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Brett Baty's power surge, confidence shows Mets he belongs in the big leagues

The belief in Brett Batyhas always been there. The question appeared to be if the Mets’ youngster had the self-belief to match.

With the score tied and two down in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday night, the 26-year-old offered an answer, taking a 1-1 changeup from Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller the opposite way for what proved to be the game-winning solo home run in a 2-1 win.

"I've always thought I'm capable of doing whatever I want to accomplish in this game,” Baty said after the game. "I’m having some success right now, and, yeah, it’s nice.”

The home run gave him four in his last five starts since rejoining the team from Triple-A. What has been the difference for the infielder during this streak? Manager Carlos Mendoza pinpointed it.

“Confidence. A guy that knows he belongs in the big leagues and just having fun,” Mendoza said. “He‘s preparing, he’s going out there, keeping it simple, getting pitches to hit and not overthinking it. And he’s using the whole field. We saw it getting a single to the pull side and that homer.”

Baty said he doesn’t feel that different from before. “It’s just the game,” Baty, who went 2-for-3 while playing second on Tuesday, said. “There’s a lot of highs and lows, you just gotta be the same guy every single day.”

Mendoza noted that Baty is taking reps in the batting cage using the high-velo machine and taking “random BP” where he doesn’t know whether it’s a fastball or breaking ball coming.  

“Basically when he gets out there [in the game], it’s like he had a few at-bats already,” he said, adding this is nothing new for the club or those around the league with the high-tech machines, but some guys need a bit more time to implement them into their routines. “I’m glad that Baty’s open to these new ideas and challenges himself, and he’s seeing these new results.”

Part of Baty’s struggles during his first stint in the big leagues to open the season appeared to come from him falling behind in counts. (He went down 0-1 in 18 of his first 24 at-bats and 0-2 nine times to start the year.) Baty said he still feels like he’s falling behind, but is working on being more aggressive to counter that.

“I need to go up there sometimes and hit the breaking ball that they just dump over the middle of the plate to start,” he said. “Right now, I’m focused on driving the pitch that I want to drive instead of just swinging at strikes.”

Mendoza credited him with “not overthinking what the pitcher is trying to do” and “keeping it simple.”

“Making sure I’m ready to hit, and if I’m getting a fastball, stay short and use the whole field. And if I’m getting a breaking ball, I'm gonna be able to keep my hands back, stay in position where I can do damage,” the manager said. “... Simple approach and he’s aggressive and he’s not missing pitches.”

And, of course, “Even his takes are different,” Mendoza said. “It looks like he’s ready to hit, and then, shutting it down. For me, that’s a sign of a good hitter.”

The round-tripper, which looked like it would just be a liner over the left fielder’s head before sneaking over the wall, was another demonstration of the “impressive big-league power” the club had been waiting for.

“Every young player, when they first come up to the big leagues, they are looking to impress or trying to do a little too much,” Mendoza said. “Trying to have success or results out of the gate. Sometimes it takes a lot longer for guys. This guy performed at the minor league level and for some reason, it took some time to get comfortable here.”

He added, “Every player is different. For Baty, I’m glad he’s finally settling in and getting comfortable at this level.”

On dealing with the ups and downs of his career thus far, Baty said that, "Everybody's journey in this game is different, and I'm thankful for every single part of mine, for sure."

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Granlund's Hat Trick Leads Stars Past Jets; Drop Game 4 3-1

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) and center Roope Hintz (24) and center Mikael Granlund (64) and defenseman Thomas Harley (55) celebrates a goal scored by Granlund against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets trail the Dallas Stars 3-1 in their second-round series after losing Game 4, 3-1.

The Jets outshot the Stars 10-5 after the opening frame but exited the period trailing 1-0. A Dylan DeMelo holding the stick penalty gave the Stars a power play, which Mikael Granlund took full advantage of, scoring his second of the postseason. 

Nikolaj Ehlers scored as the Stars' penalty expired, tying the game at 1-1 with a sharp-angle shot. A poorly timed pinch from Neal Pionk awarded the Stars a man advantage, which Granlund once again made the Jets pay. 

Granlund continued his dominance of Game 4 by recording a hat trick and extending the Stars' lead to 3-1.  An ill-advised penalty by Jamie Benn gave the Jets a power play opportunity with less than five minutes remaining, but the Jets could not capitalize. With the goaltender pulled, the Jets threw the puck on goal as many times as they could but were unable to sustain pressure, failing to score. 

Jake Oettinger was stellar once again, turning away 31 of the 32 shots he faced. Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 24 shots, making key saves when called upon. 

The Jets have now lost all five road games in the 2024-25 playoffs and are on the brink of elimination. The series returns to Winnipeg on Thursday for a must-win Game 5.

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Pacers at Cavaliers Game 5: Haliburton, Indiana withstand early Cavaliers run, come back to win game, series

NBA: Playoffs-Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers

May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

A year ago, the Pacers were called "lucky." They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals by beating a Milwaukee team without Giannis Antetokounmpo and then a banged-up New York team (before falling to Boston).

Doing it two years in a row isn't lucky — the Pacers are for real.

Cleveland came out in Game 5 Tuesday night playing with a sense of desperation and effort not seen from them often in this series — their backs were against the wall down 3-1, and the Cavaliers played like it, racing out to a 19-point second quarter lead.

However, sustaining that proved too much, especially with Darius Garland trying to play through turf toe and Donovan Mitchell battling injuries as well. Once again, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers exposed the questionable switching defense of the Cavaliers, Haliburton hunted a slowed Garland, and Indiana found its rhythm. Cleveland could not get a stop when it needed it.

That wasn't just Game 5 — Indiana has played with more energy and pace all series. The Pacers grabbed the rebounds, got to the loose balls and just outworked the Cavaliers. And, when it mattered, they hit the big shots. They did it again on Tuesday.

The result was a 114-105 Indiana win that gives them the series, 4-1.

The Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals again and will face the winner of the Knicks vs. Celtics series, which New York leads 3-1 (and Boston will be without their leader Jayson Tatum).

"We're not done. We still have a ways to go," Haliburton said.

Haliburton turned the game around with his scoring and shot creation, finishing with 31 points and eight assists.

Haliburton had LeBron James sticking up for him after a player survey named him the most overrated player in the league.

Also deserving credit in this series is Myles Turner, who got labeled by some as a 3-point shooting big who was soft inside, but he has played with more force and physicality over the past couple of years. In this series, going up against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, he was the best big on the floor most nights.

Cleveland has some hard questions to answer.

"We didn't get to the level we wanted to get to," Coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We're not pleased with that and we're not celebrating the season."

Injuries certainly were a part of the problem for Cleveland, this was a banged up team. However, the issues ran deeper than that. The Cavaliers executed poorly all series under pressure.

More concerning, Cleveland got outworked. Down 2-1 in the series, the Cavs no-showed in Game 4. This team lacked playoff grit.

Not Donovan Mitchell, who gutted his way to 35 points but shot just 8-of-25. Evan Mobley scored 24 on 8-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds. But the bench players that carried them this season, De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome, had a rough series. So did Allen. And Max Strus was 0-of-9 shooting in Game 5.

With the Celtics not having Jayson Tatum next season, and the Bucks potentially trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, look for the Cavaliers to make tweaks around the edges but run back their 64-win team and bet on better playoff health next season. There are reasons to be hopeful.

Just know Indiana will be back next season with its core, too, and that team is for real.

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Mets' Mark Vientos has ball go through webbing in 'tough break' play at third base

Mark Vientos had a week’s worth of adventures at third base in the first six innings of the Mets' 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

With the Mets having several players able to play multiple positions, there are many combinations for Carlos Mendoza to choose from. On a rainy night with Kodai Senga on the mound, the skipper opted to have Brett Baty at second base and Jeff McNeil as the DH with Luisangel Acuña available off the bench. Naturally, after serving as the DH on Monday, the ball found Vientos, who is thought to be the least sure fielder of the bunch.

On two occasions, Vientos had balls hit right at him that ended up being doubles thanks to a wicked hop and bad luck.

The first came with one out in the top of the second inning when a 91.2 mph bouncer off Adam Frazier’s bat skimmed off the slick surface and ate Vietnos alive, taking a hard bounce off the dirt and into his chest. The ball bounced all the way to the tarp up the left field line to put two in scoring position.

But Senga was masterful, getting a strikeout on a nasty forkball and an easy bouncer to Vientos for him to make up for the misplay.

The second came with two down and a runner on first in the top of the sixth when a 99.3 mph smash by Jared Triolo went straight through the webbing of his glove as he went down to make a backhanded play on the ball.

"From the dugout, it happened so fast, I didn’t know what happened," Mendoza said after the game. "Somebody told me it went through the webbing, and I was like, 'Man, tough break there.'"

The play, which was not ruled an error, led to an earned run for Senga as reliever Reed Garrett entered and walked the next two batters to force in the tying run.

Vientos worked on the pocket as the Mets made a pitching change and had a clubbie tighten the webbing during the next half inning, but didn't change his glove for the eighth inning.

In the ninth, the manager used his bench, moving Baty to third and inserting Acuña at second. And the new second baseman made the game's final play, as he was positioned well to handle Joey Bart's liner up the middle for the game's final out.

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Kodai Senga weathers Pirates storm, Brett Baty notches go-ahead homer in Mets' 2-1 win

Kodai Senga worked himself around trouble in a solid outing and Brett Baty cranked a solo home run in the seventh to give the Mets a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Senga and the four men who followed out of the bullpen gave the visitors chances, but held them to 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position to leave 12 men on base. New York improved to 28-15 on the season and 17-4 in Queens. The Mets are now 10-8 in one-run games.

Here are the takeaways...

- Senga bookended a 1-2-3 first by getting Adam Frazier swinging on a forkball in the dirt and blowing a fastball past Bryan Reynolds.

Ke'Bryan Hayes would jump on a fastball on the inside corner for a one-out triple to left center in the second, benefiting from Tyrone Taylor losing his feet on the track. But the righty got a pop-up to shallow center, tracked down by Baty (playing second base), and Jared Triolo to wave at a forkball in the dirt to strand the runner.  

After a one-out single to right, Frazier slapped a ball to third that ate up Mark Vientos, skipping off the ground into his chest to put runners at second and third. Senga again got out of trouble, making Isiah Kiner-Falefa look foolish on a forkball in the dirt before inducing a grounder to Vientos to strand two.

Senga put himself in trouble again with a walk and a single to cover the corners with nobody out. But the Houdini act continued as Alexander Canario, Triolo, and Ji HwanBae all went down swinging at the forkball. A one-out walk and a wild pitch put another Pirate in scoring position in the fifth, but Senga got a groundout to third and a lazy fly to right. Through 15 outs, Pittsburgh was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position with six left on base.

A two-out single in the sixth brought Carlos Mendoza to the mound to take Senga’s temperature, but the righty got one more batter. Unfortunately, Triolo smacked a ball that went through the webbing of Vientos’ glove to put runners at second and third on the double. 

Reed Garrett entered and had trouble, walking Bae on four-straight to load the bases and got ahead of Henry Davis 0-2, but walked in the tying run, missing on four straight. A weak grounder to first ended the jam and left the bases loaded. 

Senga's final line: 5.2 innings, one run, six hits, two walks, seven strikeouts on 102 pitches (68 strikes). His ERA jumped to 1.22 on the year.

- Juan Soto rocketed a ball right up the middle for a hit in the first inning. He promptly swiped second base easily off Pirates starter Mitch Keller, who does not hold runners well. With two down, Brandon Nimmo lined a double to the left-center gap on a lovely swing to take the ball the other way and plate the game’s first run. 

Keller settled in and retired nine of the next 11 batters he faced, including getting Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso swinging for the second time of the night each. (Soto worked a walk in the third and Vientos got the Mets' second hit of the game with a one-out single in the fourth.)

Lindor and Alonso both finished 0-for-4. Soto 1-for-2 with two walks.

- Baty smacked a single through the right side to start the home half of the fifth, but Keller continued to groove, retiring the next eight batters. That streak came to an end when Baty lined an opposite-field home run that just got over the left field wall. The 365-foot shot (104.4 mph off the bat) gave the Mets a 2-1 lead and a much-needed big hit.

 - Max Kranick needed eight pitches for a perfect seventh with a strikeout. Ryne Stanek allowed a one-out single, but two strikeouts and an infield pop-up meant it would be a Mets lead in the ninth.

Edwin Diaz put himself in trouble in the ninth. After a one-out four-pitch walk, Frazier promptly swiped second base and a slow bouncer to Lindor was gloved, but a wide throw pulled Alonso off the bag. Diaz allowed his second first-pitch steal of the inning to put two in scoring position.

But the closer froze Reynolds on a 3-2 fastball that was right down the pike and got Joey Bart to line a grounder up the middle right at Luisangel Acuña to end the game.

Game MVP: Brett Baty

Baty played well at second (before moving to third for the ninth inning) and now has six hits (four homers) in his last 13 at-bats with seven RBI.

Highlights

What's next

The series concludes on Wednesday with a 7:10 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander Clay Holmes (2.74 ERA, 1.242 WHIP in 42.2 innings) gets the ball and will go against left-hander Bailey Falter (4.36 ERA, 1.131 WHIP in 43.1 innings).

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How Knicks can close out Celtics in Game 5 of Eastern Conference semifinals

A masterpiece 39-point performance from Jalen Brunson and well-rounded help from the Knicks’ other starters propelled the team to its strongest performance of the Eastern Conference semifinals. After the Knicks took a 3-1 series lead with a 121-113 win against the Boston Celtics, New York has a golden opportunity to close the series out in Boston.

The top storyline for the series is Jayson Tatum, who is out with a ruptured right achilles tendon that he suffered late in Monday night’s game. The injury required surgery on Tuesday. The absence of Tatum is a massive blow to Boston. As we saw in Game 4, Tatum can be dominant. He had 42 points, nailing several off-the-dribble three-pointers. Tatum also initiates a lot of Boston’s offensive attack. On defense, he guards multiple positions.

Still, the Celtics had a top-three record in the NBA for a reason. The team has quality players across the roster, and a win won’t be easy for the Knicks. For much of the series, the Celtics have been able to stymie New York’s offense with a heavy switching defensive strategy. But Game 4 was a step in the right direction for the Knicks' offense.

Brunson was phenomenal, hitting a plethora of difficult shots off the dribble. He was the steadying force throughout the game that the Knicks could always go to. New York’s other starters deserve credit, too. Karl-Anthony Towns was efficient with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Mikal Bridges was automatic from mid-range with 23 points and OG Anunoby awoke from a scoring slumber with 20 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the three-point line.

The Knicks will need that offensive diversity to win. Brunson can lead the way, but finding other sources for offensive creation is crucial. Bridges found success from mid-range in the fourth quarter, attacking Celtics big men Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet in drop coverage. He made five mid-range pull-up attempts in the final frame.

The offensive glass also ended up being a swing factor. The Knicks had 13 offensive rebounds and took 13 more shots than Boston. Mitchell Robinson had five offensive rebounds in 25 minutes. Keeping Robinson on the floor has led to extra shot opportunities.

Defensive moves

Tatum’s injury adds even more responsibility to Jaylen Brown. The Celtics’ other all-star is averaging 20.5 points but is shooting just 37.7 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from beyond the arc in the series.

Throughout the second round, Tatum constantly sought out Brunson and Towns on switches and has attacked or found the open man. It worked as Tatum knocked down 12 three-pointers and had 64 points in the last two contests. Now, Brown will have even more opportunities to attack, but he doesn’t create the same havoc shooting and making plays as Tatum.

Something to monitor will be how Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla tinkers with the starting lineup. Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard could start in a smaller, three-guard alignment with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Or do the Celtics go to Porzingis or Kornet in a jumbo starting big combination with Al Horford?

Either way, that should put less pressure on Brunson and Towns defensively. Still, the Knicks will have to focus on containing the outside shot and defensive rebounding. White, specifically, was a nuisance with six threes on Monday night. The Celtics lead all teams in the second round in three-point attempts per 100 possessions. If Boston catches fire from three, it can make up for Tatum’s absence.

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Finally a postseason force, Julius Randle credits Kobe Bryant for instilling 'Mamba Mentality'

Kobe Bryant smiles and touches the back of smiling teammate Julius Randle while they're both on court for the Lakers.
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant, left, enjoys a moment with teammate Julius Randle during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on March 22, 2016. (Kelvin Kuo / Associated Press)

Julius Randle had just scored 31 points, his career-high in the playoffs.

He was a game removed from his first postseason triple-double.

After his team's Game 4 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Randle was asked about how he's been able to finally shake his reputation as a player who fades during the playoffs. Much of the credit, Randle said, belongs to someone he last played with nine years ago: Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

“I’ve battled through a lot in my career, to be honest. I mean, my first game in my career I broke my leg. I’ve been through a lot," Randle said. "I had a great mentor in Kobe that didn’t necessarily let me pout or get down on myself. His thing was always, ‘All right, what’s next? How can you get better? How can you improve?’ So I always just kind of took that mentality with me."

Read more:Plaschke: A painful truth: Lakers must trade Austin Reaves

Randle — who also credited his mother, Carolyn Kyles, for raising him "to be a hard worker and not feel sorry for myself" — has spoken before about Bryant's influence on him. The Lakers selected him at No. 7 overall in the 2014 draft, and he spent four seasons in Los Angeles, with the first two the final seasons of Bryant's Hall of Fame career.

In an essay published by The Players' Tribune in 2021, Randle recounted a life-changing encounter with Bryant early in the 2015-16 season. The Lakers had just arrived in Randle's hometown of Dallas late at night, with a day off before a game against the Mavericks.

Just before arriving at the hotel, Randle said, Bryant asked him what his plans were for the rest of the night. Randle responded that he was going to "have a night" with some family and friends.

"And Kobe, he just cuts me off," Randle wrote. "He’s like, 'Nah. We’re going to the gym.'"

And that's exactly what they did.

Julius Randle stands with his hands on his hips as he stands next to Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards while on court
Timberwolves teammates Julius Randle, left, and Anthony Edwards talk during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 5 at Wells Fargo Center. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)

"I mean, that right there, it’s just the power of Kobe," he wrote. "If anyone else in the world had said that to me, in that moment, I might have hit ’em with an eye roll and went on with my business. But when Mamba is telling you that it’s a change of plans, and you’re coming with him to the gym tonight? You don’t ask questions. You just do as you’re told. ...

"It was him trying to use the situation to teach me a lesson. The lesson being: To get to the next level in this league, you can’t be putting in that next level of work only some of the time. Has to be all of the time. No such thing as sacrifice without sacrifice."

Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. About a month later, Randle had arranged for a Detroit gym to be open for his now-routine, Mamba-inspired late-night workout. When he got there, Randle wrote, the man who opened the doors for him said: “It’s good to see you. Guys don’t really show up here to work out anymore. Matter of fact, the last guy to come in this late to shoot — man, that must have been years ago. It was Kobe.”

Randle said just hearing Bryant's name in that moment "gave me chills."

"It was just one of those moments," Randle wrote. "One of those moments that stays with you. One of those moments that forces you to take a second, and feel humble about how connected everything is."

Randle was a three-time All-Star for the Knicks but didn't play particularly well in two postseason appearances during the team's three playoff series. He didn't play last spring after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in April.

Read more:'Kobe is L.A.' Luka Doncic donates $5,000 to restore vandalized Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural

Just before the start of training camp last fall, Randle was traded to Minnesota in a deal that sent fan favorite Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. After getting off to a shaky start with his new team, Randle missed the month of February because of a groin injury.

Since his return, however, Randle and the Timberwolves have found their groove, going 17-4 down the stretch. While it's no surprise that young superstar Anthony Edwards has led the team in the playoffs (27 points, eight rebounds, five points per game), Randle's emergence as a postseason force is welcome news for Timberwolves fans. He averaged 22.6 points during Minnesota's five-game series win over the Lakers and is averaging 24.3 points in four games against Golden State.

Randle says that the Timberwolves' young superstar reminds him a lot of Bryant.

“The mentality is very similar," Randle told Andscape in October. "No hesitation. Ant gets right to it. He’s special. Physically, he’s gifted. Skill-wise, he’s gifted. Dude is different. There aren’t many players like him.

“Now I’m seeing his leadership, that he is charismatic, and his energy. He makes everybody believe. He’s special.”

And that's one of the reasons why with him and Edwards at the helm, the Timberwolves are only a win away from a repeat trip to the Western Conference finals.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Bulldogs book ticket to Las Vegas as teams locked in for NRL’s 2026 season opener

  • Dragons, Cowboys and Knights to join rugby league festival in March
  • Hull and Leeds clash revealed but women’s fixture yet to be confirmed

The NRL will attempt to capitalise on Canterbury’s popularity by putting them on the plane to Las Vegas next year, alongside St George Illawarra, North Queensland and Newcastle.

Head office confirmed the four men’s NRL teams for the league’s third Vegas extravaganza, with all teams on their maiden trip for the 1 March (AEDT) event.

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Dodgers place Roki Sasaki on injured list, further depleting the team's pitching

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki adjusts his right sleeve while walking off the field against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki adjusts his right sleeve while walking off the field in the fifth inning against the Diamondbacks on Friday. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)

The Dodgers' pitcher injury woes are continuing to pile up, this time with heralded Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki out of action.

Sasaki did not throw at his scheduled bullpen session Tuesday and is instead getting his right shoulder examined by the team doctor, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly said.

The Dodgers soon after announced Sasaki was placed on the injured list after he was diagnosed with right shoulder impingement.

When manager Dave Roberts was asked pregame about J.P Feyereisen having a locker in the clubhouse — a roster move that would require a player moving to the injured list or on the bereavement/paternity list — he mentioned that there was “smoke” around a player on the team. Asked if the “smoke” was Sasaki, who is scheduled to pitch against the Athletics on Thursday, Roberts responded:

“I'm not, I'm not going to say right now,” he said.

Read more:Hernández: Roki Sasaki's bond with Rikuzentakata endures, long after 2011 tsunami

Roberts said that after Sasaki’s most recent start, in which he pitched on five days of rest for the first time in his major league career, the 23-year-old rookie reported arm soreness. He pitched just four innings and gave up five runs on 61 pitches. Sasaki threw 90-plus pitches in his previous two starts.

"Physically, he was a little bit sore afterward,” Roberts said. “And that's something that we're still kind of trying to figure out — what's normal, what's kind of not normal.”

Sasaki, whose 100-mph fastball garnered attention in Japan, as well as his appearances pitching for Japan at the World Baseball Classic, has dipped in velocity since joining the Dodgers. He’s averaged 96 mph on his fastball, while occasionally dipping into the 92- to 93-mph range.

Roberts did not say pregame where in Sasaki’s arm he was sore, only that it was his arm. Sasaki is 1-1 with a 4.72 earned-run average across eight starts so far in 2025.

Staff writer Dylan Hernández contributed to this report.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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NHL Playoffs: The Return Of Stars' Heiskanen Should Terrify The Other Cup Contenders

Miro Heiskanen (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

The Dallas Stars entered this season as a Stanley Cup contender, but some injuries put their championship hopes in question.

Now, the Stars are virtually back at full strength, and that should terrify the Winnipeg Jets and the rest of the NHL teams still in the playoffs.

If there were any reason to believe Dallas wasn’t going to go far in the playoffs, it was injuries to key members Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson. The two veterans missed the first round of the playoffs as the Stars took on the Colorado Avalanche. 

Dallas still found a way to win in seven games and move on to its second-round showdown against the Jets. After their Game 3 victory over Winnipeg, the Stars lead the series 2-1.

The Stars’ incredible depth allowed them to ease Robertson and Heiskanen back into the lineup without any pressure on them to do the heavy lifting. 

Robertson returned to action in Game 1 against Winnipeg. He finally got on the scoreboard in Tuesday night’s Game 4, and it’s just a matter of time for him to produce points more often.

That said, the bigger impact will be Heiskanen returning to the lineup. The blueliner came off long-term injured reserve and played Game 4. 

To say Heiskanen will have a positive impact on the Stars’ playoff hopes would be a gigantic understatement. We’re talking about one of the NHL’s top-five D-men who can play upwards of 25 minutes per game with few, if any, errors. 

The ripple effect and calming influence of Heiskanen’s return should make Dallas the favorite to win it all – at least in our view.

What’s truly amazing about the Stars is they’re already super strong before mentioning their top players up to this point in the playoffs: goalie Jake Oettinger and right winger Mikko Rantanen. 

Oettinger had a .911 SP and 2.71 GAA heading into Game 4 – numbers more than sufficient to allow Dallas’ offense to put up enough goals to win games.

Rantanen is far and away the best acquisition at the NHL trade deadline, and the Stars couldn’t be more pleased. 

Rantanen leads all playoff players in points, with nine goals and 18 points in only 10 games. In the race to decide the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Rantanen has to be considered the favorite. He came into this post-season with a championship pedigree, and his sense of urgency and determination set the tone for his Stars teammates.

As for Heiskanen and Robertson, the two longtime Stars are looking for their first career Cup win, and there may be no better opportunity to win one than now. 

The Stars need all hands on deck if they’re going to beat the Jets and square off against either the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final. They now have nearly all their players back, except for Nils Lundkvist, who’s out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. 

Still, the Stars have the talent and depth at every position to go far and win their second Cup in franchise history.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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Rohan Dennis given two-year suspended sentence after car crash that killed wife Melissa Hoskins

Former world champion cyclist avoids jail after pleading guilty to committing aggravated act likely to cause harm after 2023 incident that killed Olympian Hoskins

Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has received a suspended jail sentence over a road incident that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.

Dennis, 34, appeared in South Australia’s district court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm.

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Rumor: Sacramento to test trade market for DeMar DeRozan

It was a long road, but the Sacramento Kings — particularly ownership — seems to understand this team was just not that good.

Said ownership was not happy with how things started last season, the team was 13-18 and losing a lot of close games, so coach Mike Brown was fired and replaced by organizational favorite Doug Christie. How that we t down left a bad taste in the mouth of De'Aaron Fox, who asked for a trade, a complex deal that brought back Zach LaVine to provide some scoring. The result of all that? A core of DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and LaVine, coached by Christie, which went 12-15 after the All-Star break and could not get out of the play-in. That led to GM Monte Morris being shown the door and Scott Perry being brought back from the Knicks to turn things around.

How does he turn things around? Possibly trade DeRozan, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports.

The focus in the California capital shifts now to what sort of dealing we could see from the Kings' new regime. There has been no shortage of rumbles, since the hiring of Scott Perry as general manager, that Sacramento is expected to gauge the trade market for veteran swingman DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan, 35, is still an efficient bucket getter, especially from the mid-range. He averaged 22.2 points and 4.4 assists per game last season. DeRozan will make $24.8 million next season and $25.7 million in the 2026-27 season, at which point he becomes a free agent.

The Kings may find the market for DeRozan limited, he is seen more as a floor raiser than a piece to add for a deep playoff run. While he can score points, he prefers to work in isolation and doesn't shoot many 3-pointers, which means he's not a natural fit on a lot of rosters. He's also a minus defender.

For his part, DeRozan sounded like a guy resigned to the idea he might be on the move when speaking to the media after the end of the Kings' season.

"You don't have many opportunities left to give yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. That's all you kind of want at this stage of your career..." DeRozan said. "I'm not trying to play another five, six years. You've only got so many years. That window closes quick."

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Wilson makes explosive hometown return in Athletics' rout of Dodgers

Wilson makes explosive hometown return in Athletics' rout of Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Sometimes, the stories write themselves. 

That certainly was the case on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, as Jacob Wilson’s multi-home run game propelled the Athletics to a commanding 11-1 series-opening win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Not only did the 23-year-old shortstop prove yet again why he’s the franchise’s top prospect, but he did so in his hometown. Wilson grew up in Thousand Oaks, a suburb around 30 miles northwest of the iconic ballpark. 

It was a full-circle moment for Wilson.

“It’s awesome being able to come home and play in a stadium that I’ve seen so many games here as a fan,” Wilson told NBC Sports California’s Jenny Cavnar and Dallas Braden on “A’s Cast.” 

“I had a bunch of family in the stands today. It was a pretty special game for me, knowing that I get to come back home and see all these people again in front of friends and family.” 

Wilson opened the game with a leadoff single before adding two-run homers in the top of the third and the top of the fifth. 

In front of so many familiar faces, Wilson registered the first multi-homer game and first four-RBI game of his young MLB career.

Wilson finished the day 4-for-5 as the Green and Gold unloaded 18 hits against the defending champions in a game that also saw rookie Nick Kurtz hit his first career home run.

“It’s so awesome to see him come up and do his thing, especially so soon after the draft,” Wilson said about Kurtz. “It’s awesome to share the field with him. He’s doing a great job.” 

Wilson has slashed .363/.389/.513 with five home runs and 26 RBI through his first 40 games this season.

And while the offense piled in the runs, pitcher Jeffrey Springs held star Shohei Ohtani and Co. to one run over seven strong innings.

It was the perfect return back home for Wilson.