Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L, 2-10 (7) vs. Durham Bulls; they were supposed to play a doubleheader but rain nixed the nightcap, so they’ll try to play two today in a single-admission twin bill beginning at 3:05pm ET
CF Jasson Domínguez 1-2, 2 BB, SB — only a single but he’s still doing his thing SS Oswaldo Cabrera 0-4, K, GIDP 2B Max Schuemann 0-3, BB LF Spencer Jones 0-2, 2 BB, K RF Yanquiel Fernández 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI — drove in Scranton’s only runs in first with double 1B Seth Brown 0-3 DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-3, 2 K 3B Paul DeJong 0-2, BB C Payton Henry 0-1, BB, K C Ali Sánchez 1-1
Elmer Rodríguez 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, HR, WP, pickoff error Harrison Cohen 1.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HR, HBP, pickoff error (loss) — it was a 2-2 tie in the seventh; then it wasn’t Kervin Castro 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, HR
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 1-13 at Binghamton Rumble Ponies
SS George Lombard Jr. 1-4, 2 K RF Garrett Martin 1-4, K LF Jace Avina 0-4, 2 K 2B Marco Luciano 1-4, 2B, 2 K DH Coby Morales 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K, SB, CS — Patriots got some doubles but wasn’t their night 1B Nicholas Torres 2-3, 2B, HBP CF Kenedy Corona 0-3, BB, 2 K C Manuel Palencia 0-3, K, passed ball 3B Owen Cobb 1-3, 2 K
Xavier Rivas 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 2 K, HR (loss) — woof Bailey Dees 1.2 IP, 0 H, 2 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 1 K, pickoff Hayden Merda 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K — dynamite relief Kelly Austin 1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, HBP Diomedes Hernandez 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 0 K
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 1-3 vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
3B Core Jackson 1-4, 2 K, SB, HBP, throwing error SS Kaeden Kent 1-4, BB, SB 1B Kyle West 0-3, BB, RBI, K, SB C Eric Genther 1-3, BB, K, missed catch error DH Roderick Arias 0-3, BB, K, 2 SB, picked off — ‘Gades had the wheels but not much else RF Tyler Wilson 0-4, K — bottom five in the lineup went a combined 0-for-15; hard to win with three hits LF Josh Moylan 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K PR Cole Gabrielson 0-0 CF Camden Troyer 0-4 2B Connor McGinnis 0-2, 2 BB, K
Jack Cebert 7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 8 K, HR, HBP (loss) — don’t often see minor leaguers pitching into the eighth these days, especially in April, but Cebert was efficient (92 pitches) and very good; hard-luck loss due to the early two-run shot he allowed Tanner Bauman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP Chris Veach 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons: W, 9-0 at Clearwater Threshers
SS Jackson Lovich 2-4, 2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, K, SB 3B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-4, BB, 2 K DH Engelth Urena 0-3, 2 BB, K LF Logan Maxwell 2-4, 2 HR, BB, 5 RBI, K, CS — big afternoon for the undrafted free agent out of Arkansas! CF Willy Montero 1-4, BB, 2 K RF JoJo Jackson 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K — hit the hell out of his first homer of 2026 (106.1 mph, 390 feet) C Ediel Rivera 0-3, K, HBP, passed ball 2B Austin Green 0-3, BB 1B Hans Montero 0-3, K, HBP
Justin West 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (win) — 12 swings and misses, nice start Jose M. Rodriguez 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — almost as many swings and misses (8) in fewer pitches! Pedro Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Yankee UDFA Logan Maxwell with his 2nd HR on the night.
I had tweeted out weeks ago coming into the year of the 2025 class, Logan Maxwell was a guy that struck me as a diamond in the rough sort of find in the UDFA market. Performs well against both splits and has no issue… https://t.co/oXqqTT7wc9pic.twitter.com/2bxNSKA9kv
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 10: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates his three-run home run with Bryce Harper #3 in the first inning during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park on April 10, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
So we’re gonna do this Brandon Marsh as the cleanup hitter thing now? I guess it’ll work against a team without left handed relief pitching, but later on? What then?
After five games of futility, the Detroit Tigers finally got back into the win column with a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
It was another weak effort at the plate for the Motor City Kitties, but they were able to get their old friend Chris Paddack for a pair of runs during his six-inning stint — enough to earn the W. On the mound, Kieder Montero gave his team six scoreless innings, and the bullpen did the rest to ensure the triumph.
On Saturday afternoon, right-hander Casey Mize will take the bump opposite fellow righty Janson Junk. Detroit’s former top-overall draft pick has put up a near-elite strikeout percentage in a very limited sample size so far, but otherwise has struggled to find consistency.
Junk has looked perfectly serviceable so far, but far from invincible. Take a look below at how the two match up.
Detroit Tigers (5-9) vs. Miami Marlins (8-6)
Time (ET): 1:10 p.m. ET Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site: None Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 15: RHP Casey Mize (0-1, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Janson Junk (0-1, 3.09 ERA)
Just as we all predicted, the Cardinals are off to a solid start to the 2026 season with an offense led by Jordan Walker. Going into Friday night’s game, Walker is top ten in the MLB in WAR, sports a 192 wRC+, is second in baseball in isolated slugging, and has somehow upstaged JJ Wetherholt as the most exciting Cardinal to follow for the first two weeks of the season. I, along with the majority of the fanbase, was prepared for another excruciating season of Walker runway. Over the offseason, my conspiracy theory was that the Cardinals didn’t really believe in Walker either and would trade him or send him to the minors after a couple months of putrid play.
Walker has done everything humanly possible to completely reverse the narrative in the first 12 games of the season. Beyond the excellent offense, he has shown off his incredible arm and added value in the field and on the bases. The natural question that most of Cardinals Nation is debating is whether or not this new and improved Jordan Walker is here to stay. If I were a bit wiser and less prone to overreaction, I would say to just enjoy the ride and try not to overanalyze a 12-game sample size. Alas, I am not wise and one of my favorite activities is overreacting, so I must forge ahead into the abyss in search of a star right fielder.
Has Jordan Walker Broken Out?
The first thing to note is that this type of stretch is not unprecedented for Walker. Here is a look at his rolling 12-game average wRC+ since he debuted in 2023.
