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Franz Wagner injury update: Magic star hurts calf. Is it serious?

The No. 8 Orlando Magic have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, but they may have some trouble brewing.

Star forward Franz Wagner missed the entire fourth quarter of Orlando’s 94-88 victory in Game 4 on Monday, April 27 with right calf soreness. The Magic have taken control over the first-round series against Detroit, and Wagner had been a steady factor in that; he posted an efficient, all-around performance Monday night, scoring 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in just 24:11 on the floor.

But Orlando could find it difficult to fill in for Wagner, who is one of the team’s key offensive threats. Despite the injury, however, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley didn’t seem too concerned about Wagner’s status moving forward.

“I talked to him a little bit (after the game), but that’s about it,” Mosley said. “But he’s in good spirits right now.”

Still, calf injuries are delicate and can require periods of rest, especially because of their connection to Achilles tendon ruptures, which require lengthy recovery times.

The Magic eventually listed Wagner as questionable to return after he was removed from the game. Though he sat the entire fourth, Wagner was present on the bench, cheering his team on as they repelled a Detroit rally in the final minutes.

Wagner appeared in just 34 games this season. He averaged 20.6 points on 48.1% shooting, adding 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Alongside Paolo Banchero, Wagner is the other top offensive threat for the Magic, who have defended Detroit well in the first round.

In Wagner’s absence, backup Magic forward Jamal Cain stepped up massively in the fourth quarter, and he and Tristan da Silva likely figure to have larger roles if Wagner misses time.

Cain scored 8 points on 4-of-8 shooting Monday night, including a thunderous dunk on Pistons rim protector Jalen Duren.

“We’ve put ourselves in position to try to get four (games), but right now, it means nothing,” Mosley said. “We have the advantage, and now we just have to make sure we try to keep that advantage.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Franz Wagner hurt in Magic's Game 4 playoff win over Pistons

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Aaron Judge, Ben Rice join rare company as Yankees keep rolling with win over Rangers

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge reacts towards the dugout from second base, Image 2 shows New York Yankees players Ben Rice and Aaron Judge bump elbows after Rice's two-run home run, Image 3 shows New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried winds up to deliver to the Texas Rangers
The Yankees defeated the Rangers on Monday.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge is no stranger to showing up next to the all-time greats in the Yankees record book.

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Now he is bringing Ben Rice with him.

Rice and Judge crushed back-to-back homers in the third inning Monday night, joining select Yankee company and providing the jet fuel for a 4-2 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

With Rice’s 10th home run of the year and Judge’s 11th, they became only the second pair of Yankees teammates to each hit 10-plus home runs in the team’s first 29 games of a season, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.

The other was Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle in 1956.

Aaron Judge (99) and Ben Rice (r.) celebrate after a home run during the Yankees’ April 27 win. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I’m glad I don’t have to face them, let’s just put it that way,” said Max Fried, who delivered six more shutout innings. “Those are two of the best hitters in the game.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. also homered, continuing to heat up, as the Yankees (19-10) won for the ninth time in their past 10 games.

Judge has had a few different wingmen over the years, including Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto, but now Rice looks like the latest as the two sluggers have been on a tear to start the season — their combined 21 home runs more than the Giants, Brewers, Mets and Red Sox each have as a team.

Judge’s long ball was just part of his big night, as he added a pair of doubles and was hit by a pitch, raising his OPS to 1.010 — which still trails Rice’s 1.191, both in the top four of the majors.

“Tremendous,” manager Aaron Boone said of the duo. “Obviously Benny’s off to an amazing start. Judgey’s a ho-hum 11 homers already. Maybe his best game of at-bats tonight, where he’s on all four times, stings two doubles, smokes the homer. It’s a pretty good combo there.”

At least for a few minutes, Rice tied Judge for the team lead in homers when he crushed a two-run shot off Jack Leiter in the third inning.

The first baseman went the other way for a 404-foot blast, showing impressive opposite-field power for his sixth home run in his past 11 games.

Judge then one-upped Rice and clobbered a 414-footer at 113 mph off the bat, landing right around where his record-setting 62nd home run did in left field here in 2022.

Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a double during the Yankees’ April 27 win. Imagn Images

“Man, [Rice’s] ball was pummeled,” Boone said. “This is a ballpark, they’ll tell you, it doesn’t yield a lot of home runs. To hit a line drive into the bullpen the other way, impressive. The only thing more impressive was the [113] breaking ball that Judgey rifled into the seats right after him.

“That was a little bit of a, ‘Hold [my] beer’ moment.”

Rice said that after Judge got back to the dugout, the three-time AL MVP joked, “I’m not going to let Benny catch me.”

“So just trying to keep him honest, keep him motivated,” Rice said with a grin. “He’s getting a little complacent, so.”

Max Fried throws a pitch during the Yankees’ April 27 win. AP

Judge said he has been most impressed by the consistency of Rice’s at-bats.

“It’s must-watch TV at this point,” Judge said. “Benny Rice has been our sparkplug all year and he’s going to continue to do that.”

An inning later, Chisholm joined the home run parade, swatting his third in the past five games — after going 23 games without one to start the year — to put the Yankees ahead 4-0, marking the third time in the last four games that the Yankees hit at least three home runs.

That was plenty of support for Fried, who did not allow a run for the fourth time in seven starts this season.

Coming off eight shutout innings against the Red Sox, Fried turned in six scoreless frames against the Rangers (14-15) in which he scattered four singles and two walks while striking out five.

He also became the fourth straight Yankees starter to record a pickoff, which has only been done one other time in franchise history.

“We worked really hard on it in spring training and we’ve been executing well so far,” Fried said. “Really proud of them and I know they’ve been taking it very seriously.”

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Rays reporter comes to rescue after man wrestles ball away from young fan

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows A man in the stands leans over a railing to catch a home run ball, Image 2 shows A man wearing an
A Rays reporter delivered a baseball to a young fan who had one stolen from her Monday night.

Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass is being praised for stepping in to brighten a young Guardians fan’s night after she had a home run ball wrestled away from her by a grown man in an embarrassing display during Monday’s game against Cleveland.

The man eventually gave the ball back to the young girl several innings later, Nikki DeVoe, the girl’s mother, revealed in a Facebook post late Monday night.

The moment was captured by the Rays broadcast during the bottom of the fifth inning after the Guardians’ Daniel Schneemann hit a two-run home run to right field at Progressive Field.

The adult fan bobbled the catch of the home run, and it landed right near a young girl, who was coming down the steps to try and get the souvenir — leading the man to wrestle the ball away from her while it was on the ground. 

A man took a baseball from a young Guardians fan on April 27. Evan Closky/X

The scene left Rays broadcasters Andrew Freed and Brian Anderson stunned. 

One of the broadcasters, while on air, implored, “Give that ball back.”

Ryan Bass brought a ball to the young Guardians fan who had one taken from her. Evan Closky/X

That’s when Bass sprang into action to make the sad situation a bit better, later appearing in the outfield stands with a baseball for the girl — bringing a smile to her face before she began to cry after Bass walked away. 

“Just exercising all of that bonus girl dad energy,” Bass posted on X while re-sharing a clip of the exchange. 

He appeared to have also gone back and taken a photo with the young Guardians fan, her mom and her brother, as the two siblings smiled and each held up baseballs. 

Ryan Bass high-fives a young Guardians fan who had a ball taken from her. Evan Closky/X

“Baseball is the best! What a sweet little family,” he wrote on social media.

The Rays broadcast reported seeing the girl’s brother attempt to go up to the man and ask for the ball back for his sister, and DeVore later confirmed in the social media post that it indeed took place.

“You know my son went to ask him for the ball, which was so brave,” she wrote in the post.

DeVore used the post to express her profound gratitude for the kindness that she and her family received during the ordeal.

Ryan Bass delivers a baseball to a young Guardians fan who had one taken from her. Evan Closky/X

In particular, she thanked Bass.

