First pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays is at 1:05 at TD Park and the Rays will be providing tv and radio coverage.
GDT: Final Sunday of spring training
Spring Training Game #30: Boston Red Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, March 22, 2026, 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL
How to Watch: Sportsnet Pittsburgh+
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in Bradenton today against the Boston Red Sox looking to grab a win.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
SB Reacts: All eyes on the NCAA Tournament
Though the NBA season is rolling on, a good chunk of the basketball world puts it on the back burner every March to pay attention to the NCAA Tournament. And there are plenty of bets to be made for both leagues if that’s your thing.
This week at Mavs Moneyball, I kept the survey simple. First, I wanted to know how many of you planned to watch the tournament.
Nearly 8 in 1o of yall indicated you would be watching at least some of the games. If that’s the case, I hope you saw all of our coverage the last several weeks on potential Dallas draft picks.
The second question asked if you were watching if there was a specific position type you would focus on.
It seems everyone watching wants the Mavericks to find a guard for next season. I happen to agree but would take literally any player.
The next graphic and answer comes from the national poll. It’s about MVP.
I am starting to think that Spurs fans dominate the national poll. Y’all need to sign up and participate more. Luka not being a voting option really tells you how people feel about him this year.
The next question was Rookie of the Year centric.
Knueppel with a commanding lead in this vote and I think that’s how it comes down when NBA voters get their chance. The Hornets are a feel-good story and the Mavericks are very bad, no matter how good Cooper Flagg is. That’s something Kon will get to take advantage of.
This last one is about Coach of the Year.
Bickerstaff makes sense, the Pistons have outperformed. If Detroit can hold on with Cade Cunningham likely missing a few weeks with his collapsed lung, then he absolutely locks up the award. Charles Lee needs to get more love here though, as does Mazzula, as each coach has done a very good job this season.
Spring Training Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros
The last weekend Spring Training game before the regular season begins happens today at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches when the St. Louis Cardinals will tangle with the Houston Astros starting at 11:05am. According to MLB.com, Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis while Christian Javier will begin the game for Houston.
Mets Madness: Sweet Sixteen
For a detailed explanation/FAQ regarding this tournament, click here.
For the First Round results, click here.
For the Second Round results, click here.
QUADRANT 1
1986 (1) vs 2009(12)
G1: 7-1, ’09
G2: 15-2, ’86
G3: 4-3, ’86
G4: 3-0, ’09
G5: 4-3, ’09
Series MVP: Johan Santana
The Whiteyball Cardinals couldn’t do it. Mike Scott and the Astros couldn’t do it. Even winning 5-3 with one out to get, the Red Sox couldn’t do it. But there were the 2009 Mets, celebrating at Shea Stadium as the highest-ranked team in Mets Madness — and one of the best teams in baseball history — was finally eliminated. In their previous two series, the 1986 Mets dropped a game early before firing back to win in four games. It seemed that pattern was destined to repeat itself, as after getting shut down by Johan Santana in Game 1, they annihilated the ’09 squad 15-2 in Game 2 (Ron Darling turned in a four-hit, two-run complete game while Gary Carter slugged two homers) and took a tight Game 3 win on homers from Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry. But then, the four-game formula was foiled. The game that will haunt the ’86 Mets forever is Game 4, in which they got shut out by a quartet of relievers (Ken Takahashi, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, and Francisco Rodríguez) while letting Carlos Beltrán beat them by driving in all three of ’09’s runs. The best way for an underdog baseball team to win is by having an ace starting pitcher to shut down the opposition, which might be why the ’86 team has done so much better in the back half of series (facing the weaker portion of a team’s rotation) than in the front half. They needed to win Game 4 to avoid seeing Santana again. They couldn’t do it. ’09 scraped out runs by capitalizing on a Mookie Wilson error and executing a successful squeeze bunt. With first and third and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Wally Backman looked to hit a fly ball to at least tie it — but instead, he grounded the ball to Alex Cora, who flipped it to Luis Castillo, who fired it to Daniel Murphy. Champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse after all.
2002 (10) vs 1968(11)
G1: 8-6, ’68
G2: 5-3, ’68
G3: 5-4, ’68
Series MVP: Greg Goossen
This was a matchup of two teams with two upsets under their belt, and it showed. Each game in the series came down to the wire, packed with clutch rallies and max-effort defensive plays, making it thrillingly balanced — except for the fact that the same team won each one. In Game 1, the 1968 Mets outlasted the 2002 Mets in a battle of ineffective aces Tom Seaver and Al Leiter, with ’02 getting homers from Timo Perez, Ty Wigginton, and Jeromy Burnitz but failing to stack hits in the way ’68 did. In Game 2, a 4-0 ’68 lead turned to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks in part to a pinch-hit homer from Tony Tarasco, but in the following frame Greg Goossen — a future actor who would be traded the following offseason for a player to be named later (eventually Jim Gosger) — delivered a pinch-hit homer of his own for insurance. In Game 3, ’02’s previous Series MVP Mo Vaughn continued to rake with an early 458-foot, 2-run homer, but ’68 fought back. With the score tied 4-4 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, up stepped who else but…pinch-hitter Greg Goossen, who lined a walk-off RBI single to left-center. This MVP could have gone to Ed Kranepool, who hit .583 with two homers and five RBI in three games. It could have gone to Tommie Agee, who homered in Game 3 and went 3-for-5 while making an excellent diving catch in Game 1. But unlike Goossen’s trade value, this particular MVP need not be named later; I bestow it upon him, the pinch-hitter (and actor) extraordinaire.
QUADRANT 2
1969 (1) vs 2017 (12)
G1: 4-1, ’69
G2: 3-1, ’17
G3: 3-2, ’17 (f/11)
G4: 5-4, ’69
G5: 5-4, ’69 (f/13)
Series MVP: Art Shamsky
Upsets? Who said anything about upsets? The 1969 Mets are a one-seed that acts like it! Well, except for the part where they nearly lost this series in four games, and then nearly lost it in five. The 2017 Mets entered hot off a six-game winning streak, and were instantly given a gut check when Tom Seaver steamrolled through their lineup with a complete-game, five-hit, one-run performance in Game 1. ’69 appeared bound to avoid the kind of upset plaguing the rest of the tournament’s top seeds, but they suddenly found themselves staring down elimination after a Jacob deGrom complete game in Game 2 and a devastating extra-inning Game 3 loss (which featured a Wilmer Flores two-out, game-tying hit in the ninth and an Asdrúbal Cabrera walk-off single in the eleventh). In Game 4, they trailed 4-3 in the seventh, but Art Shamsky played the hero by ripping a game-flipping two-run homer off Steven Matz. In Game 5, the ’69 Mets trailed 4-0 in the eighth inning, having been blanked by Noah Syndergaard, but scored three runs on walks and a big hit from Donn Clendenon to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Down to their final out in the top of the ninth, Shamsky came to bat with a runner on third. He slashed an opposite-field, game-tying single just in front of a charging Yoenis Céspedes to keep his team alive. The marathon winner-take-all game rolled on, with neither team able to break through until Wayne Garrett’s walk-off single off Jeurys Familia in the bottom of the 13th inning. And thus, the tournament’s final one-seed lives to fight another day, facing a clearer field than they could have ever imagined. But if this series proved anything, it’s that the Miracle Mets may need to pull off at least a few miracles to win this tournament after all.
1988 (2) vs 1985(3)
G1: 5-1, ’85 (f/12)
G2: 4-2, ’85
G3: 4-3, ’88 (f/11)
G4: 5-0, ’85
Series MVP: Rick Aguilera
If you were forced to look at the box scores for every series in Mets Madness thus far and guess which one was a matchup of top-three seeds, you’d be right on the money. This exquisite, hard-fought battle of ’80s teams with a total of 198 regular season wins between them lived up to the hype off the bat. 1985 Dwight Gooden and 1988 David Cone each allowed only one run in Game 1, prompting an extra-inning affair which finally ended when the ’85 Mets erupted for four runs off Roger McDowell in the top of the twelfth. Game 2 was locked at 2-2 entering the seventh, when George Foster (who hit a solo homer earlier in the evening) laced a two-run double to give ’85 another win. The ’88 offense jumped on Sid Fernandez early in Game 3, with a Keith Hernandez RBI single and Darryl Strawberry two-run homer bringing home three runs in the top of the first inning. But Kevin Mitchell lifted ’85 up, delivering an RBI double in the sixth and then a two-RBI, game-tying double in the eighth to force extra innings once again. In the top of the eleventh, Kevin McReynolds hit a go-ahead sac fly to win it for the ’88 Mets, but it was the last run they would score. Rookie Rick Aguilera fired a complete-game shutout in Game 4, perhaps giving them flashbacks to when another right-handed starter fired a shutout to vanquish their championship aspirations. For the ’85 Mets — the last of the great ’80s teams still remaining in the tournament — their primary obstacle to a championship now waits in the next round, where they will face the 1969 Mets in a clash of the titans.
QUADRANT 3
2011 (8) vs 1974 (12)
G1: 5-3, ’11
G2: 4-3, ’11
G3: 5-0, ’74
G4: 6-1, ’11
After upsetting the N.L. Champion 2000 Mets in the previous round, the 2011 Mets just kept firing on all cylinders. The starting pitching was excellent, with R.A. Dickey allowing two runs in seven innings, Dillon Gee allowing one run in 6.1 innings, and Jon Niese outdueling Tom Seaver. Let me say that again. Jon Niese outdueled Tom Seaver. It’s sentences like those that make this tournament feel especially mad. Offensively, the ’11 lineup continued to prove its potency, with batting champion José Reyes going 7-for-15, Jason Bay providing extra-base pop, and Lucas Duda recording 5 RBI (including a game-tying single off Seaver in Game 2 and a go-ahead single off last round’s MVP George Stone in Game 4). The ’74 team, after upsetting the ’16 Mets and ’90 Mets, only mustered one win in this series thanks to a shutout compiled by Jerry Koosman, Tug McGraw, and right-hander Harry Parker in Game 3. Along with the ’09 and ’13 teams elsewhere on the bracket, the 2011 Mets are now providing hope that a rather disappointing era of Mets baseball may in fact take home the Mets Madness championship.
2006(2) vs 2019 (6)
G1: 5-4, ’19
G2: 6-5, ’06
G3: 6-5, ’19
G4: 7-4, ’06
G5: 6-0, ’06
Series MVP: David Wright
For the 21st-century Mets fan, this series was as dreamy as it gets. On the 2006 side, there was David Wright, Carlos Beltrán, and Carlos Delgado combining for seven homers, while on the 2019 side, there was Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto combining for five. Jacob deGrom barely outdueled Pedro Martínez in Game 1, and then Pedro completely outshone deGrom in Game 5. Each side even had its own epic walk-off win. In Game 2, after the score was locked at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, each team traded three-run homers — Beltrán blasting one to right-center off Seth Lugo and Nimmo immediately responding — to eventually set up a bases-loaded, two-out at-bat for Wright in the bottom of the ninth against Edwin Díaz. With a 2-2 count, Wright lined a fastball up the middle to win the game and even the series. In Game 3 at Citi Field, ’06 went ahead 5-0 early with the help of a Delgado three-run homer off Noah Syndergaard, but an electrifying Pete Alonso line-drive grand slam in the fifth and Michael Conforto solo homer in the eighth tied it. In the bottom of the ninth, Jeff McNeil hit a one-out single up the middle, and Juan Lagares dashed home just in time to beat Beltrán’s throw to the plate. ’19 did their best to keep pace with the ’06 team in Game 4, but a 3-for-4 day for Wright with a homer and two doubles was too much to overcome. They tried to pull off one last “LFGM”-worthy rally in the ninth inning of Game 5, but Billy Wagner got Todd Frazier chasing on a ball in the dirt to end it. For the ’06 Mets, the next obstacle on what they hope to be a championship journey is the eight-seed 2011 Mets. They didn’t imagine their route out of the quadrant might bypass the 2000 or 1987 teams, but that doesn’t mean they can take their foot off the gas (see pretty much everywhere else on this bracket for evidence). Their path to the Final Four is clear. Now, it’s just up to them to seize it.
QUADRANT 4
2001 (8) vs 2004 (12)
G1: 4-3, ’04
G2: 5-4, ’01
G3: 5-2, ’04
G4: 3-2, ’01 (f/11)
G5: 6-4, ’01
Series MVP: Al Leiter
It was bound to happen eventually, but it was strange all the same: Al Leiter faced Al Leiter twice in this series. In Game 1, 2001’s Leiter was mightier, firing 7.2 innings of one-run ball, but the 2004 Mets still came away with the win thanks to a late comeback fueled by a Cliff Floyd two-run double and Eric Valent two-run homer. The ’04 Mets were one win from advancing, but found themselves on the short side of an eleventh-inning thriller in Game 4. ’04 trailed 2-0 after eight innings, with lefty Glendon Rusch providing a scoreless start for the ’01 team. They were down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth facing Armando Benítez when Víctor Díaz hit a first-pitch, pinch-hit, two-run homer to left field to tie it, sending Shea into a state of jubilant chaos. The score remained knotted until the top of the eleventh, when Piazza hit a solo shot that stood as the game-winning hit. ’01’s Leiter outdid himself in Game 5 (both symbolically and literally), with the eight-seed seizing an early 5-0 lead on homers from Todd Zeile and Rey Ordóñez. Valent homered again, as did Kaz Matsui, but ’04’s reliance on comeback attempts finally caught up with them. Despite their many clutch moments, they never even held a lead in the series’ final two games.
1999 (2) vs 2013(11)
G1: 3-2, ’13
G2: 5-2, ’99
G3: 6-3, ’99
G4: 11-8, ’13
G5: 6-4, ’13
Series MVP: Matt Harvey
Happy freakin’ Harvey Day, folks. The All-Star Game starter at the peak of his powers was absolutely electric, even while battling a thunderous 1999 lineup, a raucous Shea Stadium crowd, and acts of divine intervention. In Game 1, it became clear what the blueprint for ’99 had to be in this series: get Matt Harvey off the mound. He threw eight innings without allowing a run before the ’99 team began immediately barreling the ball against Bobby Parnell in the ninth, nearly earning a walk-off victory. The next two games played out as planned. ’99’s offense went to work against 2013’s less powerful starters Jon Niese and Zack Wheeler, and scored eight runs in Game 4 — the only problem was, the ’13 lineup shockingly scored eleven (shoutout to David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, Rubén Tejada, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis for multi-RBI games). In Game 5, Harvey bent but seemed impossible to break, evading a bases-loaded-and-nobody-out jam in the fifth and a first-and-second-and-nobody-out jam in the sixth. Two more men got on to begin the seventh, but just as Harvey was ready to get to work on another escape act…the skies opened up. After a brief rain delay, Harvey returned to the mound likely out of his rhythm, and four pitches later he hung a curveball which Mike Piazza hit over the right-center-field fence. ’99 had gotten their miracle. Harvey was out of the game. In the ninth, they even got a break when David Wright couldn’t handle a John Olerud dribbler due to the wet grass (yes, the OOTP play-by-play did in fact specify this). ’99 might have had the heavens on their side, but ’13 had (Josh) Satin, who reached base three times in the winner-take-all game while Lucas Duda hit a clutch homer late to preserve a narrow lead. Somehow, the 2013 Mets overcame the odds — and the gods — and are advancing to the next round.
Gamethread 3/22: Phillies at Yankees
The Phillies will play their penultimate game of the 2026 Grapefruit League season on Sunday when they travel to Tampa to face the New York Yankees.
Aaron Nola, coming off a strong performance in the WBC will get the ball in his final appearance before the regular season.
The Yankees will go with righthander Will Warren.
Game time is 1:05 PM and will be televised locally on NBCSP.
41 years in the making: Nebraska players celebrate March Madness win with longtime announcer
Nebraska basketball is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
The No. 4 seed Cornhuskers defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt 74-72 when Tyler Tanner's potential game-winning half-court heave at the buzzer rattled in — then out — of the rim. It was Nebraska's second win ever in the Men's NCAA Tournament, both coming in the last three days, moving it to 2-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
Of course, the honor of calling the game went to a 41-year veteran announcer for the Cornhuskers, Kent Pavelka. Following the game, Nebraska players made sure to find Pavelka and celebrate the historic moment with him.
#Huskers made sure to find @KentPavelkapic.twitter.com/YoaLiH5fkE
— Michael Bruntz (@michaelbruntz) March 22, 2026
Watch: Kent Pavelka calls Nebraska's win over Vanderbilt
Here is Pavelka's call of the final 41.5 seconds of Nebraska's second-round victory over Vanderbilt.
Heroes come and go.
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) March 22, 2026
But legends like @KentPavelka live forever.
pic.twitter.com/FJxbPLVbLv
The win advances the Cornhuskers to the Sweet 16, where they will play the winner of No. 1 Florida and No. 9 Iowa in Houston.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska players celebrate March Madness win with Kent Pavelka
Celtics Top-5 Highest IQ Plays of the Week
We’re back, and so is Jayson Tatum! Welcome to the Celtics’ Top-5 Highest IQ Plays of the Week!
Sure, we love the high-flying dunks and the deep, off-the-dribble step-back threes, but this is a place for the under-the-radar plays that might not get the credit they deserve. The plays that get the basketball sickos and nerds out of their chairs. The plays that even YOU could make in your weekly rec league game.
Each week, the plays will be ranked from five to one—one being the smartest—and will only be taken from games that occurred within the past week. For this week, games from March 14th to March 21st are considered. The Celtics went 4-0 this week, with wins over the Wizards, Suns, Warriors, and Grizzlies.
And listen, I understand that these have basically become Derrick White’s top-5 highest IQ plays of the week, but it’s not my fault the guy is a complete and utter genius.
5. Patience
What a fun play this is. White finds himself in the paint without his dribble, but he doesn’t panic. He waits for his teammates to cut around him, because he knows their defenders might come to double as in common in situations where ball-handlers pick up the ball. And as soon as Garza’s defender loses sight of the cutter, Derrick knows Luka is open. But he doesn’t throw it right away; rather, he waits for Garza to make a cut, thereby improving his passing angle. Patience is key. Also, nasty finish from Garza.
4. Learning from peers
The Celtics are a principled team, built on a shared foundation of certain philosophies and tactics—and one of those principles is sealing on drives. When Boston’s big men set on-ball screens, they do a great job of immediately getting into the middle of the paint and positioning themselves in a screening position such that both their defender and the guard’s defender are blocked from an easy contest. Theis used to do an amazing job of this years ago (and of course Gortat originally), and Garza has made it a cornerstone of his game this year, as mentioned in previous weeks of this column. Queta is learning from someone—whether it be the Celtics’ coaching staff, his teammates, or a combination of both—and it’s paying dividends for him and the entire offensive system.
3. Double O-boards
You could put this in the category of hustle rather than IQ, but it’s still important to note how good Derrick White is at tracking the ball off the rim and getting a fingertip on it. He somehow simultaneously lines up his attack of the offensive glass while also keeping track of where the ball is most likely to go, and it makes him one of the better corner crashers in the entire league. And then, after his second offensive rebound in 5 seconds, he beautifully throws the ball off a Wizard defender. Wow.
2. Mind-reading (what can’t Derrick do?)
This is the definition of off-ball instincts. While starting in good enough help-position to close out to a corner shooter, White instantly reads Hauser’s overplay and knows Jalen Green is going to cut backdoor even before he does. Derrick then beats Green to the spot and contests beautifully before getting hosed by the refs. This is what it looks like to be engaged and active even when you’re not involved in the offensive action.
1. Fastbreak finishing as a short guy 101
If you’re short and wondering how to finish in transition against bigger, longer, and more athletic players, watch this clip. The key to converting fastbreak layups as an undersized guard is disallowing the defender a running late to time up their steps. If you don’t make contact, the defender has a clear path to time accurately their jump and contest your layup. But if you get in front of them like an annoying car on the highway, you force the defender to slow down and throw off his timing. That’s exactly what Pritchard does on this play, and it’s textbook stuff.
Can The Sabres Sweep The Western Road Swing?
3/22/26 - 8:00 pm at Honda Center, in San Diego, CA
Buffalo – 44-20-6 | - 94 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division
Anaheim – 38-27-4 | - 80 points – 1st place in the Pacific Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 20.7% (16th)
Penalty Kill – 83.2% (3rd)
Anaheim
Power Play – 16.8% (27th)
Penalty Kill - 78.3% (20th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 70 GP, 36 G, 36 A, 72 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 66 GP, 15 G, 48 A, 63 PTS
Alex Tuch: 67 GP, 28 G, 30 A, 58 PTS
Anaheim
Cutter Gauthier: 68 GP, 36 G, 26 A, 62 PTS
Leo Carlsson: 57 GP, 24 G, 32 A, 56 PTS
Beckett Sennecke: 67 GP, 20 G, 32 A, 52 PTS
Starting Goalies(projected)
Buffalo – Alex Lyon (20-8-3, 2.51 GAA, .915 Sv %)
Anaheim – Lukas Dostal (28-15-3, 3.01 GAA, .893 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Zach Benson - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Ex. Tyson Kozak, Tanner Pearson, Josh Dunne
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Bowen Byram
Logan Stanley - Zach Metsa
Ex. Luke Schenn
Goaltenders
Alex Lyon
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Injuries
Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Conor Timmins (broken leg, Dec. 20; injured reserve)
Jordan Greenway (undisclosed, Jan. 22; injured reserve)
Notes
Buffalo has allowed just one goal over the team’s last three games, tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in a three-game span in franchise history. Buffalo has never allowed one or fewer goals in a four-game span.
Alex Lyon is 10-0-0 in his last 10 road games, which is the longest road winning streak in franchise history. Lyon is currently tied for the third-longest road winning streak in NHL history and a win today would move him into a tie with Devan Dubnyk (2014-15) and Evgeni Nabokov (2009-10) for the longest in NHL history.
