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Carlos Lagrange already turning heads with ‘a ton of talent’ as he tries to carve out Yankees role

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange #84 throwing during spring training with four coaches observing in the background.
Carlos Lagrange throws a pitch during his Feb. 14 bullpen for the Yankees.

TAMPA — Last spring, Carlos Lagrange’s only taste of the spotlight came in a showcase for prospects.

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This spring, the hard-throwing 22-year-old will get a chance to show the Yankees up close why he has begun to climb onto many of those Top 100 prospect lists.

Lagrange is a few days into his first big league camp and, judging by his first bullpen session, Saturday, there will be plenty of eyes on him as long as he is here.

A 6-foot-7 frame with a big arm that can reach triple digits will do that.

“We’re excited about him, for good reason,” manager Aaron Boone said. “His size obviously stands out. But just the downhill he creates with obviously a huge fastball, really good changeup and then the slider and the sweeper. For him, it’s just a matter of continuing to get better with the command and strike throwing.

Yankees prospect Carlos Lagrange throws a pitch during his Feb. 14, 2026 bullpen session. Charles Wenzelberg

“And on top of it, just one of those kids over there that you get really great makeup reports on. He’s a leader, takes initiative. He’s got a lot of the intangibles as well as obviously a ton of talent.”

Lagrange is coming off a big year for his development, when he stayed healthy and pitched to a 3.53 ERA with 168 strikeouts across 120 innings across High-A and Double-A.

The right-hander also made some strides with his command, which has been his bugaboo (and remains a work in progress) since the Yankees signed him as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic.

He walked just 12 batters in 41 ²/₃ innings at High-A before walking 50 in 78 ¹/₃ innings at Double-A.

The Yankees want to give him every opportunity to remain a starter, though some scouts believe he will eventually end up in the bullpen, which is also where he could make a more immediate impact in The Bronx — perhaps as early as this season.

“I want to show I can compete,” Lagrange said. “Try to help my teammates and the team, do whatever they want.”

General manager Brian Cashman has mentioned Lagrange (among others, including fellow top prospect Elmer Rodríguez) multiple times when talking about the pitching depth the Yankees have that could help fill spots in the bullpen.

Asked specifically Friday whether he would be comfortable with Lagrange or Rodriguez pitching in a relief role this season, he did not rule it out.

“It’s easy to always say you want to keep guys staying in the starting rotation and stay on their turn and be depth and continue their journey to build innings as they’re developing, but at the same time, you got to rob Peter to pay Paul at times and do that balancing act where you got to service the major league club,” Cashman said. “A lot of major league starters historically break in out of the pen, too, when they get their feet wet.”

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Yankees' Carlos Rodon continues ramp up from elbow surgery after managing pain throughout 2025 season

When the clock ran out on the Yankees' 2025 season, it wasn't long before Carlos Rodon went under the knife to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies from his elbow.

The procedure was a surprise to many in the industry, but the southpaw revealed to the media after Saturday's workout that he had been managing the pain in his elbow through the season.

“It was fun every day to challenge myself to go pitch,” Rodon said. “Did it hurt sometimes pitching? Sure, but I’d rather go out there and compete. I was throwing well, so I couldn’t just say, ‘Oh, I can’t pitch.’ It was manageable." 

A big reason why the announcement of the surgery came as a surprise was that Rodon enjoyed his best season as a Yankee in 2025. He pitched to an 18-9 record and a 3.09 ERA, en route to his third All-Star selection. Rodon said he's had aches in his elbow for three or four years, describing it as "chronic" and that had gotten worse over time.

However, Rodon said he decided to undergo surgery because he noticed his velocity dip as the season went along. 

Post-surgery, Rodon said his arm felt like it "got ran over by a bus" but he has since received two PRP injections. The most recent came about 10 days ago. 

Despite those feelings, Rodon is on the mend and has already thrown a few bullpen sessions this spring. On Saturday, he threw off a mound for the first time since that second PRP injection and he is just working on upping his velocity, and that it's a slow progression.

