Andrzejek left to take the head coaching job at Campbell, and Hovde took over at Columbia.
Mets pitchers making early-season statement after back-to-back impressive showings against Phillies
Considering the relative ease of the early-season schedule and the less-than-name-brand nature of the starting rotation, it was fair to wonder whether the dominance of the Mets’ pitching would hold up against a powerhouse lineup like that of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Two major league scouts said as much before this three-game series began on Monday.
“I wouldn’t call what they’re doing a fluke, but facing the Phillies is definitely a step up from a lot of the lineups they’ve seen,” was how one scout put it. “I’ll be impressed if they shut them down, too.
Added another: “The Phillies are much more disciplined as a lineup than they were a year ago, so it would be quite a statement if the Mets go out there and do what they’ve been doing to other teams.”
Consider it a statement made, then. So far, anyway.
Yes, the remarkable storyline that is the Mets’ pitching in 2025 has not only survived the dangerous Phillies’ lineup but continued to thrive against it in taking the first two games of the series.
The final on Tuesday night was 5-1 as Griffin Canning gutted his way through five trouble-filled innings and the bullpen was spotless for the final four, enabling the Mets to lower their team ERA to 2.37, easily the best in the majors.
And while the score was 5-4 a night earlier, the Phillies only put up one run through eight innings and that may well have been it had Carlos Mendoza not gotten greedy, as he admitted Tuesday, and tried to push Max Kranick for a third inning in that game -- leading to a three-run home run against Edwin Diaz.
All of which led one of the scouts I had spoken with before the series to text me after Tuesday night’s win with a simple: “I’m impressed.”
Yes, the Mets are making believers by the day, it seems, as they continue to rocket through April even with an offense that has been spotty and so far has received little impact from Juan Soto.
To this point, anyway, Pete Alonso’s scorching bat and a suddenly-hot Francisco Lindor have been more than enough to carry the load offensively, especially on Tuesday night.
As such the Mets are rolling, extending their winning streak to six games while raising their record to 17-7, four games in front of these Phillies in the NL East, and Citi Field is rocking like it’s October, as the bigger-than-usual early-season crowds have added to the good vibes around these Mets.
Alonso is hitting .444 with two outs and runners in scoring position after his key seventh-inning double on Tuesday, oozing confidence in the clutch after failing too often in such spots last season.
And Lindor is now hitting .301 in April after going 3-for-5 in this game, and you know what that could mean, considering he’s a notoriously slow starter in his career.
On this night, it was also worth noting the Mets’ approach, as they keyed in on Cristopher Sanchez’s changeup, knowing he’d gotten a whopping 23 swings-and-misses against it in his last start against the San Francisco Giants, and made a point not to be fooled by it.
As a result, they fouled off a ton of pitches early, made Sanchez throw 58 pitches in two innings (before leaving with forearm tightness), and scored on Mark Vientos’ double down the line off a changeup and Lindor’s opposite-field single inside first base on a fastball while protecting against the changeup.
“We had to respect both his changeup and his fastball,” was the way Vientos put it. “I had a plan and I executed it.
“Our whole team was grinding. That’s what I like most about this lineup. Nobody gives away at-bats. If we continue to do that, we’re going to be a scary, scary team to play against.”
Yes, there is a lot of belief in the Mets’ clubhouse. Some of it goes back to last season, all the late-inning heroics that fueled their run to the NLCS, and some of it is the way they’ve played in 2025, finding ways to win even without a lot of offense at times.
Mostly it has been about the pitching, and that’s where the Phillies figured to provide a litmus test for the likes of Tylor Megill and Canning, two starters who likely wouldn’t have been in the rotation if not for injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas.
Both proved worthy of their early-season success; however, Megill with strikeout dominance and Canning with a knack for making big pitches to escape trouble on Tuesday, especially his slider-driven strikeout of Nick Castellanos with two outs and two runners on in the fifth inning.
“He knew what he wanted to do and he executed his pitches,” said Mendoza. “It was impressive.”
Same goes for the bullpen, which has been practically untouchable. On Tuesday, Huascar Brazoban, A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek, and Jose Butto each delivered a scoreless inning, lowering the bullpen ERA to 2.47, third in the majors. That only pales in comparison to the starting rotation’s 2.29 ERA, which is the best in the majors despite the lack of star power.
Which brings us back to those scouts.
“I have to admit, I had my doubts about their rotation,” said one scout on Monday afternoon. “They’re doing something right over there, getting the most out of guys. But I still want to see how they do against the Phillies.”
So far, still dominant.
"We Stayed With It': Maple Leafs Halt Senators' Comeback Bid To Take 2-0 Series Lead
Max Domi scored the overtime winner as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series on Tuesday.
For a while, it looked like the Leafs were going to steamroll the Senators after scoring twice on their first four shots on goal for the second consecutive game. However, the Senators hung on and dominated the second period, which led to their first goal of the game from Brady Tkachuk.
The third period saw the Leafs play tighter defensively as they tried to hand on to the one-goal lead. But Senators forward Adam Gaudette deflected a shot past Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz to tie the game and force overtime.
It didn't take long before Max Domi scored the winner at 3:09. Toronto is 10-0 all-time in the best-of-seven series, where they won the first two games at home.
After the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube broke down the flow of the game.
"Yeah, it was great to see that goal by Max. Obviously a great play. (Simon) Benoit made a great play on it," Berube said. "But first period was really good. I liked our start a lot, came out playing on our toes, and got through our forecheck. We were aggressive. We got a good lead, our power play came through again. Second period I thought that they were the better team. We didn't make plays, we kind of looked like we were just protecting the lead a little bit and didn't make enough plays. Didn't advance and get to the offensive zone enough. Took a couple of penalties. And third period was fine. We were in good shape. The goal was the first shot we gave up in the third period. We were playing the right way and doing the right thing. It was a mistake and mistakes happen. We stayed with it and ended up getting the win."
In addition, Berube addressed:
* The change in Morgan Rielly's game (he scored Toronto's first goal of the game).
* Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz' performance (26-save performance)
* Why the Leafs elected not to challenge the Gaudette goal after mulling it over.
* The impact of Pontus Holmberg and his ability to draw penalties (leading to John Tavares' power-play goal that made it 2-0 Toronto)
Q: What have you seen different from Morgan Rielly that has allowed him to perform in the way he has? (one goal t
I don't think it's different in the playoffs than the last 20 games, I would say, or so, where he is up in the play more like I talked about. Playing with (Brandon) Carlo, I think he feels very comfortable with his partner. They got a good chemistry together and I think that he's freed up a little bit to do his thing offensively.
Q: Max looks like he's been putting in extra work. Good to see a goal like that pay off for him?
Yeah, he still works hard. I mean, he's always trying to improve and get better and work with people, skill guys, and practice and stuff like that. And I feel very good. I feel very happy for him to get a goal. It's a big goal, obviously, and it's a great feeling to score one of those. I've got a couple. *laughs* I'm very happy for him. He's a hard worker. I thought he had a good game tonight overall. You know, he was skating. I always say when Max skates and attacks, he's on his game.
Q: You've know Anthony his whole career. What are the lessons for a goalie who has waited this long to get his shot and see it pay off?
Yeah, I had him at the start of his career in Philly. He's just getting going in pro. You go through your career, how he went through it. Kind of always was like the backup, but, you know, not a starter. And still a valuable position. Ge's coming off a very good season last year and won him a Stanley Cup and he came in this year, wanting to be a starter. And I know it was a shared net for the most of the year. I think, you know, a lot of the reason for that was we had two guys that have not played a significant amount of games throughout the season. So I like the combination of both of them, but, you know, he's been excellent all year. I mean he got injured there, coming back from the injury, he took him a bit to establish himself again. But he's doing the job for us now.
'He Made Big Saves': How Anthony Stolarz Won Game 1 Of The Goalie Battle Against Senators' Linus UllmarkAnthony Stolarz showed up and showed out against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario, which the Toronto Maple Leafs won commandingly, 6-2.
Q: What did you make of Anthony sticking up for himself and take a roughing penalty?
I mean, I think it gets annoying after a while, right? And I've seen that with goalies before. I really don't have a problem with it.
Q: What was the conversation on the bench like of Ottawa's second goal?
Oh the tying goal? Well Stutzle's coming in, you know, he's not over the blue (line) the other way yet. And the puck just fired in and it looks like it hit him. We couldn't really identify that immediately, so call timeout so our video guys can take a little bit more time to look at it, but we made the decision that it did not hit him.
Q: Pontus draws a penalty. Can you talk about the little things he's done in this series?
He draws a lot of penalties. He's very good at that. One of the best. I think, like I said, I talked about Pontus and to me his game has gone to another level in the last 20 or so where he's way more aggressive. He has the ability to hang on to pucks and keep pucks and win battles and things like that. But for me, the skating part of it has gotten to another level where he's not waiting to be safe or, you know, he's just going now. Skating. I thought he had a real good game tonight. He was strong on things in the corner, helping out, battling, doing a lot of good things. He was at the net most of the night too for that line, which is important.
Q: You've been through a lot as a coach. How frustrating does it get when you go through stretches where it looks like your team stops playing?
Yeah, and I thought in a second, like I said, we stopped skating and watched a little bit and stopped making plays. It is frustrating, but at the same time as a coach, you've got to, you know, we're asking our players to be composed. I've got to be composed too. Talk to them about things, try to motivate them a little bit on the bench and get them going again, get them skating again. It was a funny period because it was a lot of different matchups going on and whistles and penalties. We had a couple penalties, so, you know, there's certain guys that don't hit the ice and they get out of rhythm a little bit. So we definitely got to play better in the second period.
'I Don't Know How Much Of A Wrestling Match It Was': Maple Leafs React to Brad Marchand and Pontus Holmberg's Scuffle in Game 5 Against BruinsHolmberg and Marchand got into a scuffle during the third period of Game 5 before the Bruins' forward was taken down by one of the officials.
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Mets' Luis Torrens rewards manager Carlos Mendoza's faith with two-run single to put Phillies away
There were a few key at-bats in the Mets' 5-1 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night, but one almost didn't happen.
With the Mets up 3-1 in the seventh inning, and runners on second and first with two outs, the Phillies brought in right-hander Orion Kerkering. Jesse Winker was intentionally walked after getting Kerkering fell behind 2-0. Despite walking the bases loaded, the Phillies needed just one more out to keep the Mets to three runs, and the matchup was better for the Phillies reliever to pitch to right-hander Luis Torrens than the slugging lefty Winker.
At least, that was one scenario. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had Brandon Nimmo on the bench and could have forced Kerkering to pitch to another left-handed bat. It almost makes too much sense for Mendoza to make the move since Kerkering -- thanks to the three-batter rule -- would have to stay in.
Yet, the second-year skipper stood with Torrens. The backstop would reward his manager's faith with a two-run single that gave the Mets more than enough run support to take the series against the rival Phillies.
"I don’t know," Mendoza said with a chuckle when asked why he stuck with Torrens in that spot. "That was a tough one there. Having a guy like Nimmo off the bench. I don’t know. Looking at the matchup, Nimmo is going to say that’s the best matchup there, nothing against Louie. I just like my chances with him and hopefully he puts a ball in play and finds a hole. He gets an 0-2 hole, and I’m like, man. Then he gets the single, and I'm like 'alright.'"
"I had already failed in the first three at-bats. I didn’t get any hits," Torrens said after the game through an interpreter. "At that point, it’s ‘let me focus on this at-bat and try to get a good result out of it.’"
Torrens later added, "Feels good when the manager gives you the opportunity to be in that situation. It feels good."
Tuesday was Torrens' third game this season where he's driven in more than one run, and that's helped the Mets overcome Francisco Alvarez's offseason injury.
In 20 games, Torrens is batting .228 with an OPS of .653. And while those numbers don't jump off the page, he's come up big a number of times at the plate and with his defense.
"He’s been huge, man," Mendoza said of Torrens' contributions. "Last season, the impact we felt it right away. It carried over. This is a guy that’s prepared and knows his role. If he's not playing every day, you know he’s ready. And when he gets the opportunity to play every day, like right now, he shows he's capable of catching every day and handling a pitching staff.
"His ability to control the running game. He's going to give you good at-bats, puts the ball in play, goes the other way. There’s a lot to like about this guy."
With Alvarez rehabbing in Triple-A, his return to the lineup is imminent, which will move Torrens back to the backup role. But as the Mets saw last season as their primary backup, Torrens can contribute in that role as well.
Torrens was asked about what has led to his success at the plate early this season, and the 28-year-old said it comes down to one thing.
"Right now, I’m not thinking too much about [the success]," Torrens said. "But the biggest thing is the confidence you have going in each and every day."
Tkachuk scores twice in return, leads Panthers to Game 1 victory over Tampa Bay
There were plenty of fireworks during Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Receiving a boost from the return of Matthew Tkachuk to the lineup, Florida scored early and often, taking down the Lightning 6-2 Tuesday night at Amalie Arena.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get things going.
