For the first time since winning it all in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes are once again back in the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in five games.
Outside of a bad first period in Game 1, the Hurricanes dominated the series in one of the most lopsided conference finals in recent memory.
Even though it wasn't a sweep and two games went to overtime, it just never felt like Montreal actually had a chance.
Carolina dominated offensive zone time, they were more physical, they were more desperate, they piled on the shots while giving the Canadiens virtually nothing.
As the series went on, every sequential game just felt more and more lopsided, culminating in a statement 6-1 Game 5 victory for the Hurricanes.
Much like Game 4, the Canes started the game hot and before the first 20 had expired, they already held a 3-0 lead.
Taylor Hall started the run, popping home a loose puck off of Logan Stankoven power move, and not too long after, he'd return the favor, setting up Stankoven in the right circle to double Carolina's lead.
Before the period was over, Eric Robinson would add another, his third of the series, after outracing Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson for a high-flip clear and going five-hole on Habs netminder Jakub Dobes.
The second period didn't get any easier for the Canadiens either as the Hurricanes would add another pair, with Jackson Blake putting home a rebound off of a Hall partial breakaway and then Shayne Gostisbehere depositing one from the backdoor on the power play.
Just to give you a glimpse of how over it was, before the game was even halfway finished — with Carolina leading 4-0 and nearly tripling Montreal in shots — Lenovo Center erupted into "Ole" chants, the Canadiens faithful's normal spirited tune.
The Hurricanes will now advance to face the Vegas Golden Knights, with both teams looking to win their second ever Stanley Cup.
Game 1 is set for Tuesday, June 2 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
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May 29, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of Texas Rangers fans wearing the Nolan Ryan Bloody Lip jersey giveaway shirts during the game between the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored nine runs while the Kansas City Royals scored one run.
After getting battered and bruised by leaguewide losers over the past couple of weeks, the Rangers donned their blood red tops with a sellout crowd decked out in replica Nolan Ryan bloody jerseys to witness an increasingly rare feat for Texas in 2026.
The Rangers came into tonight’s game having lost seven consecutive series-opening contests, with their lone series opener victory of the month coming on the first day of the month when they beat the Detroit Tigers on May 1 in a series they would eventually lose.
The Rangers drew first blood in the first inning in what would essentially become the story of the game. The Royals opened the game with a two-out double with a runner on but that runner had to halt at third base. Texas starter MacKenzie Gore got the last out to strand both runners in scoring position to keep KC off the board.
As we’re all well aware, securing a clean first inning has been a struggle for Texas this season but Gore getting out of danger helped to ignite the team for a crooked number in the bottom half of the inning.
Like Kansas City, the Rangers got a two-out double with a runner on base but that runner was Joc Pederson who led off the game with a walk. Pederson isn’t exactly swift these days so he too stayed at third base meaning it fell on Ezequiel Duran to deliver on the exact same situation that the Royals could not.
Much like with the top of the inning, where Texas has too often allowed early runs to start games with a deficit, two-out RBI situations have too often been wasted by the Rangers. However, the narratives continued to flip as Duran delivered with a two-out, two-run single that snowballed into an even bigger frame.
After Duran’s single, Evan Carter blooped a double toward the left field line and then Alejandro Osuna reached on an error to score Duran. Eventually Carter scored as well when Osuna attempted to steal second base and Royals’ catcher Salvador Perez threw the ball the ball away trying to throw him out.
After bloodying KC’s lip in the first, the Rangers tacked on two more each in the fifth and sixth innings with Brandon Nimmo hitting a two-run homer in the fifth and newcomer Nicky Lopez hitting just the eighth home run over his nearly 700-game big league career.
The dinger from the former Royals’ infielder was also of the two-run variety which gave Texas an 8-0 lead. In the top of the eighth, Pederson capped off the scoring for Texas with a solo dong of his own before the Royals prevented the shutout with a run in the ninth off Gavin Collyer when it was far too little and far too late.
Despite the fact that the Rangers went on to comfortably win by eight runs, a third first inning two-out hit by KC or the Rangers failing to cash in on their own two-out opportunity a half inning later could have easily altered the course of the evening.
Nevertheless, Texas did have themselves a rare charmed first inning and that fed into what would become an even rarer first game of a series win.
Player of the Game: The Rangers had ten hits and scored nine runs, hit three home runs, and saw everyone in the lineup reach base with only Danny Jansen failing to get at least one hit.
However, Gore tossing 6.1 innings of scoreless ball on just four hits and a walk continued a solid stretch for the left-hander as May creeps to a close. Gore, one of the league’s top strikeout artists, only had three strikeouts tonight but 63 strikes in his 99 pitches allowed him to pitch beyond the sixth inning for just the second time this season.
Up Next: The Rangers and Royals play an afternoon affair with RHP Kumar Rocker making the start for Texas against RHP Seth Lugo for Kansas City.
The first pitch of the second game of this series on Saturday is scheduled for 3:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network as well as nationally on FS1.
The Hurricanes, who finished with 113 points in the regular season, will host Game 1 and 2, plus 5 and 7, if necessary
The Golden Knights, who finished with 95 points, will host Games 3 and 4, plus 6, if necessary.
