For the second consecutive year, the Los Angeles Lakers will finish the regular season atop the Pacific Division.
The Lakers (49-26) clinched a playoff spot and the division title before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night even tipped off, thanks to the Phoenix Suns' 115-111 loss to the Orlando Magic earlier.
While the Lakers have historically dominated the Pacific with 26 titles since the division was established in 1970-71, their current run of two straight since the arrival of head coach JJ Redick snapped a dry spell that began after their NBA championship run in 2019-20.
The red-hot Lakers — winners of 11 of their last 17 — currently sit as the third seed in the West after Monday, one game ahead of the fourth-place Denver Nuggets and three games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. And with their postseason spot now in hand, LA could have a chance to cement their claim at the third spot with wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Suns and Utah Jazz.
Los Angeles, CA - March 30: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) smiles while standing next to teammate Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) as they receive Silver Slugger awards prior to the start of a MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on Monday, March 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 31: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates his solo home with Brandon Nimmo #24 in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles were forced to turn to their bullpen early Tuesday night, which ended in disaster as the Rangers scored seven runs against the pen to down the O’s 8-5.
After starter Zach Eflin left with two outs in the 4th, the Orioles’ pen began a rollercoaster ride that had way more downs than ups. Lefty Grant Wolfram kicked off the 5th by allowing an opposite-field single to Brandon Nimmo. Outfielder Wyatt Langford then turned on a sinker left over the plate, lacing it into the left-center gap. After the ball wedged under the outfield wall padding, Langford ended up on third and Nimmo raced home to score, giving Texas a 2-1 lead.
In a left-on-left matchup against Corey Seager, the two-time World Series MVP slashed a Wolfram sinker into center, with the single just evading the sliding catch attempt of Colton Cowser, allowing Langford to scamper home. The left-handed reliever would avoid any other damage that inning, but his efforts set the unfortunate tone for the bullpen.
The Baltimore bats did their best to try to keep the Orioles in the game. Trailing 1-0 in the 4th, Pete Alonso launched his first home run as an Oriole, turning on the fastball of former teammate Jacob deGrom and depositing the baseball in the Orioles’ bullpen.
Down 3-1 in the 5th, the offense again came through, using a two-out rally to tie the game at three. Blaze Alexander kicked off the rally by flipping a deGrom slider into right field for a single. Taylor Ward then extended the inning by hitting a high chop to deep shortstop for an infield.
After homering on Monday night, Gunnar Henderson came through with another big hit to tie the game. The star shortstop attacked a fastball up and away, sending a towering fly over the head of Langford in left, ricocheting off the wall for a two-run double that tied things at three.
Those efforts proved futile as the relievers couldn’t keep the Rangers off the scoreboard. With the game tied 3-3, Yennier Cano entered in the 6th. The former All-Star gave up a one-out double to Evan Carter, who then moved to third on a groundout. Cano looked to end the threat unscathed against Nimmo, but the Texas leadoff man smacked a broken-bat single into center field to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead.
Things only got worse when Yaramil Hiraldo entered in the 7th. The already much-maligned Hiraldo didn’t help his popularity in Birdland when he gave up a leadoff walk to Seager and a flair single to Jake Burger. His popularity cratered three batters later when he gave up a two-out, three-run homer to Texas catcher Danny Jansen. The longball finally crushed the Orioles’ hopes Tuesday, putting them down 7-3.
Popular rookie Anthony Nunes pitched the last two innings, picking up two strikeouts but allowing his first run in the majors on a solo HR off the bat of Seager. Across four relievers, the bullpen combined line of 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB and 4 K.
A desperate, 9th-inning comeback attempt fell short but made the scoreline look more acceptable. Against the oldest active MLB reliever, Chris Martin, Tyler O’Neill started the inning with an HBP and moved to second on a Colton Cowser Single. After two quick outs from Jeremiah Jackson and Alexander, Ward doubled into the left-center gap to clear the bases and give the O’s some consolation runs. With the tying run on deck in the form of Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson grounded out to second to seal the loss.
Adding injury to insult was the injury to the O’s No.5 starter, Eflin. Making his first start of 2026, the 31-year-old right-hander looked really sharp early in the game. After giving up a flyout to the warning track to lead off the 1st, Eflin punched out Wyatt Langford on a sinker at the knees and struck out Corey Seager on an excellent changeup away.
Normally known as a control guy who pitches to contact, Eflin had swing-and-miss stuff throughout the first three innings. He started out the 2nd by striking out Jake Burger on a changeup down and away before getting the second out on a perfectly thrown back-foot sweeper.
After working out of a two-on, two-out jam in the 2nd, Eflin gave up his only run of the evening in the 3rd. Against Rangers No.9 Ezequiel Durán, an 0-1 sweeper caught too much of the plate, and the Texas infielder launched the ball over the left field wall for a solo HR. The blemish didn’t bother Eflin, however, as he bounced back by punching out Brandon Nimmo on a sinker on the inside corner. He then punctuated the 3rd with a backwards K of Burger, dropping a CB right over the outside corner.
The veteran right-hander started off the 4th with his seventh punchout of the night, getting Joc Pederson to swing through a 3-2 changeup away. From there, things started to go downhill for Eflin. With two outs, Jansen hooked a ground ball down the left field line for a double. Eflin then walked Carter to give the Rangers a two-on, two-out opportunity.