“I just have to say thank you to Tampa for broadcasting it, when Cleveland broadcast cut to puppies rather than show the man stealing the ball from a child,” she wrote. “child. I cannot thank Ryan and Tampa enough for making things right. Thank you all for looking out for ALL young baseball fans. It is top notch sportsmanship. My daughter and I cried happy tears. I am so proud of my kids for how they handled tonight, and so proud of Tampa and its fans for standing up for my child.

“The pressure resulted in the man giving her the home run ball back 4-5 innings later towards the end of the game. It wasn’t the same but we appreciated him doing the right thing. But we appreciate all of you even more.”

The incident on Monday over the ball is the first viral moment of such magnitude this baseball season.

The man took a baseball from a young Guardians fan April 27. Evan Closky/X

Last season, an unidentified woman went viral after she berated a father for a Harrison Bader home run ball that he was giving to his son during a Phillies-Marlins game in Miami on Sept. 5. 

The Rays went on to win the game 3-2.

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Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton to hit IL with low-grade calf strain

The Yankees will officially be without Giancarlo Stanton for the next few games. 

The slugger is hitting the IL with a low-grade calf strain, Aaron Boone announced following Monday's win. 

Boone had said pregame that the team wasn't sure if Stanton would have to be forced to the sidelines, as they were still awaiting results from an MRI on that right calf. 

Those tests appear to have confirmed the prognosis, and he'll now be down at least 10 days. 

Boone wasn't ready to put an exact timeline on a potential return to the lineup just yet, but he did share that the team is optimistic Stanton shouldn't miss too much time.  

"Doesn't look too serious, but enough to to not want to wait a couple more days," he said. "We'll see what we have as the week unfolds -- hopefully not too long, but we'll see."

For now, recently recalled youngster Jasson Dominguez figures to have a massive opportunity to show he deserves to stick back up with the big-league club. 

Dominguez has been on-fire to start the season down in Triple-A, and he carried over that success on Monday, picking up a knock in four at-bats in his first game back in the majors. 

He's set to start the next two games in Texas with righties on the mound, then Boone will take it from there. 

While Dominguez served as the DH on Monday, the skipper expects to get him some outfield reps during the week.

"You call up a guy like Dominguez who can DH, play some outfield for us, it's gonna be huge," Aaron Judge said. "He's been raking in Triple-A. He's a guy who upset not making the team out of camp, and I think he's gonna show up here ready to prove some people wrong and kind of send a message, so I'm excited about it."

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Phil Jackson comes out of social media hibernation to offer way to better NBA game

Phil Jackson of the New York Knicks looks on during the NBA Draft Combine Day 2.
Phil Jackson is pictured in May 2017.

Phil Jackson used his first post in more than a year to propose a way to improve the NBA game.

It is actually one the legendary head coach said he has pitched to the league for more than a dozen years.

The topic became relevant after one of Jackson’s former players with the Bulls and current Warriors coach Steve Kerr broached the idea of eliminating the 3-pointer altogether.

The 80-year-old Jackson, who won 13 NBA championships as a player and coach, doesn’t want to go that far, but he does want to see an adjustment made to the 3-point line. 

Phil Jackson is pictured in May 2017. NBAE via Getty Images

“15 years I’ve been asking the NBA rules committee to widen the court apron. Corner shot b-comes 23.9,” Jackson wrote Monday on X.

Jackson’s suggestion would make the 3-point line uniform around the entire court and eliminate the enticing and easier-to-hit 22-foot trey from either corner.

While the switch could disincentivize teams from sticking with the 3-point-happy offenses that now dominante the league, it’s not a simple one to make. It would mean eliminating some pricey front row seats from arenas everywhere.  

Kerr, whose future in Golden State is uncertain after 12 seasons and four NBA championships, was against a more radical change but didn’t mind saying goodbye to 3-pointers altogether when asked during an interview with The New Yorker this week.

It does seem a little odd coming from someone who was a 3-point specialist as a player and coached two of the most prolific 3-point shooters in NBA history in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with the Warriors.

Steve Kerr reacts during the Warriors’ April 5 game. NBAE via Getty Images

“I would never do a four-point play,” Kerr said. “In fact, I would even consider getting rid of the three-point line.”