Both teams are 1-1 in the Final. Carolina lost in 2002 and won in 2006, in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers. Vegas lost in 2018 and won in 2023, in five games against the Florida Panthers.
Here is the schedule, dates, times and TV broadcast information for the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.
2026 Stanley Cup Final schedule: dates, times, TV information
All times p.m. ET
Game 1: Tuesday, June 2, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
Game 2: Thursday, June 4, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
Game 3: Saturday, June 6, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
Game 4: Tuesday, June 9, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 5: Thursday, June 11, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
x-Game 6: Sunday, June 14, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 7: Wednesday, June 17, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 08: Stuart Fairchild #17 of Team Chinese Taipei celebrates after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Chinese Taipei and South Korea at Tokyo Dome on March 8, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Stuart Fairchild is with the Guardians for the weekend. It might be enough time to see if he should stay longer.
The reason for Fairchild joining the Guardians is a sad one, as Steven Kwan has had some sort of family crisis. So, we obviously begin by hoping that Kwan’s loved ones are ok before analyzing any baseball moves. Kwan will be back in 3-7 days.
Fairchild has had a great showing in Columbus with a 141 wRC+. He has a 1.197 OPS against LHP there and a .788 OPS vs RHP. Fairchild has spent parts of five seasons in the majors – he SHOULD be tearing up Triple-A. In looking under the hood, he isn’t hitting the ball hard more than usual, his chase and whiff rates remain average to below average. He is taking walks because Triple-A pitchers are bad.
Fairchild is 9 for 11 on stolen bases and has the speed to play center. This is helpful in a bench role on the Guardians, and it’s why Petey Halpin has found a spot on the team. But, in the next few days, the team should evaluate whether or not Fairchild should supplant Halpin.
The big factor is Fairchild’s potential to hit left-handed pitching. He would be a good piece to plug in center or left against LHP if he could be relied on to produce something around his career wRC+ of 106 against them… or better. Halpin doesn’t offer anything of significance at the plate, so, while his defense is superlative, I am not sure he’s the best roster fit. To his credit, Vogt has not tried to shoehorn Halpin into lineups as I was afraid he might. He recognizes that Halpin is best used in a bench role, so I think we can trust he’d do the same with Fairchild.
Fairchild has no options remaining so he either finds a spot on the team or is exposed to waivers. He may very well go through waivers and I’m not saying it would be devastating to lose him. I am saying the Guardians should use the next couple days when they see lefty-relievers from the Boston pen and Ranger Suarez to see if there MIGHT be something useful in Fairchild as a fourth outfielder who crushes lefties that could result in Halpin being optioned back to Columbus. Then, we can cross the “Who to DFA when Arias is healthy?” bridge when we come to it.
Admiring his handiwork. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Twins blew an early lead, got it back, pulled out a near-Houdini in the eighth… and in the ninth, the Pirates’ longest-tenured player won the game. Inning-by-inning notes:
1: AppleTV lets some doofus with an iPhone hover around the pitching mound during warmups. I wonder how pitcher Jared Jones feels about this.
He’s plenty warm. 302 MPH total on three straight pitches to K Buxton. A quick Brooks Lee groundout, and Kody Klemens Klobbers one.
Taj Bradley pretty warm himself; 99 MPH. A one-out, four-pitch walk to Brandon Lowe, who has a .904 OPS. Then four straight to Bryan Reynolds, ergggh. Nick Gonzales rolls one to Lee, who should just eat it. He don’t. He tries making an off-balance throw, he airmails it, everybody take two bases!
Oneil Cruz with an RBI groundout, and Konnor Griffin with rocket up the middle. So, all three runs are earned, and Taj throws 666 pitches. Not ideal. Pirates 3-1
2: A leadoff Trevor Larnach single and five-pitch Austin Martin walk. Bringing up Victor Caratini, which ain’t what you want… but he walks on four pitches! It’s a TRAP. Luke Keaschall whiffs badly for his K. Tristan Gray falls behind 0-2… and singles to tie it up! 50 shades of yay! Unfortunately Bux hits it so hard, it’s a perfect GIDP ball, but still, good job gang.
TV shows how Kody in CF has a little positioning index card in his pocket. I love it. Hope it’s laminated, though. Sweat would muss the ink. Bradley still with a high pitch count (36) but strikes out Lowe nicely to end it after falling behind 3-0. Tied 3-3
3: Josh Bell gets a two-out single, important because Jones (coming back from injury) will be on a tight pitch count. Also important because it’s followed by a Trevor NarLaunch! Consensus vote is that it went in the Allegheny River.
Ha, Taj hit the camera in the first row. Not ha — Oneil Cruz hits some more fish food. Connor Griffin with a single & steal, but Taj Ks Endy Rodríguez to end it. Twins 5-4
4: Caratini with a leadoff single? He hits now? Ok. Nothing comes of it, though.
Taj finally with a 1-2-3 inning. Radio tells us that Larnach’s ball was the 86th hit into the river, Cruz’s the 87th. But only 7 have gone in on the fly, without bouncing off the pathway behind. Cruz’s was one of ’em. See what you learn from multimedia?
5: Brooks with a leadoff single. Clemens strikes out, and that’s it for Jones. Sidearming Evan Sisk — their best reliever — gets out of it.
Orze’s splitter is nasty tonight. He leaves after a two-out single. Yoendrys Gómez gets the next guy on one pitch.
