SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 03: Victor Bericoto #83 of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the batters box against the Team United States during an exhibition game at Scottsdale Stadium on March 03, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Victor Bericoto got good and bad news from the San Francisco Giants Friday. He learned he’d been reassigned to the team’s Minor League camp. But he left as the 2026 winner of the Barney Nugent Award.
Victor Bericoto won the Barney Nugent Award, given to the player who performed best in his first big league camp. He’s hitting .474 this spring and has put himself in the mix to get a real shot at some point this season.
The annual Barney Nugent Award goes to the Giants player making his spring training debut“whose performance and dedication in spring training best exemplify the San Francisco Giants’ spirit, much like Nugent did in his time with San Francisco.”
Barney Nugent was the Giants’ longtime athletic trainer, who passed away in 2014. The award named in his honor is voted on by all Giants spring personnel — players, coaches, clubhouse staff, and of course, the training staff. Bericoto played 19 games and hit 18-for-38, with three home runs and three doubles, and generally pounding the hell out of the ball.
However, the 24-year-old Venezuelan outfielder has only played 11 games at the AAA level. As unexciting as the Giants’ other outfield options might look, Bericoto probably needs at least a few months against better pitching before he’s ready to help the big league club, though his 12 homers and 15 doubles at Double-A Richmond last season (in 93 games) are highly encouraging.
Bericoto isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the team may wait to call him up, hoping that the excitable Drew Gilbert or the disappointing Luis Matos can hold the fort as an extra outfielder for a while.
Former winners of the “Nooge” (no one calls it this) include favorites like Tim Lincecum, Brandon Belt, and Matt Duffy. Last year, reliever Joel Peguero won the award, and went on to appear in 17 games, going 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA. He’s out with a hamstring tear now, but is in the mix for a late-inning relief role when he returns. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt also won the Barney in recent years, while 2024 winner Ismael Munguia, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, hit .429 in the World Baseball Classic for Nicaragua.
Here are all the winners since 2007:
2007: Tim Lincecum 2008: Brian Bocock 2009: Joe Martinez 2010: Darren Ford 2011: Brandon Belt 2012: Dan Otero 2013: Brock Bond 2014: Mark Minicozzi 2015: Matt Duffy 2016: Trevor Brown 2017: Jae-Gyun Hwang 2018: Chris Shaw 2019: Joey Bart 2021: Heliot Ramos 2022: Brett Auerbach 2023: Casey Schmitt 2024: Ismael Munguia 2025: Joel Peguero
2026: Victor Bericoto
Bericoto had a fantastic spring and could very well be playing in Oracle Park by the summer. Somewhere, Barney Nugent is looking on with pride and a roll of athletic tape.
Houston breezed through its NCAA Tournament first round game on Thursday, blasting No. 15 seed Idaho, 78-47. Freshman star Kingston Flemings had 18 points in 27 minutes, shooting 8 of 12 from the field. Emanuel Sharp added 16 points and the Cougars led by 24 at halftime.
Saturday's second round opponent, Texas A&M, figures to provide a stiffer test. The 10th-seeded Aggies upset No. 7 seed Saint Mary's in the first round. Rashaun Agee did most of the damage scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Texas A&M's defense forced 18 turnovers and held the Gaels to 38% shooting.
Here's what you need to know for Saturday's second round game with a trip the Sweet 16 to face the winner of No. 3 Illinois/No. 11 VCU next week in Houston.
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The Jazz currently have the worst defensive rating in the league but could potentially improve that by selecting Houston freshman Kingston Flemings. The All-Big 12 guard has several games when he has recorded at least three steals, notching eight against Arizona State earlier this season. He scored 42 points against No. 11 Texas Tech on Jan. 24 and had a strong performance against Baylor, recording 21 points with seven assists and two steals on March 4. With highs as high as his thus far, it will not take long for him to hear his name called on draft night.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 12: Ty France #4 of the San Diego Padres bats in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres final roster decisions are days away but the opt-out clauses for two veterans provided some early decision-making for the Padres. Both starter Walker Buehler and infielder Ty France had to be placed on the 40-man roster today or risk being lost to another team.
Both Buehler and France were signed to minor league deals during the off-season and due to their years of service, they have opt-out clauses in their contracts. Those clauses kick in at various stages during the season, allowing them to be free agents again if they are not on the major league roster. The first opt-out for both was March 21.
