Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) looks to make a pass during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
BUFFALO — In a season that, regardless of how far the Islanders go, will always be remembered as the debut campaign of Matthew Schaefer, their rookie phenom made some more history Tuesday night. But, in the context of a 4-3 loss to the Sabres, he didn’t want to focus on it.
Schaefer’s assist on Anders Lee’s third-period goal gave him 57 points for the season, moving him past Stefan Persson (1977-78) and into first place all time for most points by an Islanders rookie defenseman. He’ll enter Friday’s game one point behind Phil Housley for most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history, and Schaefer has collected 20 points — including seven goals — across the past 20 games.
“Obviously you hear things and people say stuff,” Schaefer said when asked if he was aware of breaking the record, “but, I mean, I don’t really care. I mean, obviously, it’s something pretty cool, and there’s so many great players that have gone through this organization and things like that. I’ve put up so many points, but at the end of the day, we’re in a playoff push right now and this was a big game.”
Matthew Schaefer looks to make a pass during the first period of the Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Sabres on March 31, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
At that moment, Schaefer was more concerned about being on the ice for the Sabres’ game-winning goal, when Alex Tuch pulled possession around the net and fed Peyton Krebs in front. “I mean, if that doesn’t go in it’s still a tie game,” he said. Schaefer was in front of the crease when the puck snuck past him and went right to Krebs’ stick.
And that moment was enough to take away from his historic night.
The Islanders were forced to operate without a piece of their power play and a consistent offensive producer Tuesday, as Simon Holmstrom didn’t play due to an upper-body injury and was listed as day to day by head coach Patrick Roy.
That meant Anthony Duclair, who hadn’t appeared in a game since March 21 amid another roller coaster of a season, slotted back into the lineup, skating alongside Mathew Barzal and Brayden Schenn on the second line. He finished with 11:29 of ice time and didn’t attempt a shot. Holmstrom, who has collected 19 goals and 30 points this season, had finished the Islanders’ game Monday.
Anders Lee (27) and Sam Carrick (10) fight during the third period of the Islanders’ road loss to the Sabres. AP
When asked what he wanted to see from Duclair during his return to the lineup, Roy, during his answer pregame, cited his connection with Barzal earlier in the season. Duclair strung together 13 points in 13 January games — including a hat trick against the Devils on Jan. 6.
He only managed one point across the eight games he has appeared in since, though, but Roy wanted to see if that Barzal chemistry could work again.
Roy didn’t think the fight between Lee and Sam Carrick — which Carrick initiated to stand up for a hit by Lee on the Sabres’ Josh Norris in the second period — was warranted. Carrick remained down on the ice with an apparent left shoulder injury and exited with a trainer.
“I thought that was — it was a very good non-call,” Roy said. “I don’t think we needed that fight personally, but, I mean, [Lee] looked good.”
The AHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the relocation of Bridgeport — the Islanders minor league affiliate — to Hamilton, Ontario, the league announced. The move will happen for the 2026-27 season.
A regular-season record crowd of 3,207 at Taylor Stadium saw a contest on an afternoon with little cloud cover. For all nine innings, Columbia had enough wind to launch a combined five home runs between the two rivals, four of which were Jayhawks homers over the wall in what was ultimately a Border War defeat for Mizzou. The defeat marked the fifth straight for Kerrick Jackson’s group, all coming on home turf.
In terms of promotion, Mizzou brought all of the stops. The 2.99 beer and hot dogs, flashy throwback hats for all Missouri students living in residential dorms and the in person appearance of several MU athletes in major revenue sports.
One in particular, Tigers running back Jamal Roberts, who’s 63-yard game-sealing touchdown against the Jayhawks back in September, which fired up the Tiger contingent and the thousands of students who made the rowdy atmosphere.
The same energy wasn’t quite brought on the field. At least not enough for the first three innings for the Tigers, as the Jayhawks took a commanding 6-0 lead, getting to the Tigers’ pitching early. Then, the fourth inning rolled around, and a small spark set gasoline to the eight-run heater that Kerrick Jackson’s offense went on against three total pitchers from Kansas, including two pitching changes to the delight of the sellout crowd.
THE EIGHT-RUN RALLY
After three innings of two total hits and no runners left in scoring position, a strikeout from the freshman Blaize Ward seemed just to continue the story that was being written. A walk from freshman outfielder Donovan Jordan brought up the freshman catcher Juliomar Campos, who was making his third start of the season.
Whether it was three games or three months, he’d played, Campos rose to the occasion. A two-run shot over the wall in right-center field gave the Tigers fans something to cheer about for the first time all game long. Little did they know, it was just getting started.
“We’ve talked about our freshmen, there’s a true freshman there that can step in,” Jackson said. “Mateo (Serna) was sick today, so he wasn’t here. Juliomar does a good job behind the plate. One thing we know about him, he’s gonna swing, and he does strike out a lot, so that’s the gift and the curse of it. He battled during that at-bat, and then you saw what he’s capable of doing, what he can do when he puts the barrel on the ball.”
