CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 5: Head Coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns on April 5, 2026 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Tuesday, it was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Billy Donovan would be stepping down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons. The decision was surprising, as Bulls management reportedly wanted Donovan to return.
Before his time in Chicago, Donovan became the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after spending 19 years leading the Florida Gators. In his final college season (2014–15), Florida went 16–17 before Donovan made the jump to the NBA.
Since 2024, Donovan has been mentioned as a candidate to return to the college ranks. After John Calipari left to become the head coach at Arkansas, there were rumors that Donovan could leave the Bulls to take over at Kentucky.
That did not happen, as Kentucky wasn’t willing to wait and hired Mark Pope instead.
More recently, after Hubert Davis was let go by North Carolina, the Tar Heels made a run at Donovan before settling on Mike Malone.
Now, after a disappointing season, Kentucky is entering a pivotal stretch under Pope. If things do not improve, the program could consider a change after his third season. Should Donovan remain available, he could once again emerge as a potential candidate to finally take over in Lexington after previous opportunities did not materialize.
Apr 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Porter Martone (94) celebrates win against the Montral Canadiens at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Eric Hartline/Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Porter Martone was playing college hockey last month. Now he’s making a difference in the NHL playoffs.
Youth is being served early in the first round, along with some relative newcomers contributing. Anaheim’s Troy Terry scored in his postseason debut nearly a decade into his professional career, Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky had a hat trick in just his sixth playoff game and Utah’s Logan Cooley will go down in history as the first Mammoth player with a playoff goal.
At the forefront of the success is Martone, who has two goals to put the Flyers up 2-0 in their first-round series against archrival Pittsburgh. Game 3 of the Battle of Pennsylvania is set for Philadelphia.
“He’s figuring it all out,” coach Rick Tocchet said on a video call with reporters. ”Where it might take a young guy a week or a bunch of games, it only took him a period and a half to figure out playoff hockey: where he’d have to be and what he had to do. A lot of maturity for a 19-year-old.”
Martone has 12 points in 11 games since leaving Michigan State to turn pro. He credited his teammates and said he “hopped on a moving train, and it’s been good since.”
“There’s not a lot of guys that can come in and make the impact that he has,” said Flyers forward Travis Konecny, who also has two goals. “Especially in the games leading up to the playoffs, how important those were, for him being able to jump in, I think it speaks not to his hockey ability but how he wants to learn.”
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Flyers lead 2-0.
The first chance for Flyers mascot Gritty to attend a home playoff game comes with the chance for his team to move to the verge of sweeping the Penguins. The last time they made it was the 2020 pandemic bubble, and the most recent game in Philly was in 2018, so the intensity in a sports-crazed city is expected to be through the roof.
“The fans, when they’re into it, this fanbase and this city embraces their team,” said Tocchet, who skated in 95 playoff games during two stints with the Flyers. “That’s what I felt as a player. It’s an extra boost when you walk around this city and have these people behind you.”
On the ice, it’s up to rookie Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse and his staff to figure out a way to crack the trap Tocchet has set for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the playoff-tested Penguins. No one has lit up the Flyers more than Crosby, who has 36 points in 25 playoff games against them and isn’t likely to be held off the scoresheet like he was the first two this year.
“It’s playoff hockey,” said Crosby, who also has 139 points in 93 regular-season games against Philadelphia. “It’s tight checking. We’ve got to find a way or produce, whatever you want to call it.”
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Tied 1-1.
The back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat action of Game 2 was much more what everyone expected from these Central Division rivals than the series opener, when the Wild rolled 6-1. Dallas evened things up with a better performance in net from Jake Oettinger and two goals from Wyatt Johnston.
Play now shifts to Minnesota, where the State of Hockey is hoping to will its team to its first postseason series victory since 2015. The winner faces Colorado or Los Angeles, but envisioning who that will be at this stage is anyone’s guess.
“It’s going to be a battle of a series, and we knew that coming in,” said Wild defenseman Brock Faber, who scored in Game 2. “I think we’re the tougher team. I think we have to be tougher mentally. And that’ll only be good for us.”
A parade to the penalty box on either side Monday night led to more than 15 of 60 minutes being played at something other than 5 on 5. Adjustments are coming as a result.
“That’s what usually happens and keep tweaking a little bit,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “But at the end of the day, what’s going to happen is it’s going to become a players’ series. By the time you get to the end, they’re going to have to decide what it’s going to do. … That’s what makes these series great.”
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT (TBS)
Series: Oilers lead 1-0.
Edmonton lost all 14 regular-season games in which Connor McDavid did not register a point. The Oilers broke that streak by winning their playoff opener against Anaheim, blowing a lead and then rallying to beat the Ducks thanks to unlikely heroes Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen.
“The mood was calm — that’s one of the benefits of a veteran team that’s been through it,” said Dickinson, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Chicago. “Nobody is overreacting, nobody is getting frustrated. The message was simple: go out and attack. If it takes the entire period, then it takes the entire period, but we’re not going to let up.”
The Ducks are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, led by three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville and fueled by their young core. First-line center Leo Carlsson just is 21, and he and his teammates are not daunted by this deficit.
“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Carlson said. “We knew it was going to be hard, but we’re a great team also.”
Our NBA player prop projections are locked in for tonight’s Game 2 showdown between the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs, with the model highlighting several high-value spots across the board.
By breaking down the data and comparing it to current market lines, we’ve pinpointed where the strongest edges appear.
If you’re building out your card, here are the model’s top NBA picks for Tuesday, April 21.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs computer picks for Game 2
Trail Blazers
Spurs
Avdija u23.5 points -105
Wembanyama u28.5 points -105
Holiday o5.5 assists -140
Wembanyama o11.5 rebounds -115
Henderson o1.5 3-pointers +115
Fox o5.5 assists -120
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Trail Blazers Game 2 computer picks
Deni Avdija Under 23.5 points (-105)
Projection: 22.4 points
The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled offensively on the road, ranking as the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league over their last 25 away games.
Over their last five road contests, opposing starting power forwards have managed just 13.0 points per game against the San Antonio Spurs—the fourth-lowest mark in the NBA. That sets up as a difficult spot for Deni Avdija to replicate the offensive output he delivered in Game 1.
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Jrue Holiday Over 5.5 assists (-140)
Projection: 6.4 assists
Jrue Holiday has cleared the 5.5 assist line in five of his last ten games, and the path to doing it again in Game 2 against the Spurs is firmly in place.
