The Los Angeles Lakers’ complete 2026-27 schedule was released on Thursday, Aug. 13, and coach JJ Redick's team has a starting point for how it can remain a contender in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will lead the Lakers during a season that starts with eight of the first 10 games against Western Conference teams, including the two games each against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat will be the two out-of-conference opponents during the early portion of the schedule.
The Lakers will play 14 back-to-back games this season, including at the start of November against the Raptors and the Heat in Los Angeles.
The Raptors have the potential to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, if the trade with the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard is finalized and made official. Miami will pose a challenge for the Lakers with the Heat fielding a lineup that includes Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Doncic and the Lakers will be featured in 34 nationally televised games, which is tied for the most in the NBA. Of the 34 nationally televised games, 18 of those games will be played at home, which is also the most in the league.
The Lakers' longest road trip will take place from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8, with a seven-game road trip that will include visits to Madison Square Garden to take on the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.
It will be just one of three times the Lakers will play the Spurs this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder also appear on the Lakers’ schedule just three times.
The Lakers also will serve as a host to several teams, having three five-game homestands during the season.
In total, the Lakers will also have three instances where they are playing five games during seven days on three different occasions, which is the most in the league.
He'll be batting cleanup when the Dodgers open their four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium starting Thursday, Aug. 13.
“He just texted me this morning and said he was good to go,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the media before the game. "A little sore, but won’t compromise his performance today. Which was very encouraging.’’
Freeman fell while chasing a foul ball in the top of the eighth inning and stayed in the game until the bottom of the eighth.
“Kneecaps are sore, shoulders are sore, wrist is sore,’’ Freeman said Wednesday after the Dodgers beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-2. “I mean, I fell.
“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part there.’’
Both teams are vying for the best record in the National League and for the No. 1 seed.
The lineup shows Freeman will be batting in the four-spot. He's hitting .306 with a team-best 27 doubles and 15 homers and 74 RBIs, second only to Andy Pages.
“I think it’s one of those things where Freddie’s just of the mind where he just doesn’t give himself an out. He’s played through worse and he’s signed up to play and there’s just no other options," Roberts said.
The Dodgers appear to be back on track after sweeping three games from the Royals and winning four of their last five games. That followed a stretch during which the Dodgers lost eight of nine games.
The Brewers had the best record in baseball, but they lost that distinction after getting swept by the San Diego Padres earlier this week.
Other notable changes in the Dodgers lineup: Mookie Betts and Max Muncy start the opener on the bench with Miguel Rojas getting the start at shortstop and Kiké Hernández getting the start at third base.
Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki will face off against Brewers starter Shane Drohan.
New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) reacts on the dugout fence in the 6th inning in The Bronx, New York.
In the small sample size of 29 plate appearances, Spencer Jones has gone 8-for-25 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and a 1.134 OPS against left-handed pitching.
The lefty slugger will have to prove more to remain in the game when matched up with particularly tough southpaws.
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In a one-run game in the eighth inning Thursday, manager Aaron Boone lifted Jones for righty-hitting Heliot Ramos against Seattle lefty José Ferrer, who is one of the game’s best relievers at neutralizing lefty hitters.
“That’s one of the reasons we brought Heliot Ramos in was his presence against [lefties],” Boone said of the trade-deadline pickup, who grounded out and has not started well with the Yankees (2-for-25).
Entering play, Ferrer held fellow lefties to a .553 OPS with zero home runs in 109 plate appearances while righties (.913 OPS with five home runs) have crushed him.
In that way, Boone said Ferrer is “unique” because he has “really struggled with right-handed hitters.”
This was the type of scenario GM Brian Cashman may have envisioned in acquiring the former Giant, Ramos entering the at-bat hitting .271 with a .795 OPS against southpaws, and became Boone’s choice over Jones and Paul Goldschmidt.
For one August game, it didn’t work.
Spencer Jones looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 1-0 loss to the Mariners on Aug. 13, 2026 at the Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
After going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored Wednesday, George Lombard Jr. was moved up to fifth in the lineup and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He had batted from sixth through ninth in his first seven major league games.
Boone downplayed the ascension, chalking it up to his “obsession with trying to create a little balance.” The righty swinger hit between lefties Luis García Jr. and Jazz Chisholm Jr. for a lineup that alternated handedness from Nos. 4-9.
Regardless, Boone needed a righty to bump up and chose Lombard over José Caballero and Ali Sánchez.
George Lombard Jr. fields a ground ball during the Yankees’ loss to the Mariners. Robert Sabo for New York Post
“His approach has been excellent,” Boone said of Lombard.
Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, who both had run the bases — typically a significant step that leads to a rehab assignment — the past two days, came through fine, Boone said.
Pitching with Double-A Somerset, Rodón struck out seven while allowing two hits and a walk.
Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Yerry De los Santos (1 ²/₃ scoreless innings, three strikeouts) has not allowed an earned run in seven of eight appearances this year.
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The Yankees held a ceremony before the game honoring Goldschmidt, who is this season’s club nominee for the Heart and Hustle Award, which “is presented annually to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”
On Thursday, after a few days of gradual reveals, the NBA schedule came out in full, aside from the two to-be-determined games in December pending the results of the NBA Cup. The Knicks now know where and when they’ll be playing the other 29 teams that spent the entire offseason trying to figure out how to take down our NBA champion Knickerbockers.
Today I’m going to highlight individual games, stretches, and notable parts that you might miss glossing over the schedule, because let’s face it: a schedule where you play everyone multiple times doesn’t have much luster.
Ring Night – 10/20 vs. PHI
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 10: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
One of the several games we were already aware of, the single most anticipated regular season game maybe in franchise history, will also be used by the NBA to introduce the new-look Sixers and their 41-year-old shiny new toy, LeBron James.
He’s likely the reason they got the nod over the last team to beat the Knicks in the postseason with a returning All-NBA guard, but I’ve also just recently thought of the other reason: there are no guarantees that their vaunted starting five will be healthy for extended stretches of time with you know who in the middle. Opening Night is maybe the only time they can guarantee that.
Of course, the main course of the night for us will be the pregame festivities. Ariel Hukporti will be in town to get his ring, as will at least 12 of the 18 men who enjoyed the festivities in June (will Dillon Jones or Kevin McCullar Jr. return on two-ways?). Over/under 2.5 new banners in the rafters; call it now.
Holidays – 11/27 vs MIA, 12/25 vs SA, 12/31 @ PHX, 1/18 vs MIN, 3/17 vs SAC, 3/28 @ ORL
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 23: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks & Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talk after the game on December 23, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
You’ll get to enjoy Knicks basketball on plenty of special occasions this year, starting with their first look at Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat on Black Friday and the already-revealed Christmas clash with the Spurs.
For the second straight year, the Knicks go out west on New Year’s Eve for a game that will likely end close to midnight over here in Phoenix at 9:00. You can probably guess why, but the Knicks haven’t hosted a game on NYE since 1968 against the Baltimore Bullets.
A 5 pm matchup with Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves on MLK Day, a St. Patty’s Day game against the Kings, and an Easter matinee in Orlando round out the holiday slate.