The Orioles righty threw one pitch to Duran, a curveball that didn’t come close to the zone, and then signaled for the trainer to take him out of the game. After Grant Wolfram came in and finished the inning, Eflin’s line closed at 3.2 IP on 74 pitches, with 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 7 K. Later in Tuesday night’s broadcast, Kevin Brown reported that Eflin left with “right elbow discomfort.”
Despite the frustration that comes with the loss, it was a great day at the plate for some of the newest Orioles. Alonso had the home run and a single off fellow former Met deGrom. The ninth-inning double from Ward was his fourth base knock of the game, giving him the first four-hit game of his MLB career.
Ace Trevor Rogers will return to the mound tomorrow to try and salvage the final game of the series against the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm ET.
It was a fun night in Sunrise for the Florida Panthers and their fans as the Cats continue counting down on their regular season.
Florida put on one of their best offensive performances seen by their fans in what probably felt like a while, taking down the Ottawa Senators 6-3 Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Panthers got off to a fast start thanks to a miscommunication between Senators defenseman Jordan Spence and goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Almost immediately after the game’s opening faceoff, the puck was shot into Ottawa’s zone and it bounced off the boards in the corner and came back toward the slot.
The two Senators appeared to think the other was going to play the puck, and instead it went through them and right to a cutting Noah Gregor, who one-timed the puck past the out of position Ullmark just eight seconds into the game
Less than a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich finished off a pretty passing play that saw the puck go from Sam Bennett to Matthew Tkachuk to Seth Jones before finding its way back down to Mackie for a quick goal at the side of the net.
Just 66 seconds into the game and Florida found itself with a 2-0 lead.
Florida wasn’t done there.
About midway through the period, Carter Verhaeghe picked up a Jones rebound at the side of the net and wired the puck through Ullmark to make it 3-0 Cats just 9:09 into the game.
After about a five-minute break, the Panthers got back to the offense.
Goals by Verhaeghe and A.J. Greer just 34 seconds apart gave Florida an eye-popping 5-0 lead on Ottawa with 5:24 still left on the first period clock.
As one might expect, the Senators came out after the first intermission appearing to have had a fire lit under their backsides.
After keeping Florida hemmed in their zone from the start, Drake Batherson scored right off an offensive zone draw, beating Daniil Tarasov over the glove, exactly 100 seconds into the second period.
The goal didn’t spark a Senators comeback attempt, though.
Later in the period, Matthew Tkachuk got in on the fun, taking a nice pass from Sam Bennett and beating James Reimer to make it 6-1 Florida with 7:19 left in the middle frame. It was Tkachuk’s fourth point on the evening.
Spence then decided it was time to make up for his opening-shift blunder, picking up the game’s next goal on a shot that deflected off Verhaeghe on its way past Tarasov, cutting Florida’s lead back down to four with under five minutes to go until the intermission.
Michael Amadio picked up the game’s next goal, one-timing a pass from Ridly Greig past a sliding Tarasov at the 4:29 mark of the third period to cut further into the Cats’ lead.
Ottawa spent a large chunk of the third period on the power play after Noah Gregor was handed a match penalty for a hit to the head of Carter Yakemchuk, who needed help to the locker room by a couple of his teammates.
Despite spending five straight minutes up a man, including a lengthy two-man advantage in the middle of the power play, the Senators failed to get one past Tarasov and the Panthers.
Photo caption: Mar 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender James Reimer (47) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
Mar 31, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The Phoenix Suns lost to the Orlando Magic 115-111 on Tuesday. Devin Booker led the Suns with 34 points, but Collin Gillespie was the only other Suns starter to score in double digits. The Suns struggled to shoot from both the field and from three. While the Magic had 25 turnovers, the Suns had 20. The team’s two-game losing streak has been snapped.
Phoenix trailed for the majority of the contest, not taking their first lead until early in the fourth quarter. However, on the second night of a back-to-back, the Suns’ offense went cold down the stretch, going more than five minutes without hitting a field goal late. To start and end the game, Phoenix had trouble executing offensively.
Now 42-34 on the year, it’s looking more and more likely the Suns will be in the play-in. The question is will be it as the 8th or 7th seed. Their lead over the Clippers is now just 2.5 games.
Game Flow
First Half
It was a tepid start for the Suns. Technical fouls were flying for both teams and the Suns had just two made field goals in the first 5;35 of the game. Orlando was up 20-8 about halfway through the first. Phoenix was able to cut the lead down to single digits, going on an 8-0 run to end the quarter. It was 28-21 Orlando after the first quarter.
The Magic pushed the lead back to double digits early in the second with a 5-0 run. Phoenix started to creep back around the midway point of the quarter. Jordan Goodwin had an impactful four-point play that cut the deficit to five.
Want to know how Dillon brooks is back? He picked up four fouls in the first half and had to be subbed out less midway through the second because of his foul troubles.
When the Suns cut the lead down to a one-possession score, Orlando responded with a 9-0 run. For the rest of the half, Orlando had a sizable lead Phoenix just couldn’t crack too deeply into. At the half, the Suns trailed the Magic 70-56.
Second Half
To start the third quarter, Phoenix quickly cut their second half lead in half and more some. An 11-2 run prompted an early Orlando timeout, and the Suns pushed the game into a one-score contest at 80-77. Jordan Goodwin was flying all over the court. With Brooks in foul trouble, Goodwin anchored Phoenix’s defense.