The Sabres are riding a franchise-record 13-game road point streak (12-0-1) that dates back to Jan. 20 at Nashville. All 12 of the Sabres’ road wins in that stretch have come in regulation.
With a point in today’s game, the Sabres would move into a tie for the 10thlongest road point streak in NHL history. It would make the Sabres the first team since the Nashville Predators (12-0-3 from Jan. 4 to March 19, 2018) to register a road point streak of at least 14 games.
During the team’s current road point streak, the Sabres are averaging 4.31 goals per game (1st among all NHL teams) and 1.77 goals against per game (1st among all NHL teams).
The Sabres have 33 wins in their last 41 games, tied for the fifth-most wins by an NHL team all-time in any 41-game span. Only Boston (36 in 1929-30 and 34 in 1970-71), Detroit (34 in 1995-96) and Montreal (34 in 1977-78) have recorded more.
Tage Thompson has tallied 49 points (23+26) in 41 games since Dec. 9 and his 21 even-strength goals in that span rank second among all NHL skaters.Thompson has registered a goal in consecutive games and a goal today would mark his third goal streak of three or more games this season. Thompson’s 209 goals scored as a member of the Sabres ranks 13th on Buffalo’s all-time list, two goals behind Alexander Mogilny for 12th.
Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 34 points (11+23) in his last 27 games, including 15 points (4+11) in his last 11 contests. Dahlin has recorded one goal in two straight games and a goal today would mark the fourth time he has posted a goal streak of three or more games in his career.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
Red Sox Spring Training: Sonny Gray’s last start of the spring
Is it on TV?
Yes! First pitch is at 1:05 PM on NESN.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
It’s Sonny Gray’s last start before the season starts and we officially have some cause for concern. Can he make some progress before the games count?
Snake Bytes 3/22
Team News
Ryne Nelson’s Final Spring Start Could be a Sign of Even Better 2026
“It felt good,” Nelson said after his outing Saturday. “[I’m] getting deeper into games, which is nice, and I feel like I had stamina that’s holding up throughout the game, so that’s nice to see. I feel like that’s one of the main question marks, is how you’re going to feel later into the games. But today felt good. I felt like I could keep going if that was the plan. Happy with it.”
Diamondbacks announce starting rotation after Zac Gallen
The rotation goes as follows:
Brandon Pfaadt vs. Tigers on March 31
Zac Gallen at Dodgers on Thursday
Ryne Nelson at Dodgers on Friday
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Dodgers on March 28
Michael Soroka vs. Tigers on March 30
https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/starting-rotation-zac-gallen/3615174/
Diamondbacks Reveal Surprising Starting Rotation Order
“It’s clear that Merrill Kelly just doesn’t have enough time to build up and start the season on the active roster,” Lovullo said. “Might have been the worst-kept secret of this camp, but just wanted to make sure that I gave the right amount of time before I made that announcement. Merrill will start on the IL, and whatever his buildup is, it will continue. I don’t know what the timeline is on that.” https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/diamondbacks-reveal-surprising-starting-rotation-order
Diamondbacks To Add Jonathan Loaisiga To Opening Day Rosterhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/diamondbacks-to-add-jonathan-loaisiga-to-opening-day-roster.html
Fernandez continues to impress D-backs with performance in Spring Breakouthttps://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/jose-fernandez-impressing-d-backs-in-spring-breakout?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage
D-backs’ Brandon Pfaadt Sets Challenging Goal for 2026https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/d-backs-brandon-pfaadt-challenging-goal-2026
Diamondbacks’ Eduardo Rodriguez hoping lessons from WBC, Johan Santana translate to season
https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/eduardo-rodriguez-johan-santana/3615269/
Other Baseball
Spring Breakout results and what to watch on the final day
https://www.mlb.com/news/spring-breakout-2026-watch-live-results?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage
Who will be the best at ABS challenges? Here’s what the players think
https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-mlb-abs-challenges-player-survey
Ace lefty Sánchez, Phillies agree to new 6-year deal through 2032
https://www.mlb.com/news/cristopher-sanchez-extension-with-phillies-through-2032
Braves Release Kyle Nelson
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/braves-release-kyle-nelson.html
Randy Arozarena says he apologized to Cal Raleigh over WBC spat
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48277418/randy-arozarena-says-apologized-cal-raleigh-wbc-spat
MLB 2026: Buster Olney’s takeaways from spring traininghttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48251150/mlb-2026-spring-training-takeaways-lessons-mcgonigle-mclain-skubal-lombard
Anything Goes
This day in history:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-22
This day in baseball:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/March_22
Australia is the only continent without an active volcano.
The nearest active volcanoes are located off the continent of Australia but are still within its territory. One is located on Head Island and the other on McDonald Islands. The reason why Australia does not have any active volcanoes located on the continent is that it isn’t on a plate boundary.
Time travel is banned in China.
Or at least it is in Chinese media. The Chinese government bans any movie with aspects of time travel. For the Chinese government, altering historical events are a dangerous element of fiction.
There are more chickens in the world than there are people.
Chickens are mainly bred primarily as a source of food. Others may keep them as pets as well.
European football: Vinícius doubles up as Real Madrid edge Atlético in derby thriller
Brazil international scores winner in 3-2 victory
Barça four points clear at top after beating Vallecano
Vinícius Júnior scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 in a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa’s side within four points of the La Liga leaders, Barcelona.
Atlético’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing a slick counterattack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone. Vinícius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Díaz, and Federico Valverde capitalised on a José María Giménez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.
Continue reading...Rockets have the luxury of thinking about the future
Confession:
I have not watched enough Houston Rockets games this year.
I feel bad about it. I write about the team. I’ve never been an 82-game fan. Are you crazy? Living where I do is a factor. Some of these games start at 11 PM for me. I am writing this on my 39th birthday. You do the math:
I might be long past the point of counting sheep by the third quarter.
Yet for most of my life, I have been a 70-to-75-game-a-year fan. In 2025-26, I’m on pace for…maybe 55-60ish? It’s enough (in my opinion) to understand the team. It’s not necessary to see the same failings play out over (and over, and over, and over) again.
(Note: This was written before the big Hawks win. I’m not sure if that game changes much about the piece’s driving logic, but it may have changed the tone)
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but I will give it a little kick. The Rockets don’t have a point guard. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson can’t shoot. Sengun and Reed Sheppard can’t easily defend together. It’s hard to think of a wing joke here that doesn’t refer to chicken. The Rockets have too many wings, OK? Never mind a joke.
Some fans have identified Sengun as the common denominator. If he can’t play with either Thompson or Sheppard, he’s the obvious candidate to move. That would be a more viable argument if he hadn’t been the best overall player of the trio in their careers to date. What’s the solution here?
What would make the Rockets watchable in 2027-28?
Rockets face uncertainty
Moreover, Kevin “Don’t Call Me Michael” Dickerson Durant has had a tangible negative psychological effect on a team that’s generally felt it had strong chemistry. You can see it: You can feel it. It’s a dark cloud.
Durant is 37. Every other player that’s been mentioned here is barely old enough to drink in the United States. This creates a schism. Fundamentally, the Rockets have four options:
- Rebuild
- Retool
- Consolidate
- Stay the course
Option 4 is overwhelmingly likely heading into 2026-27. The Rockets would be wise to add any player who can shoot. They’ll likely lean on Fred VanVleet’s return to fill the ball-handling vacuum. Steven Adams will return, and otherwise, fans can expect to watch what they’re watching now in addition to those inclusions.
Let’s rule out Option 1. Options 2 and 3 loom as remote possibilities. It wouldn’t be a shock for the Rockets to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, but it would register as a surprise. They could move one of Sengun, Thompson, or Sheppard to alleviate some of the roster construction issues, but that would veer closer to shock than surprise.
It would be painful, and entirely unnecessary.
Rockets can afford to take a long view
Pretend Kevin Durant is not a Houston Rocket. Imagine a world where Rafael Stone traded Jalen Green for, let’s say, Khris Middleton, just to get off his contract.
(An intensely painful hypothetical, but bear with the thought experiment).
Say Dillon Brooks is gone, too. He spontaneously combusted, or retired to pursue spiritual purity: Doesn’t matter. The point is to imagine the exact roster the Rockets have this year without Durant.
They’d have a worse record. Durant has 8.3 Win Shares in 2025-26. This is a rudimentary (probably deeply flawed) approach. There’s a Butterfly Effect that isn’t quantifiable. For argument’s sake, let’s add an two extra wins and operate under the assumption that Houston would have six fewer wins if Durant were replaced with a league-average wing (so, roughly Middleton).
They’d have 35 wins. That would put them a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers are old and virtually without future draft equity. Houston would unambiguously be in a better position than the Clippers in this hypothetical.
The Blazers are young: Does anyone think Portland is a dumpster fire? Isn’t the consensus that this organization is in a fine spot? OK, now ask yourself this: Don’t the Rockets have a comparably talented young roster? Doesn’t it feel like they’re even a little bit better?
Now, consider that the Rockets have a far more impressive collection of draft capital than the Blazers.
So, if the Rockets didn’t have Durant, they’d still be in a good place. They’d be young, talented, and major players in the draft game. The public is effectively penalizing them for having Durant, when in reality, Durant is house money. The money that’s been invested is still projecting a good return on investment.
The Rockets don’t need to do anything rash. They can run the same roster back next year. If the result is another disappointing season, they can look into options again.
They’re also quite likely to have a high lottery pick during that summer. The Rockets have swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets, and they outright own the Phoenix Suns’ first. Between those two assets, the odds are reasonably high that they’ll land a quality pick.
Yes, it’s generally perceived as a weak draft. So was the Anthony Bennett Giannis Antetokounmpo class. The draft is volatile, which can cut both ways. Supposing the Rockets land a good pick, they can take the guy they like the most, and either move forward with the same roster or a similar, but retooled one.
Can we talk about the 2029 draft? Houston owns the two most favorable of their own, the Mavericks’, and the Suns’ picks. Once again, they’ll be in a prime position to land a top pick. Nobody can say what that class looks like. For all we know, there’s a 14-year-old in Sri Lanka or Moldova who will be ready to change basketball by then.
To summarize: Acquiring Durant shifted the narrative around the Rockets to a present-focused discussion. Given that they have so much future-focused equity, it’s fallacious thinking. The team is depressing right now, but that shouldn’t distract anyone from the fact that they’re in a good, if complicated, position moving forward.
For now, let’s just try to watch them when we can.
Astros vs. Cardinals Spring Training Game Thread 3/22/2026
The Houston Astros (11-13-3) host the St. Louis Cardinals (16-9-2) in their Grapefruit League finale.
RHP Cristian Javier (0-0) will start for the Astros vs. Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (0-3).
MR. CRISTIAN: Today will be RHP Cristian Javier’s third start of the Spring in an official game and his fourth start overall (includes his March 3 exhibition game start vs. Venezuela).
In his last start on March 15 vs. MIA, Javier hurled 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while tallying five strikeouts.
Javier, who was limited to just eight starts in 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, is 35-22 in his career with a 3.66 ERA (219ER/538IP). In his career, Javier has held opponents to a .203 (397×1956) batting average, which is tops among all AL pitchers since 2020 (min. 525 IP).
He’s also helped author several notable moments in his career, starting a combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, as well as a combined no-hitter in June of that season at Yankee Stadium.
Javier has been stellar in the post season, going 6-2 in 17 app. with a 2.68 ERA. In 43.2 postseason innings, he has allowed just 22 hits while tallying 60 K’s
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Roddery Munoz, RHP AJ Blubaugh, LHP Steven Okert, RHP Christian Roa, RHP Logan VanWey.
VS. THE CARDS: Today is the Astros sixth matchup of the Spring vs. the Cardinals. HOU is 1-4 vs. STL this Spring.
The two clubs will face off in the regular season in a three-game set the weekend of April 17-19 at Daikin Park in Houston.
UP NEXT: Following today’s game, the Astros will return to Houston. On Monday and Tuesday, they will play games vs. the Triple A Sugar Land Space Cowboys at Daikin Park ahead of the 2026 season opener vs. the Angels on Thursday, March 26.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, March 22, 11:05 a.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2
Mets inform reliever Craig Kimbrel that he will not make Opening Day roster
Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel has been informed that he will not make the Mets' Opening Day roster, manager Carlos Mendoza announced.
The right-hander is seeking out opportunities with other clubs, but he may stick around in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to continue throwing and remain in the organization.
"Now, he’s deciding whether he wants to stay, which it looks like he’s leaning that way," Mendoza said. "He likes it here, he wants to win, but he’s also going to look around for opportunities, but there’s a good chance he’s going to stay back here in Florida and continue to pitch until an opportunity presents."
"That goes to show you who he is, as a person, as a human, as a competitor. It’s a very good opportunity here, but we did inform him yesterday."
The 37-year-old Kimbrel, who ranks fourth on the all-time saves list with 440, was a non-roster invite by the Mets, but he was inconsistent on the mound this spring. In six appearances (6.0 innings), Kimbrel posted a 4.50 ERA with five strikeouts, five walks, and two hit batters.
With Kimbrel now out of the mix for an Opening Day bullpen spot, that likely leaves lefty Bryan Hudson and lefty Richard Lovelady as candidates for the final job in the 'pen.