PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 17: Andrew Painter #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 17, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After Wednesday’s 12-4 defeat to the Miami Marlins where Andrew Painter surrendered six runs in just two innings of work, the Phillies will be shaking up the back of their rotation by optioning Andrew Painter to AAA.
The Phillies have tried everything with Painter. They’ve tweaked his usage in certain starts to limit fastball damage, they’ve used an opener, and they gave him 14 appearances to figure this out. With a 7.06 ERA in 65.0 innings pitched, nothing stuck long enough.
Through roughly the first two and a half months of the season, the Phillies have cycled through their number five and six starting pitching options from the big league roster. They went into the season with Taijuan Walker making starts with Zack Wheeler injured but he was released after just 22.2 innings of work because he had an ERA over 9.
Alan Rangel is already on the 40-man roster and pitched for the Phillies earlier this year when they had Kyle Backhus open for the aforementioned Walker in the middle of their ten game losing streak. Rangel has looked solid, albeit not super inspiring with the Pigs, carrying a 3.74 ERA in 65.0 innings.
Maybe the Phillies try bullpen games to patch things until the trade deadline. The bullpen lost a key leverage arm in Brad Keller to the injured list but have built up plenty of depth through minor league signings and waiver claims. They have the options to make it work even if it’s not an ideal scenario to go through every fifth day.
Whatever path the Phillies go down, it will be without Andrew Painter, as he heads down to Lehigh Valley to figure out who he is moving forward.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 13: Closing pitcher Cade Smith #36 celebrates with Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians after the game against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on June 13, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the Tigers 3-1. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We're almost a week away from the 2026 NHL Draft, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are likely making their final preparations for it.
They're set to have the No. 22 pick in the first round next Friday night and one player who could be available to them is Adam Novotny.
Novotny spent the 2025-26 season with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL and had a great season, finishing with 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games. He also had one assist in six playoff games.
He was one of several players to meet with the Penguins at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo earlier this month and really appreciated the meeting.
"They showed you your clips, usually negative ones. But, obviously, I think they just want to hear how you're going to react to "many failures," if I could say it like that. And I think I did well," Novotny said. "I think they told me I did a good job, so it was nice. I like my coaches to be honest with me. [For] all the people around, I just want to hear the truth, not walk around something and not be honest. I always appreciate that feedback, and how is that going to get better, right? So, for sure, I was happy for that."
The first thing that jumps out about Novotny is his shot. He can really rifle the puck, and he's not afraid to use it. One of my favorite examples of this came in overtime against the Brantford Bulldogs. Novotny came into the zone on a two-on-one rush and slowed up a little bit before unleashing a beautiful shot for the OT winner. The Bulldogs' goaltender had no chance on it.
He scored some nice one-timers on the power play from the right circle, and was set up from the left circle as well. Speaking of the power play, he really moves around on it, which often confuses the opposing penalty killers. Sometimes he'd be on the left or right circles, and other times he'd be at the point or behind the net.
Sticking with special teams, he can also play on the penalty kill and had a beautiful shorthanded goal against the Niagara IceDogs. He came in on a breakaway and made a sick backhand move for a goal.
Novotny also showcased his speed on that goal, which is another strong element of his game. He's a good skater with a nice first burst and also skates with a ton of power. He's hard to knock the puck off of once he gets moving.
Don't sleep on Novotny's play around the net, either. He likes to crash the crease and get his nose dirty in those battle areas. With his size, he's tough to move once he's there.
He still needs some work as a playmaker, but that could come as he continues to develop. He did have some nice plays where he set up teammates for goals, but I still felt his playmaking was lacking a bit.
I liked his effort and compete level throughout the season, too. He does a solid job of getting back to help defensively and never gives up on a play.
If he's there at 22, I can definitely see the Penguins looking at him, since he has many of the traits they look for in a draft pick.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 6: Shane McClanahan #18 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts in the dugout after exiting the game against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot park on June 6, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rays tried their best to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and a 1-5 road trip, but came up just a bit short this afternoon losing their fourth of four 1-run games on this west coast trip.
The team came into the contest on a 16-inning scoreless streak having last scored a run in the second inning of the opening game in this series, and for awhile, it looked as if that streak could get much longer. Through four innings, Shohei Ohtani held the offense at bay scattering two hits over four innings while lowering his ERA to 1.00 on the season. Ohtani came into the 5th inning with a two-run lead that could have been much worse after a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts led to the first run after a single by Alex Call. Call then easily stole second off the battery of Shane McClanahan and Hunter Feduccia, who then came around to score on a Alex Freeland single after a walk to Dalton Rushing. Tommy Edman would then walk, but Casey Legumina was able to strand the bases loaded by getting the National League’s RBI leader, Andy Pages, to line out softly to Taylor Walls.
