Thursday afternoon’s game at Citi Field between the Mets and the Washington Nationals was a microcosm of what’s been a disappointing 2026 season for the home team. After falling behind 3-0, the Mets tied the game in the third on a three-run blast from MJ Melendez and then took the lead on a Mark Vientos RBI double in the sixth.
On one pitch, a 2-1 changeup from Weaver that caught too much of the plate, the Mets went from being back on track as winners of the series, to falling to 10-21, the worst record in the majors.
Afterwards, Weaver was outspoken about the pressure to perform that he and all of his teammates are feeling on a daily basis.
“I think at the end of the day, this pursuit of perfection is just an ultimate pressurized failure mindset,” Weaver said. “I just think it just becomes everybody wants to be the hero because we care and we want to win really, really bad. And I just don’t think success lives in that realm. It truly doesn’t, and I think the freedom of which we play day to day is kind of being suffocated a little bit.
“I want to just do my job, it’s that simple. There are moments that feel really close, and then there’s just one mistake that magnifies our situation. So, of course I sit there and feel the weight of the world and feel like I let the team down, but at the end of the day I do feel like I’m in a good spot.
“We sit there and we just tell you guys ‘It will come. This is the game. This is the law of averages’ and all these things, but at the end of the day, those words just don’t hold the same weight when you go day after day. I think the encouragement and the motivation to pursue just being the best person you can be and the best baseball player you can be is the only answer. Until we prove that, I understand the grievances from the outsiders."
Weaver is far from the only Met who has had his struggles this season, but he was acquired this offseason to be in high-leverage spots, exactly like the one he found himself in on Thursday afternoon.
With his performance on Thursday, Weaver now has a 6.00 ERA on the season, allowing eight earned runs in 12.0 innings.
“Typically, you don’t see an entire kind of collective group at the same time not playing their best brand of baseball. It feels individualized. It feels like a moment like today where everybody played well and we’re playing well as a group, and today I kind of let the team down. It just kind of feels like there’s a little bit of a culture that has adapted to it, unintentionally, and it’s just kind of how winning and losing goes.
“When you win, you feel on top of the world. When you’re losing, everyone wants to talk about the failure of the outcomes. The magnification just becomes immense. Sleep is lost, the mind wanders, and you just kind of get into a fixation that you really don’t need to be in. I think the answers are kind of in those words. It’s simplifying the process and maybe doing less. Maybe it’s less reps and more about enjoying why you do this for a living and trying to just find your inner kid and enjoy why you play the game and not trying to do it for other people.”
With 10 wins in their first 31 games, the Mets find themselves in last place in the NL East, certainly not where anyone on the team or around the team thought they’d be as the calendar flips to May.
According to Weaver, the Mets’ performance on the field hasn’t matched their preparation off of it, and perhaps taking a step back to refocus is something the team must do to right the ship.
“I’ve been a part of great teams and part of teams that weren’t up to par. I look at this team, and if you took our record off and just looked at the internal things that you guys can’t see, the conversations, just the enjoyment on a day-to-day basis, I wouldn’t believe you if you told me what our record was,” Weaver said. “I think that is a testament to the people we have in here, the mindset that we bring on a day-to-day basis.
“You’ve got to reframe the way that you think. Make it a priority to be like ‘This old habit is going to die today’ and this new, kind of rejuvenated mindset is something that I’m going to have to attack it and say ‘This is how I want to play baseball.’”
That's the record of NBA teams who have gone up 3-0 in a playoff series. Only four teams have even forced a Game 7.
The Lakers raced out to a 3-0 series lead against a Houston Rockets team that has been without Kevin Durant for all but one game (not to mention missing other veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams). History told us where this series was headed.
Except, now it's 3-2, the series is headed back to Houston, and the Lakers are in real trouble.
The Rockets have looked a little better with each game, they have found an identity and confidence. For the first 10 quarters of this series, the Lakers looked like the veteran team that had a little more juice left in them, a team that might make a run. They were the aggressors pressuring on defense while their role players like Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were knocking down shots.
However, for the last 10 quarters, the Lakers have just looked old. If not for one moment of their brilliance/horrible Rockets self-inflicted wounds at the end of Game 3, the Lakers would be trailing in this series.
"We're obviously the better team, I feel like," Jabari Smith Jr. said, reflecting the growing confidence that is clear the second you step into the Houston locker room.
Somewhere in the middle of Game 3, with Kevin Durant in the back getting treatment on his ankle, the young Rockets core started to coalesce.
"We're just a tight-knit group of guys, especially the young guys, we really banded together," Tari Eason said. "And I'm just proud of us… We just got to keep it rolling, one game at a time, back home, Game 6."
Rockets find new identity
For three games, Houston looked overwhelmed — by the moment, by the pressure defense from Los Angeles, by everything. Ime Udoka caught some flak for saying his team needed to "grow up." However, maybe that's what they needed to hear.
The Rockets have come together and made a few adjustments. They cranked up their defensive pressure, forcing turnovers and getting points in transition. On offense, they started hunting Kennard. Also, the Rockets started getting Alperen Sengun the ball more in the middle of the floor (where it's harder to bring help).
Sengun, for his part, has settled into his role as more of a facilitator.'