The gift of the free pass and a pair of singles, in order from Keegan Knutson, Tyler Macon and Kam Durnin gave the Tigers the absolute best case scenario. Kayden Peer, bases juiced, momentum swinger. Peer gave the black and gold, exactly that with his two-run single.
One batter later, designated hitter Jase Woita was hit by a pitch, and the second pitching change of the evening occurred, and in perfect sync, the Tigers’ PA system played Mr. Brightside, firing up the Mizzou faithful and the dugout in sync.
That’s the best home crowd I’ve ever seen,” Woita said. “Huge shoutout to them. They showed up, showed out, and totally fired us up that inning. They put pressure on their pitchers to make some pitches and fired us up in the box…I’m getting chills thinking about it right now.”
Post rivalry anthem, the freshman, Blaize Ward, lit up Taylor Stadium as I’ve never seen before, with a bases-clearing, three-run triple. Another Freshman, Donovan Jordan, scored Ward on an RBI double right after, and the once quiet stadium had a highly ruckus atmosphere.
In the moment, Missouri taking an 8-7 lead, despite it being small, could’ve easily been a back-breaker for the Jayhawks. That wasn’t in their plans.
ROUGH START AND ENDING FOR THE TIGERS’ PITCHING
PJ Green was on the bump for the Tigers to open. Both of his starts this season have come on a Tuesday, both against Missouri rivals Illinois and Kansas.
Kansas started getting to him right away as Cade Baldridge took a 3–1 pitch from PJ Green in the first and sent it out to center for a solo homer. Despite a mound meeting from Drew Dickinson after a walk from Green, another walk and a single from Tyson Owens made it 2–0 Jayhawks in the second.
In the third, Augusto Mungarrieta got Green again with a 390‑foot shot to right‑center for his ninth homer of the season. Dylan Schlotterback added another run on a fielder’s choice as the inning kept moving, and a pitching change, Jackson Sobel came in after that, and it didn’t slow down the Jayhawks offense. Brady Ballinger opened the fourth by turning on a 3–2 pitch from Sobel and sending it to right‑center for a two‑run homer.
Sam Rosand came in following Sobel and gave the Tigers what they desperately needed. Innings with stability and zeros. Despite one run, not earned, on an RBI single, Rosand had few blemishes throughout his 2.2 innings of work, as did the pitcher who replaced him at the start of the seventh inning, Kadden Drew.
The heartbeat (for Rosand) never goes over, you know, then doesn’t rise, and he just gets out there and just works and works and works and gets things done for us.
The eighth inning very much brought the rocky pastures for Drew after a 1-2-3 seventh, a single, and a balk kickstarted the inning, followed up by an RBI single hit by Jordan Bach, tying the game up at 8, leaving runners on first and second, as Jackson replaced Drew.
One batter later, Kansas flipped any Missouri momentum on its head, on a three-run shot from Tyson Leblanc, that sucked the air out of the stadium. A rocky start and a finish, concluded by the fourth homer of the day, surrendered bye the Tigers staff.
“When you go back, and you look at some of the hits that they got early to start, you get some little slap hits to the middle on the change-up, and some little things here and there,” Jackson said. “Again, at least in that situation, we weren’t necessarily executing pitches where we wanted them to be executed, and they just did a good job of putting the ball in play and giving themselves a chance.”
THE ATMOSPHERE
The stadium felt bigger than a regular Tuesday night. A record crowd for a regular season game thoroughly packed Taylor Stadium to the brim for the second leg of the Border showdown and it left me with the feeling of wanting to see this not just for this game, but more home games in the future.
“Most of the time we don’t have a big crowd here, and so when we’re playing someplace else, we talk about taking the energy that you’re getting from the crowd,” Jackson said. “Whether or not what they’re saying or what they’re doing, you use that energy to fuel you. That helped with our guys today, and being able to get fueled by that energy.”
In the fourth inning, each foul ball, each pitch taken for a ball got a rise and Ward’s bases-clearing triple had the place rocking. Following the three-run inning by the Jayhawks, the bottom of the ninth saw the Tigers put runners on base, starting with a leadoff walk from Peer, who stole second and later, a free pass issued to Cameron Benson.
Donovan Jordan had the chance to be the hero who tied the game for Missouri, with the crowd fully behind him, and ultimately grounded out, giving Kansas the 11-8 victory. The air might have left the building in the eighth, but the ninth certainly didn’t see a deflation of the rivalry atmosphere.
NEXT UP
It’s back to SEC play for Missouri, as they’ll travel to Lexington to clash with the No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats in a 3-game set. As April begins, the Tigers’ chances to pick up conference victories like they were able to do in Knoxville will continue to be on the table.
“If we just play good baseball, I told our guys in our post-game, but out of the 13 games that we lost, there’s not one of those games that I walk away from that game saying, we played really well, and they were just better than us today,” Jackson said. “We have a lot of self-inflicted wounds, and so we have to be able to fix that.”
The first pitch Kodai Senga threw in his first start of the season was a 98 mph fastball. The second pitch from the Mets’ right-hander: Another 98 mph fastball.