The Rays came into the top of the 5th having not scored in 20 consecutive innings before finally showing some life offensively. Victor Mesa Jr. led the inning off with a walk before Feduccia lined a double deep to left center giving the Rays more runners in scoring position than they had in yesterday’s game. Walls drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, followed up with consecutive singles by Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda. Cedric Mullins then went on to hit what was scored an infield single which was aided by a slow initial reaction by Ohtani to cover the bag. The single gave Mullins at least one hit against all 30 major league teams over the course of his career. Junior Caminero drove in Diaz on a fielder’s choice that involved two athletic plays on both ends by Tommy Edman and Freeland to prevent things from getting worse. Yet another single in the inning, this time by Richie Palacios, gave the club a two-run lead before the rally was ended by Chandler Simpson bunting into the third out.
A leadoff walk to Freddie Freeman followed by consecutive well-aimed soft contact balls by Betts and Miguel Rojas loaded the bases with nobody out. Garrett Cleavinger came in to relieve Legumina and walked Kyle Tucker in a nine-pitch at bat in which Tucker chased early, but then tightened up his zone and drew the walk after fouling off several close sweepers:
That run would miraculously be the only run of the inning as Cleavinger would go on to induce weak contact flyouts to both Alex Call and Dalton Rushing before overpowering UCF’s Alex Freeland weith three sliders much to the delight of USF alum Shane McClanahan.
The game would remain 4-3 until a one-out double by Andy Pages was followed by a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman on a pitch Feduccia wanted on the other side of the plate and Kelly simply missed his spot in the worst possible place to a lefty, let alone one destined for Cooperstown when it is all said and done:
Kevin Cash would go on to nearly empty the bench in the later innings to counter the lefties coming out of the pen in Jack Dreyer and Alex Vesia, and it nearly worked. Austin Slater drew a leadoff walk from Vesia in the 9th and subsequently swiped second base. Ben Williamson and Walls had two unproductive outs, but an intentional walk to Diaz and yet another walk to Aranda brought Mullins to the plate with the bases loaded. Mullins chased a high fastball in a 1-0 count before spitting on two other fastballs and swingingly helplessly at two sliders that would end the game.
The Rays were held scoreless in 24 of the final 25 innings of this series and have the overnight flight home tonight to reset before taking on the surging Nationals this weekend. Neither starting pitcher had a great line in this game. Ohtani has now allowed three or more earned runs in consecutive starts while McClanahan ended a 10-game streak of walking two or fewer batters in his outings. He had 11 batters in his last 10 starts after the consecutive four-walk outings early in the season. The Dodgers were incredibly disciplined in this outing chasing just 13 of McClanahan’s offering out of the zone and were also aided by several ABS overturns on what would have been 2025 strikeouts.
It appears Jonny DeLuca will be back for this weekend to give the club some much-needed help in the lineup, and perhaps that playing time comes at the expense of Simpson who is now mired in a 3 for 44 slump wrapped around the hand issue that hit him in May. The club needs to find some type of offense spark to snap out of this cold stretch which has seen them lose too much ground in the standings and now have an 11-16 record in Interleague play with six more interleague contests coming up on this 10-game homestand. Hopefully they can find a way to snap out of this June swoon.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 12: Sean Sullivan #45 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Athletics during the third inning of a game at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a disappointing loss on Monday, the Colorado Rockies rallied back on Tuesday night with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs to tie up the series. Now, they will turn to a rookie starting pitcher for his second career appearance as they look to snag a series victory.
Sean Sullivan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for the Rockies for the second time. His last start in Las Vegas against the Athletics looked good for three innings before it was cut short. Sullivan had to depart the game because he had been feeling ill before, during, and after the start. Heat stroke didn’t help matters either. Still, he showed off how effective he can be as a pitcher despite averaging a fastball under 90 mph. While the Cubs have been in a tough place lately, they still have some dangerous hitters who should prove to be another worthwhile challenge for the young lefty.
Javier Assad (4-1, 3.99 ERA) takes the mound for the Cubs. Assad started the year in the rotation for the Cubs but was moved to the bullpen after three mixed starts. He made five relief appearances after that before being optioned to Triple-A in mid-May, where he struggled to a 7.31 ERA over five starts. Assad was recalled to the Cubs on June 6 as a rotation reinforcement and has looked good in his two starts. Since returning, he has thrown 12.1 scoreless innings, having surrendered just four hits and two walks while striking out 10. He has made six appearances, including five starts, against the Rockies in his career, while sporting a 4.94 ERA. His last start against Colorado came in 2025, where he allowed three runs over six innings at Coors Field.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 27: San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (88) pitches in the first inning of a MLB game against the Chicago Cubs on August 27, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants have another doubleheader today, after their eventual 7-2 win over the Atlanta Braves was paused in the second inning on Tuesday, and finished earlier today.
Because of the doubleheader, the teams are given a 27th player for the second game, and that’s exciting for the Giants, because it means the season debut of lefty Carson Whisenhunt, who will make the start. Whisenhunt has pitched in 14 games for AAA Sacramento this year, and is 5-2 with a 3.65 ERA, a 3.61 FIP, and 77 strikeouts to 30 walks in 69 innings. The one thing he’s struggled this year is going deep into games due to a constantly high pitch count, but that’s not as big of an issue today as it sometimes is in doubleheaders, as San Francisco only used two relievers (Dylan Smith and Caleb Kilian) in the first game of the day.
In addition to calling up Whisenhunt, the Giants made a move between games, calling up lefty reliever Matt Gage, while optioning lefty reliever Reiver Sanmartin.
Atlanta is sticking with their scheduled starter, after finishing the first game with a bullpen showing. That means righty JR Ritchie will take the mound. Ritchie is in his debut season, and turns 23 later this month. He’s appeared in six games this year, while making five starts, and is 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA, a 5.15 FIP, and 26 strikeouts to 18 walks in 30.2 innings. He threw five shutout innings against the New York Mets his last time out.
Turnover in professional sports is common, especially when it's a salary cap sport.
But after the Knicks' generational run culminated with their first NBA Championship in 53 years, is it possible that notable names won't be returning next season?
Well, Knicks owner James Dolan was a guest on WFAN's Carton Show on Wednesday and was asked what the chances are that some players won't be returning, and Dolan was honest.
"If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as is, why wouldn’t you?" he said. "I don’t know if we’ll be able to...
We’re willing to stretch, but there's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron."
The second apron in the NBA is, essentially, a cap that penalizes teams that overspend.
Dolan points out that most of their team is under contract, a few guys aren't, but he'll leave the roster construction to team president Leon Rose and he's willing to spend big, just not go into that second apron.
"I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron," Dolan said.
"There's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check that goes into the second apron."
So, what does that mean for the Knicks? It's hard to say, but Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film Skool put it succinctly on social media.
The second apron is set at $222 million with the five starters (Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns), Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado making $200 million. To fill a 14-player roster, the Knicks will have to make some hard decisions to stay under the second apron.
The biggest question mark is Mitchell Robinson. The longest-tenured Knick is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will likely get a big payday on the open market. He made nearly $13 million this past season. The big man could be the first casualty of the Knicks' offseason.
Alvarado does have a player option that would pay him $4.5 million next season. If he doesn't exercise it and hits the market, that would free up space, but the assumption is that the guard will stay with the Knicks.
Other notable unrestricted free agents to be are Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Sochan.
Ariel Hukport and Mohamed Diawara are restricted free agents.
The Braves turn to JR Ritchie on the mound as they look to earn a split from a virtual doubleheader on Wednesday night after 7.5 innings of Tuesday’s game played were played Wednesday afternoon.
The vibes are as bad as they’ve been all season for the team, and the lineup for Game 2, which is missing Michael Harris II after he exited Tuesday night with lower back tightness once again, doesn’t help that.
Drake Baldwin moves down to the second spot in the lineup and will DH again, with Mauricio Dubon batting leadoff and playing in center with Sandy Leon behind the plate. The Braves also called up Jair Camargo as their extra roster member and emergency catcher, making sure Baldwin won’t need to catch the nightcap.
The Giants, on the other hand, are keeping their lineup almost exactly the same. The only change is swapping out Eric Haase behind the plate and in the nine spot for Daniel Susac, who hit ninth and caught the first game of the series.
San Francisco will give left-hander Carson Whisenhunt his first start of the season against Ritchie in a matchup of pitchers each making their sixth career major league starts.
Tune in and see if the Braves can avoid dropping a third straight series or if they force a Thursday rubber match.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, June 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Similarly to how it seemed likely that the Braves were going to be without Ronald Acuña Jr. for a bit, it seemed inevitable that Spencer Strider would be put on the longer-term IL eventually once it got out that he’d be shut down for at least a month.
That appears to be the case, as the Braves have gone ahead and moved Strider to the 60-Day IL.
The #Braves today selected RHP Carlos Carrasco to the major league roster and optioned RHP Anthony Molina to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club transferred RHP Spencer Strider to 60-day injured list. Altanta also selected C Jair Camargo to the major…
So while Strider is being shut down for four weeks, that also meant that even if all went well with his future IL, it would take a while for Strider to ramp up and get back into big league pitching shape, so this is simply a way to open up a roster spot for Carlos Carrasco. I’d say that this could be a sign that Cookie might be staying around for a bit longer but it still wouldn’t be shocking if he had to ride the DFA cycle once more in the near future.
Meanwhile, Anthony Molina is back in Triple-A Gwinnett and Hunter Stratton has been designated for assignment, himself. All of this roster shuffling is starting to look similar to what was going on in 2025 and that’s not exactly a positive. Obviously, here’s hoping that we’ve (finally) seen the worst of this bad injury luck for the Braves and that once these guys get healthy, they get healthy for good. It’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen the Braves operate at full strength and as we’ve seen, this could be a special team if the core players could stay healthy.
For now, Spencer Strider will be given all the time in the world to get healthy while the Braves continue to try to figure things out with their pitching staff with the trade deadline in the distance. We’ll see what happens.
The 2026 NHL Draft will take place next Friday. The Chicago Blackhawks currently hold the 4th overall pick, only behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks.
There is reason to believe that Ivar Stenberg, the consensus second-best player in the draft, will fall to the Blackhawks at 4. That could happen if the Maple Leafs select Gavin McKenna, the Sharks select a defenseman, which is an organizational need, and the Canucks select their head coach's son, Caleb Malhotra.
Although that scenario makes a ton of sense, something happened on Wednesday that could change everything.
The San Jose Sharks acquired defenseman Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 20th overall pick. The Sabres basically gave up Kesselring so that they could move up 7 spots.
Kesselring gives the Sharks another good, young player to work with on the blue line. That could, in theory, feel less pressure to draft one.
If that were the case, they could select Stenberg and add him to their embarrassment of riches at forward. Of course, that would likely eliminate the Blackhawks from getting one of the three top forwards in this year's draft unless they trade up.
San Jose is by no means "set" on defense, but this is another good piece added to their puzzle. They still could stand to add another top prospect at the position, which would be good for the Blackhawks, but this is certainly a wrinkle in the lead-up.
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The New York Knicks will visit the White House to celebrate their NBA championship, an administration official confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s hometown team will be the first NBA champions to visit the White House during either of his terms in office.
Knicks owner James Dolan first shared the news in an interview with WFAN sports radio Wednesday.
“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan said. “We still have to figure out the details, etc., but yes, of course.”
A White House official told NBC News on Wednesday that administration officials have “been in touch with the Knicks and look forward to hosting the team at a date to be determined in the near future.”
Dolan on Wednesday touted his relationship with Trump, whom he invited to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8.
“Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House,” Dolan said.
Trump was booed at the game, the only one the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs during the five-game series.
He watched the game from Dolan’s box, where he was joined by several administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Trump celebrated the Knicks’ championship early Sunday on Truth Social, congratulating Dolan and top players Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
“What a year it has been but, even more so, what incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” he wrote.
The Knicks are expected to visit the White House after NBA championship-winning teams skipped the meeting for years, starting with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.
Star player Stephen Curry said in September 2017 that he was not interested in visiting Trump’s White House, sparking a furious social media post from Trump.
“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” Trump wrote on X in September 2017.
The Warriors did not visit the White House the next year after they won the championship again. The Toronto Raptors did not attend the White House after their 2019 win, either.
In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship win was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the team did not visit the White House. However, Trump told reporters in 2018 he would not invite Lakers player LeBron James to the White House after James stood behind Curry’s criticisms.
When Trump returned to office last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder said they would not visit the White House after their championship win because of “timing” issues.
Three teams visited during President Joe Biden’s term — the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors and the Boston Celtics in 2021, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
May 21, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) is greeted by catcher J.C. Escarra (25) after retiring the side in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Yankees emphatically grew their lead in the AL East last night by thrashing the up-and-coming White Sox 12-2 at the Stadium—while the Rays dropped another contest to the Dodgers over on the West Coast. It was about as good of a night as you could hope for the Bombers to start their homestand.
To make the vibes even more immaculate, the NBA champion New York Knicks will be at the stadium to receive their heroes’ welcome from the Bronx crowd. Hey, maybe the nearby presence of newly-minted champs will have a positive residual effect on the Yankees going forward. They’re already rounding back into form, winners of three straight and eight of their last ten.
Gerrit Cole flushed a first-inning homer to complete a six-inning quality start, subduing a White Sox offense which has plenty of pesky young players; even as they lack their new star, Munetaka Murakami. Carlos Rodón, who began his career on the South Side, is tasked with keeping them at bay tonight. He’s begun to hit his stride, finishing the sixth inning in each of his last three starts: all of which were eventual Yankee victories. The last time he saw the Sox was in his final start of the 2025 regular season, in which he also went six innings, striking out five and giving up three runs. He’ll be facing them for the fourth time in his career overall.
The White Sox’ rebuild has centered around their farm system like most teams, but the international market has played a massive role. In addition to Murakami, they signed Anthony Kay to fill their rotation. Kay signed with Yokohama a few years back and succeeded in NPB, earning a free agent deal with Chicago—his results since returning stateside have been mixed. He carries a 4.34 ERA through his first 14 appearances, with low strikeout numbers and an elevated walk rate. Additionally, he’s plunked 12 batters, more than anyone else in baseball.
Paul Goldschmidt will be leading off this evening against the southpaw Kay, with Ben Rice to follow and Amed Rosario hitting third. Jasson Domínguez and Ali Sánchez will draw in for lefties Spencer Jones and J.C. Escarra—Domínguez will play in right field while José Caballero handles left.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: Amazon Prime Video, Chicago Sports Network
Apr 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A view of the warm-up base at third base before a game against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Well, Jays, England won, so I’m in a good mood. DO NOT RUIN IT.
No Mad Max tonight, or for the next two weeks plus (at least). Braydon Fisher will be the opener tonight. After that? I’d imagine SWR will have some part of this game. And Spencer Miles.
Today’s Lineups
BLUE JAYS
RED SOX
George Springer – DH
Mickey Gasper – C
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Wilyer Abreu – RF
Alejandro Kirk – C
Willson Contreras – 1B
Ernie Clement – 2B
Jarren Duran – LF
Jesus Sanchez – RF
Masataka Yoshida – DH
Davis Schneider – LF
Isiah Kiner-Falefa – 3B
Myles Straw – CF
Andruw Monasterio – 2B
Andres Gimenez – SS
Marcelo Mayer – SS
Chad Dallas – RHP
Jake Bennett – LHP
I just noticed that tomorrow’s Jays game is a 1:30 Eastern start, which means I’m going to miss some of it. But I will be done and likely having a post tennis beer when the Canada soccer game starts. at 6:00 Eastern. It is a good time of year for a sports fan. The NHL playoffs and NBA players have just ended. Before they ended I could spent all day watching sports….now it is only most of the day.
The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates with Andy Pages after a go-ahead, two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Rays. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins collided chest first into the blue padding of the center field wall as he made one last-ditch effort to save his team from a Dodgers home run. His glove, though, came up empty.
Not even a leaping Mullins, one of baseball’s veteran home-run robbers, could stop Freddie Freeman from doing what the Dodgers first baseman does best: hitting clutch home runs.
Freeman’s two-run home run in the sixth inning Wednesday, set up by Andy Pages’ double an at-bat earlier, lifted the Dodgers to a 5-4 win that allowed them to maintain a season-high nine-game lead over their closest National League West rival, the San Diego Padres (38-35). For the Dodgers (48-27), it was their sixth sweep of the season — all while surviving a shaky start on the mound by the usually unshakable Shohei Ohtani.
“He’s like a lot of our guys — when they feel good, they get their rest, production follows,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman. “He’s been good for quite some time.”
If Ohtani’s left knee inflammation was bothering the four-time MVP, it didn’t seem to pose that great of a threat as he pitched the first four innings, and he pinch-hit in the sixth inning for Miguel Rojas, who had started at designated hitter.
Tampa Bay (41-30) eventually broke through in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on small-ball hits that found just enough grass. No particular pitch seemed particularly off for Ohtani, though the Rays connected more on his four-seam fastball that inning than the others. A bleeding blister that opened up didn’t help either.
“The stuff was good,” Roberts said. “The sweeper wasn’t as lights out, swing and miss as we’ve seen. He still always finds a way to manage innings and make pitches when he needs to, but yeah, I mean, I think that he was still kind of working through some delivery stuff with the knee.”
A handful of unlucky plays in the fifth left the Dodgers vulnerable. Take Mullins’ single to Freeman. Mullins hit the ball hard enough that Freeman, more than a handful of steps away from first base, wouldn’t be able to make the play unassisted. Ohtani tried his hardest to match Mullins’ speed but couldn’t.
“There was a little confusion with the Shohei inning, as far as you know, Freddie going to second, then Shohei thinking that, so giving them an extra out there,” Roberts said.
After a five-hit inning, Ohtani escaped on a bunt that went to Tommy Edman — playing third base in his return from the injured list — who threw to first for the third out. Ohtani’s ERA, after he surrendered a season-worst four earned runs, rose to 1.47 but still is second only to Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski among pitchers with at least 70 innings.
Shohei Ohtani gave up a season-worst four earned runs in the fifth inning Wednesday. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
“I felt good overall,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s just really that inning, that fifth inning, that I wasn’t really too pleased. But aside from that, the stuff was good and felt pretty good overall.”
Rays starter Shane McClanahan also ran into trouble in the fourth inning. Alex Call singled in Mookie Betts for the first run, then stole second base. Call sprinted home on an Alex Freeland single, his helmet popping off and skidding a couple of feet into the grass as he crossed home.
McClanahan left the game with the bases loaded after the left-hander walked Edman — his only time reaching base in an 0-for-3 day — before Pages ended the inning by lining out softly to short against Casey Legumina.
The Dodgers came up short in another bases-loaded opportunity the next inning, squandering a chance to take the lead. Kyle Tucker pushed one run across on a bases-loaded walk. Yet, with no outs, the next three batters — Call, Dalton Rushing and Freeland — went down in order. The Dodgers finished with 11 runners left on base, which nearly cost them.
Alex Vesia put the potential tying run on base with a walk and spent most of his ninth-inning outing with Tampa Bay’s Austin Slater on second. The Dodgers intentionally walked Yandy Díaz with two outs to face Jonathan Aranda, who earned a walk. With the bases loaded, Vesia struck out Mullins swinging to end the game. It capped a stretch of nine scoreless innings by the bullpen in this series after the unit struggled during the team’s recent trip.
“I put myself into that mess,” Vesia said with a small smile while shaking his head. “Rush and I were just — I was leaning on him, to be honest. He had some good words of encouragement during a couple meetings. Just trust my stuff. I felt like I was nibbling around the edge. Overall, I’ll take it. It was a good win for all of us.”
Teoscar Hernández, out with a hamstring injury, is scheduled to take live batting practice Thursday. A simulated game is also in the works for the 33-year-old outfielder before a rehab game early next week, Roberts said.
Will Smith is unlikely to be reinstated Friday when he is eligible to come off the injured list. The Dodgers still are trying to figure out ways to make sure he doesn’t regress once the catcher comes back from a neck injury. He did a full workout Tuesday.
“I don’t want to put a say on when he’s going to play,” Roberts said. “But each day is getting better.”
The Buffalo Sabres made a notable move on Wednesday, trading defenseman Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick of this year's NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for this year's 20th overall pick. The move is not surprising, as Kesselring struggled during his only season as a Sabre.
With the Sabres moving on from Kesselring, let's take a look at three more Sabres who have the potential to be traded next.
Devon Levi, G
Devon Levi has been a very popular name in the rumor mill since Buffalo's season has ended. With the Sabres having three other goalies ahead of him on their depth chart, it would not be shocking if the Sabres give Levi a fresh start elsewhere. This is especially so when noting that he did not play in a single NHL game this season.
In 52 games this season for the Rochester Americans, Levi had a 23-20-9 record and a .904 save percentage.
Jordan Greenway, LW
The Sabres need to free up cap space with them having so multiple pending free agents, both unrestricted and restricted. Due to this, it would not be surprising if the Sabres traded Greenway and his $4 million cap hit before July 1. He is simply making too much for his role as a bottom-six forward.
In 40 games this season for the Sabres, Greenway recorded one goal, six points, and 57 hits.
Josh Norris, C
Josh Norris is another Sabres forward who should be watched this off-season. While he is a key part of the Sabres' forward group, his $7.95 million cap hit is definitely high for what he provides. With this, it is fair to wonder if the Sabres could try to flip him in a trade package to land another high-impact forward.
In 44 games this season with the Sabres, Norris had 13 goals, 21 assists, and 34 points.
