Jays are in tough against Paul Skenes.
The Jays say that Addison Barger will start throwing and hitting tomorrow. And Tommy Nance and Joe Mantiply should start throwing tomorrow too. And Max Scherzer is throwing as well, he threw 30 pitches n the bullpen yesterday.
Go Jays Go
Being down 4-0 after the first inning put a damper in the series opener on Friday night in Milwaukee, but the Dodgers offense at least nominally threatened for most of their 5-1 loss to the Brewers.
The Dodgers batted 22 times with at least somebody on base on Friday, compared to 15 plate appearances with the bases empty. That feels weird to say in a game that the Dodgers only had three hits.
All three hits were singles, and all came with nobody out. the one non-leadoff hit was in the seventh inning, when Dalton Rushing singled after Teoscar Hernández reached on an error. Throw in six walks — three of which also led off an inning — and Max Muncy getting hit on his right wrist by a pitch, and the Dodgers had their chances, but they didn’t do much with them.
That seventh inning produced the only run for Los Angeles, with two flyouts scoring Hernández from second base. the Dodgers had one hit in 17 at=bats with anyone on base on Friday, and no hits in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Logan Henderson pitched five scoreless innings, the 10th starting pitcher to last at least that long without giving up a run to the Dodgers this season. Only the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres, at 11 starts each, have had more such games against them.
So far this season, MLB teams bat 55.9 percent of the time with nobody on base, and 44.1 percent with someone on. Dodgers splits are similar, batting 54.6 percent of the time with nobody on base. They are fourth in MLB in plate appearances with people on base, and sixth in PA with runners in scoring position.
But that was flipped on Friday, batting just 40.5 percent of the time with no one on. It’s out of line with the other three low-hit games this season:
All those opportunities on Friday led to only one run for the Dodgers, who have been held to three or fewer runs 12 times in their last 22 games. Getting to four runs has been the magic number for Los Angeles this season, winning 27 of their 29 games when scoring at least that many. They are 3-3 when scoring exactly three runs, and just 1-14 when scoring two or fewer runs.
The Montreal Canadiens will look to go up 2-0 on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Canadiens won Game 1 6-2. The Hurricanes are favored with a -207 moneyline compared to the Canadiens' +171.
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
TV Channels: TNT, truT, HBO, Spor
Live Stream:ESPN+ | Follow on Yahoo Sports
Spread: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5
Moneyline: Carolina Hurricanes -207 (64.6%) / Montreal Canadiens +171 (35.4%)
Over/Under: 5.5
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The Cleveland Cavaliers went down 0-2 to the Detroit Pistons on the road in the conference semifinals before winning Games 3 and 4 at home and ultimately stealing the series in seven.
Cleveland will look to repeat that pattern in the Eastern Conference Finals, and my Knicks vs. Cavaliers props dig into the best value plays for this pivotal contest, giving you my best NBA picks for Saturday, May 23.
It's all part of our full Knicks vs. Cavaliers predictions for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, so let's dive in.
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Mikal Bridges | Over 13.5 points | -105 |
 Donovan Mitchell | Over 2.5 threes | -155 |
| Evan Mobley | Over 3.5 assists | +105 |
-105 at bet365
The Cleveland Cavaliers strategy to ignore Josh Hart backfired in Game 2, as Hart went off for 26 points. After that outburst, Hart will see more defensive attention, leading to less pressure on Bridges.
Over his last seven games, 31.9% of Mikal Bridges’ shot attempts have been “open,” with defenders 4-6 feet away, and 15.9% have been “wide open,” with defenders 6+ feet away.
Bridges is shooting a blistering 68.3% on 11.7 shots per game in that span, yet he could see even more open looks. I’m willing to bet this one up to 15.5.
-155 at bet365
The New York Knicks interior defense has ceded just 40.2 paint points across the team’s nine-game win streak. As a result, opponents have focused on outside shots and attempted the fourth-most three-pointers (37.1).
Donovan Mitchell is just 11-of-38 from deep over his last five games, but nearly a third of those shots were “open” or “wide open.”
