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The Cardinals Have a Rainiel Rodriguez Problem — And It’s a Good One

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Rainiel Rodriguez #88 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat during a spring training game against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 22, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Let’s think about the horizon for the St. Louis Cardinals. Is it too early in the rebuild to do this? Yes, of course. Are there more ups and downs coming than a prairie dog in the summer? No doubt. But, isn’t this what it is to be a fan? I love a numbers deep dive that reveals something about a player’s approach that has changed in some way. That’ll always be the bulk of my writing for Viva El Birdos. There will be numbers here, too. But, I’d like to think philosophically about the larger forces that will shape the franchise over the next few years.

Let’s consider the future of Rainiel Rodriguez. The readers of this site are legendarily plugged in to this team, so it’s not like you need an introduction. He’s the all-world 19 year old catching prospect in single-A that’s rocketing up national prospect lists all over the place. How’s he doing so far this season? Well, I’m glad I can set up a straw man question to answer whenever I want. In short, he’s lighting the world on fire. 

It’s early (Can we just all caveat this until June? We all know it is, so let’s just all know it inherently together!), but Rodriguez (R-Rod? Rainman? Something else?) is torching the Peoria environs to the tune of a .307/.440/.557 slash line, good for a 157 wRC+. He’s walking nearly as much as he’s striking out and hammering balls all over the yard for a .249 ISO. He’s also adjusting, at least according to the inimitable coverage of Kyle Reis.

Did I mention he’s 19 years old and will be the entire season? He’s the youngest player in single-A as of this writing. MLB.com has him ranked 31st in their pipeline and if he continues this type of offensive pace, he’s surely going to rise on that list. He’s a precocious hitter. So much so that I compared his 18 year old season to Juan Soto’s for a site that you’re not going to like (before I joined VEB!) and found his batting line to be comparable, but Rodriguez hit for more power at age 18. Is this exciting? Um, was Ozzie Smith good at defense? (I’m not going to answer that – you’ve got this!)

To me, this is where things get interesting. There are several issues that present themselves here about the future of Rodriguez, and those questions overlap to a stunning degree with the questions about the future of the franchise. Alas, Rainiel Rodriguez is a catcher. That’s an interesting position for a top prospect to have to begin with, but especially in a franchise that has two (flawed) catching prospects older than him and an awkward middle school dance with Ivan Herrera and his future at the position. Obviously, we have no idea if Jimmy Crooks or Leo Bernal will work out at the position, but my concerns run deeper than the stockpile of catchers the franchise has. 

A study published at fangraphs compared the top position players at each position in their careers and found catchers to be noticeably lagging.

Granted, these are the ten highest WAR players of all time at each position, but it’s not a massive logical leap to tell you that trend would continue down the player value spectrum. So, let’s assume for this argument that Rainiel Rodriguez’s career will be shorter and his offensive production will be lower if he stays at catcher. It’s not like his production will crater at the position, but there’s a clear indication that catching is going to cost some offensive value.

Here’s where R-Rod’s (I’m just going to start trying out nicknames casually until one feels right) ascent through the minors crashes headlong into the Cardinals trajectory. In case you weren’t aware, the Cardinals are in a rebuild (ok, don’t call it a rebuild – but it’s a rebuild!). However, ss of this writing, they are winning at a pace that no one really expected. What if that…keeps up? I have doubts about the ability of the pitching staff to continue to support wins at this rate, but let’s consider a path where the Cardinals contend quicker than anyone expects.

Do the Cardinals consider moving Rodriguez off of catcher? Decoupling the bat from the onerous position would certainly speed his movement through the minors. What if you could add a solidly above average bat as soon as late next season? What if it’s a monster bat? Where do you play him? You already have Herrera soaking up lots of DH appearances. Burly is a solidly above average major league hitter at first base. Can the Rainman even play anywhere else? He’s listed at 5’10”, not a traditional first baseman by any stretch. Is it even worth changing his position? What if you just have Samuel Basallo on your hands? That’s an incredibly valuable commodity!

It’s really only an odd situation if the Cardinals decide to hit the gas pedal. I do not believe that’s the plan from Chaim Bloom and Co, but I’ve been thinking lately about the scenario in which the team makes Bloom hit the gas a little and contend. I’m not talking about selling the farm for vets – I don’t think that will ever happen. But I do wonder if, because of the unique position the Cardinals franchise is in with the catchers they have, and due to the nuclear nature of Rodriguez’s bat, the Cardinals would consider moving him off of catcher for his long term offensive benefit and a potential accelerator pedal on the rebuild.

This is all premature. No doubt. But, I just let my mind wander down this path. I’ve also had some compelling conversations about this IRL and wanted to write this into the universe. The Cardinals will likely do a smarter version of Mo’s path of least resistance (sorry for the unexpected Mo drop). As for me, due to the unique nature of the current franchise and R-Rod’s skills, I’d be looking for a secondary position for him (he’s played some 1B already this year) at a minimum. Flexibility is always good when it comes to a roster.

It’s worth watching how they handle this 19 year old wunderkind if he continues to produce at such high levels. There are lots of legitimate positions to stake out on this issue – let me know what path you see in the comments. And, as always, thanks for reading!

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Knicks Bulletin: ‘He looked like he was hopping’

NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES - MAY 06: Josh Hart (3) of the New York Knicks in action during the Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs between New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden in New York City, U.S., on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images

Mitch was ill, Embiid was sore, and the Sixers are growing sour.

New York swept the home half of their second-round series, and it’s now time to do the same, only a few miles out southwest.

Here’s the latest from a delightful Game 2 victory.

Mike Brown

On Anunoby’s injury:

“I haven’t talked to anybody. He looked like he was hopping.”

On OG Anunoby’s overall impact throughout his career:

“He was freaking good back then, and he’s freaking good now. At that size and athleticism and IQ, feel, two-way player — you want a guy like OG on your team.”

On Anunoby’s feel for the game:

“As we continue to move along, you really get a better sense or a better feel of his feel for the game. He’s more than a willing passer at his size. He causes matchup problems because you can’t really always switch a smaller guy on him because he’s pretty big and strong and athletic around the basket, especially if the spacing is right. He could play pick-and-roll. He can come off a pin-down and make plays. So these are things that you learn more and more about him as you kind of go along and see him in different situations.”

On Anunoby’s never-ending sacrifices:

“He’s a quiet guy, so you have to observe more than anything else, like a few other guys on our team. The ultimate definition of sacrifice is where you just go and do your job as best you can to try to help the team win.”

On Mitchell Robinson’s illness keeping him out of Game 2:

“I don’t know. I know he’s sick and that will be up to our performance group, the doctors and then him at the end of the day. But I know just as much as you do.”

On Philadelphia’s scoring threats without Joel Embiid:

“We know that [Tyrese Maxey is] going to be ultra aggressive. Paul George is going to be aggressive. [VJ] Edgecombe is going to be aggressive. Those guys probably see it as an opportunity for more touches for themselves. Those guys are all capable of stepping their game up to another level.”

On defending Tyrese Maxey collectively:

“You’re gonna have to keep working and give multiple efforts and the team defense behind him is gonna have to be great in order to even think you’re gonna slow him down, because he’s a great player. But Mikal did what he could, as well as everybody else behind him. And then on top of that, Mikal hit some big shots for us down the stretch, especially when we looked a little discombobulated offensively. He got to his spot and knocked down some big shots. So great game on both ends of the floor for Mikal.”

On the need to avoid falling into foul trouble:

“We can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle on the referees’ hands of making a call or no call. So we gotta do a better job of leading with our chest and showing our hands.

“We have to try to do something about it, because they’re killing us from the free-throw line in this series. I know it’s only two games, but they had 34 and 28 tonight. So let’s add them up now. That’s 62, and we had 17 and 25, so that’s 42, right? Forty-two to 62. So, we have to do something right. I have to do a better job addressing it. Hopefully, it can get evened out a little bit more throughout the course of the series, but it’s tough to win a ballgame if you’re getting beat from the free-throw line like that versus a really good team.”

On Maxey’s ability to draw fouls:

“Maxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls. Maxey’s speed, he’s going to drive and he’s gonna attack your chest. I thought our guys did on some of the calls, but most of them you can’t lead with your hands, you got to lead with your chest. You hope that the referees see that at times, we’re not initiating the contact. We can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle in the referees hands of making a call or no call. We’ve got to do better of leading with our chest and showing our hands. With Embiid he’s really crafty … we have to be disciplined and we have to stay down … we can send those two guys to the free-throw line, and the rest of their team, 34 times, and expect to get a win.”

On the team’s defensive effort late on Wednesday:

“The shots are not going to always go in. And you’ve got to give Philly’s defense some credit. Just like you got to give our defense some credit. But we know we missed some shots that we normally make. And they missed some shots that they normally make. And it’s about trying to find a way to get a stop. That’s what you can control more than the ball going in. And I thought our guys did a decent job of that as we were going down the stretch without fouling.”

On Brunson’s play late in Game 2:

“They started switching a little bit and he got to his spots and scored. That’s what he’s expected to do for us.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the need for more discipline to stay out of foul trouble:

“I don’t ever want to lose the physicality. That’s done us well. I’ll look at the tape. I’ll get better, more disciplined. I don’t want to put my team in that position again, so I gotta do a better job. For better, for worse, I may not have been able to play many minutes in the first half, but I tried to use that as an advantage to have a more rested body than everybody else on the court and try to be a spark plug for our team coming out of halftime.”

On wanting to impact winning no matter what:

“I just want to [make] the right plays when the ball hits my hands, whether that’s driving, passing, taking the shot or slowing down our offense to get us organized. I just want to impact winning, and I was able to do that.”

Jalen Brunson

On closing the game:

“Most importantly just staying poised, staying composed, just figuring out one play at a time, one step at a time and not looking too far ahead. Just focusing and paying attention to the details and finding a way to make the next play.”

On the fourth-quarter defense:

“I think we made things difficult. I also think they missed some good looks, so we got away with a couple, but we strung some stops together down the stretch when we needed to.”

Josh Hart

On avoiding complacency after going up 2-0:

“This team just came back from 3-1, so you can’t sit here and be happy about where we are or complacent. There are 15 or 16 teams, ever, that have come back from 3-1, so we know what this team is capable of. We have to continue to be focused.”

On Anunoby’s status:

“Hey, man, I don’t know. You gotta holler at him on that one.”

Miles McBride

On how he feels about replacing OG in the lineup if he misses time:

“Extremely comfortable. I feel like the coaching staff trusts me, I know my teammates trust me and I trust myself overall. So if that happens, I know I’ll be ready.”

On how to replace OG:

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league so it’s tough to replace that but you don’t replace him with one guy. Everyone is going to have to step up.”

On Bridges’ Game 2 defense:

“Honestly, it started with Mikal. He’s just been great for us at the point of attack. And the team has been locked in. He’s a tough player. And for Mikal, he’s just going to keep going at him. He’s going to step up every time.”

On the final minutes of Game 2:

“We’re really comfortable. We’ve got a bunch of leaders in this locker room, a bunch of guys who want this moment. And we’ve been here before, so we just got to attack it with an open mind, with an aggressiveness, and just trust it.

“I feel like we just had to lock in. It was a tough game. I felt like our focus could’ve been a little bit better. Sometimes it takes a little scare like that for you to lock in in the fourth.”

Nick Nurse

On how OG Anunoby and Kawhi Leonard compare:

“They’re not two completely different players because they’re both lockdown defenders. When they make up their mind to start guarding people, it gets pretty tough. OG’s a better shooter…Kawhi’s probably a better 1-on-1 player.”

On Anunoby’s career development:

“OG’s just continually, year after year, just keeps getting better and better. And he was amazing in our last series. He was really, really great and I thought he was really, really great in Game 1, too. He’s kind of always been really great at defense, and then the shooting came and now he’ll rebound heavily when they need him. His cutting game’s gotten a lot better. I think his starting and ending on drives have gotten better as well. So he just kind of keeps getting better year after year, and he’s just a hardworking guy.”

On Anunoby’s shooting improvement being the most impressive to him:

“When I had him, he was really fascinated with the art of shooting, and that was really cool to see him dig into that and just take his own journey on it to improve. He’s a guy you cannot leave open, so he’s really done a great job at just working, and so that’s what happens when you do that year after year, and you keep playing heavy minutes and all that stuff. You’re going to get better.”

On why Embiid missed Game 2:

“He woke up with a bunch of soreness. They were treating him during shootaround, etc., and then after shootaround, they determined he’d be out.

“I mean, listen, he’s really disappointed. He really wants to be out there. He has been doing — I mean I said this before — but coming back from that appendectomy so quickly was not easy for him to do. He’s worked extremely hard to get back and he continues to want to play badly and I feel really bad for him. He really wants to be out there and we want him out there.”

On the Sixers’ bigs gettting quickly into foul trouble:

“Yeah, I mean it’s a bit of a concern. All the bigs on both teams were in foul trouble tonight, so I don’t know what to tell you about that.”

On being forced to give extended minutes to the backups:

“Well, there was a number of things. I thought Barlow — excuse me, Bona — was impacting the game, especially early with the rim protection. He got in foul trouble. They went small, so there was a couple factors that at least get out there and look at it. We felt we could switch a little bit more too with him. We had a couple breakdowns on some of that stuff, but I thought again, I mean we played good enough defense to win that game, especially in the fourth. Yeah, that certainly had a factor of them being in there and then we — it’s like you go through the playoff series and you’re trying some stuff and we decided to throw Paul on Towns and he did a nice job so we just kind of rolled with it.”

Tyrese Maxey

On the Knicks’ coverage in Game 2:

“I shot, like, one shot in the third quarter. Mainly, they were just putting two on the ball. Every ball screen, every action, every switch, they would just put two on the ball, and I was just getting rid of it, getting off of it. That’s really it. I was just trying to create and do different things like that and use my gravity.”

On Dominick Barlow’s unexpected cameo:

“He was pretty good. He was pretty good. He got in, he was active, played the right way, so we appreciate him for that.”

VJ Edgecombe

On the Game 2 loss:

“We feel like we should have won it. It came down to shot-making at the end of the game. They were making shots. We weren’t.”

On the fourth-quarter misses:

“I think we got a lot of great looks. Wide-open looks. We just were missing.”

On the series development heading into Philly games:

“I think that’s what it is. It’s going to be a dogfight. They’re a really good team, and it’s going to come down to the wire almost every game.”

Two down, two to go. You gotta take it easy.

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Game 38: Twins at Nationals

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 1: Simeon Woods Richardson #24 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Target Field on May 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

First Pitch (CT):12:05 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Federal Baseball

After what we’ve seen from the Twins’ bullpen of late, we might need a stronger word than “implosion” to describe what’s happening. It’s unlikely to get better today with Simeon Woods Richardson amid arguably the worst stretch of his career.

So far in 2026, SWR’s strikeout rate is half of his career average at just 10.6%, the second worst in baseball among players with at least 30 IP. His 8.76% walk rate is around league average, but you can’t be league average in walks while not striking anyone out. The main issue seems to be Sim’s splitter, which was a big part of his resurgence in the second half of 2025. Opponents are hitting .350 with a .625 SLG off his splitter this season. His slider isn’t any better (.343 BAA, .600 SLG) so batters are just sitting on his fastball which has also made that pitch underperform. SWR’s path to success was already very limited, but this has been pretty much a worst case scenario for a rotation already missing Pablo Lopez, Mick Abel, David Festa, and had a Joe Ryan injury scare a few days ago.

What’s the solution? Beats me! With every one of his pitches getting hammered and nothing generating swing-and-miss, the solution might be moving to the bullpen where you can see if his funky delivery could get some added velocity and movement. Given the state of things down there, it’s not like he’ll be worse than Justin Topa or Luis Garcia. And the Twins have a knack for rescuing pitchers careers after flaming out in the rotation (see: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, etc).

For now, Woods Richardson will get a chance to right the ship at least until Mick Abel is ready to return. Andrew Morris and John Klein seem to be transitioning to bullpen roles, at least for this season, and Kendry Rojas is still severely limited on pitch count at the moment. Unless Zebby Matthews rediscovers how to pitch, SWR will be a mainstay.

Lineup notes:

  • Austin Martin gets yet another start against a righty, something that should become increasingly common with Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, and Matt Wallner all severely struggling.
  • Speaking of Wallner, he gets bumped up to the 5th spot in the lineup after 1 good game. Shows how desperate the Twins are for anyone to get going outside of the top 4 of Buxton, Larnach, Martin, and Jeffers.
  • Tristan Gray is starting at 3B over Royce Lewis for the third time in the past five games. Gray is thoroughly outperforming Lewis both offensively and defensively, and the Twins probably need to start thinking about replacing the former #1 pick. Kaelen Culpepper is playing well in St. Paul and will likely be a regular for the Twins by the All-Star break.

Lineups

TwinsOpponent
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson (34.2 IP, 6.49 ERA)SP: Jake Irvin (34.2 IP, 4.93 ERA)
1. Byron Buxton, CF (.825 OPS)1. James Wood, RF (.893 OPS)
2. Trevor Larnach, DH (.807)2. Daylen Lile, LF (.687)
3. Austin Martin, LF (.886)3. Curtis Mead, 1B (.771)
4. Ryan Jeffers, C (.858)4. CJ Abrams, SS (.960)
5. Matt Wallner, RF (.613)5. Brady House, 3B (.691)
6. Luke Keaschall, 2B (.609)6. Jose Tena, DH (.832)
7. Kody Clemens, 1B (.667)7. Jacob Young, CF (.590)
8. Brooks Lee, SS (.733)8. Keibert Ruiz, C (.506)
9. Tristan Gray, 3B (.733)9. Nasim Nuñez, 2B (.565)
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Owen Tippett In or Out? Flyers Face Important Lineup Decisions

As they fight to keep their series with the Carolina Hurricanes competitive, the Philadelphia Flyers are walking a fine line managing a myriad of untimely injuries.

Most notable of all is that of Owen Tippett, who has not played for the Flyers since their 1-0 Game 6 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 29.

After morning skate, head coach Rick Tocchet told attending media that Tippett will again be unavailable for the Flyers ahead of Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday night.

But, Tippett isn't the only important Flyers forward dealing with some issues.

Top-six center Christian Dvorak is a game-time decision, according to Tocchet, but the general expectation is that the 30-year-old will be available for the Flyers.

Dvorak is one of many forwards who could benefit from a greasy goal at some point; he has zero goals in eight playoff games despite his 15 shots on goal and three assists.

Dvorak had four goals in his previous 14 playoff games with Arizona and Montreal, so he's due for some positive regression in front of goal.

As we now know, the Flyers are going to be without center Noah Cates for the remainder of this series, so now is as good a time as any for Dvorak to step up with some offensive production.

David vs. Goliath: Flyers May Need Jiricek to Defeat Mighty HurricanesDavid vs. Goliath: Flyers May Need Jiricek to Defeat Mighty HurricanesThe Philadelphia Flyers desperately need David Jiricek to infuse some skill into an uninspiring defense corps in order to outlast the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Flyers could also turn to top prospect Jett Luchanko, but inserting him into the lineup fresh off the end of his OHL season would be a tall task. Perhaps he is called on to gain some experience if the team loses Game 3 and falls into a 3-0 series hole.

On the other side of the ice, the Hurricanes are getting rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin is likely to return after a two-game absence of his own.

At the Hurricanes' morning skate, it was reported that Nikishin skated on a defense pair with former Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, with his replacement, Mike Reilly, getting bumped down to a makeshift fourth pair with forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The 24-year-old Russian sat out the previous two games after absorbing a massive hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven in Game 4 of Round 1 of the playoffs.

On paper, the Flyers are getting weaker, while the Hurricanes are getting stronger and healthier. Philadelphia sorely misses Tippett's speed and physicality, but it was clear even before his absence that he was not particularly close to 100%.

That kind of speed helps to create chances against an aggressive Carolina forecheck, but the Flyers will have to come up with some other solutions to keep the series alive on Thursday night.

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Nathan Eovaldi silences the scorching Yankees for a second time in 8 days

NEW YORK — Nathan Eovaldi certainly has the New York Yankees’ number — even if nobody else does lately.

The veteran right-hander cooled off Aaron Judge & Co. for the second time in eight days, pitching eight masterful innings for the Texas Rangers in their 6-1 victory.

“That’s the tough part, right? We don’t really do this very often, where we have to face that same team back-to-back starts,” Eovaldi said. “Fortunately for me the last time it was a good one. I know I threw a lot of splitters and cutters. Today with the curveball being as effective as it was, it just allowed me to I guess rely on that pitch a little bit more, but also keep doing what was working before.”

Eovaldi threw 31 curveballs — his most in a game since 2019 with Boston, manager Skip Schumaker noted.

“The last two outings with Evo have been fantastic. I mean, today was exactly what we needed and hoped for against a really good lineup,” Schumaker said. “I thought there was a chance he’d go the distance, but I wasn’t going to push him with a five-run lead.”

The 36-year-old Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star who pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, struck out a season-best eight and walked none, firing 72 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He allowed just three hits — albeit against a lineup minus injured sluggers Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton — after tossing seven innings of four-hit ball in a 3-0 win over New York on April 29 at home.

“He was fooling ’em all night,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent 2017-23 with the Yankees. “He just uses all his pitches in a manner that just keeps people guessing, forcing them to commit hard or soft. I think it’s just, his stuff lends itself to really keeping guys off balance. He’s always a tough at-bat and he really knows how to pitch. He’s got a great capacity for that. So I mean, it’s no surprise to me he shut ’em down twice.”

Each splendid performance snapped a three-game slide for Texas. In between, the American League-leading Yankees (25-12) scored 46 runs while going 5-0 against the Orioles and Rangers.

“You know how good that team is over there. Their game planning is elite, so you have to mix it up. You cannot get into patterns,” Schumaker said. “I didn’t know what he was throwing, either. I mean, his game plan, he has such good feel for swings and what the hitters are trying to sit on. So, there’s a game plan but then he also goes out there and he can navigate a game on his own as good as anybody based on what he’s seeing. And that’s the part of the game that sometimes gets lost today, right?”

Eovaldi became the first Rangers pitcher to last longer than seven innings this year and improved to 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA in his last 11 starts against the Yankees since April 8, 2022.

“That’s the biggest thing for me is, I enjoy the challenge. I want to face the best teams, and I want to go out there and attack the zone as best I can,” Eovaldi said.

“I played here in Yankee Stadium enough to know like, how big the crowd plays into effect, how they can get the players going. It’s one of those things about being able to pitch on the road is just being able to try to take the crowd out of the game.”

New York had won eight in a row at home.

“They’re a good-hitting team, so they’re going to come out and learn from the last game, because he threw fantastic against them last week,” Higashioka said. “They’re going to learn from that and they’re going to make adjustments, so we have to kind of figure out a way to mitigate that without straying too far from Evo’s strengths. So, he did a great job adjusting.”

Eovaldi thought he mixed his pitches well and said it helped that the Rangers scored early, building a 4-0 lead by the third behind homers from Corey Seager and Evan Carter.

That allowed Eovaldi to “just try to stay on the attack the whole time,” he said.

The only blip came when Judge hit his major league-best 15th homer with two outs in the sixth for the Yankees, who had won 15 of 17 overall. But that merely trimmed the margin to 6-1, and Eovaldi retired his final seven batters after that.

“It was an amazing outing,” Schumaker said.

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Paul Skenes dazzles on mound for 2nd time in 3 games, showing he’s still among MLB’s elite

PHOENIX — Paul Skenes struck out the side in the eighth inning, throwing a nasty splitter past Gabriel Moreno on his 97th and final pitch of the evening before smacking his glove in approval as he walked back to the dugout.

Watch out big-league hitters — the defending National League Cy Young winner is starting to heat up.

The 23-year-old right-hander threw eight innings of two-hit ball, leading the Pirates to a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a stellar performance that was among the best of his career.

“It’s not easy, but it’s simple,” Skenes said. “It you execute your pitches, it’s going to go the way you want it to.”

It was the second time in the past three outings that Skenes has been at his best. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on April 24.

Skenes pounded the strike zone with his five-pitch mix, coaxing the aggressive Diamondbacks hitters into quick outs. He retired the first 14 batters of the night before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached base on a soft dribbler down the third-base line that was ruled a single.

Skenes tried to make the play, but couldn’t get off the mound fast enough. His throw to first base sailed well wide of the bag.

“I got a good grip — just threw it away,” Skenes said, flashing a small grin. “Didn’t throw it to the right place. Got to throw it to the right place next time.”

Nolan Arenado followed with a sharp single to left field, but that was the last baserunner Skenes allowed. He struck out seven and he rarely fell behind in the count, throwing 65 of 97 pitches for strikes.

He has a 5-2 record this season with a 2.36 ERA, striking out 46 batters over 42 innings. It’s a big reason the Pirates look like contenders this season in the NL Central with a 20-17 record.

“I don’t know what else there is to say — he was unbelievable,” manager Don Kelly said. “Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, putting guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”

It was a mild surprise that Skenes wasn’t back on the mound in the ninth to try for his first career shutout. Left-hander Gregory Soto handled the ninth, working around a one-out walk to secure his second save of the season.

Kelly said Skenes’ command wasn’t quite as sharp in the eighth inning and his velocity was down slightly, prompting the change.

Skenes — the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 out of LSU — has never thrown a nine-inning complete game in his big league career. He threw 8 1/3 innings once as a rookie in 2024 and threw an eight-inning complete game last season in a 1-0 loss against the Phillies.

This time, Skenes was on the winning end of a 1-0 game. Brandon Lowe supplied the only offense, hitting a 435-foot solo homer to center field. After that, the veteran second baseman had a leisurely evening in the field.

On nights like this one, Skenes doesn’t need much help.

“It was really easy — didn’t have to do a whole lot,” Lowe said. “Just get out there, watch him do what he does and consistently roll out great appearances. It’s fun when you can sit back and let him go on auto-pilot.”

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Sabres rediscover their power play in 2nd-round series-opening win over Montreal

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sabres forward Ryan McLeod didn’t mind fielding questions about Buffalo’s power-play production.

A unit that converted just 1 of 24 opportunities in its six-game first-round playoff series against Boston went from being anemic to prolific in a 4-2 second-round series-opening win against Montreal.

Buffalo finished 2 of 3 with the man advantage against the Canadiens. McLeod scored on the Sabres’ second opportunity before setting up Bowen Byram’s goal on the next one to build a 4-1 lead.

“Maybe keep asking, if we’re going to keep scoring now,” McLeod said with a laugh to reporters. “Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. But it’s a process of building it and getting your look. So I think, we got them tonight.”

The Sabres host Game 2 of the series.

Buffalo’s power play was so bad in the first round, the Sabres’ 4.2% conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978. The struggles actually carried over from the final seven regular-season games during which the team went 0 for 22.

“It was hit or miss throughout the last couple of games there, and tonight was one of those nights where we had to get more pucks back in retrievals,” Josh Doan said.

Though Buffalo’s top unit, featuring Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, had difficulty generating offensive-zone pressure against Montreal, the second unit delivered.

Doan played a key role in setting up McLeod’s power-play goal to put Buffalo ahead 2-0 with a power-play goal 13:26 into the first period.

Doan won a puck battle in front of the Canadiens’ net by pushing the puck into an open spot to the left, where teammate Zach Benson immediately fed a pass through the crease to set up McLeod.

Then it was McLeod’s turn, setting up Byram’s goal 9:01 into the second period. After batting down Mike Matheson’s clearing attempt, McLeod chased down the puck and fed Byram, who scored from between the circles.

“Just trying to keep it in the zone any way I could,” McLeod said. “I just kind of get a little lucky sometimes, but it was nice to get that one.”

A change in opponent may have benefited the Sabres.

Montreal finished the regular season ranked 18th with a 78.2% penalty-killing rate. And the Canadiens were coming off a seven-game, first-round series win over Tampa Bay in which the Lightning converted 5 of 29 power-play opportunities.

Montreal coach Martin St. Louis chalked up Buffalo’s power-play success to fortunate bounces.

“I felt like we killed pretty well on entries and stuff, and didn’t feel like they beat us with some of the looks that they like, so that’s a positive,” St. Louis said.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff liked what he saw.

“We took advantage of some good breaks, made a couple of good plays,” Ruff said, noting Dahlin hit the crossbar on one opportunity.

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Yankees expect Carlos Rodón back Sunday, but Ben Rice still sidelined with bruised hand

NEW YORK — Carlos Rodón is expected to rejoin the New York Yankees’ rotation in Milwaukee, but first baseman Ben Rice remained out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game with a bruised left hand.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it doesn’t appear Rice will need to go on the injured list. The slugger got hurt catching a low pickoff throw during a win over Baltimore and left the game.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be an IL. Again, if it continues to not get to a point where he’s playable, then obviously we’ll have that conversation. But it does seem day to day,” Boone said. “I know he felt better today. So hopefully he’s able to do some things and maybe even be available on some level, but we’ll see.”

Paul Goldschmidt started at first base again versus Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. The left-handed-hitting Rice was batting .343 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs, and leading the majors in on-base percentage (.455), slugging percentage (.759) and OPS (1.214).

Rodón has been sidelined all season while recovering from surgery Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. He also had a setback in late March when he felt tightness in his right hamstring while throwing at the Yankees’ complex in Florida.

The three-time All-Star made his third minor league rehabilitation start, allowing six runs — five earned — and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out four, walked two and threw 83 pitches against Worcester, a Boston Red Sox affiliate.

“I think he’s felt ready to go now the last couple times,” Boone said. “We feel like he’s ready to go. Feel like he’s been throwing the ball well. He’s starting to command his stuff well.”

Rodón will slide into the rotation spot occupied recently by rookie Elmer Rodríguez, who went 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in his first two major league starts — both against Texas.

The 22-year-old right-hander was optioned back to Triple-A following his most recent outing at Yankee Stadium.

“I think it was very valuable for him to get up here. Get a couple starts, get a feel for it, face a little bit of adversity in each outing. I thought (he) handled that adversity pretty well. I don’t think he pitched his best,” Boone said. “Proud of his resilience. I think great experience for him. And so, go down and continue to pitch and be an option if we need someone.”

New York added a bullpen arm in Rodríguez’s place, recalling Yerry de los Santos from Triple-A before the middle game against the Rangers. The right-hander struck out five over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief in a 6-1 loss and walked off the mound to a warm ovation from the crowd of 40,269.

After the game, he was optioned back to Triple-A.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his fourth minor league rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.

The right-hander gave up six runs and seven hits while throwing 69 pitches in 4 1/3 innings for High-A Hudson Valley against Winston-Salem. He struck out four and allowed solo homers to Caleb Bonemer and Kyle Lodise.

“He is filling up the strike zone, popping some 98 and 99s (mph). I think there was a lot of good yesterday,” Boone said. “He got whacked a couple times, which is not a bad thing. He’s working on different things I think each time out. I really like where he’s at. I watched his and Carlos’ outing again. I think they’re both where they need to be at this time, and look forward to him continuing to progress to get closer to getting back with us.”

Cole is expected to pitch two or three more times in the minors before making his first big league appearance since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees have targeted a return in late May or early June for the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner.

“It’ll be at least a couple more. And then we’ll see,” Boone said.

Yankees starters began the day with a major league-best 2.77 ERA. New York entered with the top record in the American League at 25-11 but was just one game ahead of second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

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Where to watch Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers Game 3 NHL playoffs: Live stream, start time, odds, TV channel for Thursday, May 7

The Philadelphia Flyers enter their second-round NHL playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes needing a victory to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. The Hurricanes won the first two games of the best-of-seven series, including a 3-2 victory in Game 2. The Hurricanes are favored by 1.5 goals with an over/under for the matchup set at 5.5 goals.

  • Date: Thursday, May 7

  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

  • Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

  • TV Channels: TNT, truT, HBO, CBC

  • Live Stream:ESPN+ | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • Spread: Philadelphia Flyers +1.5

  • Moneyline: Philadelphia Flyers +138 (40.2%) / Carolina Hurricanes -166 (59.8%)

  • Over/Under: 5.5

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New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers: Paul Blackburn vs. MacKenzie Gore

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: J.C. Escarra #25 of the New York Yankees and Paul Blackburn #58 of the New York Yankees celebrate a 9-4 win against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 02, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s getaway day game time at the Stadium! The Yankees are up bright and early for a 12:35 pm start as they host the Rangers, seeking to win their sixth consecutive series. The Bombers outslugged Texas and handed a second loss to Jacob deGrom in the opener, before suffering a second defeat at the hands of Nathan Eovaldi. This time around, both teams will be seeing new pitchers in the rubber match.

Forgive me in advance for the joke, but sometimes they write themselves: Ryan Weathers is under the weather. He was originally scheduled to make this start, but a bout with a nasty illness has him unable to go. Paul Blackburn, who has plenty of MLB starting experience, will take the ball in his place. Blackburn has appeared in nine games so far in relief, and has only gone more than two innings once, so I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to put up a full start. It’ll probably be closer to a bullpen game—especially since all the high-leverage arms got the night off in yesterday’s defeat. The Yankees also brought Brendan Beck up from Triple-A for a potential debut, sending Yerry De los Santos down after quite a few pitches of near-mop-up work on Wednesday.

Lefty MacKenzie Gore was the Rangers’ big offseason prize from a blockbuster trade with the Nationals, but his first season in Texas has been up-and-down. The 27-year-old has a 4.67 ERA through seven starts and has had issues with command, ballooning his pitch counts and shortening his outings. He only managed 3.2 inconsistent innings against Detroit in his last start, and hasn’t pitched into the sixth since his first two assignments of the year. Gore has always been a can’t-miss talent and remains one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball (29.8 K% this year), but the walks have been uncomfortably frequent (11.9 BB%). It’s up to the Yankee lineup to make him labor again.

Today’s lineup is kind of a weird one. Still no Ben Rice; Paul Goldschmidt moves back into the leadoff spot ahead of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, followed by cleanup hitter Amed Rosario. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez will bat next, with Trent Grisham moving from the leadoff position to the seven-hole. Max Schuemann will play shortstop in lieu of José Caballero, who got hit by a pitch last night, and J.C. Escarra will catch this day game following a night game.

How to Watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First Pitch: 12:35 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network, MLB Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB Network (out-of-market)

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Gleyber Torres put on 10-day injured list by Tigers

DETROIT — Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres was put on the 10-day injured list because of a left oblique strain.

Torres got hurt during a 5-1 win against Texas. He was thrown out at home plate trying to score from second base on Riley Greene’s single and left after three innings.

A three-time All-Star, Torres missed 10 games early last season because of a left oblique strain. He is hitting .259 this season with two homers, 11 RBIs and a team-high 25 walks.

Infielder Jace Jung was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and started against Boston as the designated hitter, batting ninth. He hit .250 in two earlier major league games this season.

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Panthers' Sandis Vilmanis Scores Twice In Pre-Tournament Game; Set To Represent Latvia At World Championship

The 2025-26 season has been nothing but positive for Florida Panthers winger Sandis Vilmanis.

The 22-year-old earned his first call-up to the NHL and locked down a role on the fourth line for 19 games while other Panthers forwards dealt with injuries. In his NHL stint, he notched three goals and five points, showing potential promise as a bottom-six winger. 

Outside of the NHL, Vilmanis followed up his successful AHL rookie season in 2024-25 with a solid showing in his sophomore campaign. He finished with 17 goals and 38 points in 48 games.

The youngster also earned a spot on Latvia's Olympic team, but was unable to record any points in the four games he skated in.

Now, the former fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft will represent Latvia at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship.

In a pre-tournament game, Vilmanis won player of the game, scoring two goals in a 3-2 win over Norway. 

In his international career, Vilmanis has played for Latvia at the U-18s, World Junior Championship, and the Olympics. He is now set to add the World Championships to an already impressive resume. 

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Blue Jays' Max Scherzer to seek additional medical opinions on forearm

TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is not making progress in recovering from right forearm tendinitis and will seek additional medical opinions.

A 41-year-old right-hander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was put on the injured list on April 27 because of the forearm injury and left ankle inflammation, a move retroactive to April 25. He had a light throwing session before Toronto’s 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay.

“It’s as confusing as anything I’ve ever had because, usually, if you go get an MRI, you would see something,” Scherzer said. “I would think that would show up, and yet there’s nothing in there on an MRI. There’s no strains. There is no inflammation, per se. So, I’m going to have to talk to more doctors to figure out a course of action here.”

Scherzer is 1-3 with a 9.24 ERA in five starts after signing a one-year, $3 million contract that includes $10 million in available performance bonuses for innings. He has given up seven runs or more in two of his past three starts and failed to get out of the third inning in three outings.

Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season starts last year. He also was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series with Seattle and made two starts in the World Series.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the team will continue to be cautious with Scherzer, who says his ankle is improving.

“I think he’s just waiting (for his arm) to feel like his ankle does to really start going,” Schneider said. “There’s no real firm timetable as to when he’s going to really start getting after it. I think we’ll know more in a couple of days.”

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Braves at Mariners series recap: The streak ends in Seattle

SEATTLE, WA - MAY 06: Members of the Atlanta Braves stand during a tribute to Braves owner Ted Turner prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Ah, the Atlanta Braves and the West Coast. It’s truly a match made in the underworld as far as the Braves are concerned, as the games always just feel like they go one of two ways: Miserable slogs that have you like “I stayed up all night for this?” or miserable slogs that result in the Braves snatching and clawing their way to a close victory. Either way, it’s rarely ever a fun little ol’ romp for the Braves out West and this series was another example of that.

The Mariners weren’t coming into this series playing with their hair on fire or anything like that after they had gotten swept by the Royals (at home, no less) over the course of the weekend. Still, when it comes to games in this part of the country for the Braves, you always have to take it one day at the time and each game provides its own unique (and likely dreadful) set of challenges. So how did this series end up going? Let’s get into it.

Monday, May 4

Mariners 5, Braves 4

The force was with the Braves’ bats on this particular day but as it turned out, this ended up being a matter of picking spots rather than quantity of homers. Atlanta had no trouble dealing with Logan Gilbert while he was out there, as the Braves teed off on him for four home runs during the six innings that he spent on the mound. Matt Olson’s homer in particular was a big one, as that was his 300th career homer. Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley each homered as well, with Riley’s homer making it a 4-0 game in the top of the sixth — which is when Atlanta hit three homers in that inning, alone.

Then the problems started for the Braves. JR Ritchie was doing fine through five innings and that maybe should’ve been all he got because he went out there for the sixth inning and immediately got in trouble. Two of Ritchie’s six walks came in this frame and they both cost him dearly once Luke Raley hit a dinger that brought Seattle to within one run. Tyler Kinley entered the game after that and got into a situation where there was a man on with two outs and J.P. Crawford at the plate. Unfortunately for us, Seattle’s empire struck back as Crawford lifted off on Kinley and hit one deep to right field that gave the Mariners the lead. Atlanta was unable to wake up their bats again and this one ended in a series-opening loss for the Braves.

Tuesday, May 5

Braves 3, Mariners 2

J.P. Crawford got the Mariners started on the good foot once again, as he hit a two-run dinger off of Bryce Elder to give Seattle a 2-0 lead in the third inning. The good news is that this was the extent of the damage that Elder allowed in this one, as he delivered another fine start on the mound. Elder went six innings and only gave up two hits with three walks while striking out nine batters. It’s starting to feel like 2023 up in here, y’all.

George Kirby was equally tough for the Braves to deal with but it wasn’t a perfectly clean outing for Kirby, though. Atlanta was able to get to Kirby in the fourth inning after Mauricio Dubón delivered another big hit during the early portion of his tenure with the Braves. His RBI double brought both Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson home to score and just like that, it was a tie ballgame.

It stayed tied all the way until the ninth inning, which is when a big hit could’ve turned the tide at any given moment. As it turned out, it was none other than the man who has consistently been coming up big for the Braves so far this season; Matt Olson got a pitch that he liked from Andrés Muñoz and crushed it for a go-ahead solo shot that put Atlanta ahead. Raisel Iglesias returned to action and made the save that evened up the series for the Braves.

Wednesday, May 6

Mariners 3, Braves 1

This was another close game and another one where the home team did just enough to get across the finish line and hand the Braves their first series loss of 2026. This time, the big hero (or villain, from our perspective) of the game for the Mariners was Bryan Woo. Woo bounced back from two rough starts in a row to look more like the guy who Seattle has expected to see over the past couple of years. Woo completely held the Braves in check while he was out there as he threw six scoreless innings and only surrendered a single hit and a pair of walks while striking out nine batters.

Martín Pérez made it into the sixth inning but he gave up a two-run dinger to Julio Rodríguez with one out in that sixth inning in order to break what was a scoreless deadlock. Didier Fuentes pitched two innings in this one but he gave up an RBI double to Cole Young in the ninth inning that gave Seattle a two-run lead that felt like double that amount with the way the Mariners were pitching in this one. The only reason why the Braves avoided getting shut out is because they were able to get something going in the eighth inning that led to a sacrifice fly from Dominic Smith to put them on the board. It also didn’t help matters that right after the sacrifice fly, pinch runner Jorge Mateo got thrown out for being a bit too casual getting back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Base runners were at a premium all day and that was a very frustrating way to lose an out to play with.

Outside of that, Atlanta was completely unable to get any real momentum going in this one and the first series loss of the season finally happened for the Braves. With that being said, losing a baseball game pales in comparison to losing a life, as Wednesday was certainly a somber day in Braves Country as the franchise mourned the loss of former owner Ted Turner.

Welp! If it takes until early-May to finally drop a series, then you’re doing pretty well, right? It also seemed like if this streak was going to come to an end at any point soon, it was going to happen while the Braves were in the Pacific Time Zone since it sure feels like this region has been a house of horrors for the Braves over the course of recent history. Still, credit has to go to the Mariners who were persistently hanging with the Braves and seemingly beating them upside the head with a club every time they got a good chance to do so. Seattle had timely hitting and their pitching was mostly good throughout the three games, so they certainly earned the series win.

As far as the Braves are concerned, this is one of those rare times where I’m actually not all that perturbed with a series loss. Atlanta still has a healthy buffer between themselves at the top of the division and the rest of their foes in the NL East and they also avoided a sweep. As long as they can avoid any extended losing streaks or dips in form, they’ll be fine going forward. Plus, seeing Matt Olson continue to rake is definitely a major positive as it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he could be in line to have a really big season here in 2026.

So, who knows? Maybe with the top arms in Atlanta’s rotation going for the series at Dodger Stadium, the pressure of keeping the series winning streak will be off and the Braves can actually go out and play confident baseball against a Dodgers team that will always be tough to deal with — especially in LA’s own stadium. All good things have to come to an end eventually and maybe ending it in Seattle was the perfect time for it to happen. Now granted, I think we’d all prefer to see this streak last forever but again, what did I just say about all good things? It’s now time to hope that Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder can get the job done and that the bats can wake up in Los Angeles in order to end the road trip on a high note. Let’s see what happens!

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Pistons vs. Cavaliers preview: Chance to take control of series

After an impressive win in Game 1, the Pistons have an opportunity to head to Cleveland up 2-0, which is still hard to process after how the series against the Orlando Magic went. It won’t be easy, as the Cavaliers will be motivated to bounce back after a sloppy Game 1 in which they turned the ball over 19 times.

The great thing about the NBA Playoffs is that each game can bring a whole new group of challenges. Maybe the Pistons are less successful in generating turnovers in Game 2 and now have to put up a better performance on offense in order to win. The Pistons offense was not great in Game 1, as Cade Cunningham struggled with his shot, but they did enough to come out on top.

Whatever happens, this should be another great game at home with a chance to put the Cleveland Cavaliers in a very difficult hole early in the series.

Game Vitals

Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Thursday, May 7 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons (-3.5)

Analysis

People have talked about how the Cavaliers were careless with the ball in Game 1 without giving much credit to the Pistons’ defense. The Cavaliers were definitely sloppy, but the Pistons are the best team in the league at generating turnovers, so it isn’t all that shocking that they were able to control the game through generating turnovers.

They are able to overcome many of their offensive short-comings by getting out in transition and the Cavaliers have turned the ball over the most out of every team in the Playoffs, so at some point you have to concede that this probably isn’t the best matchup for the Cavaliers, even if they are the superior team on offense.

I don’t want to downplay the Cavaliers and make it seem like Game 2 will be an easy win, but many of the things the Pistons did in Game 1 are easily repeatable since they have done it all season. The toughest part for the Pistons so far this postseason is actually going out and doing it every night, which they struggled with at times against the Orlando Magic. That is why it took them 7 games and a 3-1 comeback to take them down.

A noticeable difference for the Pistons on offense in Game 1 as opposed to their series against the Magic is that offense seemed a little bit easier to come by for every other player on the Pistons besides Cade Cunningham. Cade was put through the ringer by having to deal with physical defense all game by Dean Wade and Jaylon Tyson for the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers don’t have quite the defensive infrastructure that the Orlando Magic do and didn’t pack the paint as much, so it opened things up a bit.

I wouldn’t even say that Cade had a more difficult time generating offense, as he still got up 19 shots and many of the looks he got were fine, he just only made six of those shots. Many of the missed shots were shots that he was making against Orlando, so I would suspect that he gets back to form in Game 2.

One notable player looking to get back to form for the Cavaliers is Jarrett Allen, who only played 18 minutes and scored 2 points due to being in foul trouble. Jalen Duren was able to attack him early against a more spaced out defense and draw a few fouls. It led to Allen not playing the rest of the 1st half, then Kenny Atkinson decided not to close with him despite him only having 4 fouls.

Although James Harden nearly led a 4th quarter comeback for Cleveland with some tough shot-making, he also helped the Pistons get the edge in the turnover battle by turning over the ball seven times. Many of his turnovers were also live-ball turnovers that allowed the Pistons to get out and run.

Donovan Mitchell also had a bit of an off-game as he only scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He made some comments after the game about the lack of foul calls, but he also didn’t do a ton of attacking the basket as he shot 4-of-10 from behind the arc and many of his drives ended in floaters. I would expect a much more aggressive Donovan Mitchell in game 2, so the Pistons may have to put other players besides just Ausar Thompson on him if he starts to get some foul calls.

It will be interesting to see who JB Bickerstaff settles with playing off the bench. Isaiah Stewart struggled mightily in Game 1 and the last couple games of the Orlando Magic series, so does he finally unleash Paul Reed off the bench? Ron Holland got the 3rd most bench minutes in Game 1 after not getting much playing time against the Orlando Magic, so will this be a Ron Holland series?

It is very clear that Daniss Jenkins is going to get a ton of minutes off the bench, and if he keeps playing how he has been the last couple of games it is completely justified. He helped swing Game 7 against the Magic with his shooting and helped swing Game 1 against the Cavaliers with a ton of hustle plays and 7 rebounds. He was also huge as a safety valve for Cade in the 4th quarter when the Cavaliers started to trap.

The Cavaliers played six different players off the bench, so I would expect that to get cut back as the series goes on and Kenny Atkinson is able to settle on which players work the best for this matchup. Thomas Bryant, in particular, probably got more minutes than was planned due to Jarrett Allen’s foul trouble.

The biggest takeaway I have from Game 1 is that the Pistons were able to get back to playing their brand of basketball and if that continues, I don’t see this series going longer than 5 or 6 games.

Lineups

Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1): James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Detroit Pistons (1-0): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren