Edward Cabrera opposed Braxton Ashcraft. Both threw well enough, Ashcraft getting the upper hand this time around, with help from O’Neil Cruz, who had a Game. Two of the Cubs’ runs came in on groundouts, by Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson. The third was driven in by Alex Bregman, with two out in the bottom of the ninth. The game went to extras.
Alas, the Cubs fell, and they’ll have to salvage one game today, and turn over a new loaf for the next mini-series, Monday against the Phillies.
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Cubs Jaxson Wiggins is dealing with a sore arm. Jed Hoyer confirmed he is being backed up for now.
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The majority of the New York Yankees’ wins early in the 2026 season have come due to their outstanding pitching. Yes, the offense has had its fine moments, including averaging well over seven runs a game in a series win over the Marlins to kick off April, but for the most part, it’s been an underwhelming start. Now, it’s easy to talk about the short sample size that 15 games represent — you could claim that for such a short span of time, nearly any team is able to look like one of the best or the worst offenses in the sport, regardless of how great it actually is. While all of that is true, there are reasons behind perhaps an extra layer of concern in the back of most Yankee fans’ minds since not all struggles come in the same manner.
Remember when Aaron Judge forgot how to hit for the start of the 2024 season, wrapping up April with a .207 batting average in 31 games? Well, despite the end of that horrific run raising plenty of people’s anxiety levels hoping for him to break through, no one was actually concerned about Judge. He was still Judge. What makes the early struggles of 2026 so worrisome is that, for the most part, we’re witnessing reasonable concerns ahead of the season coming to fruition. Let’s run through some of these problems:
For starters, even with the two runs batted in from José Caballero in Saturday’s 5-4 loss against the Rays, the left side of the infield has been the closest thing to automatic outs that you may find up at the plate. Caballero and Ryan McMahon have gone 9-for-76 with exactly one extra-base hit. Sure, no hitter will continue to put up numbers even remotely similar to this, but it’s also true that the expectation level was quite low for these two positions to begin with. If we go back to the start of 2024, McMahon has a .698 OPS, and that’s having spent the bulk of that period in Coors Field. In an ideal universe, particularly for a contender, Caballero fills the role of a versatile piece off the bench capable of impacting games on the basepaths with his running ability. Being thrust into a starting spot due to Anthony Volpe’s injury might be too much to handle. And that doesn’t even dive into what to expect from Volpe, somewhat of a polarizing figure in his time as a Yankee.
Moving forward, other concerns include Trent Grisham’s inability to do anything other than pile up a few walks, as evidenced by his performance against the Rays on Saturday, when he went 0-for-3 with a pair of free passes. In year seven of his career last season, Grisham delivered a completely new level of production, at least over a full season. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume a significant amount of folks are simply expecting him to revert back to his 2024 self. In actuality, Grisham did show a sustainable path to produce at a solid level, but the longer the wait for him to deliver in 2026, the louder those questions will be.
There is also Jazz Chisholm Jr., a player notorious for inconsistencies throughout his career, whose plate discipline numbers early in 2026 have not matched what we have seen from him since becoming a Yankee —striking out over 30 percent of the time and refusing to walk. However early it is in the 2026 season, it’s quite difficult to completely disregard these shortcomings when they come in such familiar ways.
Apr 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
Folks, the vibes: they are bad. The Mets dropped their fourth straight game yesterday after Kodai Senga got knocked around by the Athletics to the tune of seven runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Athletics. To be fair, the bats did subsequently show the most life they’ve shown in quite some time, as home runs from Bo Bichette, Francisco Alvarez, and Jorge Polanco made it a 7-6 ballgame heading into the 8th inning. But Luke Weaver then got beaten up for the second straight outing, surrendering four runs—including a three-run homer from Tyler Soderstrom, his second bomb of the day—to send the Mets right back into the abyss. The final score was 11-6, and now they will simply try to stave off a series sweep.
Devin Williams and Luke Weaver may be suiting up for a team doesn’t have a lot working for them right now, but they do have one thing on their side: the power of friendship.
Around the National League East
The Phillies fell behind early, but home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper propelled them to a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Starting pitcher Janson Junk surrendered five runs in the first three innings against the Tigers, and the Marlins never got much offense going and subsequently fell 6-1.
The Braves bats were shutout by the Guardians pitching staff in a 5-0 loss.
Nationals starter Foster Griffin didn’t allow a hit against the Brewers until the sixth inning yesterday, and Washington defeated Milwaukee 3-1.