Shot quality has been favorable, and Mitchell has shot 36.8% from deep at home compared to 27.5% on the road this postseason. Mitchell can improve when he returns to Rocket Arena, and I’ll climb the ladder to 3.5 triples.
+105 at bet365
Among centers averaging at least 30 minutes in the playoffs, Evan Mobley ranks fifth in assist percentage (25.4) and seventh in usage (18.8).
Cleveland has struggled to move the ball, assisting on just 57.8% of made baskets, but Mobley has consistently gotten teammates involved with four dimes per tilt.
Cleveland is 6-3 when the big man dishes 4+, and Cleveland’s offense averaged 8.1 more points in those contests.
This is a favorable line that I’ll bet up to 4.5, as Cleveland should emphasize ball movement to get better looks against New York’s stiff defense.
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The Texas Rangers have claimed first baseman Blaine Crim on waivers from the Colorado Rockies, the team announced today. To make room for Crim on the active roster, the Rangers have moved pitcher Carter Baumler from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.
Crim, who turns 29 next month, was originally a 19th round pick of the Rangers back in 2019. He spent a little over a week in the majors with Texas in 2025 when the team sent Jake Burger down to AAA for a reset, and went 0 for 11 with a walk and an HBP in 13 plate appearances over 5 appearances. He was put on waivers later in the season and claimed by the Colorado Rockies. In 15 games with the Rockies last year, Crim slashed .241/.295/.556.
Crim has had a disappointing 2026 campaign thusfar, slashing .256/.339/.449 in 36 games for the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes, who play in a much more hitter-friendly environment than Round Rock. My assumption is that, given the underwhelming performance by the Rangers’ righthanded bench bats in the majors this season, and the overall lack of righthanded hitting depth in AAA, Texas saw Crim as someone who could provide from depth in that regard.
Baumler was a Rule 5 pick from the Baltimore Orioles this winter. He was left unprotected due to his having very little professional experience due to an extensive injury history. He made the Rangers out of spring training, but appeared in just four games before going on the injured list. He made three rehab appearances before being pulled off due to a rotator cuff strain.
Baumler going on the injured list doesn’t prevent him from meeting the requirements of spending the season on the major league roster for purposes of meeting the Rule 5 requirements, but he does have to spend at least 90 days on the active roster. If he does not do so, the Rule 5 restrictions would remain in place until he does spend 90 days on the active roster. Baumler spent 10 days on the active roster this year before going on the injured list, so if he spends the rest of the year on the injured list, he would have to spend 80 days on the active roster next year before he could be sent to the minors.
The New York Knicks can move to the brink of the NBA Finals with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks won the first two games in New York. Games 3 and 4 will be in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are favored at home by 2.5 points. The over/under is 214.5.
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV Channels: ABC
Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports
Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -2.5
Moneyline: Cleveland Cavaliers -131 (54.5%) / New York Knicks +111 (45.5%)
Over/Under: 214.5
Game 1: Knicks 115, Cavaliers 104 (OT)
Game 2:Knicks 109, Cavaliers 93
Game 3: New York at Cleveland (Saturday May 23, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 4: New York at Cleveland (Monday May 25, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Cleveland at New York (Wednesday May 27, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)*
Game 6: New York at Cleveland (Friday May 29, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)*
Game 7: Cleveland at New York (Sunday May 31, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)*
*if necessary
Mattingly drops Garcia in batting order, sticks with Turner at the top originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Over the winter, the Phillies took a $10 million gamble that Adolis Garcia would be the formidable right-handed bat that they’ve long lacked.
At the Memorial Day weekend checkpoint, Garcia hasn’t come close to being that.
He entered Saturday night’s game against Cleveland with just one hit in 35 at-bats over his previous 11 games. For the season, he was hitting .203 with four homers, 14 RBIs and a .596 OPS, which was significantly worse than the lackluster .675 OPS he registered with Texas the last two seasons. That performance fueled the Rangers’ decision not to tender him a contract over the winter.
