ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 9: Justin Foscue #14 of the Texas Rangers runs the bases after hitting his first Major League home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on May 9, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Chicago Cubs did not score a run.
Welcome to The Shed, Chicago.
Pure usual Rangers anti-scoring energy radiated from the Arlington den where the dreadful ley lines for impotent RISP ability seem deeply rooted. Luckily, those undesirable powers wafted from the home dugout over the visitors and the National League’s best and hottest club turned 13 scoring chances into zero runs while stranding eleven runners.
Meanwhile, the team that might as well hold the patent on runless scoring chances collected four hits with RISP in nine such opportunities to plate six runs. Those six runs equaled Texas’ home high-water mark along with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh back in late April.
Fresh off winning their tenth in a row last night in the series opener, the Cubs were made to take the place of the Rangers in run production misery. It was like watching two teams swapping fates akin to a zany ‘80s comedy where a straight laced nerd wakes up in the body of a charming popular kid.
It was an odd game in many respects as the Cubs wore down Rangers starter Jack Leiter with five walks and had him out of the game after 97 pitches and just 4 2/3 innings but they still came away with nothing to show for it.
Meanwhile, for Texas, several unlikely sources picked tonight to contribute. The top of the lineup went 0-for-11 with a walk but the bottom four produced six hits and five of the six RBIs.
As the Rangers sent the Cubs to the loss column for the first time in eleven games, they’ve earned a much-needed win and have a shot to claim the series in Sunday’s finale.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung had three more hits, including a home run. Alejandro Osuna had two hits and drove in two. Joc Pederson doubled and drove in a run.
But, No. 9 hitter Justin Foscue laced a solo home run for the first of his big league career. Foscue has notably had a pretty miserable go of it in the majors in a few stints over the last few seasons, so getting that first home run was special for the former first-rounder.
Up Next: The Rangers close out this series and this treacherous 40-game stretch to begin the season with RHP Jacob deGrom expected to pitch for Texas against RHP James Taillon for Chicago.
The Sunday afternoon Mother’s Day finale from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
The Mets lost the second game of this weekend's three-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending up on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel in a 2-1 loss.
Takeaways
New York RHP Clay Holmes has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts this season. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two in 5.2 IP. Holmes (4-3, 1.86 ERA) was the tough-luck loser after throwing 64 strikes on 103 pitches -- one short of his career-high 104 that he threw in last June's 7-1 loss at the Atlanta Braves -- and continuing to be nails as the Mets (15-24) struggle offensively. Ildemaro Vargas's two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning was the difference, but Holmes rebounded by retiring the next nine batters before Nolan Arenado's two-out single three frames later ended Holmes's night.
As a result of Holmes's quality start, New York did not need to dig into its bullpen much. It tapped Austin Warren, who recorded the sixth inning's final out before pitching a scoreless seventh and handing the ball to Craig Kimbrel for the eighth. Kimbrel walked the frame's first two batters before settling in and retiring the next three, including an inning-ending Lourdes Gurriel Jr. strikeout swinging on an 86.2 mph sweeper to keep the score at 2-1. Beyond Holmes, Warren and Kimbrel kept the Mets in the game and give the bullpen a breather entering Sunday's finale.
Batting seventh,Brett Baty bounced back from an 0-for-4 line in Friday's 3-1 win by driving home the Mets' only run of Saturday's game. With two outs in the second inning, Baty picked up Marcus Semien's single by splitting the right-center gap for an RBI double that drew first blood and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Leadoff-hittingJuan Soto's back-to-back games without a hit featured an intentional walk in the fifth inning that took the bat out of his hands when he could have done some damage. After Tyrone Taylor's two-out double, the Diamondbacks put Soto on and Bo Bichette's flyout to left field stranded the Mets while staying down 2-1.
Who's the MVP?
Merrill Kelly, who outdueled Holmes by allowing one run on three hits in seven frames. Kelly fanned six and walked three while throwing 58 strikes on 96 pitches for the Diamondbacks (18-20), who lost seven of their previous eight games before they evened the series Saturday.
Sunday's 4:10 p.m. game on SNY, the series finale between the Mets and Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, has southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 2.50 ERA) set to start for Arizona. New York manager Carlos Mendoza said before Saturday's game that the Mets would name a starter after assessing the bullpen's usage. After Saturday's game, New York announced Huascar Brazobán (2-0, 1.53 ERA) as Sunday's starter.
May 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Coming into 2026, Michael Wacha had been the epitome of consistency for the Royals. If you saw he was starting, you could mark down ~6 innings and a couple of runs scored pretty much every time. Every once in a while, he’d get torched, slightly more often than that, he’d pitch a gem. 2026 has been different, though, at least in terms of what we can consistently expect from the 34-year-old.
