NEW YORK — Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the 15-day injured list because of a strained right oblique after getting hurt during a swing in a game at the Baltimore Orioles.
Chisholm grabbed at his side after fouling off a first pitch from Kyle Gibson during the first inning, took a ball and then stepped out of the batter’s box to stretch the side, prompting manager Aaron Boone and and athletic trainer to come out and speak with him.
Chisholm remained in the game, doubled into the right-field corner on the next pitch and when the ball was bobbled headed to third and slid in headfirst. He appeared in discomfort and immediately left the game for a pinch runner.
“I’m really not as concerned as everybody else,” he said after the game. “I tore my oblique before. I know it’s not torn or anything.”
Chisholm didn’t play Wednesday and was to have tests Thursday after the team returned to New York. The IL roster move was retroactive to Wednesday, and the Yankees recalled infielder Jorbit Vivas from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Acquired from Miami last July 27, Chisholm is hitting .181 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games. He was sidelined between Aug. 12 and 23 last year because of a sprained left elbow sustained on a headfirst slide.
Its Friday, May 2 and the Mets (21-11) are in St. Louis to open a series against the Cardinals (14-18).
Clay Holmes is slated to take the mound for New York against Sonny Gray for St. Louis.
Both of these teams enter the three-game series having lost on Thursday. The Cards got smacked by the Reds, 9-1, while the Mets were doubled up by the Diamondbacks, 4-2.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Mets at Cardinals
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Time: 8:15PM EST
Site: Busch Stadium
City: St. Louis, MO
Network/Streaming: SNY, FDSNMWX
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Odds for the Mets at the Cardinals
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Mets (-120), Cardinals (+101)
Spread: Mets -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Mets at Cardinals
Pitching matchup for May 2, 2025: Clay Holmes vs. Sonny Gray
Mets: Clay Holmes (3-1, 2.64 ERA) Last outing: 4/26 at Washington - 5IP, 0ER, 4H, 0BB, 2Ks
Cardinals: Sonny Gray (3-0, 3.60 ERA) Last outing: 4/26 vs. Milwaukee - 6IP, 3ER, 7H, 3BB, 4Ks
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Mets at Cardinals
Juan Soto hit .232 in April but opened May going 2-3 with 2HRs and 2RBIs yesterday
The Total has cashed the under in 9 of the Mets' 16 road games this season
The Mets have covered the Run Line in 7 of their last 8 games against the Cardinals
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Cardinals
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Mets and the Cardinals:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Mets on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the St. Louis Cardinals at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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Its Friday, May 2 and the Cubs (19-13) are in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers (16-16). Ben Brown is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Quinn Priester for Milwaukee.
The Brewers are coming off a 8-0 shutout loss against the Chicago White Sox last night. Chad Patrick was on the mound for the Brewers. He gave up three earned runs and six hits in 5.2 innings.
The Cubs are entering this series off a 2-1 series win against the Pirates. The Cubs won the final game 8-3.
Ian Happ was spectacular. He had two runs on three hits and was walked once. He also added one RBI.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Cubs at Brewers
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Time: 8:10PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: Apple TV+
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Odds for the Cubs at the Brewers
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Cubs (-114), Brewers (-105)
Spread: Cubs -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Brewers
Pitching matchup for May 2, 2025: Ben Brown vs. Quinn Priester
Cubs: Ben Brown, (2-2, 6.04 ERA) Last outing (Philadelphia Phillies, 4/26): 3.2 Innings Pitched, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 9 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts
Brewers: Quinn Priester, (1-0, 3.79 ERA) Last outing (St Louis Cardinals, 4/26): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 8 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Brewers
The Cubs have won 4 of 5 games at divisional opponents
Each of the last 3 matchups between the Cubs and the Brewers have stayed under the Total
The Brewers are up 3.71 units on the Run Line in their last 5 games at American Family Field
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Brewers
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Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Cubs and the Brewers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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Its Friday, May 2 and the Tigers (20-12) are in Anaheim to take on the Angels (12-18). Tarik Skubal is slated to take the mound for Detroit against José Soriano for Los Angeles.
The Tigers took game one of the series with a 10-4 victory yesterday. Casey Mize was fantastic. He pitched 7.0 innings and only gave up four earned runs on seven hits while striking out four batters.
The Angels' Yusei Kikuchi had a decent outing. He only gave up two earned runs on five hits while striking out five batters.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Tigers at Angels
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Time: 9:38PM EST
Site: Angel Stadium
City: Anaheim, CA
Network/Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network West, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
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Odds for the Tigers at the Angels
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Tigers (-167), Angels (+140)
Spread: Tigers -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Tigers at Angels
Pitching matchup for May 2, 2025: Tarik Skubal vs. José Soriano
Angels: José Soriano, (2-4, 4.50 ERA) Last outing (Minnesota Twins, 4/27): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tigers at Angels
The Tigers have won 4 of their last 5 away games against teams with losing records
Each of the Angels' last 3 home games against the Tigers have gone over the Total
It has been 9 games since the Angels last covered the Run Line
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Tigers and the Angels
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Tigers and the Angels:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Detroit Tigers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Los Angeles Angels at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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Its Friday, May 2 and the Rockies (6-25) are in San Francisco to take on the Giants (19-13). Antonio Senzatela is slated to take the mound for Colorado against Robbie Ray for San Francisco.
The Rockies won game one of the series 4-3 and made it two wins in a row after a brutal start.
Kyle Freeland was on the mound for the Rockies. He struck out five batters, gave up seven hits, and three earned runs in 6.0 innings.
Though Justin Verlander could not pick up the win, he was solid through 6.1 innings. He struck out four batters and gave up just two earned runs on five hits.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Odds for the Rockies at the Giants
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Rockies (+212), Giants (-261)
Spread: Giants -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Giants
Pitching matchup for May 2, 2025: Antonio Senzatela vs. Robbie Ray
Rockies: Antonio Senzatela, (1-4, 5.22 ERA) Last outing (Cincinnati Reds, 4/26): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 8 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Giants
The Giants are showing a 110% return on investment at home on the Money Line
The Giants' last 4 home games have stayed under the Total
The Giants have failed to cover the Run Line in 13 of their last 16 games
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Giants
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Rockies and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Francisco Giants on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in Game 6 to eliminate them in a back-and-forth series. While it was tough for all of Minnesota to get eliminated from the playoffs, it may have stung a little harder for Fleury.
During the traditional handshake line after the series, opposing players spent a little more time with Fleury. After that, the four officials congratulated him on his long career, before he saluted the fans giving him a standing ovation.
After the game, left winger Kirill Kaprizov touched on the honor of being Fleury’s teammate for a short time.
“It was nice to play with him… a couple of seasons together. You can learn so much stuff from him,” Kaprizov told reporters. “I don’t know what to say, unbelievable career… one of the best goalies in the world, all-time.”
Fleury played 1,051 games over 21 years in the NHL. He spent most of his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning three Stanley Cups over 13 years. The Penguins made sure to congratulate him and to thank him for his time with them.
“Congratulations to Marc-Andre Fleury on a phenomenal NHL career. We've been privileged to be a part of it,” the team said on social media.
The NHL also released a video on its socials, with several old teammates and star players praising him and his prolonged career. The video consisted of messages from former teammate Sidney Crosby, along with Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid, Jeremy Swayman and Macklin Celebrini.
"Fleury's been doing it for so long," Eichel said. "The model of consistency, and I don't think I've ever spoken to a player or staff member, really anybody who's had a bad thing to say about the guy."
Wild defenseman Brock Faber was also in the video message and couldn’t say enough about Fleury.
“As a young player in this league, there isn’t a single guy, probably ever, that could be a better role model,” he said. “The way he treats his teammates, his family, how hard he works, it’s a complete honor to be able to share the same sweater as him.”
'Flower' ends his career with the second-most wins and second-most games played by a goaltender in NHL history, behind Martin Brodeur in both categories.
The 40-year-old from Sorel, Que., signs off with a 575-339-2-95 record, with a 2.60 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and 76 shutouts. He also won the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017, the Vezina Trophy and the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2020-21.
“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said in a statement. “Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career - including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level – Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench.
"I’ve gotten to know Mike very well over the years, including as teammates in the 1997 World Championships, when he coached me as a player in New York and through our shared time working together with USA Hockey. As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”
Sullivan was also head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003-06, and he held subsequent assistant coaching gigs with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. Prior to joining the Penguins organization in 2015, he was also a player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks.
“I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG. “Mike’s track record and success in the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench.”
The Yankees have placed second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, retroactive to April 30.
Infielder Jorbit Vivas has been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the spot on the 26-man roster ahead of a three-game set against Tampa Bay in The Bronx.
Trainers came out to speak with him, but he continued the at-bat and got his reward two pitches later with a double into the right field corner (taking third on an error). That's where third base coach Luis Rojas signaled to the dugout that the infielder needed to exit the game.
Chisholm had been off to a so-so start for the Yanks. He has tallied three doubles, seven home runs and 17 RBI, but is batting just .181. He did have a decent .714 OPS (102 OPS+).
In the field, Chisholm was showing good value at his new position, with FanGraphs crediting him with three defensive runs saved (second-best on the club) and Statcast giving him a fielding run value of two (tied for second-best).
Vivas, 24, has been swinging a good bat at Triple-A, with seven extra-base hits, 15 RBI, and a .319/.426/.436 slash line for an .862 OPS. He is the No. 19 prospect in the Yankees' system, per MLB Pipeline.
Pablo Reyes, 3-for-16 on the year, is also an option for New York at second. He got the start in the final game of the series against the Orioles, which included a minor dustup after Heston Kjerstad stole a base.
Jazz appeared to hurt something on this swing. He tripled but then left the game pic.twitter.com/C1iDokA7Q5
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is headed back to the 10-day injured list because of a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee.
Angels manager Ron Washington made the announcement Thursday night following a 10-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The team said there is no structural damage to Trout’s knee.
“He has a bone bruise so we’re going to put him on the IL,” Washington told MLB.com. “It’s not significant. But he needs rest.”
The oft-injured Trout missed his first game of the season Thursday night after being removed from Wednesday’s loss in Seattle with left knee soreness. The three-time AL MVP got hurt on a sprint to first base when his left foot hit the bag as he tried to beat out a third-inning groundout.
Trout is hitting .179 this year with nine home runs and 18 RBIs.
He had two operations to repair separate meniscus tears in the knee last season, limiting him to 29 games. The 11-time All-Star outfielder did not play in the majors after April 29.
Due to various injuries, the 33-year-old Trout has played in more than 82 games only once in the past four seasons.
DETROIT – This was a few minutes after Jalen Brunson hit his series-ending three-pointer on Thursday night. He’d finished his on-court network interview and was making his way to the visiting locker room.
Brunson stopped at the scorer’s table to shake hands with Clyde Frazier and Mike Breen. He shared a handshake and hug with Karl Towns Sr.
As Brunson stepped off the court, he ran into team president Leon Rose.
Rose put his arm tightly around Brunson while they walked toward a back hallway at Little Caesars Arena.
For the second straight spring, he ended that series with an embrace from Rose.
“He’s at his best when his best is needed,” Tom Thibodeau said late Thursday. “He’s done it all year. That’s what makes him special.”
What happened on Thursday was the latest in a growing list of unforgettable moments for Brunson.
He shook an all-world defender off of him and pulled up for a three with 5.4 seconds to play. If the shot was off, the Knicks may have been headed back to New York for a high-stakes Game 7 against a tough Pistons team.
A loss in that game would probably lead to major changes. But Brunson didn’t miss. His shot went through the net, shocking the crowd at Little Caesars Arena and sending the Knicks to the second round.
“He’s the Clutch Player of the Year in the NBA for a reason,” Karl-Anthony Towns said afterward.
May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots on Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) in the second half during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. / Rick Osentoski - Imagn Images
It was yet another storybook Knicks moment for the Roses and the Brunsons.
The ties between Rose and Brunson were deep. One of Rose’s first clients during his run as a powerhouse agent at CAA was Rick Brunson – Jalen’s dad. Rose has known Jalen for his entire life. Rose’s son, Sam Rose, is Jalen Brunson’s agent. Rick Brunson is a lead assistant on Thibodeau’s coaching staff. The Roses and Brunsons are practically family.
Because of those close connections, the Brunson signing was a make-or-break move for Rose. The Knicks were coming off a disappointing season.
If Brunson didn’t pay immediate dividends, it might have been CAA-ya later for Rose & Co.
Obviously, it hasn’t played out that way
Brunson, Rose, and Thibodeau have helped build the Knicks into a playoff contender.
They’ve also raised expectations in New York. Merely making the postseason is no longer acceptable. That’s why a loss to Detroit would have been a disaster.
Brunson helped them avoid that fate with several clutch plays in the series. The last one came late Thursday night, when he shook Ausar Thompson and knocked down a three to bury the Pistons. The shot put the Knicks in the second round for the third straight season. And it gave the Brunsons, the Roses – and Knicks fans everywhere – another unforgettable moment.
May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates his three point basket in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
BATTLES ON AND OFF THE COURT
After watching this series, I think fans on both sides would sign up for another Knicks-Pistons matchup next spring. This series had tough shot-making, physical play, and late-game heroics. Both teams seemed to relish the physicality. There were skirmishes in all six games and there was gamesmanship off the court.
Pistons assistant coaches and Knicks assistant coaches didn’t speak to one another for most of the series. For a first-round series, it was high-stakes and intense. The Knicks entered the series with a "soft" label that had stuck to them for stretches of the regular season. They seemed to shed that label at Little Caesars Arena.
They won all three road games in a series for the first time in franchise history.
“We're a tough group,” Josh Hart said afterward. “Everyone likes to paint us as not, but we’re a tough, physical group. This was a physical series. It was a grueling series. And I think we showed our physicality, our toughness, but also our mental toughness…. During those adverse situations, we banded together.”
THIRD QUARTER ADJUSTMENT
After blowing halftime leads in multiple games against Detroit, the Knicks decided to try something new on Thursday. They got into layup lines during halftime warmups. The move was spearheaded by Mikal Bridges.
“I guess today, he (was) trying to get the game over. He (was) trying to go ahead and close the series out,” Cam Payne said of Bridges. “Before we walked out (of the locker room), he was like, 'I need everybody out there doing these layups.' But I respect it, I respect it. It got us going. We came out in the third and played well. It was big time, everybody listened to him.”
The Knicks built a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in the third quarter. Maybe we’ll see layup lines before the third quarter in Boston on Monday. Speaking of the Celtics, Bridges and OG Anunoby seem to be trending in the right direction as they enter the second round.
Both players were key in the Knicks’ series win over Detroit. Anunoby and Bridges took turns defending Cade Cunningham. Anunoby had 22 points on 6-for-14 shooting in Game 6. Bridges had 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including a dunk in transition over Cunningham and a key put-back off of a Brunson miss to tie the game with 36 seconds remaining.
“It was big-time. It just shows how much he wants to win the game,” Payne said of Bridges, his former Suns teammate. “I know the fourth win is the hardest win, and you gotta do things you don’t normally do. Big-time dunk from him, big-time putback left hand.
“He don’t even crash (the boards),” Payne added, jokingly. “But when the game (was) on the line, the series on the line, you gotta play your hardest, and he came out and made big plays for us.”
Clippers guard James Harden, right, celebrates with forward Nicolas Batum after his three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Game 6. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Something unexpected happened in the Clippers’ elimination game on Thursday night.
The Nuggets had the Joker. The Clippers had the Choker.
This looked like more of the same from Harden, who scored a combined 23 points and shot just 25% last year in Games 5 and 6 defeats by the Dallas Mavericks that resulted in the Clippers’ first-round exit.
However, coach Tyronn Lue said he was to blame for Harden’s lack of production, saying he was responsible for creating more space for Harden.
“I need to get you more involved,” Harden recalled being told by Lue on the team’s flight home after a Game 5 loss in Denver.
Lue’s solution: To designate more minutes to a smaller lineup that included Nicolas Batum. The Clippers started the second quarter with Harden, Batum, Kawhi Leonard, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones Jr.
“I wanted to get to the small lineup against their second unit,” Lue said. “I thought we were able to push the pace, get open shots, get to the paint, kind of spread ‘em out a little bit so they couldn’t just load up and try to take away driving lanes.
“Going to that and seeing how good it was just to kind of space the floor was really huge for us.”
Harden thrived in that second quarter, scoring 17 points.
“I thought he did a good job attacking one-on-one,” Lue said. “Our spacing was really good tonight. He was able to get to the paint, get to the basket.”
With the Nuggets mindful of Harden, openings were created for others. Norman Powell scored 11 points in the third quarter, during which they were ahead by as many as 15 points. Leonard scored nine of his 27 points in the same period.
Harden finished with a team-high eight assists.
“He’s been here before,” Leonard said of Harden. “Guys have games where they don’t play well during the season. It’s just another game, so I knew he was gonna be able to come back, or he was going to be aggressive and try to get to his spots.”
The Clippers now have a chance.
They have a chance to take down the Nuggets and advance. They have a chance to advance further than any team in franchise history.
That chance, however, is contingent on Harden continuing to play like this and not reverting to his customary postseason form.
Can his body hold up?
Harden played 47 minutes in Game 6, marking the third time in this series he played more than 40 minutes.
He is 35 years old.
“Tired,” Harden said. “Tired, a little bit.”
Does Harden have another 47 or 48 minutes in Denver?
“Have to, have to,” Harden said. “Whatever the team needs, 47, 48, overtime, whatever, I’ll be willing to do it.”
Lue didn’t think fatigue would be a problem for Harden.
“He wants to play every night,” Lue said. “He’s in great shape, trains for these moments. He wants to play.”
Harden averaged more than 35 minutes over 79 regular-season games, and he thinks the workload will prepare him for a Game 7 that will be played 5,280 feet above sea level.
“Prepares your body physically to be able to withstand and just being able to play both ends of the ball,” Harden said. “Your legs are tired, so you’ve been there before. For me, it’s just finding my spots.”
The simple objective could produce monumental changes in reputation — not only for Harden personally but for the Clippers as well.
In examining the Mets’ rather startling pitching success under David Stearns, it’s instructive to go back some five years to a time when the team's baseball operations department was still in the dark ages analytically and owner Steve Cohen was just beginning to put his imprint on the organization.
Zack Scott had been hired as assistant GM in December of 2020, shortly after Cohen had officially taken over as new owner, and was then promoted to acting GM in January of 2021 when Jared Porter was fired.
Coming from the cutting-edge Boston Red Sox front office, Scott found an organization lacking in technology yet functioning well on the pitching side, thanks to some knowledgeable analysts and a "very impressive" pitching coach in Jeremy Hefner, then going into his second year in that position.
"They were really behind analytically," Scott recalled during a recent phone conversation. "It didn’t feel great, coming from Boston where they had so many analytical tools, and yet the Mets were in a decent place with pitching, mostly because of their communication process.
"They didn’t have (analytical) tools but they were getting good buy-in to what they were doing because of Jeremy. He has the rare combination of understanding the complexity on the data side, the ability to interact with analysts and speak their language, but also the ability to speak the players’ language. He could impart the information without shoving it down their throats and also has the even-keeled personality to deal with pushback and coach the human side of major league pitchers."
With that key piece of the puzzle in place, Scott went about upgrading the analytical side, with Cohen’s financial and emotional support. He hired Ben Zauzmer out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' high-tech front office to lead the baseball ops department into the modern age.
"There was a lot to be done," Scott says. "They didn’t even have what was then a very popular tool, an analytical pitch-ranking system that takes all the tracking metrics and gives you a way to grade your pitchers’ stuff and command. We had to develop that.
"We doubled the size of the analytics department in one year. Steve was very analytically-minded and it was clear what he wanted. We went from 13 to 26 people, including analysts, software developers, and data engineers.
"One of the unique benefits we had then was being able to utilize the resources from Steve’s Point 72 (hedge fund) company. His head of data at Point 72 became the Mets’ head of data for a while. But it was going to take time. You just don’t snap your fingers and have the necessary advanced tools and the ability to implement them.
"But the building blocks were in place, with Jeremy at the center of their communication. So it doesn’t surprise me that once they were getting caught up with the rest of the league, in terms of tools, that they could take a big step forward and have the kind of pitching success they’re having now."
Steve Cohen and David Stearns / SNY
Still, a lot has changed during that time. Scott was let go over a DWI arrest, though he was later acquitted in court of all charges, Billy Eppler was hired and operated as GM for two years, and then Cohen hired Stearns, the man he’d quietly sought for years, as president of baseball operations after waiting for him to be free of his contractual obligations with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Scott is quick to give credit to Stearns for the Mets’ success last season and now in 2025, which is being driven primarily by excellent pitching that has outperformed expectations -- at least outside the organization -- despite the lack of name-brand starters.
"The easy thing to do is go sign guys like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried as free agents," Scott said. "It takes some stones to say, no, this is the best way to do it. Being a bold decision-maker means doing things that aren’t popular. David has the ability to do what he thinks is best for the organization. But to do that you really have to believe in your process, and I think that’s where the Mets are now."
With that in mind, Scott and other baseball people I spoke to, including one currently in the Mets’ organization, all essentially make that larger point: that is, while it’s proper for Stearns to be praised publicly as the top decision-maker for the signings of the likes of Griffin Canning, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea, the spectacular results the Mets are getting are part of an organizational success story, one built on its advances in so many areas.
"The guy in the big chair always gets too much credit and too much blame," was the way an executive from another MLB team put it. "It’s no secret around the league that the Mets have come a long way in a short time with some of their methodology, with competent people in key places. So Stearns should get credit but their process is the engine for what’s happening there."
For simplistic purposes, based on observations of various baseball people, the focus here is on two components to that engine:
1) Hefner
2) The ballyhooed Pitching Lab.
Let’s go back to Hefner momentarily. It’s not just Scott who sings his praises. Former Mets star pitcher Al Leiter was involved in the hiring of Hefner in December of 2019, when he was working as an advisor under then-GM Brodie Van Wagenen, and he too thinks the Mets’ pitching coach is a huge factor in the staff’s success.
Apr 16, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; New York Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner walks to the dugout during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
"It was an easy hire," Leiter said recently by phone. "Hef is very knowledgeable, very much in tune with the analytics, but the key is being able to take that to your pitchers and have their trust.
"He has street cred as a former major leaguer, which to me is very important. A lot of the pitching coaches now are information guys who didn’t pitch in the big leagues, which is fine, but if you want your pitchers to really trust you in tough times, especially when you’re trying to make changes, it helps that you’ve done it at the highest level and understand how hard it is. To me, Jeremy is a snapshot of the ideal pitching coach."
As for the Pitching Lab, the mere mention of it draws chuckles from baseball people around the league.
"You guys have turned that pitching lab into a place where miracles happen," a rival exec said with a laugh, speaking generally of the New York media. "I give the Mets all the credit in the world for the success they’re having, but let’s not make that into some mystical place.
"By now just about everybody has something like that in place, with all the necessary technology, so I don't think they're doing things that others are not. I just think they're people making good decisions to get the most out of what the information and technology provides."
Leiter, now an analyst for MLB Network, concurs. And partly because he has a son, Jack, pitching in the big leagues for the Texas Rangers, he’s very informed on what teams do in those labs.
"It’s technology that takes in all the data on every pitch and deciphers the good and the bad," Leiter said. "With video and high-speed cameras and pitch-tracking monitors and biomechanical cameras, it breaks down every little thing in how you deliver the ball, how it comes off your fingers, and why it works or doesn’t work.
"They have pitch designers now who look at the information and come up with ways to pair pitches effectively, how often you should be throwing your slider, which pitches best complement your fastball. All that stuff.
"You can sit and look at it for hours but it still goes back to whether you can implement it: 'What are the skills and drills that I have to do to make it work for me?' To me that’s the special sauce."
New York Mets starter Brandon Sproat (91) pitches against the Houston Astros at Clover Park. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Scott adds that a big benefit of the lab is in the way the technology provides information beyond what even the best pitching coach can see for himself.
"If you’re looking to change a pitcher’s effective spin rate," said Scott, "or the spin axis, that’s not something that can be seen by the naked eye.
"But it always comes back to feel: how did that feel to the pitcher? It has to feel right to him. That’s the relationship part of it, which, again is why Jeremy is such an important part of the process.”
Whatever the ingredients that go into the Mets’ pitching success, everyone I spoke to made the point that common sense says the starting rotation, in particular, likely can’t continue to pitch at this high of a level, leading the majors with an ERA of 2.24 going into Friday's action.
"You have to pump the brakes a little," said Leiter. "I wouldn’t say it’s fluky but individually they’re mostly pitching way above the back of their baseball cards.
"Although I will say that if you’re limiting your starters to five and six innings, which they’ve done a lot, you’re going to put up better numbers. I remember all the times I told Bobby Valentine, 'I’m good, I’m good' and then went out and gave up a two-run home run in the seventh or eighth inning, so, yeah, that matters. But then you have to ask if the bullpen can handle that type of workload over an entire season."
Scott, meanwhile, said he believes the Mets’ success is largely for real, but admitted, "If you’re sitting in their front office, you kind of know there is bound to be some regression to the mean."
To that point, one MLB scout said, "As good as they’ve been, I believe the Mets are going to need more pitching. They could have help coming from a couple of big arms in their farm system. If not I’m sure they’ll be looking to add at the trade deadline."
How that plays out remains to be seen. But what seems clear by now, in Year 2 of this Stearns-led regime, is that by upgrading the inner workings of the organization so dramatically during the Cohen era, the Mets have a foundation for pitching success that is paying off now and should for years to come.
The Anaheim Ducks parted ways with head coach Greg Cronin on April 19, following his second season behind the Ducks’ bench.
“It’s much like the way I took the approach last time,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said when asked about the upcoming hiring process during his media availability following Cronin’s firing. “The net’s going to be cast wide. I’m not going to really eliminate any options as far as my approach to the next coach.”
Eight teams are in need of a new head coach behind their respective benches heading into the 2025-26 season, and a laundry list of available candidates with a wide range of experience are on the market.
“Am I looking for some sort of specific coach? No,” Verbeek said. “I’m going to go through the interview process and I will probe and poke and ask questions (about) certain things that I think our group needs and see how it all shakes down.
“I’m open to any type of coach at this point. I’m not shutting anything down. Now, timeline. We’re going to start the search and start to make a list immediately. I really don’t have a timeline on it. I’m going to look to hire the best candidate for this team and what it needs moving forward.”
Just one week later, on April 26, the first sizable news around general manager Pat Verbeek’s coaching search surfaced.
ESPN’s John Buccigross sent a cryptic post on social media of side-by-side images of controversial (to say the least) three-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach Joel Quenneville and a family of Ducks.
Nearly four hours after Buccigross’ post, James Murphy of RG Media reported that a “well-connected NHL source” told him the Ducks offered Quenneville their open head coaching job, a very surprising potential development considering Verbeek’s statements alluding to casting a wide net and being open to any coach.
“The job is his if he wants it, and I’d be stunned if he doesn’t take it,” Murphy’s source relayed to him. “I’d say it’s 99.999999 percent he becomes the next head coach in Anaheim.”
The Ducks later confirmed that Murphy’s report was false and that interviews will continue.
Roughly an hour and a half later, PHWA President Frank Seravalli from DailyFaceoff.com slightly contradicted Murphy’s report, confirming the Ducks interviewed Quenneville, but stated the team is early in their process.
“Joel Quenneville recently interviewed for the (Ducks) head coaching vacancy,” Seravalli reported on social media. “He is a strong candidate but it’s still early in the process, multiple interviews to come in Anaheim.”
4-27-25
The IIHF U18 World Championship is underway in Frisco, Texas, the final big on-ice draft event of the season. Making up most of the attendance numbers are NHL coaches, scouts, media, and family members of players.
Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports and Elite Prospects offered an update on the Anaheim coaching search via social media.
“Chatter at U18s from some in the NHL coaching circles is that Anaheim has interviewed, but not offered the job to anyone,” Shapiro said.
Elliotte Friedman from SportsNet is one of the NHL's premier insiders. He gave his thoughts on Monday’s rendition of his “32 Thoughts” podcast.
“The way I understand it, he’s definitely a serious candidate there, and we’ll see if he ends up being the guy. But he’s definitely a serious candidate. I don’t think that’s the only team that’s interested in him.
“I think the Ducks are very serious about it from a hockey perspective. You’ve heard Pat Verbeek say that they want to make the playoffs next year, and that’s why I think he’s looking at Quenneville, and Quenneville is a possibility. And I think the two of them met face-to-face last week.
“The bottom line is the Ducks are considering him, and he is a very serious contender for their job.”
4-30-25
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on the latest installment of “The Ray & Dregs Hockey Podcast” that the Ducks are expected to interview Quenneville a second time.
“Some wanted to connect Joel Quenneville to (Rangers GM Chris) Drury because of their Colorado days,” Dreger said. “I know that Q is—he’s expected to get a second interview with the Anaheim Ducks, so we’ll see how things play out there.”
5-1-25
Pierre LeBrun from TSN, one of the NHL’s premier insiders, reported on social media that the Ducks have contacted several coaches in regards to filling their head coaching vacancy while confirming they intend to interview Quenneville a second time.
“Hearing Ducks have interviewed Jay Woodcroft,” LeBrun said. “Also hear Ducks GM Pat Verbeek recently met with David Carle. Believe Anaheim has also made contact with Mike Sullivan. As reported by others, Joel Quenneville will soon get a second interview. Other names in mix. Wide search by Ducks.”
Less than one hour later, Vince Mercogliano, who covers the New York Rangers for USA Today, reported on social media the Rangers were heading toward hiring Sullivan as their next head coach.
"The (Rangers) haven't confirmed or announced anything officially yet, but it sounds like things are getting close and very much trending toward Mike Sullivan becoming the 38th head coach in franchise history."
5-2-25
To make it official, early on May 2, the Rangers announced they hired Sullivan as their head coach, making him the first coaching hire of the 2025 offseason and eliminating him from contention for the Ducks' job.
Linked Names
Joel Quenneville: Quenneville (66) sits second on the NHL’s all-time wins list for head coaches with 969. He hasn’t coached a game since Oct. 28, 2021. He resigned from his position as head coach of the Florida Panthers following the results of Jenner & Block’s investigation into the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks.
David Carle: Carle (35) recently withdrew himself from the running for head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. He is possibly the most clamored-for coach on the market. Carle has coached the University of Denver to two NCAA championships and Team USA to back-to-back World Junior Championship gold medals.
Jay Woodcroft: Woodcroft (48) was relieved of his position as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers just 13 games into 2023-24 and after assuming the position in the middle of 2021-22. He has a 79-41-13 record in 133 games behind an NHL bench, and the Oilers, months after parting ways, made it to game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Mike Sullivan (Hired-New York Rangers): The Pittsburgh Penguins let Sullivan (57) go on April 28. He won two Stanley Cups with the Pens in 2016 and 2017 as their head coach, and his appearance on the market immediately made him one of the most desirable targets for one of the eight franchises in need.
This piece will see continued updates as new information surfaces
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] United States coaches Mike Sullivan, right, and JohnTortorella during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against Canada at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson-Imagn Images)](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_pittsburgh_penguins_articles_513/d1493d7290ec5009b8c615fef3a660a1)