Kerri helped Jackson win three of his championships, playing a key role in the Bulls’ second three-peat from 1996-99.

Jackson stepped away from the spotlight after his failed tenure as Knicks president from March 2014 to June 2017.

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This Amazing Sabres Move Just Keeps Getting Better

The Buffalo Sabres now have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Boston Bruins in their first-round series. With this, the Sabres only need one more win to advance to the second round. 

The Sabres have won each of their last two games to get into this position, and a massive reason behind it has been the play of goaltender Alex Lyon.

Since taking over the Sabres' crease from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen this series, Lyon has been nothing short of fantastic. In three appearances this playoffs, he has a 2-0 record, a 0.89 goals-against average, and a .964 save percentage. 

In Game 3 against the Bruins, Lyon stopped an impressive 24 out of 25 shots. Then, in Game 4, Lyon stopped 23 out of 24 shots. With this, there is no question that Lyon has been helping carry the Sabres and should continue to have the net for the time being because of it.

Lyon's strong start to the postseason comes after he had a 20-10-4 record, a 2.77 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and three shutouts. With this, the Sabres' decision to sign Lyon to a two-year, $3 million contract during this past offseason has been simply outstanding. 

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Shoutout to who now!?

The Dallas Mavericks capped off a rough season with a silver lining, as rookie phenom Cooper Flagg was named 2025-2026 NBA Rookie of the Year Monday night. In what was a polarizing race between he and Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, we saw one of the most historic rookie campaigns from the former, pitted against one of the most efficient rookie shooting seasons from the latter.

A straw poll just days before the season ended had Knueppel winning the award, completely befuddling Mavs’ fans who thought their guy was the obvious winner. Whether or not a poor showing across two PlayIn Tournament games for Knueppel swayed some voters (it technically shouldn’t have factored into their decision, but unseeing something isn’t exactly realistic) is anyone’s guess. When all was said and done, Flagg grabbed 56 first place votes to Knueppel’s 44, it what was the second smallest margin of victory since the 2002-2003 season when the current voting format took effect.

Mavs’ fans got a little something to feel good about, and a very tight, intriguing race feels like it ended positively for all involved. Knueppel made a real name for himself and received a ton of recognition in the highly contested race, while Flagg’s truly remarkable (and in some cases, one of a kind) accomplishments earned him the highly coveted award.

Then, seemingly before the corks from the champagne bottles found their landing spot, we were given a take that was even more unpredictable than the Rookie of the Year race itself. Speaking on NBA Showtime Monday night, studio analyst and former NBA player Carmelo Anthony gave a surprisingly unexpected shoutout… to former Mavericks’ GM Nico Harrison.   

“Shout out to Nico Harrison for seeing this right here; for understanding this vision,” said Anthony, in what is likely one of the most far-fetched interpretations of a scenario you’re likely to see in a long time.

When I first heard the comments, my immediate instinct to cover the topic was quickly tamped down by the thought that bringing it any attention at all would only exacerbate the problem. Still, it is Mavericks-related news that is what we are here for. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have no interest in squabbling about such things with a member of the media, allow me to offer a counter point: this is insane.

Anthony is basically suggesting that Nico Harrison’s trade of Luka Doncic was all part of an overarching vision to draft Cooper Flagg. That Harrison’s ability to see Flagg’s talent and choose him with the number one overall pick was a shoutout worthy effort. Break it down for a moment. Harrison traded Doncic for Anthony Davis in what was a win-now move that he expected to net Dallas at least one championship in the ensuing years. At no point, in any way, shape or form, was Harrison’s plan to tear the team down – a team coming off an NBA Finals appearance – so he could later draft Cooper Flagg and rebuild it. This is not subjective interpretation, but rather, it’s fact. Harrison so much as told us.

Further, Harrison could not have possibly predicted the incredibly bad injury luck the Mavs would encounter (although his personnel changes could have given him a hint of things to come), or that the Mavs’ 1.8% chance would actually put them in position to move up to the top spot in the draft. Once all of that did happen, it certainly was not a shoutout-worthy event to draft Flagg, the by-far consensus number one pick that year.

