It’s not often that the Mets score a bunch of runs in games started by Nolan McLean this season, but that’s exactly what they did on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals after scoring five runs in the first two innings.
However, this time it was McLean who let his offense down after the right-hander allowed nine runs (six earned) in 5.2 innings. The six earned runs given up by McLean are a career-high and four of them came on one swing.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, James Wood attacked McLean’s first pitch sweeper and sent it deep to left center field, where the Mets couldn’t make a play on it, which resulted in an inside-the-park grand slam.
In fact, all three hits allowed by McLean in that second inning came on the first pitch. All three were on different pitches.
“They were ultra aggressive, especially that first time through,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about the Nationals. “… They were hacking first pitch, they were looking hard. The sinker, the cutter, 1-0 [count] and they were aggressive. Balls found holes, they attacked him.”
With how aggressive Washington’s hitters were, McLean found it difficult to make the necessary adjustments on his pitches because they wouldn’t allow him to get settled or find a rhythm.
“Sometimes it’s tough to make adjustments when they’re putting the first pitch in play on multiple different pitches,” McLean said. “… They were just up there pretty aggressive, so sometimes it’s tough to get to the adjustment as quick as normal.”
To make things more difficult for McLean, he clearly didn’t have his best stuff and had to battle with every pitch. On top of that, his fastball, which usually sits around 96 to 97 mph, was hovering around 94 mph for most of the night, perhaps due to the high heat and humidity.
It’s also possible the 45-minute rain delay at the start of the game threw off the right-hander.
“They made some pretty good swings on some decent pitches,” McLean said. “Obviously, I didn’t have my best stuff, but that’s no excuse for not going out there and competing better than I did.”
In the end, McLean went 5.2 innings before handing it off to Daniel Duarte, who saved the bullpen by finishing the game with 2.1 scoreless innings.
Still, it’s not the outing that McLean expects out of himself.
“Obviously, the bullpen’s been getting after it these last couple of days, but my job every time, whether we have a full bullpen or not, is to go out there and get at least seven, so I’m disappointed I didn’t do that,” he said.
But back to the biggest swing of the night, that inning actually began with McLean retiring the first two batters. A double kept the inning going, but after that McLean got ahead 0-2 to No. 8 hitter Drew Millas before hitting him with a curveball.
That mistake elongated the inning and proved costly as an infield single loaded the bases before Wood jumped the rookie.
“In that second inning there, with two outs, even after the double, the 0-2 hit by pitch was kinda like the killer there,” Mendoza said. “… The 0-2 hit by pitch ended up costing a lot in that inning. Overall, especially in those early innings, like I said, he wasn’t able to go to his secondary, make that adjustment… It was a battle for him.”
As someone who has made much of his devotion to science, Bryson DeChambeau isn’t foolish enough to fall for any old conspiracy theory. But he does believe the moon landings may not have been all they seemed. And that interdimensional beings may be visiting Earth.
The two-time major champion appeared this week on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. During the interview DeChambeau spoke about conspiracy theories, golf and his friendship with Donald Trump.
Iowa Cubs' James Triantos (4) swings at the ball on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Principal Park in Des Moines. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Right-hander Kaleb Wing was promoted from rookie ball ACL Cubs to Low-A Myrtle Beach.
Right-hander Luis A. Reyes went from the Pelicans down to Mesa.
If you want some more bad news, Iowa starter Connor Noland had to be carted off the mound in this game after he was hit in the ankle by a line drive comebacker. Noland’s line on the game was one run on four hits over 1.1 innings. Noland struck out two and walked one.
If you want some good news, Ryan Jensen relieved Noland, stranded two runners and went on to pitch 2.1 scoreless innings. Jensen allowed two hits and walked two while striking out four.
The loss went to Yacksel Rios, who pitched two innings of relief and gave up one run on two hits. Rios walked two and struck out two.
Iowa pitchers walked a season-high 13 batters. Memphis got two runs with bases-loaded walks and two on sacrifice flies.
Left fielder Justin Dean hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, his third on the year. Dean was 1 for 3 with a walk.
James Triantos tripled in a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game 2-2. Triantos went 2 for 4.
Pedro Ramirez missed this game because of illness.
Nazier Mulé made his first start since returning from the Development List and got the loss. Mulé allowed one run on one hit over 1.1 innings. He walked four batters and struck out three.
Center fielder Kane Kepley was most of South Bend’s offense tonight as he hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning. It was Kepley’s second home run this year. Kepley went 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Shortstop Ty Southisene continued to hit for average in South Bend. Tonight he went 3 for 5 with a stolen base. Southisene is hitting .373 over 13 games in the Midwest League.
Kepley’s three-run home run.
Them: You can't have a .490 OBP, lead the league in stolen bases, and hit bombs!
Pierce Coppola was terrific for the Birds even if his final line doesn’t completely show it. He no-hit the Cannon Ballers through five innings, although he did give up a run in the fourth inning on a walk, two stolen bases and a sac fly. He came out to pitch the sixth and exited after giving up a one-out walk and a single. Both of those runs scored off of reliever Mason McGwire, although to be honest, it was more an issue with the Pelicans defense than McGwire.
So Coppola ended up getting the loss after being charged with three runs on one hit over 5.1 innings. He walked three and struck out nine.
McGwire pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two hits and no runs of his own. He walked one and struck out one. But the two runs scored because of a high infield chopper that both shortstop Alexis Hernandez and third baseman Derniche Valdez just whiffed on, so it rolled into shallow left field for a double.
The only Pelicans run came on a single in the seventh inning by second baseman Jose Escobar. Escobar was 2 for 3 with a double.
Will Sanders made a rehab start in this game and got battered for five runs on six hits over 1.2 innings. Sanders struck out two and walked one. That’s not good, but as I always say, the only thing that matters about a rehab appearance is how the player feels afterwards. It’s about health, not results.
May 19, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs to first base after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
With Kris Bubic out with some elbow discomfort, the Kansas City Royals turned to ye olde “bullpen game” against the Boston Red Sox. While the bullpen held for most of the game, the Royals offense stayed sleepy and the Red Sox eventually did their damage, beating the Royals in a 7-1 slog.
Kansas City turned to Bailey Falter, whose ERA entering tonight’s game was an eye-watering 10.13. Falter did nothing to dispel the implication that his ERA suggested, immediately walking leadoff hitter Jarren Duran on four consecutive pitches.
Somewhat miraculously, Falter only gave up two runs in his two innings of work. A Willson Contreras single poked across one run in the first inning, and Falter escaped a bases loaded jam in the second inning while only allowing one run thanks to a Wilyer Abreu double play.
In the clubhouse, a visibly frustrated Falter answered the first question from our press corps simply and directly: “I haven’t been good since being acquired.” He took responsibility for not being good, but it sure doesn’t seem like he has any answers, unfortunately.
On the offensive side, the Royals drew blood quickly. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a bouncing single to opposite field. Salvador Perez—who was briefly possessed by Juan Soto during this game—challenged a strike call! At the plate! And won! And then walked! Lane Thomas then hit a hustle double (a questionable send, TBH, but that will be a theme) to tie the game at the time.
Then, one of the turning points happened. Against a tough lefty, Cags hit a dribbler to the right side. It sure seemed that he beat it out on replay. But New York upheld the call, making it two outs. It really should have been one, but a questionable call shouldn’t sink a whole team.
The Royals challenged this play at 1st and the Call had STAND.. what do you think? pic.twitter.com/zzqSDBFySN
Oh, we should mention Duran here. Duran walked in the first inning. He also walked in the second inning. He also was flying everywhere on defense. In the second inning, Vinnie Pasquantino struck out looking bad against Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez, a lefty. But Nick Loftin came up to bat and swatted a beautiful line drive.
But then, Duran made a hell of a diving play. Out.
In the third inning, Salvador “Juan Soto” Perez walked, again, his second walk in three innings. Now, he didn’t score, but if Salvy can draw some walks, he can mitigate his declining hit tool a bit. Notably, Salvy was in the third spot in the order. Perez was the DH tonight, and Carter “Salvador Perez” Jensen threw out Isiah Kiner-Falefah on a delightful, perfectly thrown ball to second base.
Duran continued his night in the fifth inning with a booming double. But Lane Thomas scooped up the ball quickly and rifled a throw to Witt, who unleashed a beautiful laser of his own to third base and cut Duran down. It was ruled a double, but you should know.
Amusingly, one of the Boston beat writers to my left confidently said “triple” as the ball sailed to center field. Well, welcome to Kansas City. Witt is in charge here, and the only triples allowed here are his own.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, more baserunning bad happened. Jensen hit a leadoff double, a ground ball just fair down the first base line. A Maikel Garcia line drive moved him to third base, but Garcia was thrown out at second base after the relay went home; he had slowed down at first base and almost belatedly decided he would do it. It looked odd at the moment.
After the game, Garcia—through a translator, which is not his standard practice—answered some questions. “We made too many mistakes running the bases,” he said. He elaborated that he wasn’t running hard out of the box, and that first base coach Damon Hollis sent him when the throw came in high. “Honestly, it was a mistake. Coach said ‘go,’ but he didn’t see me coming out of the box.” To be clear, I think that Garcia blamed himself, and interviews through translators always have a sort of margin for error. But it was interesting nonetheless.
Anyway, nobody scored. A fly ball from Witt was too shallow, and a blistered line drive from Perez wasn’t quite high enough to go over the fence, instead finding its way into, of course, Duran’s glove. Duran made a…questionable route, but a leaping catch looked very snazzy.
In the sixth inning, this seemed like a turning point in the game. After failing to push a run in scoring position across with one out, and with John Schreiber coming into the game, things seemed prime to fall apart.
Now, while it didn’t fall apart immediately, it did fall apart—it just took some time, with a baserunning farse detour along the way. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Thomas led off with a single. Cags struck out, but Starling Marte singled to put men on first and second…until Thomas got picked off at third base, the Royals’ second. A Vinnie line drive then ended the inning.
The pitching took a little bit to topple. I mentioned Schreiber—he actually pitched a clean sixth inning. Nick Mears struck out a pair in his two innings of work, giving up one run in the eighth inning off a Rafaela double and some productive out shenanigans. But it was the ninth inning where things really fell of the rails. Fresh from Triple-A Omaha, the Red Sox greeted reliever Eli Morgan with a flurry of hits. And then Duran, capping off an excellent game, smashed a three-run shot to expand Boston’s lead to 7-1. Red Sox social media called it a “dagger,” but let’s be real—the true dagger came three runs earlier.
In the ninth inning, the Royals were blessed with not needing to face Aroldis Chapman. It didn’t matter; lefty Jovani Moran might as well have been, as he mowed down Caglianone, Marte, and Pasquantino with three strikeouts.
A halfhearted chorus of boos percolated through the crowd. The game ended. The Royals fall to 20-29, but are not yet alone at the bottom of the division because the Detroit Tigers are inexplicably also 20-29. So it goes.
DENVER, CO - MAY 19: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored a girthy ten runs while the Colorado Rockies scored no runs at all.
This one’ll do wonders for the ol’ Pythagorean W-L.
Maybe last night’s loss was the kick in the butt moment the Rangers needed as they came out tonight and immediately scored a couple of runs before turning to a opener to help ease Kumar Rocker into one of his best outings as a big leaguer.
The first inning has been among the biggest trouble areas for Texas this season as they have given up a lion’s share of their runs allowed in the first frame while not scoring much of their own in the game’s first inning. That has put the Rangers in a hole in an exorbitant number of contests, which has only hindered a lineup that has clearly been pressing.
Tonight however, it felt like an upset that Texas scored only two runs in the first inning as Ezequiel Duran doubled in a pair before the Rangers left ‘em loaded.
Meanwhile, in the bottom of the first, on Rocker’s usual day, manager Skip Schumaker decided to go with reliever Tyler Alexander for an inning with Rocker being among the biggest first inning-issues offender this season.
The plan worked swimmingly as not only did Alexander enter with a lead and pitch a scoreless frame, by the time Rocker took the mound to start the second inning, the Rangers had scored three more runs to give Rocker a 5-0 lead to work with.
Big lead Rocker was a hit to put it mildly. The righty ended up going all but the final out with 7.2 shutout innings while allowing just three hits and three of walks with seven strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Rockies also went for an opener and it, uh, didn’t work out as well for them. Left-handed opener Sammy Peralta didn’t even make it out of his opening inning and once he left, Schumaker inserted left-handed hitting Joc Pederson in for leadoff man Andrew McCutchen and Pederson ended up with four hits in five at-bats.
Texas scored runs in six of the nine innings and every member of the lineup contributed at least a hit, walk, or run scored.
The Rangers reached double digits in runs scored for the first time this season as the season-high ten runs allowed them to tie up this series ahead of tomorrow’s finale.
Player of the Game: The lineup had a lot to like tonight. Aside from Pederson, Brandon Nimmo had three hits including the game’s lone home run. Duran had three hits and drove in a team-high four runs. Justin Foscue doubled in a run and walked. Jake Burger had a couple of hits, walked, and drove in a run.
But then again, it’s hard to ignore what Rocker accomplished. 7.2 innings of shutout relief on 103 bullpen-saving pitches. It goes down as a win but it was the ultimate save!
Up Next: The Rangers close out this series against the Rockies with a day game finale with RHP Jack Leiter expected to pitch for Texas opposite LHP Kyle Freeland for Colorado.
The Wednesday afternoon first pitch from Coors Field is scheduled for 2:10 pm CDT and will be viewable via the Rangers Sports Network.
May 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Mason Fluharty (68) pitches in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Jays 4 Yankees 5
I don’t know…..
Dylan Cease was pitching great and the Jays got three runs in the fourth. All seemed good in the world.
In that fourth:
Daulton Varsho singled.
Kazuma Okamoto walked.
Yohendrick Piñango singled, and we had our first run.
Jesús Sánchez singled in the second run, nice line drive hit, but his follow through caught catcher Austin Wells in the head and there was a delay while they looked at him.
Andrés Giménez singled, scoring our third run. Unfortunately it ended there, Tyler Heineman popped out and George Springer ground out.
The long break seemed to affect Cease, he wasn’t great in the bottom of the fourth, giving up a couple of walks and a Ryan McMahon home run.
Cease gave up two more in the fifth, on a Ben Rice homer. 5 innings, 5 earned isn’t what we were hoping to see.
The bullpen did the job. Adam Macko (two outs), Chase Lee (one out, two walks), Mason Fluharty (one inning), Louis Varland (1 inning).
But we didn’t score again. We had chances:
In the seventh, Vlad was hit by pitch and Varsho singled but Okamoto ground out.
In the ninth, Giménez walked and Ernie Clement singled (have to admire that he came into the game since he was suffering from strep throat). But Springer lined one right at pitcher Camilo Doval, who managed to snag it. 90 mph and almost straight at his head (Baseball Savant has it at a .470 expected BA). Then Vlad lined one fairly deep to right-center (339 feet, I thought it was deeper when I first watched), but Trent Grisham made the catch (Baseball Savant says a .320 expected BA) that scored a run. Varsho beat out an infield single, putting runners on the corners. But Okamoto ground out and that was the game.
We had nine hits, and 3 walks, but again, no extra base hits, which seems to be the usual thing for out Jays.
Daulton went 4 for 5. No one else had more than one hit.
We had three guys in the lineup with batting average in the .100s, with Schneider’s .136 being the low mark. I don’t know how much more run way he has. You can tell he’s been bad, John had him bunt (and he did a good job of it). Heineman isn’t much better at .143.
Of note, the Yankees lost a challenge on a caught stealing call that the replay we saw made it look like he was easily safe. Aaron Boone was understandably upset.
And I always get irritated when announcers talk about how hard it will be for a pitcher when he sits a long and generally, when they come back for the next inning they are fine, but tonight was the time it came to pass that Clease (at least seemed) to be affected by the long inning.
Jays of the Day: Varsho (0.21 WPA), Clement (0.15) and Giménez (0.09).
Other Award: Cease (-0.36), Vlad (-0.18), Springer (-0.10), and Heineman (-0.10).
Tomorrow Trey Yesavage (1-1, 1.40) goes against Cam Schlittler (6-1, 1.35). The bullpen could use a big of a rest but Trey isn’t pitching deep into games.
Jalen Brunson flipped the game on its head as the Knicks turned around a 22-point deficit with under eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter and kept the momentum going for a 115-104 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday.
The Knicks, who led by seven after the first quarter, were outscored 67-46 in the middle quarters, and the energy of Madison Square Garden went from deliriousness when the home side’s lead hit 11 in the second quarter to palpable anxiety by the start of the fourth.
And then, like so many times this season, the game changed on the back of Brunson as he scored 11 straight points as the Knicks used an 18-1 run to get back into the game. Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet each hit crucial threes to tie the game, before Burnson’s floated bank shot sent the game to OT.
The Cavs were dead on their feet for the overtime period and never got off the mat as the home team outscored them 14-3. The final run for the Knicks to steal the win: 44-11 from the 7:52 mark in the fourth quarter.
“Found a way, I don’t have an answer for you,” Brunson said on the broadcast about the turnaround. “We got some stops, we kept fighting, we kept believing, just kept chipping away. They were playing great basketball, just found a way. Again, I don’t really have an answer for you.”
After a poor shooting start, New York shot 16-for-28 (57 percent) in the fourth quarter and overtime, including 6-for-9 from three. Cleveland was 7-for-23 in that span, including going 1-for-7 in overtime.
Here are the takeaways...
- The overtime period saw the Knicks grab their first lead of the second half with OG Anunoby hitting two at the line, Brunson hitting a floater, and Anunoby driving for a layup to make it a six-point game as Cleveland started the overtime by missing its first four attempts.
With 109 seconds to play, Brunson found a wide-open Shamet and the lead was 110-101, forcing a Cavs timeout. Max Strus answered with a three, but with steals from Bridges and Brunson, and the game was finally put to bed by Anunoby at the line.
- The fourth didn't start well with the Knicks committing three more turnovers (15 for the game) and missing their first four shots. The Cavs got a second four-point play of the game and Donovan Mitchell hit from three to give him 29 points on the night to put the lead at 21 with eight minutes left.
If the run were to come, there was a moment: Brunson hit a layup, Shamet drew a charge and hit on a three from a Karl-Anthony Towns offensive board. A Mike Brown timeout with the deficit at 17 with 6:41 to play didn't kill momentum as Brunson took the game over, leading an 18-1 run that cut it to a five-point deficit with 3:30 to play, forcing a Cavs timeout.
Evan Mobley hit a contested three to stem the tide, but Bridges answered with a step-back three, which just beat the shot clock to answer back. He connected again from deep, and after Towns blocked Mitchell, Shamet’s three bounced in to tie the game with 45 seconds to play.
It was a 28-6 run before James Harden’s jumper was answered with Brunson’s floater bank shot with 19.3 to play to level the score at 101. Sam Merrill’s three-pointer attempt with three seconds to play was more than halfway down when it rimmed out to send the game to overtime. The Cavs never recovered.
- The rest vs. rust debate got a boost in the early goings as the Knicks’ offense had a staccato beginning, missing seven of their first nine attempts (0-for-5 from behind the arc), a trend that continued throughout the first half. The Cavs were using their physicality to stick on all the cutters, making it tough on Towns to find a man in his playmaker role. The referees were letting both teams get acquainted with each other, with just 14 free throws attempted in the first half (only four by the home team).
New York’s defense, which has been quite good in the playoffs, didn’t appear rusty at all, holding Cleveland to 5-for-15 shooting to start, and a 6-0 spurt capped by Brunson converting a reverse layup to give him eight early forced a Kenny Atkinson timeout with the Knicks ahead 14-13 with 3:46 to play in the first. The timeout didn't work: Bridges picked Strus' pocket leading to a dunk, Dennis Schröder's missed jumper led to a Burnson jumper, Mobley's travel led to a Robinson alley-oop and the Knicks were up seven. (New York’s defense forced five turnovers in the first.)
New York missed its first eight from deep before Jordan Clarkson got one to go, his first in the playoffs after he was 0-for-8 to that point. The shooting was great for either team in the first quarter: Knicks 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) and 1-for-10 from three, Cavs 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) and 2-for-12 from three, with the home side up 23-16.
- The Knicks’ cold outside shooting continued (0-for-3) to start the second, but they made all five attempts inside the paint as they attacked the basket. The game’s physical nature continued, and New York benefited as another steal led to a Burnson layup before Anunoby connected from deep for his first points of the night to make it an 11-point Knicks lead midway through the second. That was the high-water mark as the Cavs responded: Merrill, their hero in Game 7, connected from deep and Harden pulled up from 30 feet for an 8-0 spurt, forcing a Brown timeout with 4:25 left in the half, with the head coach frustrated by a few defensive mistakes.
Mitchell, who had seven in the first, connected on a four-point play to cut the lead to one as New York couldn't get much of any rhythm offensively. Six Cavs turnovers helped (giving them 11 in the half), but Strus' three with 68 seconds remaining leveled the score before a late Mitchell three gave Cleveland a 48-46 halftime edge. The difference: Cleveland rebounding to go 6-for-9 from deep in the game's second stanza.
In the first half, the Knicks shot 18-for-24 (75 percent) from two and 2-for-19 (10.5 percent) from three, a big change after they were shooting lights out in the first two rounds (41 percent).
Spike Lee congratulates New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
- Towns, who had four assists and two points in the first half, missed from deep, got the rebound and hit from deep to cut the lead to one early in the third. But another ill-advised offensive foul spoiled things moments later as he grabbed Jarrett Allen's arm after he dished it to Josh Hart, wiping away what was originally called a third foul on Allen (and potentially a Flagrant 1, too). Cleveland’s challenge meant it would be KAT’s second foul and fourth turnover.
Mitchell continued to put his mark on the game, grabbing three early steals to give him six on the night and scoring six points to give him 22 for the game. That was all part of a 13-5 Cavs period to put Cleveland up nine as Brown called another timeout under five minutes into the third.
The deficit hit 13 points with 3:55 to go (the largest lead for either team to that point) as the Cavs started to find more holes in the Knicks' defense, and on the other end, New York was 5-for-12 in the quarter (2-for-4 from deep). Cleveland went with a hack-a-Robinson strategy, trying to keep New York out of rhythm while holding a 14-point edge. He went 1-for-6 on three trips, as any lingering excitement in MSG was gone, and the anxiety of the crowd was noticeable.
In the quarter, the Knicks went 9-for-18 from the line (Robinson 2-for-8, Brunson 5-for-8), committed five turnovers (to give them 13 for the night), and were down 83-69 entering the fourth.
- Bridges finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting with five rebounds, two steals, and an assist. He was a plus-12 in 42 minutes.
Shamet had huge stretches on the floor, providing both offense and defense. He finished with nine points and was a team-high plus-25 in 17 minutes off the bench.
Anunoby had 13 points on 2-for-9 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, and was a plus-15 in 34 minutes in his first action back from a hamstring injury.
Towns finished with 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting with 13 rebounds (four offensive) and five assists, but committed seven turnovers and was a plus-13 in 40 minutes.
It wasn’t a night for Hart, who sat for the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter in favor of Shamet, as he finished wth 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists, but he was a minus-23 in 31 minutes.
Robinson had four points and six rebounds (four offensive) and was a minus-8 in 14 minutes.
For the Cavs, Mitchell had 29 on 12-for-23 shooting (4-for-11 from deep) with five rebounds, three assists, six steals, but was a minus-13 in 41 minutes. He missed his two shots in overtime as Cleveland went away from him in the extra quarter.
Mobley and Harden both finished with 15 points, Dean Wade and Allen had 10. Merill scored 12 off the bench and was a team-worst minus-17 in 28 minutes.
For the game, New York shot 47.7 percent from the floor (31.3 percent from deep) and 65.6 percent from the line. The visitors shot 40 percent overall (32 percent from deep) and 69.6 percent from the line.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
Who else? He finished with 38 points on 15-for-29 shooting (1-for-6 from deep, 7-for-10 from the line) with six assists, five rebounds, three steals, and was a plus-15 in 47 minutes.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks during Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 19, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Just when you think the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally put things together, they find a new way to disappoint you.
After pushing their lead to 22 points at the start of the fourth quarter, they collapsed over the final eight minutes, as they allowed the New York Knicks to close the fourth on a 30-8 run to send the game to overtime.
The Cavs’ free fall continued in the extra frames. The Knicks dominated overtime 14-3 to come away with what somehow became a 115-104 victory in Game 1.
Like their Christmas Day showcase, starting and finishing games in Madison Square Garden was an issue.
Cleveland couldn’t establish any kind of offensive rhythm after opening up an early 10-4 lead after the first four minutes. They scored just six points for the remainder of the quarter, as they went 2-12 from beyond the arc in the opening frame.
Fortunately for them, the Knicks looked like a team that hadn’t played a game in over a week. They went 1-10 from three, but were able to scrounge together enough offense to take a seven-point lead after the first.
New York pushed the margin to 11 early in the second quarter before the Cavs finally woke up.
Cleveland stormed back in the second quarter thanks to the play of their star guards. James Harden settled the momentum as he scored five points and had two helpers in the second. Donovan Mitchell caught fire, scoring seven points in the final two minutes of the half.
This fueled a 21-8 run, allowing the Cavs to take a slim two-point lead into the break.
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Cleveland hit the accelerator in the third.
Evan Mobley, who wasn’t able to get much going in the first half, got rolling in the third quarter. He took over defensively, deterring shots at the rim and grabbing misses on the glass. This was in addition to consistently beating mismatches on the other end. He had seven points in the third to help Cleveland extend their lead.
Mitchell continued his impressive play in the third. He had 10 points and three steals to keep the momentum going, as he led Cleveland to a 35-point quarter. This gave them a 14-point advantage heading into the fourth.
Cleveland extended their lead to 22 before the Knicks started to fight back.
New York showed why they’re heavily favored in this series. They completely controlled the final seven minutes of the fourth with a 30-8 run
Jalen Brunson, who was held in check for most of the game, came alive. He scored 15 points in the quarter. This forced the Cavs to start sending double teams his way, which allowed New York’s outside shooters to get going.
The Knicks went 5-7 from three in the fourth. This included two huge triples from both Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet.
The Cavs had a chance to tie the game on their final possession. Sam Merrill got a clean look from three, the ball went halfway down, but popped out.
