This photo taken on Sept. 21, 2025 shows an elephant with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background at Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya. Located at the border between Kenya and Tanzania and at the foot of Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, the park is known for its unique scenery and is one of the best places in Kenya to see various wild animals. (Photo by Li Yahui/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Hickory was rained out.
Hub City played a pair.
In Game One, Ismael Agreda allowed seven runs in four innings, walking 4 and striking out 7. Case Matter made his 2026 full season debut, throwing a scoreless inning.
Rafe Perich homered. Maxton Martin, Paxton Kling and Gleider Figuereo each singled.
In Game Two, Kling and Perich each had a hit and a walk. Chandler Pollard had a hit.
Frisco starter Leandro Lopez struck out seven in 4.2 IP, but allowed four runs on 10 hits and a walk, including a home run. Josh Sborz walked two in a scoreless inning.
Dylan Dreiling had a hit. Arturo Disla was 3 for 5. Cody Freeman had a hit.
For Round Rock, Robbie Ahlstrom threw 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one. Michel Otanez struck out three in two scoreless innings. Gavin Collyer struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning. Emiliano Teodo threw a scoreless inning.
Izack Tiger, making his way back from Tommy John surgery, threw a scoreless inning for the ACL Rangers, striking out one and walking one. Josh Owens walked two and struck out two in 0.2 IP.
Jay McQueen was 3 for 4 with a walk and a homer. Rashawn Pinder had a pair of homers.
Target: John Klingberg - Defense - 34 Years Old - 12 Years of Experience
Klingberg was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Draft. After his time in Dallas, he signed with Anaheim in 2022. Since then, he's been with a different club every season. He went from the Ducks to the Wild in a trade on March 3, 2023. He then signed in Toronto in 2023, Edmonton in 2024, and then last season with San Jose.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Aaron Portzline argued that the Blue Jackets should try to bring in Alex Tuch if he hits the free-agent market this summer and if they end up losing Mason Marchment or Boone Jenner.
This year's free agent class has some interesting potential options for the Blue Jackets to consider. One specific pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) who stands out as an interesting potential target for the Blue Jackets is San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.
Much like Coyle, he could probably get a few more bucks and term in Columbus, should he want to stay. But does he want to stay? He seemed to thrive in Columbus after having a not-so-good time in Seattle. At media day after the season, though, Marchment sounded noncommittal and said he would let his agent and Waddell get something done if something came up.
Target: Teddy Blueger - Center - 31 Years Old - 8 Years of Experience
Teddy Blueger was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2nd round of the 2012 NHL Draft. After spending five years in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 1, 2023, to help them with their Stanley Cup run. That summer, he signed with Vancouver, where he scored 23 goals in three seasons.
The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reported today, and THN Columbus confirmed, that Cleveland Monsters goalie Ivan Fedotov has left Cleveland and has returned to his home country of Russia.
The reason for his return is due to an undisclosed injury. He is currently not listed on the roster.
Hockey 24/7's Frank Seravalli released his latest trade board for the 2026 NHL off-season. Two Columbus Blue Jackets were featured on it, as forward Kent Johnson and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made the cut.
Target: Bobby McMann - Center - 30 Years Old - 4 Years of Experience
Bobby McCann went undrafted and made his NHL debut during the 2023-24 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. McMann played four years at Colgate University before signing as a free agent with Toronto on April 29, 2022. He was traded to the Seattle Kraken on March 6, 2026.
2025-26 Stats With Muskegon Lumberjacks and Boston University: He had 17 points in 13 games with Muskegon, and 7 points in 18 games as a freshman at BU.
THN Ranking: 8th - Kennedy, 4th - Ferrari
NHL Central Scouting: Ranked 7th among North American Skaters
2025-26 Stats With Tappara: He had 3 points in 29 games. For U20 Tappara, he had 13 points in 15 games.
THN Ranking: 24th - Kennedy, 25th - Ferrari
NHL Central Scouting: Ranked 6th among International Skaters.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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A record third quarter at Engie Stadium was akin to a flawless training session for the Giants while the signs are there that all is not well at the Lions
Few AFL coaches go the full Krakatoa quite like Adam Kingsley. The Giants uploaded footage of him going off his rocker at the main break of the Sydney derby last year, a game where they’d been largely uncompetitive in the opening half. Sunday’s first half against Brisbane didn’t warrant that kind of outburst. They’d been playing well against the reigning premiers, a team that always seems to bring out the best in them. But they need a follow up documentary on what was said at half-time, or what changed. They unleashed the kind of artillery barrage we rarely see in the modern game, and the kind we never see against the team that has won the past two premierships.
Their semi-final clash in 2024 was one of the more remarkable games of the modern era. This one didn’t have any of the wild swings, just half an hour of one-way, downhill, all-out attack, like one of those country footy games where a bunch of former AFL players feast on a team of 45-year-old farmers. With very little resistance, they strolled into goal in the first 20 seconds. They then unleashed the kind of football we saw from the Giants in 2016 and 2017 – long, sweeping waves emanating from half back. It resembled a flawless training session.
On this day 44 years ago, LaMarr Hoyt improved his record to 9-0, his Comiskey Park winning streak to 16 games and his overall winning streak to 14. | (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
1917 Reb Russell threw a 12-inning shutout against the Senators, giving up 11 hits, striking out six, and walking none. Russell was helped by Ray Schalk gunning down all four of Washington’s attempts to steal second base.
Oh, and at the plate, Russell also went 2-for-4 with a triple.
1929 In one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history, White Sox starter Ted Lyons threw all 21 innings of a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the Tigers. He allowed 24 hits in the game and faced an astounding 85 hitters. His opponent that day, George Uhle, pitched 20 innings and faced 79 batters himself.
The 85 batters faced is the most-ever in White Sox history, and ranks sixth all-time in baseball history; the 21 innings pitched is the most in White Sox history, and is tied for seventh all-time.
The 21-inning game is tied for the third-longest in White Sox history.
1939 The first night game in White Sox history came in Philadelphia, and ended in a 4-1 Chicago win. The Athletics held a 1-0 lead until the top of the eighth, when the White Sox ruined the hopes of 18,721 A’s fans by rallying for three runs on five singles and a ground out. Eddie Smith went the distance in his first nighttime assignment.
1946 White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes was fired, replaced by … Ted Lyons. Dykes is atop the White Sox leaderboard in several manager categories:
Longest tenure: 12 years, 13 days
Most games: 1,839
Most wins: 899
Most losses: 940
Most managerial WAR: 34.4
Most managerial WAR per season: 3.0
With Lyons moving to manager, White Sox pitching legend Red Faber joined the team as a coach.
Dykes also was involved in a footnote that could have changed White Sox and baseball history.
In March 1938, the White Sox played a benefit exhibition against the Pasadena Sox, a group of young players from that California city. Holding forth on the local team was a 19-year-old Black youth who made several brilliant plays. Acknowledging the color line in place in the major leagues at the time, Dykes said, “Geez, if that kid was white, I’d sign him right now.”
In March 1942, Dykesallowed the phenom and another black baseball player, Nate Moreland, to try out for the White Sox. He sent them away without an offer. Perhaps he allowed the tryouts only to deflect integration criticism, since no major league team had yet expressed any positive attitude toward integration. In any event, nothing came of it. How history might have changed if he had been able to offer a contract to that phenom … a lad named Jackie Robinson!
(The White Sox also nearly had a third crack at Robinson, as Frank Lane had arranged a trade for the Dodgers star in the mid-1950. The Cincinnati Reds made a waiver claim, nixing the deal.)
1961 For the first time since the 1950 season, the White Sox dropped into last place in the American League (although just briefly), after they lost a doubleheader in Baltimore, 5-3 and 6-4. The plight of the Sox actually caused some Chicago aldermen in a city council session to publicly ask what was going on.
The Sox rebounded, though, to end the year in fourth place, with 86 wins.
1967 White Sox first baseman Tommy McCraw had his career day. In a game at Minnesota, McCraw slammed three home runs (all off of future White Sox pitcher Jim Kaat) and knocked in eight as the Sox pounded the Twins, 14-1. On the day he went 3-for-6, with three runs. The eight RBIs tied a franchise record.
1981 With a 10-2 win at California, the White Sox completed a three-game sweep compiling 45 hits and 34 runs (in victories of 9-5, 15-4, 10-2). The big blow came in the second inning, when Ron LeFlore hit a Little League grand slam by singling in three runs with the bases full, with an error by Brian Downing in left field allowing LeFlore to score and put the White Sox up, 5-0. Both LeFlore and Mike Squires had three hits apiece in the win.
