Lance Stephenson might have found his next career move.
The former Indiana Pacer entered the cage on Saturday night for an MMA scrap against fellow NBA alum Michael Beasley — and it was Stephenson who decidedly came out on top.
Just one round into the pair’s fight at Brand Risk 14, a promotion run by influencer Adin Ross, Stephenson choked out his basketball rival and former Lakers teammate and got him to tap out.
Lance Stephenson got Michael Beasley to tap out in the first round of their MMA fight Kick/Adin Ross
Lance Stephenson just submitted Michael Beasley in the first round
Moments before, the two traded punches before Beasley attempted a guillotine choke on Stephenson.
However, Stephenson managed to wriggle free and get his opponent into a rear-naked choke, which Beasley was unable to break free of.
Following the fight, Beasley seemed surprised that he had gotten choked, but said he’d be willing to box Stephenson in the future.
Stephenson agreed to that deal and Beasley, whom he played against in the BIG3, jokingly threw a punch in his direction. The two also squared off in a much-hyped one-on-one game for $100,000 that Beasley won last year.
The fight card also featured a bout between Johnny Manziel and social media influencer Bob Menery, who the former NFL quarterback defeated by TKO in the first round.
Stephenson looked pleased following his quick win in the fight. Kick/Adin Ross
Stephenson and Beasley both enjoyed lengthy careers in the NBA, including the 2018-19 season together with Lakers.
Stephenson, now 35, was drafted by Indiana in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft and starred for Indiana before moving on to other stops around the league, including Charlotte, New Orleans and Memphis.
Beasley, 37, arrived as the second overall pick in 2008, and is best known for his productive stints in Miami and Minnesota.
Stephenson and Beasley last played in the 2021-22 and 2018-19 NBA seasons, respectively.
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Martin Perez (33) during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Another Sunday, another rubber match for the Atlanta Braves.
For the third straight weekend — and the fourth out of the last five — the series will be on the line in the deciding game Sunday when the Braves host the Washington Nationals at 4:10 p.m. EDT.
Given, rubber matches have been no problem for the Braves through the first two months of the season. They’ve won seven of their eight deciding games of series and still haven’t lost a series at home, a perfect 8-0-0.
Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.85 ERA) will be called upon to continue that run in this series finale. He’s making a second consecutive start without a relief appearance in between for the first time since April 28 and May 6.
While Pérez’s role has been a bit wonky, he’s handling it exceptionally well. He allowed a season-high-tying four runs Tuesday at Miami — three of them coming in the first inning — but still grinded out five innings and set a new career high of 10 strikeouts — no small feat for a 15-year veteran.
In 10 appearances (six starts) this season, Pérez has a career-best 2.85 ERA and a career-best 1.000 WHIP. When you look at his Statcast profile, there’s no one area that jumps out in terms of his effectiveness. But he just keeps providing strong-enough spot starts or relief appearances.
Pérez doesn’t have a particularly strong history against the Nationals. He’s 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA in six appearances (four starts), striking out 20, walking seven and allowing six homers. He faced them out of the bullpen back on April 22, allowing two solo homers in three innings of work of the Braves’ 8-6 win.
He’ll be facing off against Washington’s Foster Griffin (5-2, 4.02) in a battle of left-handers. Griffin is back in the United States this season after spending the last three in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants. He returned to the majors on a one-year deal with Washington.
That return has gone well through the first few months. He’s one of just three Nationals pitchers to make 10-plus starts and his ERA is 16 hundredths behind Cade Cavalli for the best among starters on the team.
However, he’s come back down to earth a bit in the last few starts after a very strong start to the season. He’s allowed 14 runs over 9 1/3 innings in his last two starts (five in five innings vs. the Mets on May 19 and nine in 4 1/3 against Cincinnati on May 14). He allowed two home runs in each of those starts and has allowed 10 in as many starts this season.
That’s potentially music to the ears of a Braves lineup still looking for his first homer of the series and which has scraped across just two total runs in regulation of the first two games against Washington this weekend.
Griffin made his first career start against the Braves back on April 21, allowing three runs over six innings and earning the win in Washington’s 11-4 win.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 23: Brad Lord (41) of the Washington Nationals delivers during the Saturday afternoon MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals on May 23, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In his second season as a big leaguer, former 18th round pick Brad Lord has continued to just be a steady and reliable presence. Last year he bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. However, this season he has settled into being a multi-inning relief arm, which is a role that suits him perfectly.