Earlier this season, manager Don Mattingly gave struggling hitters Alex Bohm and Trea Turner a couple of days off to reset. But without “a true alternative, a guy who’d totally be an upgrade offensively,” Mattingly had Garcia in right field Saturday night. However, he dropped Garcia to eighth in the batting order, the lowest he’s hit all season.
“Just trying to get him going,” Mattingly said. “The defense in right field has been tremendous and with this pitching staff, defense is important.”
Entering Saturday, Garcia had just two extra-base hits in his previous 21 games.
“I think it’s still in there,” Mattingly said. “The last homestand, I felt like, ‘This cat’s on the way.’ He was hitting balls in the middle of the field. His outs to center field were hard. His at-bats looked better. Then he got off track a little in Boston and Pittsburgh. I feel like it’s still there. You see it. We’re trying to find it. If he can get it going, he can really help us.”
While Garcia was dropped in the order, Turner remained in the leadoff spot. Mattingly is not considering a change there, despite Turner’s .288 on-base percentage and .234 batting average.
Turner won the National League batting title at .304 last season. He had a .355 on-base percentage.
Turner lowered his chase rate to 31.2 percent last season. It has increased to 34.6 percent this season.
“Trea looks like he’s getting better,” Mattingly said. “You feel like it’s coming. It’s not like all of a sudden he forgot how to hit. He’s heading in the right direction. There’s no need to panic and put someone else there.”
Despite his faith in Turner, Mattingly made it clear the team needs more.
“If we’re going to get where we want to go, these guys have got to go,” he said. “Trea’s a big part of that, and that’s not putting undue pressure on him. But Trea’s going to have to be Trea. (Kyle) Schwarber is going to have to be himself. (Bryce) Harper is going to have to do his thing. Bohm … It’s going to take all of them to get to where we want to go.
“It’s not fantasy baseball where you can just go out and make all these deals and all of a sudden we’ve got all these guys we like. ‘Hey, I like this guy, can we get him?’ It doesn’t work like that. This is our team. We have to be the best team we can possibly be, help our guys be the best they can be, count on them and trust them.”
The Red Wings (Nationals AAA) had the WooSox’s number for the duration of the night, as only two Worceter batters recorded a hit (Matt Lloyd and Braiden Ward.) But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Jack Anderson got shelled, allowing six runs off nine hits including two home runs, both in the first inning, and Seth Martinez had a rough bullpen outing. It was 12-1 after six innings, and truth be told, given that Worcester was taken for sixteen hits and seven walks, it could have been uglier than that.
John Holobetz put in six shutout innings and kept the Fightin’ Phils (Phillies AA) honest as Portland now wins their second consecutive game by a combined score of 3-1. Before I spend a paragraph on the reason you all clicked (picture below) I want to say that I kind of like John Holobetz, who some may know as the return in the Quinn Priester trade, and I think there’s a chance the 24-year-old could be an MLB level multi-innings guy within the next 12 months. His fastball touches 96 but averages around 93 so nothing too spectacular there, but it has good movement and gathers a lot of swings and misses at the top of the zone. And now, for the reason for these two runs amidst a mostly stagnant offense…
The Sea Dogs’ offense was almost entirely off the back of Franklin Arias and his two solo shots to boost his total to 10; he’s on pace to hit 30. I mean, what else is there to say? Arias has consistently had an OPS over 1.000 the entire season. He has the power the Red Sox so obviously lack this season. And yet, we don’t know yet if he can hit MLB pitching, and I think it should stay that way for at least another year. I do think Arias’ time in Double-A is over and a call up to Triple-A is overdue and I also think with Trevor Story being, well… not good, there’s no way, if you’re Craig Breslow, you look at the 2027 and beyond iteration of the roster and not figure Mayer and Arias as your infield, and that’s without even picturing where Mikey Romero goes organizationally. But, with Arias being 20, there’s no real reason to rush it and risk messing up a bonafide middle infield power hitter.
Today’s one-game day in Frederick, MD (Orioles High-A) remains untouched as Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader was outright cancelled following a nasty storm and Greenville will play yesterday’s game two in a double-header tomorrow starting at noon.