Longest Homestand – 5 games (Nov 21-29)
There’s only one homestand longer than four games for the Knicks, and it comes early, as the Knicks will play five consecutive games at the World’s Most Famous Arena to end November. It’ll start with a back-to-back against Portland and Indiana before two days off leading into a pair of NBA Cup games that’ll surround Thanksgiving. A Sunday night game against Atlanta will round it out
Longest Road Trip – 7 games* (Dec 1-21)
This is a really weird schedule. The Knicks go from a five-game homestand directly into a seven-game road trip. Then, after spending a week at home in late December surrounding the blockbuster Christmas matchup against the Spurs, they go out west for a six-game road trip.
That 7-game stretch is certainly something, but it also needs an asterisk due to the NBA Cup. As scheduled, the Knicks will play a back-to-back in Chicago and Milwaukee to start, before a 10-day gap. In that gap, the NBA Cup knockout round will commence. After it does, the Knicks will head to Miami on December 12 before ping-ponging around Houston, New Orleans, Washington, and Cleveland.
This could wind up being a five-game road trip, or could be a ridiculous 10-game stretch without any games in MSG depending on the context:
12/1: @ Chicago 12/2: @ Milwaukee 12/4 or 12/5: NBA Cup QF 12/8 or 12/9: NBA Cup SF 12/11: NBA Cup Final (Indy) 12/12: @ Miami 12/14: @ Houston 12/16: @ New Orleans 12/18: @ Washington 12/21: @ Cleveland
There is a guaranteed six-game road trip that begins nine days later for good measure. The Knicks head to Utah on December 30, spend New Year’s in Phoenix, look to repeat recent dominance in Denver to start 2027, and then play three consecutive 10 pm games in Portland, Golden State, and Sacramento. What a six-week stretch.
NBA Cup – 10/30 @ PHI, 11/13 @ IND, 11/25 vs CLE, 11/27 vs MIA
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 29: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives against Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2025 in New York City. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s only right that the reigning NBA Cup champions get drawn into maybe the hardest group possible. This is taking Group of Death to another level. If you’re wondering how this is possible, the NBA tries to “balance” groups by using last year’s standings, and because of how bad Indiana was in their gap year along with the mediocrity of both Philly and Miami, this is what you get.
We start off by facing the Sixers for the second time before October is over in MSG Philly Xfinity Mobile Arena, face Tyrese Haliburton and company for the first time since Tom Thibodeau was on the sideline two weeks later in Indy, and then head home for back-to-back Cup games around Thanksgiving against the Cavs and Giannis-led Miami Heat. It’s funny how the only one of these games on regular TV is an ECF rematch, just to tell you how much the league respects those Cavaliers now.
Vaunted Back-to-Backs
The Knicks are tied for the fewest road back-to-back games with five, according to NBA Today, so that’s nice. Still, there are 12 back-to-backs on the schedule, but the Knicks are fortunate to have a number of them stay within the confines of Madison Square Garden.
Here are some of the tougher ones on the schedule:
Oct 27-28th: vs. DET, @ CHI Dec 30-31th: @ UTAH, @ PHX Jan 13-14th: @ BOS, vs. MIA Feb 3-4th: @ DET, vs. TOR
(There is also a possibility of a December 11-12th back-to-back from the NBA Cup Final and a trip to South Beach, not great).
Coffee Games
Good news: the NBA has once again spared us of the 11:00 games that they’re doing on weekdays for some ungodly reason.
Bad news: there’s still a bunch of late games.
Here’s a list of every game starting 9:30 pm EST or later:
Mon, Jan 4: @ Portland (10:00) Wed, Jan 6: @ Golden State (10:00, ESPN) Fri, Jan 8: @ Sacramento (10:00) Sun, Feb 7: @ Oklahoma City (9:30, NBC) Thu, Mar 4: @ Dallas (9:30, Prime Video) Wed, Mar 10: @ Clippers (10:30) Thu, Mar 11: @ Lakers (10:00, Prime Video)
Old Friends Returning To MSG
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 20: Immanuel Quickley #5 passes to RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 2024 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ring Edition:
Ariel Hukporti (PHI): October 20th (NBC) Jeremy Sochan (POR): November 21st Trey Jemison III (TOR): January 20th Mitchell Robinson (BOS): March 14th (ABC)
OAKAAK Edition:
Julius Randle (BKN): Nov 2, Dec 27 RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley (TOR): Jan 20, Feb 4 Mario Hezonja (CLE): Nov 11, Nov 25 Obi Toppin (IND): Nov 22, Apr 11 Jericho Sims (MIL): Nov 10, Feb 28 Trevor Keels, Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr. (MIA): Nov 27, Jan 14 Donte DiVincenzo (MIN): Jan 18 (won’t play due to a torn Achilles) Isaiah Hartenstein (OKC): Feb 25 Kristaps Porzingis (GS): Feb 13 Quentin Grimes (LAL): Jan 30 Precious Achiuwa (SAC): Mar 17 Taj Gibson (MEM): Mar 2
Notable Individual Games
DETROIT, MI – MAY 1: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks scores the game winning 3-point basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons during Round 1 Game 6 on May 1, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Fri, Oct 23rd @ BOS (7:00, Prime Video): Mike Brown is required to playfully do the Hack-a-Mitch as soon as he walks on the court. His mentor would be proud.
Tues, Oct 27th vs. DET (8:00, NBC): Man, you really forget that the Pistons were the best team in the East all year last year, huh? I can’t imagine they’re going to win all these games by 30 again, right?
Fri, Oct 30th @ PHI (7:30, Prime Video): This is an NBA Cup game, but the more important thing to me is seeing if LeBron is enough to stop Knicks fans from invading. Who am I kidding? Sixers fans cried poor at $100 playoff tickets; they’re not spending $500 to go to this game.
Sun, Nov 22nd vs. IND (8:00, MSG): Did you know that neither Pacers/Knicks game in New York is nationally televised? That feels like an oversight. This will be Tyrese Haliburton’s first game at MSG since that Eastern Conference Finals matchup immortalized him as a villain. The other game at MSG will be a meaningless Game 82, most likely.
Sat, Jan 2nd @ DEN (5:00, MSG): Here’s your yearly reminder that the Knicks have outscored the Nuggets by a whopping 66 points the last two times they’ve played at “the toughest road atmosphere in basketball”
Thu, Jan 28th vs. ATL (7:00, Prime Video) Sat, Jan 30th vs. LAL (8:30, ABC): This is being categorized as “Rivalry Week”. There are at least six teams I would name as bigger rivals than the Lakers (who we haven’t played a meaningful game against in 50 years) and the Hawks (who got embarrassed last April by their main antagonist in Washington now).
Wed, Feb 3rd @ DET (7:00, ESPN): This is the 2027 NBA Pioneers Classic, a now-annual event by the NBA to honor the memory of the first black players to integrate the league in 1950. The Bucks and Celtics played the inaugural edition last year with commemorative patches and pregame warmups. There’s also a trophy at stake if we want to keep collecting.
Sun, Mar 7th @ SA (7:30, NBC): Will the Spurs’ PA sound guy dare to play the goofy music after being walked down in their own building three times in a row last June?
Sat, Mar 20th vs. WAS (7:00, MSG): This is the only time the Wizards head to town this year, and there are a few questions here. AJ Dybantsa will be a treat to watch, for sure, but will we actually get to see Trae Young and Anthony Davis play? In a hyper-competitive East, it wouldn’t be shocking if they were shut down by now if the Wizards had some growing pains.
Seattle Mariners rookie shortstop Colt Emerson watches from the dugout during a Major League Baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won, 4-3, as Emerson drew a walk in four at-bats. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Mariners are shaking things up with their lineup, sending struggling shortstop Colt Emerson back to Triple-A and selecting longtime super-utility infielder Brock Rodden to take his place, per Ryan Divish.
It’s a tough but necessary step for the 21-year-old shortstop, who has been struggling of late on both sides of the ball. Never one to strike out much – his career strikeout rate in the minors is around 17% – Emerson has been struggling to adjust to big-league pitching, striking out at double the rate he was in the minors. He’s been especially susceptible to high fastballs, frequently expanding up, but has also struggled with catching up to big-league fastballs on the plate. He’s striking out on fastballs over 50% of the time; his Statcast bat-tracking data shows how often he’s late on fastballs, and how often he’s swinging under them rather than on-plane.
Emerson is also struggling on breaking and off-speed pitches, although maybe not as much as one might expect; however, the fastball issue isn’t getting better, and pitchers continue to exploit his weakness there. It’s a big ask of a 21-year-old who is also playing the most demanding position on the field – non-catcher division – but it’s become apparent that Emerson hasn’t been able to make an adjustment, even when the attack plan for opposing pitchers is clear. He’s simply being overwhelmed at this moment by big-league pitching, which is not an uncommon thing for a rookie getting their first taste of the big leagues, especially those who were pulled up to fill in for injury, as Emerson was to patch over the injured left side of the Mariners infield. But Emerson’s defense has also been an issue.
Always a steady-handed shortstop in the minors, Emerson’s defense has been inconsistent at the big-league level. Athletic, fast, and rangy, Emerson is capable of making highlight-reel plays, and has logged a few of those, but he’s also booted several routine ones – as Perry Hill calls them, the plays “in the box”, the ones that have to get made. There’s a certain degree of learning curve that’s to be expected for young infielders – big-league infields play much faster than minor-league ones between the quality of contact off big-league bats and the maintenance of the fields themselves – but Emerson has noticeably scuffled, even on routine plays. From the vantage point of someone who has watched Emerson play infield for years, he’s made mistakes with footwork or transfers that he simply wasn’t making in the minor leagues, perhaps feeling the pressure of needing to produce on at least one side of the ball.
It reminds me of the level of defense we saw at times out of Cole Young last season, another steady defender in the minors who initially struggled with the transition to a big-league infield. Like Emerson, the Mariners gave Young a blow as he struggled down the stretch on both sides of the ball, replacing him with Jorge Polanco for the playoff run. Unlike Emerson, Young had a team of offensive producers around him and was able to slip quietly into the background, while Emerson’s struggles have unfortunately been magnified by the struggles of the team as a whole.
Moving Emerson back to Triple-A will hopefully slow the game back down for him and allow him room to breathe and adjust and get back to the player he is. For someone who has always prided himself on sticking to his plan at the plate and not striking out, it’s been a frustrating and unfamiliar experience for Emerson to struggle at this level, even as he’s worked hard to maintain a positive attitude every day.
Giving Emerson a blow is the best move for the player, but it’s also the best move for the team. With the rest of the Mariners lineup failing to produce consistently, Emerson’s bat is too much of a liability right now to be a consistent zero out of the nine-hole. And with some porous infield defense, especially on the left side, if Emerson’s bat is holding him back from being his best self defensively, then both sides are well-served by a change. With J.P. Crawford still on the shelf with wrist soreness with no timetable for his return, the Mariners have called up superutility infielder Brock Rodden.
Rodden, a long-time favorite here at LL where he’s known as “The Brocket Ship”, was a fifth-round draft selection in 2023 out of Wichita State; his ascent has been slowed by some unfortunately-timed injuries, but he’s produced at every level in the minors, consistently running an OBP of around .350. For fans of scrappy lil’ players like Dustin Pedroia or the Mariners’ own Shawn O’Malley, the 5’9”, switch-hitting Rodden – whose jersey is always dirty – will be a quick favorite. Rodden can also play all over the infield, and won a minor league Gold Glove at second base in 2024. Despite his short stature, Rodden also has some sneaky pop – he has 19 homers at Triple-A this season already, beating the 14 he notched in Double-A in 2024, his last fully-healthy season. Standard PCL caveats apply, but he’s hit some that are decidedly not cheapies:
With J.P. Crawford still out, Leo Rivas will likely get the bulk of Emerson’s starts, but Rodden will certainly be given an opportunity to show what he can do. For a team that’s lacking offensive consistency and continually struggling to put runners on base, Rodden’s on-base skills will hopefully help lengthen the lineup (and did I mention he’s a switch-hitter?). If nothing else, he’s a fun player to watch, hustling out every single infield grounder and playing with the kind of high energy many have noted this team to be lacking of late. It will also be interesting to see how the team slots him in defensively – second base, not short, is Rodden’s natural position, and Cole Young is capable of playing short, but Rodden could also be used at third to spell Brendan Donovan. He’s played second, third, and short for Tacoma this season, offering Dan Wilson flexibility in penciling his name into the lineup. If Rodden’s on-base skills from the minors transfer to the bigs, he could be a boon for a struggling ballclub on both sides of the ball.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 30: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Chicago Cubs steals second base against Masyn Winn #0 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium on July 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals looked to be going the wrong direction after the All-Star break, but the resilient Redbirds continued to show this rebuild is unlike most others. A tough end to July knocked the Cardinals out of the Wild Card spot and under .500, but the team battled in the last three series to remain in the postseason race.
The Cardinals are coming off three straight series wins, two of which came against favorites to be playing in October. After taking care of business against the Yankees, Rockies, and Phillies, the Cardinals hit the road to take on postseason contender and NL Central rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field. The series kicks off with an Apple TV afternoon game on Friday and concludes on Sunday afternoon on ABC.
Another series win could put the Cardinals back in the thick of postseason contention
The two teams meet as both are in the middle of a little hot streak in the dog days of summer. With 41 games remaining, the Cubs are where they expected to be, in the middle of a playoff race, while the Cardinals are continuing to exceed preseason expectations. With most outlets putting the Cardinals as a 67 win team, St. Louis can surpass that total with another strong couple of weeks. The Cardinals will also be putting their three series winning streak on the line at the Friendly Confines, where St. Louis won the series when they last met in Chicago over the July 4th weekend.
GAME ONE (1:20) : MATTHEW LIBERATORE VS. CLAY HOLMES
GAME TWO (1:20) : MICHAEL MCGREEVY VS. MATTHEW BOYD
GAME THREE (2:15) : HUNTER DOBBINS VS. SHOTA IMANAGA
In the first game, Matthew Liberatore will look to show he belongs in the rotation for another handful of starts despite the down year. The Opening Day starter has struggled for much of the season and looked to turn a corner with a dominant showing two starts ago. Unfortunately, he followed up his seven strikeout, six shutout inning start with another blow up as he gave up five runs for the sixth time this season. We will likely see Libby taking the ball every fifth day for the rest of the season, but he will have to impress the staff to be written into the starting rotation next year.
In game two, Michael McGreevy will attempt to end a five start winless streak as his command has faltered a little in the second half. The increase in free passes has also been met with more hits allowed, so McGreevy will have to find ways to limit a powerful Cubs lineup to give the Cardinals a chance to win. He will be opposed by lefty Matthew Boyd who currently sits at 8-1 despite a middling ERA. The last time he faced the Cardinals, though, he was dominant. Boyd threw seven shutout innings, allowed just four hits, and struck out five batters in the victory. He has given up some runs of late, however, so the Cardinals hope to get to him early and often on Saturday.
In the teams’ final meeting of the 2026 season (postseason not included), the Cardinals will turn to their newest rotation showcase arm. Hunter Dobbins will be out of the hot and humid Busch Stadium where he struggled with his grip in his last outing to face the Cubs in his third consecutive start at the big league level. Like Liberatore, Dobbins is auditioning for next year’s rotation but may be more of a lock than the lefty Libby. Facing Dobbins is Cubs de facto #1 Shota Imanaga, who is in the midst of a mediocre season. In his last start against the Cardinals, he got the loss after giving up two runs in 4.2 innings.
A series win against the Cubs will not do much for the overall Wild Card as the Cubs have a massive hold on the first runner-up spot, but depending on how the others in contention do, the Cardinals could be in position to make a late run. St. Louis sits within three games of the final postseason spot and could find themselves in striking distance again with five games against the Reds before another series against the Phillies.
But there is a lot more to the schedule: Who is on national television most often? Which teams have the most back-to-backs? Who is getting the most rest? Let's break down the numbers from the NBA's 2026-27 schedule.
Nationally televised games
Maybe the most notable thing in the 2026-27 NBA schedule is that, for all the talk of games exclusively on streaming services (Peacock and Prime Video), the NBA and its partners are leaning hard into games on traditional broadcast television: NBC and ABC are combining to show 90 games, a healthy increase from 79 last season.
Across all platforms, five teams are tied for the most nationally televised games with 34: The New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Next in line are the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets with 28 each.
A few other schedule notes:
• All 30 teams have at least two nationally televised games.
• The five teams with just two games are: The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans. (It's a little surprising to see Memphis with rookie Carlos Boozer on that list. It also speaks to Zion Williamson's current star power that New Orleans is in that group.)
• Eight teams will appear a maximum of 11 times on NBC and Peacock: Denver, Golden State, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston. Boston, Minnesota and Dallas will be on NBC/Peacock 10 times, while Detroit and Miami will be on 9 times each.
• Interesting note via The Athletic: The San Antonio Spurs have 60% of their nationally televised games in the second half of the season — 25 of their last 41. That includes four straight nationally televised games on two occasions. That said, because the league wants teams relatively fresh for those games, the Spurs also have a lot of off days baked into the schedule.
Back-to-backs, rest
If you want to know what teams care most about when they look at the schedule, it's this.
The NBA has worked in recent years to reduce the number of back-to-backs and four-games-in-five-days, a challenge with the introduction of the NBA Cup. This season, it made some progress.
Teams will average 14.2 back-to-backs this season, the lowest number since the advent of the NBA Cup. There are 59 back-to-backs involving more than 750 miles of travel, down from 74 a season ago. Also, 47 of those back-to-backs end with a nationally televised game, which is when star players are more likely to sit out (that number is down from 66 last season).
The teams with the most back-to-backs: The Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, each of whom have 16. The Pelicans have two back-to-backs in their first five games, which is a brutal way to start the season.
• The 76ers have the fewest three-games-in-four-night stretches in the league this season, which is good news for a team with LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
• The San Antonio Spurs have 94 rest days in this year's schedule, tied for the most of any team.
• In total, NBA teams are poised to travel an estimated 42.5K miles over the course of the season, which is near an all-time low.
• Longest home stand: Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies each have eight games in a row at home at one point this season.
• Longest road trip: The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans all have seven-game road trips at one point (for the Lakers, that is the annual Grammy trip in February when the music awards show takes over their arena).
• San Antonio has five neutral site games, the most in the league. That includes two games in Europe against New Orleans, one in Paris on Jan. 14 and one in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17.
• When are the rematches of last playoff's seven-game series?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google featured five Game 7s, tying the record for the most in a single postseason.
Here are the 2026-27 NBA regular-season dates for each of those five matchups. ⬇️
• Interesting note from The Athletic: The NBA Cup Final takes place in Indianapolis on Dec. 11. The next night, Dec. 12, 16 NBA teams are scheduled to play, including teams one can make a legitimate case for to appear in those Finals — Minnesota, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, New York, Atlanta and Denver. If one of those teams makes the Cup Finals, the league is rescheduling the game on the 12th, right?
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Cooper Flagg attends a game between the Golden State Warriors against the Dallas Mavericks on July 9, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks released their schedule for the 2026-2027 season on Thursday. As usual, there is no shortage of intriguing plot points to consider, and some interesting quirks that will surely gain the ire of Mavs’ fans. Below is a look at some key points to know about what is to come for Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Morez Johnson and the rest of the new-look Mavericks.
A daunting October
Straight out of the gate, the Mavericks will be tested. They open the season on the road against the Rockets, then travel to face the Pacers two nights later. They come home the next night to take on the Finals runner-up Spurs, then play the Heat in Miami two nights after that. That’s four games in six nights, three of which are on the road, including a back-to-back. The Mavs then round out the month at home against the Thunder and Houston once again.
The scares could certainly come in advance of Halloween this year, especially considering the new players and new head coach that will still be feeling their way. Simply put, this could have gone better for Dallas. That said, you never know how things will play out until you actually play. If Dallas can come in thinking they’re playing with house money, they can certainly steal a couple of these.
The longest road trip
The longest road trip of the season spans March 17 to March 24. If, however, you subscribe to the late Don Nelson’s theory, that trip actually runs to March 29, as the Mavs play five on the road, return home for one, then play two more on the road (Nelson once said a single stop home may as well just be another city on the road trip). During the five-game stretch, Dallas plays the Thunder, the Spurs, the Lakers, the Clippers and the Timberwolves. They stop at home on March 26 to play the Pelicans, then hit the road again for the Wizards and Bucks.
Playing seven of eight games on the road is brutal, but there is some solace to be had. The games against the Thunder and Spurs are reasonably short trips with no time zone shift. That is followed by two games in Los Angeles, which also takes some of the sting out, though those games are on consecutive nights.
A rundown of all road trips
Overall, the Mavericks’ travel plans break down as follows:
Five-game road trip: 1x
Four-game road trip: 1x
Three-game road trip: 5x (one of these is broken up by the All-Star break)
Two-game road trip: 5x
The remainder of their road games are one-offs sandwiched between home games.
The worst of the bunch are at least limited to one occurrence each.
The final 15-game stretch
Finishing off the travel analysis, it should also be noted that 10 of the final 15 games will be on the road. This includes the five-game trip, as well as a three-game trip in the final four games of the season.
That’s a rough go anyway you cut it. If the team is sniffing the PlayIn or even the postseason at the beginning of March, they are likely going to have to fight hard to keep pace. This is a relatively young team that is going to be tested to close out the year, Playoff considerations or not.
The longest homestand
The longest homestands of the season are four games; it happens twice, but they remain elusive until early-February, with the first running from February 6 to February 11. The second four-game homestand spans March 9 to March 15, but that leads directly into the aforementioned five-game road trip.
The first of those homestands isn’t exactly a cake walk, as Dallas will face the Jazz (who will presumably be bringing their best this year) and the Spurs. The second appears a bit more favorable with games against the Grizzlies, Wizards, Pelicans and Hawks, so Dallas will have to take advantage before heading out on the road a lot thereafter.
A rundown of all homestands
Overall, the Mavericks’ home cooking breaks down as follows:
Five-game homestand: 0x
Four-game homestand: 2x
Three-game homestand: 6x (one of these is broken up by the Emirates Cup)
Two-game homestand: 4x
The remainder of their home games are one-offs sandwiched between road games.
This doesn’t really give off the warm and fuzzy feelings you would hope for. Throughout the season, the Mavs don’t really get a nice solid stretch where they can be home and get a flow going on their own floor with their fans backing them. Hopefully this will prove to be a good forge for the young players in which they can build comradery and chemistry with each other.
Back-to-backs
By my count, the Mavericks will have 16 back-to-backs throughout the season. With everything else going on, it would have been nice to see this number at 13 or even 14, but here we are.
Back-to-backs are always tough, especially those that contribute to three games in four nights. For the Mavericks, it will be interesting to see how they manage player loads. Will some of the younger guys get the second night off as they acclimate to the NBA grind? Are these 16 instances the equivalent of 16 games Kyrie Irving simply won’t play as he makes his way back from injury? That’s a lot of games to miss a key starter and team leader.
Luka Doncic’s birthday present
The Lakers come to Dallas a single time during the season. That game is on February 28, which just so happens to be former Maverick Luka Doncic’s birthday. Conincidence?
7:00pm start times
If you look closely, you’ll notice that Maverick home games will be starting a bit earlier this season. For a long time, 7:30pm was commonplace, as consideration was given to getting fans in their seats for tipoff, despite local traffic at rush hour. This year, the Mavericks have 26 home games starting at 7:00pm. That constitutes every single home game that is not nationally televised, except two. Dallas plays the Nets at home at 6:30pm, and the Grizzlies at home at 7:30pm. Every other non-7:00pm game is nationally televised, on a holiday, or a weekend afternoon game.
Earlier start times may result in a thin crowd to start games. How much of a factor this will play, if any, is anyone’s guess. However, a packed, raucous crowd is better than not for a young home team that won’t string together much at home all year, so this time change may not be for the best.
Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts on all of this, and anything else you may have seen in the schedule.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 12: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers reacts after drawing a bases-loaded walk during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 12, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for August 13, 2026 against the Anaheim Angels: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Walbert Urena for the Angels.
Its almost game time! You fired up! WOOOOOOOO!!!
The lineup:
Pederson — 1B
Langford — LF
Seager — DH
Nimmo — RF
Duran — 3B
Carter — CF
Lopez — SS
Wynns — C
Foscue — 2B
9:07 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -148 favorites.
Kendrick Perkins believes the Los Angeles Lakers should enter the 2026-27 season with championship expectations, even if he still has serious doubts about how the roster is built around Luka Dončić.
Discussing the Lakers after the release of their schedule, Perkins pointed to Dončić and an offense he expects to rank among the NBA’s best as reasons Los Angeles should remain dangerous.
“They still have one of the best offensive players in Luka Dončić,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “They got enough offensive firepower to win games in the regular season.”
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
But Perkins still placed the Lakers behind Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver and Minnesota in the Western Conference hierarchy.
That relatively modest assessment follows much harsher criticism he previously directed at the franchise’s decision to build around Dončić and Austin Reaves.
“Luka and Austin Reaves are your franchise players,” Perkins said earlier this offseason on Perk Unplugged. “Two guys who are both defensive liabilities.”
Perkins went even further, suggesting playoff opponents could actively seek out Los Angeles because of those defensive weaknesses.
“It ain’t a team in the world, it ain’t a player in the world that’s afraid of Luka and Austin Reaves,” Perkins said. “When the playoffs come around, they’re gonna be looking to get to the seeding where they can actually look at them.”
That makes his latest “championship or bust” declaration less of an endorsement than a statement about the standard attached to the Lakers.
“The middle of the pack doesn’t mean nothing to the Laker fan base,” Perkins said. “It’s championship or bust.”
Oddsmakers appear more aligned with Perkins’ concerns than his optimism.
FanDuel lists Los Angeles at +5500 to win the 2027 NBA championship, behind 17 other teams. Oklahoma City leads the market at +230, followed by San Antonio at +280.
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Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers hold hands during a time out in the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
That is a sizable disconnect for a franchise beginning an era centered squarely around Dončić.
The Lakers have continued searching for reinforcements, including being linked to former Warriors star Klay Thompson, but questions remain about whether the current group has enough defense and depth to survive four playoff rounds.
Dončić, however, is setting a much higher bar.
Following the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, he wrote that he was “excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA.”
Perkins’ position is therefore a complicated one: he has questioned whether the Lakers built the right team around their superstar while insisting the franchise cannot lower its expectations.
For now, Vegas agrees with his skepticism more than his championship standard.
The Pittsburgh Penguins should be open to the idea of signing at least one defenseman to a professional tryout (PTO) agreement ahead of training camp.
When looking at the remaining unrestricted free agents, one player who could make sense for the Penguins to take a look at on a PTO is defenseman Ben Hutton.
The Penguins could use more competition on the left side of their blueline after losing Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency and trading Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights. Because of this, a player like Hutton could be worth taking a gamble on with a PTO.
Hutton is a solid veteran defenseman who could give the Penguins another option for their bottom pairing if he earned a contract for the season. However, he could also be useful for the Penguins to have around as an extra defenseman as well due to his experience.
Overall, there would be zero risk in the Penguins bringing in Hutton a PTO. If they did and felt like the fit wasn't there, they simply could release him from his PTO without signing him to a contract.
In 55 games last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Hutton posted six goals, nine assists, 15 points, and a plus-2 rating. He also played in seven playoff games for Vegas this past fall, posting one assist and a plus-1 rating.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried pitches in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. (Robert Sabo for NY Post)
“Definitely a grind,” Fried said, having tossed five innings of one-run ball, with Weston Wilson’s home run the only blemish on his record. “Didn’t feel like I necessarily had my best stuff and was a little erratic. Relied on [catcher] Ali [Sánchez] and defense. We had some nice defensive plays today.”
Fried required 88 pitches to get through his five innings of work and, mostly, pitched to contact. After getting Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez looking to start the game, Fried struck out just two Mariners.
The Yankees’ infield defense, though, was excellent behind him, and the Mariners hit all of six balls hard against him, according to Statcast.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Yankee Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
George Lombard Jr. started one double play, made a clean turn at second on another and made a charging play on Brandon Donovan’s second-inning ground ball that Jazz Chisholm Jr. was caught waiting on.
A 2-2 cutter that hung in the middle of the zone for Wilson was the only real mistake of Fried’s day, and even that cleared the left field wall at Yankee Stadium by all of one row.
“Definitely wish I had that two-strike back to Wilson,” Fried said. “But all in all, grinded. Definitely a hard-fought game today.”
To the extent you could call anything a problem, it was that Fried threw more pitches than necessary, perhaps costing himself a chance to go deeper into the game.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried pitches in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“I think probably a couple of those innings, he had a chance to have a quick inning and they maybe worked their way on or worked foul balls and things like that, longer counts,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it made for a longer day out there for him in some put-away situations.
“I thought [his] stuff again was really good. Got a couple of double play balls that helped him.”
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Indeed, if this qualifies as underwhelming, the Yankees will qualify as happy with the bigger-picture outlook from their ace. Thursday was Fried’s third straight start — and fourth in five — of allowing one run or fewer.
“Sign me up for one run, getting us into the middle of the game,” Boone said. “We just weren’t able to do much offensively. But I thought he threw the ball pretty well overall.”
BOWIE, MD - JULY 04: Turner Hill #7 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels runs to third base during the game between the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Chesapeake Baysox at Prince George's Stadium on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Bowie, Maryland. (Photo by Thomas Takele/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
I was unable to get to a Minor League Baseball roundup yesterday, so we’re doing a midweek two-day special! Here’s everything that happened with the San Francisco Giants Minor League affiliates on Tuesday and Wednesday.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The most exciting news is that AAA Sacramento outfielder Turner Hill has been called up! He’ll join the Giants on Friday, which is awesome.
Sacramento is getting emergency help from a pair of A-Ballers, High-A Eugene’s Jose Ramos and Low-A San Jose’s Dario Reynoso. That probably means that Parks Harber is headed to the outfield with Hill leaving town. But the River Cats should have plenty of infielders in the coming days, as they just claimed Shay Whitcomb off of waivers, while Marcelo Mayer is set to begin a rehab assignment.
AA Richmond released RHP Brad Deppermann.
And in encouraging news, Baseball America released their latest farm system rankings, and the Giants are No. 4!
AAA Sacramento (65-48)
Tuesday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 9-2 [box score] Wednesday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators 7-3 [box score]
Well, a pair of typical Pacific Coast League games here: some inspiring hitting performances, but not a lot to love on the pitching front.
As far as the hitting goes, it’s hard to ignore just how red hot right fielder/center fielder Turner Hill is. It was another sensational set of games for the 27-year old undrafted lefty, who hit 2-4 in both games, and collected a home run and a double on Tuesday.
That pushed Hill’s hitting streak to a whopping 26 games. 26! And it’s not like he’s collecting a hit a night, either … he’s averaging nearly 2 knocks a game during the streak, as he’s gone an unfathomable 48-108 with 16 extra-base hits, 9 walks, and just 9 strikeouts in that time. There’s hot, and then there’s whatever the hell this is…
Most notably, however, was that Hill left Wednesday’s game late after being subbed out for a pinch-runner. That paved the way for today’s news: he’s getting called up! Hard to argue with that, given his .950 OPS and his 148 wRC+ in Sacramento this year.
Speaking of speedy and defensively talented outfielders who could end the year in San Francisco, Jonah Cox had another solid pair of games, hitting 2-7 with a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. He’s been red hot since making his AAA debut which, critically, came after his MLB debut. Through 11 games with the River Cats, he’s 22-47 with 6 extra-base hits, 5 walks, and 7 stolen bases. Absolutely splendid!
Those weren’t the only good offensive performances from outfielders, either. Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had a tough Tuesday, going 0-3 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout, but responded on Wednesday with his best day since joining Sacramento, as he hit 2-5 and smashed not just a double, but his 1st AAA home run, giving him an even 20 dingers on the year.
Davidson’s numbers are still lagging in AAA — he has a .209 average, a .584 OPS, and a 59 wRC+ — but his at-bats are getting so much better. It certainly looks like he’s adjusting well, which is all you want to see in AAA.
Left fielder/center fielder Scott Bandura had a similar weekend, as he hit 0-4 with a strikeout on Tuesday, but on Wednesday went 2-4 with a home run and a walk. Bandura’s home run was quite memorable, as he hit it off of former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. That’s one to remember!
Bandura has adapted to AAA excellently. Despite a very slow start after an early season promotion, the 2023 7th-rounder is all the way up to an .828 OPS and a 117 wRC+.
Rounding out the homer party was second baseman/left fielder Thomas Gavello, who hit 1-3 with a solo blast and a hit by pitch. The 2022 13th-rounder has a .648 OPS and a 74 wRC+ on the year.
LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) had a tough start on Tuesday, as he survived just 2.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs, while striking out 3. On the exciting front, Whitman has returned to Sacramento’s rotation after a brief and odd stint in the bullpen. On the unfortunate front, he’s still pitching a reliever’s number of innings because of how hard he’s been hit in his 2 starts since returning to the rotation.
LHP Seth Lonsway had a much better start on Wednesday, though it wasn’t particularly good. Lonsway did a good job limiting runs, as he only gave up 2 in 6 innings … despite allowing 2 home runs, 6 hits total, 3 walks, and a hit batter, with just 2 strikeouts. Not a very sustainable way to do it, but hey, whatever works!
Whitman has a 5.36 ERA and a 5.96 FIP with Sacramento, while Lonsway has a 5.78 ERA and a 6.60 FIP.
RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) began a rehab assignment and it did not go well. Pitching for the first time in 2.5 months, Peguero faced 3 batters and walked them all, while throwing just 3 of his 15 pitches for strikes. That ended up being an ERA buster as well, after RHP Wilkin Ramos allowed all 3 inherited runners to score.
RHP Ryan Walker had a nice outing though, pitching 2 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts. Walker has been strong in AAA this year, with a 1.88 ERA … but just a 4.15 FIP, and only 7.9 strikeouts per 9 innings.
AA Richmond (64-45)
Tuesday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 4-2 [box score] Wednesday Game 1: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 6-2 (7 innings) [box score] Wednesday Game 2: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 7-6 (11 innings) [box score]
Quite a way to end Wednesday’s doubleheader, as the scheduled 7-inning game went 11 innings after each team scored exactly once in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings.
That excitement aside (and a shoutout to RHP Mitch White for being the pitcher who finally stranded a Manfred Man), it was a pretty uninteresting trio of games for the Squirrels. LHP Greg Farone and RHP Trystan Vrieling had similar starts, in which they had nice strikeout-to-walk ratios, but struggled with hits and runs. Farone went on Tuesday and went 6 innings deep, with just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. But 2 of those 5 hits were home runs, as he got tagged for 4 runs, though only 2 earned runs. Vrieling went 5 innings, with a sterling 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio … but gave up 9 hits and 6 runs.
Farone, a 7th-round pick in 2024, hasn’t had a good 2nd season, with a 5.60 ERA and a 5.64 FIP. But lately he’s really improved the strikeouts and walks: after having 58 strikeouts to 36 walks through his 1st 15 starts, the 24-year old has 33 strikeouts against just 7 walks in his last 6 outings. Great improvement to see!
Vrieling, a 3rd-round pick in 2023 by the Yankees, is also having a tough year, with a 4.34 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. He’s also been better with the strikeouts and walks lately.
A pair of really nice relief outings, from RHPs Marques Johnson and Tyler Vogel. Johnson struck out 4 batters in 2 shutout innings, with just a hit allowed, while Vogel pitched a perfect frame with 2 strikeouts. Both players are having slightly disappointing seasons, and surely had visions of being in AAA right now (Johnson was recently sent back down to AA after a stint in Sacramento, while Vogel has been with Richmond all season). But each player has a lot to love about the pitches they throw.
Very mild-mannered offense. Center fielder Trevor Cohen was brilliant on Tuesday, hitting 4-5 with 2 stolen bases, a caught stealing, and a strikeout. The doubleheader was less kind to last year’s 3rd-round pick, as he went 0-7 with a walk and a stolen base. It’s been an exciting AA stint for the 22-year old lefty from Rutgers, who has a .791 OPS and a 110 wRC+ through 24 games, with 12 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
Just 1 home run over the 3 games, courtesy of catcher Ty Hanchey, who caught the 1st game of the doubleheader and the 2nd part of Game 2, after replacing Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL). I would assume that meant Villarroel suffered an injury of sorts, but he’s in today’s lineup, so that’s a good thing.
Hanchey hit 2-4 with a 3-run blast and a hit by pitch, raising the UDFA’s OPS to .764 and his wRC+ to 105. Not only that, but the home run came with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 9th, and tied the game! A solid season for the 26-year old.
Tuesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-4 [box score] Wednesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-3 [box score]
A pair of the best pitching prospects in the system started these games, and the results were fairly similar: extremely exciting and encouraging performances, though not the greatest overall results.
On Tuesday it was RHP Ramon Marquez, who made his organizational debut. Marquez, a 20-year old who was the headline piece to come back in the Luis Arráez trade, has been in the midst of an outrageous breakout campaign. The Giants got their first glimpse of that on Tuesday, when he struck out 8 batters in just 4 innings of work. That’s quite on brand for Marquez, who has a stunning 101 strikeouts in 63 innings this year, between both A-ball levels. There is extreme electricity in that arm!!
The rest of Marquez’s performance wasn’t as strong, however. He only gave up 3 hits, but that included a home run and a double. He only walked 1 batter, but he hit 2. The end result was 4 earned runs on his ledge, in as many innings. But certainly a reminder that ERA is far from the only thing that matters … that was a rock star performance in so many ways.
On Wednesday it was LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL), who was similarly awesome, striking out 6 batters in 5.1 innings, while allowing just 4 baserunners. But, as was the case with Marquez, those baserunners did some damage: Bresnahan only ceded 3 hits and 1 walk, but 2 of the 3 hits cleared the fence.
That’s been an issue for the recently-turned 21-year old, who also came to the Giants in a trade (the Alex Cobb deal of 2024). In 88 innings this year, Bresnahan has struck out 104 batters, while allowing only 56 hits … but 10 of those 56 hits have left the park. That’s given the 2023 13th-rounder a 4.08 FIP, despite a glistening 2.76 ERA. This is certainly a case of the ERA looking a lot more important, and not just because it’s so much better.
RHP Hunter Dryden pitched well while piggybacking after Marquez. He gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 unearned run, while striking out 3. It’s been a tough year for the 2024 17th-rounder, who has a 4.75 ERA and a 5.39 FIP. But he’s been so much better lately: in his last 3 games, the D3 Whitworth product has pitched 15 innings and allowed just 10 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run, while striking out 15. Here’s hoping he keeps that up for the rest of the year!
RHP Marty Gair, a flamethrower who also came over in the Arráez deal, made his 2nd appearance with the Emeralds, and his 4th total appearance in High-A. He allowed a hit, a walk, and a run, with a strikeout in an inning of work.
On the hitting front, the organization’s top home run hitter was at it once again, as center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) went 3-7 with a 2-run blast, a walk, 3 strikeouts, and an error. Diaz, whose 22 home runs are tops on the farm, has taken his already solid game to a whole new level over the summer. Since the start of July, the just-turned 21-year old righty has hit 47-138 with 12 home runs and 21 total extra-base hits. In July he posted a stunning line of .327/.340/.635, and he’s one-upped himself in August, as he sits at .382/.432/.794. Outrageous! His OPS is up all the way to .836 on the year, though his wRC+ is “just” 113 due to a lowly 3.5% walk rate.
💥22 And Counting💥
Lisbel Diaz launched his team-leading 19th home run with the Ems last night, bringing his season total to 22!
Diaz has become the first Giants prospect to reach the 20-HR mark this season👏👏
Just an awesome year for Diaz, who will likely find himself in AA before the year ends. But because he’s still in High-A, we’re at least getting to see him play center field on a daily basis, which is fun.
Also homering was right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL), last year’s 7th-round selection. Maldonado went 3-7 with a 2-run shot, a walk, a strikeout, and an outfield assist, and has looked so comfortable since getting promoted. Through 4 games with the Emeralds, the righty is 5-14 with 2 homers, 2 walks, and just 3 strikeouts. He’s certainly making the promotion look like the right move!
No one else stood out on offense. Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who has been brilliant with his promotion, had a quiet pair of games, hitting 1-7- with 2 walks. Third baseman Walker Martin had a difficult time, going 1-8 with 4 strikeouts, a stolen base, and 2 errors. Level, a 19-year old switch-hitter, has an .836 OPS and a 120 wRC+; Martin, a 22-year old lefty, has a .725 OPS and a 90 wRC+.
Low-A San Jose (60-50)
Tuesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 7-2 [box score] Wednesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 5-4 [box score]
We’ve become accustomed to players with the last name “González” dominating for San Jose, but what about “Gonzalez”? That was the case on Tuesday, when designated hitter Fernando Gonzalez carried the offense, when he hit 2-3 with a home run and a walk, accounting for 50% of their hits and 100% of their extra-base hits.
No more no-no. Fernando Gonzalez gets the Giants on the board in the hit and run column with one swing of the bat! pic.twitter.com/KSQ8lgd9AJ
It was a rare show of power for Gonzalez, who caught and went 0-4 on Wednesday. The 24-year old, who was taken in the final round of the 2024 draft, has strong contact skills and a good eye, but doesn’t hit for a lot of power. He has a minuscule 7.2% strikeout rate on the year, between the ACL and Low-A, and an 11.2% walk rate. But this was just his 9th extra-base hit in 152 plate appearances. He has a .719 OPS and a 90 wRC+ with San Jose on the year.
The more highly regarded player of that last name didn’t do much, however, as Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and a caught stealing on Tuesday, and didn’t play on Wednesday. Interestingly, González played second base in that game despite Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) not playing. I would assume that’s a nothing burger, and just the teaming wanting to get reps at shortstop for Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who went from 1st to 3rd on the depth chart with the arrival of those teen phenoms. Hernández played on Wednesday, at shortstop, and went 1-5 with a strikeout and an error.
Right fielder Tanner Mally, the team’s 17th-round pick last month who is the only one of their 2026 draftees currently playing, continues to fit right in. The 21-year old righty went 2-7 with a triple, a walk, and 2 strikeouts, and has now hit safely in 5 straight games to start his career. He’s 8-19 with 2 triples, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts so far.
RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) started on Wednesday and had his best game since returning from injury. Cayama got hit a little too much, as he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings, which tagged him for 3 runs. But his nearly unparalleled combination of electricity and control was on display once more, as he needed just 66 pitches to get through those 5 innings, with 47 of them being strikes, and recorded 6 strikeouts without walking any hitters. That’s the Argenis we know and love! The 19-year old only has a 4.63 ERA and a 4.30 FIP, but has 57 strikeouts to 13 walks in 46.2 San Jose innings. I’m very much looking forward to how he performs in Eugene next year.
Things went less well for Tuesday’s starter, RHP Trey Seeley, as he gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs in 3.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts. It’s been a tough debut season for last year’s 13th-rounder, who has an 8.46 ERA and a 9.30 FIP with San Jose.
RHP Chen-Hsun Lee continues to look comfortable in San Jose, as he threw 2 no-hit innings, albeit with 2 walks and 2 unearned runs, the result of his own error. Lee, who struck out 3 batters, maintained his 0.00 ERA in San Jose, though he has a 4.39 FIP. He’s walking too many hitters, but has only allowed 6 hits in 12 innings with the Baby Giants.
RHP R.J. Dabovich made his 2nd rehab appearance and pitched a scoreless inning, with a hit and a strikeout.
Dominican Summer League Black (33-18)
Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Orange 9-1 (8 innings) [box score]
This was a scheduled 9-inning game that was called right as the 8th inning got underway due to rain.
A few nice performances, but none better than the fantastic game that designated hitter Franco Willias had, as he continues his superb season. The 21-year old hit 3-4 with a double, a walk, and 2 stolen bases, which pushed his hitting streak to 16 games. It was also his 3rd straight game with 3 hits. During that 16-game hitting streak, the righty is 33-64 with 11 extra-base hits, and 8 walks. Willias has been one of the very best players in the DSL this year, and has a stunning 1.106 OPS and a 170 wRC+, with 31 stolen bases. It’s his 3rd year in the DSL, and it’s certainly going to be his last.
Right fielder Rainer Espinoza hit just 1-4 with 3 strikeouts, but his 1 hit was a home run, his 1st of the year. It’s been a very tough and disappointing 2nd season for the 17-year old, who has been limited to just 8 games, while having only a .387 OPS and a -15 wRC+, a year after a delightful debut as a 16-year old, when he posted a .760 OPS and a 117 wRC+.
Nice performance from the catcher spot: Diego Alambarrio started and hit a perfect 3-3 before giving way to Luis Padron, who doubled in his only at-bat. Alambarrio, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, has an .828 OPS and a 112 wRC+; Padron, a 16-year old in his debut campaign, has an .864 OPS and a 103 wRC+.
RHP Santiago Guerrero, a 19-year old in his 1st season, had a decent start, throwing 4 innings and allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts. Guerrero has a 3.34 ERA, albeit with a 6.01 FIP due to a huge number of walks. Another debuting player, LHP Moises Soto, pitched well. Soto, a 17-year old, pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and 2 strikeouts. He’s only allowed 2 hits and 1 run through 6 innings in his 1st season.
Home run tracker
22 — Lisbel Diaz — [19 in High-A; 3 in Low-A] 20 — Bo Davidson — [1 in AAA; 19 in AA] 16 — Cam Maldonado — [2 in High-A; 14 in Low-A] 10 — Scott Bandura — [7 in AAA; 3 in AA] 9 — Turner Hill — [AAA] 7 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA] 6 — Ty Hanchey — [4 in AA; 2 in High-A] 3 — Fernando Gonzalez — [2 in Low-A; 1 in ACL] 1 — Rainer Espinoza — [DSL]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD) Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Yunior Marte) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT at Hillsboro (SP: Henry LaLane) San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Fresno (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV.
Modest but sensible-looking recruitment befits the club’s new air of stability but a continuation of their spring slump could test David Moyes’s appetite for the fight
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
The Los Angeles Kings are entering a new era, and Peter Laviolette knows there is no simple way to replace Anze Kopitar.
Kopitar was more than the Kings' captain. For nearly two decades, he was the standard by which the organization measured itself — a franchise player, a leader and the steady presence at the center of everything Los Angeles accomplished.
Now he's gone.
And while the Kings cannot simply replace everything Kopitar brought to the organization with one player, Laviolette believes the answer may come from somewhere else: the players already in the room.
That means the Kings' next step won't simply be about adding talent. It will be about finding the players capable of taking on bigger responsibilities and understanding that their careers still have another level to reach.
"There's always more," Laviolette said recently in a sit-down with LA Kings Insider.
That mindset could become critical for Los Angeles.
With Kopitar's retirement, a massive leadership void has opened inside the Kings' dressing room.
Laviolette understands the challenge.
"This group's got to find a way to move forward," he said. "We've got to find the leadership. We've got to find the success that he helped drive this organization to find."
That doesn't necessarily mean one player has to suddenly become Kopitar.
Instead, Laviolette appears to be looking for leadership to emerge collectively as a group.
And there are plenty of candidates.
Players such as Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere aren't rookies anymore. They've accumulated NHL experience and, in Byfield's case, already have several seasons under their belts.
But Laviolette isn't ready to stop calling them young.
That's important.
Because the Kings' new coach doesn't appear interested in allowing experience to become an excuse for settling into a player's current level.
That's perhaps the most intriguing part of Laviolette's message.
A player can have hundreds of NHL games under his belt and still have another level to reach.
"I think it's important that they realize that, too, that experience doesn't necessarily mean that you've reached the top of what you can do," Laviolette said. "There's always more."
For a Kings team trying to establish itself beyond the Kopitar era, that philosophy could be particularly important.
Byfield, for example, is entering a crucial stage of his development. He has already played enough NHL hockey that the "young player" label can feel somewhat outdated, but he's still only beginning to approach what the Kings believe he can become.
Laferriere is in a similar position.
These aren't players being asked to learn how to survive in the NHL anymore.
They're being asked to figure out how to drive winning.
And with Kopitar no longer there to carry part of that responsibility, the opportunity is sitting directly in front of them.
"As a guy like Anze moves off and into retirement, a door's open for others to try and step up, whoever that might be," Laviolette said.
That last part may be the most revealing.
Whoever that might be.
Laviolette is leaving the door open. If this is any indication on what the future of the team may look like, the captaincy must be earned.
The leadership transition isn't the only thing Laviolette believes can move the Kings forward.
He also wants a different kind of relationship between the coaching staff and the players.
Laviolette described the modern NHL locker room as much more collaborative than the one he entered when he began coaching.
"There used to be a day when I started, where there was just one voice," he said. "Now it is about... back and forth."
That doesn't mean the coach gives up control.
Laviolette was clear that everyone still has a job to do.
But he believes successful teams require communication between the people making decisions and the players living with those decisions every night.
"If there's no belief in it... you're beating your head against the wall trying to get something done," Laviolette said.
That's a significant philosophy for a team entering a transition.
The Kings aren't simply replacing one player. They're trying to establish a new identity.
And Laviolette appears to believe that identity has to be built with the players rather than simply handed down to them.
There will inevitably be questions about what Los Angeles does externally.
But Laviolette's comments suggest that he sees an equally important opportunity internally.
The Kings have players who have been around long enough to understand the league.
Now they have to take the next step.
Kopitar's retirement creates an obvious void, but it also creates an opportunity for Byfield, Laferriere and the rest of Los Angeles' young core to redefine themselves.
The Kings don't need someone to become the next Anze Kopitar.
They need players to become more than they have been before.
And if Laviolette can get that out of them, Los Angeles may discover that the path forward was sitting in its locker room all along.
We suggested a replacement back in late June, and given his accomplishments, longevity and connection to the organization, it should be an obvious consideration.
Drew Doughty has been with the Kings for his entire career and is entering his 19th professional season. More importantly, he was alongside Anze Kopitar for both of Los Angeles' Stanley Cup championships. If the Kings are looking for someone who understands what it takes to lead this franchise, Doughty has already been there for it all.
