ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 11: Martín Pérez #33 and Jonah Heim #20 of the Atlanta Braves converse in the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves are cruising to start this season, with the second best record in MLB and the best run differential (pending the Dodgers game tonight). While there’s been some good fortune on the pitching side, there has also been some uncharacteristic underperformance from Chris Sale and some bad luck from a few of Atlanta’s bats. Dominic Smith is unlikely to be Aaron Judge all year, but on the whole this feels in the realm of sustainable, especially with reinforcements coming over the coming weeks and months. It would be especially useful if a few of Schwellenbach, Smith-Shawver, and Waldrep could come up and be productive, perhaps giving the team and opportunity to bump Grant Holmes and/or Reynaldo Lopez into an impact reliever spot. For now though, let’s just enjoy the team being in a good spot 10% of the way into the season, a stark contrast from last year.
Hornets star LaMelo Ball was fined $35K for his Flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo during Tuesday night’s win over the Heat in the NBA play-in tournament.
The incident happened in the second quarter when Ball fell to the floor after taking a shot and swiped at the leg of Adebayo, causing the Heat big man to fall hard to the court and leave the game with a lower back issue.
In the moment, the play was not called a foul, but the league reviewed the play and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for “making unnecessary and reckless contact” with Adebayo that “created significant injury risk.”
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo was injured in the team’s play-in game against the Hornets. Screenshot
Adebayo did not return to the game after the incident and the Heat lost the game in overtime 127-126.
Ball was also hit with a $25,000 fine by the NBA for the use of profane language during a live interview on TV after the game.
“I didn’t see it, but I don’t think it’s cute,” Spoelstra told reporters. “I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out.
“I’m not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win. That’s a shame.”
Ball also addressed the incident after the game, apologizing for the play.
“I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was, but I’m going to check on [Adebayo] and see if he’s OK,” he said.
Bam Adebayo lies on the court and was forced to leave the game with a lower back issue during the first half of the Heat’s loss to the Hornets in an NBA play-in tournament game on April 14, 2026 in Charlotte, N.C. AP
Ball finished the game with 30 points and hit the game-winning layup for the Hornets in overtime with just seconds left on the clock.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After an off day Thursday, the Dodgers open a four-game weekend wraparound against the Colorado Rockies starting Friday night at Coors Field in Denver.
Tyler Glasnow takes the ball in the series opener on Friday. Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will be on the mound for Colorado.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Referee Ben Taylor left the play-in tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers with an injury on Wednesday night.
Taylor walked stiffly off the court and went up the tunnel behind one basket at Intuit Dome with 8:51 left in the third quarter. He was replaced by alternate referee Sean Corbin after a brief delay.
The NBA sends a fourth alternate referee to every postseason game for exactly such a situation.
Taylor is an 11-year NBA veteran referee, while Corbin is in his 31st season on the job.
The ninth-seeded Clippers led the 10th-seeded Warriors 61-53 at halftime of the elimination game.
LOS ANGELES — Mets outfield depth has turned shallow since the latter part of spring training.
Jared Young is the latest casualty.
Young was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a meniscus tear in his left knee, becoming the third Mets outfielder sidelined by injury. Young is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday, with a return to play set for six to eight weeks.
Juan Soto is on the IL with a right calf strain, and Mike Tauchman underwent surgery for a meniscus tear in spring training. Tauchman’s injury created the opening for Young to stick with the team.
Jared Young bunts for a hit during the Mets’ loss to the A’s on April 10, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for New York Post
The Mets recalled MJ Melendez from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Young’s spot. Melendez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the Mets’ 8-2 blowout loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Young, who also saw action at first base, owned a .350/.391/.450 slash line in 23 plate appearances.
He also provided a left-handed bat off the bench.
“There not only was going to be playing time for him, but he was giving us some good at-bats from the left side,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the Mets faced the Dodgers on Wednesday night. “It’s a big blow, but guys will step up.”
Melendez signed with the team at the start of spring training, but was optioned to Syracuse late in camp.
The Mets later signed veteran outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league contract and selected him to the major league roster Monday.
Jorge Polanco was absent from the starting lineup and could face an IL stint as soon as Friday, according to Mendoza, as he deals with bursitis in his right Achilles.
With Polanco sidelined, Melendez was inserted as the DH with Pham in left field.
Soto continued a running progression and took at-bats against minor league pitching at Citi Field.
The goal, according to Mendoza, is to get Soto back in the lineup during the next homestand. Soto last played for the Mets on April 3.
Luis García was released by the Mets. The veteran reliever was designated for assignment by the club last weekend.
Huascar Brazobán had not allowed an earned run over 11 multi-inning appearances since last season entering Wednesday.
The right-handed reliever had not allowed a run over 8 ¹/₃ innings this season, tying him for fifth in scoreless streaks among MLB relievers.
The Mets’ offensive stats were ugly even before they suffered their eighth consecutive loss.
During their previous seven losses as play began Wednesday, the Mets had a .178/.211/.258 slash line from their lineup.
Opponents outscored the Mets 36-10 in those seven games. Six of the Mets’ runs during that stretch were scored in one game, against the Athletics on Saturday at Citi Field.
They’re the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed and will play the No. 2 Celtics in the first round.
“They’re playing great,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Boston. “They’ve played really great all season. They’ve got a core group of guys that have been together for a long time through a lot of winning and a lot of deep runs. Tremendous, tremendous challenge for us, but we’ll see if we can go figure something out between now and Sunday.”
As Nurse noted, Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Below is the full schedule for the best-of-seven series. Start times for Games 5 through 7 will be released later if they’re necessary:
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at Boston at 1 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 2: Tuesday, April 21 at Boston at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock/NBCSN
Game 3: Friday, April 24 at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime
Game 4: Sunday, April 26 at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET on NBC
Even with six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum out until March as he recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Celtics went 56-26 this season and finished 11 games above the Sixers in the standings.
“They’re a battle-tested team,” Kellly Oubre Jr. said. “They’re at full strength now, so this is a matchup we obviously don’t take lightly. We’ve got to go in there and just play all-out for 48 minutes each and every game. … Just got to take this momentum and carry it forward.”
The Sixers will aim for their first playoff series win against the Celtics since 1982. They lost series in 1985, 2002, 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone hits an RBI double during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 15: Sal Stewart #27 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by Elly de la Cruz #44 and Matt McLain #9 after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on April 15, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The older you get, the easier it is to think four, five years ago wasn’t ancient history. I still have the same phone, same laptop from 2022, for instance – the same desk chair, car, house, backpack. But watching Wednesday evening’s contest in Great American Ball Park between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants was enough to make one realize just how long ago the promise of the early 2020s Reds really was.
Tyler Mahle, who was dealt during the 2022 teardown to Minnesota for the likes of Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, was back on the mound in GABP to face the Reds. He was doing so as a Giant after he’d been a Twin and Texas Ranger in between, a nomadic post-Reds trip that shows just how fickle the business of baseball can be once injuries begin to tear away at your fabric.
Mahle was the vet in this one, the one whose velocity is down and pitch-mix is new as he works to figure out how to pitch once rearing back for a couple extra miles per hour isn’t in the cards any more. Sharing the mound with him was Rhett Lowder, who was a 19 year old pitching for the Strasburg Express in the Valley League of collegiate summer ball during the same 2021 season when Mahle posted career-bests in bWAR (4.9) and IP (180.0) with the Reds.
And it was Lowder who was in command.
Cincinnati’s righty exited after going 6.2 IP, his longest outing yet in the big leagues. He’d allowed 2 ER while on the bump, though Brock Burke did allow one inherited run to score once taking over in the 7th. It was an effective, efficient 90 pitch outing for Rhett, who limited hard contact for the most part and threw all of his pitches all over the strike zone.
The same could not be said for Mahle, however. He spiked a handful of balls in the dirt, walked 5 batters in his 4.0 laborious IP, and left enough pitches over the heart of the plate for the Reds to not just homer four times off him, but post some tape measure shots in the process.
Neither of the 3-run blasts by Sal Stewart were tape measure, truly, as both only flew into the first few rows of GABP’s small confines. Still, they were lasers off the bat on pitches not exactly right down the pipe, both coming on swings where Stewart’s elite combination of hand-eye coordination and reaction time allows him to put his own unique swing on each pitcher’s pitch and still find ways to barrel them. Both were also to right-center, in case anyone’s worried whether or not he’s a step-in-the-bucket rookie who’s just thriving on pulling the ball.
(He’s tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, by the way. He was a senior in high school down in Florida during Mahle’s brilliant 2021.)
Similarly, Eugenio Suarez (3 for 4, HR, R, RBI) poked a slider the other way for a homer on a pitch Mahle left up, a good piece of hitting as opposed to just running into one that missed in a hot zone.
Elly De La Cruz, though, hit the snot out of one. He launched a 442 foot homer to straightaway CF off Mahle, a true tape measure shot from the left-side of the plate as he reminded us that, despite recent success hitting righty, it’s him hittin’ lefty that’s the show-stopper.
All told, it was a brilliant night of baseball for the Reds, who won 8-3 and moved to 11-7 on the season. They claimed the series win over San Francisco, as that ends tomorrow at 12:40 PM ET with Chase Burns on the mound. They also made the iffy-hamstring issue that closer Emilio Pagan is dealing with a moot point for a night, as their offense finally kicked it into gear enough to make needing a closer not really a thing.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 12: Deandre Ayton #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Utah Jazz on April 12, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, the revenge tour was a mixed bag. There were moments of brilliance when Ayton proved to be a productive starting center for the Lakers, but he also struggled and appeared unsatisfied with his role.
But now, the high-stakes games are here, and after missing the postseason the last few years, Ayton can’t wait for his first playoff run with the Lakers.
“You’re thinking about the environment, you think about the fans, thinking about the first game as a Laker in the playoffs, Ayton said after Wednesday’s practice. So, I just try to find some time to catch myself and gather and just relax. I’ve been here before, but I am truly excited. I want to do backflips. I’m in the purple and gold, and I just want to really just play hard as hell to contribute to wins.”
What’s become blatantly obvious is that Ayton works best when he is ramped up and inspired. The Lakers have done things to help create this environment for their big, like labeling his water “crunk juice” and wearing t-shirts featuring Ayton as a lion.
It seems he is ready to roar for the Lakers in the postseason and they need him to be the best version of himself now more than ever. LA is shorthanded with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out, and Ayton is exactly the kind of player that can elevate his game to a higher tier than most.
In the 13 games where Ayton scored at least 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, the Lakers went an impressive 12-1. With Lakers head coach JJ Redick stressing the team has to rebound well and limit turnovers, Ayton will be a big reason why they do or do not accomplish that goal.
Ayton was brought here for games like these. If he plays at a high level in the playoffs, all the downs during the regular season will be forgotten and forgiven. This is his chance to make his mark and demonstrate that he can still play at an elite level on basketball’s biggest stage.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 15: Andre Drummond #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates his three-pointer with Tyrese Maxey #0 and Vj Edgecombe #77 during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game against the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 15, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ladies and gentlemen, postseason basketball has arrived!
The seventh-seed Sixers welcomed the eighth-seed Orlando Magic to Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly on Wednesday night for an Eastern Conference battle in the Play-In Tournament. The reward for the winner? A date with the Boston Celtics in the first round of the actual NBA Playoffs, starting on Sunday in Boston.
The Sixers, as we all knew, were without the services of their superstar center Joel Embiid, who is less than a week removed from an emergency appendectomy performed last week. There is currently no timeline for a potential return from Embiid, but he was on the sideline Wednesday night to cheer on his teammates.
The Sixers got out to an early lead in this one behind nine points apiece in the first frame from Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyrese Maxey. Oubre paced the Sixers early, burying three triples including one right before the first quarter buzzer, giving the Sixers a 28-24 lead after one.
After zero buckets from him in the first quarter, Paul George was the one to get things going to start the second. George knocked down four shots in the period including one from beyond the arc and went into halftime with 11 points. Maxey continued his stellar play led the Sixers at the break with 16 points of his own. The Sixers finished the half on a 9-0 run to go to the intermission with a 59-55 lead. At that point, the Magic were being carried by Desmond Bane, who led all scorers with 19 first-half points. Paolo Banchero wasn’t too far behind him, pouring in 13 in the first two quarters.
A chippy contest throughout, tempers flared in the third quarter as the refs had to separate the two teams on multiple occasions. The play on the court matched the level of the extracurricular activities with both teams trading tough buckets. Bane continued to cook for the Magic, leading the floor yet again after three frames with 28 points.
The Sixers held a 79-74 advantage headed to the final period. Twelve minutes away from the playoffs. What could go wrong?
(Fortunately, for once in Sixers’ history, things actually just went relatively well.)
A huge fourth quarter by numerous Sixers finally sealed this one in favor of Philadelphia. Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Andre Drummond, and Oubre all hit timely buckets and made key stops to propel the Sixers to victory — and to the NBA playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey was a constant contributor throughout this one for Philadelphia, but his biggest burst came in the fourth quarter, including a personal 7-0 run against the Magic towards the beginning of the frame.
Maxey constant pace and rim pressure were too much for Orlando to handle all night, and Maxey took full advantage. He got downhill with momentum on his side as often as he could, dancing through the Magic defense and often finishing in that acrobatic way we all know he can, even through a lot of contact on more than a few occasions. Whether it was that or creating just a modicum of sink to take a jumper, Maxey was in his bag tonight and it was fantastic to see, especially after seeing how he had struggled to get into a groove in some games to close the regular season.
The Sixers’ All-Star guard rose the occasion as a leader once again. With Embiid sidelined, Maxey’s leadership statistically and simply in commanding his team was more crucial than ever, and he certainly delivered on Wednesday.
Maxey finished the night with 31 points on 11-for-25 field goal shooting (3-for-9 from long range) with six assists, one steal and one block.
Next up is Tyrese Maxey, who led the Sixers with 31 points… with a LOT of them coming off impressive shot creation and some difficult finishes through contact.
<p>(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)</p><br> | Getty Images
The Sixers rookie sensation just etched another chapter into his incredible freshman season in the NBA.
As he has all year, Edgecombe put in multiple acrobatic, crowd-pleasing finishes and sank some sincerely tough jumpers that most first-year players are simply not going to hit. Even putting aside the buckets, though, the rookie put up solid defense and team-leading rebounding in this one. Edgecombe pulled down 11 rebounds (beating Andre Drummond by just one to lead the squad) and had a bevy of deflections as well.
Edgecombe put up exactly the type of performance the Sixers needed from their rookie — and that’s a lot to ask of a 20-year-old! But, again, he rose to meet the large expectations.
Edgecombe finished Wednesday with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double with an assist and a steal.
Excellent double-double night from the rookie VJ Edgecombe, who certainly didn't look new to the NBA postseason. A monster rebounder tonight and more than a few really impressive buckets.
Andre Drummond: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2-for-3 from three
<p>(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)</p><br> | Getty Images
What a night from the NBA vet in Andre Drummond.
It has been an up and down season for Drummond with the Sixers. At times, he was an absolute unexpected hero, especially with a big role to fill at the times Embiid has been unavailable. Other times, though, a different Drummond seemed to be on the floor, one that was seemingly stuck in place at times and less agile — one that looked 32.
Tonight, Drummond looked as good, if not better, than the young guns in their early 20s. His stats speak for themselves in this one, which will get to in a second, but I’d argue he did even better than the numbers would have one believe. Even coming in off the bench after Adem Bona was started in the five spot, Drummond went right to work as a massive impact on both ends of the floor for Philadelphia.
It honestly might have been the veteran’s best defensive night of the entire season so far, getting up in the air and altering shots at the rim, collecting three blocks for his efforts. He was also an aggressive and efficient rebounder for the Sixers and even had a few really solid passes — again, a few that might have been the best we’ve seen all season from him.
Drummond came up with that third and final block on one of the Magic’s final possessions as they tried to claw back into the game. Then, in very appropriate fashion, Drum hit the dagger with his second corner three of the contest, putting things out of reach of Orlando and squashing their last speck of hope to make some sort of last-second comeback.
Drummond finished the game with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. He shot 4-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. He also had two assists, three steals and those three blocks we mentioned.
My first Sixers shoutout for tonight has to go to Andre Drummond. What an impactful performance off the bench, all over the floor… all culminating in the dagger corner 3PT.
<p> (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)</p><br> | Getty Images
Kelly Oubre Jr.’s performance might be a bit overshadowed by some flashier teammates’ tonight, but no one should discount the impact he had on the Sixers pulling out the win in this one.
He was the first one for Philadelphia to really get going on the offensive end, hitting three triples in the first frame for a team-high nine points. As his teammates began to produce more offensively, Oubre’s night scoring slowed but certainly didn’t stop. Orlando seemed to not learn from their mistake of leaving Oubre with space on the arc, so he kept firing away. He finished the game with a floor-leading five triples made.
In addition to just the sheer energy boost he undoubtedly brings to this Sixers lineup, Oubre has the ability to impact games like Wednesday by simply sticking to what’s working. It hasn’t been a problem as much this season as in the past, but Oubre can still have moments of trying to do a bit too much, often leading to a lot of sloppy mistakes and inefficient shooting. Not tonight. He was exactly who the Sixers needed him to be, not a player trying to perform beyond his abilities, but one sticking to his strengths and ready whenever his number was called.
Oubre finished Wednesday with 19 points (6-for-12 field goal shooting, 5-for-10 three-point shooting) with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 15: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies is hit in the hand by a pitch in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on April 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a rough night at the plate for the Colorado Rockies as they failed to get their offense rolling once again as the Astros took home a 3-1 victory to win the series and hand the Rockies their sixth-straight loss.
Not Around Long Enough
Things did not get off to a good start for Jose Quintana on the mound. The veteran lefty struggled to find his command out of the gate as he walked the first three Houston batters into the bottom of the first inning. It marked the first time in his long career that he had ever done that to start a game. The Astros then managed to scratch across their first two runs via sacrifice flies, but the inning set a tone for Quintana. After giving up a Yordan Alvarez home run in the third inning, Quintana’s night would end in the fourth with two outs. He lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits with one strikeout and four walks.
Labored at-bats and an Astros team that refused to chase resulted in a lot of deep counts for Quintana. He threw 75 pitches with 41 going for strikes, with roughly 25 of those pitches coming in the first inning because of the walks and long at-bats. He lines up to make his next start in Colorado, where he will need to be effective and efficient.
The Rockies hadn’t faced Spencer Arrighetti since 2024, when he tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits with 10 strikeouts. This time around wasn’t all that forgiving an encounter either, as Arrighetti appeared almost unhittable. He went six innings, allowing just one run on two hits, having thrown 100 pitches. He again struck out 10 Rockies but did pair it with four walks and a couple of hit batsmen. He generated 20 swing and misses, the majority of which came on his curveball, which he threw 38% of the time. The lone run he gave up was a Willi Castro RBI double in the second inning, as he later escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning.
Speaking of those hit batters, Arrighetti ended up knocking two Rockies out of the game. Troy Johnston was plunked by a fastball on the meatier part of his thigh in the first inning, but remained in the game until he was replaced by Kyle Karros in the bottom of the third. Castro was then hit on the hand by a fastball in the fourth inning and had to immediately depart the game to get checked out, and was replaced by Tyler Freeman.
That left the Rockies with a shortened bench the rest of the game, but the good news is that Johnston has only a contusion, while Castro’s results were negative on the hand, though his hand is going to be swollen.
After Quintana’s shortened start, the Rockies turned to the recently recalled Tanner Gordon to pick up some innings out of the bullpen. Luckily, a long reliever stepped up in the moment once again for manager Warren Schaeffer.
Gordon proceeded to cruise through four innings, allowing just two hits as he struck out four batters against one walk. Peppering in a healthy dose of fastballs with his improved secondaries, Gordon threw 40 of his 60 pitches for strikes.
Rockies starters have struggled to give length over the last few games, and luckily, the bullpen has stepped up to limit the damage, but more members of the rotation will need to find a way to work through five innings more often than not, despite the excellence of the performances of pitchers like Gordon, Chase Dollander, and Antonio Senzatela.
Too Many Strikeouts
Once again, the woes of the Rockies’ offense boiled down to the strikeout. After striking out 10 times against Arrighetti, the Houston bullpen tallied five more for a total of 15. The team managed just one run on three hits, producing 27 whiffs against the Astros’ pitching. The top third of the order had eight strikeouts while the team managed just five walks in the game. Despite generating a few opportunities to score as the game went on, the Rockies went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and had a team total of 10 men left on base. The lone extra-base hit was Castro’s RBI double.
The Rockies and Astros will conclude the series on Thursday before heading home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Colorado will use an “opener” before giving way to Dollander for the bulk of the innings as they try to avoid the sweep. Houston has not announced a starter.
Apr 15, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe (45) celebrates with catcher Gary Sanchez (99) after beating the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Sometimes the stupidest things can change a team’s momentum.
In the eighth inning tonight, a Brewers offense that was grasping at straws all night managed to score two runs on four batted balls that had an average exit velocity of 63 mph and went combined distance of 23 feet in the air. Baseball is a stupid game.
Those two runs, plus a big day for Brewers’ starter Chad Patrick and a beleaguered Milwaukee bullpen (who pivoted to a likely new closer), were enough to finally put an end to the Milwaukee’s dismal six-game losing streak.
Though no one would’ve predicted it at the time, Toronto nearly won the game in the top of the first inning. After Marshfield native Daulton Varsho drew a walk with one out, he moved to third on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single and scored on a Jesús Sánchez sacrifice fly. It was 1-0 in the top of the first, but that score nearly stood for the entire game.
Milwaukee’s offense is missing a whole lot of punch right now, and Toronto starter Dylan Cease—the newly-minted $210 million man—smelled blood. Cease, who came in with a 2.45 ERA and an absurd 26 strikeouts in less than 15 innings, was on his game. William Contreras did manage a line drive single in the bottom of the first, but Milwaukee didn’t have another hit until fifth inning (a Joey Ortiz single), and they managed to get a runner past first base only once during Cease’s entire six-inning outing, when Ortiz stole second and moved to third on a groundout but was stranded there.
Patrick, though, was up for the challenge after the early hiccup. He’s had a somewhat strange season—walks are up, strikeouts are way down, he’s not giving up runs but things have been pretty shaky. Patrick came in with a FIP of 4.29 and an ERA of 0.73, which is borderline funny. He still couldn’t find his strikeout stuff tonight, and that remains a concern, but Patrick was inducing weak contact all over the place, took advantage of the good defensive players behind him, and worked with shocking efficiency.
After Toronto’s first-inning run, they did very little to threaten Patrick again. A third-inning leadoff single was erased one batter later by a double play. Lenyn Sosa hit a two-out single in the fifth (just after Brandon Lockridge made a fantastic leaping catch on a foul ball), but did not advance. The one time the Blue Jays got a little bit of a rally going was in the seventh: Kazuma Okamoto drew a one-out walk, but Patrick got the second out before giving way to DL Hall. Andrés Giménez singled to put two on with two out, but Hall retired Sosa on a fly ball to end the inning.
In total, Patrick needed just 81 pitches to go 6 2/3 innings—he was the first Brewer starter this season to record an out in the seventh inning. He struck out just two batters, but allowed only three hits (all singles) and two walks.
It was in the eighth when the Brewers, down 1-0 and looking helpless at the plate, made their move. Cease was pulled after six, so Milwaukee had gotten that hurdle out of the way, and the pitcher in the eighth was the submariner, Tyler Rogers, who entered with a 0.00 ERA in 8 2/3 innings this season. The Brewers will not win any awards for style for what came next, but they needed something to go their way, and something finally did. Here’s how it went:
David Hamilton hit an infield single on a swinging bunt. 48 mph exit velocity, 2 feet, -79 degree launch angle.
Sal Frelick hit a high chopper directly in front of the plate that just sort of died. It went 0 feet, according to game day, with a -76 degree launch angle. The exit velocity here was 61.3 mph. Catcher Brandon Valenzuela waited to see if it would go foul, then tried to pick it up to throw Frelick out, but mishandled it; it was ruled an E2.
William Contreras poked a single through the right side of the infield, which was pretty open for him due to a defensive shift. A classic piece of slap-hitting—this one had a distance of 17 feet and a launch angle of -7 degrees, with an exit velocity all the way up at 92.3 mph. Hamilton scored, and Frelick advanced to third.
Brice Turang hit a soft ground ball just past Rogers that enabled Frelick to score from third. Turang was out at first, and his RBI groundout went 3 feet, with a -57 degree launch angle, and came off the bat at 53.3 mph.
Here are the highlights from that sequence:
Someone will have to explain to me how the air came out of this baseball on the second hop.
The Brewers will take it, because it leads to the tying run on William Contreras' bleeder through the right side. The Brewers are on the board. pic.twitter.com/tHp6bhh3Vh
Of course, given Milwaukee’s issues lately finishing ballgames, no one was comfortable heading to the ninth with a 2-1 lead. Nobody except perhaps Abner Uribe, the man with the baseball. Looking sharp and hitting 99 on the radar gun, Uribe got Okamoto to ground out and struck out Ernie Clement. With two outs, Giménez hit a ball pretty hard toward the left field gap but the speedy Lockridge moved over and made the catch without too much trouble. The losing streak was over. Uribe, at a time when the team desperately needed someone to come through in a save situation, came through.
There was nothing pretty about Milwaukee’s offense today, but the pitching staff showed up big time and the Brewers managed to turn a game that looked like it was headed toward a soul-crushing 1-0 loss into a feel-good, come-from-behind victory. There were no Brewer extra-base hits and only Contreras reached base more than once, but they did what they needed to do tonight. On the mound, Patrick had his good outing and was followed by scoreless appearances by Hall, Aaron Ashby (who allowed a hit and a walk in his inning but struck out the side), and Uribe, who struck out one and didn’t allow a hit.
For all the (justified) doom and gloom after Monday’s game, the Brewers can now win this series and build some real momentum with a win tomorrow afternoon. That game will be at 12:40 p.m., and will see two players on opposite ends of their careers face off: the veteran lefty Patrick Corbin for Toronto, and Brandon Sproat, making his return to the rotation, for the Brewers.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 1: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on March 1, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Alright, round four. The first three have just gone so well.
With their win over the Orlando Magic in the Play-In tournament, the Sixers’ 2026 playoff position is finally set in stone. They will be the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and will take on the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
Now that they officially have a set opponent and seed, the league has also announced dates, times and TV networks for the first round of the playoffs. The first two games of the series will of course be in Boston, with Game 1 kicking off the series on Sunday, April 19. This rivalry will be kicking off a Sunday slate full of basketball as that one will tip off at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. This is also a helpful reminder that for the first time in years, local broadcast channels will not carry round one.
Game 2 will be Tuesday the 21st at 7 p.m. on Peacock and NBC Sports Network. When the series swings back to Philly for Game 3, the series will be shown on a third different platform. That’ll be the 24th at 7 p.m. and that one will be on Amazon Prime. Game 4 will be on the 26th, again at 7 p.m., and this one will just be on regular NBC.
If the series goes any further, and that is a big if, Game 5 would be on the 26th in Boston. Game 6, if necessary, would be on the 28th in Philly. If things get really crazy, Game 7 would take place on May 2. Times and TV networks haven’t been announced for those last three — the league has to wait and see how many series progress that far first.
With the No. 7 seed, the Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google.
This marks the 23rd playoff series between the @celtics and @sixers — the most frequent matchup in NBA history.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena.
It really wasn’t that long ago that Jalen Brunson was still considered a sidekick at best, a second-round talent, widely labeled as overpaid — upon signing with the Knicks in 2022 — before becoming the best bargain in the NBA.
Brunson joined a team that had made the playoffs once in nine years and became Bernard King to a generation, improbably making it so that it is no longer blasphemy to evoke the Brooklyn legend who appeared to walk on water.
Entering the Knicks’ fourth straight postseason, few players make a fan base feel as comfortable in the final minutes as Brunson does. Few players seem so prepared for this moment and this stage. There is no reason to think this year will be any different.
Jalen Brunson shoots over Dyson Daniels during the first quarter of the Knicks’ win over the Hawks at State Farm Arena on April 6, 2026 in Atlanta. Getty Images
But Brunson’s first hurdle could be the toughest he faces this spring, matching up with Atlanta’s 6-foot-7 defensive stopper — Dyson Daniels.
“He’s a great defender,” Brunson said following Wednesday’s practice. “He’s very smart and he’s able to use his wingspan and create havoc on and off the ball. He does a lot of great things for their team and puts them in position to be successful.”
Daniels followed last season’s All-Defensive First Team selection by ranking second in the league in turnovers forced and tying for fourth in steals per game (2.0).
The 23-year-old Australian will make his playoff debut Saturday at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of their first-round series, having spent more time defending Brunson over the past two seasons than any other player in the league, according to NBA tracking data.
Daniels’ length — including a five-inch height advantage over Brunson — and athleticism have created issues for the Knicks star, including Atlanta’s NBA Cup quarterfinal win at the Garden last season, when Brunson was held to 15 points. Brunson and Daniels’ teams have split eight meetings over the past three seasons, with Brunson posting a -24 plus/minus in those matchups.
Last season, Daniels also boasted that Brunson wouldn’t want to see him as a defender, speaking of a developing on-court rivalry. The Knicks captain responded by averaging 31.6 points in their past five meetings. One game featured a Brunson game-winner over Daniels at the Garden. Another saw Brunson uncharacteristically taunt Daniels after the Hawks wing fouled out.
This season, Brunson has averaged 29.3 points and 7.7 assists in three games (two wins) against the Hawks but has struggled from the perimeter, hitting less than 30 percent of his 3s.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Brunson said last year. “With trash talk or not, being competitive, that dude can hoop.” During the Knicks’ first conference finals run in a quarter-century, Brunson opened by torching Detroit’s Ausar Thompson, one of the league’s best athletes. In the second-round upset of the defending champion Celtics, Brunson handled Jrue Holiday, one of the best perimeter defenders of his era.
The best may bring out his best.
“They’ve been playing great,” Brunson said of the Hawks. “We’ve gotta be ready for the challenge. I’m definitely excited. I think it’s gonna be great for us and it’s gonna be a hard-fought battle.
Jalen Brunson makes a move on Dyson Daniels during the first half of the Knicks’ win over the Hawks on April 6, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers weathered the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night and secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Sixers moved on to a first-round series that begins Sunday at Boston.
Desmond Bane and the Magic aren’t done yet. They will host Charlotte on Friday night, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Detroit.
The Hornets held on to beat Miami 127-126 when Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer. Charlotte’s LeMelo Ball will play, although he was fined $35,000 for what the league said was an uncalled flagrant foul when he tripped Bam Adebayo, causing a back injury that forced the Miami star out of the game.
Embiid had an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. While the 76ers haven’t given a timetable for his return, the two-time scoring champion returned to the team on Wednesday, surprising teammates in the locker room and watching the game from the bench.
Maxey, named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter for the first time in his career, scored seven straight points late in the fourth to give the Sixers some breathing room against a Magic team that wasted a chance to play this game at home with a late collapse in a loss to the Celtics in the season finale.
Bane, who averaged 20.1 points and played all 82 games, carried Orlando’s offense with 34 points. He hit a 3 that moved Orlando within two and Anthony Black hit a 3 that pulled the Magic to 87-86.
Maxey had a bit more help down the stretch.
Andre Drummond filled the void left by Embiid with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points and Paul George had 16.
George, who served a 25-game suspension this season for flunking a drug test, hit a fadeaway jumper in the third quarter that stretched the lead to seven and prompted an Orlando timeout. He later popped the ball free and dumped it to Edgecombe, who dunked on — and got in the face of — Jalen Suggs for a 73-62 lead.
Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft, was whistled for taunting and officials had to separate the teams. Oubre waved his arms toward a roaring crowd and the Sixers seemed primed to build some separation.
Up next
Game 2 is Tuesday in Boston, and the Sixers return home for Game 3 on April 24.