️ Rory McIlroy became just the fourth player in history to win consecutive Green Jackets ️ Official Leader Board
Marco Penge was making a good fist of his Masters debut. Especially as the 27-year-old from Crawley, the reigning Spanish Open champion, took a triple-bogey eight at the 2nd on Thursday. Not the most auspicious start to his Augusta National career, but he limited the first-round damage to 76, then shot 69 and 71. Sadly his final round isn’t going so well, and he’s just dumped two balls in the water at the iconic par-three 12th, the first spinning back off the bank, the second from the dropzone not even getting over to dry land before dunking into the drink. A quadruple-bogey seven. He isn’t the first, he won’t be the last, and things could have gotten a whole lot worse, just ask the Towering Inferno …
Bogey at the last for Jon Rahm. A diminuendo end to a fine round of 68. You have to wonder how much buyer’s remorse Rahmbo has for joining the LIV tour: the 2021 US Open champion and 2023 Masters winner has never been the same player since. Still, his recovery this week from an opening round of 78 will give him a little succour. He ends his week at +1, one shy of the current clubhouse leader Gary Woodland.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Florida Panthers 6-2 in a game that will be remembered by absolutely nobody, except perhaps for the players who made their NHL debut, such as Leafs defenseman William Villeneuve. With both teams firmly out of the playoffs, there was little to play for; the race for a better draft pick was the only thing on the minds of fans from both sides.
Crucial to Maple Leafs fans is finishing with a top-five draft pick. That is the only way the team can retain its selection at the 2026 NHL Draft, due to a trade that sent a conditional first-round pick and forward Fraser Minten to the Boston Bruins in exchange for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo.
Thanks to this loss and the Seattle Kraken’s 4-1 defeat by the Calgary Flames, Toronto moved into the fifth-worst spot in the NHL. This puts them right on the “bubble” of where they need to be to retain the pick. The term “bubble” is appropriate because the NHL holds a lottery for the top two selections, meaning one or two teams could potentially bump the Leafs from No. 5 to either No. 6 or No. 7. Should that happen, the selection would revert to Boston.
Moving to the fifth spot tremendously improves Toronto’s chances of keeping their 2026 pick. When they entered the night with the sixth-worst record in the league, Toronto had only a 15.4 percent chance of finishing with a top-five pick following the NHL Draft lottery. By moving into the No. 5 spot on Saturday, that chance improved to 41.9 percent.
While there is still a better chance than not that they fall to either No. 6 or No. 7 given how lottery odds are distributed, this is a much better situation for the franchise. There remains a very slim chance Toronto could finish with the third-worst record in the NHL, which would fully guarantee they keep the pick.
NHL Standings courtesy of NHL.com
Reaching that spot would require some help. The New York Rangers are three points behind Toronto, with both teams having two games remaining. The Calgary Flames are five points back from the Leafs but have three games remaining. If the Flames earn five more points than Toronto in their final three games compared to Toronto’s final two, they could conceivably pass the Leafs. In that scenario, the Flames would hold the first tiebreaker (regulation wins).
If you are a Leafs fan wanting the team to keep its pick, you should be cheering for the Flames to defeat the Utah Mammoth on Sunday evening.
The Philadelphia Flyers are leaving Winnipeg with a sweet 7-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, and some guys are going to be able to enjoy the victory on a personal level, too.
With an assist on a shorthanded goal by Noah Cates, veteran Flyers forward Christian Dvorak, who has proven to be an excellent fit as a free agent signing back on July 1, has reached 300 career points.
Dvorak, 30, is already in the midst of a career year that's seen him rip off 51 points, and he only needs one more goal to set a new career-high there as well.
In his 10-year NHL career, the former second-round pick has 146 points in 302 games with the Arizona Coyotes, 103 points in 232 games with the Montreal Canadiens, and now 51 points in 79 games with the Flyers.
Cates, Dvorak's partner in crime, deserves a shoutout as well.
The 27-year-old expanded on his own career year with a three-point effort against the Jets and is now up to a rather impressive 18 goals and 46 points in 80 games this season, which far exceed expectations for the two-way maven.
At this point in the season, Flyers GM Danny Briere's offseason moves are looking more and more shrewd by the day.
Dvorak, alongside Dan Vladar and Trevor Zegras, have almost single-handedly led the Flyers' turnaround and subsequent charge to a playoff spot this year.
Head coach Rick Tocchet felt Dvorak had more offense to give heading into the season, and was he ever right about that one.
After an intense battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre on Saturday, and the visitors were desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
For a third game in a row, veteran Brendan Gallagher was watching the game from the press gallery, joined by sophomore Zach Bolduc for a second game in a row. As for Kaiden Guhle, he remained out of the lineup, meaning that Adam Engstrom, Arber Xhekaj, and Jayden Struble were all still in the lineup.
With their playoff lives on the line, the Blue Jackets came out strong and stormed the Canadiens’ zone early on. Less than two minutes in, they were up by one and had four shots on net. Five and a half minutes later, they were up by two and just looked like they wanted it more.
While one might think well, that’s normal since they haven’t booked their playoff spot, it’s a bit worrying. At this stage of the season, teams should be playing playoff-like hockey every day. Montreal did a good job of it against Tampa Bay, but on Saturday night, they looked like they weren’t ready.