The Orlando lead hovered around five points. Phoenix struggled to retake the lead. When Phoenix cut it to two with less than two minutes left in the third, Desmond Bane hit a straightaway triple. It was the perfect depiction of how the final six minutes of the third went until the end. A quick 8-0 run by the Suns to end the third tied the game up at 94 heading into the fourth.
Phoenix’s first lead of the game came early in the fourth quarter, with a Rasheer Fleming slam. The game went back and forth. Neither team was able to build more than a possession lead. Both offenses started to slow down their paces. Grayson Allen started to find a bit of a rhythm after a rough start to the game.
Down 109-107 with 4:08 left, Jordan Ott and company called a timeout. Both team’s offenses remained static and couldn’t generate baskets or good looks. Down the stretch, Phoenix’s offense especially struggled. They went over five minutes without making a field goal which ended up being their kryptonite and ending their two-game win streak.
Up Next
The Suns will face the Hornets on Thursday for their third game in four nights and their third game of their four-game road trip. Phoenix beat Charlotte 111-99 last month back in Arizona.
Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jose Suarez (54) throws against the Athletics in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Looking for another series win, the Braves had Jose Suarez on the mound facing the A’s and Aaron Civale.
Things started nicely for Atlanta and for Suarez, as Jose struck out two of the 3 A’s he faced in the first. Drake Baldwin continued his torrid hitting to start the season with a first inning homer to right center, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead. Olson notched an opposite field single, but that was the extent of the offensive output in the first.
Baldwin's third homer of the season came off the bat at 105.4 mph. That is the fifth ball he has hit 100 mph or harder this year. Yandy Diaz entered today leading MLB with 9 balls hit 100-plus mph. Michael Harris II was one of 14 MLB players with at least six such exit velos. pic.twitter.com/chpbRPy9xD
Jose allowed some traffic in the second, as he allowed a leadoff single and induced a double play before a walk, a balk, and a single allowed the A’s to level the game up at 1 run. Suarez continued to struggle, issuing two more walks to load the bases with two outs. A ground rule double brought home two more runs for the A’s, as Suarez was lucky it bounced over the fence, sparing a third run from scoring on the play. Suarez was able to limit the damage with a strikeout of former Braves’ prospect Shea Langeliers, but that second inning is exactly the fear when starting a guy like Suarez, even as it didn’t involve any homers.
After three groundouts from Atlanta in the home second, Suarez came back with another two strikeouts and another scoreless inning. The A’s offense broke through again in the fourth with a double and a single to go up 4-1. Suarez got two more outs to finish his second time through the Athletics’ order before Weiss wisely pulled the plug before allowing him to face the top of the order again. Joel Payamps was the first pitcher out of the bullpen and extinguished the threat in a couple pitches. Suarez issued more walks than you would want in a 3.2 inning outing, but he did also miss more bats than you would expect for his profile, accumulating 6 strikeouts and 9 whiffs. After another hapless inning on offense against Civale, Payamps came out and left a sweeper center and up in the zone to Langeliers who yanked it just inside of the left field foul pole for a solo homer, putting Atlanta in a 5-1 hole. Payamps then struck out Kurtz and Rooker before he was pulled for Martin Perez. Perez finished the inning with a strikeout of Tyler Soderstrom.
The Braves clawed a run back with singles from Dominic Smith and Mauricio Dubon and a sac fly from Ronald Acuna. Perez worked a clean sixth on three contact outs. Back to back walks from Austin and Yaz presented an opportunity for Atlanta in the sixth with one out, but righty Ozzie and Michael Harris were unable to convert the opportunity. A line drive single and a bunt single spelled trouble for Martin Perez in the seventh, but a double play and a flyout got him out of the inning.
A walk and an error put two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the seventh for the top of the Atlanta order. Ronald struck out, as he continues to scuffle to start the season, at least in terms of results. Baldwin hit a ball well but it turned into an out and Matt Olson struck out ending the threat and keeping the score at 5-2 going into the eighth. Perez worked another scoreless inning on three contact outs, making for a very efficient 4.1 inning outing with no runs, 6 whiffs, and 3 strikeouts.
The Braves didn’t lie down without a fight in the bottom of the ninth, as singles from Harris and Dubon put the tying run at the plate with one out and Ronald Acuna at the plate as well as Drake Baldwin on deck. Ronald had a pretty brutal at-bat to strike out, handing the keys to the game over to Drake, who got under one and popped up to second base, ending the game.
Join us again for a getaway game at 12:15 PM ET with Chris Sale on the mound to decide the series.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 31: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins welcome Evgeni Malkin back from a four-game absence with a hand injury, but they have a scratch so late it doesn’t make the lineup card. Bryan Rust does NOT play tonight after taking warmup, his lower body injury keeps him out so Avery Hayes is in the game in place with the top lines all scrambled around at the last moment.
Great start for the Penguins, who are able to keep the momentum from last night’s seven-straight goals to close the game against the Islanders going for a while longer. Pittsburgh strikes 4:19 in, Sidney Crosby wins a puck off the wall and centers for Rickard Rakell. Rakell patiently waits and holds, traffic builds in front of the net and Rakell shoots back against the grain to the top corner. 1-0 Pens.
