May 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after being thrown out at third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Man, when the times are going well, they are going well. Kyle Schwarber homers twice, the bullpen does a fairly decent job of holding the game close to allow the offense to get back into and boom – extra inning victory.
DENVER, CO - 1976: Julius Erving #32 of the New York Nets grabs the rebound against the Denver Nuggets circa 1976 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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 1976 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
When Julius Erving was at UMass, his game was seriously limited by the rules of the day. His number one frustration was that he could not dunk.
It took him a while to sort out who he would play for professionally, largely because of some contractual issues, which we’re not going to get into here, but consider this: he nearly ended up playing with Milwaukee, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson were still Bucks. That would have been incredible. He also nearly joined the Atlanta Hawks, where he would have teamed up with Pete Maravich, which would have sold tickets across the league.
When the issues were hammered out, he had to play in the ABA, first with the Virginia Squires, and then with the New York Nets.
And while there was no TV contract for the ABA, Erving’s play was so off the charts that everyone around the country understood something extraordinary was happening.
Everyone knew. The highlights occasionally made it onto sports news, but there was no cable or anything like that. It was strictly word of mouth.
However, the awareness of greatness in New York was so insistent that it crept into pop culture and ultimately drove the ABA-NBA merger.
He’s been somewhat pushed down the list of greats, which is not right, because the guy was clearly special. He built on what Connie Hawkins did, but took it further: Erving was a basketball visionary, and we see the fruits of his vision every night when a game is played. Every exultant dunk is a tribute.
Beau Brieske got the start in this one as his rehab progression advanced to Triple-A. He gave up a run in the first, but tossed a clean second inning. Brieske averaged 95.9 mph on his fourseamer, and mixed in some good changeups in his outing. He looks fairly close to rejoining the Tigers.
Will Vest blessedly has avoided a tendon or ligament injury and is working his way back as well. He tossed a scoreless third inning. averaging 95.8 mph with his fourseamer. Vest struck out one in a perfect inning of work, but may need another outing before rejoining the Tigers’ pen.
In the top of the second, Corey Julks singled and later scored on a Tyler Gentry single to even things at 1-1. That’s how it stayed until the fifth, when Max Clark reached on an infield single and Eduardo Valencia mashed a two-run shot to left center field.
Troy Watson took over after the rehab work was done, allowing one run in five innings of work. Matt Seelinger handled the ninth, looking for a save. He got Josh Rojas to fly out, but allowed a single to John Rave. That brought the dangerous Kameron Misner to the dish. Seelinger carved him up with cutters for a strikeout, and then blew Drew Waters away with a good fastball to earn the save.
Valencia: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Clark: 1-4, R
Watson (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 0 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 8:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday with the series all tied up.
The SeaWolves were down early in this one, but another Thayron Liranzo blast got them back into the game and they held off the Squirrels on Friday.
Max Alba made a spot start, and it didn’t go too well. The right-hander allowed three runs in the second inning. He did settle in to pitch in the fifth without more trouble.
In the bottom of the third, catcher Bennett Lee doubled with one out, and took third on a wild pitch. Brett Callahan and Peyton Graham didn’t press in their at-bats, and both walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly from John Peck scored Lee. Liranzo stepped in against lefty Cesar Perdomo, and for the second day in a row crushed a right-handed homer, this time a three-run job to left, seizing a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Callahan reached on a fielder’s choice, and Graham singled him to third. Another Peck sacrifice fly made it 5-3. In the bottom of the sixth, Richmond’s Will Bednar walked four straight hitters and Bennett Lee smoked a two-run double to make it 8-3.
Wandisson Charles leaked a late run, and Tanner Kohlhepp surrendered two more, but they held on to win.
Liranzo: 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, K
Graham: 3-3, R, BB, SB, CS
Lee: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K
Alba: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:35 p.m. ET start on Saturday with the series tied up at two apiece.
Great Lakes Loons 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)
The crumbling Whitecaps are now 1-17 in their last 18 games.
Junior Tilien singled in Luke Shilger for a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but that was the last the Whitecaps would see of the lead. Unfortunately, Carlos Marcano is still stretching out after a late start to the season. He gave the Whitecaps two scoreless frames before turning things over to Duque Hebbert. Things went straight downhill as Hebbert allowed six earned runs across the third and fourth innings.
In the sixth, Clayton Campbell drew a leadoff walk, and Jackson Strong launched a two-run homer that made it 6-3 Loons. Outfielder Caleb Shpur pitched the eighth as the ‘Caps waived the white flag, allowing three runs.
The Whitecaps are struggling with injuries like the parent club, but even getting Ben Jacobs up from Lakeland and into the rotation hasn’t done much for them. Malachi Witherspoon isn’t far from joining them, and there may be a few more young arms working their way up shortly, but there’s no telling when the Whitecaps will get some of their veteran hitters back.
Strong: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, 2 K
Tilien: 3-3, RBI, BB
Marcano: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Saturday.
Kelvis Salcedo’s start was a short one after a long second inning that saw him lifted due to pitch count per inning restrictions.
In the top of the second, Edian Espinal singled, and Carson Rucker doubled Espinal to third. A Javier Osorio sacrifice fly brought the run home. Unfortunately, after striking out the side in the first, and two more in the second along with two singles and an error that scored a run, Salcedo suddenly lost control and walked back-to-back hitters before surrendering a two-run double and exiting the game.
Yendy Gomez gave up two more runs in the sixth, and it was a 5-1 game. A pair of a walks and a sacrifice fly from Jack Goodman made it 5-2, but the bullpen allowed another run in the bottom half, and the Flying Tigers couldn’t muster a comeback.
Espinal: 2-3, R, BB
Yost: 1-4, 2B, 3 K
Salcedo: 1.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start with the Flying Tigers up 3-1 in the series.
LHP Andrew Sears, our 11th ranked prospect for the Tigers in the preseason, and currently 9th for MLB Pipeline, emerged from injury blackout to spin a pair of perfect innings with four strikeouts in his first rehab assignment. He’ll need plenty of time to build himself up, but the hope is to return to Erie by early June. If he can get back and get it going, he’s a solid bet to help the Tigers out in the second half.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 15, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees have been up and down the last week or so, but perhaps just what they need to get rolling again is a date with their crosstown rivals. The Bombers got this Subway Series started off nicely last night, Cam Schlittler shoving (what else is new?) in a straightforward 5-2 victory. They’ll look to cinch a series win in Queens with Carlos Rodón making his second start of the year, as he’ll look to sharpen his command a bit after last week’s debut in Milwaukee.
On the site today, Andrew runs through Friday night’s American League action, and Sam profiles a huge figure in Yankees history, Billy Martin, who was born on this day 96 years ago. Also, Nick delivers this month’s Reliever Confidence Index, and Kento looks at the tallest Yankee outfields of all time.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at New York Mets
Time: 7:15 p.m. EST
Video: FOX
Venue: Citi Field, Flushing, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. How do you think Carlos Rodón will look now that he’s gotten a start under his belt at the major league level?
2. Do you think the Mets are going to get their act together, or will this be another lost year in Queens?
May 15, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) fouls Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) while going for a loose ball during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
CLEVELAND — Every time you want to believe the Cleveland Cavaliers have turned over a new leaf, they show you that they haven’t.
After their most inspiring win of the Donovan Mitchell era in Game 5, they laid an egg at home, blowing the perfect opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 21-point loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Now, they’ll head on the road for a do-or-die Game 7 in Detroit.
Basketball teams often take on the persona of their best player. They’re built to accent that player’s skills and cover up their weaknesses. Throw in the soft power that player typically weilds within the organization, and it’s easy to see how you get to this point.
In many ways, Mitchell’s shortcomings are a microcosm of the team’s as a whole.
When things are perfectly clicking into place, Mitchell’s individual talent — combined with the skilled pieces that by-and-large fit well around him — makes him seem like one of the best players in the world. And by extension, the Cavs can look unbeatable
The second half of Game 4 is a perfect example of this. Mitchell was scoring at will, tying the record for the most individual points in a half for a playoff game, against the best defense in the conference. The Cavs were humming and unsurprisingly also looked like a juggernaut.
However, when things have gotten rocky for Mitchell, that has also happened for the Cavs. James Harden has helped slightly change this dynamic. His stabilizing force in Game 5, combined with Evan Mobley’s skill on both ends, pulled them out of the rut. But it isn’t their jobs to do that every night at this point in their careers.
This is Mitchell’s team. It still goes as he does.
Both the Toronto Raptors and the Pistons were seemingly engineered to keep Mitchell from doing what he does best. They’ve been able to throw multiple rangy defenders at him that can match both his speed and strength in a way that no other opponent in Mitchell’s previous eight playoff runs have. This has made it difficult for him to get to his spots and leaves his scoring too dependent on a streaky jumper.
And when he has an off-night, as he did in Game 6, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.
The Cavs played their worst basketball with Mitchell on the court. They were outscored by 25 points in the 37 minutes he played, and it felt like more in the arena.
Mitchell put it on himself to lead the team. He took a game-high 20 shots, most of which came off driving into the teeth of the defense. Mitchell’s superpower is his ability to get to the basket and finish seemingly at will. But that skill was absent yet again. Only three of his 11 attempts from the paint fell.
“I can’t dwell on it, I missed shots tonight,” Mitchell said. “Do I think some of them were tougher shots that I could’ve gotten better? Sure, but I can say that about every game. I’m not here to look at the fact I missed shots. It’s the overall force and impact on the game.”
The overall force and impact on the game were the real issues, and have been for four years now.
Mitchell has no offensive counters outside of finding other ways to score.
He isn’t a skilled distributor. Either an inability to see the correct reads or an unwillingness to make the pass has limited Mitchell throughout his career. He’s yet to record more than five assists through 13 playoff games with a paltry assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.15. That’s unacceptable for someone operating that much on ball.
Assists aren’t the only measure of whether someone’s a well-rounded offensive player. However, it’s difficult to argue that someone is if they’re consistently coming up short in this key area.
Combine that with not being an off-ball mover and being a bad point-of-attack defender, and you have a player who’s only valuable on-ball and scoring at a high clip.
These individual issues affect the whole team. It’s difficult for teammates to buy in with off-ball movement if there’s no chance they will be rewarded for their effort. Defense then becomes more difficult if you aren’t getting the energy on the offensive side of the ball. And in the end, this leads to a group that has consistently looked lifeless in the biggest moments and can’t really put their finger on why.
After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson said that he didn’t think his team met the challenge physically. Harden was asked why they didn’t come out with intensity, and he responded with, “That’s a great question.”
When Mitchell comes out flat, the team consistently has a well. This has happened far too often in the playoffs to conclude otherwise.
Cade Cunningham’s performance was the exact opposite of what we saw from Mitchell.
He wasn’t perfect. Cunningham still turned it over seven times, which is far too many for a player that skilled. But his ability to influence the game in other ways rubbed off on his team.
The Cavs came into this game with an “ABC approach” — anybody but Cade.
Instead of trying to beat that challenge all by himself, Cunningham trusted his teammates when Cleveland double-teamed him. This resulted in eight assists for himself, but also allowed everyone else to find a rhythm. His willingness to move the ball and allow his teammates to take advantage led to Detroit’s offense clicking on all cylinders.
“You just have to make the play that’s there,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Cunningham doesn’t let up defensively either. He’s been physical at the point of attack all series and has done a good job of making life difficult for Cleveland’s smaller guards.
Add that all up, and you have a team that’s energized on both ends and a star that is influencing the game in a wide variety of ways.
Anything can happen in Game 7.
The series isn’t yet by any stretch. Even though the Cavs blew a golden opportunity to end this series, we know that they can win in Detroit.
But that isn’t going to happen if Mitchell has another bad game like this. He simply needs to be better.
This is his chance to change the narrative.
“Everything we want is on the other side of hard,” Mitchell said. “We had an opportunity, we missed it, and we’ll have another opportunity on Sunday. That’s the mindset.”
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Prior to yesterday’s game, the Yankees placed ace Max Fried on the 15-day injured list with a bone bruise in his left elbow. While, obviously, this isn’t great news, as Fried will not throw for a few weeks before being reevaluated, early indications seem to suggest that he has avoided ligament damage (although we’ll get confirmation on that in a couple of days). The start of the Gerrit Cole/Max Fried tandem atop the rotation will almost certainly be delayed once again, but at least we can cross our fingers and hope to see them both on the active roster at some point this season. Elmer Rodríguez is expected to take Fried’s next turn in the rotation, though until then, his roster spot will soon likely be occupied by a reliever.
Yahoo! Sports | Scott Walsh: In an article originally published our pal Scott in The Times-Tribune in Scranton, PA, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders announce that Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will be making his sixth rehab start with them on Saturday, as they face the Syracuse Mets. Even with Fried down, the Yankees do not appear inclined to rush Cole’s rehab, and expect him to make at least two more starts before returning to the Bronx.
The Athletic | Jayson Stark: (subscription required) Now that we’re about a quarter of the way through the season, we have finally reached the point where we can begin to draw some preliminary conclusions about the game this season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest new thing this season is how the ABS challenges have changed the game, with batters swinging less and walking more — perhaps the result of the fact that the ABS strike zone is, at its edges, a touch smaller than the “traditional” zone called by most umps.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: (subscription required) In what will, rather annoyingly, be a staple of the next several years, the start of this season’s Subway Series once again has people talking about the fallout of Juan Soto’s decision to sign with the Mets. At this stage of the game, not much has changed since we talked about this last season, and in truth, the answer even within the front office is mixed, with people simultaneously talking about Soto’s offensive production and the importance of the moves made in the aftermath of that deal (e.g., Fried, Cody Bellinger).
Stephon Castle was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the fourth overall pick in 2024 [Getty Images]
Stephon Castle starred as the San Antonio Spurs sealed their spot in the Western Conference finals with a convincing 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Castle led the way with 32 points, while Victor Wembanyama added 19, as the Spurs clinched the series 4-2 to set up a heavyweight match-up against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs met the Thunder - the reigning NBA champions - five times during the regular season and finished with a 4-1 record against them.
Repeating that over the seven-game Western finals would earn the Spurs a spot in the NBA finals.
"We're not even thinking about that right now," Castle said after Friday's victory over the Timberwolves.
"The games ahead are a totally different game. They are rolling right now. They've won eight straight.
"It's going to be tough to knock them off, but we're pretty confident we can do it."
Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 to tie their series and set up a deciding game seven .
Cade Cunningham scored 21 points, while Paul Reed and Jalen Duren added 17 and 15 respectively, as the top-seeded Pistons forced a decider for the second play-off round in a row.
Detroit had trailed 3-1 to Orlando Magic in the previous round before reeling off three straight wins to take the series 4-3.
The Pistons host the Cavaliers in Detroit on Sunday to decide who will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 15: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs drives around Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter in Game Six of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Target Center on May 15, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Spurs had a chance to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals Friday night, and they did exactly that with an emphatic 139-109 victory over the Wolves.
With their backs against the wall, Minnesota changed its defensive scheme to start the game. Instead of playing Gobert against Wemby straight up, the Wolves put him on Castle instead, allowing the Stifle Tower to sag off the Spurs guard and defend the interior. Well, Castle responded by hitting three wide-open triples en route to a 14-point quarter where he shot 5-6 from the field. Defensively, San Antonio also withheld their usual doubles on Ant, but did send help to other players who didn’t expect it coming.