Sam Bennett picked up the puck in Florida’s zone and quickly moved it up the ice, where Mackie Samoskevich eventually poked it into Tampa’s zone along the boards.
The rookie quickly collected the puck and sent a saucer pass toward the net, where Bennett was quickly heading, and the veteran deflected the pass from the rookie to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 3:44 mark.
Playing in his first Panthers game since early February, Matthew Tkahcuk took the game’s first penalty. It was a roughing call on a hit on Nikita Kucherov that was more than questionable, especially during the playoffs.
Florida nearly killed it off but a late faceoff led to Jake Guentzel plucking a Kucherov rebound from the side of the net and quickly dangling it behind Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the game at one.
Another deflection goal would give the Panthers their second lead of the game. This time it was Dmitry Kulikov sending a wrist shot toward the net that Sam Reinhart redirected past Andrei Vasilevskiy with just 44 seconds left in the opening period.
A great shift by the Anton Lundell line led to Florida’s third goal of the game.
Pinning the Lightning deep in their zone, Bennett came flying off the bench and forced a turnover along the boards. The puck was picked up by Brad Marchand, and after his shot was stopped by Vasilevskiy, Nate Schmidt came barreling down the slot and poked in the loose puck.
Tampa Head Coach Jon Cooper challenged the play for goalie interference, but after a quick review the goal was deemed good, and Florida was given a power play for the failed challenge.
It took only 14 seconds for the Panthers to make Tampa pay.
Reinhart found Tkachuk all alone in front of the net, and he showed off his soft hands, dangling around Vasilevskiy to give Florida a sudden and commanding 4-1 lead.
A questionable hit by Emil Lilleberg on Anton Lundell put the Panthers back on the power play, and once again it was Tkachuk beating Vasilevskly to pump Florida’s lead to four.
Just over three minutes later, Brayden Point one-timed a nice pass from Ryan McDonagh past Bobrovsky’s blocker to trim Florida’s lead by one.
Florida’s third power play of the game would lead to their third power play goal.
A perfectly placed wrist shot by Schmidt from the point beat Vasilevskiy over the glove, restoring the Cats’ four-goal lead just over five minutes into the final frame.
On to Game 2.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Two goals and an assist for Tkachuk in his first game in over two months. The three points match his playoff career high.
Bennett’s goal was his first since March 28 against Utah.
Reinhart picked up where he left off after finishing the regular season with seven goals in 12 games.
Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves, including on six of Tampa’s seven high danger shots.
Florida’s two goals in 14 seconds during the second period were the fastest two goals scored in Panthers playoff history.
Schmidt’s goals were the eighth and ninth he’s scored during the Stanley Cup Playoffs over 77 postseason games.
The Panthers improved to 20-0 when leading after two periods during the playoffs under Paul Maurice.
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Nashville Predators Assign Two Players to AHL Milwaukee for Calder Cup Playoff Push
The Nashville Predators reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals Monday. The pair started the 2024-25 season in Milwaukee and now return to aid the Admirals in their quest for the Calder Cup.
Milwaukee won the AHL’s Central Division for the second consecutive season with a record of 40-21-5-6 (91 points), earning their fifth straight trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Central Division semifinals begin May 1, when the Admirals will take on on the winner of the best-of-three Central Division first round series between Chicago and Rockford.
Svechkov is coming off his first season of NHL action, in which he recorded 17 points in 52 games for the Predators. Nashville's first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Svechkov was thrust into a larger role once the team traded Tommy Novak to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline.
Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He appeared in 46 games for Nashville this season, and brief demotion to the Admirals in early March made him eligible to play for them in the postseason.
Del Gaizo is eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old. It's unclear whether he will be back with the Predators next season, but the team's recent signing of Andreas Englund to a one-year, $775,000 contract makes it seem unlikely.
Cubs outslug Dodgers to win in extra innings
Tuesday night’s game at Wrigley Field mirrored what much of this young season has felt like at large.
Every time the Dodgers looked to be gaining real traction, they quickly spun out. Every time they seemed to find their top gear, they instead slipped back into reverse.
Despite leading by three runs in the first inning, then three again entering the eighth, the Dodgers couldn’t hold on in a wild 11-10, extra-innings loss to the Chicago Cubs, getting outplayed — or, at the very least, outslugged — on a night the wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field.
The result represented a backward step for the Dodgers in this opening month, another dose of reality just when it appeared they were turning a corner.
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After winning five of six games entering the night, the challenge now will be avoiding the same kind of prolonged stumble that followed their 8-0 start to the season, when they dropped six of nine games between their two winning stretches.
Tuesday’s game finally ended in the 10th inning, when, in what was the night’s fourth and final lead change, Ian Happ walked it off with a single to right field.
Long before then, however, the Dodgers squandered chances to effectively close it out.
Momentum would build, then vanish.
A team of supreme talent is still clearly far from top form.
In the first inning, Tommy Edman opened the scoring with a three-run home run — only for starting pitcher Dustin May to immediately give five runs back in the bottom of the inning.
The Dodgers steadied the ship from there, with Andy Pages hitting a towering solo shot in the second and May working out of trouble in the next three innings — only for May to leave a fastball right down the middle to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the fifth inning, giving up a two-run blast that made it 7-4.
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The Dodgers seemed to flip the script in the top of the seventh, scoring five times in an inning keyed by Freddie Freeman’s go-ahead two-run double down the left field line.
But even with a 10-7 lead, and six outs left to get, the Dodgers face-planted down the stretch.
Kyle Tucker took Alex Vesia deep in the eighth for a two-run homer. Miguel Amaya forced extra innings with a tying, two-out homer in the ninth off Tanner Scott, giving him his second blown save in 10 opportunities this year. Then, after the Dodgers stranded their automatic runner at third in the top of the 10th, recently called-up right-hander Noah Davis threw just one pitch in the bottom half of the inning: a hanging screwball Happ slapped to right for his walk-off single.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Siakam, Haliburton's double-doubles lead Pacers past Bucks 123-115 for 2-0 series lead
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and All-NBA guard Damain Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes, his first game action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.
Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.
The game had a little bit of everything. There was a scuffle in front of the Pacers bench that led to double technical fouls, words between multiple players in the final minutes, players repeatedly hitting the floor, a little zone defense, a smattering of full-court pressure and, of course, plenty of points.
But, Indiana controlled the entire game after racing to a 31-16 lead in less than 7 1/2 minutes. The Bucks used a late 13-0 run to get within 115-113 with 2:31 to go before Indiana closed it out with an 8-2 run to end the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 27 as the Thunder roll past Grizzlies 118-99 to take 2-0 series lead
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Jalen Williams added 24 points and Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City delivered a strong follow-up to its record-setting 131-80 win on Sunday in the series opener. The Thunder have won all six games against the Grizzlies this season by double digits.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points and Ja Morant added 23 for Memphis, which will host Game 3 on Thursday.
Oklahoma City opened with a 9-0 run and held Memphis scoreless for the first 3 1/2 minutes as the Grizzlies missed their first 10 shots.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who had been off for the first five quarters of the series, found his shot in the second quarter. He hit two 3-pointers 55 seconds apart to put Oklahoma City up 55-38.
Oklahoma City led 70-52 at the break after setting a team playoff record with 12 3-pointers in the first half.
Memphis started hot in the third and cut its deficit to single digits, but the Thunder took a 90-79 lead into the fourth.
Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace faked out Zach Edey, then went baseline for a one-handed jam that put the Thunder up 97-79 and brought the crowd to its feet.
The Thunder held Memphis scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the fourth.
Yankees' Will Warren overcomes his 'kryptonite' in best start yet
The Yankees didn't allow rookie starter Will Warren to record more than five outs in their road meeting with the Rays last Thursday. It wasn't a move that signaled a complete lack of trust -- the right-hander was pushed beyond five innings for the first time this season on Tuesday against the Guardians.
But the positive vibes that Warren produced with five scoreless frames of one-hit ball were squashed in the sixth, as he allowed back-to-back singles and ultimately watched Cleveland orchestrate a three-run rally from the dugout in New York's frustrating 3-2 loss at Progressive Field.
While the Yankees are now on the verge of being swept for the first time this season, their sixth-inning breakdown didn't tell the story of Warren's performance. He worked efficiently, inducing enough grounders and whiffs against a lineup that featured nine left-handed batters. Overall, he allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts across 82 pitches.