That's 20 goals this season for Raks, who has points in 13 of his last 14 games (9G-9A) 💪 pic.twitter.com/GqmENk9s5T
It’s Anthony Mantha time a few minutes later after a scramble happens right at the goal in front of John Gibson. Mantha is able to collect himself, pull the puck out of the mayhem far enough to lift it back over the dogpile. 2-0 Pens, and Mantha is now a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
Looks like Jacob Bernard-Docker is trying to give his team a lift by talking Connor Dewar into a fight, which is pretty admirable since it doesn’t look like Bernard-Docker actually knows how to fight. Or maybe he bit off more than he could chew and just hung on for dear life as Dewar sent some glancing blows off him before wrestling him down.
Pittsburgh gets the first power play of the game when Elmer Soderblom gets high-sticked by a former teammate, a most unusual power play occurs where neither team changes any players, it’s all zone time for the Pens and a few looks off the stick of Erik Karlsson, but no goals.
Undeterred, the Pens score shortly after the power play. Egor Chinakhov kinda pulls up on the rush and fires a shot that glances off the defenseman and make the puck change directions to end up going short-side on Gibson. He was already leaning the other way. 3-0 Pens.
Dominant performance, shots are 14-5 PIT. Had Gibson not made a few nice saves there could have been even more damage done than the 3-0 score after 20.
Second period
The Red Wings put Cam Talbot in the net for the start of the second period.
Detroit gets their first power play of the game after Mantha gets himself in trouble on the forecheck for holding/hooking the defender and gets on the board five seconds into it. The Red Wings win the faceoff, Patrick Kane fires a low shot to create a rebound and Dylan Larkin is able to punch in the rebound. 3-1.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 1, 2026
The Pens find an answer, Connor Clifton steps in front of a slow clearing attempt and sends a shot back. Justin Brazeau is there to get a small deflection on it near the front of the net. 4-1 game.
Detroit gets a few chances late but can’t shrink the score again in the second period. Sam Girard and Lucas Raymond get too chippy with each other after a whistle in a scrum and we get 4v4 hockey as a result.
Shots in the second are 9-8 Red Wings, the Pens aren’t going full throttle but they’re still engaged enough to maintain.
Third period
Larkin gets called for a tripping minor to grant Pittsburgh a 4v3 power play for a limited amount of time.
In the second night of the b-2-b and up big in this one, the Pens are drifting off now. The Red Wings hit a crossbar really hard, it barely stays out.
Total coast mode for the Pens at this point, Detroit’s able to get into the zone, work it around, Pittsburgh keeps them mostly to the outside and then chips the puck out for the process to repeat. Stuart Skinner earns his supper with some saves, the clock keeps heading to the end.
The Pens get one more goal for the road with 7:51 remaining. Ryan Shea shoots from the point with two players posted up near the goal. Noel Acciari is the closest to the rebound and he fights off no less than Mo Seider to win a battle to punch the puck in. 5-1.
Detroit gets caught with six players on the ice. The top power play gets to work a little stress-free practice, they snap the puck around but don’t score.
Both teams come together and exchange pushes and shoves after the final whistle, won’t change the score at this point. Pens secure the victory.
Some thoughts
Sidney Crosby entered the night two points behind Steve Yzerman for 7th place all-time on the NHL scoring list. Yzerman, GM and legend of the Red Wings, shame Crosby could only tack on one point to inch closer but not tie or pass on this night. Given the bigger picture, hardly a note anyone ought be concerned with.
Anything and everything was going the Pens way early. Bryan Rust a very last minute scratch? No worries, just kinda make some last minute changes as you go, it all works out. Rakell and Mantha will score anyways.
Those two are just scorching hot right now. Rakell now has seven goals in the last five games. Mantha, per Bob Grove, scored three goals over the course of six shots. Always a thing of beauty when really good players start performing at clincal levels.
A lot has been made (well, OK, maybe more accurately a little) about Blake Lizotte’s absence from the penalty kill. It’s true the PK has been bad without him. Would it be any better with him? Perhaps but that’s a hypothetical that could have any answer you’d want to imagine. Statistically though, there’s a good case to be made it wouldn’t have mattered on the first DRW PPG: Lizotte has only won 43.6% of his 126 PK faceoffs this season. Noel Acciari (the player who took the faceoff and lost it) had won 50.6% of his 189 PK draws. So probability-wise, it’s not like Lizotte would have been likely to prevent the exact same result on that play. (That example aside, it certainly is a big loss and harmful to the PK and team in general to not have Lizotte available).
Crosby had four hits on the nights officially and these were not getting credit for little bumps, a couple were big hits. One sent Andrew Copp crashing down off his feet. The intensity is definitely ramped up.
Five shots on goal and eight total attempts for Malkin. Looked pretty good in his return considering his hand was banged up.
The more I’ve seen of Soderblom, the more I’m liking it. He’s an active player and certainly makes the most of his opportunities to stand out in limited moments. His size alone can kinda make him a novelty in ways but beyond that you can see why the Penguins wanted him. He’s still just scratching the surface of the type of player he could be and seemingly *^this close^* to breaking through and being a force out there. Maybe that eludes him to fully reach his potential but it’s a worthy project to take on and see what could happen. (Can’t hurt the cause that a similarly-sized and skilled prototype in Brazeau had his major breakout this season). Threw this note in any case and stray Detroit people were checking this out of curiosity to see how Soderblom is fitting in. Slightly more impressed than anticipated.