Wacha made his eighth start tonight and pitched seven shutout innings. If you look at it primarily from an innings-pitched perspective, half of those starts have been 7+ innings with 2 or fewer runs allowed. If you focus on the runs-allowed perspective, he’s thrown 3 games where he didn’t give up a run and all were at least 6 innings. No matter how you slice it, 3/4 of his outings have been Quality Starts, allowing 3 runs or fewer and pitching 6 runs or more. None of those quality starts saw him give up more than 2 runs. It’s been a remarkable stretch. I keep meaning to dedicate a full article to describing how well he has pitched and why, but other things keep coming up. Now I’m a bit afraid to jinx him. But we can praise him liberally in this space, as we have had reason to do all year.
Matt Strahm pitched the eighth and gave up a run on two hits and a strikeout. It happens. Better to happen when you’re pitching with a five-run lead. Steven Cruz was given the ninth inning. In his first outing since he was demoted, Cruz looked like the guy we saw for so much of last year. He struck out a pair in a clean inning. It would be very nice to be able to slot him into the late-innings picture with Strahm, Daniel Lynch IV, and Lucas Erceg.
The Royals’ offense scored five runs, but I think we have to admit they got a little lucky with that. They did it on only 6 hits and 2 walks. The only way you accomplish that is with very good sequencing, which requires a fair bit of luck. That’s especially true when you take into account that they ran into 3 outs on the bases. Meaning they reached base 8 times, scored 5, and ran into bad outs 3 times. That’s a bit silly.
After Wacha pitched a very efficient first inning, the Royals decided to do some efficient scoring in the bottom of the inning. Maikel Garcia smoked a double into the left-center gap on the second pitch from opener and old friend Burch Smith. Bobby Witt Jr. smoked the third pitch he saw just fair down the first base line. It seemed a sure RBI double, but Kerry Carpenter whiffed on his attempt to cut the ball off, and it shot around the corner and into right field as balls like that often do. It became an inside-the-park home run for Bobby, his fifth dinger of the year.
Vinnie singled to right ahead of a Salvy flyout, and Smith was pulled for lefty Tyler Holton to face Carter and Cags. Carter Jensen hit a ball down the left field line that he and Vinnie hustled into a double, but Jac Caglianone hit a grounder to the right side, and Carter took off for third, allowing the Tigers to throw behind him. Eventually, Vinnie was tagged out heading for home.
In the fourth inning, after bulk man Ty Madden had come in, Salvy made another out, and Carter and Cags each singled to put runners at first and third with one out. Lane Thomas struck out swinging on a fastball down the middle, but Michael Massey picked him up.
Watching live, I thought that one had a chance to split the outfielders. But it kept not dropping, and I became convinced it was going to be caught. But then I saw the outfielders didn’t seem to be setting up to catch it, and it finally became a home run! It turns out that Massey smoked it at 103.9 MPH. Go watch that swing at that pitch above and tell me that looks like 104 off the bat. If you’re wondering why Massey plays, that’s why. He’s got some easy power for a middle infielder.
And those are all of the hits the Royals had. So, yeah, sequencing wins. So many of the Royals’ home runs this year have come with the bases empty. If the Royals had led 2-0 instead of 5-0, who knows how different the energy would have been and whether the Tigers might have been able to mount a comeback. But it was 5-0, the energy was completely sapped out of the Tigers, and the Royals won.
That guarantees the Royals a winning homestand. That gives them their third straight winning homestand or road trip. That, my friends, is how you make up ground. If the Royals lose tomorrow, remember that hit sequencing matters for scoring runs, but it doesn’t matter what order the wins come in and if you’d have been excited if the Royals lost Friday night and won the next two, be excited for the record following the homestand being a step better. If you need another way to understand it, the Royals are not only second in the division following this win, they’re firmly in the third AL Wild Card spot. That’s how ridiculous the season has been in the AL so far. This isn’t nearly over.
Of course, the Royals do have a chance to complete the sweep for the third straight weekend tomorrow. The game will be on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball once again, scheduled at 6:20 KC time. Noah Cameron (5.40 ERA) will take the mound again after being cleared from his back tightness. The Tigers originally planned to have Framber Valdez go, but he’s currently serving a suspension for throwing at a player and inciting a brawl earlier this week. They’ve still got TBA listed on MLB, and I can’t find any rumors anywhere else. So your guess is as good as mine. Fingers crossed the Royals score a bunch of runs regardless.
Mar 6, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain first baseman BJ Murray (7) hits a single during the first inning against Mexico at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jordan Wicks didn’t look great, but he did managed to keep the Clippers from scoring for four innings. So the results were great. His final line was no runs on two hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out four.
The win went to Zac Leigh because Wicks didn’t go five innings. Leigh allowed one run on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out three.
Iowa had 17 hits this afternoon and everyone in the lineup had at least one.
In the third inning, DH BJ Murray hit a solo home run, his sixth of the season. Murray went 2 for 5 with a walk, a double and the home run. He scored three times.
In the fifth inning, right fielder Kevin Alcántara hit his league-leading 13 home run 417 feet with the bases empty. Alcántara was 1 for 4 with two walks. He scored three times.
First baseman Jonathon Long went 3 for 5 with a double. Long drove home two and scored once.
Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 4 with a sac fly and an RBI double. He drove in three runs total and scored twice.
Left fielder Owen Miller was 3 for 4 with an RBI triple and a walk. He scored once and had two total RBI.
Ben Cowles was was 2 for 2 with a double. He scored one run.
Some great defense from shortstop Scott Kingery, who was 1 for 2 at the plate.
Tyler Schlaffer put in a strong start with five scoreless innings and just one hit. He struck out seven and walked just one.
Jackson Kirkpatrick relieved Schlaffer and gave up three runs and the lead in the top of the sixth. But he ended up getting the win when the Smokies came back in the bottom of the inning. Kirkpatrick’s final line was three runs, but only one earned, on no hits and three walks. He struck out two.
Vince Reilly pitched the final two innings, didn’t allow a run or a hit and collected the save. Reilly struck out five and walked one.
The Smokies took and early 2-0 lead on DH Ariel Armas’ first home run of the year. Armas went 1 for 4 with a walk and the two RBI.
The Smokies tied it back up in the sixth on a solo home run by catcher Owen Ayers. It was Ayers’ tenth overall home run and fourth in Double-A. Ayers was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Right fielder Alex Ramirez tripled right after Ayers’ home run and scored the eventual winning run on an Edgar Alvarez sac fly. Ramirez was 3 for 4 with the triple and two runs scored. Alvarez was 0 for 1 with a walk and the sac fly.
Cole Reynolds got out of the first inning with no runs, but he let the first five batters of the second inning reach, and all five of them came around to score. Reynolds ended up getting the loss after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks over 1+ innings. He struck out one.
Shortstop Ty Southisene is having little trouble adapting to High-A. Today he was a perfect 2 for 2 with a triple and two walks. He also stole a base. Southisene is now hitting .417 with a .483 OBP over six games with South Bend. Southisene scored twice and drove in two.
Catcher Justin Stransky went 3 for 4 and scored one run.
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After last night’s exciting extra innings win against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Colorado Rockies took the field at Citizen’s Bank Park today looking to have a three-game winning streak. It would have been a great way to rebound after their six-game losing streak they snapped earlier in the week.
Sadly, the streak was not to be.
A slump-busting Alec Boehm led the Phillies offense to a commanding nine-run victory, and the Rockies had little to offer as a response.
Freefall
After giving up a leadoff single and stolen base to the speedy Trea Turner, left-handed starter Kyle Freeland showed some of his best stuff, recording six straight outs with three strikeouts.
Then everything fell apart in the third inning.
Freeland allowed five earned runs on six hits in a third inning that started with a home run, two singles, and another home run before he recorded his first out. After his first out, he gave up a double and single for another run.
While eventually he stopped the bleeding, the Phillies had already rocketed ahead.
Freeland settled down somewhat in the next two innings. He did give up a solo home run to start the fourth inning—Alec Boehm’s second of the game. The Phillies did score a seventh run in the fifth inning, but it was unearned due to a defensive miscue at shortstop by Willie Castro. Freeland’s final line for the game saw him dinged for seven runs—six earned—on ten hits and three home runs over five innings before he was replaced by Tanner Gordon.
Much like Freeland, Tanner Gordon looked sharp through his first two innings of work. He gave up just one hit and struck out two batters without issuing a walk or giving up an earned run. However, also like Freeland, things fell apart in his third inning of work.
Gordon kicked off the bottom of the eighth inning by giving up two singles followed by a bases clearing Alec Boehm double. He sat down the next three batters in quick succession, including with another strikeout, but the damage was done and the game was severely out of reach for the Rockies offense heading into the top of the ninth inning.
The Rockies used up all the offense last night
Things started out on a relatively promising note for the Rockies against Phillies starter Aaron Nola. They struck out just twice over the first four innings and seemed to have some momentum after last night’s extra innings affair.
Willi Castro kicked things off with a solo home run in the second inning.
The Rockies then rallied in the fourth to keep the game within striking distance despite Kyle Freeland’s difficult third inning of work. A Troy Johnston single and a walk drawn by Jake McCarthy thanks to a well-used ABS challenge set the table for Kyle Karros. Karros doubled to plate both runners.
Unfortunately, the Rockies offense did very little of note the rest of the game. They had two runners on in the fifth but failed to plate a run from the opportunity. From the sixth inning onward, nine out of the Rockies’ final ten batters were set down—punctuated in the eighth when TJ Rumfield was hit by a pitch. Seven of those batters struck out.
Coming Up Next:
The Rockies still have a chance to bounce back and win the series tomorrow morning. The right-handed Tomoyuki Sugano will look to continue a string of strong starts against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 AM MDT.
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) looks on after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Alec Bohm has been under fire lately and justifiably so. He’s been one of the worst hitters in the game this year and came under question, even in these here pages, about his viability as a regular in the lineup. Don Mattingly sat him down for two days to give him a reset, but openly wondered about his place in the starting lineup.
Tonight at least, Bohm was king. And the Phillies reaped the rewards.
After losing Bryce Harper early due to migraines and falling behind to the Rockies in the second thanks to a Willi Castro home run, the outcome looked bleak. When Aaron Nola, the starting pitcher, falls behind like that, it feels like a long night again is in store. Yet Nola was able to battle on the evening, giving his offense a chance to battle back on their part. In the third, Bohm did just that, tying the game with one swing.
Adolis Garcia doubled, Edmundo Sosa singled and the lead stretched to 5-1. Who is this team?
Nola, though, did give a few back in the fourth when Kyle Karros hit a two-run double to make the score 5-3, yet that was where it would remain for a bit. Nola was actually pretty decent on the evening, a contrast to most of his April starts, and kept the Rockies at bay the remainder of his outing. Meanwhile, Bohm decided to have another.
A sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh made the score 7-3 while the Phillies’ bullpen took over. Tim Mayza, Tanner Banks, Chase Shugart and Orion Kerkering combined to go 4 1/3 innings on the evening without giving up a hit or a walk. They were outstanding.
Then Alec Bohm hit another ball down the line to score two more runs and it was officially the “Alec Bohm Game” for this season.
Listen, the criticism levied at Bohm was, as said before, justifiable and fair. He just hasn’t been good this year, regardless of whatever is going on off the field. He has tried to work through it, but Mattingly wisely saw that maybe a few games off would be the best thing for him and the team. It worked tonight like a charm (an Elmo-sized influence notwithstanding). Will it continue? Let’s find out.
After the season, the vibe around the Warriors had been that Kerr would not continue as coach. This is a team that was going to start planning for the post-Stephen Curry era, wanted changes in the style of play, and wanted Kerr to commit to multiple years. Kerr spent last season on the final year of his contract and the Warriors did not want another lame-duck year, especially with Curry entering the final year of his current contract. All of that led to several meetings and weeks of conversations among Kerr, controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, during which they discussed both the short- and long-term plans for the franchise. Over time, it became clear Kerr was going to come back, with him saying in an interview he didn't want to leave Curry and Draymond Green.
Kerr's new agreement keeps him here for two seasons, and now the Warriors and Curry will talk extension, according to ESPN. Both Curry and Green had said they wanted Kerr back as coach.
"I hope he's our coach next year..." Green said after the Warriors were eliminated from the play-in by the Suns. "So lucky to have had for 12 years Steve as my coach."
In the four years since the Warriors last won the NBA title, they have missed the playoffs entirely — including this season, when they won just 37 games and were the No. 10 seed, but also had a dramatic play-in win over the Clippers — and have twice been bounced in the second round.
All of that is a sign the Warriors need to change the roster around — Golden State as constructed is old and unathletic. Curry is 38 years old and missed 39 games last season, largely due to runner's knee. Starting with the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, the Warriors need to start remaking this roster, and not just to win with Curry next season. The team Kerr will be coaching next season will look different.
Overall, Kerr is 604-353 (.631) in the regular season, 152-104 (.684) in the playoffs, including winning four titles.
PHILADELPHIA — It has been 24 minutes of ugly offensive basketball for the 76ers, two fourth quarters in which they managed a grand total of 30 points.
Twelve points in the final quarter of Game 2, 18 in the final quarter of Game 3.
Both were winnable games that were lost because of Philadelphia’s offensive ineptitude, and now it will have to make NBA playoff history as the first team to rally from 3-0 down to advance.
Jalen Brunson drives on V.J. Edgecombe during the second quarter of the Knicks Game 3 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
At least, that’s how the 76ers see it. It wasn’t the Knicks defense that did them in. It was their own doing.
“We’re not making shots, we’re getting a lot of looks,” rookie VJ Edgecombe said Saturday. “We just watched the film. We’re generating a lot of good looks. Nothing is going in for us.”
In Game 2, the 76ers shot 4-for-19 from the field over the final 12 minutes. In Game 3, it was 7-for-20. Both contests were well within reach before Philadelphia went ice-cold.
In Friday’s loss, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse pointed to a pivotal moment.
Trailing by 4 late in the third quarter, the 76ers got three consecutive stops but couldn’t take advantage. Joel Embiid and Edgecombe missed open looks from 3-point range.
Joel Embiid put ups a shot during the 76ers’ Game 3 loss to the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“There’s certainly an element of that for sure that has got us in the last two games,” Nurse said. “I don’t expect to make them all. But you make one of those, it’s a one-point game. Make two of them, you’re up two. I don’t know what else you can do other than create wide-open shots. Certainly, in Game 2, down the stretch there, all we did was have really good offensive creation. We just didn’t make enough. I can’t fault the guys’ effort and trying to do the right thing. We just need them to go in.”
Perhaps most concerning is the right players have taken the shots. Paul George is 0-for-8 in those quarters, and Tyrese Maxey is 4-for-11. Embiid didn’t play in Game 2 and was only 1-for-3 in Friday’s fourth quarter.
One potential issue is the Knicks are wearing down the 76ers. Philadelphia doesn’t have much depth to speak of, and the Knicks go deep into their bench.
Maxey, for instance, is averaging 40.4 minutes in the postseason, Edgecombe is at 37.7 and George is at 36.7.
“Obviously, fatigue is a factor. But fatigue’s a factor for every team this late in the season,” Edgecombe said. “If you want to win, that shouldn’t matter. We’ve just been missing wide-open shots.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 07: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck against Rasmus Ristolainen #55 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 07, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 over the Philadelphia Flyers to secure their spot in the Eastern Conference Final, becoming the first team to go 8-0 through the first two rounds under the NHL’s current playoff format.
Just as they did in Game 2, the Flyers came out of the gate hot and made the Canes pay, as Tyson Foerster had plenty of time in the slot and rifled a wrister past Frederik Andersen to make it 1-0 for the home team.
Unlike in Game 2, Philadelphia was unable to add a second goal to its lead in the first period, as the game went into the second with a 1-0 score.
The Hurricanes played one of their best periods of the series in the second, outshooting the Flyers 15-4 and beating them out 8-2 in terms of high-danger chances.
One chance that was not particularly high-danger tied the game when Jackson Blake flung a puck toward Dan Vladar that pinballed off of Jamie Drysdale’s pants and into the net.
It looked like Carolina took a 2-1 lead just moments later when Mark Jankowski fired home a rebound, but a challenge and review determined that William Carrier had interfered with Vladar in the crease, keeping the game tied after two periods.
Logan Stankoven took the NHL lead in goals in the playoffs when he buried a gorgeous feed from Taylor Hall to make it 2-1, but the Flyers weren’t ready to give up just yet, as Alex Bump tied the game after Travis Konecny worked the puck to him by making a phenomenal play on the forecheck to strip K’Andre Miller of the puck.
The game went to overtime tied at two apiece, and it didn’t take too long for the Hurricanes to end the game and the series.
Hall picked up the puck at center ice and gained the zone with control and numbers, pushing the defense back to feed Blake and leave him plenty of time and space for a shot.
Blake ripped one off of Vladar’s glove, and the puck hung in the air for a bit before falling in behind the goal line to deal the decisive blow.
Apr 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) celebrates in the dugout after the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Wrobleski has started three of the Dodgers’ eight fastest games this season, averaging two hours, 34 minutes over his five starts.
Bryce Elder has been collecting outs himself for Atlanta, with a 2.02 ERA and 2.83 xERA through eight starts and 49 innings. He’s pitched at least six innings in each of his last four starts.
TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr attends the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Wisconsin Badgers at McKale Center on December 09, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Badgers 98-73. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Steve Kerr isn’t moving on from coaching just yet.
The former Arizona great has agreed to a two-year extension as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN, ending speculation that he might retire from coaching.
Kerr will be entering his 13th season as head coach of the Warriors. He has led the franchise to four NBA championships since 2014-15 but has missed the postseason in two of the last three seasons.
Breaking: Steve Kerr has agreed on a new two-year contract to return as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, his agents told @shamscharania, @anthonyVslater and @ramonashelburne.
The new deal will keep Steve Kerr as the highest paid coach in the NBA annually, sources tell… pic.twitter.com/4MHlnCBG08
Kerr has a 957-604 career record as the Warriors head coach with eight playoff appearances.
Kerr is expected to remain the highest-paid coach in the NBA, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Anthony Slater and Ramona Shelburne. He made $17.5 million this past season.
Kerr’s decision to remain with the Warriors means he’ll get to coach Steph Curry for at least one more year, as Curry is signed through the 2026-27 season.
Kerr, at age 60, still has plenty more years in the tank, whether he wants to one day get into broadcasting or work in basketball in another capacity.
Kerr starred at Arizona from 1983-1988. He helped lead the Wildcats to their first Final Four in 1987-88 before embarking on a 15-year playing career.
Two years after helping the Vancouver Canucks to Game 7 of the second-round during their 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff run, Philadelphia Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet has been eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tocchet, former Canuck Noah Juulsen, and the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Division Finals.
Similar to his first full season with the Canucks, Tocchet was able to help the Flyers along to a second-round exit in his first year as Philadelphia’s new Head Coach. This time, however, his team was taken out in only four games during the Division Finals. The final game ended in dramatic fashion, as Jackson Blake scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes.
Juulsen, who spent four seasons with Vancouver, only ended up playing in one game during the Flyers’ second-round matchup. Earlier on in the post-season, he registered two assists in Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Flyers’ second-round loss will send former Canuck Jalen Chatfield and the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in the past eight years — and their third in the past four. They have yet to make it past the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Carolina will face the winner of the Montréal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres’ second-round series in the Eastern Conference Final. As of writing, that series is tied 1-1.
May 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet walk off the ice after their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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May 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Once again, the Detroit Tigers did not swing the bats well in this one. The makeshift pitching combination didn’t actually do that badly, but they aren’t scoring any runs, and they watched another player go down with a potential injury as Kerry Carpenter left the game after crashing into the wall on a play in the first inning that cost the Tigers a run defensively. No one is feeling sorry for them, and several guys are going to need to step up or they’re going to be fully cooked by the time they get any help back from the injured list.
Once again, things did not start off very well. Michael Wacha went through the order 1-2-3 in the top of the first. Opener Burch Smith saw Maikel Garcia line one into the left center field gap and outhustle Matt Vierling’s play on the ball into a double. Bobby Witt Jr. sliced a ball down the right field line and Kerry Carpenter overplayed it, banging into the wall while the ball rattled away into the corner. Witt Jr. sped around the bases with a two-run inside the park home run, which was a bit of home cooking from the official scorer, but whatever. Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a single, and a big, bad inning was already looming three batters in. Smith popped up Salvador Perez, but the plan was blown up from the start, and AJ Hinch came out to turn things over to Tyler Holton.
Carter Jensen got into a 1-1 count and then lined a drive down the left field line for a double, moving Pasquantino to third. Fortunately, with the infield in, Jac Caglianone grounded one to McKinstry, who checked Pasquantino for a moment and flipped to first. Jensen didn’t get the memo and ran on contact from second and was picked off as Torkelson threw to McGonigle at second. That left Pasquantino no choice but to run home with two outs and try to induce some chaos. Instead, Kevin McGonigle fired home to Jake Rogers to apply the tag and end what could’ve been a really bad inning. 2-0 Royals.
Wacha punched out Riley Greene to start the second inning, and Dillon Dingler got a first pitch sinker and flew out to right field. Kerry Carpenter chopped a bouncer to Michael Massey at second, but he had to try and rush it and instead failed to catch the baseball, and so far this was a pretty messy game on both sides. Wacha stayed away from Spencer Torkelson into a 3-0 count, then fired a fastball down the middle that Tork hit about 450 feet foul to left. Another sinker on the outer edge got a whiff, and once again the Tigers couldn’t make an opponent pay for their mistakes the way opponents are routinely doing to the Tigers right now.
Holton quickly retired Lane Thomas and Massey on weak contact in the bottom of the second, and Kyle Isbel grounded out to McKinstry to end the inning.
Now it was the Royals who couldn’t play the field, as McKinstry grounded one to Pasquantino and he just flat out clanged it as it rode up on him and then into shallow right field. The official scorer decided it was an error, but it gave the Tigers the leadoff man on base, and McKinstry promptly stole second without a throw. Jake Rogers was looking for something he could poke to right field behind the runner, but in a 2-2 count Wacha smelled this out and painted the inside corner for strike three. McGonigle drove a ball out to Caglianone at the warning track for the second out, and McKinstry tagged and took third. Vierling grounded out to Massey to end the threat.
Carpenter came out of the game at this point, with his left shoulder banged up from the collision, and Wenceel Pérez took over in right field. Is it Ben Malgeri time? Can Zack Short play right field? These are questions that can’t be avoided because everything sucks right now.
Ty Madden’s turn as the “bulk” guy, which isn’t exactly a friendly descriptor, began in the bottom of the third. Maikel Garcia pulled a chopper that Colt Keith had to jump and pull it down, and then uncorked a somewhat wild throw to first. Torkelson had to take his foot off the bag to catch it, but Garcia wasn’t exactly busting it down the line thinking he’d made an out, and so he did make an out. Witt pulled a sharp grounder that took a weird kick and McGonigle clanged it off the backhand, allowing Witt to reach. However, Madden then picked off Witt, who blew a tire trying to get back to first base, so that play didn’t hurt the Tigers. Pasquantino grounded out to McGonigle to end a very peculiar first three innings of baseball.
Avert your eyes, children, this baseball is unclean. Anyway, Keith struck out, Greene popped out, and Dingler grounded out in the fourth.
Madden was off to a solid start, and opened the bottom of the fourth by whiffing Sal Perez on a slider. He got a little wild against the left-handed hitting Jensen, missing a bit with several cutters and walking him. He fell behind against Caglionone as well, and the big right fielder got a fastball and pulled a grounder into right field as Jensen went first to third. In a 3-2 count against Lane Thomas, Madden fired a heater right down the middle and Thomas was late on 93 mph. So, there were two outs, and escape was at hand if Madden could get Massey, but left-handers have always been a problem for Madden. A first pitch cutter up was a strike. The second pitch cutter up in the zone was launched to right center field for a three-run bomb. Isbel grounded out to end the inning, but it was 5-0 Royals.
Wenceel Pérez flew out to right field to open the fifth, but Spencer Torkelson doubled to left and then took third on a wild pitch to Zach McKinstry. The infielder walked, but Jake Rogers lifted a shallow fly to right that wasn’t deep enough for Torkelson to score on. So, it was up to McGonigle. Wacha got ahead 0-2 with the help of a good challenge by Jensen on the first pitch of the AB, but Wacha pulled a cutter and hit McGonigle in the arm to load the bases. Vierling watched a 1-0 sinker just below the magnetic center of the strike zone, and then a swung at a changeup almost in the dirt and grounded out weakly to Witt to end the inning.
Madden came back out and walked Garcia to start the bottom half, bringing up the heart of the Royals order with the leadoff man on. That’s not a good idea, but Witt ulimately popped out to McKinstry. Jake Rogers then cut down Garcia trying to steal on a perfect throw to McGonigle. Caglianone whiffed on a cutter, and Madden had walked the tightrope.
Colt Keith opened the sixth with a pop-out. Riley Greene walked but Dingler tapped one back to Wacha for the second out as Riley moved to second. That left it to Pérez, who took a changeup on the top rail for strike three.
Madden punched out Sal Perez on a slider down and away to start the bottom half. Jensen hit a little dying quail into left field but Keith made a nice play running out there and snaring it over the shoulder before it got down. Caglianone whiffed on a slider to strike out, and we were on to the seventh, still 5-0 Royals.
The Tigers went in order without a hard hit ball in the top of the seventh as Wacha continued to cruise through them with absolute ease.
Madden got flyouts from Thomas and Massey in the bottom of the seventh. Isbel lined one back to Madden off the end of the bat and he snared it for the final out. Five decent innings from Ty Madden. He lost his command for a while in the fourth and fifth, wasting some counts where he was ahead, and he paid for it with Massey’s three-run shot, but for the most part he did depth starter things and was fine. Rogers did a really nice job leading him through it.
On the other hand, the offense is absolutely DOA right now. Losing Carpenter wouldn’t necessarily hurt much because he’s been pretty poor this year, but the Tigers don’t exactly have a stockpile of outfielders left to draw from with Parker Meadows and Javier Báez already injured.
Lefty Matt Strahm succeeded Wacha in the eighth, and McGonigle flicked a sinker the opposite way for a single to start the inning. Vierling worked into a full count and then chased a slider well down for strike three. Hao-Yu Lee hit for Colt Keith as Hinch searched for someone other than McGonigle, Greene, and Torkelson who can hit right now. Lee flew out to right field, and that left it up to Greene. The Tigers left fielder drove a ball to right field and Caglianone laid out for it and missed. McGonigle raced first to home, while Greene cruised into second with a double. 5-1 Royals. That was all they’d get as Dingler lifted a routine fly ball to Caglianone.
Madden kept going in the bottom of the eighth. Garcia flicked a soft liner to third base that Lee handled. McGonigle handled a slow grounder from Witt Jr. and did a nice job charging it and getting the ball to first quickly for the second out. Pasquantino grounded out to Torkelson to end the inning, making that 11 straight retired by Madden.
Hard throwing Steven Cruz came on to close this one out. Pérez grounded out, Torkelson took a slider for strike three, and McKinstry struck out as well to end it.
The Tigers are now 18-22 at the 40-game mark, as the Royals take command of second place in the AL Central. With the White Sox leading the Mariners as of this writing, the Tigers could be in fourth place just ahead of the Twins by the time the night is over.
Right-hander Beau Brieske made his second successful rehab appearance in Lakeland on Saturday. His velocity looks good and he should be transferred to Toledo pretty soon to complete the process.
We all know what the problems are for the Sixers against the Knicks and we all know they can’t be fixed during this series. After losses in Games 2 and 3 against New York, we can no longer simply point to the sub-48-hour turnaround from the first round to the second round as a reason for Philadelphia’s fatigue. The Sixers’ star players are getting outplayed by the Knicks starters and New York has several more bodies it can trust off the bench. When you put it like that, it’s kind of hard to fathom Philly was even competitive in Game 2, having lost Games 1 and 3 by double-digits.
No one should be pointing the finger at head coach Nick Nurse for the Sixers’ struggles in this series, and, to be fair, it doesn’t seem like anyone is. With the exception of maybe playing Dominick Barlow a little more in Game 2 when Joel Embiid was not available, Nurse has not had any levers to pull. Nurse finally emptied his bench in Game 3 when New York had the game won, but that’s about the only time he’ll ever do so. Frankly, who can blame him?
It begs the question, why are so many useless players on Philadelphia’s roster? Surely, Daryl Morey will be asked that question in some fashion at his end-of-season media availability. For as much focus gets put on trading Jared McCain away at the deadline this year, the issues are bigger than one subtraction anyway. In the last two drafts, Philadelphia spent picks in the top half of the second round on Adem Bona and Johni Broome. Bona has seen some meaningful minutes in this year’s postseason but has been far from a regular rotation player for Nurse to rely on. Broome only appeared in 11 NBA games in the regular season so he was never going to see playoff minutes. Not all second-round picks become playoff rotation players, but those bigs are taking up NBA roster spots.
Last season, Justin Edwards was playing a lot of minutes for a bad Sixers team. He hasn’t seen those same minutes for a better Sixers team in 2025-26. In the summer, Morey gave Trendon Watford a two-year minimum contract (2026-27 is a team option). Watford had a bench role for the Sixers in the regular season but his only postseason action has been in garbage time. Part of this year’s trade deadline was converting Jabari Walker’s contract to a standard deal. Like Watford, Walker saw bench minutes in the regular season but has been phased out in the playoffs.
Then there’s the veterans. Kyle Lowry has been lauded for his leadership role, but he’s taking up a roster spot without giving any on-court contributions. Andre Drummond has had his moments from time to time in these two playoff series with Boston and New York, but has been far from consistent. When you add this all up, you end up with six-to-eight players on a nightly basis for Philadelphia that are either sitting on the bench until garbage time or are never taking their warm-up clothes off.
It’s fair to wonder what meetings have looked like this season between Nurse and Morey or what they will look like when the season is over. Nurse would be well within his right to tell Morey “I can’t play these guys!” in reference to his reserves if he hasn’t done so already.
Nurse’s actions this postseason tell us that he agrees with the loudest complaint fans have had about the team during the Knicks series. The roster just isn’t deep enough. So what is Nurse left to do? Play his starters 40 minutes a night and cross his fingers they can outplay the Knicks starters. That hasn’t happened and so you get a 3-0 deficit.
To be completely fair, there were moments in third quarter of Game 3 where you might have been able to talk yourself into it being one that would go down to the wire. We got some glimpses of fight in the third quarter from Philly after an abysmal second quarter saw a four-point lead after one turn into an eight-point deficit at the half. The Sixers trailed by just two with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter. But the Knicks were not at all fazed, and quickly grew the lead back to nine by the end of the quarter and coasted to a victory in the fourth.
Despite some signs of fight in the third quarter, when the quarter was over, the Sixers had gone 36 minutes without a single point from their bench. When it’s that jarring for three full quarters of a playoff game, that’s a sign that the head coach doesn’t believe he can win games with the players he has on his bench. We know this. Nurse knows this.
As a result, Nurse runs his stars into the ground. Embiid’s availability is always in question and even when he plays he does not always look 100%. Tyrese Maxey could very well still be dealing with complications from his pinky injury. Paul George is 36 and just not going to regularly perform at the level he performed against Boston. Sometimes, VJ Edgecombe will look like a rookie. When even one of these things happens, the Sixers are bound to lose the game because they don’t have a way to compensate for their stars underperforming.
It’s all left Nurse with one of two options. Would he rather watch this season die by playing bench players he doesn’t believe in or allow his star players to wear down? He’s chosen the latter and I think we all would do the same if we were in his shoes.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 8, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts towards the bullpen after hitting his 100th homer as a Dodger against Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on May 8, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Blake Snell makes his season debut against Spencer Strider.