Stiff competition and an injury
While it seemed obvious that Buehler was safely entrenched in the rotation after his past two starts, France was not as much of a guarantee. He had close competition with Jose Miranda after it became clear that utility player Sung-Mun Song was not healthy enough to start the season with the Padres.
With France on the roster, Miranda can be sent to Triple-A and his first opt-out is not until later in the season (June 1). The difficulty will arise when Song is ready to come off the IL. France can only be optioned if he agrees, otherwise he can become a free agent again and sign with any team.
This is a return for France to the team that drafted and developed him through its system. He made his major league debut in 2019 and was traded at the deadline during the pandemic season of 2020. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and late last season, for the Toronto Blue Jays. He received a Gold Glove at first base last season and played in the World Series.
Walker Buehler is healthy again
Buehler has shown that he can pitch with the diminished velocity on his fastball after his second Tommy John surgery. He has a seven-pitch mix with a four-seam fastball that has topped out at 94 mph. In his three starts, he has a 3.09 ERA with four walks and 13 strikeouts while not allowing a home run.
He has stated in interviews that the pain in his elbow went away right before spring camp began and that has enabled him to throw his sweeper again as well as refining his other off-speed offerings. He has acknowledged that his fastball will never again reach the velocity of the past but he can still be an effective starter without it.
While Joe Musgrove is on the IL and continuing the rehab from his own Tommy John surgery, Buehler will assume the No. 4 spot in the rotation while other pitchers continue to compete for the last spot.
Manager Craig Stammen challenged starter Randy Vasquez at the beginning of camp to establish his spot in the rotation but that seemed settled fairly early when Vasquez showed that he has held onto the velocity gain of late last season and has been much more disciplined in his delivery with his appearances this spring.
Buehler joins Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vaquez and, eventually, Joe Musgrove as part of the initial five-man rotation. If Germán Márquez wins the last spot that is currently available, the Padres will have another roster dilemma to deal with as Márquez has a major league contract and can’t be optioned without his agreement. The same is true of Buehler with his veteran status.
Padres manager Craig Stammen commented in his morning media scrum on the organization’s decision to put both players on the roster.
Padres manager Craig Stammen discusses both Ty France and Walker Buehler being told they’ve made the Padres Opening Day roster. pic.twitter.com/gu9XKluXoS
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - MARCH 15, 2026: Yandy Díaz #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats during the first inning of a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Charlotte Sports Park on March 15, 2026 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
It’s no surprise the Rays’ offense struggled against left-handed pitching last season. They produced an 85 wRC+ which was the 9th worst of any team in the league. That issue was compounded by volume as Rays hitters saw more left-handed pitching than almost any team in baseball; Rays batters had 1,860 PA vs LHP, second only to the Phillies at 1,946.
So naturally, their Opening Day matchup comes against a lefty – former Rays prospect Matthew Liberatore. Can the Rays improve vs LHP compared to last season? What could their lineup look like on Opening Day?
KPIs
We’ll first look at several industry standard key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Rays offense last season and compare it to what we’ve seen from the position players projected to be on the Opening Day roster: zone minus out-of-zone swing rate to measure plate discipline, contact rate to measure bat-to-ball ability, 90th percentile exit velocity to measure raw power, and line drive plus fly ball rate to measure how well they hit the ball at optimal launch angles:
KPI
2025 vs LHP
2026 vs LHP
Z-O Swing%
36.7%
39.8%
Contact%
72.3%
78.4%
EV90
105.5mph
105.3mph
LD+FB%
44.6%
53.8%
The swing decisions, bat-to-ball ability, and batted ball quality all have taken a step forward with this new position player group while still maintaining average power. We still have to wait to see how it’ll translate to regular season games in a larger sample, but the underlying indicators suggest they have a much stronger foundation than the group that produced an 85 wRC+ last season. If these gains carry over, it’s reasonable to expect something closer to the 100-105 wRC+ range.
Potential Lineup vs LHP
There were times last season where Cash deployed lineups of all RHB against opposing left-handed starters. This seems like a logical idea on paper, but old-school baseball wisdom says that this allows an opposing pitcher to get into a rhythm. Later in the season, the Rays sprinkled a couple more lefties in their lineups against LHP. Those lineups appeared more effective, even if it’s difficult to quantify. I think we’ll see that (at least early on) in the regular season. Here’s how it could look vs Liberatore on Opening Day:
Yandy – DH
Caminero – 3B
Aranda – 1B
Vilade – RF
Williamson – 2B
DeLuca – CF
Fortes – C
Mullins – LF
Williams – SS
The order outside of the top five is more flexible and maybe DeLuca and Mullins take turns in CF, but this is what we could expect on Opening Day and against most LHP.
