United looked like exiting the Europa League meekly before pulling off one of the great comebacks
2 min: A little smoke from the pre-match pyro party still floating about. A couple of early touches for Onana. Casemiro has the opportunity to send Dorgu into space down the left but overcooks the pass and clanks it out for a throw.
A blast of John Denver, then Lyon get the ball rolling, with the aggregate score 2-2 after the first leg. The hosts are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.
While there are plenty of buzzworthy stories surrounding the Warriors as they enter the 2025 NBA playoffs, Jonathan Kuminga’s reduced role in Golden State’s two biggest games of the season continues to remain a sticking point among fans.
The fourth-year veteran registered a DNP in consecutive contests after not seeing the floor in the Warriors’ pivotal matchups with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.
“Mostly, I feel for JK, because I like him. He’s been here for four years, he’s a talented guy. Sometimes things go in a different direction. I think what happened here is pretty obvious; I’ve talked about it. Jimmy Butler came in,” Kerr told Willard and Dibley. “When JK was out, we traded for Jimmy and they play the same position. Our whole team changed. We became an ISO team with Jimmy. Movement with Steph [Curry] and iso with Jimmy. Jimmy is one of the best players in the league, so it’s not as simple as just saying, ‘Oh, OK we’ll just play them together.’ Basketball doesn’t work that way.
“The puzzle has to fit. We found a really good formula when JK was injured and we got Jimmy, I think we went 18-2 or something right away. So we found lineup combinations that have clicked, and we’re winning and we have to stick with that. It’s brutal for JK, it really is. He’s a young player, he wants to play and he’s absolutely talented enough to play. He still may be a part of the equation in this series and maybe the next series after that. So we just have to keep plugging away and keep moving forward and he’s doing a good job of that, and I definitely feel for him.”
Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 47 appearances during the 2024-25 NBA season, playing a critical role in the Warriors’ rotation before being sidelined for over two months with an ankle injury.
The No. 7 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga already has first-hand experience with what the NBA playoffs entail after helping the Warriors secure their 2022 championship as a rookie.
While his role this season appears to be much different, Kuminga still could end up playing a crucial role for Golden State during the Warriors’ upcoming postseason run.
But for now, the 22-year-old wing appears to be entrenched near the bottom of the pecking order as Kerr and Co. pursue another piece of hardware for the franchise’s trophy case.
It’s Friday, April 18, and the Dallas Mavericks (39-43) and Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) are all set to square off from FedExForum in Memphis.
The Mavericks are currently 17-25 on the road with a point differential of -1, while the Grizzlies have a 4-6 record in their last ten games at home. Memphis lost the first play-in game to Golden State, 121-117, while Dallas beat Sacramento 120-106. Memphis is 3-1 against Dallas this season.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Mavericks vs. Grizzlies live today
Date: Friday, April 18, 2025
Time: 9:30PM EST
Site: FedExForum
City: Memphis, TN
Network/Streaming: ESPN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Mavericks vs. Grizzlies
The latest odds as of Friday:
Odds: Mavericks (+220), Grizzlies (-272)
Spread: Grizzlies -6.5
Over/Under: 221 points
That gives the Mavericks an implied team point total of 109.48, and the Grizzlies 112.88.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s Mavericks vs. Grizzlies game
Rotoworld Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the first quarter Under between Dallas and Memphis:
"As frustrating as going 1-3 on the first quarter Unders during the play-in was, two of the three losses were the right side, but I just experienced buzzer-beats to end the quarter to lose by one point both times. In fact, both of those losses were in the Mavericks and Grizzlies games, so I want my money back. Seven of the past 10 play-in games have hit 57 or fewer points in the first quarter, so that's a trend I will continue to back. Give me the first quarter Under 57.5 at -120 odds."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections 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 today’s Mavericks & Grizzlies game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Memphis Grizzlies on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Dallas Mavericks at +6.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 221.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Mavericks vs. Grizzlies on Friday
The Grizzlies have won their last 3 matchups against divisional opponents
The Over is 4-1 in the Mavericks' last 5 matchups against Western Conference Southwest Division teams
The Mavericks have failed to cover in 4 of their last 5 matchups against Western Conference Southwest Division teams
The Over is 4-1 in the Mavericks' last 5 matchups against Western Conference Southwest Division teams
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The only Sharks on the ice were Celebrini and Jack Thompson, who’s coming back from injury and ramping up to join the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL playoffs.
Individually, could the 2024 No. 1 pick’s rookie season have gone any better?
He led all rookies with a 0.9 Points Per Game average. His 63 points was tied with Matvei Michkov for second among all NHL rookies, behind only Lane Hutson’s 66. His 25 goals was also second among all rookies, just behind Michkov’s 26. He impressed on both sides of the ice and was the San Jose Sharks’ clear-cut No. 1 center by the end of the season.
About the only thing that he could’ve done individually was play the 12 games that he missed because of an early-season hip injury, an absence which might cost him the Calder Trophy.
But besides that, he showed all the makings of a genuine superstar, both on the ice and with his work ethic.
The Sharks were a last-place team once again, with just one more win and five more points than last season’s 47 points, but the future feels a lot brighter for the franchise, chiefly because of Celebrini.
Celebrini shared what he wants to improve in his game next year, living with Joe Thornton, the World Championships as an audition for the Olympics, and what he’d say to other players to get them to join him with the Sharks.
Kranick was able to return to the big league club so soon because the Mets placed outfielder Jose Siri on the 10-day Injured List with a left tibia fracture. Without the IL move, the reliever would not have had to spend 15 days in the minors, per MLB rules.
New York also optioned Justin Hagenman to Triple-A after he made his major league debut in Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, after starter Griffin Canning was scratched due to illness. The right-hander allowed one run on one hit and struck out four over 3.1 innings of work.
In a corresponding move, outfielder José Azócar was added to the roster. Azócar has played 214 big league games over the last three seasons with the San Diego Padres, slashing .243/.287/.322 for a .610 OPS with 22 career extra-base hits and 21 RBI in 397 plate appearances.
The Mets claimed the 28-year-old off waivers last September, and he has appeared in 22 games with Syracuse, where he has 28 hits in 92 at-bats (.304).
Canning will start on Thursday, and left-hander David Peterson will be pushed back to Friday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have, presumably, made a roster move ahead of their final game of the 2024-25 season against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
According to the NHL's media website, the Penguins have recalled forward Sam Poulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - on an emergency basis.
With forward Kevin Hayes designated as a "game-time decision" due to a lower-body injury - and defenseman P.O Joseph ruled out after rotating in on forward line rushes in practice this week - the Penguins would have only had 11 healthy forwards and six healthy defenseman going into Thursday's game without an emergency recall.
Poulin, 24, was a first-round pick (21st overall) by the Penguins in 2019. He has played in six NHL games this season, registering one point, and he has two points in 12 career games.
At the AHL level this season, Poulin has 19 goals and 43 points in 56 games, including four points in his last four.
After falling to the Dallas Stars in the second round one year ago, the Colorado Avalanche will look to use that experience toward a different result as they start their 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs looking for revenge.
“They’ve ended our year a couple of different times since I’ve been here,” said Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar on Wednesday. “They’re a very good team. They’re very opportunistic. You’ve got to find ways to expose them on all areas of the ice.”
This spring, there’s one big change: longtime Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is playing on the other side. The Avalanche and Stars start their first-round seriesthis weekend.
Over seven seasons, Rantanen put up 101 playoff points in 81 games and was a key cog in Colorado’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2022.
“Mikko’s a playoff player,” Makar said. “That’s what he’s born and bred to do. So it’ll definitely be tough to defend. But that team in general – they’re very good.”
Before the Avalanche won their championship three years ago, then-GM Joe Sakic shored up his team’s roster by acquiring goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the summer of 2021, then bringing in Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano at the 2022 deadline.
This year, Chris MacFarland has pulled off even more extensive roster renovations.
He handed the goaltending reins to Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood on top of adding forwards Martin Necas, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle, along with defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
“I look back at the year we won, and they made some key additions at the deadline,” Makar said. “Those were huge to finding success in the playoffs and we've only done more of those throughout this year – what the management thinks we need. It’s definitely great that they have trust in us, and they give us the best opportunity to win.”
Two familiar faces from ’22 are also getting back in the mix: veteran blueliner Erik Johnson, who was re-acquired at the deadline, and left winger Gabriel Landeskog.
The Colorado captain, 32, hasn’t played an NHL game since he hoisted the Cup overhead after the Avalanche dethroned the Tampa Bay Lightning. But after nearly three years of rehab, Landeskog successfully suited up for a pair of AHL games with the Colorado Eagles. He also looked every bit like his usual feisty self when he joined his Avs teammates for practice on Wednesday in Denver.
“He definitely hasn’t lost a step,” Makar said. “It’s going to take some time to get back to where he was. Missing three years of gameplay is pretty crucial, but I think he’s doing the right thing, making the right steps here. Hopefully he just keeps progressing, and it’s nice to have him around the team. That’s for sure.”
Makar was part of a group that made the trek out to Loveland to take in Landeskog’s return to action last weekend. As an added bonus, he also got to see his younger brother and Avs prospect, Taylor Makar, suit up for the first-place Eagles, just two weeks after the left winger turned pro following a Hockey East championship at the University of Maine.
“Really cool experience,” Cale Makar said. “I haven't got the chance to watch my brother live since such a long time ago – probably, like, minor hockey.”
Already a past winner of the Calder, Conn Smythe and Norris Trophies, Makar just finished his most productive season yet.
He led all NHL defensemen with 92 points while landing in the top 10 in overall scoring. He also became just the ninth blueliner of all time to score 30 goals and the first since Mike Green of the Washington Capitals tallied 31 in 2008-09.
As he sits in pole position for his second Norris while NHL Awards voting takes place this week, perhaps the only person in the hockey world who’s not impressed is Makar himself.
“I think it just goes back to the team, and how well they've done at giving us good players to succeed,” he said. “You’re not achieving any of that without good teammates. For us, they’ve found great fits here, and I think that’s only elevated everybody’s play.”
With playoffs set to begin, Makar and Florida Panthers left winger Matthew Tkachuk are this year’s faces of the ‘Check In To Win’ sweepstakes at Great Clips, the official hair salon of the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association.
From now through May 19, fans who download the Great Clips app and check in will be entered for a chance to see epic on-ice checks live from the stands at the 2025 Stanley Cup final. Other prizes include gift cards for Great Clips and NHLshop.com.
“It's pretty exciting for them to be sending one person to a Stanley Cup final game,” Makar said. “It's an honor to do a partnership with them.”
On top of a good haircut, Makar says “a lot” goes into his preparation to bring his best each game day.
“Nothing too superstitious or ritual-wise, but just making sure your body’s physically and mentally ready to get it going.”
Cale Makar and the Avalanche will start their first-round series against the Stars on the road on Saturday, April 19, at American Airlines Arena.
The order for the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery was set on the final night of the 2024-25 regular season Thursday. And the two teams with the best odds to land the No. 1 pick are the same as last year.
So, which other teams are in the running for this year’s top pick? And when will the lottery be held? Here’s what to know:
What is the NHL draft lottery?
The draft lottery is used to award the top two picks in the draft and set the order of the first 16 selections, which includes all of the non-playoff teams. But not all teams in the draft lottery are eligible to win the No. 1 pick.
How does the NHL draft lottery work?
That’s because the most spots a team can move up in the lottery is 10, giving 11 clubs a chance to land the first pick and 12 teams a shot at the second pick.
For the lottery, 1,001 different four-number combinations are distributed among the teams, with the worst team having the most combinations, the second-worst team having the second-most combinations, and so on.
Fourteen ping pong balls numbered 1 to 14 are placed into a lottery machine and four are randomly drawn. The team that owns that four-digit combination gets the top pick, and the process is then repeated to award the second pick. Once the top two picks are awarded, the rest of the top 16 is set in inverse order of the regular-season standings.
If, for instance, the Detroit Red Wings, who enter the lottery sitting in the 12th draft slot, win the first drawing, they would move up 10 spots to No. 2 and the league-worst Sharks would get the No. 1 pick.
A rule introduced starting with the 2022 lottery bars a team from improving its draft position via the lottery more than twice over any five-year span. But, since the 2022 lottery, no team has moved up in the order more than once.
What are the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery odds?
Here are the 11 teams with a chance to win the No. 1 pick, along with their odds:
The teams slotted from 12th to 16th are, in order, the Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Utah Hockey Club, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. Detroit has a 5.1% chance of jumping up to second, Columbus has a 4.2% chance of jumping up to third, Utah has a 3.2% chance of jumping up to fourth, Vancouver has a 1.1% chance of jumping up to fifth and Calgary has a 1.1% chance of jumping up to sixth, according to Tankathon.
The NHL hasn’t announced a date for the draft lottery yet. Last year’s event was on May 7.
When and where is the 2025 NHL Draft?
The draft will be held at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles from Friday, June 27, to Saturday, June 28.
How many rounds are in the NHL draft?
The NHL draft features seven rounds. The first round is set for June 27 followed by Rounds 2-7 on June 28.
Who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft?
OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer is expected to be the first player taken in this year’s draft. Schaefer, 17, had seven goals and 15 assists with a plus-21 rating over 17 games this season with the Erie Otters before suffering a broken collarbone while playing for Canada at the world junior championship in December.
Last night, Senators prospect Luke Ellinas kept the Kitchener Rangers' season alive by scoring all three goals in their 3-0 win over the Windsor Spitfires.
The Windsor offense, led by L.A. Kings prospect Liam Greentree and Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas, has had its way during the first three games of the series, scoring a total of 16 goals.
The offensive dominance is surprising given Kitchener's defensive prowess during the regular season. The Rangers allowed the second-fewest goals (183) while maintaining the second-best penalty kill in the OHL.
In last night's game, the Rangers flipped the script by shutting out the Spitfires and registering the team's first shutout of the postseason. The Rangers outshot the Spitfires 35-24 with goaltender Jackson Parsons making all 24 saves.
If Parsons can be recognized as the defensive star of the night, Ellinas was the other side of the coin.
He scored the eventual game winner early in the second frame on a bad-angle shot that found a small hole in Joey Costanzo's armor.
On a rush later in the period, the Toronto native cut to the middle of the ice on the rush and fired a shot that once again wormed its way through Constanzo to extend the Kitchener lead. His third and final goal was an empty-netter scored moments before the final buzzer.
Ellinas seems to thrive on playoff hockey. He has never broken 40 points in his two-year OHL career. However, during last year's playoffs, he scored at nearly a point per game pace, while after last night, he is averaging more than a point per game in this year's playoffs.
The Ottawa Senators drafted Ellinas in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. While he still has a lot to learn, his tendency to score during the postseason should interest a team like Ottawa that will return to the NHL Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
During last night's contest, he had multiple scoring chances that didn't find the back of the net and consistently pushed the pace offensively for his team.
While the win is sweet, the Rangers have a very long and hard road ahead if they want to make it out of the second round of the OHL Playoffs. They need to regroup quickly and come back ready to play in game five. They will be in do-or-die mode for the rest of this series.
In what has been a rapid recovery from a potentially life-threatening disease, Damian Lillard has been taken off blood-thinning medications and has been "cleared for full basketball activity as the deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right calf has resolved," the Milwaukee Bucks announced.
Lillard had been doing some shooting and light running, but he still needs to ramp up his conditioning and will not play on Saturday when Milwaukee travels to Indiana for Game 1 of their first-round series. However, he should return before the first round is over.
"We're thrilled for Dame," said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "Our priority has always been Dame's health. We're grateful to our medical team for diagnosing and treating his DVT at an early stage, and for the world-renown hematology specialists at Mayo Clinic. Every step of Dame's recovery has been at the direction of world-class medical professionals and their specific and strict protocols that have allowed for Dame's safe and healthy return to play."
Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, shooting 37.6% on 3-pointers. Lillard's ability to play in space in transition, as well as get buckets in the halfcourt, should be a boost for the Bucks in what will be a hard-fought first-round series against the Pacers.
The Phillies jumped on the Giants in the first inning Thursday and let Cristopher Sanchez do much of the rest.
With a 6-4 win at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies salvaged a four-game series split against San Francisco and improved to 11-8 overall. They still haven’t lost a series at home since being swept by the Yankees in late July of last season.
The Phillies tallied five runs in the first. Sanchez set a new career high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings and only walked one. He allowed four hits and three runs (two earned).
Sanchez conceded a first-inning run, but he was soon working with a healthy lead. The first five Phillies reached base. Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos all singled. Bryce Harper walked.
The Phils smoked Jordan Hicks’ high-90s heaters and extended their lead to 5-1 when Alec Bohm lined a two-out triple that Luis Matos couldn’t snag on the center field warning track.
Both offenses then quieted down. Hicks righted the ship and Sanchez got rolling. He struck out eight Giants over the first four innings.
Sanchez’s changeup was extraordinarily deceptive and well-located, fading out of the zone and flummoxing San Francisco’s lineup. Out of 29 swings against Sanchez’s changeup, 22 were whiffs. He leaned on his elite pitch without growing too predictable, throwing changeups on a little over half of his pitches (50 of 97).
The Giants trimmed their deficit in the sixth inning. Turner made his second error of the day with a wayward throw to first and Matt Chapman ripped a hanging Sanchez slider into the left field seats.
Sanchez plunked Mike Yastrzemski to lead off the seventh, but he navigated around it by racking up two more strikeouts and inducing a groundout to Stott.
The Phillies added an insurance run in the eighth inning — Edmundo Sosa’s sac fly scored Harper from third — and asked Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado to notch the final six outs.
Kerkering tossed a 1-2-3 eighth. Alvarado gave up a solo homer to Tyler Fitzgerald but ultimately polished off the victory.
Castellanos pulled, Marsh sidelined
Castellanos exited Thursday’s game after six innings because of left hip flexor tightness and Sosa entered.
“The play that he fell down on where the ball skipped on him, he kind of turned his knee a little bit … just twisted it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters pregame. “He’s a little sore, so we’re going to keep him out today.”
Thomson was unsure how long Marsh would be out.
“He’s going to see the doc and then we’ll re-evaluate,” he said.
“He’ll be here tomorrow,” Thomson told reporters. “He’ll throw a bullpen with us. We’ll get our trainers to get their hands on him. And then it’s probably going to be Tuesday again in (Triple A Lehigh Valley).”
Suarez threw 54 pitches Wednesday and is still ramping up.
“In theory, next time out you go to 70, 75,” Thomson said. “Then 90, 95. Then we’ll see.”
On deck
Zack Wheeler (1.1, 4.07 ERA) will face Sandy Alcantara (2-0, 4.70 ERA) on Friday night to kick off the Phillies’ three-game series vs. the Marlins.
The Phillies jumped on the Giants in the first inning Thursday and let Cristopher Sanchez do much of the rest.
With a 6-4 win at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies salvaged a four-game series split against San Francisco and improved to 11-8 overall. They still haven’t lost a series at home since being swept by the Yankees in late July of last season.
The Phillies tallied five runs in the first. Sanchez set a new career high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings and only walked one. He allowed four hits and three runs (two earned).
Sanchez conceded a first-inning run, but he was soon working with a healthy lead. The first five Phillies reached base. Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos all singled. Bryce Harper walked.
The Phils smoked Jordan Hicks’ high-90s heaters and extended their lead to 5-1 when Alec Bohm lined a two-out triple that Luis Matos couldn’t snag on the center field warning track.
Both offenses then quieted down. Hicks righted the ship and Sanchez got rolling. He struck out eight Giants over the first four innings.
Sanchez’s changeup was extraordinarily deceptive and well-located, fading out of the zone and flummoxing San Francisco’s lineup.
“It was as good as you’re going to get, I think … as good as I’ve seen,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “A lot of swing and miss. It was just diving into the ground.”
Out of 29 swings against Sanchez’s changeup, 22 were whiffs. He leaned on his elite pitch without growing too predictable, throwing changeups on a little over half of his pitches (50 of 97).
“It was kind of tough to see out there,” J.T. Realmuto said. “Once the shadows roll in, it makes it that much harder to be able to recognize spin and off speed. That’s why we started using it a little more often.”
The Giants trimmed their deficit in the sixth inning. Turner made his second error of the day with a wayward throw to first and Matt Chapman ripped a hanging Sanchez slider into the left field seats.
Sanchez plunked Mike Yastrzemski to lead off the seventh, but he navigated around it by racking up two more strikeouts and inducing a groundout to Stott.
“My key for today was go as long as I could,” Sanchez said through a Phillies interpreter. “Our bullpen’s a little tired, so I wanted to contribute on that.”
The Phillies added an insurance run in the eighth inning — Edmundo Sosa’s sac fly scored Harper from third — and asked Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado to notch the final six outs.
Kerkering tossed a 1-2-3 eighth. Alvarado gave up a solo homer to Tyler Fitzgerald but ultimately polished off the victory.
Castellanos pulled, Marsh sidelined
Castellanos exited Thursday’s game after six innings because of left hip flexor tightness and Sosa entered. According to Thomson, Castellanos “should be good to go tomorrow.”
“The play that he fell down on where the ball skipped on him, he kind of turned his knee a little bit … just twisted it,” Thomson told reporters pregame. “He’s a little sore, so we’re going to keep him out today.”
Thomson said postgame that Marsh has “just kind of a strain behind the knee,” is considered “day-to-day,” and is not expected to require an IL stint.
“He’ll be here tomorrow,” Thomson told reporters. “He’ll throw a bullpen with us. We’ll get our trainers to get their hands on him. And then it’s probably going to be Tuesday again in (Triple A Lehigh Valley).”
Suarez threw 54 pitches Wednesday and is still ramping up.
“In theory, next time out you go to 70, 75,” Thomson said. “Then 90, 95. Then we’ll see.”
On deck
Zack Wheeler (1.1, 4.07 ERA) will face Sandy Alcantara (2-0, 4.70 ERA) on Friday night to kick off the Phillies’ three-game series vs. the Marlins.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani did not record a hit with a runner in scoring position until Wednesday's game against the Rockies. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Shohei Ohtani is not publicly known, nor personally sees himself, as a quick starter at the plate.
"Overall, in my career,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton, “I don't really have a hot start in the beginning of the season.”
This year, that’s technically true again — but only if you hold the reigning National League MVP to his own stratospheric standards.
Through the opening three weeks, all of Ohtani’s triple-slash stats are down from last year (.288/.380/.550), but only because his 2024 marks (.310/.390/.646) all topped the NL. Same story with a .930 OPS that is more than 100 points lower than his gaudy 2024 total, but still good enough to rank top 20 in the majors.