Jay Allmer has had a tough season. He’s been touched up in Portland and Greenville and has been sent down to Low-A to re-tool, and honestly, probably to regroup. He seemed to have it figured out against the Howlers (Guardians A) as he struck out three and navigated the ship in relief on choppy offensive waters. Last year’s 16th round pick, Jason Gilman, had a really good start, allowing two hits and one run, and couldn’t get the last out for the decision win. Avinson Pinto, the shortstop who turns 19 next week, gave the team a lot to celebrate with a clutch seventh-inning long ball to put them up for good.
Jose Bello pitched into the sixth and looked great, giving up three hits and just one run, but ultimately ran into some trouble in the sixth of this abbreviated contest. The game went to extras at 1-1 as just two guys in the Salem offense had knocks (Kleyver Salazar and Stanley Tucker each had two.) Nicolas De La Cruz struck out five in his two innings but, ultimately, walks did him in and he got walked off looking for the final out that would have sent the game to the ninth.
Have a skippy Saturday.
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet
Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (6-3, 2.62 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-1, 4.23 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Toronto Blue Jays looking to grab a win.
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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
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After winning a dramatic, double-OT thriller in Game 1, the San Antonio Spurs have dropped two straight games and face a 2-1 series deficit heading into Game 4 at home.
Depth and fatigue will be key factors in Game 4, and my Thunder vs. Spurs predictions expect the visiting team to earn a third straight victory.
Here are my best free NBA picks for Sunday, May 24.
The disparity in bench numbers has been jarring, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten 61 points and 121.6 minutes per game from their reserves, compared to just 21.3 points and 60.4 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama has averaged 41.7 minutes, and giving him a break isn’t viable. The Spurs are +21 with him on the floor and -38 when he’s on the bench.
With Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox nursing injuries, and Wemby forced into big minutes, fatigue will be critical. I priced this line at -140, so I’m thrilled to get it early at +110.
COVERS INTEL: The Thunder’s 76 bench points in Game 3 are the most in a Conference Finals or NBA Finals game since 1971. Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s by 53 in the win.OKC’s defense forced Victor Wembanyama outside the paint in Games 2 and 3. He attempted 25 shots and two three-pointers in Game 1 but combined for 31 shots and 12 triples over his last two. The Spurs need to adjust and get him more paint touches to utilize his size and create kickout opportunities. This is a strong value play at plus-money.
Part of San Antonio’s adjustment has to be more bench minutes. Keldon Johnson scored 20.4 points per 36 minutes while shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc this season. I’ll bet this one up to 9.5.
The Thunder have hit the moneyline in 25 of their last 30 games (+16.40 Units / 8% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Spurs.
| Location | Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX |
| Date | Sunday, May 24, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC |
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Back in August, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. As we near the end of this month, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered? And maybe some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else?
With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-May Birthday Yankee Team.
Pitcher: Red Ruffing (May 3rd birthday post)
David Wells could be the #2 starter and Andrew Miller would be a strong option out of the bullpen, but the Hall of Famer Ruffing is the choice as the ace of the May team. Ruffing was a star on the mound for six Yankees’ championship teams and was the result of probably the second best ever Yankees’ trade with the Red Sox.
Catcher: Yogi Berra (May 12th birthday post)
Considering he’s probably the catcher on the overall all-time Yankees’ team, yes obviously Yogi gets the start for this team too. The man has a World Series ring for all 10 fingers. Sure, the infrastructure of MLB was obviously quite different than it is now, and there’s a chance if Yankees’ teams of that era had to go through the amount of playoff rounds you have to now, they could’ve been upset a couple times. Still, though, 10 rings, just think about that.
First Base: Miguel Cairo (May 4th birthday post)
Not a ton of obvious candidates for first base for May, so we’ll stick the quintessential utility man Cairo there. He did play 39 games at first across his two stints with the Yankees.
Second Base: Billy Martin (May 16th birthday post)
We’re making Billy pull double duty, as he’s going to be player-manager for the May team. Martin said “I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest.” at his jersey retirement ceremony, which I’ve always found to be a wonderful quote.
