BOSTON — Joel Embiid scored 33 points, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers avoided elimination, beating the Boston Celtics 113-97 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Paul George had 16 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who lost Games 3 and 4 at home to fall behind 3-1 in the series before returning to Boston to keep their season alive.
Game 6 is back in Philadelphia on Thursday night, when the Sixers will try to force the series to a decisive seventh game in Boston on Saturday.
In his second game back from an emergency appendectomy,Embiid helped rally Philly from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit. After scoring 13 points in the second quarter, he added 10 in the third as the Sixers went on a 12-0 run to turn a three-point lead into a 15-point runaway.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 16 rebounds for Boston and Jaylen Brown scored 22.
That sentiment was echoed by head coach Dan Muse as well during training camp and throughout the regular season.
"He's gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he's obviously still a relatively young guy," Muse said of Šilovs earlier this season. "I think those things, they seem to all kind of stack up. To have that [AHL Calder Cup run] that he had last year, and then to have the playoffs before, and then you also look at some of the different experiences that he's had in international play... you look at it and see he's not that old.
"He's got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences, and you carry them with you."
And, through two playoff games in which the Penguins have faced elimination, he sure has carried that with him.
After making the post-season for the first time in four years, the Penguins went down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers with Stuart Skinner between the pipes. Although Skinner - a veteran who has been to two Stanley Cup Finals with the Edmonton Oilers - hadn't really done anything to contribute to his team's deficit in the series, Muse made the bold decision to change goaltenders for Game 4 with Pittsburgh's season on the line.
Well, it worked. Šilovs entered Game 4 and stopped 28 of 30 Flyers' shots on goal, and he followed that up with an 18-for-20 performance in a 3-2 Game 5 win on Monday for the Penguins. Through two games, he has a .920 save percentage and, like Skinner in the first three games, has made several key saves on odd-man breaks and high-danger shots from Philadelphia.
This is in pretty stark contrast to the stretch run of the regular season, when Šilovs went 8-5-0 with a pedestrian .871 save percentage in his 13 appearances following the Olympic break. Many were questioning the decision to turn to Šilovs in Game 4 because of his struggles nearing the end of the regular season.
But, as he has always done, Šilovs has found a way to lock in and elevate when the stakes are the absolute highest - and that's something he revels in.
"Just the atmosphere to play," Šilovs said. "It's meaningful hockey. Everyone goes their hardest. You know you're playing for something, and you know there's an ultimate goal to do something, and it's fun to play, to be a part of it."
The sentiment from his coach regarding Šilovs's big-game prowess hasn't changed since his words earlier this season, either.
"Having those experiences, I think, definitely helps. Both of our guys have had a lot of big-game experience at different points and at different levels, so you have that," Muse said. "But, then, I also think with [Šilovs], it's just that he's a really competitive guy. I think he's somebody who just, naturally, he loves the big moments, he loves big games. So, I think that's just a little bit of who he is as a person."
Šilovs's teammates are pretty confident in their 25-year-old rookie netminder, too, who led the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup Championship last season with a .931 save percentage and performed well in the NHL playoffs for the Canucks two seasons ago.
"He's been making huge saves," veteran forward Bryan Rust said. "He's been calm back there making saves, the same thing he's been doing all year - coming to work every day, working hard, smile on his face."
The most impressive thing about Šilovs's first two games, too, is the situation he walked into. It's one thing to sub in due to injury, like he did against the Nashville Predators in the first round in 2024, closing out the series with a shutout and then giving Vancouver a chance through seven games against the high-octane offense of the Oilers in the second round.
But to come in when his team is down 3-0, quite literally in need of a win to survive? And not just a win, but four wins in a row? That kind of pressure can fold some goaltenders, especially ones as generally inexperienced as Silovs.
That's not happening here. His experience and performances in the NHL and AHL playoffs - as well as his international resume - show a proven track record of success in high-pressure environments, and he continues to make big saves when the Penguins are in dire need of them.
"Amazing," three-time Stanley Cup winner Kris Letang said. "Obviously, he comes up big. [Philadelphia] got really quality looks, and a couple breakaways in the last game, too, and he is pretty composed back there.
"It's tough to come in and face them for three games. You have to come in and do the job. I thought he played well."
Of course, there is still a lot of runway left in this series. The Penguins have made it 3-2, but that means they still need to survive two more elimination games in order to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive and move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round.
They are taking it one day, one game at a time, and they see this situation as an opportunity. And having two goaltenders they are able to rely on if things start to get a bit dicey is something that no one takes for granted.
Apr 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) celebrates win with teammates against the Philadelphia Flyers in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Captain Sidney Crosby thinks Šilovs has done an excellent job handling that responsibility.
"We have confidence in both guys. I mean, they've proven it throughout the season," Sidney Crosby said. "I think Arty's done a great job when they've applied pressure, and when we've made mistakes, he's been there to bail us out. That's gonna happen. You're not going to play a perfect game, and you're going to have to rely on your goalie to make those saves. You don't want to make him work too hard, and I think for the most part, we've done a pretty good job of that.
"We're always trying to make his job a little easier, and when we haven't, he's made some great saves and shown a lot of poise."
As for Šilovs? He's just enjoying the opportunity, taking it in stride, and using the emotions of playing in these must-win games as fuel to put his best game on the ice.
"It's an exciting opportunity," Šilovs said. "I think playing in the playoffs is the most fun you could ever have, and we've been waiting for a whole season to get to this point. So, just enjoying every minute of it."
The fourth inning concluded Tuesday with a standing ovation from much of the small crowd at Citi Field, perhaps wondering if what it just witnessed was real.
But this wasn’t a mirage. The Mets sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning and scored seven runs. Frustration turned to smiles. The Mets had it all together for a night.
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The big inning propelled the Mets to snap a three-game skid with an 8-0 victory over the Nationals before an announced crowd of 33,622 that was much smaller.
In getting swept in three games by the Rockies over the weekend, the Mets scored only four combined runs to continue their season-long offensive woes.
Clay Holmes concluded his dominant April by pitching six shutout innings in which he allowed three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. The right-hander’s ERA dipped to 1.75 before Tobias Myers and Craig Kimbrel finished it.
Now the Mets need momentum. They began this homestand with a series victory over the Twins, and anything less against the underwhelming Nationals will only increase the volume on calls for manager Carlos Mendoza’s firing.
New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) two-run home run during the fourth inning when the New York Mets played the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY PostNew York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) hits a sac fly during the fourth inning when the New York Mets played the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“It’s going to take that daily showing up and doing what we can to be a little bit better,” Holmes said. “I don’t think one day good or bad is really going to change much. I think it’s really having a long-term view if we really want to get where we want to go.”
The offensive fireworks included Juan Soto’s first homer since returning from the injured list last week. Soto’s two-run blast punctuated the Mets’ wild outburst in the fourth against Zack Littell.
Bo Bichette homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the first to get the runaway started. The blast was Bichette’s second this season.
“It sets the tone, first pitch of the game,” Mendoza said. “You want to get the guys going and the last thing you want — I am not going to say panic, but the fact we get the break, loosen it up, which is good to see.”
Jorbit Vivas’ error was the big play in the fourth that launched the Mets’ seven-run explosion. With the bases loaded, Vivas misplayed Marcus Semien’s grounder, allowing two runs to score. Carson Benge’s ensuing two-run single gave the Mets a 5-0 lead. Ronny Mauricio singled to continue the rally before Bichette hit a sacrifice fly. Soto cleared the fence in left-center for his second homer this season, a two-run blast that widened the gap to 8-0.
New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) throws in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I appreciate the effort that the guys put in,” Soto said. “After the Marcus ground ball everybody took great at-bats and getting base hits. Bo bringing the [run] with the sacrifice fly, it was really cool to see.”
MJ Melendez’s single started the big inning and walks to Mark Vientos and Brett Baty loaded the bases ahead of Vivas’ error.
“I think we all felt it there, like this is the break we have been looking for,” Mendoza said. “Not only that, just to be able to cash in, that is like the next step there … just putting guys on base, a couple of walks set up that situation. We were able to create traffic, which is something we weren’t able to do as of late.”
Soto also gave credit to Holmes following the right-hander’s impressive performance. Holmes has pitched at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer in each of his six starts this season.
“He’s been doing it since last year,” Soto said. “No surprise what he’s been doing. He’s a grinder. He’s been putting in the work every day, so I am really happy to see that.”
Somerset Patriots shortstop George Lombard Jr. #3, scores during a game against the Reading Fightin' Phils.
ARLINGTON, Texas — George Lombard Jr. is suddenly on the doorstep of the big leagues.
The Yankees have promoted their top prospect to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a source confirmed on Tuesday night, after he crushed the first month of the season at Double-A Somerset.
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Lombard, who turns 21 on June 2, was batting .312 with a .971 OPS in 20 games at Somerset after going through some growing pains in 108 games there last year.
The Yankees believe that the shortstop — who has also played some occasional third base — is already ready defensively for the big leagues, but they wanted to see his bat catch up to his glove.
Lombard has impressed in each of the last two springs, as a non-roster invite to big league camp, both with his talent and his character.
The son of a former big leaguer (and current Tigers bench coach), Lombard has often been lauded for his “off-the-charts” makeup and baseball IQ.
It may not be long before the organization’s first-round pick in 2023 makes it to The Bronx — the only question, now — he is just one level away from the major leagues, is how soon it happens.
Somerset Patriots shortstop George Lombard Jr. scores during a game against the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Giancarlo Stanton was back in a familiar spot Tuesday, with familiar feelings about it.
The veteran DH officially landed on the 10-day injured list with a low-grade right calf strain, and while a Monday MRI exam revealed he was not dealing with something more severe, that did little to temper his frustration with going on the IL for an eighth straight season.
“At this point, there’s no real peace of mind if you’re going to be out,” Stanton said before Tuesday’s game at Globe Life Field. “It’s better [that] it won’t be a long time, but out again is not ideal.”
Stanton was not yet sure how long he might be out, indicating that he would have a better gauge of that during the upcoming homestand once he started to move around more.
“It’s good that it’s not high-grade, but at the same time, you got to make sure it doesn’t happen again and you don’t re-aggravate it,” Stanton said. “Just got to be smart with it.”
The 36-year-old is still able to hit, but has not tried running since sustaining the injury Friday. The first day he is eligible to come off the IL is May 5, though it remains to be seen whether he will be ready that soon.
“Hopefully it’s not something that’s long, but obviously [Stanton] has had some of these lower-body issues before,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re just going to listen to that and certainly not rush anything. Hopefully it’s on the shorter side of things.”
Angel Chivilli, who flew back to New York to undergo tests after being placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, will not throw for at least three weeks because of a shoulder injury.
Boone did not have the exact diagnosis, but said the reliever “had some acute and chronic stuff going on in there,” which will keep him from being a bullpen option again at least until June.
José Caballero started the season a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases, but since is 1-for-4 over his past four games. He went 0-for-3 in Tuesday’s win and did not have a steal attempt.
