CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 24: Sal Stewart #43 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after striking out during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on September 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, FS1, SportsNet Pittsburgh+
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Cincinnati Reds looking to grab a win at Great American Ball Park.
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Feb 23, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (22) looks on prior to a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
THE ANGELS ARE EARLY: Today, March 30, is the earliest date on which the Cubs ever have played the Angels. This will be the 27th game between the teams. The previous earliest meeting was on April 4, Opening Day of 2016, at Anaheim. The earliest at Wrigley Field was April 12, in 2019. The Cubs have played two games earlier than March 30 against other American League teams, both on March 28, Opening Day, at Texas, in 2019 and 2024. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
MARCHING ALONG: The Cubs are 1-4 all-tiime on March 30. They lost to the D-backs in 2025, to the Rangers in 2024 and 2019, and to the Marlins in 2018. Their only March 30 win was in 2023, a 4-0 win over the Brewers.
NOT YET: Five of the 26 Cubs on the Opening Day roster have not appeared in a game yet. They are starting pitchers Edward Cabrera (who goes tonight) and Jameson Taillon, bench players Dylan Carlson and Scott Kingery, and swingman Colin Rea.
PCA NOTE: Pete Crow-Armstrong has recorded eight multi-steal games since the start of the 2025 season, the most in the NL and second-most in the majors behind José Caballero (10).
This is also his first career start against the Angels. Current members of the Angels are a small sample size 5-for-28 (.179) against Cabrera with 11 strikeouts. Keep that up and tonight will be a good night.
The “changeup” noted below is really more a different version of his fastball. Here’s more on that pitch. If it’s effective, he usually pitches really well.
Ryan Johnson was the Angels’ second round pick in 2023 out of Dallas Baptist University, the same school where former Cubs draft pick Burl Carraway (remember him?) pitched.
Johnson made his MLB debut last year and made 14 relief appearances with a 7.36 ERA and four home runs allowed in 14.2 innings. Thus this is his first MLB start. He’s never faced the Cubs or anyone on their active roster. As you can see below, he doesn’t throw particularly hard, though he does have a pretty good pitch mix.
Please visit the Angels site Crashing The Pearly Gates. If you do go there to interact with Angels fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The Montreal Canadiens have made a roster move, as they have recalled defenseman Adam Engstrom from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Engstrom has played in his first 11 NHL games this season with the Canadiens, where he has recorded zero points, four hits, five blocks, six penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating. Now, after landing this latest call-up to the Canadiens' roster, he will be looking to make an impact.
Engstrom has certainly shown promise this season with Laval, as he has had a strong season with the AHL club. In 45 games with Laval this campaign, he has 10 goals, 24 assists, 34 points, and a plus-14 rating. This is after he had five goals, 22 assists, 27 points, and a plus-14 rating in 66 games for the AHL club during this past season.
Engstrom was selected by the Canadiens with the 92nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old blueliner has the potential to become a solid NHL defenseman as he continues to gain more experience.
In 111 career AHL games over two seasons, Engstrom has 15 goals, 46 assists, 61 points, and a plus-28 rating.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 31: José Leclerc #25 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game Four of the World Series at Chase Field on October 31, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
About a week ago, it was reported that the San Diego Padres were nearing a deal with a key player from the Texas Rangers’ 2023 World Series run. According to Mike Rodriguez, the Friars were targeting a deal with José Leclerc as a depth piece in their ‘pen.
A former closer for the Rangers, Leclerc dominated on the mound when he was healthy. But he wasn’t always that way.
Injury worries before a dominant resurgence
When he was first named the closer by Texas in 2019, Leclerc struggled. He ended the year with a 4.33 ERA across 70 innings for a Rangers squad that finished third in the AL West.
Then, in early 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the season, leading many to question if he could ever return to the flashes of dominance he displayed in 2018 (1.56 ERA, 57.2 IP).
He put those worries to rest in 2022.
From 2022-23, Leclerc recorded a 2.75 ERA with Texas, capping it off with a World Series ring to boot. He was a key piece out of the relief corps for the Rangers, and helped bring the club its first ever Fall Classic win after falling short in 2010 (San Francisco Giants) and 2011 (St. Louis Cardinals).
Has Father Time caught up?
That being said, Leclerc struggled mightily in his last two seasons. From 2024-25, between the Rangers and Athletics, he posted a 4.64 ERA across 74 games.
That figure includes a ballooned 2025 ERA (6.00) after he only saw nine innings of action with the A’s, giving up six runs in that time frame. His season in Sacramento ended early due to a right shoulder injury that saw him undergo surgery last July.
He’s certainly had an up-and-down career in terms of results, but the stuff is there. He obviously has a desire to compete after throwing a bullpen session for interested clubs earlier this offseason.
Leclerc is still rehabbing after his season-ending surgery, targeting a return sometime around July. If that’s the case, it will mark an opportunity for San Diego to bolster its relief corps amidst the dog days of summer.
Until then, it is a low-risk, high-reward move for the Padres. If Leclerc can touch his previous heights and offer some serviceable innings, then San Diego will have made a worthwhile pickup.
That’s the beauty of a minor-league pickup. There are no real strings attached. If Leclerc comes back at the Triple-A level and struggles, then he’ll likely not get an opportunity to affect the big-league club.
On the other hand, if he can be dominant again, Leclerc could figure to be a valuable piece of a bullpen already crowded with shutout relievers.
Tickets for general public to go on sale on 9 April
Tickets for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games will go on sale to the general public on 9 April, organizers said on Monday, as LA28 also moved to reassure fans over ticket security by naming a group of verified resale platforms.
A presale for residents in qualifying areas of Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, which will host softball and canoe slalom events, will begin on 2 April.
Mar 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Richard Lovelady (55) reacts during the tenth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Mets are (probably) one better third-base coach decision away from being 3-0 on the young season, but there’s an issue that has already reared its head in all three games of 2026 thus far: the bullpen.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Mets are coming off a season where their bullpen was less than spectacular, and so a stated goal of the offseason was to rebuild the relief corps. On the higher end of the free agent pool, the Mets did just that, bringing in both Devin Williams and Luke Williams and retaining both Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter through options. Tobias Myers was part of the Freddy Garcia trade, and Huascar Brazobán is also back, and those six pitchers are making up the core of the bullpen. And, although Minter hasn’t played yet and Brazobán has had an up and down Mets career thus far, those players aren’t the issue.
But it’s the other three pitchers currently in the Mets’ bullpen that are the issue. Our Chris McShane already spoke about Sean Manaea’s velocity dip and how that is likely unsustainable at the big league level. The other two arms are Luis García and Richard Lovelady, both of whom have appeared in multiple games and surrendered multiple runs.
There has been discussion about how the Mets are leaving a few spots in the bullpen for the waiver wire/upward mobility pool. To translate that a bit, he means guys who are fungible enough to call up for a few games and then send down and/or designate for assignment when they’ve been used too many days in a row. It’s an approach that makes sense when you consider how many more bullpen innings are needed in the modern game and you don’t want to destroy your main guys’ arms.
However, this weekend was a prime example of why that methodology may be logical but unsound. On Opening Day, the Mets had a big lead going into the ninth inning, and so when García gave up two runs on three hits without a strikeout, it wasn’t such a big deal. But the Mets had to get Williams up and throwing in what should’ve been a laugher of a game. Again, the schedule helped here with the off day on Friday, but that’s not going to be the norm throughout the season. When you can’t close the door on a big lead against a second division club with a fully rested bullpen, that’s an issue.
On Saturday, García was back at it in the tenth inning and surrendered the free runner on second while allowing two hits and one walk. One inning later, after the Mets had scored to tie the game, Loveady entered the game and surrendered the Manfred Man again. Thankfully, Luis Robert Jr. sent the Mets home happy and the bullpen ineffectiveness is a footnote rather than a headline.