Anthony’s comments echo Harrison’s own absurd declaration after the Draft Lottery that got Dallas the top pick – something along the lines of “fortune favors the bold.” While that may be true, getting the number one pick was not the result of bold moves with intent. It was the result of extremely fortuitous lottery results on the heels of an epically disastrous post-trade outcome.

To be fair to Anthony, his fellow analysts chuckled (as did he), and none of them reacted with the stunned shock the commentary actually warranted. To that end, it would not surprise me if everyone was aware of what Anthony would deliver, and maybe he did it with tongue in cheek. Anthony and Vince Carter (who was sitting beside him) have a friendly relationship with Nico Harrison and have previously vocalized support for their friend during the unrelenting backlash he received in the post-trade era.

While showing support for your friend, especially in the off-chance it was deliberately facetious to a degree, is a noble gesture, re-writing actual reality into a ludicrous Bizarro World version of reality is plainly irresponsible. Not because Nico Harrison deserves to be treated like Hester Prynne for all time – he doesn’t; better to just move on – but because we should carry a responsibility to truth and this was not that, however much jest may have been baked in (if any). This all could have been time better spent commending the folks who truly did have the vision, and that is the award winner himself and his family who put in endless reps and tons of work to get to this point. That’s where the real story lies.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks

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14-15 – Home run flare-up sends Rangers below .500

Apr 27, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (22) throws to the plate during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the New York Yankees scored four runs.

In the span of four hitters between the third and fourth innings, the Yankees hit three home runs off an otherwise cruising Jack Leiter, two of them with two outs in the third and one to lead off the fourth.

Suddenly and without warning it was a 4-0 game and it seemed quite unlikely that they’d score more than that against Max Fried (and they didn’t) so here we are with the Rangers below .500.

I don’t want to research how many runs the Rangers have allowed with two outs because I’m not donating more time to them tonight but it surely feels like it’s been like 90%.

Anyway, Leiter adjusted and eventually had an otherwise decent outing to give Texas six innings of work, but you know, turning the game into the Home Run Derby for a spell probably won’t get you many wins and certainly not when you need the Rangers to score you more than a couple of runs in Arlington.

Player of the Game: Joc Pederson hit a baseball with the barrel of his bat for the first time this season which produced a home run for Texas’ only extra base hit on the night.

Also, hat tip to Peyton Gray who came in and absorbed two more scoreless innings as his big league ERA remains all zeroes.

Up Next: The Rangers and Yankees will be back at it tomorrow night with RHP Jacob deGrom set to make the start for Texas opposite RHP Cam Schlittler for New York.

The Tuesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.

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Yankees homer three times, Max Fried cruises to series-opening win over Rangers

The Yankees opened the series with a 4-2 win over the Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field.

Here are some takeaways...

- Jack Leiter started his night retiring five of the first six batters he faced, but the Yankees jumped all over him the second time through the order. After Trent Grisham legged out a two-out infield single, Ben Rice crushed his 10th homer of the season to the deepest part of the ballpark, then Aaron Judge immediately followed that with a solo shot. 

- Rice's homer was his 10th of the season, and it put the Yankees' new dynamic duo up there with some pretty prestigious company, as they joined Yogi Berra and Mikey Mantle as the only pair of teammates in franchise history with 10+ homers over the first 29 games of the season.

They were also just the third pair of teammates in MLB history to reach that mark in April.  

- New York would add on against Leiter just a few batters later, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off the top of the fourth with a towering solo homer of his own. The blast, which left the bat at a whopping 106.7 mph, traveled 406 feet deep into the seats in right and is Chisholm's third over his last seven games. 

The lefty slugger has been scorching, hitting .370 with a 1.118 OPS over that span. 

- Max Fried pitched well against a Rangers lineup that's struggled against lefties all season. He worked around hits in the first and second, before putting together his first clean inning after being handed the lead in the third. Fried gave up a leadoff hit in the fourth, but immediately erased him with his 38th career pickoff, the most in baseball since 2018. 