More surprising occurrence to happen for a second night in a row: chasing the opponent’s goalie or seeing actual, legit hockey fights? Sign of the times that it’s a reasonable question. Really raises the entertainment factor on a game, if you’re cheering for the Penguins, anyways, fights and making the opponent put in their backup goalie are always good fun.
This game might have been more interesting had Alex Debrincat’s aim been true on two shots that both nailed the crossbar. The Penguins put it in coast for a good bit of this game. Luckily they survived without having to try and turn the competitiveness all the way back on.
Two more points is huge for the playoff picture, the out of town scores mostly look helpful, though all are incomplete and potentially subject to change. Columbus is tied with Carolina at press time. The Flyers longshot hopes are even on further life support courtesy of losing an unfinished game as of now to Washington. The Islanders are trailing the Sabres. The beauty of winning for the Pens is the out of town scores don’t matter as much, at this part of the year is the biggest factor is one more precious game ticks away for all parties. The runway getting shorter is one of the most important parts of them all.
Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down for the Pens right now. These last two games were long pegged as some of the most crucial and the response for two convincing wins is very encouraging. The race to the finish line isn’t quite over yet and the Pens still do have three games in a four day stretch that begins anew on Thursday night on the road in Tampa.
Andrew Painter’s Phillies debut may have come a few years later than originally anticipated, but he made sure it was worth the wait. The 22-year-old right hander tallied 8 strikeouts through 5.1 innings while being charged with one run on four hits and a walk. Painter flashed an impressive arsenal of pitches and poise beyond his years as he acted as a de facto stopper for the Phillies’ three game losing streak. Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia both homered to make sure the rookie’s efforts weren’t wasted.
Brush of greatness
Painter got his career off to a fast start, picking up his first career strikeout on the first hitter he faced in James Wood with a beautifully executed curveball. That started a clean inning in the first on just 11 pitches, with first pitch strikes thrown to all three batters. His fastball velocity sat around 97-98 MPH in his first inning of work.
Painter started the second allowing a pair of singles to Daylen Lile and Jorbit Vivas, but quickly settled back in to retire the next three hitters in order to escape any damage, needing only 14 pitches total. He began the third with his second strikeout, utilizing another devastating curveball in the dirt to get Nasim Nuñez swinging. After a groundout by Wood, Painter notched his third punchout after a called third strike on a changeup was confirmed against Luis García Jr. This was already the Nats’ second failed challenge, as catcher Keibert Ruiz challenged a ball called to Alec Bohm in the second that was upheld, meaning Washington was already out of challenges by the end of the third inning.
Bohm helped Painter out to begin the fourth with a sliding catch in foul territory near the rail for the first out. But Painter’s defense then failed him on the next batter, as Lile hit a high pop up into shallow center that was not seen by any of Trea Turner, Bryson Stott, or Justin Crawford, allowing the ball to fall in and Lile to advance to second. But the young righty showed poise beyond his years, as Painter struck out the next two hitters to erase the mistake, getting Vivas on a changeup to end an eight pitch at bat and Ruiz on a slider.
Painter collected strikeout number six to begin the fifth with a slider to José Tena before Joey Wiemer worked a walk on five pitches. But once again, Painter was able to settle down and strikeout the next two hitters, getting Nuñez again on a changeup and Wood on a high 97 MPH fastball.
Painter emerged for the sixth and got Garcia Jr. to pop up before allowing a single to Abrams, ending his night. Abrams later came around to score after Painter left, but he finished strong on an impressive debut. He commanded all of his pitches, getting whiffs on his curveball, slider, changeup, and fastball. He did not get rattled when things went wrong and, most notably, got ahead of hitters and held his velocity through 84 pitches while averaging 96.7 MPH.
Kyle Schwarber launched his second homer of the season off of the second deck in the third to give his rookie starter an early lead and take some of the edge off of the Phillies offense.
Adolis Garcia added his first homer of the season in the fourth after barely missing one in the second. Garcia has hit the ball hard so far this season but has mostly found gloves. This time he muscled a sinker just over the right field wall for an opposite field home run that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
The Phillies then loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on singles from Justin Crawford and Trea Turner and a walk to Schwarber. That brought Bryce Harper to the plate who hit a bouncing ground ball to first that was mishandled for an error by Nationals’ first baseman García Jr., allowing Harper to be safe at first and Crawford to score from third to push the lead to 3-0. But that was all the Phillies would get, as Bohm then grounded into an inning ending double play on the second pitch he saw.
Preserving the win
Tanner Banks allowed a run in the sixth in relief of Painter when a single by Lile went to the outfield where Garcia came up firing, but the ball skipped past Bohm into the dugout, allowing Abrams to score. Washington added another run off of Banks in the seventh when a ball hit by Wood deflected off of Banks and past Harper for a double, scoring Nuñez who previously singled. But Banks was able to escape further damage and finished 1.2 IP with three hits, one run, and two strikeouts. Brad Keller walked one in the eighth but that was it, while Jhoan Duran allowed an infield single and a stolen base before a sharp line drive was caught near the warning track by Brandon Marsh to seal the win.