"We learned it watching films, watching their defense, kind of understanding what they do now and there's no, no reason for me to rush the shot or, like, attack the double team," Sengun said after a 14-point, nine-rebound and eight-assist night in Game 5. "I'm just trying to pick them apart and find my teammates and find open shots. And that was my job today."
He did his job — every Rockets starter finished in double-digits.
That Rockets youth seems to be wearing down those Lakers, who have just looked old and slow, even with the return of Austin Reaves.
Lakers need to re-establish their identity
While the Rockets' offense has improved in the last few games, Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't see his team's defense as the issue after a 99-92 loss in Game 5 at home.
"You hope 99 [points] is enough to win and we just couldn't make shots," Redick said. "We missed some layups. Certainly, [we] had some good looks from three that didn't go down."
"I mean, we have some opportunities to make some shots we didn't make, obviously. Think we're generating good shots," LeBron James said, echoing his coach. "As much as we gotta defend, we also gotta score in this game too, and I don't think we did that at a good rate, especially in the second and third [quarters]."
Reaves' return was supposed to help with that, and he did put up 22 points off the bench, but he did most of that damage at the free throw line. Reaves shot 4-of-16 for the game and looked to wear down late, shooting 1-of-8 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers are still in the driver's seat — they still need to win just one of two games. Reaves should shake off the rust and look better going forward. LeBron has been in more high-leverage games than anyone on the planet and has lifted up teams to big wins before. Marcus Smart has been on big stages before and won. The Rockets are still young and making the mistakes of youth (Eason going back up with a putback with 38 seconds left in Game 5, when the Rockets were up three, rather than kicking out to run down more clock, for example). The odds remain in the Lakers' favor.
But make no mistake, they are in trouble. And the young Rockets believe they can make history.
Sparkling cameos by skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler complemented a stellar display with the ball and in the field, carrying Gujarat Titans to a four-wicket victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
The two-time All-Star left his Thursday afternoon start against the Diamondbacks in the second inning after a concerning drop in his fastball velocity.
Woodruff, whose heater has averaged 92.5 mph this season, per Baseball Savant, did not throw a fastball above 86.9 mph during his 21-pitch outing Thursday.
Brandon Woodruff was pulled in the second inning of his start today.
His fastball velocity was in the mid-80s after being in the low-90s in his previous outings this year pic.twitter.com/WINt00WHZa
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff walks off the mound with an injury in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After he delivered an 83.8 mph cutter for a ball to Arizona batter Nolan Arenado in the top of the second inning, Brewers manager Pat Murphy and the team’s training staff immediately came out of the dugout to check on their starter.
Following a brief visit, Woodruff handed the ball over to Murphy and walked off the mound with trainer Brad Epstein.
“He wasn’t himself,” Murphy later said to Brewers.TV reporter Sophia Minnaert during a mid-game interview. “He felt kind of dead. He said he didn’t feel any pain, just nothing was coming out. We’ve seen a little bit of this, but never at this level, where he can’t get the ball over 85 mph.
“He’s so important to us. We’re not going to risk anything, maybe long-term by having him try to step on it.”
Woodruff was in the midst of a solid 2026, sporting a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 28.1 innings. Getty Images
Entering play Thursday, Woodruff was in the midst of a solid 2026, sporting a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 28.1 innings.
Woodruff, who missed most of the past two seasons due to injury, recorded at least five innings in each of his first five starts.
He missed all of 2024 after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule and despite returning to the mound last season, managed just 12 starts before going down with a season-ending lat strain.
If Woodruff misses an extended stretch, the Brewers – who traded ace Freddy Peralta and swingman Tobias Myers to the Mets during the offseason – will have to lean on their depth to cover his absence.
Flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison and a healthy Woodruff have been solid to begin the season for Milwaukee, which entered play Thursday with a 15-14 record.
“He’s going through this process and hopefully [will] be okay and he’ll work himself into his form,” Murphy added. “Because even with him maybe not throwing his normal 95 he can still get outs and win. As long as he doesn’t risk injury I’ll go with him every time.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 30: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in game one of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on April 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 San Francisco Gianta are discovering new ways to lose. In the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, it was a blown save and a walk-off infield single.
Ryan Walker (0-1) gave up a game-tying triple to Bryson Stott in the 9th inning and Stott scored on Justin Crawford’s two-out infield single to give the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 comeback win. The blown save wasted an excellent pitching effort from Logan Webb and some standout defensive plays to drop the Giants to 13-17.
The game began with such promise. With a 9:30 AM local start, earlier than some of your favorite McCovey Chronicles scribes generally wake up, the Giants put together a first-inning rally that made some early risers rub their eyes in disbelief. Two doubles? In a row? One of which only advanced the runner on second base to third?
It was not a dream. Heliot Ramos started off his three-hit afternoon (with a walk!) with a double to center, then Matt Chapman doubled off the wall for an almost-home run. According to @MLBNearHR, an invaluable resource on X.com the everything app, Chapman’s blast would have been a home run in another major league ballpark! Well, one of them at least.