7: Dotel doinks da Duals.
Apple pointing out the Twins have have a top-five lowest bullpen ERA since May 9th. This feels like jinxing. Anthony “Bad” Banda comes in with one out and one on. Gets the first guy. A long AB by Reynolds ends with a walk. Fortunately, Gonzales hits right into the shift.
8: Dotel STILL in. Still throwing 100. Still gets the Twins.
Banda still in, and leadoff walks Cruz. That brings in Other Cody, Lawyerson, his first game back from injury.
F**K. On a Griffin grounder, Keaschall utterly boots a throw by Gray that could have started a DP. This sends Cruz to third, and Griffin steals second during the next AB. Nobody out.
Rodríguez strikes out. Infield in. Ball hit to Clemens at first! (He moved there a while ago, replacing Bell.) 3-2 for the putout. Then… Jared Triolo lines it right to RF Martin.
Whew!
9: Lefty Gregory Soto pitching. Twins do Nada.
Former closer Taylor Rogers in for the Twins. Infield hit for Horwitz. Pinch-runner Tyler Callihan in for him.
Seriously, thanks to everybody who joined the thread tonight. Sometimes these CrappleTV games can feel like ghost towns on the thread. (And there’s another one next week…)
Tomorrow’s game is at 3:05 Central, featuring something called a Mitch Keller against our own soft-tossing Bailey Ober. Catch ya next time!
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 7: General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Golden State Warriors talks to the media before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 7, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
A few days ago, I put out a call for Golden State Warriors mailbag questions. We didn’t get a ton this time around, but what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality, with some excellent questions.
ScottWarrior
I am sure the Warriors are working out some prospects projected in the first round. Why are we not seeing any names? Are we going to see any at all? I understand this is part of the strategy to keep their big board secret. But players come to visit and journalists could find out who the visitors are. How come no information leaks to the media?
The boring answer is that it’s pretty rare for first-round talents to have these types of workouts. HoopsHype has been doing a fantastic job tracking all the reported workouts across the league, and a quick glance at their list reveals that only a small handful of first-rounders have had individual workouts, while the vast majority of workouts are for potential second-round picks and undrafted players.
Why is that? Because these sorts of workouts are fairly meaningless, and almost entirely meaningless for top prospects. Individual pre-draft workouts are, in essence, going through the movements of a very basic workout, with a softball job interview attached. That can still have value, but the value is primarily for deciding who to target for Summer League rosters and camp invites, and who could be a quality two-way addition. It also goes both ways: it’s an opportunity for those players to decide what team to sign with if they go undrafted.
The Warriors probably have 10-15 names they’re considering with the No. 11 pick. At this point, the Warriors have presumably seen all of them play in person, have watched virtually all of their college games, have talked with their college coaches, have had conversations with them, and have seen them at the combine. Nothing is going to change with 45 minutes of cone drills and a 10-minute interview, and so neither side is particularly interested (most projected lottery picks flatly refuse individual workouts).
That’s not to say that the Warriors haven’t gotten to know all of their potential draftees well (there’s a joke to be made somewhere in here about having dinner with them all and seeing what foreign languages they speak). But there are avenues to do that beyond the reported workouts. And while a mild-mannered workout isn’t going to impact how the Warriors feel about the 10-15 players they’ve done extreme due diligence on for their first-round pick, it can be a difference maker for the 200-300 players they’re considering for their second-round pick, two-way contracts, and Summer League roster, all of whom have had significantly less time making an impact on the organization than the first-rounders have.
bill645
I haven’t seen much commentary yet on the newly enacted draft lottery rules for next year. It sounds like the W’s would’ve had a better chance at a top four pick. Not sure the new rules will do much to reduce tanking, although it may prevent super-tanking (i.e., racing to the very bottom of the overall league standings).
Indeed, as our own Sean Keane noted in his article about the new rules, the Warriors would have had a 5.4% chance at the top pick under the new format, as opposed to the 2.0% chance they actually had. I think you hit the nail on the head: it’s going to reduce super-tanking, which is really the issue. No one cares about teams that aren’t good and aren’t making maximum effort to change that in the short term; it’s the teams that are blatantly trying to lose games that are ruining the fan experience (looking at you, Utah), and hopefully this will help keep that at bay.
420_blackbirds
Can you give us a peek behind
the curtain?Obviously, scouting at this
level means going beyond typing a prospect name into Youtube.In addition to a scouting department, the
Warriors have a video team to assemble scouting reports on every requested player.
All of this research must play an important
role in developing the draft day strategy.Beyond that, I’m guessing that they continue to “scout” every player in
the NBA at some level, as long as they’re in the league.
NBA scouting is still nothing compared to the intense and rigorous scouting that you see in baseball, but it is still a very big deal. According to RealGM’s database, the Warriors have two scouts, two pro scouts, two international scouts, and one advance scout, but that underscores just how many hands and eyeballs are at work leading up to the draft. Assistants, special assistants, and video coordinators are all playing huge roles here, along with part-time employees. And, ultimately, everyone up to Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
In general, though, these things work like a pyramid. The lowest-level people in the process compile massive amounts of info on massive amounts of players, and as it moves up the chain, players are eliminated and the fat is trimmed from the data. It’s a process that starts as soon as the college basketball season begins, and doesn’t stop until draft day.
But seriously, it’s nothing compared to baseball: according to the San Francisco Giants’ directory, they have 64 different full-time employees with the word “scout” in their title.
9ergold: I understand you may not be able to answer this …
How can the NBA roll into the draft without first holding the Clippers accountable for hiding player payroll off the books and away from the NBA with zero draft pick penalties (as was levied against the penalty for the T-Wolves when they cheated the league on payroll hidden off the books) as well as the next season status of Kawhi, who was at the center of the matter?
It’s like Silver doesn’t plan to penalize the Clippers or Kawhi at all and acting like just nothing terrible even happened? To me, this undermines the credibility of the league, makes a joke of the NBA’s payroll & salary tier structure, and spits in the eye of every other team that didn’t cheat.
It’s a great question, and one that only Pablo Torre will be able to get to the bottom of. The simplest answer — though surely not the entire story — is that the NBA just hasn’t finished their investigation. It’s a massive investigation, and they’ve hired a huge, respected law firm to handle it. It’s going to take a while, and the league isn’t going to act until the investigation is completely concluded.
With that said, it wouldn’t surprise me if the league is waiting until after the offseason to do anything, regardless of the investigation. Assuming that they do find Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers guilty, it would make sense that they would seek to punish both. But what if Leonard gets traded, as has been rumored? If Leonard stays on the Clippers, the league could punish both parties in one fell swoop by suspending Leonard for a lengthy period (they would, presumably, further punish the Clippers with a fine and/or draft pick penalties).
But let’s say that the Clippers trade Leonard to, oh, I dunno … the Warriors. It’s hardly fair if the NBA then suspends Leonard for 25 games and punishes the Dubs, right? So I suspect sometime after the offseason chaos is over, the league will announce a conclusion to the investigation and some punishments that likely won’t faze Steve Ballmer.
MidcoastPerson: Kerr emphasized that the Warriors need players who are regularly on the court. Does this mean they move on from both KP and Horford? If so, who would you replace them with?
I don’t think so. I think they very much hope that Al Horford opts into his deal, and they’ll be interested in bringing back Kristaps Porziņģis at the right price. The Dubs can talk all they want about having players regularly on the court, but at the end of the day, they’re an old team, and they’re in need of talent more than availability, so…
That said, I do think they target younger and more available players to round out the bench. They’re not bringing back both Gary Payton II and Seth Curry. But another way to address availability is to just have more players who deserve playing time. Part of why the Warriors have felt like they don’t have enough healthy bodies is because players like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Quinten Post, Will Richard, and Buddy Hield fluctuated between being deserving of minutes and being glued to the bench. Get better players and it makes it easier to put up with Horford only playing 55 games.
RIP Thunder the mascot: Steph Curry has gifted Warrior fans and the entire bay area an unquantifiable amount of sporting success and general philanthropy over the last decade and a half. Unfortunately, but predictably, there has been a diminishing return of success as his growing supermax salary has engulfed a larger % the team’s salary cap. No thanks to injuries nor Father Time, either..
It’s rare but we’ve seen players sacrifice a hit on their salary for the greater good of the team. Look no further than Jalen Brunson and the Knicks who are, not coincidentally, in the finals this year. ESPN reported that Steph is eligible to sign a 2-year 136.7 million dollar extension in August. Do you see Steph taking a pay cut via a contract extension? If so, what can we offer this game breaking talent without insulting him… without insulting the players union.. and without stirring up a Kawhi cap circumvention controversy? It’s almost sacrilege to wonder.. but I think we all know how competitive our team will be without.
I wouldn’t expect a pay cut, but you never know with Steph Curry. If someone is willing to do it, it’s him. Though they will be very careful about not circumventing the rules, as you mention.
But here’s why I don’t expect it to happen: it usually doesn’t actually do anything. When players do take discounts, it’s usually when all the pieces are in place and a star is sacrificing a few million to make it easier to retain everyone (you might recall that Kevin Durant did this when he was with the Warriors). But for a team in Golden State’s situation, Curry taking a slight discount on an extension isn’t going to change things. It’s not going to give them the money to chase a free agent this year (where his max contract is already set), and it’s unlikely to make a tangible difference in the books next offseason. In all likelihood, taking a discount really only accomplishes one thing: saving Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the two people in the organization with more money than Curry, a few million.
May 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton (52) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
After a disappointing mid-week series that the Tigers dropped against the cellar-dwelling Angels, they hit the road for the south side of Chicago for the opener of a trio of games against the White Socks — who were wearing a new City Connects outfit that makes them look like the Bulls — and it didn’t go well as the home team came back to win 4-3 in a gut-punch of a tenth inning.
Troy Melton made his second start of the season, after a late beginning due to right elbow inflammation. He had three solid outings for the Tigers in the playoffs (and a terrible one), and getting any kind of pitching help is definitely welcome at this point. His first start of the year was the nightcap of the doubleheader against the Orioles: he went 5 2/3 innings, and while he walked three he only gave up a pair of hits and a solitary run.
The Pale Hose went with an opener, lefty Brandon Eisert, before righty Erick Fedde took over. It’s been tough slogging for the veteran lately: after a nice seven-inning outing against the Angels at the end of April, May has not been kind to him and his previous appearance saw him surrender eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. He’s been giving up home runs at a pretty astonishing rate this year: a dozen of ‘em in 49 1/3 innings coming into tonight.
Speaking of that, in the third inning, Dillon Dingler opened the scoring thusly after a Zack Short walk:
The Chicagoans got a run back in the bottom of the inning with a single and a double, narrowing the gap to 2-1.
Fedde got himself into a peck o’ trouble in the top of the fourth: the Tigers loaded the bases with two out after a pair of singles and a walk, bringing Short to the plate. Alas, Short lined out to short and the Tigers left ‘em loaded. Would’ve been really nice to get another run there.
Meanwhile, Melton looked good; he gave up four doubles, but managed to strand all those runners. His fastball commmand was a little off and pitching from behind in a lot of counts hurt his strikeout total, but he managed to figure out how to get through innings pretty efficiently, needing only 77 pitches through six frames. At the end of the seventh his pitch count was 89 so his night was done, and his final line was delightful: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K… don’t worry, Troy, those strikeouts will come along.
Will Vest took over in the bottom of the eighth and gave up an infield single, but got a double play to erase the runner. Now, the last time we saw Vest, things went spectacularly awfully for him late in a long appearance… but this time around he got three pretty crisp outs to take the game to the ninth with the same score.
It would’ve been nice if the Tigers added some insurance in the top of the ninth, but that didn’t happen, so the game was turned over to Kyle Finnegan with a one-run lead, which didn’t go particularly well.
With one out, Andrew Benintendi singled to right; Tristan Peters did the same to put runners on the corners. Rikuu Nishida bunted back to Finnegan, who threw to first as Benintendi waited off third; as soon as Finnegan threw, Benintendi bolted for home and Spencer Torkelson’s throw home was wild, letting Peters get to third.
Drew Romo followed with a tricky grounder to Torkelson at first, and with some amount of acrobatics he threw to Finnegan covering first to just nab Romo and send the game to extra innings, which have really not been good for the Tigers so far this year. Tonight was no exception.
The Manfred Man for the Tigers in the tenth was Matt Vierling, who was bunted over to third by Zach McKinstry and driven-in by Short with a sacrifice fly to go up 3-2. The Tigers typically try to play for two in that scenario, but with McKinstry and Short it probably made sense to move the runner and just try for one and hope Drew Anderson could hold it.
Could the Tigers get three outs before giving up a run? It was decided that Drew Anderson was going to give it a try. Romo started the bottom of the inning on second base, and Anderson got a strikeout, a grounder to third that glued Romo to second, and… well…
Yep, Miguel Vargas hit a two-run walk-off home run to win the game for the White Sox, 4-3. There ya go. That’s your 2026 Detroit Tigers, everybody. At least the home team’s uniforms were lousy.
Notes and Whatnot
Writing a recap that has both Zach McKinstry and Zack Short on the same team is annoying because of how they spell their names just a little bit differently.
It was only just today that I learned that my city library’s e-book app also has access to a boatload of magazines, all readable for free. We’ve got National Geographic, we’ve got New Scientist, we’ve got Blue Pants Weekly. Check out you local library; the app around here is called Libby.
On this day in 1660, King Charles II (not the current UK monarch’s dad, for the record) was restored to the throne after that little misunderstanding with the Cromwell fellows.
May 29, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Charles McAdoo (26) celebrates after hitting his first career hit/home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 6 Orioles 5
Back to .500.
Bullpen days are a terrible thing to watch. One of my lines is that if you use a lot of relievers, you are likely to find the one that doesn’t have it on that day.
And the Jays did find that guy. The second pitcher into the game, Austin Voth, had nothing, but with the guys who weren’t available, he had to throw some innings. He gave up 3 home runs, 5 hits, 5 earned with 4 walks. He had a terrible time finding the strike zone and anytime he came close the Orioles hit it hard. I thought it was game over, but the offense surprised us.
Beyond that:
Adam Macko opened and worked his way through 5 outs, giving up 3 singles with a strikeout. He wasn’t great, but he didn’t give up a run.
Connor Seabold (I keep typing Seaborn, I liked West Wing back in the day. If I thought he was going to stay around long, I’d call him Rob Lowe) got 5 outs without allowing a base runner (helped along by a successful Brandon Valenzuela challenge).
Mason Fluharty was terrific, getting the last out of the seventh and all three outs in the eighth.
And Braydon Fisher picked up his first save his MLB career, despite a two-out Ernie Clement error (on a very easy play). I made have sworn very very loudly, and with windows open in the house, several neighbours likely heard, but then they know me, they’ll just think ‘Something bad happened in the Jays game’.
On offense, we did nothing for the first six innings, just two hits, a one-out triple by Daulton Varsho in the second (he was stranded) and a one-out double by Valenzuela (also stranded). It looked like it was going to be one of those days where we just wouldn’t score. We thought that Trevor Rogers was going to get a complete game on 60 pitches. But we got to him in that seventh inning.
Vladimir Guerrero started off the seventh with a single and Kazuma Okamoto homered (108 mph, 387 feet). Varsho followed with a double and Charles McAdoo homered (his first MLB hit, 369 feet).
Suddenly it was 5-4 and I was hopeful.
Then, in the eighth, George Springer and Clement started it with singles and Vlad doubled them home, giving us our first lead of the day. It would have been nice to score Vlad and give the bullpen a little bit of room for error, but no. And, in the top of the ninth, Nathan Lukes started the inning with a double and again we couldn’t score him. But we had faith in Fisher.
We had 10 hits. Vlad and Varsho had 2 each. The only starters without a hit were Myles Straw (but he was pinch hit for after 2 at bats) and Yohendrick Piñango who needed break from carrying the team for the last while.
Jays of the Day: Vlad (0.34 WPA), Fisher (0.19) and Fluharty (0.15). Let’s give an honorable mention to McAdoo and Okamoto for the home runs.
Other Award: Voth (-0.26) and Piñango (-0.10). And an Honorable Other Award to Clement for that ninth inning error that shot up my blood pressure 40 points. He made the play on the next ground ball hit right at him.
Also making an error tonight was Vlad, who seemed to misread a popup, but got there, then had the ball pop out of his glove. Joe, in the analyst spot, said something about Vlad being so good at popups and I was thinking ‘name me an infielder who isn’t good at chasing popups’. I mean, there are pretty easy plays, I can catch a popup. Oh well, it didn’t cost us.
I thought McAdoo (or Chuck to those of us who are close friends) looked good at second. He made a very tough play. It is great to see him get that first hit, first home run. Also good to see anyone not named Sosa at second base.
We have game three of four in Baltimore tomorrow. It is a 4:00 Eastern start. Trey Yesavage (2-2,2.25) tries to get us above .500. Brandon Young (3-1, 3,47) starts for the O’s.
The Mets walked off the Miami Marlins on Friday night in the 10th inning to win, 9-7.
Here are the takeaways...
-- For a league-leading 11th time this season, the Mets went to extra innings with the Marlins after the game was tied at 7-7 through nine. Austin Warren did his job by stranding the ghost runner in a clean top of the 10th inning to give New York a chance to win it in the bottom half and that's exactly what it did after MJ Melendez socked a two-run shot to give the team a 9-7 win.
Melendez entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and finished with three RBI.
-- As is the case so often when a team faces a pitcher for a second straight start after the pitcher shut them down in the first outing, the Mets got to starter Max Meyer this time around, jumping him for four runs in the first inning after the right-hander went seven scoreless against New York in Miami on May 23 while allowing one hit.
It started after the Mets loaded the bases on a single and two walks, which brought up A.J. Ewing, hitting fifth in the order, who delivered a two-run single up the middle to beat the drawn-in infield. Brett Baty tacked on two more with his two-out single to right field after Ewing stole second base and put two in scoring position.
The four runs New York scored in the first inning doubled the total number of runs it scored in the three-game series in Miami last weekend.
-- Staked to an early big lead, Mets starter Freddy Peralta kept the Marlins off the board for the first two innings, but had to endure a rigorous third inning in which he threw 38 pitches. The right-hander allowed just one run in the frame on a triple by Xavier Edwards, but he took a big hit to his pitch count, which could have possibly affected the rest of his performance.
-- Miami wasted no time in the fourth, attacking Peralta early in counts and stringing together three straight hits, two doubles and a single, on the first five pitches of the inning to score a run. Luis Torrens helped out his starter by throwing out a baserunner at second base for the first out and then Peralta escaped further trouble with a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.
-- Both times the Marlins scored in the third and fourth innings, the Mets got it right back by answering in the bottom half of the inning. In the third, it was Mark Vientos’ solo shot, a 445-foot towering blast that landed in the second deck. In the fourth, New York took advantage of two consecutive errors by Miami’s defense to plate a run.
-- In the fifth, it was a Mets error that hurt Peralta after he had gotten the first two outs of the inning following a leadoff single that advanced to third on two groundouts. On a 101 mph hot shot to first base off the bat of Otto Lopez, Vientos couldn’t make the play, which resulted in a run. Given an extra life, the Marlins cashed in immediately with a double by Kyle Stowers that drove in the second run of the inning and ended Peralta’s night.
Peralta lasted just 4.2 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. He threw 94 pitches (60 strikes) and wasn’t able to earn a win despite his offense scoring six runs for him.
-- A.J. Minter made his second appearance for New York since returning from the IL and recorded the final out of the fifth. The left-hander got two more outs in the sixth before getting pulled. He had two strikeouts in his inning of work.
-- Huascar Brazoban also pitched an inning in relief but allowed a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly following a walk and a double that rolled past Baty down the third-base line and had a 50 mph exit velocity. Brooks Raley got the final out of the inning on a strikeout.
-- Once again, the Mets responded in their bottom half of the inning by scoring on a sac fly of their own by pinch-hitterMelendez. Bo Bichette walked with one out and Juan Soto singled to put runners at the corners before the sac fly.
-- With a two-run lead, manager Carlos Mendoza chose to go with Tobias Myers in the eighth inning, which backfired when Myers allowed a leadoff single and then a game-tying, two-run home run to Owen Caissie that knotted things up at 7-7. Myers finished the inning without any further damage and Luke Weaver maneuvered through two hits in the ninth to give New York a chance in the bottom half of the ninth.
Game MVP: MJ Melendez
Melendez called game with his walk-off two-run homer.
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 27: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) and Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) celebrate following the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians on May 27, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Interesting one tonight. The Red Sox used an opener for struggling righty Brayan Bello tonight. The Guardians scored 4 runs off of him. In one inning. Here’s the sequence from that inning: strikeout-single-single-single-single-single-single-sac fly-strikeout. Here it is in action.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 29, 2026
You must be thinking the Guardians managed to pile on after to blow the Red Sox out, right? 4-0 in the first? Not quite. Bello came in for the 2nd inning and pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing only 4 Cleveland baserunners. Those 7 innings are tied for the longest outing of Bello’s season, and represent the longest start in which he’s given up 0 runs all year. In fairness, Bello has been great since he started coming in after the 1st (with the exception of one game in which he started). He’s pitched 30.1 innings in his last 5 games and given up only 9 earned runs (7 of which came against the Braves, where he opened the game). But, the Guardians only made Bello throw *63* pitches in 7 innings.
Okay, I’m done with the negativity. Jose looked really good today. In his 4 plate appearances he struck out once, and had batted balls of 103.6mph, 100.9mph, and 106.4mph. Two of those were outs. Perhaps he’s finally about to catch fire.
Slade was, well, normal. He pitched extremely well for the first 4 innings, and then imploded in the 5th. He gave up 4 hits and 3 runs recording only 1 out in the 5th. (Much like what the Red Sox have done with Bello, I really think the Guardians should consider having Festa open for Cecconi)
The bullpen was good again! Colin Holderman was tasked with cleaning up Cecconi’s mess and did so beautifully. He came on with a runner on second and got two weak groundouts. He came on for the 6th and induced a strike out and a groundout. Gaddis found himself in some trouble in the 8th with runners at the corners and 2 outs, but got Mickey Gasper to groundout for the last out of the inning.
Let’s talk about Cade Smith. He got his league-leading 20th save tonight, striking out the side. His ERA is down to 2.60, and his FIP is down to 1.04. Since the Cubs series, he’s pitched 20.2 innings to the tune of a 1.31 ERA and 0.36 FIP (3 total ER). He’s struck out 31 (thirty-one!!) batters and walked only 2. He’s recorded 16 saves in 20 opportunities. Since then, he’s remembered how to locate his fastball, consistently gotten his splitter below the zone, and is throwing his sweeper down-and-away to righties a blistering 56.3% of the time.
That’s all for tonight. It’ll be Messick (yay) vs. Gray tomorrow night.
May 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Dodgers (36-20) face off with the red hot Philadelphia Phillies (29-27) on Friday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a three-game weekend series.
Justin Wrobleski (6-2, 3.07 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers.
Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67 ERA, 0.82 WHIP) takes the mound for Philly.
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 29: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 29, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For six innings, everything appeared to be going Baltimore’s way. Trevor Rogers looked like the guy everyone hoped he would be this season. The Orioles already had three home runs under their belt and appeared destined for more against Toronto’s bullpen.
Then things quickly fell apart. Rogers allowed four runs in the blink of an eye, and Yennier Cano surrendered the lead one inning later. Baltimore’s bats went silent, and the Orioles dropped an extremely winnable game 6-5.
Rogers absolutely cruised through the first six innings. If he hadn’t been so efficient, he would have ended the day with six scoreless frames and a much needed confidence boost. Instead, he left the game with a bat taste in his mouth.
Rogers needed only 74 pitches to record 18 outs. He limited the Jays to two hits and a walk before running into trouble in the seventh. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got the rally started with a base hit on a 0-1 fastball. Rogers attempted to sneak a first-pitch fastball by Kazuma Okamoto, but Toronto’s home run leader ambushed the pitch. Okamoto turned the ball around at 108 MPH and trimmed Baltimore’s lead to three.
Daulton Varsho followed with a double down the left field line, and Adley Rutschman trotted out to the mound before rookie Charles McAdoo stepped to the plate. McAdoo took a pair of pitches before jumping on a similar high fastball. The rookie sent the ball into the first row of the right field bleachers for his first major league hit, and Rogers looked down at the ground in disbelief.
On a night filled with disappointments, it’s brutal that Rogers let a quality start slip away. Tonight could have marked a significant step in the right direction for the struggling starter. Instead, he’s stuck regretting a few late mistakes.
Craig Albernaz summoned Tyler Wells from the bullpen, and the former starter recorded three outs without relinquishing the lead. Baltimore went quietly in the bottom half of the seventh, and Toronto picked right back up where they left off in the top of the eighth.
Yennier Cano coughed up a pair of singles to George Springer and Ernie Clement to start the inning. Guerrero jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it to left field for a two-run double. Gunnar Henderson spiked the relay into the ground, and the go-ahead run scored without a play at the plate.
The Orioles jumped out to the five-run lead with some patience at the plate and three home runs. Jackson Holliday led off the third with a single, and Baltimore took three consecutive walks to score the first run of the game. The team could have struck for more, but Pete Alonso delivered an uncharacteristic and uncompetitive at bat with the bases loaded.
After three straight walks, Alonso swung at two pitches well outside of the strike zone before popping out for the first out. Samuel Basallo extended the strike zone a few times as well, but Basallo muscled a fly ball deep enough to plate the second run with a sacrifice fly.