Tomorrow’s matchup
The Phillies will go for their first series win of the young season when they send Cristopher Sánchez (1-0, 0.00) to the mound against Cade Cavalli (0-0, 4.91) of the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 30: Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper #3 runs down Washington Nationals infielder Jorbit Vivas #84 during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on March 30th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Nationals showed all of the heart and desire, but just did not do enough offensively to get over the line in Philly. While the Nats lost 3-2 tonight, they played well and hung in there despite not having a great offensive performance. It went right down to the wire with James Wood’s line drive being just within Brandon Marsh’s reach to end the game.
Final: Phillies 3, Nats 2. The Nationals' opener strategy worked for the most part, but the lineup couldn't muster much of anything against Andrew Painter in his MLB debut. James Wood drilled a ball to deep left with 2 out in the ninth, but Brandon Marsh just tracked it down.
Unlike last night, the Nats did not have their A game. Andrew Painter was having his way with the Nats lineup in his MLB debut and Zack Littell looked like a guy who signed midway through Spring Training. However, the Nats hung in there and made the Phillies work for their win.
Not rolling over when things don’t go well early is something I love to see from the Nats. While the game never got out of hand, the Phillies always felt in control. However, the Nats were always hanging around and made a valiant comeback attempt.
The Nats actually started this game with an opener. While the concept of an opener has been around for a while now, it is not something the Nats have deployed often. With Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at the top of the Phillies lineup, Blake Butera wanted a lefty to deal with them in the first inning. That is why he turned to PJ Poulin, who fired off a 1-2-3 inning on just nine pitches. He also made a nice defensive play.
After that, the Nats new signing Zack Littell came into the game. He had an up and down outing. His velocity was up from where it had been in the spring, but his execution was still not perfect. He gave up a pair of solo homers to Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia. It was not a flashy performance by any means, but Littell did go 5 innings while allowing three runs. That is a decent showing for the Nats new right hander.
However, with the Nats offense struggling to hit for impact, those three runs were all the Phillies needed. Andrew Painter made his MLB debut and showed why he is seen as a top prospect. His heater sat at 97 MPH and he mixed in a few secondary pitches as well. Painter looked like a guy who will be pitching in the big leagues for a long time.
The one guy who did see Painter well was Daylen Lile. For the day, he went three for four and did not get out against Painter. Lile is such a pure hitter and is continuing what he did in September of last year. Right now, he is mostly hitting singles, but those extra base hits are coming. Lile is the best hitter on the team.
Overall, I loved the spirit and tenacity the Nats played with, even in a losing effort. Tonight was a loss that you could accept because you could see the team fight to the bitter end. There are some nights where the Nats just don’t have the talent to get over the line yet. This team does not have a Kyle Schwarber type slugger who can swat homers at will. Maybe James Wood gets there one day, but he is not there yet.
You can question the talent on the roster, but one thing you cannot question about this team right now is their compete level. I can see them fighting out there, which is not something you could say often last year, especially down the stretch. It is nice to watch a fun team. Hopefully they can repeat what they did in Chicago and win the first and third games of the series.
Mar 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) celebrates with Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored eight runs while the Baltimore Orioles scored five runs.
Jacob deGrom’s few days delay to his 2026 season was going well despite his former New York Mets teammate Pete Alonso seemingly having his number. For his first four innings, deGrom looked like his vintage self aside from a couple of hits from the Polar Bear, including a solo home run.
Staked to a 3-1 lead in the middle innings, deGrom ran into unexpected issues with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. With the ability to qualify for a victory appearing an afterthought, the O’s rallied and knocked out Texas’ co-ace.
Baltimore’s No. 9 hitter reached via a single, and an infield single one batter later brought up Baltimore’s most dangerous hitter. Gunnar Henderson delivered a two-run double on a ball that left fielder Wyatt Langford seemed to misplay and that ended deGrom’s night with the game tied 3-3.
All in all, deGrom finished his evening going 4 2/3 innings allowing six hits, three runs, while striking out seven and walking none. Not the worst outing, but not one deGrom will likely recall at his Hall of Fame speech.
And luckily for the veteran legend, the Rangers bats were up to the task of having his back. With runs scored in five of the nine separate innings, Texas collected 13 hits and scored a season-best eight runs.
Meanwhile the bullpen was also held up their end of the bargain post-deGrom with Cole Winn, Jakob Junis, and Robert Garcia each enjoying scoreless outings before Chris Martin labored a bit to get through the ninth inning, allowing a couple of runs after Texas had pretty much turned it into a blowout.
With a pair of wins in Baltimore, the Rangers have earned themselves no worse than two series wins on the road to begin the year and will go for a sweep of the O’s tomorrow.
Player of the Game: The three hitters at the top of the order had two hits apiece with Corey Seager launching a solo home run in the ninth to cap off the scoring for Texas, Wyatt Langford smacking a triple that ignited the early scoring, and Brandon Nimmo collecting the eventual game-winning RBI single after Baltimore had come back to tie things in the middle innings.
But the guy tonight was catcher Danny Jansen to add to the cache of new acquisitions who have contributed to victories early this season. Jansen went 3-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI with those runs coming off the biggest hit of the night when Jansen turned a tight one-run game into an eventual easy win with a two-out, three run home run.
Consider the momentum shifted.
Up Next: The Rangers will attempt an early season sweep in tomorrow’s finale with RHP Nathan Eovaldi named Tuesday’s starter. The Orioles, meanwhile, will also go with their Opening Day starter with LHP Trevor Rogers making his second start of the year.
They’re starting the April Fools finale from Camden Yards in the ante meridiem local time with first pitch set for 11:35 am CDT and you can watch it on the Rangers Sports Network.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers hits a two-RBI single during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Detroit Tigers (2-2) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (1-3)
Time/Place: 9:40 p.m., Chase Field SB Nation Site: AZ Snake Pit Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Casey Mize (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 26: Cal Raleigh #29 and Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners gather at the mound during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on March 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners recorded their first walkoff win of the season last night and in narrative-pleasing fashion, it was Cal Raleigh who dealt reigning MVP Aaron Judge’s Yankees the loss. Ah, that’s the good stuff. The Mariners really needed that win because they have two rough draws for the rest of this series, starting with Max Fried tonight. It’s a second straight day against a lefty, so once again I must implore you to read this piece on lefty lineup construction from Zach Mason if you have not. Or even if you have.
SS J.P. Crawford (shoulder) has reported to Tacoma, where he will begin a rehab assignment tonight. If you have Mariners TV, you also have access to the Mariners minor-leagues so you can watch the game if you are so inclined.
Today’s Game Information:
Game time: 6:40 PT
TV: TBS; Mariners.TV, which you can stream or watch on local cable. Details here. Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Angie Mentink will be on the call.
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
ATLANTA (AP) — Francisco Trincão scored in the 37th minute, João Félix added a goal in the 59th and Portugal beat the United States 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night to deal the Americans their eighth consecutive defeat against European opponents.
U.S. star Christian Pulisic was moved from a wing to the top of the attack but failed to convert a pair of good scoring chances.
Pulisic, who played only the first half, is scoreless in eight national team games dating to November 2024 and in 12 games with AC Milan since Dec. 28.
Preparing to co-host the World Cup, the U.S. has been outscored 22-6 during its losing streak against Europe and is winless against the continent in 10 matches since 2021.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26, and the Americans play their last warmups against Senegal five days later and Germany on June 6. The Americans open the World Cup on June 12 against Australia, face Paraguay a week later and close the first round vs. Turkey on June 25.
Before a pro-US crowd of 72,297 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Portugal went ahead after American midfielder Weston McKennie knocked a hard-to-control pass from Alex Freeman to Vitinha, who played a through ball to Bruno Fernandes. As defenders Chris Richards and Auston Trusty converged on the midfielder, he dropped a backheel pass to Trincão, who took a touch and slotted it past Matt Freese and inside the far post for his third international goal.
Félix scored his 12th international goal following Fernandes' corner kick. Left unmarked just outside the penalty area, Félix sent a half-volley in on two bounces off the far post.
Freese was back in goal after his streak of 12 straight starts ended when former No. 1 goalkeeper Matt Turner played in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Belgium.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning on Opening Day at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees finally took one on the chin Monday night, as Cal Raleigh delivered the walk-off winner for the Mariners in Seattle. After opening the season with a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, New York dropped its first game of 2026 in a frustratingly getting walked off in a 2-1 loss.
It might be early in the season, but the games still count the same now as they do in September and these head-to-heads with the Mariners could have playoff seeding implications later in the year. The good news for the Yankees is that they could not ask for a much better bounce-back setup.
Thanks to the rare Sunday offday due to the Netflix Opening Night game on Wednesday, skipper Aaron Boone was able to skip the fifth spot in the rotation and line things up for Max Fried to take the ball tonight on normal rest. It is the kind of subtle early-season advantage smart organizations should exploit, and it gives New York exactly who they want on the mound after their first loss.
Fried looked every bit like the ace in his Yankees debut, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings, while allowing just two hits, and striking out four Giants. What made it even more impressive was that Fried did not appear to have his sharpest stuff or his best command, yet he still found a way to navigate through the Giants lineup down by the bay. Tonight, the task shifts from setting the tone for the season to resetting it after a loss, exactly what you have aces for in baseball.
Seattle counters with Logan Gilbert, one of the more underrated power right-handers in the American League. Gilbert might not be the definite ace of this loaded staff but he is a gem of a starting pitcher nonetheless. Gilbert’s combination of fastball shape, extension, and swing-and-miss secondaries gives this matchup the feel of another pitchers’ duel, which means the Yankees’ offense may once again need to capitalize on a small handful of mistakes. However, there is some reason for optimism.
History suggest the Yankees can make Gilbert uncomfortable. In seven career starts against New York, Gilbert is just 2-3 with a 6.57 ERA and 31 strikeouts, and several of those outings have turned into short, high-stress nights. That includes his lone start against the Yankees last season when the Bombers were able to chase Gilbert after 5.1 innings of five-run ball (one unearned) in the Bronx.
After mustering just one run Monday night, the Yankees will hope they can get to Gilbert early and often with the bats. Boone continues to tinker with the lineup, and tonight backup catcher J.C. Escarra gets his first appearance of the young season after four consecutive starts from Austin Wells. Escarra, Ben Rice, and Ryan McMahon all get their first cracks at Gilbert. That puts the focus squarely on the big bats of the order.
Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are the types of hitters who can change this matchup with one swing, especially against a pitcher who tends to live in the zone early with his fastball. If the Yankees are going to bounce back tonight, it likely starts with their stars doing damage rather than matchup specialists exploiting a split.
Can Judge and company cash in on their opportunities this time, or will Seattle’s pitching staff keep making life difficult in T-Mobile Park?
