ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 24: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves bats in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 24, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves and their league leading offense are facing the Detroit Tigers having just won twenty games before the month of May for the first time in franchise history.
The Braves lead MLB with 5.72 runs scored per game. To put that in perspective, if they continue to score this many runs per game it would be the second most in franchise history since MLB started playing 162 games. It would be more than the historic 2003 high octane offense, and just below the 2023 season where the Braves tied the record for most HRs in a season by a team.
This offense will be tested in this series because the Braves are projected to face Casey Mize (2.51 ERA), two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (2.72 ERA), and new Tiger Framber Valdez (3.41 ERA). The Braves have already faced tough pitching this season, but not a gauntlet like this.
The key for the offense will likely be to work counts and get to the bullpen as early as possible because the Tigers’ bullpen currently ranks in the bottom half of MLB in ERA, even with Kenley Jansen anchoring the back end.
With Mize being a righty, the biggest question mark was whether Michael Harris would get the start in CF so that Dominic Smith could slot in at DH again. With the day off, it would make sense that Harris may be rested up enough and that Drake Baldwin would be rested to be behind the dish. On paper, tonight’s game is the one the Braves could do the most damage offensively, and they may need it with Martin Pérez showing signs of upcoming regression to the mean, the offense may need to step up tonight.
As predicted, Harris back at CF means Smith is at DH. Another interesting note is that Riley is still below Harris and Albies in the order.
No player on the Braves has more at-bats against Mize than six. Matt Olson leads the team in at-bats and has made good of them with a HR, .500 average, and 1.625 OPS. Outside of Olson the rest of the team is pretty much a question mark.
Martin Pérez has spent a decent amount of time in the AL Central in his career so it should come as no surprise that a few of the Tigers have a decent number of at-bats against him. Four players have fourteen or more at-bats against him, and none have done more damage than Gleyber Torres. Torres has three HRs in his twenty-two at-bats against Martin Pérez which has resulted in a 1.087 OPS.
Good news for the Braves is that their bullpen is the polar opposite of the Tigers, so if Martin Pérez can suppress the Tigers’ league average offense, then the Braves have a decent chance of pulling out a game one victory.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 29: Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners talks with Logan Gilbert #36 and Bryan Woo #22 prior to a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 29, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
I asked y’all in the FEED for a bumper crop of hot takes on this subject and the LL hive mind did not disappoint! Thanks to everyone who weighed in. Since there were many similar answers, I’m going to start with the top three players that were named and then I’ll break it down a bit more with my Trademarked Mariners Hot Take Ranking System:
Okay let’s break it down by the numbers here.
Your third most popular response for which Mariner won’t bounce back this season is….
A 3-way tie between Victor Robles, Luis Castillo, and….THE ENTIRE BULLPEN.
I honestly give this one a Bosio. A good and hot take, not absurd. Not many lies detected here, although throwing the entire bullpen in is a bit a cop-out answer. I will go on record once again, though, and insist that Castillo is not yet washed, even after whatever the hell happened yesterday in the frigid Twin Cities.
Moving right along.
Your second most popular response for which Mariner won’t bounce back this season is…..
Logan Gilbert
Logan looking like how that take makes me feel. This one is an Iwakuma because…..yeah, I’m worried about our boy. He has simply not looked like himself and watching his starts has felt particularly frustrating because we know he’s better than this. He is too young to be this rinsed. I firmly believe he can bounce back, but the struggles have been real and not fun.
And finally, your most popular response for which Mariner won’t bounce back this season is…..
An impossible 3-way tie between Josh Naylor, Andrés Muñoz, and Bryce Miller!
^That’s Naylz responding to his doubters. Y’all, Josh will be FINE. He is a menace. He is a baseball sicko. He has only begun to fight. Also, the disrespect to Muñoz! Audacious. That and Naylor gives this take a scorching hot Brash ranking. These are some fighting words. Our cat-loving flamethrower will be fine. You know what would help him be fine? The Mariners offense not producing so many one-run games. That would be cool. The only one here that is very justified is Bryce Miller, sadly. We just don’t know what’s going to happen if and when he returns to the rotation. The AquaSox start was fairly encouraging, but that’s High A batters. I hope he proves us all wrong.
Now to highlight a few other choice takes!
Poster YaSureYaBetcha says: “Dan. Look, he’s managed better than expected. Someday he may even get a World Series win, hopefully will the M’s. But all of pinch hitting and batting order oddness reeks of inexperience. Dan was called up too early. Send him to Tacoma to manage for a couple of years, and get all of those youthful managing mistakes out of his system. Spicy take: hire Don Mattingly off the Phillies bench as a replacement.”
Yowza! Betraying their mild Midwestern handle there with this extremely BRASH take. Listen, Dan Wilson has the room. He has the players. Unless he loses them, he’s doing a fine job as a manager. The in-game decisions, as has been documented elsewhere, do not seem to be entirely his doing. Some pinch-hitting choices have been very questionable, but it’s April and I think he/the FO need to shake out the roster as much as possible to evaluate what they truly have. On the subject of Donnie Baseball, obviously that ship has sailed as of this morning, but I also think Mattingly would not fit in here with the Mariners at all. He comes from just a different baseball world and wouldn’t understand how we do things here in the quaint Pacific Northwest. Also, every time he fucked up, we’d all accuse him of being a Yankees sleeper agent seeking revenge for 1995. Only kind-of kidding.
Poster ASURay says: “Naylor and to a slightly less extent Cal. Neither of those guys have ‘I’m going to age gracefully’ physiques and both have recently gotten paid. Neither seem like the ‘cash checks and take it easy’ types, but you never know. At least Cal should have at least a couple more years as an average+ defender in him, so that sets his floor pretty high. I’m always worried about Julio as I have never liked his hitting profile — slow starter, doesn’t always seem to have a plan at the plate, etc. — but his speed/defense at least make him useful even when he isn’t hitting. Not sure how long that will be the case, though. The things he is best right now tend to age like cottage cheese.”
Giving this one an Iwakuma as ASURay managed to doubt all three main cornerstones of this Mariners roster in highly questionable ways. ASURay hit ‘em with that Contra “spread gun” power-up. First of all, Naylor does stand the most risk of falling off the steepest age cliff, but at 28 years old, I really don’t worry about an significant drop off in skills until the fifth year of this contract. But, if we get four seasons of roughly career average performance, then the fifth year is house money. Whatever. (it’s all house money, it’s not mine).
Cal……c’mon now. He’s gonna be fine. He’s not going to catch forever, but I feel pretty confident that when he transitions to full time DH, he will still slug. He will not fade like Joe Mauer did. Joe Mauer is also notably in the Hall of Fame, so there’s that.
Julio is 25. Twenty-five! At worst, we have at least 3 more seasons of him playing an above replacement to elite center field. After that, yeah he will certainly start to decline in terms of speed and injury-prone-ness. Look at Mike Trout. Yeah, he has no business playing CF anymore, but that no-neck mf can still slug! I firmly believe that Julio will not hit the career stats peaks of Trout, but will have a longer career and have his production more evenly spread about his 20 seasons or so. Oooh yeah that’s right, I’m dropping my own fairly BRASH take here.
ChicagoMariner says: “The Game Thread commentariat has been struggling since spring training, with truly witty comments well below the Mendoza line. Some will clap back by pointing out that key commenters are currently underperforming their expected wittiness, and that we’re just waiting for a few excellent LLurkers to earn their promotion to everyday commentary, but I remain skeptical. This might just be a lost year for us.”
Oh this is HOT. This is SCALDING. This is PERSONA(LL). Yeah, this gets a CLIFF LEE rating right here. I believe the LL Commentariat is in Peak Posting Form (PPF). Why? Because we’ve weathered an influx of new posters given the team’s success, which is something that always happens here at LL following a fairly successful Mariners season or whenever hype builds from big free agent acquisitions. But, LLers have persevered. The Mods have put in more OT than we can ever hope to pay them for (check’s in the mail, babes). And the result has been bustling, vibrant, and most importantly FUN game threads. Most of the time, anyways. There will always be a few stinkers here and there. Overall, though, I see the veterans out there guiding the new posters, I see staff participating in levels not seen since the Sullivan days, and I see a lot of thoughtful and intelligent discussions being had in the non-GT comment sections, as well. So what we need here, is a new name for posting above the Mendoza line. Let’s leave poor Mario Mendoza alone finally. Do we call it the Corco Line? The Chris from Bothell Line? The old wisdom line? Who is out there putting the work every day on quality posting? Sound off in the comments.
All right, thanks for all the participation, friends! I’ll be back with another prompt in the FEED soon. Go Mariners.
With the series suddenly reduced to a best-of-three, the Utah Mammoth are turning Salt Lake City into playoff central for a pivotal Game 5 showdown against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Utah Mammoth announced they will host a free public watch party Wednesday night outside Delta Center as fans gather to watch Game 5 live from Las Vegas on a massive outdoor screen. With the first-round series tied 2-2, the atmosphere in downtown Salt Lake City is expected to mirror the urgency of the moment.
The event begins at 7:30 p.m. on SeatGeek Plaza and will feature a live DJ, food and drink options, a beer garden, the team’s hype crew, and access to the Team Store throughout the night. No tickets or advance reservations are required.
Utah enters Game 5 after a crushing overtime loss Monday night, when Vegas Golden Knights evened the series at two wins apiece. Now the Mammoth head back to T-Mobile Arena looking to reclaim momentum in what has quickly become one of the tighter matchups of the opening round.
While Vegas Golden Knights bring a resume built on deep postseason runs, Utah’s veteran core has helped steady a franchise navigating its first playoff appearance under the Mammoth identity.
Puck drop for Game 5 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday in Las Vegas.
But in these NHL playoffs, has it all caught up to him? Through five games of the Flyers’ best-of-seven first-round matchup with the Penguins, Foerster hasn’t recorded a point. Despite playing 17:22 minutes per game, he has just seven shots.
With the series heading into a Game 6, the Flyers could use Foerster’s goal-scoring punch.
“He’s a really good hockey player, we’re trying to stick with him,” Rick Tocchet said Tuesday. “It’s [not just] him; we’ve got some other guys there that we need a little bit more from. But it is tough, hitting the wall, to be able to play at that pace and all that sort of stuff, maybe he has hit the wall a little bit.
“But 24 hours or 36 hours off, reset your brain, can do wonders for a guy. And usually guys like that, they find their way. We’re not giving up on Tyson, he’s too good of a hockey player.”
It’s true that the Flyers need others to answer the bell, too. Their top four goal scorers from the regular season — Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov — have combined for three goals and 21 shots. One of the goals was an empty-netter and another was on the power play.
The Flyers will have to decide if they want to get Michkov back in the lineup Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The 21-year-old winger was a healthy scratch in Game 5 after going scoreless through the first four games of the series.
With Foerster, the Flyers feel they can still rely on him as one of their better defensive forwards. In the series, he has been on the ice for only one even-strength goal against and has played 1:40 minutes per game on the penalty kill.
“I think goal scorers get streaky,” Sean Couturier said. “At the same time, I think he has been a pretty big part of our PK, so he’s killing some penalties, he has been a part of that success. So he’s contributing in other ways.
“Obviously I’m sure he’d like to score. Not just him; myself, a couple of guys, I’m sure we want to find the puck in the back of the net a little bit more. I think the key, really, is sticking to our game, the way we want to play and not start forcing things and opening up because that could get ugly.”
The Flyers were not a high-end goal-scoring team in the regular season. Instead, down the stretch, they were one of the stingiest clubs. After giving up seven goals over Games 4 and 5, both losses, the Flyers will try to dictate play more in Game 6.
They’re back home with a 3-2 series lead and another opportunity to eliminate Pittsburgh.
“I think we still just have a great opportunity ahead of us here tomorrow,” Christian Dvorak said. “We’re still in a good spot, still up in the series and have a chance to close out at home.”
And Foerster has a chance to put his mark on the series.
A former Buffalo Sabres forward is officially hanging up the skates.