🚨 NEAR HOME RUN! 🚨
Matt Chapman (San Francisco Giants) vs Cristopher Sánchez (Philadelphia Phillies) 💨 100.1 mph 📐 27.0° 📏 354.0 ft 📍 Top 1 inning 🏟️ Citizens Bank Park Would be a HR in 1/30 ballparks! Result: Double
Thinking the ball might be caught, Ramos only advanced to third, but it didn’t matter after Contact King Luis Arraez came through with an RBI groundout to second. Casey Schmidt and his .523 slugging percentage followed with an RBI single and the Giants had a 2-0 lead against 6-foot-6 Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez.
The Phillies cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Webb left a 3-2 cutter over the middle of the plate and Kyle Schwarber hit it halfway to Scranton for his 350th career home run. That tied two-time Giants All-Star Charles “Chili” Davis on the all-time list.
Davis left the Giants as a free agent primarily because of how much he hated playing in Candlestick Park to which we say: Fair.
That was the lone run allowed by Webb, who went seven innings and gave up seven hits and two walks, while striking out six. It wasn’t the cleanest appearance, but Webb consistently pitched his way out of jams.
In both the 3rd and 5th innings, Webb wisely walked Schwarber with one out, then got Bryce Harper to ground into an inning-ending double play, the second handled by Willy Adames all by himself.
In the fourth, Adolis Garcia singled on a ball he lined off Webb’s inner thigh, then Brandon Marsh followed with an opposite-field double that rolled about 170 feet past a shifted infield to put runners on second and third with no outs.
But Webb got a strikeout, then got a great play by Matt Chapman throwing out Garcia at the plate. After a successful bunt single by Crawford loaded the bases and deeply confused the Giants broadcasters, who weren’t sure why he opted for a two-out bunt with a runner in scoring position and an .085 hitter on deck. Said hitter, catcher Rafael Marchan, grounded out to Rafael Devers on a play that nearly paralyzed the still-new first-sacker with indecision at first.
No outs with runners on second and third, and Logan Webb got out of the jam 👏 pic.twitter.com/IBGf5RBbcn
In the 7th inning, Patrick Bailey, who went 1-for-4, made a great play to throw out Crawford trying to steal for Webb’s penultimate out. Surely Crawford’s speed wouldn’t hurt them later!
While Webb was thwarting the Phillies, the Giants’ bats weren’t doing much damage against Sanchez, who gave up two runs, four hits, and three walks while striking out seven in 6.2 innings. Ramos singled and Chapman walked in the 5th, but Sanchez got Arraez to fly out and battled back from a 3-0 count to retire Schmidt.
After the first inning, Sanchez allowed just one hit and two walks. Twice, Sanchez retired eight hitters in a row. Ramos and Chapman gave him trouble, which is why he was pulled for Orion Kerkering with Ramos coming up with two outs in the 7th.
The Giants threatened again in the 8th when Chapman and Schmidt both singled. Left Tanner Banks relieved Kerkering and struck out Devers and retired Adames. They got two more runners on in the 8th when Ramos and Bailey got hits with two outs, but Chase Shugart struck out Chapman to end the inning and eventually earn his first win of the season.
They had chances to pad their lead, but the Giants are like a California homeowner near an earthquake fault line: It’s way harder than it should be to get insurance.
In the 9th, Garcia got his second infield hit of the game on a ball Arraez knocked down on the far side of second base but couldn’t throw him out. Then defensive positioning hurt the Giants again when Stott pulled a ball down the right field line with Jung Hoo Lee shifted well into center field against the left-handed batter. Lee had to run forever to get the ball and Stott got an easy triple.
Manager Tony Vitello made defensive substitutions for the bottom of the 7th, bringing in Drew Gilbert to play center and moving Lee to right. The move may have been motivated by the left-handed Sanchez exiting the game, though Gilbert had to face a lefty in the 9th anyway.
Vitello may have also been motivated by Encarnacion’s own defense, specifically when he clearly believed there were only two outs when he caught an inning-ending fly ball in the second inning. He received a razzing from his teammates and an adorable thumbs-up from Lee.
The Giants gave Encarnación a hard time after he appeared to forget how many outs there were in the bottom of the second 😂 pic.twitter.com/D5BdSqaNVW
The Giants don’t have time to dwell on the loss since they’re making like Ernie Banks and play9ing two. Don’t eat too many hoagies from Wawa or fill up on Tastykakes during the break, fellas!
Los Angeles Kings forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Scott Laughton are both due for new contracts this summer as pending UFAs.
On Wednesday, the duo spoke with the media at the end-of-season press conference and were asked about their intentions and future with the Kings organization.
Both Kuzmenko and Laughton gave different answers in terms of their interest in signing a contract extension with Los Angeles, one more encouraging than the other.
"The interest level is high for me, for sure," Laughton told reporters. "The opportunity I was given here, the guys here, the staff, the way I was treated, my family came down and absolutely loved it... so yeah, the interest level is high."
Laughton featured in 21 games for the Kings this year in the regular season. He put up five goals and eight points while averaging 15:46 of ice time in Los Angeles, which is more than two minutes compared to his stint with the Maple Leafs this season.
The veteran center added that "the culture and the players in place" give him a real reason to stay, too.
Furthermore, earlier this week, David Pagnotta believes that the Kings will take a chance at keeping Laughton. The NHL insider also shared that clarity on who the next head coach will be for Los Angeles is a big part of that potential agreement.
Scott Laughton (Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images)
Kings coach D.J. Smith utilized Laughton well, but he was just an interim bench boss for the dismissal of Jim Hiller. The expectation is that Holland will provide an update on whether Smith is staying on board or if the organization will look for a different candidate.
At any rate, the interest is there for Laughton to stay, as he puts it. The 31-year-old just wrapped up a five-year contract that carried a $3-million salary cap hit.
The Russian left winger completed the regular season with 13 goals and 25 points in 52 appearances. He inked a one-year deal with the Kings last summer, at a $4.3-million cap hit.
If Kuzmenko does move on from the Kings to another NHL club, it'll be the fifth team he's suited up for in the past three years.
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The Detroit Pistons leaned on their size in Game 5 to keep this series alive, but that kind of emphasis typically invites adjustments in the postseason.
If nothing else, the Orlando Magic shouldn’t allow the boards to be dominated again.
Jalen Duren isn’t getting anywhere near his usual offensive workload in this series. The Detroit Pistons center hasn’t cleared 12 points in a game after averaging 19.5 in the regular season, largely because he’s taking just 7.6 shots per game compared to 11.5.
Even with four second-chance points on five offensive rebounds in Game 5, Duren finished with just 12 points.
Don’t expect him to shine offensively. The postseason isn’t built for players like Duren to score in volume.
SGP leg #2: Jalen Duren Under 9.5 rebounds (-155)
Duren has yet to reach double-digit rebounds in this series after averaging 10.5 per game in the regular season. Even with five offensive boards in Game 5, he finished with just nine total rebounds.
This leg is heavily juiced, but that doesn’t deter this same-game parlay, as the Orlando Magic’s Game 6 adjustment should further limit Duren’s rebounding.
SGP leg #3: Magic +3 (-110)
If Duren is slowed in Game 6, Orlando should continue its trend of going 4-1 against the spread in this series, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by more than seven points per game — even including the lone ATS loss.
Get Douglas Farmer's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Pistons vs Magic predictions for Game 6.
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The Buffalo Sabres head to TD Garden with another chance to close out their series against the Boston Bruins in Game 6 tonight.
My top Sabres vs. Bruins predictions and NHL picks are backing Buffalo to punch its ticket to Round 2 on Friday, May 1.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Boston, with the game airing on TNT and Sportsnet 360.
UPDATE: Added a prediction for who will win tonight.
Sabres vs Bruins Game 6 prediction
Who will win Sabres vs Bruins Game 6?
Buffalo Sabres: This is a letdown spot for the Bruins after leaving it all on the line to eke out the Game 5 win on the road.
Buffalo won both of the first two games in Boston, and the Sabres have won the possession and expected goals battle at five-on-five, so I fully expect the series to end in Game 6.
Sabres vs Bruins best bet: Sabres moneyline (-115)
Jeremy Swayman stole Game 5 for the Boston Bruins with seven high-danger saves and 2.80 goals saved above expected, and I fully expect a dip from Swayman to allow the Buffalo Sabres to capitalize on enough chances to win Game 6.
Swayman’s scattered just 0.71 GSAx across the other four games of the series, after all.
Buffalo has also dominated the time of possession at 5-on-5 with a 55.6 Corsi For percentage, and the Sabres held the Bruins to just 11 goals and 15.56 expected goals through five games, including only 2.75 xGF at TD Garden.
Sabres vs Bruins Game 6 same-game parlay
Don’t let some of the high scores in this series fool you. Boston has only scored once in the first period through five games, and four of Buffalo’s five first-period goals came in Game 4. With another elimination game on tap, expect to see attention to defensive detail to be on full display.
Turning to the final leg of this same-game parlay, Alex Tuch has been a force for the Sabres. He found the scoresheet in each of the first four games of the series and has been on the ice for an impressive 8.89 expected goals.
The eight-time, 20-goal scorer continues to generate quality scoring opportunities, and he’s receiving consistent top-six minutes at 5-on-5 while also jumping the boards with the No. 1 power-play unit, so he's in the right role to break through in Game 6.
The Buffalo Sabres have won 19 of their last 25 away games (+14.25 Units / 50% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Sabres vs. Bruins.
How to watch Sabres vs Bruins Game 6
Location
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Date
Friday, May 1, 2026
Puck drop
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN, Sportsnet 360
Sabres vs Bruins 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.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: The sneakers worn by Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers announced Thursday that its G-League affiliate South Bay Lakers will no longer play their home games at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California, instead moving the team to the Greater Palm Springs region and renaming them the Coachella Valley Lakers.
At the start of the 2026-27 NBA G-League season, the Coachella Valley Lakers will play their home games Acrisure Arena, an 11,000-max capacity multi-purpose event venue in Palm Desert.
"I have enjoyed a long-time relationship with Jerry and Jeanie Buss, Lon Rosen and Linda Rambis. And I am beyond thrilled to have the Coachella Valley Lakers call OVG’s Acrisure Arena their home. Go Lakers," Oak View Group Senior Partner Irving Azoff said in a news release.
The venue has been mainly used for concerts, comedy shows and hockey games. The facility serves as the home of the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Lakers have also hosted a couple of NBA preseason games at Acrisure Arena in 2024, against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns on Oct. 4 and 6, respectively.
