WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 18: Jorbit Vivas #84 of the Washington Nationals throws to first for the out in the seventh inning during the game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It is a day of change for the Nationals. Former top 2 pick Dylan Crews is back in the fold after spending the first month and a half in the minors. Fellow former top pick Brady House was sent down to make way for Crews, which is a real shakeup to this team.
Crews will be going right in the lineup, playing center field and hitting sixth. After getting hit last night, Jacob Young is not in the lineup, though Blake Butera indicated he should be back soon. Otherwise, the lineup will be fairly similar. Jorbit Vivas will move to third base and Nasim Nunez will return to second. Foster Griffin will be on the mound looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season.
The Mets also have a new face in the lineup. DMV kid Nick Morabito will make his MLB debut in his home town. He will play left field and hit 7th. Tyrone Taylor will play center field tonight, and AJ Ewing will get the night off. Otherwise, it is the same lineup for the Mets. Nolan McLean has emerged as an elite arm in his rookie year and he will be on the mound tonight.
After last night’s loss, the Nats are going to have to regroup and bounce back. They have shown an ability to shake off tough losses, and will have to do it again. Hopefully Foster Griffin will be back to his best. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
The second of the four-game series between the Mets and Nationals at Nationals Field will be delayed due to impending weather in the area, the team announced.
No new start time was announced.
"The start of today’s game has been delayed due to inclement weather," the team announced on social media. "We are monitoring the situation and will provide an update as more information becomes available."
Nolan McLean is set to take the mound against the Nationals' Foster Griffin (4-2, 3.53 ERA).
Mclean is coming off one of his best starts of the season when he struck out seven batters in seven innings against the Trigers. The Mets rookie is entering Tuesday's start with a 2-2 record and a 2.92 ERA across nine starts.
Griffin had a tough start in his last time out. Against the Reds, Griffin allowed nine runs on seven hits and three walks across 4.1 innings.
Sep 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Three weeks ago, the Orioles visited the first-place AL East team — the Yankees at the time — and got utterly destroyed, losing all four games by a combined total of 39-10.
Last night, they again visited the first-place AL East team — which is now the Rays — and got utterly destroyed in the opener, losing 16-6. So it’s safe to say the O’s have not exactly stepped up their game against their best divisional opponents this season. They’ve shrunk from the competition instead of rising to the challenge. It’s just one of many reasons that the Birds have ended up in the quagmire they’re currently in.
At least we know this Rays series won’t turn out the same as that Yankees series — because it’s only three games instead of four. Not much consolation, I know. But that gives the Orioles two more chances to try to make something happen in Tampa. Last night was the fourth time this year that the O’s have lost by 10 or more runs, but in two of the three previous instances, the Orioles won the next game. So it’s not impossible that they’ll bounce back tonight.
They’ve got the right guy on the mound to do it. Kyle Bradish is looking closer and closer to his 2023 All-Star form, coming off back-to-back quality starts against the Athletics and Yankees. He spun six shutout innings against a tough New York lineup in his previous outing, and right now he’s the Orioles’ most reliable starter. He’ll take on Griffin Jax, a longtime reliever who’s converting to the rotation and has struggled with control. This is a winnable game for the Birds, but of course, there have been dozens of winnable games this year that the O’s failed to actually win.
The Orioles will have reinforcements today in the person of Jackson Holliday, who’s making his 2026 debut after the O’s activated him from the injured list yesterday. He’ll be at his familiar second base spot, batting seventh. His performance during his minor league rehab — .176 AVG, .574 OPS in 22 games — doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that he’ll help the Orioles right away, but maybe the addition of a fresh face will spark the offense somehow.
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward SS Gunnar Henderson DH Adley Rutschman 1B Pete Alonso C Samuel Basallo CF Leody Taveras 2B Jackson Holliday 3B Coby Mayo RF Colton Cowser
RHP Kyle Bradish
Rays lineup:
LF Chandler Simpson 3B Junior Caminero 1B Jonathan Aranda DH Yandy Díaz 2B Richie Palacios RF Jonny DeLuca CF Cedric Mullins C Hunter Feduccia SS Taylor Walls
Trusting a rookie coach to rebuild the club in late 2019 was a big call but after three runners-up finishes the Spaniard has delivered a long-awaited title
They say good things come to those who wait, and for Arsenal supporters it has felt like an eternity. Since their unforgettable 2003-04 season when Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles went the top-flight campaign unbeaten, their team had spent an incredible 984 days at the top of the table without being champions. Until now.
After all the disappointments of the late Wenger era and finishing as runners-up in the past three seasons, that unwanted statistic can finally be put to bed after a campaign in which Mikel Arteta’s side have shown they are capable of holding their nerve. There have been many doubters along the way, not least during a disastrous April during which Arsenal lost twice to their chief rivals, Manchester City, in a run of four consecutive domestic defeats in three competitions. But it is a triumph that rewards the faith shown by the hierarchy towards a rookie manager who arrived a week before Christmas in 2019 on a mission to restore them to former glories.
May 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) reacts against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
DENVER, CO - MAY 18: Justin Foscue #14 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a double in the second inning during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for May 19, 2026, against the Colorado Rockies: starting pitchers are Tyler Alexander for the Rangers and Sammy Peralta for the Rockies.
The Rangers and the Rockies face off again, with each team using a lefthanded opener to start things off. Kumar Rocker is the scheduled starter for Texas, but given his first inning struggles this year, they are apparently wanting to go with the opener strategy and let Rocker face the lower part of the lineup rather than the top of the lineup when he first takes the mound. Justin Foscue is hitting second, while Evan Carter is in the ninth spot — most likely so the Rangers can avoid him facing the lefty Peralta. Peralta has not pitched in the majors this year, and has not thrown more than 2 innings in a game in the minors this year.
The lineup:
McCutchen — DH
Foscue — 2B
Nimmo — RF
Jung — 3B
Duran — SS
Burger — 1B
Osuna — LF
Jansen — C
Carter — CF
7:40 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 17: Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians on May 17, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays (21-26) take on the New York Yankees (29-19) in the second game of their series. The Yankees rallied to win 7-6 on Monday night. Scheduled starting pitchers are Dylan Cease for Toronto, with a 2.41 ERA, and Will Warren for New York, with a 3.42 ERA.
How to watch Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Brewers picked up a nice win over the Cubs yesterday in the first of a three-game series on Chicago’s north side. Today, they’ll look to take the series, and to catch up to (and pass!) the Cubs in the standings.
Yesterday, the Brewers jumped out to a sizable early lead, Brandon Sproat did enough to keep Chicago at bay despite some shakiness, and Shane Drohan did the rest. (Drohan is good.) Tonight in the second game of the series, the Brewers would figure to have a pitching advantage in a matchup between Jacob Misiorowski and Chicago’s Ben Brown.
Brown, who is a 26-year-old right-hander, did not start the year in the Cubs’ rotation. His first 12 appearances this year all came out of the bullpen, but with the injuries that the rotation is dealing with, he moved back into a starting role on May 8th. Since then, he’s made two starts, and he’s done everything the Cubs could ask. Both starts went four innings, and in those eight combined innings he’s struck out ten, walked two, and allowed just one hit and no runs. The Cubs won both games, a 7-1 victory over the Rangers on May 8 and a 2-0 win over the Braves on the 14th. For the season, Brown has a sterling 1.60 ERA and 2.45 FIP in 33 2/3 innings, but it’s worth noting that last season, Brown had a 5.92 ERA in over 100 innings, so some regression is probably expected at some point or another.
Misiorowski, of course, has planted himself firmly within the NL Cy Young race, and he’s riding some serious momentum, having made two of the best starts of his young career his last two times out. Miz hasn’t allowed a run since April 25, and he’s currently riding an 18-inning scoreless streak. He’s also leading baseball in strikeouts with 80; Cristopher Sánchez matched him with his stellar 13-strikeout shutout on Saturday, but he’s made one more start than Misiorowski, and Miz will jump back into the sole lead tonight, assuming he strikes out at least one batter.
The Brewers will operate with a Jackson Chourio – Garrett Mitchell – Sal Frelick outfield from left to right tonight with Christian Yelich as the designated hitter. Jake Bauers is the first baseman, so Andrew Vaughn will be a bench weapon tonight. William Contreras is doing the catching, and David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo will man the left side of the infield. In game number 46, this is the 46th unique lineup that the Brewers have used this season.
First pitch this evening is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Nick Morabito #3 of the Scottsdale Scorpions warms up prior to the game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Mets lineup
Carson Benge – RF Bo Bichette – SS Juan Soto – DH Mark Vientos – 1B Marcus Semien – 2B Tyrone Taylor – CF Nick Morabito – LF Brett Baty – 3B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Nationals lineup
James Wood – RF Luis Garcia – 1B Jose Tena – DH CJ Abrams – SS Daylen Lile – LF Dylan Crews – CF Jorbit Vivas – 3B Drew Millas – C Nasim Nunez – 2B
SP: Foster Griffin – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 6:45 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks meet in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers reached the East finals after beating the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons in seven games in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first round then swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the East semifinals.
Moneyline: New York Knicks -262 (69.4%) / Cleveland Cavaliers +213 (30.6%)
Over/Under: 217.5
Series schedule, results
Game 1: Cleveland at New York (Tuesday May 19, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 2: Cleveland at New York (Thursday May 21, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 3: New York at Cleveland (Saturday May 23, 8 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 4: New York at Cleveland (Monday May 25, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 5: Cleveland at New York (Wednesday May 27, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)* Game 6: New York at Cleveland (Friday May 29, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)* Game 7: Cleveland at New York (Sunday May 31, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)*
A former head coach of the Florida Panthers is weighing in on the Brady Tkachuk rumors.
Doug MacLean was the second coach in Panthers history.
He led the team to their first two appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1996 and 1997, including a surprising trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.
After being asked about several topics, MacLean was wrapping up his guest hit when he quickly pivoted to include one additional conversation point regarding Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
“One final thing,” MacLean began. “Think about this. Everybody's trying to get in the top ten (at the NHL Draft). Florida has the ninth pick in the Draft. Where is Brady Tkachuk going to want to go? Think about this. The ninth pick of the draft, the top ten guys are great players. Florida will never have another top 10 pick for two or three years. This is the time when you've got to move on Florida. You pick up a couple of quality players, you pick up the ninth pick, and you know Brady wants to go to Florida. You know he's gonna probably go there within two years. Two years is the magic number. The two playoff series. I wouldn't be surprised that Brady Tkachuk is in Florida at the Draft."
Earlier during the offseason, it was reported that the Senators could explore trading Tkachuk sometime this summer.
The 26-year-old forward has two years remaining on his current contract that comes with an average annual value (AAV) of just over $8.2 million.
With the NHL Draft Lottery now behind us, we know that the Panthers hold the ninth overall selection at next month’s Draft.
It’s the first time Florida has held a first-round pick since 2021, when they selected Mackie Samoskevich 24th overall, and the last one they own until 2029.
If the Senators are open to trading Tkachuk, who would be in complete control of any deal as his contract includes a full no-movement clause, it makes sense that he would list Florida as a preferred destination.
Brady’s older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, is locked into a long-term deal with the Panthers, and the team is poised to contend for the Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.
Photo captions: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: Third base coach Bob Henley #20 congratulates Miguel Andujar #41 of the San Diego Padres after his solo homerun during the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on May 18, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres kept the good times rolling, winning their fourth straight and besting their rivals in a true pitcher’s duel.
Michael King and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both dealt, each pitching seven brilliant innings. But King won out, shutting out the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup while Yamamoto made only one mistake that ended up being the difference maker. He threw a splitter that didn’t quite split and Miguel Andujar launched it into left-center field.
That was the only run the Friars would need, with the bullpen working around some tough jams. They’ll need to hope for a little more offense if they want to take the series tonight.
Taking the mound
Emmet Sheehan (LAD) v. Griffin Canning (SD)
Sheehan had a breakthrough season in 2025 with the Dodgers. In 12 starts he pitched to a career-best 2.82 ERA while limiting opponents to a .185 batting average.
He’s come back down a bit this season, owning a 4.54 ERA in a back-end role with L.A. His last two starts were solid, surrendering only three runs between his outings versus the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers will hope he can do the same against the Friars’ offense tonight.
Similarly, Canning had a breakout season with the New York Mets before falling to injury midway through the season. He looked fantastic in his return from injury, but has since struggled immensely. Across his last two starts Canning’s surrendered 12 runs.
The first six of those were mostly bad luck, with the St. Louis Cardinals scoring four on a costly error by Fernando Tatis Jr. But, since then, it’s been Canning’s inability to miss bats that has been the source of struggle. He’ll either need to rediscover that ability or get some help from the offense if San Diego is to win.
Batter up!
The Dodgers actually outhit the Padres, 5-4, in yesterday’s contest. But the only hit that mattered was Andujar’s homer in the first inning.
The Friars have been using Tatis at second base a ton lately. That’s been in order to give Miguel Andujar Nick Castellanos more regular time in the starting lineup. It worked out well this weekend in Seattle but didn’t as much last night. They’ll likely do the same tonight in hopes of slugging against Sheehan.
Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
Miguel Andujar, DH
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Manny Machado, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jackson Merrill, CF
Ramón Laureano, LF
Nick Castellanos, RF
Freddy Fermin, C
The lineup doesn’t have much history against Sheehan, so they’ll have to learn on the fly a bit. Sheets has swung a hot bat lately but didn’t reach base in last night’s game. He’ll hope to return to the overpowering slugger that just won him National League Player of the Week.
Relief corps
With King pitching the masterpiece that was his seven innings against L.A., the Friars only needed to use two of their relievers to get the job done. They made it scarier than it should have been.
Jason Adam worked around a two-out jam. He gave up a walk to Hyeseong Kim to flip the order over to Shohei Ohtani who promptly singled to put runners on the corners. Thankfully, Mookie Betts grounded into a harmless force out to end the trouble.
Mason Miller closed out the ninth for his MLB-leading 15th save. He worked around even more tense conditions, issuing back-to-back walks. With runners on first and second and no outs, Miller had thrown 10 pitches, only one of which was a strike. He threw a pitch that barely caught plate and would have been a ball had it not been challenged and overturned for strike one. After that, he was back to himself.
He got ahead, 1-2, on Will Smith before getting the backstop to fly out harmlessly. Miller then struck out Max Muncy on three pitches for the second out before grounding out Andy Pages to end any worries of a Los Angeles comeback.
That leaves plenty of relievers available for what may be a San Diego bullpen game, if Canning can’t deliver. Jeremiah Estrada, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez are all readily available, though Matsui and Rodriguez combined for four innings on Sunday so the others will likely be leaned on first.
With a need in their starting rotation following Clay Holmes’ broken leg against the Yankees on Friday night, the Mets decided to call up left-handed pitcher Zach Thornton to pitch on Wednesday.
Thornton, who was only promoted from Double-A to Triple-A a couple of weeks ago, met with the media for the first time before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Nationals and expressed his emotions about his rapid ascent.
“I’m super surprised. I mean, after only two Triple-A starts, I thought I had a little bit more work to do up there,” Thornton said. “But try to win some games here now.”
Thornton, 24, pitched well in those two starts for Syracuse, owning a 2.25 ERA (0.92 WHIP) in 12 innings. In seven starts overall this season, the left-hander has a 3.16 ERA and 40 strikeouts to 12 walks in 37 IP.
With a reputation for not being afraid while pitching, Thornton spoke about his control and attitude on the mound.
“I treat every game the same: I want to go out and compete,” he said. “I’m the ultimate competitor, I’m a strike thrower, so I’m gonna do my best to just compete here.”
“I’m not the biggest guy in the world, so I need to have something good about me, so that’s where my brain comes into play,” Thornton added, referring to his fearlessness.
To go along with his lack of fear, Thornton says he takes a bit of a mathematical approach to pitching – playing the percentages, as he put it. As long as he throws the ball in the zone, he’ll take his chances with whatever happens next as hitters “aren’t hitting .700 these days.”
“I’ll take the .250 percentages,” he said.
It’s safe to say Thornton will be pounding the strike zone in his debut on Wednesday. The left-hander has a 1.11 WHIP in 41 games (33 starts) in his minor league career and mentioned he’s “always hated walking people.”
“I hate giving up free bases, hit by pitches. I hate walking people,” he said. “Same with Carson [Benge] striking out, I hate walking people.”
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are one game away from reclaiming the summit of the Western Conference, but they may have to take the first step without their best defenseman.
A Quiet Absence Speaks Volumes
Cale Makar did not take the ice Tuesday, one day before Colorado opens the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena — and in a sport where practices before pivotal games carry outsized meaning, his absence was impossible to ignore.
Martin Necas speaks following practice on Tuesday.
He was the only Avalanche player who didn't skate. Head coach Jared Bednar, appearing alongside general manager Chris MacFarland at a joint news conference, tried to tamp down concern. "No, not yet," he said when asked whether Makar's absence worried him.
Jared Bednar was asked if he was concerned about Cale Makar not being on the ice today for practice.
The qualification "not yet" did just enough to keep the door open on uncertainty.
Makar has been listed day-to-day since missing Saturday and Sunday practices, nursing what appears to be a shoulder ailment he sustained during the second-round series against Minnesota. The moment of injury was hard to miss: midway through the third period of Game 5 against the Wild, Makar absorbed a check, immediately grabbed his right arm, and skated straight to the locker room.
He'd been reaching for that same spot and consulting trainers throughout the game before that. He did return to the ice a few minutes later, but the image lingered. A hip issue has also factored into his availability this spring, a detail that only muddies the picture further. Through nine playoff games, Makar has posted five points — numbers that undersell how thoroughly he controls games from the back end.
Wednesday morning's skate will be the real tell.
Good News Everywhere Else
The injury report elsewhere was decidedly more encouraging. Defensemen Brent Burns, Sam Malinski and Josh Manson — along with forward Artturi Lehkonen — all returned to the ice Tuesday after missing time during the layoff between rounds, per Denver Sports reporter Will Petersen. Bednar stopped short of formally clearing any of them, but their presence at practice speaks for itself.
That depth will matter regardless of Makar's status. Colorado has been nearly flawless through two rounds — going 8-1 with a sweep of the Los Angeles Kings and a brisk five-game dismissal of the Wild.
The NHL's best regular-season team is back in the conference final for the first time since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2022, and Wednesday night at Ball Arena feels like the beginning of something. Puck drop is at 6 p.m.
