The San Antonio Spurs are fighting for their playoff lives in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs entered the Sunday night showdown trailing 2-1 in the series, and they needed a big game from superstar center Victor Wembanyama if they wanted to even it before going back to OKC. Wemby delivered with an incredible first half — capped by one of the defining shots of his young career so far.
Wembanyama was already dominating the Thunder when he got the ball with the clock ticking away at the end of the first half. The 7’5 French superhuman pulled up from the halfcourt logo at the buzzer and swished the shot to give the Spurs all the momentum (and a 12-point) heading into halftime. Watch the shot here:
Wembanyama scored 22 points in the first half, and the Spurs were +16 in his 18 minutes. The Thunder playing without their second and third best creators in Game 4 with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both out with injury, and it sure feels like that’s too much to overcome against Wembanyama with his back against the wall.
The 7’5 guy was already dominating at the rim on both ends. Hitting halfcourt shots with ease is just unfair. It’s the longest shot of his career, but it’s hard to be surprised at this point.
Sunday couldn’t have gone much worse for the Blue Jays.
A Toronto season that had begun to turn around in recent games saw that momentum stall in their 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
And it wasn’t simply because of the loss, but the multiple injuries that occurred across the span of just one inning.
The struggling American League East squad, which dropped to 25-28 in the loss, had to remove starting pitcher Dylan Cease in the top of the fifth after the former CY Young runner-up was seen shaking his arm after a pitch and left the game with some measure of visible discomfort.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets hit in the elbow by a pitch from Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates and leaves the game in the fifth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Toronto Star via Getty Images
This came as the Blue Jays had already trailed 2-1.
And even more worrisome, Blue Jays’ megastar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took a two-out, 92-mile per hour pitch inside, left for the dugout afterward and never returned.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the ball hit Guerrero in a “weird spot.”
“He usually doesn’t come out of a game. He’s pretty tough,” Schneider told reporters of Guerrero, according to MLB.com. “I followed him and he just said, ‘I can’t feel my hand.’ It was kind of like [hitting] a funny bone, but travelling at 90-plus miles an hour.”
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 24, 2026
Cease had been off to a good start in the season individually, jumping out to a 2.98 ERA over 10 starts prior to Sunday, where he was en route to another quality start before his early exit.
Cease has two top-four Cy Young finishes in his career from his stints with the White Sox and Padres.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went directly to the dugout and left the game after being hit by a pitch. pic.twitter.com/jPWw5jGiTX
“When we went out the first time, he was cramping up a little bit,” Schneider told reporters of Cease, according to MLB.com. “Then, he still kind of felt it, obviously, so we wanted to be careful. He’s going to get an MRI. All of the testing and stuff seemed pretty positive. He said he wants to make his next start, so we’ll just see how he is the next couple of days. We’re just hoping for good news.”
Dylan Cease left with an injury as the Toronto Blue Jays played the Pittsburgh Pirates at Rogers Centre in Toronto. May 24, 2026. Toronto Star via Getty Images
Guerrero Jr. has three homers and 22 RBI’s this year, hitting .287 for the year.
He’s also a five-time All-Star and former MVP runner-up.
After getting to Game 7 of the World Series last season, Toronto has started just 25-28 but won four games prior to Sunday.
Travis Head and his wife Jessica have been targeted by sickening trolls after the Australian cricketer’s Indian Premier League spat with Indian superstar Virat Kohli.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: James Wood #29 and Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals celebrate after a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How about these Washington Nationals! They just took two out of three in Atlanta to hand the Braves their second series loss of the season. The Nats offense was not firing on all cylinders this weekend, but the pitching staff picked up the bats. This offense deserved the help they got from the pitching this weekend badly.
After back to back shaky starts, Foster Griffin was back to his best this afternoon. He threw 6 scoreless innings against one of the best offenses in baseball. Griffin’s command was absolutely impeccable in this one. He was dotting the corners all game long. Despite pitching in the pouring rain for a chunk of his start, Griffin executed at a very high level.
The sweeper was the star of the show in this one for him. He got 4 whiffs on 7 swings against the sweeper. Griffin was also able to freeze hitters with his big breaking ball. His ERA got over 4 following his last start, but now it is back down to 3.63.
Once again, the Nats offense was fairly quiet in this one. However, they did just enough to get the job done. Nasim Nunez got a big RBI hit in the fifth. Then in the 8th, after a long rain delay, the Nats used some small ball. James Wood walked and then stole second. After Curtis Mead moved him over on a sac fly, Luis Garcia Jr. got a pinch hit knock to score Wood and give the Nats a massive insurance run.
— Nationals Advisory (@nats_advisory) May 24, 2026
The rain was a big story all weekend, and especially today. From about the 5th inning onwards, the two teams were playing in a big storm. Crew Chief Ron Kulpa kept the game going as long as he could. However, two pitches into the 7th inning, they had to call a delay.
With the storm getting out of control, the grounds crew had a tough time getting the tarp on the first base side of the field. At points, it really felt like the game should have been called off. If the Braves were winning, I have a feeling the game may have been called. The Nats travel to Cleveland, while the Braves are off tomorrow. Whatever the motive, the grounds crew did their thing, and got the field into just good enough conditions to play.
The Braves (who have an off day tomorrow) doing whatever it takes to patch up a totally wrecked field to get the game in while the Nats are on a getaway day. Insane home cooking.
That meant Nats fans were in for an anxiety inducing finish. The Garcia hit cleared some of the nerves, but only temporarily. Keibert Ruiz almost gave the Nats a huge insurance run, but he was robbed by a leaping Matt Olson, who showed why he is such an elite defender at first base.
After getting the last two outs of the 8th, Gus Varland came out for the 9th. However, he put his team in a bind by allowing two straight hits to Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley. Blake Butera turned to Richard Lovelady for a third straight day. Lovelady has dealt with Michael Harris Jr. well this series, and did it again, getting him to flyout to shallow right.
With runners on first and third with one out, it looked like Eli White hit into a game ending double play. However, the usually sure handed Nasim Nunez booted the ball and everyone was safe. With the way he is struggling at the plate, Nunez can’t afford to make those kinds of defensive mistakes.
In the end, this would not cost them though. After Lovelady walked a batter to load the bases, Blake Butera went to Orlando Ribalta, a roll of the dice that paid off in a massive way. Ribalta blew away Friday’s walkoff hero Chadwick Tromp. That set up a matchup with the face of the Braves franchise, Ronald Acuna. Ribalta got Acuna to break his bat and ground out to first. The big right ran over to cover first and received a toss from Luis Garcia Jr. to win the series and get to .500.
Awesome win for the Nats.
Awesome series.
The Braves have lost 2 series all year. This was No. 2.
The Nats just held ATL’s second ranked offend to 3 runs in two wins this weekend. 5 runs in 27 regulation innings.
This was a statement series win for the Nats. They did not have their A game on offense this weekend, but were able to pitch their way to a series win. This pitching staff has been much maligned, but since about the middle of April, they have been solid. It has not been unbelievable, but they are holding up their end of the bargain.
It is Memorial Day, and the Washington Nationals are .500 and second in the NL East. Seeing how rejuvenated this team looks has me so excited. Nats fans are finally able to dream of a bright future ahead. If this is what the Paul Toboni and Blake Butera regime can do in year 1, I am very excited to see what is to come.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out in the eight inning against the Detroit Tigers during game two of a double header at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles were unable to complete the double-header sweep on Sunday evening at Camden Yards, losing 4-1 to the Tigers in Game 2. The loss saw the team’s offense go quiet while starter Trevor Rogers continued to scuffle.
The box score makes it look like yet another rough outing for Rogers. The lefty lasted only 4.2 innings, and allowed four runs on four hits, two walks, two strikeouts, and a home run. Despite featuring slightly better velocity than we typically see from Rogers (up about 0.5 mph on his fastball), his whiff rate was a woeful 13%. That’s about half of what his season average has been, which itself was already below league average.
The trouble started early. Matt Vierling singled into left field to begin the game, and then after recording one out, Rogers allowed a two-run homer off the bat of Dillon Dingler. It came on a cutter that was down in the zone, but Dingler was able to golf it out of the park at 104 mph anyway.
But then Rogers settled in, retiring the next 11 Detroit batters in a row, which included the final two outs of the first inning followed by 1-2-3 frames in the second, third, and fourth innings.
It was in the fifth inning where he seemed to run out of gas a bit. Rogers walked Spencer Torkelson to open the inning, and then gave up a single to Wenceel Pérez to put two runners on with no outs. He got one out and then walked Zack Short to fill the bases. A pop out of Vierling seemed like it would allow Rogers to escape, but he couldn’t quite make it. Kevin McGonigle came up clutch with a two out single to drive in the Tigers third and fourth runs of the day. That was the end of the line for Rogers.
You can’t say this was a “successful” start for Rogers. He failed to get to the fifth inning for the fourth straight start, dating back to late April. And his ERA rose yet again, now sitting at an unsightly 6.96 on the year. But he showed glimpses of his 2025 form, and had an impressive stretch without even allowing a baserunner. At the very least, this was the best he has looked since returning from the IL.
The Orioles offense, on the other hand, was putrid. The best thing you can say about them is that they walked five times. But it’s not like they did much with those walks. The team collected just three hits and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Any sort of positive vibes that may have emanated from winning the first two games of the series and the magic of Colton Cowser’s walk off in the first half of this doubleheader were unapparent in the nightcap.
The only run they scored came in the fourth inning. Adley Rutschman opened the frame with a walk. Pete Alonso singled him over to third. And Samuel Basallo knocked him in with a sac fly to center field. That was it.
Their other best chance to score came in the ninth inning. Alonso and Basallo earned back-to-back walks to begin the inning. But then three straight strikeouts for Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill, and Blaze Alexander quickly ended any hopes of a comeback. Cowser, the hero from Game 1, was not an option to come off the bench because he had already been pinch hit for by O’Neill and his now-.487 OPS earlier in the game.
Perhaps the standout of this game for the Orioles was reliever Albert Suàrez. After Andrew Kittredge recorded the final out of the fifth inning, Suárez came on to eat some innings. He did just that, tossing four shutout frames. That’s a pretty big contribution in the night game portion of a doubleheader before the team plays a day game on Monday.
The Orioles used just four relievers across both of today’s games. Kittredge here and Dietrich Enns in Game 1 only threw 11 pitches each. So all of their high-leverage arms should be fresh. From that perspective, the team is in good position for their Memorial Day clash with the Rays.
Speaking of which, the O’s will welcome their division rivals into Camden Yards on Monday as they begin a three-game set at the friendly confines. Let’s hope they don’t embarrass themselves like they did down in St. Pete last week. First pitch is set for 1:35, if the rain cooperates.
The Knicks will have the opportunity to close the series out in Game 4 on the road at Rocket Arena on Monday, May 25.
It’s a deep hole for the Cavs to try to climb out of. No team in the league’s history has come back to win a series after losing the first three games. In fact, only three teams have even managed to rally back into a series to force a Game 7 after a 3-0 deficit in a series.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson still appears optimistic about his team's chances in the series.
“Analytically… we’ve won two out of three games on the expected (score),” Atkinson said. “I think last night it was one point or two.”
The Knicks have averaged 115 points through the first three games in the series compared to just 101.7 for the Cavs. Cleveland has made 109-of-254 shot attempts, including 37-of-126 from the 3-point line, while New York has shot 129-of-250 from the field and 34-of-96 from long range.
“We were shooting way lower than expected and they’re shooting way over,” Atkinson said. “I know nobody wants to hear that. … Everyone is outcome based.”
The Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter of Game 1, erasing the Cavaliers' 22-point lead by going on a 44-11 scoring run from the 7:52 mark in the final period of regulation and into overtime to secure the victory.
The Cavaliers will host the Knicks for Game 4 of the series on Monday, May 25, at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The Knicks need one more victory to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics laughs during the second half at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Thunder 119-109. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jaylen Brown’s first run as the Boston Celtics star earned its flowers on Sunday night.
The names of those voted to the league’s All-NBA first, second, and third teams were unveiled, just as Brown began unpacking another handful of topics during his latest livestream. Brown’s audience got a live reaction from the five-time All-Star, who expressed his gratitude upon discovering he had joined some of the league’s brightest stars as a member of the All-NBA Second Team.
Brown assumed responsibilities in the team’s driver’s seat while co-star Jayson Tatum recovered from his ruptured right Achilles tendon. Without Tatum for the first 62 games of the regular season, Brown kept the Celtics competitive as one of the league’s biggest threats entering the playoffs. Boston finished second in the Eastern Conference — behind the Detroit Pistons — with a 56-26 record, salvaging what initially looked like a bridge year in the making.
The door was open for both Brown and offseason newcomers, labeled as “unprovens” by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, to flourish throughout the season.
Brown averaged career highs in points (28.7), assists (5.1), and two-point attempts (16) across 71 starts. He played over 34 minutes a night, shot 47.7 percent from the field, and took initiative by finding his safe haven in the mid-range, torching opposing defenses with his stellar 58.5 percent shooting clip.
He finished sixth in MVP voting and was a first-time starter in February’s 2026 All-Star Game.
Considering how Brown’s leadership elevated both himself and the team, earning an All-NBA spot shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, skepticism looms in Brown’s mind when it comes time for the league to announce its award winners.
“I’m grateful for everything,” Brown said. “I’m not surprised about nothing. I’m grateful for everything. I know who I am. So I get it. I’m surprised I win awards at all sometimes, so I’m grateful, man. It’s a blessing.”
Boston didn’t get far in its postseason pursuit, as the season ended with a historic 3-1 first-round collapse against the Philadelphia 76ers. And while the final result left the season with a bittersweet feel, it didn’t diminish Brown’s appreciation for the Celtics teammates he shared the court with during his 10th NBA season.
“It’s a blessing to be a part of the group that I’ve been on,” Brown said, “especially with the expectations they put on us. The expectation was to not even be a playoff team, and we finished second in the East.”
For the third straight season, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is a member of the All-NBA Second Team.
Brunson got the 2025-26 honor alongside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić made the First Team.
The Third Team was Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Thunder center-forward Chet Holmgren and Pistons center Jalen Duren.
Brunson, 29, averaged 26 points and 6.8 assists in 35 minutes per game in 74 games of New York's 53-29 regular season.
"I don't really want to consider us peaking at this moment," Brunson said Sunday on Zoom. "I still think we have a lot of work to do.
"Us as a team -- I've said this all year -- we just want to get better every single day, and that includes the times that we're in the playoffs because there's still time to learn, there's still time to get better.
"That's how I've always thought about it. I haven't really had the time to, like, kind of wonder where we are as a team. All I focus on is, 'How can we get better from the day before?'"
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 24: Ozzie Albies (1) of the Atlanta Braves picks himself up after a dive back to first base during the Sunday afternoon MLB game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves on May 24, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Even heavy rain couldn’t wash away a poor series at the plate for the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves were shutout through six innings of Sunday’s rubber match against the Washington Nationals, facing a 1-0 deficit.
One 90-minute weather delay later, that deficit grew to 2-0. The Braves rallied mildly in the ninth, but left the bases loaded, taking a 2-1 loss to the Nationals which resulted in their first home series loss of the season and just their second overall.
For eight innings, the Braves’ offense seemed destined for a second straight shutout against a Washington pitching staff which entered the day 26th in the majors in ERA (4.87).
But when Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley led off the ninth with back-to-back singles, one could begin to dream of another dramatic win to extend the series winning streak at Truist Park.
An Eli White fielder’s choice after Michael Harris II flew out to shallow right prevented the shutout before a Ha-Seong Kim walk loaded the bases with one out.
But Friday’s hero, Chadwick Tromp, struck out and Orlando Ribalta got Ronald Acuña Jr. to ground one to the right side, covering the bag himself to end the game and secure the series.
Sunday’s offensive showing was mildly better than Saturday’s one-hit performance. The Braves managed six hits this time, but couldn’t string them together. Albies (3-for-4) accounted for half of Atlanta’s hits
Atlanta finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position (.111), stranding nine runners in its second straight narrow loss as the bats were never able to figure out Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin (6-2). He scattered three hits over six shutout frames, striking out six and walking one.
That overshadowed Atlanta’s unlucky losing pitcher Martín Pérez (2-3, 2.70 ERA), who allowed just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two.
Griffin had two separate streaks of seven straight batters retired. The first started with a strikeout of Austin Riley to strand two runners in the first inning. The second started with the escape from a fourth-inning jam.
The Braves seemed poised to jump ahead when they put runners on the corners with no out in the fourth after Matt Olson led off with a double down the left-field line and Ozzie Albies beat out a chopper in front of the pitcher for an infield single.
But a Riley strikeout and a White hard-hit double-play grounder — with a Harris hit-by-pitch in between — kept the Braves off the board.
The Nationals had the same opportunity in the fifth when Daylen Lile led off with a double and Jacob Young followed with a single. They did not come up empty, as Nasim Nuñez followed with a single to right to give Washington a 1-0 lead.
Pérez got a double play and a strikeout to largely limit the damage, but it was a day where there was minimal margin for error given the offensive lull.
When the rain delay finally ended Griffin’s outing, Washington brought Andrew Alvarez out of the bullpen. He allowed a leadoff single to Riley in the seventh and a one-out walk to Acuña in the eighth, but neither baserunner made it any further than first base.
Washington tacked on with pinch hitter Luis Garcia Jr.’s RBI single off Reynaldo Lopez which brought home James Wood after a one-out walk. That proved to be the winning run.
In all, the Braves managed just three runs in regulation across the three-game Nationals series. That’s not often going to get the job done, and in this case, ruined three strong starts from the Atlanta rotation.
One can only hope this being the 13th game in as many days for the Braves had an effect on the bats. An off day before kicking off a six-game road trip Tuesday at the Boston Red Sox may be just what the offense needs to wake up.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Troy Melton #52 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during game two of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After yet another gut-wrenching loss in the first of two on Sunday, the Detroit Tigers and their fans really needed a win. They got it with some early offense and strong performances from Troy Melton, Tyler Holton, and Drew Anderson, who closed out a 4-1 victory with a nice six-out save.
Facing lefty Trevor Rogers, the Tigers started this one with a single from Matt Vierling. Kevin McGonigle followed with a grounder to first and Pete Alonso fired to second to get the lead runner but they couldn’t turn the double play. Dillon Dingler went down and launched a breaking ball high and deep over the left field wall, and it was 2-0 Tigers before a lot of fans found their seats. Riley Greene took a called strike three, and Jahmai Jones flew out to center field for the final out of the frame.
As uncertain as the Tigers future is right now, Troy Melton is going to be part of it, so it was great to see him back on the mound making his first start of the season. Melton had a minor elbow sprain early in spring camp and the Tigers immediately shut him down and took plenty of time to make sure he was 100 percent before letting him ramp up.
Melton got fly outs from Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson to begin his outing. He got into a 3-1 count against Adley Rutschman and challenged him with a 96.7 mph fastball. The Orioles catcher took a huge hack but Melton won out as he lifted a routine high fly to right field.
Spencer Torkelson and Hao-Yu Lee hit the ball hard in the second, but the Tigers went hitless. Kevin McGonigle made a nice pick on a hot Pete Alonso grounder to start the bottom half. Melton’s velo was very good early on. His command was a little rougher, and he left a splitter up against Samuel Basallo that was smoked into center for a one-out single. Leody Taveras grounded out, but Colton Cowser drew a walk on a 3-2 fastball that was initially called a strike but was challenged correctly. Blaze Alexander strafed a line drive that was heading down the left field line but Kevin McGonigle made a great leaping catch to prevent at least one run.
Melton was attacking the zone and looked 100 percent, but it was still his first start of the season and his command wasn’t real sharp in terms of the life on his stuff nor location early on. He also hasn’t thrown more than 65 pitches, and only got one rehab start in against Triple-A hitters, so it’s going to be a while before he’s up to full strength.
You’ll recall that Melton has always been a starter, but pitched in a mixed role last year and had a problem with his splitter against left-handed hitters. He has plenty of strengths in his fastball and breaking stuff to build from this season but getting that splitter dialed will be important.
Short, Vierling, and McGonigle all popped out in the top of the third. Melton jammed Jackson Holliday, who popped out, and Taylor Ward grounded out. A nasty fading splitter and then a 97.3 mph heater up and away dusted Gunnar Henderson for the third out of the third inning.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the fourth, with Jahmai Jones lining out to Holliday at second to end the top half. Emblematic of how his season has gone.
Melton started the fourth with a walk of Rutschman and then Alonso padded a grounder up the middle for a single to get Rutschman to third. He scored on a Samuel Basallo sacrifice fly to make it 2-1 Tigers. Melton blew Taveras away for his second strikeout, and so it was up to Cowser, who bounced out to Torkelson to end the inning.
Torkelson drew a walk to open the fifth inning. Wenceel Pérez showed bunt first pitch but pulled it back and took a ball. He tried again 1-1 and fouled it off to the first base side, then pulled a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield for a single. Lee flew out to center field, but not quite deep enough into this tiny outfield to get Torkelson to third. Rogers was really nibbling by this point and Short worked a full count and fought off a fastball before walking to load the bases with one out.
That brought the top of the order up, and if the Tigers were going to break this losing streak they needed to cash some of these chips with Vierling and McGonigle next up.
Rogers tied Vierling up and he popped out near the Orioles dugout, so it was up to the Kid, and the Kid came through. McGonigle got into a full count after Rogers started off ahead, and then rifled a single into center field to score Torkelson and Pérez. Short moved to third, and it was 4-1 Tigers.
That ended Rogers’ outing. Craig Albernaz turned to right-hander Andrew Kittredge instead, facing Dingler. McGonigle stole second base to get into scoring position without a throw. Kttredge bounced a slider on the eighth pitch of that at-bat, and the bases were loaded with two outs for Riley Greene. The Orioles pitching coach came out to chat with his pitcher, and let’s not forget the Orioles are struggling too.
Unfortunately, Greene got ahead 2-0 but swung at a sinker up on the outer edge and grounded out to first. I’ve mentioned this a few times, but one of the cascading effects of this misery is that the Tigers are rarely getting to a team’s worst relievers, which is where a lot of the addition run scoring and stat padding happens. They got a chance there and couldn’t capitalize. Would it cost them? Eh, probably considering how things are going.
Melton started the inning at 55 pitches. He got Alexander and Holliday to hit the ball to Pérez for a quick two outs. Taylor Ward popped out on a cutter, and we were on to the sixth with Melton looking as though he had at least another inning in him.
Right-hander Albert Suárez took over for the Orioles in the sixth. He used to be a sinkerballer but is now a mediocre, very fly ball prone pitcher who doesn’t strike many hitters out. Colt Keith took over for Jahmai Jones, hitting fifth. He flew out to right field and Torkelson followed suit. Pérez grounded out to shortstop, and now things would get very interesting.
Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Pete Alonso were due up for the third time against Melton, who started the inning at 65 pitches. If they could get through this inning and add on another run or two, that would probably be enough.
Henderson fought off a couple of tough two strike pitches, but a perfect back foot slider got the whiff. Melton missed with four straight to Rutschman as he looked to be running out of gas. That brought Alonso to the dish. Drew Anderson and Tyler Holton were warming at this point. Dingler went out to the mound, presumably to tell him this was his last batter and to just empty the tank. A slider got Alonso off balance and he lifted a pop fly to Pérez. That was it for Melton, and the Tigers couldn’t be happier with his first outing.
Melton’s final line was 5.2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K. Plenty to build on for the young right-hander, who isn’t much more than a rookie himself.
Holton took over to face the dangerous Samuel Basallo, and carved him up with a flurry of good sweepers to end the inning. Stiill 4-1 Tigers.
Suárez got Lee on a grounder to Holliday at second to open the seventh inning. Short followed with a single to right field to turn the lineup over, and Vierling dug into the box. He smoked a drive to the warning track in right center field but Taveras ran it down. McGonigle bounced out to first to send it to the bottom half.
Taveras put up a lengthy fight against Holton, but grounded out to Short for the first out. A nice changeup got a whiff from O’Neill, and Blaze Alexander flew out weakly to right field to end the inning.
While we begged for one more run, Dingler popped out and Greene grounded out to start the eighth. Colt Keith came through with a line drive single to right field and then took third as Torkelson followed suit with another lined single to right. Unfortunately, Pérez hit an opposite field fly ball out to Taylor Ward to end the two-out threat.
With Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, and Kenley Jansen burnt for the day, Drew Anderson came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth. He got ahead of Holliday 0-2, but the young hitter worked back into a full count. A fastball up and in was pulled just foul with near home run distance, but a changeup down the middle induced a weak fly ball to center field. Ward followed with a flared single to right field. Henderson popped up on a changeup as well. Kick change, ftw. Anderson stayed on the attack against Rutschman, mixing mostly 96-97 mph fourseamers in between changeups, but after starting ahead, the Orioles catcher took some decent pitches to work it full. A filthy kick change that disappeared like a splitter drew a wild whiff to send this to the ninth.
The Tigers went in order quickly, and so it was up to Anderson to finally get the Tigers a win. It didn’t start well. He walked Alonso and Basallo both, but Fetter came out in pretty animated fashion. Presumably “throw #$%$#%# strikes!” was part of the message. Anderson rebounded by punching out Taveras and O’Neill. He got ahead of Alexander 1-2 and whiffed him on a nasty changeup that was foul tipped into Dingler’s glove.
Nice moxie from Anderson there. After a nice eighth, things looked sketchy after two walks to start the ninth, but he pulled it together to strike out the side as the Tigers snap an eight-game losing streak.
The Tigers are 21-33, and they’ll head home now for an off day before welcoming in the Los Angeles Angels for three on Tuesday. Suffice it to say, whatever slim hopes are left depend heavily on the Tigers ripping through numerous series victories in a row. Nothing for anyone, including the fans to do, but take it one game at a time.
I would’ve bet Kevin was the gene edited one in the family.
Fun fact I learned from spending time with the McGonigle family.
Kevin’s baby cousin KJ is the first gene edited person IN THE WORLD.
Saved his life from a rare disease that affects 1 in every 1.3 million. Now, he’s here to watch his cousin in the bigs. pic.twitter.com/XqZCmPPDMQ
Casey after the bat | (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
The mighty Casey may be fated to strike out sooner or later. Still, today was not that day, as Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt and first baseman Rafael Devers ran wild on Sox pitching this afternoon, driving in all eight San Francisco runs in the White Sox 8-5 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park.
It’s the second straight series loss for the Sox, who are back to .500 after a blissful week-and-a-half above the breakeven point. Fresh off the remarkable feat of allowing an entire grand slam within the first six pitches of the game, it looked like it was going to be another rough one for Robbie Ray when Chase Meidroth came out swinging for his second leadoff home run of the season.
Unfortunately, Noah Schultz once again struggled somewhat out of the gate, walking Willy Adames to open the game before back-to-back doubles from Schmitt and Rafael Devers made the Sox lead as short-lived as Arson Judge’s time with the Giants.
On a more promising note, Schultz did not offer up any more free passes after batter number one, which makes it just one walk over his last 43 batters. Although the results still aren’t there — Schultz did wind up getting tagged for six runs over four-plus innings — the sudden descent from the 17% walk rate he ran over his first five starts is probably a more important takeaway than the runs, or dearth of strikeouts. If Schultz can consistently throw strikes, he’s going to be effective. Point blank. He’s not there yet, but as long as he can continue avoiding free baserunners, the results are going to follow sooner or later.
Two more of those six earned runs came in the fourth inning, when Schmitt’s reign of terror hit its apex with a home run to bring San Francisco’s lead to 4-1.
Still, this White Sox team doesn’t quit. Before talking about what happened next, I want to be clear and say that, like the quintessential modern baseball fan, I am generally opposed to sacrifice bunts in the way they’ve been traditionally used. The LaRussa methodology, so to speak.
However.
I also believe there are still scenarios where it makes sense in context, even if it doesn’t. One of those contexts was the fifth inning today, when Tristan Peters was entrusted with no outs to lay down a bunt to move runners to second and third. Ordinarily, a questionable move when one is chasing a few runs. But consider this: Tristan Peters is better at bunting than he is at hitting for power, and the on-deck hitter, Luisangel Acuña, has been flat-out terrible at hitting all around this season.
Acuña hit a sacrifice fly before Chase Meidroth struck out to end the inning, which comes full circle on a successful sac bunt situation, if you ask me. The numbers say that neither Peters nor Acuña was terribly likely to get on base, much less notch an extra-base hit to drive those runners in. Considering how Peters and Jarred Kelenic swung them out of a first-and-second-with-less-than-two-outs situation a couple of innings later, I’m okay hedging for a single run when they would have been otherwise as likely as not to come away with nothing.
Though he avoided more grand slams, Robbie Ray still had a tenuous (at best) idea of where the ball was going this afternoon, racking up six walks before getting driven out of the game in the fifth inning. There was no single big hit that got the Sox back in the game, but a bases-loaded ground out by Colson Montgomery, followed by a single from Edgar Quero, was enough to knot things up at four.
This version of the comeback kids was sadly short-lived, as Schultz’s half of the fifth inning nearly mirrored Ray’s. A double and a hit batter to start the inning ended Schultz’s afternoon. Unlike the Sox offense, the up-to-this-point-struggling Rafael Devers took full advantage, becoming the first opposing batter in 56 career appearances to take Grant Taylor deep.
Taylor will now hold his place in history with the eighth-most games pitched to start a career without giving up a longball.
That was more or less it for the excitement in this one. Miguel Vargas did get a hold of one, his 12th of the year, so if nothing else, his All-Star campaign is still rolling strong despite an underwhelming road trip.
There wasn’t any action the rest of the way. Still, we did see some interesting bullpen usage from Will Venable, who curiously deployed Seranthony Domínguez in the seventh inning of a game in which he trailed by three runs. Between this and Grant Taylor’s save last Tuesday, Venable is giving us a bit more to think about at the back end of the bullpen moving forward. Domínguez’s appearance today was, to me, at least a little eyebrow-raising in tandem with Tyler Davis’s 1 2/3 IP appearance today, in which he once again looked all the part of a solid big league reliever.
There will surely be some noise about sending Schultz back down to Charlotte after this performance, but I’d be shocked to see him anywhere but the big league rotation the rest of the way. He’s got little left to prove in the minor leagues; if this front office has any real designs on competing in 2027 or 2028, then right now is the time to let Schultz get through his growing pains. Look at Davis Martin — these things simply take time, and while this unexpected spurt of competitiveness has been exciting, we shouldn’t forget that time is one thing the Sox do still have in their back pocket. For now, at least.
As my friend Sean Anderson likes to say, West Coast games don’t count, as far as I’m concerned. The Sox are back at home for Memorial Day tomorrow afternoon, when Sean Burke will take the mound on Meidroth’s bobblehead day against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CT, and we’ll see you there!
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball during the West First Round Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers game on April 21, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant is celebrating another successful season in the NBA with his 12th All-NBA honor of his career.
With his 12th All-NBA appearance, Durant joins an elite club of basketball greats, which includes:
Jerry West
Dolph Schayes
Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon
Dirk Nowitzki
Julius Erving
Bob Cousy
Shaquille O’Neal
Karl Malone
Tim Duncan
Kobe Bryant
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James
Here’s a list of the All-NBA teams that the voters chose:
First: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham
In his first season with the Rockets, Durant averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game in 78 appearances with the team. It’s the most Durant has played in a single season since the 2018-19 campaign, when he also had 78 appearances for the Golden State Warriors just before tearing his Achilles in that year’s NBA Finals.
To play that long and to still be at an All-NBA level this late into his career is extraordinary and the Rockets should not take that for granted.
While the Rockets may not have moved forward in their quest for a championship after bringing Durant in from a trade with the Phoenix Suns, having him on the roster makes them dangerous on any given night.
TDS community, how do you feel about Durant making the All-NBA team? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks' May 23 game against the Cavaliers.
CLEVELAND — It’s not quite the recognition coach Mike Brown sought, but Jalen Brunson has again been recognized as one of the league’s premier talents.