The Knicks dominated overtime. They controlled every aspect of the extra frame, as they were able to cruise to a comfortable win.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson made several questionable decisions down the stretch.
First, he didn’t use his timeouts when the Knicks were going on their run. He waited until it ballooned to 18-1 before deciding to use one. Then, he allowed Brunson to target Harden late in the game instead of subbing him out in situations that he could. And finally, his solution to this was trapping Brunson late, which led to wide-open shooters elsewhere.
Mitchell led the Cavs in scoring. He finished with 29 points on 12-23 shooting to go along with six steals.
Mobley and Harden both had 15 points.
Brunson led all scorers with 38 points on 15-29 shooting with six assists. Bridges contributed 18 points.
Resiliency and an ability to bounce back from terrible collapses have separated this group from previous Cavs playoff teams. They’ve responded well after disastrous Game 6 performances in both series to win Game 7. They also climbed back from a 2-0 hole against the one-seed in the last series.
We know they get back up, but this was a golden opportunity to assert control of this series. They had a chance to steal home court here and make Game 2 a near must-win for the Knicks. Now, they have to pick themselves off the mat and see if they can head back to Cleveland with the series tied at one.
Game 2 is back in Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Tip-off is at 8 PM.
It was perfectly poetic. Everything came full circle.
The Knicks scripted it perfectly. Even the overtime part.
Last year’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals produced an epic Knicks choke, a moment that immediately went down in the worst parts of the franchise’s lore. They spoke Monday about learning their lesson from that game and wanting to right that wrong.
Jalen Brunson celebrates during the Knicks’ 115-104 comeback overtime win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 on on May 19, 2026 at the Garden. Brad Penner-Imagn Images
And then, after a three-quarter malaise, they delivered their own comeback for the ages to begin this year’s conference finals. This one will immediately cement itself in the best part of Knicks lore.
They overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in an epic 115-104 Game 1 win over the Cavaliers Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
It was the biggest postseason comeback in franchise history. It was the second-biggest in NBA history, behind the Clippers’ win over the Grizzlies on April 29, 2012.
In the play-by-play era, no team that was down by 20 or more points in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter had ever won.
Now, there’s one.
Landry Shamet played a critical part in Knicks comeback. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
After going down by 22 points with 7:52 left in the game, the Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 44-11 the rest of the way. They shot 71 percent from the field — compared to the Cavaliers’ 22 percent — during that stretch.
“Definitely thankful,” Jalen Brunson said of the fans. “Because they could’ve walked out.”
The Knicks looked dead in the water, well on their way to a concerning blowout loss. Their win probability on ESPN had reached 0.1 percent. They were bricking in embarrassing style — going just 4-for-23 from 3-point range across the first three quarters.
Then, the real Knicks reemerged. And the floodgates opened.
Jalen Brunson looks to make a move during the Knicks’ Game 1 win in the Eastern Conference finals. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
They rattled off a 30-8 run to end the fourth quarter and force overtime. Brunson had 15 of those points, going 7-for-9 from the field.
Mikal Bridges drilled two huge 3-pointers during that stretch. Landry Shamet — who closed the game and played all of overtime in place of Josh Hart — drilled the game-tying 3-pointer with 45.0 seconds left. The shot bounced high off the rim and fell into the basket, eerily similar to Tyrese Haliburton’s infamous shot last year.
After James Harden reestablished the Cavaliers lead, Brunson tied it again with an off-balance floater off the glass.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson watched it all happen, curiously waiting way too long to call a timeout and leaving Harden on Brunson. Predictably, Brunson cooked him. He scored 11 straight Knicks points.
“Obviously, we don’t get it done if Jalen Brunson doesn’t play like one of the MVP guys in the league,” coach Mike Brown said. “He was phenomenal.”
Added Atkinson: “Brunson obviously took over at the end.”
Jimmy Fallon celebrates during overtime of the Knicks’ Game 1 win. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks shot 13-for-22 from the field and 5-for-7 from deep in the fourth quarter.
By overtime, the Cavaliers had capitulated. OG Anunoby scored nine of the Knicks’ 14 points in the extra period. Shamet’s 3-pointer gave the Knicks a nine-point lead with 1:49 left. MSG, which had gone quiet for much of the game, was in the type of frenzy that makes this building special.
“This team, all we want to do is make the city proud and bring this city wins,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “To be able to accomplish that on a night where it didn’t seem like it was gonna happen is an honor. It’s truly something special.”
Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates a 3-pointer in Game 1. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Donovan Mitchell and Harden shot a combined 2-for-13 from the field in the fourth quarter and overtime. They completely fell apart. Mitchell had 26 points after three quarters, then scored just three in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Knicks, after leading by 11 early in the game, were outscored by 21 points in the second and third quarters. Their transformed offense — playing through Towns as a facilitator from the elbows — was being stifled by the Cavaliers big man tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Those rest versus rust debates seemed like they were providing a clear answer for the latter.
But down the stretch, the Knicks’ rest seemed to give them an advantage.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen that in a playoff game,” Brown said. “I don’t know if I’ve been part of it.”
These were the Knicks that went on a seven-game tour de force, which is now extended to eight games. The Knicks that had fans — during eight days of rest — as bullish as they’ve been this century. The Knicks that are supposed to be favorites in the series.
They certainly know the crushing feeling now circulating around the Cavaliers. It completely set the tone for the rest of last year’s conference finals and became the defining and lasting memory of their season.
One year later, they completely flipped the script. Perhaps it will set the tone for how this series plays out.
And, maybe, become a defining moment of this season’s continuing magic ride.
The long break paid dividends for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 2 of their Atlantic Division Final series against the Springfield Thunderbirds last Thursday.
They were refreshed and ready to go from the opening puck drop, and were the better team in all three periods in Game 3. They had to hold on to their 2-1 win at the end of the third period, but they got the job done and are now one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
Rutger McGroarty got things started with a shorthanded goal in the first period. He took a beautiful feed from Avery Hayes, who was everywhere in the game, and buried the puck blocker side with 19 seconds left in the opening frame.
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 19, 2026
WBS kept that 1-0 lead for the entire second period before Bill Zonnon made it 2-0 at 5:58 of the third period. Zonnon took a nice pass from Boko Imama and also ripped the puck blocker side. It's Zonnon's third playoff goal in his third AHL game.
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 20, 2026
The Thunderbirds got one back late in the third period, but weren't able to tie the game in the final seconds.
WBS goaltender Sergei Murashov had another outrageous performance, finishing with 27 saves on 28 shots. He now has a .942 save percentage in seven playoff games this season.
The Penguins can clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Final with a win in Game 4 on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Assistant General Manager Matt Riccardi of the Dallas Mavericks smiles during 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on May 12, 2025 in at Chicago, Illinois at McCormick Convention Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks made a major shake-up on Tuesday night, agreeing to part ways with now former head coach Jason Kidd. That move truly closes the book on everything even tangentially related to the Luka Doncic trade and gives Cooper Flagg a truly fresh start after only his rookie year. Further, the move demonstrates that Masai Ujiri was serious when he stated there would be a top-to-bottom evaluation of the franchise.
We previously speculated on the topic of Jason Kidd’s departure but gave little thought to Matt Riccardi’s role at the time. Now it seems he will be joining Jason Kidd on the bus out of town.
I’m told Mavericks executive Matt Riccardi is also departing the organization. Riccardi, who served as Dallas’ co-general manager this season in the wake of Nico Harrison’s exit, was the runner-up to Masai Ujiri in Patrick Dumont’s process to find a new president of basketball… https://t.co/LPXZR6JNen
Ironically, Riccardi was scheduled to be one of the Mavs’ representatives at the NBA Draft prior to Ujiri joining the franchise. When he intimated after Ujiri was hired that he still intended to be there, it seemed to indicate he was part of the franchise’s future. Now we know he is not.
This isn’t all that surprising, as he was essentially runner-up for the spot Ujiri ultimately claimed just weeks ago. Riccardi started his tenure with the Mavericks in 2022 as the Senior Director of Pro Personnel. The following year, he was promoted to Assistant GM under Nico Harrison, though it is widely believed he was uninvolved in the infamous trade of Luka Doncic. Once Harrison was ousted in November, 2025, Riccardi shared the GM duties with Michael Finley. Together, they orchestrated the trade that shipped Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. That trade, of course, was the beginning of a season of change for the Mavs who looked to undo one of the more difficult times in franchise history, post-Doncic trade. Ironically, he is now a part of that very change he helped to usher in.
Mavs fans everywhere now wait with bated breath to hear what Finley’s front-office fate may be.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) hits a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Matthew Liberatore had another strong start, but another not strong ending as he pitched 4 solid innings, but he would not finish the 5th inning as the game got away from him. Fortunately, the Cardinals offense lead by JJ Wetherholt, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson and eventually Ivan Herrera picked him up beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6, but it would take extra innings heroism to get it done.
The Cardinals would score first as Pedro Pagés walked and then JJ Wetherholt put a charge into a 2-1 pitch from Mitch Keller and deposit it in the left-center field greenery giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals would add a run to that lead in the bottom of the 4th inning as Alec Burleson singled followed by another single by Jordan Walker. Alec advanced to third on Jordan’s single. Nolan Gorman then hit into a double play, but Burleson scored giving St. Louis a 3-0 lead that wouldn’t last long.
The first few innings of Matthew Liberatore’s performance was impressive and that included a career-high 9 strikeouts. It was the 5th inning that would be his nemesis again. Lowe and Triolo singled to start the top of the 5th. Liberatore would get Davis to fly out to center for the 1st out, but then walked Gonzalez to load the bases. Matthew then unleashed a wild pitch that bounced off the backstop allowing Lowe to score from third base for the first Pirates run making it 3-1 Cardinals. Liberatore struck out Konnor Griffin, but then Bryan Reynolds doubled to left driving in both runners and tying the game 3-3. O’Neill Cruz would untie it with a single to score Reynolds and give the Pirates their first lead at 4-3. Gordon Graceffo was brought in by manager Oli Marmol and he was able to get Garcia out on a pop-out to first to end the inning. Matthew Liberatore’s final stat line for the night was 4 2/3 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 earned runs with 2 walks and that impressive strikeout total of 9.
The comeback Cardinals would so so again in the bottom of the 6th inning when Alec Burleson was hit by a pitch. After Jordan Walker popped out, the Pittsburgh Pirates made the fateful decision to remove Mitch Keller to go lefty-on-lefty bringing in Evan Fisk. Nolan Gorman made them pay by jacking a 437 foot homer into the right-center field seats giving the Cardinals the lead back at 5-4.
Gordon Graceffo pitched the Cardinals through the 6th inning keeping the game close and Ryne Stanek got 2 outs in the 7th inning while JoJo Romero closed out the Pirates for the final out in the top of the 7th inning and also pitched into the 8th inning for St. Louis.
The Cardinals squandered a chance to add an insurance run (or runs) to their lead in the bottom of the 7th inning when Thomas Saggese walked followed by a single from Pedro Pagés. Victor Scott II executed a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt to move Saggese to third and Pagés to second which brought up JJ Wetherholt. Unfortunately, Thomas Saggese would get caught leading off of third base and then falling down before being tagged out in a rundown. Wetherholt would then walk, but Ivan Herrera struck out to end the Cardinals 7th. Opportunity missed for St. Louis.
Kudos to Alec Burleson on two great achievements in the top of the 8th inning in what could be argued were game-savers. With one out and Garcia on first, Triolo hit a weak grounder to Alec Burleson who was well off of first base. JoJo Romero did not get a proper jump off of the mound to cover first, but Alec laid himself out and managed to get the tag on Triolo for the second out of the inning. Rodriguez would fly out to deep right-center to end the Pirates 8th inning. Then, in the bottom of the 8th inning, Alec would lead off the inning by tomahawking a ball into the right field bullpen giving St. Louis the insurance run they so badly needed making it 6-4 Cardinals. They would end up needing that additional run.
A rested Riley O’Brien was brought in to close out Pittsburgh in the top of the 9th inning. He would face the top of the Pirates order and it was not without some drama. Gonzalez would lead off the inning with a bloop single. Konnor Griffin was hit by a pitch which stood even though the Cardinals challenged the call and it appeared to hit the knob of the bat instead. Guess New York didn’t consider the video replay as clear and convincing enough to overturn it. That brought up the dangerous Bryan Reynolds as the potential go-ahead run at the plate. Riley O’Brien would bounce a ball in the dirt that hit Reynolds after getting him 2 strikes down loading the bases. Marcell Ozuna was the next man up and he kindly hit into a double play, but a run scored cutting the Cardinals lead to 6-5. O’Neill Cruz at the plate with the tying run in the form of Konnor Griffin on third base was next. O’Brien would again get ahead with 2 strikes before throwing 4 straight balls to put Cruz on as a potential go-ahead run. Spencer Horwitz pinch-hit for Garcia and promptly slapped a single to left field on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at 6-6.
The Cardinals bottom of the 9th meant they’d have to walk off the Pirates with the bottom of their order. Thomas Saggese struck out to start the St. Louis 9th. Pedro Pagés also whiffed for the second out. Victor Scott II lost his 3rd strike appeal to join the strikeout club ending the Cardinals 9th.
The first Cardinals hero in extra innings was George Soriano who did not allow Pittsburgh’s designated runner to score. He struck out Mangum and got Rodriguez to fly out to right field. The other Cardinals hero in the top of the 10th was Nolan Gorman who made a great play on a ground ball to his left and an equally great play by Alec Burleson to pick his throw out of the dirt for the final Pittsburgh out in the top of the 10th.
The heroes in the bottom of the 10th inning included JJ Wetherholt who singled to move designated runner Victor Scott II to third. Then, it was Ivan Herrera who would provide more than just a sacrifice fly crushing a walk-off 3-run home run into the Pirates bullpen giving St. Louis a huge 9-6 victory.
It’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals barrage of games against NL Central rivals Wednesday as Michael McGreevy will try to dominate the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs will counter with Carmen Mlodzinski on the mound for Pittsburgh. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and game viewable on Cardinals.tv.
Feeling like second base umpire Brennan Miller had just blown his second call of the game and with no available measure to challenge the play, Boone blew his top and was ejected Tuesday after the last out of the seventh inning in the Yankees’ heart-stopping 5-4 win against the Blue Jays.
“Probably just me being over-amped,” Boone said afterward in an uncharacteristically self-blaming tone. “I thought two missed calls that were important. … That being said, I probably overreacted to it a little bit, but I just kind of snapped on it a little bit because I felt like there [were] two calls and then when you can’t challenge because you feel like one’s already been missed?”
Aaron Boone was ejected for arguing this catch made by Daulton Varsho, as the Yankees lost their challenge earlier on a Volpe caught stealing
The Umpire that ejected Boone was Brennan Miller, the same umpire from the infamous "Savages in the Box" rant pic.twitter.com/xT4vmRFv1l
With that history in mind, fast forward seven years and Boone was unhappy that Miller punched out Anthony Volpe on a stolen base attempt to end the fourth. Boone vehemently signaled to put on the headset and go to replay, which the umpires did — only to uphold the caught stealing after an extended review.
Boone tossed his gum, spit out some expletives and kept stewing.
Aaron Boone yells at the umpire and is ejected at the top of the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on May 19, 2026 at the Stadium. AP Photo/Heather KhalifaAaron Boone yells at second base umpire Brennan Miller during the eighth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Blue Jays. Boone was ejected from the game. Getty Images
So, when Miller ruled that center fielder Dalton Varsho made a diving catch to take a hit away from Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a runner on first base, Boone sprinted out of the dugout to behind second base.
Players from both teams lingered on the field as if to suggest that no one was emphatically sure whether it was a catch. The Yankees’ own replay mechanisms suggested that Varsho trapped the ball, Boone confirmed.
“I didn’t control myself very well,” Boone said.
It was Boone’s second ejection of the season and 48th of his managerial career. Boone handed off the lineup card to bench coach Brad Ausmus, who teamed with pitching coach Matt Blake to navigate a tricky final two innings from a short-handed bullpen.
May 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Jacob Misiorowski hasn’t allowed a run since April 25.
The Miz extended his scoreless streak to four straight starts and 24 1/3 innings this evening, and this time the Brewers were able to hold the slim lead that he left the game with. A good thing, too, as the Brewers had plenty of chances to turn this one into a laugher early. While they let some of those chances go by the wayside, some scrappy early runs against starter Ben Brown (who has been excellent this year) and a big hit from Brice Turang late gave the Brewers the cushion they needed to survive a late rally by the Cubs.
The Brewers again got out to an early lead tonight. After Jackson Chourio struck out, Turang and William Contreras walked and singled to put runners on first and second. Brown struck out Yelich for out number two, but Garrett Mitchell came through with a big two-out hit on his bugaboo, the high fastball. Mitchell turned one around for an RBI single up the middle, and the Brewers led 1-0.
Could this be the equivalent of: "Happy learned how to putt, uh oh!"
Misiorowski got off to a somewhat shaky start when Nico Hoerner walked, and Michael Busch reached on a David Hamilton error. But Alex Bregman flew out to center, Ian Happ struck out looking, and Seiya Suzuki went down swinging on a 95-mph slider.
The second inning passed without much fanfare, but the Brewers were back at it in the third. Chourio and Turang led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and after a Contreras fielder’s choice, the Brewers had runners on first and third with one out. After another Yelich strikeout, Brown had a path out of the inning, but a wild pitch with Mitchell at the plate scored Chourio from third (it was Brown’s league-leading sixth wild pitch of the season). After a Mitchell walk and a mound visit, Jake Bauers jumped on a hanging first-pitch curveball and smacked it into right for another RBI single, extending Milwaukee’s lead to 3-0.
Misiorowski put up his second straight 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third, and the Brewers again got off to a threatening start in the top of the fourth. Sal Frelick reached second base when Pete Crow-Armstrong inexplicably dropped a fly ball, and a patented David Hamilton bunt single put runners on the corners, which turned into runners on second and third when Hamilton stole second with Chourio at the plate. Brown battled back, though: Chourio and Turang both struck out, and Contreras hit a hard ground ball to third that turned into an out. The Cubs were teetering, but remained in the game.
Suzuki managed a two-out single — Chicago’s first of the game — in the bottom of the fourth, but that was all the Cubs got off of Miz, who struck out two more batters and added another inning to his scoreless streak. Yelich hit a double on a fly ball down the left-field line to start the fifth, but Brown wriggled off the hook again when Mitchell grounded out, Bauers struck out with Yelich standing on third, and Rengifo grounded out.
Dansby Swanson led off the bottom of the inning with a single, but PCA struck out, and Miguel Amaya grounded into a double play, with Bauers making a nice stretch on the back end. Milwaukee threatened again in the sixth, this time against reliever Jacob Webb, when Frelick singled to start things, but Hamilton failed to get a bunt down(!), and Chourio flied out. Turang singled with two outs, and Contreras put a charge into one, but it held up in center for Crow-Armstrong, and he made the catch for the third out.
Hoerner started the sixth with a swinging bunt for a single, but Misiorowski got the next three without much trouble. That capped another stellar outing for Misiorowski: he extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 innings, allowed just three hits (all singles) and one walk, and struck out eight (restoring sole possession of the league lead in strikeouts). His ERA is down to 1.89.
Caleb Thielbar was the Cubs’ new pitcher in the seventh, and he got through the inning with no damage beyond a two-out single from Bauers. Trevor Megill was the first man out of Milwaukee’s bullpen tonight, and he struck out Suzuki, got Moisés Ballesteros on a fly ball, and struck out Swanson after a bit of a battle.
The Brewers got a couple of important insurance runs in the top of the eighth. With one out, Hamilton walked. Chourio flew out for the second out, and Hamilton was safe stealing second, a call that stood after the Cubs challenged it. The stolen base didn’t matter, but the extra out did, as Turang got a fastball that got too much of the plate and blasted his seventh homer on a high fly ball to left-center, putting the Crew up 5-0.
Aaron Ashby replaced Megill in the bottom of the eighth, and things got hairy. PCA singled to start things, and Amaya followed with a ground-rule double into the ivy. A Hoerner single scored Crow-Armstrong and put runners on the corners. Busch was called out on strikes for the first out, and a wild pitch advanced Hoerner to second (though Amaya had to hold at third). Bregman struck out for the second out, but Happ walked, and Rengifo was unable to handle a hard grounder from Suzuki. Rengifo was at least able to keep it in the infield, and thus the Cubs only scored a run — Suzuki was credited with an infield single.
That was all for Ashby, though, as the go-ahead run came to the plate. Pat Murphy called for Chad Patrick from the Milwaukee bullpen, and Craig Counsell countered by pinch-hitting Michael Conforto for the initially announced pinch-hitter Matt Shaw (who was supposed to bat for Ballesteros). But Patrick did what he needed to do, and Conforto grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. It wasn’t a fun inning for Brewers fans, but they came out of it hanging onto a three-run lead.
Phil Maton shut the Brewers down in the ninth. Abner Uribe came in for Patrick, and he nearly walked the leadoff (and nine-hole) hitter, Swanson, but he struck him out looking on a very close pitch that was upheld on review. After that, it was much easier: Crow-Armstrong grounded out, as did pinch-hitter Carson Kelly. The Brewers won 5-2.
In Misiorowski’s last start, the Brewers’ bullpen was unable to preserve his gem of an outing. Tonight, he did it again, and while Milwaukee flirted with disaster, they held on for a satisfying win. Miz was the big star, but Megill and Uribe both looked good, and Patrick came up with a clutch out. On the offensive side, Turang was the standout: he went 3-for-4 with two singles, a homer, a walk, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Every other Brewer starter contributed a hit (Bauers had two) except for Rengifo, while Yelich had the team’s only other extra-base hit with his double.
Milwaukee now leads the division, and they’ll try to preserve that lead by sweeping Chicago, a team that had won 15 straight home games coming into this series, tomorrow. It’s a good pitching matchup, with Kyle Harrison on the mound for the Brewers and Edward Cabrera for the Cubs. It’s a rare third straight night game on the north side, so catch that game at 6:40 p.m.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 25: Michael Soroka #99 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in a game against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field on September 25, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re all relaxing here at BCB After Dark: the heppest joint for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. There are still a few tables available. The show will start shortly. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
On Tuesday night, I don’t normally write about films. But I always have time for jazz and that time is now. You can skip ahead if you want.
We are continuing our celebration of Miles Davis in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of his birth on May 26. Every legend gets their start somewhere. For Miles, he left East St. Louis to go to the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1944. There, Miles said the only class that taught him anything was music composition and the rest was a waste of time. His real education, according to Miles, came playing trumpet for Charlie Parker.
He soon dropped out of Juilliard to play with Parker full time. So here is the Charlie Parker Quintet in 1948 at a club in New York as broadcast on WMCA radio. Bird is on sax, of course, and Miles on trumpet. Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass and Max Roach on drums round out the quintet.
This is some pure bebop, music that Miles would soon leave behind.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
I don’t have to tell you that the Cubs are in the market for starting pitching. I’m sure the front office is calling around right now, but teams are generally loath to start selling in May for a few reasons. One, most teams still harbor playoff hopes at the moment. Two, selling teams know that as they get closer to the deadline, there will be more bidders and more desperate bidders, which means they can probably get more for them later on. Yes, there’s always the chance that a player gets hurt (See Clay Holmes), but most teams are willing to take that risk.
Still, what if I told you that there is a starting pitcher who is having a great year and is on a one-year deal playing for a team with less than a 30 percent chance of making the postseason according to Fangraphs? What if I told you that the Cubs had said pitcher last year and let him walk over the winter? Would you want to get him back?
By this time, you know who I’m talking about. You likely knew when you saw the picture at the top of the article. The Cubs were desperate for starting pitching at the Trade Deadline last year and after striking out on several big names (none of whom ended up getting dealt), the Cubs acquired right-hander Michael Soroka from the Nationals. Then, as you no doubt remember, Soroka got hurt in his first start with the Cubs and missed the next six weeks. He rushed back to return before the end of the season, but that meant he didn’t have time to build up the arm strength to start. So what the Cubs ended up was two weeks of a middle reliever for two good prospects.
That’s always been the knock on Soroka: he can’t stay healthy. After being an All-Star in 2019, Soroka missed most of 2020, all of 2021 and 2022 and most of 2023 with multiple surgeries on his torn Achilles tendon that he kept on re-injuring. Once that finally healed, he missed much of 2023 with forearm inflammation. With the Cubs, he missed six weeks of 2025 with shoulder issues.
But this year, Soroka is healthy and having his best season since he was an All-Star in 2019. Soroka is 6-2 with a 3.49 ERA in nine starts for the Diamondbacks. His strikeout percentage is at a career high of 10.1 and his walk percentage is the lowest it’s been since 2019 at 2.57 percent. Except for one really bad start against the Brewers where he gave up eight runs in three innings, Soroka has gone five or more innings in all of his other eight starts. He’s allowed two of fewer runs in seven of those eight, or seven of nine starts overall. Basically, he’s been everything the Cubs had hoped he would be last year.
So would you be willing to roll the dice on Soroka again? To be clear, the Diamondbacks aren’t trading him right now. For one, their record at the moment is at .500 and they still have a 29 percent chance of making the playoffs per Fangraphs. But as May turns to June and July, Arizona could fall out of the playoff hunt and be looking to sell. Since Soroka is only on a one-year deal, the D-Backs would almost certainly be willing to trade him if they fall out of the Wild Card hunt. Since he’d only be a rental, I would imagine that the price for him in prospects would be similar to what the Cubs gave the Nats last year—two prospects in the lower half of the Cubs top 30.
Of course, the risk would be that the Cubs would trade for him and he’d injure himself again. Soroka has never demonstrated that he’s able to stay healthy for a long period of time. So were the Cubs to deal for him, they’d likely let him walk again at the end of the year. But the Cubs would just need to keep him healthy through October.
Soroka is also only 28 years old. I don’t know if that really makes a difference on a short-term rental, but maybe his body has matured now to the point where the constant injuries are a thing of the past. Many pitchers who do suffer injuries in their youth are able to stay healthy once they get older. Of course, some are just injury-prone and end up retiring early. There’s no way to know which one Soroka is.
So would you be willing to roll the dice on Michael Soroka again?
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