A key factor is lineup synergy. Playing alongside high-efficiency scorers and floor spacers means Holiday doesn’t need high volume to rack up assists, just clean looks created within the flow of the offense. If those shots are falling at a reasonable rate, 6+ assists becomes a very reachable threshold.
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Scoot Henderson Over 1.5 3-pointers (+115)
Projection: 1.64 3-pointers
This season, opposing starting point guards have knocked down 40.4% of their 3-point attempts against the Spurs, the fifth-highest mark allowed in the league, setting up a favorable matchup for Scoot Henderson, who has cashed the Over in seven of his last 10 games on a 1.5 made threes line.
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Spurs Game 2 computer picks
Victor Wembanyama Under 28.5 points (-120)
Projection: 28.4 points
The Spurs are likely to see fewer scoring opportunities tonight, as they match up with the Trail Blazers, who have played at the sixth-slowest pace in the league over their last five games. That slower tempo could make it tougher for Victor Wembanyama to clear his points prop in Game 2.
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Victor Wembanyama Over 11.5 rebounds (-115)
Projection: 12.01 rebounds
The Spurs have been one of the stronger offensive rebounding teams in the league, ranking sixth over their last 15 games, and Wemby has been a major contributor on the glass, clearing the Over in seven of his last 10 games on an 11.5 rebound line.
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De'Aaron Fox Over 5.5 assists (-120)
Projection: 6.4 assists
De'Aaron Fox has gone over the 5.5 assist mark in five of his last 10 games, and there’s a strong case for that trend continuing against the Trail Blazers.
Fox’s playmaking often scales with defensive attention, and Portland tends to collapse on dribble penetration, especially against high-speed guards. That’s where Fox thrives.
His ability to get downhill forces help defenders to rotate, creating clean passing lanes to shooters and bigs in favorable positions. Even if he’s aggressive as a scorer early, that pressure typically opens up assist opportunities as the game progresses.
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How to watch Trail Blazers vs Spurs Game 2
Location
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Tip-off
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
NBC/Peacock
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A fun exercise in the aftermath of a fantasy basketball season is to look back on the preseason rankings and figure out which players lived up to the expectations and which ones did not. While some of the "misses" may not affect how a player is viewed for the next season, that isn't the case across the board. Below are some of our misses based on the preseason Top-200 rankings that we released in October.
Even with Davis coming off a 2024-25 season in which he appeared in 51 games, the belief that he could flourish in Dallas led to him being placed within the top-10 of our preseason rankings. To say that things didn't go to plan would be a severe understatement. Injuries limited Davis to 20 games, all of which were played before the Mavericks traded him to the Wizards.
And it would not be until the final week of the regular season that Washington dropped the charade and announced that Davis would not play. Between the injury history and not knowing how he'll fit into a rotation that includes Trae Young, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, there's no way that Davis can be ranked this high in the 2026-27 preseason rankings.
F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Preseason rank: 5
After appearing in 61 games or more in each of his first 12 seasons, Antetokounmpo played 36 for the Bucks this season. Thanks to two separate calf strains and a knee injury that was the source of much controversy late in the season, he was unable to make good on the first-round expectations. Also, when Giannis was on the floor, his production took a noticeable hit. While averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks certainly aren't bad, Antetokounmpo's numbers decreased in four of those categories compared to the 2024-25 season.
Also, the trade rumors never subsided, and that will be one of the NBA's major offseason storylines. He and the Bucks can't agree to an extension until October 1; does Milwaukee look to move Giannis before then? Or do they hold out hope that something can be done? How the front office approaches this situation will undoubtedly affect how Antetokounmpo is valued in fantasy basketball.
F/C Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
Preseason rank: 23
With no Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), we expected Siakam's usage to see a significant boost, leading to increased production. Siakam's scoring average did increase by nearly four points per game, but his other averages remained about the same compared to his 2024-25 production. And that was with a career-high usage percentage of 30.1. Add in Siakam being limited to 62 games, and the result was the veteran forward finishing outside of the top-100. However, this may set up Spicy P to be undervalued in drafts for the 2026-27 season, especially with Haliburton expected to be back in the fold.
F Cameron Johnson, Denver Nuggets
Preseason rank: 69
Even though his usage was expected to decrease with the move from Brooklyn to Denver, there was an expectation that Johnson's category league value would remain fine due to the opportunity to play alongside better talent. Unfortunately, he struggled with his shot early on and saw significant declines in points (12.2 ppg, down from 18.8 in 2024-25) and three-point attempts (4.7 per game, down from 7.2 in 2024-25).
Johnson missing over a month with a hyperextended right knee didn't help either, even though he had some productive nights in the final month of the regular season. While the per-game value wasn't terrible, Johnson's points league value took a significant hit with the move to Denver, even though he was able to join a championship contender.
G Cam Thomas, Free Agent
Preseason rank: 80
With Thomas heading into a contract year, the feeling was that he would be able to put up big numbers for the rebuilding Nets. That didn't happen. Another hamstring injury sidelined him for over six weeks, and the Nets managed his minutes closely upon the guard's return. The fit was poor, ultimately leading to Thomas being waived right after the trade deadline.
Milwaukee decided to kick the proverbial tires, and while there were a few positive performances early on, the Bucks would eventually waive Thomas in late March. By this point, many fantasy managers had already moved on, but the top-100 preseason ranking not materializing stung. And at this point, it's unknown what kind of deal or role Thomas will be able to find in free agency this summer.
G/F Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Preseason rank: 199
Regarding Knueppel's preseason ranking, we may have put too much in his Summer League performance. The rookie wing struggled some in Las Vegas, but had no such issues once the games truly counted. A finalist for Rookie of the Year, Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.4 three-pointers per game, providing top-100 value in points and category leagues. Those who were able to wait until the later rounds to draft Knueppel wound up with an absolute steal, and he has the skill set to offer excellent fantasy value for years to come.
G Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks
Preseason rank: Not ranked
At the time of his signing with the Hawks, Alexander-Walker appeared poised to fill a bench role slightly bigger than the one he held in Minnesota. He would move into the starting lineup within the first week of the regular season, and Trae Young's knee injury before his move to Washington opened the door for Alexander-Walker to remain there. In 78 games, NAW averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.2 three-pointers while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 90.2 percent from the foul line. Not ranking Alexander-Walker may have been the biggest "miss," especially considering his production.
G Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks
Preseason rank: Not ranked
Rollins was another player who did not make the cut for the preseason top-200, even with the Bucks needing perimeter production in the aftermath of Damian Lillard's exit. Appearing in 74 games, he recorded career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and three-pointers. Rollins made 67 starts and had the look of a player who can be valuable to fantasy managers in 2026-27, regardless of what happens with Antetokounmpo. He won't be unranked when the preseason rankings for next season drop, that's for sure.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets chases a loose ball as Jarred Vanderbilt #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following the first matchup of any playoff series, both teams, win or lose, return to the drawing board and strategize what they can take forward in future contests.
For the Lakers, missing their star shot creators in Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves means the offense will be a journey every night. The regular season numbers and what created success are completely thrown out the window in their absence.
What the team can lean on is its defense and it showed why its improvement in the second half of the season was no fluke in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, even it came against a Rockets side missing a superstar of its own in Kevin Durant.
LA jumped from 23rd to 14th in defensive rating post All-Star break. They headed into the playoffs with real synergy and cohesion on that end while following specific game plans specifically tethered to different superstars.
The purple and gold held their opponent under 100 points for just the eighth time this season on Saturday. Without Durant, LA’s defensive focus shifted and keyed in on first-time All-Star Alperen Şengün.
As with other star bigs across the league, LA switched and fronted the post while maintaining a high level of physicality throughout the game.
It started early in the first quarter. Watch below as Deandre Ayton begins on Şengün. A screen comes from Amen Thompson with the Lakers switching the action. LeBron fronts the post while Marcus Smart gives textbook backside help.
The ball swings out to the perimeter while the Lakers close out and run them off the 3-point line. The play ends with a Houston turnover due to an offensive three-second violation.
As with most offensive bigs, the only player the Lakers allowed Şengün to get single coverage against was Ayton. Finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and one block does not do justice to the defensive night LA’s starting big man had, clearly winning his head-to-head matchup.
He collected the Şengün body bumps, moving his feet without going for fakes and contesting high, as shown in the clip below
Sengun missed eight straight shots at one point, finishing just 6-19 from the floor with three turnovers.
“We did a good job of contesting those six-to-eight-foot shots without fouling using our length,” head coach J.J. Redick said postgame. “I thought [Ayton], Jaxson, Bron, Rui, Vando, all those guys, Jake, just getting a contest is super important.”
The other player LA knew they needed to slow down was Thompson. A supreme athlete that can get to the paint at will, the First Team All-Defense guard shot up the scouting report without Durant.
LA made sure to create a wall anytime he drove, contesting his shots at the basket on his straight-line drives, picking him up early in transition and attempting to bait him into jump shots.
Watch below as Thompson runs a screen with Tari Eason, this time switching LeBron on to him. He drives to the basket and is met by 41-year-old LeBron recovering to pin it off the backboard with Hachimura right there to offer extra help at the rim.
Thompson missed all three of his shots outside the paint and finished just 3-8 in the restricted area over LA’s rim protection. LA ended up holding Houston to just 37.6% overall, 33% from the 3-point line and just 43% in the restricted area, per NBA stats.
“I felt like the second efforts on the defensive end, it really got us moving a little bit,” Ayton said. “We are taking pride with this new team having our superstars out creating on the defensive end to start our offense and get us moving and just get us an offensive rhythm and get the crowd in it a little bit.”
While everything hinges on Durant’s availability on Tuesday, the Rockets and head coach Ime Udoka will make adjustments to what the Lakers offered on defense. They will look to continue on their massive offensive rebound advantage and leverage Sengun as more of a ball handler in different spots on the floor.
Game 1’s are feel-outs, but Game 2 is where the tension of a series begins. The Lakers look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead and will have to do so by leading the way with their defense.
One of the most storied and heated rivalries in baseball is renewed tonight at Fenway Park when the Red Sox (9-13) take the field against the Yankees (13-9). The two teams sit at opposite ends of the American League East. The Yankees are in first and lead the last-place Sox by four games.
Off to an uneven start, the Sox are only 5-5 at home. Over the weekend, Boston split four games with the Tigers in Beantown including an 8-6 win yesterday on Marathon Day. The Red Sox scored three in the seventh and two more in the eighth yesterday to secure the win and salvage the split. The bottom three spots in the batting order went a combined 6-12 with 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored. A looming dark cloud over the win is the status of Sonny Gray who left the game in the third inning with hamstring tightness.
The Yankees had been scuffling but got well courtesy of the Kansas City Royals. Aaron Judge and co. scored 24 runs in the three-game sweep. Ben Rice continues to rake having hit safely in 13 of the 16 games in April in which has had had an official at-bat. The third-year major leaguer is hitting .338 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs on the young season.
Luis Gil gets the ball for New York against Connelly Early of the Red Sox. Gil has not been right since returning from the disabled list. He has yet to earn a win, and his ERA sits at 7.00. Early has been exceptional for Boston sporting a 2.29 ERA with 20 Ks against only 10 BBs.
This series serves as the first meeting since the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox in a dramatic 2025 AL Wild Card Series, adding a layer of revenge to the weekend matchup.
Lets dive into tonight’s 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.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Time: 6:45PM EST
Site: Fenway Park
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, NESN+, YES
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.
The Latest Odds: Red Sox vs. Yankees
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Boston Red Sox (-126), New York Yankees (+104)
Spread: Red Sox +1.5 (-204), Yankees -1.5 (+167)
Total: 8.5 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Pitching matchup for April 21:
Yankees: Luis Gil Season Totals: 9.0 IP, 0-1, 7.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 7K, 5 BB
Red Sox: Connelly Early Season Totals: 19.2 IP, 1-0, 2.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 20K, 10 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. Red Sox
Trevor Story has just 2 hits in his last 15 ABs
Jarren Duran is 1 for his last 16
Masataka Yoshida is hitting .379 in April
Ben Rice has hit safely in 4 straight games (5-14)
Cody Bellinger has hit in 8 straight games (11-31)
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: Yankees vs. Red Sox
The Yankees are 8-15 on the Run Line this season
The Red Sox are 9-14 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 12 times in Boston’s 22 games this season (12-10)
The OVER has cashed 9 times in the Yankees’ 22 games this season (9-11-2)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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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 Yankees and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 8.5.
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 14: Reynaldo Lopez #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hey, the Braves have won six in a row! That’s their longest winning streak at a point where it mattered (the ten-game streak last September doesn’t count…) since pretty much the exact same period in 2024. That streak started on April 14, against Miami, saw them sweep the Astros in Houston, and then return home and win a series against the Rangers before dropping the finale on April 21. This streak also began on April 14 against Miami, and while Philadelphia and Washington are a bit different than Texas, we’re here on April 21 once again. Can the Braves run it to seven games this time?
For this endeavor, the Braves will have Reynaldo Lopez starting against the team that signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2012. Now with his fifth major league team, Lopez will look to continue his potential upswing as he starts in one of his previous stomping grounds. I say upswing because, through four starts, Lopez has had an interesting season so far.
His first two games were pretty horrible peripherals-wise (combined 6/3 K/BB ratio with two homers allowed in 11 innings), but he was only charged with a solo homer in each game and the Braves won both. His next start was the one where the fisticuffs with Jorge Soler transpired, and he had a much better 7/2 K/BB ratio but still allowed a homer before getting the boot after the dramatics, having completed 4 2/3 innings of work. His most recent outing came against the Marlins, and it looked much better with a 6/3 K/BB ratio in five frames, but the Marlins blooped and bled the Braves for four runs, three of which were charged in earned fashion to Lopez. It was his first start of the year where he wasn’t taken deep. (Notably, Dominic Smith’s two bits of heroics this season have both come in Lopez starts.)
So, will Lopez continue improving against a good-swinging Nationals team? Will it be Smith’s heroics that rescue the Braves and push the winning streak to seven? Or, will something else happen? Stay tuned.
Ah, but not before I talk about the Nationals and their starter for a bit. You witnessed their struggles with run prevention if you watched last night’s game. They’ve lost three of four, and have allowed at least seven runs in four of their last five games, a shutout of the Giants on Sunday the main exception (and their first shutout of the year). Drawing the start will be 30-year-old Foster Griffin, who spent the prior three seasons pitching in Japan before returning stateside on a $5.5 million, one-year deal with Washington.
The Nats have won three of Griffin’s four starts, and his line is fine enough (77 ERA-, 107 FIP-, 100 xFIP-) for a guy pitching behind their sticks (he’s also somehow benefited from strand rate stuff in a way that his teammates really haven’t, and haven’t enabled, either). He acquitted himself pretty well against the Phillies (5/0 K/BB, a homer) and the mighty mighty Dodgers (6/3 K/BB, a homer) before struggling against the Brewers (1/3 K/BB, but no homers). But, he had a nice start against the Pirates (7/1 K/BB, also a homer) — though the homer was a game-tying three-run shot from Marcell Ozuna, so… oops.
Griffin is a fairly inefficient junkballer lefty. He tries to get ahead and then get chases far off the plate with a bevy of breaking stuff. Unfortunately, he doesn’t throw very hard or get many whiffs on the various “straight” stuff he throws; further, his oddball, heavy horizontal break cutter, which is his primary pitch, lacks the command to avoid getting mashed, at least so far. The Braves’ righties punishing his cutter and four-seamer, which skitter and skate around the middle of the plate, will be a key to chasing him. That should play pretty well into the Braves’ recent preference to swing early and often, but we’ll see what happens.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, April 21, 6:45 p.m. EDT
Location: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
TV: BravesVision (and Nationals.tv if that works for you…)
Streaming: MLB.tv (and Braves.tv, Nationals.tv if you’re in-market, etc.)
RHP Brody Brecht (#11) of the High-A Spokane Indians stands with his hand in his glove. | Spokane Indians, 2026
RHP Brody Brecht (No. 3 PuRP) was drafted 38th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the Competitive Balance A round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He made his professional debut with the ACL Rockies in 2025, where he pitched just four games before being promoted to Low-A Fresno. In 2026, he was promoted to High-A Spokane where he has made three starts and allowed four runs on five hits with five walks and 15 strikeouts in 8.2 total innings. Things started a little rough for Brecht in 2026, but they’ve gotten progressively better over the three starts (see below).
However, in 16 starts with the Grizzlies in 2025, Brecht posted a 1-4 record and a 2.60 ERA. Some of that season was spent on the injured list with a back injury, but Brecht still learned a lot in his first pro season.
“I think just learning how to be a pitcher and calling my own game,” Brecht said of his biggest takeaway. “That’s something I didn’t do when I was in college. We had a pitching coach, and he called it all, so I think just learning how to read hitters – if they’re late on a fastball or ahead, just learning how to attack them and sequence them the best way I can. So I definitely say that was a good learning thing for me, and then just getting a routine as well. You’re at the same place for six days, so as a starter, you know when you’re throwing. So just finding that routine that works the best for you was big, too.”
And although he appreciates that the Rockies are suggesting pitches from the dugout, he has his own philosophy regardless of who’s calling the pitches.
“I’m a big believer that the wrong pitch thrown with conviction is better than the right pitch thrown with doubt,” he said. “I think any time I step on that rubber, I want to already know what pitch I’m throwing and I want to be committed to it. And I think that’s the best way to go about it.”
Another big lesson Brecht learned in Fresno was how to get into a routine.
“You try to find it in spring training, but it’s a little different just getting up to speed and trying to stay healthy,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing in spring training. But once you get in the season, you get those first couple of road trips and a couple of home series – I think after that first month, you really start figuring out a groove and what works for you. So I feel like I found that.”
Part of the reason that Brecht chose to attend the University of Iowa instead of going pro right out of high school was his interest in playing football as well as baseball. He redshirted his first season in 2021, but saw action in 11 games in 2022. Injuries derailed his football career, though, so he turned his focus back to baseball. However, he still has a lot of lessons that he took from his time as a two-sport athlete.
“It’s in me for sure, just being an athlete,” he said. “I try to stay with my training – sprinting, running, all that stuff – and still stay explosive like when I was playing. And then just the mentality of hard work and showing up every day. You may not feel like it, but you’ve got to get it done. That’s still in there for sure. Could I go out there right now and play? You might have to give me a few months to start training, but I definitely try to still be an athlete out there.”
During spring training, Brecht focused on “getting back to [he] was and being an athlete out there.”
“Once I stopped playing football, I feel like I tried to get perfect mechanics and just tried to be a pitcher. And that’s just not who I am. I’m an athlete out there. So I think just switching up some training and arm build up, just making sure I can stay healthy out there was a big thing this offseason. And then learning a curveball, adding that so we can have a four-pitch mix was good. And just staying in the zone – attacking and getting ahead is the biggest thing.”
Aside from the physical adjustments he’s made, Brecht is also working on the mental side of his game. Notably, he works with Brian Kane – Chase Dollander’s mental skills coach.
“He talks about that: if you get behind 0-2 or 1-2, in the past, for me – and something I still struggle with – is that it can quickly turn into 2-2 or 3-2 because you’re trying to throw the nastiest slider you’ve ever thrown. But you don’t need to – just make it competitive… And for me, my mindset is that I’m throwing it down the middle until I get to two strikes and the eight guys behind you can get outs for you.”
Additionally, Brecht has a goal of going deeper into games while also “not trying to punch everybody out.”
“I think if you get ahead and you stay ahead, then the strikeouts will come. But my goal out there isn’t to strike out 10 every time I go out there. It’s just to execute one pitch, and if I strike him out, great. If it’s 0-2 and I strike him out, great. If he gets a pop up, great. Like, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to go deep in the ballgame.”
He also has his routine that he follows on game days that help him get in the mental space to perform.
“For me, sitting around all day thinking about the game isn’t beneficial for me. I just feel that my anxiety goes up and my stress goes up,” he said. “So for me, just getting away from the game – whether it’s playing some video games, spending time with family, I think that’s really good. I like to go on walks and just get the body moving. I don’t want to sit around all day.
“And then once I get into my routine, I’ll listen to a podcast out there over the execution of baseball and talk about the execution of a pitch. It’s by Harvey Dorfin called The Mental ABC’s of Pitching,” he continued. “So I do a chapter on game days and then I’ll go watch a video of me executing pitches – I call it my mind movie – swings and misses, attacking and getting ahead and all that. And I’ll do mental imagery. But on game days, I’ll do that before and then just listen to some Christian music to keep me calm so I can go out there and just be in control of myself.”
Brecht was chosen to not only represent the Rockies in the 2026 Spring Breakout game, but also to start the game. Unfortunately, he got lit up early and posted a final line of five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 1.2 innings. So far in Spokane, he’s been pitching alright but he still has some goals that he’s hoping to achieve in 2026.
“I think the biggest thing is just staying healthy,” he said. “I missed some time last year [with a back injury], so just getting out of here healthy and staying healthy throughout the season is going to be the biggest thing. And then just continue to build upon each outing, and know that each time I put on a Rockies jersey is definitely a blessing. So just not taking any day for granted.”
It was another successful week for the Albuquerque Isotopes. Hosting the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers) at home, the Isotopes won four games to take back-to-back series for the first time since June 2024. It was also the first time Albuquerque earned a home series victory over Oklahoma City since May 20-25, 2021, and just their third since 2012. The Isotopes lost the series opener, won games two and three, dropped game four 13-12, then won the next two to close out the series.
The offense produced plenty during the series, slashing .329/.439/.472 with their 71 hits and 56 runs scored, topping the Pacific Coast League. Additionally, the Isotopes ended up with more walks (41) than strikeouts (40) by the end of the series. On the mound, the pitching staff posted a 6.67 ERA over 54 innings, though the Isotopes only allowed more than six runs in a game twice, each game resulting in a loss. They managed 58 strikeouts against 36 walks and gave up six home runs.
⬆️ Stock Up:Sterlin Silver
Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) had a productive week at the plate, slashing .368/.500/.526 with a home run and a team-leading seven RBI. He went 7-for-19 with five walks against one strikeout and added a stolen base for good measure while scoring seven runs. Thomspson is now batting .309/.427/.412 on the season through his first 18 games. While quite a bit of attention is being given to other prospects in Albuquerque, Thompson also has a good chance of debuting this season, especially since he is already on the 40-man roster.
We have liftoff once again! Sterlin Thompson powers one out of here for his first blast of 2026!
Consistency and success continue to elude Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) in Albuquerque. While he displayed solid plate discipline in the series with four walks against five strikeouts, he went 5-for-23 with a double. On the season, Veen is now batting just .227/.288/.288 with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 17 games. The improvement with swing decisions is nice to see, but he will need to start producing a little more pop at the plate, as he now has just four extra-base hits, all of which are doubles.
Upcoming
The Isotopes head on the road to face the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants) to start a new series on Tuesday.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (4-1, 5-9 Overall)
The Yard Goats stumbled out of the gate against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants) with back-to-back losses in which they gave up a combined 24 runs. Hartford yielded 42 total runs to the Flying Squirrels in five games after the series finale was rained out.
⬆️ Stock Up:Longwell Long Ball
Slugging first baseman Aidan Longwell seemed to finally find his footing at the end of last week’s series against the Fightin’ Phils. Against the Flying Squirrels he continued to hit the ball well. In five games he went 8-for-21 with a home run—his first at the Double-A level—two doubles, and just one strikeout.
— Blake Street Banter ⚾🌮 (@blakestbanter) April 18, 2026
⬇️ Stock Down:Stormy Weatherly
Left-handed reliever Sam Weatherly hasn’t quite found his way through the clouds to start the 2026 season. He’s given up an earned run in all five of his appearances and given up at least two in three of those outings. Weatherly made two appearances against Richmond at two innings each and gave up two earned runs in both. He allowed seven total hit, including a home run. He walked two batters and struck out three.
Upcoming
The Yard Goats will look to right the ship in a six game road series against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox).
High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 6-9 Overall)
It was a tough week for the Spokane Indians. They won their first game against the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays), but won just one game the rest of the series. Lack of offense was a prominent issue, especially over the final three games of the set. In those last three games the Indians scored just four runs while the Canadians scored 16.
⬆️ Stock Up:Vancouver Got Brecht
The titular Brody Brecht had an excellent week on the mound. Divided into two three-inning starts to bookend the series, Brecht pitched six total innings and gave up just one earned run on three hits and three walks with a total of 11 strikeouts. Brecht’s best outing came on the Sunday finale, where he held the Canadians hitless with five strikeouts.
⬆️ Stock Up:¡Vamos, Vargas!
Jordy Vargas (no. 21 PuRP) has continued his excellent start to the season with a quality start against the Canadians. Vargas shut out Vancouver for six innings, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Through his first three starts he has a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings with 17 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP.
Upcoming
The Indians are off to Everett to take on the AquaSox (Seattle Mariners) for the second time this season.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (4-2, 10-4 Overall)
The Grizzlies faced off against the newly formed Ontario Tower Buzzers (Los Angeles Dodgers) for the first time and walked away with a fairly dominant 4-2 series win. Offense was the name of the game, as the Grizzlies scored at least seven runs in four of the six games. They also had two games—both victories—in which they scored a whopping 18 runs, though they did give up 23 runs in a loss for the series finale.
⬆️ Stock Up:Thach Smash
The series against Ontario was quite the coming-out party for 21-year-old first baseman Tanner Thach, the 2025 eighth round selection out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Thach tore the cover off the ball against the Tower Buzzers, going 13-for-28 at the plate with five doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBIs as he played in all six games. He also drew more walks (four) than strikeouts (two). Thach went 4-for-6 in the series opener with seven RBI and two of his home runs.
The Rockies signed left-handed pitcher Jhon Medina out of the Dominican Republic as part of their 2023 international class. After three solid seasons in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League, the 20-year-old was assigned to Low-A Fresno for the season. Unfortunately, his Low-A debut has been a difficult one. In four appearances—including one start—he has an ERA of 19.96 over 7.2 innings. He has six strikeouts to 13 walks and has given up at least three earned runs in three of his four appearances. His first outing against Ontario lasted just 0.2 innings as he gave up eight earned runs on four hits and four walks. His second outing was smoother by comparison with three earned runs on four hits and three walks over three innings.
Upcoming
The Grizzlies are back in Fresno this week for a series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The former Dodgers affiliate now operates as the Low-A team for the Los Angeles Angels.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 05: Pitcher Lucas Erceg #60 of the Kansas City Royals in action during the 8th inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Kauffman Stadium on April 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Kansas City Royals’ struggles to start the season can mostly placed on the offense. They entered Monday’s game last in MLB in runs scored, and the only reason they left that position was that the Mets had a day off Monday and the Royals had the benefit of the Zombie Runner in extra innings. While I still see improved plate discipline in the underlying statistics, my column praising their approach aged like milk. The offense right now is a disaster.
Still, the Royals have had two leads entering the ninth inning over the past week, and manager Matt Quatraro turned to reliever Lucas Erceg to secure the save. Unfortunately, Erceg blew the save against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday and the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Not that any blown save feels good for fans or players, but both of these blown leads felt particularly brutal.
Erceg entered the ninth inning Thursday in Detroit with a two-run lead. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his first home run of the season Thursday in the top of the ninth inning, which gave the team an insurance run, and I was feeling great about their chances to salvage a game against the Tigers. Erceg let the first two batters reach, then got the next two batters out. Frustratingly, the next two Detroit hitters got hits, driving in three runs and giving Erceg his first blown save of the year in a complete gut punch of a loss.
The Royals right-hander had his next chance at redemption on Monday night at Kauffman against the Orioles. He procedeed to walk Gunnar Henderson, pick off Henderson (the shortstops second pickoff out of the night), sandwiched a pair of walks around a groundout before allowing a single to Samuel Basallo which tied the game. Erceg escaped the inning without losing the game, but the Royals would never regain the lead. The Royals and Orioles would go back in forth in extra innings before Baltimore blew the game open with a five-run twelth inning. Kansas City fought valiantly back, but ended up losing 7-5 in a game that felt straight out of 2006.
The Royals offensive ineptitude and twelfth inning meltdown on Monday wasn’t Erceg’s fault, but it’s beyond frustrating to see an offense strand 16 runners and blow a save in the same game. It feels like the Royals can’t catch a break right now and are pressing because of it, and I’d be surprised if the players aren’t feeling some of that as well. Having a shutdown closer wouldn’t magically fix all of this team’s problems, but it could at least help staunch the bleeding while the offense remembers how to drive in runners. Right now, however, the team’s former shutdown closer has gotten shaky.
So what is going on with Erceg? We are still in a very small sample size for this year, but he was not as dominant last year as he was in 2024 when the Royals acquired him in a trade from the Oakland Athletics, so this is starting to feel like a trend away from his dominance. Erceg’s strikeout rate dropped dramatically last year, from 10.51 K/9 to 7.04. He induced more ground balls which helped him remain effective , but all the underlying statistics suggest he was fortunate to only post a 2.64 ERA.
It’s still an extremely small sample size for this year, but the trend line for less strikeouts has continued. His 2026 K/9 after 8.1 innings pitched is 5.4. He’s walked more batters than he has struck out. His Statcast page suggests that he’s earned his results and has not just been unlucky; the reliever is in the 6th percentile in chase rate and the 2nd percentile in whiff percentage. In 2024, he was in the 84th percentile in chase and 86th percentile in whiff percentage. He may be third in the AL in saves with five, but the underlying numbers and the last two outings paint a portrait of a pitcher who is really struggling.
Last night’s at-bat against Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso was a perfect illustration of the struggle Erceg is having right now. The reliever had Alonso down 1-2 in the count, but then threw three straight sliders out of the zone and Alonso did not chase any of them. The Polar Bear had two straight check swings on the first two sliders, but he managed to just hold up. After Alonso drew a walk, Basallo hit a 1-2 fastball for a single, tying the game. 2024 Erceg is for sure able to strike out either Alonso or Basallo, but so far 2026 Erceg was not able to punch out either hitter, and the Royals paid for it.
I actually thought the life on Erceg’s pitches Monday night looked good, but his control was not sharp, hence the three walks. I don’t know how much of a leash the Royals can have with Erceg right now to figure out his command. The Royals need effective Erceg to return and in a hurry, or they need to move on to their third choice to close games this year. The team is 7-16 and trying to avoid playing themselves out of the playoffs before May. If the team feels like that even if they do have a lead it will just be blown in the ninth, then this season will go completely haywire.The 7-16 start and seven game losing streak hasn’t been Erceg’s fault, but he’s at least been part of the problem and not part of the solution.
Apr 20, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) handles the puck as Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) and defenseman Nick Seeler (24) defend during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
This has been a wildly disappointing return to the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Not only are they down 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers after Monday night’s 3-0 loss, they have lost both games at home, now have to go on the road, and seem to be the team that is not ready for the playoff intensity or playoff style. That is a stunning development given the locker room they have, the experience they have, and given that they were simply the better team during the regular season.
None of that has showed itself here.
The Flyers, to their credit, are putting on a defensive clinic through the first two games. They are controlling the neutral zone, blocking shots and closing off lanes in the defensive zone, not letting anybody get near the net and rendering the Penguins power play completely useless. It almost seems as if the Flyers have zero interest in trying to generate anything offensively for themselves and content to just wait for the Penguins to make a mistake and hand them an opportunity.
The Penguins have been happy to oblige. The two goals Philadelphia scored with a goalie in the net on Monday, for example, were the result of just brutal — and avoidable — mistakes by the Penguins.
The lack of offense is not just a lack of goals, but also a lack of chances itself. It feels like they are never in danger of scoring, whether it be during 5-on-5 play or on the power play.
Sure, they have put together a lot of extended shifts in the offensive zone. The Penguins have almost certainly won the territorial battle in terms of puck possession and offensive zone time. But it is not getting them anywhere. They finished Game 2 on Monday with a 73 percent expected goal share during 5-on-5 play. But they only actually generated 2.01 expected goals for themselves, and most of that came in the third period when they were were not only already trailing, but trailing by two goals. Philadelphia took its foot off the gas even more from an offensive perspective.
It has simply been a total power outage in terms of offense. For a team that had 12 different 15-goal scorers during the regular season, and was the third-highest scoring team in the NHL, and the highest-scoring team of the Sidney Crosby era, it is staggering.
Philadelphia is an excellent defensive team, and it has lived up to the hype in that regard. But should it be THIS good?
It is the perfect storm of the Flyers completely buying in to what Rick Tocchet wants them to do, and the Penguins repeatedly banging their heads against the wall. Which is something we have seen from this group in years past in the playoffs. Something has to give.
But what I really wanted to do is just see how these two games stack up to previous Penguins playoff games in the Crosby-Evgeni Malkin era. Where do they stack up in terms of offensive struggles, and in terms of pace?
I pulled data from Natural Stat Trick on every Penguins playoff game going back to the start of the 2007-08 season (as far back as their data goes) and just compared it all.
Including Games 1 and 2 of this series, the Penguins have played 187 playoff games over that stretch.
Some findings:
Their 2.01 expected goals during 5-on-5 play in Game 2 rank 76th on the list, which is higher than I would have anticipated based on the eye test. Their 2.81 expected goals in all situations rank 96th. So … still not great. But also several games worse. About middle of the pack.
Their 1.96 expected goals in all situations in Game 1 rank 163rd, while their 0.96 during 5-on-5 play in Game 1 ranked 178th.
Game 1 was the truly dismal offensively showing, despite the closer score on the scoreboard. It was, by every objective measure, one of the worst offensive playoff games the Penguins have played in the Sidney Crosby era. Scoring chances, expected goals, high-danger scoring chances, shots on goal, attempted shots …. everything across the board was among the bottom-25 showings. A large portion of the games that were worse came during the 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings, and that 2013 Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins. It was that level of bad.
Game 2, in some ways, was better, even if the scoreboard did not reflect. That was especially true during 5-on-5 play. The power play is what largely ruined Game 2, not only by failing to score or generate much in the way of opportunities, but also by giving up one of the ugliest and sloppiest shorthanded goals you could ever imagine seeing in a playoff game.
The other side of this is the reality that the Flyers themselves are not generating anything offensively. And I suspect a lot of that is by design. Probably most of it. They do not have the scoring depth the Penguins do, and are doing everything in their power to keep this series from opening up.
In Game 2, for example, the Penguins allowed just 0.72 expected goals during 5-on-5 play, a staggeringly low number. So low that it is the third-lowest number they have allowed in any playoff game since the 2007-08 playoffs. Third. Lowest.
Even in Game 1, the 1.44 they allowed during 5-on-5 play were 122nd, which is still an extremely good performance in terms of suppressing chances. The Flyers certainly had their opportunities, but they were a handful of rush chances off turnovers and not the result of sustained territorial dominance.
I am not saying the Penguins are playing well defensively or dominating defensively. That is not what I think those numbers reflect. I think they are more a reflection on how the Flyers are playing, and how they have successfully sucked the offense out of this series. It is a big part of what they have done all season, especially after the Olympic break when they made a run to get into the playoffs. They are doing it as well as they have right now.
They have happily turned the series into a low-event rock fight.
In terms of total expected goals during 5-on-5 play, between both teams, these two games have ranked 158th and 174th out of every playoff game the Penguins have played since 2007 (187 games).
That is almost certainly exactly what Philadelphia wants.
The questions now become, 1) Can they keep doing it this well for a few more games, and 2) Will the Penguins pick up a few rocks of their own, or find a way to force the Flyers to play a style they do not want? Maybe getting on the road and having to play a road game will do them well. The Penguins have played well on the road all season. They need to find it again.
Los Angeles, CA - April 14: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia (51) points towards the stands after closing out the ninth inning of an MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Edwin Díaz won’t be closing games for the Dodgers for the foreseeable future, as he’ll be sidelined until the second half of the season. The Dodgers don’t seem all that interested in anointing another pitcher into the capital-c Closer role in the interim, which is to be expected given how they generally operate.
This is what manager Dave Roberts said on Monday afternoon at Coors Field ahead of the series finale against the Colorado Rockies. From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:
“I do feel comfortable with a handful of guys, really, that I feel that can close out games for us,” Roberts said. “So right now, I’m not gonna name a closer.”
The Dodgers have been hesitant to name a closer pretty much since Kenley Jansen left the organization. Even as Evan Phillips was the clear usual choice as closer when healthy in 2023 and 2024, they didn’t name him as closer. But even if anointed, the title can always be temporary. Roberts did not hesitate to remove Jansen from closing duties in his later years with the club, especially in the postseason.
Generally speaking, the Dodgers don’t like to paint themselves into a corner. Naming a closer doesn’t really accomplish much other than ego boosting. It took someone with Díaz’s stature and accomplishments to stray from that path.
Alex Vesia has earned the two saves not recorded by Díaz on the Dodgers this year. Given how they’ve been used and their career track records, expect Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen to get closing opportunities as well. Those three were mentioned by name by Roberts on Monday, and they’ve pitched in the highest-leverage situations this season on the staff among active pitchers.
A dozen different Dodgers recorded saves last year, and a whopping 14 pitchers did so in 2024 (15, counting Walker Buehler’s championship-clincher). Today’s question is a simple one: which Dodgers pitcher(s) would you like to see close games with Edwin Díaz on the shelf?
"Go after Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders," McDaniels said, via the Associated Press. "Tim Hardaway (Jr.), Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, the whole team, just go at them."
The whole team is bad defenders?
"Yeah, they're all bad defenders," McDaniels said, doubling down.
For the record, the Nuggets had the 21st-ranked defense in the NBA during the regular season, although that defense looked much better in Game 1 of the series, a Nuggets win.
In Game 2, McDaniels had 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting, on a night where Anthony Edwards had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle had 24 points, leading the way. Minnesota had a 116.8 offensive rating in Game 2, which is right at the team's regular-season average. What won the Timberwolves the game was its defense, which wore down Jokic and Murray and kept the Nuggets to a 111 offensive rating, more than six points per 100 possessions below their season average.
McDaniels will be celebrated at home, with the series shifting back to Minnesota for games three and four. However, when the series shifts back to Denver for Game 5 next week, he can expect a very special welcome from the Nuggets faithful.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during Round One Game Two of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There’s been a lot of emotion pouring out of the Knicks-verse after the startling fourth-quarter collapse in Game 2 that turned the series from a Knicks stranglehold to anyone’s series. While not quite as jaw-dropping as the collapse against Indiana last year, this one was more methodical. In a way, though, it’s worse because it gave the Knicks countless opportunities to lock in, and it never happened, while there was this drowning sensation in that infamous Game 1 last May.
There are loads of reasons the game went the way it did. The timeout fiasco (Mike Brown did NOT have a timeout at the end of the game, but puzzling usage put them in that spot), the 10 missed free throws, Jalen Brunson’s off-kilter performance disrupting the offense, and a puzzling disappearance by Karl-Anthony Towns.
A reason that a lot of people are blaming is the rotations, which I don’t necessarily agree with for two reasons. For one, the Jose Alvarado-led lineup played effectively even in a 4-5 minute stretch in the second half, and two, the starters had a nine-point lead and the ball multiple times, and the offense shut off. For a lineup that’s been exceptional in fourth quarters and a team that’s historically good in these situations, that’s more to blame for me.
But you can argue that the lack of an optimized rotation allowed the Hawks to hang around in two stretches when they were struggling and to come back. As this series shifts to Atlanta in a suddenly even series, you might not have the margin for error that you had last night.
According to PBP Stats, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are a slight negative when on the court together, but I believe that’s skewed by the late-game charge in Game 1 and whatever the hell that was in Game 2. For six of the eight quarters, they’ve played well together. That’s because the Hawks are mostly using Onyeka Okongwu to guard Towns, but are switching to using Jonathan Kuminga on him in clutch time.
The reason behind that is pretty obvious: the Knicks go into an iso-centric offense around Brunson in these situations, and Towns is a non-factor, so you’re effectively able to take him out of the play and blitz Brunson while having his co-star two passes away. In fact, the only possession in the final five minutes where Okongwu guarded Towns last night was executed quite well, but resulted in a miss:
If Brunson makes this elbow jumper (or kicks to an open Anunoby in the corner), they probably win. Alas, that’s not what we’re here for.
The more startling number is that Mike Brown has now played lineups without Towns or Brunson for 20 minutes through two games, and those lineups are being crushed to the tune of a -13.5 net rating. Most of that is in the truly terrible stretch to start the second quarter, but it’s notable nonetheless.
The three lineups with both on the bench that we mostly saw last night were:
All of these lineups are a negative, albeit in a small sample. The first lineup, in particular, is the team’s second-most common lineup (11 minutes) in the series and is the worst-performing. That’s flat-out bad, especially when you’re playing a team that is as scrappy as the Hawks.
There are real issues with these lineups on offense. While the third lineup is theoretically playable with multiple shooters and ballhandlers, it lacks the alpha that is needed on the court in the playoffs.
There’s also a stylistic problem with how players are being used. Deuce McBride has been a non-factor so far and, for a guy with a reputation of being a plus-minus machine, is involved in all of these negative lineups.
Of the 35 minutes that McBride has played this series, 18 of them are coming without Brunson or Towns. In fact, 15 of them have come without a true point guard (which includes Alvarado). This forces the young guard to take on more on-ball responsibilities, which has never been his forte, especially against an aggressive defense.
In these possessions, you’re seeing either McBride sharing ball-handling duties with Landry Shamet or running in circles to try and create something to no avail. The 18 minutes that McBride has played without Brunson or Towns have a -18.4 net rating, while the brief stints he’s played with either Brunson or Towns have been much stronger.
You go back to the regular season, and these numbers are equally apparent.
McBride with Towns: +7.9 (323 min) McBride with Brunson: +12.7 (273 min) McBride with both: +11.8 (263 min) McBride with neither: +3.5 (121 min)
Deuce thrives on his teammates’ gravity. When Brunson sucks in the defense on a drive, he has open shooters to spray to. When the defense collapses on Towns in the post, he has open shooters to kick it out to. The same can be said for Anunoby and even Mitchell Robinson off an offensive rebound, but these two are the keys. McBride has to play with one of them. He’s inarguably a top-seven player on your roster and needs to make an impact.
In the regular season, lineups without Brunson and Towns didn’t even play well, so choosing to go to them often in this postseason is baffling. It’s one thing when both have four fouls in the third; that’s understandable, but it isn’t in the second quarter. Mike Brown needs to stagger his stars better because complacency in the midst of trying things out is going to make this series a lot longer and more nerve-wracking than it should be.
With the Mets currently on an 11-game losing streak, they could certainly use superstar Juan Soto back as soon as possible.
And it sounds like Soto's return date is now set.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets' "current plan" is for Soto to be activated ahead of Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins, the second game of the three-game series.
The most recent update on Soto from manager Carlos Mendoza noted that Soto had been taking live at-bats and had been doing "high-intensity running."
Soto hasn't played since April 3, when he landed on the IL with a calf strain. The Mets won their first three games without Soto, and then started their current 11-game skid.
Soto had been off to a tremendous start, slashing .355/.412/.516 with one home run and five RBI. The Mets offense has struggled mightily over the last 11 games, averaging just 1.7 runs per game during that span, so adding Soto back into the mix should provide a much-needed boost.
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