ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 30: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Chicago Cubs steals second base against Masyn Winn #0 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium on July 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals looked to be going the wrong direction after the All-Star break, but the resilient Redbirds continued to show this rebuild is unlike most others. A tough end to July knocked the Cardinals out of the Wild Card spot and under .500, but the team battled in the last three series to remain in the postseason race.
The Cardinals are coming off three straight series wins, two of which came against favorites to be playing in October. After taking care of business against the Yankees, Rockies, and Phillies, the Cardinals hit the road to take on postseason contender and NL Central rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field. The series kicks off with an Apple TV afternoon game on Friday and concludes on Sunday afternoon on ABC.
Another series win could put the Cardinals back in the thick of postseason contention
The two teams meet as both are in the middle of a little hot streak in the dog days of summer. With 41 games remaining, the Cubs are where they expected to be, in the middle of a playoff race, while the Cardinals are continuing to exceed preseason expectations. With most outlets putting the Cardinals as a 67 win team, St. Louis can surpass that total with another strong couple of weeks. The Cardinals will also be putting their three series winning streak on the line at the Friendly Confines, where St. Louis won the series when they last met in Chicago over the July 4th weekend.
GAME ONE (1:20) : MATTHEW LIBERATORE VS. CLAY HOLMES
GAME TWO (1:20) : MICHAEL MCGREEVY VS. MATTHEW BOYD
GAME THREE (2:15) : HUNTER DOBBINS VS. SHOTA IMANAGA
In the first game, Matthew Liberatore will look to show he belongs in the rotation for another handful of starts despite the down year. The Opening Day starter has struggled for much of the season and looked to turn a corner with a dominant showing two starts ago. Unfortunately, he followed up his seven strikeout, six shutout inning start with another blow up as he gave up five runs for the sixth time this season. We will likely see Libby taking the ball every fifth day for the rest of the season, but he will have to impress the staff to be written into the starting rotation next year.
In game two, Michael McGreevy will attempt to end a five start winless streak as his command has faltered a little in the second half. The increase in free passes has also been met with more hits allowed, so McGreevy will have to find ways to limit a powerful Cubs lineup to give the Cardinals a chance to win. He will be opposed by lefty Matthew Boyd who currently sits at 8-1 despite a middling ERA. The last time he faced the Cardinals, though, he was dominant. Boyd threw seven shutout innings, allowed just four hits, and struck out five batters in the victory. He has given up some runs of late, however, so the Cardinals hope to get to him early and often on Saturday.
In the teams’ final meeting of the 2026 season (postseason not included), the Cardinals will turn to their newest rotation showcase arm. Hunter Dobbins will be out of the hot and humid Busch Stadium where he struggled with his grip in his last outing to face the Cubs in his third consecutive start at the big league level. Like Liberatore, Dobbins is auditioning for next year’s rotation but may be more of a lock than the lefty Libby. Facing Dobbins is Cubs de facto #1 Shota Imanaga, who is in the midst of a mediocre season. In his last start against the Cardinals, he got the loss after giving up two runs in 4.2 innings.
A series win against the Cubs will not do much for the overall Wild Card as the Cubs have a massive hold on the first runner-up spot, but depending on how the others in contention do, the Cardinals could be in position to make a late run. St. Louis sits within three games of the final postseason spot and could find themselves in striking distance again with five games against the Reds before another series against the Phillies.
But there is a lot more to the schedule: Who is on national television most often? Which teams have the most back-to-backs? Who is getting the most rest? Let's break down the numbers from the NBA's 2026-27 schedule.
Nationally televised games
Maybe the most notable thing in the 2026-27 NBA schedule is that, for all the talk of games exclusively on streaming services (Peacock and Prime Video), the NBA and its partners are leaning hard into games on traditional broadcast television: NBC and ABC are combining to show 90 games, a healthy increase from 79 last season.
Across all platforms, five teams are tied for the most nationally televised games with 34: The New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Next in line are the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets with 28 each.
A few other schedule notes:
• All 30 teams have at least two nationally televised games.
• The five teams with just two games are: The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans. (It's a little surprising to see Memphis with rookie Carlos Boozer on that list. It also speaks to Zion Williamson's current star power that New Orleans is in that group.)
• Eight teams will appear a maximum of 11 times on NBC and Peacock: Denver, Golden State, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston. Boston, Minnesota and Dallas will be on NBC/Peacock 10 times, while Detroit and Miami will be on 9 times each.
• Interesting note via The Athletic: The San Antonio Spurs have 60% of their nationally televised games in the second half of the season — 25 of their last 41. That includes four straight nationally televised games on two occasions. That said, because the league wants teams relatively fresh for those games, the Spurs also have a lot of off days baked into the schedule.
Back-to-backs, rest
If you want to know what teams care most about when they look at the schedule, it's this.
The NBA has worked in recent years to reduce the number of back-to-backs and four-games-in-five-days, a challenge with the introduction of the NBA Cup. This season, it made some progress.
Teams will average 14.2 back-to-backs this season, the lowest number since the advent of the NBA Cup. There are 59 back-to-backs involving more than 750 miles of travel, down from 74 a season ago. Also, 47 of those back-to-backs end with a nationally televised game, which is when star players are more likely to sit out (that number is down from 66 last season).
The teams with the most back-to-backs: The Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, each of whom have 16. The Pelicans have two back-to-backs in their first five games, which is a brutal way to start the season.
• The 76ers have the fewest three-games-in-four-night stretches in the league this season, which is good news for a team with LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
• The San Antonio Spurs have 94 rest days in this year's schedule, tied for the most of any team.
• In total, NBA teams are poised to travel an estimated 42.5K miles over the course of the season, which is near an all-time low.
• Longest home stand: Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies each have eight games in a row at home at one point this season.
• Longest road trip: The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans all have seven-game road trips at one point (for the Lakers, that is the annual Grammy trip in February when the music awards show takes over their arena).
• San Antonio has five neutral site games, the most in the league. That includes two games in Europe against New Orleans, one in Paris on Jan. 14 and one in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17.
• When are the rematches of last playoff's seven-game series?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google featured five Game 7s, tying the record for the most in a single postseason.
Here are the 2026-27 NBA regular-season dates for each of those five matchups. ⬇️
• Interesting note from The Athletic: The NBA Cup Final takes place in Indianapolis on Dec. 11. The next night, Dec. 12, 16 NBA teams are scheduled to play, including teams one can make a legitimate case for to appear in those Finals — Minnesota, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, New York, Atlanta and Denver. If one of those teams makes the Cup Finals, the league is rescheduling the game on the 12th, right?
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Cooper Flagg attends a game between the Golden State Warriors against the Dallas Mavericks on July 9, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks released their schedule for the 2026-2027 season on Thursday. As usual, there is no shortage of intriguing plot points to consider, and some interesting quirks that will surely gain the ire of Mavs’ fans. Below is a look at some key points to know about what is to come for Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Morez Johnson and the rest of the new-look Mavericks.
A daunting October
Straight out of the gate, the Mavericks will be tested. They open the season on the road against the Rockets, then travel to face the Pacers two nights later. They come home the next night to take on the Finals runner-up Spurs, then play the Heat in Miami two nights after that. That’s four games in six nights, three of which are on the road, including a back-to-back. The Mavs then round out the month at home against the Thunder and Houston once again.
The scares could certainly come in advance of Halloween this year, especially considering the new players and new head coach that will still be feeling their way. Simply put, this could have gone better for Dallas. That said, you never know how things will play out until you actually play. If Dallas can come in thinking they’re playing with house money, they can certainly steal a couple of these.
The longest road trip
The longest road trip of the season spans March 17 to March 24. If, however, you subscribe to the late Don Nelson’s theory, that trip actually runs to March 29, as the Mavs play five on the road, return home for one, then play two more on the road (Nelson once said a single stop home may as well just be another city on the road trip). During the five-game stretch, Dallas plays the Thunder, the Spurs, the Lakers, the Clippers and the Timberwolves. They stop at home on March 26 to play the Pelicans, then hit the road again for the Wizards and Bucks.
Playing seven of eight games on the road is brutal, but there is some solace to be had. The games against the Thunder and Spurs are reasonably short trips with no time zone shift. That is followed by two games in Los Angeles, which also takes some of the sting out, though those games are on consecutive nights.
A rundown of all road trips
Overall, the Mavericks’ travel plans break down as follows:
Five-game road trip: 1x
Four-game road trip: 1x
Three-game road trip: 5x (one of these is broken up by the All-Star break)
Two-game road trip: 5x
The remainder of their road games are one-offs sandwiched between home games.
The worst of the bunch are at least limited to one occurrence each.
The final 15-game stretch
Finishing off the travel analysis, it should also be noted that 10 of the final 15 games will be on the road. This includes the five-game trip, as well as a three-game trip in the final four games of the season.
That’s a rough go anyway you cut it. If the team is sniffing the PlayIn or even the postseason at the beginning of March, they are likely going to have to fight hard to keep pace. This is a relatively young team that is going to be tested to close out the year, Playoff considerations or not.
The longest homestand
The longest homestands of the season are four games; it happens twice, but they remain elusive until early-February, with the first running from February 6 to February 11. The second four-game homestand spans March 9 to March 15, but that leads directly into the aforementioned five-game road trip.
The first of those homestands isn’t exactly a cake walk, as Dallas will face the Jazz (who will presumably be bringing their best this year) and the Spurs. The second appears a bit more favorable with games against the Grizzlies, Wizards, Pelicans and Hawks, so Dallas will have to take advantage before heading out on the road a lot thereafter.
A rundown of all homestands
Overall, the Mavericks’ home cooking breaks down as follows:
Five-game homestand: 0x
Four-game homestand: 2x
Three-game homestand: 6x (one of these is broken up by the Emirates Cup)
Two-game homestand: 4x
The remainder of their home games are one-offs sandwiched between road games.
This doesn’t really give off the warm and fuzzy feelings you would hope for. Throughout the season, the Mavs don’t really get a nice solid stretch where they can be home and get a flow going on their own floor with their fans backing them. Hopefully this will prove to be a good forge for the young players in which they can build comradery and chemistry with each other.
Back-to-backs
By my count, the Mavericks will have 16 back-to-backs throughout the season. With everything else going on, it would have been nice to see this number at 13 or even 14, but here we are.
Back-to-backs are always tough, especially those that contribute to three games in four nights. For the Mavericks, it will be interesting to see how they manage player loads. Will some of the younger guys get the second night off as they acclimate to the NBA grind? Are these 16 instances the equivalent of 16 games Kyrie Irving simply won’t play as he makes his way back from injury? That’s a lot of games to miss a key starter and team leader.
Luka Doncic’s birthday present
The Lakers come to Dallas a single time during the season. That game is on February 28, which just so happens to be former Maverick Luka Doncic’s birthday. Conincidence?
7:00pm start times
If you look closely, you’ll notice that Maverick home games will be starting a bit earlier this season. For a long time, 7:30pm was commonplace, as consideration was given to getting fans in their seats for tipoff, despite local traffic at rush hour. This year, the Mavericks have 26 home games starting at 7:00pm. That constitutes every single home game that is not nationally televised, except two. Dallas plays the Nets at home at 6:30pm, and the Grizzlies at home at 7:30pm. Every other non-7:00pm game is nationally televised, on a holiday, or a weekend afternoon game.
Earlier start times may result in a thin crowd to start games. How much of a factor this will play, if any, is anyone’s guess. However, a packed, raucous crowd is better than not for a young home team that won’t string together much at home all year, so this time change may not be for the best.
Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts on all of this, and anything else you may have seen in the schedule.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 12: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers reacts after drawing a bases-loaded walk during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 12, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for August 13, 2026 against the Anaheim Angels: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Walbert Urena for the Angels.
Its almost game time! You fired up! WOOOOOOOO!!!