Holliday extended the lead to three with a solo homer in the fourth, and Alonso returned to the plate with some patience in the fifth. Alonso took three pitches before launching an opposite field home run. The Polar Bear’s 11th homer of the season gave Baltimore a 4-0 lead and provided a template for Basallo.
Basallo stepped in and took three pitches before sending an opposite field homer of his own. The back-to-back jacks appeared to position Baltimore for a relatively easy path to victory. The Jays had other plans.
Baltimore had one last chance to extend the game in the ninth inning. Taylor Ward flied out to the warning track. Gunnar Henderson reached on a fielding error, but Adley Rutschman bounced out to end the game.
The game marked the latest chapter in a series of bad losses. The Orioles appeared to capture some momentum with a three-game sweep of the first-place Rays, but things changed in a hurry. The Blue Jays returned to .500 with the win, while Baltimore slipped to 26-32.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 15: Iván Herrera #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium on May 15, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as letting your former team know what they gave up on. Nelson Velázquez greeted the Chicago Cubs by slamming the first pitch he saw into the visitor’s bullpen helping the St. Louis Cardinals win Friday night. He was joined in the home run parade by Ivan Herrera and Thomas Saggese, but more on that later.
Andre Pallante struggled and that’s putting it kindly. In the top of the first inning, Andre was able to get Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner out, but then allowed Chicago to do a lot of two out scoring. Michael Busch singled and Alex Bregman both singled before Cardinal killer Ian Happ greeted a Andre Pallante 4-seam meatball by sending it 407 feet into the stands giving Chicago an early 3-0 lead.
Fortunately, it did not take long for the Cardinals to respond. In the bottom of the 1st, Iván Herrera had a ball glance off of his toe and then Jordan Walker lived up to his name and walked which brought up Nelson Velázquez who played his first Major League game as a Chicago Cub in May of 2022 until he was traded to Kansas City the following year. Nelson celebrated his call-up from Memphis by destroying a Shota Imanaga 4-seam fastball giving it a 411 foot ride tying the game at 3-3. Yo Nelly indeed.
Andre Pallante looked uncomfortable in the top of the 2nd inning as he gave up a single to Dansby Swanson and then walked Nico Hoerner with two outs. Michael Busch punished him by singling in Swanson allowing Chicago to jump back in the lead 4-3.
The resilient Cardinals answered that challenge again in the bottom of the 4th inning when Thomas Saggese homered to left-center tying the game again 4-4.
Andre Pallante would only last 3 innings giving up 8 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 3 and walking 1. Justin Bruihl would come in for relief in the 4th inning before handing the ball to Gordon Graceffo who entered the game in the top of the 5th inning, but only being allowed to throw 10 pitches. George Soriano pitched the top of the 6th inning. They were able to keep the Cubs off of the scoreboard in the middle of the game giving St. Louis a chance to grab the lead for the first time which they did thanks to Ivan Herrera slamming his 7th home run of the season. At that point, it was 5-4 Cardinals.
The late innings were handled by JoJo Romero who took over in the top of the 7th inning and had the honor of being the first Cardinals pitcher to get Michael Busch out Friday night as he was 3 for 3 before JoJo struck him out. He also struck out Ian Happ which proves it’s possible for a St. Louis pitcher to accomplish this. Ryne Stanek was tasked with the top of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Seiya Suzuki, but struck out Michael Conforto with a nasty split finger third strike. After Carson Kelly grounded out in front of the mound, Stanek appeared to tweak his knee a bit, but he stayed in the game. Ryne was able to close out the Cubs in the top of the 8th by getting Dansby Swanson to fly out to Walker in right field.
The Cardinals would add some badly-needed insurance in the bottom of the 8th inning when Nelson Velázquez reached on an infield single. After Alec Burleson struck out, Masyn Winn (who had 2 hits on the night) went the other way with a pitch into right field giving St. Louis a scoring chance that was delivered on when José Fermín singled into left upping the Cardinals lead to 6-4.
Riley O’Brien was brought in to lock down the game for St. Louis in the top of the 9th inning. He was rudely greeted by Pete Crow-Armstrong who knocked the 2nd pitch he saw off of the right field wall for a double. Nico Hoerner then nailed Riley in the back of the leg with a ball back up the middle, but he was able to recover and get the first out at first. O’Brien got Michael Busch to ground out scoring Armstrong from third, but the Cardinals were still clinging to their 6-5 lead. Alex Bregman grounded out to Masyn Winn to end the game and give St. Louis a very important early season victory.
Game 2 of the rivalry will happen Saturday night at Busch Stadium as Kyle Leahy will make the start for the St. Louis Cardinals while the Chicago Cubs will ask Ben Brown to take one for the team. Saturday night’s game will be a national broadcast on Fox with first pitch scheduled for 6:15pm.
With their team up 4-0 and seemingly on the cusp of the Stanley Cup Final, Carolina Hurricanes fans took a playful shot at the struggling visitors.
Fans at Raleigh's Lenovo Center broke out into a boisterous "Olé" chant during the second period — the same chant that is frequently heard during Montreal Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.
Carolina fans have plenty to celebrate. Up 3-1 in the series, the Hurricanes appear poised to book their first Stanley Cup Final ticket since they won it all in 2006.