He has not reached these heights since his rookie season when he had better 12-game stretches in both June and September. It feels like it has been forever since we have had a Walker hot streak to analyze, but I remember always feeling like even the good runs were a bit of a mirage driven by scorched ground balls and batted ball luck.
In the table above, you can see that both 2023 stretches were far more reliant on higher contact rates and elevated BABIPs. During the September 2023 stretch, his exit velocity of 87.7 MPH was actually below league average. The thing all three stretches have in common is the lowered chase rate around 28%, which is right around league average. Walker’s career chase rate is 33.2%, which places him in the bottom 20% in baseball.
It isn’t fair to say that the two 2023 stretches were just batted ball luck, as Walker did pop four home runs in each. However, the metric that jumps off the page in this 2026 stretch is the 26.7% barrel rate. To quote from the Statcast Glossary:
To be Barreled, a batted ball requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner Barreled classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands.
To illustrate this graphically:
I bring up Barrels because this metric gets at the real root of Walker’s struggles, the fact that he has not been able to get the ball off the ground and take advantage of his prodigious bat speed and exit velocity numbers. In order to barrel a baseball, you must not only hit it hard, but hit it at an optimal angle. Walker’s career Barrel% of 9.8% is just a touch above league average. His 26.7% barrel rate thus far in 2026 ranks third in baseball behind Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani (both at 27.3%).
Walker has hit 30 balls in play this year, 8 of which were barrels. Looking at the rolling average over the course of his career, you can see in the numbers what is obvious in watching him hit this year, he is finally scorching the ball in the air.
Now the million-dollar question: is this sustainable? I will go out on a limb and say no… No player has ever maintained a Barrel% above 27% for a full season since tracking started in 2015. Aaron Judge holds the top four individual seasons with percentages between 24.7% and 26.9% of balls in play. However, given that Walker is in pretty rarefied air, I wanted to see how this 30-batted-ball sample size stacked up across a wider range of players. I looked at every player who had at least 30 balls hit in play in 2025 and calculated the rolling average of each to see how often players were able to maintain this kind of a rate. Here is the data:
1,100 plate appearances occurred in 2025 in which the batter had a 27% Barrel% over their previous 30 balls in play. While this puts Walker in the 99th percentile, it is far from an unprecedented run for a stretch this short. 96 players in total were able to eclipse the 27% threshold for a stretch of 30 balls in play at some point last year. The majority of the total plate appearances belong to the best hitters in the game, but there were plenty of below-average hitters able to peak at this level. The sample size of players able to crest 40% is much smaller and almost exclusively elite.
Nick Kurtz was the one player to get to a 47% rate over his absurd July run last season.
So, how long would Walker have to keep up his newfound proclivity for finding the barrel for us to get truly giddy with excitement? Another 20 balls hammered at his current rate would reduce the cohort from 96 down to 19 of the (mostly) best hitters in baseball. One hundred balls in play at this level pretty much cements you as a top hitter in baseball, or Oneil Cruz.
Barrels Conclusion
Walker has improved, but we will know WAY more in just another 20 or 30 games. So, if Walker does keep barreling his way into the summer, do we have an MVP candidate on our hands? Probably not, but certainly not before we address the 7-foot-tall elephant in the room…
Oneil Cruz being included in this group of elite hitters is the perfect example of how things could still go wrong, even if they go mostly right. He has struggled with the same combination of low contact and high chase rates that have plagued Walker. Despite barreling the ball at an elite level, his contact problems have kept him as a roughly league-average hitter. Now, Cruz is still a good player and if Walker’s defense keeps improving, he could be valuable even as more of a 100 wRC+ player, but the Cardinals keep giving him chances because of his ceiling as a true middle-of-the-order bat.
Comparing Walker and Cruz to the Judge, Ohtani, Schwarber, Stanton, and Raleigh group further illustrates the importance of plate discipline. The below table includes the career contact and chase rates for these players.
Not only is Walker’s contact rate exactly in line with the average of the power-hitting group, he actually has the best zone-contact%. The root of strikeout problems is not in his raw ability to make contact, but in his lack of discretion on when to swing. Looking at the same 12-game rolling average for chase rate, Walker has been near a career low in this metric as well.
Coming into the season, it seemed impossible that Walker would simultaneously start lifting the ball while reducing his chase rate, but that is exactly what he has done so far. Hopefully, as he gains confidence, he will become even more patient and wait for his pitch to drive. He hasn’t proved anything yet, and he still has some work to do on his plate discipline, but Walker has reminded us all why he was once the future of the franchise.
Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) reacts after getting fouled while attempting to dunk during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
April 12th is the last day of the regular season and then the Spurs have a couple of days off before they begin the first round of the playoffs.
What to do, what to do? How about meeting Devin Vassell?
On Monday, April 13th, Spurs swingman Devin Vassell will be making a guest appearance at Panda Express at 7979 Bandera Road.
From noon until 2PM, fans can meet Vassell while trying Panda Express’ new spicy dish – Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken.
There will be a photo booth, DJ, prize wheel, and an appearance by Pei Pei, the Panda Express mascot.
Make sure to get there early as these events typically have long lines.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 01: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks on alongside Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 1, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Washington Capitals (40-30-9, 89 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (41-22-16, 98 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)
When: 3:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: National broadcast on ABC, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: Today is the final home game of the regular season (but not the last home game of the season, now that the Pens have clinched a playoff spot with Thursday’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils). The Penguins are headed to D.C. tomorrow to complete the home-and-home back-to-back with what could be the final matchup between Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin recently said he will wait until after the season to confirm whether he is retiring from the NHL, which caused ticket prices to spike ahead of the matchup in D.C. The Pens then get a day off before wrapping up the season on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.
Opponent Track: The Philadelphia Flyers’ loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night didn’t just help the Pens clinch home ice advantage— it also kept the Capitals’ hopes of sneaking into the third spot in the Metro alive. The Caps have a path to the postseason if they can win out their final three games, starting with this back-to-back set against the Pens, as long as the Flyers, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets keep losing. If the Caps lose today to the Penguins, however, their playoff odds drop to next to nothing. Per MoneyPuck:
Season Series: The Penguins blew an early three-goal lead with Arturs Silovs in net, but rallied with a late power-play goal from Bryan Rust to secure a 5-3 win over the Caps in these teams’ last meeting in Pittsburgh on Nov. 6.