The lineup:
Pederson — 1B
Langford — LF
Seager — DH
Nimmo — RF
Duran — 3B
Carter — CF
Lopez — SS
Wynns — C
Foscue — 2B
9:07 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -148 favorites.
Kendrick Perkins believes the Los Angeles Lakers should enter the 2026-27 season with championship expectations, even if he still has serious doubts about how the roster is built around Luka Dončić.
Discussing the Lakers after the release of their schedule, Perkins pointed to Dončić and an offense he expects to rank among the NBA’s best as reasons Los Angeles should remain dangerous.
“They still have one of the best offensive players in Luka Dončić,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “They got enough offensive firepower to win games in the regular season.”
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
But Perkins still placed the Lakers behind Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver and Minnesota in the Western Conference hierarchy.
That relatively modest assessment follows much harsher criticism he previously directed at the franchise’s decision to build around Dončić and Austin Reaves.
“Luka and Austin Reaves are your franchise players,” Perkins said earlier this offseason on Perk Unplugged. “Two guys who are both defensive liabilities.”
Perkins went even further, suggesting playoff opponents could actively seek out Los Angeles because of those defensive weaknesses.
“It ain’t a team in the world, it ain’t a player in the world that’s afraid of Luka and Austin Reaves,” Perkins said. “When the playoffs come around, they’re gonna be looking to get to the seeding where they can actually look at them.”
That makes his latest “championship or bust” declaration less of an endorsement than a statement about the standard attached to the Lakers.
“The middle of the pack doesn’t mean nothing to the Laker fan base,” Perkins said. “It’s championship or bust.”
Oddsmakers appear more aligned with Perkins’ concerns than his optimism.
FanDuel lists Los Angeles at +5500 to win the 2027 NBA championship, behind 17 other teams. Oklahoma City leads the market at +230, followed by San Antonio at +280.
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Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers hold hands during a time out in the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
That is a sizable disconnect for a franchise beginning an era centered squarely around Dončić.
The Lakers have continued searching for reinforcements, including being linked to former Warriors star Klay Thompson, but questions remain about whether the current group has enough defense and depth to survive four playoff rounds.
Dončić, however, is setting a much higher bar.
Following the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, he wrote that he was “excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA.”
Perkins’ position is therefore a complicated one: he has questioned whether the Lakers built the right team around their superstar while insisting the franchise cannot lower its expectations.
For now, Vegas agrees with his skepticism more than his championship standard.
The Pittsburgh Penguins should be open to the idea of signing at least one defenseman to a professional tryout (PTO) agreement ahead of training camp.
When looking at the remaining unrestricted free agents, one player who could make sense for the Penguins to take a look at on a PTO is defenseman Ben Hutton.
The Penguins could use more competition on the left side of their blueline after losing Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency and trading Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights. Because of this, a player like Hutton could be worth taking a gamble on with a PTO.
Hutton is a solid veteran defenseman who could give the Penguins another option for their bottom pairing if he earned a contract for the season. However, he could also be useful for the Penguins to have around as an extra defenseman as well due to his experience.
Overall, there would be zero risk in the Penguins bringing in Hutton a PTO. If they did and felt like the fit wasn't there, they simply could release him from his PTO without signing him to a contract.
In 55 games last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Hutton posted six goals, nine assists, 15 points, and a plus-2 rating. He also played in seven playoff games for Vegas this past fall, posting one assist and a plus-1 rating.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried pitches in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. (Robert Sabo for NY Post)
“Definitely a grind,” Fried said, having tossed five innings of one-run ball, with Weston Wilson’s home run the only blemish on his record. “Didn’t feel like I necessarily had my best stuff and was a little erratic. Relied on [catcher] Ali [Sánchez] and defense. We had some nice defensive plays today.”
Fried required 88 pitches to get through his five innings of work and, mostly, pitched to contact. After getting Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez looking to start the game, Fried struck out just two Mariners.
The Yankees’ infield defense, though, was excellent behind him, and the Mariners hit all of six balls hard against him, according to Statcast.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Yankee Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
George Lombard Jr. started one double play, made a clean turn at second on another and made a charging play on Brandon Donovan’s second-inning ground ball that Jazz Chisholm Jr. was caught waiting on.
A 2-2 cutter that hung in the middle of the zone for Wilson was the only real mistake of Fried’s day, and even that cleared the left field wall at Yankee Stadium by all of one row.
“Definitely wish I had that two-strike back to Wilson,” Fried said. “But all in all, grinded. Definitely a hard-fought game today.”
To the extent you could call anything a problem, it was that Fried threw more pitches than necessary, perhaps costing himself a chance to go deeper into the game.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried pitches in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“I think probably a couple of those innings, he had a chance to have a quick inning and they maybe worked their way on or worked foul balls and things like that, longer counts,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it made for a longer day out there for him in some put-away situations.
“I thought [his] stuff again was really good. Got a couple of double play balls that helped him.”
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Indeed, if this qualifies as underwhelming, the Yankees will qualify as happy with the bigger-picture outlook from their ace. Thursday was Fried’s third straight start — and fourth in five — of allowing one run or fewer.
“Sign me up for one run, getting us into the middle of the game,” Boone said. “We just weren’t able to do much offensively. But I thought he threw the ball pretty well overall.”
BOWIE, MD - JULY 04: Turner Hill #7 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels runs to third base during the game between the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Chesapeake Baysox at Prince George's Stadium on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Bowie, Maryland. (Photo by Thomas Takele/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
I was unable to get to a Minor League Baseball roundup yesterday, so we’re doing a midweek two-day special! Here’s everything that happened with the San Francisco Giants Minor League affiliates on Tuesday and Wednesday.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The most exciting news is that AAA Sacramento outfielder Turner Hill has been called up! He’ll join the Giants on Friday, which is awesome.
Sacramento is getting emergency help from a pair of A-Ballers, High-A Eugene’s Jose Ramos and Low-A San Jose’s Dario Reynoso. That probably means that Parks Harber is headed to the outfield with Hill leaving town. But the River Cats should have plenty of infielders in the coming days, as they just claimed Shay Whitcomb off of waivers, while Marcelo Mayer is set to begin a rehab assignment.
AA Richmond released RHP Brad Deppermann.
And in encouraging news, Baseball America released their latest farm system rankings, and the Giants are No. 4!
AAA Sacramento (65-48)
Tuesday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 9-2 [box score] Wednesday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators 7-3 [box score]
Well, a pair of typical Pacific Coast League games here: some inspiring hitting performances, but not a lot to love on the pitching front.
As far as the hitting goes, it’s hard to ignore just how red hot right fielder/center fielder Turner Hill is. It was another sensational set of games for the 27-year old undrafted lefty, who hit 2-4 in both games, and collected a home run and a double on Tuesday.
That pushed Hill’s hitting streak to a whopping 26 games. 26! And it’s not like he’s collecting a hit a night, either … he’s averaging nearly 2 knocks a game during the streak, as he’s gone an unfathomable 48-108 with 16 extra-base hits, 9 walks, and just 9 strikeouts in that time. There’s hot, and then there’s whatever the hell this is…
Most notably, however, was that Hill left Wednesday’s game late after being subbed out for a pinch-runner. That paved the way for today’s news: he’s getting called up! Hard to argue with that, given his .950 OPS and his 148 wRC+ in Sacramento this year.
Speaking of speedy and defensively talented outfielders who could end the year in San Francisco, Jonah Cox had another solid pair of games, hitting 2-7 with a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. He’s been red hot since making his AAA debut which, critically, came after his MLB debut. Through 11 games with the River Cats, he’s 22-47 with 6 extra-base hits, 5 walks, and 7 stolen bases. Absolutely splendid!
Those weren’t the only good offensive performances from outfielders, either. Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had a tough Tuesday, going 0-3 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout, but responded on Wednesday with his best day since joining Sacramento, as he hit 2-5 and smashed not just a double, but his 1st AAA home run, giving him an even 20 dingers on the year.
Davidson’s numbers are still lagging in AAA — he has a .209 average, a .584 OPS, and a 59 wRC+ — but his at-bats are getting so much better. It certainly looks like he’s adjusting well, which is all you want to see in AAA.
Left fielder/center fielder Scott Bandura had a similar weekend, as he hit 0-4 with a strikeout on Tuesday, but on Wednesday went 2-4 with a home run and a walk. Bandura’s home run was quite memorable, as he hit it off of former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. That’s one to remember!
Bandura has adapted to AAA excellently. Despite a very slow start after an early season promotion, the 2023 7th-rounder is all the way up to an .828 OPS and a 117 wRC+.
Rounding out the homer party was second baseman/left fielder Thomas Gavello, who hit 1-3 with a solo blast and a hit by pitch. The 2022 13th-rounder has a .648 OPS and a 74 wRC+ on the year.
LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) had a tough start on Tuesday, as he survived just 2.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs, while striking out 3. On the exciting front, Whitman has returned to Sacramento’s rotation after a brief and odd stint in the bullpen. On the unfortunate front, he’s still pitching a reliever’s number of innings because of how hard he’s been hit in his 2 starts since returning to the rotation.
LHP Seth Lonsway had a much better start on Wednesday, though it wasn’t particularly good. Lonsway did a good job limiting runs, as he only gave up 2 in 6 innings … despite allowing 2 home runs, 6 hits total, 3 walks, and a hit batter, with just 2 strikeouts. Not a very sustainable way to do it, but hey, whatever works!
Whitman has a 5.36 ERA and a 5.96 FIP with Sacramento, while Lonsway has a 5.78 ERA and a 6.60 FIP.
RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) began a rehab assignment and it did not go well. Pitching for the first time in 2.5 months, Peguero faced 3 batters and walked them all, while throwing just 3 of his 15 pitches for strikes. That ended up being an ERA buster as well, after RHP Wilkin Ramos allowed all 3 inherited runners to score.
RHP Ryan Walker had a nice outing though, pitching 2 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts. Walker has been strong in AAA this year, with a 1.88 ERA … but just a 4.15 FIP, and only 7.9 strikeouts per 9 innings.
AA Richmond (64-45)
Tuesday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 4-2 [box score] Wednesday Game 1: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 6-2 (7 innings) [box score] Wednesday Game 2: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 7-6 (11 innings) [box score]
Quite a way to end Wednesday’s doubleheader, as the scheduled 7-inning game went 11 innings after each team scored exactly once in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings.
That excitement aside (and a shoutout to RHP Mitch White for being the pitcher who finally stranded a Manfred Man), it was a pretty uninteresting trio of games for the Squirrels. LHP Greg Farone and RHP Trystan Vrieling had similar starts, in which they had nice strikeout-to-walk ratios, but struggled with hits and runs. Farone went on Tuesday and went 6 innings deep, with just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. But 2 of those 5 hits were home runs, as he got tagged for 4 runs, though only 2 earned runs. Vrieling went 5 innings, with a sterling 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio … but gave up 9 hits and 6 runs.
Farone, a 7th-round pick in 2024, hasn’t had a good 2nd season, with a 5.60 ERA and a 5.64 FIP. But lately he’s really improved the strikeouts and walks: after having 58 strikeouts to 36 walks through his 1st 15 starts, the 24-year old has 33 strikeouts against just 7 walks in his last 6 outings. Great improvement to see!
Vrieling, a 3rd-round pick in 2023 by the Yankees, is also having a tough year, with a 4.34 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. He’s also been better with the strikeouts and walks lately.
A pair of really nice relief outings, from RHPs Marques Johnson and Tyler Vogel. Johnson struck out 4 batters in 2 shutout innings, with just a hit allowed, while Vogel pitched a perfect frame with 2 strikeouts. Both players are having slightly disappointing seasons, and surely had visions of being in AAA right now (Johnson was recently sent back down to AA after a stint in Sacramento, while Vogel has been with Richmond all season). But each player has a lot to love about the pitches they throw.
