After recording 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 70 games for the Bridgeport Islanders 2024-25, his first season as part of the Islanders organization, Foudy set career highs across the baord in season two.
In 60 games, Foudy scored 26 goals with 21 assists for 47 points, before being held pointeas in two postseason games.
Expect Foudy's deal to have an AAV of around $850,000 at the NHL level, the new NHL league minimum after making league minimum ($775,000) this past season.
The speedy forward was one of two players to get recalled for Game No. 82 of the season, after the Islanders were eliminated, officially, in Game No. 81.
He recorded one shot on goal in 11:17 TOI alongside Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas on the Islanders fourth line.
Foudy, who did play two games for the Islanders in 2024-25, has 105 games of NHL experience, recording seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points, averaging 11:55 minutes per game.
Expect Foudy to get a real opportunity to make this team come the fall.
On Tuesday, the Vegas Golden Knights look to do the unthinkable and complete the sweep against the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. PST.
In Game 3, the Avalanche broke the ice early and took a 3-0 lead by the end of the first. The Golden Knights came out swinging to start the second, and tied the game before the period ended. Vegas took the lead in the third, and held on to complete the comeback and take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Carter Hart starts in goal for the Golden Knights. Hart has a record of 11-4 and an average save percentage of .923 in 15 games this postseason.
On the brink of elimination, the Avalanche are making a change in goal. They’ll turn to Mackenzie Blackwood, who has a record of 1-0 and an average save percentage of .873 in three games this postseason.
Golden Knights Lines
Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Pavel Dorofeyev
Brett Howden — William Karlsson — Mitch Marner
Colton Sissons — Tomáš Hertl — Mark Stone
Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Keegan Kolesar
Defense
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson
Kaedan Korczak — Dylan Coghlan
Goaltenders: Carter Hart / Adin Hill
Avalanche Lines
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Gabriel Landeskog
Nazem Kadri — Brock Nelson — Martin Nečas
Ross Colton — Nicolas Roy — Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
Defense
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Brett Kulak — Sam Malinski
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood / Scott Wedgewood
Special Teams
VGK power play: 25.0%, 4th
VGK penalty kill: 87.2%, 5th
Avalanche power play: 21.2%, 6th
Avalanche penalty kill: 78.9%, 11th
Game Notes
The Golden Knights are 11-9 in Game 4s in franchise history.
Historically, teams that take a 3-0 series lead go on to win 98.2% of the time.
Mitch Marner is the postseason leader in scoring with 21 points (7G, 14A).
Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden lead the league with ten postseason goals. On Sunday, Howden became the sixth player in Golden Knights franchise history to record double-digit goals in one postseason.
Jack Eichel leads the league in assists this postseason with 16.
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella had just one thing to say about his team following the miraculous Game 3 comeback. In his own words, that was a game where they “showed some balls.”
The six -- among thousands of Knicks diehards who partied like it was 1999 outside The Mecca -- were issued summonses for disorderly conduct and processed at the NYPD's Midtown South Precinct, authorities said.
Six people were hauled off in cuffs when celebratory madness erupted outside Madison Square Garden as the Knicks clinched the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years.
The raucous crew — among thousands of Knicks diehards who partied like it was 1999 outside The Mecca Monday night — allegedly climbed on light posts and other structures, blocked cars, jumped over police barriers and refused to disperse, law enforcement sources said.
Six Knicks fans were issued summonses for disorderly conduct when cops caught them stirring up mayhem outside Madison Square Garden following the team’s historic sweep, authorities said. Aristide Economopoulos for NY Post
They were issued summonses for disorderly conduct and processed at the NYPD’s Midtown South Precinct, authorities said.
Video from the jubilant scene showed one reveler — who appeared no older than his early teens — hoisting himself up a light pole, before two cops immediately slapped cuffs on him when he jumped down.
The crowd of partying fans then erupted into jeers of “Let him free!” and “Boo!
Another video showed people standing on the iconic arena’s marquee, and the outdoor lit-up signs, as one bystander yelled, “You’re going to jail.”
Members of the rowdy crew climbed on the arena’s iconic marquee. Aristide Economopoulos for NY PostRevelers also blocked cars and jumped over police barriers, law enforcement sources said. Aristide Economopoulos for NY Post
But an unfazed member of Knicks nation relished the joyful mood – as the hometown team bludgeoned the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 at Rocket Arena, punching their ticket to the championship.
“This is amazing! I waited years for this. I love Jalen Brunson,” he gushed, referring to the Knicks’ guard who was unanimously named the series MVP.
Jubilant fans exclaimed they’d waited years for the team to come this far. Michael Nagle for NY Post
The mob of revelers descended on the Garden despite the NYPD’s move to call off the venue’s usual outdoor watch party during Monday’s playoff game because unruly fans had been clogging the sidewalks during the team’s historic run.
MSG’s permits for the Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 shindig were summarily denied by the city’s Street Activity Permit Office, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Post, with cops reportedly refusing to participate unless fans tone it down a notch.
The celebrations came despite the NYPD’s move to call off the venue’s usual outdoor watch party during Monday’s playoff game. Michael Nagle for NY Post
“Games 1 and 2 have seen progressively more problematic issues at the watch parties outside MSG — six arrests last night alone — so the NYPD will not support more watch parties outside the stadium,” a police department spokesperson confirmed Friday.
“But we will continue to review requests to support parties at alternate sites, like Summer Stage,” the spokesperson added, referring to Central Park’s outdoor amphitheater.
No one was taken into custody outside Radio City Music Hall, which remained under control as orange-and-blue clad fans gathered there Monday night for a watch party, cops said.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first period goal with Evgeni Malkin #71 against the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
After some news trickled out that negotiations were undergoing earlier today, the Penguins announced a finalized contract extension for Evgeni Malkin for next season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Evgeni Malkin to a one-year contract extension, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
The deal runs through the 2026-27 campaign and carries an average annual value of $5.5 million.
A three-time Stanley Cup Champion (2009, ’16, ’17), Malkin has played all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Penguins, where he ranks in the top-three in team history in all major statistical categories including games played (1,269, 2nd), goals (533, 3rd), assists (874, 3rd), points (1,407, 3rd), power-play goals (187, 3rd), game-winning goals (89, 2nd) and overtime goals (14, 2nd). Only Sidney Crosby (21) has played more seasons in a Penguins sweater.
The seven-time NHL All-Star has won a plethora of individual awards, including two Art Ross Trophies (2009, ’12) awarded to the NHL’s regular-season scoring leader, one Hart Trophy (2012) awarded to the league MVP, one Ted Lindsay Award (2012) given to the “most outstanding player”, one Calder Trophy (2007) awarded to the league’s rookie of the year as well as one Conn Smythe Trophy (2009) given to the NHL’s playoff MVP. Malkin, who became the 48th player to score 500 goals in NHL history in 2024, was also voted Penguins Team MVP by his fellow teammates on five separate occasions.
Some of Malkin’s most iconic performances have come in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 6-foot-5, 213-pound forward was instrumental to the team’s 2009 Stanley Cup Championship run where he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after posting a league-best 36 points (14G-22A). In doing so, he became the fourth-youngest Conn Smythe winner in NHL history at 22 years, 10 months. Malkin also led the NHL in playoff scoring during the 2017 postseason, recording 28 points (10G-18A) in 25 games en route to his third Stanley Cup. Malkin ranks 12th in all-time NHL postseason scoring with 183 points (69G-114A) in 183 playoff games while only Crosby (206) has more playoff points in franchise history than Malkin.
The 39-year old Malkin is one of just 40 players in NHL history to eclipse the 100-point plateau three times or more (2008, ’09, ’12), and is one of just eight active players to do so. The 50-goal scorer (2012) has averaged a point per game or better in 16 of his 20 seasons, a mark that only four players have accomplished in NHL history. Since entering the league in 2006-07, Malkin ranks fourth in the NHL in goals (533) and third in assists (874) and points (1,407).