But on Sunday, the Mets’ luck would run out. After Manaea somehow tap-danced through seven batters with limited stuff, Weaver sat the Pirates down in the ninth. But Lovelady was back for the tenth, and on the first batter of extras, the game was untied by Ryan O’Hearn. Dicky got a ground ball double play to almost escape the inning but couldn’t put it away. Two straight walks and a single put Pittsburgh up by two.
Like I said at the top, if Francisco Lindor was held at third base, the Mets might’ve come back to win that game and this would all seem a little less pressing. I’m really not trying to pick on Garcia or Lovelady, two journeymen relievers trying to put food on their families’ tables and keep their careers going. I’m questioning the construction of the roster and the deployment of the relief pitchers.
The answer seems fairly simple, which is that if you want fungible relievers, you’ve got a number of relievers in your minor league system with minor league options: Austin Warren, Ryan Lambert, Dylan Ross, Jonathan Pintaro, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber. I’m not sure any of them are the answer long term, but I can’t imagine that they would be appreciably worse than García or Lovelady were in their first two appearances each. Using those players also helps you see what you have in terms of potential long-term pieces instead of getting the expected results from a guy who your team has already DFA’d four times.
The Manaea of it all is the hardest part of this, because if either Lovelady or Garcia were DFA’d ahead of today’s game, no one would blink an eye. But if we’re stashing Manaea in the bullpen, we’re not talking about a third fungible spot. We’re talking about a veteran who was expected to be a big part of this team whose stuff is simply not up to snuff. This won’t be an easy cut in any way, and this seems like the type of player who will linger on the roster long past their possible usefulness.
This is the least Stearnsian piece of the Mets’ current roster, and one that I fear won’t be addressed for some time. However, this would be less of an issue if there weren’t two other (at best) replacement-level players in the ‘pen.
Personally, I would advocate for the Mets to take a more proactive approach and add at least one reliever who isn’t intended to be here today and gone later today. It may hurt some of the churn, but it would also likely prevent some of the issues that cropped up over the weekend. If one roster spot was dedicated to the churn guy, and the pool for that spot was minor league relievers who need some big league appearances to evaluate, sign me up. But to have three borderline poor performers on the roster at once is a bad place to be, even just three games into a season.
Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) checks out his World Series before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Going out of their way to provide Roki Sasaki with the opportunity to find himself as a starting pitcher, the Dodgers offer him a spot in the Opening Day rotation. The reigning champs do that even if his spring training showing did little to lower the volume on those concerns. Part of why that’s feasible is that, to no one’s surprise, the Dodgers already start the year with starters on the shelf, as Blake Snell is currently on the injured list. Even so, if going by performance alone, Dave Roberts had better candidates for that fifth rotation spot and chose to hand Sasaki this opportunity.
It’s under this outlook that Sasaki makes his season debut, dealing with the pressure of someone who probably has more to prove than any other player on this roster. The young Japanese starter was supposed to be the next big thing coming out of the NPB, and so far, all of his better moments have come as a reliever. Intent on making it as a starter, Sasaki needs to get off to a hot start in order to gain some confidence and then take things from there.
The Guardians at home aren’t exactly a cakewalk, but he could hardly ask for a much better matchup, squaring off against a team that averaged 3.25 runs per game in their first four appearances. Although that probably had a lot to do with facing an outstanding Seattle Mariners pitching staff, and not just the reflection of a mediocre effort from Cleveland. Don’t let Chase DeLauter beat you. Sure, José Ramírez is the big star, but what the rookie DeLauter did against the M’s was magnificent, hitting four home runs in as many games.
CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 15: Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) delivers a pitch to the plate during spring training game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on March 15, 2026 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Deniz Undav turned up the pressure on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to select him for the World Cup after he scored the 2-1 winner against Ghana on Monday to back up strong club form.
Undav hadn't played for Germany since June but seven goals in his last six Bundesliga games helped him earn a recall. Germany was playing the friendly at the home stadium of his club Stuttgart and fans chanted for Undav long before he came off the bench.
The game seemed to be fizzling out to a draw when he flicked the ball over Ghana's goalkeeper in the 88th minute to give Germany a seventh successive win.
Ghana's Abdul Fatuwu earlier scored on the counter to cancel out Kai Havertz's penalty for Germany.
After Florian Wirtz's spectacular attacking display in Germany's 4-3 win against Switzerland, Germany was expected to score high against an opponent coming off a 5-1 loss to Austria. It ended up being a subdued win in constant driving rain.
Nick Woltemade started in one of four German changes but his main impact was heading against the bar in the second half.
Havertz put Germany ahead with his penalty just before halftime after Jonas Adjetey blocked a shot with his arm. Ghana leveled on the counter in the 70th when Germany-born Derrick Köhn surged down the left flank, beat defender Josha Vagnoman and crossed low for Fatawu to score.
Ghana defender Kojo Peprah Oppong of Nice had to be helped off the field after injuring his left leg challenging Woltemade.
Germany has further pre-World Cup friendlies against Finland in May and co-host the United States in June before facing Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E of the tournament.
Ghana has lost four friendlies in a row. It's in Group L with Panama, England and Croatia.
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 12: Svi Mykhailiuk #10 and Ace Bailey #19 of the Utah Jazz box out Jaylon Tyson #20 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game on January 12, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As the season slowly winds to a close, Utah Jazz fans should be excited for the future at this point. It’s finally the end of this years-long blatant tank job. Depending on what happens with the Draft Lottery and the 2026 NBA Draft, next year should look tremendously different for this young Jazz squad.
There are 7 total games left. All of them are against decent team, apart from the last three against New Orleans, Memphis, and the Lakers. Tonight, we see an old friend back in town. Donovan Mitchell and the 46-28 Cleveland Cavaliers. Don is our what-if after the what-if of Gordon Hayward. To be fair, we did give that Mitchell-Gobert core a good run, but it’ll be interesting to see how Utah greets Spida Mitchell, as his exit wasn’t necessarily negative or even positive. It just was.
On the Cavs side, they will be without several rotation players, including Craig Porter Jr, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade. For Utah, expect a lot of the G League guys and end of roster fill-ins. For the Jazz injury report, most of the main guys are out, including Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic (out for year), Jaren Jackson (out for rest of year), and Walker Kessler (he’s been out folks).
It’ll continue to be fun watching these young guys develop. We’ve seen a lot of promise for Filipowski, Elijah Harkless, and Brice Sensabaugh to grab rotation bench sports next year. We still don’t know what we have in guys like Blake Hinson, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Bez Mbeng. Perhaps tonight will be another big game for future star Ace Bailey.
Have fun and enjoy these final test games! Next year will be much different.
Three marquee NBA teams can secure their playoff seeding on Monday night, and there are a couple of must-watch games with playoff seeding on the line. Here's what you need to know about NBA playoff scenarios for March 30.
Playoff Scenarios
• The Los Angeles Lakers can clinch a playoff spot and the Pacific Division title with a win over the Washington Wizards and a Phoenix loss at Memphis. The Lakers will have to pick up that win without Luka Doncic in the lineup, he is suspended for the game after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season over the weekend.
• Denver can clinch a playoff spot with the exact same scenario above: A Lakers win over Washington and a Phoenix loss to Memphis.
• New York has the night off, but the No. 3 seed in the East can still clinch a playoff spot if Miami beats Philadelphia (in a game that is important for the East's tight 5-10 seeding race.
• Detroit will clinch the Central Division title with a win against Oklahoma City in the best game of the night. The Pistons can also clinch that title if the Cavaliers are upset by the Jazz Monday night.
Games to Watch
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET, Peacock)
These two teams are just 2.5 games apart in the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference, but headed in opposite directions. Philadelphia has finally gotten healthy with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all expected to play. The No. 7 seed 76ers are just half a game behind the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks, so a win here is a huge boost for Philly. Miami is 1-7 in its last eight games.
Detroit Pistons at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
This is a potential NBA Finals preview, with both teams sitting as the No. 1 seeds in their conferences. However, this isn't all about sending a statement for June, both of these teams are trying to hold off hot teams (Boston and San Antonio) to maintain those No. 1 seeds, so the wins matter. Detroit will be without Cade Cunningham, but has gone 5-1 without its All-Star.
Nov 15, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) runs the ball as Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) attempts the sack during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Happy Monday one and all.
The Arizona Cardinals will be on the clock in just over three weeks, and they need to help.
We discussed that with your own thoughts this morning:
104. Arizona Cardinals: Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
143. Arizona Cardinals: Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
183. Arizona Cardinals: Toriano Pride Jr., CB, Missouri
217. Arizona Cardinals: Jager Burton, G, Kentucky
The first three rounds is what I really want to focus on, because it seems to be a weirdly precise look at the Cardinals potentially.
Mauigoa going at three overall seems to be the consensus favorite among fans and the media, which is interesting because we don’t see that line up very often.
Then there is Young. Young came in at 6-6 and 262lbs at the 2026 NFL Combine, and improved each of his four years in college football. He finished his career at Mizzou with 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Before that in three seasons between Michigan State and Mizzou he had a total five sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his career.
We know what Beck is. He is a good college quarterback who needs to get back to having the zip on the ball he had before his UCL surgery. If he gets there, he could be a potential starter, but he has the makeup to be a longtime NFL backup.
On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks had a scheduled day off from practice. This is very typical following a long road trip. Chicago went 1-3-0 out east and didn’t play particularly well in any of those games, even the one in which they earned a victory.
One of their issues as a team, since the trade deadline, has been team toughness. They sent a lot of that mentality out when they traded Colton Dach, Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, and Jason Dickinson.
On Monday, they took a step toward addressing that problem. Alex Vlasic, Louis Crevier, Sam Rinzel, Ethan Del Mastro, Sacha Boisvert, and Landon Slaggert showed up at Blackhawks Ice Center to practice their fighting.
These are Chicago’s biggest players in stature, but only Boisvert has ever publicly expressed his desire to fight, and he’s three games into his NHL career. Jeff Blashill and the organization clearly see it as a skill worth developing as they work towards becoming a winner.
This could be a bit of a Tampa Bay Lightning/Florida Panthers effect on the league, as they have won four of the last six Stanley Cups through being a tough, skilled team. There is a lot of skill on those rosters, but there is plenty of “sandpaper” to go with it.
According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, it was Blackhawks pro scout Wade Brookbank who taught these players a thing or two about NHL fighting during this practice. This is not a skill that every one of these players is going to master through one session, but it’s a mentality step that the Blackhawks are clearly taking.
I was told this wasn't a fighting instructor, but actually Blackhawks pro scout Wade Brookbank who was brought in to teach some of the young players how to defend themselves. https://t.co/nttqyjpzG2
Earlier in the season, Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks kneed Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews is out for the season as a result of this hit, and Gudas is already back from suspension. At the time of the hit, none of Matthews’ teammates did a single thing about it for the sake of their captain, and it was a horrific look for the team.
The Blackhawks have been better than the Leafs when it comes to standing up for teammates, but it isn’t good enough, according to management. This practice wouldn’t have happened otherwise. When JT Miller hit Artyom Levshunov into the boards on Friday night at MSG, it took the Blackhawks a couple of shifts to do anything about it.
There are enough stars on the team now for this to be a necessary thing, and the young players who attended this fight practice have to take over for the veterans who were shipped out. They don’t have to become one of the league’s heavyweights, but having enough courage to stand up for teammates through fighting or playing a physical game is always important for a certain portion of the lineup.
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