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Suarez set for 2025 big-league debut against Diamondbacks

Suarez set for 2025 big-league debut against Diamondbacks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Ranger Suarez has a big-league green light. 

Following a bullpen session Wednesday ahead of the Phillies’ 7-2 win over the Nationals, Suarez was formally cleared to make his 2025 major league debut. 

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Suarez will pitch Sunday vs. the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies will open the series Friday with Jesus Luzardo on the hill and start Aaron Nola on Saturday. 

Suarez was brilliant to begin 2024 and named an All-Star. He went 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA over his first 10 starts, but back trouble popped up and Suarez struggled in the second half. The 29-year-old lefty had a 6.54 ERA over his final 11 outings.

In mid-March, Suarez was sidelined by lower back stiffness. He made four rehab starts — two for Single A Clearwater, two for Triple A Lehigh Valley — and threw 16 2/3 total innings. Suarez allowed just two runs, struck out 24 hitters and walked five. 

Thomson said Tuesday the Phillies are discussing the possibility of turning to a six-man rotation. Taijuan Walker will get his sixth start of the season on Thursday against Washington. Entering that game, he sits at 1-2 with a 2.78 ERA in Suarez’s absence. 

Cristopher Sanchez started Wednesday’s victory, returning from a left forearm issue. He tossed five innings, conceded two runs and watched the Phillies’ bullpen handle the rest. 

“Looked a little rusty,” Thomson said of Sanchez. “It’s been a week since he’s pitched. The command was off a little bit, but the stuff was really good. The changeup looked normal, the slider looked normal, the fastball velocity was good. I’m pleased with it.”

Sanchez said he felt “great” and expressed no lingering concern about his forearm. 

“That’s what I was looking forward to today, feeling like my best self, as I always do,” he said. “And just go out and compete.” 

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Rockets attack Steph's tender thumb with ‘idiotic' rules on their side

Rockets attack Steph's tender thumb with ‘idiotic' rules on their side originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry’s swollen right thumb looks as if it would be uncomfortable holding a toothbrush or tying shoes, much less pulling the Warriors through the NBA playoffs.

There is no doubt the Houston Rockets have noticed the wrap that extends from Curry’s thumb to his wrist. They sense a possible weakness, and every team hunts vulnerabilities once in the playoffs. Coincidentally, basketball is very much a contact sport for the Rockets.

They’re making plenty of contact with Curry’s right thumb, which is at the base of the release of his jump shot, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr is more annoyed by it than Curry.

“I don’t think it’s impacting him,” Kerr told reporters in Houston after the 131-116 Game 5 loss to the Rockets. “Players are going to do whatever they’re allowed to do. And, so, on every release Steph’s getting hit.

“But it’s basically within the rules. So that’s how the league wants it right now. I know we’ve got 30 coaches who all think it’s just idiotic that we allow this.”

The NBA rulebook allows “minimal contact” from a defender once a shot is released. Officials are allowed to use discretion on the definition of “minimal contact.” The Rockets – particularly Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengun – generally don’t operate with a minimal contact approach.

“There’s a pattern of when it’s full extension, when it’s the full point of release, because it’s hard for a ref,” Curry said. “I get it. You’re trying to look at the body, look at the release, where contact is. There’s a subtle difference in how certain people do it. When I say it’s a foul, it’s a foul. But other than that, as a player, you can’t worry about it too much.”

“As a player, you can’t worry about it too much … you can complain, but if you dwell on it and get distracted by it, then you’re not worried about making shots. I’m trying to do both. Make shots and if I get fouled, like, let them know I got fouled.”

Curry played 24 minutes in the Game 5 blowout, finishing with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3 of 9 from distance and 2 of 3 from the line. He added three rebounds and seven assists, with three turnovers.

Kerr and Curry both said the tender thumb, initially sprained on New Year’s Day and aggravated countless times, is not having an impact on his performance. He’s averaging 23.4 points per game in this first-round series, shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 39.6 beyond the arc and 90 percent from the line.

In short, Curry is playing well enough for observers to forget about the sore thumb.

But it is sore.

“I do believe [officials] are allowed to call a flagrant if they want,” Kerr said. “The refs can call a flagrant if the guy winds up and takes a takes a shot. It’s been happening across the league all year long. It’s a dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

“But we have to take it through the league process to get that changed, and that’ll probably happen this summer.”

That thumb will be an issue for as long as the Warriors remain in the postseason. Curry is determined not to let it become the issue that impacts his performance.

It would surprise no one, however, if the Rockets try to have a few more whacks at it. The rule says they can.

“You don’t think about it,” Curry said. “And if it’s a foul, they should call it. That’s it. If it’s a foul, they should call it.”

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The Los Angeles Kings' Bad Coach's Challenge Is Nowhere Near Why The Oilers Could Eliminate Them Again

Jim Hiller (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)

The Los Angeles Kings looked on the way to eliminating the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in their four straight first-round series. They’re now on the brink of going home empty again.

The rollercoaster affair had the Kings winning the first two games and leading in Game 3 before the Oilers stormed back to win that night and the next two games,including a 3-1 victory Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

While some people may see one bad coach’s challenge as a turning point in this matchup, the Kings have only a series of blown leads to blame for where they are in the series at the moment.

Without a doubt, Kings coach Jim Hiller coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Evander Kane’s equalizer in Game 3 was not a good look. The review quickly determined the goal would stand, and the resulting penalty led directly to the game-winning goal being scored on the Oilers’ power play. That’s not up for debate. 

That’s not the reason why Los Angeles dropped three games in a row. The key issue for the Kings is that they’ve deviated from their strong regular-season play when they knew how to hang onto their leads.

The Kings were 25-4-3 this season when leading after the first period, and they were even more impressive when leading after two periods at 35-1-2. 

But in the first round, Los Angeles is 2-1 when leading after 20 minutes, and they’re 2-2 when leading after two periods. They’re already two-thirds of the way to their blown third-period leads in the regular season.

When you break down the games even further, you’ll see the Kings constantly squandering advantages they managed to carve out.

In Game 3 on Friday, the Kings overcame a 2-0 Oilers lead, scoring three straight goals before Edmonton tied it. Los Angeles again took the lead late in the second period, only to allow the final three goals of the game. 

In Game 4 on Sunday, the Kings built a two-goal lead – and after the Oilers cut the lead in half, L.A. restored its two-goal advantage, only to allow the next three goals to Edmonton, including the overtime-winner. And finally, in Game 5, the Kings scored the first goal, then allowed two straight Oilers goals, plus an empty-netter.

Oilers' Evan Bouchard Joins Rare Company With Clutch PerformancesOilers' Evan Bouchard Joins Rare Company With Clutch PerformancesWhen you put Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the playoff spotlight, he can put up points from the blueline like not many others.

Clearly, one bad coach's challenge is not responsible for L.A. blowing leads time and again. A lost coach’s challenge didn’t help matters, of course. But that’s in one game only. 

The Kings’ defensive deficiencies are the real culprit here. And to be sure, Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper isn’t the goat, although his 3.44 GAA and .899 SP aren’t moving the needle in a positive way for his team. It’s the defense in front of Kuemper that’s the root cause of three straight defeats.

In the first two games of this series, the Kings’ offense was the difference in their favor, posting six goals in both games. But Los Angeles has messed around by trying to run-and-gun with Edmonton’s high-octane offensive attack, and they’ve found out that’s not a great idea.

As it stands, L.A. is on the brink of elimination – and once again, the team could be heading home for the summer courtesy of an Oilers team it knows all too well. The stakes are sky-high for them now, as one loss in the next two games could spell the end of the line for Kings GM Rob Blake and could lead to roster changes this summer. You can’t keep running back the same core, lose in the first round four straight seasons to the same team and expect to keep your job.