Very mild-mannered offense. Center fielder Trevor Cohen was brilliant on Tuesday, hitting 4-5 with 2 stolen bases, a caught stealing, and a strikeout. The doubleheader was less kind to last year’s 3rd-round pick, as he went 0-7 with a walk and a stolen base. It’s been an exciting AA stint for the 22-year old lefty from Rutgers, who has a .791 OPS and a 110 wRC+ through 24 games, with 12 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
Just 1 home run over the 3 games, courtesy of catcher Ty Hanchey, who caught the 1st game of the doubleheader and the 2nd part of Game 2, after replacing Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL). I would assume that meant Villarroel suffered an injury of sorts, but he’s in today’s lineup, so that’s a good thing.
Hanchey hit 2-4 with a 3-run blast and a hit by pitch, raising the UDFA’s OPS to .764 and his wRC+ to 105. Not only that, but the home run came with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 9th, and tied the game! A solid season for the 26-year old.
Tuesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-4 [box score] Wednesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-3 [box score]
A pair of the best pitching prospects in the system started these games, and the results were fairly similar: extremely exciting and encouraging performances, though not the greatest overall results.
On Tuesday it was RHP Ramon Marquez, who made his organizational debut. Marquez, a 20-year old who was the headline piece to come back in the Luis Arráez trade, has been in the midst of an outrageous breakout campaign. The Giants got their first glimpse of that on Tuesday, when he struck out 8 batters in just 4 innings of work. That’s quite on brand for Marquez, who has a stunning 101 strikeouts in 63 innings this year, between both A-ball levels. There is extreme electricity in that arm!!
The rest of Marquez’s performance wasn’t as strong, however. He only gave up 3 hits, but that included a home run and a double. He only walked 1 batter, but he hit 2. The end result was 4 earned runs on his ledge, in as many innings. But certainly a reminder that ERA is far from the only thing that matters … that was a rock star performance in so many ways.
On Wednesday it was LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL), who was similarly awesome, striking out 6 batters in 5.1 innings, while allowing just 4 baserunners. But, as was the case with Marquez, those baserunners did some damage: Bresnahan only ceded 3 hits and 1 walk, but 2 of the 3 hits cleared the fence.
That’s been an issue for the recently-turned 21-year old, who also came to the Giants in a trade (the Alex Cobb deal of 2024). In 88 innings this year, Bresnahan has struck out 104 batters, while allowing only 56 hits … but 10 of those 56 hits have left the park. That’s given the 2023 13th-rounder a 4.08 FIP, despite a glistening 2.76 ERA. This is certainly a case of the ERA looking a lot more important, and not just because it’s so much better.
RHP Hunter Dryden pitched well while piggybacking after Marquez. He gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 unearned run, while striking out 3. It’s been a tough year for the 2024 17th-rounder, who has a 4.75 ERA and a 5.39 FIP. But he’s been so much better lately: in his last 3 games, the D3 Whitworth product has pitched 15 innings and allowed just 10 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run, while striking out 15. Here’s hoping he keeps that up for the rest of the year!
RHP Marty Gair, a flamethrower who also came over in the Arráez deal, made his 2nd appearance with the Emeralds, and his 4th total appearance in High-A. He allowed a hit, a walk, and a run, with a strikeout in an inning of work.
On the hitting front, the organization’s top home run hitter was at it once again, as center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) went 3-7 with a 2-run blast, a walk, 3 strikeouts, and an error. Diaz, whose 22 home runs are tops on the farm, has taken his already solid game to a whole new level over the summer. Since the start of July, the just-turned 21-year old righty has hit 47-138 with 12 home runs and 21 total extra-base hits. In July he posted a stunning line of .327/.340/.635, and he’s one-upped himself in August, as he sits at .382/.432/.794. Outrageous! His OPS is up all the way to .836 on the year, though his wRC+ is “just” 113 due to a lowly 3.5% walk rate.
💥22 And Counting💥
Lisbel Diaz launched his team-leading 19th home run with the Ems last night, bringing his season total to 22!
Diaz has become the first Giants prospect to reach the 20-HR mark this season👏👏
Just an awesome year for Diaz, who will likely find himself in AA before the year ends. But because he’s still in High-A, we’re at least getting to see him play center field on a daily basis, which is fun.
Also homering was right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL), last year’s 7th-round selection. Maldonado went 3-7 with a 2-run shot, a walk, a strikeout, and an outfield assist, and has looked so comfortable since getting promoted. Through 4 games with the Emeralds, the righty is 5-14 with 2 homers, 2 walks, and just 3 strikeouts. He’s certainly making the promotion look like the right move!
No one else stood out on offense. Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who has been brilliant with his promotion, had a quiet pair of games, hitting 1-7- with 2 walks. Third baseman Walker Martin had a difficult time, going 1-8 with 4 strikeouts, a stolen base, and 2 errors. Level, a 19-year old switch-hitter, has an .836 OPS and a 120 wRC+; Martin, a 22-year old lefty, has a .725 OPS and a 90 wRC+.
Low-A San Jose (60-50)
Tuesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 7-2 [box score] Wednesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 5-4 [box score]
We’ve become accustomed to players with the last name “González” dominating for San Jose, but what about “Gonzalez”? That was the case on Tuesday, when designated hitter Fernando Gonzalez carried the offense, when he hit 2-3 with a home run and a walk, accounting for 50% of their hits and 100% of their extra-base hits.
No more no-no. Fernando Gonzalez gets the Giants on the board in the hit and run column with one swing of the bat! pic.twitter.com/KSQ8lgd9AJ
It was a rare show of power for Gonzalez, who caught and went 0-4 on Wednesday. The 24-year old, who was taken in the final round of the 2024 draft, has strong contact skills and a good eye, but doesn’t hit for a lot of power. He has a minuscule 7.2% strikeout rate on the year, between the ACL and Low-A, and an 11.2% walk rate. But this was just his 9th extra-base hit in 152 plate appearances. He has a .719 OPS and a 90 wRC+ with San Jose on the year.
