OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JANUARY 13: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs plays defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game on January 13, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There hasn’t been a playoff series since the 2018 Western Conference Finals that carries as much anticipation as the upcoming Spurs-Thunder clash, and for good reason. Both teams could upset Adam Silver’s precious era of parity, and the only thing stopping one of them from becoming a dynasty is, well, the other.
OKC has already reached the mountaintop, while San Antonio is nipping at their heels. This is the first matchup of what should be the rivalry of a generation, and whoever comes out on top between Wemby and Shai could also grab the title as best in the world.
So, let’s examine some of the key battles that will determine the war.
Rebounding
Rebounding has been OKC’s achilles heel for a few seasons now, and it could be problematic against the Spurs too. In the regular season, the Thunder’s 25.1% offensive rebounding rate ranked 25th in the league, while their 71% DREB was 16th. Meanwhile, the Spurs placed 9th (29.5%), and 1st (74.1%), respectively, in those categories, which played out in their regular season matchup, too: San Antonio scored 13 more second chance points in those games (+2.6 average).
Overall, the Spurs grabbed 12 more OREBs and 4 more DREBs across those five matches. It’s worth noting that those numbers are fattened by their fifth and final game, when the Thunder rested all their stars, and OKC has also been much better in the playoffs, with a 32.3% OREB compared to San Antonio’s 28.4%. On the other hand, the Spurs’ playoff opponents had much more capable frontcourts than what the Thunder faced, and the regular season’s larger sample should be more indicative of both team’s styles.
In such a close series, San Antonio needs to win on the margins, and that means dominating OKC on the glass.
Free throws
For as much hootin’ and hollerin’ there is around Shai’s foul grifting, he is still just one player. Even with his prowess getting to the line, the Thunder were “just” 9th league-wide in free throw rate, at 21.8% — just slightly behind the Spurs, who were at 21.9%. These two teams are neck and neck on the other end, too, as San Antonio was 1st in defensive free throw rate (17.9%) while OKC was second (18.3%), and none of those numbers have changed much in the playoffs. In the four regular season matchups when both Wemby and Shai played, the Spurs shot 15 more FTs than the Thunder did, though the large discrepancy is skewed by an outlier game that saw San Antonio have 17 more attempts in one night.
This will be a battle of strengths on both sides of the ball, and I’m fully here for the toxic discourse that will inevitably follow.
The Wemby mismatch
Wemby is a walking mismatch for every team in the league, but it was most pronounce against the Thunder due to the level of competition he dominated. In their regular season series, OKC had an abysmal 99.6 offensive rating with Wemby playing, which was largely caused by their shots (or lack thereof) at the basket: the Thunder only attempted 25.3% of their shots around the rim, which would’ve ranked 29th league-wide and was 6% lower than their full season average (31.3%). They had no answer to Wemby defensively, as he was always able to roam the paint by either matching up against a non-spacing big (Hartenstein), or sagging off of a guard who struggles to shoot (like Caruso, who went 2-12 from three in one game).
It’s a high risk, high reward strategy since Caruso (and other Thunder guards) has shown the ability to get hot from deep, but the Spurs have counters to that as well. In the Minnesota series, the Wolves forced Wemby to guard Terrance Shannon Jr. at times in the corners, but the Alien recovers so fast that he’s able to get back in the paint without giving the opposition an advantage, and that’s also aided by San Antonio’s impeccable defensive rotations beside him.
Shai hasn’t passed the Wemby test, either. The Alien allows the Spurs’ perimeter defenders (especially Stephon Castle) to guard the MVP aggressively: if they get beat off the dribble, they know that Wemby’s behind them to provide help, and because of this, Wemby’s presence has detered Shai from driving, forcing him to take difficult shots instead.
Haven't loved the quality of Shai's pullups vs Castle when Wemby is behind him at the rim. These are low percentage shots, even for the best midrange shooter in the world. pic.twitter.com/9LrcYeAo56
The one thing OKC can try is using Gortat screens to prevent Wemby from getting in position to contest shots. Minnesota did it multiple times in the first few games to some success, and the Thunder have better personnel to make it a more consistent strategy. It won’t work everytime, but if OKC executes it properly, some key possessions could be swung in their favor.
Offensively, Wemby renders one of the Thunder’s strengths moot. San Antonio made an absurd 70.5% of their attempts at the rim, which is over 10% higher than what OKC normally concedes in that area (60.2%, first in the regular season). Having a 7’5” alien as a lob threat certainly helps, but Wemby’s impact goes far beyond that. His gravity creates open driving lanes for San Antonio’s guards, or cuts that they can make for wide open finishes, like the example below.
In the regular season games, the Thunder used a smaller guard/wing on Wemby, allowing iHart or Chet to roam and provide backline help. This was largely ineffective due to Wemby’s shooting ability, his gravity, and the Spurs off-ball movement, so OKC tried playing Chet straight against him instead. Well, that didn’t even last a half, and OKC seemed lost during all of the Wemby minutes.
Still, Mark Daigneault has had over three months to gameplan against the Alien. He’ll have moree tricks up his sleeve now, and there’s still a wrinkle that was barely employed in the regular season: using one of Chet/iHart against Wemby while the other one acts as a roamer by sagging off of Castle. It’s a risk given that the latter is shooting 44% from three in the playoffs and has dealt with this type of coverage before, but neither Castle nor Wemby has experienced it against an all-time great defense that has had months to prepare for this specific matchup.
If anyone can find an advantage over Wemby and the Spurs, it would be this OKC squad.
X-Factor: Spurs’ 3-point volume vs Thunder’s points off turnovers
As was outlined by Jeje in the series preview, the Spurs allowed much fewer turnovers against OKC compared to the Thunder’s season average, and that resulted in San Antonio scoring more points off TOs than OKC did. Essentially, the Spurs turned off the Thunder’s superpower, which was caused by a few factors. One, OKC’s perimeter defenders weren’t hounding San Antonio’s guards as much as they usually do, instead giving them more space. This is because the Spurs’ guards are the only ones in the league that can match the Thunder backcourt’s physicality and athleticism, so San Antonio could play bully ball and drive past the defense if they were pressed too hard. OKC also wanted to swarm Wemby more, and with none of the Spurs guards being elite shooters, the Thunder were comfortable giving them more space to operate on the perimeter.
Obviously, the drawback to that is the lack of turnovers created. Given the lack of success that this scheme had in the regular season, I expect OKC to go back to their usual aggressive defense, but that would result in more defensive rotations that opens up threes for their opponents. The Thunder have successfully lived with this trade-off for multiple seasons now, finishing tied for first in turnovers forced this past season (16.8%) but also conceding the 6th most threes (40.4% of opponent shots came from beyond the arc) and the most corners threes, too (12.4%). That latter number is especially important because the Spurs generated the most corner threes (12.9%) in the regular season, which increased to 13.8% with Wemby on the floor — one of the highest figures ever.
In other words, the Thunder can either play conservatively on defense and risk losing the turnover battle again, or they can go back to their usual scheme and live with the Spurs shooting threes. This will be the most important stylistic battle to monitor, and whoever comes out on top will have a massive advantage in the series.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Cameron Boozer #12 of the Duke Blue Devils handles the ball against Jaylin Stewart #3 of the UConn Huskies during the Elite Eight round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The amount of talent in this 2026 draft has been compared to some of the best draft classes the NBA has ever seen, drawing comparisons to the 1996 and 2003 drafts. The 1996 draft showcased names like Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, and Ray Allen. Widely regarded as the most talented class ever, the 2003 draft featured names like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony. With so many comparisons being drawn with this draft, it’s worth taking a deeper look at the peak of this draft, and one of those names is Cameron Boozer.