Offensively, the Spurs played as one. Wemby’s gravity allowed San Antonio’s shooters to get wide-open looks, helping them start 5-11 from three. The three-headed monster in the backcourt also got easy drives to the rim, allowing Fox and Harper to shoot a combined 6-7 from the field. It certainly helped that Minnesota lost confidence in Gobert’s offense, pulling him early in favor of Naz Reid, who hit two early threes to lead all Wolves scorers. Unsurprisingly, Minnesota couldn’t score in the paint due to Wemby’s presence, and after starting 8-15 due to hot shooting, the Wolves then went 2-16 and allowed the Spurs to go on a 20-0 run to start the second quarter, going up 56-27.
However, this is a game of runs, and we were all reminded of that shortly after. The Wolves answered with a 34-18 run of their own, cutting the Spurs’ lead down to just 13 heading into halftime. Unsurprisingly, Ant was the catalyst, driving fearlessly and finishing around Wemby multiple times while drawing a key foul that led to three points right before the buzzer.
Still down by double digits, the Wolves switched their defensive scheme once again, putting Gobert back on Wemby. This is when the Spurs rebuilt their original lead, as the good guys went back up by 25 just a few minutes into the third. It was much of the same story, as San Antonio’s shooters remained hot and the guards got to the rim at will, since Gobert sat for large stretches again. Minnesota didn’t manage to go on another run, and the second half was so uneventful that the benches cleared not even halfway through the fourth, with the biggest storyline being that Ant shook hands with the Spurs before the game even ended.
Game notes
The Spurs are peaking at the exact right time. After an upset in game 1, San Antonio outscored Minnesota by 99 in games 2-6, and only lost game 4 by 5 points with Wemby logging just 12:29. More importantly, the Spurs have experienced fewer and fewer offensive lulls as the playoffs have gone on, and if that continues, the team will be virtually impossible to stop.
We are seeing Harper and Castle both take leaps in front of our eyes. They’ve been spectacular all season, but to play at an even higher level in the playoffs is something else. I certainly did not expect Castle to shoot so well from three, even if most were wide open, nor did I think that Harper’s defense was so advanced that he was arguably the best matchup on Ant. Along with Fox, any of the Spurs’ three guards can play at an All-NBA level any night, which is what championship-level teams need from their second options.
Speaking of Castle, he is now shooting 44% from three in the playoffs. It makes increasingly less sense for opponents to put their bigs on him, though I still expect OKC to do it since they play two bigs in Chet and Hartenstein. His shooting might be the single biggest X-factor in the Conference Finals.
Fox left the game with a minute left in the first half due to an ankle injury. He did return to start the second, though, and didn’t look any worse for wear, finishing the game with 21 points on 8-10 shooting.
Spurs, OKC, Western Conference Finals. The first of what should be many clashes for perhaps the rivalry of this generation, and a matchup between two teams with dynastic potential. These are two teams that can become all-timers, and are also the only ones who can prevent the other from doing so. Strap in, folks: this will be the best series of the entire postseason.
Andy Pages got a sunflower seed shower. Then, he delivered another one himself.
In a 6-0 win over the Angels on Friday night, the Dodgers’ third-straight victory was keyed by two big swings.
Pages had the first, ambushing a 3-0 fastball from Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz for a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning. Moments later, Max Muncy delivered the other, crushing an 0-2 mistake that Kochanowicz left over the plate to make it back-to-back long balls with a solo drive to right.
Andy Pages belts a three-run homers in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-0 road win over the Angels on May 15, 2026 in Anaheim, Calif. William Liang-Imagn Images
As Pages returned to the dugout following his trot around the bases, he got a customary seed shower from teammate Teoscar Hernández –– who has made the celebration a staple since arriving in Los Angeles three years ago.
But with Hernández on deck when Muncy went deep, it was Pages’ turn to handle the honors, grabbing a bag of seeds himself and tossing them in Muncy’s face as he came back off the field.
“He’s going to have my job when I’m not here,” Hernández joked of Pages’ seed-throwing form. “So it is getting better.”
Snell’s injury is the third the Dodgers have suffered to a star pitcher in the last month (after Edwin Díaz and Tyler Glasnow). It leaves them concerningly thin on depth as they try to emerge from a month-long slump.
“It seems like every year we go through it,” manager Dave Roberts said of the sudden deluge of pitching injuries. “What I have learned is, we get through it.”
The easiest way to do so this time: More offensive performances such as Friday’s.
Thanks to a third home run in the sixth inning from Hernández –– who snapped a month-long homer drought by driving a two-run blast the other way –– the Dodgers eclipsed the six-run mark for only the fifth time in their last 23 games.
It gave their pitching staff plenty of breathing room in what became an emergency bullpen game.
And it served as the latest encouraging sign that they are beginning to rediscover better form at the plate.
“The at-bats are getting better throughout this week,” Hernández said.
Given the team’s pitching situation, not a moment too soon either.
What it means
The Dodgers don’t want to go with bullpen games regularly this year.
But when they need to, as Friday showed, it isn’t always the worst tactic.
Dodgers starter Will Klein, who pitched two scoreless innings, was one of eight pitchers to blank the Angels. AP
Eight different Dodgers pitchers combined for the club’s fifth shutout this year, limiting the Angels to just two hits while striking out a combined 11 batters.
It started with two scoreless innings from Will Klein, who retired his first five batters before stranding a couple runners in the second. Edgardo Henriquez and Blake Treinen then followed with 1-2-3 frames, keeping the Angels quiet as the Dodgers built their lead.