A week from now, when the puck drops on the playoffs, every game is going to be a must-win game, and every team will be fighting for its life. Montreal needs to be ready for that right out of the gate, and those last three games against teams fighting for a playoff spot are a perfect rehearsal that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Missing Guhle
With Guhle missing a third game in a row, the fact that the Canadiens are missing him dearly had never been so obvious. Struble had many hard shifts and committed four giveaways through 40 minutes. One of them was particularly costly when he got rid of the puck in a hurry in the defensive zone, even though he was under no pressure to do so whatsoever. Still, he coughed it up to Kent Johnson, who fed it to Sean Monahan, who scored Columbus’ fourth goal in a flash, which was a gut punch for the Canadiens.
To make matters worse, Noah Dobson also left the game after blocking a shot with the inside of his hands, where there isn’t much padding… The Canadiens will hope that it’s not a serious injury with the playoffs right around the corner. Being without him to start the spring dance will be disastrous for the Habs, he plays a lot of minutes and a significant role for the team.
On The Bright Side Of Things…
Cole Caufield scored his 51st goal of the season from an almost impossible angle and, unsurprisingly, Nick Suzuki got an assist on the play, giving him his 99th point of the season. With two games left to play, the captain will have every opportunity to reach the historic milestone and become just the sixth player in Canadiens history to achieve the feat.
There was a worrying moment in the third frame when Zach Werenski checked him by the boards with the puck nowhere near him. The blueliner got a two-minute interference penalty, but the Russian rookie, who crashed into the boards face-first, had to leave the game momentarily. Thankfully, he was able to come back and looked no worse for wear, taking a couple of hard shots in the last few minutes. Still, the Jackets got a 5-2 win, and it was the first time since March 3 that Jakub Dobes allowed five goals or more.
The Canadiens will now take on the New York Islanders on Sunday at 6:00 PM and the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Both teams are in a race to the finish, battling for the last playoff spot in the East with the Jackets. Meanwhile, the Canadiens find themselves in third place in the Atlantic Division since the Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 to get to 104 points and have more regulation wins than the Habs.
It shows Rogie Vachon, left hand tucked into a pocket of his bell-bottom jeans and a cigar wedged between two fingers of his right hand, which rests on the hood of a new Mercedes in an empty parking lot outside the Forum. His open V-neck shirt has huge lapels, his hair hangs down to his shoulders and a bushy mustache creases his smiling face, leaving Vachon looking more like the bassist for Spinal Tap than an NHL goaltender.
And that was the point.
Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971. The NHL had expanded to California four seasons earlier, yet even taken together the Kings and California Seals weren’t drawing enough fans to merit the word “crowd.”
“We were the punchline of a bad joke for a lot of years,” said Mike Murphy, who played with Vachon on those early Kings teams.
Rogie Vachon was the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Kings following his retirement. (Bruce Bennett Studios / Getty Images)
Hockey was wilting in the sun. If the sport was going to survive in the desert it needed stars, it needed personalities and it needed a cultural makeover — especially in Los Angeles, where the box-office draw was everything.
That’s where Vachon, a small-town farm boy from French-speaking Quebec, came in.
“It was really a culture shock,” he said. “In Montreal we won three [Stanley] Cups in four years. And then I come to L.A.; it’s sunny every time we go to practice or the game. Not a whole lot of people in the stands. Our team was pretty lousy too.
“So yeah it was a hell of a culture shock.”
Which brings up back to that 1975 photo, with the long-haired Vachon and his ferret-sized mustache looking fabulous in front of the Forum.
The clean shave and conservative haircut he had been forced to wear in Montreal were gone and Vachon was all Hollywood cool, as if Central Casting had created a West Coast hockey player — one with an unforgettable French-Canadian name full of soft vowels and voiced fricatives — and dressed him in a purple-and-gold No. 30 jersey.
And it worked.
“I think the fans really adopted me when I got there, probably because of my style,” said Vachon, who stretched out to 5-foot-8 if he stood on his tippy toes, but had a heart bigger than his body. “I was pretty quick. Small, but you know the style I was playing was very aggressive.
By the end of his third full season in L.A., Vachon had become Southern California’s first hockey star and the face of a franchise that badly needed one. He was not just a crowd favorite, NHL All-Star and the team’s first Vezina Trophy finalist, but he started the Kings on a streak that would see them qualify for the playoffs nine straight times, still a franchise record.
Not even Wayne Gretzky could match that.
“He was very popular,” said Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller, who began calling Kings games in Vachon’s second season in L.A. “He was very approachable. He was so dynamic and friendly. He made people want to come out and see games.”
Vachon, 80, did more than help the Kings survive, he helped them thrive. As a player he led the team to its first winning record, then returned to become the general manager who traded for Gretzky and drafted Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake. He also had a winning record in three stints as an interim coach, making him the only man in franchise history to serve as a player, assistant coach, head coach and general manager.
Kings goaltender Rogie Vachon tries to avoid a collision with Chicago's Stan Mikita and the Kings' Dave Hutchison during a game in March 1977. (Fred Jewell / Associated Press)
In his last five seasons as the Kings’ goaltender, Vachon ranked in the top five in wins four times. In 1974-75, he led the NHL in save percentage (.927), had a career-best 2.24 goals-against average and finished 14 points behind Bobby Clarke in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the league’s MVP award.
In many ways it remains the best regular season in franchise history, with the team earning a record 105 points and a .656 winning percentage in an 80-game season. It lost just 17 times, also a team record for a full season.
By the time Vachon left after seven seasons, the Kings were a perennial playoff contender. The Seals, who never found their star, went through four name changes and three ownership groups before moving to Cleveland.
Did Vachon save hockey in Southern California, and by extension open the NHL to a wave of expansion that has seen the league grow to 32 teams, some in warm-weather markets such as Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Anaheim and Las Vegas?
Well, he certainly didn’t hurt it.
“If it weren’t for him, maybe the Kings wouldn’t exist,” said Robitaille, the team’s all-time leading goal-scorer and its president since 2017. “He was a superstar. He brought people in, kept the Kings alive.
“It’s a pretty amazing record when you think about it.”
During his playing days, Vachon’s home was the 46 square feet directly in front of his team’s goal. Today his home is an eight-acre ranch in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, about 45 miles south of Missoula.
“It’s nice and calm and we have mountains all over the place,” he said.
The nearest town, Hamilton, isn’t much bigger than the one where Vachon grew up in rural Quebec. Back then the farm he lived on had more than a dozen dairy cows, plus sheep, pigs and plow horses, since his family didn’t have a tractor. In retirement, he’s gone back to that childhood, mucking the stalls and helping care for a menagerie that includes two horses, 10 mini goats, two mini pigs, a pair of horses and a bunch of chickens and dogs and cats.
“The idea of coming out and getting a little bit of land and getting some animals, he liked that idea,” Vachon’s son, Nick, remembered. “But he said no cows. He might have been traumatized by the early mornings and milking twice a day.”
One of eight children — four boys and four girls — Vachon played his first hockey games at age 5 on a makeshift rink on the farm, and it wasn’t long before the neighborhood kids were taping department store catalogs to his legs for goalie pads and pushing him in front of the net — ostensibly for his safety since he was always the smallest kid on the ice.
He would never leave the crease, proving so comfortable there he was playing against grown men when he was just 12.
Montreal sent a regional scout named Scotty Bowman — who went on to become the winningest coach in NHL history — to scout him and he liked what he saw, so much so he convinced Vachon’s parents to let their teenage son sign with the Canadiens. Shortly after his 21st birthday, Vachon was in the NHL, making his debut without a mask and recording his first save on a breakaway by Hall of Famer Gordie Howe.
Montreal made the Stanley Cup Final in each of Vachon’s first three seasons, winning twice. But when he lost the starting job in goal to rookie Ken Dryden early in his sixth season, Vachon requested a trade and the Canadiens obliged, banishing him to L.A., then the NHL’s version of a warm-weather Siberia.
The Montana ranch where he lives now, surrounded by fir and pine trees, the shadows of the Bitterroots and silence, is the perfect retirement home, although it’s one Vachon found more by accident than design.
Vachon was still living by the beach in Southern California in 2016 when his wife, Nicole, whom he married less than a month after his trade to the Kings, died of brain cancer. Four years later, Vachon approached Nick, who was working as general manager of the L.A. Junior Kings/L.A. Lions, with the idea of uniting the family under one roof again.
Montreal goalie Rogie Vachon looks for the puck next to defenseman Serge Savard during a game against the St. Louis Blues in November 1969. (Fred Waters / Associated Press)
“I was living in a big house in Venice all by myself,” he said. “This sort of put into my mind that we should sell our houses in L.A. and move in together.”
So father and son rented a motor home, and along with Nick’s wife, Renee, and daughter Chloe, now 16, headed to Montana, where they found a home big enough for two horses, allowing Chloe, who grew up near the ocean in Redondo Beach, to train to become a barrel racer in the rodeo.
“We were definitely not horse people. Like what is a barrel racer? We had no idea,” said Nick Vachon, who followed his father into the NHL, playing one game with the New York Islanders — against the Kings — in 1996.
“She just loves animals. She’s kind of our resident vet. She helped deliver our baby goats and she does all the horse stuff.”
The elder Vachon hasn’t faced a puck in anger since his second and final season with the Boston Bruins in 1982. He says he’s just 15 pounds over his playing weight of 165 pounds, pretty fit for a guy limited by two knee replacements.
The once-famous dark mane has gone white and is neatly cropped and the bushy mustache is now just a brush of hair below his nose. But the cigars remain as do the memories, which are rekindled by the letters and autograph requests that still arrive regularly in the mailbox.
His Hall of Fame jacket, which Vachon says he hasn’t won since his induction a decade ago, sits on a hanger in a closet and just a few framed jerseys and photos hang on the walls of his five-bedroom farmhouse.
