The A’s came out on top for the second day in a row, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-2 in convincing fashion and setting themselves up for a series sweep tomorrow afternoon.
More to come…
A’s Beat Orioles 6-2
Mauricio Dubon leads off, manning left field as Braves look to even series
Well losing the Chris Sale game was really not what the doctor ordered for the Braves playing at the Dodgers, particularly the way that the game was lost, but they have a chance to even things up tonight behind Spencer Strider.
There are a number of notable changes to the Braves’ lineup, as Mauricio Dubon returns to the leadoff spot, bumping Baldwin, Albies, and Olson down a spot each. Sean Murphy is catching tonight, batting seventh, and he has hit well against Snell, with two walks, a single, double, and homer in 8 plate appearances. Jorge Mateo returns to the lineup at shortstop against the lefty Snell, batting ninth, after Jim Jarvis took a few days due to Mateo jamming his finger. Additionally, Michael Harris plays centerfield for the second consecutive night, a good sign that his quad continues to feel better.
Game Info
Game Time: Saturday, May 9th, 9:10 pm EDT
Location: UNIGLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA.
Watch: BravesVision
Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
Player Grades: Cavs vs Pistons Game 3 – Max Strus changes the game
The Cleveland Cavaliers held on for their first win of the series, beating the Detroit Pistons 116-109.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists
Hello, Donovan.
Mitchell found something in the Game 2 loss. He carried that over to start Game 4 with a bang. Mitchell looked comfortable creating off the dribble and shot the ball well on his way to 20 points in the first half. This, paired with some of his best decisions as a playmaker in the playoffs, led to the type of performance we’ve been expecting from Spida.
Grade: A
James Harden
19 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Harden put a disastrous Game 2 behind him and helped the Cavs sprint out of the gates today. He was back to raising their floor offensively, making timely plays to keep the Cavs bigs involved throughout the first half.
Then, in closing time, Harden put the team on his back and carried them across the finish line. It was his isolation scoring that staved off Detroit’s comeback and kept the Cavaliers in front to end the game.
Grade: A
Evan Mobley
13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
The Cavs will always be at their best, or at least better, when Mobley is being decisive. There’s no need for him to dribble or probe more than a few seconds on any given possession. The more straightforward the game gets, the better Mobley looks.
A fourth-quarter possession in which Mobley caught the ball on the wing, took an inverted screen, and went straight up with a two-step layup is an example of this. Mobley shot 4-6 from the floor and earned 10 free throws, but only made half of them.
Grade: B-
Jarrett Allen
18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Allen continues to be a workhorse for the Cavs. He’s putting his head down and getting to the rim, or staying alert from the dunker’s spot for more opportunities to duck in and score. Allen is holding down the fort defensively and converting the majority of his attempts on offense. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Grade: B+
Dean Wade
3 points, 1 rebound
Wade’s time in the starting lineup is getting questionable. Yet, none of the other role players has outright taken the job from him. There’s no way to work around this team’s need for a wing-sized contributor. That doesn’t mean Wade is earning his place in the rotation, but the Cavs currently have no other options.
Grade: D
Max Strus
7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
At this point, we’ve seen how Strus can impact winning without necessarily shooting the ball well. He was electric tonight, hustling for loose balls and giving Cleveland the intensity they sometimes lack in these moments. His third-quarter sequence, which included a backdoor layup, a forced turnover on the inbounds, and then a hockey assist for a Jaylon Tyson three-pointer, was pivotal in keeping things under control during a Detroit surge.
“He’s a maniac competitor,” said Kenny Atkinson. “We needed some wildness tonight, and he provides that.”
Grade:
Jaylon Tyson
3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
For as much as we want Tyson to join the starting lineup, this is a job he has to earn. Tyson was fine in his two games in Detroit, but looked a bit shell-shocked today and wasn’t as willing to shoot or attack as you’d like. An errant inbounds pass that turned into a buzzer-beating layup to end the third quarter was deflating.
