SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 31: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 31, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a high-quality win opened their most recent series with the Athletics, the Yankees finished it off with tough back-to-back losses. In those two ballgames, the “Bombers” mustered just five combined hits and two runs, which included a one-hit shutout in the latter. With some of their better arms slated to start in their upcoming series against the Rays, they have to hope the bats can wake up a bit for the trip down to St. Pete.
Tampa Bay has had a so-so start to the season, and will certainly have their hands full with the Yankees paying them a visit back at Tropicana Field.
Friday: Luis Gil vs. Steven Matz(7:10 pm ET)
A strategic move had Luis Gil start the season in triple-A, but now with a need for a full five-man rotation, he’ll make his 2026 debut on Friday in the series opener. The 2024 American League Rookie of the Year missed a good chunk of his sophomore campaign last season, and was shaky when he was on the mound. Across 11 starts and 57 innings, the righty managed an improved 3.32 ERA, but his strikeout and walk rates took troubling steps backward. He looked good in the spring, however, posting a 24:5 K:BB rate in 19.1 innings, and will look to keep that version of himself rolling in his season debut.
He’ll start against Steven Matz, who has started his 12th big league season on the right foot. I remember watching him toss a gem in the 2014 Eastern League Championship game for the Binghamton Mets, and 12 years later, he’s still making it happen on the mound, now with the Rays. In 11 innings across his first two starts, the lefty has worked efficiently, and is coming off of a one-run, eight-strikeout performance against the Twins last weekend.
Saturday: Max Fried vs. Nick Martinez(6:10 pm ET)
In the series’ second game, the Yankees will flip back to the top of the rotation, giving Max Fried another go-around. In the second season of his eight-year deal with the Yankees, the lefty has been terrific on the whole. His first two starts saw him shut out the Giants and Mariners, keeping the scoreboard blank and allowing just five total hits. He is coming off his first forgettable start of the season, when he walked three and allowed as many earned runs in a start against the Marlins. He’ll look to get back on track against Florida’s other team.
Fried will square off against journeyman Nick Martinez. He has put together a solid run of respectable pitching over the last half-decade, and has done a nice job thus far for the Rays. The 35-year-old has completed six innings in each of his first two starts, and has allowed just three earned runs in those 12 innings. His latest was a one-run, one-hit performance against the Twins.
Sunday: Cam Schlittler vs. Shane McClanahan(1:40 pm ET)
If Cam Schlittler’s rookie campaign was encouraging, the start of his 2026 season has been downright thrilling. Similar to his rotation-mate Fried, he kept things scoreless through each of his first two starts, but is coming off of a start with three earned runs pinned on him against the A’s. The real highlight, however, has been his striking out of seven or more batters in all three starts this year, and even more so, the fact that he has not surrendered a walk yet. He’ll look to build on his sparkling 1.62 ERA and 0.54 FIP on Sunday’s series finale.
Schlittler will square off with Shane McClanahan, who himself was once considered one of baseball’s best pitching talents. The left-hander has fallen on hard times of late, as non-stop injury trouble kept him from throwing a single big league season in either the 2024 or 2025 seasons. He is back, however, which is good to see, and he’s done some good things thus far. He’s worked on a limited load, tossing less than five innings in each of his two starts this season. McClanahan has struck out nine in his 8.2 innings, but will need to improve on the seven walks he’s surrendered if he wants to return fully to form. This will be his first start against the Yankees sine August of 2023.
This game is about whether Philadelphia can sustain the kind of dominant, wire-to-wire performance required to win by at least 16 points against a team that has quietly been one of the most reliable covers in the league.
The Pacers are 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 games. That number doesn’t lie. It doesn’t care about the moneyline or that Indiana is usually a massive underdog.
Indiana is playing at one of the fastest paces in the league, and they’re shooting an efficient 59.8 eFG% over that 10-game stretch.
The Pacers aren’t a team surviving on effort alone. The Pacers can score, and they do it efficiently. Philadelphia is allowing 118.7 points per game, and Indiana is giving up 121.9, so stops are going to be hard to find.
That sets the tone for the entire matchup: fast pace, quick shots, and constant scoring runs.
In games like that, big spreads become fragile. You’re not just asking the 76ers to win, you’re asking them to maintain focus, energy, and execution for 48 minutes.
That’s a much bigger ask than it looks. Take the points and the Pacers to cover this massive line.
76ers vs Pacers same-game parlay
Three angles, one direction. Indiana covers because neither defense can stop anyone right now.
That same offensive freedom is exactly why VJ Edgecombe gets his points in a track-meet pace game, and he’s scored at least 17 points in three of his previous five.
And when both teams are bleeding 119 plus points per game with the pace we’ll see tonight, we’ll take a stab at the Over.
76ers vs Pacers SGP
Pacers +15
V.J. Edgecombe Over 16.5 points
Over 233.5
Our "from downtown" SGP: Tons of triples
Jay Huff didn’t attempt a 3-point shot in the Pacers' victory over Brooklyn, but he’s made at least two triples in three of his past five games.
Kelly Oubre has been letting it fly, and he’s made at least two long-range bombs in three of his previous five games.
Paul George is coming off a 0-for-5 3-point stinker but has made at least three triples in seven of his previous eight games.
Tyrese Maxey averages three made threes per night. He went 5-for-10 last night from downtown, snapping a five-game skid where he failed to make three triples or more.
76ers vs Pacers SGP
Jay Huff Over 1.5 made threes
Kelly Oubre Over 1.5 made threes
Paul George Over 2.5 made threes
Tyrese Maxey Over 2.5 made threes
76ers vs Pacers odds
Spread: Philadelphia -15.5 | Indiana +15.5
Moneyline: Philadelphia -1300 | Indiana +800
Over/Under: Over 234.5 | Under 234.5
76ers vs Pacers betting trend to know
The Pacers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Pacers.
How to watch 76ers vs Pacers
Location
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Date
Friday, April 10, 2026
Tip-off
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
NBC Sports Philadelphia, FDSN Indiana
76ers vs Pacers latest injuries
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Jorge Polanco, a capable switch-hitter, would normally feature prominently in almost all imaginable iterations of an ideal Mets lineup against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Yet Polanco did not start against Rodriguez and the Diamondbacks on Thursday night.
Before the Mets’ loss to the D-backs on Wednesday afternoon, Polanco said the Achilles pain that has been limiting his time in the field “comes and goes.” Some days, he feels well enough to play a game in the field and even tries to field some ground balls early. Some days, he admitted, he feels much worse.
“Yesterday,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday. “Was one of those days.”
Polanco could require a trip to the injured list to fully vanquish regular pain. But even if it doesn’t, Polanco’s bout of what the Mets are calling “Achilles tendinitis” could still shift the Mets’ first base prognosis dramatically.
Ever since the Mets introduced Polanco – and did so a few days after the Baltimore Orioles introduced Pete Alonso as their first baseman – he has felt like the heir apparent to Alonso at that position. Maybe Bo Bichette would help replace Alonso’s offense, sure. But Polanco would be the man around the bag – and maybe even better than Alonso defensively (though opinions vary on the height of that bar) -- once he got the hang of it.
But in the short-term, and perhaps even long-term in 2026, Polanco might fit best as a designated hitter more often than not.
While he continues to avoid the IL and battles regular flareups, Polanco will almost certainly make his appearances as a DH. Not only would logic prescribe less time standing on achy legs in cold weather than more, but Polanco has not had time to build stamina and experience at first defensively. Playing there regularly will require regular work. And he is not able to work regularly yet.
“I just have pain, a little. Doing everything,” Polanco said. “It’s not something that, doing this feels really bad, doing this feels really good. Some days I feel really good. Some days I have a little bit of pain.”
Polanco has only played first base in two of the Mets’ first 13 games. His inexperience showed in both of them, though so too did his adjustments from play to play.
“I was comfortable. I was getting comfortable [before the injury],” Polanco said. “I was starting to feel like a first baseman.”
The good news for the Mets is they have other first-basemen-in-training to evaluate in the meantime. Mark Vientos and Brett Baty both got extra work at the position in spring training. Vientos has started five straight games there, in part because he exploded offensively, in part because Juan Soto’s injury cleared outfield space for Baty. That pair – both of whom now have more innings there than Polanco and have looked comfortable -- could platoon there when Soto returns. Jared Young also has more experience at first.
One could argue that the best way to keep Polanco’s much-needed bat in the lineup into October would be to have him DH most of the time, rather than test his legs at first. Certainly, in the short term, the Mets have chosen that solution.
“The priority here is to keep him healthy. Health is the most important part here,” Mendoza said. “When he gets [healthy], he’ll continue to get opportunity [at first]. But we just gotta make sure he’s feeling 100 percent before we put him out there.”
Long-term, Polanco – who has played more than 500 career games at shortstop and more than 400 at second base in his career – says playing the field is important to him.
“It does matter to me. I do want to be out there. I feel like I can be out there and help the team in that aspect, too,” Polanco said. “But it’s just what’s going on right now.”
The Mets can afford to wait and see whether he will be able to play first regularly for them this year. They did not sign him for his glove.
The Mud Hens bounced back from an extra innings loss on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in this best of six, their first homestand of the season.
Ty Madden got the start for the Mud Hens, and while his velocity is still way down in the low 90’s he was very effective in this one. After both teams were blanked in the first inning, Madden allowed an Orlando Arcia double, and an Eric Wagaman single scored him before Madden punched out Alex Jackson to end the inning. Still, that was all Madden would allow, as he struck out five across five innings of one-run ball.
Corey Julks evened the score with a solo shot to left in the bottom of the third. Two innings later, a Julks single of pitcher Grant Hartwig sparked a bigger rally. Cal Stevenson singled to right, and Max Burt doubled down the left field line to score Julks. Ben Malgeri walked to load the bases, and Max Clark smoked a line drive to center for a two-run double that made it 4-1. Malgeri was cut down trying to score a third run on the play, and Gage Workman grounded out to end the threat, but the Hens had all the runs they’d need on this night.
LHP Drew Sommers took over in the sixth, and he gave up one run, but Jace Jung mashed his first homer of the year in the bottom half, and it was a 410 footer to straightaway center field.
Jack Little allowed a solo shot to Alex Jackson in the seventh, but Tyler Mattison and Burch Smith shut down the Saints the rest of the way, with the latter earning the save.
Wenceel Pérez was scratched in this one, so expect him in Detroit for Parker Meadows on Friday night.
Julks: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB
Workman: 2-4, K, SB
Jung: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Clark: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2B
Madden (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: The two clubs meet up at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday night.
The Baysox walked off an otherwise close, well pitched game on Thursday, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.
LHP Joe Miller was very good again, as was the Baysox’s Evan Yates. Each went 4 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run while punching out five.
The SeaWolves had a chance to score in the first and missed it. Peyton Graham singled with one out and Brett Callahan reached on a throwing error, but Andrew Jenkins and E.J. Exposito struck out to end the threat.
In the top of the second, Joe Campagna walked with one out, moving to third on a Bennett Lee double. Seth Stephenson bounced a groundout to first, scoring Campagna, but that was all they’d get. 1-0 Erie.
Miller dodged a little traffic in the middle innings, but a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases in the fifth. Aron Estrada reached on an infield single to score one run, and Miller punched out the next hitter before lefty Johan Simon took over, getting a strikeout and a flyout to escape the jam.
The SeaWolves threatened in the seventh but didn’t score. RHP Woo-Suk Go took over in the bottom half and he gave up a two-out double but punched out Ethan Anderson to keep the score 1-1. The SeaWolves just couldn’t string anything else together.
RHP Wandisson Charles took over in the bottom of the ninth, and he got the first two outs before plunking Brandon Butterworth, who then stole second base, and then scored on a walkoff single from Estrada.
Graham: 2-4, SB
Lee: 2-3, 2B
Miller: 4.1 IP, ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Friday.
Great Lakes Loons 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)
Hayden Minton struggled with his command a bit, while the ‘Caps offense struggled in general on Thursday.
The right-hander gave up back-to-back doubles in the top of the first, and Logan Wagner followed with a two-run shot to make it 3-0 while people were still trying to find their seats. Minton got the next three outs in order to end the half inning with help from a great diving grab by Patrick Lee in left, but after a clean second, he got in trouble again in the third. He walked Mike Sirota with one out, and with two outs hit Jose Meza. A wind blown pop-up to right field dropped in as both runners scored and it was 5-0 without really a hard hit ball or a bunch of walks even involved.
The Whitecaps got on the board in the fifth. Cristian Santana was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Clayton Campbell doubled him to third. Junior Tilien lined out, but Patrick Lee walked to load the bases. Woody Hadeen lifted a fly ball to right deep enough for Santana to tag and score, and then Lee stole second. Sterling Patrick walked Samuel Gil to load the bases. Justin Chambers took over from Patrick and walked in a run before Roberto Campos flew out to end the inning. 5-2 Loons.
Ryan Harvey and Luke Stofel did a nice job in relief in the late innings, but the Whitecaps never mounted another threat, managing just two hits on the night.
Gil: 1-3, BB, K
Campbell: 1-4, R, 2B, K
Hurtado: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Minton (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday night.
Lefty Ben Jacobs outdid his excellent pro debut last week with a pretty spectacular outing as the Flying Tigers crushed Daytona to remain undefeated through six games.
Jacobs averaged 94 mph in this one with slightly above average induced vertical break. His good vertical attack angle and advanced fastball command helps that to play up, as the fastball and slider generated most of the swing and miss. The Tortugas had little chance as Jacobs racked up 18 whiffs and seven strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of work. He did walk two, and had some long at-bats that stretched his pitch count up early on, but the Tortugas only managed a pair of singles against him. He’s not going to stay in Lakeland too long as an advanced college pitcher, but the Tigers’ 2025 third rounder is certainly off to a good start.
The Flying Tigers’ offense threatened in the first, and they broke through in the second when Sergio Tapia led off with a single. A one-out Anibal Salas single got Tapia to third and Jude Warwick singled him home for a 1-0 lead.
The Flying Tigers pushed across another run in the third, but it was in the sixth where they blew the Tortugas up for good. With Nelfri Payano taking over on the mound for Daytona, Salas drew a leadoff walk and Jesus Pinto singled through the right side to get Salas to third. A balk scored him, and after Warwick flew out, Jack Goodman walked and Beau Ankeney reached on an error to load the bases. Hernandez followed with a double that cleared the bases.
That made it 6-0, but they weren’t done. Nolan McCarthy drew a walk to put runners on first and second as the Tortugas went back to the bullpen. Bryce Archie took over and got Tapia to fly out, but then walked Newremberg Rondon to load the bases. A two-run double from Salas made it an 8-0 game.
Make it 8-0 Lakeland after Anibal Salas dunks a 2-run double into right center. The Flying Tigers have scored 6 runs in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/wn4nn3h5VT
Ankeney added on with a two-run shot in the fifth for his first professional home run, and the strapping first baseman looks built to hit plenty of them. 10-0 Lakeland.
Congratulations to Beau Ankeney on his first professional home run. He launched this 2-run shot 373 feet to left to put the Flying Tigers up 10-0. @AaronArnstein on the call. pic.twitter.com/e9k8jikstN
Pedro Garcia took over from Jacobs, while Andrew Pogue took over for the sixth and seventh innings, racking up four strikeouts. Yendry Gomez allowed a pair of runs in the eighth to get Daytona on the board, but this one was long over by then.
Ankeney: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Pinto: 3-6, R, K
Hernandez: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, K
Jacobs: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Friday evening.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Alex Vesia #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on after pitching against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park on April 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last season the Dodgers were able to complete their quest of two straight titles without the help of their best left-handed relief option in the World Series.
Alex Vesia was away from the Dodgers during last year’s Fall Classic as he and his wife were grieving the sudden loss of their newborn daughter, Sterling, and both Dodgers and Blue Jays relievers alike sported Vesia’s no. 51 on the side of their caps. Back in Toronto for the first time since the epic seven-game series, Vesia came into a tough situation on Tuesday as he dealt with a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Dodgers holding a slim lead. He was able to get the Dodgers out of the inning, and the team eventually sealed a series win over Toronto.
Vesia recounted that the past few days had been hard for him emotionally, as noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, and remarked that he was able to feed off of the energy from the crowd to get out of the bases-loaded jam.
“The past two days have been hard,” Vesia said Tuesday night. “It’s nice, though, to have my wife in the stands. She was right behind the dugout tonight. I definitely was looking at her, especially after the outing.
“But honestly, during it, that was awesome. I really — the adrenaline, the crowd, I feed off that. It was definitely a great outing. One pitch at a time. That was a great, great win all in all.”
Links
Despite an ugly 0-4 performance with four strikeouts, Andy Pages continues to sport some of the best numbers in all of baseball. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that Pages routinely takes simulated at-bats using the Trajekt machine, using Paul Skenes’ pitch mix to help give him a better feel as to how the ball moves.
“I focused a lot on the pitches that Paul Skenes was throwing, just because his ball moves so much,” Pages said. “I start with him (on game days), but then I zone in on the starting pitcher for that evening.”
Dodger Stadium had been the name of the iconic home of the Dodgers for 64 seasons. Beginning March 25, the traditional name was no more, as the era of UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is upon us.
Every day this week, the NBC Sports NBA writing crew is breaking down the league's individual postseason awards and giving you their thoughts and predictions. We've done MVP, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. Today, let's get into Defensive Player of the Year. Here's where we stand.
Defensive Player of the Year
Kurt Helin, NBC Sports Lead NBA Writer: Victor Wembanyama
The only question here is if he will be the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history. He should be. Wembanyama has to play 20+ minutes in one more game this season to reach the league-mandated 65-game threshold, but that should happen Friday or Sunday. The more interesting question is what would happen if Wembanyama didn't qualify for the award? My guess is Chet Holmgren would win going away.
Jay Coucher, NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst: Victor Wembanyama
Over/under 7.5 career DPOYs for Wemby?
Raphielle Johnson, NBC Sports Fantasy basketball lead analyst: Victor Wembanyama
This should be the first of many DPOY awards that Wembanyama wins during his NBA career. The Spurs star has been dominant defensively, averaging 9.4 defensive rebounds, 1.0 steals and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game. And the blocks don't tell the complete story, as there has been no shortage of "business decisions" by offensive players who choose not to shoot because of Wembanyama's presence in the paint.
Eric Samulski, MLB/NBA Writer, NBC Sports: Victor Wembanyama
A written defense of this is like needing a written defense to prove that The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It just was. We know that. It's fact.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable – a round table of Bright Siders – give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: Jordan Ott’s continuing reliance on “small-ball” lineups isn’t popular among many fans. What’s your opinion of them and your best guess as to why he continues to use them?
GuarGuar: I think there’s a is a time and place for small ball lineups, however, we have been running them way too much vs teams where it’s not so beneficial. I like Ott’s willingness to try unconventional things, but we can’t run small ball for 20 minutes in a game where our season is on the line. I think he really likes what the small ball does offensively and is willing to concede on defense.
Diamondhacks: Based on the record, I respect Ott’s judgment and unconventional lineups more than his actual roster. If you’d told his internet critics beforehand that our four primary expected drivers of success (Booker, Brooks, Green, MW) would miss 109 combined games, I suspect most of them would’ve penciled us in for twenty-something wins.
Instead, this clueless rookie coach (who probably doesn’t even WATCH the games or CARE!!!) has cobbled together a surprising WC play-in berth from a roster of castoffs that is – when healthy – ostensibly “led” by three of the NBA’s more polarizing, overrated “stars”, apparently competing for the league’s highest USG%, most techs…and likely not much else.
In “short”, no coach is infallible, but based on everyone’s respective track records, this coach looks to me demonstrably less flawed than his top players or most fan expectations.
Ashton: Coach Ott is screwing up. Multiple articles and poster comments have pointed out the fact that he is trying to shrink the roster to the best 8 players. And they are all small (6’ 5” – larger than me). This is not a working formula.
He really should zag when others zig, or whatever. Play the bench and set up for next season.
But this is why you wait until the last minute to write something up. KM looked good against tanking Dallas last night. And congrats to the Suns for getting home court advantage.
OldAz: I have been pretty vocal lately about my distaste for the recent lineups and the freezing out of the younger players. I think Ott truly believes that to win in the playoffs, you have to shorten rotations. This is not about playing fewer players as much as the starters playing more minutes, leaving less to go around, so you shorten the bench to keep them in rhythm. This is why I think Ott has been going down that path and keeps talking about shortening the bench.
However, if players like GA, RO, and Gillespie are just going to be the 4th and 5th players on the floor and not be involved on either end, then what does it matter what type of rhythm they are in? I also reject the premise that the starters should, by default, increase their minutes in the playoffs. How often have we seen worn-out starters falter down the stretch, or the same exact players playing every minute of multiple OTs?
It seems to me that playing 10-11 deep keeps your starters fresher in those late game situations and can help wear out the other teams starters (who are playing more minutes) when you do what the Suns have done all year by playing deep and putting youth and energy on the floor when the other teams starters are starting to get heavy legs and need a rest. Early in the season, this was players like Livers, Dunn, Gillespie, and Goodwin were eating minutes. Now KM and Fleming are available in place of Livers and Richards. Playing deep also allows the starters to expend more energy when playing because they know they don’t have to pace themselves to play 40 minutes. This is especially true of the center rotation. I just have never liked the idea of changing what works for your team, just because that’s the way everyone else has always done it.
Rod: I would like to see him move away from playing so much small-ball but, to me, how he structures his lineups and player rotation are signs of who he places the most trust in. Trust is certainly important, but sometimes you also need to take a leap of faith to progress past a certain point and I think it’s already gotten past that point for Ott.
But, better late than never, as they say, so running out bigger lineups at this point is doubtful to have a significant negative effect and may just give the team the boost it needs in the postseason. Seriously, for the Suns to do anything significant in the post-season playing small-ball, it’s going to take everyone playing a near-perfect game, every night…and that’s something that I have trust in. I’ve seen it happen in stretches but it’s always been inconsistent and not something we can count on.
With the 7th spot already locked up, why not at least give some bigger lineups some significant playing time in at least the last two regular-season games? It’s not like running out the same-old, same-old in the last two is really going to significantly improve how well they’ve been playing before the post-season begins.
Q2: The Suns have definitely outperformed expectations this year. Do you think they could continue to improve next season without making any major changes this offseason?
GuarGuar: I definitely think we can improve if we keep things the same next season. We were not healthy for the majority of this season. Positive regression there and then development from our young guys, and I can see us getting close to surpassing 50 wins. This is a talented core.
Diamondhacks: Further improvements possible, but I think it’ll be nearly impossible to ambush the nba the way Ott’s crew did this fall. Every opponent understands who Goodwin and Gillespie are now. Plus, it’s harder to improve on 43 wins than on 36.
Oso’s made wonderful strides and needs to continue his positive trajectory. Fleming and Maluach are coming along just fine. Dunn has improved. Green (who’s barely played) and Williams (who’s played more than he has in his life) are big talents with even bigger question marks. Everyone else is on the wrong side of the aging curve, however, so assuming an identical roster, I’d probably take the under on 43 wins.
Ashton: Ah, the halcyon days of looking at a potential 50-win Suns team this season. It is not even summer, and I am souring on this team quicker than yogurt on hot pavement. Don’t eat it. It appears that my positive expectations are now in that yogurt. But if you all want to eat a yogurt tide pod and TikTok it, have at it. I will take you to the emergency room.
So, I think all options need to be considered. I really do not want Giannis, and the cost will be high. But he wants a place that appreciates him. Is that place Phoenix? KD stated he liked living there while blowing shade the entire time.
And that would require a major change. JV put out a great article on the actual cost of doing this for Giannis. But I would float everyone, including untouchable Booker, for returns. The last two months have been abysmal for the Suns. I have been in the slow rebuilding domain philosophy for a while. And I am disgusted with how the season will end. And there will be no continuity in rotation as rest minutes await over the next two games. And injury minutes.
OldAz: Depending on your definition of “major changes”, certainly they can improve. With the late-season emergence of KM and Fleming, this is not hard to envision. The Suns could offload RO, trade GA or at least relegate him to a backup guard role and play a whole lot more balanced lineups for a lot more minutes. Brooks with Dunn and Williams, followed by Fleming, KM, and Oso keep size on the court across the entire front line and allow them to mix and match 4-5 guards in the 2 remaining spots (Book, Green, Gillespie, Goodwin, and possibly Allen).
The key is letting the young players develop and grow into those minutes and figuring out how to play Oso as a PF on defense but as a facilitator on offense. I would love to see them try Green with Oso surrounded by GA/Goody, Fleming, and KM as a bench unit. The size is crazy, as is the athleticism, and there is enough scoring around Oso (assuming good ball movement) to keep him on the floor. It is fun to think about continued improvement when there are a few young players on the roster who could be part of the core, and both Williams and Green are still young, in addition to KM, Dunn, and Fleming.
Rod: I’m not saying that they shouldn’t make any major changes (like trading Book, Green, Brooks, etc.), but rather that I don’t think that they need to do so to actually continue to improve. Sure, it’s possible that making a big trade might turn into a home run, but it’s just as likely to be a step or two backward, which won’t really help, as the Suns don’t control their own draft picks over the next few years.
All in all, I think this team has the potential to be much better next season with only moderate modifications. Change will come this offseason. I don’t think it’s really in the team’s best interest to try and run it back with all the same players but there should some good opportunities to take a step or two forward without resorting to doing anything drastic.
Q3: The Suns will have just one 2nd round pick in this year’s draft (currently 48th). As they’ve been successful in trading up in previous drafts, do you believe they should attempt to do so in this year’s draft or just draft the best player available at 48?
GuarGuar: I definitely would do what we’ve been doing with our 2nd round picks these past couple years because they’ve been big successes. It’s very rare to hit on 2nd rounders the way we have these past couple of years. Take the best player available and keep going.
Diamondhacks: I don’t follow the draft or think about trades much. However, current staff appear to develop youngsters well, and previous Ishbia-era fears of squandering Booker’s prime ultimately set back the franchise. So, I might target a younger ‘project’ type who could make an impact in 2-4 years. Let the pros identify who and where that is.
Ashton: Hah, Rod has put out a question to the Fantable that requires following college basketball teams and mock draft boards. Those mock draft boards are about as fluid as they get, other than the top three picks. I think they are idiotic And I think the top three are idiotic as well.
But the Suns do not have a chance at a top-five pick outside of some gangbusters trade. So, what to do with the 48th pick? Or in that range…
With the 48th pick, the Suns select Size. John Smith Size, an unknown out of DIII school. Okay, I am just having fun now. JJ is not around anymore. Also, check out Brynne’s articles. Another shout-out to JV for linking.
The reality is that a loaded 2026 draft will contain a lot of seniors who ran out of eligibility. I really do not care what the Suns do with the 48th pick, but they need BPA at any position, and there are plenty of upperclassmen to compensate.
I say they keep the pick and see which players falls into the undrafted prospects. That is where FO needs their heads on a swivel.
OldAz: I’m never good at draft questions, but Gregory has earned my trust after the last 2 seasons. I know a lot of folks are mixed on Oso and Dunn, but considering the crapshoot that is the NBA draft, getting 4 players the last 2 drafts who can contribute minutes and still have growth potential is fairly impressive, especially considering where some of those were drafted. Whatever BG wants to do in the draft is fine by me.
Rod: This is certainly one of those “it depends…” questions to me. If they can use the pick in a trade that actually helps the team out now, I wouldn’t mind them completely trading out of this year’s draft. Of course, if there’s a player that Gregory likes that could be available at that spot, they could do nothing and just draft that guy when the time comes. My main hope is that the front office remains flexible and explores all of their options before deciding on which path to take.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“The defense is the main thing. Getting stops and being able to get out and run is deflating to the other team. That’s what keeps growing the lead through those four quarters.” – Jalen Green
“I mean, it always feels good to get a block, especially on a dunk. I mean, but it felt extra good because it was him (Cooper Flagg). Before the game, he was like, ‘I’m going to dunk on you,’ and I was like, ‘I’ll try to block it.’” – Khaman Maluach
“I’m super proud of him (Maluach). I think this is a starting point for him that we’ll look down years down the line and be like we knew that kid had it from the beginning.” – Devin Booker
“We’re excited for Tuesday night (the play-in game) because we know our group will show up.” – Jordan Ott
Suns Trivia/History
On April 10, 2018, in a meaningless end of the season game against Dallas, little used Suns rookie Alec Peters (54th pick in the draft) scored a career high 36 points and pulled down 9 rebounds to lead all scorers in a 124-97 Suns win over the Mavericks. Peters played in only 20 games that season which was to be both his first and last in the NBA. Although his NBA career was short, Peters went overseas to play the following season and is still playing today as a member of Olympiacos in Greece where he led the league in 3-point percentage in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
On April 15, 1989, Phoenix retired the No. 44 jersey of Paul Westphal, who averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in his six seasons with the Suns. Westphal was one of the Suns’ key players in their “Sunderella Season” run to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1976. After retiring from playing in 1984, he turned to coaching and eventually became the team’s head coach for the 1992-93 season. That year, he led the team to their 2nd NBA Finals appearance, this time against the Chicago Bulls. In 2019, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
On April 17, 1989, the Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 140-85 in Phoenix. The 55-point margin of victory is the largest in team history. The Suns jumped out to a 35-17 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, which they stretched to 78-38 at halftime. Eddie Johnson led the Suns in scoring with 24 points off the bench, and five other Suns scored in double figures. 32 of the Suns’ points were scored at the free throw line, where they were 32 of 41.
On April 19, 2016, despite only a 9-24 run as interim head coach following the firing of Jeff Hornacek, GM Ryan McDonough inexplicably took the interim tag off 36-year-old Earl Watson (making him the NBA’s youngest HC) and gave him the full-time position for 2016-17 by signing him to a 3-year contract extension.
This Week’s Game Schedule
Friday April 10 – Suns @ LA Lakers (7:30 pm) Sunday, April 12 – Suns @ OKC Thunder (5:30 pm) Tuesday, April 14 – Suns vs TBD (7:00 pm) Prime Video
Important Future Dates
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play) April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs (3 pm ET) April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin
Luke Weaver | (Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
Meet the Mets
Nolan McLean was great, but the Mets’ lineup and bullpen very much were not as the team dropped the rubber game of its series with the Diamondbacks last night at Citi Field.
Before the game, Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Jorge Polanco was getting the night off because his Achilles continues to bother him, and he didn’t rule out an IL stint if the situation doesn’t improve.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 5: Starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies smiles as he walks off the field in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on April 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whether it was via free agency or through trade, Coors Field isn’t usually an ideal landing spot for veteran starting pitchers. There are success stories, of course, but even those usually come with few wins and a ballooned ERA.
That’s why having three new veterans in the Rockies starting rotation this year was quite a surprise. An even better surprise is the promising performance of Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之. While the sample size is small, Sugano is shaping up to be a good addition to the Rockies roster.
Sugano played and starred in Nippon Professional Baseball. During his 12-year career there, he was a three-time Central League MVP before coming to MLB in 2025. Sugano’s reasoning for coming to MLB is simple.
“Obviously, I wanted to play in the best place,” Sagano said last weekend through his interpreter Yuto Sakura. “Also, I wanted to test out how my skills translate.”
His 2025 season in Baltimore didn’t go as well as he’d hoped, as he went 10-10 in 30 starts with a 4.64 ERA and gave up an American League-leading 33 homers.
It’s been a different story for Sugano so far in 2026 with the Rockies, who signed the 36-year-old RHP in February to a one-year, $5.1 million deal. In two starts, Sugano is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA, nine strikeouts and only three walks in 10.2 innings.
That includes a quality start in his first appearance at Coors Field when he held the Phillies to one run on four hits with five strikeouts and a walk in six innings. True to his KPop Demon Hunters anthem walk-up song, Sugano was ‘Golden.’
Prior to his start, he wasn’t too worried about pitching at elevation. He also said his brief time at a higher altitude hadn’t disrupted his sleep or taxed his body, but he did admit it had only been three days.
“I’m actually quite excited. I tested some of my offspeed stuff in the bullpen,” Sugano said. “I know it drops a little bit more than other stadiums, and we’ve been having good conversations with the pitching coaches and staff, so I’m quite excited.”
That excitement turned into the Rockies first quality start of the season and prevented a home opening weekend sweep at the hands of the Phillies. He surrendered only one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts to earn the win.
He threw 78 pitches in the outing: 23 four-seam fastballs, 21 sliders/sweepers, 13 cutters, 12 splitters, five curveballs and four sinkers.
Due to his versatility and pitch mix, Sugano was able to overcome not having his best splitter.
“He was great. He mixed extremely well. He threw strikes. He did all the things we were talking about and looking for when we signed him,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the Rockies 4-1 victory on April 5. “He did not have his split, which is one of his best pitches, today. He didn’t have the best feel for it, so he used the slider a lot, used the heater late, and just a good, solid mix that kept them off balance.”
A key factor in Sugano’s success is his 51.7% ground ball rate. He got eight groundouts against the Phillies in Denver, when he also threw 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
“The mix of pitch selection is definitely my strength, so I’m glad it worked out that way. But towards the end of the outing, my splitter was working, so that was also good,” Sugano said. “I wasn’t thinking too much about the environment, per se. I was trying to keep the ball down, get groundouts and get punchouts when I can. [I know] offspeed pitches move differently here, so I try to take advantage of that.”
While he’d never pitched at high altitude before (Sugano had faced the Rockies once, but it was in Baltimore last season), Sugano did bring experience playing at a hitter-friendly venue.
“The Tokyo Dome was definitely hitter-friendly. It’s a smaller stadium to begin with, and the ball flies. It has a tendency to fly in the Dome,” Sugano said. “For Japanese players, it’s well known that it’s a hitter-friendly ballpark.”
Sugano, the Rockies’ first Japanese pitcher since Mac Suzuki in 2001, had a busy spring. Outside of joining the Rockies in Scottsdale, he also pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. In his lone start, he threw four scoreless innings with four hits, two strikeouts and no walks in a 4-3 win over Australia. Despite being new to the Rockies, he said he’s learning from his coaches and teammate Kyle Freeland, who he sought out for advice.
“He’s been here a very long time. He’s given me some advice on how to pitch here,” Sugano said. “Also, Alon [Leichman, the Rockies pitching coach], he’s been communicative throughout this process, and he’s been giving really good advice.”
Leichman believes Sugano has been a great addition to the team, especially since he and Sugano are both 36 years old.
“He’s my age, so I think it’s fun to have a guy like him around. You know, he sees a lot of things that most guys don’t, and he likes to express that. So it’s been good,” Leichman said. “He’s been a great clubhouse guy, he’s always super prepared, and what he did in Toronto really set an example for the rest of the team, too.”
While he wasn’t credited with the win, Sugano gave up one solo homer, with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts in a solid start of 4.2 innings in the Rockies first victory of the season, a 14-5 win over the Blue Jays on March 30.
In addition to learning to pitch at altitude, Sugano is also new to Leichman’s pitch suggesting. Like the other Rockies pitchers and catchers, he likes it.
“I’ve never experienced pitch calling from the dugout with my previous teams,” Sugano said. “But we have really good communication before the game and leading into the game, so I feel pretty confident about what we’re doing.”
Sugano is seeing early success, despite facing some heavy-hitting lineups in the Blue Jays and Phillies. That will be the case again today when Sugano will get his third start of the season tonight against Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts and the rest of the Padres.
Vimael Machín hit a grand slam in a six-run sixth inning to carry the Isotopes to victory on Thursday. Nicky Lopez added an RBI single and came around to score on a wild pitch in the sixth. Five pitchers combined to hold the Chihuahuas in check with Sammy Peralta picking up the win after giving up one run in two innings. Keegan Thompson started the game with four scoreless innings, while Collin Baumgartner, Seth Halvorsen and TJ Shook each added a scoreless frame. Zac Veen, Lopez and Chad Stevens posted two hits apiece.
Austin Murr hit a walk-off, two-run homer to defeat the Yard Goats on Thursday night in Reading. Hartford took the lead in the first inning when Aidan Longwell hit a sac grounder to go up 1-0. Jake Brooks had an outstanding start, giving up just one run on a solo homer with 11 strikeouts in six innings. When it went to extra innings, Roc Riggio hit an RBI double to put the Yard Goats up 2-1. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived. Benny Montgomery and Connor Capel each recorded two-hit nights.
Despite having a 4-1 lead, Spokane couldn’t hold it and the Hops completed the comeback with a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th. Alan Espinal hit an RBI triple, Ethan Hedges connected on a run-scoring double and Robert Calaz and Royneir Hernandez each drove in a run on singles to account for Spokane’s offense. Justin Loer earned a blown save when he gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Hedges and Jacob Humphrey both had two-hit nights.
Stockton jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, continued to add to it throughout the game and came away with the victory. Roldy Brito hit an RBI double in the third inning to score Cameron Nelson for Fresno’s only run. The Grizzlies were held to four hits on the night and struck out eight times.
Thanks to Renee Dechert for putting this together. It’s a great way to learn new music and get a glimpse into the taste, or lack thereof — Troy Johnston, I am talking to you — of the 2026 Rockies.
Jon Heyman dives into the early returns on the Rockies trade that sent Angel Chivilli to the Yankees and TJ Rumfield to Colorado. Rumfield is hitting .368/.432/.605 with two homers, eight RBI, a double and a single. He’s been a welcome surprise at first base.
Surprising no one, the MLB.com crew picked Charlie Condon. The 1B/OF is tearing things up with the Triple-A Isotopes, proving he’s the No. 1 PuRP for a reason.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 21: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals runs home to score on a Salvador Perez single in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium on August 21, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not ideal:
Busy day yesterday, but Royals Review had you covered!
“It definitely adds character to the game,” Royals second baseman Jonathan India said. “It makes you feel a little swaggy out there. It gives you a confidence edge. You just kind of feel that.”
Sam McDowell and Kacen Bayless had the “just the facts” article:
“What I would say to folks is that today is a very material step in the delivery of a downtown baseball stadium that the Royals and the city are interested in opening by Opening Day of 2030,” Lucas said in an exclusive interview with The Star.
“This is a baseball stadium footprint that is actually helping fund the development and surrounding development,” Lucas said. “This is a lot like incentives that we do each and every day, as compared to the old votes that we had on full county sales taxes.”
Similarly, public agencies like the Port Authority of Kansas City stags hearings but have not needed voter permission to consider incentives for new apartment buildings and other projects. And recently, the city of Independence staged public hearings but did not need voter permission to sign a deal granting $6 billion-plus in tax breaks for a $150 billion dollar data center.
Ryan Bergert exited his last start in Triple-A Omaha with right elbow discomfort, manager Matt Quatraro said. He’s being evaluated by the #Royals medical staff today.
This is the news I have been dreading since he went on the IL with a strained forearm last September. If he had underwent Tommy John surgery then, he would likely be 100% by spring training next year. Now you're probably looking at mid-season 2027. https://t.co/PFhGXw9yDm
What level of production should Royals fans realistically expect from Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone this season? — Lloyd W.
I expect Jensen to be in the conversation with the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle and the White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami for AL Rookie of the Year. I think Caglianone will hit at minimum between 20 and 25 homers when all is said and done. They are both going to develop into All-Star caliber players over the next three years.
There was a lot of talk about the City Connects so I’ll post it in this section, too:
He also gives a grade to every City Connect jersey. The Royals get a C. David Schoenfield gave their original City Connect a C, as well (if you scroll down the article)
The bat speed isn’t bad, as it’s mostly been above-average this year. However, he’s touched 75 MPH far less than a year ago, and he’s hovered around or below the MLB average bat speed. It’s only a 74 swing sample, which is why I don’t think it’s something to panic about. However, if there’s not an uptick in bat speed, it will be interesting to see how his power will respond with the current swing path-tilt.
It’s that time of year again! Actually, it’s a little past that time of year. It’s time for our Asian Baseball previews. I think last year’s schedule worked pretty well: Three weeks of previews, one week of midseason fun, and then three weeks of wrap-up. Not too much or too little.
Overall, here is the hierarchy of how MLB front office officials and evaluators generally view the quality of the various Asian leagues compared to MLB and the minor leagues.
International Players: Not a lot of (any?) big name former players in the CPBL but this section will be more populated for the KBO and NPB; Full list from CPBLStats
Last Season: In 2024, the Uni-Lions won the first half, the CTBC Brothers won the second half, and our Rakuten Monkeys were the wild card team. In 2025, the same thing happened. In 2024, the Lions defeated the Monkeys in the playoff and lost to the Brothers in the Taiwan Series. 2025 looked like history was going to repeat itself. The Uni-Lions had a 2-0 lead in the playoff but lost a game where they led 6-2 in the 6th, were pounded 9-3, and blew a 3-0 game in the 9th. The Monkeys then defeated the Brothers 4-1 in the Taiwan Series to win their first championship since 2019, when they were the Lamigo Monkeys.
Rooting Interest: The Rakuten Monkeys are our squad here at RR. As noted in a previous preview: “they had the first English broadcasts and were the inspiration for my first article”. The red-clad simians won it all last year and are looking to repeat. However, Martinez went to the Dragons in the offseason after the Monkeys spent a lot of their foreign player budget on retaining Fernandez. Sadly, my favorite, Chu Yu Hsien, moved on to the Dragons last season and Father Time may be catching up with the slugger. He has 184 home runs coming into the season and it would be nice to see him get to 200. Making it tougher to cheer on the team is that Rakuten keeps making their own PR nightmares. CPBL Stats describes them as “a lazy organisation that has been running its CPBL team half-heartedly over the past few years” when talking about their food scandal last year and then wrote about not paying for surgery for a player.
World Baseball Classic: Reminder: Taiwan competes under the laughable “Chinese Taipei” moniker because China threatens to use their international clout to exclude them from any international competition if they compete as “Taiwan”. In the opening game of the WBC, they were blanked by a trio of Australian pitchers, losing 3-0. Then they were pummelled 13-0 by Japan. They returned the favor by thumping the Czech Republic 14-0. In their final game in Group C play, thousands of fans flew from Taiwan to Tokyo to watch the team’s first-ever WBC win against Korea:
More than 40,000 fans – mostly from Taiwan – filled Tokyo Dome at noon on Sunday as Chinese Taipei’s cheerleaders danced atop the dugouts and its band blasted music and led chants. Fans were then treated to a dinger-filled, heavyweight spectacle, with Chinese Taipei emerging with an incredible 5-4 victory, the players walking off the field as tears streamed down their faces.
However, the extra-inning win was not enough. Korea, Australia, and Taiwan all finished at 2-2 but Korea advanced based on the tiebreakers. Despite participating in all 6 WBCs, Taiwan has only advanced once from pool play, in 2013.
Random Nuggets:
Spoiler: The Monkeys won on Opening Day in front of a “sold-out crowd of 40,000 at Taipei Dome”. They defeated the Brothers in historic fashion: “the first-ever game-ending hit-by-pitch in CPBL’s opening game history”.
Stadium musical chairs may be on the horizon in the CPBL. “Taiwan Life, a subsidiary of CTBC Financial, which also owns the CTBC Brothers baseball team, has secured a 10-year operating right for Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium, along with a 12.43-hectare land development project surrounding the stadium”. The TSG Hawks, an expansion team from 2024, currently play there. The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (yes, that’s their full name) christened a new stadium at the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center. They don’t own the stadium and are in a short-term lease but it could turn into a long-term home.
If you think home run celebrations are still in MLB, they also happen around the world. Here’s one from the TSG Hawks. Hype videos? How about this one for the Uni-Lions? Or this lava-filled one from the CTBC Brothers? Theme nights? The Brothers have a Peanuts theme night coming up. Last one, I promise: Closer intro for the Fubon Guardians.
How about some 8-bit awesome? We haven’t revisited Mega Man in years! Seriously: it was 2018. My favorite track from that game was Magnet Man’s but there are a lot of killer themes. This week, we’ll use Hard Man’s music:
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: A general view of the New York Yankees playing against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
We are officially two weeks into the San Francisco Giants season, so I thought now would be a good time to check in and see how folks are feeling so far. We already have a standing feature for Friday BPs when the team is at home, so I’m thinking we can take stock of the overall season on Fridays when the team is traveling.
So, how are we feeling?
We’ve seen some highs, and many lows, and the team has only played four series. The good news is I get to write this right after they won two in a row against the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s exciting, and seemingly a little less likely to involve any of you throwing yourselves down the stairs, as we are wont to do.
But with that said, I don’t have a ton of great feelings about the season thus far. Sure, the two wins against the Phillies this week was a much needed shot of adrenaline, and I really hope they can transform that into some momentum going forward.
But that came on the heels of losing four in a row, three of which were to the New York Mets. You never want to out-Mets the Mets.
I’m also a little nervous about manager Tony Vitello and how he is handling the start of the season so far. On one hand, I kind of dig his willingness to share things with the public that maybe shouldn’t have been shared with the public. It certainly makes my job more interesting. But I do wonder if that openness comes at a cost. That cost being the trust of the players.
Overall, I’m trying not to let the last couple of games give me a false sense of optimism. Sure, it’s always nice to see them score seemingly a month’s worth of runs in two games. But now the month goes on, and we’ll just have to wait and see if the offense marches on with it.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin their series against the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at 4:15 p.m. PT.
ELMONT, NY -- After watching countless hours of film on New York Islanders rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer during the roster construction process of Team Canada's 2026 Winter Olympics team -- a team Schaefer didn't make -- Thursday night marked the first time Pete DeBoer would see the 18-year-old in action.
Not only did Schaefer score his 23rd goal of the season to tie Brian Leech for the most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history, but we saw what we've seen all season long: his two-way game.
He was getting back to break up players, he was saving pucks from going over the goal line, and in the final few minutes, with the Islanders holding a two-goal lead, he was blocking shots off the collarbone to help secure a critical two points.
"I told the coaching staff in there. They've seen him every night this year. So you probably get a little bit numb to it. But for me, watching him from the bench live like that, it was just, wow," DeBoer said. "I mean, what a player. I watched him a lot on video as we were scouting for the Olympics.
"But to see him live like that at the age he's at, and how dynamic he is both ends of the rink, defensively, particularly, I mean...I know the offensive stuff, but for a young player, how defensively aware he is and how much he works at the defensive piece of the game, too, he's a really, really special player."
Thursday night in Seattle the Kraken met the LasVegas Golden Knights. The teams had met twice before this season; Seattle came out victorious in both. The Kraken maintained that winning record, eking out a 4-3 shootout win.
The game started out rough. Mark Stone had Vegas ahead 2-0 by a minute into the second period. The Kraken had some good chances, but could not get anything past Adin Hill. Finally, almost eighteen minutes into the second period Jared McCann capitalized on a power play opportunity and the Kraken were on the board.
April 9th: Highlights Courtesy of Seattle Kraken
In the third period Vegas scored again and the Kraken found themselves in a two-goal deficit for the second time. Berkly Catton took advantage of an out-of-position Adin Hill and with a lucky bounce scored his seventh of the season. Suddenly, the Kraken only needed a single goal to even the score.
Where else could the missing point come from but Bobby McMann? With a nearly point-per-game average since joining the Kraken just after the trade deadline, McMann has been a consistent feature on the Seattle scoreboard. On a pass from Jordan Eberle out of the corner, McMann hurled the puck over Hill’s right shoulder to tie the game.
Overtime was scoreless and the game moved on to the shootout. Mitch Marner managed to get one past Joey Daccord, but it was the first and last for Vegas. On the Kraken’s next turn, Matty Beniers deked, fooling Hill who dived left while Beniers slid the puck in on his right side. Daccord and Hill went stop-for-stop until the Kraken sent out rookie Berkly Catton.
Hoping his lucky bounce would portend good fortune in the shoot out, and it did. Catton put the Kraken up 2-1 in the shootout, and Vegas got one more opportunity to stay in the game. Pavel Dorofeyev gave is his best wrist shot, but Daccord was ready for him. The Kraken emerged victorious.
April 9th: Joey Daccord celebrates the Kraken win in the background as Pavel Dorofeyev laments. Photo by Candace Kludt | The Hockey News
Currently, the Golden Knights hold the second seed in the Pacific Division standings, just one point behind the Anaheim Ducks in first. The Kraken, on the other hand, are eight points out of a wildcard spot with only four games remaining. While not technically mathematically eliminated yet, the likelihood of any kind playoff run for Seattle is virtually nonexistent.
The Philadelphia Flyers had an opportunity to virtually nail down a place in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday night, but they instead came up painfully short. Fortunately, after receiving some help, they're still alive.
Before the game began, MoneyPuck assessed that the Flyers' playoff odds would soar to 66.6% with a regulation win over the Detroit Red Wings, and crash to 21.2% with a regulation loss.
Ultimately, the final result was a crushing 6-3 defeat, but the Flyers got a helping hand from the Buffalo Sabres.
Because Buffalo was able to dismantle the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Thursday night and stop them from gaining any ground on the Flyers, Philadelphia's playoff odds now sit at a more modest 45.6% in MoneyPuck's eyes.
For the sake of comparison, the New York Islanders, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation Thursday night, are close behind at 36.5%, while the Blue Jackets and Red Wings are at 14.6% and 5.8%, respectively.
This is all to say that the Flyers are still the favorites to make the playoffs via third place in the Metropolitan Division, but any room for error has been erased with the Islanders' win.
Because the Flyers have a one-point advantage over the Islanders (92 points to 91), they will need to match or do better than New York over the final three games of the season; the Flyers don't hold any tiebreakers.
Rookie forward Porter Martone collected his second-career two-point night, scoring a tap-in from point-blank range on the power play and adding an assist with Christian Dvorak redirecting his long-range slapper in the first period.
Thursday night's game was largely lost on special teams, where the Flyers were an abysmal 1/6 on the power play and an even worse 1/4 on the penalty kill.
The Red Wings pulled away in the second period, with power play goals from Moritz Seider and Dylan Larkin giving them 2-1 and 3-1 leads, respectively, before Larkin added a shorthanded goal minutes later.
All three goals to put the Red Wings up 4-1 in the second period were scored in a span of 4:24 and resulted in Dan Vladar being pulled from the game.
Suffice to say, the Flyers are staring at another must-win game Saturday, when they face the surging Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg.
The Jets are winners of three straight and are 7-2-1 in their last 10, suddenly sitting three points out of a playoff spot with four games to play.