The basics
Cam Boozer, the 6’9 freshman out of Duke, has widely been deemed a top four pick in this year’s draft, and for good reason. Boozer has been around basketball since birth, being the son of NBA veteran Carlos Boozer. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 18, 2007, while his father was playing for the Utah Jazz. He was touted as an elite prospect in high school as a freshman. He didn’t fall short of expectations, leading Christopher Columbus High School in Westchester, Florida, to four 7A state championships. Boozer won Gatorade National Player of the Year as a sophomore and senior and was also named Florida Mr. Basketball and Mr. Basketball USA. In his senior year, he averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.4 stocks (blocks + steals) per game.
His elite talent and winning ways made him a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in a loaded 2025-2026 NCAA class. Ultimately, he committed to Duke and continued his dominance at the collegiate level. Even in such a talented draft, Boozer stood out in his own unique ways, showing he’s capable of dominating at any level. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Boozer led the Blue Devils to a 31-3 record, securing a one seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament. They were eliminated on the infamous turnover at halfcourt that led to a UConn Braylon Mullins three, ending the Duke March Madness run at the Elite Eight. In the 73-72 loss, Boozer had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.
The good
Boozer is an elite offensive player. He stands at 6’9, 250 pounds, with a 7-foot wingspan – and plays like it. His game starts on the inside and moves out. He’s about as close to a mix of old-age and new-age big man as you can get. Boozer shot 55.6% from the floor his senior year, 39.1% from three, and 78.9% from the free throw line.
As far as his shot diet goes, 60% of his shots came in the paint, about 13% came from mid-range, and 26% came from three. Boozer was never perceived as an outside threat in high school but expanded his game at Duke. Most notable was his ability to shoot the three. He shot 42 percent on unguarded catch-and-shoot threes, 39 percent on guarded catch-and-shoot threes, 49 percent on spot-up threes, and 44 percent on pick-and-pops. For not being dubbed a natural “shooter,” these numbers are impressive.
Although the three is in his hip pocket, the meat and potatoes of Boozer’s game is inside of 15 feet. He often operates out of the post and uses a flurry of moves to find a way to put the ball in the basket. He isn’t quite as savvy as a guy like AJ Dybantsa in terms of getting to his spot, but he has good fundamentals and footwork that allow him to get easy buckets inside.
The room to grow
The concerns surrounding Boozer mostly stem from his lack of general athleticism.
For the most part, he plays below the rim, and scouts worry his reliance on brute strength likely won’t be an advantage in the bigger, faster, stronger NBA. Boozer is a good athlete but does not possess top-tier explosiveness like an AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. This may affect his ability to finish strong at the rim and could limit his effectiveness in transition or when attacking the basket against more athletic defenders. As the NBA moves away from standard big men and more towards shooting and spacing at every position, there is concern Boozer’s skillset may not translate to the NBA.
Another area for improvement is at the defensive end of the floor. Although he’s a smart defensive player, Boozer may not be as dominant a rim protector at the next level. His shot-blocking numbers dropped notably from high school to college, which suggests he might struggle against substantially more athletic big men in the NBA. Boozer averaged just 0.6 blocks per game with Duke, just 2.0% of total shots taken by opponents. All the more reason for scouts to be concerned about his ability to guard length and athleticism. Additionally, his general lack of speed and lateral quickness puts him in vulnerable positions, especially when guarding on the perimeter. He’s not Daniel Gafford bad, but at best, he looks uncomfortable in space.
The good news for Boozer is that the concern teams and scouts have about him can be minimized by continuing to stretch his game outside of 15 feet and add some positional quickness. He’ll never be considered athletic, but his reliance on his size and fundamentals keep him in the top four prospects.
Fit with the Grizzlies (third selection)
As the Memphis Grizzlies continue to build around a young core that includes Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Zach Edey, selecting Boozer would add a key go-to offensive threat along with creating one of the more dynamic frontcourts in the league. Although the Grizzlies already have solid options at power forward, including Taylor Hendricks and GG Jackson Jr., Boozer’s talent is a huge tier above those guys. He would be the ideal power forward to add to this dynamic core. The Grizzlies were 25th in the NBA this season in offensive rating at 112.9 points per 100 possessions. Adding Boozer would be an incredible shot to the arm offensively. Memphis would still need a year or two to build into a playoff team, but man this team looks a lot more fun with Boozer.
Fit with the Bulls (fourth selection)
The other destination Boozer could find himself landing in, is Chicago. The Bulls have been a mess for the past decade, and this draft is their chance to significantly right the ship. If the Grizzlies were to take Caleb Wilson with the third pick, leaving Boozer on the board for the Bulls, Chicago should salivate at the idea of adding him to a young core of Matas Buzelis and Tre Jones. Jones showcased his ability to be a solid point guard this past season and Buzelis is an athletic, high-flyer, who can be a threat on both sides of the floor. Chicago was 23rd in the NBA in offensive rating this season at 113.0 points per 100 possessions. Cam Boozer would be the ideal offensive fit for a much-needed revival of Chicago basketball.
NBA comparison
Boozer is frequently compared to Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic for his combination of strength and the ability to finish inside the paint. His ceiling could be a combination of Banchero with a touch of Tim Duncan’s fundamentals and offensive prowess inside of 15 feet. If Boozer doesn’t reach that level, a slightly smaller Kevin Love is also in the cards. At his peak, Love was an offensive juggernaut who sucked up rebounds like a vacuum cleaner. Either way, Boozer will probably have a very solid NBA career.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 22: Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round 1 Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we revisit every player who suited up during the 2025–26 campaign through the lens of expectation, reality, and what it ultimately meant.
Player Snapshot
Position: SG
Age: 24
2026-27 Contract Status: $36.3 million
SunsRank (Preseason): 2
SunsRank (Postseason): 3
*SunsRank is based on Bright Side writers’ ranking.
Season in One Sentence
Jalen Green proved that he is who he has always been.
By the Numbers
GP
MIN
PPG
RPG
APG
STL
FG%
3PT%
FT%
OFFRTG
DEFRTG
+/- (TOTAL)
32
25.9
17.8
3.6
2.8
1.1
42.2%
31.3%
74.7%
114.2
113.5
+33
The Expectation
Jalen Green was supposed to come into the season as an electric athlete who could fill up the scoring column in the box score. He was supposed to be the number two scoring option on this team, who could give Booker a rest when needed.
That said, no one thought it was a guaranteed thing that Green was going to fit seamlessly on this team. In September, when Brandon Duenas played devil’s advocate and put forth three reasons the Suns weren’t going to make the playoffs this season, the number one predicted reason was that Booker and Green wouldn’t fit together. How many times have you heard the phrase, “there is only one ball” during your NBA fandom?
The athleticism of Jalen Green really was the main selling point of adding him to this roster. After years of wing rotations that consisted of Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale, a true jump out of the gym, hit your head on the rim-type athlete was supposed to be a breath of fresh air.
On top of it all, Green was an iron man. He missed just 21 out of his first 328 games in the NBA.
The Reality
Unfortunately, an offseason hamstring injury resulted in a huge setback for Green. His first game of the year was on November 6th against the Clippers, the Suns’ 9th game of the year. The very next game, also against the Clippers, Green reaggravated his hamstring and returned to the sideline. He would not return until the Suns’ 44th game of the year, in Philadelphia on January 20th. After that, he played just 4 of the next 11 games. Finally, on February 19th, he returned in full. He played in games 56-80 and was finally back for good.
If you look at his stats for his age 23 season, you won’t see a leap into superstardom. He scored around the same number of points with a very similar efficiency to his averages with Houston.
He was not Phoenix’s second option this season, like many of us expected him to be. He was third in field goal attempts per game for the Suns. By the time Green was regularly in the lineup, Brooks had already established himself as Booker’s number 2.
What It Means
Jalen Green is who he is. He has been almost the exact same player every single year he has been in the NBA. He is not going to replace Booker someday as the Suns’ star shooting guard. So, with that in mind, why keep him? He is going to make $36 million dollars next season, and this team has no starting power forward.
He’s still just 23, he is on a big contract, and he plays a position that makes him redundant to the team’s game plan. At this point, Jalen Green is the Sun that I think makes the most sense to trade this offseason.
If the Suns do keep Green long-term, then expect him to play more games than he did this season, but expect the exact same production. This is just who Jalen Green is.
Defining Moment
Jalen Green was the hero of the play-in, scoring 35 points against the Trailblazers and 36 points against the Warriors.
I am a sucker for a game-winner, though. On February 21st, the Suns played the Magic without Devin Booker and needed a hero as the clock struck zero in double overtime. Jalen Green stepped up and hit this incredible shot
I give Jalen Green a B. We were all disappointed to start the season without him and even more so to get him for so few games in total this year. When he was on the court, Booker and Green never felt like the dynamic inside-out guard duo that we thought they could be. But, outside of injury, it wasn’t a disappointing year. Green came in and performed exactly as he always had.
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 05: Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Minnesota Wild in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 05, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Colorado Avalanche News
That painful night in Dallas still fuels this Avalanche team: ‘You never totally get over it’. [Denver Post]
Avalanche finding ‘emotional balance’ ahead of Western Final. [NHL]
Avs head coach Jared Bednar thinks all players will be available for Game 1. [Denver Sports]
Sidney Crosby’s decision to play at worlds surprised Team Canada leaders. [Toronto Sun]
Gigantic Oilers goalie prospect crushing it in playoffs, but is his NHL path blocked? [Edmonton Journal]
Game 6 couldn’t have gone much worse for the Canadiens. The Sabres score seven unanswered goals in a commanding 8-3 win to force a deciding game. [Montreal Gazette]
Wild vets Brodin, Eriksson Ek each had broken foot that kept them out of playoff series loss to Avs. [TSN]
Sunday Overreactions: Wild need clarity from Hughes as soon as possible. [Sportsnet]
A list of suspensions and fines issued so far during the 2026 playoffs. [The Hockey News]
Golden Knights lose pick and coach John Tortorella is fined for boxing out media. [ESPN]
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 08: A general view of Oracle Park during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants on Friday, May 8, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball begins today, so let’s take a look at what’s on deck for this week.
First up, the Giants keep their west coast road trip going as they begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. After a day off on Thursday, they head back to Oracle Park to begin a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
Personally, I’m going to pick the Diamondbacks series this week. The Giants are currently sitting in fourth place in the division and if they can get a couple wins against Arizona, that would move them up a bit to a slightly more respectable third place. One can dream, anyway.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin their series against the Diamondbacks tonight at 6:40 p.m. PT.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 17: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting a foul ball off of his foot during the MLB game between the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves on May 17, 2026 at TRUIST Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
…………………………………..Sometimes I wonder why I watch a team like this, man. I’m so tired already. I can’t even muster the energy to write a fun lil’ intro. You know what the deal is with this team: the deal is that the 2026 Boston Red Sox fuckin’ suck at baseball. So, why waste any time? Let’s get this over with, because we’ve got plenty of stuff to talk about over the past week. Feel like this is gonna be a relatively quick one, since I don’t know how many times I can tell you that we’re watching a bad team.
(Going back to read this intro now that I’m done, and hahahahahahahaha of course I couldn’t keep it short. Who am I fooling? God I’m an ass.)
It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.
Defense Good, Offense Bad
Say what you want about Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, but he was a man of his word when it came to emphasizing pitching and defense. The Red Sox’s pitching staff has a top-10 ERA in the league following the weekend, while their defense has graded out as by far the best in baseball in terms of defensive runs saved.
Unfortunately, it looks like that’s come at the expense of…well, anything resembling consistent offense. The only team that has a worse combined OPS than the Sox this season (.666; very fitting if you ask me) are the Mets. Boston boasts one of the worst total on base percentages across MLB (.310) and are the posting the second-worst combined slugging percentage (.356; I’ll let you guess which team is putting up the only worse slugging output as of the time of publication).
You know who the suspects are. Three Red Sox hitters qualified for the league’s bottom 10 in OPS as of Sunday morning. Sing ‘em with me: Durbin, Duran, Story.
It’s not just that trio that have sucked complete shit on offense. The only guys who can skate from criticism here are Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, and Ceddanne Rafaela. Those three—along with Nick Sogard (who has had all of four ABs in the bigs this year) and Mickey Gasper (25 ABs to his name, wowwwww such a bigger sample size)—are the only guys this year who are able to say they’ve got an OPS north of .687.
Again: I can sit here and try to dissect exactly what the problems are (I’ve tried to! On this very website! Multiple times this season!!!! In blog posts just like this one!!!!!!). Honestly, there are too many to even name. They can’t move runners over once they actually somehow manage to get into scoring position. They strikeout far too often for a team that has nearly zero slugging potential to speak of. They ground out far too often in general, sans qualifier. Go ahead and name a dozen more problems in the comments; there’s no shortage of them.
So this all comes back to Breslow, especially now that this is official his entire show. Hindsight is 20/20, yes, but what the fuck are we doing here, guys? I’ve been one to complain about stupid defensive mistakes before (again, I’ve done so on OTM many times over the last few years!!!!), but I didn’t want the monkey paw to curl this much to the point where the offense is on life support.
I’m sure in the coming weeks and months we’ll carry out the official autopsy on the 2026 lineup. The larger conversations about Breslow will be shelved, by me at least, for another day (knock yourself out; I just don’t have the energy for it right now……this team is breaking me, man). Those will all come with time. I guess I’m just still shocked at how uninspiring this team is at the plate. Almost everyone looks like they’re hitting with a pool noodle. Here I was trying to find silver linings about the hard hit rate, or strides that were being made by Marcelo Mayer or Jarren Duran. Serves me right for sticking my neck out for perhaps the single worst Red Sox offense I’ve seen in my entire life.
Hope the defensive improvements have been worth it!
It’s Hell-o Watching Bello
(Yes, I’m aware this doesn’t actually rhyme.)
Speaking of sticking my necks out for guys: I think I’m done doing so for Brayan Bello.
Just as I was starting to warm up to him again after a pair of solid outings that were preceded by an opener on the hill, Bello self-destructed once again in Sunday’s finale against Atlanta: seven earned runs coughed up across five innings of work. He surrendered eight hits, several of which went for extra bases, and walked three Braves.
I don’t really know what else to say about his stuff on the mound that I haven’t already touched upon in a previous MMBB this year (with the exception of one point that I’ll get to in a moment). His cutter still sucks, and it’s still a bad idea to make it his number two or three offering (which, to be fair, he only ended up throwing it 9% of the time on Sunday……….I can make a guess why that is, though). So, it made no sense as to why he tried to deploy it as an out pitch with two strikes and two down in the first and a pair of runners aboard against a power hitter in Austin Riley. The Bravos slugger did exactly what he was supposed to do with a 88 MPH cookie that ended up right in his happy zone.
Despite a slow start, Austin Riley is on pace for 25 HR and 98 RBI.
Bello can’t consistently get strikes with his changeup or his curve, and he’s never gonna consistently pile up the K’s. If he’s not spinning to keep the ball on the ground and if he can’t keep batters off balance, it spells trouble for him. Simple as that; nothing you didn’t already know.
Is this pickle’s solution really something as simple as preceding Bello’s “starts” with an opener? I don’t know if two appearances after an opener is enough of a sample size to see something sticky in that idea. But on the other hand………like……..it had been working. He was ass before the opener strategy, manager Chad Tracy and the gang enacted that idea for two starts, he threw 13.1 total frames in those appearances to the tune of just two earned runs alongside eight hits and a pair of free passes (12 strikeouts, too!), they dumped the opener plan for the finale against Atlanta, and then he was ass again.
I think having an opener appear before handing it off to Bello is at least worst revisiting once more. What’s the worst that can happen at this point? That he shits his pants, something he had been doing the entire season thus far without the assistance of someone from the bullpen to be his opening act?
A point on this topic of openers I want to share: Tracy, after Sunday’s loss, said the opener strategy could be back on the table.
Chad Tracy isn't shutting down the idea of going back to an opener with Brayan Bello. Seems like it will be decided based on where the lefties in the bullpen are at. pic.twitter.com/N3222JmROR
Isn’t the onus on Tracy, the rest of the staff, and the organization to set Bello up for success?
I understand that Brayan’s a veteran at this point (one with a not-so-insignificant contract and financial commitment from the club, might I add) and that he should be expected to start a game right away, opener or not. But to quote John Mulaney talking about horses lose in hospitals, we’re well past that. It’s clear that at this point in time, the regular plan for Bello ain’t worth a lick.
So isn’t it the responsibility of Tracy to ensure that he’s getting the best version of number 66 by not burning all of his possible openers? This is especially the case when ace Garrett Crochet has yet to return and when you need guys to eat innings in order to survive in what is a truly putrid American League race (it is insane that we could hypothetically be in a playoff spot by the time Memorial Day rolls around next week). Isn’t the manager supposed to, I suppose, manage these things?
Regardless of what inning Bello toes the rubber in his next outing, though, he’s obviously got to improve. Otherwise, I don’t think an option to Worcester in the near future is out of the question. I’m rooting for him desperately. I’ve defended his pitching profile plenty of times before. I really want to see a homegrown talent succeed here, like he did in 2025. Yet it’s time for the veteran to start pitching like one, opener or no opener.
Oh, and happy belated birthday Brayan.
(What’s The Story) Trev and Sogie?
Trevor Story’s bad start to 2026 got worse this past week, as the shortstop has been placed on the injured list with a sports hernia. Chris Cotillo of The Mexican TimesMassLive reported that all options to get Story on the mend, including surgery, are being considered. As I’m writing this on Sunday before the finale in Hotlanta, it sounds like he could miss at least six to 10 weeks of action.
A trio of points I’d like to make on this front to round us out:
1. As reported in that same MassLive article, Story himself mentioned he’s been playing with this lingering groin issue since spring training.
“Obviously, I haven’t been able to really move like myself out there, so it kind of built up on me. After a few hard days in a row, it popped up and I just couldn’t kick it after that. It’s been a battle for the first month, month-and-a-half. I hang my hat on being able to play and being available, and obviously, now it’s probably a good time to re-evaluate that.”
Maybe that explains some of the struggles we’ve seen from Story, both at the plate and on the infield dirt, to begin 2026. To be frank, he’s looked lost with both the bat and the glove. Not to go all Savant slop on all of you, but the old saying is that a picture says 1,000 words. If that’s the case, I think a screenshot of Trevor’s Savant page can do all the explaining I need.
Bad. Really, really, really bad stuff. And honestly, if you watch the games (which I’d imagine you do if you’re reading this, thank you for doing so), you didn’t need me nor that screenshot to tell you that everything with his game this season has been rough to see.
With that said, here’s hoping the recovery process goes well for Story so that we can maybe get some productivity out of him in the second half of the season. For better or for worse, I think we’re gonna have him on the roster short of a DFA being executed in a few months. I don’t think anyone’s gonna trade for him along with the $25 million deal for 2027 that’s attached to him at this juncture (and that includes the Mets; I saw those rumors too and I don’t buy ‘em). I suppose stranger things have happened, and maybe Story can salvage something from this season, but I guess I’m not holding my breath. Just a shame all around, really.
2. Story’s time on the shelf paved the way for Nick Sogard to be recalled from AAA. While he’s not the absolute pinnacle of the farm system at this point, maybe he can step in and be a serviceable left-handed hitting option within the infield alongside the righty Andruw Monasterio at least for the time being.
For what it’s worth, Sogard has been hitting the ball real well this season for the WooSox: his triple slash prior to being called up to the big club stood at .269/.417/.454 for an .871 OPS across 168 plate appearances at the AAA level, with the five homers sticking out to me as an impressive figure worthy of a shout out.
Is five homers in the minors gonna get me out of bed in the morning? No, not particularly. However, to bring things back to what I spoke about earlier on in the article: this team is starved of offensive output right now, so any positive developments within the organization are a welcome sign and something that’s worth monitoring at the very least.
After all: Sogard’s Prospect Savant page don’t look too shabby. He’s been drawing a healthy amount of walks, he hasn’t been striking out a ton, and his average exit velocities have actually been quite firm. A solid approach at the plate could provide the foundation of some semblance of production, regardless of how long his stint in Boston this season lasts. Watch this space. Let me try to convince myself of something to latch onto, folks. I’m gonna go insane if I can’t, and I’m sure Mr. Secatore and Co. will not appreciate that outcome.
3. Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported a piece of news regarding Marcelo Mayer prior to Sunday’s game that I was really hoping to see sooner rather than later.
Marcelo Mayer said he has talked with Chad Tracy about potentially moving to shortstop and is going to start practicing there.
With all due respect to Mr. Story along with his career accomplishments and previous reputation on defense, I think this moves has to happen—nay: had to, as in something that should’ve happened. I don’t think I’d hear much pushback to the idea of Mayer being a better fielder right now than anyone else you could put on the left side of the infield right now outside of, perhaps, Caleb Durbin. Durbin’s been sensational at third, though I’m not sure how he’d fare at short. Meanwhile, I’ve seen Mayer play both quite well. But I digress.
While Mayer’s offensive output has ebbed and flowed thus far in 2026, he’s already shown he’s a major league-caliber fielder. It would behoove the organization to get him over to shortstop now, especially while the incumbent Story heals up. Hell, I would’ve made the change much sooner—but I’m just a mere blogger trying to write this while my dog paws at me to take him to go pee (in a minute, Marshall, I’m writing thousands of words about a sub-.500 ball club…).
Point is: more Mayer at short, please. It’s been long enough. The kid’s got to sink or swim at some point; that means putting him in the lineup against more lefties and letting him get a hold of that position full-time.
Song of the Week: “If Not For You” by George Harrison
A beaut from the best Beatles solo album, of course.
Same time and same place next week, friends! Go Sox.
We’re going to the butcher’s bill early today because it’s long and I don’t have any more animal cruelty stories (thank goodness). Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The Dodgers are hopeful the former two-time Cy Young Award winner will return before the end of the season.
The Dodgers acquired lefty Eric Lauer in a trade with the Blue Jays. Toronto gets cash. Lauer takes the place of lefty Jack Dreyer, who goes on the IL with left shoulder discomfort.
Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg, who hasn’t played yet this year, is now out for the season with ulnar collateral ligament surgery. Dayn Perry writes that the pressure is now on the rest of the Orioles to step up.
Just under a year ago, Wilber Flores hit three home runs in one game for the Giants. Now a free agent, Flores can’t find a team that wants him. (The Athletic sub. req.) So he’s also playing for Tijuana. Sam Blum and Dennis Lim with both Tijuana stories. (If you want a blast from the past, Flores and Turner are teammates on the Toros with Junior Lake.)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 13: Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a three run home run in the fifth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies have, to put it lightly, struggled over the past few years. However, one bright spot every year is the selection of a team’s All-Star representative(s). The Rockies have only had one representative each year since 2021:
Germán Márquez (2021)
C.J. Cron (2022)
Elias Díaz (2023)
Ryan McMahon (2024)
Hunter Goodman (2025).