Malkin, a native of Magnitogorsk, Russia, is one of the most accomplished Russian players in NHL history. He is one of just four Russian-born players all-time (Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov, Sergei Brylin) to win three Stanley Cup Championships, and his 1.11 points-per-game average is the fourth-highest in league history among his countrymen. Only Alex Ovechkin (1,687) has more points than Malkin among Russian-born NHLers. He has also represented Russia on the international stage on multiple occasions including three Olympic Winter Games (2006, ’10, ’14), eight World Championships (2005, ’06, ’07, ’10, ’12, ’14, ’15, ’19), three World Junior Championships (2004, ’05, ’06), two World Under-18 Junior Championships (2003, ’04) and one World Cup of Hockey (2016).
Malkin was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft.
The contract has a $5.5 million base salary with potentially more money available in the form of bonuses. Malkin also will have his usual no movement clause in effect.
While Evgeni Malkin's #pens extension is worth $5.5 million guaranteed, sources say he can also earn:
** $500,000 in games played bonuses ** $1M if #pens qualify for the playoffs ** $500,000 for each playoff round won
Malkin's new contract includes a no-movement clause
Some more details indicate the games played metrics can be hit when Malkin appears in 42 and then 63 games. Malkin played in 56 games in 2025-26 due to injury and suspension, and 68 games in 2024-25. Prior to that he had appeared in all 82 games in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
#LetsGoPens sign 39 y/o Evgeni Malkin to a 1 yr $5.5M cap hit, 9M AAV contract
Brooke Rose captured a candid moment of some of the Knicks' WAGs, and diehard fan, Timothée Chalamet, after the New York's Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Cavaliers on Monday night.
Brooke Rose captured a candid moment of some of the Knicks’ WAGs, and diehard fan, Timothée Chalamet, after the New York’s Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Cavaliers on Monday night.
Taking to her Instagram Story, Brooke, who is the daughter of Knicks president Leon Rose, shared a photo of Ali Brunson, Shannon Hart and Jordyn Woods all smiling during the team’s celebration on the court at Rocket Arena — with Chalamet and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner in the frame.
“The best wives in the world,” Brooke wrote and tagged the women, as well as Chalamet.
(L-R) Ali Brunson, Shannon Hart, Kylie Jenner, Jordyn Woods and Timothee Chalamet after the Knicks’ four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on May 25, 2026. Instagram/Brooke Rose
Woods and her fiancée, Knicks center Karl-Anthony, posed together while holding the Eastern Conference finals trophy.
Shannon, who is the wife of Knicks guard Josh Hart, gushed over the team in an Instagram Story post for reaching the 2026 NBA Finals on her birthday.
Knicks president Leon Rose and actor Timothée Chalamet, a diehard Knicks fan, shared a moment after New York’s Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Cavaliers on May 25, 2026. Instagram/Brooke Rose
Another clip by Brooke showed Chalamet and her father shaking hands and hugging after the Knicks’ 130-93 Game 4 clincher.
One image included Brooke and Wynn Wesley, the daughter of Knicks executive, William Westley, aka “World Wide Wes.”
Wynn Wesley, the daughter of Knicks executive, William Westley and Brooke Rose, daughter of Knicks president Leon Rose, after the Knicks’ Game 4 series sweet of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals on May 25, 2026. Instagram/Brooke Rose
Chalamet wasn’t the only Celebrity Row staple who made the trip to Cleveland to support the Knicks.
Comedian Tracy Morgan, rapper Fat Joe, actor Ben Stiller, and director Spike Lee all attended Game 4.
Knicks legends, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Patrick Ewing were in the building to witness New York extend its win streak to 11 games.
The pair presented star guard Jalen Brunson with the 2026 Easter Conference Finals Larry Bird MVP trophy.
The Knicks — back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years — have nine days off before the series begins June 3, and will face either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Western Conference finals is tied at 2-2 heading into Tuesday’s Game 5.
The New York Knicks continued their torrid run through the playoffs Monday night with a 130-93 demolition of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It wrapped up a 4-0 sweep and punched the team’s ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
While the Knicks stayed hot on the court, the club is amid a plan to unlock its full potential off the court by splitting the Knicks and New York Rangers into separate publicly traded companies—both are currently part of Madison Square Garden Sports.
Here is a look at the who, what, when and why behind this potential transaction, which is still subject to league approvals and other conditions.
What is MSG Sports doing with the Knicks and the Rangers?
In February, the MSGS board approved a plan to explore a split. “We believe this proposed transaction would provide each company with enhanced strategic flexibility, its own defined business focus and clear characteristics for investors,” MSGS CEO James Dolan said when announcing the news.
The firm took the next step last week when it filed a Form 10 Registration Statement with the SEC for the proposed spin-off. It continued a long history of the Dolan family splicing up their business empire in the hopes of creating more value, i.e. a higher stock price.
Dolan family patriarch Charles built the family’s first fortune on the back of cable television by founding HBO and building Cablevision into a behemoth that was sold to Altice in 2016 for $18 billion. Dolan died in 2024 at 98; by that point, his son, James, had been running the family’s businesses for nearly three decades.
Cablevision acquired 50% of the Knicks, Rangers and related businesses in 1994 and the rest of the MSG properties three years later. In 2010, Madison Square Garden was spun off from Cablevision into its own publicly traded company.
“This enables MSG to freely pursue its business plan while providing shareholders with the benefit of being able to more clearly evaluate the company’s assets and future potential,” James Dolan said in announcing that split.
The MSG spinoff was the first domino in what is now three unique companies. In 2015, Dolan split MSG in two with the sports teams and venues (Madison Square Garden, Beacon Theater, Radio City Music Hall and Chicago Theater) in one and Madison Square Garden Network (MSGN) in the other.
The next machination was to split the teams and venues in 2020 under MSGS and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. This transaction forced the Knicks and Rangers to sign leases with their new landlords, MGSE. Meanwhile, Dolan launched his Sphere business at MSGN and renamed the company Sphere Entertainment in 2023.
Why is MSG Sports splitting the Knicks and the Rangers?
MSGS has long been pegged as having a “Dolan discount” for the stock trading at a steep discount to its enterprise value. MSGS’ current EV is $9.6 billion, a 29% discount to the $13.5 billion combined total from Sportico’s most recent valuations of the Knicks at $9.85 billion and the Rangers at $3.65 billion.
The reality is that sports teams have historically traded at a discount to what they might fetch in a private transaction. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Indians—now Guardians—both traded at steep discounts before they went private.
Manchester United shares languished at $13 and below its 2012 IPO price but more than doubled on hopes of a sale when the Glazers hired Raine Group to explore their options in late 2022. Jim Ratcliffe ultimately bought 25% of the common stock at $33 per share in early 2024, implying a valuation of more than $6 billion. The stock sank back to $14 after the transaction closed, although it recently rebounded to a two-year high of $20.
There are a couple of strikes working against publicly traded sports teams. Soaring valuations are partly driven by scarcity value, and there is no scarcity value as a publicly traded stock. There are 8,000 securities traded on U.S. stock exchanges, including exchange traded funds, yet just 124 teams in the four biggest U.S. sports leagues, which have added only two new franchises during the past 20 years.
The other issue is sports teams are not great businesses by themselves. Team ownership opens doors for other investment opportunities and are a great tax break when you buy them, but there is reason that investment bankers started valuing teams on revenue multiples—still the standard today—instead of earnings ones, like most companies with a price-to-earnings ratio. Sports teams historically lost money, and while today’s collective bargaining agreements are more owner-friendly and TV deals have soared, teams still have low profit margins or can lose money, with the exception of the NFL.
The Knicks and Rangers lost a combined $22 million after taxes and interest during the 2024-25 fiscal year, per Madison Square Garden Sports’ financial filings, despite the Knicks’ run to Eastern Conference finals.
MSG Sports’ plan to potentially split the teams sent shares up 16% the day it was announced in February. MSGS shares are up 89% during the past year, bringing the public and private valuations more in line.
Why is MSG Sports splitting the Knicks and Rangers now?
A transaction 3,000 miles away last year helped heat up spinoff talks when Mark Walter agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers at a $10 billion valuation, months after the sale of the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion. Before the rise of the Golden State Warriors, the Knicks and Lakers were the NBA’s financial titans in a league of their own.
“The spin enhances the possibility of raising capital, and [it] makes minority stake sales easier, as there are two distinct teams’ business models, which makes for a clearer investment vehicle,” Seaport Research Partners analyst David Joyce wrote in an April research note.
Sportico recently spoke with multiple investors who think Dolan could move beyond just an LP stake deal and sell one of the teams outright. Someone familiar with the spinoff details pushed back on the premise of a control sale of either team.
A spokesperson for MSGS declined to comment on the possibility of a control sale of one of the teams.
Dolan has long prioritized his sports teams, but the 71-year-old has increasingly spent time on the Sphere, a project that was his creation and described as his “baby” by those close to him. Dolan envisions a global network of Spheres, using the same IP, with the next two iterations already in the works for a mini-Sphere outside Washington, D.C. and a full-size version in Abu Dhabi.
What potential issues could arise in the Knicks-Rangers split?
The spin-off is expected to be structured as tax-free for shareholders, but there are other tax consequences to this deal.
A new federal tax law expands a 2017 tax provision that limited the compensation public companies could deduct for tax purposes. The 2017 provision capped the deduction at $1 million each for the CEO, CFO and the next three highest-paid officers. The new law expands the number of employees to also include the next five highest-compensated ones starting with the 2027 tax year.
An independently traded Knicks team would pay its top five executives and top five players $195 million—nearly 90% of that to players—triggering $55.4 million in taxes, per Joyce, after excluding the $1 million per employee in maximum compensation. The Rangers would incur a post-spinoff incremental tax of $19.8 million on $76 million in salaries.
Apr 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper (13) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Enaruna (21) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Welcome to our Wizards player review series. We’ll go through each guy that played meaningful minutes and look back on their season. Here’s Sharife Cooper.
Sharife Cooper has had a winding basketball journey, bouncing around China, Turkey, Greece, and France after a year of sparse minutes as a rookie with the 2021-22 Hawks. The Wizards brought him in this season on a two-way deal.
In some ways, he was a classic tank captain — a journeyman guard who struggled defensively and primarily played big minutes in late-season games.
To Cooper’s credit, his numbers would place him above that status. He put together a 61 percent true shooting percentage, well-above-average for position, and he knocked down 38 percent of his threes. He was able to get to the basket consistently and finish. He’s capable of playmaking, too.
When the Wizards gave him the ball, good things generally happened. He put up positive numbers when he created out of the pick-and-roll and in isolation. When he iso’d, he managed an even one point per possession, an upper-percentile number.
Cooper plays with darting speed and a score-first mentality. He can score at all three levels, including a fairly efficient midrange shot, and he did a better job than the Wizards’ other young guards of penetrating the defense on a consistent basis.
That’s the good news. The flip side is that Cooper is not a particularly threatening off-ball player and doesn’t provide enough as a playmaker to offset that. His three-point shot, while efficient last season, came on low-volume despite his heavy offensive role. He has a low, somewhat labored shot-put release, lightly reminiscent of a Ball brother. He is not seeking out threes, and defenses at times sagged off him.
While he ran a solid volume of pick-and-rolls and produced a respectable number of assists, he did not turn that usage into consistent shots for his teammates. Per Databallr, he ranked in the 28th-percentile in potential assists per on-ball time — measuring how often he created shots, relative to how much he had the ball.
It’s likely for that reason that Cooper rarely broke into the team’s healthy rotation, and did not navigate his way to a standard NBA contract, unlike Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins. Small, defensively-challenged guards have to be higher-end playmakers in today’s NBA.
And Cooper was certainly defensively challenged. Defensive metrics can be wonky, but they point to him being one of the worst individual defenders in the league.
On a team with Trae Young and Tre Johnson, he is duplicative, which likely makes it an uphill battle for him to stick with the Wizards as they look to elevate out of tank territory.
The Cubs are exactly one-third of the way through the 2026 season.
Nine games ago, at 29-16, they had a .644 winning percentage, which would be a 104-win pace for a full season.
Now? After 54 games and on a nine-game losing streak, their 29-25 record is on pace for just 87 wins.
So which is the real Cubs team? We will find out over the next 108 games, of course, but the way this team has won — and lost — is utterly confounding. Two 10-game winning streaks and a nine-game losing streak, all within the season’s first third?
BCB’s JohnW53 noted this after the eighth loss:
The Cubs have tied for the longest losing streak in MLB history by a team that also had multiple double-digit winning streaks. The 1916 Giants won 17, 14 and 12 in a row (the last two separated by a tie) and lost eight. The losing streak came before the winning streaks, making the Giants 1-9. They were 2-13 when they won 17. The two subsequent streaks came in September. They finished 86-66, in fourth place, seven games out of first.
So now the Cubs stand alone in accomplishing that “feat,” something I’m sure no one connected with the team wanted.
This year’s Cubs aren’t alone in franchise history in roaring off to a great start, then posting a long losing streak.
In 1970, the Cubs began 1-3, then won 11 in a row — all but the last one at Wrigley Field, including two consecutive walk-off victories, one over the Phillies, one over the Expos. In that win over Montreal, the Cubs blew a 6-4 ninth-inning lead, using four different pitchers in that inning, and the Expos led 7-6 going to the bottom of the ninth. In that ninth, Willie Smith doubled in Boots Day to tie the game with one out, then the Cubs loaded the bases with two out with walks by Don Kessinger and Billy Williams. Ron Santo then ran the count full and Expos reliever Carroll Sembera walked him, forcing in the winning run.
The Cubs played around .500 ball for the next two months. Even with that, after defeating the Cardinals 8-3 on June 20, 1970 they were 35-25 and led the NL East by 4.5 games. It felt to many of us who lived through it that this version of the Cubs was going to make up for what had happened the previous year.
And then… the Cubs lost 12 in a row. The first seven of those were at home, including being swept in a doubleheader by the Mets. When the streak finally ended, the Cubs were 35-37 and 4.5 games behind.
They managed to pick up the pace — a little. They stayed close to first place much of the summer and on Sept. 13, they trailed the Pirates 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth when, with two out, Smith lofted a routine fly to center — and Matty Alou of the Pirates dropped it. Smith wound up on second, and three straight singles by Kessinger, Glenn Beckert and Williams won the game. The Cubs were 76-69 and one game out of first place. They won the next day, too, and at 77-69 and one game back, hopes were high.
They lost the next two games, but still trailed by only two games with 14 remaining.
1970 was the last year the Chicago Bears played in Wrigley Field. And by a scheduling agreement between the NFL and MLB, the Cubs were forced to play their final 14 games of 1970 on the road. They were a bad road team that year even while going a good 46-34 at home. On that 14-game road trip, though, they won the first three and at 80-71, were 1.5 games back with 11 remaining. Maybe… ?
Nope. The Cubs lost seven of those 11 and finished second, five games behind the Pirates. Apart from the wacky 1973 NL East race, they wouldn’t get that close to first place in September again until 1984.
What happened in 1970? The bullpen fell apart, mostly. The offense was great. Billy Williams hit .322/.391/.586 with a career-high 42 home runs (he’s the only Cubs left-handed hitter to have a 40-homer season) and had the Cubs won the division, he’d likely have been named MVP (he finished second to Johnny Bench). Jim Hickman was fantastic, batting .315/.419/.582 with 32 home runs and finishing eighth in MVP voting. The Cubs scored 806 runs, second-most in the NL; they hadn’t scored over 800 runs since 1937 and wouldn’t again until 1998. The pitching staff overall allowed 679 runs, third-fewest in the league. Their RS/RA projection was for 94 wins, which would have won the division easily.
The bullpen, though, was terrible. Phil Regan, who had started blowing saves near the end of the 1969 season, had 12 saves in 1970 — and nine blown saves. Right there, converting those save opportunities would have been enough to win the division. The team had 17 blown saves and six walk-off losses (all six in mid-June or later), and while the modern concept of “closer” did not exist back then, that was enough to doom the 1970 Cubs, who were probably a better team overall than the 1969 version. Plus, there was no real dominant team in the division — it was there for the taking. The Cubs just didn’t take it.