"We have confidence in the shapes of my pitches and stuff like that," Warren told the YES Network after the game. "It's mainly being aggressive in the zone, getting the hitter on their heels, and controlling the count.. Any time you put nine lefties in there, it's going to be a challenge for sure. Two years ago, I'd be extremely happy with how tonight went because lefties used to be my kryptonite. Now I feel like I have the confidence to go out there, whoever they put in the lineup."
Warren managed to avoid the long ball and keep his teammates active -- seven of his 15 outs came on grounders. But the Yankees struggled to help him and Mark Leiter Jr. work out of jams, as some squirrely infield hits and defensive miscues raised pitch counts and extended Cleveland's threats.
New York's lone error came in the second, when a poor throw to first from second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. ultimately led to a situation with runners on the corners. Then, moments after Warren left the game, a wild pitch from Leiter allowed a hustling Steven Kwan to score Cleveland's first run.
A two-out looper behind second base that Anthony Volpe couldn’t grab cleanly resulted in the Guardians' third run, and the misplay was also changed from an error to a single. Warren was responsible for creating the sixth-inning mess, but a string of bad luck undoubtedly spoiled his encouraging performance. His ERA now sits at 4.79 through five starts.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he didn't second-guess or regret sending Warren back out for the sixth. He was staying in until Guardians star Jose Ramirez returned to the plate.
"I thought he threw the ball so well," Boone said of Warren. "Really encouraging outing from him. Life to the heater, putting it where he wanted to. But getting ahead and he looked real aggressive, on the attack and pitching with confidence. That's what he's capable of right there. Good to see him have an outing like that."
The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To Maple Leafs And Senators' Game 2
Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.
On tonight's show, Ryan Kennedy and Avry Lewis-McDougall react to Game 2 between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Playoff Frenzy - April 22, 2025 | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...They also discuss what's going on around the NHL on Tuesday night, including Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Check out the show right now and share your opinions in the live chat and in our comment section.
Mets' clutch hitting the difference in 5-1 win over Phillies
The Mets continued to roll, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 at Citi Field on Tuesday night, extending their current winning streak to six games and raising their home record to 11-1.
They also extended their lead in the NL East over the Phillies to four games.
Here are the takeaways....
-The pitching continues to be a remarkable storyline for this team. Already leading MLB in team ERA, the Mets used four pitchers, beginning with Griffin Canning, to hold the Phillies’ ever-dangerous offense to just one run.
Their staff has allowed only 10 home runs all season, easily the lowest number in the majors.
-Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso continued to lead the way offensively.
Lindor went 3-for-5, scored a run and drove in another, and raised his batting average to .301 as the notoriously slow starter is enjoying perhaps the best April of his career.
Alonso, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .349, and his two-out, seventh-inning double off the wall in left drove in Lindor to give the Mets a 3-1 lead that soon went to 5-1 on Luis Torrens’ two-run single.
Alonso is now hitting .444 (4-for-9) with two outs and runners in scoring position -- quite a turnaround from the problems he had in the clutch last season.
-Canning delivered another strong start, albeit over only five innings. The Phillies put eight runners on base against him, but the right-hander repeatedly made pitches to get out of trouble, limiting the damage to one run.
Canning threw 84 pitches and had to work hard to get through the fifth. With runners on second and third and two outs, he struck out Nick Castellanos swinging at an outside slider.
As a result, Canning lowered his ERA to 3.12 after five starts and continues to be a nice surprise for the Mets.
Also, Canning did not allow a home run, and so Mets starters have now gone 12 games at home this season without allowing a long ball. It’s the longest such streak to start a season in franchise history.
In addition, their starters have gone 11 straight games, home and away, without allowing a homer. It’s the longest such streak for them since 2014.
-Huascar Brazoban, AJ Minter, Ryne Stanek, and Jose Butto all pitched scoreless innings in relief, as the Mets’ bullpen continues to excel.
-Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez figured to be a tough matchup, coming off a 12-strikeout outing against the San Francisco Giants that featured a whopping 23 swings-and-misses against his changeup alone. That was the most whiffs against a changeup in a game since the pitch-tracking era began in 2007.
Yet the Mets made life difficult for Sanchez from the start, seemingly making it a priority not to be fooled by the change while fouling off other pitches with defensive swings in long at-bats. As a result, they forced the Phillies’ lefty to throw 58 pitches in his only two innings of work.
Sanchez, who began the night 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA, gave up four hits, two walks, and two runs. The Phillies announced that he was taken out of the game because of left forearm soreness.
