.
The Royals bullpen has many problems which has depleted it to the point where Alex Lange is closing games. Carlos Estévez and Nick Mears are hurt. Matt Strahm has missed time too and has not been as reliable as you would like. Lucas Erceg has struggled mightily. Basically, the entire back-end of the pen has not done well.
Luckily, there has been at least one arm step up and into that role to help cover some of the problems, Daniel Lynch IV. He still needs to remain where he is, I know some will want him to close games, but he should not. The splits are real and he needs to be aimed at lefties most of the time. Still, I am very impressed with the steps he has taken, and it is nice to have at least one guy we can depend on while the rest of it hopefully gets sorted out.
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