Shortstop: Jerry Hairston
Shortstop is another position without a ton of obvious options for May, so we’re putting the 2009 championship bench extraordinaire there.
Third Base: Charlie Hayes
Chase Headley is another option to put at third, but it’s hard to go against the guy who caught the final out of the 1996 World Series. Plus, we can post the video of it!
Left Field: Bob Cerv (May 5th birthday post)
Cerv is probably best known as being the roommate of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle during the duo’s 1961 home run chase season. Sadly, his body was found in the Baltimore harbor with stab wounds, after which his union reelected him as treasurer despite his death.
PLEASE NOTE: That last sentence very much DID NOT happen, but if you can guess why I made that joke, I’ll give you a metaphorical pat on the back.
Center Field: Felipe Alou
We didn’t give Alou a birthday post, as he shares the day with Yogi, who’s a bit more important in Yankee history. However, the longtime MLB manager and father of current Yankees’ third base coach Luis Rojas did have a stint as a player in the Bronx.
Right Field: Bobby Murcer (May 20th birthday post)
The longtime outfielder and broadcaster is one of the most popular figures in Yankees’ history who never ended up winning a ring.
Designated Hitter: Reggie Jackson (May 18th birthday post)
The flipside of that is Jackson, who didn’t have a long Yankees’ career in the grand scheme of things, but he packed some big moments into it. We just have to worry about the interactions with his May manager/teammate over at second base.
TODAY’S GAME:
The Astros and Cubs will play the second game of their three-game series this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Houston will send RHP Kai-Wei Teng (2-3) to the mound against Cubs RHP Colin Rea (4-2).
IN THE DAYTIME:
Today marks the third of four consecutive scheduled day games for the Astros. Wednesday’s series finale in Minnesota began at 12:40 p.m., and all three games this weekend at Wrigley Field are scheduled for 1:20 p.m. starts. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Astros played four consecutive day games was April 2-6 of last season.
ROADIES:
Today is the fourth game of a 10-game, three-city road trip for Houston, with the club currently sitting at 2-2 on the trip. The Astros went 1-2 in Minnesota on the opening leg of the road swing. Following this series in Chicago, Houston will return to Texas for a four-game set against the Rangers at Globe Life Field from Monday through Thursday.
VS. THE CUBBIES:
The Astros took two of three games from the Cubs during the clubs’ only meeting last season, which took place June 27-29 at Daikin Park. Prior to this weekend, Houston’s last visit to Wrigley Field came during a three-game series in April 2024, when the Cubs completed a sweep.
Since 2019, the Astros are 8-5 against Chicago. All-time, Houston holds a 386-338 record against the Cubs, marking the second-most wins the franchise has recorded against any opponent. Only Cincinnati has faced Houston more often, with the Astros holding a 404-455 all-time record against the Reds.
The first official game in Houston franchise history also came against the Cubs. On April 10, 1962, the Colt .45s defeated Chicago 11-2 at Colt Stadium behind a complete-game victory from left-hander Bobby Shantz.
RARE VISIT TO WRIGLEY:
The current series marks just the Astros’ second visit to Wrigley Field since 2013, the same season Houston transitioned from the National League to the American League.
ON THE KAI-WEI TO SUCCESS:
RHP Kai-Wei Teng has found success this season in both starting and relief roles, posting a 2.61 ERA (9 ER, 31.0 IP) across 16 appearances, including three starts.
His most recent outing came on May 16 against the Rangers, when he tossed 5.0 scoreless innings in a 4-1 Astros victory. Teng was acquired by Houston in January through an offseason trade with the Giants.
A native of Taiwan, Teng is just the second Taiwanese-born player in Astros history, joining RHP Chia-Jen Lo, who made 19 relief appearances for Houston during the 2013 season.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP:
RHP Spencer Arrighetti delivered 5.0 scoreless innings to help lead the Astros to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs in Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field.
C Christian Vázquez paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Arrighetti’s final line included 5.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, no runs, four walks, and five strikeouts.
LHP Bryan King recorded the final four outs to secure his fifth save of the season, while Brice Matthews added a pinch-hit RBI single.
LONG TIME COMING:
Friday’s win marked the Astros’ first victory at Wrigley Field since a 4-3 win on June 22, 2013.
SPENCER’S GIFTS:
Since making his season debut on April 15, RHP Spencer Arrighetti has emerged as one of the top starters in Major League Baseball.
With Friday’s victory, Arrighetti improved to 6-1 in seven starts while posting a dominant 1.32 ERA (6 ER, 41.0 IP). Opponents are batting just .169 against him, with only 24 hits allowed across 41 innings pitched.
Since April 15, Arrighetti’s six wins are the most in the American League.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY:
Arrighetti has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his seven starts this season and has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any outing.
In May, he owns a 3-1 record with a sparkling 0.78 ERA (2 ER, 23.0 IP) across four starts.
RECENT STROS:
The Astros are 4-3 over their last seven games and 5-4 across their last nine contests as they continue their road trip through Chicago.
CLOSE CALLS:
With Friday’s 4-2 victory over the Cubs, the Astros improved to 9-8 in two-run games this season and 4-2 in one-run contests.
FOR STARTERS:
The three Astros starters scheduled for this series have combined for a 2.43 ERA (29 ER, 107.1 IP) with 105 strikeouts across 107.1 innings pitched.
THROWING SOME LEATHER:
The Astros’ 19 team errors are tied for the second-fewest in the American League this season. Houston entered Friday with the fewest errors in the AL before committing two miscues in the 4-2 win over Chicago.
THERE IS A SANTA:
RHP Alimber Santa, who was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, has been outstanding this season.
In 18 relief appearances, Santa owns a 4-2 record with a 1.42 ERA (3 ER, 19.0 IP), while limiting opponents to just 10 hits and a .159 batting average. He had not allowed a run in his previous six appearances spanning 5.2 innings prior to his promotion.
PEN PALS:
The Astros bullpen has quietly put together a strong stretch recently. Since May 8, Houston relievers have combined for a 3.57 ERA (18 ER, 45.1 IP).
Several individual relievers have also been on impressive runs:
AIR YORDAN:
Yordan Alvarez is batting .303 this season with 11 doubles, 15 home runs, 31 RBIs, and a 1.017 OPS (.412 OBP/.605 SLG).
Among American League hitters, Alvarez currently ranks:
ROAD WARRIORS:
The Astros have been one of the American League’s top offensive teams on the road during the 2026 season.
Entering today’s game, Houston leads the AL in road batting average (.267) and on-base percentage (.336), while also ranking third in slugging percentage (.409) and OPS (.745).
BRYAN’S SONG:
After a slow start to the season, RHP Bryan Abreu has been dominant out of the bullpen.
Abreu has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances, covering 6.2 innings while allowing just three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Over his last nine outings, he owns a 1.04 ERA (1 ER, 8.2 IP) with nine strikeouts.
ON THE LEADER BOARD:
As a team, the Astros currently rank among the top offensive clubs in the American League.
Houston ranks:
MONSTER SEASON:
C/1B Jason Schiavone, who was recently promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi, currently leads all of Minor League Baseball with 18 home runs in just 38 games.
Schiavone opened the season with High-A Asheville before earning his promotion after a scorching start at the plate. Across his time in the minors this season, he has posted 18 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 42 walks while slashing .277/.444/.745 with a remarkable 1.189 OPS.
The Astros selected Schiavone in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Avery Hayes took a nice step in the right direction with his development this season. The 5-foot-10 forward appeared in his first 16 NHL games with Pittsburgh this season, where he recorded five goals, 12 penalty minutes, and 23 hits. This included him scoring two goals in his final NHL game of the season with Pittsburgh.
Hayes earned his first look on Pittsburgh's roster this season, as he was excellent in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 42 games with the AHL club this campaign, he recorded 24 goals, 15 assists, 39 points, and a plus-10 rating. With this, he showed clear signs of improvement and has created more excitement about his future because of it.
Due to how well Hayes played this season, it is clear that he is a breakout candidate to watch on the Penguins next season. The Westland, Michigan native has the tools to emerge as a full-time NHL player, and it would not be surprising if he taps into his offensive potential a bit more next season.
If Hayes can break out next season, it would be big for a Penguins club that is looking to continue to trend in the right direction. It will be fascinating to see if he can do just that from here.
It’s a mixture of sunshine and overcast here in Atlanta, and rain is expected to come in later in the evening, but the show must go on…until further notice.
Let’s look at these Saturday lineups.
An impressive walk-off from a line-drive RBI single from Chadwick Tromp ended yesterday’s game one matchup against the Nationals in extras. Now, appearing in the starting lineup for tonight’s matchup, the Braves are looking for him to have another productive outing with Grant Holmes on the mound.
Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón are also making a return to join Tromp at the bottom of the batting order.
So far, the only player on the squad to average over a 1.000 OPS against Washington’s pitcher Jake Irvin is Ronald Acuña Jr. However, Michael Harris II, who’s moved back up to the second slot, and Matt Olson, batting behind him, have seen numbers passing a .800 OPS to take their bases comfortably against the righty.
On the Nationals’ side, James Wood is the only player who has produced well against Holmes, averaging a 1.666 OPS against him. Players Daylen Lile and Nasim Nuñez have yet to face Holmes’ sharp arsenal, and through only three at-bats, CJ Abrams hasn’t seen success with a .000 OPS.
It’s going to be a tough matchup with the Nationals’ offense exceeding expectations and the Braves continuing to deliver solid pitching performances. Just a few hours away, first pitch is set for 4:10 p.m.
For the first time in the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs trail the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a wild Game One victory, the Spurs lost two straight, including a 123-108 loss at home in Game Three. It was a game defined by the Thunder’s dominance. San Antonio started the game on a 15-0 run, and managed to lose the game by 15, a 30-point swing for OKC.
If you want a stat that sums up a lot of the game, it’s this one: OKC’s bench outscored San Antonio’s bench by 53 points (76-23). When Victor Wembanyama sat out, the Thunder went on huge runs. Even with him in the game, Oklahoma City’s bench was able to score from outside. Meanwhile, the Spurs couldn’t find any consistent offense as they continue to deal with injuries to key players like De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper.
The Spurs enter Game Four needing to win a game to prevent the Thunder from taking a 3-1 series lead. San Antonio is -126 favorites on FanDuel to defend home court and tie the series at 2-2 in Game Four. They’ll need to find a way to score against Oklahoma City’s swarming defense and get contributions from their bench to stay in the series.
Before looking ahead to Game Four, let’s grade the performances from Game Three. As a quick reminder, player grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
39 minutes, 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 8-for-15 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, +4
Wembanyama continues to be the Spurs’ most consistent offensive threat in this series. However, since the Thunder decided to guard him with a big man, Wembanyama has struggled to reach the scoring heights we saw in Game One. He’s being forced to hurt the Thunder on the perimeter, where he isn’t nearly as effective. He keeps getting pushed further and further away from the hoop and is stuck taking some tough shots.
Defensively, Wembanyama has to stick to what makes him great. Too many times, he is being pulled onto the perimeter to contest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s mid-range jumpers. While he’s away from the paint, the Thunder can find lanes for drives or kickout angles for threes. It’s also limiting Wemby’s impact on the boards, as he grabbed just four rebounds in the loss.
Grade: B
31 minutes, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 7-for-14 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +9
You have to hand it to Fox for playing through what appears to be a significant ankle injury. He went down in the third quarter, and it looked like it might be the last time we see him in the game. But he gutted it out and came back into the game, clearly hampered.
Fox is giving them some nice offensive juice off the dribble, getting into the paint with speed and creatively finishing around the Thunder’s defense. The problem is he didn’t make a lot of his outside shots, which OKC dared him to take, and he turned the ball over four times. If he can play smart with the ball, push the pace, and make some outside shots, the Spurs will have a better chance to win Game Four.
Grade: B
35 minutes, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 1-for-8 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, -17
It looked like Castle struggled to adjust to Fox returning to the lineup. He corrected his turnover issue, but his offense was way off, making just one shot in the game. Defensively, he looks like he may be letting his emotions get the best of him. He is clearly frustrated with the officiating and is fed up with SGA’s ability to get to the free-throw line. He’s fouling too much and complaining about most of the foul calls. Castle is the Spurs’ most physical player, and he’s paying for it a bit with how he guards. He’ll have to play smarter defense if San Antonio wants a chance to win the series.
Grade: C+
35 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-8 threes, -4
Not only was Champagnie struggling to hit threes, but he missed several defensive rotations. Champagnie would often overhelp off a shooter to help Wembanyama in the paint (he’s the Defensive Player of the Year and doesn’t need help) or sell out to stop a Gilgeous-Alexander drive and leave a player wide open for a kickout. The Spurs need him to make open shots, and they can’t afford major defensive mistakes. The margins in this series are razor-thin and those miscues will snowball as they did in Game Three.
Grade: C
36 minutes, 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 4 fouls, 6-for-12 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, -5
Vassell was arguably the most impactful Spur in Game Three. His shooting was always there when the Spurs needed it, and he was excellent defensively. He’s risen to the moment in this series in a way that makes him look like an untouchable part of the Spurs’ core moving forward.
I also appreciated Vassell sticking up for Castle when he got fouled hard in transition two times in a row. San Antonio has to fight back a bit against some of the physicality they are seeing from OKC.
Grade: A
17 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, -13
Harper looks like he is really struggling through an injury, even more than Fox. He doesn’t have the same level of explosion that he had in the first game of the series. That led to a pretty meh night from the rookie, who was inefficient scoring the ball, and didn’t make a huge impact defensively. Harper’s strength and athleticism give the Spurs an advantage in the backcourt. If those attributes are severely hampered by his injury, it’s hard to see them winning this series.
Grade: C
12 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 1-for-5 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, -23
Johnson was borderline unplayable in Game Three. He provided no offense, and he continues to be a liability defensively. It feels like we’ve been saying the same things about KJ all playoffs. San Antonio needs his fire and energy to emerge. In a “must-win” Game Four, maybe we see Johnson return to his Sixth Man of the Year form.
Grade: D
13 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 2-for-3 shooting, -18
Kornet is in a tough position backing up Wembanyama. When he’s in the game without him, the Thunder are attacking the rim every chance they get. It’s not so much that Kornet is a bad rim defender; it’s just that Wembanyama is so good that it’s almost like a lid has been removed from the rim when he exits the game. That said, Kornet has to hold his ground better to give the Spurs a chance. Wembanyama is already playing more minutes in this series than he has in his entire career.
Grade: D
3 minutes, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +2
Barnes hasn’t gotten much run in this series, but I wonder if he may get an increase in minutes moving forward. The Spurs need another shooter and someone who can create some offense on the wing. Barnes has regressed quickly this season and hasn’t shown the ability to be a strong rotational piece in quite some time. But these are desperate times for San Antonio, and Barnes has shown some of the skill set that they need against OKC.
Grade: Incomplete
10 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, -10
Bryant isn’t quite ready for a series like this. He can’t put the ball on the deck in a meaningful way, and he fouls way too much to be impactful defensively. All the youthful energy in the world isn’t enough to make up for some of those shortcomings against a great OKC team.
Grade: C-
2 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, +/- 0
McLaughlin went from being in the rotation in Game Two to playing in garbage time in Game Three.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, +/- 0
Waters got some cardio in for two minutes at the end of the game, but didn’t make an impact.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, +/- 0
Biyombo touched the floor against his former team, but didn’t do much.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, 3 points, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, +/- 0
Olynyk was very involved in his two minutes. He knocked down a corner three.
Grade: Incomplete
2 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 1-for-1 shooting, +/- 0
Plumlee got a shot to go at the rim and a block in his limited playing time.
Grade: Incomplete