Wyatt Mills and Kyle Hurt both worked around walks in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Alex Vesia negated a seventh-inning single by striking out his other three batters. Jack Dreyer and Charlie Barnes (a recent waiver claim who was called up in Snell’s place pregame) handled the final six outs.
It was the latest standout performance from a Dodgers relief corps that has a top-10 ERA in the majors this year.
It was also somewhat historic; marking only the 10th time in MLB’s modern era (since 1901) that club pitched a shutout using at least eight pitchers.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better situation tonight,” Roberts said. “It was good to see a few of the guys break out.”
Who’s hot
We covered Hernández (who is 9-for-19 in his last five games with four extra-base hits) in this space last night.
So, let’s go with Pages.
Entering Friday, the third-year slugger was in a lull, held without a hit in his last 13 at-bats. But with his score-opening home run, he continued to build on his strong overall start to the season –– continuing to be the Dodgers’ most consistent, and clutch, hitter.
Pages’ big fly was his 10th of the year, trailing only Muncy (who has 12) for most on the team.
Andy Pages celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run homer in the fourth inning of the Dodgers win over the Angels. William Liang-Imagn Images
It also put him back in a tie for the MLB lead in RBIs with 38, while helping him finish the night with a .305 batting average (11th-best in the National League) and .893 OPS (which ranks 12th).
Who’s not
Plain and simple, the Angels.
Since an encouraging 11-10 start to the season, the team has dropped 19 of its last 24 games. At 16-29 overall, they now own the worst record in the majors.
Before the game, manager Kurt Suzuki was asked if the club’s recent slump was simply in a run-of-the-mill “cold stretch” –– or something more reflective of the state of an organization that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2014.
Suzuki insisted it was the former, arguing that “there are a lot of games where we’re in it; we’re one swing away, maybe one pitch away, one out away.”
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he believes his struggling team will turn it around. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
“We’re gonna turn this around,” he added.
Either he was running cover for his bosses, or helplessly kidding himself.
Regardless, a franchise that has never before lost 100 games is well on its way to doing so right now. The “cold stretch,” unsurprisingly, continues.
Up next
The Dodgers will be going for only their second series win in the last three weeks on Saturday, when Justin Wrobleski (5-1, 2.42 ERA) faces breakout right-hander José Soriano (6-2, 1.66).
Early in the Mets' 5-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday night, it looked as if Juan Soto had tweaked something during a swing-and-miss early in the game.
Soto took a hack at a Cam Schlittler cutter in the fourth inning and noticeably grimaced. The Mets slugger had already landed on the IL this season, back in April, for a calf injury, and his return to the outfield was delayed due to an elbow, but Soto and his manager downplayed the moment following the Subway Series opener.
"The wrist. It’s usually when he swings and misses. It comes and goes," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Whenever he makes contact, there’s no issue there. It’s only the swing and miss when he feels something. There’s nothing that we’re worried about there."
"I was a little discomfort," Soto said. "No pain at all. I’ve been dealing with a couple of things. The foul ball [off my foot], the hand, the calf. Just trying to get back on track."
To Soto's credit, he completed the game in the outfield without issue. Even more impressive, he took Schlittler deep in the seventh to put the Mets on the board. And while it didn't spark a comeback victory, it did mark an individual achievement. The blast was Soto's 250th career home run, making him the fifth-youngest player in MLB history to reach the milestone.
"Means a lot," Soto said of the achievement. "A lot of hard work I’ve been putting on every year. Coming to play hard to have success for my team."
Soto's homer was a bright spot in an otherwise dour evening for the Mets. The loss snapped the team's three-game winning streak and halted the momentum from the sweep of the Tigers this week. But the Mets lost more than just the game. Clay Holmes will be out for a while with a fractured fibula he suffered after being hit by a Spencer Jones comebacker.
"It’s tough, man. Clay is a guy that shows up every day. One of the hardest workers I’ve seen in my career, Soto said of Holmes. "It’s unbelievable what he’s doing but it’s really sad about what happened to him. It’s part of the game. We’re going to support him, be right there for him in any kind of way that he needs us. It sucks."
And while the Mets navigate the loss of their most consistent pitcher, they hope Soto's blast on Friday could be the start of a hot streak for their slugger.
Soto had been hitting just .118 with an OPS of .449 from May 3-13, but now that he's homered in back-to-back games, perhaps more production is in his and the Mets' future.
MINNEAPOLIS — The San Antonio Spurs were well on their way to the Western Conference finals in the fourth quarter when Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards went down to their bench to briefly offer his congratulations.
The young Spurs left no doubt they’re already a serious NBA title contender.
Stephon Castle had 32 points and 11 rebounds to highlight another dominant performance from the backcourt, and Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs romped past the Timberwolves 139-109 on Friday night to finish in the second-round series in six games.
Stephon Castle, who scored 32 points, drives past Anthony Edwards during the Spurs’ 139-109 Game 6 series-clinching win over the Timberwolves on May 15, 2026 in Minneapolis. Getty Images
“I just tip my hat to them,” Edwards said. “They were just the better team.”
De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists and rookie Dylan Harper had 15 points off the bench for the Spurs, who set their franchise postseason record for 3-pointers made by going 18 for 38.
They will face defending champion Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Monday night. The Thunder swept their first two series.
“Of course we’re confident, but we need to keep the right confidence level,” Wembanyama said. “Right now, I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just thinking about recovering.”
Wembanyama, who bounced back from his stunning Game 4 ejection with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Game 5 blowout, was well-guarded by the Wolves in Game 6 and had a quiet 19 points in 27 minutes. But he still served as a constant defensive deterrent in the paint, and he dutifully joined the Spurs in transition whenever they had the opportunity to run — which was often.
The size, smarts and shooting touch of the Spurs guards were too much for the Wolves, who predictably had their hands full with the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyam, who scored 19 points, slams home a dunk over Julius Randle during the Spurs’ Game 6 series-clinching win over the Timberwolves. Getty Images
Castle made his first five 3-pointers and finished 11 for 16 from the floor. Fox was 3 for 3 from deep, and Julian Champagnie made four 3s among his 18 points for the Spurs, who outscored the Wolves by a whopping 97 points in the series and never once trailed by double digits. The Spurs breezed by Portland Trail in five games in the first round.
“It shows that we already gained a little bit of experience from our short playoff time,” Wembanyama said. “I feel like we put ourselves in the best conditions, as simple as that.”
Anthony Edwards had 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Wolves, who got another spark from reserves Terrence Shannon (21 points) and Naz Reid (18 points) but were again flustered by the Spurs and their relentless switch-heavy defense. Julius Randle had just three points on 1-for-8 shooting.
“It just felt like we kind of ran out of bullets as this series went on,” coach Chris Finch said.
This no-show in the elimination game might’ve felt familiar to Wolves fans, who’ve otherwise enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in the playoffs over the last three years.
Minnesota trailed by 33 points at halftime in a 30-point loss at Oklahoma City in the Game 5 ouster in the Western Conference finals last year and were down by 29 points at the break to Dallas in losing the Western Conference finals in 2024 in a 21-point loss in Game 5.
For the first seven weeks of this trying 2026 season, Clay Holmes was the least dramatic thing about the New York Mets.
He pitched like the ace they needed as the aces they planned for, Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean, worked through minor inconsistency. He pitched into the sixth inning in seven of his first eight starts, never taxing a bullpen often needed to carry a heavier load as Kodai Senga and David Peterson took their turns.
But Friday night, he succumbed to whatever relentless force keeps pulling Mets onto the injured list whenever this team threatens to start getting in rhythm. The broken fibula he suffered on Spencer Jones’ comebacker will keep him out for “a long time,” according to Carlos Mendoza, though the Mets had no timetable immediately after the game. He had no spin about how the Mets proceed now, either.
“It’s a huge blow,” Mendoza said. “He’s been one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation. Yeah. It’s a big blow.”
Logistically, the loss of their steadiest starter in a season that has already required them to tap into minor league depth makes the Mets’ potential climb back to contention even more complicated. They began the year with promising starting pitching depth. By late May 15, they were running out.
Senga is on the injured list. Sean Manaea is pitching out of the bullpen, scraping for innings where he can find them and hoping he pitches well enough to prove he deserves more. His bullpen colleague Tobias Myers is a former starter, but he has pitched so well that he has been promoted from mop-up duties early to keep-it-close duties recently. His first 10 outings were multiple innings. His last four — all of his work in May — have been one inning or fewer.
“At the moment, I’m [not stretched out to where I could start]. Maybe 35, 40 pitches,” said Myers, noting that no one had approached him about how the Holmes news might affect him yet.
Of course, they hadn’t. The news was so jarring that when someone asked Mendoza whether Triple-A righty Jonah Tong might be an option, the normally patient manager interrupted.
“We don’t know,” he said. “We don’t know. It’s too early.”
Tong, who was called up last year but has spent the beginning of this season trying to expand and hone his arsenal in Triple-A, is part of the pitching depth that reassured the Mets about their chances prior to this season. But Tong has been inconsistent, and at times wholly ineffective: He allowed six earned runs on five hits and three walks while recording just five outs Thursday.
His Syracuse Mets teammate Jack Wenniger, on the other hand, has a 1.08 ERA and more strikeouts than innings pitched in seven starts. The 24-year-old last pitched May 12.
Wenniger, a sixth-round pick, has never carried the same expectations as Tong. And despite his sparkling headline numbers, he is walking nearly five batters per nine innings while benefiting from an anomalously low .237 batting average on balls in play. Still, results as good as his do not happen fully accidentally.
Perhaps by Saturday, the Mets will probably have a better idea of their short-term plans. They will not, however, have many more long-term answers. Because as they sit eight games under .500, just 44 games into the season, chaos remains the only constant.
May 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) hits a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Athletics and Giants opened their three-game series on a beautiful Friday night in front of a strong crowd at Sutter Health Park. The A’s prevailed 5-2 thanks to another solid start from starting pitcher Aaron Civale, first baseman Nick Kurtz’s latest game-changing blast and a makeshift bullpen that bent but did not break.
A’s Waste Early Scoring Chance
Civale tossed a scoreless first, retiring the first three Giants hitters in order. Giants’ pitcher, Tyler Mahle, matched his counterpart. A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-out double before Mahle struck out designated hitter Brent Rooker to complete a clean first inning of work.
A’s Take 1-0 Lead!
In the bottom of the second, Athletics’ third baseman Zack Gelof walked With two outs, shortstop Darell Hernaiz blooped a single to right field, moving Gelof from first base to third. Jeff McNeil roped his ninth double of the season to the right field fence. Gelof easily scored; however the Giants worked a defensive relay to perfection to throw out Hernaiz at home plate. With Kurtz on deck, the A’s maybe should have put the stop sign on there to give their slugging first baseman a chance with two on and two outs.
Civale responded with a seven-pitch shutdown inning, quickly turning things back over to his offense.
Giants Tie the Game
Giants’ second baseman Luis Arraez led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to right field, his first of the season and as a Giant. With two outs, San Francisco’s left fielder Heliot Ramos and shortstop Willy Adames got back-to-back hits off of Civale. The A’s pitcher escaped that jam by getting the Giants’ designated hitter Bryce Eldridge to hit a sharp line out to McNeil at second.
Bolte: Good and Bad
In the bottom of the fourth, A’s center fielder Henry Bolte lined a single to center. He has now recorded a hit in his first three MLB games. Bolte was thrown out attempting to steal second to end that frame.
Giants Jump in Front
In the fifth, the Giants took their first lead of the game. Center fielder Harrison Bader hit his third home run of the season, a solo blast to left field. After allowing two singles, Civale wiggled out of that tough situation by retiring Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers to keep his team’s deficit at one.
Churn More Butter!
A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right. He advanced to second on Hernaiz’s sacrifice bunt. McNeil singled to left just in front of the diving Ramos, advancing Butler to third with only one out. That brought up Kurtz, who extended his on-base streak to 38 games in a big way. The “Big Amish” put his team back in front with a three-run home run to left center, his eighth of the season and third in as many games.
The A’s were not done against Mahle. Shea Langeliers and Rooker blooped singles to right field. With two outs, Bolte lined an RBI single to left field, scoring Langeliers for the A’s fourth run of the inning.
Bolte continues to impress since his promotion, contributing on offense and defense. That was Mahle’s last inning of his outing, which quickly devolved as he failed to protect his team’s lead.
A’s Bullpen Shuts the Door
A’s right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel replaced Civale in the sixth. Civale had another solid outing, aside from the two mistake pitches that resulted in home runs. Despite only striking out two and giving up a fair amount of hard contact, he was able to limit the damage and keep his team in the ballgame. Kuhnel pitched a scoreless inning, getting the next two hitters out after Adames had doubled with one out.
Left-handed reliever Jose Suarez made his A’s debut in the seventh inning. He did not take long to put himself in a tough situation as Bader singled and then Arraez doubled. Somehow Suarez escaped that situation by striking out Chapman and getting Devers to groundout to first baseman Kurtz. Those two Giants continue to struggle, which is particularly problematic given both players’ high salaries. The Giants finished the game 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and ten left on base, a sign they had plenty of chances to score, but failed to capitalize.
Right-hander Luis Medina pitched a much less stressful scoreless eighth inning for the Athletics, continuing his stellar recent work in relief. He has gradually worked his way into higher-leverage opportunities and now sports a 1.62 ERA in his first season post Tommy John surgery.
Last but not least, left-hander Hogan Harris came in for the ninth inning save opportunity. Unlike yesterday, the A’s held on for the victory. Harris got two quick outs, gave up Arraez’s fourth hit of the game and then rebounded to retire Matt Chapman to secure the Athletics 5-2 victory and collect his third save of the season.
Things got rocky late for the A’s bullpen, but they were able to protect the lead, securing Civale’s fifth win of 2026 and getting this rivalry series off to the right start.
Preview
Tomorrow, these two teams will duke it out in the middle game of this three-game set. Right-hander Luis Severino is scheduled to pitch for the hosts. Through nine starts, the 32-year-old is 2-4 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. He has pitched well in his last two outings, only to get tagged with the loss in each game. Hope he has another strong performance tomorrow as the A’s seek to win the series. The Giants will counter with young right-hander Trevor McDonald, who enters his third start with a 1-0 record and a 2.92 ERA, It should be another exciting matchup tomorrow evening.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 15: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres reacts after getting the final out to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at T-Mobile Park on May 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners waited too long, and Mason Miller eventually caught up with them.
The Padres shutout the Mariners 2-0 in Friday’s series opener in Seattle. The win gives them the second ever Vedder Cup, tying the all-time series at one apiece. Emerson Hancock pitched well, working around a bit of hard contact to get through six innings with the game still reach. But the Mariners’ lineup was lifeless for 7 2/3 innings, starting their day just in time for Miller to end it.
Hancock was a bit of a mix, picking up six strikeouts on 14 whiffs. He was rarely in trouble over his six innings of work, allowing just one run on five hits. But the contact he allowed was often quite hard. The Padres smacked 11 batted balls with exit velocities greater than 95 mph. Those just so happened to turn into nine outs.
That’s because the Mariners defense, particularly the middle infield, was actually quite good. They entered the day next to last in the majors in defensive run value, and I’m not sure there’s been a game this year that struck me as well-played in the field. This one did. (Of course, I wrote this before J.P. Crawford threw away a grounder of modest difficulty in the ninth inning. I was trying to say something nice about this game, and now I can’t.)
In the second inning, Hancock loaded the bases with a trio of singles — his one real jam of the day. Hancock got Sung-Mun Song to hit a hard grounder to Crawford at short stop, who raced to second, tagged the bag, and made a leaping throw to first to get out of it. This reminded me of the old, er, young J.P., with that slick sling and flare.
Hancock picked up a pair of strikeouts to begin the third. Then he served up another hard grounder, this time to Fernando Tatis Jr. The ball nearly got through the infield, but Cole Young made a nice back hand play, getting the ball to first with a jump throw. Young would make another nice play in the ninth, leaping to snag a soft liner and save a run.
Gavin Sheets walked with one out in the fourth on a sweeper that Hancock yanked and threw way, way behind Sheets all the way to the backstop. Sheets then stole second and would later score on a double from Miguel Andujar.
“Well, how did Sheets get on?” Hancock said after the game, when asked about the double. “I mean that’s what it comes down to. Free bases, an early jump, early break to steal second, and a really good two strike pitch but a good hitter puts a good swing on it, it’s one run – it’s that small of a margin. One walk ends up scoring in a close game and that’s the difference between a win and a loss.”
For as good as Hancock has looked at times this year, he seems to occasionally lose the grip on that big bender. This time it came back to hurt him, but it’s a small thing, especially when it’s the only walk of the day.e
In the fifth, Song hit a chopper over the mound to leadoff the inning. Brendan Donovan ranged over and fired the ball to first. Josh Naylor made an awkward lunge for the throw and took his foot off the bag. Song was safe after review. It proved no matter, as Hancock picked up another 6-4-3 double play on the next batter.
That was kind of the game for Hancock. Again, he got a solid number of whiffs and tons of awkward swings. He continued to look like the new version of himself. But he lived in the zone with his fastball and the Padres swung hard. I think this is another good example of an outing where he can still be quite effective even when he’s not at his absolute best. It’s certainly helpful when the defense steps up behind him.
Cooper Criswell got the eight inning and gave up a run on two singles and a groundout, making the game 2-0. But it didn’t really matter because even one run proved too much for the Mariners lineup.
Yes, the Mariners got shut out at the plate. They ultimately picked up seven hits and three walks, but that kind of overstates how much offense they generated. Their only real threat came in the bottom of the eighth when Donovan singled and Julio walked with one out. Josh Naylor nearly took the lead with a barrel deep to center, but it was tracked down. That was actually the third hard hit out to the warning in center field for the Mariners on Friday, and they did swat 12 hard hit balls. It just wasn’t enough.
“If we have a process that gets balls on the barrels, we’re doing something right,” Dan Wilson said after the game. “But we also want to get balls that fall. We’ll just keep grinding away.”
The Padres acknowledged the threat after Naylor’s near-homer and took the appropriate action, bringing in the cyborg Miller for a four-out save.
The Mariners actually put up a bit of a fight. Randy Arozarena exploded his bat and dropped a ball just beyond the mound to load the bases with two outs. And Connor Joe worked a full count- hey, that’s something. But Joe struck out, ending the threat.
In the ninth, Crawford drew a leadoff walk, and Young dunked a single. Miller countered with three more strike outs and the game was over. It’s, frankly, kind of impossible to string hits together against Miller, who lowered his FIP to -0.22 in the outing. He’s having simply the most dominant reliever season in history. The Mariners only mistake was letting him in the game. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that he probably won’t pitch Saturday after throwing 34 pitches to get four outs.
“He’s pitching very well,” Wilson said postgame. “He’s got great stuff — I think he hit 103 (mph) tonight — and to be honest, I thought the at-bats we put up against him were really strong, to load the bases there and have a couple of at-bats that went very deep, and the guys kept fighting all the way to the end. Those at-bats were tough, and that’s what you love to see. But he’s definitely touch, and scoring early was what we needed to do.”
The season series — the Vedder Cup — goes to the Padres. The Mariners will look to even this particular three-game set Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephon Castle had 32 points and 11 rebounds to highlight another dominant performance from the San Antonio backcourt, and Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs raced past the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-109 on Friday night to win the series in six games.
De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists and rookie Dylan Harper had 15 points off the bench for the Spurs. They will face defending champion Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night. The Thunder swept their first two series.
Wembanyama, who bounced back from his stunning Game 4 ejection with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Game 5 blowout, was well-guarded by the Wolves in Game 6 and had a quiet 19 points in 27 minutes. But he still served as a constant defensive deterrent in the paint, and he dutifully joined the Spurs in transition whenever they had the opportunity to run — which was often.
The size, smarts and shooting touch of the Spurs guards were too much for the Wolves, who predictably had their hands full with the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.
Castle made his first five 3-pointers and went 11 for 16 from the floor. Fox was 3 for 3 from deep, and Julian Champagnie made four 3s among his 18 points for the Spurs, who outscored the Wolves by 97 points in the series and never once trailed by double digits.
Anthony Edwards had 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Wolves, who got another spark from reserves Terrence Shannon (21 points) and Naz Reid (18 points) but were again flustered by the Spurs and their relentless switch-heavy defense. Julius Randle had just three points on 1-for-8 shooting.
This no-show in the elimination game might’ve felt familiar to Wolves fans, who’ve otherwise enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in the playoffs over the last three years.
Minnesota trailed by 33 points at halftime in a 30-point loss at Oklahoma City in the Game 5 ouster in the Western Conference finals last year and were down by 29 points at the break to Dallas in losing the Western Conference finals in 2024 in a 21-point loss in Game 5.