"Moving the Lakers G League team to the Coachella Valley is an incredible opportunity for the organization,” Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen said in a press release. “The Lakers have had a strong presence in the region for decades, from the Showtime Lakers holding training camp in the 1980s to more recent preseason games.
"We are looking forward to extending that experience and becoming a staple for Coachella Valley sports and entertainment. Acrisure Arena is the perfect modern venue that provides an incredible fan-first experience, while ensuring players have the premium facilities and space they need on game day."
Season ticket deposits starting at $100 per account are available online at coachellavalleylakers.com. Season tickets are fully refundable at the time of seat selection, the team said.
In two decades, the franchise has recorded 60 NBA call-ups across 38 players.
The Lakers' G-League team has a knack for finding raw talent and developing them into quality NBA talent, from current Laker Austin Reaves, two-time champion Alex Caruso, NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and even Kyle Kuzma, who played a role in the Lakers' 2020 NBA championship.
And it's been the case most recently with Bronny James Jr., Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero, Kobe Bufkin and Nick Smith Jr. This past season, the South Bay Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 26-10 regular-season record.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 28: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals hits a single in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 28, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats won yet another road series with a gutsy 5-4 win against the Mets. It was a glorious win for the Nats and an agonizing loss for the Mets, who are now a shocking 10-21. This game was always going to be decided by a clutch hit, and the Nats were the team that got the big hit when it mattered most.
Going back to the very start of the game, this contest could have been very different if not for an insane defensive play by James Wood. The Nats 6’6 right fielder needed every inch to rob a Juan Soto home run. Wood made another great defensive play later in the game. It really feels like Wood is much more comfortable out in right field.
Perhaps powered by the momentum from that play, the Nats offense went to work in the second inning. After a Jorbit Vivas single, a ground ball hit to the pitcher by Nasim Nunez led to Vivas scoring all the way from first after a comedy of errors by Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta. Jacob Young then delivered later in the inning, driving in Nunez on a base hit.
After the Nats tacked on another run in the third, and now it was up to Miles Mikolas to make the 3-0 lead stick. Ultimately, he was not able to. The Mets put together a two out rally in the third that was punctuated by a three run homer by MJ Melendez on a pitch that was about head high.
It is tough to blame Mikolas for allowing that homer. A red hot hitter just put a crazy swing on a well executed pitch. In his last few outings, Mikolas has thrown the ball better. He only went four innings today, but he gave the Nats a chance to win.
After that, it was a deadlock for a little while. Both offenses went quiet in the middle innings. That is until the Mets got something going against Mitchell Parker in the 6th. Mark Vientos made the Nats pay for pitching around Juan Soto, driving him in on an rbi double.
Mitchell Parker was far from excellent and did not have his best stuff, but he did well to only allow one run in his three innings of work. That set the stage for the fateful 8th inning. Luis Garcia Jr. led things off with a knock. After Daylen Lile hustled to beat out a double play, it was up to CJ Abrams.
After briefly going cold, the Alien announced he was officially back. He destroyed a Luke Weaver changeup. Abrams knew he got it, pointing into his dugout to fire up his teammates. Citi Field was stunned as Abrams rounded the bases to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
However, the work was still far from finished. The Nats bullpen needed six outs against a Mets team that was desperate to comeback. After a Juan Soto double, Richard Lovelady got two key outs before turning things over to Gus Varland.
It was now up to Varland to get the four biggest outs of the game. He got Tyrone Taylor to end the 8th for the first out. After not adding an insurance run due to some poor base running and situational baseball, it was time for Varland to hold his nerve.
When I talked to Varland a few weeks ago, he talked about how he has been on a journey to find confidence. He felt like his mindset was in the best place it had been in a long time. Varland would need that confident mindset to hold on and get the win.
He got two quick outs, but allowed a double to Francisco Alvarez. With a full count to Ronny Mauricio, the gutsy Varland fired off a perfect slider, which got him the strikeout. Varland pumped his fist as the Nats improved to 15-17 and won yet another road series.
Washington Nationals Gus Varland seals Nationals' 5-4 win!
The Nats are now 12-7 on the road, but they need to show that they can carry some of this momentum to Nationals Park, where they are 3-10. This was a fun and satisfying win. Extending Mets fans’ misery gives me great joy. The Nats did that with a nice team win this afternoon.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 29: Austin Reaves of Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the NBA playoffs game 5 between Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
He received a loud ovation from Lakers fans and played like he didn’t miss a beat. Reaves was back, knocking down shots, drawing fouls and injecting the team with his try-hard energy.
The result didn’t go in LA’s way, as they lost to Houston, but after the game, Reaves talked about enjoying the moment and feeding off the energy the home fans gave him.
“As I ran out tonight, for the first time in a long time, I got a really good chills feeling with the atmosphere, the crowd,” Reaves said. “And I think that’s just because when something you love is taken away from you for four weeks with an injury and then you get, like I said, thrown in the fire in a game like this. I could say I wouldn’t want it any other way, but I kind of do, but it was a lot of fun.”
Ideally, Reaves would’ve never gotten hurt and could’ve played in all these games, but the fact that he was able to come back and be this impactful immediately is a testament to his quality as a player and the competitive fire he has.
Austin Reaves’ return for Game 5 wasn’t a surprise considering that he was questionable for Games 3 and 4, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. With Reaves dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain, which typically takes 4-6 weeks to recover from, the Lakers weren’t expecting him to play during the first round.
Not only did he come back earlier than expected, but if they advance to the second round, it’ll likely be because of Reaves’ play.
After the game, Reaves talked about the effort he’s put into getting back as soon as possible.
“It’s been a grind,” Reaves said. “I’ve been running around Los Angeles doing everything I could possibly do to get back to this moment. We’ve done it and it feels good. I love playing basketball. It’s my happy place and it was nice to get back out there. Obviously, I wish I played a little better. I wish I made a couple more shots. But at the end of the day, I had fun out there and it was good to compete.”
While Reaves’ return was the only good news the Lakers got from Game 5, it is a positive update. Reaves is back, played well, and if he can replicate that for Game 6, hopefully, it means there won’t be a Game 7.
These are the moments players live for, and thanks to his recovery, Reaves is in a position to have a special moment in this series and help LA finally eliminate this pesky Rockets squad.
The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region.
The Lakers are relocating and renaming their South Bay G League team, with the transition happening ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region, playing their home games at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, the team announced on Thursday.
“Moving the Lakers G League team to the Coachella Valley is an incredible opportunity for the organization,” Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen said in a statement.
The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region.Google The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region. The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region.NBAE via Getty Images The South Bay Lakers will be renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers and will relocate to the Greater Palm Springs region.Facebook/South Bay Lakers
“The Lakers have had a strong presence in the region for decades, from the Showtime Lakers holding training camp in the 1980s to more recent preseason games. We are looking forward to extending that experience and becoming a staple for Coachella Valley sports and entertainment. Acrisure Arena is the perfect modern venue that provides an incredible fan-first experience, while ensuring players have the premium facilities and space they need on game day,” Rosen added.
The Lakers have played at least one preseason game at Acrisure Arena, which opened in December 2022, every year since 2023.
Acrisure Arena, which has a capacity of around 11,00 spectators, also hosts the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
The Lakers G League team went 26-10 during the 2025-26 G League season, securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference before falling to the Stockton Kings in the conference finals.
The Lakers G League team started as the Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2006 in the NBA’s D-League (renamed the G League in 2017), playing at the then-Staples Center before moving to the Toyota Sports Center ahead of the 2011-12 season.
The G League team rebranded as the South Bay Lakers in 2017, playing at UCLA Health Training Center over the last nine seasons.
Season ticket deposits, which start at $100 per account and are fully refundable at the time of seat selection, opened to the public starting Thursday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees runs to the field before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Anthony Volpe’s return from shoulder surgery will probably be judged in extremes. If he comes back looking like the polished two-way shortstop Yankees fans once imagined, every line drive, diving stop, and stolen base will reignite the belief that a true breakout might finally be here.
If the offensive line remains parked where it has spent too much of the last three seasons, the familiar frustrations around strikeouts, on-base percentage, and whether the bat will ever fully arrive will return quickly. The truth, as usual, likely lives somewhere in the middle.
That is what makes Volpe’s 2026 campaign so fascinating. This is less about whether he can suddenly become the star many once hoped for and more about what a healthy, age-25 Anthony Volpe should realistically look like. For Yankees fans, that means separating three different buckets: what to expect, what to accept, and what to hope for from Volpe.
What to expect: Volpe returns as the Yankees’ shortstop
When the Yankees bring Volpe back up to the big league club, it will not be as a bench player. Barring a setback, he is rehabbing to resume being the club’s everyday shortstop. Fans may debate it, but that is the organization’s plan. Even if he’s not playing, say, seven games in seven days because the Yankees aren’t going full-bore yet so early in the season, Volpe will get the vast majority of time at the six.
Players returning from shoulder surgery often need reps for timing, trust, and everyday rhythm to fully return. Entering play yesterday, Volpe had hit .276/.300/.379 in 30 plate appearances while looking steady, but not anything more than that, in the field. That is perfectly fine. The point of rehab is readiness, not domination.
If the shoulder is healthier, the biggest gains may not show up first in the traditional counting stats like batting average and OPS as much as it will in better contact quality, more line drives, and harder hit balls in play. Too much of Volpe’s offensive profile drifted toward weak popups last season as his line-drive percentage fell six percent below his career normal. A compromised shoulder can do that, especially for a hitter whose game depends on quickness through the zone and the ability to drive the gaps.
If the surgery corrected that issue and rehab strengthened it, the expectation should be a healthier version of the player the Yankees already know: not superstardom, but a player entering his prime years who has already shown double-digit power, speed, and quality defense. Thus, fans should expect Volpe to start and have an extended run to fully earn the spot … with the word “earn” meaning he produces slightly better than his career numbers while playing good defense.
What to accept: Caballero has earned a role and is ready
Volpe’s return should not create panic about José Caballero. It should create excitement about roster depth. I am fully on the “start Caballero every day” train, but I also accept that he is a role player with a clearly defined place on this roster. That role is exactly what he has been doing, now with a little whipped cream and a cherry on top at the plate thus far, plus the added value of defensive versatility.