In his six-inning outing on Tuesday in St. Louis, Senga's average velocity on the 36 four-seam fastballs he threw was 97.4 mph, which is up 2.7 mph from his average velocity last season. The added speed got him seven whiffs on 23 swings and could be a huge addition to his arsenal.
“Hitters gotta get ready for that type of velocity, and then on top of that, you got so much movement from some of the other pitches, whether it’s the fork ball, the cutter, the slider, he’s got so much that can keep hitters off-balance,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The velo, that’s a plus there.”
When’s the last time he had a fastball this good? Senga shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t remember,” he said, speaking through an interpreter, after the Mets’ 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in which the righty struck out nine.
"He was really good today,” Mendoza said of the 33-year-old’s outing.
“From the very first pitch, you saw the velo, and for him to be able to maintain the velocity throughout the outing. Up to 90 pitches and you [still] saw 97 [mph],” Mendoza said.
Senga, who said at spring training that he felt much more physically better entering the season, pointed to being more in control to getting the extra giddy-up on his heater.
“Just controlling my body,” he said. “Manipulating what I need to manipulate. The mechanics need to work a certain way to get that velo, and I haven’t been able to do that. But this year, and today, I was able to do so.”
For the night, his average fastball velocity never went lower than 97 mph in each of his six innings, and the final pitch he threw was a 98 mph heater at the knees for a called strike three as he struck out the final three batters he faced.
“That first inning, I wasn’t able to manipulate everything as well as I thought, first time back out on a big league mound in a little bit. But other than that, felt pretty good,” Senga said, adding that it took a bit of time for him to get a feel for the “ghost” fork, but it eventually got “better and better” in the later innings.
The forkball only got six swings on 15 offerings, and not one called strike, but Cardinals hitters whiffed four times, good for the put-away pitch on three strikeouts.
The cutter was his second-most used pitch of the night, and it also saw an uptick (0.9 mph) in average velocity, while getting him his highest called strike plus whiff rate at 38 percent.
“I thought that the cutter was really good,” Mendoza said. “He was pretty good. That’s exciting there.”
Of course, three batters in the third inning cost him, as he left a few pitches up in the zone, allowing a double and a single on the fastball before Ivan Herrera got a bit of a hanging slider for a two-run double.
“Hindsight is 20/20,” Senga said. “It’s a mixture of pitch selection [and] location, but at the end of the day, giving up the first runs in the game isn’t always a good sign. So that’s something to work out.”
But that was his only blemish of the night as he didn’t allow a hit over his final 12 outs. And the positives far outweighed the negatives, especially when factoring in LuisRobert Jr.’s misplays in center, which accounted for the first hit of the third and allowed a runner to advance into scoring position on an errant throw after the second.
And from where Senga ended last season – a 6.56 ERA as he allowed 29 runs (26 earned) over 35.2 innings over his final eight starts before being sent to the minors – his performance in the first start of the 2026 campaign represented a positive step.
“The last time I was out on the mound and in the dugout, I had to be thinking about my body and making sure it’s gonna do what I need it to do, but on the flip side, today, I didn’t have to worry about any of that,” Senga said. “I can face the hitters, and it really felt like I’m a starting pitcher again.”
All of that tracked with what the Mets saw from him during the spring, and that is what the skipper is expecting.
“If he’s healthy, we’re gonna see that a lot,” Mendoza said. “I think a lot of guys saw [the] 2023 [version]. We just gotta make sure that he recovers well, and then that he continues to feel good. Because that was electric there.”
Senga called it a “great start to the year” that had him feeling much more like a pitcher.
“Being out there, and I can start to deduce, ‘What is this hitter thinking? What are they looking for? What’s something that they’re not looking for?’” he said. “Being out there and able to do that, it’s a good feeling. I’m excited.”
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 21: Roldy Brito #8 and Wilder Dalis #3 of the Colorado Rockies runs to third base to score on a double hit by Ethan Holliday during the first inning of the Spring Breakout game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The 2026 Rockies season is underway and the minor league seasons are just around the corner. The Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes started their season on Friday alongside the Rockies, the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats start on Thursday, and the lower minors will start on Friday.
In a rebuilding season for the major league team, you can often see the health and future of an organization through its minor league system. So my question to you this evening is this: which affiliate are you most eager to watch in 2026?
If you need a refresher of which players are where, you can read Renee Dechert’s and Evan Lang’s write-up from yesterday.
CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Josh Morrissey, Isak Rosen and Cole Perfetti also scored, and Mark Scheifele added three assists for the Jets, who were coming off a 4-2 win over the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice and Anton Frondell also scored for Chicago, which has lost four in a row.
Bertuzzi’s wrist shot 9:46 into the third period sent the game to overtime.
Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves in the win for the Jets. Spencer Knight made 20 saves for the Blackhawks.
The Jets won 66.7% of the faceoffs in the game.
Up next
Jets: Visit Dallas on Thursday.
Blackhawks: Start their final road trip of the season at Edmonton on Thursday.
Mar 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) watches his home run go over the wall against the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Last season, the Brewers were known for forcing errors and causing chaos in games. If Tuesday is any indication, that’s going to continue in 2026. A pair of strange challenges were the highlight moments in a 6-2 win over the Rays.
