Posts

Posted on

Mets 'close' to naming rest of starters following Tylor Megill's 'really good' outing

With nothing official just yet despite two days left of spring training, the Mets are "close" to announcing their complete starting rotation after injuries to some key players early on led to a rotation battle in camp, manager Carlos Mendoza said after Saturday's tie against the Washington Nationals.

Mainly between Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn, New York's decision will come after all three have pitched one final time in camp as Megill and Blackburn both pitched on Saturday and Canning scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Miami Marlins.

All three pitchers have shown sparks at times with Mendoza calling Megill's latest outing "really good."

"Another guy that came into camp ready to go and kind of show everyone the things that he needed to work on which was attacking the strike zone," Mendoza said about Megill. "And he did that every time he took the baseball. We saw it today, using all of his pitches, but not only getting ahead, but staying on the attack. That’s what we want to see out of him."

In his fourth and final start of the spring, Megill went 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five. The right-hander's final tallies in camp: 4.24 ERA (1.18 WHIP), 17 IP, 18 strikeouts and four walks.

Overall, Megill was pleased with how his spring went.

"Thought it went great," he said. "I’ve been throwing all my pitches for strikes, walk count has been low. I think that’s probably the biggest part. Throwing offspeed [pitches] for strikes and getting ahead of hitters. [That's] kind of been my main goal – attack the strike zone and get ahead."

For the time being, the 29-year-old has done everything he could've done to persuade the Mets to give him a roster spot on Opening Day. Now it's about "just waiting around to see what happens."

Meanwhile, on the backfields during New York's matchup against Washington, Blackburn also pitched. The right-hander threw five innings and 82 pitches, per Mendoza who didn't divulge any other information about the 31-year-old's outing.

However, in five Grapefruit League starts, Blackburn had a 5.68 ERA (1.34 WHIP) and nine strikeouts to six walks in 12.2 IP. Was it enough to earn him a spot?

"We’ll see tomorrow how they come in, but we’re close," Mendoza said. "We should be ready to announce this pretty soon."

(For what it's worth, the Mets have thrown out the idea of putting Blackburn in the bullpen to start the season, as well.)

Speaking of the bullpen

After the game, Mendoza also discussed his plans with some of his relievers who got off to late starts in spring due to injuries.

Regarding A.J. Minter, who pitched a clean inning on Saturday, the skipper said, "as of right now the goal is for Minter to be pitching on Monday. Whether that’s our game or the backfield, but that’ll be two out of three for him."

He added that if Minter is in a good spot tomorrow and again after his next appearance, "that'll do it for us" in terms of adding him to the Opening Day roster.

As for Dedniel Nuñez, he's also scheduled to go on Monday.

"We’ll go from there after that," Mendoza said.

Posted on

Will The Jets Finally Flip The Script In The 2025 Post-Season?

Winnipeg Jets (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the most impressive NHL teams in the 2024-25 regular season. Currently, they’re the Western Conference’s best team – and the second-best team in the league – with a record of 48-18-4. But there’s a nagging element to the Jets – and that’s their sub-par Stanley Cup playoff performances in recent memory. Since 2018-19,  Winnipeg has won exactly one playoff round, and they have yet to win a single second-round series game in that span.

It should be clear, then, that there are skeptics with legitimate cause for concern that the Jets will be able to change that in the upcoming playoffs. Winnipeg is probably going to get a showdown against the second and final wild-card team in Round One, but they haven’t been perfect against any of their likely first-round opponents.

For instance: the Jets are 2-1-0 against St. Louis this season, with one of their two wins coming in a shootout. Winnipeg is 1-1-0 against the Vancouver Canucks this year, 2-1-0 against the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg is 2-1-0 against Utah. Clearly, the Jets have been a mortal group, and that could spell doom for them in the opening round.

But here’s the bigger problem with Winnipeg’s playoff aspirations this spring – in the second round, they’re almost certainly going to be pitted against the mighty Dallas Stars or Colorado Avalanche. The Jets are 2-1-0 against Dallas this season, and they’re 3-1-0 against the Avalanche – although one of those wins against the Avs was a 1-0 shutout on Nov. 7, and another win against Colorado came in a 3-2 overtime win.

But forget about the Jets’ regular-season record against Central Division teams. Instead, just bear in mind the fact that both Dallas and Colorado have made major roster improvements since their early-season games against Winnipeg. If the playoff series against the Stars or Avalanche began right now, do you think the Jets would be a heavy favorite to win it? Or any kind of favorite, for that matter? No, we’re betting Winnipeg would be an underdog against Dallas or Colorado. And that’s because their performance in the post-season with their same core of talent simply hasn’t been up to snuff. 

This isn’t to say the Jets absolutely aren’t going to shake off the demons of the past and figure out a way to go on a deep playoff run. Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff doubled down on his roster last summer, and at this year’s NHL trade deadline, he added only a bottom-six forward in Brandon Tanev and a third-pairing defenseman in Luke Schenn. And we agreed with Cheveldayoff’s minor tinkering; the Jets have been so dominant that they didn’t need drastic changes to the lineup.

Still, that nagging element is going to be there with Winnipeg until they show they’re a different group than the disappointing team that was flushed out with ease in recent years. Remember, in the past two post-seasons, the Jets couldn’t even put up an admirable fight in the first round, winning just one game against Vegas two years ago, and winning only a single game last year against Colorado. Winnipeg’s defeats were quick and painful, and we’re still unsure whether anything is going to be different in that regard this time around.

Being an excellent regular-season team has its benefits. The Jets are going to have home-ice advantage as long as they’re alive in the Western Conference playoffs. And Winnipeg’s 25–5-4 home record will be something to draw on as the Jets try to get at least as far as the Western Conference final. Nevertheless, Winnipeg could once again falter early on in this year’s playoffs. And if they do, Cheveldayoff will no longer have any reason to keep coming back with the same core year after year. And massive changes will be in order if they let down their fans yet again.

It’s the Western Conference final or bust for this Jets team. They’re either going to make people forget about their sub-par past or underscore it as they fizzle out and the biggest fears of their fan base and management become reality.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

What we learned as Kings' second-half collapse brings loss vs. Bucks

What we learned as Kings' second-half collapse brings loss vs. Bucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SACRAMENTO – Keon Ellis scored 20 points in place of injured starting point guard Malik Monk, but the Kings unraveled at the end and came up short against the Milwaukee Bucks, losing 114-108 on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.

DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 22 points. Zach LaVine added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Keegan Murray had 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Kings fell back to .500 at 35-35 following their second consecutive loss and sixth in eight games.

Sacramento once again played without center Domantas Sabonis, who is nursing a sprained right ankle he suffered earlier in the week. Monk was a late scratch due to illness.

The Kings seemed to handle playing without the two fairly well in the first half but couldn’t sustain the momentum. Milwaukee outscored Sacramento 28-19 over the final 12 minutes.

Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s game:

JV Has Varsity Night

Jonas Valančiūnas has given the Kings quality minutes off the bench since his arrival about a month ago, and he maintained that level while starting in place of Sabonis against the Bucks.

The 6-foot-11 center wasn’t flashy or spectacular, but he was effective. Despite the Bucks consistently attacking the paint, Valančiūnas kept Milwaukee from totally dominating in the middle.

He finished the night with 18 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.

Keon Making Things Happen

Whether he’s in his usual role coming off the bench or making an occasional start like he did in place of Monk, Ellis brings an infectious energy to the court every time he’s out there.

Making his second start in the last three games, Ellis displayed the type of skills that have made him a fan favorite in Sacramento. If he wasn’t helping effectively on defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ellis was racing down the court to keep the Kings’ offense flowing.

He got a breakaway dunk after a DeRozan steal in the second quarter, then later snagged a defensive board and fed it to LaVine, resulting in a four-point play.

It’s the ninth time in 16 starts this season that Ellis has scored in double figures.

Shut Giannis Down

Although Antetokounmpo is enjoying another spectacular season, the Kings showed no fear in trying to stop him.

Antetokounmpo, who dropped 33 on Sacramento when the two teams squared off in January, didn’t break double figures until the second half in the rematch. He shot just 12 of 20 and was minus-six.

Murray had the bulk of work defending Antetokounmpo and did a solid job despite a three-inch, 45-pound difference between the two. Not surprising since Murray has been one of the Kings’ most reliable defenders all season.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Posted on

Sweet 16: Calipari guides Arkansas past Pitino, St. John’s 75-66 for 16th trip to regional semifinal

John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, and this one could be the sweetest of all. Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks beat longtime nemesis Rick Pitino and No. 2 seed St. John’s 75-66 on Saturday, sending their itinerant coach to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with his fourth school. Billy Richmond III scored 16 points and Karter Knox had 15 for the 10th-seeded Razorbacks, who sent Kansas and their Hall of Fame coach Bill Self home from the “Region of Coaches” in the first round.

Posted on

Indian Wells champion Jack Draper dealt reality check by Jakub Mensik

  • Briton loses 7-6 (2) 7-6 (3) in Miami Open second round
  • Jacob Fearnley also exits at hands of Alexander Zverev

Just under a week after pulling off the greatest achievement of his career so far, the next task for Jack Draper was to cast all thoughts of his sublime Indian Wells title run to the back of his mind while maintaining the form that had taken his tennis to new heights.

Performing at the highest level week after week regardless of circumstances and conditions remains one of the toughest challenges in professional tennis and on Saturday it proved a step too far. Draper fell back to earth with an unsatisfying 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) defeat to the 19-year-old Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic in the second round of the Miami Open.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Frustrated Draymond chides Warriors for ‘terrible' loss to Hawks

Frustrated Draymond chides Warriors for ‘terrible' loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Every remaining game on the Warriors’ schedule should be considered an NBA playoff game.

The stakes are that high right now.

That’s why Golden State’s 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at State Farm Arena feels so consequential.

No one knows that better than star forward Draymond Green.

“Bad loss,” Green told reporters after the game. “It’s a terrible loss. When you’re in a position we’re in, we’ve got a chance to compete for something. Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn’t have a loss like this. Too much on the line. Got to win the games you’re supposed to win. Obviously Steph’s out. Still a game we should win. So, it’s a terrible loss.”

The loss to open a six-game road trip drops the Warriors to 41-30 and cuts their lead over the Los Angeles Clippers (40-30) and Minnesota Timberwolves (41-31) for the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed to half a game.

A win in Atlanta would have moved Golden State within one game of the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 5 seed. Instead, the Warriors fell two games behind Ja Morant and Co.

“We just didn’t come out ready to play,” Green said. “We came out like we were just going to win the game. And we got diced up defensively in the first quarter and from that point on, you’re fighting an uphill battle. So everybody’s comfortable and they took it to us. We’ve got to be better. That starts with me. We were terrible defensively. It’s the NBA. Once guys get into a rhythm, it’s hard and they got into a rhythm and had it rolling. It’s tough to stop that, so we got to come out ready to play.”

The Warriors began the road trip without Steph Curry, who is back in the Bay Area receiving treatment for a pelvic contusion sustained in their win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at Chase Center.

Curry will be re-evaluated Monday, but it’s unclear when he will play. Coach Steve Kerr stated pregame that he believes the two-time NBA MVP will rejoin the team during the road trip.

The Warriors’ next game looks easy on paper, but emotions will be running high for both sides.

Jimmy Butler makes his highly anticipated return to Miami, while Heat forward Andrew Wiggins faces the team he helped guide to the 2022 NBA championship.

Green is aware of those storylines, and he knows what the Warriors must do against a Heat team that has lost 10 consecutive games.

“Got to come to play,” Green said. “Come out and play defensively, come out and play hard. We got Jimmy over here. I know this is a big game for him. They got Wiggs over there. I know it’s a huge game for him. Just like we want to win for Jimmy, they’re going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play.

“They’ve lost, what, 10 games in a row? Six or seven of those games come down to four- or five-point games, last couple of possessions. So, it’s a little fool’s gold that they’ve lost 10 in a row. We know who the Miami Heat are. They play hard and are disciplined. So we’ve got to come out and play our brand of basketball.”

The good news for the Warriors is that the Clippers play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and the Timberwolves face the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

But Green and Golden State can’t afford “terrible” performances over their final 11 regular-season games.

Each loss could be the difference between being the No. 6 seed and earning a week off before the playoffs begin, and having to participate in the NBA play-in tournament.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Rangers rally in third period, score four times to win 5-3 against Canucks

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonny Brodzinski scored his second goal of the game late in the third period and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves as the New York Rangers downed the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Brodzinski rifled his ninth goal of the season past Canucks netminder Kevin Lankinen at 15:47 to give the Rangers the lead 37 seconds after Vancouver’s Brock Boeser tied the contest.

Former Canuck J.T. Miller added an empty-net goal. New York lost to Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto at home this week.

K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox also scored for the Rangers. Alexis Lafreniere had two assists.

Dakota Joshua and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Canucks.

Joshua opened the scoring at 11:51 of the first when he jammed a loose puck past Shesterkin.

The Rangers were outshot 11-1 in the first, exiting to a chorus of boos from the home crowd.

The Canucks had a 13-5 shots advantage in the second but Fox was able to tie the contest at 11:03. Rangers forward Brennan Othmann assisted on Fox’s goal, his first NHL point.

After Brodzinski’s first goal at 1:39 of the third, O’Connor tied the game at 11:22 before Miller put New York ahead 3-2 at 12:40.

Lankinen made eight saves in defeat.

Takeaways

Rangers: New York is 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. The Rangers are battling for a wild-card playoff spot.

Canucks: Fell to 17-13-5 on the road.

Key moment

The Rangers honored Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Sam Rosen, who is retiring following this season after more than four decades as the television voices of the franchise. Rosen was joined by his wife Jill, former broadcast partners Phil Esposito and John Davidson and current booth partner Joe Micheletti on Madison Square Garden ice for a pregame ceremony.

Key stat

Shesterkin, making his seventh straight start, won at home for the first time since March 3.

Up next

Rangers: Visiting Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Canucks: Visiting New Jersey Devils on Monday.

Posted on

Anthony Davis reportedly to return to Mavericks during upcoming East Coast road trip

Anthony Davis is "very eager" to get back on the court for the Dallas Mavericks, which could happen next week.

Davis has been sidelined since straining his adductor on Feb. 8 — his one game as a Maverick since the shocking trade that sent him to Dallas for Luka Doncic — and has been working to get back on the court. However, with Davis out and Kyrie Irving since tearing his ACL, the Mavericks have slid down the Western Conference standings. Davis is still pushing to return, he has had two 5-on-5 practices with the Texas Legends of the G-League, the most recent one with fellow injured centers Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.

Davis hopes to return to the Mavericks' lineup during Dallas' upcoming Eastern road trip starting Monday, reports NBA insider Marc Stein. No timetable for Davis to play has been set, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said (the same is true of the other centers). This road trip starts Monday in Brooklyn and then heads to New York (Tuesday), Orlando (Thursday), and Chicago (Saturday).

There is disagreement within the Mavericks organization about whether Davis should return, Stein has reported. The Mavericks are tied with the suddenly surging Phoenix Suns for the No. 10 seed and final play-in spot in the West. The question the Mavericks should be asking: "Is the risk of another injury Davis worth the reward of maybe making the No. 10 seed, then having to win two play-in games on the road to make the playoffs, where No. 1 seed Oklahoma City will be waiting? Many people would look at that scenario and suggest Dallas is better off focusing on improving this year's draft position and bringing everyone back healthy next season.

Davis, however, wants to return, and all the noise about how Dallas blew the Doncic trade likely plays into that. (To be fair, those complaints were less about Davis and more about trading a fan favorite about to enter his prime for a player six years older, and for not a large enough return. The anger wasn't aimed at Davis but at management.) It appears Davis will get his way this week, but whether that is enough to get Dallas into the postseason remains to be seen.