Simpson has a platoon-neutral skillset so there’s a world where I could see him batting leadoff regularly to provide a bit more length and drop Yandy and Cami into more run-producing spots in the order. However, the defensive value Mullins provides may still give him the edge early on, potentially keeping Simpson in a more limited role until his defense proves itself over a larger sample.
If they prioritize Simpson’s speed and contact ability, a more left-handed look could resemble something like:
Simpson – LF
Yandy – DH
Caminero – 3B
Aranda – 1B
Vilade – 2B
DeLuca – CF
Mullins – RF
Fortes – C
Williams – SS
Simpson could also be 9th and everyone else moves up a spot. There’s a lot of potential for flexibility, but no matter how it shapes up, this offense appears much better positioned to improve against left-handed pitching than it was a year ago. That flexibility also aligns with the improved swing decisions, contact rates, and batted ball quality we’ve seen this spring, giving the Rays multiple ways to construct competitive lineups against left-handed pitching.
The Mets, playing a lineup of mostly regulars Saturday in a home Grapefruit League game, fell to the Astros, 7-5, at Clover Park.
The Mets also played a split-squad game in West Palm Beach, which they lost, 3-1, to the Nationals. But there was good news there – Mark Vientos hit his first home run of the spring in the eighth inning, perhaps a sign he’s moving past what’s been a horrid camp. Vientos entered Saturday 1-for-31 in Grapefruit League action.
Here are the takeaways...
-Marcus Semien gave fans a dash of offense, cranking a three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning that temporarily gave the Mets the lead. Semien also darted into short right field to snare a flare by Cam Smith, taking away a hit.
-In the eighth inning, Mets reliever Ryan Lambert hit the first batter he faced, walked the next one, and then gave up a three-run homer to Christian Walker that gave Houston a 6-5 lead. Walker’s blast traveled 406 feet. Overall, Lambert retired only one batter and allowed four runs.
-With several players in new spots in the field and run prevention a Met buzz-phrase this spring, it’s worth noting that first baseman Jorge Polanco made a throwing error in the eighth inning. He ranged far to his right to snare the ball, but then made an ill-advised underhand throw to the bag, which had no chance. Might be a sign of his inexperience at the position.
-The competition for the right-field job might have tilted when Mike Tauchman appeared to hurt his left leg during the game.Carlos Mendoza later confirmed on the SNY broadcast that Tauchman’s left knee was sore. In the fourth inning, Tauchman chased a ball back to the warning track and it seemed to sail on him. He reached back and could not catch it and was seen by SNY cameras flexing his left leg during the inning, and also limping on the way in after the frame was over. Another replay on the broadcast showed Tauchman in some discomfort in his first at-bat earlier, too. He tried to go out for the fifth inning, but was still hurting. He was replaced by AJ Salgado. Tauchman is the main competition for the right-field gig along with uber-prospect Carson Benge, who is batting .368 after going 0-for-4 in West Palm Beach.
-Salgado took advantage of his chance. He later tripled and scored, hit an RBI single in the sixth and another single in the ninth. He also made a nice catch to take a hit away from Walker.
-Francisco Lindor, trying to get ready for Opening Day following his hamate surgery, was 0-for-4, but played eight innings. He made a nifty backhand pickup in the first inning.
-Jonah Tong, the stud pitching prospect who is slated to begin the season in Triple-A, made the start and was charged with three runs and six hits in 4.1 innings. But he was victimized by some seeing-eye bloops with a predilection for dropping into no-man’s land. The Astros scored three times against him in the second inning and three of the four hits he yielded had the following exit velocities: 75 miles per hour, 60 mph, and 64 mph, according to MLB.com. Tong also allowed a rocket into the right-field corner by Zach Cole that went for a leadoff triple in the inning. Tong was charged with a balk that allowed Cole to score and later made a throwing error on an errant pickoff attempt. There was plenty of good, too.
He used his curveball to good effect several times, including for strikes against Isaac Paredes in a bounce-back third inning. He ended that frame by striking out Cole on a nice changeup and then also used the pitch in the fourth to finish off strikeouts of Cavan Biggio (called) and Riley Unroe (swinging).
In all, Tong fanned five and walked none, throwing 79 pitches, including 53 strikes. His spring ERA over two starts is 7.71, which, coincidentally, was his ERA in five starts for the Mets in 2025.
-With ball and strike calls eligible to be challenged during the regular season for the first time, it’s perhaps significant that Francisco Alvarez, who returned to the lineup after leaving Thursday’s game with back tightness, nailed two challenges in the first two innings. Truth be told, though, he also missed one in the eighth inning. Alvarez challenged a ball call in the first inning with Cam Smith at the plate and got it overturned, meaning Tong was working with a 2-2 count instead of the hitter’s paradise of 3-1. In the second, Alvarez challenged again, this time on a 3-2 pitch, so the Mets got a strikeout of Walker. Entering Saturday, the Mets had the fewest ABS challenges won in all of spring training, according to Codify Baseball’s X social media account.
-Alvarez also hit an RBI single in the fifth inning, reaching for a slider away and knocking it into right field. Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but there are times in his career where Alvarez would have taken a big swing at such a pitch, only to hit a harmless grounder. Alvarez is having a good spring – 9-for-25 (.360) with five RBI.
-In the away split-squad game, Joey Wiemer of the Nationals sank the Mets with a walk-off, two-run homer in the ninth inning off lefty Matt Turner. Joander Suarez started for New York and allowed one hit over four scoreless innings. Will Watson added 3.1 shutout innings, allowing two hits.
NEW YORK (AP) — Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of the stands, the NBA announced Saturday.
Queensland has spoiled Alyssa Healy’s farewell to professional cricket, with the Fire winning their second WNCL title following Sunday’s rain-affected final against defending champions New South Wales in Sydney.
Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (75) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The most recent poll conducted at Bucs Dugout was to gauge how fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates think the team is going to perform this season, and how many wins they believe the Buccos will have. It was a close margin, but 38% of the fans that voted believe their Pirates will have between 85-89 wins this upcoming season, just narrowly beating out the 36% of fans that believed Pittsburgh will be around 80-84 wins.
These are overwhelmingly positive results on the outlook for Pittsburgh’s season, but for once this belief in the team is by no means delusional. The Pirates’ organization went out and did the right things this winter and had a very atypical offseason. For those outside of the Pirates fanbase, this means General Manager Ben Cherington and company actually went out and tried to make this ball club better.
Signing Ryan O’hearn was a big splash move in free-agency to bring in a former All-Star slugger who was the first free-agent to receive a multi-year contract from the Pirates since 2016 when starting pitcher Iván Nova was signed to a three-year deal worth $26 million. The Bucs didn’t stop there as they made a massive move in the trade market to acquire second baseman, Brandon Lowe, from Tampa. Not only did they add another power threat to their lineup but they finally filled the long standing vacancy at second base. With Lowe came prospects Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery who also are in line to make an impact in 2026.
The Pirates lineup is completely transformed from 2025, as the team is looking to put to rest the horrible offense that they trotted out to earn last place honors in the NL Central. Pittsburgh would finish with a 71-91 record in 2025, and were 26 games back from the division winning Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates in 2025 scored the fewest amount of runs in Major League Baseball while also finishing with the fewest home runs and the lowest slugging percentage.
All things considered the Pirates made many improvements to the roster for this year and sticking with first time manager Don Kelly to lead the way feels like the culture is shifting in Pittsburgh. This will be a big prove it year for Kelly and company. FanDuel Sports Network has the Pirates at -550 odds to win 70 or more games this season, with +100 odds to meet the expected 80+ wins as voted on by fans at Bucs Dugout.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will open their regular season against the New York Mets with ace Paul Skenes getting the Opening Day start on Thursday, March 26, at 1:15 p.m. ET.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Samuel Girard #49 of the Pittsburgh Penguins carries the puck against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins get Sam Girard from injury and are about as healthy as they’re going to get this season with the only unavailable player of note being Blake Lizotte.
The Penguins score on the second shift of the game on a sensational effort by Egor Chinakhov. Chinakhov takes a pass that Evgeni Malkin chips ahead for him, then cut into the middle of the ice through Dylan DeMelo. The lateral moves catches Connor Hellebuyck falling as he attempts to push back to his right. Chinakhov smokes a shot through the hole created. 1-0.
DeMelo’s nightmare start continues, he bobbles a puck that Bryan Rust quickly jumps on. Rust skates in low and feathers a little pass over Josh Morrisey’s stick. Rickard Rakell is driving to the front and able to lift it in. 2-0 just 2:02 into the game.
The frantic start continues, Chinakhov nearly scores again with a backhand shot but Hellebuyck gets a glove on it. Mark Schiefele hits the post. A bit later Parker Wotherspoon gets his shot blocked and the Jets are going the other way on an odd man rush. Arturs Silovs makes the first save but the rebound sits there. Morgan Barron comes barreling in, colliding with Erik Karlsson who slams into Silovs and the puck floats into the net.
The Penguins challenge for goalie interference. After review, the officials don’t agree. Goal stands, 2-1 game with 16:10 to go and Winnipeg goes to a power play. Pittsburgh kills off the penalty and then the game settles down.
Hellebuyck makes another nice save on Chinakhov and then keeps the puck out with Ben Kindel and the third line bearing down on him. Rakell gets to the net and another late chance that doesn’t go.
Wild and entertaining first period, shots are 13-8 Pittsburgh. The Jets are pretty fortunate the score is 2-1, it could easily be about a 3-0 or 4-0 score if the review went against them and Hellebuyck didn’t bail them out a few times.
Second period
The Penguins get a power play, which sounds good on the surface. Turned out to not be, the puck goes very high in the air and takes a weird bounce that gives Winnipeg a 2-on-1. Adam Lowry makes a great pass right through the skates of Erik Karlsson and Cole Koepke cuts against the grain to give Silovs no chance on that. 2-2 tie game.
Winnipeg starts to tip the ice and extending shifts, often against the Letang and Clifton pairs getting trapped on the ice. Just when it looks like the Jets are hogging all the pressure, the Penguins make a series of beautiful passes across the ice. A Jet defender ends up bumping into Hellebuyck, which takes his squareness to the shot away that Erik Karlsson sends into the net from all the way along the right wall. 3-2 Pens back in front.
Shots on goal are eight a piece in the second period. Both teams score once so the Pens cling to a one-goal lead after 40 minutes.
Third period
Winnipeg ties the game up, a long shot by Neal Pionk makes it through traffic and goes off the post and in. 3-3 game.
34 seconds later, the Jets appear to take their first lead of the game. Tommy Novak loses a puck behind his net, Silovs leaves a rebound that pops out for Scheifele. He’s got plenty of time and space to pick the top corner.
The Pens take a timeout to look the play over, Alex Iafallo raised his stick and touched the puck for what should have been a stoppage. Muse challenges a second time for the game and wins this one. Score stays at 3-3.
There’s no changing the next Winnipeg goal, Brad Lambert shoots from distance, it glances off Girard and changes direction enough to fool Silovs. 4-3 WIN after all.
Pittsburgh needs something good to happen and some of their best make it happen. Sidney Crosby makes a nice pass out for Bryan Rust. Rust drops it for Karlsson who glides in, picks a corner and fires in his 11th goal of the season. 4-4.
Malkin and Kindel start the 3v3 and nearly score going forward on the faceoff. Kyle Conner gets a chance that Silovs stops then it’s all Pens going the other way. Kindel and Malkin have a 2-on-0 that Kindel again can’t finish. Later Crosby is behind the defense and gets slashed, generating a 4v3 power play with 3:20 to play.
The Pens work their power play, Dylan Samberg gets hit in the face and play stops with 43 seconds left in the power play. Crosby gets a redirect of a Karlsson shot/pass but that’s as close as they get.
Shootout
Chinakhov is the first shooter, he tries to shoot from long-range to the five-hole, Hellebuyck denies it.
Jonathan Toews goes first for Winnipeg. Silovs gets a little piece and the puck goes off the cross-bar and out.
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Crosby takes the puck, he wires a puck to the glove side to score.
Gustav Nyquist tests Silovs’ five-hole, stopped.
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Rakell gets a chance to win it — and he does! Snaps a low shot by Hellebuyck.
Some thoughts
Hellebuyck gave up two goals on the first three shots, then made a beautiful save on Chinakhov to keep the game at 2-0. Huge moment there, big swing. It wasn’t a great beginning for Hellebuyck but he came up huge to prevent it from spiraling out of control.
On the other side, tough game for Silovs. His rebound control wasn’t good and even sometimes he struggles to freeze pucks and get a stoppage to help the defense. The third period goals included some bad luck; traffic in front and a shot off the inside of the post then a defender changing the trajectory of the shot but overall it wasn’t a clean or good game for the Pens’ goalie.
Dan Muse falls to 0-8 on goalie interference challenges this season, some of them in these recaps we have scorched him for as being low percentage ideas. This one was worth it, since the contact with the goalie seemed to be caused by the opposing player. Didn’t go the Pens way but in the subjective world of goal reviews that could have been one seen differently on a different day.
On second thought, that probably deserves more of a reaction than ‘oh tough break to not get the call’, when the whole contact was initiated by the attacking player. The league has set a high bar to reverse calls (most of the time) but this one will be right up there with the handful of examples where what you see wasn’t reflected in the final decision, which is truly maddening.
Ryan Shea left the game in the second period after absorbing a big hit from the 6’5” Lowry that ended up appearing to smack Shea up high. He’d miss the final 8+ minutes of the second and did return to the bench for the start of the third period with a full face shield but then went back down to the room and didn’t play again.
The first 6:51 of this game featured three total goals, a post being struck, a great save and a questionable goal review. Felt like a whole game went down in just a few minutes.
DeMelo played two shifts and had a big hand in how the Penguins scored two goals and then didn’t take another shift the rest of the period. Tough stuff there, the Jets went to a five defenseman rotation out of necessity due to his shoddy level of play before working him back in.
Letang struggles continue, one indicator is an average shift time in the first two periods of 1:04. This is not by design and his icetime isn’t a result of coaching choices but rather getting caught on the ice too often for too long. Karlsson’s average shift times in the first two: 51 and 52 seconds. Almost every time the Pens get trapped in their own end for a prolonged time or have multiple failures to clear the zone, Letang has a hand in it more often than not. Letang’s 5v5 xGF% of 27% was sadly up from the effort in the teens the last game against Carolina, even putting a better puck mover in Girard hasn’t stablized No. 58’s play yet.
Malkin did well on the first assist, and even liked his puck touches in OT but my word he also had a frustrating game with his decision making and plays coming off his stick today. Was nice to see him engaged and backchecking hard was not as fun watching
Squandering the overtime power play only to see the game go to a shootout has been a story that’s unfolded in the past, and not in a good way. Luckily the Pens got some stops and scored some goals in the shootout. Amazing.
Playing the 12th place team in the West, at home, this one had to be a win for Pittsburgh with a tough matchup against Carolina tomorrow. The start was good but a lot of the last part of the game wasn’t. This Pens team always finds a way to hang around and keep fighting, with Karlsson still doing a lot of the heavy lifting. One more down.
They capped off a perfect road trip with a 4-1 win Saturday over the Sharks at SAP Center.
Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates found the back of the net for the Flyers.
Dvorak’s marker was the game-winner in the third period and it stemmed the tide for the team’s beleaguered power play. Sanheim and Cates iced things with empty-netters.
Rick Tocchet’s club is on a six-game point streak (5-0-1) and has gone 9-2-1 over its last 12 games. The Flyers have 80 points with 13 games to go after finishing with 76 last season (33-39-10).
• With 24 saves on 25 shots, Dan Vladar gave up two or fewer goals for the 28th time in 42 starts this season.
The 28-year-old converted 12 of his stops in the third period. In the second period, he made a sharp pad save on young star Macklin Celebrini to maintain the Flyers’ 1-0 lead.
But a little over three minutes later, the Sharks struck on the power play after Emil Andrae hit the puck over the glass. Dmitry Orlov’s goal, though, was Vladar’s only blemish.
San Jose netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Tippett gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead early in the second period with his 24th of the season. He has looked awfully dynamic of late and is pushing for his first 30-goal season.
• The Flyers have not gone away in a deep Eastern Conference playoff race.
They’re four points back of the Red Wings, who are in the second wild-card position. The Flyers still have three head-to-head matchups with Detroit.
When it comes to the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers are five points back of the third-place Blue Jackets.
• Garnet Hathaway delivered a clean, difference-making check on Celebrini in the third period, a big hit that ended up putting the Flyers on the power play for Dvorak’s goal.