The NHL Alumni's official X account shared that former Sabres forward Linus Omark has announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Omark finished off his NHL career during the 2013-14 season with the Sabres. In 13 games with the Sabres that season, he posted two assists, three hits, and six penalty minutes.
Following his time with the Sabres, Omark had a long career overseas, where he spent time in leagues like SHL, KHL, and Switzerland's National League. The 39-year-old forward was still solid this campaign overseas, too. In 15 games with HC Lugano of the NL, he had four goals and 11 points. He also had five goals and 16 points in 29 games for Lulea HF of the SHL this campaign.
Omark was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 97th overall pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In 79 career games over three NHL seasons split between the Oilers and Sabres, he had eight goals, 24 assists, and 32 points.
Apr 25, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) is escorted off the ice after being checked in the second period against the Ottawa Senators in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn
Marc DesRosiers/Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour is hopeful that winger Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Alexander Nikishin will be ready for Round 2 of the NHL playoffs with extra time off to recover from injuries.
The Eastern Conference’s top seed closed out a first-round sweep of Ottawa, though Ehlers was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. Nikishin was knocked from the second period with a concussion on a jarring hit from Tyler Kleven, leaving Nikishin prone on the ice and struggling to get back to his feet.
The Hurricanes were the first team to advance to Round 2 and next face the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh winner. The Flyers won the first three games, but the Penguins have extended the series to Game 6.
Neither Ehlers nor Nikishin skated with the team returning to practice, though there’s clearly no need to rush them back. Afterward, Brind’Amour said “everything’s trending in the right direction” on Nikishin.
Veteran forward William Carrier took Ehlers’ spot on the third line in Game 4, while Nicolas Deslauriers got his first playoff action since 2022 in taking Carrier’s spot in a testy Game 4 with multiple scrums.
As for the blue liners, veteran Mike Reilly played 42 regular-season games to help the Hurricanes play through the absence of top defenseman Jaccob Slavin for much of the schedule, and is the team’s seventh defenseman.
Additionally, Carolina called up defenseman prospect Charles Alexis Legault — a 22-year-old fifth-round draft pick from the 2023 draft — from the American Hockey League to work with the team.
Edmonton, AB - The Ducks are in a position that they haven't been in for nine years––the opportunity to close out a playoff series. After taking a 3-1 series lead off the back of a controversial call in overtime, Game 5 gives them an opportunity to eliminate the defending Western Conference champions from the past two seasons.
"I think we've had a real good approach going into the playoffs," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "I know it was something we were striving for at the beginning of the year. The first game (of the series) was a terrible loss. It was very disappointing, and then I thought we felt we had to get better every game.
"I thought last (game), our start wasn't on the pace of the expectations of what we left Game 3 with, but I still thought we got going there later in the first (period) to get ourselves back to get on that pace where we're consistently playing at a high level and looking to improve off of the prior games. We're able to get ourselves back in the game, which was a big chore. (The Oilers) played well last (game). We give ourselves a chance to do what we wanted to do at the start, win four (games), but that's a whole different challenge for us. We're looking forward to seeing how we meet it."
Apr 26, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) faces off against Edmonton Oilers center Jason Dickinson (16) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
"I think we've been consistent with our effort and just trying to play a full game," Ducks forward Jeff Viel said. "Just focusing shift after shift and game after game and kind of just living in the moment and in the present. Just focusing on our game plan, I think that's been the big thing."
"I think throughout the season with this group, throughout the regular season, that we don't ever feel we're out of a game," Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "Obviously, you don't want to get down. We don't want to play from behind, but I think there's a belief in the group that we have the ability to score. You want to defend better, but I think that it's a good thing to have when you get down a couple, your team still believes you can come back and win a game. I think we've shown that and built that belief throughout the season."
"Our team has the ability to score goals," Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál said. "I think we've shown it throughout the year that we have that ability. We have great players on our team that can really score. Even the depth guys, they score the goals. So I think that's kind of how we present ourselves throughout the season. I'm just so glad that we can keep doing it in the playoffs.
"For me, (I) don't want to get scored on early on, but when it happens, I know I've been in that situation many times. Mentally, you've just got to stay ready and you have to make sure that you keep the puck out of the net and the guys score some goals. The momentum kind of shifts at that point to our way."
Apr 26, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) with a shot on goal during the third period against the Anaheim Ducks in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
Having their backs up against the wall isn't something the Oilers are unfamiliar with. They erased a 2-0 series deficit last season against the Los Angeles Kings, rattling off five consecutive come-from-behind victories after that. They are 19-5 under head Kris Knoblauch in Games 4-7 during the playoffs. Connor McDavid has 23 points in 15 games when facing elimination. Leon Draisaitl has 19 points in 15 games when faced with the same circumstances.
Speaking of McDavid, he did not participate in Tuesday's morning skate, with Knoblauch calling him a game-time decision during his post-morning skate media availability. Jason Dickinson, who missed Games 2 and 3 with a lower-body injury, also did not participate in the Oilers' morning skate. He too will be a game-time decision.
On the Anaheim side of things, Troy Terry continues to be an absentee from morning skate for maintenance reasons, though the expectation is that he will once again be playing. Captain Radko Gudas, who has not played since Game 1 of this series due to a lower-body injury, has not practiced with the team since then.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville speaks to the media after their morning skate at Rogers Place.
Ducks Projected Lines
Troy Terry - Leo Carlsson - Cutter Gauthier Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke Chris Kreider - Ryan Poehling - Mason McTavish Jeff Viel - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba Pavel Mintyukov - John Carlson Tyson Hinds - Drew Helleson
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Oilers Projected Lines
Matt Savoie - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Kasperi Kapanen Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Josh Samanski - Jack Roslovic Colton Dach -Curtis Lazar -Trent Frederic
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 17: Dennis Santana #60 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park on April 17, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Monday night at PNC park the Pirates had a 2-0 lead going into the top of the 9th vs the St. Louis Cardinals. Dennis Santana came in for the save with the 2 run lead and struggled.
Santana allowed a solo home run to Pedro Pages and allowed another solo shot to the very next batter JJ Wetherhold to tie the game. Jose Fermin hit a tie-breaking two-run double to give the Cardinals the lead and then eventually the win.
The blown save by Santana is the eighth blown save of the season for the Bucs which is tied for third in the league with the Chicago White Sox and the Athletics. The Washington Nationals have the most with 10.
The bullpen has been an issue to start the season for the Pirates and Monday night just proved it even more. Dennis Santana was a reliable guy for the first couple of weeks of the season but we are starting to see him struggle and not be a dependable closer anymore.
The starting pitching once again continues to be one of the strengths in Pittsburgh. Monday night was a bullpen game for the Bucs, with Mason Montgomery starting and only pitching one inning. Wilber Dotel pitched four innings and threw well allowing no hits and three strikeouts.
For as good as the starting pitching has been, the Pirates bullpen needs to be better. With how tough the NL Central is, Pittsburgh can’t afford blowing division games like that. Every team in the NL Central is above .500, so every time there is an opportunity to beat a divisional opponent, the Pirates have to take advantage.
If the Pirates want to be a legit playoff team this year, the bullpen has to get close to the level of the starting pitching. If the bullpen cannot improve and become dominant, then it will be another disappointing season for the fans in Pittsburgh.
The Montreal Canadiens were back on the ice of the CN Sports Complex in Brossard ahead of their flight to Tampa Bay this afternoon, and that meant yet another media availability for coach Martin St-Louis. This time, it was kept rather short as the bench boss spent less than six minutes on the podium.
It was towards the end of the availability that Herb Zurkowsky from the Montreal Gazette asked him a rather good question. The veteran writer put it to St-Louis that Max Crozier’s hit on Juraj Slafkovsky was the defining moment of the Habs’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The coach replied:
If you let that moment define the series, you’re putting yourself in a bad spot. Don’t let moments like that define it; rewrite it.
That came out of his mouth pretty quickly, almost as if he had already said those very words not so long ago. If I were a betting woman, I’d put good money on the possibility that St-Louis recently used those words with his players.
