Apr 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
In 2023, I thought it would be fun to title my series previews using lyrics from Beastie Boys songs. It seemed like a fine idea until the Phillies found themselves seven games under .500 in early June. I decided that they no longer deserved me making the effort to find an appropriate song lyric. Once I stopped, the team promptly began to play better.
As you may have noticed, I had been using Guns N’ Roses lyrics for my series preview titles, and just like in 2023, it hasn’t been going very well for the team. Therefore, GNR is being shelved, and I am switching back to the player-focused opposition research previews from last season. If the team’s fortunes turn around, feel free to thank me.
After a dreadful homestand, the Phillies will head to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs. Despite the Phillies’ success at home in recent seasons, it is probably for the best that they get away from the understandably irate hometown fans for a little bit.
After a slow start, the Cubs enter the series on a five-game winning streak, partly because they’ve had the good fortune of playing the Phillies and the Mets. One of their hottest hitters in second baseman Nico Hoerner, who appears to be adding top offensive performance to his elite defensive game.
Hoerner spent the first seven years of his career as an excellent defender (two Gold Gloves) and adequate hitter. You can do far worse than a Gold Glove middle infielder putting up an OPS over .700. But this season, he has been far more than adequate. He’s batting .325 with three home runs (his career high for a season is ten) and leads the NL with 21 RBIs.
There’s a good chance the Hoerner won’t be able to keep it up and he’ll slowly regress closer to the numbers we’re used to. But if he can find a way to continue this performance for a full season, he’ll likely find himself in MVP discussions at the end of the year.
Pennant year song battle
It’s a Mistake by Men at Work defeated Clumsy to hold on to the title.
The next contender comes from 2022 and describes how most Phillies fans feel about the team right now: I Hate U by SZA:
Vote now:
Additional thought about the series
Maybe the team really has collapsed, and the future is as bleak as some want to believe. But I still have trouble looking at the roster and seeing a bad team, despite what the on-field results indicate. It would be one thing if the older players were showing a drastic drop off, but that hasn’t really been the problem. It just seems to be a team-wide malaise in which they’ve been a special combination of unlucky and bad.
This core has gone through other awful stretches in recent seasons (Think May 2023 and July 2024) and eventually came out of it, so there’s reason to believe they will do so again. But darned if this hasn’t been painful to watch.
The Toronto Raptors will try to even their first-round NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. The Cavalies won the series’ opener 126-113 on Saturday behind 32 points from Donovan Mitchell and 22 points and 10 assists from James Harden. The Game 2 spread sits at -8.5 in favor of the Cavaliers, with the over/under set at 222.5.
How to watch Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1:Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113 Game 2: Mon., April 20 at Cleveland (7 p.m., Peacock) Game 3: Thu., April 23 at Toronto (8 p.m., Prime) Game 4: Sun., April 26 at Toronto (1 p.m., ESPN) Game 5: Wed., April 29 at Cleveland (TBD) Game 6: Fri., May 1 at Toronto (TBD) *Game 7: Sun., May 3 at Cleveland (TBD)
This past Friday, amid the Mets' then-eight-game losing streak, president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with reporters in the dugout ahead of the team's three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Stearns, who regularly makes himself available to reporters once per homestand and also speaks to provide updates on big injuries or big player moves, does not ordinarily have the kind of press gaggle that he did on Friday.
The Mets were on the road. There was no injury to announce. There was no move to discuss.
Stearns was simply being accountable, given the Mets' rough stretch.
Managers are often the fall guys when teams underperform. And Mendoza, who is in the final guaranteed year of the three-year contract he signed when he was hired by Stearns in November of 2023, is a lame duck of sorts.
The Mets hold a club option on Mendoza for the 2027 season, but just overhauled most of his coaching staff and jettisoned a big chunk of the roster's core.
Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza watches his team take on the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Still, there's seemingly not much Mendoza could be doing that would change what has befallen the Mets.
During their 11-game losing streak, the Mets have lost nine times because they couldn't score more than a few runs, and lost twice because Kodai Senga got shellacked.
This entire streak has also come without Juan Soto, which should add an asterisk to it -- especially when assessing the manager.
Meanwhile, already without Soto, the Mets recently lost Jorge Polanco to the IL.
That has left Mendoza to insert players who would either be backups or in Triple-A into a lineup that was already drastically underperforming.
If there's one thing that is fair to partially lay at the feet of Mendoza, it's the alarming amount of mental errors the team has made, including forgetting how many outs there are and being out of position. But it's unfair to blame him for whatever has been going on with Francisco Lindor, who has been in a bit of a fog in the field at times.
With all that said, it's fair to wonder what the Mets will do if their losing streak reaches 13 or 14 games, or if they have a brutal nine-game homestand against the Twins, Rockies, and Nationals.
As the person responsible for assembling the roster, it is Stearns who shoulders much more of the blame for what is happening.
That these struggles are going on a few months after Stearns really put his stamp on the team by moving on from Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Diaz has put an even bigger magnifying glass on the situation.
However, it's fair to point out that most people who cover baseball for a living (and most projection systems) had the 2026 Mets being a very good team. And after the 2025-26 offseason started slowly for New York, Stearns pounced late, turning the Mets into a team many thought would win the NL East.