With six home runs and five stolen bases, Ohtani isn’t quite on mathematical pace for another 50-homer, 50-steal season; but is on an early track to become the first player in MLB history with multiple 40/40 campaigns.
And though he has taken a few more awkward swings than normal in the opening three weeks, he has started honing in on his power stroke, too, leading off Wednesday’s win over the Colorado Rockies with a towering 448-foot blast that almost cleared the right-field pavilion.
“I think overall,” he said, “it's been a really good first 20 games."
The only true area of regression so far has been in one statistical category; where a glaring drop in production has signaled a key early-season problem for the team.
After racking up 130 RBIs in 159 games last year, Ohtani has just eight in this season’s opening 20 contests. Seven of them have come via his six home runs (all but one of which were solo shots). Not until Wednesday, when he returned to the plate in a seven-run first inning and knocked in Austin Barnes with an RBI single, did he record his first hit with a runner in scoring position.
“Shohei’s in a good spot,” manager Dave Roberts said recently. “We just need to get some guys on base for him.”
That reality said more about the rest of the team’s offense than its superstar leadoff man.
From the Nos. 7-9 spots in the batting order, the Dodgers have posted a .173 batting average so far, tied for worst in the majors. Prior to Wednesday, they’d given Ohtani just nine plate appearances with runners in scoring position (tied with No. 2 hitter Mookie Betts for fewest among the team’s regulars). In four of those spots, he was walked.
It created an early-season conundrum for Roberts, as he tried to shake the team out of a recent offensive lull. Should he consider dropping Ohtani in the lineup, where he could get more RBI opportunities? Or should he give his offense more time to find its footing, and hope his bottom-half hitters began heating up at the plate?
“I just feel that there’s guys who are gonna perform better than they have,” Roberts said this week, opting for the latter. “Shohei will ultimately get those opportunities.”
And on Wednesday, he finally saw signs that could be happening.
In an 8-7 win over the Rockies, the Dodgers got five hits and a walk from their bottom three hitters.
One was provided by Barnes, the backup catcher who didn’t have a hit all season before doubling in the first in front of Ohtani.
The others came from more important pieces of the Dodgers’ lineup construction: Max Muncy and Andy Pages.
Bottom-of-the-order staples who are both batting under .200 to begin the season, Muncy and Pages had arguably their best games of the year Wednesday. Pages, the second-year center fielder, went two for four with three RBIs, continuing improvements that began during his two-homer series in Washington last week.
“He is swinging the bat a lot better,” Roberts said.
Muncy, meanwhile, reached base three times with the help of a recent adjustment to his own slumping swing.
In an effort to stay more on top of the ball at the plate this year, Muncy spent his offseason purposely trying to hit grounders and low line drives. In doing so, however, he realized he had begun lurching forward in his swing. As a result, he gave himself less time to read pitches and make proper swing decisions. And even when he did, he wasn’t driving the ball like usual.
“The ball sped up on me the first few series of the season and I really wasn't myself,” Muncy said. “I was chasing a lot of stuff and I was unable to recognize it.”
But now, he has returned to staying back in his stance and is looking for pitches to elevate. Amid a series in which Muncy walked six times, Roberts felt he also took his best at-bat of the season against left-hander Luis Peralta on Wednesday night, launching one deep fly just foul before ripping a single into right field.
“When he's getting on base, and it was a ton this series, then that's a good thing,” Roberts said. “So I do think that he’s turned a corner, yeah.”
The Dodgers hope that the rest of their bottom-half hitters will do so as well.
Because the more Ohtani heats up as the season progresses, the more important it will be to have guys getting on base in front of him.
![Kitchener Rangers' alternate captain Luke Ellinas scored a hattrick in a must-win game for his squad last night [Natalie Shaver/OHL Images].](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_articles_331/fdfd49b597479176117c9153d99b7ed8)