How to Watch
Location: T-Mobile Park — Seattle, WA
First pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET
TV broadcast: YES Network, Mariners.TV, TBS (National broadcast)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App
Listen: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Seattle Sports 710 AM
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 11: Colt Emerson #85 of the Seattle Mariners looks on in the dugout during a Spring Training game against the Colorado Rockies at Peoria Stadium on March 11, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners surprised the baseball world today with the news of a record-breaking extension for prospect Colt Emerson. While much of the extension chatter has focused on the Mariners’ pitching core, the Mariners instead locked down the 20-year-old shortstop who has steadily climbed prospect lists since his draft year in 2022, when the Mariners took him 22nd overall out of John Glenn High School in East Concord, Ohio.
“[Colt] has run up the food chain so quickly because of his performance, maturity, work habits, etc.,” said Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto. “He is going to be a very young major league debut player and as such was trending toward being a very young major league free agent, and it was a priority for us to make sure that we kept him here as a part of this for longer.”
Emerson had a strong spring, but it wasn’t necessarily his performance on the field that impressed Dipoto the most. “The way he integrated with the other players and just how easily he fits,” is what Dipoto described as Emerson’s standout quality from the spring. “Listening to him talk in the cage with Rob Refsnyder, Brendan Donovan, the ease with which he was operating with guys who have been in the league a long time.”
This is something I saw firsthand at spring training; Emerson was hard to pin down to talk to, simply because he was always either participating in a drill, or deep in conversation with one of his teammates. He, Donovan, Naylor and Refsnyder were regular fixtures in the team’s newly-revamped batting cages.
Even more impressive is Colt Emerson the person: watching him do everything from encouraging a teammate to picking up an errant piece of trash in the batting cage and tossing it in the proper receptacle to the way he treated everyone, from teammates to media to complex staff, with equal measures of respect.
“You have to be a good player to garner this type of interest, this type of contract, but you also have to be the person at at 20 years old, you can say, over the course of the next nine years, we trust you to go do this. And if you’ve spent any time around Colt, you know that he checks every one of those boxes. He’s such a humble, mature, well-thought-out human being…Just as much as we think he’s an impact player, we think he’s an impact person.”
From the team’s perspective, locking down Emerson to an extension was a no-brainer. From a roster construction perspective, it’s a little trickier.
“We have no hard date [for his debut],” said Dipoto. “But I suspect he will be a big leaguer sooner than later, and he will contribute heavily to this season. And I thought that was the case before we signed him – this signing was more about the long term, than it is about the season, how it all fits, especially with Leo [Rivas] being the only one who hits from the right side.”
J.P. Crawford, Brendan Donovan, Colt Emerson, Cole Young – all hit from the left side. Leo Rivas is a switch hitter, meaning there’s no true righty in the infield mix other than Ryan Bliss. Dipoto says the team has an advantage, though, in the positional versatility for Brendan Donovan, as well as Colt Emerson, who is equally comfortable at either shortstop or third base; they just have to be “creative” in figuring out how to leverage it.
“We’re in no rush. We’re going to let Colt to continue to get his feet on the ground and do the things he’s been doing in his development. He’ll play in Tacoma…he’ll continue to get reps at third base, and we will continue to develop him the same way we always have, which is to give him exposure. Because when he gets to the big leagues, it’s no slam-dunk where he’ll be playing.”
It does sound like, for now, third base is the likelier option, at least as long as J.P. Crawford is healthy. Dipoto reasserted that after J.P. Crawford plays tonight and tomorrow in Tacoma “he’s our shortstop” [LL community, drink the beverage of your choice] when the team gets to Anaheim.
“That was always our plan,” affirmed Dipoto. “That’s why you saw Colt so frequently at third base in the spring. We were preparing for that. And third base came pretty easily for Colt.”
The left-handedness, unfortunately, is non-negotiable. It’s not the defense that will keep Emerson in Triple-A; the thing that Dipoto and the Mariners are looking for from Emerson in Tacoma is reps in the box.
“Upper-level pitching in general is something he hasn’t had…not a huge volume for him,” said Dipoto. “He’s played fifty-ish games above A-ball. But it’s the left-handed pitching and the exposure to it, you don’t get a lot of exposure to lefties with breaking balls that move away from you in rural Ohio as a high schooler.”
Emerson had mostly neutral splits against lefties and righties last year, but he did struggle with the more advanced lefties this spring, with an OPS of just .489 – under half of his OPS against righties. His challenge in Tacoma will be to maintain his positional flexibility while gaining experience against more seasoned pitching. It doesn’t sound like it will be a particularly difficult thing for the uber-learner Emerson to check off, especially after a self-directed swing change that’s helped him unlock more power while not sacrificing any of this plate discipline.
Getting this deal done required trust on both sides: the Mariners’ trust in their scouting and development of Emerson has been evident from the jump, and his steady progress up the minor-league ladder and into the lists of top prospects in the game has rewarded the team’s early faith in him. But Emerson, too, had to trust the organization that he was essentially signing away his 20s to, as a place where the ultra-competitive Emerson can win and be supported by a core built for sustained success.
“I think Colt always envisioned himself as a Mariner,” said Dipoto. “From the day he entered the organization, he has a vision for what it’s going to look like here. He is a championship type player with a championship mentality, and when we talk about our team, he always sees himself in it…
He finishes every conversation, ‘we’re gonna win a lot of games’. ”