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. / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
But paper doesn't always translate to the field. And while Stearns brought in players whose additions were lauded (including Bo Bichette), his plan also meant that a big portion of the roster would be adjusting on the fly to a new team, a new market, and -- in some cases -- a new position.
About the positional situation...
Bichette being at third base (where he's looked much more smooth lately), a revolving door of players who aren't natural first basemen manning that position, and some others who are natural infielders being in right field with Soto out (including Brett Baty) hasn't helped. But it has also been blown out of proportion. Specifically, fielding issues haven't cost the Mets any games during this losing streak.
It should also be noted that Stearns' infamous "run prevention" term had just as much to do with pitching as it did with defense. It's strange that many seem to have forgotten that.
In any event, the early on-field returns on Stearns' offseason are poor. Aside from Luis Robert Jr., all of the key offensive additions have performed poorly at the plate. That includes Bichette (54 OPS+, uncharacteristically high strikeout rate), Jorge Polanco (who had a 52 OPS+ before landing on the IL) and Marcus Semien, who was brought in mostly for his glove, but whose struggles have been a tough juxtaposition with how Brandon Nimmo is performing for the Rangers -- slashing .311/.386/522 with four homers.
While Nimmo has excelled, the three other core pieces who are no longer Mets are not performing well. Alonso (92 OPS+, two homers), McNeil (94 OPS+), and Edwin Diaz (10.50 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, diminished velocity, possible health issue) have all had their own issues.
Devin Williams, Diaz's replacement, got off to a great start before getting tagged last week in the first game he had pitched in eight days, and blowing the save in Sunday's loss. So the jury is still very much out on that move.
The players
There have been some unforeseen circumstances thrown in the players' way to start the season.
The most crippling was the injury to Soto, which has taken an MVP-level bat out of the middle of the lineup.
Apr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; The New York Mets infield celebrates their 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron - Imagn Images
The Mets have also played in some truly awful weather conditions over the first three-plus weeks of the season, and have been handed a schedule that borders on the absurd (including the fact that they've already made two separate trips to the West Coast).
But good teams persevere through obstacles, and this Mets team has not done so.
The most alarming thing on the offensive side has been the performance of Bichette. And while Lindor's bat has start to come around, others -- including Baty and Mark Vientos -- haven't done much. Carson Benge has been better lately, but still needs to do a lot more.
There's also the approach, which has been in between far too often, with hitters expanding the zone, failing to work deep counts, hitting the ball on the ground too much, and watching hittable fastballs go by.
On the pitching side of things, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Freddy Peralta have been formidable in the rotation. But both Senga and David Peterson have struggled so badly lately that their spots in the rotation came into question.
The bullpen performed well out of the gate, but has stumbled lately, including poor performances by Williams, Luke Weaver, and Brooks Raley -- who were all terrific for the first few weeks of the season.
As has been noted already multiple times, though, this tailspin has been mostly on the offense. And it will be on that group to turn this around before it's too late.
Apr 19, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Nic Dowd (26) celebrates with center Colton Sissons (10) after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the third period of game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS — Nic Dowd redirected Noah Hanifin’s shot from the point to put Vegas ahead at 7:20 of the third period and the Golden Knights beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in Game 1 of their first-round series.
“I didn’t do a lot, to be honest,” Dowd said. “It’s probably better if it gets on and off my stick that quick. ... I just found a little bit of space. Everywhere across the league, there’s limited space out there. Guys are playing their best hockey defensively because everything matters that much more. It was a bang-bang play.”
Game 2 is in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights, who twice trailed before scoring three third-period goals, have not lost in regulation since John Tortorella (8-0-1) took over as coach.
The Mammoth lost in the franchise’s first playoff game since 2020. They are in their second season in Utah after leaving Arizona.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “It was physical. It was intense. Every inch was contested.”
Colton Sissons had a goal and assist for the Golden Knights and Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also scored. Carter Hart stopped 32 shots. Hanifin had two assists.
Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka, playing in his first playoff game after five years in the Utah/Arizona organization, made 27 saves. Captain Clayton Keller, who closed the regular season with 16 assists over a 10-game streak, failed to record one in this game.
The Golden Knights took the fight to the Mammoth from the beginning and finished with 52 hits to 29 for Utah. Vegas’ high in the regular season was 36 against Los Angeles in the Oct. 8 opener.
Both teams breaking into several fights including one after the final buzzer.
“We played physical,” Tortorella said. “We have some things to work on, but it was good to see us bang around a little bit. It’s a long series. You just keep on trying to do the things you think you need to grind away.”
Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt delivered a tremendous cross-ice pass to Cooley, whose one-timer from the right circle put the Mammoth on the scoreboard first with just 11 seconds left in the first period.
Sissons scored the equalizer at 3:44 of the second period, jamming in the puck after a backhand pass from Cole Smith. Utah retook the lead not even two minutes later when Hart found himself out of position and Vegas defenseman Kaeden Korczak knocked the puck into his own net, though it was officially credited to Stenlund.
“We didn’t really pay attention to it,” Barbashev said. “Our guys did a really good job to get one back on the power play.”