The southpaw needed just six pitches to breeze his way through an seamless fifth. He gave up a leadoff single in the sixth, but Brandon Nimmo smoked a double-play ball right at Jose Caballero to help Fried end his night on a hight note. He gave up just four hits and walked two while striking out five over six scoreless innings. 

Fried has now completed six innings in all but one of his seven outings on the season. 

- Texas was able to get on the board against Camilo Doval in the bottom of the seventh, as Joc Pederson came off the bench and smashed a solo shot the other way to deep left-center. Doval's ERA is up to 6.97 and he's allowed homers in three of his last four outings. 

- Tim Hill was a bit shaky, issuing a pair of walks in the eighth, but he was able to get Corey Seager to sharply groundout to second representing the tying run at the plate. 

- David Bednar struggled in the ninth as well, as Texas brought in their second run of the game after a Chisholm error prolonged the inning. Ezequiel Duran came to the plate at the winning-run, but the Yankee closer got him to groundout and locked down his eighth save of the season. 

- Judge reached safely in all four of his plate appearances on the night. He was hit by a pitch in the first, lifted the homer behind Rice in the third, then doubled his next two turns up. The captain is now hitting .294 with eight home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.298 OPS over his last 15 games.

- Jasson Dominguez struck out then grounded out in his first two at-bats back in the big leagues, but he worked a full count before lacing a one out single the other way in the top of the sixth. With righties on the mound, the youngster is expected to start all three games this series. 

- Ryan McMahon pushed his hitting streak to four games with a two out single against Leiter in the fourth. 

Game MVP: Aaron Judge

The captain was right in the middle of things for New York, reaching four times in the victory.

Highlights

What's next

Two of the American League's top arms to start the season face-off, as Cam Schlittler (3-1, 1.77 ERA) takes the ball against Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.13 ERA) on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m.

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Lakers’ Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard fined for criticism, interaction with refs

Two Lakers guards were fined by the NBA because of their criticism and interactions with the referees after Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Rockets.

The league announced on Monday that Marcus Smart was fined $35,000 for “questioning the integrity of game officials”, while Luke Kennard was fined $25,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials”.

Smart said after Sunday’s loss in the best-of-seven first round series, which the Lakers are leading 3-1, that Deandre Ayton’s ejection midway through the third quarter was “BS” after Ayton was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head.

“That’s what we felt,” Smart added. “He was just trying to brace himself. Two guys who are sweating their butts off playing the game, arm slips up, right? But we’re proud of the way he handled it, and I think that just speaks volume about who he is and his progression.”

Kennard was in the midst of a postgame verbal back-and-forth between the Lakers and Rockets.

“Hilarious, very hilarious,” Smart said of the postgame scene.

Luke Kennard was fined $25,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials.” IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Marcus Smart was fined $35,000 for “questioning the integrity of game officials.” NBAE via Getty Images

Game 5 of the Lakers-Rockets series is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

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Something rotten in the state of Minnesota; Mariners lose 11-4

Apr 27, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) hits a RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The old saying in baseball is you win 50, lose 50, and it’s what you do with the rest that counts, but what the adage doesn’t take into account is the number of games that are Cursèd. For the Seattle Mariners, those Cursèd Games seem to usually happen in spring in the Midwest, or in Angel Stadium. Tonight’s game might have started on time, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t start Cursèd.

Luis Castillo did not do anything to beat the warm-weather-pitching allegations, surrendering seven runs, although not all of them were entirely his fault; the Twins got their first run on a wacky send of slow-footed Josh Bell from first after Rob Refsnyder couldn’t get a clean handle on the soggy ball, which had rolled itself under the padding in right field. A good relay from Cole Young almost had Bell out at the plate, but Mitch Garver couldn’t get the tag down cleanly, putting the Twins ahead 1-0.

The damage could have been much worse, as Castillo ran into trouble after that; he gave up back-to-back free passes to load the bases, once that wasn’t his fault (Matt Wallner leaning his pantleg into a slider) and once that was (walking the nine-hole hitter Tristan Gray), but got Byron Buxton to pop out to strand the bases loaded. But that aforementioned worse damage came in the third inning. Julio Rodríguez misplayed a ball hit deep to center, allowing a one-out triple to Trevor Larnach, and then Castillo walked Bell despite having him in a 1-2 count. Ryan Jeffers singled to bring home Larnach, and then Kody Clemens, my least favorite Twin and that includes both Winklevosses, turnt-and-burnt on an inside fastball for a three-run home run.

The beatings would continue but morale would not improve with a two-run homer from Byron Buxton in the fourth. Castillo managed to scrape through one more scoreless inning to at least give the bullpen a slightly smaller elephant to eat, but the hole was well and thoroughly dug.

Meanwhile, the offense struggled against Twins rookie Connor Prielipp and his dastardly slider; he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when his command finally flagged and the Mariners were able to small-ball a couple of runs off him with the bottom of the order once again producing. Shoutout to Mitch Garver, who quietly had a very good game on both sides of the ball, once again winning a clutch ABS challenge that turned into a strikeout and maybe bought Castillo an extra inning of work. The Twins bullpen, which is Not Good, took over from there, but the Mariners hitters were punchless against Andrew Morris in the sixth and seventh.

Cole Wilcox, still putting in his time in the former Eduard Bazardo role, drew the first assignment out of the ‘pen for multi-inning mop-up duty, and just in case you had forgotten this game was Cursèd, what should have been an inning-ending groundout instead bounced off the bag at second base for an RBI infield single instead, making it 8-2. As Angie pointed out on the broadcast, J.P.’s face was all of our faces after that.

Wilcox came back out for the seventh but issued a leadoff walk (bad Cole!) and a one-out infield single (not his fault on this rice paddy of an infield), and for some reason Dan Wilson decided that this was the moment to deploy Alex Hoppe for his big-league debut, and once again: you must hand it to Dan. In a rare feel-good moment for this game, Hoppe came out and demolished the first two big-league hitters he faced; Matt Wallner was so flummoxed by Hoppe’s vicious stuff he blew the Twins’ last challenge challenging Alex Hoppe’s first thrown MLB pitch, only to go on to strike out, which is the appropriate punishment for such tacky behavior. Hoppe then struck out Tristan Gray to end the inning.

The vibes threatened to turn positive after that, as the Mariners hitters finally got to Morris: Rob Refsnyder singled (yay Rob!) and Cal Raleigh checked in with his seventh homer of the season, a towering blast to right field:

But that’s all the fun this game had to offer. Hoppe wasn’t as sharp in his second inning of work despite becoming the first Mariners reliever in team history to open his Mariners career with three straight strikeouts and gave up a couple more runs; Hoppe’s command remains a work in progress, but hey, he’s not learning anything on the bench, so at least this game offered an opportunity for his debut. Unfortunately, this might be another case of bad sequencing for the Mariners, as the Twins send their ace Joe Ryan to the mound tomorrow, matching up against Logan Gilbert. Just keep the field dry and maybe pass a little black tourmaline over the mound pregame.

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Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart fined by NBA for conduct toward officials

Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets players react after game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After a remarkably bad showing from the officials in Sunday’s Game 4, punishments have been handed out…

….to the Lakers.

Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were handed fines of $35,000 and $25,000, respectively, for separate issues involving the officials. Smart’s fine came for “questioning the integrity of game officials,” while Kennard’s was “for directing inappropriate language toward officials.”

Kennard’s incident likely came at the end of the game. During the little altercation between the two teams, Kennard also yelled some expletives at the officials, which lip readers will be able to pick up.

As for Smart’s, it’s a bit more unclear. The phrasing of his fine usually comes after a player criticizes officials to the media postgame. However, this was basically as critical he was of the officials when talking about Deandre Ayton’s questionable ejection.

“Then, obviously, the ejection, we all understood it was some BS,” Smart said. “That’s what we felt. He was just trying to brace himself. Two guys who are sweating their butts off playing the game, his arm slips up, right? But we’re proud of the way he handled and I think that just speaks volumes about who he is and just his progression.