Lord is just a guy who quietly goes about his business and gets the job done. Even yesterday, his work could be lost in the shuffle, pitching in between the brilliant Jake Irvin and the high energy Richard Lovelady. Lord just gave the Nats 3 mostly drama free innings when they needed that stability badly. That is what makes Brad Lord the ultimate glue guy.
Brad Lord is in best glue guy in Nationals history talks for me
Nothing about Brad Lord’s game is particularly flashy. His 4-seamer and sinker have solid velocity, but he is not a flamethrower. Lord’s slider, sweeper and changeup are decent pitches, but nothing special. However, Lord is able to get outs on a consistent basis due to his deception and command.
Lord throws from a very low arm slot, at 17 degrees. Lower lots tend to be funkier and tougher for hitters to pick up. Throwing 95+ from that low of a slot while pounding the zone is also unusual. Lord really relies on his fastballs, throwing a 4-seamer or sinker 59% of the time. However, like many Nats pitchers he has dropped his fastball usage. Last year, he was throwing 4-seamers or sinkers 67% of the time.
This season, Lord picked up a sweeper that he is throwing 11% of the time. Batters are hitting just .111 on the pitch this season. The only hit on the sweeper came when Lord hung one to Juan Soto, which is generally not a good idea. His sweeper is not some elite weapon, but it gives hitters a different look along with his heaters and harder slider.
Lord actually gets more whiffs on his 4-seam fastball than any other pitch. He gets swings and misses at a 28% clip on the heater. From that low slot, his fastball just gets on guys at the top of the zone. We saw that yesterday, with Lord getting all three of his strikeouts on his heater.
What Lord did yesterday was so huge for this team, and I want to give him his flowers. Jake Irvin was throwing a gem, but an injury forced him to leave the game after 5 innings. The bullpen was absolutely taxed after an 11 inning game yesterday, so the Nats needed Lord to eat up outs in a pretty high leverage spot in a 2 run game. That is exactly what Lord did.
Three shutout innings with three strikeouts from Brad Lord.
Given how many relievers the Nationals used last night, the length Lord has given them today is huge.
Lord went three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking nobody, though he did hit a batter. This kind of outing is turning into the standard for Lord. For the season, Lord has a 2.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 35 innings. He has just been efficient and drama free.
This season, Lord has done a great job limiting free passes. In 35 innings, Lord has issued just six walks. I just love the way Lord attacks hitters. He knows he can get ground balls at an elite 56% clip, so he does not really fear hitters.
Between his multi-inning role and overall reliability, Lord reminds me of former Nats reliever and current Padres manager Craig Stammen. Both Lord and Stammen started as starting pitchers/swingmen before landing in a multi-inning relief role. Stammen ended up having a 13 year big league career where he had a 3.66 ERA. He did this as a 12th round pick. As an 18th rounder, I think Lord can do similar things.
Ever since he came up last season, I have really enjoyed watching Brad Lord pitch. I remember watching him face the Dodgers and get his first career strikeout against Shohei Ohtani. It was cool seeing a guy who worked at Home Depot in the offseason retiring the Dodgers $700 million superstar. That is just baseball I guess.
However, Lord is no flash in the pan or good story anymore. At this point, he is a full fledged bullpen weapon, who is one of the Nats most reliable arms. The Nats have been using relievers in multi-inning roles a lot more this season, and that kind of role is a perfect fit for Lord. He can be elite in these 3 inning bursts. I think he could be a decent starting pitcher, but he might be more valuable as a great multi-inning reliever rather than a mediocre starter.
Brad Lord is going to be a fixture on this Nats pitching staff for years to come. Right now, the Nats have a lot of guys who walk the tight rope out of the bullpen. Lord is not like that. He just comes in and does his job. That is what makes him the ultimate glue guy and a pitcher who will stick in the big leagues for a long time.
The Vegas Golden Knights will try to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Golden Knights won the series’ first two games in Denver. Games 3 and 4 are in Las Vegas. The Avalanche are favored in Game 4 with a -145 moneyline compared to the Vegas Golden Knights' +121.
How to watch Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Saturday saw the teams in the Atlanta Braves organization split six games down the middle. Cade Kuehler threw his third straight great game, while Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Jim Jarvis all had notable days at the plate. We also got to get the full Jhancarlos Lara experience, where he got himself into trouble, but also really showed his swing and miss stuff.
Anthony Molina got the start and threw five excellent innings on Saturday. Molina allowed just one hit and three walks in the five scoreless innings, striking out five and whiffing nine. Rolddy Munoz was the next pitcher used and allowed a run over an inning and two thirds. Joel Payamps got the next inning and a third, and recorded a strikeout for each of the four outs he picked up. A scoreless Ian Hamilton inning finished this one off for the Stripers pitching staff.
Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen once again carried the Gwinnett offense. Jarvis doubled twice in three at bats, walked, and scored a run, while Hicklen singled, doubled, scored a run, and batted one in. New catcher Maverick Handley added a pair of hits in his Braves system debut, while Brett Wisely, Rowdy Tellez, and Aaron Schunk all had a hit, while Tellez and Wisely each drew a walk to join Jarvis, Hicklen, and Handley in reaching base multiple times.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4, Columbus Clingstones 0
Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-4, 2B, .264/.338/.440
Ethan Workinger, LF: 1-3, 2B, BB, .204/.286/.357
Lucas Braun, SP: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 7.20 ERA
Back in Double-A Lucas Braun got his first start since the demotion, and just his second start here this year. Unfortunately he gave up a first inning run and ended up allowing three more in his five and a third innings. Braun allowed seven hits and a walk as he struck out three, though did have 11 whiffs. Samuel Strickland pitched a scoreless inning and two thirds in relief of Braun. Jhancarlos Lara came in for the eighth and final inning and got into some trouble as he allowed a leadoff single, strikeout, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, double steal, and a third strikeout. Lara used 20 pitches to get through the inning, but six have six whiffs.
Karson Milbrandt dominated the Columbus lineup with six shutout innings that included 12 strikeouts and 24 whiffs. Overall the Clingstones managed just four hits and three walks. Ethan Workinger was the most productive, doubling and walking, while Patrick Clohisy also added a double. The other two hits were singles by Drew Compton and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. David McCabe was the only other player to reach base, as he walked twice in the loss.
Rome Emperors 7, Hub City Spartanburgers 4
John Gil, SS: 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, .275/.383/.451
Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-4, RBI, 2 R, .274/.354/.452
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 5.03 ERA
Game 1 saw Cedric De Grandpre go six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. Cedric struck out seven and had 15 whiffs as he needed just 88 pitches to get this quality start. Those numbers may have looked better if not for a mistake in the third inning, when he allowed a two out, three-run homer. Jacob Kroeger came in to get the final three outs and picked up the save.
John Gil had a big part in this win, as he was two for four with a homer, two runs scored, and three batted in, running his OPS up to .834 on the season. Isaiah Drake went one for four, scored twice, and batted in a run. Eric Hartman was hitless in three at bats, but walked and scored a run, while both Dixon Williams and Cody Miller had hits and batted in a run, with Williams having a double and Miller picking up a pair of RBI.
The makeup of Friday’s game saw Cade Kuehler continue his recent run of strong starts. Kuehler went five and a third scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, giving him 17.1 innings of scoreless baseball across his last three starts. That lowers his ERA from 7.66 to 4.31 – over three runs off where it was earlier this month. Kuehler also struck out four with 12 whiffs. Logan Samuels got the next two outs in the sixth, before Drew Christo pitched the final inning to complete the combined shutout.
The offense wasn’t as loud in this one as the first game of the day, but Isaiah Drake continued his strong day with a two for four evening that included a run scored. Between both games he was three for eight, scored three runs, and batted one in. Cody Miller also had a double and batted in a pair, giving him two hits on the day. John Gil and Eric Hartman were each hitless in two at bats, though Hartman was hit by a pitch and Gil did walk and score a run.
Game two started on Friday night before a delay and the eventual push into Saturday, so Ethan Bagwell’s two scoreless innings were on Friday night. Bagwell allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out three and picking up six whiffs. Zach Royse got what amounted to a start, and went five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. Royse did strike out six and whiff 15, and he actually allowed just one run through his first four innings before getting into some trouble in his fifth inning of work and allowing four runs. Adiel Melendez followed and allowed a run in an inning and two thirds, and Kade Woods was needed to come in to get the final out of the game.
Augusta only managed one run through the first eight innings in this one, as they tacked on three runs in an attempt to rally from behind in the ninth. Luis Guanipa tripled in three at bats and also drew a walk, Juan Mateo singled and walked in three at bats. Nick Montgomery walked once, while Dalton McIntyre doubled, stole a base, and batted in a pair. Both Tate Southisene and Alex Lodise were hitless in four at bats, with Lodise picking up the platinum sombrero.
Augusta GreenJackets vs Columbia Fireflies – Game 2 – PPD
Game 2 was scheduled because Friday got rained out. Unfortunately the rain got in the way again, and this game was postponed before it got started. The game was moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader again.
Gensi Angeles came into this start with a 0.00 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through three starts – all against the Rays team, but he didn’t make it out of the first with that ERA still intact. Overall he allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts over 3.2 innings. Cesar Rodriguez allowed a run, while Yander Pinero allowed three as the next two pitchers, putting this game out of reach. Daniel Brooks and Juan Olmos each made scoreless appearances in the losing effort.
The standouts offensively included Manuel Campos, who had a triple and a run scored in four at bats, and Connor Essenburg, who singled, walked, and batted in a run in his five trips to the plate. Juan Elejandro and Mario Baez each had multi-hit games, with Baez picking up a double and also stealing a base. Diego Tornes went hitless in four at bats, but did get on in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 27: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners walks to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on April 27, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If the season ended today, the Mariners would miss the playoffs. The season doesn’t end today.
The Mariners will play their 54th game on Sunday to finish off the first third of the season. They are currently 25-28 and tied for second place (we’ll call it third) in the AL West, 1 1/2 games out of first and a 1/2 game out of the wild card. It’s been a disappointing start after last year’s banner and expectations for more in 2026. They’ve played hot and cold, with short, aggravating losing streaks between brief spouts of competence. They dropped a series to the worst team in baseball. They took a series from the best. If I had to describe the season in a word: Familiar.
I don’t want to talk about the Mariners today. You already know the deal. They’ve hit righties well. They’ve hit lefties poorly. Their lopsided roster has forced them to pinch hit to frustrating results. The pitching has been good but inconsistent, and nobody on Opening Day would have guessed the who or the how. Again… familiar.
Instead, I want to talk about seasons, specifically the Mariners’ season (tricked you). How much should we adjust our expectations at the one-third mark?
Some, but not a lot, is the short of it.
While the Mariners have lost more games than they’ve won, they’ve scored more runs than they’ve allowed. That’s important. If we want to consider how they might play going forward, we want to know their “true talent.” One of the best ways to measure “talent” is with run differential.
Let’s walk through the table, for those unfamiliar. The first column of numbers is good ol’ fashioned win rate. The second is PytheganPat win rate, which uses run differential to estimate wins. The third is Base Runs win rate, which uses more granular information (total bases) to estimate runs to estimate wins. And finally, we have gradient win rate, which is a lesser-known Tom Tango invention that weights run differential to estimate wins (distinguishing between a four-, eight-, and 12-run win).
The table shows the Mariners have played a bit better than their record to this point by each of the win estimators. It also suggests they haven’t been a good team, but they have indeed been a playoff-caliber one in a lackluster American League.
So where are those missing wins? That brings us to our next stop:
The Mariners are 7-13 in one-run games. I plotted them next to the 2025 Mariners, who won more one-run games than any other team in the majors. We can see that at about this point last year they were eight games better in contests decided by one run.
“To say that there is no skill in a team winning one-run games would be wrong. Teams that are good at scoring runs and preventing the other team from doing so will have a better chance at winning them. The problem is that one-run games actually happen in several different ways, and winning them would rely on the abilities of different parts of the roster. The way in which they unfold, often involving extra innings, adds an extra layer of variability over and above that of a normal game. Baseball is a game with a lot of randomness in it already, and that randomness overwhelms the effect of skill. Based on this, I wouldn’t recommend reading much into a team’s one-run record.”
You might expect a bad team to lose a lot of one-run games, because they lose a lot games period. And vice versa. But a “good” team could still lose a lot of one-run games without it being a reflection on their underlying skill. And vice versa. The Mariners, as it happens, are 15-15 in games decided by more than one run.
When should we start caring about the Mariners actual win rate? Pretty soon, but also, not for a while.
Let’s start with the good news. At this point in the season, through 53 games, actual win rate tells us the least about how a team will play going forward. The following plot shows the correlation between win rate at each game number and win rate the rest of the season.
We can see that winning the first game of the season tells us nothing about a team’s future success. Each game thereafter gives us a bit more information, until about game 100, when the sample size issue flips the other direction. Gradient win rate is generally the best at predicting the future, while actual win rate is the worst. We should expect the Mariners to play a bit better going forward.
OK, the bad news: Wins are wins are wins. The season isn’t played in Excel, and we don’t give trophies to decimals. The Mariners are indeed falling behind. I ran the same tests, but rather than looking at rest-of-season win rate, I looked at full-season win rate. We can see actual win rate becomes the best at predicting the final standings… right about now, as it turns out.
Still, seasons aren’t constants. The Mariners were hot at this time last year, then they collapsed in June, then had a great summer, then collapsed again, then went on one of the great runs in franchise history to close out the year. The 2022 squad was even more extreme, truly bottoming out around this time, before setting the longest win-streak in franchise history. Few teams are great from wire-to-wire, with the 2001 team being the exception.
This is all normal. Despite our irony and bloodlust, the Mariners are a fairly standard baseball team. Their current stretch — stumbling early and then hovering around .500 — is not at all out of place for a playoff-bound club.
I took every 25-game stretch for every team since 1996 and found the median best and worst win rates:
Good teams, bad teams — just about every team besides the 2001 Mariners — play good and bad at some point in a season. The difference between them in the final standings is how good and how bad and how often.
The Mariners worst 25-game stretch to this point was their first one, when they went 10-15 (.400) to open the year. Their best 25-game stretch came on May 8, when they capped a 14-11 (.560) stretch with a win over the Braves.
Let me throw out two things that are true:
If the Mariners have played their worst baseball this year, a pretty standard hot streak would get them into the 92-96 win range.
The Mariners probably haven’t played their worst baseball this year.
I’ll leave you with a Rorschach test. The Mariners are still favorites to win the AL West. The rest of the division is very bad. In fact, this is the worst the division has been on May 24 since 2011, a year where each team in the west was within three games of .500. The Rangers would go on to play the rest of the season with the best record in the American League. The Mariners would go on to play with the worst.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - APRIL 22: Yamal Encarnacion #1 of the Corpus Christi Hooks is seen on the field during the game between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (21-29) lost 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
Weiss started for Sugar Land and allowed 5 runs over 5.1 innings while striking out 6 batters. It was a quiet day for the offense though as they picked up just six hits and were shutout in the 6-0 loss.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (20-24) won 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got on the board in the third scoring 2 runs on a Schiavone RBI single and Austin RBI groundout. They got another run in the 5th on a Guillemette sac fly and in the 5th, Trammell connected on a solo home run to extend the lead. Gillis got the start and was great tossing 6 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. Trammell added some insurance in the 7th with a 2 run home run. The pen was solid closing it out with 3 scoreless innings as the Hooks won 6-0.
Asheville got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 3 runs on a Thomas 2 run home run and Frey solo home run. Smith got the start but struggled allowing 6 runs, 5 earned over 5 innings of work. Asheville got one back in the 6th on a Brutcher RBI single but that was it from the offense as they dropped game one 6-4.
The San Antonio Spurs will try to even the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. Oklahoma City leads the series 2-1 after winning Games 2 and 3. The San Antonio Spurs are favored by 2.5 points in Game 4. Thunder guatf Ajay Mitchell has been ruled out for Game 4 due to a calf injury.
How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs
Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -135 (55.1%) / Oklahoma City Thunder +114 (44.9%)
Over/Under: 218.5
Series schedule, results
Game 1:Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT) Game 2:Thunder 122, Spurs 113 Game 3:Thunder 123, Spurs 108 Game 4: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Sunday May 24, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 5: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 6: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Thursday May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)* Game 7: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Saturday May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 23: Texas Rangers outfielder Andrew McCutchen (4) catches a fly ball during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on May 23, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers (32-20) wrap up their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers (30-19). The division leaders split their first two games. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, with a 3.32 ERA, and Brandon Sproat for the Brewers, with a 5.75 ERA.
How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Enrique Hernández #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws the ball prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Kiké Hernández played nine innings at third base in his 12th and final rehab game with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Hernández is expected to be activated off the injured list when the Dodgers return home, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Milwaukee on Saturday.
Dave Roberts says Max Muncy (wrist, HBP) will be down through the weekend and the team will reevaluate back in LA on Monday.
Kiké Hernández will play his final rehab game with OKC tonight and is set to join the Dodgers on Monday as well. #Dodgers
Hernández was 0-for-4 on Saturday, and in his 12 games for the Comets hit .214/.298/.310 with two doubles, a triple, and five walks. Ten of his 12 games with Oklahoma City came at third base, plus one start each in center field and second base.
The Dodgers when activating Hernández will need to make a corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster, as he is on the 60-day injured list.
Player of the day
Mason Estrada had the best start of his pro career to date, with nine strikeouts in four scoreless innings for Class-A Ontario. The Dodgers’ seventh-round draft pick last year out of MIT walked three and allowed a single, and induced 17 swinging strikes, continuing his improvement after a wild start this season.
Through his first five appearances, Estrada had 22 walks and 12 strikeouts to go with his 11.47 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. In his last three outings, Estrada allowed one total run in 12 innings, with 19 strikeouts and only seven walks.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Comets pitchers allowed only two runs, but the offense scored just once in a loss to the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). Oklahoma City’s run didn’t come until one out in the ninth inning, when James Tibbs III doubled, stole third base, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jack Suwinski.
Wyatt Mills in his first appearance since getting optioned to Triple-A, pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Double-A Tulsa
Three runs in the seventh inning off Roque Gutierrez and Christian Suarez doomed the Drillers in a loss to the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins). The rally spoiled an otherwise solid outing by Gutierrez, who pitched four scoreless innings of relief to get though the sixth.
Peter Heubeck made his first start for Tulsa since last July 19, missing the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. His start to 2026 was delayed by a hamstring injury during spring training, per Drillers play-by-play announcer Dennis Higgins during the broadcast.
Heubeck struck out Wichita second baseman Kyle DeBarge to begin his outing, but had a bumpy road trying to find the beat of the rhythm of his night. Billy Amick homered to lead off the second inning, and Heubeck allowed a single and walked two in his two innings. Heubeck also has a slow delivery to home plate, which was exploited for one steal and nearly another. Caleb Roberts was called out trying to steal second base in the first inning, but appeared to reach the bag before the tag. Heuback struck out three and threw 35 pitches, right around his set limit of roughly 40 pitches.
Josue De Paula singled twice and stole two bases in the loss.
Kyle Nevin fouled a ball of his foot in the second inning and remained in the game for one more inning on defense before getting replaced at third base in the third inning.
High-A Great Lakes
The Loons only trailed by two entering the top of the ninth inning, when the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) piled on for an 11-4 rout.
Right fielder Jose Meza walked three times and homered in the loss. Kole Myers, demoted to High-A on Tuesday, doubled twice and walked.
Brooks Auger faced his first adversity of the season, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk in the second inning. He escaped an even bigger frame with two strikeouts to get out of the second, and struck out six in his three innings. The right-hander has 26 strikeouts against five walks in his 14 2/3 innings this season, with a 3.07 ERA.
Class-A Ontario
A four-run third inning was more than enough for the Tower Buzers to beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners). The decisive inning included three doubles and two sacrifice flies. Mairo Martinus had one of those doubles, part of a two-hit game.
Following Estrada on the mound was Jose Cabrera, who struck out four and retired all six batters he faced in two perfect innings of relief.
Transactions
Double-A: Catcher/infielder Bryan González was promoted from the Arizona Complex League to Tulsa. If the 2023 sixth-round pick gets into a game for the Drillers, it will be the first game for the 20-year-old at a full-season affiliate. Peter Heubeck joined Tulsa after one rehab appearance in Arizona last weekend.
Class-A: Catcher Francisco Espinoza joined Ontario from Arizona.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will each try to win the third game of the series, matching up NL division leaders in Milwaukee this afternoon.
L.A. has won eight of its last 10 games, while Milwaukee has won 12 of 15. After a prolonged cold streak, the Dodgers have found their bats. That’s why my Dodgers vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks call for L.A. to win a slugfest.
Who will win Dodgers vs Brewers today: Dodgers -1.5 (+100)
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 11 runs yesterday, the third time in seven games they’ve hit double figures. L.A. has scored 5+ in six of the last nine. Shohei Ohtani, who had a rare early-season slump, has now hit in nine straight, hitting .457 in the process.
The L.A. batters face Brandon Sproat, who has been sub-replacement this year with a 5.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. The Dodgers start Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has a 3.32 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00.
COVERS INTEL: Brandon Sproat gained velocity this year and added a cutter, but the results have been a disaster. He’s in the Bottom 1% in MLB in breaking ball value and the Bottom 3% overall. His fastball (27th percentile) is the only pitch not in baseball’s bottom quarter, and he has among MLB’s worst walk rates and chase rates.
Dodgers vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+105)
The Milwaukee Brewers have also been hitting. Sunday’s 11-3 loss snapped a streak of four straight scoring five or more. Yamamoto has allowed 3+ runs in four of his last five starts, surrendering six home runs over that period.
Milwaukee will want to get to him early — Yamamoto has a 7.00 first-inning ERA. The Brewers hit .263 with 110 OPS+ in the first and have six first-inning runs in the last two games.
Meanwhile, Dodgers batters have been more patient. They’ve walked 17 times in the first two games of the series and are walking 6.4 times per game over the last nine, up from 3.9 per game on the season up to that point.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 15-20, -4.28 units
Over/Under bets: 19-20, -2.51 units
Dodgers vs Brewers odds
Moneyline: Dodgers -163 | Brewers +156
Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+100) | Brewers +1.5 (+105)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+105) | Under 8.5 (-125)
Dodgers vs Brewers trend
The Dodgers have covered the run line in eight of their last 10 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Brewers.
How to watch Dodgers vs Brewers and game info
Location
American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Date
Sunday, May 24, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
SportsNet LA, Brewers.TV
Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-4, 3.32 ERA)
Brewers starting pitcher
Brandon Sproat (1-2, 5.75 ERA)
Dodgers vs Brewers latest injuries
Dodgers vs Brewers 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.
The New York Mets (22-30) take on the Miami Marlins (24-29). The Marlins won the first two games of the series. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Christian Scott for the Mets, with a 4.12 ERA, and Tyler Phillips for the Marlins, with a 1.20 ERA.
How to watch New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins
Date: Sunday, May 24
Time: 1:40 p.m. ET / 10:40 a.m. PT
Where: loanDepot park, Miami, FL
TV Channels: Marlins.TV presented by Werner, Hoffman, Greig & Garcia, SNY
Only one win stands between the Knicks and the NBA Finals. After Saturday night’s Game 3 121-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York is up 3-0 with a chance to close out the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night in Cleveland.
New York got out to run early and often. Six Knicks scored in double figures, led by Jalen Brunson’s 30 points. The Knicks have continued to be impressive. New York has won 10 consecutive playoff games, including five straight road wins, all by double figures.
New York hasn’t advanced to the NBA Finals since 1999. So a win in Game 4 would be a momentous occasion for the franchise. These are the keys to closing out the series on Monday.
Pushing the pace
Game 3 saw the Knicks make a concerted effort to get easy looks by pushing off turnovers and misses. They also ran off of Cleveland’s makes. In the first quarter, New York scored several easy baskets in transition that set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Knicks had the advantage, outscoring Cleveland 17-4 in fastbreak points. The Cavaliers play two big men in their starting lineup, and it’s safe to say James Harden isn’t the most agile guard in the NBA. The Knicks took advantage of that on Saturday.
Transition has been a large piece of New York’s success in the postseason: 13.8 percent of New York’s points come from the fastbreak per NBA Stats. That’s the fourth-highest mark among all 16 playoff teams. The Knicks lead all teams in fastbreak points per 100 possessions (17.0). They also prevent the opposition from leak-outs, giving up just 9.8 fastbreak points per 100 possessions, the third-lowest figure in the playoffs.
If New York keeps pushing the ball on Monday, there’s a good chance they will be representing the East in the NBA Finals.
Elite shot-making
One of the Knicks’ best transition weapons is Mikal Bridges. The starting wing was everywhere on Saturday, making cuts off the ball, pulling up as a shooter and hounding Harden all night. Those were just a few of the tasks Bridges was occupied with during the night.
Bridges finished the game with a full stat sheet, recording 22 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. During the conference finals, Bridges is averaging 19.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. His scoring efficiency is off the charts. Bridges shot 11-for-15 from the field (73.3 percent) in Game 3. He’s a scorching 27-for-38 from the field (71 percent) in the conference finals.
Bridges, who was my X-Factor for this series, has been a marvel to watch. He covers so much ground sprinting from end-to-end. Bridges has also taken on the task of defending Harden, after checking Tyrese Maxey in the second round.
Sham-wow
Landry Shamet’s season has been a year of ups and downs. He began the year winning the last roster spot in preseason after veteran Malcolm Brogdon suddenly retired. Shamet became a crucial part of the Knicks roster during the regular season.
He fell out of the rotation early in New York’s first round series against the Atlanta Hawks. Shamet later worked his way back to consistent minutes in the second round.
Now, Shamet is stepping up at the most important time of the year. First, the 6-foot-5 guard knocked down a clutch three to send the game into overtime in New York’s series opening win on Tuesday. He followed that up with 14 points on Saturday, knocking down four three-pointers. Three of the long distance field goals came in the fourth quarter as Shamet helped New York keep a potential Cleveland rally at bay.
The Knicks have needed Shamet's two-way skills off the bench in the conference finals. He spaces the floor with a quick release. His scoring numbers in the series are modest (7.7 points), but his outside shooting earns respect from opposing defenses. Shamet’s also been up to the task of defending Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell.
Shamet has earned his minutes going forward, and his solid two-way play should continue to impact the series in Game 4.
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielders Tim Tawa (13) and Corbin Carroll (7) celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
Team News
Lovullo gave Marte a piece of advice, and he’s been mashing ever since Marte, though, asked to move back into the leadoff spot a few weeks ago — “We were winning games then,” Lovullo recalled him saying — but the real difference has been his dedication to getting back on track.
“I just said, ‘Be kind to yourself, just be yourself,’” Lovullo said. “Go out there and you’re going to be fine. Flush days. Flush good days, flush bad days, and tomorrow is another one.”
Ketel Marte’s heater continues in D-backs win vs. Rockies
When creating a timeline that begins with Marte’s walk-off dinger on Tuesday, across his last 19 plate appearances, Marte is 10-for-16 with two doubles, three homers, three walks and has scored six times.
His OPS has jumped over 100 points in that time. Not bad. He is now indeed getting luckier, as the advanced numbers said he should.
2 Encouraging Signs from Diamondbacks’ Win over Rockies
“Crazy what he’s doing right now,” rookie outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt said of Marte to the D-backs.TV postgame broadcast.
“That’s especially important for me to get on base (Waldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a run scored Saturday) for the hot streak that he’s going on, and that’s just the player he is. If I can get on first base in front of him, and I know he’s going to hit the ball like that we’re going to score a lot of runs.” https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/2-encouraging-signs-diamondbacks-win-rockies
‘I didn’t believe it at first’: D-backs call up No. 4 prospect Troy Montero and Troy started to review highlights of his recent defensive plays before Montero asked a question that the D-backs’ No. 4 prospect has been waiting to hear since he was drafted by the club 12th overall in 2023.
Baseball’s top ‘triple threat’ is speeding his way toward more history And full gear for Carroll is a place very few can go. In fact, since the beginning of the 2023 season, Carroll owns 14 of the 21 fastest home-to-third times on a triple. The fastest of those came earlier this week, when he raced to third in 10.71 seconds against the Giants.
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The oldest English word is ‘town’.
This is one of the oldest words in the English language that is still in use. The first dictionary took note of this in 1755.
Humans have just 1 bone fewer than horses.
Horses have an average of 205 bones or more while the adult human is set at 206. On average, horses will live for 25-30 years.
pic.twitter.com/Xm2cdJhRsK
COVERS INTEL: Brandon Sproat gained velocity this year and added a cutter, but 