Brunson was named to the All-NBA second team for the third straight season.
He averaged 26 points and 6.8 assists during the regular season.
“He’s been doing this year after year after year since he got here in New York,” Brown said Sunday. “We’ve had a fantastic season. The numbers that he puts up are off the charts.”
Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks’ May 23 game against the Cavaliers. Charles Wenzelberg
Brown constantly has called for Brunson to be in the MVP conversation, but he got zero votes for the top five places.
“He’s also doing it two ways, and people aren’t talking about him leading the league in charges,” Brown said. “And there are other guys out there that get mentioned a lot and well deserved, well deserved. I’m not discounting them. But one or two of them might be strictly offense. Another one might be better defensively than offensively, you know? And he’s showing his mettle by leading a top three team in the conference not just with his scoring, not just with six to seven assists a game but also leading, leading the league in charges. And that should go a long way, and I hope going forward that the voters really take all of that in consideration.”
Brunson was joined on the second team by Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell.
Ahead of him, Brunson was beaten out by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic on the first team.
The third team consisted of Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren and Chet Holmgren.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 25: Jalen Brunson #11 and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during Round 1 Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is celebrating his third consecutive All-NBA appointment, being named to the second team for a third straight year.
Here’s a look at how all the All-NBA teams shook out.
First: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham
Brunson was the final player named to the second team, receiving 49 second-team votes and 50 third-team votes. One voter left him off the ballot completely.
This season, Brunson averaged 26 points, 6.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting just under 37 percent from beyond the arc. Brunson did all of this while leading the Knicks to 53 victories and the third seed in the Eastern Conference. He has continued his All-NBA level throughout the postseason as the Knicks find themselves one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Towns had a case to join Brunson on the All-NBA list, but the big man came up just short. He was the 17th-highest vote getter, with one second-team vote and 11 third-team votes. Towns averages 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and three assists per game in his second season with the Knicks.
Posting & Toasting community, what do you make of the All-NBA teams? Should Brunson have made the First Team? Who was the biggest snub next to Towns? Chime off in the comments section below.
The Senators don’t have a lot of blue-chip prospects knocking on the NHL door right now. But one that will command plenty of attention at training camp this fall is former first-round pick Carter Yakemchuk.
After spending this past season with the Belleville Senators, the 20-year-old right-shot defenceman appears to be tracking exactly the way Ottawa hoped when they selected him seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The question now is whether Yakemchuk has done enough to seriously challenge for an NHL roster spot next season.
Sens Nation with THN's Steve Warne discusses the recent report that the Sens may be interested in G Devon Levi.
The short answer is... maybe.
Yakemchuk’s first pro season was productive and encouraging, and he certainly has a penchant for good first impressions. In his first AHL season, he had 40 points in 54 games. In his first regular season and first Stanley Cup Playoff games, he had 2 points in each contest.
But his ability to create offense from the back end has never been in question. It was about learning the defensive side of the game and improving his skating.
“I thought it was definitely a big learning year for myself, but I thought overall improved throughout the year, so I was pretty happy with it,” Yakemchuk told broadcaster David Foote in an interview posted this week on B-Sens YouTube channel.
One of the biggest moments of his season came when he earned his first NHL recall and got the opportunity to make his NHL debut with Ottawa.
“I think I’d go with that for sure,” Yakemchuk said. “It was awesome. I mean to have my family there, and (for them) to be able to watch that game was awesome. Because obviously, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So just to share that moment with them, it was awesome.”
But making the awesome jump from first-year AHL player to full-time NHL player is never easy for young defencemen, especially on a Senators team that’s now in a legitimate playoff window, way past development mode.
After a 2-8 record in the past two playoffs, it won’t be enough to just make the playoffs next season, and head coach Travis Green will want more reliability and structure on the back end, not less.
That’s where Yakemchuk’s camp battle gets interesting.
His challenge will be proving he can defend consistently enough to earn Green’s trust. Yakemchuk acknowledged that his goal is to improve in all areas this summer, particularly his skating.
“I think skating for me is the biggest thing I want to improve on. Obviously to play in this league or in the NHL, you’ve got to be a good skater, so that’s something I’ll be working on in the summer.”
After Yakemchuk tore up the preseason in the fall of 2024 (7 points in 4 games), the Sens had to be tempted to keep him around. But for his own good, they didn’t want to rush him unnecessarily. If they made that decision again this fall, it might be partially for the team’s good as well.
At the same time, the right side of Ottawa’s blue line isn’t exactly locked down at the moment. If it stays that way, and Yakemchuk arrives at camp a little quicker and more polished defensively, there’s absolutely an opportunity there to win a job.
By Steve WarneThe Hockey News
This story was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. Click on the latest headlines below to read the latest stories there: