ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 06: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 06, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You win some, you lose some. However, the Atlanta Braves have yet to lose a series this season and are the only MLB team to achieve this feat. Although they can’t repeat getting a sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies, they have an opportunity to bounce back from yesterday’s rainy day loss.
Chris Sale, boasting a 2.79 ERA and 4-1 record this season, has been impressive from the start. The last outing for the slider master was last Saturday (4/18) against the Phillies, in which he went through seven innings, only giving up one run and seven total strikeouts.
There’s no need to hammer down what must be done to return in top shape for today’s matchup to secure the win. Sale is set to hold it down on the defensive end. Will the offense be ready to reflect that and get some runs on the board early?
Though yesterday didn’t turn out in the Braves’ favor, the Phillies could sleep well at night with satisfaction that they had a game to go their way, finally breaking their 10-game losing streak.
Aaron Nola (5.06 ERA) will be facing the Braves for the first time this season, but his opponents won’t be walking into unfamiliar territory, as at least five of the Braves have over a 1.000 OPS batting against him in the past.
Nola, with the second-best ERA on the Philies’ starting pitching staff, takes every experience head-on. He mentioned earlier this year, while paying for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, that it’s fun for him and many other starting pitchers when they can take their experiences and come up with ways to get multiple guys out in different ways over a course of time.
The pitch that the Braves should look out for is not just his leading four-seamer, but the filthy knuckle-curve that he uses just as much in his arsenal.
The task is clear…the skies, not so much. Another rainy day for the ballgame, but the show must go on. Will the Braves continue their series win streak, or will the Phillies find a way to take advantage of yesterday’s win and pick up where they left off?
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets scrap during their playoff game on Saturday night. Photograph: Abbie Parr/AP
Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle were ejected after Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless – and provocative – layup at the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
With Minnesota already all but guaranteed victory in a game that ended 112-96, McDaniels chose to make the layup with 2.1 seconds left rather than run out the clock, as is customary. That led to Jokić jogging down from half-court to confront McDaniels, and a shoving match ensued as other players became involved.
“I don’t know what [Jokić] said, to be honest. I just seen someone who was big as hell,” he said of the exchange with the 6ft 11in, 284lbs center.
“I don’t regret it,” Jokić said of his actions. “Because he scored after everybody stopped playing.”
Jokić was ejected for his part in the melee, as was Randle, who joined in the shoving.
McDaniels was already unpopular with the Nuggets after calling Jokić and his teammates “bad defenders” earlier in the series, which the Timberwolves now lead 3-1.
“I didn’t like what McDaniels did,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “The game was over. The game was conceded. In 2026, that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. That’s something that happens in the ‘80s, where teams would continue to score. But that’s who he is.”
Although McDaniels will attract attention for his part in the game, Ayo Dosunmu, who Minnesota acquired from Chicago in February, was the team’s hero.
Dosunmu scored 43 points, stepping up after injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years.
“Ayo was just out of this world, man,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Just play after play after play.”
Dosunmu made 13 of 17 shots, going 5 of 5 from three-point range, and all 12 of his free throws in a season-high 42 minutes. It was the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix in April 1976.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 30 points. Jokić added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. The Nuggets were just 6 for 27 from 3-point range.
The Wolves have won the last three games and can end the series in Game 5 on Monday night in Denver. “I expect us to have a great effort in Game 5,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I really trust our two best players will find a rhythm, and they have to find that at home.”
While Minnesota celebrate victory, the injuries to Edwards and DiVincenzo are real concerns for the Timberwolves’ playoff hopes.
Edwards, a four-time All-Star and the team’s top scorer, left in the second quarter after landing awkwardly and injuring his knee. Team officials helped Edwards to his feet and he placed his arms around their shoulders. He put little weight on his left leg as he hobbled toward the locker room.
Earlier in the first half, Timberwolves guard DiVincenzo headed toward the locker room after he injured his right leg on a non-contact play. Early reports indicated that DiVincenzo may have ruptured his achilles tendon.
In Saturday’s other games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff-career-high 42 points to lift Oklahoma City to a road win over Phoenix. The reigning NBA MVP finished 15 of 18 from the floor with eight assists to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Elsewhere, Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as New York earned a victory over host Atlanta and evened their series 2-2. Meanwhile, the East’s No 1 seeds, the Detroit Pistons, are 2-1 down in their series with Orlando after Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points apiece to give the Magic a 113-105 victory.
'Pens Owen Pickering handles the puck during the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins home opener on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Jason Ardan/The Citizens' Voice via Getty Images)
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished second in their division this season, which might not sound like a big deal but is a huge deal in the AHL playoff format that grants the top-two teams in the Atlantic Division a pass into the second round of the playoffs. That means a lot considering the first round is only a best-of-three, a format that sunk WBS’s season last year when they finished in fourth place and were quickly eliminated from the playoffs.
Such a result struck again, third place Charlotte (who had a great season to put up 93 points in 72 games) ended up getting bounced in Game 3 by sixth place Springfield. Due to the reseeding, Springfield now moves onto play first place Providence. That left Wilkes to take on the Hershey Bears, who won their first round matchup against Bridgeport.
— x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 26, 2026
The Bears are the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals and have some quality players. One of them, Ilya Protas, played against Pittsburgh in the final week of the NHL regular season. The 19-year old has two points in two playoff games and won AHL rookie of the year for his 66 points in 69 game. Hershey also boasts veteran goalie Clay Stevenson, who stopped 40/42 shots in the quick sweep of Bridgeport.
The Penguins did carry a 7-3 record against the Bears this season and will be hoping that carries over into their first matchup. The winner of that series will move on to face the winner from mighty Providence or the upset-minded Springfield team in the next round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles, CA - April 25: Starting pitcher Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws to the plate against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Bringing a team on the verge of 11 consecutive victories to a screeching halt was the seemingly impossible task for a struggling Roki Sasaki on Saturday. On his first ever bobblehead day, Sasaki did what he could to allow the Dodgers to pounce on Chicago Cubs starter Colin Rea, and it resulted in his first win of the season.
Sasaki managed to pitch into the sixth inning of a 12-4 Dodger victory and while he allowed four runs over that span— including three solo home runs— he tallied a season-high five strikeouts with the biggest improvement being only one walk allowed. The biggest difference compared to his first four starts was an increase in both usage and velocity on his splitter, which he threw 48 times while generating a first pitch strike rate of 90 percent.
There is still more to be desired for the still unfinished project, as noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, but Sasaki is hoping to not worry about the length of his starts and instead lean more on the efficacy of what he can do on the mound.
“The first couple games, I couldn’t go deeper. It was kind of frustrating,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. “But right now, I’m just focused on what I can do, and then at the end of the season, I just want to be who I want to be.”
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In our early season predictions post, I mentioned that I planned on attending Saturday’s game against the Cubs, and it’s always nice to see a Dodger win and get a Roki Sasaki bobblehead. But it was the 50-year anniversary and commemoration of Rick Monday’s iconic American flag rescue that stole the show, and it became even more emblematic when during the seventh inning stretch, “God Bless America” was the prelude to the usual ballpark anthem.
While his two former teams competed, Monday later admitted during the game’s broadcast that he had no idea that the Dodgers would be honoring him and felt “very humbled,” per Beth Harris of the Associated Press.
“I had no idea they were going to be here or present me with an honor. Very humbled,” Monday said later on the radio broadcast of the game.
Shohei Ohtani has been on a recent offensive slump since the Dodgers road series in San Francisco, as he is now 2 for 19 over his last five games, striking out eight times and recording zero extra-base hits. While having the everyday leadoff hitter slumping in this manner is worrisome, Dave Roberts has faith that Ohtani will manage to quickly turn a new page at the plate, per Michael Huntley of the Orange County Register.
“He’s a very smart player,” Roberts said. “He certainly deserves more leash and more opportunity than essentially anyone.”
He lay on the floor for a few moments and appeared to lose his balance as he tried to get up. Trainers rushed over to examine him, and Wembanyama eventually rose to his feet and jogged to the locker room. The injury happened in the second quarter, and the Spurs ruled him out for the second half.
The Spurs eventually lost that game, 106-103, though San Antonio bounced back in Game 3 on Friday, April 24 to take a 2-1 series lead.
But with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday, April 26, Wembanyama’s status will loom large ahead of tip-off.
Here’s everything you need to know about the status of Spurs star forward-center Victor Wembanyama:
Is Victor Wembanyama playing tonight vs. Trail Blazers?
In its first Game 4 injury report issued Thursday night, San Antonio listed Wembanyama as questionable, and that designation has continued into Sunday morning. It is still unclear, at this point, if Wembanyama will play.
There were positive signs, though, that might be pointing to Wembanyama’s return. For one, he put up some shots during the morning shootaround ahead of Friday’s game. Wembanyama was also present on San Antonio’s bench during the game, both of which suggest that he had cleared the initial steps of the concussion protocol.
The Spurs, however, may exercise further caution with their franchise player. Concussions are serious injuries and repetitive concussions can pose long-term risks, including the potential increase of neurodegenerative diseases like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
According to the Mayo Clinic, recovery time from a concussion varies from person-to-person, though “most symptoms resolve in a few days.” In certain cases, however, symptoms can persist for weeks, or even a month, so caution tends to be the standard.
NBA concussion protocol
In order for a player who was diagnosed with a concussion to return to the floor, the following requirements must be met:
The player is without concussion-related symptoms at rest.
The player has been evaluated by a physician trained in concussion management.
The player has successfully completed the league’s return-to-participation exertion process.
The player’s team physician has had a discuss about the player’s return-to-participation process with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the director of the NBA’s concussion program. Only then, will the player’s team physician make the final determination on return to play.
Victor Wembanyama stats
In 64 games this season, Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks per game.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 22: Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants pours Powerade on Patrick Bailey #14 of the San Francisco Giants after they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on April 22, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball is coming to a close today, which means it’s time for us to share our favorite highlights of the week!
I think this week’s winner is pretty obvious. Patrick Bailey, hitter of walk-off grand slams against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, got the hit of the week this week with a three-run home run in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Dodgers. Man was a one-man offense in that game, so we couldn’t NOT give him a weekend shout out!
What were your favorite highlights of the week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants wrap up this weekend series against the Miami Marlins this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PT.
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) tags out Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Well, that was annoying. The Phillies were who the Braves thought they were, and they let them off the hook. The Braves took a game to extras and lost, but it required:
One single evading Mike Yazstremski for a run scoring triple
Yet another needless pickoff
One double evading Ronald Acuña for a triple
One single evading Eli White for a triple to set up a late tying run
Playing the back half of the game in a rain storm with multiple lighting strikes near the stadium
Placing Jose Suarez in a high leverage situation
When you step away from it, you are encouraged and appalled. The good news is that this stretch resembles their 26-4 run in mid-2023. They had to really do something dumb on the bases, have brutal BABIP, or make a poor bullpen decision to lose a game. The bad news is the losing-side of the bullpen and the back end of the bench are pretty dreadful. We already knew early that parts of the bullpen weren’t great, but injuries make the bench look very thin right now.
The good side of the bullpen is impressive: Raisel Iglesias (when available), Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee and Tyler Kinley. Somewhere in the middle is Aaron Bummer. Outside of that is Carlos Carrasco, Joel Payamps, swingmen Jose Suarez and Martin Perez (perhaps Reynaldo Lopez as well?), and a host of unattractive options at Gwinnett.
The Braves’ left fielders are a combined .206/.294/.299 with a 70 wRC+. That’s ninth worst in MLB, and Mauricio Dubon’s 11 plate appearances are keeping it from being much lower. The Braves can jettison Eli White for his latest brain fart. But that would leave them with three outfielders (glares at Jurickson Profar) and Dubon, and the best of the Gwinnett lot is probably Ben Gamel with his career 1.9 WAR and no starts in CF since 2021. Once Sean Murphy and Ha-seong Kim return, the bench will start to look better, but right now it’s not great.
Things are great. The offense is crushing it and no game feels out of reach. The starting rotation is way better than it deserves to be coming out of Spring Training. So I’m gonna forget about Saturday for now and going to try to ignore the back third of the roster for now.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 24: Jake McCarthy #31, Brenton Doyle #9 and Troy Johnston #20 of the Colorado Rockies celebrate the win over the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 24, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 4-3. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Any week that starts with a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers should generally be a pretty good one, and that’s just what the Colorado Rockies had.
The Rockies won three of their six games played against three different teams. They could have even won a fourth, which was in their sights on Thursday against the San Diego Padres before a ninth inning meltdown saddled them with a loss.
Even though that loss was frustrating—and probably gave some readers flashbacks to last year—it is still important to note just how much better the 2026 Colorado Rockies are compared to last season. With a record of 11-16 the Rockies are already over a full month ahead of their beleaguered counterparts from 2025, who didn’t win their tenth game until June 2nd and had already lost 50 games by that point.
The Rockies were also able to rebound quickly with a victory against the New York Mets on Friday to round out the week. Saturday’s game was rained out in Queens, but Sunday will feature a traditional double-header.
The Rockies are still not a great team. The offense has a lot of question marks when it comes to their “swing first and ask questions later” approach to hitting and inconsistent ability to win close games. However, most of the games are still close, the pitching has been shockingly solid—dare I say even good—and they’re keeping fans engaged. Our comments sections are proof positive of that!
With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:
Evan Lang had a chance to sit down with Rockies top prospect Cole Carrigg (no. 4 PuRP) to discuss his development, goals, and playing with your hair on fire! Check it out below.
Weekend Discussion Topics
The Rockies may still lose a lot of games, but a pleasant surprise is how many players are standing out with high quality performances so far this season. Antonio Senzatela appears to have revitalized his career, Tomoyuki Sugano has been pitching with consistent quality, and both Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman are clobbering the baseball. Who do you think is standing out the most? Who do you think quietly deserves more recognition? Let us know in the comments!
When Rick Monday woke up 50 years ago yesterday, I’m guessing he would never have expected to become an American hero. Neither had I as my dad sat me down to watch a delayed TV clip when I was 11. I was still trying to figure out what a bicentennial was, why girls aren’t as fun as the guys, and was barely aware why my parents had shielded me from the war that had recently ended. My dad didn’t talk much. He said, “Watch this.” He explained a bit to a young kid what had been going on, then pointed at the TV and said, “That is an American hero.” Looking back, I’m sure he didn’t mean hero in the way death and severe injuries mean Hero. He meant that a regular guy, every one of us, can go out there and act based on what was in his (or her) heart for this country. April 25, 1976 was the day Rick Monday became one of my heroes.
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Tom Albano (Deadspin): Surging Cubs count on bullpen ahead of rematch vs. Dodgers ””Nothing is really long-term (with our bullpen injuries),” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “Which we think is a positive in all this. But injuries add up, and we’ve lost a lot of bodies. When that happens, it gets hard to replace them with the same quality. But our guys have done a great job, a heck of a job. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to put together this nice run.
Zachary Davis (ClutchPoints): How Dodgers stunning loss to Cubs ended specific 71-game streak “In the process, the Dodgers suffered not just a stunning loss but also saw a little-known 71-game winning streak come to an end, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Before Friday, Los Angeles had won 71 straight home games when leading by four or more runs in the 7th inning and beyond.
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): It Turns Out ABS is a Machine That Turns Dansby Swansons into Rob Deers. For several years, now, the league has trended toward filling up the strike zone more. Fastballs are harder and livelier than ever; pitchers have better command of their non-fastballs than ever; and fielders are better-positioned than ever. Now, it’s that the zone itself has gotten smaller. Hitters have noticed, too. Twice as many batters have substantially reduced their swing rate so far this year. Dansby Swanson isn’t just participating in that trend; he’s one of the foremost drivers of it.
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Nico Hoerner and the Power of the Pulled Line-Drive Approach. “About a week into the season, I followed up with a partial answer, based on some changes Hoerner brought into this campaign: a slightly wider stance and a shorter stride, giving him more early stability and the capacity to hit the ball hard down the lines, rather than toward center field. Now, it’s time to synthesize all that into a firm answer to an increasingly pressing question: Is Hoerner a full-fledged power hitter now?”
Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times) Cubs fans know him as PCA, but Pete Crow-Armstrong was known as ‘Petro’ growing up. ““He was Petro,’’ High-school head coach Jared Halpert said, “because he played like he was on fire and very cool. Yeah, yeah, he was. He was Petro to us for a long time. There was no second gear or slowdown. It was all gas and no brakes and he’s going 100 miles an hour. And it was a beautiful thing to watch somebody just play with that much passion, you know, all the time.’’
Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball): Edward Cabrera’s Cubs Legacy Is Only Getting Started. “A filthy, lockdown starting pitcher changes the fortunes and the perception of a Major League Baseball team. He can make a fringe club competitive and a contender close to unstoppable. Edward Cabrera, with his poised control and nasty arsenal, is the next in this line of game-changing starting pitchers. Lucky for us, he plays on the North Side of Chicago.”
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
Munetaka Murakami brings the power and the presence. And he’s just getting started. | (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
Some players are fun. Then there are the ones who make you drop whatever you’re doing. Munetaka Murakami is that guy. Right now, White Sox fans are getting the rare treat of watching something special, and yes, it’s happening in real time right in front of us.
Murakami didn’t show up to fireworks and a parade. No big-league circus. He wasn’t Shohei Ohtani. But if you paid attention to his work in Japan, you knew exactly what the South Siders were getting. In the NPB, Murakami wasn’t just good; he was a MONSTER. In 2022, he put up a .318/.458/.710 slash line, mashed 56 homers, drove in 134, won the Triple Crown, and set the home run record for a Japanese-born player. The guy was a wrecking ball, and he was only 22 years old.
But the real story isn’t just the numbers. It’s how he plays.
In early 2026, Murakami is already flashing that superstar ceiling. The numbers are catching up to the hype. He’s hitting .242/.381/.589, .970 OPS, 11 bombs (tied for the MLB lead), 1.3 fWAR, and a fat 183 OPS+. He’s also near the top in walks with 22. Same plate discipline, same menace. The results are loud, but the way he gets there is even louder.
The power is legit. Not just fence-clearing, but no-doubt, see-ya-later stuff. His approach? Advanced, disciplined, but never passive. When he connects, you brace for the fireworks. Even when he’s not going deep, he’s making pitchers sweat, working counts, drawing walks, and forcing adjustments.
Forget the stat line for a second. There’s an energy to his game. Confidence. Quiet swagger. And FUN. It’s catching on fast.
He has the kind of presence that flips a lineup on its head, and we’ve been so desperate on the South Side for this kind of player.
The White Sox are busy trying to figure out who they are. Murakami is more than numbers. He’s the bridge from what was to what’s next. He’s the anchor now and the hope for later. Most of all, he’s the guy fans can actually get behind. Every team needs THAT player — the one who turns a sleepy Tuesday into appointment viewing.
So why wait to talk about it?
If the White Sox believe their own eyes, the time to act is right now. Not in the winter. Not after another half-season of ‘let’s wait and see.’ NOW.
Players like Murakami don’t get cheaper. They don’t get easier to sign once the rest of the league wakes up. Every moonshot, every walk, every time he makes pitchers nibble just makes his case stronger. And his price tag bigger.
Locking him up early isn’t just smart baseball. It’s a statement. It says the White Sox know a star when they see one and aren’t afraid to put money where it matters. It tells the clubhouse, the rest of the league, and most importantly, us fans that the Sox are finally serious about building something that lasts.
It’s time to be real. Excitement matters.
Baseball is best when it gives you a reason to dream. Murakami does that. Maybe it’s a ball launched into orbit. Maybe it’s a tense, grind-it-out walk. Either way, he brings the type of buzz you can’t fake.
The South Side has had its share of stars. But every once in a while, someone shows up who just feels different. Not just a contributor, but a guy who changes how you watch the game.
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 12: Cade Povich #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 12, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tides were leading by two runs going into the eighth inning before the Redbirds put up a five-run eighth inning to take the lead. Norfolk scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth but left the tying run stranded at second when Silas Ardoin struck out looking on a pitch that was challenged by the Redbirds and overturned to become strike three.
Cade Povich started for the Tides and went six innings. He allowed one run in each of the first three innings, two on solo home runs. He got stronger after that, though. Over his final three innings, Povich did not allow a hit.
The offense scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and then broke the tie with a two-run seventh before falling behind for good in the eighth. Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a single and triple and picked up three RBI. Willy Vasquez had a three hit night, and Ardoin reached base three times with a single and two walks. Jud Fabian singled and walked.
The Baysox managed to win this game despite being no-hit for the first 6.1 innings of the game. They scored one run in the third inning when Griff O’Ferrall walked, stole second, and came around to score on two wild pitches. That tied the game at 1-1, a score that held until the 11th inning. It took until the bottom of the 12th, but an RBI single by Maverick Handley secured the walk-off.
It was a big game for Handley, who had two of the team’s four hits. He broke up the no-hitter in the seventh, got the winning hit in the 12th, and also had a walk for good measure. Ethan Anderson had one hit as leadoff batter, while Aron Estrada’s miserable start to the season continued. He went 0-for-4 and his OPS is just .490 through 18 games.
It was a bullpen game for the Baysox. Christian Herberholz started and struck out four in 2.1 innings. Six Baysox pitchers combined to strike out 15.
High-A: Frederick Keys 4, Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 1
The Keys scored all the runs they needed in a two-run first inning, but they added two more in the sixth for good measure. In the first, they loaded the bases on an infield single by Ike Irish and walks from Nate George and Wehiwa Aloy. After a strikeout, Braylin Tavera hit a ground ball to shortstop. Instead of it being an inning-ending double play, the Blue Rocks made a throwing error that resulted in two runs scored. Their third run also scored on an error, but Irish had a proper RBI double to knock in the final run.
Irish was the only batter with two hits. George was hitless but walked twice. Aloy reached just once with the first inning walk.
Hans Crouse was the opener and pitched a scoreless first before Twine Palmer took over in the second. Palmer pitched five innings with two hits and one walk. He struck out six. His only run allowed was unearned and scored when Tavera made an error in center field to put a runner on third. Palmer then threw a wild pitch to bring in the run.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Wilson Warbirds (MIL) 1
The Shorebirds won this game with two two-run home runs. Edwin Amparo went deep in the second inning with Joshua Liranzo on base. In the seventh inning, it was Liranzo’s turn. His homer knocked in Stiven Martinez. Liranzo and Martinez both had two-hit games, while Amparo reached three times with the homer and two walks. DJ Layton singled and walked, while Jordan Sanchez went hitless with three strikeouts.
Four Delmarva pitchers held the Warbirds to just three hits, but they walked a whopping nine. Starter Kailen Hamson didn’t allow a hit in 3.2 innings, however he did walk five.
Toledo and Omaha each had five hits on Saturday, but the Mud Hens were the only team to score in a 2-0 win over the Storm Chasers.
Sawyer Gipson-Long outdueled Mitch Spence in a battle of minor-league veterans. Both went five innings, but Gipson-Long was better, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out three. The only time Omaha threatened to score off SGL was in the fourth, when Tyler Tolbert got to third base with one out. Gage Workman made a nice play to home to get the tag out and preserve the shutout.
His changeup was his best pitch, drawing four whiffs on five swings, but his fastball played well to contact with just one hard hit and an average exit velocity of 78.1 mph in seven batted ball events.
The Mud Hens scored two off Spence in the third. Luke Ritter led off with a double to right field, Ben Malgeri walked with one out and Workman doubled both in. Workman had the only other hit off Spence, a two-out single in the first.
Toledo threatened in the fifth, loading the bases — Ritter walked, Max Clark reached on an error and Spence intentionally walked Workman to set up the force out — but Corey Julks flied out to strand all three runners.
Enmanuel De Jesus was good (I know, shocking), allowing just two baserunners over two innings in relief of Gipson-Long. He struck out a pair and retired his first four batters before giving up a single and a walk. Grant Holman got the eighth and struggled out of the gate. He worked around a leadoff walk and a single to strand both runners.
Ricky Vanasco gave up a two-out double in the ninth, but he got the final out of the game on three pitches right after.
Clark: 1-4
Workman: 2-3, 2B (9), 2 RBI, BB, K
Gipson-Long(W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens go for win No. 5 in a row on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET in Toledo.
Erie SeaWolves — POSTPONED
Today's game in Binghamton has been postponed due to rain.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 12 PM
Coming Up Next: Erie and Binghamton will play a straight doubleheader on Sunday, starting at noon ET.
Lake County Captains 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)(F/10)
West Michigan and Lake County battled to a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation, but the Captains outscored the Whitecaps in extra innings to win on Saturday, 3-2.
Neither team scored until the seventh inning, when Lake County took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff home run from Jace LaViolette. The 2025 first-round pick out of Texas A&M had two of the Captains’ seven hits, including a leadoff double in the first.
West Michigan’s pitching was sound for the most part. Gabriel Reyes threw 4 1/3 shutout innings, giving up just three hits. Walks were a bit of a problem, but he worked around all four of them — two in the third and two in the fourth. On the brighter side, Reyes drew a game-high 11 swing-and-misses.
Ryan Harvey replaced Reyes in the fifth with one out. It started out rough with a walk and a hit batter, but he retired the next five batters in a row. Logan Berrier took over in the seventh and gave up the homer to LaViolette. He stranded men on the corners after allowing a single, throwing a wild pitch and walking a batter. Berrier went 1-2-3 in the eighth.
Zack Lee retired the side in order in the ninth, holding the game at 1-0. That’s when West Michigan manufactured a run to extend the game.
Cristian Santana singled to open the ninth. He moved to second on a Juan Hernandez groundout and got to third on a wild pitch from Michael Kennedy. Junior Tillien grounded out to short, allowing Santana to cross the plate.
Duque Hebbert relieved Lee in the 10th, but he gave up a two-run homer to Nolan Schubart, which ultimately decided the game thanks to the runner placed on base at the start of the inning. Hebbert gave up a double after the homer, but he retired the side without allowing any more damage.
Bryce Rainer added a run for the Whitecaps in the bottom of the 10th, but that’s all they got. Rainer put together his first multi-hit game at High-A. He had three singles: two infield base hits to third in the third and 10th, and a grounder through the left side in the sixth.
The Flying Tigers scored as many runs as the other three teams in the organization that played on Saturday. The result was a convincing 6-1 win against the Tampa Tarpons to take a 3-2 series lead.
Lakeland took an early 2-1 lead in the second when Edian Espinal singled in Jude Warwick and Carson Rucker. Warwick reached first on a one-out single, and Rucker walked before both were moved into scoring position by Anibal Salas’ groundout to the right side.
Zach MacDonald made it a 5-0 game in the fifth with a three-run homer. MacDonald was a single shy of the cycle today, hitting a ground-rule double in the third and a triple in the seventh. It’s always a little funny when they can’t do the easy one, but what a showing from the 2024 15th-rounder, who has a 1.078 OPS on the year. MacDonald’s home run brought in Jordan Yost (single) and Thayron Liranzo (ground-rule double).
Goodness gracious Zach MacDonald. He blasts a 3-run homer to right center to put Lakeland up 5-1. It’s his 7th home run of the year. Left his bat at 107.1 MPH and went 415 feet. @AaronArnstein calls it. pic.twitter.com/A39nfae0nW
The Flying Tigers’ only other hit on the day was a solo home run for Carson Rucker in the eighth. The game was all but wrapped up by that point, with Tampa trailing 6-1 heading into the ninth.
Carson Rucker yanks a solo homer over the wall in left and Lakeland takes a 6-1 lead. It’s his first home run of the season. @AaronArnstein calls it. pic.twitter.com/0Y8TBekPrM
Left-hander Caleb Leys made his third start of the season, and he was solid through four innings once again. He went four innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks while striking out two. While effective, those strikeout and walk numbers need to be a little better. Last week he sat down five batters and gave up just one free pass. Still, Leys has a 1.33 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over his last two starts.
He was a bit too in the zone with his slider today, with a 70% zone rate. All three batted balls were hard hit, but he still drew a 46% whiff rate on them. His fastball isn’t fooling anybody, but it’s not drawing hard contact either. The only run Tampa scored came off Leys in the first. Engelth Urena hit a triple with one out and scored on a groundout.
The bullpen was elite for Lakeland today. Luke Hoskins took over in the fifth and gave the Flying Tigers two innings of one-hit ball. Donye Evans worked around a two-out error for a hitless seventh, and Jan Caraballo closed things out without allowing a baserunner.
Caraballo was the most impressive of the bunch, striking out four of the six batters he faced. Six of his 10 sliders thrown were strikes, including four whiffs on five swings.
Yost: 1-4, R, K
Liranzo: 1-3, 2B (1), R, BB
MacDonald: 3-4, 2B (4), 3B (2), HR (7), R, 3 RBI
Leys: 4.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: Lakeland goes for the series win on Sunday at noon ET.
HOUSTON — Desperation, and the Lakers needing to play with a sense of it, had been a talking point during Lakers coach JJ Redick’s recent media availability.
Redick knew the Rockets would be desperate to avoid losing the first two games of the best-of-seven first-round playoff series, a deficit fewer than 10% of teams have overcome since 1984.
The Lakers’ Marcus Smart (36) and his teammates have a commanding 3-0 lead over the Rockets heading to Game 4. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Rockets were desperate Friday night. But the Lakers showed, through their words and actions, that they have been just as desperate.
If not more desperate, helping them take a decisive 3-0 lead in the series after the 112-108 Game 3 victory in overtime.
“Love it,” Marcus Smart said. “I’ve been talking to the guys since I got here: You got to leave it all on the court, because you never know. That’s been my motto since I got in this league — just play and leave it all on the court, because you never know. It can be taken away at any moment. And with two of our best players down, we got to play desperate. We got to be the most desperate team. That’s how we have been playing, and that’s how we are winning.”
Desperation can be loud.
It was present when LeBron James backtapped his late steal against Reed Sheppard to Smart, which set up James’ game-tying corner 3-pointer toward the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Or Smart and Rui Hachimura crashing the offensive glass and coming up with crucial boards that set up the Lakers’ crucial points in overtime to help maintain their late lead.
Diving on the floor for loose balls, not wanting to concede anything.
But it can also be more subtle.
It can be defensive low-man rotations, quickly closing driving and passing gaps. Securing the defensive rebounds with authority. Being disciplined defensively.
“We’re all just playing with desperation,” Jaxson Hayes said. “We want to make it to the next round. We’re playing like this is our last game of the year. It’s not even a series like, if we lose today, we’re done, so everyone wants to play like that, and everyone wants to put their body on the line for each other right now.”
The Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes (11) scored 12 points in LA’s 112-108 overtime victory Friday against the host Rockets. NBAE via Getty Images
This isn’t to say the Lakers have been perfect during the series.
Far from it, which is something Redick acknowledged multiple times after the Game 3 victory.
But they kept doing what was necessary to be the better team Friday night.
“Everything that we needed to do, even when it wasn’t pretty, we just kind of found a way to do it,” Redick said. “We’re playing hard. I mean, that’s what you have to do to put yourself in a position to win. There’s some things we can execute better, but I thought from the beginning of the game we played with a sense of desperation, and we played like a team that was down, as did they. They played a great game as well, a hard-fought game, and I thought we matched that.”
Now, the Lakers are just as desperate to end the series in Sunday’s Game 4 at Toyota Center.
“Got one more, it’s not over,” Smart said. “We got one more. And we’re in their home, and nobody wants to get embarrassed in their home. And we got them in a nail-biter, so it’s one more. We can’t worry about what happens after that because we got to take care of that. So we’ll worry about that after the game. Right now, Sunday is the only thing on our mind.”
For the Lakers, Sunday could be the knockout punch that secures their first playoff series victory since 2023.
“We’re just trying to have that killer mentality right now,” Smart said. “We got them on the ropes, and then it’s our job to try to finish. It’s their job to fight back. And that’s been JJ’s motto all year: Bend, don’t break. And I think we really took that to the head for us. We lived it. We instilled it into us, and you see it the way we played these three games, right? But we got to be like a lion. We got to have that killer instinct. We got them on the ground. We just got to finish them off and keep our foot on their neck.”
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder steals the ball from Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 25, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Thunder defeated the Suns 121-109. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Suns returned home on Saturday afternoon to host the Thunder, and the result felt familiar. I walked away with a deeper respect for who Oklahoma City is, what they do, and how they do it. That team is relentless.
They are without their second-best player, and it does not slow them. Their best player delivers an absurdly efficient 42-point night with eight assists, and when he sits, the machine keeps running. The next group steps in, applies the same pressure, creates the same disruption, and executes the same vision. It never lets up.
They are not the T-800. No, they are not a Ray Ban-wearing Arnold. They are the T-1000. Adaptive, relentless, better looking.
There is no clear answer for Phoenix. It feels like the Suns are being towed along, close enough to hang around, never quite in control. At any moment, Oklahoma City can press down and create separation.
That reality shapes how you watch this. The roster construction, the injuries, it all narrows the path. It is not built for this matchup. Few teams are. So the lens shifts. Less frustration, more appreciation for what the opponent is doing in real time.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
The Villain notched his 10th Bright Side Baller after his Q4 takeover and 30-point performance in Game 2.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 87 (Game 3) against the Thunder. Here are your nominees:
Reaves has been dealing with a left oblique muscle strain and has not played since participating in a 139-96 blowout loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.
He was listed as questionable on the Lakers' status report released on April 25.
Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters ahead of Game 3 on Friday, April 24, that Reaves would test whether he would've been able to play in the game. He did not play.
Redick had also confirmed that Reaves had recently played in 5-on-5 games, which usually indicates a player is close to a return.
Austin Reaves stats
Reaves has averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 51 games played this season.
When do Lakers play next?
The Lakers will play the Houston Rockets on Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET). The game will be streamed on Peacock.