Grade: C-
Dennis Schroder
11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks
Schroder helped the Cavs start this game with a lead by knocking down a pair of triples in the first quarter and using his burst to put pressure on the rim. His ball-handling and defensive tenacity have made him necessary to this rotation.
Grade: A-
Sam Merrill
7 points
Merrill returned from a hamstring injury and looked right at home. He buried a heavily contested jumper in his first minutes on the floor and then drew an offensive foul shortly after. He’d draw another one later in the second half, and did much more than the box score suggests.
Grade: B+
Jays Crush Angels
Angels 1 Blue Jays 14
The only inning that really mattered was the fifth. The Jays scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning and that was more than enough. But the Jays added six more runs in the seventh and eighth.
Trey Yesavage was good enough, for four innings. He allowed four hits, two walks and six strikeouts, while not allowing a run. He was helped out by Addison Barger making a terrific throw from right, cutting down what should have been an easy run. Unfortunately, Trey threw a lot of pitches in those four innings, leaving the game with 87 pitches. Pitching deeper into a game would be nice. You can’t get the W if you throw just four innings.
Five different relievers did a good job too:
- Mason Fluhardy got two strikeouts in the fifth. He got the win.
- Braydon Fisher had a clean sixth.
- Joe Mantiply a clean seventh.
- Tyler Rogers gave up the Angels only run in the eighth, off 3 hits.
- Tommy Nance allowed 3 hits in the ninth, but didn’t allow a run in the ninth.
We had 20 hits.
- George Springer had two with a double.
- Addison Barger didn’t have a hit but had two walks and scored a run. And he threw out a runner from pretty deep right and throwing at 101 mph to get the runner from third.
- Vladimir Guerrero had two hits, with a run and an RBI.
- Kazuma Okamoto was one for four with an RBI.
- Jesus Sanchez had two hits, three runs, 2 RBI. One of those hits was a popup that landed just inside the left field line, falling between the third baseman, shortstop and left fielder.
- Daulton Varsho was three for five with two runs scored.
- Ernie Clement was five for five, with three runs and two RBI.
- Andres Gimenez was o for four with an RBI.
- Brandon Valenzuela went four for five with three runs, four RBI, a double and our only home run.
The Angels defense was terrible, which helped out. The only had one official error, but could have had three or four if they
Jays of the Day: Varsho (0.12 WPA), Clement (0.12) and Barger (0.10, plus the throw from right) and Yesavage (0.21) get the number.
Other Award? Well, George Springer had the number (-0.10).
Tomorrow the Jays go for the sweep with Eric Lauer (1-4, 6.03) going against José Soriano (5-2, 1.74). It is a 1:30 start time.
Game 39: St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres
St. Louis Cardinals (23-15) at San Diego Padres (22-16), May 9, 2026, 4:15 p.m. PST
Watch: FOX
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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Mets vs. Diamondbacks: Lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 5/9/26
Mets lineup
- Juan Soto – LF
- Bo Bichette – SS
- MJ Melendez – DH
- Mark Vientos – 1B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Marcus Semien – 2B
- Brett Baty – 3B
- Francisco Alvarez – C
- Tyrone Taylor – CF
Clay Holmes – RHP
Diamondbacks lineup
- Ketel Marte – 2B
- Corbin Carroll – RF
- Geraldo Perdomo – SS
- Adrian Del Castillo – DH
- Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
- Nolan Arenado – 3B
- Lourdes Gurriel – LF
- Gabriel Moreno – C
- Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Merrill Kelly – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:15pm EDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Game 39 Game Day Thread – Chicago Cubs @ Texas Rangers
Chicago Cubs @ Texas Rangers
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 6:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
The Shed
RHP Edward Cabrera vs. RHP Jack Leiter
Go Rangers!
Bounce-back performances from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden lead Cavs to Game 3 win over Pistons
CLEVELAND — Stars often decide playoff games. In Games 1 and 2, Cade Cunningham was the best player on the floor and carried his team to victory. In Game 3, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn to show why he’s a perennial All-NBA player.
Mitchell’s heroics to start and a nine-point fourth quarter from James Harden to close helped the Cleveland Cavaliers climb back into their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 116-109 win in Game 3. Detroit still owns a 2-1 series lead.
Starts to games have been an issue for the Cavs throughout the first two games of the series. They’ve lost the first half by 13 and 11 in the first two games of the series.
That trend turned around in Game 3, or at least it did after the first three minutes.
Detroit got out to a quick seven-point lead after Duncan Robinson and Cunningham hit two tough contested triples right out of the gates.
The Cavs settled in from there. They found a way to get into the paint in the opening frame. Mitchell and Jarrett Allen led the charge, as each delivered nine points in the first quarter, leading to a narrow two-point advantage after one.
Cleveland broke things open in the second quarter with the same formula they had in the first. They got into the teeth of the defense at will, and Detroit didn’t have an answer.
The Cavs went 13-15 on shots in the restricted area in the first half. By comparison, they had just 25 attempts at the rim in the first two games combined.
Mitchell was responsible for this turnaround. After taking just one shot in the restricted area in the first two games combined, he went 4-5 on shots in the restricted area. Once Mitchell gets going inside, the whole game opens up for him.
Spida scored 20 points in the first half, with nine coming in the second quarter. And when he wasn’t scoring for himself, he was finding avenues for his teammates to get going. This included Evan Mobley, who had seven points in the second alone.
On the other end, the Cavs did a good job of locking down the paint. The Pistons weren’t able to get anything easy inside. After making their first two triples of the game, they missed their ensuing 12. This led to Detroit registering just 18 points in the second quarter, allowing the Cavs to take a 14-point lead into the break.
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The Pistons flipped the script in the third quarter. Going from playing more of a drop coverage to switching on-ball screens slowed the Cavs downhill attack. And once the downhill attack stalls out, so has everything else about their game.
Detroit’s offense can bog down in the half-court if they’re forced to attack off makes. When they can get downhill with pace off turnovers and defensive rebounds, things open up.
As a result, the Pistons went 8-11 on shots in the restricted area and added five more points at the line. The Cavs went 2-3 and had just one free throw. Throw in five Cleveland turnovers, and the Pistons won the third 33-19 to make it a two-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
Neither team could create any separation in the fourth. It was a tie game with two and a half minutes left, but Cleveland reasserted control.
Turnovers have popped up in clutch time to hurt the road team in the first two games of the series. That happened again as Cunningham gave it away on three straight possessions, leading to four points going the other way.
James Harden, who was quiet all game, took control. He scored on three-straight possessions, including a three-pointer right in Tobias Harris’s eyes with 26 seconds left to give the Cavs a four-point lead and seal the game.
For as bad as Harden was at times in the first two games of the series, he came through with the game on the line in Game 3 to give Cleveland a new lease on life this series.
Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points on 13-24 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists.
Harden scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. He finished with seven assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
Allen added 18 points. Mobley had 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Cunningham led Detroit with a 27-point triple-double. Tobias Harris had 21 points and five rebounds.
Cleveland has a chance to tie the series in Game 4 on Monday at 8 PM.
Game Thread #37: Milwaukee Brewers (20-16) vs. New York Yankees (26-13)
The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to parlay their win in the series opener against the New York Yankees into a series win on Saturday night. They were able to shut out the Yankees potent lineup on Friday night, the first shutout the Brewers have had against the Yankees since 1992.
On the mound trying to repeat that performance, albeit with fewer triple-digit fastballs, will be the lefty Kyle Harrison. Harrison has been off to a great start in his first season with the Brewers following the February trade with the Boston Red Sox.
Harrison has a 2.12 ERA across his six starts and his last two have been his best. He struck out 12 over 6 IP against the Pirates and then his last time out went 6 IP again, allowing just one run in a win over the Nationals.
On the mound for the Yankees will be the right-hander Cam Schlittler, who has a stellar 1.52 ERA on the season.
With a righty being on the mound for New York, Pat Murphy is loading his lineup with left-handed hitters. Jackson Chourio and William Contreras are the only right-handed hitters in the order tonight, hitting leadoff and third, respectively. Brice Turang is in between them. Then the 4-9 spots in the order are all lefties and switch-hitters; Jake Bauers, Tyler Black, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Luis Rengifo, and David Hamilton.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are going a little atypical with 38-year-old first baseman Paul Goldschmidt batting leadoff. Goldschmidt has killed the Brewers over the course of his 16-year career with a .295 average, 30 homers, and .932 OPS. Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger follow him. Spencer Jones, the hotshot prospect who made his debut facing Jacob Misiorowski’s 104-mph heat, is back in the lineup playing center field and batting eighth.
The Brewers made a transaction today, placing Brandon Lockridge on the IL with a right knee laceration and contusion following his scary crash into the LF wall yesterday. Blake Perkins was recalled from Triple-A to take his place.
Pat Murphy told reporters that “At the shortest, it’s a month,” that Lockridge will be out. But he’s still yet to get an MRI as they wait for the swelling to go down. The MRI is scheduled for Monday.
The Brewers offense will have a tough task again with a quality starter on the bump for New York, but their man on the mound is no slouch either. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m.
Teen’s blitz not enough to prevent record defeat as Big Bash icon goes on a rampage
Rashid Khan took four wickets for 33 runs as Gujarat Titans thumped Rajasthan Royals for a 77-run win in the IPL on Saturday.
Remembering Bobby Cox, iconic manager of the Atlanta Braves
Earlier this afternoon, the Atlanta Braves announced the passing of Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox. He was 84.
In six decades in the organization, Cox spent two separate stints as Braves manager; served as the team’s general manager; and was a player with the organization’s minor leagues prior to the beginning of his coaching career.
Cox’s death comes the same week as the passing of former Braves owner Ted Turner, who twice hired Cox to leadership roles in the organization.
Cox was born in Oklahoma in 1941 and moved with his family to California three years later. He began his playing career in 1960 after signing with the Dodgers organization out of high school.
After making it to Double-A with the Dodgers, he spent the 1965 season in Triple-A with the Cubs organization and split 1966 between the Cubs and Braves Triple-A ranks, playing for Austin in the Braves organization. In 1967, the Braves affiliate moved to Richmond, and he had a productive season with a .849 OPS.
The New York Yankees gave Cox an opportunity at the MLB-level in 1968 and he spent that and the 1969 season in the big leagues before his playing career wrapped up with parts of two seasons in the minors in 1971. Primarily a third baseman, Cox ended his big league career with 220 games played with nine home runs.
When his playing career concluded, it was only a few years until the beginning of what would become an iconic managerial career.
After several seasons of managing and coaching in the minor leagues and in winter ball, Cox became the first base coach for the Yankees in 1977 under manager Billy Martin. When the Braves moved on from manager Dave Bristol, they tabbed Cox as the team’s manager for the 1978 season.
Cox spent four seasons at the helm of a rebuilding Braves team that had a young Dale Murphy and added third baseman Bob Horner with the first overall pick in the 1978 draft. Unfortunately for Cox and the Braves, the team finish as high as fourth in the National League West only once – a 81-80 season in 1980.
The Braves weren’t able to build on the success of the 1980 season, finishing just below .500 in the first and second half of the strike-impacted 1981 campaign. Turner opted to replace Cox as manager, but when asked about the type managerial candidate that would be ideal to lead the Braves, it was Cox who Turner named.
Joe Torre, the former Braves All-Star player, would be hired to replace Cox and the two would both go on to have Hall of Fame careers.
The Toronto Blue Jays wasted no time hiring Cox as manager in 1982. Cox lead the Jays to back-to-back 89-win seasons in 1984 and 1985 and then took the squad to the American League Championship Series after a 99-win season in 1985. It was the first American League East title in franchise history.
Despite coming off of the best season of his managerial career, when Turner and the Braves came calling with an offer to become Atlanta’s general manager, Cox opted to return to the Braves.
As general manager, Cox oversaw a rebuild of the team’s minor league system with a focus on pitching. It was a painful era of Braves baseball at the big league level with the team losing 97-or-more games in three consecutive season, including the 106-loss 1988 season. But, by shifting from aging veterans to young, developing talent, Cox was setting a coarse for what would be a historic run for Atlanta.
