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San Antonio vs. Chicago, Final Score: Spurs and Wemby rein in Bulls 129-114

Wembanyama stood head and shoulders above the Chicago frontline tonight in San Antonio’s home victory
Mar 30, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) rebounds in the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

In a first half characterized by alternating runs — somtimes back-to-back — from Chicago (29-46) and San Antonio (57-18), it was the Spurs that pulled away behind a 35-19 second quarter — specifically the dominance of superstar Victor Wembanyama and stellar guards — Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. The Spurs held a 31-18 rebound edge through the first 24 minutes of action, and managed to build on that disparity well into the second half (41-23 after three and 55-35 total).

San Antonio was led by Wembanyama (41 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Castle (19 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds). Julian Champagnie (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) worked through a sluggish start, and Keldon Johnson (15 points) and Harper (13 points and 6 rebounds) were crucial during that second quarter push.

Former Spur Tre Jones (23 points and 3 assists) performed well enough for Chicago in the loss. Leonard Miller (21 points and 7 rebounds) had an outsized impact offenisvely for the Bulls, while Collin Sexton (20 points) played like he was competing with Rob Dillingham for playing time.

Wembanyama figured in on nearly every consequential play for the first 6+ minutes of action — putting up 10 points, 5 rebounds, and a block for measure. Starting with Jones’ steal and reverse, Chicago spread its production out among the starters, and shot better from distance to stake itself to leads throughout the stanza. Jones took advantage of his familiarity with the rims to lead the Bulls in scoring, but San Antonio still went to the second period up 29-28.

Despite a brief halting of the offensive momentum to start the second, both teams — particularly Castle for San Antonio and Miller for Chicago — resumed the scoring pace. San Antonio was able to build its lead by cutting down the amount of open shots conceded and walling off driving lanes. After seeing two triples go down, Castle leveraged the threat of his outside shot to find San Antonio’s bigs deep in the paint, and the Spurs benefitted from entering the foul bonus to pad their advantage. Though an old Spur (Jones) scored last for Chicago, it was the brightest Spur (Wembanyama) that hit a three to send the Spurs to halftime up 64-47.

Though they looked like one YouTube video repeating the same dunk, Wembanyama strung together an impressive solo reel of dunks at the start of the third period, and San Antonio ran their lead up to 25. Meanwhile, Jones seemed like the only starter able to counter the Spurs meaningfully. Jones kickstarted a 10-0 run late in the frame, and yet Chicago could only draw within 19. San Antonio went to the fourth up 20.

Observations

  • George ‘The Iceman’ Gervin.
  • The Bulls and Hornets were the only NBA teams that could pull off the pinstripe look.
  • Wow – a nightcap of Thunder and Pistons!
  • The gentleman next to me on my flight Saturday (wearing a University of Arizona cap) gushed about Carter Bryant for the better part of the four hour trip. Apparently he was very happy as an alum to see the line of Wildcat players coming to San Antonio continue.
  • Devin’s Deeds: Well into garbage time, Vassell clanked a fadeaway jumper, and in folllowing him back downcourt, he never gave up on the play and managed to swat away Buzelis’ floater (that was called for goaltending).
  • Harrison Barnes WITH headband – 0 for 2 from three. #pobrecito
  • Sequence of the Game #1: Some dogged defense later in the first half led to a Barnes steal, and Wembanyama spotted a streaking Castle down the right side for a slam off of two feet that Dominique Wilkins would have been proud of.
  • Sequence of the Game #2: Though we’ve long been accustomed to Wembanyama’s greatness around the rim, the NBC broadcast team did a great job of affirming the unselifhness involved in San Antonio’s wings setting him up. (That rookie season of futile attempts to find Wembanyama seems like a distant memory).

Game Rundown

After the Bulls’ second basket at the rim in 72 seconds, Coach Johnson called a Pop-like timeout. San Antonio started the first couple of possessions with Wembanyama on the right block, but the forward succeeded four times from three different spots straightaway in the painted area. Chicago had a moderately easy time getting buckets on drives and held a slight advantage on several occasions. Successive triples from Isaac Okoro and Sexton put the Bulls up three, but those were immediately matched by a lightning fast seven point burst from Harper. Despite a very poor outside shooting start, San Antonio — starting with Harper’s scoring and ending with a Keldon Johnson three — left it up one.

Aside from Barnes’ first three points and an awkward Giddey floater, there was a scoring drought spanning the first three minutes of the second period. Then the floodgates shot open, as Miller got to double digits scoring with some sneaky hot shooting, while Giddey found his groove, as well. Champagnie saw a floater and a corner three go down, while Castle saw his first three go down, too. Castle’s catch-and-shoot three seconds later gave the Spurs their biggest lead (eight) to that point. San Antonio played its best two-way minutes to end the half, as the Bulls found themselves forcing things more noticeably. Aside from a Johnson score, Wembanyama and Castle carried the rest of San Antonio’s production to lead by 17 at the break.

Wembanyama’s personal 12-point burst in the third put the Bulls on the ropes, while Vassell encouragingly hit his first three during that barrage, too. Seconds after his re-entry, Miler hit yet another three for Chicago. Harper put up two quick scores on his own, and the comfortable 20+ point cushion allowed for the Spurs to try out different line-ups.

For the Bulls fan’s perspective, please visit Blog A Bull.

San Antonio takes on Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night at 9:00 PM CDT on ESPN.

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Cubs BCB After Dark: Who will lead the Cubs in home runs?

May 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) hits a single during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

It’s Monday here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us. There’s always room for one more. The dress code is casual. We have a few tables still available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last week, I asked you for your pick on how many wins the Cubs will have in 2026. Fifty-four percent of you think the Cubs will win between 90 and 94 games, or the same that they did last year. Another 23 percent said between 95 and 99 games. I like that “100 or more” got eight votes and “under 80” only got 1.

Here’s the part with the music and the movie stuff. You’re always free to skip that.

Tonight we have the Robert Glasper Trio playing “59 South” live in 2010.

Alibi Ike (1935) always gets mentioned among the best early baseball movies, but I had never seen it before last week. It’s a slight but amusing comedy starring Joe E. Brown, William Frawley and in her film debut, Olivia De Havilland.

Based on a story by Ring Lardner, Brown plays Francis Farrell, a terrific pitcher with a tendency to make up excuses for everything. That earns him the nickname “Alibi Ike” from his teammates on the Cubs. (Yes! This is a movie about the Cubs. More on that in a bit.) De Havilland plays Dolly, the sister-in-law of the Cubs’ manager (Frawley) who immediately falls in love with Francis from the stands.

Francis can’t stand the kidding from his teammates, so he’ll make up some lie to deny that he and Dolly are an item. Of course, that eventually will get him in trouble with Dolly. He frustrates his manager because he’ll do dumb stuff and then make up a ridiculous excuse for it. He also falls in with some gangsters who want him to throw games and it’s pretty much his own fault because he won’t be honest with anyone. But Francis is as honest as the day is long, so obviously he’s going to get into trouble with the gamblers as well.

One thing that I found amusing about this film is that while “Ike” pitches for the Chicago Cubs in 1935, they play the World Series at Wrigley Field at night. I don’t have to tell you that lights at Wrigley are over 50 years away. Not only that, but lights at any major league park are still three years in the future. But Wrigley Field Los Angeles, home of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels, had lights as early as 1930. That’s where they shot the baseball scenes, naturally. It just strikes me how much Hollywood of the thirties just didn’t care about verisimilitude.

This film is clearly a vehicle for Brown, who was one the top comedians of the era. He was also a huge baseball fan and made several baseball-themed pictures, of which Alibi Ike is generally considered the best. You probably at least know Brown as Osgood Fielding III in Some Like it Hot, if you don’t know him from anything else. So if you find Brown’s stammering, mugging and slapstick funny, you’ll find the film funny. I thought he was funny enough to make watching the film worth my while.

If we ever do a baseball movie tournament in the off-season, Alibi Ike should be included. It’s certainly an old-fashioned comedy and the baseball is pretty incidental to the plot of a man who can’t ever be honest with anyone and it gets him into trouble. But Brown was a pretty talented comedian. Nothing in here will get as big a laugh as Brown got at the end of Some Like it Hot (perhaps the greatest laugh line of all-time in “Nobody’s perfect.”), he gets enough chuckles and laughs to make watching it worth while. That the Cubs win the World Series makes it all that much better.

Here’s the trailer for Alibi Ike

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Tonight’s a simple question. Who is your choice to lead the Cubs in home runs this year.

Happ already has a lead with three home runs and he should have had a fourth if the wind wasn’t howling in on Opening Day. Bregman showed on Sunday that he can take advantage of the short power alleys at Wrigley. And we know that Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch can hit 30 a year.

Also, Seiya Suzuki can hit thirty in a season as well. EXCEPT I FORGOT TO PUT SUZUKI IN THE POLL AND IT’S TOO LATE TO CHANGE IT NOW. So if you think Seiya is going to get back healthy quickly enough to hit enough hoe runs to lead the Cubs, vote for “other.” I’m going to assume that most of the votes for “other” are for Suzuki.

Again, vote “other” if you want to vote for Seiya Suzuki. I’m sorry I messed that up.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I hope you’ve had a good time. Don’t be a stranger. Tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.

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Tuesday's Time Schedule

All Times EDT

Tuesday, March 31

MLB

Texas at Baltimore, 6:35 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Miami, 6:40 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 6:40 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 6:40 p.m.

Colorado at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Athletics at Atlanta, 7:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Chicago Cubs, 7:40 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 7:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at St. Louis, 7:45 p.m.

Boston at Houston, 8:10 p.m.

Detroit at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.

Cleveland at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

NBA

Phoenix at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Charlotte at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

New York at Houston, 8 p.m.

Toronto at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Cleveland at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Portland at L.A. Clippers, 11 p.m.

NHL

Dallas at Boston, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Florida, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 7 p.m.

Carolina at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Seattle at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

_____

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Dubón, Olson and Yastrzemski help Braves earn 4-0 shutout over the Athletics

ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves scored three runs in the first inning off a double from Matt Olson and a single from Mauricio Dubón in a 4-0 win over the Athletics on Monday night.

Mike Yastrzemski came in to relieve left fielder Eli White and hit a line drive triple to right field in the eighth inning. Dubón followed with a single to send him home.

Dubón, a two-time (2023, '25) Gold Glove-winning shortstop, came to the Braves in the offseason from a trade with the Astros.

Bryce Elder (1-0) pitched six innings and gave up five hits with five strikeouts and a walk.

Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers both went 0 for 4 for the Athletics. Brent Rooker went 2 for 4, but grounded to Dubón to start a double play that ended the eighth inning.

In the ninth, Jacob Wilson was thrown out at second on a ground ball by Lawrence Butler, who was originally ruled safe at first. The call was challenged and then overturned, resulting in a double play. Max Muncy hit an infield fly that Olson caught to end the game.

Jacob Lopez (0-1) pitched four innings for the A's. He gave up five hits, had five walks, three earned runs and no strikeouts.

Up next

Atlanta's Jose Suarez takes the mound against Aaron Civale as the series continues Tuesday.

___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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White Sox fry some fish in Miami with a 9-4 win

Mar 30, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Miguel Vargas (20) hits a grand slam against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at loanDepot Park.
In front of his hometown fans, Miguel Vargas drove in six (including a grand slam) to power the White Sox to their first win of the season. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The White Sox scored early and often against the Marlins, getting their first win of 2026 and second grand slam of the season so far. And for the record, there have only been four grand slams in all the major leagues thus far.

Before the bigger fireworks, Everson Pereira doubled to kick off the third inning. With two outs, Miguel Vargas knocked Pereira in with a single to left field, putting the Good Guys on the board first.

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Munetaka Murakami kept the inning alive, slapping a single, which set the table for Austin Hays to hit his first homer of the season to break the inning wide open, 4-0.

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The White Sox didn’t stop at 4-0, though.

Tristan Peters singled to start the fourth, and Pereira continued with another single. After an Edgar Quero sac bunt to advance runners, Luisangel Acuña was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That set the table for Chicago’s second grand slam of the young season, as Vargas crushed a ball that left the bat at 105.5 mph. The first baseman got to show off in his hometown of Miami, and the White Sox led, 8-0.

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Chicago starter Davis Martin lost his focus a bit too much with the big cushion, giving up another walk and looking rushed at the mound in the Marlins half of the fourth. With the second Marlins hit of the ball game, Liam Hicks hit a two-run blast to actually put the Fish on the board.

The Marlins started to give Martin more trouble in the fifth when Griffin Conine doubled, and Jakob Marsee singled to send him home, making it 8-3.

Acuña picked up a walk in the top half of the sixth, and promptly stole second and third. Vargas knocked him in with a sac fly to put the Sox up 9-3. It was Vargas’ sixth RBI on the night.

With Martin in position for the win having gotten through five innings, Sean Newcomb trying to support him for three frames — and almost did. However, Miami rallied with a triple and two singles sandwiching two Ks for the southpaw. After Newcomb walked Owen Cassie to load the bases with two outs in the eighth, Will Venable made a frightening call to the pen: Jordan Hicks.

But on the second pitch of Connor Norby’s at-bat, Hicks jammed him up and in with a sinker and got the inning-ender on a flare to second base. Hicks stayed on for the ninth, earning his first White Sox save as well as the club’s first save of the season. The undefeated Marlins fell, and the White Sox got in the left-hand column for the first time all season.

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Game Recap: Suns take care of business in Memphis, 131-105

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 30: Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns dunks the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 30, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Phoenix Suns started slow, but turned it up a notch in the 4th quarter to pull away and secure a road win in Memphis. It didn’t come without a fight from Memphis in the opening 36 minutes of play.

Devin Booker and Jalen Green paced the Suns early, and Collin Gillespie broke out of a shooting slump for a big fourth quarter. Booker poured in 36 points on 16-24 shooting. Green added 21 points on 9-18 shooting, and both star guards were able to stay under 25 minutes played. The rookies both looked great.

The Suns outscored the Grizzlies by 24 points in the final quarter on 60% shooting along with 6 threes to pull away for good.

Phoenix now holds a 3.0 game lead over the Clippers for the 7th seed in the West with seven games left to play. Tonight was win number 42 on the season.

Game Flow

First Half

Memphis jumped out ahead 13-9 early in the opening quarter. Phoenix took a 19-18 lead after a Jalen Green three, which took us to the first timeout of the evening. The ball was moving well early on.

Devin Booker poured in 12 points in the first 7 minutes of the period. The ball movement was sharp after the break and led to a 28-19 Phoenix lead.

We got some early Khaman Maluach minutes again, and he made his impact on the glass and drew multiple trips to the line.

After the opening 12 minutes of play, the Suns led 34-31. The Suns allowed 16 points in the paint in the quarter. Devin Booker led all scorers with 12. Jalen Green chipped in with 8.

Things got sloppy. The Grizzlies jumped out to a 12-7 advantage in the second quarter to take a two-point lead, which prompted a Jordan Ott timeout to talk things over.

The Grizzlies showed they were not going to back down without a fight, as you’d expect from (most) professional sports teams. Phoenix wasn’t able to pull away despite strong offensive outputs from both Booker and Green.

At halftime, Phoenix led 65-61. The Suns won the second quarter by just one point, 31-30. Booker and Green combined for 42 points on 24 shots. Memphis got some serious bench production, with 24 of its 61 points coming from the second unit.

Suns rookie big man Khaman Maluach had a career-high 10 rebounds at the half.

Second Half

The second half started with a continuation of the back-and-forth affair we saw in the opening two quarters.

Every time it looked like the Suns were going to pull away, this scrappy, young Memphis squad found a way to answer back. Memphis was matching the Suns’ physicality all night long, as they stormed in front to take an 86-83 lead.

Devin Booker continued to pour it in, hitting a 30-ball well before the 4th quarter even began.

A Jordan Goodwin triple evened things up at 86 apiece. Rasheer Fleming followed that up with a vicious transition dunk, but as they did all night long, Memphis responded with a three-pointer the very next possession to retake the lead.

Phoenix took a two-point lead (91-89) into the 4th quarter after this ATO was executed to perfection.

The Suns started to pour it on in the 4th, as the intensity went up a notch and it helped that the shots were falling. A 19-6 run gave Phoenix some breathing room, leading 110-95 in a flash.

Rasheer Fleming had 7 quick points along with Collin Gillespie’s five points to open the quarter, including a three-pointer that busted him out of his shooting slump. Look at the rook fly!

Phoenix won the final quarter 40 to 16. Everything was clicking for them on both ends of the floor, and they were able to give the starters some much-needed rest ahead of the second of their back-to-back set in Orlando tomorrow night.

Up Next

The Suns are back on the road tomorrow night in Orlando against the Magic.

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Bo Bichette steps up with two RBI, Clay Holmes solid in Mets' 4-2 win over Cardinals

The Mets recorded 10 hits and the bullpen tossed 4.1 scoreless innings to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on Monday night.

Here are the takeaways...

--  Francisco Lindor tripled for the second straight day to leadoff the game against Kyle Leahy, coming up just short of his first home run of the season with a blast off of the right-center field wall. Following some drama Sunday, Lindor opted to not run home on Juan Soto's hard grounder to short, but scored on Bo Bichette's ground ball to second to go up 1-0 as JJ Wetherholt couldn't get the ball out in time and had to turn to first base.

Lindor tied Jose Reyes in Mets franchise history with two triples through four games. It's also the first time he's tripled in back-to-back games as he's already doubled his 2025 total (zero). 

-- Bichette stepped up again and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, ripping a two-out single to right field that scored Carson Benge from third. 

Bichette also looked more comfortable at third base on Monday night. He made a nice backhand stop and a perfect throw in the first-inning to get Iván Herrera out at first base. The former SS nearly did it again in the second inning, but Jordan Walker reached first safely.

-- Clay Holmes was solid in his first outing of the 2026 campaign, allowing two runs on four hits over 5.2 IP (90 pitches) with five strikeouts and three walks. The righty forced eight groundouts, including a double play, and two flyouts.

He issued a leadoff walk to Wetherholt in the first inning, as the rookie advanced to second on a ground out and reached third on a balk. The right-hander then let up an RBI-single to Alec Burleson that tied the game up at 1-1.

Holmes got back-to-back strikeouts to end the first inning and after getting his pitch count up, settled in after the third inning for the rest of the game. He retired seven straight Cardinals into the sixth inning before allowing a two-out home run to Brendan Gorman, ending his night with the Mets up 4-2.

-- Starting for the first time, Jared Young made it a 3-1 game in the sixth inning with an RBI double to the right-center gap, scoring Brett Baty (single) from first base. Defensively, Young had no issues at first base, including a clean flip on a slow-roller to Holmes covering first to end the third inning. He finished the day 1-for-4 with the RBI and a run scored.

After Lindor got hit in the foot by Matt Svanson to load the bases in the sixth inning, Juan Soto picked up an RBI on a walk, extending New York's lead to 4-1.

-- Benge got his first start in CF and went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Carlos Mendoza decided to put Luis Robert Jr. in as a pinch-runner for Young in the seventh inning, moving Benge to right for Robert in the bottom half with Baty sliding to first base. DH-ing Monday night, Jorge Polanco went 2-for-5 with a ground-rule double.

-- Tobias Myers replaced Holmes and got a flyout to end the sixth inning. He then struck out the side in the seventh on 12 pitches. Brooks Raley pitched a scoreless eighth inning, topping out at 91.4 mph and allowing just a single. Devin Williams shut things down with a 1-2-3 ninth, earning his first save as a Met.

Game MVP: Bo Bichette

Bichette bounced back from a tough opening series, finishing the game 1-for-5 with two RBI. 

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Mets continue their series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. on SNY.

Kodai Senga will face right-hander Andre Pallante.

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Cody Ponce Injured in Blowout Loss, 14-5

Mar 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays Brendon Little (54) reacts after giving up a hit during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The big story tonight was Cody Ponce’s injury. He had to leave on the cart, and while we can hope it isn’t serious he had the look of a guy who’s resigning himself to something terrible as he rode off. It was a devastating turn for a guy who’s more than paid his dues to make it back to the major leagues.

Otherwise, it was all bad. Bad pitching, no offence, and some uncharacteristic errors. Just a grim evening all around.

Ponce’s MLB return started well before quickly turning into a disaster. He at the Rockies down in order in the first with the help of a nice running grab by Addison Barger in the right field alley. He gave up a double in the second when TJ Rumfield went down and got a fastball on the outside corner and lined it to left, but got out of it without conceding a score. He walked the lead-off hitter in the third, then bounced back with a strikeout of Edouard Julien. He fell delivering a pitch to Jake McCarthy. It looked like his cleat slipped coming down the mound. That was a balk, advancing the runner to third. McCarthy hit a dribbler up the first base line that Ponce tried to field but bobbled, allowing McCarthy to reach and the runner to score. A couple steps after missing the ball, Ponce landed awkwardly and appeared to twist his right knee before going down in a heap. He was clearly in a lot of pain, and ultimately had to be carted off. Louis Varland took over, striking out the next two batters.

The offence couldn’t figue Tomoyuki Sugano out. Jesus Sanchez lined a single in the bottom of the first, but that was all the Jays could manage. They went down in order in the second, including a swinging K by Sugano’s long time teammate Kazuma Okamoto. Finally, with two out in the third, George Springer got into one, firing a laser to left-centre to tie the game at one.

Varland came back for the fourth. He gave up a line single to Ezequiel Tovar, who stole second. Varland got the next two, but then Ernie Clement booted a very routine grounder. It was the kind of error he usually just doesn’t make, but it allowed Tovar to score and extended the inning. Kyle Karros followed with an infield single, pushing Varland to 30 pitches and forcing John Schneider to make a change earlier than he would have hoped. Spencer Miles punched out the next batter to end the inning, limiting the damage at least.

Sugano continued to roll in the fourth, striking out Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Addison Barger. Alejandro Kirk walked on a pitch clock violation, but they couldn’t capitalize.

Mile came back for the fifth. He got a pair of fly outs and had a soft line single erased when Kirk gunned down Hunter Goodman stealing second. Okamoto worked a leadoff walk in the bottom half. Sugano go the next two batters, but was then pulled for Jaden Hill rather than seeing the top of the order a third time. Hill got Springer to ground out to end the inning.

The wheels came completely off for the Jays in the sixth. Miles returned and struck out Tovar, but then he gave up a line single to Rumfield, then a homer to Troy Johnston that extended Colorado’s lead to 4-1. The next batter walked, and that was it for Miles. Brendon Little got his first batter swinging, but then a pair of singles, a walk, and a pop up down the first base line that Addison Barger misplayed into a double resulted in two more runs. Tovar followed with a real double to clear the runners and make it 9-1.

At that point it was pretty much over. Tyler Rogers handled the seventh, while Tyler Heineman was called on to mop up. He gave up four in the eighth and one more in the ninth. His 22.5 ERA is less than half Brendon Little’s.

The Jays at least gave the crowd a bit of a show in the eighth. Andres Gimenez hit a solo homer and, following a Jesus Sanchez single, pinch hitter Davis Scheider went yard as well. Okamoto chipped in a solo shot of his own in the ninth.

Jays of the Day: Nobody

Less so: Miles (-0.11) and Little (-0.12) qualify, and Little especially deserves it, but this one was a team effort.

We’ll be back tomorrow at 7:07pm ET. Ryan Feltner goes for the Rockies, while Max Scherzer makes his 2026 debut for the Jays. And hey, it almost has to go better!

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Islanders allow seven unanswered goals in 8-3 loss to Penguins

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist, Rickard Rakell scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to defeat the New York Islanders 8-3 on Monday night in a crucial game in the competitive Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Penguins trailed 3-1 midway through the second period before scoring four times in less than 6 1/2 minutes to take over. Their seventh goal on their 28th shot eight minutes into the third chased Ilya Sorokin, who was done in by porous defense in front of him and relieved by backup David Rittich.

Pittsburgh with the regulation victory leapfrogged New York into second place in the Metropolitan Division, 90 points to 89. The Penguins have eight games left in the regular season compared to seven for the Islanders, who could find themselves outside a spot as early as Tuesday night depending on results of their next game and others in contention in the East.

Returning from a one-game injury absence, Sidney Crosby was one of 15 skaters on his team to register a point in a significant bounce back from losing at home to Dallas without him on Saturday. Longtime running mate Evgeni Malkin missed a fourth consecutive game and is considered day to day.

The Islanders are relatively healthy, but their details were sorely lacking in blowing a multigoal lead and doing so in stunning fashion. They had allowed seven goals in their previous four games combined, with Hall of Fame goaltender coach Patrick Roy preaching a 0-0 mindset and relying on Sorokin to make up for any mistakes.

Even Sorokin could not compensate against the Penguins, who got solid goaltending from Arturs Silovs.

Up next

Penguins: Stuart Skinner is expected to start Tuesday night at home against the Detroit Red Wings.

Islanders: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, with Sorokin potentially in line to get the nod again.

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Leiter and Burger lead the Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jack Leiter struck out eight in six strong innings and Jake Burger drove in two runs to lead the Texas Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

Leiter (1-0) had a stretch of five straight strikeouts and appeared to have a sixth for the second out in the fifth, but Colton Cowser won an ABS challenge on a called third strike and turned it into a base hit. Blaze Alexander singled and Gunnar Henderson had a two-out single to cut it to 4-2 before Leiter struck out Pete Alonso to end the inning with runners at the corners.

Leiter allowed five hits and a walk in leading Texas to its third straight win. Jakob Junis and Jalen Beeks each pitched a scoreless inning before Tyler Alexander struck out two in the ninth for his second save.

Brandon Nimmo singled leading off the game against Chris Bassitt (0-1) — making his first start for the Orioles — before scoring on a fielder's choice by Burger for a 1-0 lead.

Henderson hit his first home run of the season to tie it in the first.

Kyle Higashioka walked following a leadoff double by Evan Carter in the second, and Nimmo singled for a 2-1 lead. Burger had an RBI single and Joc Pederson added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

Burger doubled and scored on a one-out single by Josh Smith in the ninth off Tyler Wells.

The 37-year-old Bassitt needed 60 pitches to get through the first two innings. He was done after 4 1/3 innings and 100 pitches, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.

Up next

Orioles RHP Zach Eflin will make his first start of the season Tuesday. The Rangers hadn't announced a scheduled starter.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce carted off field with injury in first MLB start since 2021

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Cody Ponce #66 of the Toronto Blue Jays falls to the ground with an injury, Image 2 shows Cody Ponce of the Toronto Blue Jays being carted off the field due to an injury

Cody Ponce’s debut with the Blue Jays and first MLB start in five years ended in nightmare fashion.

The 31-year-old, who last pitched for the Pirates in 2021 and last started a game in May of that season. 

Ponce suffered a leg injury running to field a bouncer between the mound and first base during the third inning of the Blue Jays’ game against the Rockies at Rogers Centre on Monday. 

He stayed down on the ground, wincing in pain before being attended to by the team’s training staff after his right leg appeared to buckle as it landed stiffly. He briefly grabbed for the back of his knee.

Ponce was able to stand and walk toward a cart before being driven off the field. The former Brewers second-round pick in 2015 was noticeably emotional, blowing kisses and lifting his cap to the Canadian crowd.

Cody Ponce #66 of the Toronto Blue Jays is carted off the field with an injury in a break in play against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on March 30, 2026. Getty Images

He was part of a retooling of the defending American League champion’s pitching staff that included signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract and top reliever Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million deal.

Ponce pitched two scoreless innings for the undefeated Blue Jays before a run scored on the play he was injured on. 

Cody Ponce of the Toronto Blue Jays falls to the ground with an injury during the third inning in their MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre on March 30, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images

He has been fighting to get another shot in the majors after his disastrous 2021, which saw him go 0-6 with a 7.04 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen. Ponce spent three seasons in Japan before pitching in Korea in 2025.  

It’s now unclear when he will be back on the mound for the Blue Jays.

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Knicks officially clinch Eastern Conference top-six seed in 2026 NBA Playoffs

The Knicks are officially the third Eastern Conference team to clinch a spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

While Monday was an off day for New York, they were able to lock up their spot with the 76ers’ loss to the Heat. 

This marks the fourth consecutive year they are headed to the postseason. 

Regardless of how the final few games of the regular season play out, the Knicks can now finish no worse than the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

They currently sit in third, 2.0 games behind the Celtics and 1.5 up on the No. 4 seed Cavaliers with seven games left.

Both Boston and the top-seeded Pistons have also already locked up their spots in the postseason. 

New York has once again been led by captain Jalen Brunson in their first year under head coach Mike Brown. 

Brunson performed well enough to land his third consecutive All-Star appearance, averaging 26.7 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field on the season.

He'll look to get the Knicks over the hump after their Eastern Conference Finals exit at the hands of the Pacers. 

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The Washington Nationals demolish the Phillies in a 13-2 beat down

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 30: Washington Nationals second baseman Luis García Jr. #2 hits the ball during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on March 30th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was a beatdown at Citizens Bank Park, but for the first time in a while, the Nats were the ones delivering the beating. They destroyed the Phillies in a 13-2 blowout. The good guys had 17 hits and had the Phillies by the neck from the jump. It has been a while since the Nats have delivered a beating like that.

With this 13 run performance, the Nats have their second double digit run game. That offense that we were worried about this spring just flipped the switch and has looked awesome in the regular season. The bats have been hunting in packs so far this season.

This win has the Nats up to 3-1, making this the team’s best start in a long time. We know this balloon can pop at any time, but I am having so much fun watching the Nats to start the season. They are playing a fun and energetic style of baseball with a ton of hustling and great at bats. Some of the defensive miscues still need to be cleaned up, but this group’s effort cannot be questioned.

Once again, the Nats offense was led by cult hero Joey Wiemer. While Wiemer finally got out today, he still had a really nice day at the plate. His season averages may have dropped, but Wiemer still went 2/4 with a walk. He also tied Carlos Delgado for the most consecutive plate appearances to start a season without getting out. This was an all time heater from Wiemer and it was truly amazing to watch.

It was not just him though, there were contributions up and down the lineup. Every Nat got at least one hit and seven had multi-hit games. It is tough to pick out an offensive star because everyone was getting knocks. If I had to pick one, I would probably choose Jose Tena, who had the only three hit game for the Nats.

The Nats weren’t doing this with the long ball either. This was just a steady barrage of base hits that came from stringing together quality at bats. I have not seen anything like it from this group in a while. So many times in the past, the Nats would have a big first inning and then pull their punches. Today, they kept their foot on the gas and made it so bad the Phillies had to bring in a position player to lob in pitches at the end.

On the mound, Foster Griffin made his Nats debut and he was solid. He threw five innings of two run ball. The southpaw faded a bit in the fifth inning, but did a nice job limiting the damage and finishing the inning. He did enough to get his first Nats win. I like Griffin’s deep pitch mix and command. He could be a guy who has a lot of success.

Overall, this was an exhilarating night for Nats fans. For so many years, the Nats were on the other end of these kinds of beat downs. It feels nice to be the ones delivering the punishment for once. This team may not end up being good, but they will be much more fun.

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Celtics lose 112-102 battle against soaring Hawks

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celticsdrives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 30, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks tied the season series 2-2 in their final game against the Boston Celtics with a 112-102 Monday-night win at the State Farm Arena, continuing the team’s 13-game winning streak at home.

The Celtics beat the Hawks 109-102 without Jaylen Brown three nights ago in Boston, but struggled to score against or stop Atlanta — which has won 16 of its last 18 games — on Monday without Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta, both of whom sat out the night.

After playing last night in the win over the Charlotte Hornets, Tatum sat out the second night of the back-to-back for right Achilles repair management. Queta was inactive due to a right thumb strain.

The Celtics were also missing Nikola Vučević, who continues to recover from a fracture in his right ring finger, and Ron Harper Jr., who suffered a right ankle sprain against the Hornets.

On the other hand, Brown and Derrick White returned to the lineup after missing last night’s game with left Achilles tendonitis and a right knee contusion, respectively.

Boston started White, Brown, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Luka Garza.

Atlanta started CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu.

The Hawks’ only inactive player was Jock Landale, who sat out with an illness.

The start of the first quarter was all about Luka Garza. Garza scored 8 of the Celtics’ first 12 points with a handful of impressive plays, including a spin move from the free throw line to get a finger roll layup at the rim.

However, when Coach Joe Mazzulla pulled Garza about six minutes in for Amari Williams at center, it then became the Payton Pritchard show. Pritchard hit 3-5 from the field, with two three-pointers, one of which bounced high off the rim and fell back in.

Jaylen Brown struggled to find his own shot in the first quarter. He had a few early feeds to his teammates, but shot 2-7 from the floor, finishing the quarter with 6 points.

On the other end of the court, the Hawks did what they do best and forced 7 turnovers off the Celtics, converting on most of those takes. Johnson finished the quarter with 7 points and Zaccharie Risacher hit a pair of 3s for 6 points.

By the time the quarter ended, the Celtics were up 30-29, with Garza and Pritchard tied for the scoring lead at 8 points apiece.

The Hawks started the second quarter with three quick buckets to go up 36-30, while the Celtics did not score for almost 2:30 minutes.

Pritchard broke the seal with a short pullup jumper at 9:32 and Garza, who started the quarter, hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to bring the game to 35-36.

With about 8 minutes left to go in the quarter, Mazzulla subbed in Charles Bassey, who immediately made an impact with his defense and energy. He tapped in a rebound for a couple points and got a couple blocks in a row, then bothered a third shot on the next play.

Brown’s struggles continued into the second quarter, and he appeared frustrated with a lack of calls from the referees. He finished the half with 6 points — 0 in the second quarter — on 2-9 shooting from the field and 4 turnovers. He still contributed with 5 rebounds and 6 assists, but his own scoring game was rough as he was blanketed by Daniels from the jump.

Derrick White also struggled offensively to start the game, shooting 3-9 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range, but also chipped in with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.

By the half, both teams were tied 54-54, with Garza and Pritchard still leading the pack with 13 points apiece. On the Hawks side, Dyson Daniels had 11 points and 3 steals, Jalen Johnson had 10 points, and team had racked up 10 steals as a whole.

Maybe Brown got through to the refs over the halftime break because he got a couple fouls calls to go his way early in the third quarter. That may have boosted his confidence, as he then hit a slick midrange shot to put the Celtics up 59-58, but he continued to struggle against Daniels and was 4-18 from the field by the end of the period.

Garza’s contributions continued in the third. He hit his second three-pointer about 4 minutes into the quarter to get to 16 points on 6-6 shooting, then made an impressive effort play a play or two later, where he saved the ball and got it to Brown for a bucket.

Pritchard also chipped in with another three-pointer, but the Hawks went on a 16-5 run over about four minutes in the third quarter and took the game’s first double-digit lead, 79-68, near the end of the period on an easy under-the-rim basket by Jonathan Kuminga.

The Celtics battled back with a few buckets, including a nice Hugo Gonzalez three-pointer, but Daniels hit a second three-pointer (he went 2-2 through the third quarter despite shooting 15% from three-point range for the season) to put the Hawks up 90-76 by the end of the quarter.

Daniels finished the quarter with 18 points, leading all players in points on 8-9 shooting from the field.

The Hawks’ barrage continued with a CJ McCollum three-pointer and floater in the first couple minutes into the fourth quarter to put Atlanta up 95-77, and their defense did not let up.

With about 8 minutes to go in the game, the Hawks were up 101-80 and the Celtics could get nothing to fall. Brown was 5-21 from the field, White was 3-12, Jordan Walsh was 1-4 and Baylor Scheierman was 1-3. Garza even missed his first shot of the night, ruining his perfect evening.

When the Celtics broke through the Hawks defense with a Scheierman three-pointer and a putback layup by Garza, Atlanta called a timeout with 5:45 minutes to go in the game.

That failed to stop Boston’s mini-run, as Brown got a thunderous dunk shortly after to extend it to a 7-0 run. Garza then got a cutting layup on the next play to get to 20 points for the night and bring the Celtics back to within 12 of the Hawks, at 89-101.

Johnson hit a jumper, but Walsh hit a 26-footer on an assist from Brown, then Brown hit a pullup three-pointer to cut the lead to 8 points, 95-103.

Brown hit another three-pointer shortly after to keep the game interesting, but it was just about over by the time he missed his next attempt with 1:37 to go.

The game was sealed when Walsh fouled Alexander-Walker on a three-point attempt, allowing the Hawks to extend the lead back up to 11 points with less than a minute to go.

Over the course of the game, the Celtics turned the ball over 14 times and shot 41.2% from the field. The Hawks solidly outshot Boston, hitting 46.7% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range.

A late burst from Jaylen Brown got him to 29 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists for the night on 9-29 shooting from the field and 8-14 shooting from the line. He also had 6 turnovers.

Garza was the team’s second-leading scorer with 20 points and 9 rebounds on 8-9 shooting from the field over 28 minutes.

Pritchard finished with 16 points on 4-6 shooting from three-point range, but posted Boston’s worst +/- of the night with -19 over his 25:33 minutes of play time.

White ended the game with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks on 3-12 shooting from the field and 1-6 shooting from three-point range.

On the Hawks side, Johnson finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists on 53.8% shooting from the floor. Okongwu also finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Daniels finished with 18 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

The Celtics are 7-5 on the second night of back-to-back games following tonight’s loss.

Boston is now 50-25 and two games up on the New York Knicks for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, with only seven games left to be played in the regular season.

The Celtics’ next game will be against the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 1, at the Kaseya Center in Miami. ESPN will broadcast the game.

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MLB Rookie of the Year Predictions 2026: Early Picks and Weekend Overreactions

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Chase DeLauter is on pace for 162 home runs! Sal Stewart is batting a very sustainable .700! Surely, they are locks to take home the American League and National League Rookie of the Year honors this fall.

Slow your roll. As impressive as they are, there's a chance that we're jumping the gun here. 

Below, I identify how the MLB Rookie of the Year odds markets have overreacted to these performances — and make some MLB Rookie of the Year predictions for guys offering real value in the respective ROY markets.

Rookie of the Year overreactions and early picks for 2026

OverreactionEarly pick
Guardians Chase DeLauter
+350		Orioles Samuel Basallo
+2000
Reds Sal Stewart
+450		Marlins Owen Caissie
+1300

Early American League Rookie of the Year pick + overreaction

AL Rookie of the Year overreaction: Crown Chase DeLauter already!

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter hit two home runs on Opening Day against the Mariners and finished the four-game set by going 6-for-17 with four long balls.

It was a historic debut for the 24-year-old, who became just the third player in MLB history to homer in each of his first three games (funnily enough, fellow AL ROY contender Munetaka Murakami became the fourth shortly after).

DeLauter is not without pedigree, either, as the 24-year-old entered the season as Cleveland's No. 2 prospect and was ranked 44th overall by MLB Pipeline. Chances are, he'd have been even higher were it not for a history of injury concerns throughout his minor-league career.

In February, DeLauter was +2000 to win AL ROY. That number shrank to +1200 ahead of Opening Day. He's on a real upward trajectory, so hopefully you got in on the ground floor.

DeLauter odds to win ROY: +350 at FanDuel

AL Rookie of the Year pick: Don't forget about Samuel Basallo

As part of the "what have you done for me lately" crowd, Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo seems like a forgotten man after baseball's first weekend. It's easy to see why, as he has just two hits (both singles) in 10 at-bats, but this is the perfect time to pump the brakes.

Basallo has prodigious power, as evidenced by the 23 home runs he hit in 76 games at Triple-A in 2025. The Orioles have also shown that they are not going to mess around with his playing time. Even when Adley Rutschman has been behind the plate, Basallo has served as designated hitter and first baseman.

The 21-year-old slugger was +1100 on Opening Day, so this movement is offering a ton of value.

Basallo odds to win ROY: +2000 at FanDuel

Current AL Rookie of the Year odds & favorites

PlayerOdds
Tigers Kevin McGonigle+300
Guardians Chase DeLauter+350
White Sox Munetaka Murakami+650
Blue Jays Kazuma Okamoto+700
Royals Carter Jensen+1600

Early National League Rookie of the Year pick + overreaction

NL Rookie of the Year overreaction: Sal Stewart is a hitter's name

Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart has seen his odds halved from +900 entering Opening Day to +450 after just three games.

Stewart went 7-for-10 with a home run, three doubles, and three walks while not striking out once while terrorizing Red Sox pitching over the weekend. Obviously, he won't hit .700 all season, but he showed why his bat has been so highly touted. And while he will certainly strike out eventually, he might not exhibit a ton of swing and miss, either, as he hovered around a 15% strikeout rate throughout his minor-league career.

Add in the fact that he plays his home games at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, and Stewart will become a Cincinnati folk hero by July, with an NL Rookie of the Year award soon following based on this pace.

Stewart odds to win ROY: +450 at FanDuel

NL Rookie of the Year pick: Owen Caissie isn't a platoon bat

I wanted sportsbooks to overreact to Konnor Griffin starting the season in Triple-A while his peers lit up the MLB scoreboard, but so far, that hasn't materialized, as he's still a robust +700. 

While I'm tempted to go with a pitcher that has yet to debut in either Bubba Chandler or Andrew Painter (both of whom I highlighted in our MLB Rookie of the Year odds), I want to single out Miami Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie, whose odds have only slightly shortened from +1800 to +1300 after an impressive weekend.

Caissie wasn't initially in Miami's Opening Day lineup against the Rockies because left-hander Kyle Freeland was on the mound, but was a late add due to a Christopher Morel scratch. He hit a double off Freeland. 

The lefty slugger followed that up by going 3-for-4 on Saturday, before being relegated to bench duties on Sunday (again with a lefty on the mound), but entered as a pinch-hitter, ultimately walking off the Rockies with a mammoth home run.

Caissie got his first taste of the majors last summer, and it didn't go so well, but it looks like the jitters are all the way gone, and this line won't last much longer either.

Caissie odds to win ROY: +1300 at FanDuel

Current NL Rookie of the Year odds & favorites

PlayerOdds
Cardinals JJ Wetherholt+450
Reds Sal Stewart+450
Mets Nolan McLean+550
Pirates Konnor Griffin+700
Marlins Owen Caissie+1300

More MLB odds and picks from Covers

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