No one can argue that the bone-crushing hit that sent Slafkovsky down to the ice didn’t have an impact on the game. The 21,000-plus fans in attendance all gasped. Nick Suzuki looked at his teammate on the ice with worry plastered all over his face, and shortly after that, the Bolts scored their first goal of the game. That was, without a doubt, the turning point of the game.
The good news is for the Canadiens though that the series is not over, it’s all tied at 2-2, which means that someone else can step up and write a brand new story in which the Canadiens benefit from the turning point of a game and if they finish the job, be it in six of seven games, it could then become the defining moment of the series.
When the Canadiens jump on the ice of the International Benchmark Arena on Wednesday night, they’ll be on a mission to rewrite the script and show that the Crozier hit wasn’t the defining moment of the series. It’s up to them to find a way, but watching St-Louis this morning, it’s clear that he expects them to do it.
Allen and Hawkins also all square in last-eight tie
Zhao Xintong battled back to draw level with Shaun Murphy in a thrilling evening of quarter-final action in the world championship at the Crucible.
Zhao, the defending champion, showed his ruthless streak to finish the session with a flourish as the rivals ended deadlocked at 8-8 – the same scoreline for the night’s other last-eight showdown between Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins.
The New York Rangers’ backup goaltending position is vacant heading into the offseason.
After playing three seasons with the Rangers, Jonathan Quick officially retired from the NHL, leaving Chris Drury with a decision about how to move forward at the backup spot.
Called up late in the season, Dylan Garand has positioned himself as the clear frontrunner to replace Quick.
After multiple years playing in the American Hockey League, the Rangers finally gave Garand a look toward the latter half of the 2025-26 campaign, as he started in three games, recording a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 goals against average, and .948 save percentage.
“It was great, such a good experience,” Garand said of his time with the Rangers to close out the season. “Obviously, waited my whole life for an opportunity like this, and yeah, it was everything I dreamed of.”
It remained a question whether or not Garand would ever get a chance to play in the NHL for the Rangers, but he certainly took full advantage of the opportunity once it was presented to him and put himself in a strong position to earn the backup goaltending position come training camp starting in September.
Will Drury bring in a veteran goalie to compete with the 23-year-old netminder?
While praising Garand’s game, Drury emphasized that all options are still on the table, insinuating that he hasn’t necessarily secured the job just yet.
“As far as Dylan, I couldn’t be happier for him, coming up and playing as solid as he did,” Drury said. “I was excited about what we saw, and we're certainly looking at him and among other options as to see who could be backup.”
Since being selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Garand has played in 165 AHL games.
Through all of that experience, Garand feels he’s now prepared to take on a full-time NHL role, and the small taste of action he got with the Rangers in the final weeks of the season motivates him even further.
“A lot,” Garand said when asked how much this taste will push him moving forward. “I never want to go back to the American League, honestly. I'm so hungry to be here. I want to be in this league and a part of this organization. There's nothing else like it. It's the best league in the world, so yeah, it's been a great taste. I’m definitely going in the summer very motivated to be back here.”
The Mets have placed right-handed pitcherKodai Senga on the 15-day IL due to lumbar spine inflammation.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Christian Scott was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Speaking before Tuesday's game, manager Carlos Mendoza said Senga complained about the back issue after his last start. Following an MRI, Senga was given an epidural. He will not throw for seven-to-10 days.
The situation with Senga in the rotation had become untenable, with him being unable to pitch more than 3.1 innings in any of his last three starts.
After Sunday's game, Senga acknowledged his poor performance but was non-committal when asked if he would accept an assignment to Triple-A Syracuse.
With Senga to the IL and Scott up, it stands to reason that Scott will slide into Senga's rotation spot.
What happens when Senga returns remains complicated, though.
The Mets could theoretically move Senga to the bullpen, but that seems like a very poor fit given his routines.
Beyond that, the Mets already have three starting pitchers working in relief roles -- David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Carl Edwards, Jr. They also have Tobias Myers in the bullpen, and he is often relied on for multiple innings at a time.
It has been an up-and-down tenure for Senga in New York.