Hidden Stat: This game is set to mark the 75th time Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have played one another, according to Penguins PR. Crosby and the Penguins have gone 43-27-4 in those previous 74 matchups.
Hidden Stat II: This weekend could potentially mark the end of an era that has shaped both franchises. The Ovechkin/Crosby era has last for just over 40 percent of the Capitals’ franchise history and more than a third of the Penguins’ history (h/t WashingtonCaps.com’s Mike Vogel).
Getting to know the Capitals
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas – Ilya Protas – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime – Justin Sourdif – Ivan Miroshnichenko
DEFENSEMEN
Martin Fehervary / Rasmus Sandin
Jakub Chychrun / Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson / Matt Roy
Goalies: Logan Thompson, Mitchell Gibson
Potential scratches: Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, David Kampf, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath, Timothy Liljegren, Charlie Lindgren (upper body)
Injured Reserve: None
Ilya Protas, the 19-year-0ld brother of Caps winger Aliaksei Protas, made his NHL debut on Wednesday. The Capitals are currently running both brothers, who each measure in at 6’6” on either side of Tom Wilson (6’4”). The trio weighs more than 300 pounds combined.
The Protai x Wilson line is going to be a PROBLEM for the forseeable future 😳💥
Ilya Protas isn’t the only young Capital making his NHL debut down the stretch. Nineteen-year-old defenseman Cole Hutson has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 11 games since making his NHL debut in March.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren was a full participant in practice Friday and is traveling with his team to Pittsburgh, Caps coach Spencer Carbery told reporters. Logan Thompson, who most recently backstopped the Caps to a 4-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is likely to get the start today in Pittsburgh, but having Lindgren back for Sunday could determine who starts the latter half of the back-to-back.
Tom Wilson is one goal shy of hitting the 30-goal plateau for the second time in the NHL career. Ovechkin already hit that mark in 75 games to mark his NHL-record 20th season with at least 30 goals.
Is this Ovechkin’s last game in Pittsburgh? The Washington captain recently announced he won’t be deciding whether to return for another NHL season until after the Caps’ run this season is over. How soon fans find out could depend at list in part on whether the Pens are able to play spoilers for the Capitals’ playoff chances today at PPG Paints. The Caps are at the very least honoring his last home game of the season by giving out special rally towels to fans in attendance on Sunday in D.C.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak – Rickard Rakell – Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau
Elmer Soderblom – Noel Acciari – Avery Hayes
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Goalies: Stuart Skinner, Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov
Potential Scratches: Ilya Solovyov, Blake Lizotte (injured), Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany, Connor Dewar (day-to-day)
IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)
Connor Dewar missed Thursday’s win over the New Jersey Devils with what the Penguins described as a day-to-day lower-body injury. The team didn’t practice Friday, so an update on his injury status will come today.
The Penguins could also potentially decide to rest some players now that the team has been locked in as the No. 2 seed, although this could still be a first-round preview if the Caps win out while the Flyers, Jackets and Isles spiral.
The NHL's busy 15-game schedule on Saturday, April 11 could provide more clarity in the playoff race.
Five more NHL teams − the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and idle Anaheim Ducks − can clinch a postseason berth, joining the nine teams that have already made it. The Ducks would end a seven-season playoff drought if they clinch.
The Pacific Division lead is in play with the leading Oilers and second-place Golden Knights in action. The second wild-card seed in the Western Conference could change hands again if the Nashville Predators win and the Los Angeles Kings lose.
Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, Saturday's clinching scenarios and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:
Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: Carolina, Buffalo, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Utah
Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?
The Boston Bruins will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Lightning. They'd also clinch if they get one point, the Red Wings lose and the Senators and/or Flyers lose. A third option: The Red Wings lose in regulation and the Islanders or Flyers lose.
The Ottawa Senators will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Islanders and the Red Wings lose.
The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the Kings. They also clinch if the Jets fail to win in regulation.
The Vegas Golden Knights will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Avalanche. They'd also clinch if they get one point and the Jets and Predators lose. Third option: The Sharks lose and the Jets and Predators lose in regulation.
The idle Anaheim Ducks will clinch a playoff berth if the Sharks lose and the Jets and Predators lose in regulation.
NHL games today (Saturday, April 11)
All times p.m. ET
Tampa Bay at Boston, 12:30, ABC
Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 1
Washington at Pittsburgh, 3, ABC
Edmonton at Los Angeles, 4
New Jersey at Detroit, 5
St. Louis at Chicago, 5
Minnesota at Nashville, 5
N.Y. Rangers at Dallas, 5
Carolina at Utah, 5
Florida at Toronto, 7
Columbus at Montreal, 7
Philadelphia at Winnipeg, 7
Calgary at Seattle, 7
Vegas at Colorado, 8
Vancouver at San Jose, 10
NHL playoff standings
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
After April 9 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.
Metropolitan Division
y-Carolina Hurricanes (108)
x-Pittsburgh Penguins (98)
Philadelphia Flyers (92)
Atlantic Division
x-Buffalo Sabres (106)
x-Montreal Canadiens (104)
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)
Wild card
Boston Bruins (96)
Ottawa Senators (94)
Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (91), New York Islanders (91), Columbus Blue Jackets (90), Washington Capitals (89), z-New Jersey Devils (83), z-Florida Panthers (78), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78), z-New York Rangers (75)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
After April 9 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.
Sitting out of playoff position: Nashville Predators (84), Winnipeg Jets (82), San Jose Sharks (81), St. Louis Blues (78), Seattle Kraken (77), z-Calgary Flames (73), z-Chicago Blackhawks (70), z-Vancouver Canucks (52)
NHL playoffs if they started today
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 9:
Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3)
Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
Montreal (A2) vs. Tampa Bay (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 9.
Colorado (C1) vs. Los Angeles (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
Edmonton (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
Vegas (P2) vs. Anaheim (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card
NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded. When more than two clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any odd games) shall be used to determine standings.
Goal differential
Total goals
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.
After a rare day off on Friday, teams will have two to four games left before the April 16 end of the regular season and contenders will try to cement playoff positions.
So far, the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins have clinched Eastern Conference playoff spots and the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth have clinched in the West. Colorado and Carolina have won division titles.
Five more teams have the potential to clinch berths during Saturday's 15-game schedule.
Here's what is still to be decided in the final week of the regular season:
Atlantic Division title
The Sabres (106 points), Canadiens (104) and Lightning (102) have a shot. Buffalo has two games left and the other teams have three. The Sabres lead in the first tiebreaker (regulation wins). The Canadiens have been the hotter team, going 9-1 in their last 10 games, while the Lightning have lost three in a row.
Third in the Metropolitan Division
The top three teams in each division make the playoffs and that might be the best path for Metropolitan teams to get back into a playoff position. The New York Islanders, led by recently hired coach Peter DeBoer, are a point behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers, compared to three points out of the second wild-card spot. The Columbus Blue Jackets are two points behind the Flyers. Each team has three games left and the Islanders lead in regulation wins.
Eastern Conference wild card spots
The Boston Bruins (96) and Ottawa Senators (94) hold the two positions, and they can clinch berths on Saturday. Boston will get in with a win. Ottawa would need a win and a Detroit Red Wings loss. If that happens, Detroit's playoff drought would hit 10 seasons. The Senators lead the Bruins in regulation wins and will take the first wild card if the teams end up tied in points.
Pacific Division title
The division-leading Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and idle Anaheim Ducks have a chance to clinch berths on Saturday. One point separates the Oilers and the other two. All have three games left and the Oilers have more regulation wins. Edmonton and Vegas will play the No. 1 overall Colorado Avalanche, and the Oilers and Ducks will play the last-overall Vancouver Canucks.
Western Conference wild card
The second wild card keeps changing hands and the Los Angeles Kings have a one-point lead on the Nashville Predators plus a game in hand. But the Kings have only 20 regulation wins and their closest pursuers have 25 or more. The Winnipeg Jets, who are three points back, are on a 7-2-1 run.
Home ice in the Central Division
The Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild on Thursday and need only one win or a Wild regulation loss to clinch second place and have home ice advantage in the first round. Dallas-Minnesota is the only first-round series that is set.
Apr 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees infielder Amed Rosario (14) throws to first base during the fifth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
It’s really great stuff to be in the midst of the Yankees’ first annoying stretches of 2026. Really, it’s charming! Really, it’s not exhausting at all watching this lineup flail against Jeffrey Springs and Steven Matz! Can this end now please?
Today on the site, we’ll have a birthday post for one of the key players on the Yankees’ 2009 World Series champions, Madison will have the Rivalry Roundup from a busy Friday night of baseball action, John will critique a new feature of lights and Yankee Stadium entertainment, Scott will sit down for chat with Max Schuemann of Triple-A Scranon/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (late of the A’s) is getting accustomed to his new digs, and Andrés will anzlyze Luis Gil’s season debut.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 6:10 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Rays.tv
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Questions/Prompts:
1. Any lineup shuffle suggestions for today to shake things up?
2. How flawless does Max Fried need to pitch today for you to feel comfortable?
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Bilal Coulibaly #0 of the Washington Wizards goes to the basket against Simone Fontecchio #0 of the Miami Heat during the second half at Capital One Arena on April 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Wizards lost to the Miami Heat last night but got strong performances from Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington. The final tally was 140-117 — the third time this season the Heat scored 140 or more against the Wizards.
The shellacking was Washington’s 28th loss by 20 or more points this season. I might believe that number was made up except I watched virtually every minute of them.
Bub Carrington shot 6-7 from three-point range in the Wizards loss to the Miami Heat. | NBAE via Getty Images
The Miami Heat broadcast had some interesting tidbits about the Wizards. Like:
The Wizards have the NBA’s worst overall record. They also have the worst record at home and on the road. Quite the triple crown.
It’s Washington’s third straight season with fewer than 20 wins.
Washington has used 50 different starting lineups in their 81 games so far this season.
Washington getting stomped by the Heat was inevitable. As has been chronicled extensively, the Wizards want to lose to maximize their Draft Lottery odds. Miami wanted to win to improve their position in the NBA’s play-in games. The Wizards set their lineups and minutes distribution accordingly.
While the Wizards received a thorough butt kicking, there were some positives — Coulibaly, Carrington, and Brian Keefe.
Coulibaly was a classic “tough cover” — 25 points in 22 minutes, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. His usage rate was an astronomical 38.6% and his offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) was 145. That’s a great game.
Carrington had trouble missing shots — 11-15 from the floor, 6-7 from three — en route to 30 points in 34 minutes. He even tossed some accurate lobs, including one to Anthony Gill.
As for Keefe, I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen schematically from Keefe this season, at least when the Wizards actually run sets as designed. Last night, there were a number of really clever and well-designed actions on display.
First quarter, 6:26 — A simple (but effective) “get action.” Carrington passed the ball to JuJu Reese, then ran straight to him for a dribble hand off (DHO). It gave him a wide open three. This is a very old basketball play, and it endures because it works.
First quarter, 5:32 — Carrington passed to Coulibaly on the wing and runs down to the corner in a classic clearout cut. Coulibaly passed the ball to Reese out top, and then immediately turned and set a pin down screen for Carrington, who sprinted all the way out to Reese at the top for a DHO and a wide open three. I love this play for a few reasons, including how it uses defender assumptions against him (when Carrington cleared out, his defender relaxed just a little because that cleared out guy is usually out of the play at that point). And it gave Carrington an open look from a favorite spot.
Second quarter, 9:03 — This one was super smart. Miami went zone and Carrington made a normal baseline cut. He emerged on the weak side and came up to the wing. Completely normal action. Except, Will Riley made a similar cut behind him — trailing him to the weak side but going to the corner. The weak side defender picked up Carrington and followed him to the wing. That left Riley undefended in the corner where he got a wide open three-point attempt on the swing pass. He missed, but this is great play design.
Third quarter, 9:28 — One of my favorite plays of the night — I’m calling it a horizontal Spain pick-and-roll. So, in a Spain pnr, a second screener comes into the action to screen for the original screener. Keefe and the Wizards turned it on its side. In this version, Carrington screened for Coulibaly and then cleared only to double back over a Reese screen into a wide open three from the top.
All this is to say, I’m looking forward to seeing what Keefe and the Wizards coaching staff can do when they’re playing to win.
Four Factors
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORS
HEAT
WIZARDS
LGAVG
eFG%
72.0%
57.6%
54.5%
OREB%
30.0%
16.2%
26.0%
TOV%
17.6%
12.7%
12.7%
FTM/FGA
0.268
0.120
0.207
PACE
102
99.3
ORTG
137
115
115.7
Stats & Metrics
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 16: New York Yankees Infielder Anthony Volpe (11) listens to instructions during the spring training workout on February 16, 2026 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
NY Post | Greg Joyce: Anthony Volpe has reunited with the Yankees as they arrived in Tampa to play the Rays this weekend, the injured shortstop having taken an extended stay at the team’s complex while rehabbing from offseason surgery on his labrum. The time for a rehab assignment is nearing, and could come as early as Tuesday after meeting with the team physician for a final check-up, but once he’s fully ready to go what will his role with the team be? General manager Brian Cashman gave the strongest indication that he’ll be back as the starting shortstop that we’ve heard since the offseason, confirming “that’s always been the plan” when reporters asked. He did leave a caveat that “ultimately that’ll be the manager’s call” on starting Volpe, but there’s little doubt that the GM and manager will be in lockstep on this.
José Caballero had a chance to make this a more debatable choice with the starting gig wide open for the first month of the season, but his bat has been ice cold to start the year. A .135/.200/.162 triple-slash isn’t inspiring any confidence, and the team was already inclined to go back to Volpe once healthy after assessing the team in the offseason. Given how dreadful the bottom of the lineup has performed, an early season performer like Volpe could win a lot of favor back in his court by jumping back in with some timely hits.
NJ.com | Bob Klapisch ($): We’ve seen high highs and low lows with this 2026 team already, jumping out to a 7-1 start that was tops in the league with electric pitching just to watch as the bats have gone missing and been unable to support the staff amidst a 1-4 skid that’s mainly been punctuated by three consecutive losses. It’s early, yes, so the answer of what this Yankees team is likely falls somewhere between those two results, but some very real flaws have been exposed as stats begin to stabilize.
AP | Ronald Blum: The average salary of an MLB player rose for another year after Opening Day payrolls were made official, seeing a 3.4 percent jump from 2025 to a record $5.34 million. Overall, the growth of the game’s major-league side of the financials has been on a steady climb following the pandemic, recovering from a slow decline in the late 2010s, but the underlying concern is that the extreme spenders and thrifters have both gotten stronger: six teams paid out over $250 million this year instead of four last year, while eight teams spent under $100 million as opposed to five in 2025. The median salary also grew slightly, up to $1.4 million from $1.35 million, but it still hasn’t come close to the median record set back in 2015. With a lockout all but assumed to be arriving after this season concludes, these numbers paint a picture of the opening lines that the union and owners will set their trenches against, so it’s worth familiarizing yourself with them now.
MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: Former Yankee Mike Ford is taking on a front office role with the Tampa Bay Rays, which would all but confirm that the first baseman is electing to retire from the game after spending last season abroad in Japan. Ford had a sensational stint with the Yankees in 2019 filling in for an injured Edwin Encarnacion, hitting for a .909 OPS in 50 games, but his subsequent 2020 season didn’t fare nearly as well and he played only a minor role in that year as well as in 2021, leading to a trade that sent him to Tampa. Now he’ll get the chance to work with the Rays’ minor leaguers in a still-undefined role.
Apr 10, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) and center Neemias Queta (88) celebrate during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Neemias Queta’s first season as a full-time starting center for the Boston Celtics has gone according to plan, as teammates have already begun rallying around his campaign for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
In the third quarter of Friday night’s 144-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he drew the loudest crowd reaction of the night. Queta set a screen for Jaylen Brown and hovered around the perimeter as Brown drove and kicked the ball out to Jordan Walsh. Walsh then passed up the three and tossed it back to Queta, who sank his first-career 3-pointer, sending both TD Garden and Boston’s bench into a frenzy.
Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. stood up with both arms in the air. Nikola Vučević raised three fingers, and Queta returned the gesture.
“Buttery. It was buttery,” Sam Hauser told reporters, per CLNS Media. “It was smooth.”
There was no bounce off the rim. No help from the backboard. Just a clean, nothing-but-net make from the 7-footer.
Queta missed his first seven attempts this season after missing three last season. In his first three seasons — two with the Sacramento Kings and his first with Boston — he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer. Still, during his first year with the Celtics, Queta routinely worked on his 3-point shot with the team’s stay-ready group while serving as a backup to Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford. That pregame work carried over into his transition to a starting role this season, with teammates eagerly awaiting his moment.
“He was pretty excited about that one,” Hauser said. “We were pretty excited for him. But he’s done a great job all year, gotten better and better and better, and really shown why he’s a starting five in this league and on our team. And I think his name should be in the running for Most Improved Player. He’s come up big for us a lot this year, and we’re gonna need for him to continue that.”
Giving the Celtics a 99-58 lead, Queta helped the team accomplish two feats: clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and tying the NBA’s record for 3-pointers made in a game (29). Although Boston fell short of breaking the record, the C’s became the only team in history to reach that mark twice, doing so for the second time in two seasons.
Boston shot 49.2 percent, making 29-of-59 attempts against New Orleans.
Queta finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes. He attempted only three shots, draining each one, and checked out with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. His lone block made Queta the first player in Celtics history to record 100 blocks, 600 rebounds, and 60 steals in a season since Robert Parish (1990-91).
“That’s cool,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Again, those are little things that are important because you see the work that the guys put in. And again, the responsibility, the ownership of a guy taking on being the starting center for the Celtics. So for him to be able to achieve that is great, and just his work and his attention to detail defensively.
“There’s a ton of pressure in our system on the bigs. They have to do everything on both ends of the floor, and he relishes that opportunity. That’s cool. I’m glad he got that, and he’s getting better and better.”
Apr 10, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) brings the ball up court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
This season, Queta has averaged career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (8.3), assists (1.7), and blocks (1.3). He’s made 75 starts for the Celtics, leads the East in screen assists (272), and ranks sixth in net rating (12.9) — first among centers in the East and third among all centers league-wide, behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
“He just impacts the game in so many ways,” Vučević told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Some of those things don’t even show up in the stat sheet, but they matter a lot to us.”
Queta is among the most underrated centers in the league, due in large part to recency bias. Last season, he barely cracked Boston’s playoff rotation, logging just four minutes in the first round against the Orlando Magic and nine minutes in the conference semifinals against the New York Knicks behind Porziņģis, Horford, and Luke Kornet. The opportunity wasn’t there for Queta to make an impression — which, if anything, should strengthen his Most Improved Player case.
When the front office parted ways with three of the team’s primary rotation bigs, the pressure was on Queta from day one. He’s made the most of that long-awaited opportunity, transforming himself from what team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens described on Media Day as “unproven” into a legitimate NBA starting center.
For the first 62 games of the year, part of the reason the Celtics survived without Jayson Tatum was Queta.
“I hope he’s up for it and I hope he gets it,” Mazzulla said. “He deserves it. And to me, obviously as a player, but more so what it means to do it for the Celtics, I think, goes a long way, and where he’s been on his journey in the NBA. But also his journey with us in our organization.”
Mazzulla is adamant that Queta should become the first Celtic ever to win the award since its introduction in 1985-86.
“He should seriously be considered that,” Mazzulla added, “because of where he was and where he is now, and we wouldn’t be in that position without him.”
Apr 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) posts up against Memphis Grizzlies forward Dariq Whitehead (00) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
If the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for suspected tanking in a game that they won, Adam Silver had better be aligning the crosshairs of his catastrophic death laser (every NBA commissioner has had one since Larry O’Brien had his commissioned back in ‘83) directly at the Memphis Grizzlies. If Utah’s tanking was worth half a million dollars, there’s no rationalizing that what the Grizzlies displayed in Salt Lake City Friday night isn’t worthy of capital punishment.
I mean, come on. Memphis played just six players in the Delta Center this fateful evening, none of whom would be recognizable to your father, who has watched every Jazz game since 1992. They wouldn’t be recognizable to the freakiest of basketball freaks, save for maybe Dariq Whitehead, who played at Duke a few seasons ago, but more recently played a team-low 24 minutes before an SLC crowd.
One could argue that Utah’s response of playing just seven deep on the depth chart is practically just as egregious as their visitors’ transgression, but that argument collapses like a paper cup on its fifth refill when you take into account the point differential; Utah by 46. A 147-101 final in the Delta Center’s season finale.
In what many called the “Tanking Super Bowl” in the hours leading up to tip-off, this end-of-season matchup between the Utah Jazz (22-59, 15th in West) and the Memphis Grizzlies (25-56, 12th in West) should have been entirely irrelevant — and in a lot of ways, it was — but Utah entered this meeting still holding to the hope of snatching the third-best NBA Draft lottery odds away from the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies are fighting for every inch and praying to secure the sixth-worst odds from Dallas, while Utah is in a tug-of-war with the league’s most destitute franchise, hilariously dubbed the Kings. Thank heaven Sacramento messed around and beat Golden State tonight, or else there’d be some real panic in Utah’s front office.
But after the Nets nobly fell upon their swords against Milwaukee, the Jazz remained out of reach of a top-3 selection, even if they didn’t dismantle the unrecognizable Memphis Grizzlies (That’s right: the NBA’s poster boy for the tanking epidemic isn’t even in the top three of the practice’s worst offenders, so log that away).
And when I call the Grizzlies unrecognizable, I mean that in complete sincerity. With 15 — count ‘em — fifteen Grizzlies listed on the injury report, not even former Jazzmen Walter Clayton Jr or Taylor Hendricks were available for Memphis’ visit to Salt Lake City. Apologies to those hoping to see our brothers in action.
No, Utah didn’t want to win this basketball game; they’ve got a gawk-worthy receipt to prove their dedication. Unfortunately, it takes two to tank, and Utah’s reserves proved far more formidable than their visitors. Two franchises working in opposite directions, the Jazz hope to compete in the Western Conference Play-Offs around this time next season. Memphis expects to float in deliberate obscurity for the foreseeable future.
These directional differences could not have been more apparent in Utah’s win Friday night. From the tip, Utah crushed the Grizzlies in what was anticipated to be one of the late season’s great tank-offs. But Utah proved to exist in an entirely different realm, scoring 110 points and leading by 26 at the end of the third quarter.
The scoring differential nearly doubled by the end of the fourth.
Yeesh.
Utah won in every quarter of this game, and never scored fewer than 33 points in a 12-minute frame. It’s almost no wonder that this team made NBA history tonight with perhaps two of the three least meaningful triple-doubles since the stat began being tracked. Add John Konchar (former Grizzly) and recent multi-year signee Bez Mbeng (former Ivy Leaguer) to the all-time list of NBA triple-doubles, as both players posted their remarkable stat lines from Will Hardy’s bench.
First teammates in NBA history to record a triple-double off the bench in the same game:
Memphis had a triple-double man of their own, Jahmai Mashack. If you bet any amount of money on that man to post such a stat line before tip-off, you may never have to work another day in your life.
So the Jazz won (or lost?) the Tanking Super Bowl. Big whoop. At the moment, they’re a coin flip away from the fifth-best odds to get the number-one overall pick, but need I remind you all that the NBA Draft Lottery’s flattened odds are not and have never been friendly to the worst record. Since the initial change in 2019, the worst record in the NBA has never walked away from the lottery with the winning ticket. Dallas jumped 10 spots last year. Atlanta jumped 9 in the year before.
Before you panic about winning tank-offs, remember that all the Jazz can do is put themselves in contention. It’s all random, and Adam Silver was never going to let Utah have the first pick, anyway.
Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 10: Sam Hauser #30 of the Boston Celtics three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 10, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After a gut-wrenching loss to the Knicks on Thursday, the Celtics turned Game #81 into a three-point exhibition, tying their own record for 29 triples in a game and beating the Pelicans 144-118. Jaylen Brown was efficient (but with too many turnovers), Nikola Vucevic stayed on track, Sam Hauser caught fire, and we got to see Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez grace the parquet after falling out of the rotation.
With the blowout, Boston officially clinches the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they’ll have to wait to see how the Play-In Tournament plays out next week; they’ll face the winner of the 7-8 game on April 14th. However, we won’t know who those teams are until Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Currently, the Magic will host the 76ers with the Raptors — the current 6th seed — still in the mix.
Boston’s championship odds have remained steady all month with our friends at FanDuel and are +550 to raise Banner 19 and the favorite to rep the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown
29 minutes, 23 points (2-3 from 3, 5-7 from the free throw line, 8-13 from the field), 3 rebounds, one assist, 7 turnovers, one steal, +24
If we’re going to nitpick what’s most likely JB’s final game of the regular season, the seven turnovers are indicative of his late-season campaign to challenge the officiating and get to the line. Otherwise, he was scoring at all three levels at a high efficiency in a playoff tuneup.
Grade: B+
Jordan Walsh
22 minutes, 6 points (2-4 from 3, 2-4 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, one block, -17
After playing a part in the playoff-level win against the Hornets, Joe Mazzulla said, “He just understands that when he’s at his best defensively, he’s impacting the team’s best players, creating turnovers.” Defense has always been his calling card and if the old adage is true about it winning championships, Walsh has clearly solidified his spot in the postseason rotation. If he can continue to hit threes — 5-of-12 over the last six games — even better.
Grade: A
Neemias Queta
13 minutes, 7 points (1-1 from 3, 3-3 from the field), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one block, +13
In a game that was played primarily on the perimeter, Queta’s stat line wasn’t particularly impressive. With the game pretty much out of reach after the first quarter, Queta played only 13 minutes, giving way for more fine tuning for Nikola Vucevic and some Luka Garza playing time.
28 minutes, 24 points (8-12 from 3, 8-13 from the field), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, +21
If you could bottle up momentum for the postseason, we might need a keg for Wisconsin’s own. On Thursday, it was Baylor Scheierman lighting up MSG. Twenty-four hours later, it was Hauser. Naturally, the Celtics don’t get close to breaking the three-point record without Hauser getting hot behind the arc.
Grade: A+
Derrick White
16 minutes, 9 points (3-9 from 3, 3-9 from the field), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, one turnover, one steal, +18
We’ve largely used this space to do a little handwringing over White’s season-long shooting slump. Another sub-par night in a blowout won’t assuage those concerns, but it also won’t dampen my confidence that he’ll come up clutch next weekend.
Grade: B-
Payton Pritchard
30 minutes, 21 points (5-9 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 7-14 from the field), 3 rebounds, 10 assists, one turnover, one steal, +21
Pritchard has really hit his stride over this final stretch of games. In April, he’s averaging 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. What’s been most impressive has been his playmaking. In the playoffs, teams might try and take the Jays out of the game, so Mazzulla might need the 2026 Auerbach Award winner to take on more of the point guard load.
Grade: A+
Nikola Vucevic
19 minutes, 14 points (3-5 from 3, 1-2 from the free throw line, 5-7 from the field) 4 rebounds, 5 assists, one block, +15
That’s the Vooch that Brad Stevens dealt for at the trade deadline. He’s not exactly Al Horford defensively or Kristaps Porzingis offensively, but if he can consistently hit shots and punish mismatches in the paint, that’ll do wonders for the second unit.
Grade: A-
Baylor Scheierman
25 minutes, 9 points (2-5 from 3, 1-1 from the free throw line, 3-6 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, -5
At the end of the game, Scheierman had a chance to hit the 30th three-pointer that would have given the Celtics the record, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t on-line. However, he did get some floor time with his buddy Hugo Gonzalez.
Grade: B
Hugo Gonzalez
25 minutes, 10 points (2-4 from 3, 4-7 from the field), 4 rebounds, one assist, 3 steals, +11
After five straight games of DNP-CDs and mop up work, we finally got to see Hugo back on the parquet and he didn’t miss a beat. The defense was still there, he’s still got a nose for the ball with three steals, and his shot looks confident.
Plays like this are worth a couple of decibels in May and June:
16 minutes, 14 points (0-3 from 3, 2-3 from the free throw line, 6-13 from the field), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one steal, 2 blocks, -2
I’d like a word with the Celtics scorekeeper. There’s no way that Garza filled up the stat sheet and was a minus-2! Regardless, it was great to see the big man out there doing the things that make him the easiest Celtic to root for.
He may have been relegated to the third-string, but you just know that he’s going to get thrown into the mix and make a difference in a game or two in the first round.
Grade: A
Ron Harper Jr.
12 minutes, 7 points (1-4 from 3, 3-7 from the field), one assist, one steal, -8
I would be surprised if the team doesn’t pick up their club option on Harper Jr. The All G League Third Teamer has shown all season that he’s a professional scorer in the big leagues.
Apr 10, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) hits a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
There’s an impenetrable, opaque blackness to this space. Devoid of the primary sense that humans rely on to orient themselves, you try to parse what information you can through your secondary inputs.
Unfortunately, other senses provides no more insight. It is so painfully, crushingly loud here that you can’t be sure of the source of the noise, can’t be sure of anything other than the fact that your eardrums are on the verge of rupturing. Or is it instead that this place is so silent that you’re being deafened by the unyielding cycle of your blood frantically THUD, THUD, THUDing its way through your blood vessels?
After an eternity of this, you finally hear it.
You were told what you should expect, but there isn’t any meaningful way to prepare yourself for how the velvety, telltale chuckle emerges from the void below you, starting at your age-appropriate New Balances, winding its way up your aging frame, slinking up into your ears before arriving at its destination.
His laugh and his voice finds easy purchase in your brain.
“Oh, well, isn’t this just sublime? You’re clever enough to know that you’re just my type, aren’t you?”
In this moment, you remember being a boy when your Paw taught you about viper’s fangs, how they’re hollow and hinged, a perfectly-designed poison delivery system. You swallow the knot in your throat.
“And a former catcher to boot, too. I’m spoiled today, aren’t I?” Another undulating laugh that feels like a scalpel against your brain stem. You say nothing.
He tuts. “Oh, come now, don’t be such a tease. I know you haven’t met me yet, but I know you. I know almost everything about you,” he croons. “And, since the second you replaced my dearest friend, I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for you to meet me here.”
“I know what you want. No one comes to my realm asking for anything else. He came here often enough, my friend, and for just the one thing. So, let’s get on to Hecuba,” he sighs. “You want my gift, and I’m willing to trade it. What else does a god want but tribute and worship?”
A fresh start can soothe many maladies. Leaving your hometown to escape the painful memories attached to your once-favorite places is a time-honored tradition of young adulthood. Or, if you’re feeling less dramatic but still need to cool the sting of heartbreak, may I interest you in a new haircut?
Or, what if you’re a troubled but lovable baseball team that finds itself predicted to win their division, and with the second-highest odds to make the World Series in the league, BUT, after 13 mind-numbing games you have found yourself scuffling along to the worst record in baseball? Could a fresh start fix that?
Yes.
The Seattle Mariners bullied the injury-ridden Houston Astros in a 9-6 win in front of a noisy crowd of nearly 45,000 last night. It was a welcome reprieve from a brutal 1-7 stretch characterized by a lifeless offense that averaged just 2 runs per game (and only 1.3 if you remove the 7-8 loss to the Angels).
Before the game, Dan Wilson said that he was looking to see his team return to their identity and do what they do best.
“What we do well as a team offensively when we’re going well is get on base, create traffic…create chaos, so to speak,” he said. “Drive guys in and drive balls out of the ballpark.”
The Mariners did a little of both tonight, taking advantage of the opportunities that Houston handed them and being aggressive on the basepaths, while also making their own luck.
The first inning was one for the books, an all-timer in Silliness. The Mariners scored three runs, each with their own little bit of pizzazz. A bases-loaded wild pitch, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a ground ball that would have been a double play but for Randy Arozarena’s graceful sauté away from a tag chased Tatsuya Imai after recording just one out. The Mariners worked four walks off of Imai, some foreshadowing, perhaps, for the ten they would earn by the end of the game.
Chaos Ball is so 2022, and this iteration of the Mariners ought not to need to stoop so low as to rely on such bullpucky to win baseball games. That said, you won’t find me complaining about how the 4-9 team wins ballgames.
Because Mariners fans may have nice things on occasion provided they are at least somewhat complicated, Emerson Hancock interrupted an otherwise sterling outing with a somewhat tarnished second inning. Hancock gracefully noted that he “never met a pitcher who’s complained when guys are scoring runs for you,” but one must wonder if the lengthy bottom of the first played a part in him losing the handle on the sweeper in the second inning.
Two singles, a walk, and a double later, the game was quickly born anew.
Shaky second inning aside, Hancock put together another impressive outing tonight, earning his second win with 5 IP and 5 Ks while giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He’s making his case for holding onto the fifth starter spot, impressing with his confidence and resilience.
“There were a couple of big messes for us on the sweeper [in the second inning], but I thought for us to refine it in the third, it was a big pitch for us in the third, fourth and fifth innings.”
The sweeper is probably Hancock’s best pitch, but the fastball was his most effective pitch tonight, racking up a 42% whiff rate while kissing 98 mph. The combination of the two can be deadly when the location is spot on, as it was on this hellacious punch-out of Jeremy Pena.
But, really, whether you know it yet or not, you’re here for the Randy home run. After about 4 more innings of 3-3 baseball and a frustrating at-bat, Randy decided to talk his talk and send this ball to the absolute moon, marine layer be damned.
There aren’t really words fit to describe this titanic blast, so why don’t you just go ahead and watch that one more time?
This game’s vibe is feel-good romp, so I’ll save the discussion of Randy’s outfield play for another article. Tonight, Randy delivered what he was traded for: the clutch, big-play, electric energy that can breathe the sparks of life into a team at risk of becoming flat, with a little bit of guitar playing to boot.
While he hasn’t been struggling as hard as the rest of the top of the lineup, Randy has had an uneven start to the season, notching just 3 extra-base hits coming into tonight’s game. He said that he’s been taking lots of extra time in the cage to improve his pitch selection, and that it was gratifying to see it pay off tonight.
“Obviously I’ve taken a lot of walks [this season], but to see it all come together after the work I’ve been putting in meant a lot.”
So, who cares if Wilcox let Alvarez do what Alvarez does best? A big fat three-run home run of their own doesn’t mean much if Houston’s bullpen is content handing runs to Seattle. 2021 Mariners Amalgam J.P. France did just that, giving up another bases-loaded wild-pitch to score Cole Young, and the real J.P. and Cal each got their own RBIs.
That’s nine runs, five of which can safely be considered hardly silly at all and four that are at least a little bit silly. Beggars can’t be choosers, so Seattle should take the runs where they can.
This was probably the game that’s been the most fun to watch this season – beating on the Astros will probably be uniquely joyful for another season, and Dave Valle’s halted explanation of how conversations work to Aaron Goldsmith gave me life after a long workweek.
But, more than just being fun, this game held suggestions that the Mariners’ bats are climbing their way out of the hole they’ve put themselves in to start the year. Each hitter reached base tonight; in fact, everyone but Julio reached base at least twice. The at-bats across the board looked much-improved, as though there was a game plan going into them beyond the “see ball swing bat at” approach we’ve seen thus far.
Combined with forcing Houston’s bullpen to put up 7.2 innings in the first of a four-game series, there’s good reason to hope that we might be in for a very entertaining and fulfilling weekend of baseball. If you have been waiting for the fun part to start, I think we might just be getting there.
Your boss claps you on the back as you make your way out of the locker room and into the grey bowels of the stadium. You smile as he congratulates you on a great game.
“Statistically, in terms of where our ship was headed, I knew it was probably a pretty likely outcome you would get this turned in a direction that we’re going to find productive. I feel that-”
“My name sounds so nice from your mouth, Danny,” he coos. It’s dark, unimaginably so. Your stomach feels like you’ve missed the last step on a long stairset that continues dropping out from under your feet. “I just love to see my song sung in front of the assembled press. Public tribute and worship feels so good, doesn’t it?”
“Anyways, this one’s is complementary, a gift for a friend well-met. I’m sure you have no plans to return – of course, Scott said the same thing the first time. And the second time, and, oh, every time after that. But you know where to find me. All you have to do is ask.”