It was a fourth straight win and seven victories in eight games. Chicago would win three of four games to come, making the run a full 10 wins in 12 games. For the road trip that included Toronto, California and Oakland, the White Sox won seven of nine.
The sweep pushed the White Sox to 21-15 and firmly in second place. With the season disrupted by the players’ strike with the club better than .500 all season, 1981 goes down as a great what-if in White Sox history.
1982 LaMarr Hoyt improved to 9-0 on the season with a 3-1 win over Kansas City. Hoyt went the distance, and in the process ran his overall Comiskey Park record to 16-0 and his personal winning streak in all games to 14. An RBI single from Greg Luzinski and a two-run safety from Tom Paciorek in the sixth inning provided all the scoring Hoyt needed for the win.
The victory moved the White Sox to 27-13 and back up by a half-game in the AL West, but sadly would be their final day in sole possession of first during the 1982 season.
1983 The 1983 season turned around completely on this evening, as the White Sox destroyed Boston and pitcher Doug Bird, 12-4. Bird, who hadn’t lost a game in two years, was roughed up as the Sox blasted five home runs on the night. Greg Luzinski hit one of them, his fifth shot in five games.
It was the start of the drive that led, four months later, to 99 wins and the Western Division championship.
2011 White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin wrote his name in the franchise record book when he hit three home runs in a game against the Rangers. Quentinhit them before and after a rain/high wind delay of almost three hours, which caused the game to end at 1:27 a.m. local time. He went 3-for-5 on the night, with five RBIs in the 8-6 win.
MacKinnon is a high-volume shooter who will spray from all over the offensive zone, whereas Landeskog takes more of a quality over quantity approach at the net-front.
Somebody needs to get those scoring threats the puck, and that is a job Martin Necas has done admirably all playoffs — he leads the team in assists and primary assists.
I'm backing him to add to his total in Game 3, and see value in doing so up to -125.
Game 3 Prop #2: Shea Theodore Over 1.5 shots (-150)
Shea Theodore has attempted shots at a consistently healthy rate during the playoffs, recording at least four in 10 of his last 11 games — including the first two of this series.
He has a remarkably strong track record when taking four or more shot attempts. Theodore has cleared 1.5 shots on goal in 74% of his games hitting that benchmark, and 84% on home soil.
He generates a lot of his volume from the right point, and the Avalanche ranked 24th in defending that shooting zone this season. I'm backing Theodore to take advantage and would bet to -170.
Game 3 Prop #3: Noah Hanifin Over 1.5 blocked shots (-150)
Noah Hanifin has mostly paired with Rasmus Andersson since the latter was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights. They've largely been used in a defensive role, starting plenty of shifts in their own zone.
Hanifin's blocked shot output has spiked in kind. He has blocked multiple shots in 61% of his home games since the trade, a far cry from the 30% prior.
Hanifin recorded at least two blocks in 13 of his last 19 in Vegas and seven of his past nine. I like him to fill the shooting lanes against a desperate Avalanche team, and would bet it up to -170.
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Game recognized game between LeBron James, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
The Lakers star and Cavaliers icon shouted out the power couple on Instagram as they sat courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between Cleveland and the Knicks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
Kelce was wearing the LeBron 7 MVP colorway from his signature Nike line, which was certainly an added reason to shout out the couple.
James, who played 11 seasons in Cleveland, posted a photo of the Chiefs tight end and the 14-time Grammy winner in their seats to his Instagram Stories with a caption that included a salute and crown emoji.
Kelce, an Ohio native who played his college ball at Cincinnati, went viral for more than his presence at the game after chugging a beer that hyped up the crowd and left Swfit having to put her hand to her face to hide her laughter.
LeBron James NBAE via Getty Images
It didn’t help the home team as the Knicks, whose offense has impressed James, never trailed in the game, leaving Kelce looking broken and slumped in his seat in the fourth quarter. The four-time NBA champion gave up his “crown” to Kelce as the most famous athlete in Northeast Ohio in 2023 during the height of the buzz around Swift and Kelce.
James, who is currently a free agent, was on the team the last time the Cavaliers were in the Eastern Conference finals during the 2017-18 season before they eventually lost to the Warriors in their fourth-straight trip to the Finals.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer did deliver the franchise its only NBA championship when he and Kyrie Irving helped rally Cleveland from a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in seven games in 2016. A return to Cleveland to likely end his career can never be ruled out.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce sit courtside during the first quarter of Game 3. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Kelce also knows a thing or two about rings, having won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs, who he returned to on a one-year contract this offseason after retirement rumors had swirled around him following the last two campaigns. Kansas City is hopeful to have quarterback Patrick Mahomes back for Week 1 after he suffered a torn ACL against the Chargers in December.
His most important ring, however, was given to Swift when the couple got engaged in August and the two are expected to get married in New York City on July 3.
Lance Stephenson might have found his next career move.
The former Indiana Pacer entered the cage on Saturday night for an MMA scrap against fellow NBA alum Michael Beasley — and it was Stephenson who decidedly came out on top.
Just one round into the pair’s fight at Brand Risk 14, a promotion run by influencer Adin Ross, Stephenson choked out his basketball rival and former Lakers teammate and got him to tap out.
Lance Stephenson got Michael Beasley to tap out in the first round of their MMA fight Kick/Adin Ross
Lance Stephenson just submitted Michael Beasley in the first round
Moments before, the two traded punches before Beasley attempted a guillotine choke on Stephenson.
However, Stephenson managed to wriggle free and get his opponent into a rear-naked choke, which Beasley was unable to break free of.
Following the fight, Beasley seemed surprised that he had gotten choked, but said he’d be willing to box Stephenson in the future.
Stephenson agreed to that deal and Beasley, whom he played against in the BIG3, jokingly threw a punch in his direction. The two also squared off in a much-hyped one-on-one game for $100,000 that Beasley won last year.
The fight card also featured a bout between Johnny Manziel and social media influencer Bob Menery, who the former NFL quarterback defeated by TKO in the first round.
Stephenson looked pleased following his quick win in the fight. Kick/Adin Ross
Stephenson and Beasley both enjoyed lengthy careers in the NBA, including the 2018-19 season together with Lakers.
Stephenson, now 35, was drafted by Indiana in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft and starred for Indiana before moving on to other stops around the league, including Charlotte, New Orleans and Memphis.
Beasley, 37, arrived as the second overall pick in 2008, and is best known for his productive stints in Miami and Minnesota.
Stephenson and Beasley last played in the 2021-22 and 2018-19 NBA seasons, respectively.
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Martin Perez (33) during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Another Sunday, another rubber match for the Atlanta Braves.
For the third straight weekend — and the fourth out of the last five — the series will be on the line in the deciding game Sunday when the Braves host the Washington Nationals at 4:10 p.m. EDT.
Given, rubber matches have been no problem for the Braves through the first two months of the season. They’ve won seven of their eight deciding games of series and still haven’t lost a series at home, a perfect 8-0-0.
Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.85 ERA) will be called upon to continue that run in this series finale. He’s making a second consecutive start without a relief appearance in between for the first time since April 28 and May 6.
While Pérez’s role has been a bit wonky, he’s handling it exceptionally well. He allowed a season-high-tying four runs Tuesday at Miami — three of them coming in the first inning — but still grinded out five innings and set a new career high of 10 strikeouts — no small feat for a 15-year veteran.
In 10 appearances (six starts) this season, Pérez has a career-best 2.85 ERA and a career-best 1.000 WHIP. When you look at his Statcast profile, there’s no one area that jumps out in terms of his effectiveness. But he just keeps providing strong-enough spot starts or relief appearances.
Pérez doesn’t have a particularly strong history against the Nationals. He’s 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA in six appearances (four starts), striking out 20, walking seven and allowing six homers. He faced them out of the bullpen back on April 22, allowing two solo homers in three innings of work of the Braves’ 8-6 win.
He’ll be facing off against Washington’s Foster Griffin (5-2, 4.02) in a battle of left-handers. Griffin is back in the United States this season after spending the last three in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants. He returned to the majors on a one-year deal with Washington.
That return has gone well through the first few months. He’s one of just three Nationals pitchers to make 10-plus starts and his ERA is 16 hundredths behind Cade Cavalli for the best among starters on the team.
However, he’s come back down to earth a bit in the last few starts after a very strong start to the season. He’s allowed 14 runs over 9 1/3 innings in his last two starts (five in five innings vs. the Mets on May 19 and nine in 4 1/3 against Cincinnati on May 14). He allowed two home runs in each of those starts and has allowed 10 in as many starts this season.
That’s potentially music to the ears of a Braves lineup still looking for his first homer of the series and which has scraped across just two total runs in regulation of the first two games against Washington this weekend.
Griffin made his first career start against the Braves back on April 21, allowing three runs over six innings and earning the win in Washington’s 11-4 win.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 23: Brad Lord (41) of the Washington Nationals delivers during the Saturday afternoon MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals on May 23, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In his second season as a big leaguer, former 18th round pick Brad Lord has continued to just be a steady and reliable presence. Last year he bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. However, this season he has settled into being a multi-inning relief arm, which is a role that suits him perfectly.
Lord is just a guy who quietly goes about his business and gets the job done. Even yesterday, his work could be lost in the shuffle, pitching in between the brilliant Jake Irvin and the high energy Richard Lovelady. Lord just gave the Nats 3 mostly drama free innings when they needed that stability badly. That is what makes Brad Lord the ultimate glue guy.
Brad Lord is in best glue guy in Nationals history talks for me
Nothing about Brad Lord’s game is particularly flashy. His 4-seamer and sinker have solid velocity, but he is not a flamethrower. Lord’s slider, sweeper and changeup are decent pitches, but nothing special. However, Lord is able to get outs on a consistent basis due to his deception and command.
Lord throws from a very low arm slot, at 17 degrees. Lower lots tend to be funkier and tougher for hitters to pick up. Throwing 95+ from that low of a slot while pounding the zone is also unusual. Lord really relies on his fastballs, throwing a 4-seamer or sinker 59% of the time. However, like many Nats pitchers he has dropped his fastball usage. Last year, he was throwing 4-seamers or sinkers 67% of the time.
This season, Lord picked up a sweeper that he is throwing 11% of the time. Batters are hitting just .111 on the pitch this season. The only hit on the sweeper came when Lord hung one to Juan Soto, which is generally not a good idea. His sweeper is not some elite weapon, but it gives hitters a different look along with his heaters and harder slider.
Lord actually gets more whiffs on his 4-seam fastball than any other pitch. He gets swings and misses at a 28% clip on the heater. From that low slot, his fastball just gets on guys at the top of the zone. We saw that yesterday, with Lord getting all three of his strikeouts on his heater.
What Lord did yesterday was so huge for this team, and I want to give him his flowers. Jake Irvin was throwing a gem, but an injury forced him to leave the game after 5 innings. The bullpen was absolutely taxed after an 11 inning game yesterday, so the Nats needed Lord to eat up outs in a pretty high leverage spot in a 2 run game. That is exactly what Lord did.
Three shutout innings with three strikeouts from Brad Lord.
Given how many relievers the Nationals used last night, the length Lord has given them today is huge.
Lord went three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking nobody, though he did hit a batter. This kind of outing is turning into the standard for Lord. For the season, Lord has a 2.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 35 innings. He has just been efficient and drama free.
This season, Lord has done a great job limiting free passes. In 35 innings, Lord has issued just six walks. I just love the way Lord attacks hitters. He knows he can get ground balls at an elite 56% clip, so he does not really fear hitters.
Between his multi-inning role and overall reliability, Lord reminds me of former Nats reliever and current Padres manager Craig Stammen. Both Lord and Stammen started as starting pitchers/swingmen before landing in a multi-inning relief role. Stammen ended up having a 13 year big league career where he had a 3.66 ERA. He did this as a 12th round pick. As an 18th rounder, I think Lord can do similar things.
Ever since he came up last season, I have really enjoyed watching Brad Lord pitch. I remember watching him face the Dodgers and get his first career strikeout against Shohei Ohtani. It was cool seeing a guy who worked at Home Depot in the offseason retiring the Dodgers $700 million superstar. That is just baseball I guess.
However, Lord is no flash in the pan or good story anymore. At this point, he is a full fledged bullpen weapon, who is one of the Nats most reliable arms. The Nats have been using relievers in multi-inning roles a lot more this season, and that kind of role is a perfect fit for Lord. He can be elite in these 3 inning bursts. I think he could be a decent starting pitcher, but he might be more valuable as a great multi-inning reliever rather than a mediocre starter.
Brad Lord is going to be a fixture on this Nats pitching staff for years to come. Right now, the Nats have a lot of guys who walk the tight rope out of the bullpen. Lord is not like that. He just comes in and does his job. That is what makes him the ultimate glue guy and a pitcher who will stick in the big leagues for a long time.
The Vegas Golden Knights will try to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Golden Knights won the series’ first two games in Denver. Games 3 and 4 are in Las Vegas. The Avalanche are favored in Game 4 with a -145 moneyline compared to the Vegas Golden Knights' +121.
How to watch Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Saturday saw the teams in the Atlanta Braves organization split six games down the middle. Cade Kuehler threw his third straight great game, while Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Jim Jarvis all had notable days at the plate. We also got to get the full Jhancarlos Lara experience, where he got himself into trouble, but also really showed his swing and miss stuff.
Anthony Molina got the start and threw five excellent innings on Saturday. Molina allowed just one hit and three walks in the five scoreless innings, striking out five and whiffing nine. Rolddy Munoz was the next pitcher used and allowed a run over an inning and two thirds. Joel Payamps got the next inning and a third, and recorded a strikeout for each of the four outs he picked up. A scoreless Ian Hamilton inning finished this one off for the Stripers pitching staff.
Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen once again carried the Gwinnett offense. Jarvis doubled twice in three at bats, walked, and scored a run, while Hicklen singled, doubled, scored a run, and batted one in. New catcher Maverick Handley added a pair of hits in his Braves system debut, while Brett Wisely, Rowdy Tellez, and Aaron Schunk all had a hit, while Tellez and Wisely each drew a walk to join Jarvis, Hicklen, and Handley in reaching base multiple times.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4, Columbus Clingstones 0
Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-4, 2B, .264/.338/.440
Ethan Workinger, LF: 1-3, 2B, BB, .204/.286/.357
Lucas Braun, SP: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 7.20 ERA
Back in Double-A Lucas Braun got his first start since the demotion, and just his second start here this year. Unfortunately he gave up a first inning run and ended up allowing three more in his five and a third innings. Braun allowed seven hits and a walk as he struck out three, though did have 11 whiffs. Samuel Strickland pitched a scoreless inning and two thirds in relief of Braun. Jhancarlos Lara came in for the eighth and final inning and got into some trouble as he allowed a leadoff single, strikeout, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, double steal, and a third strikeout. Lara used 20 pitches to get through the inning, but six have six whiffs.
Karson Milbrandt dominated the Columbus lineup with six shutout innings that included 12 strikeouts and 24 whiffs. Overall the Clingstones managed just four hits and three walks. Ethan Workinger was the most productive, doubling and walking, while Patrick Clohisy also added a double. The other two hits were singles by Drew Compton and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. David McCabe was the only other player to reach base, as he walked twice in the loss.
Rome Emperors 7, Hub City Spartanburgers 4
John Gil, SS: 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, .275/.383/.451
Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-4, RBI, 2 R, .274/.354/.452
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 5.03 ERA
Game 1 saw Cedric De Grandpre go six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. Cedric struck out seven and had 15 whiffs as he needed just 88 pitches to get this quality start. Those numbers may have looked better if not for a mistake in the third inning, when he allowed a two out, three-run homer. Jacob Kroeger came in to get the final three outs and picked up the save.
John Gil had a big part in this win, as he was two for four with a homer, two runs scored, and three batted in, running his OPS up to .834 on the season. Isaiah Drake went one for four, scored twice, and batted in a run. Eric Hartman was hitless in three at bats, but walked and scored a run, while both Dixon Williams and Cody Miller had hits and batted in a run, with Williams having a double and Miller picking up a pair of RBI.
The makeup of Friday’s game saw Cade Kuehler continue his recent run of strong starts. Kuehler went five and a third scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, giving him 17.1 innings of scoreless baseball across his last three starts. That lowers his ERA from 7.66 to 4.31 – over three runs off where it was earlier this month. Kuehler also struck out four with 12 whiffs. Logan Samuels got the next two outs in the sixth, before Drew Christo pitched the final inning to complete the combined shutout.
The offense wasn’t as loud in this one as the first game of the day, but Isaiah Drake continued his strong day with a two for four evening that included a run scored. Between both games he was three for eight, scored three runs, and batted one in. Cody Miller also had a double and batted in a pair, giving him two hits on the day. John Gil and Eric Hartman were each hitless in two at bats, though Hartman was hit by a pitch and Gil did walk and score a run.
Game two started on Friday night before a delay and the eventual push into Saturday, so Ethan Bagwell’s two scoreless innings were on Friday night. Bagwell allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out three and picking up six whiffs. Zach Royse got what amounted to a start, and went five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. Royse did strike out six and whiff 15, and he actually allowed just one run through his first four innings before getting into some trouble in his fifth inning of work and allowing four runs. Adiel Melendez followed and allowed a run in an inning and two thirds, and Kade Woods was needed to come in to get the final out of the game.
Augusta only managed one run through the first eight innings in this one, as they tacked on three runs in an attempt to rally from behind in the ninth. Luis Guanipa tripled in three at bats and also drew a walk, Juan Mateo singled and walked in three at bats. Nick Montgomery walked once, while Dalton McIntyre doubled, stole a base, and batted in a pair. Both Tate Southisene and Alex Lodise were hitless in four at bats, with Lodise picking up the platinum sombrero.
Augusta GreenJackets vs Columbia Fireflies – Game 2 – PPD
Game 2 was scheduled because Friday got rained out. Unfortunately the rain got in the way again, and this game was postponed before it got started. The game was moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader again.
Gensi Angeles came into this start with a 0.00 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through three starts – all against the Rays team, but he didn’t make it out of the first with that ERA still intact. Overall he allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts over 3.2 innings. Cesar Rodriguez allowed a run, while Yander Pinero allowed three as the next two pitchers, putting this game out of reach. Daniel Brooks and Juan Olmos each made scoreless appearances in the losing effort.
The standouts offensively included Manuel Campos, who had a triple and a run scored in four at bats, and Connor Essenburg, who singled, walked, and batted in a run in his five trips to the plate. Juan Elejandro and Mario Baez each had multi-hit games, with Baez picking up a double and also stealing a base. Diego Tornes went hitless in four at bats, but did get on in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 27: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners walks to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on April 27, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If the season ended today, the Mariners would miss the playoffs. The season doesn’t end today.
The Mariners will play their 54th game on Sunday to finish off the first third of the season. They are currently 25-28 and tied for second place (we’ll call it third) in the AL West, 1 1/2 games out of first and a 1/2 game out of the wild card. It’s been a disappointing start after last year’s banner and expectations for more in 2026. They’ve played hot and cold, with short, aggravating losing streaks between brief spouts of competence. They dropped a series to the worst team in baseball. They took a series from the best. If I had to describe the season in a word: Familiar.
I don’t want to talk about the Mariners today. You already know the deal. They’ve hit righties well. They’ve hit lefties poorly. Their lopsided roster has forced them to pinch hit to frustrating results. The pitching has been good but inconsistent, and nobody on Opening Day would have guessed the who or the how. Again… familiar.
Instead, I want to talk about seasons, specifically the Mariners’ season (tricked you). How much should we adjust our expectations at the one-third mark?
Some, but not a lot, is the short of it.
While the Mariners have lost more games than they’ve won, they’ve scored more runs than they’ve allowed. That’s important. If we want to consider how they might play going forward, we want to know their “true talent.” One of the best ways to measure “talent” is with run differential.
Let’s walk through the table, for those unfamiliar. The first column of numbers is good ol’ fashioned win rate. The second is PytheganPat win rate, which uses run differential to estimate wins. The third is Base Runs win rate, which uses more granular information (total bases) to estimate runs to estimate wins. And finally, we have gradient win rate, which is a lesser-known Tom Tango invention that weights run differential to estimate wins (distinguishing between a four-, eight-, and 12-run win).
The table shows the Mariners have played a bit better than their record to this point by each of the win estimators. It also suggests they haven’t been a good team, but they have indeed been a playoff-caliber one in a lackluster American League.
So where are those missing wins? That brings us to our next stop:
The Mariners are 7-13 in one-run games. I plotted them next to the 2025 Mariners, who won more one-run games than any other team in the majors. We can see that at about this point last year they were eight games better in contests decided by one run.
“To say that there is no skill in a team winning one-run games would be wrong. Teams that are good at scoring runs and preventing the other team from doing so will have a better chance at winning them. The problem is that one-run games actually happen in several different ways, and winning them would rely on the abilities of different parts of the roster. The way in which they unfold, often involving extra innings, adds an extra layer of variability over and above that of a normal game. Baseball is a game with a lot of randomness in it already, and that randomness overwhelms the effect of skill. Based on this, I wouldn’t recommend reading much into a team’s one-run record.”
You might expect a bad team to lose a lot of one-run games, because they lose a lot games period. And vice versa. But a “good” team could still lose a lot of one-run games without it being a reflection on their underlying skill. And vice versa. The Mariners, as it happens, are 15-15 in games decided by more than one run.
When should we start caring about the Mariners actual win rate? Pretty soon, but also, not for a while.
Let’s start with the good news. At this point in the season, through 53 games, actual win rate tells us the least about how a team will play going forward. The following plot shows the correlation between win rate at each game number and win rate the rest of the season.
We can see that winning the first game of the season tells us nothing about a team’s future success. Each game thereafter gives us a bit more information, until about game 100, when the sample size issue flips the other direction. Gradient win rate is generally the best at predicting the future, while actual win rate is the worst. We should expect the Mariners to play a bit better going forward.
OK, the bad news: Wins are wins are wins. The season isn’t played in Excel, and we don’t give trophies to decimals. The Mariners are indeed falling behind. I ran the same tests, but rather than looking at rest-of-season win rate, I looked at full-season win rate. We can see actual win rate becomes the best at predicting the final standings… right about now, as it turns out.
Still, seasons aren’t constants. The Mariners were hot at this time last year, then they collapsed in June, then had a great summer, then collapsed again, then went on one of the great runs in franchise history to close out the year. The 2022 squad was even more extreme, truly bottoming out around this time, before setting the longest win-streak in franchise history. Few teams are great from wire-to-wire, with the 2001 team being the exception.
This is all normal. Despite our irony and bloodlust, the Mariners are a fairly standard baseball team. Their current stretch — stumbling early and then hovering around .500 — is not at all out of place for a playoff-bound club.
I took every 25-game stretch for every team since 1996 and found the median best and worst win rates:
Good teams, bad teams — just about every team besides the 2001 Mariners — play good and bad at some point in a season. The difference between them in the final standings is how good and how bad and how often.
The Mariners worst 25-game stretch to this point was their first one, when they went 10-15 (.400) to open the year. Their best 25-game stretch came on May 8, when they capped a 14-11 (.560) stretch with a win over the Braves.
Let me throw out two things that are true:
If the Mariners have played their worst baseball this year, a pretty standard hot streak would get them into the 92-96 win range.
The Mariners probably haven’t played their worst baseball this year.
I’ll leave you with a Rorschach test. The Mariners are still favorites to win the AL West. The rest of the division is very bad. In fact, this is the worst the division has been on May 24 since 2011, a year where each team in the west was within three games of .500. The Rangers would go on to play the rest of the season with the best record in the American League. The Mariners would go on to play with the worst.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - APRIL 22: Yamal Encarnacion #1 of the Corpus Christi Hooks is seen on the field during the game between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (21-29) lost 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
Weiss started for Sugar Land and allowed 5 runs over 5.1 innings while striking out 6 batters. It was a quiet day for the offense though as they picked up just six hits and were shutout in the 6-0 loss.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (20-24) won 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got on the board in the third scoring 2 runs on a Schiavone RBI single and Austin RBI groundout. They got another run in the 5th on a Guillemette sac fly and in the 5th, Trammell connected on a solo home run to extend the lead. Gillis got the start and was great tossing 6 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. Trammell added some insurance in the 7th with a 2 run home run. The pen was solid closing it out with 3 scoreless innings as the Hooks won 6-0.
Asheville got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 3 runs on a Thomas 2 run home run and Frey solo home run. Smith got the start but struggled allowing 6 runs, 5 earned over 5 innings of work. Asheville got one back in the 6th on a Brutcher RBI single but that was it from the offense as they dropped game one 6-4.
The San Antonio Spurs will try to even the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. Oklahoma City leads the series 2-1 after winning Games 2 and 3. The San Antonio Spurs are favored by 2.5 points in Game 4. Thunder guatf Ajay Mitchell has been ruled out for Game 4 due to a calf injury.
How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs
Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -135 (55.1%) / Oklahoma City Thunder +114 (44.9%)
Over/Under: 218.5
Series schedule, results
Game 1:Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT) Game 2:Thunder 122, Spurs 113 Game 3:Thunder 123, Spurs 108 Game 4: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Sunday May 24, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 5: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 6: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Thursday May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)* Game 7: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Saturday May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 23: Texas Rangers outfielder Andrew McCutchen (4) catches a fly ball during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on May 23, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Martin Necas 