Brandon Woodruff got the start tonight, but the Brewers’ first inning troubles continued. It started with a long fly ball from Yandy Díaz that had enough distance, but just hooked foul. Woodruff struck him out, but Jonathan Aranda responded with a home run into the Brewers’ bullpen, and the Brewers started another game behind. Woodruff rebounded with a strikeout of Junior Caminero and fly out from Jake Fraley, but the Brewers were down 1-0.
As for the Rays, starter Shane McClanahan was locked in to begin his first MLB start since 2023. He retired the Brewers in order in the first, striking out William Contreras to punctuate the inning. He allowed his first baserunner in the second when he walked Gary Sánchez, but that was all. He continued to mow through the Brewers’ lineup for the next two innings, not allowing another baserunner.
Woodruff tried to match McClanahan as much as he could. He struck out two batters in a clean second inning. Chandler Simpson created a threat in the third with a leadoff single and steal of second, but Woodruff stranded him there. Caminero singled to give the Rays another leadoff runner in the fourth, but that was it in a scoreless inning.
The Rays added on in the fifth with their second home run of the day, a solo home run by Nick Fortes. That was all Woodruff allowed in the fifth, and it was also the end of his day. The overall line wasn’t too bad — he allowed two runs and four hits in five innings while striking out six. He threw 67 pitches, and his velocity started down but improved as the start went on.
McClanahan entered the fifth with a no-hit bid forming. He had just allowed one walk so far in the game. That would change quickly. Sánchez led off the inning with a walk, then Brandon Lockridge broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left. After Sal Frelick flew out, Joey Ortiz drew a walk to load the bases with two out.
Brice Turang came up to the plate with a chance to cause some damage. He did that with a single to shallow right field, easily scoring both Sánchez and Lockridge. Turang attempted to get to second and was easily caught between bases, but tried to keep a run down going so Ortiz could score. It didn’t appear to work as Turang was tagged out by Mullins covering second, and before Ortiz scored at home. However, the ball popped out of Mullins’ glove as he made the tag, but was ruled as in the process of changing hands. Pat Murphy challenged the call, and on replay it was clear that the ball was not caught cleanly. Turang was ruled safe and Ortiz’s run counted. The end result was a bases-clearing single and two RBI for Turang (the third scored due to the error). The Brewers now had a 3-2 lead.
That ended McClanahan’s day with Cole Sulser coming in to finish the inning. He needed just one pitch as Rengifo grounded to first. McClanahan finished his day with 4 2/3 innings pitched, three runs allowed (two earned), two hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Jared Koenig was first out of the bullpen for the sixth inning. He allowed a two-out double to Fraley, but nothing else in a scoreless inning. Meanwhile, Sulser remained in the game for the sixth inning. After outs from Contreras and Yelich to start the inning, the Brewers put together some two-out offense. It started with Sánchez’s second home run of the season, a solo shot that increased the lead to 4-2.
Bauers was up next. He hit a 2-0 fastball at second baseman Ben Williamson, but he couldn’t cleanly catch the ball. He recovered and tried to throw Bauers out at first, but his throw was wide and Bauers was safe. However, in what can only be described as a ridiculous call, first base umpire CB Bucknor said Bauers did not touch first base and was tagged out. That was a quick challenge from Murphy, and on replay it not only showed Bauers’ foot on the center of first base, but Bucknor wasn’t even looking at first base at that time. The call was reversed and both managers were laughing at that call.
First base umpire CB Bucknor ruled Jake Bauers did not step on first base and was out.
Here are two stills of him stepping on the middle of the base. The call was promptly overturned. pic.twitter.com/WEv9O4UBds
That kept the inning going with Lockridge at the plate. Bauers stole second to give Lockridge a runner in scoring position, and Lockridge made it count with an RBI double into the right-center field gap.
Frelick kept it going with a ground ball to Williamson that was bobbled, but Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning.
Grant Anderson took the seventh. The Rays made him work, with Fortes taking 10 pitches before grounding out and then Simpson tripling to the right field corner. Anderson kept them off the board with a strikeout of Williams to end the inning. Meanwhile, Yoendrys Gómez came in for the bottom of the seventh. Turang drew a walk to start the inning and stole second. Gómez followed it up with a strikeout of Rengifo and line out of Contreras, then chose to walk Yelich intentionally. Murphy went to Garrett Mitchell to pinch hit, but Mitchell struck out looking to end the inning.
With a three-run lead, the Brewers went to their setup man as Abner Uribe entered the game. His inning started well enough with fly outs of Díaz and Aranda, but then walked Caminero. Fraley singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate, and pinch-hitter Richie Palacios hit a sharp fly ball down the right field line. Frelick was ready for it as he sprinted to the line and caught it running to end the inning.
The save situation would be rendered moot in the bottom of the inning. Bauers did more damage to the Rays’ pitching staff, hitting his second home run of the season just over the right field wall. That made it a four-run lead at 6-2.
Angel Zerpa finished the game for the Brewers. He worked around a two-out walk for a scoreless ninth, securing the Brewers 6-2 win.