He burst on the scene with a 2.98 ERA in 166.1 innings in 2023, but missed all but 5.1 innings of the 2024 regular season due to injury.
In 2025, Senga got off to a hot start before suffering a hamstring injury. After returning, Senga struggled, which resulted in a demotion to Triple-A. Senga was unable to right the ship in the minors, and did not return to the majors late in the season, as had been expected.
Senga, with more zip on his fastball than he had last season, was strong in his first two starts of 2026. But he was hit hard in his last three, ballooning his ERA to 9.00.
The 33-year-old has one more guaranteed year remaining on his deal, and is owed $15 million for the 2027 season. There is a conditional club option for 2028 that the Mets will have the ability to exercise if Senga has Tommy John surgery or a right elbow injury that keeps him on the IL for 130 or more days.
MLB Toronto Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
We knew this was happening but it is official. Trey Yesavage has been added to the active roster and will start tonight. Chase Lee was sent back to Buffalo. I’m sorry for Lee, he looked pretty good yesterday, but we knew he was only up for the day. I’m sure we’ll see him again this year, they can send him down 5 times and I’d bet he’ll get there this year.
Yesavage hasn’t been great in his rehab starts, 4 games, 12 innings, 15 hits, 10 earned, 7 walks and 16 strikeouts, but the fastball is where it was last year. He wasn’t going to throw 200 innings this year, so having him miss the first month isn’t a bad thing for the club.f
He was rather amazing in the playoffs, with an ERA of 3.48 over 6 games, 5 starts. In 27.2 innings he allowed 18 hits, 2 home runs, 4 walks and 17 strikeouts. Let’s hope he picks up right where he jumped off.
No pressure Trey. Just that our season is balancing on your right arm.
Shi Davidi tells us that the Jays hitters have seen the fewest pitches per at bat in baseball this year. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up for debate. There are a few of the guys who could do with being a little more selective at the plate. But then some of the more selective hitters are on the IL
It is a tough balance, you don’t want the pitcher to get ahead on the count, but then we have guys swinging at pitches well off the plate. And it isn’t like the guys with great strikezone judgement are tearing things up either. Davis Schneider takes a lot of pitches and he’s hitting roughly what you or I would, so for this season. Well, more you. The only way I’d reach base is if a pitch hit me.
The Los Angeles Lakers defied the odds to beat the Houston Rockets three times in this opening round series. After escaping the sweep, can Houston do the same and rally back from down 0-3?
Game 5 of this Round 1 Western Conference matchup tips off in La-La Land Wednesday and my same-game parlay isn’t counting out the Rockets just yet — even if LeBron James lights up the scoreboard.
Here are my best NBA picks and predictions for Rockets vs. Lakers on April 29.
Our best Rockets vs Lakers SGP for Game 5
SGP leg #1: Rockets +4.5
The Houston Rockets are 4.5-point road pups returning to L.A. for Game 5. While the Los Angeles Lakers have home-court advantage and potentially have Austin Reaves back in action, the Rockets' defense has looked great over the past six quarters.
The pressure is mounting for the Lakers, who watched their role players come back to earth in Game 4. Houston doesn’t go down without a fight on Wednesday.
SGP leg #2: LeBron James Over 23.5 points
LeBron James had a quiet night offensively while also leaving this L.A. offense disjointed, coughing up eight turnovers. James looks to get going early and often in Game 5, and even with Reaves’ possible return, LeBron shoulders the scoring load.
Player projections sit as high as 27+ points from him in Game 5 after scoring 57 combined points in Games 2 and 3. This total of 23.5 O/U is the lowest bar he’s drawn since losing Luka Doncic and Reaves.
SGP leg #3: Alperen Sengun Over 22.5 points
Leading the charge for the Rockets is big man Alperen Sengun. He scored 19 points in Game 4, but with L.A. cleaning up the turnovers and slowing things down, Game 5 is more of a half-court battle, which fits Sengun's style.
He goes after a softer interior for Los Angeles, and his forecast for Game 5 sits as high as 24.5 points. He’s been efficient the past two games, shooting 54% from the field.
Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Rockets vs Lakers predictions for Game 5.
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