Ultimately, the Kings can’t say they didn’t know how to build a lead against Edmonton. They just didn’t know how to hold one. And consequently, they’re on the verge of exiting the playoffs and becoming a gigantic disappointment yet again.

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

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Shaikin: The Dodgers are good, and old. Should they try NBA-style load management?

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 30, 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers third base Max Muncy (13) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo homer to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Dodgers Stadium on April 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Third baseman Max Muncy, reacting after hitting a homer in the second inning, is among a group of key position players for the Dodgers who are the oldest in MLB. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

With the Lakers, Clippers and Kings all one loss from summer vacation, the sporting eyes of Los Angeles turn to the Dodgers.

If you’ve been busy watching the NBA and NHL playoffs, let us catch you up on the Dodgers. After a start so good that folks giddily wondered if the Dodgers could win every game, and after a couple of runs so bad that the Dodgers twice fell into third place in the National League West, the opening month is over and the verdict is in: The Dodgers are who we thought they are.

They are in first place, in the toughest division in the major leagues. They have 21 victories, the most by any Dodgers team at the end of April since their streak of annual postseason appearances started in 2013. They are on pace to win 110 games, and their odds of making the playoffs stand at 98.3%, according to Baseball Prospectus.

There are 29 major league teams that start the season hoping to advance to the playoffs, and then there are the Dodgers, who start planning for October in March. For all the angst about the Dodgers’ injured pitchers, well, that is all part of the plan.

Read more:Tony Gonsolin shines in his first game since 2023 as Dodgers win fifth straight

The Dodgers awoke Wednesday with 13 pitchers on the injured list, the most of any major league team, matching the combined total of the rest of the NL West. They have 32 pitchers under control: on the active roster, on a minor league option, on the injured list, or on two-way status (Shohei Ohtani, who is expected to resume pitching later this season).

They do not try to find five starting pitchers and ride them all season. They do try to end up with five healthy and effective starters for the postseason, and they try to maximize their chances to do that by collecting as many pitchers as they can, with the support of an ownership group willing to pay players to rehabilitate.

No one pitched more innings last season than Gavin Stone, at 140. In 2013, Clayton Kershaw pitched 259 innings, including the postseason.

However, as the Dodgers have become acutely aware of managing the workloads of their starting pitchers, they have not prioritized managing the workloads of their key position players.

The Dodgers have the oldest group of position players in the majors, and the sustained success means extra weeks on the schedule every year.

Over the past five years, Mookie Betts has 205 postseason at-bats and Freddie Freeman 175. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has 119 and, among NL West rivals, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks has 66 and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres has 48.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team has discussed that issue, but mostly in regard to catching. Will Smith had 105 at-bats last April and 76 this April; backup Austin Barnes had 21 at-bats last April and 32 this April (and he is batting .250 this April, 27 points above his career average).

Among other position players, Roberts said, “I don’t know if that tax of playing an extra month is necessarily a disadvantage for the following season.”

The Dodgers’ renowned research and development department has not done a deep dive into that question, according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

“So much of our focus is on pitching,” Friedman said, “and, after a long season, what the offseason program looks like, what the ramp-up looks like, what the season looks like. I don’t worry about it that much on the position player front.”

While “load management” is established in the NBA lexicon, Roberts said he is less concerned in baseball because the postseason features more off days than the regular season, including nearly a week off after the regular season if your team is one of the top two seeds in each league.

“They’re actually more antsy and rested than we would actually like,” Roberts said. “It’s a tricky one.

“To give Freddie Freeman off days to say that you’re managing his workload, I think it just makes some people feel better that they’ll be ready for the postseason. There’s no correlation. And it’s not an exact science.”

Read more:Matt Sauer saves the Dodgers' bullpen in rout of Marlins

Freeman said the Dodgers do manage his workload, but not always with days off. On Tuesday night, with the Dodgers enjoying a big lead, Freeman was removed after six innings.

“They do such a good job of load management here,” said the 35-year-old Freeman, “and I’m reluctantly to starting to get on board with it as I get older.

“I ingrained in myself that I get paid to do a job and I do my job. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around, ‘You’re not doing your job today.’ ”

On Wednesday, Freeman homered, singled and drove in two runs. The Dodgers again ran up the lead, and again they removed him after six innings.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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‘Nico Harrison was right': Fans react as Timberwolves stun Lakers in first round

‘Nico Harrison was right': Fans react as Timberwolves stun Lakers in first round originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Was Nico Harrison…right?

The Dallas Mavericks general manager may have been watching from home, but his thought process about trading Luka Doncic came to the spotlight.

Doncic, in particular, struggled to impose himself defensively despite posting strong offensive numbers. The Los Angeles Lakers also saw their lack of depth play a factor, as the five starters accumulated heavy minutes to compensate for a feeble bench.

Los Angeles worked its way up the Western Conference ladder to the No. 3 seed following the Doncic trade, but playoffs expose team’s weaknesses. The No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves delivered when it mattered, with Julius Randle also enjoying a solid series given his past woes.

The first postseason of the LeBron James-Doncic era ends in early failure, with Rob Pelinka having more work to do as James turns 41 next season.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Lakers’ elimination, which included the Mavericks’ GM:

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Mets place Danny Young on IL with left elbow sprain, Tommy John surgery 'on the table'

In less than a week, the Mets' bullpen has lost a pair of lefty relievers to injuries.

While the status of A.J. Minter's recent lat strain remains unclear and ominous, the team shared additional disconcerting news on Wednesday afternoon by placing Danny Young on the 15-day injured list with an elbow sprain.

Hours later, following the Mets' loss to the Diamondbacks, manager Carlos Mendoza said that Young had been dealing with a forearm issue for a few weeks, and an MRI on Wednesday morning showed the ligament sprain. When asked about the severity of the injury, Mendoza noted that Tommy John surgery "is on the table."

Young addressed the injury after the game, revealing that second opinions will soon be conducted and admitting that he doesn't "really know much" about the sprain. In the meantime, he's taking a day-to-day approach and not assuming the worst. The issue stemmed from irregular recoveries from recent outings.

"I usually bounce back fine, something was just kind of abnormal for me," Young said. "We're just going to sit around and see what we get back from other doctors... That's about as bad a timing as you can get, huh? It's unfortunate. [Minter] goes down, I obviously want to pick up that slack. It's just the situation we're in now."

The roster move was retroactive to April 27, a day after Young made his last appearance. It wasn't the strongest month for the 31-year-old, as he logged a 4.32 ERA across 8.1 innings (10 games) with 13 strikeouts. His most recent performance was productive, though -- he worked around a walk by striking out three in one inning against the Nationals.

Young's stint as the lone southpaw in the bullpen was brief, and after lefty Brandon Waddell completed 4.1 innings of bulk relief on Wednesday night, the Mets may only have right-handed relievers at their disposal for the foreseeable future.

In a corresponding move, the Mets recalled righty Chris Devenski from Triple-A Syracuse and transferred lefty Brooks Raley to the 60-day injured list.

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Timberwolves stunningly eliminate Lakers, await Warriors-Rockets series winner

Timberwolves stunningly eliminate Lakers, await Warriors-Rockets series winner originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t fall into the same trap as the Warriors on Wednesday night.

Given the chance to pull off a first-round NBA playoff series upset, the Timberwolves seized the moment, beating the No. 3-seeded Los Angeles Lakers 103-96 in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.

Minnesota, the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed, advances to the conference semifinals, where it awaits the winner of the Golden State-Houston series.

The Warriors lost Game 5 131-116 at Toyota Center and now lead the Rockets 3-2. Game 6 is set for 6 p.m. PT on Friday at Chase Center.

If the Warriors beat the Rockets in Game 6, they would travel to Minneapolis for the start of the Western Conference semifinals, which could begin as early as Sunday.

If the Rockets force a Game 7 with the Warriors, the second-round series likely wouldn’t begin until Tuesday night.

Should the Warriors advance to face the Timberwolves, their regular-season record should benefit them, as Golden State took three of the four meetings this season.

But the Warriors have to take care of business against the Rockets first before they can think about the Timberwolves.

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Spencer, Warriors' bench set tone for Game 6 as bright spot in loss

Spencer, Warriors' bench set tone for Game 6 as bright spot in loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

HOUSTON – He wears a black shirt underneath his jersey and sports a mustache that makes him resemble your local mailman more than a backup point guard in the NBA, yet Pat Spencer, with four minutes remaining in the Warriors’ Game 5 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, showed exactly why he’s revered inside the locker room. 

Spencer was walking away from a play where he and Moses Moody tried to wrestle a rebound from Dillon Brooks. The Rockets’ agitator flew to the floor like a tornado made its way into Toyota Center and immediately took exception to Spencer, who turned his back and brushed him off, giving a gesture that explains how Golden State has long felt about Brooks. 

That’s when tempers flared and fireworks followed, making what was once a blowout Warriors loss extremely interesting. 

Alperen Şengün bumped Spencer and got in his face, but Spencer didn’t back down and found himself nose-to-nose with the Rockets center who stands eight inches taller than him. As Spencer headbutted Şengün in the eyes, Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis came to his aid and shoved Şengün in the chest as he already was falling backwards. 

Jackson-Davis, Şengün and multiple other players had to be held back. Spencer was ejected, and both Jackson-Davis and Şengün were given offsetting technical fouls. 

“Obviously it’s basketball, we get in the heat of the game, but I’m not going to let someone that’s twice the size of Pat try to go at him like that,” Jackson-Davis told NBC Sports Bay Area in the Warriors’ locker room. “I don’t know what he was thinking.”

The headbutt actually wasn’t seen by Jackson-Davis in real time, but he said when he saw Spencer afterward he saw a little red mark on his forehead, laughing about the incident.

“That was the lacrosse coming out of him,” Jackson-Davis says.

Draymond Green called it “beautiful” to see Spencer and Jackson-Davis getting into it with Şengün. 

“We don’t back down from anybody, and they didn’t,” Green said. 

Though his back was turned to what was going on, Moses Moody gave the perfect answer to how the Warriors feel about Spencer. 

“Pat a dog,” Moody said. 

The Warriors had a chance to close out the series and get some rest before the next round, but lost 131-116, forcing a Game 6 on Friday at Chase Center. Warriors coach Steve Kerr essentially called it a night when he emptied his bench, putting in Spencer, Moses Moody, Kevin Knox, Gui Santos and Quinten Post with a little under six minutes left in the third quarter and the Warriors down by 29 points, 93-64.

If it already wasn’t obvious by then, the game was a wrap. Warriors stars like Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Green already were discussing adjustments that needed to be made for Game 6. But that wasn’t the focus for the Warriors on the court, or the rest of their reserves. 

They were given a chance to show what they’re made of and seized their opportunity. 

The Warriors’ reserves outscored the Rockets 16-14 the rest of the third quarter, entering the fourth quarter still down by 27 points, 107-80. Jackson-Davis and G League Defensive Player of the Year Braxton Key joined Spencer, Moody and Knox to begin the fourth quarter, and the unit made the Rockets sweat so much the end of the game became a mini win for the Warriors in what otherwise was a near wire-to-wire loss. 

Houston once held a 31-point lead. But after Golden State went on a 10-2 run with that lineup to open the fourth quarter, the deficit was cut to 17, prompting Rockets coach Ime Udoka to bring his starting five back in with eight minutes remaining. 

“That was our goal,” Jackson-Davis said of the bench. “Just having [the Rockets’ starters] play a little extra, and it was just us trying to enforce and bring some energy back to the Bay.” 

Even with the Rockets’ starters back in the game, the Warriors’ backups weren’t slowing down. Before Spencer was ejected, in a stretch that lasted nearly four minutes, the Warriors outscored the Rockets 9-5 and Houston’s lead at one point was cut down to 11.

Through the first four games of the series, Moody had scored a total of 29 points on 38.5-percent shooting and 31.6 percent from deep. The extra playing time allowed him to get in a groove offensively, finishing as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting, and he grabbed nine rebounds. Knox was a team-high plus-14 with 14 points. Spencer in 14 minutes scored 11 points and was a plus-13. Jackson-Davis and Key were all over the glass, and both finished as a plus-12. 

Between Curry and Butler, the Warriors only got 21 points from their dynamic duo. The starting five scored a combined 40 points, 36 fewer than the bench’s 76, which is the most in franchise history for a playoff game since the NBA began tracking starters in the 1970-71 season. 

“Loved our bench group,” Kerr said. “They came in, they forced Houston to bring their starters back in. They set a tone that we’re going to need for Game 6. Even though we lost the game, I thought it was crucial that we fought the way we did in the fourth quarter.” 

Teammates and Kerr alike loudly commended their effort. Curry even asked for his ankle braces back when the Warriors were down 14 points with six and a half minutes to go. Butler said he was ready to get back in the game, but Kerr was going to ride with his guys. 

Those guys also allowed Butler to only play 25 minutes, Curry to play 23 and Green to play 18.

The Rockets took control of the game before the Warriors could regain it. Every ounce of fight the Warriors will need to celebrate Friday on their home floor was displayed by their backups, proving they’ll never back down when it’s their moment to shine.

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Tony Gonsolin shines in his first game since 2023 as Dodgers win fifth straight

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin (26) throws during in the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Pitcher Tony Gonsolin threw six innings in his first game with the Dodgers since August 2023, striking out nine. (Wally Skalij / Associated Press)

The Dodgers repeatedly have proved they cast a wide net when constructing a starting rotation, seemingly with no financial constraints. Japan, South Korea, Latin America, via trades or free-agent signings, they'll go anywhere and do anything to ensure that each game they can hand the ball to a seasoned, well-compensated pitcher.

Yet inexplicably, the best-laid plans continually fail, and they are forced to hand said ball to unproven rookies. Witness Tuesday with Jack Dreyer and Matt Sauer adding their names to a fleetingly familiar group that includes Bobby Miller, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski and Ben Casparius.

Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, huge signings the last two offseasons, are on the injured list. The Dodgers already have used 22 pitchers with the calendar lipping into May. Granted, that includes comedic stints by position players Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández, but that only proves how empty the cupboard can get.

Read more:Matt Sauer saves the Dodgers' bullpen in rout of Marlins

How refreshing it was Wednesday to turn to a homegrown solution, albeit one who has endured his own litany of injuries. Tony Gonsolin, a 2016 Dodgers draft pick out of St. Mary's College, pitched for the first time since August 2023 and shone in a 12-7 win over the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium, their fifth victory in a row.

Gonsolin, fully recovered from 2023 Tommy John surgery and a sprained ankle in March, mostly sailed through six innings, striking out nine while walking none, throwing 58 strikes in 77 pitches. The only batter he couldn't fool was left-handed Kyle Stowers, who crushed a two-run homer in the fourth, a run-scoring double in the sixth and a single. Stowers added another homer off Yoendrys Gomez in the ninth inning.

To everyone else, Gonsolin was masterful. His four-seam fastball sat at 94 mph, his slider at 88, and the bottom dropped out of his his devastating splitter a lot like it did in 2022 when Gonsolin went 16-1 with a 2.14 earned-run average, started the All-Star Game and achieved fame for his love of cats.

Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Ruehle has a long memory, playing a "meow" sound effect after each strikeout Wednesday. Gonsolin displayed his uncanny ability to finish with a W next to his name in the box score, the victory improving his lifetime record to a sparkling 35-11.

"It feels good to be back on the mound for sure," he said. "Just to go out there and do my job and have fun. I thought I had a lot of fun today. I think that was the ultimate goal."

He thoroughly enjoyed watching his teammates put crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

"Just knowing that they're gonna go out there and put together quality at-bats and score runs," he said. "And it's gonna be really hard to keep this offense down."

Manager Dave Roberts was understandably thrilled to get a healthy Gonsolin on the mound.

"He has a different brain," Roberts said. "I think he’s just very confident in who he is now as a person, as a ballplayer, the moment isn’t gonna get too big for him. It wasn’t like this first outing in however long. He just took it in stride and really looked good today.

"There was no let-up. He pitched fantastic."

Gonsolin and another homegrown starter the Dodgers grabbed in the 2016 draft, Dustin May, should be key rotation pieces during a brutal stretch of 19 games in 20 days that begins Friday with a 10-game trip to Atlanta, Miami and Arizona. May has gone at least five innings in each of his five starts, getting roughed up in only one while posting a 3.95 ERA.

Read more:Tommy Edman delivers a walk-off sigh of relief in Dodgers' win over Marlins

Coming off an 18-hit barrage in a win over Miami on Tuesday, the Dodgers cooled only slightly, settling for 17 in the series finale. Yet they found solace early when slumping Max Muncy hit his first home run on the last day of April to give them a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

"I've still got to clean some things up and be better in certain situations," Muncy said. "It's a work in progress. We keep rewatching my at-bats and rewatching my swings and the back body has been good, it's just getting the ball to go forward."

Forward, ho, the Dodgers adding three runs in the third and four in the sixth with Mookie Betts driving in four on a single and a triple. Freddie Freeman followed Betts' triple in the sixth with his fifth home run. Muncy tripled in the seventh on a charitably scored fly ball to right field that Stowers misplayed, and scored on a single by Hernández.

The onslaught continued in the eighth with the Dodgers tacking on three more runs highlighted by a triple from Shohei Ohtani, doubles by Rojas and Teoscar Hernández and a single by Kiké Hernández. The Marlins scored four in the ninth against Gómez but it couldn't take away from the optimism the Dodgers took with them on their flight to Atlanta.

"It was a real good, feel-good victory," Roberts said.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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U18s Will Change Draft Rankings

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As the U18s wind down. Draft pundits like myself will be making some alterations to the 2025 NHL Draft rankings. Recency bias is real and I try like heck to stay away from that. Also, some players really shine and as long as there are games going on, players will move up or down depending on their performance. 

One player who is excelling is Braeden Cootes. He’s currently leading Team Canada in scoring with 10 points in four games. That’s terrific and he’s the captain of the team so that’s exactly what a draft eligible player wants to do  - - finish the season strong. 

The example I always use is current Leafs forward, Scott Laughton. Back in 2012, he had seven points in seven games. That was one more point than Sam Reinhart. Considering he wasn’t a point-per-game player in the regular season that year but he had five points in six playoff games. This tournament made the Flyers confident that they could draft him 20th overall without hesitation and he’s had a nice NHL career.

I’ll be tracking the games, writing about some surprise players and maybe some who might fall a bit. Between that and the NHL Draft Lottery coming up soon, that will keep me busy as the Canadiens try and keep their season going. Whenever that ends, fans always turn to the draft and I’m here for that.

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Marlins rookie outfielder Griffin Conine has season-ending shoulder surgery

LOS ANGELES — Miami Marlins rookie outfielder Griffin Conine will miss the rest of the season following surgery on his left shoulder.

Conine jammed his shoulder into the ground on a head-first slide into second in an 11-10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last Saturday. The 27-year left the game and was placed on the 60-day injured list the following day.

An MRI Monday confirmed a dislocated shoulder, which was repaired Tuesday in Los Angeles by Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Through 20 games, Conine was batting .281 with a .790 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, one home run, seven doubles and seven RBIs. He made his big league debut last August and hit .268 with a .777 OPS, three homers and 12 RBIs in 30 games.

“Yeah, Griffin was playing so well, and a key cog for us, an important piece,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said on Wednesday. “Surgery was successful, and everything should be on track for Griffin to get through his rehab and be a full-go come spring training.”

Conine’s father, Jeff, played on the Marlins’ World Series champions in 1997 and 2003 and is known as Mr. Marlin.

Javier Sanoja, Kyle Stowers, Eric Wagaman and Ronny Simon have started in left field in Conine’s absence.

“I think we’ll continue to rotate guys through there,” McCullough said. “It’s nice to have some versatile pieces that can go out there and play. You can start the game in one setup, and depending how the game goes, guys can come in.”

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Golden Knights' Forward Announced Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury

Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) skates against the Minnesota Wild during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev exited Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day.

The 24-year-old played all three regulation periods but did not come out for the overtime frame. Thankfully for the Golden Knights, Brett Howden scored the game-winner, giving them a 3-2 series lead. 

Through five games, Dorofeyev has scored a goal and an assist, both tallies coming on the power play.

"We'll see how he is for tomorrow," head coach Bruce Cassidy said Wednesday. "We didn't skate today. But we'll have a better idea tomorrow."

The Golden Knights will be hoping he can travel with the club to Minnesota for Game 6, but if he cannot play, Victor Olofsson will likely slide back into the lineup. The 29-year-old winger played the first three games of the series before he was replaced by Tanner Pearson. He's not yet recorded a point in the playoffs and has only thrown three shots on goal. 

"If he can't go, we'll think about who goes in the lineup and go from there," Cassidy said. "I'm pretty comfortable with however it works out."

The Golden Knights will have their chance to close out the series on Thursday in St. Paul. 

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Golden Knights Video Coach The True Star Of Game 5Golden Knights Video Coach The True Star Of Game 5Vegas Golden Knights forwards Jack Eichel and Mark Stone finally introduced themselves into the series in Game 5, but the true headliner was video assistant coach Dave Rogowski detecting a possible offside on a Minnesota Wild goal.
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Why Butler believes Warriors are ‘fine' despite blowout Game 5 loss

Why Butler believes Warriors are ‘fine' despite blowout Game 5 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Despite a lopsided 131-116 Game 5 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Toyota Center, there’s no reason for the Warriors to panic. 

At least that’s what wing Jimmy Butler shared after the Rockets forced a Game 6 set for Friday night at Chase Center.

“We’re fine. Our confidence isn’t going to waver any,” Butler told reporters.

If anyone has experienced the extremes of a seven-game NBA playoff series, it’s Butler. 

During the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, Butler and the Miami Heat gave up a three-to-nothing series lead to the Boston Celtics. The Heat, ultimately, dodged humiliation after winning the series in Game 7.

A year earlier, specifically on May 11, 2022, the Warriors were thumped by the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of their second-round series, losing by 39. Golden State responded and won the series in Game 6.

Although Golden State ended up losing by 15 against the Rockets on Wednesday, Butler and Co. were down by as much as 31 points before the inexperienced Warriors bench battled back in the second half.

The similarities between what both the Warriors and Butler experienced a few years back are striking, but the six-time NBA All-Star is confident he and his teammates have what it takes to seal the deal on Friday. 

 “We’re going to start out better,” Butler added. “We’re going to play a better overall game because we know how good of a team we are as a unit.

“We know how good our players are as individuals. So, as starters, we got to kick us off better, which we know that we will do. We will be fine.”

Butler, who went 2 of 10 overall and missed all three of his 3-point attempts on Wednesday, will need to do his part to close out what has been a feisty series back in the Bay.

If not, it’s for certain that the Warriors won’t be in a “fine” situation then.

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