Bauers and Lockridge led the offense with two-hit days, each driving in a run as well. Turang’s one hit drove in two runs (and one unearned). Sánchez also brought in a run with his home run, and added two walks as well. Frelick had the other hit for the Brewers’ offense.
The Brewers will play their first rubber match of the season tomorrow afternoon as they go for the series win. The rotation will begin its second time through as Jacob Misiorowski gets the afternoon start. For the Rays, former Brewer Drew Rasmussen will get his second start of the season. First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m., and it will be on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
With the Suns losing to the Magic in Orlando on Tuesday, the Lakers officially claimed the top spot in their division.
The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers entered Tuesday with a 49-26 record with six games left in the season after Tuesday, while the Suns fell to 42-34. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers made the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 2005-13.
LeBron James was available on Tuesday against the Cavaliers after entering the day as questionable because of left foot injury management.
Munetaka Murakami and the White Sox offense couldn’t get a thing going on Tuesday night. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Classic White Sox defensive miscues across the field, throwing errors and inexperienced outfielders were essentially the difference in this game, as the Miami Marlins rebounded Tuesday to beat the South Siders, 9-2. A fourth-inning rally paired with a few gaffes in the outfield soured Erick Fedde’s season debut, although his final line in the box score doesn’t necessarily tell the full story.
The South Side offense felt in control early in the game, but seemingly stepped off a cliff after the third inning. Miguel Vargas attempted to get something going in the second with a one-out double out to left center, but neither Austin Hays nor Tristan Peters was able to get the job done. No harm, no foul, however, as the offense picked back up in the top of the third with Edgar Quero and Luisangel Acuña ripping consecutive singles up the middle. Chase Meidroth was caught looking on the next at-bat, but the Good Guys took a two-run lead with RBI singles from both Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi. Mune has now gotten a hit in each of his first five games as a major-leaguer. I think we’re going to like having him around, Sox fans.
Fedde cruised through the first three innings, with his lone baserunner being a walk to Owen Caissie in the bottom of the second. The South Side offense had given him that two-run cushion to work with in the third, but the defense was scattered at best and clueless at worst, easily amplifying any mistakes made.
Xavier Edwards reached on a base hit to start the bottom of the fourth, and the first mishap in the outfield came from a lack of communication from center fielder Luisangel Acuña and right fielder Tristan Peters, with the ball ultimately deflecting off of Peters’ glove to put runners on second and third. Both players were cutting across the field towards each other at full speed, and it seemed like Acuña was ready and able to make the play. That’s Acuña’s ball/call, but instead he allowed Peters to cut in front of him at the last second. It was a silly play from the both of them, and had someone just called the other off it likely would have been an out. The miscommunication led to a two-run double on the next at-bat from Liam Hicks, tying the game at two. So it goes.
Fedde managed to strike out Otto López for the first out of the inning, but back-to-back RBI singles followed, allowing the Marlins to take a two-run lead, 4-2. Both balls were hit out to center, and Acuña wasn’t able to make a throw on-line to the plate, and ended up being charged two errors, one on each throw. The first one unfortunately hit Hicks as he was crossing the plate, but Acuña was given the error as the bad throw allowed Caissie to reach second.
The second error, however, was a bit worse. By worse, I mean nowhere near the plate. The Marlins play-by-play announcer summed it up well enough: “Acuña is having all sorts of problems in center.”
In Acuña’s defense, he’s played all of two regular season games in the outfield before this year, so no, we shouldn’t expect him to be an All-Star overnight. But he certainly has some learning to do.
After that mess, Fedde was able to strike out the next batter and force a fly out to finally get out of the inning. He even returned for a 1-2-3 fifth inning, closing out his season opener on a high note. This was another situation that we probably should be thankful for instant replay. The inning could have gone a whole lot worse had there not been the tiniest amount of evidence that showed Meidroth’s tag barely tipping Edwards on the helmet after attempting to stretch a single into a two-bagger. Crisis averted … for now.
Fedde ended the day with four runs (three earned) given up on six hits across five innings, walking one while striking out four, though he was unfortunately handed the loss. The energy in this game was reminding me more of the 2024 season, where there was little-to-no run support, and a two-run lead felt insurmountable almost instantly. And of course, it was, because the White Sox failed to get a hit after their little rally in the third (their only two other base runners stemmed from walks from Quero and Peters in the fourth and seventh). Miami even struck out the side in the fifth and the ninth.
Not that there was any hitting to show for it, but the South Side bullpen wasn’t doing itself any favors, allowing five more runs (four earned) in the final three innings. Bryan Hudson came in to relieve Fedde, and was solid in the sixth inning, but things got dicey in the bottom of the seventh and Miami added two more runs. One of the runs came from a safety squeeze bunt that Hudson threw home, but Quero wasn’t able to handle it and make the tag. You could probably flip a coin on who to give the error to, but that’s the second time that the Sox reached to tag a player rather than getting more out front to make the tag, and sadly there wasn’t anything to review that time.