The more highly regarded player of that last name didn’t do much, however, as Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and a caught stealing on Tuesday, and didn’t play on Wednesday. Interestingly, González played second base in that game despite Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) not playing. I would assume that’s a nothing burger, and just the teaming wanting to get reps at shortstop for Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who went from 1st to 3rd on the depth chart with the arrival of those teen phenoms. Hernández played on Wednesday, at shortstop, and went 1-5 with a strikeout and an error.
Right fielder Tanner Mally, the team’s 17th-round pick last month who is the only one of their 2026 draftees currently playing, continues to fit right in. The 21-year old righty went 2-7 with a triple, a walk, and 2 strikeouts, and has now hit safely in 5 straight games to start his career. He’s 8-19 with 2 triples, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts so far.
RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) started on Wednesday and had his best game since returning from injury. Cayama got hit a little too much, as he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings, which tagged him for 3 runs. But his nearly unparalleled combination of electricity and control was on display once more, as he needed just 66 pitches to get through those 5 innings, with 47 of them being strikes, and recorded 6 strikeouts without walking any hitters. That’s the Argenis we know and love! The 19-year old only has a 4.63 ERA and a 4.30 FIP, but has 57 strikeouts to 13 walks in 46.2 San Jose innings. I’m very much looking forward to how he performs in Eugene next year.
Things went less well for Tuesday’s starter, RHP Trey Seeley, as he gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs in 3.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts. It’s been a tough debut season for last year’s 13th-rounder, who has an 8.46 ERA and a 9.30 FIP with San Jose.
RHP Chen-Hsun Lee continues to look comfortable in San Jose, as he threw 2 no-hit innings, albeit with 2 walks and 2 unearned runs, the result of his own error. Lee, who struck out 3 batters, maintained his 0.00 ERA in San Jose, though he has a 4.39 FIP. He’s walking too many hitters, but has only allowed 6 hits in 12 innings with the Baby Giants.
RHP R.J. Dabovich made his 2nd rehab appearance and pitched a scoreless inning, with a hit and a strikeout.
Dominican Summer League Black (33-18)
Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Orange 9-1 (8 innings) [box score]
This was a scheduled 9-inning game that was called right as the 8th inning got underway due to rain.
A few nice performances, but none better than the fantastic game that designated hitter Franco Willias had, as he continues his superb season. The 21-year old hit 3-4 with a double, a walk, and 2 stolen bases, which pushed his hitting streak to 16 games. It was also his 3rd straight game with 3 hits. During that 16-game hitting streak, the righty is 33-64 with 11 extra-base hits, and 8 walks. Willias has been one of the very best players in the DSL this year, and has a stunning 1.106 OPS and a 170 wRC+, with 31 stolen bases. It’s his 3rd year in the DSL, and it’s certainly going to be his last.
Right fielder Rainer Espinoza hit just 1-4 with 3 strikeouts, but his 1 hit was a home run, his 1st of the year. It’s been a very tough and disappointing 2nd season for the 17-year old, who has been limited to just 8 games, while having only a .387 OPS and a -15 wRC+, a year after a delightful debut as a 16-year old, when he posted a .760 OPS and a 117 wRC+.
Nice performance from the catcher spot: Diego Alambarrio started and hit a perfect 3-3 before giving way to Luis Padron, who doubled in his only at-bat. Alambarrio, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, has an .828 OPS and a 112 wRC+; Padron, a 16-year old in his debut campaign, has an .864 OPS and a 103 wRC+.
RHP Santiago Guerrero, a 19-year old in his 1st season, had a decent start, throwing 4 innings and allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts. Guerrero has a 3.34 ERA, albeit with a 6.01 FIP due to a huge number of walks. Another debuting player, LHP Moises Soto, pitched well. Soto, a 17-year old, pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and 2 strikeouts. He’s only allowed 2 hits and 1 run through 6 innings in his 1st season.
Home run tracker
22 — Lisbel Diaz — [19 in High-A; 3 in Low-A] 20 — Bo Davidson — [1 in AAA; 19 in AA] 16 — Cam Maldonado — [2 in High-A; 14 in Low-A] 10 — Scott Bandura — [7 in AAA; 3 in AA] 9 — Turner Hill — [AAA] 7 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA] 6 — Ty Hanchey — [4 in AA; 2 in High-A] 3 — Fernando Gonzalez — [2 in Low-A; 1 in ACL] 1 — Rainer Espinoza — [DSL]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD) Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Yunior Marte) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT at Hillsboro (SP: Henry LaLane) San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Fresno (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV.
Modest but sensible-looking recruitment befits the club’s new air of stability but a continuation of their spring slump could test David Moyes’s appetite for the fight
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
The Los Angeles Kings are entering a new era, and Peter Laviolette knows there is no simple way to replace Anze Kopitar.
Kopitar was more than the Kings' captain. For nearly two decades, he was the standard by which the organization measured itself — a franchise player, a leader and the steady presence at the center of everything Los Angeles accomplished.
Now he's gone.
And while the Kings cannot simply replace everything Kopitar brought to the organization with one player, Laviolette believes the answer may come from somewhere else: the players already in the room.
That means the Kings' next step won't simply be about adding talent. It will be about finding the players capable of taking on bigger responsibilities and understanding that their careers still have another level to reach.
"There's always more," Laviolette said recently in a sit-down with LA Kings Insider.
That mindset could become critical for Los Angeles.
With Kopitar's retirement, a massive leadership void has opened inside the Kings' dressing room.
Laviolette understands the challenge.
"This group's got to find a way to move forward," he said. "We've got to find the leadership. We've got to find the success that he helped drive this organization to find."
That doesn't necessarily mean one player has to suddenly become Kopitar.
Instead, Laviolette appears to be looking for leadership to emerge collectively as a group.
And there are plenty of candidates.
Players such as Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere aren't rookies anymore. They've accumulated NHL experience and, in Byfield's case, already have several seasons under their belts.
But Laviolette isn't ready to stop calling them young.
That's important.
Because the Kings' new coach doesn't appear interested in allowing experience to become an excuse for settling into a player's current level.
That's perhaps the most intriguing part of Laviolette's message.
A player can have hundreds of NHL games under his belt and still have another level to reach.
"I think it's important that they realize that, too, that experience doesn't necessarily mean that you've reached the top of what you can do," Laviolette said. "There's always more."
For a Kings team trying to establish itself beyond the Kopitar era, that philosophy could be particularly important.
Byfield, for example, is entering a crucial stage of his development. He has already played enough NHL hockey that the "young player" label can feel somewhat outdated, but he's still only beginning to approach what the Kings believe he can become.
Laferriere is in a similar position.
These aren't players being asked to learn how to survive in the NHL anymore.
They're being asked to figure out how to drive winning.
And with Kopitar no longer there to carry part of that responsibility, the opportunity is sitting directly in front of them.
"As a guy like Anze moves off and into retirement, a door's open for others to try and step up, whoever that might be," Laviolette said.
That last part may be the most revealing.
Whoever that might be.
Laviolette is leaving the door open. If this is any indication on what the future of the team may look like, the captaincy must be earned.
The leadership transition isn't the only thing Laviolette believes can move the Kings forward.
He also wants a different kind of relationship between the coaching staff and the players.
Laviolette described the modern NHL locker room as much more collaborative than the one he entered when he began coaching.
"There used to be a day when I started, where there was just one voice," he said. "Now it is about... back and forth."
That doesn't mean the coach gives up control.
Laviolette was clear that everyone still has a job to do.
But he believes successful teams require communication between the people making decisions and the players living with those decisions every night.
"If there's no belief in it... you're beating your head against the wall trying to get something done," Laviolette said.
That's a significant philosophy for a team entering a transition.
The Kings aren't simply replacing one player. They're trying to establish a new identity.
And Laviolette appears to believe that identity has to be built with the players rather than simply handed down to them.
There will inevitably be questions about what Los Angeles does externally.
But Laviolette's comments suggest that he sees an equally important opportunity internally.
The Kings have players who have been around long enough to understand the league.
Now they have to take the next step.
Kopitar's retirement creates an obvious void, but it also creates an opportunity for Byfield, Laferriere and the rest of Los Angeles' young core to redefine themselves.
The Kings don't need someone to become the next Anze Kopitar.
They need players to become more than they have been before.
And if Laviolette can get that out of them, Los Angeles may discover that the path forward was sitting in its locker room all along.
We suggested a replacement back in late June, and given his accomplishments, longevity and connection to the organization, it should be an obvious consideration.
Drew Doughty has been with the Kings for his entire career and is entering his 19th professional season. More importantly, he was alongside Anze Kopitar for both of Los Angeles' Stanley Cup championships. If the Kings are looking for someone who understands what it takes to lead this franchise, Doughty has already been there for it all.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a sweep, and they're -145 favorites to keep the good times rolling against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.
With an in-form Roki Sasaki on the mound against a cold offense, my Brewers vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks see value in backing Los Angeles to pull off a low-scoring victory on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Who will win Brewers vs Dodgers tonight: Los Angeles Dodgers (-145)
Brewers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-115)
The Brewers are ice-cold at the dish, sitting Bottom-5 in batting average, wOBA, OPS, and SLG vs. right-handed pitching this month, and it’ll be tough to get back on track against Sasaki in his current form.
While the Dodgers showed more life against the Royals, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for their bats.
They are 18th in wOBA and have hit into grounders at the eighth-highest rate in August. They could also be without Freddie Freeman, who left Wednesday's game after falling down the dugout steps while trying to catch a pop-up.
I don’t see a ceiling game against Shane Drohan and a strong bullpen.
Play the Under to -125.
Brewers vs Dodgers home run prediction: Andy Pages (+440)
Andy Pages crushes left-handed pitching. His counting stats are good, and his underlying profile is even better.
Pages sits in the 95th percentile in xSLG, the 96th in xwOBA, and has a hard-hit rate well over 50%. That’s a good recipe for power.
Drohan isn’t overly reliant on his fastball (31.1%), and Pages hammers his secondary pitches like the curve, sinker, slider, and cutter.
I think +440 is a generous price, and I would back Pages down to +400.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 77-69, -6.70 units
Over/Under bets: 78-63-6, +6.59 units
Brewers vs Dodgers weather
Winds are blowing out, but temperatures are expected to hover around the low 70s. Small boost to the bats.
Brewers vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Brewers +125 | Dodgers -145
Run line: Brewers +1.5 (-160) | Dodgers -1.5 (+140)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)
Brewers vs Dodgers trend
Los Angeles has hit the Game Total Under in 26 of the last 45 home games (+5.35 units, 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Brewers vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Thursday, August 13, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
Brewers.TV, SNLA
Brewers starting pitcher
Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.87 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.54 ERA)
Brewers vs Dodgers latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The 2026-27 NHL season is approaching and the league took another step in the ramp-up by announcing the preseason schedule on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Because the NHL season has increased from 82 games to 84 this season under the new collective bargaining agreement, the preseason schedule has been reduced.
There will be 65 games over eight days, starting on Sept. 19 and ending on Sept. 27. The regular season will start two days later with five games.
The exhibition schedule features four neutral-site games, including the annual Kraft Hockeyville game.
The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will face off on Monday, Sept. 21, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. As part of the Kraft Hockeyville program, the nearby town of Saint-Boniface, Quebec, received $250,000 for upgrades to its local arena and $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment from NHLPA Goals & Dreams.
Here is the 2026 NHL preseason schedule:
NHL preseason schedule
All times Eastern
SATURDAY, SEPT. 19
Dallas at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Montreal (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. Vegas, at Ontario, California, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Seattle, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 1 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 4 p.m.
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.
Washington at Boston, 5 p.m.
Carolina at Florida, 7 p.m.
Utah at Colorado, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Calgary, 8 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 21
Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Columbus, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Washington, at Hershey, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m.
Montreal vs. Ottawa, at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Utah at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
Ottawa (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Carolina vs. Nashville, at Greensboro, North Carolina, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Calgary at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 25
Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Winnipeg at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26
Carolina at Nashville, 3 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
Colorado at Utah, 5 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Montreal (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Ottawa (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.
When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season begin?
The schedule for the 2026-27 NHL season will begin on Sept. 29 with five games on opening night:
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 10:30
NHL key dates 2026-27
Sept. 19: NHL preseason begins
Sept. 29: Opening night
Nov. 18 and 20: NHL Global Series Finland (Hurricanes vs. Kraken in Helsinki)
Dec. 18 and 20: NHL Global Series Germany (Blackhawks vs. Senators in Dusseldorf)
Feb. 6: NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York
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Entering the final week of June, the Yankees were sitting 17 games above .500 and about to play a four-game set with the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox entered the series at Fenway Park as a team continually adrift, two months removed from firing their manager and sitting 14 games below .500.
Over the next 49 days, it has been a tale of two cities: Boston swept the four games and has gone 33-10 (.767 winning percentage), snapping a five-game skid with a win Thursday. New York would lose 11 of the next 13 games and is 20-22 (.476) and is just 3.0 games ahead of the old rivals in the AL East.
"We're just grinding through it right now,” manager Aaron Boone said after a 1-0 loss to the Mariners to cap a 5-4 home stand against St. Louis, Atlanta, and Seattle.
Since the All-Star break, the Yanks have gone 14-11, and the constants have been too many close games (11 one-run contests) and a lack of offense (they’ve failed to score more than three runs 17 times).
“We’re playing a lot of good teams on the schedule the last month or so,” Boone added. “We’re playing these types of games every day. Close ballgames, even last night when we break out and pull away, it’s still a tie game in the seventh.
“The good thing is we're very used to playing in these situations. Hopefully that's a good thing for us. But we've got to continue to move the needle offensively."
The biggest reason for the recent tumult has been that the bats have gone ice cold and stayed cold. Over their last 25 games, the Yankees have posted a .641 OPS (third-lowest in baseball during that span) while striking out 242 times (fifth-most) and posting a .207 batting average (worst). Boston, meanwhile, has a .739 OPS (top in MLB) and .266 team average (fifth best) during that span.
Aaron Judge's absence, as well as Cody Bellinger's and, to a lesser extent, Giancarlo Stanton's, hasn't helped. Nor have the season-long woes for Jazz Chisholm Jr. or the recent skid from Ben Rice: .172/.274/.323 slash line for a .597 OPS with 34 strikeouts in his last 93 at-bats. And the deadline additions have been mixed: Luis Garcia Jr. has four extra-base hits in eight games with a .755 OPS, but Heliot Ramos has just two hits in 25 at-bats (.080). Of course, George Lombard Jr.'s debut has been a bright spot with two home runs in his first eight games.
Now would also be a good time to mention the team at the top of the division, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are idle on Thursday and hold a 6.5-game lead over the Yanks thanks to going 18-8 since the break, are riding a nine-game winning streak, and are about to host the scuffling Baltimore Orioles for a four-game set.
“It's been playoffs every day it feels like, these games,” Boone said of the intensity of the season with still 41 games to play. “I got people on the street saying, ‘Hey, it'll turn around.’ And I'm like, 'We're doing alright.’”
Boone said he’s seen them “doing a lot of really good things,” and is seeing “little crumbs” of the offense getting jump-started while the pitching stays consistently good. However, the skipper isn’t letting his surging rivals move his focus from the short term.
“Honestly, I really haven’t even looked ahead like that… Now it’s just kinda on to Toronto,” he said, referencing the upcoming weekend series with the Blue Jays. “Not getting ahead of myself with like ‘Oh, let's go win 10 in a row or eight…’ No, you gotta go play well, and hopefully that stuff takes care of itself. And we put ourselves in a good position.
Kevin Durant delivers a heartfelt message to Russell Westbrook after retirement news.
In the second half of their careers, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had their differences, but have never lost their respect for one another.
On Thursday morning, Durant revealed what it was like playing beside Westbrook for eight seasons (2008-2016), as he was left “inspired.”
Durant shared a story on X detailing his time as teammates with Westbrook, where he asked former Oklahoma City Coach, Maurice “Mo” Cheeks what’s harder: “workout after practice or before??”
Durant asked the question because he would always find Westbrook finishing up his workouts in the morning.
“Mo like, ‘Coming in before practice is probably harder,” Durant wrote. “Since then, it’s been my routine… a lot of people looked at the emotions on the court, and though Russ was loud, nah to me, he was quiet and methodical.”
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as teammates with the OKC Thunder. AP
Durant went on to write that Westbrook would always lead by example, leaving everything out there, while experiencing true freedom.
“I seen it inspire people from all walks of life, crazy thing is, he didn’t say much, just showed up.” Durant wrote. “For 18 years. This basketball life is sacred to us as professionals, what we put into that court means everything. Some of us wish we could go back and do things with a little more intent, and some can just wipe their hands and be satisfied with the time spent.”
When Westbrook and Durant were teammates in Oklahoma City, the two were on the brink of becoming one of the greatest duos in basketball, as they made the Western Conference Finals five times, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012 with James Harden.
The trio of Westbrook, Durant, and Harden ultimately ended up losing in the 2012 NBA Finals to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Harden would leave the two behind after he was traded to the Rockets.
Durant became the league’s MVP in 2014, and would go to the Western Conference Finals with Westbrook two more times in 2013 and 2017, when they were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors.
Durant and the Warriors would go on to win two NBA titles [2017, 2018], where he was crowned Finals MVP in both series, while Westbrook would win MVP in 2017.
In his post, Durant hinted at wishing he had handled his departure from Oklahoma City by saying, “Some of us wish we could go back and do things with a little more intent, and some can just wipe their hands and be satisfied with the time spent.”
Durant ended the post by reminiscing about their time together as teammates and went on to send his love to Westbrook and his family and congratulate him on an “Iconic career.”
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COVERS INTEL:
