The cruelness of social media knows no bounds, so when the Pacers posted a photo of Tyrese Haliburton on Friday night seemingly everyone was there to make jokes about his weight.
From Nutty Professor jokes, to quips about how he had been “eating good,” there was no shortage of people noticing that Haliburton bulked up while being sidelined with the ruptured achilles that took the Pacers’ point guard of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and has kept him from playing this entire season.
Haliburton revealed on Monday why he’s gained weight, and it’s a lesson in why you shouldn’t get Twitter fingers too quickly and blast someone without knowing the whole story.
#Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton “lost part my eyebrow” due to face shingles:
“I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try to get rid of it. It hasn’t worked. It’s obviously caused me to gain weight … That’s been a topic of conversation through social media …” pic.twitter.com/nRSpgnzjm6
Shingles is a ludicrously painful illness caused by a reactivation of the dormant chickenpox virus. It leads to incredibly painful rashes, complete with blisters. Shingles which appear on the face are considered to be both the most serious, and the most painful due to the amount of facial nerves which are affected.
The best treatment is to receive the shingles vaccine, but if that is not possible, a regimen of antiviral medications is often prescribed, as is corticosteroid therapy. These topical steroids are designed to reduce inflammation, but can also cause swelling. As for why he lost part of his eyebrow, that could be caused due to the rashes and blistering.
Here’s hoping Tyrese feels better soon, because this is an awful.
Adam Silver has gotten two things undeniably right during his tenure as commissioner — calling out Donald Sterling for his racism and introducing the Play-In Tournament.
This week’s six-game slate has been pure entertainment, even if fans of the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns might describe tonight as nothing short of agony.
My Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions and NBA picks bet on one of the NBA’s most irrationally confident players on April 14.
UPDATE: Added prediction for who will win.
Trail Blazers vs Suns prediction
Who will win Trail Blazers vs Suns?
Suns: Personally, I expect Phoenix to win this game by multiple buckets, but suppose it comes down to the final minute. Who are you going to side with, the team leaning on Scoot Henderson initiating an offense to feature either Jrue Holiday or Deni Adija for a needed bucket or the team with Devin Booker?
Trail Blazers vs Suns best bet: Dillon Brooks Over 19.5 points (+102)
Kevin Durant was right. His worst year is better than Dillon Brooks’s best year, but that does not mean the Phoenix Suns’ biggest acquisition for trading away Durant is going to shy away from this moment. Frankly, Dillon Brooks’s delusional confidence is his most redeeming trait, though also and obviously his most infuriating one.
The Portland Trail Blazers should devote Jrue Holiday to slowing Devin Booker as much as possible. That will move the ball into Brooks’s hands more often.
Phoenix needs either Brooks or Jalen Green to complement Booker to pull off this upset and avoid the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland is more likely to let Brooks get an advantage than Green.
That is to effectively say, betting on Phoenix’s third option is both the best bet and the Suns’ best approach to winning this game.
In a few respects, the greatest concern with Brooks may be foul trouble. And if Phoenix advances, Brooks’s worst habit will undoubtedly rear its ugly head, but that usually comes once well into a series, as tensions run highest. A one-game format lessens that concern.
Trail Blazers vs Suns same-game parlay
Devin Booker is too pure a scorer not to pour in some buckets in a game of this import, hence Portland presumably needing to devote Jrue Holiday to the Suns’ franchise cornerstone. And that is part of why Brooks should score, though partly at Green’s expense. In a very real way, every leg of this one-sided same-game parlay is correlated.
Trail Blazers vs Suns SGP
Dillon Brooks Over 19.5 points
Jalen Green Under 18.5 points
Devin Booker Over 26.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Suns don't set
To put this simply, if the Suns’ point distribution breaks down like this, then Phoenix is in a great position to win this Play-In game with ease. Adding the -4 to this same-game parlay should not raise it 73%.
This is what makes the Suns just dangerous enough. They may be devoid of stars aside from Booker, a year after having too many stars to function, but Phoenix still has an array of backcourt scoring to worry just about anybody in the NBA, particularly for one game.
Trail Blazers vs Suns SGP
Dillon Brooks Over 19.5 points
Jalen Green Under 18.5 points
Devin Booker Over 26.5 points
Suns -4
Trail Blazers vs Suns odds
Spread: Trail Blazers +4 | Suns -4
Moneyline: Trail Blazers +145 | Suns -170
Over/Under: Over 218 | Under 218
Trail Blazers vs Suns betting trend to know
Phoenix went 23-17-1 against the spread at home this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Suns.
How to watch Trail Blazers vs Suns
Location
Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Date
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Tip-off
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video
Trail Blazers vs Suns latest injuries
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Jonathan Quick will officially retire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Quick confirmed that the New York Rangers’ Monday night matchup against the Florida Panthers will be his last NHL game.
“Obviously, the past few years, very lucky to be part of this organization and wear this jersey, but tonight will be my last game in the league,” Quick said. “You know, I'm looking forward to it. Very fortunate. Wife flew down with the kids. So they'll be here in attendance tonight. My parents will be here. So looking forward to this last one and try to get one more win here.”
For 16 of his 19 NHL seasons, Quick spent with the Los Angeles Kings, where he won two Stanley Cups as the starting goaltender and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, Quick signed with the Rangers, and he has spent his last three seasons in New York, serving as Igor Shesterkin’s backup.
In 75 games for the Blueshirts and 69 starts, the 40-year-old goaltender has recorded a 35-29-6 record, .911 save percentage, and 2.46 goals against average.
Quick revealed that he had made up his mind about retirement quite a while ago and had informed both Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan.
“With the ups and downs the season, you don't really want to admit it to yourself, you know? So as we kind of got towards the end of the season here, I let Chris [Drury] know and Sully know,” Quick said. “Just so they can plan accordingly. I'm grateful for them. They've helped me out through this process. And let me know games I'm going to start so I can make sure to get the family there and stuff like that.”
Dylan Garand, a potential candidate to take over the backup goaltending role behind Shesterkin next season, has been with the Rangers since being called up on Mar. 20.
During Quick’s seven-game absence due to an upper-body injury, Garand started in two games, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Theo Gillen #24 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the New York Mets at Clover Park on March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
This week’s minor league roundup will only feature the numbers accumulated prior to the start of play on Monday.
This was the 1st a week of full minor league play.
According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), newcomer Austin Overn the top hitter in the Rays system; the Rays acquired the 22-year old outfielder from Baltimore for Shane Baz this past offseason.
Meanwhile, Santiago Suarez is the team’s top minor league pitcher.
RUMBLINGS
Tre’ Morgan has been placed on the Injured List. Watching video of his last game, it appears he may have injured his ankle while after hitting a double.
T.J. Nichols has also been placed on the Injured List for a thus far non-disclosed reason
Ty Johnson is dealing with a lower back strain
Minor league signing Edward Olivares has been granted his release.
Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
(minimum of 20 TBF for pitchers)
Tampa Bay Rays
Top 10 Prospects
None currently on active roster
Durham Bulls
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .340, Victor Mesa Jr OBP: .435, Victor Mesa Jr SLG: .585, Victor Mesa Jr HR: 2, four tied wRC+: 173, Victor Mesa Jr SB: 10, Jacob Melton
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 0.00, Evan Reifert FIP: 1.23, Andrew Wantz K%: 30.0%, Cam Booser BB%: 3.4%, Andrew Wantz WHIP: 1.17, Kodi Whitley and Evan Reifert AVG: .105, Evan Reifert WHIFF%: 19.8%, Kodi Whitley
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .333, Theo Gillen OBP: .419, Theo Gillen SLG: .889, Theo Gillen HR: 4, Theo Gillen wRC+: 251, Theo Gillen SB: 3, Theo Gillen
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 0.00, Andres Galan FIP: 1.44, Jacob Kisting K%: 36.4%, Jacob Kisting BB%: 4.5%, Jacob Kisting WHIP: 0.67, Jacob Kisting AVG: .105, Andres Galan WHIFF%: 14.1%, Jacob Kisting
The Arizona Diamondbacks (9-7) look to continue their successful East Coast road trip when they take the field tonight against the Baltimore Orioles (8-7) at Camden Yards. The Diamondbacks have won five in a row after sweeping the Phillies over the weekend and are now 5-1 on this none-game trip. The O’s have also won five of their last six including two of three over the weekend against the Giants.
The pitching matchup features a battle between Arizona's right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-1, 4.20 ERA) and Baltimore's left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-0, 1.89 ERA). Offensively, the Orioles are looking for continued production from Gunnar Henderson, who is tied for second in baseball with six home runs, and catcher Samuel Basallo, who delivered a key two-run homer Sunday. Basallo will be behind the plate again tonight as the O’s Adley Rutschman remains out injured. The Diamondbacks bring a potent offense to Baltimore led by Corbin Carroll’s .327 average. Carroll is 9-21 over his last five games.
Baltimore sits tied atop the American League East with the Rays and the Yankees while the Diamondbacks sit third in the National League West, 2.5 games behind the Dodgers.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Diamondbacks vs. Orioles
Date: Monday, April 13, 2026
Time: 6:35PM EST
Site: Camden Yards
City: Baltimore, MD
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, DBacks.TV, MASN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Diamondbacks vs. Orioles
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Gunnar Henderson has hit in 6 straight games (7-25) and in 8 of last 9 (11-33)
Pete Alonso was 2-4 Sunday but is just 5-39 in April (.128)
Ketel Marte is 2-8 in his last 3 games with 3 RBIs
Nolan Arenado is 1 for his last 15
Geraldo Perdomo is 3-32 (.094) in April
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Diamondbacks vs. Orioles
The Diamondbacks are an MLB-best 13-3 on the Run Line this season
The Orioles are 6-9 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 9 times in the Diamondbacks’ 16 games this season (9-6-1)
The OVER has cashed 8 times in Baltimore’s 15 games (8-7)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions: Diamondbacks vs. Orioles
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Diamondbacks and the Orioles:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on Baltimore on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Orioles on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.5.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 11: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber #12 runs after hitting a home run during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 11th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.(Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In case you may have enjoyed seeing the Atlanta Braves take a sojourn into the American League by taking on four AL opponents across their first 16 games, I regret to inform you that the interleague tour is coming to an end. As a matter of fact, the next 13 games will not only be nothing but National League games for the Braves — they’ll be NL East games as well. This week will see the Braves take on the Marlins and the Phillies for a pair of three-game series and that’ll be a prelude to Atlanta visiting D.C. for four games next week and then returning home to face the Phillies for the second weekend in a row.
Atlanta’s divisional rivals may be annoying in their own unique and various ways but where some may see annoyance, others may see oportunity. This week (and this 13-game NL East gauntlet) serves as a golden opportunity for the Braves to make some early hay in the division. If they can keep their series-winning streak going against their closest foes in baseball then that could send an early statement to the rest of the division that this Braves team is not to be trifled with in the least bit.
It’s not going to be easy, though — it rarely is when it comes to this particular division. Now it’s time to see just what’s in store for Atlanta for the next six games.
April 13-15: Miami Marlins
Current Record: 8-8 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 76-86
You can only play who’s on your schedule and as far as the first six games of the season go, the Marlins couldn’t have asked for a better pair of foes to deal with to get the season going. They swept the Rockies out of Miami in exciting fashion and then wrapped up their season-opening homestand with a series win over the White Sox. A win over the Rockies counts just as much in the standings as a win over the Dodgers so the Marlins deserve credit for taking care of business to get the season started.
Ever since then, it’s been tough sailing for Miami. They dropped a series against the Yankees in the Bronx, split a four-game home series against the Reds and then got swept out of Detroit on their way to the Atlanta metro area to face the Braves. During this 3-7 10-game stretch, the Marlins have been the third-worst hitting team in the National League with a team wRC+ of 83 and they’ve struggled on the mound as well with a bottom-five rating in ERA- in the NL and bottom-three rating in FIP- on the Senior Circuit as well.
So yeah, the Marlins are coming into this series limping and this is likely a bad time for them to be limping into Cobb County in particular. Over the past two seasons, the Braves are 16-4 at home against the Marlins and are 53-22 against Miami at Truist Park across the 75 games that these two teams have played against each other at the friendly confines within The Battery. The Marlins also won’t be able to trot out Sandy Alcantara out for this series, either. Meanwhile, starter Eury Pérez has had nearly nothing but bad times against the Braves, Chris Paddack has been inconsistent to start the season and that means that Max Meyer is looking like their best option during this series.
Meanwhile, the trio of Grant Holmes, Reynaldo López and Bryce Elder will be tasked with making sure that the Marlins continue to collectively scuffle at the plate. Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards, Owen Caissie and Liam Hicks have each been swinging the bat pretty well to start off but again, they’ve collectively fallen into a bit of a funk as of late and hopefully Atlanta’s pitching staff will make sure that this funk lasts for at least the next few days.
April 17-19: Philadelphia Phillies
Current Record: 7-8 Projected Record: 87-74
Once the Braves get done with the Marlins, it’s time for a trip to Peter Moylan’s f a v o r i t e ballpark: Citzens Bank Park in Philadelphia! That’s right, it’s time to renew hostilities with the ever-present Phillies and their totally-calm-and-reasonable fans. If there’s anything to look forward to, it’s that this seems like a decent enough time for the Braves to be running into the Phillies. Depending on how their midweek series against the Cubs goes, they could be entering the weekend series with Atlanta either bereft of confidence and desperate to get the season on track or feeling like they could be in position to make a statement of their own against the Braves.
If the Phillies are going to be a real threat then their lineup will have to get going. They’re 2-5 in their last seven games and this includes three losses where they scored one or fewer runs. In fact, they got shut out twice in a row by the Giants and that was wild considering that San Francisco has struggled to keep everybody else they’ve played quiet at the plate. Of course, the usual suspects like J.T Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are going to show up for this series and Justin Crawford is smacking the ball around as well. However, they haven’t gotten a lot from guys like Adolis Garcia, Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner. It would be huge if those guys continued to remain cold at the plate once the Braves get a hold of them.
The one thing that’s been keeping the Phillies afloat so far is their pitching staff. Cristopher Sánchez has been lights-out for Philadelphia so far and the Braves will likely have to figure out a way to deal with him in the series finale on Sunday Night Baseball. Atlanta will get to avoid Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo, though as I’d imagine that they’d much rather take their chances against Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter — though Painter has also been on a bit of a roll to start this season.
The Phillies could also be due for some type of regression or progression to the mean when it comes to their ERA-/FIP- split. Philadelphia’s pitching staff has an ERA- of 105 but a FIP- of 66. The Braves can actually relate to this in the opposite direction, as their pitching staff has a collective ERA- of 61 with a FIP- of 90. It’ll be very interesting to see which of these numbers offers the true vision of what these two pitching staffs are but for now, I wouldn’t be shocked if this series in Philadelphia came down to whoever can come up with the biggest hits in the high-leverage moments that are sure to come between these two divisional foes.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts to striking out as Nick Fortes #40 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws the ball during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 10, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Yankees improved to 8-2 on the season with their comeback, series-opening win against the A’s last Tuesday, all was well in the world. There were problems with a shaky bullpen and an unproductive bottom of the order, but the team was winning, and that’s all that matters. But the thing is, over the course of a 162-game season, those faults eventually show up and cost you games.
One of the faults that hadn’t reared its ugly head through 10 games was that, aside from Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton (whose production has been very un-Stantonlike), pretty much everyone in the offense was underachieving to start the year. While some players are hitting into bad luck, the peripherals aren’t encouraging for several others, including noted slow starter Aaron Judge himself.
While some of this can just be chalked up to small sample sizes and some early-season timing issues, there’s one glaring issue with the offense as a whole that, if not corrected, could lead to genuine long-term struggles.
The Yankees have historically been a very disciplined team at the plate, routinely finishing at the top of leaguewide walk rates and pitches per plate appearance. They’ve had a reputation for wearing down pitchers and putting traffic on the bases by being patient, and it’s powered their yearly wRC+ totals, but there is such a thing as being too passive.
And too passive is what the Yankees currently are.
In 2025, the Yankees led baseball with a 119 wRC+, powered by a league-best 10.2 BB% and the second-lowest swing rate in baseball. They also posted a below-average 67.4 Z-Swing% (zone swing), indicating they allowed a lot of pitches to go past them in pursuit of driving up pitch counts.
Compare that to the 2026 Yankees, who are second in walk rate and 28th in Z-Swing%, it might not seem like there’s a big difference. So what’s behind the team’s drastic offensive slump?
There’s a lot of things that you can nitpick and break down, but there’s one partciular area where the Yankees are letting opposing pitchers off the hook: pitches down the heart of the plate.
On pitches classified as “meatballs”, or pitches in the center-middle part of the plate, in 2025, the Yankees swung at 76 percent, which came in almost exactly at the league average of 76.3% What do those numbers look like in 2026?
The average is down across the MLB, but the Yankees have absolutely collapsed in this regard. While their in-zone swing rates were at least close to league average last year, they’re considerably below it this year. On a player-by-player level, the difference is jarring:
2025-26 Meatball Swing%: Aaron Judge: 78.6% to 55.6% (-23%) Austin Wells: 82.7% to 62.5% (-20.2%) Trent Grisham: 71.6% to 55.0% (-16.6%) Ryan McMahon: 74.7% to 66.7% (-8%) Cody Bellinger: 77.7% to 71.4% (-6.3%) Ben Rice: 74.8% to 69.2% (-5.6%) Jazz Chisholm Jr.: 80.5% to 81% (+0.5%) Giancarlo Stanton: 59% to 69.2% (+10.2%)
Is there a clear and conclusive trend? Not necessarily, considering the team’s biggest overachieving bat and most underachieving bat are next to each other, but you can overall see a massive decline across the board except for Giancarlo Stanton.
Additionally, the Yankees have gone from 18th in First-Pitch Swing% at 31.5 percent to T-20th at 29.1 percent. Why are these two stats important? Here are league-wide stats on both meatballs and first-pitch swings in 2025:
So, clearly, you want to swing at pitches down the middle and attack early to get the best pitches, but it’s especially important for the Yankees, who are running back the exact same offense that did this to these categories in 2025 and what they’re currently doing in 202
If you hang it, the Yankees will bang it, or at least they’re supposed to. They put up video game numbers in these situations and need to get back to that.
The one player who needs to get back to being aggressive, specifically, is the captain. He’s swinging at pitches in the heart of the zone 20 percent less, but only swinging at first pitches slightly less. He’s not doing nearly enough damage on those first pitches right now, but the bigger concern is the massive reduction in swinging at these “meatballs”.
Since Judge ascended into Bonds territory in 2022, he has absolutely feasted on pitches over the heart of the plate. Has it led to some affectionate nicknames in certain sections of social media? Sure, but every MLB player will see a lot of bad pitches; it’s what you do with them that counts. Judge went from swinging at more meatballs than almost anyone in baseball to being extremely passive, and that’s hurt his production:
He’s swinging at less and doing less damage. Getting Judge going is the first step towards turning things around. When you lose eight games by a total of seven runs, you’re talking about multiple games that could’ve been swung by one swing. The entire roster needs to be more aggressive, and problem is best exemplified by their captain, who can lift a lineup by himself.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 12: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals scores a run during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A 1-7 skid entering Milwaukee on Friday had the Nats’ fanbase looking for answers, and the team gave them exactly that with a major 3-game weekend sweep of the Brewers.
Gritty baseball powered Washington to a Game 1 win, with 2 RBI bunts flipping a 3-3 game on its head in the 9th inning as they secured a 7-3 win in the series opener. Foster Griffin was once again as advertised in Game 2, with a 5th inning 2-run double by Jacob Young the difference in a comfortable 3-1 win. The bullpen reared its ugly head in the finale, but timely hitting from Keibert Ruiz in the 8th inning broke a 6-6 tie and got the brooms out to begin the Nats’ road trip.
Washington has quickly gotten itself back within a game of the .500 mark, and now has to take on the NL Central leader Pittsburgh Pirates in a 4-game series. The Pirates, winners of 7 of their last 10 games, have lost just 2 series to this point in 2026. They fell just short of sweeping the Cubs on Sunday in a 7-6 loss, but are emerging as a formidable opponent with a stable pitching staff and much-improved lineup.
Monday – 6:40 PM EST
PIT: RHP Paul Skenes (2-1, 5.25 ERA)
WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.51 ERA)
Seeing a 5 at the start of Skenes’ ERA is certainly not a common occurrence, as he’s still attempting to work past his dreadful season debut against the New York Mets. He’s looked much more like his 2025 Cy Young winner self in his 2 recent outings, throwing a combined 11.1 innings with just 2 earned runs allowed. It’s never an easy task facing a pitcher as good as Skenes, and the Nats will have to capitalize on every opportunity they can create.
Cavalli wasn’t able to match the length of his 2nd start, but he still turned in a solid 4.2 innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last appearance. An error by CJ Abrams extended his 1st inning, leading to the early hook, although he was able to bear down and deliver an adequate line. Holding down the Pirates’ hitters will be pivotal with Skenes as the opposing pitcher, and continuing his streak of sub-3 earned run outings would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
Tuesday – 6:40 PM EST
PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.00 ERA)
WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-3, 12.41 ERA)
Keller has yet to eclipse 5 strikeouts in a game this season, but that hasn’t damaged his effectiveness whatsoever. The righty has only allowed 2 earned runs in 18 innings, with 3 straight quality starts to kick off his 2026 campaign. Hitters have rarely been able to make any hard contact against him, especially in the air, and the Nats will look to be the first team to get to the 30-year-old this season.
It has to get better at some point, right? Mikolas’ time in the rotation could be coming to an end if he can’t turn things around, and there aren’t many under-the-hood metrics that point to improvement being on the horizon. Something has to give, whether it’s the veteran figuring it out or manager Blake Butera making a rotation change, but this could be a pivotal game toward deciding Mikolas’ role with the team.
Wednesday – 6:40 PM EST
PIT: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0, 2.51 ERA)
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 7.07 ERA)
Mlodzinski has been a consistent swing starter for the Pirates since his debut in 2023, and has continued that trend through his first 3 starts in 2026. He’s yet to go 6 innings, which is to be expected, but opposing batters haven’t been able to lift the ball with authority, allowing him to put together 3 solid outings. He’s dealt with considerable traffic in each of his appearances, something the Nats jumped all over in Milwaukee and would benefit from replicating on Wednesday night.
The veteran right-hander settled in against the Brewers after getting hit around by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but had issues with his command throughout. With how the Pirates have been swinging the bat so far this season, walking another 5 hitters might not be a hole he can dig his way out of again. Relying on his offspeed is a probable game plan for Irvin, who has shown flashes this season but needs to put it all together.
Thursday – 12:35 PM EST
PIT: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.12 ERA)
WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (2-0, 1.76 ERA)
Ashcraft transitioned into a full-time starter to begin this season after bouncing between the rotation and bullpen in 2025, and early returns have been fantastic. With 4 offerings sitting above 90 MPH and all of which grading out as above average pitches, he’s cruised to a 2.12 ERA with an impressive 30.3% strikeout rate. His arsenal during his last start versus the Chicago Cubs was lethal, generating 16 total whiffs in just 5 innings. The one crack in his armor so far has been his 21st percentile average exit velocity, something that could play into the hands of the Nationals’ power bats.
Griffin just keeps getting better and better. He registered his best start of 2026 against the Brewers, relinquishing just 1 hit and 0 runs in 5.1 innings en route to his 2nd win of the season. He’s beaten teams both by the way of the strikeout and by limiting hard contact, forming a return to MLB that has already surpassed most preseason expectations. Offenses can’t seem to get a beat on him, and Washington will hope to keep that pattern alive in the series finale.
Keep the good times rolling
The Nats walked into Milwaukee and took down one of the top teams in baseball in 3 straight games, and are now right in the thick of the early NL East race. Sitting just 2.5 games back of the 1st place Atlanta Braves, they are now given a prime opportunity to take advantage of a division that has gotten off to an incredibly slow start. Pittsburgh is playing some great baseball so far, but as shown during their last series, the Nats can match up with anyone when they play their style of game.
Mar 13, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States right fielder Aaron Judge (99), second baseman Brice Turang (13), shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) and third baseman Alex Bregman (2) celebrate after defeating Canada during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
With the loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday, the Phillies fell to a game under .500. They’ll now welcome another would-be contender who is off to an uneven start to the season that has left them a game under .500.
Chicago Cubs
Record: 7-8, Fifth place in National League Central (Two games back)
The last time they met
The Phillies hosted the Cubs in early June 2025 and won the first game on an eleventh inning RBI by Brandon Marsh. Poor pitching doomed them in the middle game, but a strong start by Jesus Luzardo carried them to victory in the finale.
What’s the deal with the Cubs?
The Cubs made the playoffs as a Wild Card in 2025, and after winning their first-round playoff series, fell to the Brewers in the NLDS. The Cubs tried to build on that in the offseason by signing Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera, though they did lose Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers. They also remade their bullpen by bringing in Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey.
The new additions have been a mixed bag. Cabrera has been excellent in the early going, but Bregman has disappointed (more on him next). And both Harvey and Maton are on the IL.
The Cubs’ offense hasn’t been where they expected it to be. In addition to Bregman, both Dansby “thoroughly stupid name” Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong are off to slow starts at the plate. Both are excellent fielders, but in the past, they’ve been much better hitters than they’ve shown so far this season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (future of the franchise) this weekend vs. the Pirates:
There’s no denying that Alec Bohm is playing poorly this season, and vindicating those who thought the team needed to move on from him. However, the two big names that most people wanted to replace him with are also playing poorly on their new teams. Bo Bichette has the Mets experiencing buyer’s remorse, and Alex Bregman hasn’t been much better.
"I think everybody knows in here that we can play a lot better baseball, and we will."
It was unlikely that Bregman would ever regain the highs he hit in Houston where he was the MVP runner-up in 2019. But after he had an OPS of .821 and made the All-Star team for the Red Sox in 2025, the Cubs surely expected more than they’ve seen from him early on. He’s batting .213 with two home runs, and perhaps most surprisingly, his defense has not graded out well either.
As I’ve mentioned when talking about the slumping Phillies players, it is still very early in the season. Given Bregman’s track record, there’s a good chance that the next time we see him, his numbers will be around where we expect. Let’s just hope that his early season struggles can continue for at least three more games.
What about the Phillies?
Is it more frustrating when your team loses because they’re getting beat by a superior team, or because they’re just playing poorly? Looking at the rosters, it’s difficult to say that the Arizona Diamondbacks have a superior roster than the Phillies. but the Phillies lost the series because they made a lot of mistakes.
And no, I don’t think Rob Thomson needs to bench Bryce Harper for his poor decision to try to stretch a single into a double. Harper was clearly trying too hard in that situation, and he needs to be smarter. On the other hand, I’d rather see mistakes like that rather than a team that looks moribund. Mistakes of aggression are usually better than mistakes of passivity.
Pennant year song battle
Everybody Wants You by Billy Squier defeated Take the Long Way Home to hold on to the title for another series.
The next contender comes from 1983. In honor of the Phillies’ many mistakes on Sunday, we have It’s a Mistake by Men at Work:
Vote now:
Closing thought
Neither of these teams are playing great baseball at the moment. The series might come down to which team plays the less not great.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, left, congratulates LeBron James after making a basket against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers got a taste of a playoff atmosphere against the Houston Rockets only a month ago. They can recreate the moment again, this time with real postseason stakes, but the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference will be missing a key component from those thrilling wins.
Luka Doncic, still getting specialized treatment in Europe for his Grade 2 left hamstring strain, is a long shot to return during the first round of the playoffs, which begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
Between Doncic and Austin Reaves, who is out with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, the Lakers have lost their two leading scorers and an average of 56.8 points per game. They lost the No. 3 seed. But by finishing the season with three consecutive wins to maintain home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, they haven’t lost their fight.
“The playoffs, to me, are all about resiliency,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “... You're playing one opponent in the playoffs and there's a bunch of things that are gonna happen, some good, some bad. You may get down in a series. You may get down in the game, you may get down in the game on the road. And just, you have to play with resiliency.”
Here’s how the teams match up:
Key team stats
Lakers
Record: 53-29
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 117.0 (10th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG):115.5 (20th)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 1.5 (14th)
Rockets
Record: 52-30
Offensive Rating (OFF RTG): 117.5 (8th)
Defensive Rating (DEF RTG): 112.1 (6th)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 5.4 (6th)
(*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)
The Rockets looked like a championship-contending team early in the season behind the generational rebounding force of Sengun and Steven Adams. They bullied the Lakers in a nationally televised, Christmas Day showcase, and to add injury to insult, Reaves re-aggravated a calf injury that kept him out for six weeks.
Part of their season-long nine-game winning streak, the Lakers came back from a 10-point third-quarter deficit behind 36 points, six rebounds and four assists from Doncic. The Rockets committed 24 turnovers, a season-high for a Lakers opponent, including seven turnovers from Durant. The Rockets were without Sengun, who missed the game with low back pain.
Doncic and James combined for 70 points to lead the Lakers to their seventh consecutive win. Doncic scored 40 with 10 assists and nine rebounds while James was 13 for 14 from the field, including an alley-oop dunk from Doncic with 1:22 remaining that contributed to a 13-2 Lakers run that put the game away. While the Lakers were one of the league’s best in clutch time — going 22-8 in games within five points in the last five minutes — the Rockets were 16th with a 22-23 clutch time record.
Toledo took the series, 4-3, against the St. Paul Saints on Sunday with an 11-8 win that ended on a walk-off grand slam.
The Mud Hens scored seven runs in the ninth to rally back from a four-run deficit. Ben Malgeri led off with a solo home run, Max Clark walked and Gage Workman hit a double to bring the tying run to the plate. Workman had two home runs earlier in the game — a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run bomb in the fifth — giving him 11 total bases on the day.
Eduardo Valencia singled in Clark and Workman, bringing the go-ahead run to the dish. Jace Jung walked, and Trei Cruz tried to move the runners into scoring position with a bunt. He ended up sending it back to the pitcher, Marco Raya, who got the lead runner at third, but Tomas Nido walked to load the bases.
St. Paul brought in Dan Altavilla to try to stop the bleeding, but Cal Stevenson ended the game with one swing. (Also, the admin who runs the Mud Hens Twitter account was having a blast using Justin Bieber lyrics.)
Outside of the ninth, Toledo was 0-7 with runners in scoring position. Workman’s first homer got the Mud Hens on the board after falling behind 6-0 over the first four innings, and Stevenson grounded into an out for the second run of the fourth. Workman’s second homer came with Malgeri on first in the next frame.
Gage Workman crushes a 2-run homer to right center. It’s his 2nd of the day, and it pulls the Mud Hens within two runs. pic.twitter.com/uaIj0Q1zUk
Lael Lockhart got the start for Toledo. Things started fine for him with six outs in a row, but things spiraled in the third for a five-run frame. St. Paul started squaring things up for some hard contact, including three balls that came off the bat over 101 mph. Kyler Fedko homered off him twice, both with a 106-mph exit velocity. His sinker and four-seam were extremely hittable today, but Lockhart had some good numbers with the splitter (54% CSW).
Jack Little relieved Lockhart in the fifth. He got through two innings with little trouble, but Fedko went yard for a third time on the day in the sixth. Sometimes, a guy is just locked in at the plate. Fedko also tripled in the eighth, giving him 15 total bases, five RBIs and four hits on the day. Little didn’t record a strikeout in his outing.
Drew Sommers threw a clean seventh for Toledo. He came back out for the eighth and got two quick outs, but Fedko’s RBI triple knocked him out of the game. Tyler Mattison closed out the inning and worked around two walks in the ninth. Mattison ended up earning the win, thanks to Stevenson’s heroics.
Malgeri: 3-4, HR (1), BB, K
Clark: 0-4, R, BB
Workman: 4-5, 2 HR (3), 2B (4), 3 R, 3 RBI,
Lockhart: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: Toledo is in Louisville next week. The series starts on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.
Erie dropped the final game of the series against Chesapeake, 4-1, on Sunday, finishing the week with a 1-5 record.
It was another five-hit day for the SeaWolves, two of which came in the first inning to score Erie’s only run. Seth Stephenson led off the game with a double down the left-field line, and John Peck singled him. Izaac Pacheco led off the second with a bloop single to left, but he was tagged out at third after taking off on a grounder to the left side.
John Peck ropes a single to right and Seth Stephenson scores from 2nd to give Erie an early lead. pic.twitter.com/kQmOFJIe3u
Erie didn’t record another hit until the sixth, when Peck singled to right with two outs. Sebastian Gongora was really good for the Baysox. He needed just 66 pitches to get through 5 2/3 innings. Erie was chasing his heater and secondary stuff all day. Peck’s second hit came off Eric Torres, but that’s all he’d give up. Stephenson got a single off Jeisson Cabrera in the eighth, but nothing came of it.
Dariel Fregio was effective despite allowing five walks in his second start of the season. He gave up just one hit over 3 1/3 shutout innings. That lone hit was a blooper into left that Justice Bigbie probably could have gotten to with a better jump. It was a windy day, though. Fregio got nicked by a comebacker in the third, but he stayed in the game after a couple of throws to check his mobility.
Trevin Michael took over for Fregio with one out and one on in the fourth. He struck out all five batters he faced. The slider worked really well today, drawing plenty of checked swings that went too far. Luke Taggart was not nearly as good in the sixth. He walked four batters, giving up a free run, and recorded just one out before turning things over to Johan Simon.
Simon couldn’t hold the 1-1 tie through the seventh. He was on his way to working around a pair of singles, but a balk with a man on third gave Chesapeake the lead. Wandisson Charles gave up two runs in the eighth before ending the inning with a double play.
Stephenson: 2-4, 2B (3), R, K
Peck: 2-4, RBI, 2 K
Michael: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: Erie is back at home next week for a series with Harrisburg, starting on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.
West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3 (box)
West Michigan finished the six-game series against Great Lakes with a victory, holding off a ninth-inning rally to win 4-3. The Loons took the series 4-2.
The Whitecaps were outhit 9-6, but both teams went 2-6 with runners in scoring position. West Michigan scored three in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead and added a very important insurance run in the following frame.
Five of the nine Whitecaps baserunners on the day reached in the fourth. Roberto Campos, Garrett Pennington and Andrew Sojka singled, with Sojka driving in the other runners. Ricardo Hurtado walked and scored on a balk, and Cristian Santana walked as well.
Woody Hadeen led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and scored on a throwing error after Jackson Strong legged out a single. Hurtado was hit by a pitch later in the inning, and Campos walked in the seventh. It wasn’t a strong day for the offense, but it was enough.
Jackson Strong is FAST, and it leads directly to another run 🎉
Gabriel Reyes got the start for West Michigan, giving up one run on six hits and a walk over three innings. He got double plays to end the first two frames, but three consecutive singles in the second gave Great Lakes a brief lead.
Seth Chavez earned the win, taking over for Reyes in the fourth. He threw two innings of one-hit ball, but nothing was too exciting there. Ryan Harvey held the lead over the next two frames. He didn’t give up any hits and walked just one batter while striking out three.
Zack Lee closed out the win over the final two frames, but there was some trouble in the ninth. A leadoff error led to a run being doubled in, and a one-out single made it a one-run game. Lee finished things off, though, striking out four along the way.
Kind of a boring game, but it’s a good win to send the crowd home happy.
Sojka: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Hadeen: 1-4, 2B (2), R, 2 K
Reyes: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 2 K
Harvey (H, 1): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: West Michigan is in Lansing next week. The series starts at 6:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Lakeland lost its second game of the season on Sunday, and this one was much uglier than the first day before. The Dayton Tortugas shut out the Flying Tigers, 14-0. Woof. Lakeland still won the series, however, 4-2.
Cincinnati’s No. 10 prospect, Sheng-En Lin, threw five no-hit innings for the Tortugas, and the bullpen allowed just one hit. Jack Goodman was the only one who saw the ball well for Lakeland. He had three hard-hit balls (95 mph exit velocity or higher), including the lone Flying Tigers hit of the day, a single to right.
Jack Goodman with a sharp liner to right for Lakeland’s first hit of the game. pic.twitter.com/FIy0WP3dS8
Alistair Tanner got the start after impressing through 3 2/3 innings last week. He only recorded two outs this time around. The mid-90s fastball still drew five whiffs on 11 swings (45%), but he left in the first inning after hitting 35 pitches. It was a bit odd to see him get pulled with two outs and a full count, but that’s Single-A ball (I guess).
Xiomer Guacache didn’t help Tanner out. He threw a ball to give Tanner a walk and an earned run. Guacache walked in another run before getting out of the inning. A leadoff walk in the second got the bullpen active, and Jatnk Diaz took over with one out.
Diaz pitched through the fourth, but he gave up four runs on six hits while striking out just one batter. His stuff wasn’t particularly good, and Daytona put a lot of balls in play. Yendy Gomez was next. He was solid, going two scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. The sinker-slider combo worked well.
Andrew Pogue got the seventh and started the eighth. It didn’t go well. He gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits, two walks and an error. Five straight batters reached off him in the eighth, including four consecutive hits. Outfielder Nolan McCarthy finished up the game, as it was already 14-0. McCarthy didn’t give up a hit, though!
Rainer: 0-3, 2 K
Goodman: 1-4, HR (2), R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Gomez: 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
McCarthy: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K (POSTION PLAYER PITCHING!)
Coming Up Next: Lakeland is in Fort Myers next week, starting on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.
In order to make room on the active roster for Tommy Pham, the Mets are optioning Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A Syracuse.
The move is not surprising, given how open manager Carlos Mendoza was about the situation when Mauricio was called up to replace the IL'd Juan Soto.
"Coming off the bench, lefty bat, the versatility, defensively, pinch-running if we need to," Mendoza said about Mauricio. "But also understanding that the playing time part is gonna be limited. But we're not talking about having a case here like last year, where he kind of sat on the bench for a long time."
With regular at-bats not available at the big league level, Mauricio -- who delivered a walk-off hit during the Mets' most recent win -- will be able to play nearly every day for Syracuse.
As far as Pham, he gives the Mets another outfield option.
Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge have been starting most days, with Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor, and Jared Young also getting time in the outfield with Soto out.
On days when Pham doesn't start, he'll be a valuable bat off the bench.
Pham, who signed a minor league deal on Opening Day, had been getting into game shape in the minors.
In 449 plate appearances over 120 games for the Pirates last season, Pham slashed .245/.330/.370 with 10 homers and 17 doubles.
Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, far left, and Josh Hart, center-left look on with center Ariel Hukporti (55) and guard Miles McBride (2) during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The most anticipated yet anticlimactic Knick regular season in years concluded its preamble with a 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, though it didn’t feel like an L. Both teams got what they wanted: New York rested their starting five and Mitchell Robinson (somewhere in Connecticut, a worried friend injects thorazine into the red, raging Tom Thibodeau); the Hornets earned the right to host their Play-In game against the Heat. Before nostalgia became commodity, it was once a pretty sweet fruit. I’m old enough to look back on and look forward to raucous Carolina playoff crowds. If Charlotte makes it to the playoffs, they’ll face Detroit. Please make it, Charlotte.
11 Knicks suited up, with 10 playing between 12 and 35 minutes, led by Mo Diawara; ironically, iron man Mikal Bridges played just 23 seconds, long enough to extend his consecutive games streak for yet another year. There’ll be a whole heaping host of playoff previews and player retrospectives the next few months, but before we all go into playoff mode, a few reflections on the 2025-26 Knicks season.
Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring at 26 per game. This was his third straight year scoring at least that many while being named an All-Star, the first Knick ever to do so. Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and Bernard King did so two years in a row, and Richie Guerin once. Bob McAdoo did twice, technically, with one in his split season between Buffalo and New York.
Brunson averaged six more points a game than Karl-Anthony Towns. The last time the Knicks had a gap that large between their leading scorers was 2021, when Julius Randle scored 6.5 more than RJ Barrett.
Despite a career-low in minutes per game and the fewest field goals made and attempted averages since his rookie year, KAT had a career-best year on the glass, leading the league in defensive rebounds while finishing seventh on the offensive boards.
Another encouraging number from Towns: seven. As in seven games missed this year, 17 total since becoming a Knick. The five years prior in Minnesota, he missed 29, 22, 8, 53 and 20. KAT is one of God’s creatures, equal parts ineffable and effed up. One day when you’re looking back, much older than now, and the world is smaller and crueler and hotter, and the number of people who remember you keeps plummeting, the number who care even less, you will remember these as the good times. You will. Because the Knicks were a welcome distraction. One big reason why: Towns, simply showing up. Lotta good in life comes down to that.
The Knicks managed to be more available while being less available this season. In 2025 nine Knicks played 500+ minutes; this year, Ariel Hukporti was two minutes away from making it a dozen. And while more Knicks played more, the more essential ‘bockers all played less: KAT played 195 fewer minutes, Mikal Bridges 344, OG Anunoby 482 and Josh Hart 903. Brunson played more total minutes because he played nine more games then last year; if he’d played the same number of games, he’d have played 30 less total minutes. Hopefully them legs pay off come playoff time.
I always loved baseball players who would keep changing up their batting stance or delivery. Josh Hart is that kind of baseball player, a Cal Ripken Jr., a David Cone. Every year Hart does something pretty radically different, almost always for the better. In 2025 he shot 10% better from the field than he did in 2024 while dishing 45% more assists per game. This year he’s scoring like he hasn’t since his split 2022 season with the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. Per 36 minutes, he’s taking and making 40% more 3s than he did last season, all while going from the league leader in minutes last year to 54th this year. Hart remains the league leader among Joshes, comfortably ahead of both Okogie (197th) and Green (210th).
You’re probably aware OG had more than 100 dunks and 100 3s, which is really cool. Can you guess who the Knick top-five in dunks were? By which I mean “Can you without looking it up?” You, the person reading this. You’re a miracle. Use your imagination. Googling is like masturbation: it has a time and a place, but don’t make it a crutch. I’ll confirm/reveal the answer in the comments. Don’t get any ideas.
Bridges attempted 98 free throws this year. How rare is it for a starter to take fewer than 100 in a season? I went back over the past decade and could only find five. Four played far fewer minutes than Bridges, and would’ve broken the century mark if they’d played as often: Quentin Grimes, Damyean Dotson, Jarrett Jack and Courtney Lee. Essentially, there is only one Knick in the last 10 years who drew the whistle as rarely as Mikal.
The Knicks finished 53-29, their third straight season of 50+ wins. Don’t sleep on that! Pat Riley won that many all four years he coached in New York. In the 27 seasons between Riley and Brunson, the Knicks did only three times. In the 18 seasons between their last title and the arrival of Ewing, they did twice. The NBA started playing 80 games in 1961-62 before settling on 82. In the dozen seasons from 1962 to 1973, the last Knick title, they won 50+ four times. To sum it all up: this franchise wins this many games a quarter of the time. So three straight times? Told you: these are the good times.
DollarBill24: “ I can already hear the ‘F*** Trae Young’ chants.” I never once liked those chants before, but if they break out in this series I am going to die laughing. Knicks got a week to rest and prepare for their series against Atlanta. There’ll be plenty of roundtables, previews and pods between now and then, so for a couple days let yourself marinate in the mellow.
“They say they want you successful, but then they make it stressful, you start keeping pace, they start switching up the tempo.”
– Mos Def
Can’t print the name of the song. Realistically, the comparison is arguably offensive. The Mighty Mos Def is talking about racial inequality in America. This article is going to be about the NBA’s draft pick economy. Dear reader, just know that the quote comes from a place of unadulterated reverence.
Adam Silver’s tenure as a commissioner has been…busy. By now, one could describe him as a busybody. The NBA is like a single-celled organism in a petri dish. There are two scientists in the room. One thinks they’ve introduced enough conditions, and ought to see how it grows organically. Silver is the other, and he wants to add more:
And more, and more, and more.
He won’t stop until the NBA is perfect. Problematically, the NBA will never be perfect. Silver seems unfamiliar with the law of unintended consequences.
For example, he flattened the lottery odds to discourage tanking. So, more teams started tanking. If they didn’t land “their guy”, they tanked for longer. Flattening the odds made tanking a bigger problem, so naturally, Silver is set to flatten them even more.
The Houston Rockets are major stakeholders.
Rockets could be impacted by new lottery odds
Specifically, the new proposal would expand the lottery to 18 teams. Without knowing what the new odds would specifically look like, that might be a wash for the Rockets.
In the 2027 Draft, the Rockets have swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are not necessarily on pace to escape the lottery, so if the rules are implemented this summer, that pick depreciates. That said, they also own the Suns’ pick with no protections. Phoenix is likely to land just inside that bottom 18 mark, so the Rockets may have lottery odds on that pick that they weren’t expecting.
In 2029, the Rockets own the best of their own, Phoenix, and Dallas’ picks. It’s difficult to project so far out. In a vacuum, flatter odds should capture more lottery potential here, but a Phoenix implosion would suddenly be less beneficial for Houston than it would have been before.
So, it’s hard to say how this would impact the Rockets. It could help, and it could hinder.
That’s not entirely the point here.
Rockets acquired picks under certain conditions
I’ll be frank: This boils my blood.
The NBA is a multilayered competition. There’s competition at the immediate, on-court level, but there’s competition between boardrooms as well. Imagine the league eliminates the corner three: How is that fair to teams that built their offense around generating corner threes?
So what’s the difference? Silver is trying to enhance competition, but he’s going directly against the league’s competitive spirit in the process.
These acquisitions were made with certain rules in mind. If the league wants to implement change, it should take hold starting in 2032, when no team owns another team’s picks yet.
That won’t happen. Tanking is apparently a catastrophic emergency that needs to be fixed immediately. It feels like a strange stance from a man who recently described basketball as a “highlight sport”. If I were a betting man…
I’d bet that sports betting has something to do with it.
Anyone who’s cheered for a tanking team is likely to disagree. It wasn’t so bad, was it? Speaking personally, I’ve preferred the experience of watching these young guys grow over, say, the Louis Scola / Kevin Martin years. Perpetual mediocrity is the real basement for the NBA fan experience, and you’ll see a lot more Chicago Bulls team building with these rules.
Is that what Silver wants? He wants three contenders, and 27 teams with no chance to win, and minimal avenues to improve? If so, he’s on his way:
Even if it means changing the rules of a game that’s still ongoing.
The Philadelphia Flyers won't get a better opportunity to clinch a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs than this.
With the season on the line, the Flyers are recipients of a huge favor from the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes, who have little left to play for this late in the season.
On Monday afternoon, Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff shared that Carolina is likely resting many of its top players, including leading scorers Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, No. 1 defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and captain Jordan Staal.
Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis were also among the Hurricanes not on the ice to start the team's morning skate on Monday.
And, yes, that is former Flyers tough guy Nick Deslauriers, who was virtually traded away for free--a conditional seventh-round pick--playing his off-wing on the third line for the Hurricanes.
As for the Flyers, they figure to be at full strength for Monday night's game.
Unsurprisingly, Dan Vladar will start in goal for the Flyers; defenseman David Jiricek joined the team for practice and has taken Egor Zamula's old No. 5 as his number with the NHL club.
Without question, the Flyers need to pounce on this Hurricanes team that is far from full strength.