“We certainly want to be smart all the time, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to take some chances and take some risks sometimes,” Boone said. “I trust in his ability to execute out there and certainly don’t want him to shy away. We need him to play out there with that kind of confidence and swagger and have that continue to be part of his game — not to say we don’t want to be as smart as we can in certain spots.”
The Yankees called up utility player Max Schuemann on Tuesday as a roster replacement for Stanton.
Schuemann was likely just making a one-day cameo, since the Yankees will have to open a roster spot again Wednesday to make room for Elmer Rodríguez being called up to make his MLB debut.
Anthony Volpe played in another rehab game Tuesday with Double-A Somerset, and is scheduled to play another Wednesday before the Yankees decide his next steps.
The Tigers are holding their breath about Javier Báez.
Báez exited in the fifth inning of Detroit’s game in Atlanta after sliding awkwardly at first base, leaving the field on a cart.
The center fielder rolled over on a first-pitch changeup from Braves lefty Martin Perez, sending a ground ball to shortstop. Mauricio Dubon threw high to first, though, and to avoid a tag from first baseman Matt Olson, Báez attempted to slide feet-first into the bag but appeared to injure the lower part of his right leg after going past the base.
Javier Báez was carted off the field after an awkward slide into first base.
Báez was helped off the field by first base coach Anthony Sanders and assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades, who got him into a cart.
Wenceel Pérez came into the game to replace Báez.
Báez finished the game 0-for-2 before leaving.
Detroit had not announced what Baez is dealing with, but did say starting pitcher Casey Mize exited the ballgame with right groin tightness after yielding two runs over just 2 1/3 innings.
Báez has played center, short and second base this year and is hitting .256 with a .670 OPS through 78 at-bats.
Javier Báez of the Detroit Tigers strikes out during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 25, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty Images
Earlier this season, manager A.J. Hinch said Báez was looking more like his old self on the diamond after struggling through much of his six-year, $140 million contract he signed with Detroit before the 2022 season.
“I just think he’s like a kid again,” the skipper said. “He likes playing out there, but I don’t see an energy boost or a difference in him as much as I see a willing teammate go out and fill a void that was unfortunately open.”
Rockets star Kevin Durant won’t be available for Game 5 of the Lakers-Rockets first round playoff series on Wednesday.
Durant was ruled out due to a left ankle sprain, the same injury that sidelined him for Games 3 and 4.
Kevin Durant will miss Wednesday’s Game 5 of the Lakers-Rockets first round series in the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
He suffered the injury during the Lakers’ Game 2 win on April 21 in Los Angeles.
Durant also missed Game 1 of the best-of-seven series because of a right knee contusion.
He made his return in Game 2, but the Lakers beat the Rockets, 101-94, with Durant suffering the ankle injury late in the game before missing both matchups in Houston.
Houston star Kevin Durant, who led the Rockets in scoring at 26 ppg this season, will miss Game 5 vs. the Lakers Wednesday night recovering from a left ankle injury. NBAE via Getty Images
Durant was the Rockets’ leading scorer for the 2025-26 season, averaging 26 points in 78 games.
“Talking to him about it is tough when you play the amount of games he has this year, really one game due to the ankle injury, and playing the minutes that he did and competitor that he is and commitment that he’s made to the team with a lot of guys being in and out this year,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said ahead of Game 4. “And so unfortunate for us and him that he’s missing this time of year, but it’s hard, no doubt, for a guy that wants to play and plays as much as he does to be out at this point in the season, this is very tough. So feel bad for him and our team in general. But like I said, we’ve proven we can do it without him.”
Game 5 of Lakers-Rockets will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
The story before the game was Cleveland top prospect Travis Bazzana was recalled to help kickstart a struggling Guardians offense which had posted a 95 wRc+ over the past two weeks. While Bazzana did his part to help matters drawing two walks, Nick Martinez and comapny caused trouble and bothered everybody in the Cleveland lineup limiting the Guardians to three hits and six baserunners in the shutout.
For awhile, this game had the feeling of a Spider-Man meme in action as both Martinez and Tanner Bibee were trading blows from the mound as both hurlers were attacking the zone with their full arsenals, albeit with different approaches. Bibee genereated 12 whiffs in the game and the Rays consistently pushed him into 18+ pitches per inning despite doing little against him in the first four innings. Bibee’s challenge was made easier when Junior Caminero fouled a ball off his face and had to leave the game after his first plate appearance. In-game reports have Caminero with a bruised jaw and day-to-day, and it’s likely he is sitting for tomorrow’s getaway game. The workload caught up to Bibee in the 5th inning when he walked Taylor Walls on six pitches and later allowed back-to-back singles to Ben Williamson and Jonathan Aranda to plate the game’s only run. The bullpen got the final 12 outs for Cleveland with nary a scare, leaving Rays pitching to do some heavy lifting.
Martinez was incredibly efficient this evening as he left the game after a leadoff walk to Bazzana in the 8th inning despite throwing just 78 pitches. Martinez had faced 25 batters to that point, so proactively getting in front of the fourth time through the order penality was the right call by Kevin Cash. However, the opportunity cost was Ian Seymour coming in and yet again walking his first batter on five pitches only because the umpire gifted a strike one call on the 4th pitch. That set up the sacrifice bunt by Brayan Rocchio and an intentional walk to Steven Kwan to load the bases. Seymour then found his command and struck out Chase DeLauter on three pitches allowing Cash to then lift Seymour for Kevin Kelly who kept Jose Ramirez in the yard, barely, to end the inning.
Cole Sulser came in to pitch the 9th and things got a little hairy with a two-out double by Angel Martinez which nearly left the yard and an intentional walk to Bazzana, but Sulser rebounded to strike out George Valera on three pitches to secure his first save and the Rays sixth consecutive win.
Getting back to Martinez, he has simply been incredible for the Rays this season with his efficiency and his results. He has now limited opposing batters to a .196 average swith 31 baserunners in 31 innings and just 3 home runs allowed. This was his fourth quality start on the season and he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any outing. Martinez, no doubt, took notes watching Steven Matz go changeup heavy as Martinez leaned on his own changeup to keep the batters off balance all evening. DeLauter had the only solid contact off Martinez with a single in the first inning, but nobody else was able to get to Martinez in the rest of the outing. If you are a fan of pitching without gas, these last two nights have been an absolute pleasure to watch by the two free agent vets the front office targeted this winter.
Drew Rasumssen goes to the bump in the getaway game tomorrow, which cannot thrill the Guardians after what they have gone through these past two games. Let’s hope Junior’s jaw is good and he is back in the lineup when the club returns home to kick off a six-game homestand against the Giants and Blue Jays. Pitching and defense have won many a game for this franchise over the years, but tonight was truly about the pitching because Martinez rocked up on the mound and rocked the mound (Right).
Apr 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) work for the ball in the second quarter during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics returned home to TD Garden Tuesday night to try and close out their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston led through three quarters, before the Philadelphia 76ers made a stunning comeback to take the lead at the start of the 4th quarter. Philly would go on to dominate play in the 4th quarter as the scoring dried up for the C’s, they lose another game at home in this series, 113-97.
With no injuries, both teams had a full compliment of players to start the clash. Philadelphia got out to an early 10-6 lead as both teams struggled to shoot the ball to start the contest. In the first 6 minutes of action, Boston was just 4-11 from the field, missing their first 5 three-point shot attempts. Jayson Tatum’s first score came seven minutes into the game, as the Celtics seemed very tentative in the close-out matchup.
Payton Pritchard was the first player off the bench for the home team, as Sam Hauser took an early seat, scoreless after 6 minutes of action. Boston took the lead with 3 minutes to go in the first quarter as Jaylen Brown muscled into the key to score and was fouled over rookie VJ Edgecombe.
Baylor Scheierman checked into the game late in the first quarter and hit the team’s first triple of the night off a Pritchard assist. Payton Pritchard scored his first points of the night with a mid-range fadeaway jumper. Jordan Walsh joined Vucevic, Pritchard, Brown, and Scheierman on the court to end the quarter as Tatum got a rest. A Nikola Vucevic dunk in a wide-open 76er lane gave the Celtics a 23-21 lead after one quarter. The C’s would take that all day after shooting a dismal 1-10 from downtown in 12 minutes of play. The 76ers weren’t much better, going just 3-13 as both teams were slogging it out in a low-scoring affair.
Tatum returned alongside White, Garza, Walsh, and Pritchard as Joe Mazzulla mixed up the rotations to start the second quarter. Embiid was called for an offensive foul, setting a pick on Jordan Walsh to start the quarter. Pritchard danced into the lane past two defenders and drew a second foul on Embiid. Pritchard drove once more on a broken play for Philly; he got a wide-open layup for his seventh point of the game.
Jayson Tatum stole the ball on the baseline and went coast to coast as Boston took a seven-point lead, 32-25. Jordan Walsh and Luka Garza took a seat as Vucevic and Scheierman returned for Boston. Vucevic immediately sunk a triple from the top of the key, his second field goal of the game, crediting Tatum with a behind-the-back assist to the big man. White got into the lane to score his fourth point of the game on a finger roll layup; Vucevic got the assist with a nifty pass on the play.
Boston took a 10-point lead with seven minutes to go in the half; Jaylen Brown had a block attempt on Embiid and was whistled for a foul at the nail. He would hit both free throws to cut it to eight. Tatum stepped into a pull-up triple for his eleventh point; Pritchard would register his fifth assist.
Brown drove and drew Embiid on a collapsing drop coverage play; JB pivoted and swung the ball to Vooch, who was wide open for another three-pointer. Philly was hanging around as Boston had some fumbles and turnovers in the middle of the quarter. Andre Drummond made a pair of free throws to cut Boston’s lead to just two points. Brown drove and dished to Queta for a loud two-handed dunk. A Jayson Tatum corner triple came on a broken play, which handed the C’s a seven-point lead. Nick Nurse came off the bench and was upset with the referees as they took a timeout.
Philly got the lead back to 2 points; Jaylen Brown had a sweet turnaround two-pointer over Paul George to answer. JB drilled his first triple of the game with 30 seconds left in the half; his heat check three was his eleventh point of the night. Queta had a third foul on Embiid to end the half, he would take a seat in foul trouble. Boston is up by seven, 57-50, at the half.
Jaylen Brown dunked it home on a cut through the lane to open up things in the third. Queta was whistled for another foul, his fourth of the night, as coach of the year Joe Mazzulla elected to get Vucevic back into the game. Jaylen Brown hit one of two from the line after an Oubre foul, Boston up 64-58. Jordan Walsh scrapped with Embiid down low on a loose ball retrieval, he provided a spark as a Jaylen Brown replacement. Embiid was dominating the paint for Philly; he had 23 of the team’s 65 points with 6 minutes to go in the third.
Tatum converted a big three on an offensive rebound for Boston; Maxey matched him with a deep triple of his own. Payton Pritchard’s first three of the game came on a corner look in front of the 76ers bench, the guard wasting no time to tell them about it. On the same play, Embiid was clutching his knee and went to the change rooms. Luka Garza got fouled on a trailing layup attempt as the Boston crowd found full voice after a predominantly quiet first half. The C’s are back up by 8 points as Garza converted both free throws.
Both teams hit triples, as Embiid returned to the game for Philly. Jaylen Brown attacked the paint and scored over Embiid with a layup. Tatum also took on Embiid and scored on a hook shot in the paint for Boston. The Celtics would lead by just one point, 86-85, after Maxey hit a desperate three-point jumper with the shot clock expiring.
Paul George gave the 76ers the lead on a three-pointer to open the fourth; JB whistled for an offensive foul on the next play down the court for Boston. The Celtics had back-to-back turnovers to start the 4th quarter as Scheierman passed it wide to Derrick White.
Sam Hauser swished home a corner triple as Brown drove and drew two defenders, Boston down one, 89-90. Hauser hit another three-pointer on a relocation play; he was the only player to score for Boston in the fourth. JB drove and passed it to Queta, who skied to tip it in on a roll to the bucket. Philly was still up 3 points with six minutes to go in the game.
An Embiid turnaround over Queta gave the 76ers an eight-point lead, as it looked like the series might shift back to Philadelphia. Boston had just eight points in 8 minutes as they couldn’t hit a shot. Jayson Tatum finally went to the line with two and a half minutes to go, but Boston was already down by 12 points.
The series now shifts back to Philadelphia as they host Game 6 on Thursday in another must win game.
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 28: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning during a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 28, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tonight marked the third series in a row in which the O’s have faced a last-place team. Are the Orioles a good team? We’re not sure. But right now, Houston has the worst record in the American League and is down a whole outfield, a shortstop, practically an entire bullpen…
Surely, given the depleted state of the ‘Stros, the Orioles could hope for nice things tonight? Nice things like Pete Alonso tanks and Shane Baz quality starts.
Well, close enough! Pete the Polar Bear did go deep, a big two-run bomb in the fifth inning to put the O’s up 4-1, and though a shaky Anthony Nunez allowed it to get close in the eighth, Ryan Helsley slammed the door to preserve a 5-3 win. Meanwhile, Shane Baz finished one out short of a QS, but along the way he showed some of his best stuff all season, going 5 1/3 with just one earned run allowed and six strikeouts.
Tonight’s tart felt like a good time for Shane Baz to find his ace stuff. (Or I’m just saying that because this is my recap.) But really, it’s getting late enough in the season—and Baz far enough removed from surgery—that the pressure is on a little bit to see what the talented righty’s really got.
Well, this was a good outing. If we’re nit-picking, Baz is still throwing a lot of uncompetitive breaking pitches outside the zone. But that’s OK. He has a 99-mph fastball and nasty break, and he made a lot of Astros look bad tonight.
Baz also got to pitch from a 2-0 lead, his team spotting him two quick runs against reliever-turned-starter-for-tonight Kai-Wei Teng. Teng had had sparkling results so far (2.16 ERA in 11 appearances out of the bullpen), but the O’s greeted him rudely.
Here’s how it went. Gunnar Henderson led off the game with a noisy double to left and scored on an Adley Rutschman single after the catcher nicely worked the count against Teng. Another hot young bat, that of Samuel Basallo, hit a scorching 112-mph double to right, and the Birds were up 2-0 without breaking a sweat. A nice change of pace from waiting until the eighth inning to start connecting with the ball.
Baz allowed leadoff hits in both the second and third innings, but no damage. You know what’s a great way to take care of leadoff RISP? Strike out the side. Baz did that in the second, dispatching the 7-8-9 Astros hitters in order. It was beautiful. He retired the side in the third, too, helped out by Coby Mayo’s slick play, gobbling up a slow roller with his bare hand, and firing in time to retire Paredes.
A nice moment in the fourth. Baz fell down 2-0 to Christian Walker, then battled back and finished him off with a cutter. Like “Mike Mussina at his best,” pronounced Jim Palmer from the booth. Hey, that’s pretty good company.
Baz wobbled a bit after striking out the first hitter of the fifth. The No. 9 guy, Brice Matthews, hit a fastball into the bleachers on a strong inside-out swing. Now it was 2-1.
But Pete Alonso wisely chose this moment to go long. After Kai-Wei Teng’s three innings, the Astros turned to an ineffective Steven Okert, and then Ryan Weiss, who entered with an ERA north of six. Gosh, fans have asked, when is Pete Alonso going to start hitting home runs? We have ourselves have an answer. With one aboard via walk, Weiss left a fastball down the middle, and the Polar Bear delivered, cranking the ball into the bleachers. We now had ourselves a 4-1 Orioles lead.
That lead felt kind of safe, actually. Even when Baz, approaching 100 pitches in the sixth, allowed two two-out singles in the sixth. Baz was yanked, and in came Rico “The Janitor” Garcia, to clean up the mess. Well, the Janitor Always Mops Twice. That doesn’t make any sense here, but Garcia did get out of the inning with a divebomber changeup, like he often does.
The lead shook in the seventh and eighth, I admit. Andrew Kittredge looks to have some rust to shake off, too, by the looks of it. He allowed a single and a double before whiffing Carlos Correa. Gutsy! Kittredge intentionally walked the scary Yordan Alvarez, opting to face Isaac Paredes. Paredes swung through some junk! Now José Altuve came up with the bases loaded. More junk! More swings! I don’t know if to give Kittredge flak for loading the bases, or style points for wriggling out of it. Both!
The Astros’ Ryan Weiss, a guy pitching in the KBO last season (where he was known as “Daejeon Jesus”), was a hoss tonight, giving his team length, though the results weren’t always pretty. Weiss threw breaking balls right and left, mostly successfully. Where it didn’t succeed was in the bottom of the seventh, when the O’s tacked on a fifth run on a Gunnar walk + steal and an Adley single. (Adley: definitely hot right now.)
Rookie Anthony Nunez is having a charmed debut, but there will be tougher competition in this league than Double-A, where he was last season. Christian Walker and his sheriff mustache doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on a triple by No. 8 hitter Dustin Harris. Nunez battled to strike out Cam Smith, but Brice Matthews singled to make it 5-3. Would Nunez make it out of the inning? He survived a mound visit, and also Carlos Correa, whom he got swinging on three straight pitches. Onto the ninth!
Ryan Helsley had himself a real save situation. He sat down Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes and José Altuve in order (defensive replacement Blaze Alexander contributed a super-slick barehanded play to retire Altuve). The Orioles have themselves a real closer.
Is Shane Baz an ace who was worth four prospects? Are the Orioles a good team? Maybe not yet. But stacking zeroes/wins against bad teams is how you get to such accolades.
Who is your Most Birdland Player of this tidy Tuesday win? Shane Baz, starting to look ace-like, with 5 1/3 one-run innings and six K’s? Adley Rutschman, 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and lots of nice contact all night? Pete Alonso, with the big two-run bomb? Samuel Basallo, who had two hits of > 105 mph? Andrew Kittredge, for making a mess and cleaning it up himself? Sound off in the comments.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 28: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo #44 pitches the ball during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants on April 28th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The struggling Philadelphia Phillies got a masterful start from Jesús Luzardo Tuesday night. He held the San Francisco Giants to two baserunners and three total bases in seven innings of work, striking out eight including a hat trick of Matt Chapman. The only thing he didn’t go was close, leaving with a five-run lead after 88 pitches in the Phillies’ 7-0 victory.
After all, Luzardo (2-3) started the game and left with a big lead. In this game, by rule, Jesus didn’t save.
Giants starter Tyler Mahle dropped to 1-4 in a game where he pitched quite well for five innings, holding the potent Phillies lineup to three hits and a single run, after a Trea Turner single, two walks, and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh.
But the wheels came off in the 6th, when Willy Adames bobbled Turner’s grounder up the middle and the Phillies shortstop reached on an infield hit, one of his four hits in the game. After Mahle walked Kyle Schwarber for the second straight time, Bryce Harper doubled in Turner to make it a 2-0 game, then Adolis Garcia followed with another double to push Philly’s lead to 4-0 and chase Mahle.
Both doubles came on Mahle splitters that broke right over the center of the plate. His final line was 5 IP, 5R, 5ER, 3BB, 3K and his ERA rose to 5.87. Matt Gage relieved and let Garcia score on an Alec Bohm double, which was the Phillies’ third RBI on balls hit towards Heliot Ramos.
At the same time, it didn’t really matter what Mahle did in a game where the Giants got only two hits. Luzardo, Orion Kerkering, and Tim Mayza combined to retire the Giants’ final 17 hitters and only two Giants managed to hit the ball out of the infield after Luis Arraez doubled in the 4th inning. For the game, the Giants left the infield only four times, including a leadoff double by Ramos followed by three straight strikeouts on Luzardo sweepers in the 4th.
Chapman had the worst night, earning the dreaded Golden Sombrero by striking out four times in a game. Patrick Bailey struck out twice, dropping his batting average to .143 before manager Tony Vitello pinch-hit Jerar Encarnacion for him in the 9th. Who also struck out.
Philadelphia added on the their lead in the 8th inning after Brandon Marsh singled and stole second with two outs. That may or may not violate the unwritten rules of baseball, which we’ll know if Marsh gets beaned in the second inning of Wednesday’s game.
After Marsh’s steal, Justin Crawford singled him and came around to score on Turner’s fourth hit of the night, a single off daywalker Blade Tidwell that completed the night’s scoring.
Perhaps the Phillies got a boost from Tuesday morning’s dismissal of former manager Rob Thomson. Bench coach Don Mattingly took over as interim manager and is now 1-0 as skipper of the Phillies, whose even-keeled fans will surely give their new leader plenty of patience and support.
Or perhaps everyone looks good against the Giants anemic offense. How do they get back on track? We suggest cheese steaks for everyone.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We’re not going anywhere just yet.
The Sixers stole another one in Boston, winning Game 5 113-97 to send the series back to Philly at 3-2.
Joel Embiid found himself in the third quarter, leading all scorers with 33 points shooting 12-of-23 from the field along with four rebounds and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey was much more assertive, going for 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 10-of-18 shooting.
Paul George put up 16 with nine rebounds and seven assists shooting 6-of-13 from the floor. VJ Edgecombe could at least make a three this time. He finished with 10 points going 3-of-8 from the field. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 24 while Quentin Grimes had 18 off the bench.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
The Sixers opened the game slowly plodding their way to an Embiid midrange jumper that missed wide. Their possessions got better as Maxey was able to collapse the defense, leading to the ball swinging around the horn for a George three. Kelly Oubre Jr. got into the paint for a layup before George nailed a contested three.
Boston’s 1-of-7 start to the game wasn’t capitalized on because the Sixers followed it up with a 1-of-8 stretch of their own. The Sixers were generating open threes for Maxey and Embiid but as this series has gone, they couldn’t get them to fall. Only allowing one offensive rebound and 0 second-chance points on the Celtics’ first 10 misses though was a considerably better start on the glass.
That finally came to an end when they lost Neemias Queta getting back down the floor. He was able to scoop up and put back a botched lob attempt, potentially committing basket interference in the process. Embiid finally made his first field goal on a midrange Maxey set up with a pocket pass, but didn’t get in a groove as he missed a runner the next time down the floor.
For some reason, Andre Drummond remained Embiid’s backup to start, who just could not keep up closing out on the perimeter against Boston playing 5-out with Nik Vucevic on the floor. It was a better start than the previous game. The Sixers trailed by two after the Celtics shot just 1-of-10 from three in the first.
Second Quarter
Self-inflicted errors have also been a big theme of this series, and the Sixers opened the second with some pretty sloppy basketball. Embiid got whistled for a couple cheap fouls, one of which became a three-point play for Boston. Grimes threw the ball into two Celtics trying to kick out of a drive, and they missed two free throws on top of that.
The Sixers’ defense looked as nonexistent as it was in Game 4 to start the quarter with the Celtics easily making seven of their first nine shots. Derrick White fouling Grimes on a three stopped that flow just as things could have gotten really ugly for the Sixers. They got a couple more stops, including a steal leading to a fast break layup to stay within striking distance. The four-point play was the Sixers’ first bench points of the game.
Embiid took only a 90-second break and he was still struggling to find any sort of rhythm. Maxey again found him wide open near the restricted area but his shot rimmed out. He got one to fall coming out of a timeout, but nearly pump faked himself into a shotclock violation a few possessions later. He was able to end his half with a trip to the line that cut Boston’s lead to seven at the break.
Third Quarter
It took the Sixers a couple minutes to get going in the second half, minutes they were quickly running out of. Sam Hauser beat a scrambling defense to get to the rim, Jaylen Brown beat the Sixers getting back down the floor for an open cut, and White got to the line to give the Celtics their largest lead of the night. Embiid got rolling, posting up Vucevic, but the Sixers still had their moments shooting themselves in the foot. Right after an away-from-play foul gave Boston an extra free throw, they let Jordan Walsh grab an offensive rebound to bail out a shot clock violation.
As Embiid kept beating Vucevic in the post, he felt more comfortable with his jumpers as well. They continued to put together stops on the other end. Maxey was able to nab a bad Jayson Tatum pass, starting a fast break that led to an Edgecombe three that pulled them within one.
Right when Embiid was really rolling offensively, he came down favoring his left leg after rising up to contest a Brown layup. Not only did the rebound fall to the Celtics for another second chance three, but Embiid looked like he hyperextended his knee. He left the game for a quick trip to the locker room but not before the Celtics responded with a 7-0 run.
The rest of the Sixers did shoot it really well in the third as well though. Going 7-of-12 from behind the arc prevented the Celtics from going on an extended run that could have put the game away. Maxey became the latest, coming off a screen to pull the Sixers within one again entering the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Things kept going the Sixers’ way as PG knocked down a three off the catch to give the Sixers their first lead since the first quarter. The Celtics proceeded to turn the ball over twice in a row, but the Sixers couldn’t capitalize. They only got one basket during a stretch where they forced five stops, a symptom that’s plagued them all series.
The Sixers were able to answer a couple of Boston threes with Maxey and Embiid getting baskets for themselves before Grimes drew a foul on a three. Somehow, they survived a possession where they gave up three straight offensive rebounds. Grimes’ impact in this one was massive. Right after knocking down another three he picked up Brown chasing down a loose ball and locked him up for the length of the shot clock.
Embiid continued to have a lot of success offensively in the post. He continued to look tired as the quarter dragged along having hardly sat in the second half. The Celtics, really struggling offensively, put Payton Pritchard back on the floor. He was able to get an open jumper but missed as the Celtics missed 11 straight field goal attempts.
Edgecombe had been the only Sixer on the floor really struggling from the field. Like he did so many times in the regular season, he still hit a big three in the fourth that pushed the Sixers lead to 15 with about two and a half minutes remaining. A few seconds later, both teams started emptying their benches.
Apr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) celebrates his RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
In the wake of Rob Thomson’s sacrificial demise as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (10-19) earlier today, the team put together their most complete win of the season for new boss, Don Mattingly, in a 7-0 dismantling of the San Francisco Giants (13-16).
Jesus Luzardo and company held the Giants to two hits and combined for 12 strikeouts.
Luzardo had his best start of the year, lowering his ERA nearly a point and a half by going seven clean innings with eight Ks. He allowed both of the Giants’ baserunners on doubles by Heliot Ramos and Luis Arraez in the third and fourth innings. Orion Kerkering and Tim Mayza each pitched a two-K 1-2-3 frame in relief.
The Phillies opened the scoring against Tyler Mahle in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh after a Trea Turner single and walks to Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia loaded the bases.
The bulk of the damage was inflicted in the bottom of the sixth inning when the entire lineup came to the dish and cashed in three RBI doubles by Bryce Harper, Garcia and Alec Bohm.
The Phillies would tack on two more in the bottom of the eighth after Marsh led off the inning with a single, stole second, and came home on a hit by Justin Crawford. Crawford scored two at-bats later on Turner’s fourth hit of the game.
Really the lone blemish on the evening was due to Bryson Stott’s three strikeouts, but he and Rafael Marchan each worked a walk that achieved every Phils’ hitter reaching base safely on the night.
The shutout victory is the Phillies’ first this season after tallying 14 last year.
Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound for Game 2 of the Mattingly era tomorrow night against Logan Webb.
On March 29th, the Vegas Golden Knights made a change behind the bench with just eight games left in the regular season. They relieved head coach Bruce Cassidy of his duties and subsequently brought in John Tortorella to take his place.
From broadcasters to the media to fans, this move caught the hockey world by surprise. And when Cassidy joined the NHL on TNT intermission panel nearly a month after the incident, he admitted that it shocked him, too.
“Yeah,” said Cassidy on Tuesday. “You know, you grind for 74 games, and you want to be there at the end. That’s the payoff, right? Playing for the cup, getting your name on the cup again… Great guys in that locker room, great players. I’m excited for the guys, but disappointed I didn’t get a chance to finish the job with them.”
Throughout their nine-year history, the Golden Knights have earned a reputation as a team that will do whatever it takes to win. This move is a bit too extreme to be par for the course, but it’s not completely without precedent.
“Vegas, they have their standards,” Cassidy acknowledged. “They felt we weren’t there, so they made a change.”
In 2022, the Golden Knights hired Cassidy as their third head coach in franchise history. The move immediately paid dividends, and he led them to their first Stanley Cup in 2023. Typically, Stanley Cup Champion head coaches get a longer leash; in this case, the floundering Golden Knights needed a spark, and Cassidy was the casualty.
“I think somewhere along the way, we lost our spirit, and we lost our energy as a team,” said general manager Kelly McCrimmon after the coaching change. “You need to make hard decisions, and the easiest thing in the world to do is nothing… If we didn’t have the expectations and the belief in our team that we do, we probably would’ve let this thing ride out.”
Following the coaching change, the Golden Knights went on a 7-0-1 run to close out the regular season.
“I would have liked to see it through, I’ll definitely say that,” Cassidy admitted. “We’d won once before, so we knew what it looked like to win… Yes, I would have loved to have the opportunity. But it didn’t work out that way, so you start thinking about your next challenge.”
The Mets' bats woke up in a big way, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning en route to an 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- Bo Bichette smacked a leadoff home run to right-center field on the first pitch he saw from Zack Littell to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. It's his second homer of the season and seventh career leadoff HR.
-- The Mets waited until the fourth inning to record their next hit on MJ Melendez' one-out single. That got New York going as Mark Vientos and Brett Baty both walked to load the bases for Marcus Semien, who's grounder got under Jorbit Vivas' glove at third base, allowing two runners to score.
Carson Benge then came through with a two-RBI single and Bichette tacked on another with a a sac-fly, making it 6-0. New York's biggest inning of the year continued as Juan Soto launched a two-run home run to left-center field, pushing the lead to 8-0.
-- Clay Holmes retired the first seven Nationals he faced before letting up a one-out single to Drew Millas in the top of the third inning. The right-hander then walked James Wood with two outs to give Washington a scoring chance, but was able to win his first challenge of the night by striking out Luis García Jr. to end the frame.
Holmes kept it going through the sixth inning, getting three groundouts to keep Washington scoreless. He didn't come back out for the seventh inning having already thrown 94 pitches, finishing after 6.0 IP with six strikeouts, allowing just three hits and one walk.
-- Tobias Myers tossed scoreless seventh and eighth innings, allowing just one baserunner on a walk. Craig Kimbrel shut things down in the ninth, striking out the side to lock up New York's second shutout of the season.
-- The team finished with six hits as Benge was the only Met to have more than one, going 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win. He's improved to 7-for-16 at the plate over his last five games.
Game MVP
While the bats came through for New York, Holmes kept Washington's quiet as his season ERA now sits at 1.75. Holmes became the first Mets starter to earn a win since he did back on April 4 against the San Francisco Giants.
The Mets’ lineup took advantage of its opportunities tonight at Citi Field, as the team beat the Nationals by an 8-0 score. Clay Holmes pitched well, and a big error by the Nationals helped the Mets blow the game open, but there’s nothing wrong with any of that as far as the Mets are concerned.
Bo Bichette opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first on the first pitch that he saw from Nationals starter Zack Littell, who entered the game with a 7.56 ERA on the season. His teammates didn’t do any further damage through the bottom of the third, but that changed in a big way in the fourth.
With the bases loaded and one out in that inning, Littell induced a ground ball off the bat of Marcus Semien that had the potential to turn into an inning-ending double play. But Nationals third baseman Jorbit Vivas misplayed it entirely, allowing the ball to end up in left field and plating the Mets’ second and third runs of the game.
That left runners on second and third, and Carson Benge single to left-center to bring both of them home and give the Mets a 5-0 lead. After a Ronny Mauricio single put runners on the corners, Bichette hit a sac fly to bring in the Mets’ sixth run, and Juan Soto followed that up with a two-run home run to left-center field. The Mets were up 8-0, which was more than enough to win the game.
As for Holmes, he threw six innings without allowing a run, struck out six, walked one, and allowed just three hits. He now has a 1.75 ERA on the season, an impressive number even if the underlying metrics don’t fully support it.
Tobias Myers took over in the top of the seventh and went on to throw two scoreless innings before Craig Kimbrel retired the Nationals in order in the ninth to finish the game.
The Mets need to do much more than win one game against the Nationals, but it is obviously a good thing that they snapped a three-game losing streak. David Peterson takes the mound tomorrow night, and he and the Mets’ lineup will try to get the team a series win.
What’s WPA? Big Mets winner: Clay Holmes, +22% WPA Big Mets loser: none Mets pitchers: +23% WPA Mets hitters: +27% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Two runs score on a Jorbit Vivas error in the fourth, +13% WPA Teh sux0rest play: CJ Abrams singles in the top of the fourth, -3% WPA