Hudson allowed one more on a sacrifice fly on the next batter, and forced Edwards to ground out before being replaced by Jedixson Páez, who was able to get Agustín Ramírez to fly out and end the inning. Páez didn’t fare well in the eighth, however, walking the leadoff batter and giving up a single to put two on almost immediately. One sac fly and a two-run bomb later, and all of a sudden the Marlins had a seven-run lead, 9-2.
It’s been just three outings for Páez, but he’s certainly struggled thus far, giving up his sixth run in three innings pitched. It’s still early in the year, but he’ll need to make some adjustments sooner rather than later to keep his place on the roster this season.
The White Sox have a day game tomorrow down in Florida, and first pitch will take place at 12:10 p.m. CT. Shane Smith will look to bounce back from his rough Opening Day outing, going against veteran righthander Sandy Alcantara, who is coming off an excellent seven-inning start to open the season.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jalen Suggs added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Orlando Magic held off the Phoenix Suns 115-111 Tuesday night.
Devin Booker’s 34 points for Phoenix included a 3-pointer that brought the Suns to within two points with 3.1 seconds left. But Tristan da Silva’s two free throws clinched Orlando’s second win in nine games.
Suns forward Dillon Brooks, playing for the first time since breaking his hand in a game against Orlando on Feb. 21, had nine points and five rebounds in 22 foul-plagued minutes. Brooks was called for a technical foul just 89 seconds into the game and was one of 10 players to finish the game with four or more personal fouls.
Paolo Banchero had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who survived 25 turnovers after committing 28 in Sunday’s 139-87 loss at Toronto. Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
HORNETS 117, NETS 86
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points, Miles Bridges had 19, and Charlotte routed Brooklyn.
Moussa Diabaté finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds while LaMelo Ball had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Hornets (40-36) stop a two-game losing streak.
Josh Minott scored 14 points for the lottery-bound Nets (18-58), who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Charlotte (40-36) is tied with the Miami Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Orlando.
BUCKS 123, MAVERICKS 99
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and Milwaukee beat Dallas to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
PISTONS 127, RAPTORS 116
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 31 points and nine rebounds as Detroit defeated Toronto to clinch the Central Division title.
Duren is averaging 23.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in seven games since Cade Cunningham sustained a lung injury on March 17 in 130-117 win over Washington. The Pistons are 6-2 without their star, including a 114-110 overtime loss in Oklahoma City on Monday - a game Duren sat out.
Daniss Jenkins scored 21 for the Pistons, who have won seven of nine, and Duncan Robinson added 19 points. Detroit won its first division title since 2007-08.
RJ Barrett had 24 points for Toronto, who had won six of nine, including a 119-108 home win over the Pistons on March 15. Brandon Ingram added 22 points.
ROCKETS 111, KNICKS 94
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 27 points and Houston took a huge lead early and rolled to a win over New York.
It’s a third straight win for the Rockets after they’d dropped two in a row. The victory comes after New York got a 108-106 win at home in the first meeting this season in February.
The Rockets never trailed and led by double digits for most of the game after scoring 37 points in the first quarter. They were up 20 entering the fourth quarter and were leading by 19 with about two minutes to go when both teams cleared their benches.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a third consecutive game after winning their previous seven. Each of their three losses have been by double digits.
Tari Eason started over Reed Sheppard and had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks' 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston.
HOUSTON — It has reached that point in the Knicks season, better late than never.
After another ugly 111-94 defeat Tuesday night to the Rockets, the next game Wednesday night in Memphis, according to Josh Hart, is a “must-win.”
The veteran forward has seen enough and sounded the alarm.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks’ 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“We’re obviously struggling right now to win games. Struggling to start games off. Struggling to focus on the attention to detail. Struggling to get outside of ourselves and focus on what the betterment of the team is,” Hart said. “So [Wednesday] we have to play with a sense of desperation. Sense of being willing to sacrifice. To win.”
Of course, it should be easier to beat the injury-ravaged and tanking Grizzlies. But nothing should be taken for granted these days for the Knicks, not with the way they’ve been playing lately.
They arrived in Houston on Tuesday with something to prove. Then they proved nothing. Just more of the same. Worse, actually.
Coach Mike Brown’s squad has now gone 25 days without beating a team with a winning record, continuing that streak with the loss to the Rockets.
They again looked flustered offensively and a step slow defensively. They’re certainly not carrying the look of a title contender.
And now they are looking at the Grizzlies game as an important building block.
“We’re not going in the right direction,” Hart said. “We’re not trending upwards. So we got to figure it out. Three tough [losses in a row]. Got another one tomorrow. That’s a must-win for us. And build from there.”
Jalen Brunson was woeful while flustered by Houston’s swarming defense, managing just 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting with three turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns was better but not by much, shooting 7-for-17 for 22 points.
Jalen Brunson, who was held to 12 points, makes a pass as Amen Thompson defends. Getty Images
Overall, the Knicks shot just 10-for-34 from 3-point range — bricking several wide-open looks, most commonly from Hart and Miles McBride.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (46-29) carved up New York’s defense with precision, getting 27 points from old man Kevin Durant while shooting 54 percent overall and 43 percent from deep.
“They did whatever they wanted,” Brunson said.
The Knicks (48-28) were never in the fight. They lost every statistical battle — points, rebounds, turnovers, assists. They trailed for the final 47 minutes and by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter. They have dropped three straight overall and five consecutive against winning teams.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 22 points, drives on Alperen Sengun. Getty Images
In the big picture, New York is still third in the East but dangerously close to falling into fourth, leaving Toyota Center just a half-game above the Cavaliers — who played a late game Tuesday night against the Lakers. It’s getting precarious with the playoffs creeping closer.
“Regardless of being veterans or not, we got to turn the page and do something about it,” Brunson said. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the league or not.”
The Knicks should still beat the Grizzlies (25-50), even in a back-to-back, but don’t stand a chance in the playoffs if they’re playing like they did last week. Some of the Rockets debacle was predictable. Coach Brown’s team has had problems dealing with long and athletic defenses. It stalls Brunson’s offense, and that happened again Tuesday.
The start was a disaster class for the Knicks.
They trailed 12-1 after three minutes, then 22-5 after five minutes. They were wilting under Houston’s intense defense, failing to generate good opportunities while missing six of their first seven 3-point attempts.
On the other end, the Knicks were slow to rotate and allowed Durant open jumpers — about as efficient an attempt as it gets in the NBA. Brown burned two timeouts in the opening seven minutes. They trailed the Rockets 37-21 after the first quarter.
“To start the game, we were poor defensively,” Brown said. “They didn’t feel us at all, especially in the pick-and-roll game. Against KD, we went under two to three times early. He’s hot, we’re not supposed to go under, and he knocked down shots. We didn’t make shots going the other way. That’s what it comes down to.”
The Knicks settled down a little bit to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to four, largely because of Jose Alvarado’s injection of energy and shotmaking. But the recovery was short-lived.
The Knicks were soon down by 19 and went into the break with a 63-50 deficit. It was over, and the conclusion was deflating.
A Tassie dasher yet to set the Test world on fire has been backed to deliver over a rising star once identified as Australia’s next great opener in a season of massive significance, while a western speedster is among those to lose their national contracts.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-99 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
Cooper Flagg, who entered averaging 22.5 points over his last nine games, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season for Dallas (24-52). Brandon Williams scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, and John Poulakidas scored a season-high 11.
Dallas starter Daniel Gafford left the game with just under three minutes left in the third after appearing to injure his right elbow attempting to block a Rollins dunk. Williams and Dwight Powell started the second half in place of Gafford and Ryan Nembhard.
The Mavericks have lost their last four trips to Milwaukee and five of the last six.
The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 25, but was postponed when the Mavericks could not get out of Dallas because of a snowstorm.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Toyota Center on March 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Knicks (48*-28) came into this evening having lost two straight on the road. They hold the tiebreaker with Cleveland, but another loss would put the Cavs within a half-game of third place in the East. Tonight’s opponent, the Rockets (46-29), had split the last ten games on their schedule, but they’re a tall, lanky team that rates in the top ten for both offense and defense. A difficult match-up was in store for New York, for sure. Getting outshot 42% to 29% from deep, they lost this one nearly wire-to-wire to the clearly hungrier Houston, 111-94.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka started Tari Eason (17 PTS, 8 RBS, 2 STL), making Amen Thompson (17 PTS, 8 AST, 2 BLK) their smallest starter at 6’7”. Seemed effective. The Knicks missed their first five shots, Kevin Durant (27 PTS, 8 AST, 10-18 FG) scored 10 off the bat, and the home team went up 14-1 with almost four minutes gone. Soon after, Eason dunked the third Knicks turnover for a 22-5 advantage. Houston feasted from all over, missing only two of their first 14 shots, including five three-pointers. That’ll ding your defensive rating. New York hurled bricks from the perimeter, but managed a few mid-range buckets. Still, coach Mike Brown needed another timeout with under five minutes remaining and his team trailing by 17.
Kevin Durant all smiles and being embraced by his Rockets teammates.
Out of the break, Miles McBride (3 PTS, 1-9 FG), Jordan Clarkson (10 PTS), and Mitchell Robinson replaced Mikal Bridges (7 PTS, 3-4 FG, 34 MIN), OG Anunoby (8 PTS, 3-9 FG, 38 MIN), and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 8 RBS). The reserves played better than the starters, at least. Mitch (5 PTS, 5 RBS, -14, 16 MIN) had a couple of moments, but H-Town was dishing and swishing, logging an assist on 12 of their 15 makes. By the break, they were ahead 37-21. New York had won the boards by +3, but had shot 1-of-7 from deep (compared to Houston’s 6-9).
Jose Alvarado (12 PTS, 12 MIN, 5-6 FG) assumed playmaker duties in the second quarter and drilled his first shot from deep. That ignited a 7-0 run in under two minutes that included buckets from Clarkson and Anunoby and forced Udoka to call for time. Still rolling, Alvarado’s second triple, two free throws from Towns, and a Clarkson layup cut the deficit to four. This sure seemed like Jose’s best performance since his explosion in Philadelphia, which feels like months ago.
The momentum? Short-lived. In a blink, buckets by Jabari Smith, Jr. (15 PTS) and Eason pushed the differential to 10. Then, after a timeout, Reed Sheppard (20 PTS, 4-7 3PT, 2 STL) stepped out of the pages of Highlights for Children to register a three, a 16-footer, and a pick-six. A Durant dunk put the Rockets up by 16. Jalen Brunson (12 PTS, 5-14 FG, -26) tried hard to score among the trees, to mixed results (he had a -19 plus-minus at intermission), but his compatriots offered little assistance. OG missed his first five attempts from beyond the arc, but mercifully laced a timely buzzer-beater from the corner for a 63-50 halftime score.
The hosts had simply shot and distributed the ball better. Through the half, they had outshot the Knicks from the field (59%-45%) and downtown (45%-32%). Houston had 19 assists on 24 makes, won the paint by four, and had the edge in transition (13–7 fast break points). For our heroes, the starters combined for 28 points, and Alvarado led the stats with eight points. That marked the second time this season that the Knicks didn’t have a double-digit scorer in the first half. For the villains, Durant already had 18.
To start the second half, New York chipped their deficit to eight, but it seemed like one step forward, two steps back all night. Every positive stretch ended with a self-inflicted obstacle (turnovers, one-and-dones), followed by multiple buckets surrendered. By the middle of the quarter, 16 points separated the competitors again. At least McBride blocked Durant—’twas a fun moment in a game that sorely lacked them.
At the three-minute mark, Brunson made his first trey of the tilt, reducing the hole to 12. Yet again, Durant hit a floater, Sheppard picked Deuce’s pocket and made a three-pointer, and McBride committed an offensive foul. The tides receded and the Rockets had dropped seven unanswered points. When Smith knocked down a 24-footer at the buzzer, the Knicks were behind 92-72. Biggest deficit of the night.
When these two met in February, New York limited Houston to 15 fourth-quarter points and stole the win. Could they repeat that feat under the stars of Texas? Alvarado briefly had such a notion, drawing an offensive foul on Alperen Şengün (13 PTS, 10 AST) that banged up his hip and then running through the pain for a reverse layup. Unfortunately, stops continued to elude the visitors. Sheppard scored, Thompson scored. Eason picked KAT’s pocket and then scored his 17th point of the night.
Desperate for offense, Brown subbed Brunson in at the eight-minute mark. Since Alvarado was the only Knick with the touch, the coach let the two small guards run together. Jose rewarded him by drawing another offensive foul, giving us a momentary glimmer of hope. From there, the clubs mostly traded buckets and misses. With about two minutes left and down by 19, the coaches subbed in all their reserves and a white flag was waving high above the visitors’ bench. On a positive note, Tyler Kolek immediately brought energy and excellent passing, tossing up a perfect alley-oop for Jeremy Sochan. Makes one wonder if he might have provided a necessary spark earlier in the contest.
Up Next
Six games left. I believe that Master Miranda is on deck with a recap. As for the Knicks, they play tomorrow night in Memphis. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
The Knicks dropped their third consecutive game after a 111-94 loss to Houston, their defense struggling to contain a barrage of threes. The Rockets made 15 of 35 tries from deep, taking an early lead and answering every New York run that followed.
Takeaways
-- Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for his squad with 22 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-17 shooting. Jalen Brunson had 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 5 of 14 shooting.
-- Josh Hart scored 13, followed by Jose Alvarado's 12 and Jordan Clarkson's 10.
-- Kevin Durant was scorching, scoring 27 points, grabbing six boards and dishing eight assists while shooting 10 of 18 from the field. Reed Sheppard added 20 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three off the bench while every Houston starter finished in double digits: Amen Thompson and Tari Eason (17 each), Jabari Smith Jr. (15) and Alperen Sengun (13).
-- The Rockets exploded out of the gates behind a flurry of vintage Durant jumpers with the Knicks right in his grill. He had 10 points in three minutes to propel Houston to a 14-1 start, and some sloppy New York turnovers didn’t help.
-- Hart steadied the ship with a pull-up middie and three, taking advantage of Sengun guarding him. But Eason fired back with a couple of threes and a tip-in for his own double-digit spurt, as Houston closed the first quarter up 37-21.
-- New York’s bench started the second on a 14-2 run, led by Alvarado and Clarkson. The two combined for 14 points in under five minutes to swiftly cut the deficit to a couple of possessions.
-- Miles McBride’s second return game went about as well as his first, shooting 1 of 7 with a turnover in his first-half minutes. The Rockets capitalized, jumping ahead in the second quarter via a 20-5 run to go into the half up 63-50.
-- Towns started to get rolling early in the third, drawing fouls, driving hard and nailing his first three. But the Rockets always had an answer, and Durant just kept sniping away.
-- New York failed to kick up its offense or get stops in the halfcourt to create easy opportunities. Houston continually punished them in transition, maintaining a 92-72 advantage after three quarters.
-- Both teams traded buckets to start the final frame, with Towns continuing his tear but the Rockets hitting timely three after timely three. The Knicks failed to even mount a comeback in the final 12 minutes as their opponents coasted to victory.