The Cubs sure could have used Ted Abernathy in 1970, but for some reason Leo Durocher didn’t like Abernathy. He was traded to the Cardinals for no one you’ve ever heard of and later went on to have three good years for the Royals.
A similar collapse happened to the Cubs in 1985 coming off the 1984 division title year. Rick Sutcliffe had been re-signed to a multi-year deal, which at the time made everyone happy. Ryne Sandberg was coming off his MVP season at age 25, and hopes were extremely high.
The Cubs started the year like they were going to repeat. They were 35-19 and led the NL East by four games after defeating the Expos on June 11, and many thought it could be a 100-win season.
And then… the team lost 13 in a row, which matched a franchise record that had been set in 1944 and equaled in 1982. No Cubs team has lost that many in a row in the four decades since. Four of the losses were by one run. After the streak ended the Cubs were 35-32 and 4.5 games behind the Expos, who were then in first place.
Sutcliffe had suffered a hamstring injury running the bases in a win over the Braves May 19. He came back after just a couple of weeks, but his pitching wasn’t quite up to his previous level. Later in the year he would suffer shoulder and groin injuries. It was the shoulder issues that eventually made Sutcliffe less than the pitcher he could have been.
And then the four other regular rotation Cubs starters also went down with injuries. Scott Sanderson, Dennis Eckersley, Steve Trout and Dick Ruthven all missed time with various maladies. No Cubs starter made more than 25 starts in 1985 (Sutcliffe), and so beyond those five, 59 games were started by Ray Fontenot, Lary Sorensen, Jay Baller, Steve Engel, Ron Meridith, Derek Botelho, Reggie Patterson, Johnny Abrego and whatever was left of Larry Gura, who had come up as a Cub in 1970 (of all years!), was later traded away for (again) no one you’ve ever heard of and who had good years for the Royals and Yankees, pitching in the World Series for K.C. in 1980. By ‘85 he was done and posted an 8.41 ERA in five games (four starts) for the Cubs late in the year.
So it was mostly the rotation going down in ‘85 that doomed the Cubs. They managed to stay marginally in the NL East race until Aug. 2, when a 5-4 win over the Mets made them 54-47 and had them 7.5 games out of first place. Then they lost seven straight and 12 of 14 and that, basically, was that. The Cubs offense did okay in ‘85, finishing fourth in the NL with 686 runs (in a lower-offense environment than 1970), but the pitching was horrific, giving up 729 runs. Only the 96-loss Braves (781 runs) allowed more.
Here are some video highlights from 1985, the title obviously referring to all the injuries:
There are, as you can see, some similarities between what happened in 1985 and what’s happening in 2026, with Cubs starters going down one after another. Only Jameson Taillon and Shōta Imanaga have not yet missed a start this year (and let’s hope they don’t!). The difference now is that the Cubs have better fill-in guys than the 1985 crew I listed above. and hopefully Matthew Boyd will return healthy, soon.
This year’s Cubs also have the advantage of multiple wild-card spots they could qualify for if they don’t win the NL Central, something that was not available in 1970 or 1985. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
There are 108 games remaining. It would be good to end the nine-game losing streak… today.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Atlanta Braves mascot Blooper is seen during the opening day walk prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Red Sox at Fenway Park in 2026 is a very on brand for the year 2026. You walk up Lansdowne Street excited for a game and then they actually start playing.
Boston opens the series at 22-30, last place in the AL East, against a Braves team that is 36-18 with among the best winning percentages in baseball. The Braves essentially put a starting rotation on the IL to open the season and their fans must have thought “here we go again.” Boston hasn’t had as many injuries, just guys who all forgot how to hit.
It’s Monster Week on NESN so Dave O’Brien, Lou Merloni, and Kevin Millar will be broadcasting from atop the famous left field wall on Tuesday. Expect to see Wally and other special guests at well. Will any be right-handed hitters? Mike Lowell was a guest one year I think. At age 36 in 2010 he slugged .367. Believe it or not, that mark, the lowest of his career, would place him fourth among regulars this year (after Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Masataka Yoshida) and just ahead of Jarren Duran.
After making just two starts on the season before facing the Sox in Atlanta, Spencer Strider is now a whopping four starts into 2026. His last time out against the Miami Marlins the righty allowed 3 runs in 6.1 innings. All three were solo home runs. He’s given up 4 homers on the season, along with 2 doubles (both against Boston), and a triple. All the rest of his 12 hits allowed are singles. Ranger Suarez missed the Braves in Atlanta but has experience facing them with the Phillies. In three starts last year the southpaw allowed just 2 runs in 18 innings against Atlanta. If you say “but the Braves were bad!” well, uh, in 14 innings over three starts in 2024 he allowed 12 runs and 5 homers. So hopefully there’s a better plan.
Bryce Elder lost a game where he allowed 3 runs in 8.0 innings. The Sox only allowed two on May 16 and that was the game they took out of the three. Boston ran him up to 103 pitches and he was right back down to 87 over 6.0 innings against the Nationals the next time out. Connelly Early led the Sox to a win on May 20th with a 6.1 inning, 3 run performance. He allowed 2 home runs, he’s up to 9 on the season in 10 starts. A solo shot here and there isn’t the worst thing for a pitcher. It’s trouble when there are guys on base. That’s when the big swings start and the Sox offense simply can’t afford to fall behind.
Thursday is the gem of the series in terms of pitching matchups. The old, tall, lefty, former White Sox ace Chris Sale returns to face the new lefty pitcher in Payton Tolle. Wouldn’t a matchup with Crochet have been entertaining too? Well, we’re getting Sale vs Tolle which is no slouch either. Sale has 72 Ks in 62 innings. The Sox are lefty heavy and prone to striking out. He was roughed up by the Angels for 6 runs in early April. He’s been dominant in his other 9 starts. Tolle was the tough-luck loser against the Twins after allowing 3 runs in 6.0 innings but turned things over to a bullpen that had a bad weekend. Against Atlanta before that he went 8.0 innings while allowing just 2 runs. Bring it again, Tolle.
Good news/bad news…Drake Baldwin is on the IL but Ronald Acuna Jr. is back.
Matt Olson leads the league in doubles with 17.
Austin Riley has a .673 OPS on the season (I know, would be amazing at third base here) but it’s at .800 in May after a slow April.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, May 26: Spencer Strider (3.00 ERA / 4.70 FIP) vs. Ranger Suarez (2.40 ERA / 2.98 FIP)
Wednesday, May 27: Bryce Elder (1.97 ERA / 3.29 FIP) vs. Connelly Early (3.33 ERA / 4.73FIP)
Thursday, May 28: Chris Sale (1.89 ERA / 2.94 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (2.93 ERA / 3.73 FIP)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 22: Third base coach Pedro Lopez #71 of the Colorado Rockies looks on from the dugout before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 22, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Original photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images 5/22/2026
Last Thursday night, Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer brought Pedro Lopez onto the field at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona with a hug. The 57-year-old from Puerto Rico was making his Major League coaching debut after more than 20 years of coaching in minor league and international baseball.
“I was already in my office back in Albuquerque when Schaeff called me, and you know, actually, we were talking about players,” Lopez recounted. “I never thought he was going to say this, and I kept it quiet. I didn’t tell anybody until maybe a couple of days ago when I held a meeting with the whole team telling them, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be with you guys on Thursday and Friday.’ I didn’t tell anybody where I was going until some of the guys saw me here.”
The Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes manager had been “called up” to serve in the stead of Rockies third base coach Andy González, who had stepped away from the team to attend his daughter’s high school graduation.
You might see a familiar face coaching third for the Rockies tonight 👀
Isotopes Manager Pedro Lopez is filling in as third base coach for the Rockies as they take on the Diamondbacks. pic.twitter.com/b67ZpOxFo5
For Lopez, his Major League coaching debut was also a reunion. Lopez served as both a hitting coach and a bench coach under Warren Schaeffer when the latter was the manager of the Isotopes in 2021 and 2022. Current Rockies assistant hitting coach Jordan Pacheco was also a member of the 2022 Isotopes coaching staff.
“It’s incredible. This whole thing has been special because Schaeff, he’s our manager, but he’s a good friend. He’s my brother. And then you’ve got Chec (Pacheco) in there too,” Lopez said.
“I rode to the ballpark with Schaeff and Giddy (Ron Gideon) and Schaeff brought me out. He said, ‘Hey, come here. I want to show you something.’ I actually thought he was going to talk to me about signs, or where he was going to stand, things to look for. And then we came out here in the dugout before the steps and he gave me a hug. He goes ‘Now you and I, we’re both in the big leagues.’”
It was a meaningful moment for Lopez.
“It meant a lot. It kind of brings tears to my eyes,” he said. “I was telling my wife [Gladys] and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ you know? It was a really touching moment for me. What better time to do it with a friend, with a brother, and having Chec—and actually the whole staff? These guys, they have been amazing.”
Warren Schaeffer reflected on his friend’s special moment.
“That was awesome,” he said. “You know, ‘P-Lo’ has been waiting a long time to coach in the big leagues, and he’s wanted that for a long time. It just seemed like the right opportunity to have him come up and do it. He’s coaching third base every night down in Triple-A, so he’s the guy that’s most ready to take on that role if Andy has to leave. I’m just so excited for him to be able to come up and experience a couple big league games and be right in the thick of it. And I know how it feels to be down there, and you’re on an island down there coaching third base and right in it with the boys in the grind. It was special.”
The Rockies unfortunately lost on Lopez’s debut, but he was right back out there at third base the next day for a Rockies win where his players from Triple-A—Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) and Chad Stevens—were heavily involved. Lopez had actually informed Thompson he was being called up earlier in the week.
“When we told Sterlin that he was coming up was pretty cool,” Lopez said.
“He actually made a baserunning mistake the day he got the call, so I brought him in and I told him, ‘If you pull that tomorrow in the big leagues, I’m telling you right now, you’re going to find yourself back in Albuquerque again,’ and he kind of looked at me. Sterlin and I, we go way back. I saw this kid from how he started last year in the first month, and how much progress he made. I keep saying it to this day, I thought last year he was the most improved player of all in Albuquerque. Just to see where he was to where he is now is incredible.”
With the game tied at 2-2 in the ninth inning, Thompson hit a double and was driven home via a Chad Stevens RBI single.
“He had the game-winning send, which was awesome, and the boys just made it so special for him,” Schaeffer said. “It was a great day. It was my favorite day, I think, in the big leagues so far.”
Meanwhile, Lopez was surprised with how he felt during his experience coaching at the big-league level.
“I thought that, ‘Well my knees are going to be shaking, and my heartbeat is going to be going 1,000 miles an hour.’ No, that didn’t happen,” he said. “It was actually cool that I was out there and it was just another game, but I’ll tell you what, it was awesome for me to experience this with Schaeff and Chec and the rest of the coaching staff. It’s incredible.”
Lopez returned to the Isotopes on Saturday, where he is in the midst of one of the team’s strongest starts in recent memory. The Isotopes are 28-23 with one of the best records in the Pacific Coast League. It’s a refreshing change of pace after finishing with 80 or more losses over the last three seasons as part of the Rockies’ bottom-heavy and struggling farm system.
He praised the pitching and defense as key factors in the Isotopes’ success.
“The pitching has been awesome this year if you will look at last year and previous years,” he explained. “One thing we’re doing this year is attacking the strike zone more, and that’s allowing our pitchers to put the ball in play, and the defense is playing well. So, I think that would be the biggest thing.”
Lopez also praised leaders in the clubhouse, many of whom are new arrivals to the organization.
“From the pitching, (Keegan) Thompson was one of [the leaders] and now he’s here. (Parker) Mushinski has been another guy that’s been awesome for us. Too bad right now he’s on the IL,” Lopez said. “If you look at the position players, Stevens is here now, (Blaine) Crim, Vimael Machín has done a terrific job with those guys as well. I think the culture is good. I think these guys are expecting to win every night. It’s a good atmosphere.”
When asked who else could step into a leadership role, Lopez didn’t hesitate to answer.
“I think Charlie will be perfect for that role,” he said. “I think Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) has done a really good job for a kid his age. He handles himself better than anybody I’ve ever seen at that age. He’s really mature. He’s a guy that you don’t have to hold him by the hand to do anything. He goes out there, takes his ground balls — you don’t have to tell him — and then after he takes his ground balls he goes out to right field and gets his live reads during BP. It’s really incredible to me.”
Although temporary, Pedro Lopez was able to take the next step forward on his lengthy coaching journey. Now that he is back with the Isotopes, he can hopefully help the team and farm system take their own next steps as well.
The Albuquerque Isotopes had to settle for a series split on the road as they faced off against the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics). The roster itself saw a bit of shuffling as Blaine Crim was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, and both Sterlin Thompson and Chad Stevens are currently with the big league team. Still, the veteran contingent propped up the offense while younger prospects like Nic Kent hit three home runs during the week. Pitching continues to be inconsistent, particularly from the younger starters, but Ryan Feltner did excel in his rehab start on Sunday, firing five innings and allowing just one run.
⬆️ Stock Up: Keep on Rolling
It’s becoming somewhat redundant to say the stock is up, but Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) keeps finding a way to keep his up. It was another strong week for Carrigg as he batted .400/.556/.700, going 8-for-20 with three doubles and a home run. His newfound patience at the plate this season continues to thrive as he drew seven walks and struck out five times. The most surprising thing was that he failed to steal a base in the series, getting caught twice. Through 47 games in Triple-A, Carrigg is slashing .358/.424/.551 with 30 strikeouts and 26 walks, and as June approaches, it may be time for the Rockies front office to start seriously considering when to call him up.
Bogged down by a hitting slump that wasn’t yielding results despite quality at-bats, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) got back into a rhythm in this series. He went 8-for-24, slashing .333/.407/.625, and extended his hitting streak to seven games. His power has been missing of late, but he managed five extra-base hits, including four doubles and a home run. He managed just two RBI and struck out 10 times against two walks, but he was making some better contact, which is a huge step forward after the last month he has had.
The Isotopes are back home to welcome the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) for a new six-game series. Last time the two faced off in Albuquerque earlier this month, it was a series split.
The Hartford Yard Goats rocketed up the Eastern League standings with a dominant series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays), winning four of five contests. The series finale was postponed due to inclement weather. Both strong pitching and the offense clicking were the keys to success in the series.
⬆️ Stock Up:Welcome back, Wimmer!
Super-utilityman Braylen Wimmer played his first three games against the Fisher Cats after being reinstated from the Development List. Wimmer went 5-for-13 with three doubles, an RBI, and a stolen base while only striking out twice—both in one game.
⬆️ Stock Up:Goat Stu
After some emergency spot-starts on a depleted Albuquerque Isotopes rotation, left-handed pitcher Stu Flesland III was officially promoted from the High-A Spokane Indians up to Double-A Hartford. Flesland III pitched 3.1 innings in relief of a rehabbing Ryan Feltner, giving up just one earned run on two hits and tallying three strikeouts.
Upcoming:
The Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates) are in town as the Yard Goats introduce a throwback alternate identity for the New Britain Rock Cats, whom they played as from 1997 until 2015!
High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 19-26 Overall)
The Indians may still be below .500, but a 4-2 series split against their rival Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) certainly helped them regain some ground. While they did stumble in the series with an ugly 15-0 shutout, the offense also scored nine or more runs in three of their victories.
⬆️ Stock Up:The Jack Attack is Back, Mack.
Catcher and designated hitter Jack O’Dowd made a mighty first impression for Spokane fans. Freshly promoted to the Indians this week, O’Dowd hammered the ball for two home runs in his debut and finished the week hitting 7-for-15 with a double, two home runs, seven RBIs, and two walks.
⬇️ Stock Down:Hampered and Hammered
That 15-0 shutout I mentioned was a rough one for left-handed pitcher Bryson Hammer and right-handed reliever Tyler Hampu. Hammer pitched the first three innings and gave up seven earned runs on two hits and five walks, while Hampu gave up another five earned runs on two hits and three walks over 1.1 innings. Both pitchers gave up back-breaking home runs: a grand slam for Hammer and a three-run home run for Hampu.
Upcoming:
The Indians are on the road for a six game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels).
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (2-4, 25-20 Overall)
The Grizzlies remain atop their division for now despite a tough series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angels) that featured multiple slugfests—the first two games of the series had a combined 34 runs scored—and close contests.
⬆️ Stock Up:Thach continues to smash
This week Thach went 13-for-24 with a double, a triple, two home runs, seven RBIs, four walks, and his first stolen base of the season. With an OPS of 1.004 and leading the team in doubles, home runs, and RBIs, and currently leading the California League in RBIs and slugging percentage, Thach might not have much left to prove at this level.
Tanner Thach with a diving stop and a line drive homer to start the night for the Grizzlies.
— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) May 24, 2026
⬆️ Stock Up:Andujar goes far
With Ethan Holliday (foot) going on the injured list, the Grizzlies needed roster reinforcements. For the final game of their series they summoned 18-year-old infielder Ashly Andujar (no. 20 PuRP), who made an immediate and powerful first impression. In his first game outside of the Arizona Fall League, Andujar went 2-for-4 without striking out, had two RBIs, and clubbed his first home run in Low-A.
The Grizzlies are back at home and looking to put some distance between themselves and the San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants) for the division lead.
The ACL Rockies rattled off four quick wins to stay atop their division in the Complex before getting humbled 9-1 yesterday by the ACL Angels (Los Angeles Angels).
⬆️ Stock Up:No argument here
18-year-old center fielder Cristian Arguelles had a strong week at the plate, going 10-for-19 with two doubles, a home run, and eight RBIs across five games.
Left-handed pitcher Zack Morris—who started the season on the injured list—has been turning in strong work on rehab assignment with the ACL Rockies. Morris turned in 3.2 scoreless innings over two appearances with six strikeouts, one walk, and three hits allowed. Over his assignment he now has four scoreless outings over 5.2 innings.
Jun 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina pitcher Jason DeCaro (29) pitches the ball during the first inning of the Super Regionals game against Arizona in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
The final postseason of the college athletic season is finally here, and once again, the Diamond Heels of the University of North Carolina will be hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament. College baseball seems to be drawing more eyes than ever this year, but given that most regular-season games are still on streaming-only platforms and there are a ton fewer places that cover the sport (and especially from an ACC/UNC lens) than for things like football and basketball, I’m certainly not going to judge anybody who’s choosing now to start really paying attention to Scott Forbes’ team. For you, and perhaps for Tennessee/ECU/VCU fans wanting to check out the competition, this will function as the most thorough look at the Diamond Heels that you’ll find on the Internet, at least for free. And hopefully, even if you’ve been following the team and program more committedly than most this season, there will still be some things in here for you to learn and/or talk about ahead of the games in Chapel Hill this weekend.
Overview
For the second straight year, UNC is an arguably under-seeded 5th overall seed after a 45-plus-win season with an elite pitching staff and an offensive lineup that survived a bunch of turnover. They don’t have some of the superlatives of last year’s team; namely, they don’t have a starter as good and consistent as Jake Knapp was nor do they have a big-time power threat like Luke Stevenson provided, but they’re a gritty squad that finds a way to win games — they lost just one series all season, and that was to Virginia to open ACC play. They have probably the best series win in the country after having taken 2 out of 3 against Georgia Tech at home, and in a lot of ways entered the postseason playing their best baseball. They had an up-and-down ACC Tournament — the offense was as live as it has ever been, while starting pitching struggled in their first two games before the entire arm barn ran into the buzzsaw that was Georgia Tech — but still have established themselves as one of the country’s premier squads, as has become tradition for head coach Scott Forbes at this point. Polls have had them at #2 in the country for basically the last month, and Forbes should once again have a team that should be a favorite to make Omaha and a threat to make noise once there.
Lineup
Remember how going into last year, all the talk about UNC was about all the power they were losing and that the Heels were going to have to lean into a different brand of baseball that relied on balls finding grass and guys going station-to-station instead of swinging for the fences? Last year’s team kind of did that, but nowhere near to the extent that it was stated after they took 5 games to hit their first home run. I think this year’s team does it a fair bit more. The slugging percentages are nearly identical; .478 to .487, but the 2025 Heels had 87 home runs in 61 games compared to this year’s 76 in 57. Last year’s team relied a ton on stealing bases to get guys in scoring position; this year, it’s been much more about just making contact and advancing runners with hits — the lineup isn’t as deep with on-base threats as last year’s, but the guys who hit for average do so at significantly higher clips while maintaining similarly high walk rates. This team has the typical discipline of a Scott Forbes club, ranking 13th in the country in total walks and 18th in walk rate, but they’ve cut down some on the high-ish strikeout rates that have annoyed past groups, ranking a respectable 56th in strikeout rate and 20th in K:BB ratio. Here’s an individual rundown:
SS Jake Schaffner (L/R, .362/.465/.580): Transferred to UNC from North Dakota State and has been a mainstay at the top of the lineup. Has a fantastic eye at the plate; has recorded 37 walks to 27 strikeouts. Rarely chases out of the zone and has a real knack for 2-strike hitting, where he can kind of just throw his wrists at the ball and flick it over the shortstop’s head. UNC’s best stolen base threat, has 25 on 28 attempts. Great defensive shortstop with plus range and an arm that plays well enough in college, and his speed has also helped him record 7 triples — the 3rd-highest total in the country.
2B Gavin Gallaher(R/R, .275/.367/.488): The lone everyday returner in the lineup and a team captain. Hasn’t had quite the draft season he would have hoped for, but the numbers are pretty much in line with where he was last year before his postseason heroic gene activated. His feel for and control of the zone have been spotty this year and his pole-to-pole power, while clearly there, hasn’t always played this year, though he’s hit 3 home runs in his last 7 games to bring his season total to 12. The two-time Chapel Hill Regional Most Outstanding Player will be aiming to play his best baseball come tournament time once again. He’s moved from playing 3rd the last 2 years to second base this year, and he’s been awesome there — statistically he’s been the best defensive second baseman in the conference.
CF Owen Hull (L/R, .374/.487/.565): Transfer from George Mason and UNC’s batting average leader. Hull is the latest in a pretty legendary run of center fielders at UNC, and after a really slow start to the season, has lived up to the mantle. He’s built like a brick house at 6’4, 215, and while he doesn’t rake like the build suggests (7 home runs on the season), he consistently makes hard ground ball contact up the middle or to the opposite field that creates trouble for infielders. Sometimes he’ll just accidentally hit a rocket because there’s so much latent power in his body. Pairs all that with a decent eye (41:37 K-BB); the strikeouts have gone up as he’s gained more confidence in his swing after he started the season leading the country in walks. Pretty good defender in center field thanks to his athleticism, though he doesn’t have a standout arm or instincts at the position.
C/DH Macon Winslow (R/R, .310/.455/.522): Cross-rivalry transfer from Duke after coach Chris Pollard left. Winslow was good at Duke and has leveled up at UNC, improving both his average and power numbers (10 HR, .967 OPS compared to 9 and .881 last year). Pull-heavy swing and a disciplined approach, working a lot of counts deep and leading the team with 43 walks (to go with 38 Ks). Good defensive catcher who doesn’t get run on very often, but he’s now coming back from an injured wrist that might have influenced him not getting in front of 3 run-scoring wild pitches in the ACC Championship game — his rust will be something to monitor.
3B Cooper Nicholson (R/R, .275/.452/.607): Junior college transfer from Iowa Central CC who has become the team’s power leader, with 15 home runs on the season. Swings for the fences on seemingly every pitch he sees in the zone, which leads to a fair bit of swing-and-miss (team-leading 51 Ks) but ends up being worth it as he leads the team in slugging. Power plays to all fields and he isn’t swinging blindly, with 38 walks. Also has a knack for getting hit by pitches, has racked up 21. Plays a pretty dynamic 3rd base but has had his share of errors — granted, it’s a tough position to play with metal bats, and he hasn’t been worse than Gallaher was last year (.909 fielding percentages for both. That’d be atrocious at any other position, but like I said, 3rd base is really tough in college).
1B Erik Paulsen (L/L, .285/.419/.464): Transfer from Stony Brook. Started the season red-hot and looked like he might just replicate Stevenson’s power and average production one-to-one, but cooled off mightily over the course of April and May. When the swing is working, he’s capable of both pulling inside fastballs and poking outside pitches to the opposite field, but there’s a lot more swing-and-miss lately for a guy who once had elite zone control. It’s rare to say this about a first baseman, but Paulsen is a genuinely great defender at first. He won the CAA’s DPOY award last year at a position that’s usually taken for granted, and watching him play the position it’s easy to see why with his quick actions, footwork, and glove.
LF Tyler Howe (L/L, .250/.386/.368):A freshman from Huntersville who has settled into an everyday spot after some early-season shuffling at the corner outfield positions. The numbers aren’t fantastic but there’s a lot of promise here; he’s got fast hands and a compact, flat swing that reminds me a little of early-career Casey Cook, albeit without the elite zone control or contact rates that Cook already had. Good athlete on the bases and an okay defender with a big arm — has gunned down 3 runners at home from left field.
DH/C Colin Hynek (R/R, .273/.357/.483): The transfer from Georgia Tech has split time with Winslow at catcher, but is usually in the lineup regardless of whether he’s catching or not. Had outstanding power numbers at GSU, but that hasn’t really shown up in Chapel Hill (7 home runs). He has hit 3 triples, though, thanks to a knack for finding gaps in the outfield. Takes his share of noncompetitive at-bats at this level, but when he makes contact, it’s usually very hard. Slightly worse as a defensive catcher and receiver than Hynek — Forbes says his arm is stronger but it doesn’t play as such in-game.
RF Carter French (L/L, .231/.383/.288): For the second straight year, French has taken over as an everyday corner outfielder after the other options just weren’t consistent enough in the field or at the plate. It took him a while to get going this year; his average hovered around or just under .200 until near the end of April, since when he’s been closer to his old self. Controls the zone well and puts the ball in play, and is a plus athlete on the bases and in the field.
You may also see Rom Kellis V, who has been used as a corner outfielder against lefties and had a breakout game in the ACC Tournament semifinal, as well as guys like Jadyn Nunez, Perry Hargett, Michael Maginnis, and Sawyer Black, who have all seen some time as pinch-hitters or corner outfielders.
Pitching
Once again, these Heels have one of the best staff ERAs in the country, led by an ace starter, a second starter who’s been a little up and down but has certainly had big-time moments, and two stud relievers, supported by a deep staff that’s been inconsistent in comparison but decent in the big picture. The names are going to be familiar, as the Heels didn’t bring in a single transfer to the arm barn despite losing starters in Jake Knapp and Aidan Haugh, and so is the formula: starters who don’t have overwhelming strikeout numbers but limit walks and let their defense work, and relievers who get a little nastier and eat up the back innings.
SP Jason DeCaro (R, 2.30 ERA):In his third season as a starter in Chapel Hill, DeCaro has put together his best year yet. He’s looked more or less the same as ever, but he’s improved his consistency and pitchability to be the best version of himself he can be. The fastball sits 91-94 with high spin but not much corresponding movement, but he locates it well to keep hitters off him and set up his sweeper, curve, and changeup, the latter of which has been a money pitch of late. He’ll allow more baserunners than you’d expect, but consistently manages to get the outs he needs. You’d like to see him get a little more length in the postseason; even in very good starts against Georgia Tech and N.C. State to close the season he only went 5 innings.
SP Ryan Lynch (R, 4.44 ERA):Lynch’s transition from relief last year to starting this year has been a little rocky. He’s given the Heels length, leading the team in innings pitched, has the best K-BB of UNC’s high-use arms at 70:29, and has had a few good starts, but opposing offenses have had a lot more success against him as a starter than they did last year — his batting average against of .285 is really worrisome. Features a nasty 94-97 power sinker and a slider that has been off and on this season after being devastating last year, and has added a changeup this year that hasn’t really helped him. The stuff is clearly there to be elite, but it hasn’t been unlocked this season in his draft year — that said, he saved his best for last as a freshman.
RP Caden Glauber (R, 1.93 ERA): Big-time freshman arm who has maybe one-upped what Lynch did as a relief ace last year en route to winning ACC Freshman of the Year and racking up the country’s 3rd-best ERA. He’s pitched 70 innings in relief and has not yet pitched in a game his team didn’t win. Has a lively 93-96 heater with a lot of armside run, a good changeup to throw to lefties, and a decent sweeper/slider, but the money pitch right now is the fastball, which lets him get ahead in seemingly every count he faces. He’s also got a knack for inducing GIDPs when he needs them thanks to the sink on his heater.
RP Walker McDuffie (R, 2.82 ERA): Pitched his way into UNC fans’ hearts last year with his baby face and Wild Thing glasses, and has leveled up his game this year after a slow start. His sweeper continues to be one of the best putout pitches in the country and he leads the team in strikeout rate thanks in large part to it (79 in 60.2 IP). His 92-95 sinker continues to be underrated and he’s been locating it better of late, while he’s also added a changeup to the arsenal that’s been effective against lefties. Reliance on getting swing-and-miss on the sweeper means he walks a few more hitters than is optimal, but he gets enough whiffs that it rarely hurts him.
SP Folger Boaz (L, 7.30 ERA): Has returned to a starting role after pitching out of the pen last year, and results have varied. Got hit around the park in 3 of his last 4 starts, but in fairness those were against Georgia Tech twice and a good N.C. State lineup, and he put together one of his best starts of the season in between those against a dangerous Pitt offense. Throws a 91-93 fastball that’s run as high as 96 in-game as of late, as well as a nasty slider and a sharp cutter, but struggles to get righties out because the changeup lags behind his other offerings.
RP Jackson Rose (L, 2.82 ERA): Another freshman arm who’s been impressive, especially in relief. Hasn’t done great given midweek starting opportunities, but has thrived out of the pen with an 89-92 fastball that he locates well, to go with a nasty changeup. Has a batting average against under .200 and a WHIP comparable to McDuffie’s, albeit in lower-leverage situations and probably including work against worse lineups.
Other names to know include captain Matthew Matthijs, who has had an up-and-down season but is trusted to get outs late in games, and Cam Padgett, a flamethrowing righty who’s done some of his best work in the last month.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 19: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in action against the New York Knicks during Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 2026 in New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t trade for a one-year rental. All indicators point towards James Harden returning to the team this summer after opting out to restructure his deal.
“Yes. 100%,” said Harden on whether he wants to be back in Cleveland. “Definitely want to be here. I think we found something. It’s tough not ending how we wanted to, but I think we found something.”
That’s as strong a commitment as you’ll get from a player in today’s NBA. That type of clarity on someone’s future can actually be relieving. Reports suggest the Cavs are just as certain that they want Harden back for next season.
“This is not theoretical, James Harden will be back with the Cavs next year,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “It will be for multiple years guaranteed.”
This should come as no surprise. It was unlikely that Cleveland would have traded Darius Garland for half a year of Harden. This was always going to be a multi-year relationship.
Harden averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 assists in 18 playoff games this year. Everything he did was on the fly after joining the Cavs midseason. In some ways, that makes their run to the Eastern Conference Finals impressive. But I don’t think anyone is handing out brownie points at this time.
“We showed a lot, we could have folded a few times, especially in the second round,” said Donovan Mitchell after the season ended. “Game 6 [loss to Detroit] was tough. That’s an organizational altering series, and for us to rally around each other and execute on the road, that tells you everything you need to know.”
The Cavs have work to do; New York made that painfully obvious. They don’t have the continuity or cohesion that’s required of winning at the highest level. Another year with Harden could help them achieve that. That’s what you have to tell yourself, at least.
Harden carries with him all the baggage of a legendary player who has never made it to the top of the mountain. This was understood before trading for him. Harden tied Karl Malone for the most playoff wins without a championship this postseason. That’s a narrative that’s come to define him for many fans.
“We ignore leadership, we ignore the human character of who he is, we ignore the empowerment he gives people, and we ignore his greatness in a major way,” said Mitchell. “It’s really unfair, now more than ever, now that I see it on a regular basis, we have a ‘ring culture’ society, and that’s just who we are.”
There’s merit to Harden’s on-court resume. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, no matter how hard you criticize him. Still, there’s always only been one way to shut people up. He has to win.
“I’m still here, right? Still alive, still going. That’s all I can do,” said Harden of his shortcomings in the playoffs. “As much as we want to feel sorry or doubt our journey, whether it’s you guys or me, you just gotta keep pushing.”
The Dodgers opened the series with the Rockies with a 5-3 win as Freddie Freeman helped spark a four-run seventh inning on Monday. Los Angeles has won three straight and five out of the past six.
Colorado on the other hand are on a three-game losing streak and dropped six out of the previous seven. In the last week, Colorado is hitting .222 (18th) and has two home runs (last). The pitching staff hasn't performed well either with a 4.62 ERA in that span, plus a last place ranking over the last 14 days with a 5.44 ERA (10 games).
Los Angeles is 3-2 versus Colorado this season and won two straight. The Dodgers' pitching staff has an elite 2.11 ERA over the last 13 games (1st) and an MLB-best 0.94 WHIP and .187 OBA. In that stretch, the Dodgers have a 10-3 record.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Rockies at Dodgers
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Time: 10:10 PM EST
Site: Dodger Stadium
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Rockies at the Dodgers
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-239), Colorado Rockies (+194)
Spread: Rockies +1.5 (-108), Dodgers -1.5 (-111)
Total: 9.0
Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Dodgers
Tuesday's pitching matchup (May 26): Eric Lauer vs. Kyle Freeland
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is hitting .273 with 51 hits and 89 total bases over 187 at-bats
The Dodgers’ Will Smith is hitting .242 with 36 hits and 28 strikeouts over 149 at-bats
The Rockies’ Troy Johnston is hitting .323 with 52 hits and 71 total bases over 161 at-bats
The Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar is hitting .217 with 39 hits and 50 strikeouts over 180 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Dodgers
The Dodgers are 28-26 ATS and 11-15 ATS at home
The Rockies are 29-26 ATS and 16-14 ATS on the road
The Dodgers are 31-23 to the Under, ranking third-best
The Rockies are 30-24 to the Under, ranking seventh-best
The Dodgers are 16-10 to the Under at home, ranking fourth
The Rockies are 17-13 to the Under on the road
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Dodgers
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Rockies and the Dodgers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Dodgers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Dodgers at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 9.0
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The New York Knicks, recently an afterthought in the NBA championship picture, have surged to have an implied 30.1% chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
BetMGM’s NBA Finals odds show the Knicks are up from +2200 when the playoffs began to their current value of +225.
Key Takeaways
The Knicks fell from +900 on opening night to +2200 in Finals odds when the postseason began.
No NBA team produced a better 10-game point differential than the Knicks just did.
The OKC Thunder are still favored to win the Finals, and the Spurs likely would be too if they take the West.
The Knicks’ 37-point Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals — their 11th straight victory of the playoffs — resulted in them becoming the first team to reach the 2025-26 NBA Finals. They will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, depending on who comes out of the West.
Oddsmakers had their eyes on the Knicks when the season began. A losing six-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago still positioned them as one of the best teams in the East, especially after Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2024-25 Finals.
Oddsmakers installed the Knicks at +900 odds to win the championship by the time that opening night arrived. Only the Thunder (+240), Denver Nuggets (+600) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+750) had shorter odds, according to SportsOddsHistory.
The Knicks went through the majority of the regular season in the top three in the Eastern Conference standings, eventually finishing third at 53-29.
Despite their relatively high standard, the Knicks’ NBA Finals odds slowly dwindled with time. They fell to +1200 on New Year’s Day, +1700 on March 1, and their +2200 odds (4.4% implied chance) when the postseason arrived. That’s when everything changed.
Eliminating the Atlanta Hawks in six games and witnessing the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Boston Celtics in the first round led to the Knicks receiving +900 Finals odds at the start of the conference semifinals. Their first sweep of the 76ers left them at +550 before the conference finals, and their second against the Cavaliers shortened them to their current line of +225.
Knicks make NBA playoff history
The Knicks’ Finals run had nothing to do with good fortune. Their 11-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest in NBA playoff history, trailing only the 2017 Golden State Warriors (15 games) and the 1999 Spurs (12 games). They are tied with the 1989 and the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers.
They also just posted the best 10-game postseason point differential in league history — and it wasn’t close.
Their +246 mark means they outscored their opponents by an average of nearly 25 points per game over their last 10 outings. They finished 32 points (15%) clear of the previous record-holders, the 1974 Milwaukee Bucks (+214), and 40 points ahead of the 2017 Warriors (+206), who hold the record for the longest playoff winning streak.
The New York Knicks just played the most dominant 10-game stretch in NBA history, and it's not even remotely close pic.twitter.com/5qaLngvQLE
Despite their sheer dominance, oddsmakers still believe the Thunder are the team that is the most likely to win the Finals. The Spurs, who are +155 series underdogs against OKC, also aren’t that far behind the Knicks in Finals odds, suggesting that they would be favored if they reached the championship stage.
Lookahead NBA Finals odds
The NBA Finals don’t begin until Wednesday, June 3. However, oddsmakers have provided a glimpse of what is expected when the final best-of-seven series begins.
FanDuel’s lookahead lines show that the Thunder would be 6.5-point home favorites (-240 moneyline odds) in a potential Game 1 against the Knicks. The Spurs would be 4.5-point favorites (-166 moneyline odds) in Game 1 if they reach the Finals. Hypothetical series odds are not available.
May 23, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Jarred Kelenic (24) hits a double against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Good morning and happy Monday everybody! Sorry about the late links! Traffic, am I right?
The Mariners offense took advantage of windy conditions in Sacramento while the piggyback tandem of Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller stifled the A’s offense to cruise to a comfortable 9-2 win. The squad will look to secure a series win behind Emerson Hancock tonight at 6:40!
In Mariners news…
The Mariners may have won a nice and easy one last night, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t bumps in the road. Luis Castillo started the game and pitched four innings allowing two hits and no runs. Upon learning that he was being lifted to get Bryce Miller into the game for his leg of the piggyback start, Castillo was visibly upset.
Another look at Luis Castillo after learning that his night was done.
Can’t recall ever seeing this kind of frustration in his nearly four years with the Mariners.
"We knew that was part of the plan, and you've got to respect what his decision was." pic.twitter.com/goDRAmc262
Bryce Miller said in a post game interview that he finds the whole situation to be “not very comfortable.” Miller went on to say that he’s grateful for any chance he gets to pitch, but it seems clear that the team’s solution to too many good pitchers, however logical it might be, is having some dire human consequences.
Around the league…
Three Houston Astros pitchers, led by Tatsuya Imai, combined to no-hit the Texas Rangers in Arlington last night. Imai started with six innings, allowing four walks before Steven Okert came in and pitched the seventh, allowing a walk. Alimber Santa pitched the last two innings to close out the effort, securing a pretty unethical looking 9IP, 0H, 0R, 5BB, 4K line.
Part of me wants to say it’s time for Craig Kimbrel to hang it up, but gosh darn it if the man doesn’t keep finding work! Aging or not, something about Kimbrel ending up in the Rays pitching lab terrifies me.
The Chicago White Sox designated outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment yesterday, becoming the third team to cut bait with him since his debut. Kelenic is rapidly running out of options in the big leagues, but as a loud and out Jarred Kelenic supporter, I do truly hope he manages to land on his feet with another team, Although, I have a sneaking suspicion there’s only one team left that might try it, and I don’t like the sound of “Jarred Kelenic, Los Angeles Angel,” all that much.
The Kansas City Royals are shutting down Cole Ragans rehab assignment for a few days. Ragans is working back from a left elbow impingement and had a good outing in Triple-A Omaha over the weekend, but didn’t feel right in the days following.