During the 1990 season, Cox was faced with firing manager Russ Nixon after a 25-40 start. In doing so, he took over as skipper of the team. The team’s on-field record didn’t improve, but when John Schuerholtz was brought in from the Kansas City Royals as general manager, it was Cox he wanted to continue leading the team as manager.
The 1991 worst-to-first season for the Atlanta Braves changed everything for the Braves, the city of Atlanta and all of Braves country. The excitement, electricity and magnitude of that season is difficult to encapsulate 35 years later, but that season – and the run of 14-consecutive division-winning seasons (1994 notwithstanding) – has yet to be bested in MLB.
With the fiery Cox as skipper, the Braves won more than 100 games six times, and of course won the 1995 World Series. On the field and in the clubhouse, Cox was revered by players – many of whom he called by homespun nicknames that ended with -y – and respected by opponents as he was viciously loyal to his guys, a notion that was underscored by his MLB-record 162 ejections as manager.
Off-the-field, Cox dealt with a domestic abuse issue during that 1995 campaign, although charges were dropped and Cox did not miss any time during the season.
Cox led the Braves to the playoffs in every season there was a post-season from 1991 through 2005. Atlanta missed the playoffs in 2006, finishing below .500 for the first time since 1990, but returned to the post-season in 2010 – Cox’s final season as manager – when the team finished second in the NL East but claimed the Wild Card.
Cox’s post-season success was marginal, he ended his career with a below .500 record with the Braves and Blue Jays, and his sole World Series Championship was often sighted as a blight on an otherwise historic 15 years of dominance by the Braves.
He retired with 2,504 career victories, fourth most all-time, and led his teams to the post-season 16 times – 15 of those coming with the Braves. He won 15 division titles, five pennants and managed five All-Star games, including the 2000 contest in Atlanta. His 67 career post-season wins are fourth-most all-time. He also led the Braves to the 1995 World Series Championship.
Cox was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2011.
A four-time manager of the year winner, Cox was inducted into the the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 – a class that included Torre and fellow manager Tony La Russa as well as two of his former starting pitchers, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux.
Cox suffered a stroke in 2019, the day after appearing at Trust Park for Opening Day, and made limited public appearances in the years that followed. His last appearance with the Braves was in 2025, on August 22, when the 1995 team was honored.
Cox, who was teammates with Mickey Mantle in New York, led teams in Atlanta that included future Hall of Fame players Fred McGriff, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and John Smoltz. As general manager, he drafted Chipper Jones and traded for Smoltz. He notoriously almost pulled off a trade for Barry Bonds in 1987 – five years before the Braves attempted to do a deal for Bond with Pittsburgh for a second time.
Cox’s 2,149 regular season wins are the most in Braves franchise history – with more than an 1,100 win gap between him and fellow Hall of Fame manager Frank Selee who has the second-most wins if franchise history. Cox is also third all-time in wins in Blue Jays history.
Each of the three managers who followed Cox in the position have ties to him with Fredi Gonzalez and Brian Snitker both serving as coaches on his staff while current manager Walt Weiss played under Cox from 1998 to 2000. Snitker (3) and Gonzalez (6) are both in the top six in wins in franchise history.
After a decade of being marketing as “American’s Team” on TBS by Turner, the Cox-led Braves became one of the powerhouse teams of the 1990s, transiting Atlanta from an also-ran franchise to one of the top brands in the sport.
The outpouring of messages from his former players in the hours following the new of his passing showed the reverence they held for him. Andruw Jones called him a “second Father” and outfielder Ender Inciarte labeled him, “a wonderful person, a great human being” while numerous others called him the greatest manager for whom they played.
To honor Cox during his final season, the Braves had a game-day give away that was a poster of Cox comprised of photos of every player he had managed, a fitting honor for a manager who still wore spikes like he did when he a player.
The image of Cox hobbling out of the dugout to argue a call, kicking dirt and get ejected for defending his players and his team, is one that resonates across many Braves fans who are mourning the loss of their skipper this afternoon.
The Atlanta Braves and their fans lost the person responsible for building the foundation for the success the Braves franchise has had for the past 35 years.
Baseball lost an icon of the sport today.
Giants place Logan Webb on the Injured List, call up Trevor McDonald
The San Francisco Giants Opening Day battery for the last three seasons is as gone as gone can be. Hours after announcing the shocking trade of Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians, the Giants placed the star of their rotation, two-time All-Star Logan Webb, on the 15-Day Injured List. Webb, who has led the National League in innings pitched in each of the last three seasons, is headed to the IL for the first time since 2021. The Giants professed optimism that he’ll return as soon as the 15 days are up.
Webb’s injury, which is officially listed as right knee bursitis, is retroactive to May 6. It was that injury that led him to come out of his last game after just 61 pitches, and the Giants are hoping it’s behind his rough start to the season, as he has a 5.06 ERA and a 3.59 FIP through eight starts.
A new battery is up to replace the old one. Taking Webb’s spot is right-hander Trevor McDonald, who will slide right into the rotation. While McDonald hasn’t been having a very good season in AAA, he was sensational when called upon on Monday, holding the San Diego Padres to two hits, no walks, and one run in seven innings, with eight strikeouts. McDonald has not pitched since, so the Giants can slot him into the rotation whenever and wherever they choose.
As for Bailey, his spot is being taken by catcher Logan Porter, whose contract was purchased from AAA Sacramento. The Giants are apparently intent to go with three catchers, even with their defensive ace gone, as Porter joins Eric Haase and Jesús Rodríguez. Daniel Susac is rehabbing in AAA, and should return at some point during the team’s upcoming road trip, barring a setback.
Rare Tatis error punctuates tough stretch for San Diego
This was a tough one for the Friar Faithful to take in.
The San Diego Padres didn’t do a whole lot to help their case as they lost their second consecutive game to the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s been a difficult stretch that has been marked by a poor Friars’ offense.
But the offense wasn’t the Padres biggest problem last night. Their defense ended up losing the game, being the main reason that six runs came across the board in the fifth inning, with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. making his first error since May of last year. That call was controversial, this one was not.
With the bases loaded, JJ Wetherholt hit a single into right field. It would have been only one run with the play at the plate to get the lead runner, but the ball trickled under Tatis glove as he rushed to make the play and ended up at the wall. It went from a single to a little league grand slam.
But the Cards wouldn’t even need that many, with the Padres failing to score against the St. Louis pitching staff, despite having opportunities to do so. They’ll need to put some runs together tonight in order to right the ship in what has been a difficult stretch of baseball for San Diego.
Taking the mound
Dustin May (STL) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
May has been middling but just good enough for the Cards, pitching to a 5.15 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. But the best thing for the righty is the simple fact that he’s healthy. In the past, that’s been a major struggle.
2025 was May’s first season pitching more than 60 innings with 132 1/3 innings. It was a mediocre year with May posting a 4.96 ERA but his health earned him a modest contract in St. Louis.
The Padres faced May plenty of times while he was a Los Angeles Dodger, and they played well against him then. There’s nothing to suggest that that wouldn’t remain the case this time around. The Friars need to scratch some runs across after failing to score very much in this series.
Vásquez has looked incredible for San Diego so far this season, but the last two starts have been shaky. In 10 2/3 innings, the righty has given up eight runs. That’s raised his ERA from 1.88 (as of April 21) to a 3.20 mark heading into tonight’s matchup.
That’s not to say he’s been bad, he hasn’t. But Vásquez has struggled with command, issuing five walks in those recent starts. If he can regain his command tonight, the Friars should have no trouble.
Batter up!
Of the Padres’ lineup, Manny Machado and Tatis have the most experience against May (53 combined at-bats). They own a combined .283 batting average with three homers against the right-hander. If those two bats can come alive, that would be a major improvement for the Friars.
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Gavin Sheets, DH
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Ramón Laureano, LF
- Ty France, 1B
- Sung-Mun Song, 2B
- Freddy Fermin, C
After having two knocks in his debut start, Song’s bat has gone cold, it would be great for it to return against the lower-leverage starting May. Andujar has been in a similar state, cooling off after his eight-game hitting streak came to an end.
Merrill batting leadoff has been an interesting development in the lineup. It seemed to work initially, but hasn’t in the last two games. Manager Craig Stammen has seemed to let things linger before doing away with something so it seems likely that the center fielder continues to bat leadoff.
Relief corps
Yuki Matsui made his 2026 debut last night after spending the year rehabbing from a groin injury. He was mostly alright, pitching a solid 1 2/3 innings before being asked to return for the seventh inning. After striking out Wetherholt, he allowed the next three batters to reach before getting out of the jam.
With the game well out of hand, the Friars then went to Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio to close out the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. That will leave the ‘pen fresh for tonight’s game.
Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez will all be available to pitch in relief after Vásquez’s outing concludes. Those five are all high-leverage options for Stammen to go to, and will each be trusted to turn to in a close game.
Spurs vs. Timberwolves player grades: Wembanyama shines as San Antonio takes 2-1 lead
The San Antonio Spurs once again reclaimed home-court advantage by winning their first road game of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a tightly contested battle that came down to fourth-quarter heroics. Victor Wembanyama had the best playoff game of his young career, putting up 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks on the way to a 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wembanyama’s performance felt like his first “legacy game.” With the game on the line, San Antonio’s face of the franchise dominated both ends and willed the Spurs to victory. It was an obvious A+ performance.
Wembanyama leads the player grades for Game Three. As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
Victor Wembanyama
37 minutes, 39 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 13-for-18 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, +16
Perhaps what was most impressive about Wembanyama’s Game Three performance was the diversity of his impact. He scored in the post, on lobs, got to the rim for finishes with strength and finesse, and hit threes on flare screens. On defense, he guarded on the perimeter, made sharp rotations, and controlled the paint, even when he played with five fouls in the fourth quarter.
He did all of it while playing through the physicality of a playoff matchup. Minnesota went at Wembanyama all night, holding him, clawing at him, pushing and shoving him (even when he was airborne). Wembanyama took an absolute beating, but fought through adversity to pull out a win. He is rising to the occasion in a way not many young players can.
His dominant play is a big reason why the Spurs are -186 favorites to win Game Four on FanDuel.
Grade: A+
De’Aaron Fox
35 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-for-19 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, -2
It was a tale of two halves for Fox. He got going near the end of the second quarter by attacking the basket and finishing in the paint. He carried that momentum into the second half, scoring at opportune times and giving the team a boost during a wild, back-and-forth third quarter. Fox didn’t get a ton of shots to fall, but he made timely buckets that played a big role in the win.
Interestingly, Fox wasn’t on the court for a lot of crunch time. He finally checked when the Wolves were full-court pressing the Spurs and did a nice job taking care of the ball.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
40 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, +17
Castle had a double-double with an eye-popping 12 assists. He’s been great all season long at pushing the pace in transition, or getting downhill for physical finishes, or passes to open players when the defense collapses. While Castle had an inefficient shooting night, he made up for it by getting to the free-throw line, where he went 6-8.
Castle was a bit loose with the ball, particularly late in the game. To be fair, he faced a ton of defensive pressure on the perimeter. The Wolves were sending multiple big bodies at him late in the game to force turnovers. He’ll need to clean up some of these turnovers as the series goes on.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
29 minutes, 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, +5
Champagnie played a slightly different role in Game Three and thrived nonetheless. He only knocked down two of his six three-pointers, but made up for it with good defense and rebounding. Champagnie grabbed 12 boards, 4 of them offensive. One of his biggest plays of the game was an offensive rebound on the break, leading to a huge three by Keldon Johnson. Champagnie also held his own on the perimeter and picked up two steals in the win.
Grade: B
Devin Vassell
36 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-for-14 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +10
Vassell’s three-point shooting struggles continued in Game Three. He is shooting 30.4% from deep in the playoffs, and he only hit one of his six attempts on Friday. A lot of these shots are pretty open. He just hasn’t found the same rhythm that he’s experiencing on his mid-range jumpers. Thankfully, those mid-range jumpers have been money. His pull-up looks really good right now. He had an awesome step-through finish around Rudy Gobert in the first half.
It was interesting that Mitch Johnson elected to make Vassell the primary defender on Anthony Edwards in Game Three. I’m not sure it was the best decision. Edwards had a series-high 32 points. Vassell is at his best playing in the passing lanes off the ball, rather than acting as a stopper guarding the ball.
Grade: B–
Dylan Harper
20 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, -1
Harper had a much harder time getting to the basket in Game Three. The Wolves want him to shoot mid-range jumpers or tough contested three-pointers. Harper was only able to get one of those tough mid-range shots to go. Despite a lackluster offensive game, Harper remained strong defensively. I love the matchup with him on Edwards. He has the strength, length, and lateral quickness to make him work.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
19 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, -11
The Spurs generally struggled with over-rotating on defense or missing rotations completely in Game Three. Johnson was a primary culprit. He would overhelp on drives, which led to some open threes, even though Wembanyama was in a solid position in the paint.
He made up for those defensive mistakes with his best three-point shooting game of the playoffs. Johnson’s energy, primarily in transition, has made a difference in the Spurs’ two wins this series.
Grade: B-
Luke Kornet
10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 3 fouls, 1-for-1 shooting, -9
San Antonio just barely survived the Kornet minutes. He was outclassed by Gobert inside, after playing well against him in Game Two. The bright side was that Wembanyama was so good that he completely negated the point differential when Kornet was in the game.
Grade: C
Harrison Barnes
6 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 steal, +3
Barnes didn’t play much. and didn’t make much of an impact while he was in the game. He did grab a steal in his limited playing time.
Grade: C
Carter Bryant
8 minutes, 6 points, 2 fouls, 2-for-2 shooting, 2-for-2 threes, +7
Bryant hit two huge threes and played some solid defense. Johnson had him guarding Julius Randle, which isn’t the best matchup for him. Bryant is much better at creating havoc on the perimeter with his size, strength, and speed. He’s at a bit of a disadvantage banging with the bigger Randle down low.
Grade: B
Inactives: Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller
Colorado Rockies game no. 40 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Aaron Nola
Well, that was quite the way to open the series.
The Colorado Rockies survived another blown lead to manage an exciting extra-inning win against the Philadelphia Phillies last night. Colorado carries a two-game winning streak into the matchup, as the teams meet for the second time this weekend and the fifth time already in this young season.
Tonight, Kyle Freeland takes on Aaron Nola.
Freeland enters with a 1-3 record in five games started, with a 5.04 ERA, 1.360 WHIP, eight walks, and 24 strikeouts. He’s had an equal mix of very good games and pretty shaky games. In two of his earlier starts, he gave up eight hits and two earned runs in both games combined. On the other side of things, he gave up eight hits and six earned runs in his last game, the 11-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves last Sunday. He’ll aim to bounce back today.
Colorado already got a look at Nola in the 10-1 home opener loss. As the score might suggest, he dominated the Rockies in that one. While he did give up the lone run, he surrendered just five hits alongside nine strikeouts, controlling the game with a lead in his 6.1 innings pitched.
Since then, Nola’s production has fluctuated. He picked up one more win and three losses across five starts since his early season appearance at Coors. His last start (on Monday against the Miami Marlins) was his best of the season. He pitched a scoreless six innings, notching five hits and five strikeouts in a 1-0 win. In his two starts before that, Nola gave up five earned runs in a loss to the Chicago Cubs and six earned runs on two homers in a loss to the Braves. He currently sits at 2-3 across seven starts, with a 5.06 ERA, 1.446 WHIP, 13 walks, and 40 strikeouts.
The Saturday night showdown gives us two pitchers (and honestly, two offenses) that have had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde season. The two starters boast essentially identical ERAs and a similar mix of ups and downs. If last night is any indication, we’re in for another fun one!
First Pitch: 4:05 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Phillies SB Nation Site:The Good Phight
Lineups:
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