That happened when the Golden Knights again tied the game when Stone put a rebound into the open net for a power-play goal 5:33 of the third period. They then soon had the lead when Utah defenseman MacKenzie Weegar turned over the puck in his zone, and Dowd knocked in Hanifin’s shot.
Barbashev closed the scoring with an empty-netter.
The intrigue could really build when Game 2 begins around the NBA starting on Monday, April 20. There are three games on the schedule on Monday and Tuesday, with two more Game 2s on the docket for Wednesday.
The Boston Red Sox offense woke up Monday to help salvage their four-game series against the Detroit Tigers with an 8-6 victory.
Boston mustered only four runs across the first three games of the series. Left-hander Ranger Suarez carried the load in Friday’s 1-0 win with eight scoreless innings, but Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet failed to make up for the lack of offense in Games 2 and 3. The Red Sox finally broke through with timely hitting — despite a glaring lack of power — in the series finale.
Now 9-13 on the season, the Red Sox will welcome the first-place New York Yankees (13-9) to Fenway Park for a pivotal three-game set. First, let’s get into our instant takeaways from the series split with Detroit:
Garrett Crochet’s struggles continue
After allowing 11 runs (10 earned) in just 1.2 IP in a nightmare start vs. the Minnesota Twins, Crochet had another rough outing against Detroit. The left-handed ace allowed five earned runs on seven hits, including two homers, in his third loss of the season. His ERA climbed to 7.88, effectively killing his American League Cy Young hopes after his runner-up finish last year.
A disastrous fifth inning spoiled what appeared to be a bounce-back start for Crochet on Sunday. He let up a Jahmai Jones solo homer before walking Gleyber Torres, allowing a single to Matt Vierling, and giving up a three-run homer to Dillon Dingler.
“Last one, it was so bad that you can’t really even have any emotion about it,” Crochet said after Sunday’s 6-2 loss. “This one, I felt like I was just dominating until I wasn’t.”
The good news is Crochet is fully healthy. His velocity returned to normal on Sunday as his 35 fastballs averaged 95.8 mph, up from his 94.9 mph on 13 fastballs in Minnesota. He’ll hope to rebound when Boston heads to Baltimore after its three-game series against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
Ranger Suarez has returned to form
Suarez has settled in after struggling through spring training, the World Baseball Classic, and his first two starts of the campaign. After tossing six scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston’s prized offseason acquisition didn’t allow a run in eight innings of work vs. Detroit.
With Crochet going through a rough patch, the Red Sox needed Suarez to step up and perform like the No. 2 starter he was expected to be when he signed a five-year, $130 million deal in free agency. He has done just that in his last two starts, and he’ll be counted on to continue that trend when he takes the hill against the Yankees on Wednesday.
Still no pop in the lineup
The Red Sox hit just one homer — a solo shot by Willson Contreras — in the four-game series against Detroit. They’re tied with the San Francisco Giants for the fewest homers (13) in MLB.
This was the expected consequence of failing to add another slugger to the lineup over the winter. Contreras, their lone significant offensive addition, leads the group with four homers this season. Wilyer Abreu (three) and Trevor Story (two) are the only Sox hitters with more than one homer thus far.
Ceddanne Rafaela stepping up
Rafaela was the hero in the series finale, coming through with a pinch-hit two-run double to put the Red Sox ahead in the seventh inning. It was a nice piece of hitting as he poked an 0-2 pitch down the right field line.
Rafaela has quietly been one of Boston’s most consistent bats. He ranks second among qualified Red Sox hitters in batting average (.286) and on-base percentage (.366), and third in OPS (.747).
It might be Payton Tolle time
Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray exited Monday’s start in the third inning due to right hamstring tightness. Manager Alex Cora stated after the game that the veteran will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury, but it isn’t expected to be serious.
Even if it’s a minor issue, Gray could miss at least one start. That may open the door for top Red Sox prospect Payton Tolle to rejoin the rotation. The hard-throwing left-hander already joined the club after being scratched from his scheduled Triple-A start on Saturday, in case a weather postponement forced Boston to play a doubleheader on Monday. It’s unclear how Tolle would fit into the Red Sox’ plans once Gray returns (if he’s even placed on the IL), but he has to be considered the clear frontrunner to replace Gray for a spot start if necessary.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - MARCH 18: Caden Bodine (18) of the Tampa Bay Rays bats during a minor league spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 18, 2026 at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This week’s minor league roundup will only feature the numbers accumulated prior to the start of play on Monday.
This was the 1st a week of full minor league play.
According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old backstop Caden Bodine the top hitter in the Rays system; the Rays acquired the former 1st round pick in the Shane Baz deal. Bodine is currently hitting .407/.475/.630 with 2 HR over 63 PA; notably, he has only struck out twice.
Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is the team’s top minor league pitcher. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far in three starts, Cremarosa has a 4.50 ERA | 1.51 FIP with a 42.9 K% & 1.8 BB% over 14 IP.
RUMBLINGS
Infielder Jader Areinamo made his debut after opening the year on the Injured List with a hamstring issue. He is hitting .222/.263/.556 with 2 HR over 19 PA.
Homer Bush began a rehab assignment with Single-A Charleston. Once his rehab is complete, he should take a starting job in Triple-A Durham
Theo Gillen hasn’t played since going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on April 14th
TEAM LEADERS
Must currently be assigned to that team
Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
(minimum of 30 TBF for pitchers)
Tampa Bay Rays
Top 10 Prospects
None currently on active roster
Durham Bulls
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr HR: 4,Justyn-Henry Malloy and Dom Keegan wRC+: 157, Victor Mesa Jr SB: 14, Jacob Melton
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 0.00, Evan Reifert & Trevor Martin FIP: 1.94, Andrew Wantz K%: 35.3%, Logan Workman BB%: 7.5%, Andrew Wantz WHIP: 1.13, Evan Reifert AVG: .080, Evan Reifert WHIFF%: 17.8%, Kodi Whitley
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .341, Cooper Kinney OBP: .453, Cooper Kinney SLG: .591, Cooper Kinney HR: 3, Will Simpson wRC+: 171, Cooper Kinney SB: 16, Austin Overn
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 2.00, Michael Forret FIP: 4.63, Jack Kartsonas K%: 28.3%, Santiago Suarez & Garrett Edwards BB%: 6.5%, Jack Kartsonas WHIP: 0.95, Garrett Edwards AVG: .138, Michael Forret WHIFF%: 16.3%, Santiago Suarez
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .317, Nathan Flewelling OBP: .404, Nathan Flewelling SLG: .683, Nathan Flewelling HR: 4, Nathan Flewelling & Connor Hujsak wRC+: 185, Nathan Flewelling SB: 7, Tony Santa Maria
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 1.29, Andres Galan FIP: 2.71, T.J. Fondtain K%: 29.5%, Trevor Harrison BB%: 2.6%, Jacob Kisting WHIP: 0.70, Jacob Kisting AVG: .162, Jacob Kisting WHIFF%: 15.6%, Andres Galan
Who will win Orioles vs Royals today: Royals moneyline (+102)
The Kansas City Royals are struggling, sitting eight games below .500, and scoring just four runs across their last two games. However, right-hander Seth Lugo takes the ball in the series opener, and he’s compiled a 1.48 ERA across four starts.
Kyle Bradish takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles, and he owns a 5.49 ERA. He sports a middling fastball that has been hit hard, and he's got an 11.4% walk rate, which ranks in the 33rd percentile.
It's a great opportunity for Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone to break out. Both rank among baseball's best in hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity, so their power outages to start the season are screaming positive regression.
KC has won two of its last three at Kauffman Stadium. While the Royals didn’t score a ton of runs in those games, they will capitalize on Bradish's uneven performance to eke out a win.
COVERS INTEL: Lugo is one of seven qualified starters not to allow a home run in 2026.
Orioles vs Royals Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+106)
Neither team is scoring a lot of runs this season. The Royals are 30th in runs scored, and they’ve cashed the Under in two of their last three.
Baltimore has also hit the Under in two of its last four games, and is batting just .201 on the road in 2026. Three of the last four meetings between these teams have cashed the Under.
While I expect the Royals to score some runs off the shaky Bradish, they’ve shown no ability to explode offensively. As for Lugo, he’s consistent, and he will limit the O’s.
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 6-3, +0.71 units
Over/Under bets: 7-2, +4.19 units
Orioles vs Royals odds
Moneyline: Orioles -104 | Royals +100
Run line: Orioles -1.5 (+150) | Royals +1.5 (-156)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-127) | Under 8.5 (+122)
Orioles vs Royals trend
The Kansas City Royals have hit the Game Total Under in 31 of their last 50 games (+10.40 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Royals.
How to watch Orioles vs Royals and game info
Location
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Date
Monday, April 20, 2026
First pitch
7:40 p.m. ET
TV
MASN, Royals.TV
Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish (1-2, 5.49 ERA)
Royals starting pitcher
Seth Lugo (1-1, 1.48 ERA)
Orioles vs Royals latest injuries
Orioles vs Royals weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 18: OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks warms up before Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York will see the Knicks play basketball against the Hawks inside the Garden one final time this season.
Next time the homies get back home, that’d be for Game 3 of the second-round series.
Here’s what has been said heading into G2 later today.
"My mom called me and got on me. She said, 'you can't bring cookies to your press conference, son!'" 😂
On CJ McCollum’s Brodway comments: “I didn’t see it. And a lot of guys are going to say a lot of things throughout the course of the playoffs. So whatever people want to say, that’s. That’s all. That’s up to them. But I didn’t see it.”
On defending Atlanta’s small-small actions: “Their small-small pick-and-roll also is a problem. And our guys did a pretty good job of defending that the right way in the second half. It kind of got away from us early in the game, and they got some open looks from it, but our level of physicality without fouling was really good in the second half, as well as our communication with their small-small pick-and-roll.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive ceiling: “When KAT wants to, he can be a really, really good defender, especially at his size, he can cause some problems. I’ve kind of said it all year long: It’s a matter of whether or not he wants to do it that night. And as of late, he’s been really good on that end of the floor.”
On Towns’ pick-and-roll defense: “I even told him today [during practice]: I said your pick-and-roll defense was at a pretty high level. And that’s something that we need for him to continue to do.”
On second-half defensive improvements: “Our transition defense was better. Our ability to defend their small-small pick and roll was better. And then our ability to keep them off the glass during that time was a lot better and allowed us to go out and run and attack them in transition. So that’s something that we have to do while communicating for as close to 48 minutes as possible, because Atlanta is a good team and they can hurt you in a lot of different ways if you’re not present or in the moment every single possession.”
On trusting his assistants with matchup tweaks: “We just wanted to see if we can cause a little confusion. Brendan O’Connor and Darren Erman, those two guys were the brains or the thought process of the matchup situation. Erman brought it to me and I said, ‘Yeah.’”
On preparing for Atlanta’s adjustments: “All great teams, great players, make adjustments. So we have to continue watching it. And if we have to switch it up, we’ll switch it up.”
On Josh Hart’s value as a connector: “For sure, he by far is one of the best connectors that I’ve been around, that I’ve seen just in general. Because he just does so many little things every time he steps on the floor. They go unnoticed or you can take for granted. The things he does, we definitely need, especially when you’re talking about a physical seven-game series.”
On Hart again as a connector: “By far [Hart’s] one of the best connectors that I’ve been around, that I’ve seen just in general. Because he just does so many little things every time he steps on the floor. They [go] unnoticed or that you can take for granted. The things he does, we definitely need, especially when you’re talking about a physical seven-game series.”
On using Towns in different offensive spots: “We want to put him in pick-and-roll situations so he can pick-and-pop and shoot the ball or take the ball off the dribble. And then we also wanna put him at the elbow so he can playmake for us, because we feel like we move very well (like that).”
"My dad always taught me to be a winning player"
Josh Hart credits his father and one of his young coaches with instilling in him winning traits and a love for rebounding: pic.twitter.com/By4HYAyxKf
On guarding whoever he’s assigned: “Nah, man, that’s not me. My job is to go out there and guard who they tell me to guard. So that’s what I try to do.”
On defending Jalen Johnson despite the size gap: “I don’t know. Just trying to be physical. Obviously, he’s a really good player. He’s what, 6-8, 6-9? So I’m 6-4 — apparently I lost an inch. I used to be 6-5, so I’m even smaller this year. Just trying to be physical, try not to let him get to those spots where he can use his height and athleticism over me. He’s obviously a really good player, so just trying to do what I can.”
On honing rebounding as a key to his game: “Since I can remember picking up a ball at 7 or 8. You want to win and you want to do everything it takes. Sometimes when people say I want to win, they just automatically think, ‘OK, he wants to score the most. He wants to do that.’ For me, you have to get stops, and when you force teams into contested shots, you have go out there and get a rebound, especially against a team like this who has good guys who can crash the glass, get offensive rebounds, get their shooters second shots. You have to make sure you put an emphasis on rebounding. That’s something I’ve always done. My dad always taught me to be a winning player.”
On communication defending guard-guard actions: “I think we can get better on our communication, especially on guard-guard [actions]. For the first game, it was solid, but we have to be better. For sure, I think we can clean it up. That communication of small-smalls, not allowing them to get [McCollum] and [Alexander-Walker] open shots. They’re talented players. Obviously, you just try to get them to shoot as many contested shots as you can. So the communication’s got to be better. The physicality was good, but we have to ramp that up. I think they do a really good job of spreading into those screens and slipping out, those kinds of things.”
On the broader implications of small-small actions: “That’s something that Boston does an amazing job of, and I feel — I won’t say they started it, but they really elevated it. And it’s a copycat league. And you see that and say, ‘OK, how can we figure that out? How can teams do that?’ So it’s a little unnatural. I think the best way to guard those and negate those open looks is communication.”
OG Anunoby twisted his ankle and asked to come out of the game.
Declined treatment from a trainer, re-tied his left shoe.
Here’s Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado using ancient forgotten healing methods on him: pic.twitter.com/qSLGE50m9Z
On helping OG Anunoby in-game: “It’s just making sure my guy is right. We need OG out there so whatever’s whatever, and we’re gonna make it happen.”
On Anunoby coming to him on the bench looking for a magic healing: “He came over to the bench and asked me to do it for his ankle. I sat over there. He checked back into the game. We need him on the floor, so whatever I gotta do to keep it going.”
On his healing powers: “Sprinkled a little spice on him, man. Just a little magic, man. Made sure he was good for the second half. Come back here, sprinkle a little magic on them before I go out there.”
On the bench unit in Game 1: “They were unbelievable. And they came in and made plays on both sides of the ball. They made big shots, and they made plays that had a lot of attention to detail that may get overlooked, but they were focused and they got it done.”
On CJ McCollum’s performance: “He played really well. He made a lot of tough shots, and he also got a lot of easy ones to get himself going in rhythm. So that’s just who he is. You know, he’s been able to be a big time performer in these situations. So we just gotta lock-in together.”
On the impact of his 2022 41-point playoff breakout in his career: “I think it did a lot. Every day I was working on my game. I was getting better, doing all the stuff. When an opportunity like that comes around, there was no need to get ready when you’re staying ready. It’s crazy that it’s been four years since then.”
On Atlanta’s screen slipping and spacing: “The way they do it, they got to the point where they mastered it, and they’re really good at it. Them being able to slip out of screens and get to the point where they’re ready to go and their feet are set and ready, they’re really good at it. We just gotta be ready to be more physical. At the same time, communicate a little better, just making sure we’re not giving them the space. I think a lot of teams that have multiple ball handlers do that because it’s a very unique action that can put one of the two in space.”
"That's what Josh does. That's what he's been known to do."
On the need for setting the tone early in the series by going 2-0: “It’s huge. I think it sets the tone for the rest of the series. Obviously, when you come out in a physical matchup like the Hawks are, they’re a great team, and we have a lot of respect, but you want to set the tone early, and know it’s going to be a long series.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 17: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a solo home run with Ozzie Albies #1 in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 17, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are now just about halfway through a 13-game stretch of facing nothing but NL East opponents — including this Philadelphia Phillies team twice. Naturally, this seemed like the trickier proposition for the Braves to deal with since this was taking place in Philadelphia and they were dealing with a Phillies club that was desperate to get their season going in the right direction while also making a statement that they’d be nipping at the heels of the Braves sooner rather than later.
As it turned out, it was the Braves who made the statement. While Atlanta hadn’t dropped a series all season to this point, they still had yet to break out the brooms and establish real dominance over the course of a series. That changed after this weekend’s affairs, as the Braves picked a fantastic time to pick up their first sweep of the 2026 season. It’s one thing to sweep any other ballclub — it’s another to do it against the Phillies and in Philadelphia, no less. Let’s go ahead and take a look back at what ended up being a very lovely time for the Braves in Citizens Bank Ballpark.
This was the perfect way for the Braves to start off this series, as Atlanta dominated this one from start-to-finish. The big story in this one was Austin Riley essentially picking up where he left off in that series win in Cobb County against the Marlins. He nearly had two dingers in that series finale, as one actually went over the fence and the other nearly went out but stayed in the stadium for a double. The ol’ bandbox in Philadelphia couldn’t contain Riley on this night, as he hit two bombs and plated four RBIs as he continued to make his presence felt for the Braves.
While the Braves were busy beating up on Taijuan Walker and the rest of Philadelphia’s pitching staff, the Phillies were unable to crack the code of Martín Pérez. The veteran hurler wrapped up a whirlwind week by going six innings and striking out four Phillies batters along the way. It was actually looking pretty shaky to start with for Pérez as he found himself in a bases-loaded situation in the very first inning but once he escaped that jam unscathed, it was relatively smooth sailing from there. Not even a one-out triple from Bryce Harper in the third could get Pérez to wobble.
Jose Suarez entered the game after Pérez was done and he ended up carrying the torch to the finish line as he covered the final three innings of this one. Winning a game 9-0 is very pleasing on its own merits. Winning 9-0, on the road, against a divisional rival and only having to use two pitchers in the process is worth its weight in gold, folks.
Right after the Braves got done shutting Philadelphia out with the unlikely-but-apparently-dynamic duo of Martín Pérez and Jose Suarez, it couldn’t have been a comforting thought for the Phillies knowing that their next trip to the ballpark meant that they’d have to contend with Chris Sale. Indeed, Sale ended up making life very difficult for Philadelphia’s lineup in this one as he finished up with just one run allowed on five hits while also striking out seven batters. The only blemish for Sale on the night came from Felix Reyes hitting a home run in the very fist at-bat of his major league career — outside of that, Sale did his job in ensuring that the misery continued for the Phillies.
That was as good as it got for the Phillies on the night, as they couldn’t figure out Sale and also had a devil of a time dealing with Dylan Lee and closer Robert Suarez — who closed this game out because Raisel Iglesias took the day off because he slept bad on his shoulder. As a 37-year-old, I can 100 percent relate to Raisel Iglesias being 36-years-old and having his day ruined because he slept funny. Brother, I feel you.
Anyways, the offense was delivered by Austin Riley (who is now on fire following his sluggish start to the season) and Mauricio Dubón. Riley’s luck has completely turned around because he plated one with an infield single that was hit basically in no-man’s land for the Phillies to effectively field. Mauricio Dubón continued to impress at the plate as his bloop RBI knock plated two runners in order to make it 3-1, which is how this game ended. If Chris Sale is on point, three runs is usually enough to get the job done and that was the case on Saturday.
We got another example of Walt Weiss putting his thumb on the scale when it comes to his bullpen decision-making. The Braves were clinging to the 4-2 lead (that eventually became the final score) in the fifth innings after they had pushed three runs across the plate in the top half of the inning in order to get to that point. Grant Holmes got into a situation where there was a runner on second with Kyle Schwarber set to come up to the plate. Instead of giving the Phillies a third crack at Holmes, Weiss made a shrewd decision to go to Aaron Bummer in order to get the final out of the fifth.
While Bummer did give up a double to Schwarber, he induced a ground ball that Austin Riley made a great play on in order to end the inning. Again, that decision ended up being crucial since the game ended up finishing 4-2. I’m not going to sit here and say that former manager Brian Snitker is a bad manager because that would be a lie but also I think we all know that this would’ve been handled differently if Snitker had been in charge. It’s likely that Snit would’ve kept Holmes in the game in order to let him get through five and qualify for the win. Instead of being loyal to a fault, Weiss decided to go with a fresh arm in that situation and the decision paid off. There are pros and cons to both approaches but if you’d rather see managers approach games with more of a sense of urgency then you had to have liked what you saw from Weiss in this moment.
Anyways. the fifth inning was certainly the decisive frame in this one. It started with the Braves loading up the bases down 2-1 (and running Andrew Painter from the game, who had been effective up until that point) and the game turned after Matt Olson collected an RBI on a groundout, Austin Riley legged out another infield RBI single to put Atlanta ahead and then Ozzie Albies delivered the double that gave them some cushion. The timely hitting and shutdown work from the bullpen helped ensure that Atlanta would leave Philadelphia with a satisfying sweep.
If last season’s start was the absolute nightmare scenario for the Atlanta Braves then this season’s start has been a dream start. Not only are they already eight games over .500 (as opposed to beginning the season seven games underwater), they’ve also gotten off to this hot start while everybody else in the division has been mediocre-to-bad. Having a five-game cushion already is pretty nice and being up 6.5 games on the Phillies and 8 games up on the Mets is pretty huge. I think we all know better than to start celebrating a divisional title in April but as far as opening up the season goes, the results couldn’t be more ideal for the Braves.
This might sound a bit silly or overcautious to say but the series-winning streak could very well be in jeopardy to begin this week. While the Nationals haven’t been in the best vein of form to get this season started (although it’s a pretty solid start for them relative to expectations), they have been hitting the ball pretty well so far and it’s always a tough ask of any road team to win a four-game series on the road. With that being said and when you consider how this Braves team is going at the moment, would you bet against them?
Either way, this is certainly an exciting start to the season for the Braves. Austin Riley is finally starting to heat up and look like himself, the pitching has continued to get the job done across the board, the defense has been lights-out (as you’ll see below) and there’s even help on the way in the form of Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider.
No matter how you slice it, the Braves are in a very good spot right now. They’ve started this 13-game NL East gauntlet with a 5-1 run and could potentially end this gauntlet by putting their divisional foes in a serious hole. We’ll see what happens going forward but for now, it’s time to have fun and enjoy this run. As we all know based on what happened last season, it certainly beats the alternative! Long may this strong run of form continue for the Braves, please.
The Toronto Raptors will look to even up the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena, and they'll need supporting players like Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley to be at their best if they want to do that.
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Raptors Game 2 computer picks
Jakob Poeltl Over 8.5 points (+102)
Projection: 9.65 points
Jakob Poeltl scored just four points on two shots in Game 1, but this is still a guy who averaged 11.1 points per game in April and reached double figures in eight of 11 games to close the regular season. He'll be better tonight.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet POELTL Now at bet365!/span
Brandon Ingram Under 21.5 points (-105)
Projection: 19.94 points
Much was made about Brandon Ingram taking just nine shots in Game 1, and there's no guarantee his volume increases by much tonight. He fell short of this number in two of three regular-season meetings, too.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet INGRAM Now at bet365!/span
Immanuel Quickley Over 11.5 points (-125)
Projection: 13.1 points
This is an overcorrection to Immanuel Quickley's injury and recent struggles. He averaged 13.7 points per game in March and reached double figures in all but one game.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet QUICKLEY Now at bet365!/span
Cavaliers Game 2 computer picks
Donovan Mitchell Under 27.5 points (-112)
Projection: 24.4 points
Donovan Mitchell's 32 points in Game 1 are high relative to the 24 points per game he averaged in March. The Cavs have enough advantages to win without needing a massive game from Mitchell.
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Jarrett Allen Over 13.5 points (+100)
Projection: 15.31 points
Jarrett Allen scored just 10 points in Game 1, but cleared this total in eight of his last 10 games in the regular season.
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Jarrett Allen Over 1.5 assists (+135)
Projection: 1.69 assists
Allen is not piling up assists by any stretch, but this plus-money price is tough to overlook. If Cleveland's offense keeps rolling, he'll get his chances.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet ALLEN Now at bet365!/span
How to watch Raptors vs Cavaliers Game 2
Location
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Date
Monday, April 20, 2026
Tip-off
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock/NBCSN
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 19: Garrett Acton #50 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the tenth inning at Target Field on April 19, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Reds defeated the Twins 7-4 in ten innings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
All the good vibes from last week have disappeared as the Twins are now on a four-game skid, mostly thanks to an ineffective bullpen and bad defensive play. Despite three straight elite starts this weekend from Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, and Bailey Ober, who only gave up three earned runs in 18.1 combined innings, the rest of the team was fairly ineffective. It seems like when it rains, it pours for the Twins, with the news today that Mick Abel, who has been fairly impressive to start the season, is now on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, and the Twins, in response, have called up Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp. Let the youth movement begin!
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It’s still a logjam in the American League, with seven teams (including the Twins) within 2.0 games of the league-leading Yankees. Maybe what is most surprising is how far the Astros and Royals have fallen in the standings, with the Astros on a four-game losing streak and the Royals on a seven-game losing streak.
The Mets have been the story of the National League, as they are on an 11-game losing streak. Their NL East compatriots in Philadelphia have also been uncharacteristically bad, as they are on their own five-game losing streak.
Coach comes out of five-man shortlist to land role
Will aim to help England lift Rugby League World Cup
The former Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott will be named as Shaun Wane’s successor as head coach of the England men’s national team later this week.
McDermott, the most successful coach in Super League history having guided Leeds Rhinos to eight major honours during his time with the club, has seen off interest from the likes of Sam Burgess and the current Rhinos coach, Brad Arthur, to land the honour of taking England to this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
Apr 19, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky (20) and teammates celebrate scoring the game-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during extra time in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Morgan Tencza/Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
TAMPA, Fla. — Juraj Slafkovsky scored his third power-play goal 1:22 into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Slafkovsky fired a snap shot from the left circle that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far side for his first career postseason hat trick.
“It’s pretty nice. I like that feeling,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t want to go to overtime. Hopefully we close out games before that. But now we have to focus on the next game.”
Game 2 is at Benchmark International Arena, where Tampa Bay has lost nine of its last 10 home games in the postseason. The Lightning are 1-11 in their last 12 overtime games in the playoffs.
“We took four offensive zone penalties,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “That wasn’t over-aggression. That was stupidity. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs. This isn’t game 62. That’s extremely disappointing.”
Josh Anderson also had a goal for Montreal, and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 20 saves.
“His style of play and energy and speed and physicality is perfect for playoff hockey,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said of Anderson. “He had a big night for us.”
Brandon Hagel scored two goals and Darren Raddysh also scored for Tampa Bay.
The Lightning have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round three straight seasons after falling two wins shy of a three-peat in 2022.
The Canadiens, coached by Lightning icon and Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, are seeking their first Stanley Cup since winning their NHL record 24th in 1993. They haven’t won a playoff series since the Lightning beat them in the Cup Final in 2021.
Hagel’s power-play goal — a tip-in off a precise pass by Jake Guentzel 8:58 into the third — tied it at 3-3 a few minutes after Slafkovsky put Montreal ahead.
Slafkovsky’s shot from the high slot slid under Vasilevskiy’s left pad for a short-lived lead. He one-timed a perfect seam pass from Ivan Demidov into the net from the right circle to make it 2-2 in the final minute of the second.
Raddysh tied it at 1 with a powerful slap shot in the second. The Lightning went ahead 2-1 just 29 seconds later when Hagel picked up a loose puck from the side of the net and backhanded a shot past Dobes.
Montreal’s fourth line gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead in the first when Anderson flipped a top-shelf shot into an open net.
Anderson also had a goal overturned by video review midway through the second period. He deflected Mike Matheson’s slap shot past Vasilevskiy but it was waved off because his stick was above the crossbar.
You just spent $4.25 billion to purchase an NBA franchise, what do you do?
If you’re Tom Dundon, apparently, you start to cut costs.
At least that is reportedly what the new Trail Blazers owner is doing, which is rubbing some the wrong way, following a series of reports that included one on Sunday that Portland’s two-way players were being left at home during the playoffs in what’s believed to be a cost-cutting measure.
The report from the Rose Garden Report suggested that the team’s decision not to bring Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood and Jayson Kent to San Antonio for the first two games of their first-round series against the Spurs was one made in order to keep costs down.
The Blazers dropped Game 1 of the series, 111-98, on Sunday night.
Tom Dundon speaks during the Rip City Rising Press Conference on April 2, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
“This is well outside of standard practice in the NBA. All seven other road teams on the first weekend this year’s playoffs brought their two-way players to the games even though they can’t play, sources close to those teams confirmed. They may be stuck in street clothes, but they’re still being treated like they’re part of their teams,” Sean Highkin wrote at Rose Garden Report.
Dundon has come under scrutiny over his perceived penny-pinching ways since the league approved the sale of the team to him at the end of March.
The Blazers dropped Game 1 of the series to the Spurs on April 19, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Last week, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that during a recent trip to Phoenix, the Trail Blazers had some of their team staffers check out of their rooms by noon, hours before any team buses started departing for the arena, in order to avoid having to pay for late check-out times.
On Friday, Trail Blazers president Dewayne Hankins went on local news and said that there would be no shirts given out to fans as a giveaway when their playoff series with the Spurs shifts back to Portland.
The appearance forced Blazers co-owner Sheel Tyle to go on social media later that day to defend the team and said that “we are doing something else.”
“Moda will be rocking for Game 3 & 4,” he also wrote.
Trail Blazers new owner Tom Dundon, right is seated before an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Portland, Ore. AP
On a grander scale, the Trail Blazers, under Dundon’s stewardship, seem to be looking to pay no higher than $1.5 million per year for their next head coach and the team has already spoken with at least 20 college and international coaches, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported over the weekend.
Tiago Splitter served as the team’s interim head coach this season after Chauncey Billups was arrested days into the season over an alleged poker-rigging scandal.
While Dundon, who also owns the Hurricanes of the NHL, could reverse course, it appears that the start of his ownership in Portland is off to a stilted start.
COVERS INTEL: Lugo is one of seven qualified starters not to allow a home run in 2026.
Raptors
Cavaliers