Since Volpe began his rehab assignment, Caballero has been one of the hottest Yankees on the roster. From April 14th onward, he’s hit .347/.396/.510 with two doubles, two homers, six stolen bases, and a .906 OPS, while injecting energy into nearly every game. Aaron Boone acknowledged that reality this week, saying Caballero has “earned a lot of opportunities” and has been “right in the middle of us winning a lot of games.”
That matters. Caballero has provided exactly what winning teams crave from role players: versatility, speed, defensive flexibility, and enough offense to force his way into the lineup.
However, it is worth remembering Caballero got off to a slow start. From opening night against the Giants until April 14th, he was actually hitting a disappointing .179/.220/.286 with a 28.8-percent strikeout rate in 59 at-bats. My colleague Andrés Chávez further broke down Caballero’s contributions in a piece worth reading.
Volpe returning does not mean Caballero disappears. It means Caballero becomes a true utility weapon who can move between shortstop, second base, and third base, even having the ability to man the outfield if a need arises. Amed Rosario should, and will, remain part of that rotation as well.
The Yankees will give Volpe runway to reclaim his everyday role. That is reasonable given what the organization has invested in and communicated about him over the last several years. At the same time, the team now has a much clearer picture of what it has in Caballero and Rosario, and that depth already matters and should continue to matter over the course of the season.
Boone’s comments on Wednesday reinforce that balance. The Yankees still view Volpe as their starting shortstop when healthy, but they have also been clear that Caballero is more than just a placeholder, praising his ability to impact the game in multiple ways and expressing confidence in him holding things down in the meantime.
Fans should resist turning this into a one-week referendum. If Volpe struggles after returning, patience is warranted, even if criticism is fair. If he struggles for a month while Caballero continues producing, then the conversation certainly changes — and that’s to say nothing of top prospect George Lombard Jr., who will likely have his own adjustment period but was just promoted to Triple-A. We have all seen that Caballero can play an effective shortstop and, at least for the half a month of the season, is what we have all hoped Volpe would become at this point of his career offensively.
What to hope for: The Dansby Path
For much of Volpe’s career, he has lived inside comparisons that were never fair to begin with. Because he is a homegrown, righty-hitting shortstop in pinstripes with leadership traits and polished media instincts, the Derek Jeter parallels arrived before his own game ever had a chance to develop.
I am sure that like all of us in a certain generation, Volpe dreamt of being Jeter or as close as possible, and now as fans we would love to see Jeter 2.0. However, the healthier and more realistic hope is not Jeter, a no-doubt Hall of Famer and an outlier. It is Dansby Swanson.
Although a few years older when he was drafted out of Vanderbilt in 2015, Swanson stormed to the majors with star-level pedigree and quickly became a lightning rod for debates about strikeouts, offensive inconsistency, and whether the bat would ever fully match the reputation. His age-24 season with Atlanta in 2018 was affected by injury, and he posted a .238/.304/.395 line.
Then came the rebound. Following offseason surgery and a clean bill of health, Swanson returned in 2019 and slashed .251/.325/.422 while pairing that 91 wRC+ offense with strong defense. He stopped feeling frustrating and started feeling dependable. Over the next four years, Swanson hit a combined .259/.325/.441 with a 108 wRC+ and 16.8 fWAR for the Braves and Cubs, becoming a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner.
The similarities between the two are not just narrative, either. Among qualified shortstops in 2024, Volpe ranked 16th in batting average while Swanson ranked 17th. In OBP, they sat 17th and 14th, in slugging 17th and 15th, and in OPS 17th and 15th.
That is not just stylistic similarity. That is the same offensive neighborhood. The same held true again in 2025. Volpe ranked 24th among shortstops in batting average to Swanson’s 20th, 24th in OBP to 21st, 16th in slugging to 14th, and 21st in OPS to 17th.
Even in what felt like a disappointing season, Volpe remained within just a few slots of one of the league’s most accepted veteran shortstop standards, albeit at a dramatically different price point and with Swanson’s bat not quite as electric as his 2020–23 peak. And honestly, that contrast is part of the point. It is easy to live with this profile on a rookie deal if you are the front office. It becomes a much different conversation once a salary climbs north of $20 million annually.
If Volpe lands in the “2018 Swanson” zone over roughly 100 games, something around .238/.304/.395 with mid-teens power and steals, Yankees fans should probably walk away happy. The public projection systems are already pointing almost exactly there. ZiPS projects Volpe for 103 games with a .230/.292/.397/.689 line, 13 home runs, and 16 steals. Steamer is nearly identical at 102 games with a .232/.297/.399/.696 line, 13 home runs, and 16 steals.
Both systems also land on 1.9 WAR, which is exactly the kind of quietly valuable full-season pace contenders take from the bottom of the lineup bats. If the healthy shoulder restores some of the line-drive contact that disappeared last year, there is a realistic path to something even closer to Swanson’s 2019 jump. The realistic hope should be that Volpe lands somewhere above 2018 Swanson, while understanding that the 2019 version likely represents the true ceiling for 2026 at this point.
That is exactly why the Swanson comp works so well as the hopeful path. Swanson has built a long-term career as a 2–4 WAR shortstop, which is exactly the range Volpe is trending toward. That is the hope for Volpe. It’s not that he suddenly becomes an MVP candidate, but that his age-25 season becomes his version of Swanson’s settling point — a player who moves from polarizing to reliable entering their prime seasons. More directly, a shortstop who quietly helps a team win every single day and shows some of the potential that made him an early draft pick has developed into skills and talent.
The bigger picture
Volpe does not need to be Derek Jeter to matter. He does not need to become a superstar to justify patience. He does not need to settle a fan debate the moment he is activated. However, he may need the last bit of grace fans have left for him as he works his way back into the flow of an MLB season. The better question is simple: What does this Yankees team actually need from Volpe?
They need him to be an above-average shortstop whose offense trends upward from last season and his career norms, and whose presence gives the Yankees more ways to win. If he can make a Swanson-like jump while Caballero remains a versatile contributor, the Yankees will have something more valuable than nostalgia or prospect dreams. They will have options, and good teams win with options.
If Volpe struggles, the Yankees appear to have an in-house option ready for the moment. However, there is also a very real possibility that they have two similar and productive players. Neither projects as a star, but both could become valuable contributors for a winning roster this season and beyond. If the Caballero momentum keeps building, Yankees fans will make their voices heard. The front office is already showing they are not wasting time this season after they designated OF Randal Grichuk for assignment after Jasson Domínguez’s hot start in Triple-A, and deciding to call up top prospect Elmer Rodríguez after Luis Gil struggled.
Until then, it is worth hoping for improvement while expecting the numbers to not look great for Volpe right out of the gate. However, he deserves and will receive at least the same runway that was just granted to Caballero to start the season.
Apr 30, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) watches from the dugout during the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The headline says it all: the Mets lost again today at Citi Field, losing 5-4 to the Nationals, and have now lost 17 of their last 20 games. Something has to change, and quickly.
Freddy Peralta looked sharp early, despite walking James Wood to start the game. Peralta struck out the side after allowing the free pass. In the top of the second, Peralta continued to look sharp pitching, but his fielding bit him.
Jorbit Vivas singled with one out. Nasim Nuñez hit a ball to the right of the pitcher’s mound, and Peralta had to rush, throwing an errant throw to Mark Vientos at first, who was not able to handle the throw. Vivas was already at second by the time the ball got away from Vientos, and he not only took third but also came home and scored, while Nuñez got all the way to third. Jacob Young would single Nuñez home, putting the Nats up 2-0.
Peralta wouldn’t be out of the weeds just yet, as in the third Luis Garcia Jr. doubled to lead off the inning. CJ Abrams singled him home one batter latter to put the Mets down by three.
The Mets were struggling to make anything happen against former Cardinal Miles Mikolas, who is having an absolutely atrocious season. In the bottom of the first, Juan Soto hit what looked to be a solo home run to right field, but Wood, calm and measured, jumped and nestled it into his glove. But aside from that and an MJ Melendez single, the Mets weren’t putting anything really on the ball.
That changed in the bottom of the third when, with two outs, Bo Bichette walked and Soto singled to put two on. Melendez then turned on a ball and tied the game with one swing.
With the game now tied, Peralta settled in, not allowing a baserunner in the fourth or fifth inning. In the sixth, Peralta walked José Tena and Vivas back to back. But after a mound visit, Peralta emptied the tank, throwing his hardest pitches of the game and getting Nuñez to pop out to end the frame.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets played some small ball, and it paid off. Soto walked to lead off the inning, and was pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt by Melendez. Mark Vientos doubled and scored Soto to put the Mets up 4-3.
Brooks Raley pitched a perfect top half of the seventh inning, and the Mets stranded Carson Benge on second in the bottom half. Luke Weaver would get the eighth, and things did not go very well.
Garcia singled to start the frame, and Daylen Lile hit into what could’ve been a double play ball, but Ronny Mauricio took too much time on a throw to first, and Lile was safe. Abrams was up next, and he deposited a changeup into the bullpen to put the Nationals up 5-4.
Old friend Richard “Dicky” Lovelady pitched the eighth for the Nats. Juan Soto greeted him with a double off the centerfield wall that just missed being a solo home run. Pinch hitter Austin Slater hit a weak grounder to short, not advancing the runner for the first out. Vientos hit a sharp liner right into Nuñez’s glove for the second out of the inning. Gus Varland came in to face Tyrone Taylor and, three pitches later, Taylor hit a weak fly out to left to end the frame.
Devin Williams pitched the ninth, and was greeted by a single, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly, putting Nuñez on third with just one out. A hard two-hopper by Young to short was fired back to Luis Torrens at home to get Nuñez. Young then tried to steal second, but was thrown out by Torrens, keeping it a one-run game going into the ninth.
The Mets got a two-out baserunner when pinch-hitting Francisco Alvarez pulled a double down the left-field line. Mauricio represented the winning run at the plate, and he struck out on a breaking pitch (shocker) to lose the game and the series.
The Mets travel to Orange County, California for three with the Angels. Christian Scott takes the ball Walbert Urena.
Big Mets winner: MJ Melendez, +29.0% WPA Big Mets loser: Luke Weaver, -46.0% WPA Mets pitchers: -32.0% WPA Mets hitters: -18.0% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: MJ Melendez’s home run, +29.6% WPA Teh sux0rest play: CJ Abrams’s home run, -48.4% WPA