Manager Aaron Boone said that Rodon's range of motion in his left arm is right where they want it to be after his latest bullpen, which was an issue a season ago. In fact, by the time the season ended, Rodon admitted he could barely button his shirt due.

Rodon, who had Tommy John surgery as a member of the Giants in 2019, didn't worry about his elbow issues in 2025. He knew he could be serviceable and that he wanted to be there for his team. 

“Being a guy that’s been on the injured list a good part of his career, missing that time sucks,” Rodon said. “Not being able to compete, it’s hard. I’d rather be pitching. If I think I can pitch at 80 percent, or whatever it is, and help the team win and I could do that, I’m gonna do that because that’s what I was brought here to do.”

So, now that he's thrown five or six bullpens, when can Rodon get into a spring training game? He said he hopes sooner rather than later. When asked if April was a possibility, the 33-year-old said with a laugh, "that would be great."

Rodon will likely miss the start of the season, but he won't be alone as the Yankees won't have Gerrit Cole (Tommy John rehab) and Clarke Schmidt (Tommy John) to start the year as well. 

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Ex-Met Griffin Canning agrees to Padres contract as he recovers from Achilles rupture

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Griffin Canning (46) pitches in the first inning when the New York Mets played the Atlanta Braves Thursday, June 26, 2025 at Citi Field in Queens, NY.

Griffin Canning is moving on from New York.

The right-handed pitcher has agreed to a deal with the Padres on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

The 29-year-old, who is working to come back after rupturing his left Achilles last summer, is expected to add to much-needed depth to San Diego’s starting rotation.

Griffin Canning pitches in the first inning of the Mets’ win over the Braes on June 26, 2025 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Terms of the contract are not yet known.

The deal, which has yet to be confirmed by the club, was followed by a one-year contract with starting pitcher Germán Márquez, according to ESPN.

The 30-year-old Marquez will be looking to have a bounce-back season after struggling with a 6.70 ERA in 2025 with the Rockies.

On top of the Padres’ pitching moves, an offense-boosting one-year deal was made on Saturday with veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was released by the Phillies after four seasons on Thursday.

Canning was a second-round draft pick by the Angels in 2017 and made his debut two years later.

Nevertheless, with a 4.78 ERA across five seasons, he never lived up to high expectations.

Griffin Canning is helped from the field after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury on June 26, 2025 at Citi Field. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

And in 2024, he went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 31 starts before getting dealt to the Braves as part of a Jorge Soler salary dump. But Canning was non-tendered by Atlanta, and the Mets eventually grabbed him.

In New York, Canning was in the middle of career year last season before suffering the Achilles injury on June 26, holding a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts.

It’s unknown when Canning will return from his injury, but there is a possibility he could be ready to return around Opening Day.

When healthy, he could slot into the back end of the Padres’ rotation.

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Team Knicks win Shooting Stars competition with last-second shot

Team Knicks took home the Shooting Stars victory on a thrilling last-second shot by Jalen Brunson to beat Team Cameron on Saturday night at NBA All-Star Weekend.

The trio of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and NBA legend Allan Houston put up 47 points after Brunson and Houston drained two half-court shots in the final seconds, beating Team Cameron's 38 points in the competition's first showing at the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.

The contest consisted of shots from various spots on the court, including a layup, from the elbow and a few three-point shots.

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NC State Chokes and Loses to Miami, 76-77.

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 03: North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Tre Holloman (#5) dribbles the ball as SMU Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards (#0) applies pressure during the ACC college basketball game between the SMU Mustangs and the North Carolina State Wolfpack on February 3, 2026, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Game Summary:

I would guess Miami got pretty much what they wanted in the first half, other than making free throws. McNeil was 0-1, Williams had 5 points, and Copeland was driving to the basket a lot and only had 2 assists. Rebounding was a nightmare to watch, Miami had 11 offensive rebounds and led total rebounds 20-13.

The second half was very similar, however Paul McNeil got hot and while the Wolfpack wasn’t doing a lot well, they were scoring and slowing the Hurricanes enough to maintain a lead. Then the Wolfpack just gave the game away.