Hathaway drew the penalty because Mario Ferraro was whistled for roughing as he jumped on the Flyers’ winger in defense of Celebrini.
The Flyers’ league-worst power play hadn’t produced a goal in the last five games, so this was a timely breakthrough. Matvei Michkov extended his point streak to three games with an assist on the goal.
For Dvorak, every point now is adding to a new career high. He has 41 points on 14 goals and 27 assists.
• With Sean Couturier (upper body), Denver Barkey (upper body) and Luke Glendening (lower body) all missing a second straight game, the Flyers deployed 11 forwards and seven defensemen again.
Andrae was utilized mostly as a forward. Garrett Wilson, playing just his second NHL game in almost seven years, dropped the gloves with longtime heavyweight Ryan Reaves during the first period.
In the second period, Cates added to the bout total. He fought Barclay Goodrow, who put a good hit on Trevor Zegras.
• The Flyers return home for a matchup Tuesday with the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).
Spring season sunset time in the Netherlands. The Sun, the star of our Solar System as seen as a perfect sphere behind the silhouette of the trees from a woodland forest near the airport. The golden hour dusk sky with the warm orange colors with some shapes of the clouds. Eindhoven, the Netherlands on April 4, 2021 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Interesting that, after I went to press yesterday, the start time for tomorrow’s game was changed to be an evening affair. Today, however? Suck it up, baby. Accuweather currently projects a temperature of 107 F at 4 pm, around the time this one ends. Remember to hydrate, folks. Or, better yet, don’t bother crossing the doorstep. For you can listen on the radio, though Arizona Sports 98.7 FM or online equivalents. Anyway, here’s today’s line-up, marking the final tune-up for Ryne Nelson before we hit the regular season schedule next week
After Ryne, it’ll be RHP Taylor Clarke, LHP Brandyn Garcia, RHP Paul Sewald and LHP Philip Abner. Yesterday, we saw Kade Stroud optioned out to Reno, thinning the herd of potential relievers. Here’s the list of who I see still not yet disposed of:
Philip Abner
Taylor Clarke
Brandyn Garcia
Kevin Ginkel
Andrew Hoffmann
Jonathan Loaisiga
Cristian Mena
Juan Morillo
Joe Ross
Paul Sewald
Ryan Thompson
Blake Walston
Walston and Mena are crossed out, because they are probably off the board for health reasons. The former had TJ about a year ago, so doesn’t seem ready, and Mena was shut down at the end of February, after re-aggravating the strained shoulder which has kept him out since last June. They may end up becoming 60-day IL fodder to open up spots on the 40-man roster for non-roster invitees. There are two still present: Loaisiga and Ross, though the latter hasn’t impressed with a 7.71 spring ERA and almost as many walks as K’s. Presuming eight bullpen spots, I’m crossing Ross and Garcia off, and the rest will be your Opening Day bullpen.
After today’s Cactus League game, there will be another contest, with a roster of D-backs prospects taking on the Rockies’ equivalent, in a Spring Breakout contest. The Arizona roster includes a slew of their top names: Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 1 prospect, MLB No. 59), Kayson Cunningham (No. 2), Demetrio Crisantes (No. 5), JD Dix (No. 6), Patrick Forbes (No. 9), LuJames Groover (No. 10), Jansel Luis (No. 13), Druw Jones (No. 16), Carlos Virahonda (No. 17), Brian Curley (No. 22), Wellington Aracena (No. 24), Ivan Luciano (No. 26), Jose Fernandez (No. 27), Avery Owusu-Asiedu (No. 29) and Gavin Conticello (No. 30). Let’s hope none of them melt.
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 20: A detail shot of an autographed baseball after the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today the Cactus League slate comes to a close for the Texas Rangers as they end things in Arizona — fittingly — against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
LHP Austin Gomber gets the nod for Texas in the spring last hurrah opposite RHP Ryne Nelson for Arizona.
Today’s Lineups
RANGERS
DIAMONDBACKS
Sam Haggerty – 2B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Kyle Higashioka – C
Alek Thomas – LF
Andrew McCutchen – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Ezequiel Duran – SS
Nolan Arenado – DH
Mark Canha – RF
Carlos Santana – 1B
Tyler Wade – 3B
James McCann – C
Alejandro Osuna – CF
Tim Tawa – 3B
Michael Helman – LF
Jordan Lawlar – CF
Justin Foscue – 1B
Jorge Barrosa – RF
Austin Gomber – LHP
Ryne Nelson – RHP
You can listen to the game via 105.3 The Fan or follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is scheduled for 3:10 pm CT.
Aug 30, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
I do grow weary of spring training games. My standing rule of baseball is that if you’re going to be a boring game, you better be short, and today’s contest against the Tigers was boring but about as long as a real matchup. The Yankees pushed across just a single run in the Saturday matinee, going down 3-1 against Detroit.
I think Cam Schlittler is ready for the games to count:
As we’ve come to expect from Cam, he threw his four-seam, sinker, and cutter 78 percent of the time today, but wasn’t able to avoid much contact, striking out just a single batter in 3.2 innings. This is one of the fun parts of spring training — the Tigers had a lot of their Opening Day starters in the lineup, so were they able to time up Schlittler’s pitches, or was he specifically trying to control quality of contact against him?
I tend to think it was more the latter, as 8 of Cam’s 11 outs came on the ground. That’s not really his style, running a 36.4-percent groundball rate last year, five points lower than league average. I wonder if that increased use of his sinker—the second-most-common offering today—was an attempt to almost pre-adjust to MLB-caliber hitting. In short, there are going to be occasions in the regular season where you don’t have your strikeout stuff, so on those days, are you able to change things up midgame to continue getting outs?
Dominican National Team catcher Austin Wells used the big fundamentals to push across the Yankees’ only run, after back-to-back singles from fellow Dominicans Amed Rosario and Jasson Domínguez:
Then again in the seventh, Jasson kept being the star with a triple, albeit one the hitters behind him couldn’t take advantage of. I’m starting to wonder if the Martian is the new version of Gleyber Torres, where he can actually be a quality part of an MLB roster, while still doing something every other game or so that makes you grind your teeth.
Kenedy Corona had himself a tough day. The farmhand was fighting the bright Florida sun all day, and the sun won on a critical fly ball to centerfield:
At least Angel Chivilli, brought in to replace Ryan Yarbrough in the seventh with two on and two out, was able to strike out old friend Jahmai Jones to end the threat. It hasn’t been an easy spring for the former Rockie, and while he’ll start the season with Triple-A, the approach to Jones — especially a devastating slider whiffed on for strike two — is illustrative to why the Yankees wanted him anyway.
Excluding tonight’s prospect-themed Spring Breakout, there are only three more of these left! Each start made from Thursday on was that pitcher’s final piece of work before the games start to count, and while the Yankees haven’t tapped a starter for tomorrow’s outing just yet, we know they’ll be back at home in Tampa to welcome the Phillies. It’s the last weekend without real baseball for a long time, and that Sunday affair will come at 1:05pm Eastern. As for the Spring Breakout, that will begin tonight against Atlanta’s prospects at 6:35pm ET on YES.
Afterward, Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer called it his toughest March Madness moment.
"Toughest one," he told reporters after the 71-65 win. "Not close. Toughest moment, toughest game, toughest position I've ever been in in the tournament, no question about it."
Odds provided by BetMGM as of 1:15 p.m., Saturday.
Ehsan Kassim: Duke
Jordan Mendoza: Duke
John Leuzzi: Duke
Blake Schuster: Duke
Moneyline: Duke (-800); TCU (+550)
Spread: Duke (-12.5)
Over/under total: 139.5
Cameron Boozer NBA draft stock, mock draft predictions
Boozer is widely projected as a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Here’s a look at where various mock drafts from major outlets have the Duke freshman going:
Cameron Boozer and his twin brother, Cayden (also a freshman for Duke) are the sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Before his 13-year career in the NBA, Carlos Boozer was a standout forward for the Blue Devils under Mike Krzyzewski from 1999-2002. A member of Duke's 2001 national championship team, Carlos Boozer finished his three-year career with the Blue Devils with more than 1,500 points scored and started 93 of the 101 games in which he appeared.
Jamie Dixon coaching record: How long has Jamie Dixon coached TCU?
This is Dixon's 10th season as TCU's head coach. Dixon returned to his alma mater after after a 13-year run as head coach at Pitt.
Dixon is 199-137 with the Horned Frogs and has led TCU to five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Has TCU ever reached Sweet 16?
TCU reached the Regional Final in 1968 but only 23 teams were in the NCAA Tournament that year. So the Horned Frogs have never won a Round of 32 game.
