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Game Thread: If we can’t beat the Canadiens
Game #36 GameThread: Jays @ Rays
Some runs would be nice. Please note the term runs is plural. .
There is a little bit of news, Jose Berrios is feeling soreness, which, since he has a stress fracture, isn’t a huge surprise.
Shane Bieber is close to being ready to face live batters. It is like he’s at the start of spring training, so it will be a month before he’s back (all going well).
Tonight’s lineup with no Vlad, for the first time this year. I suppose he can have a game off every 36. But Springer is back and hitting at the top of the lineup.
Go Jays Go.
Washington Nationals vs Minnesota Twins Game Thread
The Nats have a bad home record at 4-12. However, part of that is due to the teams they have played. They have already faced the Dodgers, Braves and Brewers at Nats Park. Now, they will get a lighter touch against the Twins. They need to take advantage of this and boost their home record.
With Luis Garcia Jr. nursing a wrist injury, Curtis Mead will be at first base against a righty. Daylen Lile will hit second, with Blake Butera looking to get his left fielder going. Jorbit Vivas will get the nod at third base over Brady House. Keibert Ruiz will be behind the plate after showing some signs of life with the bat in the Brewers series. Cade Cavalli has struck out 10 in back to back starts, and he gets the ball tonight.
The Twins lineup is headlined by their leadoff hitter Byron Buxton. We will also get to see fan favorite Josh Bell back at Nationals Park. I am sure he will get a nice little ovation. Catcher Ryan Jeffers has been one of the Twins hottest hitters lately and he will hit third. Taj Bradley is finally translating his excellent stuff into results this year, and will be a tough pitcher for this Nats lineup to crack.
Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 6:45 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
This series is an opportunity for the Nats to build momentum, but it is also a potential land mine. The Twins are going to view this as a get right series as well. This is a matchup of two evenly matched teams and I am excited to see it. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.
NBA players’ ‘disdain’ for LeBron James has cost Klutch Sports clients: Rich Paul
Rich Paul is adamant his agency has lost clients due to NBA players’ hatred of LeBron James.
The super agent, who founded Klutch Sports Group over a decade ago, told Max Kellerman on the twosome’s “Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul” podcast this week that his business has been impacted by the way some of James’ peers feel about the Lakers superstar.
“I’ve had NBA current players, and former players, involve themselves in a recruiting process with a kid — it’s not their son — and purposely push a kid to a different agency because of their disdain for LeBron, and I’m his guy,” Paul said. “So, I know what happens.”
Paul’s shocking revelation came as he and Kellerman were discussing the results of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and how players and media have publicly talked about it.
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Paul accused the masses of giving Nuggets center Nikola Jokic a pass for a postseason loss to the Timberwolves that they wouldn’t have given to James.
“The reason why you don’t hear a lot of conversation about Jokic is because I don’t believe people are happy to see Jokic lose,” Paul said.
“But when LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose. Especially his peers. Guys that played in the league that have platforms today. For different reasons, it’s extra. They are happy to see him lose. For whatever reason. That’s just how I feel, and I think it’s true.”
Paul didn’t expound on exactly why he believes James is so despised by some in the Association, though he did say it’s “deeper than” them just being envious of the future Hall of Famer’s situation.
“I just think that in our community,” he said, “it makes you feel better when someone else has a thing of detriment placed upon them because of what you lack and what you always wanted.
“That’s the DNA of our communities. We’re born into that. An athlete is not an exception.”
Paul went on to say he’s all for critique, but he insisted it’s more than that when it comes to James.
“I’m telling you,” he said, “it’s a deeper thing.”
Game 36: Red Sox at Tigers — The one where the game takes a backseat to injury updates
First, the good news. The Red Sox got a slew of cautiously optimistic injury updates this afternoon from Comerica Park in Detroit. First up, Roman Anthony:
He won’t be available these last couple of games in Detroit, but in the grand scheme of things, this is far from the worst update we could have gotten today.
Next up, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez:
If we fill in the rest of the blanks here and get Ranger Suarez to start Saturday and then Payton Tolle on Sunday before the off day on Monday, the Red Sox may finally be tracking towards a scenario where they can get Brayan Bello out of the rotation. (Fingers crossed!)
Unfortunately though, they won’t be able to keep him off the mound tonight. Now as you’ll probably notice in the lineups below, the Red Sox are actually not starting Brayan Bello tonight — instead going with Jovani Moran. Bello however will likely appear as the bulk guy somewhere in the game as the Red Sox play lefty / righty matchups and try to minimize the bullpen damage as much as possible. It’s a last ditch effort to try and make a Bello game competitive (good luck with that!).
In fact, the effects of his ineffectiveness are reaching all the way down to Worcester as we got this tweet from Tommy Cassell today.
In other words, even the team is preparing for another Bello bludgeoning.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, take a look at tonight’s lineup. There’s no Roman Anthony as we discussed above, but there’s also no Masataka Yoshida and Marcelo Mayer because there’s a lefty on the mound. It gets even worse when you consider that lefty is Framber Valdez and that his 3.35 ERA this year is being inflated by one bad start in Minnesota where he gave up eight runs. In the other six combined outings, he’s only given up seven earned runs in 35.1 innings.
Oh, and in addition to all of this, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman have both pitched in back to back games, so Chad Tracy is probably going to want to stay away from them tonight if possible.
In other words, the only reason to expect a win from the Red Sox in this game is because baseball is baseball and at times it likes to be the dumbest sport ever and produce stunningly unexplainable results. Short of that happening though, the Red Sox have already kind of won in the big picture today with those injury updates, so we’ll just have to suffer through tonight.
⚾️ First Pitch: 6:40pm — Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
Tonight’s Brewers-Cardinals game postponed
Due to inclement weather passing through the St. Louis area, tonight’s game against the Cardinals has been postponed. It will be made up as part of a split doubleheader between the two teams on July 7, the next time the Brewers visit St. Louis. The makeup game will be at 1:15 p.m. and the scheduled game will take place at 6:45 p.m.
Unfortunately, this new date will present a challenge for the Brewers. Between June 26 and July 12, the Brewers had 17 games in a row scheduled without an off day. Now, that stretch will be extended to 18 games in 17 days. Between June 16 and July 12, the team will have just one day off. The only good news is that stretch happens right before the All-Star Break, which will give the team a chance to recover.
On the Cardinals side, they were currently in a streak of 17 games in a row before this postponed game and are scheduled to fly to San Diego after tomorrow’s game. They will also have to play 14 games in 13 days leading up to the All-Star Break with the rescheduled game.
For tomorrow, the updated starters are still TBD. Brandon Sproat was scheduled to face Andre Pallante tonight, with a TBD starter — expected to be Jacob Misiorowski — facing Matthew Liberatore tomorrow. The teams have not announced if they are updating those starters.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. tomorrow. The forecast is clear of inclement weather so that game should happen as scheduled.
Tuesday game thread: at Marlins, 6:40
It’s been a rough couple of days for the Orioles. That series in the Bronx was an absolute disaster, and it likely has the entire clubhouse on edge. Those games felt like they were from another era. It had early-2000s vibes, a time when the Yankees still had most of the players from their dynasty of the 1990s, and the Orioles were in the midst of a run that featured exactly zero winning seasons between 1998 and 2011.
No major changes for the O’s are on the immediate horizon though. That’s likely because it’s May. There is little to be done. The team simply has to survive this wave. They can either rise above and get their feet under them, or they can be pulled under and crushed by the weight of it all. Fingers crossed.
Chris Bassitt is on the bump. He has been one of the team’s bright spots lately. Over his last four starts he has thrown a total of 21.2 innings and has a 2.92 ERA. The peripherals aren’t as pretty (4.16 FIP, eight walks, 14 strikeouts), but we will take what we can get right now.
The Marlins aren’t coming in with the best form. They lost three of four to the Phillies this weekend, and scored a total of six runs over their last three games. So, maybe the Orioles actually have a chance? We’ll see.
Orioles lineup
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Dylan Beavers, DH
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Samuel Basallo, C
- Leody Tavares, CF
- Colton Cowser, RF
- Cpby Mayo, 3B
- Blaze Alexander, 2B
RHP Chris Bassitt (2-2, 5.46 ERA)
Marlins lineup
- Xavier Edwards, 2B
- Liam Hicks, 1B
- Otto Lopez, SS
- Kyle Stowers, LF
- Jakob Marsee, CF
- Connor Norby, DH
- Joe Mack, C
- Owen Caissie, RF
- Graham Pauley, 3B
LHP Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.04 ERA)
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Game 35 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees
Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 6:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
Yankee Stadium
RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Elmer Rodriguez
Go Rangers!
Mike Brown embraces Knicks' NBA Finals-or-bust mandate: 'That's what I expect'
It is all pretty simple, really.
Mike Brown is only the Knicks’ head coach because not even back-to-back 50-win regular seasons were enough to save his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, from being fired after New York stumbled in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring.
The implied word from on-high for all to see that even though Thibodeau posted a .565 winning percentage over his five years and won NBA Coach of the Year in 2021, the franchise's first trip to the doorstep of the NBA Finals in a quarter of a century was unsatisfactory.
The perception – and possible reality, too – is that there is a mandate for the first-year man in New York: It better be a trip to the NBA Finals or bust.
“People have talked about a mandate, I'm coaching to win,” Brown said Tuesday after a dominant Game 1 win of the Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“It doesn't matter what others say,” he continued. “I'm disappointed if we're not in the Finals and having a chance to win it."
Brown said he’s been “fortunate, blessed, lucky” to have made the Finals six times with three different teams during his career as a head coach and assistant, with four titles.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, and I know that’s what I do it for,” he said.
As far as the “mandate and all that stuff,” Brown said the NBA Finals-or-bust attitude is something the head coach embraces.
“That’s what I expect, that’s what I want to do,” he said, “and hopefully it can happen, but who knows?”
Despite acknowledging at least that elephant in the room, Brown doesn't let the proverbial Sword of Damocles above his head impact his coaching.
"He doesn't listen to the outside noise and doesn't let that affect him," Josh Hart said Tuesday. "He's focused every day on how he can come in and make this team better. He listens to his coaches, and he listens to us with our feedback and what we have to say, and asks us questions and stuff like that.
"I think it's just a good line of communication with everyone within the organization, with obviously him at the helm of how we can make this team the best unit that we can be. And he's doing an amazing job."
So are the Knicks playing at a championship level in the head coach's eyes?
“We’re playing well at the right time, but I think we have room to grow,” Brown said. “We can’t give up 34 free throws like we did last night. It’s gonna be tough if you give up 34 free throws. We had 15 turnovers last night. We can’t have 15 turnovers against this team because they thrive at the free-throw line, they thrive in the steal game, they convert those turnovers into points really quickly.
“And they didn’t shoot well. We know they’re gonna shoot better. We know that [Tyrese] Maxey is gonna be more aggressive, so we have to be even more alert than what we were in our last game.”
Game # 35, Athletics vs. Phillies Game Thread
The Athletics head back to the City of Brotherly Love today to start a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen Bank Park. Less than a week ago You’d say these two teams were headed in opposite directions with the A’s leading the American League West, and the Phillies at the bottom of the National League East. But after firing their manager, Rob Thomson and replacing him with former Dodgers and Marlins skipper Don Mattingly, they have gone 7-3, climbed out of the cellar and are playing much closer to their expectations.
Luis Severino will take the mound for the A’s this afternoon. Severino is 2-2, with a 4.46 ERA in seven starts this season. He’s coming off two consecutive Quality Starts (QS) where he’s notched wins. Severino will face off against Cristopher Sánchez for Philadelphia. Sánchez is 2-2 with a 2.90 ERA this season with 40.1 innings pitched. He’ll go up against this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s A’s today:
Severino will take on this lineup for the Phillies today:
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
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Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast
Timberwolves vs Spurs Prediction, Picks & Best Bets for Tonight's NBA Playoffs Game 2
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The Minnesota Timberwolves upset the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 thanks to an offensive outburst in the fourth quarter.
My Timberwolves vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, May 6 expect Minnesota to lean into that fourth-quarter recipe once again, which means parking Rudy Gobert on the bench.
Don't miss tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- UPDATE: Added a pick for who will win for tonight.
Timberwolves vs Spurs Game 2 prediction
Who will win Timberwolves vs Spurs Game 2?
Spurs: Factoring desperation into a betting line is a bit beyond usual algorithms, but it should absolutely be a nod in San Antonio’s direction in Game 2. Losing both home games to start this series would rightfully frighten everyone in the Spurs organization.
Timberwolves vs Spurs best bet: Rudy Gobert Under 11.5 rebounds (-130)
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter Monday night trailing the San Antonio Spurs by three. Rudy Gobert went to the bench for the next 10:16; when he returned, the Timberwolves led by seven.
Minnesota had scored 32 points in those 10 minutes, already eight more than it had in any previous quarter. A five-out lineup featuring Julius Randle and Naz Reid as the Timberwolves’ big men pulled Victor Wembanyama too far from the hoop to bolster his inflated blocks stats, and suddenly, Minnesota could score.
Expect more of that look in Game 2, costing Gobert minutes as the game wears on.
COVERS INTEL: The Spurs outscored the Timberwolves 45-40 in the 21:32 that both Gobert and Wembanyama were on the court in Game 1.Timberwolves vs Spurs Game 2 same-game parlay
Fewer Rudy Gobert minutes should help both Minnesota’s and San Antonio’s offenses. In the 21:32 that Gobert faced Wembanyama, the Spurs’ offensive rating was 104.7 while the Timberwolves’ was 93. For the entirety of the game, San Antonio’s offensive rating was 106.3 while Minnesota’s was 108.3.
The math does not need to delve further than that. Gobert serves a purpose in this series, but his minutes need to be limited compared to Wembanyama’s, and that should propel both offenses.
Timberwolves vs Spurs SGP
- Rudy Gobert Under 11.5 rebounds
- Rudy Gobert Under 8.5 points
- Over 215.5
Our "from downtown" SGP: Wemby's shifted focus
First of all, at least four of Wembanyama’s Game 1 blocks should have been called either goaltends or fouls. That is of note because Minnesota is absolutely going to bring that to the attention of the NBA between Games 1 and 2.
Second of all, fewer Rudy Gobert minutes will pull Wembanyama further from the hoop, and that alone should lessen his rebounding total.
Lastly, Wembanyama spent some of Monday’s postgame press conference lamenting how much energy he spent on defense, taking away from his offense. He may overcorrect in that regard, obviously only furthering Over thoughts.
Timberwolves vs Spurs SGP
- Victor Wembanyama Under 4.5 blocks
- Victor Wembanyama Under 12.5 rebounds
- Victor Wembanyama Over 26.5 points
- Over 215.5
Timberwolves vs Spurs odds for Game 2
- Spread: Timberwolves +10 (-110) | Spurs -10 (-110)
- Moneyline: Timberwolves +350 | Spurs -450
- Over/Under: Over 213 (-110) | Under 213 (-110)
Timberwolves vs Spurs betting trend to know
After Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said his team “lied” to him all season, evidenced by their Game 1 loss at Denver, Minnesota has gone 5-1 against the spread, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 14.5 points, even when including the ATS loss. For what it’s worth, that ATS loss came by just the hook. Find more NBA betting trends for Timberwolves vs. Spurs.
How to watch Timberwolves vs Spurs Game 2
| Location | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX |
| Date | Wednesday, May 6, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Timberwolves vs Spurs latest injuries
Ayo Dosunmu is expected to suit up tonight, per reports, after missing Game 1.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Masai Ujiri makes it clear there is one reason he took Mavericks job: Cooper Flagg
Dallas landing Masai Ujiri to take over basketball operations is seen by many as a coup. One of the most respected front office minds in the league, the man who built the Toronto Raptors into champions, comes to a Mavericks team in the midst of a self-inflicted rebuild (including rebuilding its reputation with its fans) after Nico Harrison made the Luka Doncic trade.
Why did Ujiri choose Dallas? Two words: Cooper Flagg. Ujiri made that abundantly clear at his press conference.(Quotes via Abby Jones.)
"The one difficult thing to find anywhere, anywhere in sports, it's a generational player, and we have one. We've planted a Flagg here. We have one player here that can turn everything and it is so hard to find in sports."
And...
"You've got Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic all for the next 7-15 years. Okay, now you have to convince me that I have to beat all those guys. Okay, you gotta come with something in your pocket, okay? …And in his pocket he had Cooper Flagg."
"We have a saying in Africa, we say, 'when kings go, kings come' and a king went [Luka] and we have a little prince [Cooper Flagg] here now. He's turning into a king and I think we have to start thinking that way."
Also from that introductory press conference.
• Ujiri said he was going to look at every aspect of basketball operations and reassess it. With that, Jason Kidd may not be safe as head coach.
Masai Ujiri says he spoke to Jason Kidd yesterday. Ujiri was noncommittal when I asked him if Kidd will be Dallas’ head coach next season.
— Christian Clark (@christianpclark) May 5, 2026
• Ujiri said he is excited to see what Kyrie Irving, who missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL, looks like next to Flagg. It did not sound like Ujiri is looking to trade the nine-time All-Star point guard.
• Team governor Patrick Dumont reiterated that ownership is committed to Dallas, and while they are looking to build a new arena that will be their home "for 40 years" that will be in the greater Dallas area.
The Andrew Abbott renaissance begins tonight in Chicago
On the surface, just about everything that Cincinnati Reds lefty Andrew Abbott has been throwing this year is the same as it was during his All Star campaign in 2025.
His fastball, never a true heater, is within 0.4 mph of last year’s average, and obviously he’s been pitching in the cooler weather of April. It’s usage is almost identical, and he’s leaned on his curveball and change just about the same exact amount this year as last. He’s virtually abandoned his cutter (just 0.3% of his pitches this year), but even last season it was used just 4.3% of the time.
The only thing that jumps off the page when breaking down his stuff this year is that his velocities on his secondary pitches have been oddly off. While he chucked his curve at 81.0 mph on average last year, it’s nearly two full mph slower in 2026 (79.3 mph). Meanwhile, the speed on his change has bumped up almost a full mph to 85.7 from 84.8 last season.
It should maybe come as no surprise that the pitch values, per FanGraphs, on those two pitches have cratered as he has struggled to begin 2026. However, his fastball last season – a pitch that was valued as one of the 21 best in the sport among pitchers who threw 100+ IP – has lost almost all of its value.
One particularly interesting bit on how his season-over-season stuff has changed, though, is with his arm angle. Per Statcast, his 2025 season saw him pitch with a 48 degree arm angle, yet that’s increased to 52 degrees so far in 2026. Whether that’s by design I do not know, but that seems like a significant enough change that maybe, just maybe, it’s what’s tweaking his ability to locate his pitches.
Abbott’s 4/30 start against the Colorado Rockies was his best since Opening Day, though that, of course, came against the Colorado Rockies. The hope is that on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley, he’ll be able to once again show that he’s rounding back into form and that the bulk of his April drubbing was the exception, not the rule.
He’ll be up against Jameson Taillon in the second game of the series after last night’s devastating walk-off loss. The Reds are mired in a 4-game losing streak as they road trip through the NL Central, and man, would it ever be nice to see them pick themselves up off the mat and get a victory to shake those trees.
First pitch is set for 7:40 PM ET, with hopefully fewer weather issues than last night.
Here’s how the Reds will line up for the start:
Game 36: Twins at Nationals
First Pitch: 5:45 PM CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App, LosTwins.com
Know thine enemy:Federal Baseball
The Twins start their road trip in Washington, and will face the Nationals 2022 first round pick, RHP Cade Cavalli. On the mound for the Twins will be Taj Bradley.
Loss to division rivals punctuates tough stretch for San Diego
For so many reasons, the San Diego Padres should have won.
The San Francisco Giants were coming off a road trip in which they lost all six games, the Friars had one of their aces on the mound in Randy Vásquez and San Francisco had the rookie Trevor McDonald making his 2026 debut. It all seemed to point toward a needed win for San Diego.
But that’s not how the story went. McDonald pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Friars. And, although Vásquez was only tagged for three runs in 5 2/3 innings, it was all San Francisco would need.
The Padres attempted a ninth-inning rally with Ramón Laureano hitting a moonshot to make it 3-2, but the Giants got the final three outs after him and ended the rally where it began.
San Diego needs some offense. It hasn’t been for lack of thump, they have six homers in their last five games. But they need to string their hits together. The Padres will hope to scrap something together against San Francisco ace Logan Webb.
Taking the mound
Logan Webb (SF) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
Webb has had a tough time settling into a groove this season, posting a 4.30 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. But what he has done is eat innings for the Giants, pitching 44 innings for the club.
He had an encouraging outing last week, pitching seven innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up only one run in the process. The Friars will hope to tag him for a few more than that in tonight’s game.
On the other hand, Buehler has been a somewhat steadying part of the rotation (though the term steadying is used here with some apprehension). He’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA but has at least been a semi-reliable back end option for San Diego.
He started in last week’s loss to the Chicago Cubs but only gave up two runs to the Northsiders. If he can do just that against the Giants tonight (and go at least five innings), it would start to turn the tides for a struggling Padres club.
Batter up!
Jackson Merrill really seems to be turning things around. After starting the year with an abysmal .220 average, he’s slashed .276/.300/.379 in his last seven games. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s a step up from the .172/.238/.241 line from the previous 15 games.
His (and Manny Machado’s) return to some form of normalcy could go a long way toward waking up the offense. With everyone on the roster having experience against Webb, manager Craig Stammen will likely go for those who have had the most success in the past.
- Ramón Laureano, LF
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, 1B
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Luis Campusano, C
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Those nine have a combined .297 career batting average and a .730 OPS to go with 18 RBI (200 at-bats). Machado, Merrill and Sheets all have averages above .300, and the latter two have an OPS over 1.000 against Webb. If they can do damage like that tonight, the Padres will have no trouble forcing the rubber match on Wednesday.
Relief corps
Vásquez pitched about as well as he normally does. Though it wasn’t quite the ace form that we’ve come to expect of him this year, he made it through 5 2/3 innings of work, ensuring that the Padres only had to use three relievers (Kyle Hart, Bradgley Rodriguez and Wandy Peralta) to finish the game.
The three used were low-leverage so San Diego will have plenty of options in a close game. Those include Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Ron Marinaccio, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon. All but Marinaccio are high-leverage moves for Stammen to make.
Miller leads the league in saves (11) and could notch his 12th tonight. He’s currently on pace to end the season with 53 saves. If he did, it would be just the second time a Padre has saved 50-plus games (Trevor Hoffman, 1998), and the first 50-plus save season in MLB since Edwin Díaz in 2018.