Game MVP: Francisco Lindor
His hot bat continues to ignite the Mets. After Lindor led off two straight games with home runs, he was in the middle of every rally on Tuesday, with three singles that all led to runs, one way or another.
Lindor is now hitting .461 (12-for-26) on this homestand.
Highlights
Welcome back, Mark Vientos!
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025
He drills the 8th pitch of the at-bat for an RBI double! pic.twitter.com/jY2hjaLdTL
Pete Alonso makes a BEAUTIFUL pick at first base to keep the game tied! 💪 pic.twitter.com/9TPXurztKm
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025
Francisco Lindor brings home José Azócar and the Mets take the lead! pic.twitter.com/4KLs9Xi2xh
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
Griffin Canning is HYPED after striking out Nick Castellanos to get out of trouble in the 5th 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0LUapeXSdr
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
Vientos ➡️ Acuña ➡️ Alonso to turn two! pic.twitter.com/09x8xLc2ym
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
🗣️ PETE A-LON-SO
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
25 RBIS FOR PETE ALONSO! HE BRINGS HOME FRANCISCO LINDOR WITH AN RBI DOUBLE! pic.twitter.com/Up2cIFfQP9
LUIS TORRENS BRINGS CITI FIELD TO ITS FEET!
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
IT'S 5-1 METS! pic.twitter.com/wYAjIazqrC
Tyrone Taylor dekes Kyle Schwarber and turns the 8-3 double play! pic.twitter.com/3YE2HpWyxd
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025
What's next
The Mets and Phillies complete their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.
David Peterson (1-1, 3.27 ERA) is on the mound with Zack Wheeler (2-1, 3.73 ERA) on the bump for Philadelphia.
Peyton Pritchard wins NBA Sixth Man of Year award, fourth Celtic to earn honor
This was Payton Pritchard's year. Coming off winning a ring, he was asked to step up his role as sixth man and get the Celtics through the long grind of the NBA season. He did that with career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game, and Pritchard knocked down a career-high 255 3-pointers, the fifth highest total in the league this season and the second most in a season in Celtics franchise history. Boston was +428 points this season in the minutes Pritchard was on the court.
All that made Pritchard the runaway winner of the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. He received 82 of the 100 first-place votes from a global panel of media members.
Payton Pritchard, the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year!
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2025
☘️ Most 3PM in a season off the bench in NBA history (246)
☘️ Most PTS off the bench this season (1,079)@Kia | #KiaSixthpic.twitter.com/wZaDQXgDOd
Pritchard becomes the fourth Celtic to win the award and joins some illustrious names to take that honor.
Payton Pritchard joins the ranks with some ELITE previous Celtics SMOTY winners pic.twitter.com/nfgaAGXweP
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 23, 2025
Detroit's Mikal Bridges finished second in the voting with Cleveland's Ty Jerome third. The Cavaliers' De'Andre Hunter and the Timberwolves' Naz Reid rounded out the top five.
NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-04-24 19:12:12
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani plays catch as he continues his comeback from elbow surgery
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani played catch on Tuesday in a continuation of his throwing program in his comeback from elbow surgery.
Ohtani rejoined the Dodgers on Sunday after his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, gave birth to the couple's first child in Southern California. The two-way star went 0 for 3 with a walk in the Dodgers’ 1-0 win at Texas.
Following an off day, the 30-year-old Ohtani threw in the outfield at Wrigley Field before the opener of a two-game set against the Chicago Cubs. He is expected to have a light bullpen session on Wednesday and a “full-blown bullpen” on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts said.
“I still don't know what the next step is,” Roberts said, “and I think once he starts facing hitters, then it'll start to become more pronounced. But right now he's still in the mode of just throwing bullpens, and he still hasn't thrown sliders yet either.”
Ohtani hasn't pitched in a major league game since Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels. He is recovering from right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023. He paused his pitching work after a mound session on Feb. 25 to prepare for opening day as a hitter.
The reigning NL MVP, who signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, is batting .277 with six homers and eight RBIs going into the series at Chicago.
Left-hander Blake Snell also played catch on Tuesday, and Roberts said it went well. Snell is on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation.
Tyler Glasnow remains on track to start Sunday at home against Pittsburgh. The 31-year-old right-hander left Sunday's win against the Rangers because of lower leg cramps.
“I haven't seen Glas, but from the training staff, they said that there is no more cramping,” Roberts said. “As we traveled here to Chicago he was fine.”