“He’s got some stuff,” Nick Vachon said. “But he’s pretty humble. He doesn’t like to put up too much.”
Vachon became one of the NHL’s top goaltenders in Los Angeles, so when he left as an unrestricted free agent after the 1977-78 season, he commanded what was then the top salary in history at his position, a five-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings worth $1.9 million. But he had two miserable seasons there, giving up more than 3½ goals a game, before being traded to Boston, where he did little better.
Still, when he retired in 1982, Vachon ranked among the top six all time in games and wins by a goalie. More than four decades later only Jonathan Quick has played or won more games for the Kings, who made Vachon’s No. 30 the first to be retired by the franchise.
However, there would be a second act for Vachon’s hockey career and naturally it would unfold in Los Angeles.
A year after his retirement, Vachon returned to the Kings as a goaltender coach, but before that first season was over he had been promoted to coach, then general manager, a position for which he had no experience, yet one he would hold for eight years, guiding the team to seven straight playoff berths and three trips to the division finals.
Those years proved consequential for other reasons as well since Vachon was the general manager who finalized the 1988 trade that brought Gretzky to L.A. Soon the Kings were the talk of the town, with President Reagan and wife Nancy even sitting rinkside.
The franchise had come a long way since Vachon’s early playing days, when those rinkside seats would sit empty.
Vachon was also the one who took Robitaille with the 171st pick, in the ninth round of the 12-round 1984 draft — and even then it was considered a gamble. But it was one that quickly paid off with Robitaille recording 191 points in his final junior season, then scoring 45 goals and winning the Calder Trophy in his first NHL campaign.
“The scouts were not quite as high on him as my dad was,” Nick Vachon said. “Finally he forces the scout at the table; he’s like ‘we’re picking Luc this round. I don’t care what you guys say.'"
“I owe him a lot,” Robitaille said of Vachon.
Robitaille, who also spent more time as an executive with the Kings then he did as a player with the team, said the transition from the ice to the front office can be a difficult one. Yet it’s one Vachon mastered quickly.
Luc Robitaille shakes hands with Rogie Vachon as Kings greats Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor look on before a pregame ceremony at the Forum in October 1998. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“When you’re a player, you live the moment. All that matters is that day,” Robitaille said. “When you get into management, you’re trying to win tomorrow but at the same time you’ve got a plan for next season and sometimes two, three years ahead.”
In retirement, however, Vachon doesn’t have to think any further ahead than the next sunset.
“He’s such a nice man but at the same time he’s got a ton of character,” Robitaille said. “Every time I talk to him, he just sounds so happy. That’s what life is about, isn’t it?”
Vachon’s son agrees. Because while the long hair, the mustache and the Mercedes are all gone, a broad smile still creases the old goalie’s face.
“When we first moved out here, he’d go out every day and just take in the air,” Nick Vachon said. “He just sits outside and enjoys the fresh air and so yeah, he’s super happy.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket as Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks plays defense during the game on January 27, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We made it. There have been ups and downs, and not everyone has an appendix that started with one, but we have reached the final game of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. The entire Eastern Conference tips off at the same time this evening to allow for maximum suspense for different seeding permutations. If you’re reading a game preview for Game 82, I imagine you know the Sixers’ situation by now. Philadelphia needs to win and have both Orlando and Toronto lose to earn the sixth seed and avoid the Play-In. If the Sixers win and one of those two other teams wins, they’ll be the seventh seed and host the 7-vs-8 game. If they lose OR both of those other teams win, they’ll be the eighth seed and on the road for that game. Of course, with Orlando playing Boston, who is sitting everyone, and Toronto facing Brooklyn, who is Brooklyn, things aren’t looking great for our 76ers in the seeding race.
First things first, though, the Sixers need to take care of business against the Bucks, a prospect that isn’t as formidable as past years. Milwaukee sits at 32-49, currently with the 10th highest draft lottery odds. This Bucks season could serve as a reminder to Sixers fans that weird stuff happens with other franchises too. Giannis Antetokounmpo and management have been engaged in the most passive-aggressive NBA feud I can recall; he hasn’t played since March 15. Doc Rivers is using “look at my resume” as a locker room motivational speech and openly opining to reporters about spending more time with his grandkids.
Meanwhile, the Sixers’ vibes roller coaster is at another trough following Joel Embiid’s appendectomy surgery. The likeliest scenario is we have seen Embiid on the court for the last time until the fall. He and Johni Broome are both out tonight, the only members of the Sixers to appear on the injury report. However, Tyrese Maxey’s pinky still looks like it’s bothering him to some extent. Aside from all the obvious benefits of avoiding the Play-In Tournament, getting Maxey an extra half week of rest would seemingly be very helpful. But again, it’s Boston’s C squad and the Nets we are counting on, so let’s not get carried away.
It’s possible that the Sixers only have three games remaining this season. Even if you’re in the camp of not thinking this game will matter much, just remember how late June feels when you’re jonesing just to watch G Leaguers and future Euro league guys wear glorified pinnies with Sixers written on them out in Vegas. Tyrese Maxey is still capable of brilliance with nine healthy fingers, Paul George has turned back the clock at least a couple years since coming back from suspension, and VJ Edgecombe can put a stamp on what has been an outstanding rookie season. Enjoy this somewhat important, but probably ultimately not super critical game, before the stakes kick up quite a few notches this upcoming week.
Game Details
When: Sunday, April 12, 6:00 PM ET Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow:@LibertyBallers
Apr 1, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) smiles before shooting a free throw against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
The Spurs have exceeded fan and pundit expectations this year. Their rise has been multifaceted. De’Aaron Fox’s selflessness paired with his ability to augment his role based the need at an exact moment has allowed players around him to grow. But as seen when both Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama sat out last Wednesday, Fox can come out of the gate at full force and take control of the hardwood.
Victor Wembanyama took the leap many anticipated. As the next face of the NBA, he brings poise, savvy and a unique swagger to the role while seeming to break some NBA rule almost nightly.
As the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle elevated his game and is now developing into a premiere defender with physicality capability to interrupt some of the game’s leading ball-handlers.
And let me just say — Julian Champagnie is the real deal! He now owns the Spurs record for three-pointers made in a season. At the start of the season, he filled in as a starter for positions 1-4. Now, he’s earned that starting spot. With his defensive prowess, rebounding capabilities, catch-and-shoot threes, and his recently unveiled flair for the dunk, Champagnie, he’s a bonafide threat no matter where is on the court. Oh, and for those counting, he has the second most starts this year behind De’Aaron Fox. Let that sink in.
Devin Vassell, the second longest tenured member of the Spurs roster, has one of the purest midrange games out there. His ability to move without the ball and nail threes on the move makes him hard to defend. He’s currently hitting at 38.4% and with all the attention Wemby gets, he’s bound to see more wide open threes in the playoffs.
Dylan Harper is everything the Spurs could have hoped for and then some. The rookie hit the court NBA ready, shows no fear when slashing into the paint, and has a gift for breaking defenders ankles at the rim. As Carter Bryant said the other night, on a different team Harper is a starter and a contender for Rookie of the the Year.
And let’s just say, if Keldon Johnson is not the 2026 Sixth Man of the Year, there is no justice in this world. Is there another player who gracefull bullies his way to the rim? KJ has an understanding of his strengths and utilizies them like no other player. And that’s on the court. He is the heart and soul of the Spurs, through and through.
What do all seven of those players have in common? They are all averaging double-digit scoring.
Harrison Barnes is averaging 9.9 points per game.
If he scores 17 points tonight, he will also average double-digits.
And that would be the first time in NBA history that eight players have all averaged 10 or more points per game each.
That is the one of the purest stats demonstrating the Spurs depth. It’s the very chemistry behind 62 (possibly 63) wins. The sum of the parts exceeds any one man’s greatness. It is a testament to their unity as a team and their dedication to winning a title. Not next year, but right now.
And Barnes, as much as anyone on the team, is proof positive of that motivation.
An NBA champion who brought a veteran presence to the Spurs, Barnes had been a stater for over a decade. He selflessly relinquished the position to Champagnie and has since been helping to solidify the bench, which will be essential for a deep playoff run.
Whether Barnes scores the 17 tonight or not is inconsequential to the Spurs ability to win a title.
Setting an NBA record, in a league obsessed with records, is a great way to end the regular season.
But the Spurs are no longer about the regular season. They want 16 more wins. We all want 16 more wins. And it is now time to cheer them on toward victory.
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 08: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on April 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
Can we possibly make it a day without there being any bad Orioles injury news? Yesterday was not the day, with the O’s losing Adley Rutschman to the injured list due to left ankle inflammation before the game even began and then having Ryan Mountcastle exit the game early after having an awkward run from first to second while hitting a double. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said both players will receive an MRI on their respective injuries today. That doesn’t mean we, the fans, will get the news about those injuries today.
The Rutschman injury clearly caught the team off guard, since he was only placed on the injured list minutes before the game began and the team had to rush catcher Maverick Handley up from Bowie to serve as the backup for the game. That might only be the one game, because the team also seemed to be maneuvering to get catcher Sam Huff up from Norfolk in time for today.
In the process of this roster shuffling, pitcher Chayce McDermott was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Handley. The 27-year-old McDermott had washed out as a starter in the organization and did not do enough to show he had value as a reliever either. They don’t all turn into Kyle Bradish. A different 40-man roster move will need to be made for Huff. That might just be DFA’ing Handley after one game.
At least the Orioles did manage to win the game while all that was going on. The game was not without its frustrations, but the O’s ended up as 6-2 winners over the Giants, in the process moving themselves back up to a .500 record at 7-7. The Orioles are tied for second place in the AL East and just one game behind the Yankees. As bad as things have felt through these early couple of weeks, one difference between 2025 and 2026, at least so far, is that it’s not slipping away. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.
The major league team was joined by victories from all four farm teams on Saturday night, delivering the always fun system sweep. Frederick’s JT Quinn struck out 10 batters with no walks allowed in 4.2 innings of an 11-2 win for the Keys. That’s pretty good. We’ll have more from that farm action elsewhere on Camden Chat later on Sunday.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
A lot of people want to talk about Pete Alonso, which is understandable since he’s batting .167/.262/.259 through his first 14 games.
Why a few Orioles hitters could take a lesson from Taylor Ward (Baltimore Baseball) Ward has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise on offense so far this season, all the more impressive considering that he is not hitting the dingers that I thought he would have to hit to make any kind of positive contribution around here.
In their 14th game a year ago, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays, 5-4, to improve their record to 6-8 for the season. A three-run sixth inning that included Adley Rutschman hitting a home run put the Orioles on top. Despite walking two batters, Félix Bautista had his first save of the season. Five players who appeared in the game that day are still on the active roster.
There is one current Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 26th to Cade Povich! Hey, he’s today’s starting pitcher. Good luck on your birthday. A few former Orioles were also born on this day. They are: 2023 reliever Shintaro Fujinami, 2024 reliever Burch Smith, 1961-67 catcher Charley Lau, 1956 pitcher Mel Held, and 1955-57 pitcher Bill Wight.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: St. Peter’s Basilica architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1484), Declaration of Independence signer Lyman Hall (1724), author Beverly Cleary (1916), author Tom Clancy (1947), actress Claire Danes (1979), Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie (1987), and actress Saoirse Ronan (1994).
On this day in history…
In 1204, soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, who were supposed to re-take the city of Jerusalem, instead breached the walls and entered the city of Constantinople.
In 1796, then-less-known army commander Napoleon Bonaparte won his first substantial victory in the Battle of Montenotte, maneuvering to prevent allied Austrian and Piedmont forces from joining up with one another. One result of this victory was that portions of modern-day Italy were annexed by France at the end of this war. Many more Napoleonic wars remained.
In 1861, insurrectionist Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, effectively marking the beginning of the Civil War.
In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away, leading Vice President Harry Truman to ascend to the presidency.
In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 12. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
Apr 11, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Do the Phillies need to win this series at home to make you start feeling any better about them? Most people I know that follow the team are somewhat “blah” about the start the team has gotten off too, not caring that it’s just the beginning of the year still. They just want to see wins. This would be the second of three series at home they would be the victors of, an important thing as the season goes along. Is it a must win?
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Eli Serrano III #34 of the New York Mets runs off the field during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Clover Park on March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Carl Edwards probably isn’t a starting pitcher. Nick Morabito had no hits. Ryan Clifford got the day off only to strike out in his lone at bat as a pinch hitter. It was a 5-0 loss.
The Rumble Ponies blew a lead in the ninth, failed to rally back in regulation, but then managed to hold the Patriots off the board in the tenth and won in the bottom half. Eli Serrano was the walkoff hero, driving in Jacob Reimer – who successfully stole 3rd after starting the inning at second as the ghost runner – with the game winning run. A.J. Ewing continued his strong start, singling and walking three times and maintaining his OPS over 1.097.
Another win in extras here, though this was not of the walkoff variety. The Cyclones tied the game in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch, then scored three more in the tenth. There was both a bases loaded walk in there and yet another run scored on a wild pitch – it’s a High-A game in April folks. Mitch Voit had a three hit day in the win.
Much better in game 2. Everyone except Eddinson Paulino got in on the action. Cam Tilly wasn’t quite as good as last week but still flashed strikeout stuff and got enough support from the offense that it didn’t much matter.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 18: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals and Ryan Graves #27 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battle for position during a game at Capital One Arena on January 18, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (41-23-16, 98 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Washington Capitals (41-30-9, 91 points, 5th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 3:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Nationally televised game on TNT, streaming on HBO Max
Pens’ Path Ahead: Only one more to go in the regular season after this! The Penguins jet over to St. Louis to play the Blues on Tuesday and then the real fun begins next weekend with Pittsburgh hosting a Game 1 on Saturday or Sunday.
Opponent Track: It’s about the end of the line for the Capitals, they finish up in Columbus on Tuesday and then start planning for next season, barring a collapse by the Flyers.
Season Series: There were only three PIT/WSH games this season, today being the third. Yesterday was the second, which kinda a bummer to only play Washington one time in the first 79 games. That ended up being a 5-3 Penguin win in Pittsburgh way back on November 6th. Next season the NHL will have an 84-game schedule that ensures all division opponents play four times per year.
Getting to know the Capitals
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Anthony Beauvillier – Dylan Strome – Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Ryan Leonard
Aliaksei Protas – Ilya Protas – Tom Wilson
Brandon Duhaime – Justin Sourdif – Ivan Mirshinchenko
DEFENSEMEN
Martin Fehervary / Rasmus Sandin
Jacob Chychrun / Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson / Matthew Roy
Goalies: Logan Thompson and Mitchell Gibson
Potential scratches: David Kampf, Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath, Charlie Lindgren
Injured Reserve: none
There’s a lot to like in the lineup with young players like Leonard and Sourdif taking steps forward this year and the emergence of Hutson, I. Protas and Mirshinchenko. The Caps won’t be playoff-bound this year but still have some nice young pieces starting to matriculate to the NHL.
The long-term injury to Dubois, who missed 55 games this year, ended up being a season killer. Dubois put up 66 points last season and helped both special teams units, it was an absence surely missed down the middle that a young player like Hendrix Lapierre just couldn’t fill.
A lotta beef on that third line that goes 6’6” 250, 6’6” 225 and 6’4” 225. Also has the rarity of two brothers playing on the same line, which is pretty cool and hasn’t happened professionally with Aliaksei being six years old than his ‘little’ brother. (Hard to call any 6’6”, 225 pound 19-year old ‘little’, isn’t it?)
The Caps might have to double dip and play Thompson for a second day in a row to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
Season stats via hockeydb (not including yesterday’s game)
There’s a changing of the guard in Washington, John Carlson is out via a trade and Cole Hutson is in as the potential next top puck moving, point producing defenseman for the team. Hutson has looked the part, jumping straight into the NHL after his college season ended and already has five power play points in his first 11 career games. He’s still a teenager but it already looks clear that he will be a quality player for a long time to come.
Veteran center Nic Dowd was also traded for futures and there’s a spot for young Ilya Protas (62 points in 66 AHL games as a 19 year old!) to make a move up the depth chart at that position. Somehow I. Protas fell to 75th overall in the 2024 draft, he too looks like he will be a keeper and is way ahead of the development curve of where his big brother was at the same age.
Ovechkin leading the Caps in goals is nothing new or strange, but him being their top point getter this year is indicative of some of the problems. That team needed the supporting cast to step up and move past the aging star.
Chychrun has 45 goals since the start of 2024-25. Only Cale Makar (50) and Zach Werenski (45) are even in the same neighborhood across the NHL as being consistent and very real goal-scoring weapons from the blueline.
Charlie Lindgren went from secret weapon (appearing in 50 games with a .911 save% in 2023-24) to an outright liability this season. He’s locked in for the next two seasons at a $3.0 million cap hit, the Caps are going to have to hope for a bounce-back next season. Thompson can certainly handle things as the clear franchise goalie but the backup position and caliber of play was a big sore spot on the season.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Ville Koivunen
Anthony Mantha- Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Kevin Hayes – Avery Hayes
Elmer Soderblom – Joona Koppanen – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Sam Girard / Jack St Ivany
Ryan Graves / Ilya Solovyov
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Blake Lizotte (injured), Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Erik Karlsson, Parker Wotherspoon, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust
IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)
Since the Penguins pulled the plug on most of their top players yesterday at home, no reason to think any of them are going to come back for today’s game. Now that Mantha appeared in his 80th game and secured his last performance bonus, maybe he even joins them.
Thought it was funny that the team didn’t even bother to list temporary alternate captains for the day. Rakell, Kevin Hayes and Acciari would have made good ones as a little reward for playing.
One last time for Ovi vs the Pens?
Alex Ovechkin has punted an official decision on any playing next season until the summer. He got a nice ovation from the crowd in Pittsburgh yesterday and the Caps were sure to swoop up the puck from the officials after Ovechkin’s empty net goal yesterday. That might have been a “just in case” move, but it’s crazy to think that could have potentially been his final goal in the NHL.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: New York Yankees Outfielder Aaron Judge (99), Infielder Ben Rice (22) and Outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) watch the action on the field during the regular season game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays on April 10, 2026, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We’re three weeks into the season, and officially in our first stretch of the doldrums. The Yankees’ bats have gone completely unreliable over the course of a four-game losing streak, backed up mainly by Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton swinging solid bats and the rest of the lineup noodling around. Their latest attempt to break out of their funk saw them waste a solid Max Fried start, rally late to take a lead as José Caballero managed to find a two-run double just to blow the lead in the same inning, and then repeat that in extras. They’ll look to salvage the series finale later today, but suffice to say things are not looking great for the pinstripes.
Today on the site, Estevão leads off with a look at how the concerns of the offseason have come to roost in the lineup’s early struggles, and then Matt gets a double-feature first covering the Rivalry Roundup and the results around the league from Saturday before getting into the history of Sammy Vick’s time as a Yankee on his birthday. Kento dives into Statcast to examine some key Yankees’ batting stance changes entering 2026, and after the game John will be around to deliver the weekly social media spotlight.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 1:40 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Rays.tv
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Questions/Prompts:
1. Are we going to see the first sweep go against the Yankees this year, or can they get a sliver of revenge in the Trop?
2. Of the batters under the Mendoza line, who do you think will be the first to get back above it?