“He’s learning and he could have just as easily – it probably would have been justifiable if he went off. But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think it’s only going to help him and his team.”

Relatively speaking, that’s a pretty tame criticism of officiating and doesn’t feel like one that warrants a fine. He, too, could have said something to the officials on the floor, but that’s typically going to result in phrasing that came with Kennard’s fine.

Nevertheless, this is now $95,000 in fines in the last four days tied to James Williams and his officiating crew. Devin Booker was also handed a $35,000 fine for calling out Williams by name in his postgame presser.

In that instance, the league also rescinded all the technical fouls handed out that game. This time, it doesn’t appear that move came with the fines. But it’s pretty clear this officiating crew shouldn’t officiate another postseason game.

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

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Twins 11, Mariners 4: Give ‘em some Prielipp

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 27: Minnesota Twins infielder Kody Clemens (2) celebrates his three-run home run with Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) during the third inning of a MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners on April 27, 2026, at Target Field in Minneapolis MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was a dark and stormy night when a dark plague descended upon downtown Minneapolis. A plague of losses, a plague of runs, never leading at any point in a game in nearly a week. But our hero Kody Clemens emerged from one blogger’s hate-filled game preview with a single goal: score.

Thanks, Kody. I’ll trade being wrong for a Twins win any day. Now back to your regularly scheduled posting.

For the first time in way too long, the Twins struck first. Josh Bell hit a lead off single and was stuck there for the next two batters. Then, struggling Luke Keaschall came to the plate and delivered a line drive to right field. It took a Neo-esque slide from Bell to avoid being tagged out at home, but after a replay review the Twins led 1-0. 

The Twins added plenty more runs from there, thanks in large part to home runs from Byron Buxton and, of course, Kody Clemens. Clemens’ three-run dong gave him his first three of five total RBIs on the evening. Rain be damned, these boys were here to hit the ball.

Connor Prielipp, meanwhile, was dealing through the first four frames. He threw 4 scoreless, hitless frames with the only baserunner coming on a walk. He ran into trouble in the 5th after walking the first two batters of the inning. An RBI single from Twins legend Mitch Garver and Cole Young sac fly netted the M’s their first two runs, but Prielipp buckled down and struck out the final two batters he faced to get out of the jam with a healthy 7-2 lead. 

It’s only two starts, but the Twins have to be very encouraged from the early returns of their top pitching prospect. He got himself into trouble with the walks, but only allowed a single hit and has plenty of stuff to pitch himself out of those jams. He’s still limited to 80-85 pitches after two elbow surgeries in the past four years, but he’s doing everything he can to ensure he stays up when Mick Abel returns in a few weeks.

Andrew Morris came in to piggyback off of Prielipp’s stellar start and did what he typically does. That is, pitch two excellent innings and then struggle in the third. A two-run blast allowed to Cal Raleigh brought Seattle within striking distance, closing the lead to 8-4.

Luckily, the Twins had a few more runs in them. After rookie Alex Hoppe struck out the first three batters of his career (between two separate innings), he walked the next two to put a couple of runners on base for the middle of the lineup. Josh Bell SMOKED a line drive to right field at 108 MPH, but it landed right in Rob Refsnyder’s glove. Luckily, Ryan Jeffers delivered his second RBI single of the night, stole a base, and then let the titular hero Kody Clemens deliver the kill shot. 

STUDS

  • Kody Clemens (sigh): 2-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI
  • Speed demon Trevor Larnach: 2-4, 1 3B, 1 SB
  • Jeffers, Keaschall, Gray: Two hits apiece! 
  • Connor Prielipp: 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K

DUDS

  • NO DUDS TWINS WIN!!!
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14-16: Chart

Apr 27, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Twins 11, Mariners 4

Sasha Hoppe: Mitch Garver, .08 WPA

Challenging the first pitch of a player’s career/stealing up 5 runs in a blowout/walking up to the Rocky theme/other assorted acts of Midwest tackiness: Luis Castillo, -.29 WPA

Game thread comment of the day: