PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 24: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 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. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Sixers are moving on to the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs!
There should be plenty of time for the fanbase to bask in the glory of this comeback and true signature playoff moment for Joel Embiid. There won’t be much rest for the weary, though. Their next opponent in round two will be the New York Knicks, and the first game will be Monday, May 4, at 8 p.m. at MSG.
The TV networks seem to be spinning on a wheel again as Game 1 will be on NBC and Peacock. Game 2, also in New York, will be on ESPN, and that one’s at 7 p.m. on Wednesday May 6. Game 3 will be on Prime Video as the series shifts back to Philadelphia — that one will be on Friday May 8, also at 7 p.m. Game 4 will be a Sunday matinee and another chance for the Sixers to ruin Mother’s Day as that one will be at 3:30 p.m. on ABC on the 10th.
If a Game 5 is necessary, that will be on the 12th, Game 6 the 14th. A potential Game 7 would be the first time these teams would have more than a day of rest as that would take place on May 17. TV networks are not assigned to games until they are sure to be happening.
Eastern Conference Semifinals schedule: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/q1UMwKeGDu
So with such a quick turnaround, the Sixers will hope Joel Embiid’s knee didn’t get too banged up from the collision he had with Tyrese Maxey in Game 7 against the Celtics. It will take the Sixers’ best to pull off another upset against an Atlantic Division rival.
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 24: Jrue Holiday #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2026 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Jake Fischer, the Blazers will “field plenty of external trade interest in (Jrue) Holiday in coming weeks and months.”
There’s quite a bit of detail in here on Atlanta, Houston and Washington, but the item you’re going to see aggregated — and want to read more about — is the belief that Portland, sources say, wants to get back into this summer’s Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Fischer also writes that Holiday hopes it doesn’t happen and wants to be a part of something and build.
Too bad.
Holiday might be the perfect addition for this Utah Jazz team, and if they want to make a bid for him, they should. Utah will need more ballhandling and defense, and Holiday would provide both. That said, Holiday is 35 years old and also has two years left on his contract ($34.8M for the next two seasons).
Would Utah be willing to make a trade happen? It might be difficult. Utah has a few big contracts to send, but they don’t make sense. The only ones close are Markkanen and Jackson’s contracts, and they’re obviously not going to do that. So the question is: is there a sign-and-trade that makes sense? Outside of that, it probably can’t happen. But it is worth considering moves like this going forward for the Jazz. Now that they are in win-now mode, there’s no reason they shouldn’t look at moves that could help them fill gaps in their roster. Maybe Jrue Holiday could be one of those additions at some point.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 21: Kaleb Wing #51 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Arizona Complex League, a.k.a. Rookie Ball, started this afternoon. I normally don’t do a full recap of the ACL Cubs. Instead, I just give a link to the box score and comment if anything extraordinary happened today. I also don’t wait for the ACL Cubs to finish before I hit “publish” on the nightly wraps. I’d rather get the recaps to you before you go to bed at night than wait for a West Coast rookie ball team to finish up. Today was a day game so that was not a problem, but once summer rolls around and things get scorching hot in Arizona, the games will almost all start near sundown.
Last night shortstop Ty Southisene scored the winning run for Myrtle Beach in the bottom of the ninth. That’s the last thing he’s going to do for the Pelicans because he was promoted to High-A South Bend.
So the Saints scored in every inning but the sixth. Doug Nikhazy’s I-Cubs debut was one he’d like to forget as he got clobbered for eight runs on six hits over 2.2 innings. Nikhazy walked three and struck out four.
Close to all of the I-Cubs offense came from right fielder Kevin Alcántara. Alcántara singled and scored in the second inning on a double by DH BJ Murray. Then in the seventh inning, Alcántara hit his league-leading 11th home run of the year.
Alcántara went 3 for 4 with the home run and he scored both of Iowa’s runs.
Murray was 2 for 3 with the double and a walk.
Center fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with two walks.
Starter Tyler Schlaffer pitched 4.1 innings and surrendered two runs, one earned, on three hits. Schlaffer did walk four while striking out three.
Schlaffer was relieved by Jace Beck who allowed one inherited runner to score and five more of his own. Beck’s final numbers were five runs on seven hits over 1.2 innings. Beck walked one and struck out two.
Left fielder Andy Garriola homered twice tonight: a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth. Garriola leads the Smokies with seven home runs. Tonight he finished going 2 for 3 with walk and the two home runs.
Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Rojas scored on Garriola’s first home run.
Kevin Valdez started and allowed four runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Ethan Flanagan took over in the fifth inning and gave up just one run on four hits over the next four innings. Flanagan struck out four and walked one.
JP Wheat was called upon to get the save in the top of the ninth and in typical wild JP Wheat fashion, he took the loss after allowing two runs on no hits and four walks. Wheat also uncorked two wild pitches. He struck out one in the one inning of work.
Second baseman Drew Bowser tied the game up 5-5 with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Bowser went 1 for 2 with two walks and a hit batsman.
First baseman Cole Mathis was 1 for 3 with a triple and two walks. One of the two walks came with the bases loaded for one run batted in. He scored twice.
Dominick Reid turned in a decent start, going five innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. He did walk four batters while striking out six.
Hayden Frank tossed the final four innings, gave up his first two runs of season and took the loss. Frank allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out two.
Catcher Logan Poteet was 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Left fielder Jose Escobar went 1 for 4 with a two-run single in the first.
Kaleb Wing, the Cubs’ fourth-round pick last year, made his professional debut in this game and allowed one run on two hits over four innings. He struck out six and walked no one. Something tells me he’ll be in Myrtle Beach soon.
Second baseman Juan Cabada, a top 20 prospect in most Cubs prospect lists, went 3 for 5 with a triple, a run sored and three RBI in his stateside debut.
Mitchell Robinson (23) participates in a scuffle during the Knicks' April 30 win.
Mike Brown is bringing a second pair of glasses to the second round.
It wasn’t until the Knicks coach fell to the floor of State Farm Arena and veered toward Jeff Van Gundy-like infamy — while attempting to prevent Mitchell Robinson from fighting Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels in Game 6 — that Brown’s priority shifted.
“I had a lot of the right thoughts going in when I got in the middle of it [and] they all went out the window,” Brown said Saturday. “The only thing I could think of is that I had one pair of glasses … I’m blind as a bat … Once I went down, my glasses came off my head. I didn’t care about anything else. It was to get my glasses and protect them.
“It helped me because now I will carry a second pair of glasses.”
The incident was also a reminder that there is no replacement for Robinson, who was ejected in the second quarter and likely would have faced a suspension in the second round if coaches and teammates didn’t stop the 7-footer from his heated and desperate attempt to get Daniels.
Mitchell Robinson participates in a scuffle during the Knicks’ Game 6 win over the Hawks on April 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Robinson, who also received a technical foul in Game 2 after walking over Daniels, was fined $50,000 for the altercation that nearly spilled into the crowd, with the league factoring in the Knicks center’s “inappropriate post on social media” following the scuffle.
Before the game, Robinson — who hasn’t been available to the media since the incident — wrote, “My mental just not the same. I’m just lost in the world at the moment.”
Previously, he posted, “Trying so hard to be calm.”
The challenge will be even greater for the 28-year-old in a second-round matchup against the 76ers and Joel Embiid, the former MVP who embraces the animosity he inspires at Madison Square Garden and infamously committed a dirty foul on Robinson during the 2024 playoffs.
“The playoffs are a lot more physical than the regular season,” Brown said. “Stuff happens. Everybody is human … [But] it’s extremely important in that situation to not have anything result in a future suspension or anything like that.”
Mitchell Robinson dunks the ball during the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Hawks on April 28. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
The first-round series was another showcase of Robinson’s strengths and limitations.
The longest-tenured Knick averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 16-for-18 on field goals and posting a plus-30 rating in less than 14 minutes per game, but Robinson also spent much of the series on the bench after failing to make Atlanta pay for its Hack-a-Mitch strategy — he was 5-for-13 on free throws — and having inconsistent success alongside Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson remains an intimidating defensive presence and alley-oop threat, who led the league in rebounding percentage, but also ranked last in free-throw percentage (40.8).
He is the wild card — who wrote “Standing on Business” on his ankle tape before Game 2 against the Hawks — capable of swinging a series or taking a swing.
“What he does on the court, obviously I know he impacts winning, and he does a lot of things that sometimes don’t end up on the stat sheet but makes us come out with a ‘W,’” Towns said. “Mitch is very vital for our locker room, for our team, and we’re always gonna support him. We’re always gonna stand behind him when he wants to, I guess, quote unquote ‘Stand on business.’”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 02: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers defends Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two hours before tipoff, Boston learned they’d be without Jayson Tatum. Two and a half hours after tipoff, the Celtics traded punches with the 76ers all game and whittled 18-point deficit to 1 with two minutes left, but fell 109-100 in Game 7 to end their season.
In an effort to shift the energy, head coach Joe Mazzulla shook up the starting lineup with Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman, and Luka Garza joining Derrick White and Jaylen Brown for the clincher.
It wasn’t enough and Boston suffered the same fate they have in the back half of the series after going up 3-1.
In losses in Game 5 and 6, the Celtics did not win the possession battle, an edge they took an advantage of throughout their regular season campaign. Whether it was winning the turnover, offensive rebounding, or three-point differential, Boston was frequently on the plus side of those ledgers and finished a surprising 56-26.
Mazzulla tried everything, including inserting Hugo Gonzalez in the rotation, benching Nikola Vucevic, going small, and going zone. Unfortunately, it was a third straight game losing in the margins. While Boston did limit their turnovers to just five, Philly was just the better offensive team.
Tyrese Maxey (30 points), VJ Edgecombe (23 points), and Paul George (13 points) finished a combined 10-of-20 from behind the arc. Brown, White, Pritchard, and Sam Hauser buoyed Boston’s efforts hitting 13-of-38, but the Celtics again finished under 30% from 3 for the third straight game, include missed threes from all four in the final two minutes.
Joel Embiid was simply a force, finishing Game 7 with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 rebounds. Brown battled him in a war of words in the fourth quarter and led the Celtics in scoring with 33 points.
The Celtics will now enter the summer with available options to get better. After finishing second in the Eastern Conference in what many expected to be a gap year, they trimmed salary to avoid the luxury tax, opened up access to exceptions, and welcomed back Jayson Tatum to an earlier-than-expected return. They’ve got the 27th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and #40 in the second round. So, while an early exit is disappointing after such a promising year, Boston’s future remains bright under Mazzulla’s management and Brown and Tatum’s leadership.
The Knicks will face the 76ers in the second round of the playoffs.
BOSTON — Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics 109-100 on Saturday night to complete the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
VJ Edgecombe scored 23 points and Paul George had 13.
Joel Embiid drives to the basket during the 76ers’ 109-100 Game 7 series-clinching win over the Celitcs on May 2, 2026 in Boston Imagn Images
Philadelphia, the No. 7 seed, will visit No. 3 Knicks on Monday night at the Garden in Game 1 of the second round.
The Sixers franchise, including its time as Syracuse Nationals, improved to 2-10 in road Game 7s. Its only other win came in 1982 at the Boston Garden. It’s a small measure of revenge after Boston blew out Philadelphia in Game 7 in the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
“We had a chance to beat them three years ago, didn’t do it. We came in and got it done,” Maxey said.
Embiid, who debuted in Game 4 after recovering from appendectomy surgery, is the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series despite missing the first three games.
He and Maxey also became the third duo in league history to each have 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a Game 7.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and nine rebounds.
Derrick White had 26 points, including five 3-pointers. Neemias Queta finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson celebrates after the Knicks’ Game 6 series-clinching win over the Hawks on April 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg
The Celtics struggled from the 3-point line for the third straight game, finishing 13 of 49.
Brown said Embiid changed tenor of the series.
“He put a lot of pressure on us,” Brown said. “We didn’t really have the answers for him.”
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla shrugged off any notion that his team was too dependent on 3s in the series.
Jaylen Brown attempts a shot during the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to 76ers on May 2, 2026. Anadolu via Getty Images
“I love the looks that we got. I love the process that we had.. But I hate the result,” Mazzulla said.
The second-seeded Celtics made their earliest exit from the playoffs since the 2020-21 season. Boston fell to 32-1 when leading a series 3-1.
The Celtics played without Tatum after he was ruled out about 90 minutes before tipoff with left knee stiffness. Brown said he didn’t find out until about 45 minutes before the game.
“Nobody told me anything. But my mindset was the same,” Brown said.
Philadelphia led for all but 31 seconds in the game, increasing a five-point halftime edge to 18 points in the third quarter. It was down to 13 at the start of the fourth and Boston opened the period on a 16-4 run to pull within 92-91.
The 76ers were leading 101-98 when Maxey got free for a layup with 1:15 remaining. Boston missed its next four shots and Philadelphia pushed it to 105-98 on a pair of free throws by Maxey.
Mazzulla said Tatum came to the team facility Saturday with knee discomfort, and the medical team decided for him not to play.
Tatum briefly left Game 6 in the third quarter for unspecified treatment to his left calf. Mazzulla downplayed the significance, saying initially Tatum would play in Game 7.
With Tatum out, Mazzulla made radical changes to the starting lineup, opting to start Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. alongside Brown and White.
It was the first time that group started together this season and the Celtics quickly fell into a 9-0 hole. Philadelphia led by 15 in the first quarter and 32-19 when it ended.
Unlike in their losses in Games 5 and 6, the Celtics weren’t as quick to fire up 3s, instead opting to attack the interior of Philadelphia’s defense to get easier looks.
Boston started the second on an 18-4 run to take its first lead of the night, 37-36, on a 3-pointer by Payton Pritchard. The 76ers led 55-50 at halftime.
The Knicks are officially headed to their first NBA Finals since 1999.
Now they'll be looking to secure the third-ever title in franchise history, and the first since 1973.
New York will play the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games with a 111-103 win on Saturday. The matchup is a rematch of the NBA Cup this season in which the Knicks beat the Spurs, 124-113, as well as a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals where San Antonio won in five games.
Here are the full dates and times for the series...
Apr 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to guard James Harden (1) against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of chances to end this series in Game 6 on Friday night. They didn’t come out with the effort they needed, the late-game offense was bad, and a costly turnover with the shot clock off cost them a chance to put the game away at the line.
They need to put all of those blunders behind them. Their season, and maybe this era of Cleveland basketball, comes down to just one game. Game 7 on Sunday evening against the Toronto Raptors.
This group, led by Donovan Mitchell, has only played in one other Game 7. That was back in 2024 when they defeated the Orlando Magic. Back then, they also had an ugly Game 6 loss where Cleveland failed to win a single game on the road that series. The Cavs are hoping history repeats itself on Sunday.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
Arizona Diamondbacks' #06 Ildemaro Vargas celebrates after hitting a home run during the MLB World Tour Mexico City Series game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium in Mexico City on April 26, 2026. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
And, so, it ends. By going 0-for-4 today, Vargas’s streak ended at 27 games. That’s still the second longest in franchise history. You have to go all the way back to the early stages of the franchise’s sophomore season in 1999, to find the only bigger streak. Club legend Luis Gonzalez reached 30 games between April 11 and May 18 that year. But, as we’ll see, there are grounds for thinking Ildemaro’s may be more impressive, given the offensive environment of the time. It’s been a while since any D-back has come close to approaching Gonzo. Over the past twenty years, just three reached 20 games: Paul Goldschmidt (26 in 2013-14), Ketel Marte (21 in 2024) and Vargas. Here’s the top dozen.
What’s most impressive is, nobody saw this coming. Of all the people potentially to challenge the record in 2026, he was likely among the longest odds. Corbin Carroll? Sure. Ketel Marte? Of course, especially given his previous 21-game streak. They have a far better track record. For most of the other entries on the chart above, the players concerned were well known to be decent hitters. Even the notoriously light-hitting Tony Womack came in to the 2000 season with a .278 career average. But at the end of last year, when the streak was just three games old, Vargas was a career .249 hitter. His previous high hit streak before this? Just ten games, in 2022 when he was with Washington.
The 24-game streak at the start of the season makes it particularly impressive. That’s the longest streak to open a campaign for fifty years. Ron LeFlore of Detroit reached thirty at the beginning of 1976. Doing so also allows Vargas to get into some uncharted territory elsewhere. At the end of the streak yesterday, he was batting .404 on the season with 99 PA in the books. That’s comfortably the deepest into the season that an Arizona player has been able to post a .400 average. Here are the five previous D-backs with the most PA to reach the .400 mark (only stats at the end of the game being counted):
77 PA: Geraldo Perdomo, May 3, 2023, BA .409
67 PA: Mark Reynolds, June 1, 2007, BA .413
64 PA: Greg Colbrunn, May 25, 2000, BA .404
60 PA: Orlando Hudson, April 15, 2007, BA .411
58 PA: Pavin Smith, April 18, 2025, BA .408
Gonzalez came achingly close to smashing them all, including Vargas. On June 4th, 1999 he went 2-for-4 and raised his average for the season to .398. That was as close as he got in a meaningful size. But that .398 did come over a much longer period, covering 227 plate-appearances and 201 at-bats. On the surface, that’s much more impressive than Vargas. Except, 1999 was a very different era, as Jack reminded me on X. There are reasons hit streaks of over 25 games have become much less frequent. The overall batting average that year was .271: this year, it’s .243. Put another way, if we assume 4 AB per game, a league average batter hitting 25 games in a row was roughly five times more likely in 1999.
The actual results bear this out. We asked Baseball Reference for all the hitting streaks of 25 games within a single season during the divisional era, led by Pete Rose’s 44 games in 1979. There were 82 all told over the fifty-seven seasons from 1969-2025, so about one and a half per year. But there have only been six since the end of 2016, and none of those got past 26 games. [Vargas’s season-spanner doesn’t count, of course] In contrast, 2011 alone had four, two of which reached the thirty-game checkpoint. Things peaked, unsurprisingly, in 1999, with six 25+ streaks. Gonzo’s 30-game run was surpassed later in the year by Vlad Guerrero reaching 31.
The other unexpected bonus in this being an early-season surge, is seeing a Diamondback hitter as the #1 for the batting title. When was the last time a Diamondback was in that position? The most literal answer is boring, albeit with a surprising name. Jeff Mathis went 3-for-4 on Opening Day 2017, and that .750 batting average was tied with six others for the major-league lead after that day. But that’s also not really what we’re wondering. What about as late in the season as we are now? Then the answer is a more predictable name: Paul Goldschmidt led all of MLB in batting average on August 18, 2015. Here’s the relevant Fangraphs leaderboard.
In fact, again looking from May 1 onwards in each season, only 2015 Paul Goldschmidt and 1999 Luis Gonzalez have ever led MLB in batting average. The latest date Gonzo led was June 5, 1999 — when he was hitting .390, the day after coming one hit short of batting .400. Again, it was a very different offensive environment, let’s say. As some of you might know, we have never had a full-season batting champion. 2015 Goldy would finish 4th, while 1999 Gonzo would finish 6th. The closest we’ve ever come was 2019 Ketel Marte, who finished 3rd, and never led.
Here are the others who led after only 1 or 2 games besides Mathis: 2000 Steve Finley, 2013 Gerardo Parra, and 2014 Goldschmidt (after just the Australia series; it helps that only two teams had played!). And here are the others who led later on in April: 2001 Jay Bell (April 18-19), 2007 Orlando Hudson (April 15 and 20), and 2011 Miguel Montero (April 8-10, 13-14). All told, that’s some pretty good company for Vargas. Is it sustainable? Almost certainly not, though even after this afternoon’s ohfer, Ildemaro still has a striking 47-point lead over the current runner-up, the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.
Still, we’ll continue to enjoy it while it lasts. You can only appreciate the wonders of a game where, for more than a month an unheralded journeyman on his fifth stint with the Diamondbacks, was the best hitter in baseball.
May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) looks on after striking out against the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
The Dodgers nearly suffered their second shutout loss in as many weeks, managing to get a pair of late runs in the ninth inning but falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Saturday.
Roki Sasaki had a decent start in the first inning, getting his first two outs on eight pitches, but put two men on with two outs by walking Alex Burleson and allowing a single to Jordan Walker. A bookend strikeout of Nolan Gorman helped him get out of the inning unscathed. Sasaki needed just three pitches to get two outs in the bottom of the second, but plunked Ramón Urías on a 1-1 count before walking Victor Scott II to once again put two on with two outs. Sasaki got another bookend strikeout— this time against J.J. Wetherhold— to strand the pair.
Once the Cardinals came to bat in the bottom of the third, Sasaki got ambushed early with a pair of doubles from Iván Herrera and Burleson to give St. Louis the early lead. Walker got to an inside slider from Sasaki and drilled a line drive that snuck over the left field wall to give the Cardinals a three-run lead. It was the eighth home run that Sasaki has allowed this season— tied for fifth most this season— and the fourth allowed over his last two starts. He would follow up that inning by retiring nine hitters in a row as he completed six full innings for the first time while tossing a career-high 104 pitches.
Sasaki has continued to display dominant results over the first two innings of his starts, as he has allowed just one run in innings 1 and 2 over his six starts, but he has allowed 18 runs after the start of the third inning, resulting in a 9.72 ERA from innings 3 and beyond this season. A positive note for Sasaki is that the walks have decreased dramatically, as he has walked just three hitters over his last 11 innings.
The Dodgers on offense were left stunned by the Cardinals defense as they couldn’t get anything going against Michael McGreevy. Will Smith hit into an inning-ending double play in the first inning, and the Dodgers couldn’t come through with two men on base and less than two outs in the second. The Dodgers were able to get the leadoff man on in the third with a bunt single from Alex Freeland, but Shohei Ohtani’s line drive was snared on a diving catch by Wetherholt, doubling up Freeland at first for another double play. The Cardinals would turn another pair of double plays to end both the top of the fourth and fifth innings.
The Dodgers managed to put multiple guys on base against Ryne Stanek in the top of the seventh, including their first hit since the third inning from Teoscar Hernández, but Andy Pages struck out swinging representing the tying run to get the Cardinals out of trouble. Jojo Romero followed Stanek with a perfect eighth inning, striking out both Miguel Rojas and Ohtani.
The Dodgers put up a two-out rally against closer Riley O’Brien as Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández reached on infield singles. Max Muncy lined a ball just over a leaping Wetherhold into right field to bring home Tucker and score the first Dodger run since the sixth inning on Friday. Pages kept the rally going with a base hit to left field to bring home Hernández, putting both the tying and go-ahead runs on base in a one-run game. Dalton Rushing came in to pinch hit, but went down swinging as the Cardinals took the series from the Dodgers and rattled off their sixth consecutive win.
In what has been an utterly brutal week for an anemic Dodgers offense, the team is averaging just 2.4 runs per game this week while recording just five extra-base hits— all doubles, no home runs— over that stretch. The Dodgers have performed miserably with runners on base this week, as they are hitting just .225 with runners in scoring position while leaving a combined 40 runners on base over their last five games. The Dodgers have now dropped four of their last five games against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium dating back to last season.
The Dodgers close out their series in St. Louis on Sunday (11:15 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading down to Houston for a three-game set against the Astros. Justin Wrobleski makes his fifth start while old friend Dustin May goes for the Cardinals.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 2: Right fielder Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inningat Busch Stadium on May 2, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Le/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Excuse me while I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. No, this is real. The St. Louis Cardinals continue to prove they are more than just a timid rebuild as Michael McGreevy threw a gem and Jordan Walker’s bat continued to provide the power leading the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the overpaid Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cardinals bats would ignite starting in the 3rd inning as Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson hit back-to-back doubles giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead. They would add to that score immediately afterward as Jordan Walker powered a 372 foot shot barely over the left field wall giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Michael McGreevy appeared to be channeling his inner Greg Maddux as he kept the Dodgers on the ground tossing 6 innings allowing only 3 hits and no runs including a Sportscenter double play turned by now and future up-the-middle combo JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn. Someone find the radar gun and measure the velocity of Winn’s throw to first. 91.6 mph!That had to sting Burleson’s glove.
Ryne Stanek came in to handle the top of the 7th inning and after getting the first two outs decided to allow some drama. He gave up a single and a walk, but managed to get Pages to chase two pitches out of the zone to escape with no damage. All’s well that ends well. JoJo Romero was the designated 8th inning guy and he got the Dodgers out 1-2-3 including striking out Shohei Ohtani who was held hitless by the Cardinals pitching staff Saturday night.
Riley O’Brien was brought in to lock down another Cardinals victory in the top of the 9th inning. He was tasked with tackling 2-3-4 of the Dodgers lineup and struck out Freddie Freeman on 3 pitches with an ABS challenge assist from eagle-eye Ivan Herrera. Smith lined out to Jordan Walker in right field. Kyle Tucker reached on a sinking line drive that Masyn Winn was not able to pick in time. Hernandez also reached on a ball that Masyn Winn was not able to snag cleanly up the middle which brought up the tying run in Max Muncy. He lined a ball just over JJ Wetherholt’s leap to bring in Tucker for the Dodgers lone run making it 3-1 Cardinals. Andy Pages singled in Hernandez pulling the Dodgers to within a run of the Cardinals making it 3-2 St. Louis. Pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing fortunately struck out to end the game.
I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but the Cardinals will go for a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday as Dustin May will pitch the most appropriate jersey number to calendar day in history with his May 3 attire. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm at Busch Stadium Sunday.
The Kansas City Royals (13-19) face the Seattle Mariners (16-17) in the second game of their series. The Royals won Friday’s opener 7-6. Starting pitchers are Seth Lugo for Kansas City, with a 2.63 ERA, and Emerson Hancock for Seattle, with a 2.86 ERA.
How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners
DETROIT, MI - MAY 02: Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) tags out Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) at home plate during a regular season Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers on May 02, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored a run but the Detroit Tigers scored five runs.
I regret to inform you that the Rangers were back on their bullshit.
A mystifying Achilles’ heel for the starting staff so far this season has been a persistent struggle to get the third out in early innings. That particular bugaboo certainly reared its ugly head for Texas once more as Detroit scored five two-out runs in the first two innings against Kumar Rocker and then we all just kind of sat around letting FOX inflate their advertisement metrics until they played the required number of innings.
The Tigers had five hits in 12 chances with RISP — including 4-for-5 through two innings — while the Rangers predictably did not have a hit with RISP in their six opportunities.
The loss prevented Texas from enjoying a third win in a row, something they’ve only accomplished just twice this season with no such streaks since sweeping Seattle in early April.
Player of the Game: Jake Burger hit a solo home run to prevent the Rangers from getting shut out.
Also, Cal Quantrill came in and provided three scoreless innings in relief of Rocker to at least soak up some innings and prevent Texas from getting blown out after Detroit went up 5-0 through two innings.
Up Next: The Rangers close out this series with the Tigers back on national TV with RHP Jack Leiter next up for Texas against a pitcher yet to be named for Detroit.
The Sunday evening first pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 6:20 pm CDT and will be aired on NBCSN/Peacock so be ready to remember yet another password for yet another service to watch your favorite baseball squad!
May 2, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Keider Montero (54) celebrates in the dugout after giving up only one run in six plus innings against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
After a rough day of injury news and in the wake of another messy start from Jack Flaherty, the Detroit Tigers needed to settle things down. Keider Montero was the man for the job, and he got it done with another quality start. Dillon Dingler supplied the power, and the Tigers put together a relatively calm victory on Saturday night in Comerica Park.
Keider Montero has been a godsend to a banged up back of the Tigers’ rotation. More proof will be required, but he appears a more composed and mature pitcher this year, less prone to the bouts of poor command that have plagued him a bit in a starting role during his first two seasons as a part-time major leaguer. The Tigers needed a pretty one from him today to break out of their road trip funk.
Montero got ahead of Evan Carter and Corey Seager in the top of the first, but was fortunate that a pair of hard hit balls were run down in center and right field. Kerry Carpenter in particular did a nice job running into the gap at the wall to haul in Seager’s drive. A lineout from Josh Jung to Gleyber Torres made it a quick 1-2-3 inning for Montero.
Kevin McGonigle popped out to start the bottom half, but Gleyber Torres reached on a soft tapper toward third. Kumar Rocker was only throwing 91-93 mph out of the gate, which was interesting. Colt Keith paddled an opposite field grounder that Jung at third whiffed on, and the Tigers were in business. Riley Greene smoked a one-hopper into right field, but Ezequiel Duran in right fired home and cut down Torres at the plate with time for catcher Danny Jansen to take the ball from the first base side of home plate and swing around to apply the tag. Not a good send with the strong-armed Duran throwing and the slow Torres running.
So it was runners at first and third with two outs for Dillon Dingler. Fortunately, Rocker’s slider hung up over the plate and Dingler hit an absolute missile to left for a 3-0 lead. Rocker’s velocity started to tick up against Kerry Carpenter, and a high fastball got a pop-up to third to end the inning.
Montero continued to just pound the zone with a heavy volume of fourseamers and sinkers. A pair of quick outs, and then a really nice slider to whiff Alejandro Osuna for his first strikeout ended the top of the second.
Spencer Torkelson flew out to open the bottom half of the second, but Wenceel Pérez singled and stole second base with Jace Jung at the plate in the DH slot. Jung punched out on a slider, but that brought McGonigle to the dish and in a 3-0 count, he slapped a single back through the box to plate Pérez. 4-0 Tigers. McGonigle promptly swiped second easily on a first pitch strike to Torres. The second baseman dumped a blooper into right field, and McGonigle raced around to make it 5-0. Colt Keith bit on a pair of sliders to strike out and send this to the third inning.
Montero committed the cardinal error after getting this run support, walking Duran to start the inning. He got Josh Smith to lift a shallow fly ball to left, but then walked Danny Jansen too. A changeup got a pop out from Carter to McGonigle, and the opportunity to escape a little self-inflicted trouble was there, but Montero would have to get Corey Seager out. He fell behind 2-0, but got lucky on slider right down the middle and Seager lifted a shallow fly ball to Pérez to end the inning.
Rocker’s day was already done, and RHP Cal Quantrill took over in the bottom of the third. The veteran is pretty familiar after his many years with Cleveland. Riley Greene worked a full count, but whiffed on a cutter to start the inning. Dingler grounded out, and Carpenter whiffed over a cutter to send us to the fourth.
Gleyber Torres was out of the game, with Hao-Yu Lee taking over at second base. Torres had something on his left side tighten up on him, presumably an oblique strain. Josh Jung immediately tested him with a soft grounder and Lee took care of it. Montero carved up Joc Pederson and froze him with a sinker to strike three. A first pitch sinker on the inner half up was poorly placed to a free swinging Jake Burger, and he pulled a home run to left to make it 5-1 Tigers. Osuna grounded out to Lee to end the frame.
Meanwhile, in Toledo, Zach McKinstry was preparing for his return to action, playing right field and then moving to second base, while launching a homer.
Zach McKinstry lines a 2-run homer over the tall wall in right and the Mud Hens take a 3-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/akTgvtmaI7
Quantrill got Torkelson to fly out to open the bottom of the fourth, but Pérez drew a walk and Jung jumped a first cutter, lining a single to right field. McGonigle worked a full count as Quantrill tried to stay away from him. The 3-2 pitch got smoked to left center field, but Evan Carter made a nice play to get from shaded to right field all the way across to the left field wall by the vistor’s bullpen and haul it in on the warning track. Another 380 foot out from McGonigle. Seems like there have been tons of them already. Hao-Yu Lee battled into a full count in his first at-bat, but lifted a shallow flyout to center.
Duran started off the fifth with a solid single. Montero was still only at 55 pitches, pitching efficiently though not getting much swing and miss. He got ahead of Smith 1-2, but a fastball at the top of the zone was lined to left for a single, and suddenly there was a spot of bother. Dillon Dingler came on to settle down his pitcher, and Montero got Jansen to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. Just like that it was two outs with a man on third and Carter lifted a routine fly ball to center to end the frame.
The Tigers started to draw a bead on Quantrill in the bottom half. Colt Keith drew a walk, and again we saw a little more aggression on the basepaths as Keith stole second. Riley Greene singled him over to third, and then Dingler popped out. Unfortunately, Carpenter swung 2-0 on a high fastball and grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Montero was still only at 64 pitches to start the sixth. Corey Seager hit another ball hard, but Pérez ran back and hauled it in on the warning track. Jung followed with a single. Montero and Dingler used Pederson’s aggression against him with a first pitch curve that was lifted to Pérez in center. Another first pitch breaking ball to Burger was popped out and Montero was through six and still only at 73 pitches.
RHP Peyton Gray was on for the Rangers in the bottom of the sixth. The 30-year-old West Michigan product has bounced around international and independent ball for years, finally reaching the major leagues this year.
Torkelson fouled off five pitches against Gray, but eventually whiffed on a slider right down the pipe. A couple of good changeups whiffed Pérez as well. Jung fouled off a ton of pitches as well in a long AB, finally got into a full count, fouled off the 10th pitch of the AB, and finally drew a walk. Jace Jung hasn’t done anything in his looks in the major leagues, but he continues to grind out really disciplined at-bats. That brought up McGonigle who had gotten a good look at everything Gray had from the on-deck circle, but Gray’s changeup is really deceptive, and he popped out on the first pitch despite clearly looking for it. On to the seventh.
Osuna grounded out, and Duran got a 3-2 count, but Montero went right after him and Duran ripped a drive to left that Riley Greene had to leap and snare for the second out. Nice play. Josh Smith flicked a little single to right, and A.J. Hinch came out to say thank you very much, going to the bullpen as Montero drew a standing ovation from the Tigers’ faithful. I’d love a bit better breaking ball command so Montero can punch a few more tickets, but he’s attacking the zone aggressively, and no one is doing enough against him to force him out of the zone. He definitely had some nice defense working behind in this one too. Good stuff, and much needed by his club. 6.2 innings, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, for Montero on the day.
Drew Anderson came in to get the final out of the seventh against Danny Jansen. The Rangers catcher worked a full count but he got kick-changed on a check swing for strike three. Nice job. Anderson appears to be coming around.
Hao-Yu Lee flew out to center to start the bottom half. Colt Keith smoked yet another line drive for a single, but Riley Greene got a meatball and popped out for the second out. Dingler ripped a single to left center, and the Rangers threw the ball in to Seager well off of second base and the Tigers’ catcher read it all the way and stole second base on the play. Carpenter offered at a 1-0 changeup at the bottom of the zone and grounded out to end the inning. LOBster fest for Kerry in this one.
Anderson struck out Carter to start the eighth, but Seager singled, and Jung doubled him over to third. Anderson stayed chill and induced a soft tapper from Joc Pederson. Anderson checked Seager at third and recorded the out at first. Burger took a pair of ugly hacks at two high pitches, ugly enough that Skip Schumacher and the training staff came out to check on him. Anderson then locked him up with a changeup right at the top of the zone for strike three to strand both runners. Not exactly textbook against a free swinging pull hitter, but we’ll take it.
Hard-throwing RHP Gavin Collyer took over from Gray in the bottom of the eighth, quickly popping up Torkelson for the first out. Pérez chopped one over the mound and beat out an infield single for his second knock on the night. Pérez broke for second, but Jung flew out to Osuna down the left field line and Pérez had to retreat to first. McGonigle stepped in looking for his second hit of the night, while Ricky Vanasco warmed up in the Tigers bullpen with a perfect, relatively safe inning in which to debut. Pérez was looking to run again, and he promptly nabbed second base for his second steal and the fourth by the Tigers on the night. McGonigle came out of his shoes on a 2-1 cutter and came up empty. He worked a full count and then yanked a drive just foul down the right field line that got the crowd hyped for a moment. A foul tip into the glove ended the inning and it was on to the ninth.
Instead of Vanasco, Hinch decided just to stick with Anderson in a four-run game. He got a grounder from Osuna, and McGonigle made a nice backhanded play and fired to first for the out. Duran drilled a line drive out to center field, but Pérez made a nice running play on that one. Really good defense from the Detroit Tigers tonight, and we hope for more of it. Josh Smith popped out to end it, and the Tigers are back to an even .500 record.
Dillon Dingler landed the big blow on the night, while the Tigers came up empty on a plethora of chances otherwise. Still it was more than enough with Montero and Anderson posting good outings.
It’s a 7:20 p.m. ET start on Sunday, with RHP Jack Leiter going for the Rangers. The Tigers will have to piece together a bullpen game, which Anderson’s 2.1 scoreless innings will make a little easier to manage.
May 2, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe (45) reacts after earning a save against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images
After a couple of dominant days on offense for the Brewers, the streak cooled down early today. However, it ran just long enough to build a lead, which Kyle Harrison protected in a 4-1 win this afternoon.
Most of the Brewers’ offense came with two outs in the first inning. William Contreras started off with a two-out single. Then, back-to-back walks of Gary Sánchez and Jake Bauers loaded the bases. That left it to Luis Rengifo to bring in a run, and he hit what should have been an easy ground ball straight at Brady House. However, House did not field the ball cleanly as it bounced off his glove, and by the time he recovered, there was no play. Contreras scored on the error, and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.
That gave Brandon Lockridge an at-bat with the bases loaded. He cashed it in, hitting a ground ball between second and third for an RBI single, scoring both Sánchez and Bauers. Just like that, the Brewers were staked to a 3-0 lead before Harrison even took the mound (with all three runs unearned).
Harrison took that early lead and defended it. His day started with a ground ball hit in front of the plate that Sánchez threw to first and was initially ruled out. However, the Nationals challenged, and James Wood just beat the throw. Wood was eliminated on a double play from House two batters later, and Harrison was out of the first, facing the minimum.
That first at-bat from Wood also had a ball that Sánchez challenged and was upheld, just one-tenth of an inch out of the strike zone. That ended up looming large after Garrett Mitchell challenged a strikeout in the top of the second, and that was also upheld (this one much more obvious). That used up both of the Brewers’ ABS challenges, not even an inning and a half into the game. It’s not the first game that the Brewers have burned their challenges in non-critical situations, and it’s something that they will need to work on going forward.
Both starters settled in well after the first, with the next scoring chance not happening until the bottom of the fourth inning. Curtis Mead led off the inning with a double, then CJ Abrams drove in Mead with an RBI single. Harrison did strike out the side in the inning, but the Nationals closed the lead to 3-1.
That was Harrison’s only rough inning of the day. Overall, he had a good day, scattering seven hits and a walk over six innings with five strikeouts. The length of the start was important, giving the bullpen some rest after a short start from Brandon Woodruff on Thursday and Jacob Misiorowski’s early departure on Friday. For the Nationals, Foster Griffin matched Harrison pretty well. He allowed three hits and four walks over six innings. Though the Brewers scored three runs off him, all were recorded as unearned after House’s error.
The Nationals went to Brad Lord in the seventh, and the Brewers put some two-out pressure on him. Brice Turang singled and then reached second on a wild pitch. The Nationals chose to walk Contreras intentionally after that, and then escaped the inning after Sánchez grounded out. Meanwhile, Grant Anderson and DL Hall combined for a scoreless seventh inning, with Anderson allowing just one hit.
Lord remained in the game for the eighth, and the Brewers kept up the pressure with small ball. Three straight one-out singles from Rengifo, Lockridge, and Sal Frelick loaded the bases. Once again, Joey Ortiz got an at-bat with the bases loaded, but he did make it count. He hit a ground ball in front of home plate that bounced high, and Mead’s only choice was to throw to first. He did get the out, but David Hamilton (who pinch-ran for Rengifo) scored an important insurance run. Mitchell drew a walk to load the bases again, but Turang struck out swinging.
Trevor Megill pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to hold the three-run lead, then the Brewers went down in order against Orlando Ribalta in the top of the ninth. Abner Uribe came in for the save chance, and it was another tense one. Jacob Young led off the inning with a single, and Daylen Lile reached on an error by Hamilton, who dropped a pop-up in shallow left. Pitching coach Chris Hook made a mound visit after that, but also brought a different glove for Uribe. After the game, Todd Rosiak noted that it was because Uribe was using a new glove that doesn’t close as tightly, so he switched back to his old glove to not tip pitches.
Whether the change of glove helped or not, Uribe did recover after that. He struck out José Tena for the first out. Luis García Jr. popped out on the infield fly rule after that, and then Jorbit Vivas grounded out to Bauers at first to end the game.
While the Nationals outhit the Brewers 9-7 in this game, the Brewers made up for it with six walks compared to the Nationals’ one. All of those walks came from the first five batters in the order. Lockridge was the lone Brewer with a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Turang reached the most with a 1-for-3 day with a pair of walks. Mitchell and Contreras also had a hit and a walk each. Every starter reached base at least once except for Ortiz, who still contributed with an RBI groundout.
One unfortunate update tonight came not from this game, but from the Triple-A Nashville game this afternoon. During his rehab appearance, Jackson Chourio fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. He was limping badly after the at-bat and did not return to play defense after the inning. The initial report from the Brewers is that it was a precautionary move, but we will have to wait for more details. Prior to the injury, Chourio was expected to return to the team on Monday — along with Andrew Vaughn — for the beginning of Milwaukee’s series in St. Louis. We’ll see if that still ends up being the case.
The Brewers will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon. Chad Patrick was originally scheduled to start for the Brewers, but he is no longer listed, and the spot is now TBD. This could mean that Logan Henderson — who is with the team currently — could be officially recalled to make the start. It could also be a sign of the Brewers using an opener in front of Patrick again. No official report was available after the game. As for the Nationals, they will start Zack Littell. First pitch will be at 12:35 p.m.