With 1:07 left, Lubin grabbed a rare offensive rebound and put it back in for a 76-69 Pack lead. NC State would not score again. Lubin turned it over, then Holloman turned it over, Copeland fouled with 27 seconds, but they missed, then Copeland got fouled with 17 seconds left and missed the front end of the 1 & 1, and with NC State holding a 2-point lead, at the 3 second mark Williams fouled the 3PT shooter. Washington made all three free throws for the final score, 77-76.

TeamseFG%TO%OR%FTR
Wolfpack57.3%15.9%28.6%27.3%
Miami50.0%14.1%48.8%29.9%

Overall Takeaways:

  • The Pack had this game won, and gave it away in the final minute
  • Miami had 20 offensive rebounds resulting in 12 more FG attempts

Coach Wade Post Game Comments

Individual Highlights

  • Matt Able had one of his better games and tied for the scoring lead with Lubin with 17
  • Ven Lubin led rebounding with 9
  • Quadir Copeland had 5 assists
  • Ven Lubin had 4 blocks
  • Tre Holloman had 4 steals

Player Stats and Box Score

PlayerPTSREBASSTTOBLKSTLMIN
Ven-Allen Lubin179014032
Matthew Able171001022
Paul McNeil144012031
Darrion Williams113331133
Quadir Copeland113520126
Terrance Arceneaux43010014
Tre Holloman21410433
Musa Sagnia0301009
Scottie Ebube2000003
Paul McNeil00120026

Box Score

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Australia wins the SailGP New Zealand event, overshadowed by a crash which injured 2 sailors

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Australia has won the New Zealand leg of the SailGP series, though racing was overshadowed by a crash involving New Zealand and France on Saturday which left a sailor from each team with serious injuries.

Driver Tom Slingsby steered the Australian Flying Roos to victory in the three-boat final Sunday ahead of Spain and Britain. Britain won the first event of the series in Perth, Australia and now shares the overall series lead with the Australians.

Organizers decided to break the fleet into two groups for racing on the second day Sunday because of expected high winds. For the first time in SailGP history 13 boats took part in racing Saturday and congestion on a narrow course might have been a factor in the crash which saw the New Zealand and French boats extensively damaged.

Louis Sinclair, a “grinder” who works the winches on the New Zealand boat, suffered compound fractures to both legs when the New Zealand Black Foils and France collided at almost 90 kmh (56 mph).

‘Successful surgery’

In a statement Sunday, the New Zealand team said "Sinclair has had successful surgery on his right leg overnight after injuries suffered during yesterday’s collision with France.

“The medical team involved in Sinclair’s treatment have been fantastic and are pleased with the results of the surgery and are positive about his ongoing recovery.”

Team New Zealand said “a comprehensive review of yesterday’s incident will be conducted in coordination with SailGP.”

France strategist Manon Audinet also was injured in the crash. The French team said Audinet suffered abdominal injuries.

“She was thrown forward on impact and actually broke the steering wheel of the French boat,” a team statement said. “The entire Team France has Manon Audinet and Louis Sinclair in their thoughts and stands fully alongside them during this time.”

Racing against the clock

New Zealand and France now face a tight schedule to repair their boats in time for the next leg of the series in Sydney in two weeks time. France suffered damage to one hull but the New Zealand boat seems to be far more extensively damaged.

Racing on Sunday took place in gusty conditions ahead of an impending thunderstorm and the highest speed recorded by any of the matching 50-foot catamarans was 101.99 kmh (63 mph).

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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Jalen Brunson lifts Team Knicks to NBA All-Star Shooting Stars Challenge title

Team Knicks headed into the Kia Shooting Stars Challenge on Saturday as the favorite, and it didn’t disappoint.

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston and their celebrity passer, Knicks assistant and Jalen’s dad Rick Brunson, took down three other teams at Intuit Dome to bring some new hardware home to New York during All-Star Weekend in Inglewood.

Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunson, Allan Houston and Karl-Anthony Towns won the Kia Shooting Stars Challenge on Saturday. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The first of their competition was Team All-Star, which was made up of Raptors guard Scottie Barnes, Thunder center Chet Holmgren, Pistons legend Rip Hamilton and celebrity passer Druski.

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The next was Team Cameron, which featured Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, former Clippers forward Corey Maggette and celebrity passer Anthony Anderson.

Team Harper was the final threat, and it had Spurs guard Dylan Harper, Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. and NBA legend Ron Harper on the roster with 2 Chainz as the celebrity passer.

Before the event officially got going, the Brunsons hopped on the microphone, and Rick talked a little smack to his son, which caused Jalen to joke he was “not having a good time.”

Hamilton, who celebrated his 48th birthday Saturday, was also interviewed just prior to tip, and he, too, cracked a quip, kidding about why he was without his trademark mask for the festivities.

Team Knicks headed into Saturday’s event as the favorite. AP

Each squad was given 70 seconds to score from seven spots placed around the basket and 3-point line. Made shots were worth 2, 3 or 4 points.

Team All-Star went first, and with Druski firing them passes, it disappointed with just 16 points.

Team Cameron was next up, and it scored 24 as Anderson tossed the players basketballs from afar. They left the court to “Corey” chants by the pro-Clippers fans in attendance.

Team Harper went third, and with 2 Chainz passing basketballs, it netted a total of 18.

Karl-Anthony Towns sank several big baskets for Team Knicks on Saturday. Getty Images

Team Knicks rounded out the first round with a score of 31.

Team Knicks and Team Cameron advanced to the championship round, and it was the Brunsons, Towns and Houston who came out on top, 47-38. Clutch baskets from Jalen Brunson and Houston helped secure the victory.

Jalen was once again in a joking mode after getting the win, as he told the crowd whenever he’s around his dad, “it’s never fun.”

He then ribbed Rick, adding that his father was not much of a “celebrity passer.”

“But,” Jalen said, “he did his job.”

Jalen went on to say he hoped the championship would help the Knicks in the second half of their regular season.

Several celebrities were featured during breaks in the action, including Spike Lee and NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, who signed mini basketballs and gave them to fans in the stands.

Following the event, Ludacris wowed those in attendance with a concert.

Also on Saturday, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard won the 3-point contest, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only other three-time winners of the event, and the Heat’s Keshad Johnson won the slam dunk contest.

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NBA 3-point contest highlights: Damian Lillard wins third title

Damian Lillard hasn't played in a single NBA game this season, but he returned to competition to participate in the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Lillard found familiar success in his return and joined Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in NBA history to win the 3-point shooting contest three times. He had won the contest in 2023 and 2024.

Lillard spent the prior two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon last season in the playoffs while with the Bucks.

Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest

Devin Booker falls short in 3-point contest

Lillard scored 29 points in the final round and set the score that Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns needed to beat. Booker had a hot start to his performance but finished with 27 points, falling short of Lillard's total.

Kon Knueppel competes in 3-point contest's final round

Booker finished the first round with the highest score, 30. Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel was the third member to advance to the final round after finishing the opening round tied with Lillard at 27.

Knueppel finished 4-of-5 on the first rack of the final round but struggled to keep the pace throughout the rest of the racks. He finished the final round with just 17 points.

NBA All-Star 3-point Contest complete highlights

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA 3-point contest highlights as Damian Lillard wins third title

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Jaxson Hayes laid a big egg in the dunk contest

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks during the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, 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 GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Stop if you’ve heard this before, but the Lakers had someone in the dunk contest put up a dud.

Jaxson Hayes competed in Saturday’s Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend and in a move that probably shouldn’t have been shocking given the history of Lakers competing in the event, it was a very underwhelming showing.

Hayes’ first dunk of the day was…interesting. After starting way in the backcourt, he miscalculated something along the way and just…did a basic dunk?

His timing clearly was off and based on the run up, it’s probably safe to assume he was going for a free throw line dunk, which he missed by some distance. Unsurprisingly, he got the lowest score in the first round at 44.6 — the average of the five scores from the judges — which meant he was the first dunker of round two.

This dunk was better, as he went between the legs after tapping the ball to himself.

That one earned him a more respectable score of 47.2, but his complete dud in the first round kept him from moving on to the finals.

Maybe let’s stop putting Lakers in the dunk contest anymore.

Keshad Johnson of the Heat went on to win the event. Carter Bryant of the Spurs finished second while Jase Richardson of the Magic missed out on the finals with Hayes.

Earlier in the afternoon, Damian Lillard came away victorious in the first event of the night in the 3-point contest despite not playing this season due to a torn Achilles. He beat out Kon Knueppel from the Hornets and Devin Booker from the Suns, the latter of whom choked down the stretch.

The Shooting Stars event, Team Knicks of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston came away victorious in a pretty exciting contest.

They beat out Team Cameron — comprised of Duke players — in the final. Despite having Knueppel and Jalen Johnson on the team, Corey Maggette carried them in the final and nearly won the whole dang thing.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

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Spring Training open thread: February 14

Feb 10, 2026; North Port, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Sandy Leon takes batting practices during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

I hope the weekend has been treating y’all well so far! Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody who’s celebrating. Here’s a random clip:

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledges "misaligned incentives" that fuel tanking

The NBA has a tanking problem. It's had a tanking problem for years. This year, it's getting worse because the upcoming draft has multiple great players.

Earlier this week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for failing to play healthy players.

During a Saturday press conference held in connection with the All-Star Game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue at length.

"It's been part of this league for a long time," Silver said regarding the practice of not trying to win in order to get a better draft pick. "I mean, back in the 1960s there was a coin flip. At some point, I think it was in the 1980s, we moved to a lottery. That lottery has been changed roughly five times over the years, to try to stay ahead of some of the behavior of our teams.

"The incentives are not necessarily matched here. I think that the tradition in sports where the worst performing team receives the first pick from their partners. When any economist comes and looks at our system, they always point out you have the incentives backwards there. That doesn't necessarily make sense. I think there was a more classical view of that, in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners about, in terms of behavior.

'I think what we're seeing is a modern analytics where it's so clear that the incentives are misaligned. . . . Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view, and which was what led to those fines. And not just those fines, but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice. And there is a bit of a note, when you see it quality to this, I mean, we spend a lot of time at the league office going back and forth with teams on injury reports, on coaches' decisions. It's not a position necessarily we want to be in, but . . . it's not what the fans want at the end of the day."

Or do they?

"[M]y caveat is, and this is where teams are in a difficult place, many of you in this room have written, understandably, about our teams, that the worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle of the road team," Silver said. "Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft. And so, in many cases, you have fans of those teams. It's not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they're actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad, to improve their draft chances. So, I think we're coming at it, I'd say, in two ways. One is, again, focusing on the here and now. The behavior we're seeing from our teams, and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans, and to their partner teams. But number two, as I also said in that statement, the Competition Committee started earlier this year, re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works. And ultimately any changes will require a vote of the Board of Governors. So then we'll need to go in front of the Board. But there have been lots of different ideas out there over the years, not just necessarily changing the draft lottery odds yet once again, but looking at whether there's a better system here to try to align incentives.

"I think when the point about this year, when you look at totality of the circumstances, I mean, of course, I'm paying attention to what's happening, and the perception is, you have a very deep draft class this year, a perception. Who knows whether this will be the reality, but the next two years' draft classes aren't as good. There's no doubt that's affecting the behavior of our teams. But at the end of the day, I think there needs to — I think all the teams need to step back, the ownership of those teams — and just as a reminder that we're all in this together, that we want to have fair competition, we want to have fair systems, and to keep an eye on the fans, most importantly, and their expectation that we're gonna be putting the best product forward."

For as long as the best draft picks are tied to the worst records, tanking will be a problem in every pro sport — including the NFL. And the punishments imposed this week by the NBA are a slap on the wrist. To truly eradicate tanking, the only solution is to take away the pick the tanking team is hoping to maximize.

Would that be extreme? Yes. Would it be effective? Absolutely.

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Miami scores last 8 points to beat N.C. State 77-76

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 26 points and Miami scored the last eight points of the game to beat North Carolina State 77-76 on Saturday night.

N.C. State scored seven straight points to take a 76-69 lead with 1:07 remaining. Then Reneau answered with a three-point play and Tru Washington added a layup to pull Miami to within 76-74 with 32 seconds left.

With 13 seconds to go, N.C. State's Quadir Copeland missed a free throw. The Wolfpack's Darrion Williams fouled Washington on a 3-point attempt on the following possession with three seconds remaining. Washington sank all three of his free-throw attempts before Matt Able missed a 3-pointer to end it.

Reneau shot 12 of 19 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds. Shelton Henderson added 17 points and nine boards for Miami (20-5, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Tre Donaldson chipped in with 14 points and Washington finished with 13 for the Hurricanes, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.

Able and Ven-Allen Lubin scored 17 points apiece to lead N.C. State (18-8, 9-4). Copeland and Williams added 11 points each. The Wolfpack have lost back-to-back games since they had their six-game win streak snapped with a 118-77 loss to No. 24 Louisville.

Able made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and Copeland and Lubin added nine apiece to help N.C. State build a 43-37 halftime lead. Reneau scored 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to pace Miami in the first half.

Up next

Miami: The Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack play at home Tuesday against No. 11 North Carolina.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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UConn baseball drops season opener to Nebraska, 12-2

The college baseball season is officially upon us.

UConn baseball team opened its 2026 campaign on Friday night under the lights in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Huskies took part of the MLB Desert Invitational at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring training home of both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, but took a gut punch from the Nebraska Cornhuskers. UConn fell 12-2 in a game that was decided by the end of the first inning.

Charlie West received the starting night nod from head coach Jim Penders, to mixed results.

West’s changeup showed elite strikeout potential, evidenced by his six punch-outs across just 3.2 innings of work. The left-hander struggled to limit the baserunners, though. The junior allowed six hits and six free passes, with two of those being hit-by-pitches.

Out of the bullpen, Evan Hamberger made his season debut, while Charlie Hale and Garret Garbinski made their UConn debuts.

Hale performed best out of the three. After working as a starter for most of last season with Endicott College, the righty gave up just one run in 1.2 innings as the swingman. 

Garbinski struggled immensely after missing all of last season with Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old was shellacked for four runs in the game’s final inning.

University of Maine transfer Evan Menzel got first cracks at replacing Ryan Daniels’ infield spot, getting the start at second base and reaching base once.

Menzel, primarily a third baseman at Maine, was pushed off the hot corner in deference to the returning Maddix Dalena. After being named 2025 Preseason Big East Player of the Year before missing most of the season with a wrist injury, Dalena returned to UConn’s lineup and picked up one of the team’s four hits on the night. 

That knock, an RBI single to score Menzel, gave UConn a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Jackson Marshall also singled in the inning.

That advantage was short lived, though. The Cornhuskers picked four runs in the bottom of the frame and never looked back. Another run in the second and three more in the sixth pushed the game into blowout territory.

Preseason All-Big East selection Tyler Minick scratched one more across with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, one of two hits on the night for the outfielder. That would be it for UConn while Nebraska scored four more in the bottom of the inning for the mercy rule win.

Shortstop Dylan Carey tripled in the final two runs of the night to walk it off. That was part of a bigger three hit, four RBI performance for the senior. 

As a team, the Cornhuskers collected 16 hits. In addition to Carey, Case Sanderson and Cole Kitchens both had three-hit nights.

On the mound, Ty Horn got the start for Nebraska. After allowing the run in the first, the right-hander finished his night with 3.2 scoreless and a total of six strikeouts.

The Huskies will be back on the field tonight, looking to regroup against Kansas State in a 7 p.m. Valentine’s Day showdown at Scottsdale Stadium, the spring training stadium of the San Francisco Giants. The game will stream live on MLB.com.

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Dylan Larkin, Team USA Survive Early Scare And Earn 6-3 Win Over Denmark

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Team USA moved closer to clinching Group C in the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a 6–3 victory over Team Denmark on Saturday afternoon.

However, the win did not come without an uneasy opening 20 minutes.

Denmark carried a 2–1 lead into the dressing room after the first period, thanks to goals from Nick Olesen and Nicholas Jensen. Jensen’s goal—a wrist shot from just inside center ice—somehow slipped past Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy scored for Team USA, who soon seized control of the game with their offensive firepower.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Image

Ottawa Senators team captain Brady Tkachuk knotted the score at 2-2 following an offensive zone face-off win by Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who then scored the go-ahead goal soon afterward. 

Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin increased the lead to 4-2 and, despite a Denmark tally from Phillip Bruggisser, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel restored Team USA's two-goal lead just before the midway point of the third period. 

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes capped the scoring, beating backup goaltender Frederik Dichow, who had replaced the injured Mads Sogaard. 

Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin, playing in his second-career Olympic game, skated in 12:31 of ice time, and had four shots on goal. 

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver delivers warning to tanking teams

INGLEWOOD, CA — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a forceful stand against tanking in his NBA All-Star Weekend press conference, talking at length about the hot-button topic that's "been part of this league for a long time."

Earlier this week, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violations of its player participation policy and conduct detrimental to the league. They aren't the only teams openly tanking, though, ahead of a 2026 draft that's thought to be one of the strongest in recent years.

Silver's response at the Intuit Dome on Saturday was just as blatant.

"Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view," he said. "Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice."

In addition to more fines, Silver was asked if he would consider stripping draft picks from teams that continue to tank.

"There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior," he said.

More: 2026 NBA All-Star Game will show if the league still cares | Opinion

Silver also mentioned that the league has had economists look at the draft lottery system and point out how the incentives — the worst-performing teams receiving the best odds for a pick and the teams that just miss out on the playoffs being stuck in the middle of the road — are backwards.

"I think there was a more classical view of that in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior," Silver said. "I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. ... The worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle-of-the-road team. Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft.

"In many cases, you have fans of those teams — remember, it’s not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they’re actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad to improve their draft chances."

Silver added that the league is focused on both the short-term response — fines and putting teams on notice about tanking — while also looking for a long-term solution to a problem that has been ever-evolving.

Former Commissioner David Stern introduced the draft lottery in 1985, which Silver said the league has made adjustments to "about five times." Some in the media have begun calling for the draft to be abolished entirely and, while that's an extreme end of the spectrum, Silver admitted Saturday that it might be time — past time, even — for the league to reassess.

"It’s a bit of a conundrum," Silver said. "The All-Star is 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to take a fresh look at this to see to whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it. Ultimately, we need a system to fairly, I think, distribute players. I think it’s in the players’ interest as well as the teams that you have a level of parity around the league. There’s only so many jobs and so many cities.

"... What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now, is not working; there’s no question about it. Yes, is there more I can do? Have I attempted not only to respond to behavior we’ve seen but send a clear message that we’re going to be scrutinizing everything we see going forward? Absolutely."

Adam Silver discusses prediction markets

With the news of Giannis Antetokounmpo's recent investment in Kalshi, Silver took a moment to discuss where the league stands as far as prediction markets go.

"We currently are looking at prediction markets essentially in the same way that we’re looking at sports betting markets or sports betting companies," Silver said. "We have a rule that was collectively bargained with the Players Association that players can make, I will call them, de minimis investments in sports betting companies, and we’re applying the same rule to prediction markets."

The rule is that players cannot hold more than a 1% interest in sports betting — and now, by extension, prediction market — companies. To Silver's knowledge, Antetokounmpo's stake in Kalshi is "much smaller" than that, so he is not in violation of any league rules.

But it's still an issue that Silver is keeping a close eye on.

"It’s rapidly evolving," he said. "Prediction markets have now come on the scene fairly recently as, I don’t know how else to say it, major sports betting marketplaces. Whether prediction markets are allowed to go forward in the form they’re in now will, I think, be ultimately an issue for the courts and for Congress.

"But even if they go away, the league is now dealing with essentially 40 different jurisdictions that have legalized sports betting in the United States. Still a huge illegal market. I’d say one other category that I hardly ever hear people talk about is that the last I looked, there are probably 80 countries in the world outside of the United States that also have legalized betting on the NBA."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adam Silver press conference: NBA boss talks tanking at All Star