Spurs produced a display full of passion against much-changed Villa to jump out of the bottom three
De Zerbi speaks. Has he seen improvement in the players since the win at Wolves? “Yes, they are working very well.
“I’m very happy to work with these guys. My target is to help them to show what we are.”
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It’s been a busy weekend for the Milwaukee Brewers. The team extended their win streak to three with a win Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital, and plenty of news — some good, some bad — continues to roll in. Here’s a quick roundup of everything we know.
It’s been a busy weekend for the Milwaukee Brewers. The team extended their win streak to three with a win Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital, and plenty of news — some good, some bad — continues to roll in. Here’s a quick roundup of everything we know.
Suffice it to say the first two games of this three game set against one of the best current teams in baseball has not gone well for the Colorado Rockies. After a bullpen meltdown on Friday and an overall poor performance—with a rare clunker from Chase Dollander—on Saturday, the Rockies are facing a sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves.
Left-handed starter Kyle Freeland will make his second appearance since returning from the injured list last week. Freeland pitched fairly well in his first start after dealing with left shoulder soreness, considering he didn’t take a rehab assignment, and faced a Cincinnati Reds offense riding a hot streak. Freeland allowed four earned runs on five hits—including a home run—and a walk while striking out four batters.
Their opponent today will be the right-handed, mustachioed menace known as Spencer Strider, who will be making his season debut after missing time with an oblique strain.
Strider’s first two full seasons in the league saw him take second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, and he was both an All-Star and Cy Young candidate in 2023. However, he missed the majority of 2024 due to needing Tommy John surgery. His 2025 campaign—while relatively successful with a 4.45 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 125.1 innings and 23 starts—wasn’t quite the same.
Now more than a full year removed from his surgery, Strider will look to begin a rebound campaign against the Rockies’ flat offense.
One of the major problems of the series has been inconsistent offense. Despite roaring to a six-run lead early on Friday, the Rockies failed to plate another run for the rest of the game. On Saturday, the Rockies had just two hits after the third inning (and four in total).
At his best, Strider relies on a four-pitch mix both heavy on whiffs and heavy on strikeouts. His primary offering is a four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s, and he backs it up with a vicious slider with plenty of gloveside break. Strider also throws a very good curveball and a solid changeup.
First Pitch: 1:10 PM MDT
TV: Rockies TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Braves SB Nation site:Battery Power
Lineups:
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Averaging 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, Alpern Şengün was the most impactful player for the Rockets against the Lakers this postseason.
So, slowing him down and disrupting what makes him effective became critical for the Lakers in Game 6.
In previous contests, the Lakers tried to double Şengün, which led him to find open shooters and give Houston offensive advantages they capitalized on.
The counter the Lakers went with in Game 6 was to trust their bigs to handle him in one-on-one situations. It worked as the Lakers went on to win and close out the series.
“Jaxson and [Ayton], with the adjustment we made going into Game 5, made a small tweak to some Şengün stuff this morning, those guys were just phenomenal defensively and really did a great job of protecting the rim,” head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “The adjustment we made was [Ayton] was going to guard Şengün one-on-one and we were going to crossmatch if [Ayton] was not on the floor. That allowed us to keep our big at the rim on most possessions.”
Thanks to Redick’s adjustment and the player’s execution, Şengün struggled. He had just one assist, turned the ball over four times and had a game-worst plus-minus of -27,.
Containing Şengün isn’t an easy task, and it’s even harder to do alone on an island, but Ayton did well, and Hayes also was able to defend without fouling. With no doubles, there were no open players for Şengün to find and he couldn’t score over the Lakers centers enough to force another adjustment.
“I went up to him right after the game and told him he was one of the biggest factors in us winning tonight,” Austin Reaves said of Ayton. “His physicality guarding Şengün, the way he rebounded the ball offensively, defensively. Sixteen rebounds is a big number. Just his presence and his physicality and the way that he can guard in the post one-on-one and if we’re getting hurt with something else, he can switch one through five.”
Ayton overall did a great job defending Şengün. The latter had his moments, but for the most part, Ayton got the better of him.
The key in Game 6 was Ayton handling Şengün and Jaxson Hayes matching that intensity. Ayton can’t play every moment, so with Hayes holding his own, the Lakers got good defensive minutes at the five for the entire contest.
The credit goes to Redick for making the adjustment and his players for being good enough to get it done.
This was in stark contrast to last year’s playoffs, when it seemed Redick didn’t trust any bigs and the ones who played did a poor job.
Fast forward a year later, and Ayton is thriving and the Lakers are moving on to the second round thanks to their efforts.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
One more game in St. Louis for the Dodgers to salvage a victory, possibly even hitting a home run, if one would dare to dream.
Luka Garza, Ron Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman started a combined 29 games all season.
2026 Coach of the Year finalist Joe Mazzulla began the Boston Celtics’ season-ending Game 7 loss Saturday night with all three of them in the starting lineup once All-NBA staple Jayson Tatum was ruled out prior to gametime with a calf injury.
Tatum, who returned in March after rupturing his Achilles almost exactly one year ago to the date, injured his other leg during Boston’s Game 6 loss on April 30, forcing him to be day-to-day.
Mazzulla decided, without Tatum, that the team would also bench starting center Neemias Queta for Garza, and add Harper Jr. and Scheierman on the wings in place of Tatum and sharpshooter Sam Hauser.
“I thought it was a couple things we saw tactically we wanted to test out,” Mazzulla said in defense of his bizarre starting five in Game 7. “Obviously, give the series a little bit of a different feel and take advantage of the roster that we had, and take advantage of the guys that can impact plays and whatnot. So that was great by the guys, and we came up short.”
There was a stretch where Scheierman did start over Hauser during the season, so that change wasn’t as eyebrow-raising considering that the latter had been struggling — shooting under 35 percent from three over Games 2-6 — for most of the series.
Scheierman also shared 20 of the 29 starts mentioned above.
But Harper, who had 11 career appearances in three seasons before 2025-26, started three of his 29 showings during the regular season, and he only played in the first four minutes of Game 7.
Garza, who had six starts all year, averaged about eight minutes per game this series and logged just over eight in Game 7 while starting at center for Queta, who ended the series with a playoff-best 73.5 effective field-goal percentage and one of the most efficient rebounders with 8.6 boards in just 21.7 per contest.
Queta, in Game 7, had 17 points and 12 rebounds in just over 32 minutes, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor.
The Celtics, known primarily for their live-by-the-three, die-by-the-three style of play, shot 13-for-49 from deep, which Mazzulla also defended post-game.
“I love the looks that we got. I love the process that we had. Hate the result,” he said.
By virtue of the loss, Philly will take their momentum to Madison Square Garden for the Eastern Conference semifinals starting Monday for a seven-game series with the Knicks.
The 76ers, who lost to the Knicks in six games during Round 1 of the 2024 playoffs, haven’t made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001, where they made it to the NBA Finals behind Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo.
The Knicks are favored to go to back-to-back conference finals, which they haven’t done since 1999 and 2000.
First, the title says NBA playoffs, but we have a local team playing today so I’ll start with this. The Washington Mystics play their last preseason game today at 3 p.m. ET against the Atlanta Dream. Watch Monumental Sports Network for that game.
Now for NBA playoff games, there are two Game 7s all in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons play the Orlando Magic at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC (WJLA-TV in the DMV). And then at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Toronto Raptors. Watch Peacock or NBC for that game.
Enjoy the basketball!
The D-backs have lost the first two games of the series – albeit by just a pair of runs in each, a significant improvement over the losses in Milwaukee by 11 and 12 runs. There’s therefore the specter of a sweep at the hands of Chicago. It’s actually the first time since the opening series in Los Angeles that the D-backs face this possibility, entering the final game of a real series without a win [I’m discounting the two-game set in Mexico City for this purpose] It has now been more than two weeks since Arizona either won a series or consecutive games – both of those happened against Toronto on April 18.
They’ve gone 3-8 since that point, but haven’t actually lost that much ground in the NL West. The Rockies actually have the best record since then. Although everybody in the division are below .500, with Colorado’s 6-7 mark the least woeful. As noted in a comment on yesterday’s recap, the entire division is on a losing streak of three games or more, the first time that has happened to any division in baseball history. Put another way, the NL West have a collective losing streak of nineteen games in a row. With everyone playing outside the division again today, it could potentially reach 24 games, before they start facing each other on Monday. Somebody’s gotta win, right? RIGHT?
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Waking up this morning was not a dream for Sixers fans, but it sure feels like that. Philadelphia’s perennially maligned basketball team vanquished the hated Celtics, mounted a 3-1 series comeback and pulled out yet another victory on the road in Boston. I can’t believe I typed out all of that, but here we are!
Let’s get right to it with my first ever “5 Sixers thoughts” column following a Sixers playoff series win over the Celtics…
My wife and I moved into our first-ever house a couple of days ago. We’re still living out boxes a bit. I did, of course, make sure to immediately set up the TV(s) in our “sports cave” for these Sixers and Flyers playoff runs. That’s the most important thing!
As f-bombs bounced off the walls left and right for 48 minutes of basketball, I was left feeling completely relieved when that final buzzer hit. I did one of the most freeing Twitter scrolls of my life after, cracked a cold one and listened to a live performance of “Stars” by Hum on Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1995. I felt entirely at peace with the world. I hope the faithful readers of this website that have been checking out my work since I was literally in college did so as well.
Do not let anyone tell you that this was “only” the first round. We all deserve to be happy and over the moon about this.
The most infuriating thing about the Sixers’ three (and only three!) losses to Boston this series was the way they were getting destroyed when it came to rebounding. The Celtics were getting offensive board after offensive board before kicking it out to their stable of shooters for yet another back-breaking three. I shave my head a couple times per week because balding comes for us all eventually, but if I did still have a hair, I would’ve ripped it all out watching that unfold.
That flipped as the series progressed and turned in the Sixers’ favor.
The Sixers out-rebounded the Celtics in Game 6 and the margin was tied in Game 7. The Sixers were able to consistently control possessions and make good on their defensive stands. For a team that had lacked even an ounce of toughness for so long, they grinded and gritted these last three wins out.
Jaylen Brown hasn’t even turned 30 yet and already has a Finals MVP to his name, but his clown show postgame presser was downright embarrassing. Brown, after the Game 7 loss, complained about the officiating and the calls that Joel Embiid received:
Aside from the fact that having guys like Hugo González guard Embiid is going to lead to a ton of fouls, that’s so rich coming from Brown. The dude throws forearm shivers every time he drives to the cup like he’s Deacon Jones. He hits the Heisman Trophy pose like he’s Desmond Howard. Look inward and contemplate on this before next season, Derrick Henry!
In Game 7, Quentin Grimes went up for a posterizing dunk on the Celtics that seemed ripped from a 2003 Tracy McGrady highlight reel. He didn’t connect. If this wasn’t a Game 7 against Boston of all teams, it would’ve been hilarious to watch.
Still, Grimes was a key cog in the Sixers’ upset win over the Celtics in the first round. He played the most minutes of any Sixers reserve. He shot 42.1 percent from deep. The Sixers needed him! They need one guy (just one!) who thinks he’s much better than he actually is, but is still nevertheless talented. Can Grimes be a diet version of 2016 J.R. Smith during this playoff run? A bigger, bouncier 2011 Jason Terry? I could see him having a 22-point heater off the bench at Madison Square Garden this week!
“We’ll all know.”
The red-hot St. Louis Cardinals will attempt to sweep away the Los Angeles Billionaires Dodgers at Busch Stadium on Sunday. In the most appropriate jersey number meets day on the calendar, Dustin May (#3) will start for St. Louis while the evil empire Dodgers will send Justin Wrobleski to the mound. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm on Cardinals.tv.
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Sunday Night Baseball features a shaky pitcher on one end and a bullpen game for the other when the Detroit Tigers close out a series with the Texas Rangers.
There are many reasons to expect offense in this game, and the underdog Rangers are live.
Read all about it in my Rangers vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 3, 2026.
For more on this game, check out our Rangers vs. Tigers props from analyst JD Yonke.
The Detroit Tigers are piecing this game together with a variety of arms and a bullpen that isn’t fully rested or healthy. What initiates the game for Detroit, however, sets the tone for the story to follow.
That Tyler Holton’s expected ERA exceeds 6.00 tells you all you need to know, and he pairs that with a chase rate, whiff rate, and K rate that all rank in the Bottom 20th percentile.
Success against the Texas Rangers usually comes from attacking their Bottom-five whiff rate in the league. Holton won't do that, which makes him vulnerable to the power throughout their lineup (whether he goes for one inning or two innings).
Who Detroit goes to after Holton is anyone's guess, but there are three contenders that stand out the most: Kyle Finnegan, Brant Hurter, and Emmanuel De Jesus.
None of those three has even an above-average whiff rate. On the other side, Jack Leiter isn’t a great pitcher, but he doesn’t need to be; he just has to be better than what the Tigers are throwing out there.
At a plus money price point, I’m willing to wager he can be.
COVERS INTEL: Corey Seager and Josh Jung are among the league leaders in barrel rate and hard-hit rate.I made this a total of 8.9 runs and will be taking the Over for my third two-unit play of the season.
Runs coming early seems like a strong likelihood given some of the stuff I’ve mentioned above. There will also likely be chances for them late, as Detroit's bullpen is middling at best (as evidenced by their 4.17 ERA).
On the other hand, I see Leiter as highly exploitable. His secondary pitches rank in the abysmal second and 17th percentiles by run value. This Tigers lineup will work counts and wait on his fastball, making him vulnerable, especially given the legitimate barrel threats Detroit features up and down the order.
The Texas Rangers have hit the Game Total Over in 31 of their last 50 away games (+11.20 Units / 20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Tigers.
| Location | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Date | Sunday, May 3, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBCSN/Peacock |
| Rangers starting pitcher | Jack Leiter (1-2, 5.17 ERA) |
| Tigers starting pitcher | Tyler Holton (0-1, 5.54 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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The Mets have placed infielder Ronny Mauricio on the 10-day IL with a fractured left thumb.
Infielder Vidal Brujan has been called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place on the active roster.
According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Mauricio is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Mauricio, who homered on Friday night, suffered the injury on Saturday when sliding head-first into first base in the seventh inning of the 4-3 extra-innings loss.
Mauricio has slashed .219/.219/.313 with a homer and two RBI in 10 games this season.
Brujan, 28, had a chance to make the club in a bench role out of spring training, but began the season with Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted a .618 OPS with one home run and seven RBI in 24 games.
This is the latest bit of bad injury luck for the Mets. Juan Soto missed time in April due to a calf strain, and shortstop Francisco Lindor is currently on the IL with a calf strain of his own.
While Brujan could see plenty of playing time, Mendozasaid that Bo Bichette will also be in the mix to play some shortstop.
Additionally, infielder Eric Wagaman has been designated for assignment.
Wagaman did not appear in a game for the Mets after being claimed off waivers in late April.
Welp! An Atlanta Braves outfielder is going on the IL — just not the one who had apparently been close to making a trip to the IL for this past week. Instead of Michael Harris II taking that trip, it’ll be Ronald Acuña Jr. after he strained his left hamstring leaving the batter’s box during Saturday’s win over the Rockies.
Acuña has officially been placed on the 10-day IL and outfielder José Azócar has been called up in order to fill Acuña’s spot on the roster for the time being.
Of course, how long Acuña ends up being out depends on the severity of the strain. If it’s a Grade 1 strain then this should just be a straight-up 10-day stint on the IL. We know it’s probably not a Grade 3 strain since that likely would’ve qualified as a tear and Grade 2 might require a somewhat extended absence with a rehab stint involved. So yeah, here’s hoping that it’s just Grade 1 since that wouldn’t be too awful — and also another truly severe leg injury the last thing Acuña needs in his career at the moment.
Ronald Acuña Jr. will be heading to the IL after having a somewhat slow start to the season, for his standards at least. He’s been hitting .252/.362/.378 with a .335 wOBA, .381 xwOBA and 11 wRC+ with two home runs. That’s definitely below the standard level of production that you’d like to see from Acuña but at least his underlying stats (especially his xwOBA) seemed to indicate that a turnaround was likely going to come at some point. Now, the turnaround will be complicated a bit as he recovers from this hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, José Azócar will be making his first appearance for the Braves since June of last year. He made a couple of appearances as a substitute and and only made one plate appearance during that time, which was a fly out to center field — against the Rockies, no less. Azócar has been doing fine at the Triple-A level so far as he’s hit at a .270/.348/.420 clip with a .351 wOBA and a 106 wRC+, which is to say that we probably shouldn’t be expecting him to set the world on fire while he’s up.
Also involved in this news: Hunter Stratton has been optioned down to Triple-A as the corresponding move for the inevitable Spencer Strider activation. Stratton’s only appearance for the Braves came on Saturday night, which is when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal a very comfortable series win for the Braves over the Rockies. He’ll now be rejoining the Stripers, which is where he has a 4.50 ERA and 3.82 FIP over 11 appearances and 12 innings pitched at that level so far.
Strider will now attempt to have a successful season debut at Coors Field. It’s certainly a tricky proposition but one where there’s not a lot of pressure considering the fact that they’ve already clinched yet another series win and have gotten off to a fantastic start to the season, overall. Still, it’s a bit of a bummer that as one core player of this Braves team gets activated, another core player heads to the IL. So it goes for this team, I suppose.
[UPDATE 1:30 p.m. ET]: It is, in fact, a Grade 1 strain for Acuña (per report from Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Granted, you don’t want to see him go on the IL at all but if it’s a Grade 1 strain then he’s looking at a recovery time of 2-3 weeks — maybe even just 10 days if it’s a best-case scenario. All things considered, we’ll take that.
The Minnesota Twins are hoping there's nothing seriously wrong with ace right-hander Joe Ryan.
Ryan was removed from his start Sunday, May 3, against the Toronto Blue Jays after throwing just nine pitches in the first inning.
The Twins later said he was removed with right elbow soreness, according to St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Betsy Helfand.
Ryan had retired the first batter of the game before walking Kazuma Okamoto on a full count. He came off the mound and motioned to the dugout immediately afterward, bringing out manager Derek Shelton and an athletic trainer.
Joe Ryan was pulled from the game in the first inning after just his ninth pitch pic.twitter.com/xS6iYgC4As
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 3, 2026
Reliever Andrew Morris had to warm up quickly and was summoned to take over, yielding one hit but not allowing any runs to score in the opening inning.
This is a breaking story. More details to come when available.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Ryan injury: Twins pitcher exits start vs. Jays in first inning