Looking ahead to this year, one player is making a case for himself to represent the Rockies in the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia: Mickey Moniak.
Moniak posted career highs in games played (135), runs (62), hits (117), total bases (225), triples (8), home runs (24), RBI (68), walks (22), stolen bases (9) and OPS (.824).
He began the 2026 campaign on the 10-day IL after he sprained his finger diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt during spring training. However, he’s been on a tear since being reinstated on April 3 and is leading in numerous categories, both for the Rockies and around Major League Baseball.
Here’s how he ranks among NL and MLB leaders so far in 2026 (all stats current through the evening of May 17):
Stat
Number
NL Rank
MLB Rank
NL OF Rank
Rockies Rank
AVG
.298
12th
—
5th
2nd
SLG
.645
1st
2nd
1st
1st
OPS
.996
1st
5th
1st
1st
Total Bases
91
7th
9th
T-2nd
1st
Home Runs
12
T-4th
T-7th
T-2nd
1st
Extra-Base Hits
23
T-3rd
T-4th
T-2nd
1st
AB per HR
11.8
2nd
7th
1st
1st
In addition to the above stats, Moniak has had four multi-homer games in 2026 — which leads the Majors — and had an 18-game hitting streak from April 15-May 6. And on Wednesday, the 28-year-old fell a single shy of the cycle with a career-high tying five RBI, and his nine total bases were the most for a Rockie on their birthday.
If All-Stars were selected today, Moniak would have a case alongside St. Louis’ Jordan Walker and Washington’s James Wood. Wood was an All-Star last year, while Walker would also make his first All-Star team is selected. Here’s how Moniak stacks against them:
Stat
Number
NL OF Rank
Next Number
Player
AVG
.298
5th
.293
Michael Harris II (ATL)
SLG
.645
1st
.584
Jordan Walker (STL)
OPS
.996
1st
.955
Jordan Walker (STL)
Total Bases
91
T-2nd
91
James Wood (WSH)
Home Runs
12
T-2nd
12
James Wood (WSH)
Extra-Base Hits
23
T-2nd
23
Jordan Walker (STL)
AB per HR
11.8
1st
13.3
Jordan Walker (STL)
As you can see, not only does Moniak rank among NL outfield leaders, but in some cases, he’s far ahead of the next ranking player. That is particularly true of SLG, OPS and AB/HR.
In addition to Wood, the rest of the 2025 honors belonged to Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Kyle Tucker (CHC), Corbin Carroll (AZ), Kyle Stowers (MIA), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD). Acuña, Crow-Armstrong and Tucker were the starters, while the other four were reserves.
Mickey Moniak vs. The Rockies
Not only does Moniak rank among league leaders, but he leads the Rockies in numerous categories — often by a wide margin.
Stat
Number
Rockies Rank
Next Number
Player
AVG
.298
2nd
.275
TJ Rumfield
SLG
.645
1st
.506
Hunter Goodman
OPS
.996
1st
.844
Troy Johnston
Total Bases
91
1st
82
Hunter Goodman
Home Runs
12
1st
11
Hunter Goodman
Extra-Base Hits
23
1st
19
Hunter Goodman
AB per HR
11.8
1st
14.7
Hunter Goodman
Most of the time, he ranks just above Hunter Goodman, who is making his own case to be the first Rockies back-to-back All-Star since Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon did it from 2017-2019. The thing that would give Goodman the edge over Moniak is that the catcher field is less crowded than the outfield, but Moniak is still leading his teammates in enough categories that position might not matter.
Mickey Moniak 2026 vs. Charlie Blackmon 2019
The last Rockies outfielder to make an All-Star Game was Charlie Blackmon in 2019. (He was also selected in 2017 and 2018.) It was also the last time the Rockies fielded multiple All-Stars.
The rosters were announced on June 30 that year, and here’s how Blackmon stood out entering the reveal:
Stat
Number
NL Rank
MLB Rank
NL OF Rank
AVG
.337
3rd
4th
3rd
SLG
.653
3rd
3rd
3rd
OPS
1.036
3rd
4th
3rd
Triples
7
1st
T-2nd
1st
Home Runs
20
7th
T-8th
T-4th
Blackmon also had two multi-homer games in that stretch, and went on two separate 11-game hitting streaks from April 16-28 and May 1-14.
In 2019, Christian Yelich (MIL), Cody Bellinger (LAD) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) were selected as starters, while Blackmon was selected by his peers as a reserve alongside David Dahl (COL) and Jeff McNeil (NYM).
The case for Mickey Moniak to be an All-Star
The case speaks for itself. Moniak is among league leaders in numerous offensive categories. When you’re in the same conversation as players such as Kyle Schwarber, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper and Max Muncy, you’re doing something right.
That said, Moniak likely won’t be selected as a starter — the last Rockie to have that honor was Nolan Arenado in 2019. However, if Moniak keeps playing the way he has been, he will likely be selected by his peers as a reserve.
Do you think Moniak will be an All-Star, or will that honor go to Goodman? Or do you think the Rockies will have multiple All-Stars for the first time in seven years? Let us know in the comments!
It was not a good day for the Isotopes pitching staff against the Oklahoma City Comets (LAD). Starter Erasmo Ramírez lasted just three innings and gave up nine runs on 10 hits. Bryson Van Sickle then came in and gave up six (four earned) on three hits and Ryan Miller gave up two on three hits. Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) and Mason Green combined for three shutout innings (Herrera threw two perfect innings with three strikeouts), but then TJ Shook gave up three more in the final inning to seal the blowout loss. The pitching staff gave up three home runs, and only one was a multi-run homer in the fifth inning.
Offensively, Adael Amador went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored. Chad Stevens, Blaine Crim and Jose Cordova also recorded multi-hit games, and Crim and Nic Kent also hit homers of their own.
The Yard Goats fared better than the Isotopes, as they walked off the Portland Sea Dogs (BOS). Starter Konner Eaton struggled, giving up four runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks, five strikeouts and two home runs. Luckily, Carlos Torres bailed him out with two hits and two strikeouts over two innings, and Cade Denton ended up with the win after allowing just one run on one hit with two walks and a strikeout.
Bryant Betancourt ended up being the hero for the Goats, hitting a two-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth.
It was a low-scoring affair in Spokane, but the Indians came out on the losing side of it. They jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over the Hops (AZ) in the first, but it was given back in the bottom of the inning. Roynier Hernandez scored on a pickoff error in the third to put the Indians up 2-1, but that was the end of the scoring as the Hops scored twice in the fifth and once again in the eighth. Hernandez was the only Indians player to have multiple hits (2).
On the pitching side, each player gave up at least one run but Hunter Mann’s was unearned in his 2.2 innings of work.
It was a high-scoring affair in Fresno, but unfortunately the Grizzlies weren’t quite able to overcome an eight-run sixth inning by the Rawhide (AZ). The game was tied 2-2 after the first, and then the Grizzlies scored six in the third to go up 8-2. It started with Tanner Thach being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Clayton Gray. Then Derek Bernard reached on an error to score Roldy Brito, and then Jack O’Dowd hit a grand slam. But then the Rawhide scored eight in the sixth with an RBI double by Pedro Catuy, a two-run triple by Ivan Luciano, an RBI single by Jose Alpuria, a two-run homer by Enyervert Perez and then another two-run homer by JD Dix to put them up 11-8 after the inning. Kyle Fossum grounded into a force in the seventh, but Bernard and O’Dowd were able to score. But then Jakey Josepha singled to tack on another run in the eighth, 12-10, and Alpuria doubled and Cunningham singled to put the Rawhide up 15-10. Gray doubled to score Matt Klein, then Brito singled to score Fossum and Gray. And finally Ethan Holliday singled to score Brito, but that was the end of it: 15-14.
Tanner Gordon flew to and from Albuquerque in place of Jimmy Herget twice last week. After being recalled on April 14, he was optioned down on Tuesday when Herget came off the bereavement/family emergency list. However, he barely touched down before he was summoned back on Thursday when Herget went on the IL with right shoulder impingement. And naturally, after being in five different cities in 48 hours, Gordon had to pitch four innings at PNC Park after starter Chase Dollander went down with an elbow injury in the second inning. He allowed one run on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Michael Lorenzen signed with the Rockies with the hopes of solving Coors Field. Unfortunately, that has not happened yet, as the right-hander has put up a 2-6 record and 7.03 ERA (10.03 at Coors Field). On Sunday, he yielded nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in 4.2 innings in the loss to the Diamondbacks. Lorenzen addressed the media after the game, and we’ll have to see if he’s able to right the ship.
The Rockies’ in-game host has connections both to Colorado and to Major League Baseball. Patrick Saunders caught up with Gianna about her history in both, and how she is making her way in a tough industry.
SPRINGFIELD, MO - APRIL 08: Liam Doyle #19 of the Springfield Cardinals pitches during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Springfield, Missouri. (Photo by Kaylee Vaughan/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Last week, I shared how the hitting prospects in the system were doing. Wasn’t really planning for it to be a weeklong thing, it’s just that the Cardinals seem to have that many prospects worth monitoring. And I definitely didn’t cover everyone too. This week, I’ll cover the pitching prospects. Let’s get started.
Maybe it’s because he got to Memphis so fast, but I am truly confused as to how long it is taking Mathews to adjust to AAA. Maybe it’s the ball and he’s uniquely affected. Maybe it’s just that some pitchers need more development time at some level. Whatever it is, I really wish he could get his walk rate to a level where I would feel comfortable promoting him to the big leagues. 18% is a nonstarter and it’s not like his other stats are good right now either.
I am suddenly not concerned about Mathews at all after seeing how Hence has pitched this year. He is not currently in Memphis to the best of my knowledge, being sent to the complex league to work out whatever exactly is affecting him right now. The talent is still there. Either the mechanics or the health isn’t however. Hopefully, it works out as well as the Joshua Baez experience.
Tekoah Roby, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect)
Underwent Tommy John surgery on July 28th last season. If he pitches at all this year, I doubt he’ll have much time to do more than be a multi-inning relief pitcher.
Mautz hasn’t really had a walk problem before this season, so there really does seem to be something to having to adjust to pitching with a different ball. And of course harder competition. I’m not worried about Mautz only because he wasn’t really ever on my radar to pitch at the big league level this season except maybe a spot start later in the season. Would have surprised me more if he was immediately good in Memphis.
Ixan Henderson, LHP – 24 (VEB’s #17 prospect)
Henderson was shut down due to a flexor strain in his elbow and was slated to miss at least the first two months of the season. I haven’t heard any updates since spring training.
Hunter Dobbins, RHP – 26 (acquired in the Sonny Gray trade)
Dobbins is currently a bit of a confusing pitcher. His Memphis stats suggest we basically have another Andre Pallante waiting in the wings. Which… actually it’s support by his lone MLB start too. He got a ton of groundballs, but couldn’t locate the zone. Pallante, despite lacking control, walks less than you would think. I don’t think Dobbins is exactly kicking down the door with his performance, though it’s good enough that he’s the clear choice if you need a starter.
Richard Fitts, RHP – 26 (acquired in the Willson Contreras trade)
I understand that Zimmermann is this year’s version of Curtis Taylor. I kind of want to see what he’s like in relief though. His K/BB numbers are excellent and it’s clear he can’t start at the MLB level – he’s just too homer-prone. He allowed three homers in yesterday’s game so that FIP is going to get way worse. He had a 6:1 K/BB so that xFIP won’t be hit that badly. Anyway, he was a reliever for 7 total games at the MLB level and he had a 14:0 K/BB ratio. I see more potential in him than Jared Shuster.
Hansen began the year injured, but has worked his way back to full heath at this point. If you focus on his batters faced, they have steadily increased to a season high of 22 in his most recent start, even though he only went 4.1 IP and he managed 5 innings in a previous start. It got momentarily derailed when he got rocked in a start where he lasted just 1.2 IP, hence the high ERA. It’s going pretty well for Hansen so far though. Would like to have another viable player to call up if needed in the Memphis rotation. It’s pretty much just Dobbins right now.
Sem Robberse, RHP – 24
Robberse underwent Tommy John surgery on May 14th of last season, so it’s entirely possible he could be starting rehab in the near future. Very far from being an MLB impact of course.
The Cardinals are kind of playing the in-between game with Rincon, where he’s not a starting pitcher, but he’s a little more than a reliever. He has started 3 games, but not been asked to face more than 15 batters in any appearance. I’m not sure if his innings are being limited or if he’s truly not a starter anymore, but I do find it a bit strange they seem to have given up on him as a starter.
His lone start wasn’t a real start, Rajcic is a full-blown reliever. Just wanted to put that out there. Jake Wood has been a big advocate to consider promoting him to the big league and it’s easy enough to see why. Probably not future as a starter and excelling as a reliever at the moment.
Winquest somehow has three hit by pitches in his three innings of work which do factor into his overall stats. It’s a similar negative penalty to a walk. Despite a solid K%, he hasn’t actually had a good appearance in Memphis yet – he’s allowed a run in each one. He had 2 Ks and no walks or HBPs in one appearance, but also allowed a homer. He is also now injured with an undisclosed injury. So much for bullpen help here.
For a minor league Rule 5 pickup, this is as good of a start as you can ask for. Yes, I know his ERA and FIP are ugly in Memphis. And it’s unfortunate he’s already allowed four homers this year. But he proved to be too good in AA pretty much immediately which is encouraging for a guy who spent last year pitching only rehab innings essentially.
Ryan Fernandez went from someone they couldn’t send down because he needed to work out his issues at the MLB level to a guy who can’t get called up even if he’s pitching well in Memphis (and a brief time at the MLB level) despite the Cardinals having a bad bullpen pretty quickly honestly. It is nice to have someone who I think deserves to get called up if a spot is needed at least.
I mean… Roycroft has to be getting close to entering DFA territory if a 40 man spot is needed. In his last four appearances, including last night, he’s allowed 10 earned runs in 4.1 IP. He may have been the punching bag on May 9th because innings were needed and he faced 13 batters, which is 5 batters more than he’s faced in any other appearance. He allowed six runs in that appearance.
People have suggested Gastelum for the MLB bullpen. He doesn’t appear that close to being MLB ready to me. It does not help his case that he is not on the 40 man roster. Typically if you are on the outside looking in with regards to the 40 man, you need to have great stats to get the call-up. He does not have that.
Good news. I can adjust many stats based upon how a pitcher pitched the night I’m writing this, but FIP and xFIP are not those stats. And Hales pitched a great inning yesterday and his FIP and xFIP will both drop. He struck out 2 in a scoreless innings with no walks and only a hit allowed. The bad news is that his BB% only dropped to 16.9%, so that’s going to need to fall a lot farther down before you consider a promotion.
Okay we at least have two relief pitchers worth promoting if they are needed. Obviously Blewett is a bit more complicated, not being on the 40 man and not having any options if promoted. The team BABIP in Memphis must be .330 because I am seeing a lot of high BABIPs.
In Doyle’s last three starts, he has a 37 K% and 5.6 BB%, so I think he’s at the right level. His advanced stats for the whole season are solid, though nothing special and I would expect a higher GB% at some point. But yeah if you were concerned about his first few starts, his last few starts make me think he’ll see Memphis sooner rather than later.
Not the most impressive stats, and you can really see the value in not walking guys when comparing him and Doyle. Doyle doesn’t have a particularly low BB%, and yet he has a significantly lower xFIP than Cjintje pretty much just because of walks. Cjintje also has four HBPs and man I really wish HBPs wasn’t playing such a big role in some of these pitching lines, because a 12.2 BB% is high, but I found it weird how bad his xFIP was. If you add the HBPs to the walks, it’s a 14.6 BB/HBP% which is really bad. He did strike out 10 in his most recent appearance so clearly there’s a lot of potential here.
Cooper Hjerpe, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #15 prospect)
Hjerpe underwent Tommy John surgery on April 15th last season. I haven’t seen any updates on his rehab, but he should probably pitch this season and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him in the MLB bullpen in September.
Everyone raise your hand if you thought Lin was going to outpitch Cjintje after a month and half of play. Now stop lying because you guys did not vote him onto the top 20 prospect list this past season. He’s still walking too many batters, but at least he’s striking out nearly a third of hitters and his walks are in a better place than last season certainly. Let’s hope he keeps this up.
Molina is now in his third organization and at least two of them have been pretty aggressive in promoting Molina, which is interesting because he was a 7th round pick. He’s advanced like a Day One pick. He started 11 games at Low A for the Rangers before they promoted him, and 12 total games at High A before the Cardinals put him in AA. Because the dude can miss bats.
If I wrote this before yesterday’s start happened, there’d be a lot more reason for optimism about Davis, but he had a horrendous start yesterday, walking five and only striking out two while giving up 5 runs. His FIP is going to be a lot worse and so will his xFIP. So that one’s a bummer. I also felt they were particularly aggressive with Davis, as he made just 8 starts at High A last year.
I can’t be the only one whose first instinct on seeing this guy and his stats and thought: “Who’s this guy?” Honestly, there wasn’t much reason before this year to pay attention. He was a 17th rounder in 2024 and spent most of 2025 in A ball, only striking out 19.8% of hitters in Low A. He struck out 39% of batters in High A, but it was just 15 innings. But he also was promoted to Springfield as well, and had a 1.00 ERA, albeit with a 15% K rate. Clearly that 39% K rate told us more than I think I would have guessed at the time as well as his permanent promotion to Springfield. These are great stats. This is a late round gem, even if he ends up hitting a wall. He’s not even old for his level. Score one for the scouting department on this one.
Saladin appears to be a full-time reliever, which is a bummer after his 2024 season, but appears to be the right choice. He didn’t have a great 2025, he would have started being old for his level if they kept him at High A, so they both promoted him and moved him to the bullpen. He’s been wild. Hasn’t allowed a homer, but a crazy high BABIP. Yesterday he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, so his FIP and xFIP will see some improvement. Just needs to control the walks.
Okay, well the Cardinals know more than me. News at eleven. Love has been pretty bad lately, and in fact gave up four runs in a relief appearance yesterday. I don’t know if he’s working on something, I don’t know if he’s fighting through an injury, but the Love I wanted to promote has exited the building.
Most of you probably know this – hell most of you probably don’t pay attention to this – but when I list the age of a player, I am listing the age they are considered for that year. Which can lead to thinks like me calling Watson 24-years-old despite not turning 24 until June. If he was born a month later, he’d be considered 23. That’s just the way it works. Anyway, he actually allowed three of his four homers in his last appearance, which really dragged down his numbers.
Oh hey I made a good call. In a post earlier this year, I said Love should be promoted to Memphis. That has not aged well, I also said Findlay should be promoted to Springfield. It happened less than a week later. And Findlay has rewarded that promotion so far.
Again, let’s give a hand to the scouting department. Burns was drafted in the 14th round of the 2024 draft. Granted, if you told me a later round draft pick had made it to AA, I wouldn’t be that shocked if it was a reliever. Thompson is shocking to me because he’s a starting pitcher. That’s taking nothing away from Burns however, who has been a three true outcomes guy: strikeout, groundball, or walk. He’s allowed two homers in 19.1 IP and has been supremely unlucky to do so since 25% of his flyballs allowed have been homers (average is 12%)
Uhhhh, what in the hell? How is this line even possible? This is legitimately an unbelievable line. I don’t know what to do with this. He has allowed 24 balls in play, which is a crazy low number considering he’s thrown 13.1 IP. Out of those 24, 16 have been hits. Does he occasionally just want to make things hard and just yell “I’m throwing three fastballs right down the middle” because how can you be this unhittable and have a .667 BABIP against. I want to write 2,000 words about this.
Anyway, that’s a good place to end. Hunter Hayes does not have stats worth sharing but he did strike out four and walk none a 2.1 inning relief appearance yesterday, so hopefully that means he turned a corner.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -MAY 12: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs high fives Stephon Castle #5 after a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half of Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center on May 12, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA has arrived at the very best part of the calendar. Four teams are left standing in the race for the 2026 championship, and it should produce the highest possible level of basketball played this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to become the first team since the 2018 Golden State Warriors to win back-to-back championships. They’re facing an upstart contender in the San Antonio Spurs who can threaten their potential dynasty. The Spurs have 22-year-old 7’5 sensation Victor Wembanyama. If the mythical Best Player in the World title belongs to Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander right now, it sure feels like Wemby is on the brink of claiming it as its own for the foreseeable future.
In the East, the New York Knicks are rolling, and playing the best basketball the franchise has seen since its last championship in 1973. The Cleveland Cavaliers are standing in their way after surviving a seven-game series against the Pistons.
Let’s rank the four teams still alive by their championships chances.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs and Knicks were expected to be the last two clubs left standing in the East at the start of the year, and that’s exactly what happened even if there were some twists for Cleveland that no one could have seen coming. The Cavs left no doubt in Game 7 against the Pistons despite another clunker from their trade deadline addition James Harden in a big game. It’s a testament to Cleveland’s talent level that Harden can no show and the team can still win a blowout. Harden will have better games against the Knicks, and he’ll need to for Cleveland to keep pace. The Cavs got Evan Mobley more involved in the offense after going down 0-2 to Detroit, and his continued growth represents Cleveland’s best chance to pull off an upset in the conference finals. Mobley and Jarrett Allen have the ability to give Karl-Anthony Towns fits defensively, and Mobley in particular should be able to hold up better than most bigs when switched onto Jalen Brunson. Donovan Mitchell probably has to be the best player in the series for Cleveland to make the NBA Finals, and he’s capable of getting to that level. This will be a huge series for Sam Merrill and Max Strus, the designated movement shooters for the Cavs who need to stay hot to match buckets with a powerful Knicks offense. New York has clearly been the better team in the playoffs, but Cleveland is still learning who it is, and there’s a chance it can still discover its best level in the conference finals.
3. New York Knicks
Remember when the Knicks were trailing the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in their first-round series and all of New York was ready to fire head coach Mike Brown? Since then, the Knicks have rattled off seven straight wins to look like a realistic championship challenger out of the East. The Knicks have been the favorite in the conference going back to the preseason, but it feels like they’re just starting to hit their stride and play their best ball at the best possible time. OG Anunoby’s right hamstring strain hangs over the team’s ascent, but he’s reportedly in line to play in Game 1 of this series. Anunoby is the skeleton key that makes New York go, providing spacing and three-point shooting around Jalen Brunson’s shot-creation and excellent defense next to two offensively-slanted stars in Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. While lineups with Brunson, KAT, and Anunoby are pretty mid on the season, Anunoby with one star on and the other star off crushes everything in its path. Brunson remains as good as it gets in crunch time: he’s always ready to pick out the weakest defender and attack them relentlessly, and it’s almost impossible to stop him from getting to his spots. This series and potentially the next one feel pivotal for Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson as players who bring unique strengths off the bench. If Anunoby is back and regains the level he’s played at so far in the postseason, the Knicks are a big favorite in the East and could have a decent chance against the Thunder or Spurs.
2. San Antonio Spurs
It’s wild to think that Victor Wembanyama had never played in a playoff game entering his third season this year. All San Antonio did this season was win 62 games (second-most in the NBA), with Wemby ascending to a top-3 player in the world, and posing problems no one has a solution for. Wembanyama isn’t just 7’5 with an 8-foot wingspan, he also plays with an incredible motor and enough skill to hit shots all over the floor. Wemby alone would make this team a contender, the Spurs also moved up into the top-4 of the draft lottery the next two seasons after landing the best prospect of the generation. Put Wemby on the floor with Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and the Spurs outscore opponents by 38.7 points per 100 possessions. Take Wemby and Castle off, and lineups led by Harper are still out-scoring opponents by +4.5 points. I’ll drop the fancy numbers for a second and just say the Spurs are much more than a one-man show. Luke Kornet provides elite rim protection as Wembanyama’s backup, and Julian Champagnie has grown into high-volume and accurate three-point shooter. Oh yeah, De’Aaron Fox is here too, and while he’s often frustrating, his shot-creation is still nice to have in a pinch. The Spurs have three losses throughout the playoffs, and two of them came when Wembanyama was either concussed or ejected. The Spurs already showed they could beat the Thunder in the regular season by winning the season series 4-1. No one should be surprised if this team wins the championship, and then wins a whole bunch more in the coming years.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are 8-0 in the playoffs entering the Western Conference Finals, and six of those eight wins have been by double-figures. The Spurs will be a much tougher opponent than the Suns or Lakers, and in many ways this is the first real chapter of what should be the defining rivalry in the NBA for the foreseeable future. While the Spurs won four of the five games during the regular season, teams usually have to take their lumps before breaking through for a championship. Beyond that, OKC has answers for everything San Antonio can do outside of Wembanyama. The Thunder’s defense is one of the best units in league history, and players like Fox, Castle, and Harper won’t have such an easy time creating looks against them. San Antonio has some good defenders, but they don’t have anyone who can slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA scored 20+ points in literally every game this season on the way to back-to-back MVPs. Chet Holmgren is the closest thing to Wemby the United States has produced, and while he’s not nearly as good as his French counterpart, Holmgren still feels like a top-10 player in the league right now. Jalen Williams will reportedly be ready to go for game one, but he’s missed so much of this season with a hamstring injury that it’s hard to know how much he can be counted on. Of course, Ajay Mitchell has basically replicated the scoring and shot-creation Williams was providing, so the Thunder should be just fine either way. Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in the world right now, and while Wembanyama will probably grab that title from him soon (maybe even in the next two weeks), I think SGA has enough juice to get the Thunder over the finish line this year. This is an elite team in its prime, and they’re ready to break the NBA’s no repeats streak.
Rory McIlroy clashed with a fan on Sunday in the final round of the US PGA as chanting from the gallery once again drew his ire.
McIlroy was among the challengers on the final day but found heavy rough on the 16th as his bid for victory petered out. His next shot rebounded into a bunker, although he would go on to par the hole.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 17: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox returns to the dugout following the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What we don’t have going for us at the moment, though, is quality outings from Brayan Bello. The birthday boy was unfortunately shelled on Sunday, as he gave up eight earned runs in five innings en route to the loss against Atlanta. Bello will not be pitching in this upcoming series in Kansas City, which is set to begin tonight at 7:40 p.m. EST.
My question to you folks is simple: what’s next for Bello?
He had two very solid outings preceding yesterday’s disaster, as both of those appearances featured an opener from the bullpen eating the first inning before handing things over to number 66. Is this simply a matter of reverting back to that strategy, or do you think the problems with Bello go deeper than that? Do we have to ride things out with him—especially with Crochet still on the mend—or do we have to consider sending him down to Worcester to get his act together? I want to hear from you.
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 17: Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammate Manny Machado #13 after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Rod Mar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last week saw to divisional matchups in the National League West, and NL West teams lost the two series against other NL teams outside the division. The San Diego Padres dropped two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Colorado Rockies lost two out of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But the division mostly took out any such frustration against the American League. The Dodgers and Padres, the two teams at the top of the standings and the only two teams in the division with a winning record, swept the Angels and Seattle Mariners, respectively, over the weekend. The San Francisco Giants won two out of three against the A’s in West Sacramento. The Arizona Diamondbacks did lost two of three to the Texas Rangers, but overall the division went 9-3 in interleague play for the week.
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly at age 37 pitched the first complete game of his career on Thursday night, his 178th career start, in a 9-1 rout of the Colorado Rockies. The folks at AZ Snake Pit have more. Kelly had just the second complete game at Coors Field since the start of 2023, along with Stephen Kolek of the San Diego Padres on May 10, 2025. There are 94 complete games in the history of the ballpark, which is now in its 32nd season.
Jake Cronenworth out with a concussion. Padres have gotten contributions from other players, like Miguel Andujar and Gavin Sheets (three go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning), which Thomas Conroy chronicled at Gaslamp Ball.
Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander exited his Thursday start and was placed on the injured list on Friday. There’s no timetable yet for his return, but optimism that he won’t need surgery. From Evan Lang at Purple Row:
Dollander described his injury as “just a very minor UCL sprain. That’s just what the MRI showed. I have a little information around the ligament, nothing to be too concerned about. Just thanking God that it wasn’t more than that. Obviously, it’s probably the best case scenario. Trying to look at the positive side.”
England defender thanks Prince of Wales for his support
William expected to be in Istanbul for Europa League final
Ezri Konsa has said the Prince of Wales referring to him as a “Rolls-Royce” counts as the greatest compliment of his career and that Aston Villa are grateful for his royal backing. Prince William, arguably Villa’s best-known supporter and a patron of the Football Association, is expected to be in Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa are seeking their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996 and will face the German side Freiburg in Turkey.
Konsa has opened up on the surreal nature of support from the heir to the throne. William was in the Villa Park directors’ box for Villa’s second-leg 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, which cemented Villa’s place in a first major European final since 1982.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg in 42-man training squad
England consider resting Itoje and other senior players
England have called up the former South African U20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg to train with the national squad ahead of this summer’s inaugural Nations Championship. The Bristol Bears midfielder has been picked ahead of the omitted Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh despite not being officially available for England until 8 July.
Janse van Rensburg will become eligible on residency grounds on the grounds he has been in the UK for five years since joining his former club London Irish. This means he will not be available for England’s Test against the Springboks on 4 July but could potentially make a full debut against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium the following weekend.
The 29-year-old, may also feature in a non-cap game against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June, assuming he makes a good impression in training. He did not have the best of nights in Northampton last Friday when Bristol suffered a record 94-33 defeat and were repeatedly cut apart by a rampant Saints backline.
The Rugby Football Union had to make a special appeal to World Rugby for dispensation to consider Janse van Rensburg, who played 21 minutes as a late replacement for South Africa’s U20 side back in 2016. This made him technically ineligible to qualify for England on residency grounds, until the RFU successfully argued that it was unfair for that brief appearance to bind him to South Africa in perpetuity.
Borthwick is clearly seeking fresh ways to inject momentum into his squad following the team’s fifth-placed finish in the Six Nations which saw England lose four of their five games. There are also call-ups for the impressive young Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland and Saracens’ fast-rising No9 Charlie Bracken, along with a recall for the rapid Leicester wing Adam Radwan.
Radwan has nipped in ahead of the unfortunate Arundell with Saracens’ Noah Caluori also included in a 42-man squad. Up front there are call-ups for the uncapped Bath front-row duo of Vilikesa Sela and Kepu Tuipulotu, prominent members of England’s U20 side who are now pushing for senior recognition. There may well be opportunities this summer with Borthwick understood to be considering resting some of his senior pros including the captain Maro Itoje for some or all of England’s July games.
