The Golden Knights' offense continues to keep them alive and with another thrilling win, they're on the brink of eliminating the Utah Mammoth from the opening round of the playoffs.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored the game-tying goal with 53 seconds left in regulation to complete a hat trick, Brett Howden scored the game-winner 5:28 into the second overtime, and the Golden Knights won 5-4 to take a commanding 3-2 series lead over the Mammoth.
Vegas can wrap things up and move into the Western Conference semifinals with a win Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Shea Theodore also scored for the Knights, while goaltender Carter made 34 saves, including 10 in the first overtime.
Theodore's goal late in the second period gave the Knights a 3-2 lead, but Utah scored two within the first 12:42 of the third period to take a 4-3 lead.
Jack Eichel had two assists, while a total of nine Knights registered at least one point in the game.
KEY MOMENT
It's easy to say Dorofeyev's goal with 53 seconds left was the key moment, but that goal doesn't happen if Game 4 hero Theodore doesn't save the puck from leaving the zone with 58.2 seconds after his former teammate Nate Schmidt, now with the Mammoth, sent the puck around the boards from behind the net. Theodore then fed Eichel, who one-timed a shot to create the rebound for the game-tying goal. Theodore's glove save was the key moment.
KEY STAT
In NHL history, per OptaSTATS, there have been 29 instances of a team trailing in the third period in each of the first five games of a playoff series.
Of those 29 teams, 28 were behind in the series or had already lost the series after five games.
The lone exception is this year's Golden Knights.
WHAT A KNIGHT
Dorofeyev's hat trick takes the spotlight, obviously, as he turned the fourth of his career and second of this season. Last year's goal leader for the Knights came through with his biggest performance at the right time. Dorofeyev's first two goals tied the score - in the first at 1-1 and in the second at 2-2. After the Mammoth took a 4-3 lead in the third, he positioned himself perfectly for the game-tying goal with 53 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights will look to close out their series in Salt Lake City in Game 6 on Friday night.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) was named Third Star of the Game after the Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-4 in the second overtime period of game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
Chris Wood’s second-half penalty gave Forest a narrow to lead to take into next week’s second leg at Villa Park
Villa, on the other hand, are more likely to build through the middle. They’ll condense the play and look for quick interchanges, Ollie Watkins attacking the space in behind – especially in the absence of Murillo – with Emi Buendia in particular but also John McGinn looking to feed him in.
And as Gibbs-White does for Forest, so Rogers will do for them, mooching about dropping grenades, while Youri Tielemans will look to conduct from deep and arrive on the edge of the box to hit shots.
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 25: Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With the offseason officially underway, speculation surrounding the Suns’ offseason will begin. Many fans just wrapped up watching the Suns’ exit interviews with Brian Gregory and Mat Ishbia and are now excited to see where this team is headed.
That being said, there was some news that dropped recently from the Marc Stein Substack. This was tailored around one of the two players on the roster who could see an extension this offseason. That player is Dillon Brooks.
Brooks came over this year from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant trade and was viewed as a positive asset, but not in all the ways many perceived. See, he has this villainous attitude, one he certainly embraced here in Phoenix, and many were uncertain how that would translate there. Well, he proved those doubters wrong and had a great year in Phoenix.
The wing this year averaged a career-high in points and rebounds, with 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal, and44/34/84 from the field. For someone whose role has fluctuated in different situations, he rose to the occasion with Jalen Green missing most of the season. Brooks was tasked with being the second-best offensive player most nights and succeeded in that role.
This is where it makes sense for both parties to want to keep him long-term. The fit seemed to work, and not only does he represent the culture the Suns want of hard work, hustle, and heart over everything, but the fans really bought into this villain mentality that rubbed off in a good way on his teammates.
Per Stein:
The Suns, I’m told, indeed want to secure a long-term stay for Brooks after role in establishing them as the West’s foremost regular season surprise tea but sources say that Phoenix is also mindful of the fact that an extension would kick in for Brooks’ age-32 season since there is currently only one season left on his contract in 2026-27 at $21 million.
The max extension that Brooks can command is a four-year deal in the $125 million range but the expectation is that a new deal will not reach that upper threshold.
As we can see from the snippet via Stein’s Substack, the Suns want Brooks back. We know he makes $21 million next year and $22 million this year. With him able to get an extension of up to 4 years and $125M, that would price him at $31.25 million a year, which is a big pay raise. Luckily, though, they may be able to generate a team-friendly deal, one that is still a pay raise but not completely limiting the Suns’ future financial abilities.
Looking at the future and knowing that guys like Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, Rasheer Fleming, and Khaman Maluach in a few seasons will need paydays could make them hesitant about the max for Brooks. Especially with how this team is shaped up, with $20+ million+ in dead cap from the Bradley Beal sign-and-trade last year, they cannot handicap themselves too much.
That is why I think a 4-year, $100 million deal is perfect for a guy like Brooks. A little bump up in money with the salary cap rising since he signed his last deal is good for a guy who embodies everything the team wants him to be. At age 30, this allows him to grow alongside Devin Booker and remain on the same timeline as the star the franchise remains committed to.
What do you think, though? Should the Suns retain Brooks or maybe even look to move off him? If they do extend him, what deal would you like him brought back on?
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics and Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers compete for a loose ball during the second quarter in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff at TD Garden on April 28, 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
Boston Celtics (3-2) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-3) Thursday, April 30, 2026 8:00 PM ET Round 1 Game #6 Road Game #3 TV: Peacock/NBCSN Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 97.5 The Fanatic, Sirius XM Xfinity Mobile Arena Officials: Marc Davis, Nick Buchert, Ray Acosta
The Celtics look to close out their first round series once again as they visit the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 6. The Celtics lead the series 3 games to 2. The Celtics dominated Game 1 with a 123-91 win over the 76ers. The 76ers topped the Celtics 111-97 in Game 2 to tie the game at 1 game each. The series shifted to Philadelphia where the Celtics squeezed out a win in Game 3 108-100 and dominated the 76ers 113-97 in Game 4.
After the blow out win in Philadelphia, it seemed as though the Celtics were primed to finish the series at home in Game 5. It appeared that they would do just that as they led by 7 at the half and by 13 in the 3rd quarter. But they completely fell apart in the 4th quarter to lose the game 113-97. The Celtics scored just 11 points in the 4th quarter, shooting just 3-22. They didn’t hit a single field goal in the final 7 minutes. At the same time, their defense fell apart, allowing the 76ers to score 28 points. The Celtics have won 2 games by 32 points in this series, only to lose the next game at home.
In the Brown and Tatum era, the Celtics are 7-4 in close out games on the road. They are 4-1 since 2022 in close out games on the road. Teams that are up 3-2 in a best of 7 series wins the series 84% of the time. 357 teams have gone up 3-2 in a series and 300 of those teams won the series. Of those teams, 170 won Game 6 to close out the series while 130 lost game 6 and won Game 7.
Since 2003, 17 teams have either won their first round series in either 4 or 5 games (74%). Since 2015, every team that won the championship has gotten past the first round in 5 games or less. The Celtics in 2024 won their first round series over the Heat 4 games to 1. This might seem like a dire statistic, but there is a positive note to add from Celtics history. In the 2008 playoffs, it took 7 games for the Celtics to get past Atlanta in the first round and those playoffs worked out just fine for the Celtics.
If the Celtics had one flaw this season, it was becoming complacent and allowing lesser teams to play harder than them. Along with Games 2 and 5 of this series where they looked complacent and allowed the and lost to the 76ers, of the Celtics 26 losses this season, there were several losses that were to tanking teams they should have beaten. These include losses to the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls. Since 2023, The Celtics are 8-1 after a playoff loss. 6 of those wins were on the road.
One of the advantages that the Celtics have is their depth. In Game 1, the Celtics got 37 points from their bench while the 76ers got 27 points from theirs. Of course, there were about 6 minutes of garbage time in that game. In Game 2, the 76ers got 21 points from their bench while the Celtics got 20 from theirs. In Game 3, the Celtics’ bench put up 35 points while the 76ers got just 14 points from theirs. In Game 4, the Celtics bench put up 57 points while the 76ers got 24 from theirs.
In Game 5, bench scoring was 29-25 in favor of the Celtics. A game after putting up 32 points, Payton Pritchard played just 26 minutes in Game 5 and only 4 minutes in the 4th quarter when the Celtics were struggling to score. The Celtics out-scored the 76ers by eight points in his 26 minutes and has been the Celtics 3rd best player in this series. Baylor Scheierman played just 8:39 in Game 5. Scheierman is shooting 46% from 3 in the series. Hopefully if the starters show they don’t have it in this game again, Joe will give his bench more minutes.
The Celtics come into this game with a clean injury report. once again. Joel Embiid is once again listed as probable for this game. He returned from an appendix removal to play in Game 4. Recovery for an appendectomy is anywhere from 20 days to 5 weeks and Embiid returned just 17 days after having his appendix removed. He played very well for them in Game 5 and I expect he will start and play big minutes in this game as well.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
Derrick White | NBAE via Getty ImagesTyrese Maxey | NBAE via Getty Images
SG: Jaylen Brown vs VJ Edgecombe
Jaylen Brown | Getty ImagesVJ Edgecombe | NBAE via Getty Images
SF: Sam Hauser vs Kelly Oubre, Jr
Sam Hauser | NBAE via Getty ImagesKelly Oubre, Jr | Getty Images
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Paul George
Jayson Tatum | NBAE via Getty ImagesPaul George | NBAE via Getty Images
C: Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid
Neemias Queta | Boston Globe via Getty ImagesJoel Embiid | NBAE via Getty Images
Celtics Reserves Payton Pritchard Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Jordan Walsh Amare Williams Baylor Scheierman Max Shulga Nikola Vucevic Ron Harper, Jr Delano Banton John Tonje
2-Way Players None Injuries/Out None
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
76ers Reserves Andre Drummond Quentin Grimes Kyle Lowry Justin Edwards Trendon Watford Dalen Terry Dominick Barlow Jabari Walker
2-Way Players MarJon Beauchamp Tyrese Martin Injuries/Out Joel Embiid (Appendix) probable
Head Coach Nick Nurse
Key Matchups Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey In Game 1, the Celtics were able to hold Maxey to 21 points on 20 shots along with 1 rebound and 8 assists while shooting 40% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. He pretty much had his way in Game 2 with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 39.3% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, he scored 31 points but took 31 shots to get them. He finished with 31 points, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while shooting 38.7% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. With Embiid’s return, Maxey took just 14 shots in Game 4 and finished with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block. In Game 5, he finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while shooting 55.6% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to continue to make it a priority to defend him.
Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid After missing the first 3 games of the series, Embiid returned to the 76ers for Game 4. He started out strong, scoring the 76ers first 8 points and drawing 2 quick fouls on Queta. He played 34 minutes, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting 42.9% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc. He struggle a bit in the first half of Game 5, but took over the 2nd half as he played more in the paint and finished with 33 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 block while shooting 52.2% from the field but going 0-5 from three. Queta needs to find a way to stay out of foul trouble and to counter Embiid on defense. Honorable Mention Jayson Tatum vs Paul George Neither of these players were able to play in any of the 4 games between Boston and Philly this season. In Game 1, George finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, but he only took 8 shots. In game 2, he finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting 53.8% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, he finished with 18 points, no rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc. In Game 4, he finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block while shooting 46.2% from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc. In Game 5, he finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while shooting 46.2% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him better, especially on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game Defense – As always, defense is absolutely the key to winning this, and every, game. Defense becomes even more important in the playoffs. It is very true that defense wins championships. In Game 1, the Celtics held the 76ers to 38.9% from the field and 17.4% from beyond the arc. In game 2, the Celtics defense faltered as the 76ers shot 47.8% from the field and 48.7% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, the 76ers shot 43.7% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. In Game 4, the Celtics held the 76ers to 41.3% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. The Celtics allowed the 76ers to shoot 50% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc in Game 5. When the Celtics shot weren’t falling in Game 5, the Celtics defense disappeared also. The Celtics have to play tough, physical, lock down defense from the opening tip until the final buzzer if they want to win this game.
Rebound – Rebounding is also one of the biggest keys to winning every game and has definitely been a big factor in this series. In the regular season, the Celtics were 43-12 in games that they tied or out-rebounded opponents and just 11-13 in games in which they were out-rebounded. In Game 1, the Celtics out-rebounded the 76ers 43-40. In Game 2, they out-rebounded the 76ers 50-42, but they were unable to capitalize on them since they shot so poorly. In Game 3, the Celtics once again out-rebounded the 76ers 45-37. And, in their big win in Game 4, they out-rebounded the 76ers 51-30. In Game 5, especially in the 2nd half, they stopped fighting for rebounds and the 76ers had 47 rebounds to 49 for the Celtics. They have to fight harder to grab rebounds than the 76ers if they want to win this game. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics need to put out more effort to grab rebounds then the 76ers.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics are shooting 36.1% as a team from beyond the arc (5th) while the 76ers are shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc (8th). The Celtics make 16.8 threes a game (3rd) while the 76ers make 11.8 thees a game (6th). The Celtics were 2-4 in last year’s playoffs. 0-2 in this year’s playoffs and 14-17 in the regular season when they shoot under 34% from the field. In Game 2, they shot 26% from beyond the arc and in Game 5, they shot 28.2% on threes. They have to stay focused and they need to work to get open and move the ball to find the best shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, they need to take the ball inside. And they need to defend the perimeter or the 76ers will beat them with 3’s of their own. The Celtics need to stay focused on offense and play tough perimeter defense in order to win this game.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In their losses in Game 2 and Game 5, they allowed the 76ers to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow the Sixers to surge ahead. The 76ers will be playing for their playoff lives and so will play hard and desperate and with all out effort. The Celtics must match that effort and they need to stay focused on playing the right way from the opening tip until the final buzzer.
X-Factors On the Road – The Celtics will be on the road once again and they will be facing a very hostile crowd. Philly fans hate the Celtics because they have pretty much owned them in recent years. They hate Jayson Tatum because the Celtics took him with Philly’s pick after the 76ers traded up to take Markelle Fultz. There will likely be a lot of boos and the Celtics need to play through them. They have to shake off the distractions of playing on the road gand stay focused on playing Celtics basketball..
Coaching – Joe Mazzulla is in his 4th season as Celtics’ head coach. He won a title in 2024 with a very talented team that was packed with shooting stars. Now he has to win in a different way since his personnel has changed and he did a great job in the regular season. Nick Nurse is in his 8th season as a head coach overall and his 3rd as the 76ers head coach. He won a title with the Raptors in 2019. In the playoffs, coaching becomes more important as it becomes a game of adjustments as they play the same team game after game. So far, Joe Mazzulla has come out ahead in the series but wasn’t able to push the right buttons in Game 5 and so the coaching chess game will continue in Game 6.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. We have seen them call offensive fouls on Jaylen Brown far more than they have all season and Neemias Queta seems to be in constant foul trouble. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the calls, no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
Official Report Crew Chief: Marc Davis Davis has called 589 games since the 2018-19 season and 100 playoff games. His home won/loss record is 34-32. He averages 18.9 fouls against the home team and 19.0 fouls against the road team. The Celtics are 1-2 with Davis this year and 3-4 with him last year. The 76ers are 2-4 with Davis this year and 0-2 last year.
Referee: Nick Buchert Buchert has called 515 games since the 2018-19 season and 15 playoff games. His home won/loss record is 34-33. He averages 20.1 fouls against the home team and 20.1 fouls against the road team. The Celtics are 3-3 with Buchert this year and 3-1 last year. The 76ers are 2-4 with Buchert this year and 2-3 last year.
Umpire: Ray Acosta Acosta has called 498 games since the 2018-19 season and 6 playoff games. His home won/loss record is 38-33. He averages 19.5 fouls against the home team and 19.8 fouls against the road team. The Celtics are 2-1 with Acosta this year and 2-2 last year. The 76ers are 2-4 with Buchert this year and 1-3 last year.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves with his glove during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images) | Getty Images
(Note: data are through Tuesday’s series opener against the Tigers only — the awkward timing of Thursday’s day game will make the data two games out of date by the time this runs.)
In the near-perpetual gloom that was the Atlanta Braves 2025 season, there was a chase rate contest. Maybe. I think there was a chase rate contest because I heard it on the broadcast. Brandon Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski talked about how then-new hitting coach Tim Hyers and the players had implemented one, with Braves players grouped by handedness (where did Ozzie Albies fit in? who knows?) and competing to see who could chase less (as a percentage of swings, or total chases? who knows?). When he was first hired (hyerd?), Hyers said that one of his orienting principles was, “You’re only as good as the strikes you swing at.” There are a lot of ways to take that, but as a guy that touted swing decisions as a key factor in his early-days-with-the-Braves pressers, it aligns to a meta-game of not chasing.
On the flip side, maybe there wasn’t a chase rate contest. Maybe it was never as concrete as the broadcast made it out to be. Maybe it only existed for a brief period, and then fell apart amid either the knowledge of such being spread to opposing teams, or the fact that the Braves’ offense (and the season) spiraled the proverbial drain fairly quickly. Maybe it’s just me, but when I search or query the internet writ large for “Braves chase rate contest” or a variant, the only thing I really get is, well, my own writing. Maybe I hallucinated it. Maybe I’m hallucinating this. It’s been a tough few years, woof.
Meanwhile, in the near-perpetual beach day that’s been the Atlanta Braves 2026 season so far, there is no chase rate contest. No, really, there is no chase rate contest. Tim Hyers is still the hitting coach, the only topline coach to survive a robust staff turnover in the offseason. The chase rate contest? I bet you wouldn’t have even remembered that maybe it existed if I hadn’t brought it up.
I’m gonna show you some stuff. It’s early days for 2026 yet, but still, it’s all in service of the title.
It’s not that the Braves were, in recent history, some kind of prodigious set of boors or rude boys. 2019 was the first year of what we jokingly/wistfully refer to as Braves_PowerPoint.pptx, and they had a below-average chase rate that year. It was average in 2021, and then hovering in above-average territory, but not egregiously so. Then you get 25, and well… chase rate contest? 2026 has been a hard reversal, though.
(A small procedural note which may be of more interest to you than the rest of this post. Due to the implementation of ABS, there are now a bunch of nascent if minor data problems. Or, more accurately, we are now nascently, or perhaps just more keenly, aware of prior minor data problems. FanGraphs now includes two different sets of plate discipline data from Statcast — “Legacy” and “ABS.” These differ, but not by much. Further, per an exchange with Ben Clemens earlier this week, it looks like the prior implementation of the Statcast strike zone was not consistent pitch-to-pitch for the same player (but is now consistent with ABS), and as a result, there are some minor weirdnesses with what “chase” meant pre-2026 compared to 2026. For that reason, I’m skipping literally all of this and its implications and simply using ranks and z-scores so that actual rates don’t matter.)
Of course, no one commits to chasing. Some guys might have swings that can not only reach, but do serious damage on, pitchers that aren’t rulebook (or likely) strikes, but generally, higher chase is the result of other decisions and processes, not something targeted in and of itself. A lot of times, it helps to contextualize chase rate with the rate of swinging at strikes.
The below is a plot of all teams from 2024. I could do earlier ones, but I think you’ll get the idea.
The 2024 Braves are the red dot, the other teams, are, well… the other teams. The 2024 Braves swung at strikes more than anyone, and they swung at balls at an above-average rate. They swung a lot, basically.
Alright, here’s 2025. It’s certainly different!
Did the Braves succeed at being more selective? They sure did! They joined a bunch of other teams that were similarly chase avoidant-ish while offering at an above-average number of strikes. We know it didn’t actually do them any good writ large, but they still did it.
Alright, let’s do 2026 so far. It’s more exaggerated in most directions because, well, the sample size is small, and differences between teams are magnified as a result.
I think this is kinda funny. The Braves are killing it offensively, but if you think about things purely in terms of swing decisions, it’s kind of unexpected. In 2024, they swung at way more strikes than anyone else (a full two standard deviations above the mean), with an elevated but non-dramatic chase (+0.5 standard deviations). In 2025, it was restrained/selective: +0.6 standard deviations for swinging at strikes, and -0.4 for chasing. 2026? +0.8 for swinging at strikes, and +1.4 for chasing, as shown in the table above. A purist might call it misplaced aggressiveness, but I think most will just call it, “Whatever it takes to rake” for now.
Of course, teams are just a composition of players, and the Braves have been fairly stable in their cast of characters, especially compared to other teams. So, even if we avoid overloading the synapses by doing just our little 2024-2025-2026 pseudo-round trip, then we get into below. And I’ll be honest, this is really funny to me, and hopefully to you.
Ronald Acuña Jr.
In 2024, Acuña was more about not chasing than swinging at every strike. He actually chased more in 2025, but swung at fewer strikes. Oops. (He still posted a 161 wRC+ and a near-.400 xwOBA. It’s fine.) In 2026, he’s chasing more than in either of the past two years, and swinging at lots and lots of strikes. There is no chase rate contest, but if there were, he’d be useful at it.
Ozzie Albies
Albies is unapologetically himself, through days of cornucopia and fallow periods both. Can you tell whether there was a chase rate contest based on Albies’ behavior? You could not. One way, and probably the correct way to read it? He would not be very useful to you in a chase rate contest.
Michael Harris II
Harris is also unapologetically himself, though as not-quite-a-veteran relative to Albies, we can’t blame him for some more variation. Like Albies, it’s not clear that he understood the idea of a chase rate contest… at least not in practice. When presumably coached around being more selective, he was instead… more aggressive. Hmm. Anyway, he’s chasing a bit less these days, though you’re probably aware that he’s re-broken out because he’s focusing on mashing the ball rather than not-doing-a-thing-he-was-incapable-of-doing-anyway (being more selective).
Matt Olson
This one is kind of my favorite. In 2024, Olson had an average chase rate and swung at a lot of strikes. In 2025, Olson just swung less, which included swinging a lot less at strikes. In 2026, Olson is being passive ayy eff. Wait a minute! Isn’t this what we were complaining about in 2025? Well, Olson has a 169 wRC+ and a near-.400 xwOBA while losing more homers than anyone else to ballpark dimensions so far (which would’ve pushed his wRC+ to some kind of absurd level had they landed beyond fences), so…
(Maybe Olson thinks there’s still a chase rate contest? If so, he’s not actually doing as well as last year.)
Austin Riley
Riley does his own thing, so his presence here (or on any similar exercise) will always be kind of strange. I won’t make any chase rate contest quips here, I’ll just say that from this, it’s pretty clear that Riley is still kind of adjusting to re-existing at the plate at this point, and if things keep up, he might pause a PA to break out in a rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” before the All-Star Break.
Drake Baldwin
Drake Baldwin once knew life under the oppressive atmosphere of the chase rate contest. Now that it’s gone, uh… well, he seems to be having a pretty good time either way.
Coda:
The Braves were second in xwOBACON in 2024, 11th last year, and are fifth this year.
The Braves were third in walk rate in 2019, but finished between 10th and 19th every year from 2021-2024. They were third again in 2025. They’re 25th right now.
The Braves’ strikeout rate has had no pattern or trend year to year, bouncing around fairly wildly. It was ninth-highest in 2024, 17th in 2025, and is currently the third-lowest rate in baseball.
The Mets have been waiting for someone other than Juan Soto to step up and boost their offense with a handful of their regulars sitting out on the injured list.
On Thursday afternoon, MJ Melendez was the man for the job.
Melendez smacked a single in his first at-bat of the day, then picked up Freddy Peralta his next time up, lifting a game-tying three-run homer over the right-field fence.
It was the lefty slugger's second home run since joining the Mets.
Two innings later, he stepped to the plate and gave himself up, dropping down a sacrifice bunt to push Juan Soto into scoring position after drawing a leadoff walk in a tie game in the sixth.
New York took its first lead of the day just one pitch later as Mark Vientos lined a double.
Melendez was set to come back up in another big spot after Soto led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to right, with the team now trailing Washington by a run.
However, with former Mets left-hander Richard Lovelady on the mound, Carlos Mendoza elected to have Austin Slater come off the bench and pinch hit.
Slater, who recently joined the Mets on a minor league deal, had just one at-bat in the last week but came into the day a career .263 hitter with 30 of his 45 homers and a .776 OPS against left-handed pitching.
He couldn’t deliver this time around, though, working the count before grounding out to shortstop.
New York, of course, ended up squandering the opportunity before going down quietly in the ninth as the team closed out the long homestand with its sixth loss in nine tries.
Mendoza explained his thought process behind the decision afterward.
“Slater is here to hit lefties, obviously,” the skipper said. “Knowing that we’ve seen Lovelady against righties as well, just wanted to take the chance their with a righty against him and try to do some damage.”
Mendy talks job security
After suffering their second consecutive loss, the Mets fell to 10-21 over the first month of the season.
They remain in possession of the worst record in baseball heading into May.
With questions about his job security, injuries throughout the lineup, and just an overall lack of production from up-and-down the roster, Mendoza says it’s been tough on everyone.
“It’s not easy, but we have to keep going,” he said. “There’s no other choice here, we have a responsibility and we have to turn this thing around -- it’s not early anymore, so yeah, it’s obviously frustrating for a lot of people in here.”
Can the Bruins force a Game 7 with a win on Friday?
The Buffalo Sabres have the advantage of leading their first round series with the Boston Bruins 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday, but to say that the younger Sabres do not have any pressure on them would be inaccurate, since a loss would force a seventh and deciding game at KeyBank Center on Sunday. The series has been decidedly to the advantage of the visitors, as four of the five games in the series the road club has come out victorious, and the one game the home team won was Game 1’s improbable four-goal comeback late in the third by Buffalo.
The Sabres practiced on Thursday morning before flying to Beantown, where center Josh Norris replaced the injured Noah Ostlund in between Zach Benson and Josh Doan. Head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on Norris and defenseman Logan Stanley, who was absent from practice.
Sick, (he’s) doing better today, but we held them off.....he was worse yesterday, better today, but then you're missing a couple days and you haven't ate. We're gonna have to judge where the energy level is too at the same time.
Norris was slotted in his old spot, was that just to not disrupt the lineup too much?
For a period of time that line was really good for us, and put him back in his spot. He had a great practice today, skated really well, feeling really good. It's an opportunity where a guy like (Josh) can just step up and he could be a big difference maker for us.
Thompson has not scored since Game 1, and during the regular season, not scoring in four games is not a big deal, but everything in the playoffs is magnified. What have you seen from him in his quest to get back on the scoresheet?
You look at the opportunities in the game. A game ago, (the Bruins) were talking about how they needed more out of (Morgan) Geekie and more out of (David) Pastrnak. This is the time of the year, where I think the attention towards your best players always comes to a highlight. If one guy doesn't have goals for two or three games, no different than McDavid in Edmonton with his start to the playoffs, it's that time of year. I think if you look at the game and you break it down, (Tage) had an unbelievable chance in the third period where (Peyton) Krebs fed him across crease and he didn't finish. If that goes, you're probably not asking me this question today, but it didn't go in. (Our) best players, we're depending on them to be difference makers, but the cool thing about our team all year long has been that if the top guys weren't producing for a few games, we had other guys, whether it was our defense, whether it was (Beck) Malenstyn, guys like that were helping us win hockey games, and it's really what our team has been about the whole year.
Apr 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) celebrates with second baseman Brice Turang (2) after hitting a two run home run in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
For the second time in three games, the Brewers outscored the Arizona Diamondbacks by double digits. Milwaukee got to Michael Soroka early and often, and despite Brandon Woodruff’s exit in the second inning, the bullpen — led by Shane Drohan — held Arizona to just one run over 7 2/3 innings. Milwaukee is now two games over .500 as they head to the nation’s capital for a series against the Washington Nationals.
Woodruff walked D-backs leadoff man Geraldo Perdomo to start the game, but retired the next three batters to get back to the dugout unscathed.
Woodruff came back out for the second inning, but clearly didn’t look right and was pulled after allowing a one-out single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Grant Anderson came in to finish the inning with strikeouts of Nolan Arenado and Alek Thomas.
Brandon Woodruff was pulled in the second inning of his start today.
His fastball velocity was in the mid-80s after being in the low-90s in his previous outings this year pic.twitter.com/WINt00WHZa
With Woodruff out of the game early, this one effectively became a bullpen game for Milwaukee. Thankfully, the Brewers’ offense was able to give their pitching staff some quick run support with a three-spot in the bottom of the first off Soroka. With one out, William Contreras lined a double down the left field line. Garrett Mitchell, who had led off with a walk, scored from first to give the Crew an early lead. Soroka then walked Jake Bauers to put runners on first and second.
Tyler Black flew out for the second out, but Luis Rengifo kept the inning alive by lacing a double into the gap in right-center field. Contreras scored, Bauers scored, and just like that, the Brewers were up three runs before the end of the first inning.
Milwaukee added three more runs in the bottom of the third. After Brice Turang led off the inning with a single, Contreras delivered again, hitting a moonshot over the center field fence for a two-run home run. Soroka couldn’t stop the bleeding there, allowing back-to-back singles to Bauers and Black. Rengifo grounded out for the first out of the inning, but Bauers scored from third to put the Brewers up six runs.
Arizona finally got on the board in the fourth off Shane Drohan, who had come in to start the third inning. Corbin Carroll led off with a double to give the D-backs their first runner in scoring position. Drohan struck out cleanup hitter Adrian Del Castillo, but allowed consecutive singles to Idelmaro Vargas and Gurriel. Gurriel’s single scored Carroll from third to put Arizona on the board.
After that, Drohan settled in, escaping the inning by retiring Arenado and Thomas. With Woodruff exiting early, he gave the Brewers exactly what they needed — length and stability out of the bullpen. He turned in four strong innings, allowing five hits but just one earned run.
After giving up three runs in each of his first two appearances with Milwaukee, Drohan has responded by allowing just one run over his last five innings. He’s starting to look like a more dependable option — most likely as a long reliever, but with the ability to step into the rotation if needed.
Meanwhile, the Brewers’ offense kept the pressure on, adding two more runs with consecutive singles from Hamilton, Mitchell, Turang, and Contreras. That last hit from Contreras ended Soroka’s day after eight runs on 10 hits. The Crew also tacked on three more runs in the sixth — thanks to a Bauers groundout and a two-run double from Black — and another in the seventh on a Sal Frelick homer, his third of the year and second of the series.
Frelick’s home run brought the score to 12-1, but Milwaukee wasn’t done there. They scored their 13th and final run of the game off of D-backs catcher James McCann, who walked Black with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Jake Woodford struck out two on the way to retiring the side in the ninth, bringing the game to its final score of Milwaukee 13, Arizona 1.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Woodruff’s status, the rest of this game was incredibly encouraging. The bullpen shut down a dangerous Diamondbacks lineup, and every starter besides Greg Jones recorded at least one hit — including William Contreras, who went 4-for-4 with four RBIs. Hopefully, the Brewers can carry their offensive momentum into their upcoming series against a Nationals team that swept them earlier this year.
Tomorrow’s series opener pits No. 1 starter Jacob Misiorowski against right-hander Jake Irvin. First pitch is set for 5:45 p.m. CT.
Thursday afternoon’s game at Citi Field between the Mets and the Washington Nationals was a microcosm of what’s been a disappointing 2026 season for the home team. After falling behind 3-0, the Mets tied the game in the third on a three-run blast from MJ Melendez and then took the lead on a Mark Vientos RBI double in the sixth.
On one pitch, a 2-1 changeup from Weaver that caught too much of the plate, the Mets went from being back on track as winners of the series, to falling to 10-21, the worst record in the majors.
Afterwards, Weaver was outspoken about the pressure to perform that he and all of his teammates are feeling on a daily basis.
“I think at the end of the day, this pursuit of perfection is just an ultimate pressurized failure mindset,” Weaver said. “I just think it just becomes everybody wants to be the hero because we care and we want to win really, really bad. And I just don’t think success lives in that realm. It truly doesn’t, and I think the freedom of which we play day to day is kind of being suffocated a little bit.
“I want to just do my job, it’s that simple. There are moments that feel really close, and then there’s just one mistake that magnifies our situation. So, of course I sit there and feel the weight of the world and feel like I let the team down, but at the end of the day I do feel like I’m in a good spot.
“We sit there and we just tell you guys ‘It will come. This is the game. This is the law of averages’ and all these things, but at the end of the day, those words just don’t hold the same weight when you go day after day. I think the encouragement and the motivation to pursue just being the best person you can be and the best baseball player you can be is the only answer. Until we prove that, I understand the grievances from the outsiders."
Weaver is far from the only Met who has had his struggles this season, but he was acquired this offseason to be in high-leverage spots, exactly like the one he found himself in on Thursday afternoon.
With his performance on Thursday, Weaver now has a 6.00 ERA on the season, allowing eight earned runs in 12.0 innings.
“Typically, you don’t see an entire kind of collective group at the same time not playing their best brand of baseball. It feels individualized. It feels like a moment like today where everybody played well and we’re playing well as a group, and today I kind of let the team down. It just kind of feels like there’s a little bit of a culture that has adapted to it, unintentionally, and it’s just kind of how winning and losing goes.
“When you win, you feel on top of the world. When you’re losing, everyone wants to talk about the failure of the outcomes. The magnification just becomes immense. Sleep is lost, the mind wanders, and you just kind of get into a fixation that you really don’t need to be in. I think the answers are kind of in those words. It’s simplifying the process and maybe doing less. Maybe it’s less reps and more about enjoying why you do this for a living and trying to just find your inner kid and enjoy why you play the game and not trying to do it for other people.”
With 10 wins in their first 31 games, the Mets find themselves in last place in the NL East, certainly not where anyone on the team or around the team thought they’d be as the calendar flips to May.
According to Weaver, the Mets’ performance on the field hasn’t matched their preparation off of it, and perhaps taking a step back to refocus is something the team must do to right the ship.
“I’ve been a part of great teams and part of teams that weren’t up to par. I look at this team, and if you took our record off and just looked at the internal things that you guys can’t see, the conversations, just the enjoyment on a day-to-day basis, I wouldn’t believe you if you told me what our record was,” Weaver said. “I think that is a testament to the people we have in here, the mindset that we bring on a day-to-day basis.
“You’ve got to reframe the way that you think. Make it a priority to be like ‘This old habit is going to die today’ and this new, kind of rejuvenated mindset is something that I’m going to have to attack it and say ‘This is how I want to play baseball.’”
That's the record of NBA teams who have gone up 3-0 in a playoff series. Only four teams have even forced a Game 7.
The Lakers raced out to a 3-0 series lead against a Houston Rockets team that has been without Kevin Durant for all but one game (not to mention missing other veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams). History told us where this series was headed.
Except, now it's 3-2, the series is headed back to Houston, and the Lakers are in real trouble.
The Rockets have looked a little better with each game, they have found an identity and confidence. For the first 10 quarters of this series, the Lakers looked like the veteran team that had a little more juice left in them, a team that might make a run. They were the aggressors pressuring on defense while their role players like Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were knocking down shots.
However, for the last 10 quarters, the Lakers have just looked old. If not for one moment of their brilliance/horrible Rockets self-inflicted wounds at the end of Game 3, the Lakers would be trailing in this series.
"We're obviously the better team, I feel like," Jabari Smith Jr. said, reflecting the growing confidence that is clear the second you step into the Houston locker room.
Somewhere in the middle of Game 3, with Kevin Durant in the back getting treatment on his ankle, the young Rockets core started to coalesce.
"We're just a tight-knit group of guys, especially the young guys, we really banded together," Tari Eason said. "And I'm just proud of us… We just got to keep it rolling, one game at a time, back home, Game 6."
Rockets find new identity
For three games, Houston looked overwhelmed — by the moment, by the pressure defense from Los Angeles, by everything. Ime Udoka caught some flak for saying his team needed to "grow up." However, maybe that's what they needed to hear.
The Rockets have come together and made a few adjustments. They cranked up their defensive pressure, forcing turnovers and getting points in transition. On offense, they started hunting Kennard. Also, the Rockets started getting Alperen Sengun the ball more in the middle of the floor (where it's harder to bring help).
Sengun, for his part, has settled into his role as more of a facilitator.'
"We learned it watching films, watching their defense, kind of understanding what they do now and there's no, no reason for me to rush the shot or, like, attack the double team," Sengun said after a 14-point, nine-rebound and eight-assist night in Game 5. "I'm just trying to pick them apart and find my teammates and find open shots. And that was my job today."
He did his job — every Rockets starter finished in double-digits.
That Rockets youth seems to be wearing down those Lakers, who have just looked old and slow, even with the return of Austin Reaves.
Lakers need to re-establish their identity
While the Rockets' offense has improved in the last few games, Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't see his team's defense as the issue after a 99-92 loss in Game 5 at home.
"You hope 99 [points] is enough to win and we just couldn't make shots," Redick said. "We missed some layups. Certainly, [we] had some good looks from three that didn't go down."
"I mean, we have some opportunities to make some shots we didn't make, obviously. Think we're generating good shots," LeBron James said, echoing his coach. "As much as we gotta defend, we also gotta score in this game too, and I don't think we did that at a good rate, especially in the second and third [quarters]."
Reaves' return was supposed to help with that, and he did put up 22 points off the bench, but he did most of that damage at the free throw line. Reaves shot 4-of-16 for the game and looked to wear down late, shooting 1-of-8 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers are still in the driver's seat — they still need to win just one of two games. Reaves should shake off the rust and look better going forward. LeBron has been in more high-leverage games than anyone on the planet and has lifted up teams to big wins before. Marcus Smart has been on big stages before and won. The Rockets are still young and making the mistakes of youth (Eason going back up with a putback with 38 seconds left in Game 5, when the Rockets were up three, rather than kicking out to run down more clock, for example). The odds remain in the Lakers' favor.
But make no mistake, they are in trouble. And the young Rockets believe they can make history.
Sparkling cameos by skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler complemented a stellar display with the ball and in the field, carrying Gujarat Titans to a four-wicket victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
The two-time All-Star left his Thursday afternoon start against the Diamondbacks in the second inning after a concerning drop in his fastball velocity.
Woodruff, whose heater has averaged 92.5 mph this season, per Baseball Savant, did not throw a fastball above 86.9 mph during his 21-pitch outing Thursday.
Brandon Woodruff was pulled in the second inning of his start today.
His fastball velocity was in the mid-80s after being in the low-90s in his previous outings this year pic.twitter.com/WINt00WHZa
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff walks off the mound with an injury in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After he delivered an 83.8 mph cutter for a ball to Arizona batter Nolan Arenado in the top of the second inning, Brewers manager Pat Murphy and the team’s training staff immediately came out of the dugout to check on their starter.
Following a brief visit, Woodruff handed the ball over to Murphy and walked off the mound with trainer Brad Epstein.
“He wasn’t himself,” Murphy later said to Brewers.TV reporter Sophia Minnaert during a mid-game interview. “He felt kind of dead. He said he didn’t feel any pain, just nothing was coming out. We’ve seen a little bit of this, but never at this level, where he can’t get the ball over 85 mph.
“He’s so important to us. We’re not going to risk anything, maybe long-term by having him try to step on it.”
Woodruff was in the midst of a solid 2026, sporting a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 28.1 innings. Getty Images
Entering play Thursday, Woodruff was in the midst of a solid 2026, sporting a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 28.1 innings.
Woodruff, who missed most of the past two seasons due to injury, recorded at least five innings in each of his first five starts.
He missed all of 2024 after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule and despite returning to the mound last season, managed just 12 starts before going down with a season-ending lat strain.
If Woodruff misses an extended stretch, the Brewers – who traded ace Freddy Peralta and swingman Tobias Myers to the Mets during the offseason – will have to lean on their depth to cover his absence.
Flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison and a healthy Woodruff have been solid to begin the season for Milwaukee, which entered play Thursday with a 15-14 record.
“He’s going through this process and hopefully [will] be okay and he’ll work himself into his form,” Murphy added. “Because even with him maybe not throwing his normal 95 he can still get outs and win. As long as he doesn’t risk injury I’ll go with him every time.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 30: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in game one of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on April 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 San Francisco Gianta are discovering new ways to lose. In the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, it was a blown save and a walk-off infield single.
Ryan Walker (0-1) gave up a game-tying triple to Bryson Stott in the 9th inning and Stott scored on Justin Crawford’s two-out infield single to give the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 comeback win. The blown save wasted an excellent pitching effort from Logan Webb and some standout defensive plays to drop the Giants to 13-17.
The game began with such promise. With a 9:30 AM local start, earlier than some of your favorite McCovey Chronicles scribes generally wake up, the Giants put together a first-inning rally that made some early risers rub their eyes in disbelief. Two doubles? In a row? One of which only advanced the runner on second base to third?
It was not a dream. Heliot Ramos started off his three-hit afternoon (with a walk!) with a double to center, then Matt Chapman doubled off the wall for an almost-home run. According to @MLBNearHR, an invaluable resource on X.com the everything app, Chapman’s blast would have been a home run in another major league ballpark! Well, one of them at least.
🚨 NEAR HOME RUN! 🚨
Matt Chapman (San Francisco Giants) vs Cristopher Sánchez (Philadelphia Phillies) 💨 100.1 mph 📐 27.0° 📏 354.0 ft 📍 Top 1 inning 🏟️ Citizens Bank Park Would be a HR in 1/30 ballparks! Result: Double
Thinking the ball might be caught, Ramos only advanced to third, but it didn’t matter after Contact King Luis Arraez came through with an RBI groundout to second. Casey Schmidt and his .523 slugging percentage followed with an RBI single and the Giants had a 2-0 lead against 6-foot-6 Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez.
The Phillies cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Webb left a 3-2 cutter over the middle of the plate and Kyle Schwarber hit it halfway to Scranton for his 350th career home run. That tied two-time Giants All-Star Charles “Chili” Davis on the all-time list.
Davis left the Giants as a free agent primarily because of how much he hated playing in Candlestick Park to which we say: Fair.
That was the lone run allowed by Webb, who went seven innings and gave up seven hits and two walks, while striking out six. It wasn’t the cleanest appearance, but Webb consistently pitched his way out of jams.
In both the 3rd and 5th innings, Webb wisely walked Schwarber with one out, then got Bryce Harper to ground into an inning-ending double play, the second handled by Willy Adames all by himself.
In the fourth, Adolis Garcia singled on a ball he lined off Webb’s inner thigh, then Brandon Marsh followed with an opposite-field double that rolled about 170 feet past a shifted infield to put runners on second and third with no outs.
But Webb got a strikeout, then got a great play by Matt Chapman throwing out Garcia at the plate. After a successful bunt single by Crawford loaded the bases and deeply confused the Giants broadcasters, who weren’t sure why he opted for a two-out bunt with a runner in scoring position and an .085 hitter on deck. Said hitter, catcher Rafael Marchan, grounded out to Rafael Devers on a play that nearly paralyzed the still-new first-sacker with indecision at first.
No outs with runners on second and third, and Logan Webb got out of the jam 👏 pic.twitter.com/IBGf5RBbcn
In the 7th inning, Patrick Bailey, who went 1-for-4, made a great play to throw out Crawford trying to steal for Webb’s penultimate out. Surely Crawford’s speed wouldn’t hurt them later!
While Webb was thwarting the Phillies, the Giants’ bats weren’t doing much damage against Sanchez, who gave up two runs, four hits, and three walks while striking out seven in 6.2 innings. Ramos singled and Chapman walked in the 5th, but Sanchez got Arraez to fly out and battled back from a 3-0 count to retire Schmidt.
After the first inning, Sanchez allowed just one hit and two walks. Twice, Sanchez retired eight hitters in a row. Ramos and Chapman gave him trouble, which is why he was pulled for Orion Kerkering with Ramos coming up with two outs in the 7th.
The Giants threatened again in the 8th when Chapman and Schmidt both singled. Left Tanner Banks relieved Kerkering and struck out Devers and retired Adames. They got two more runners on in the 8th when Ramos and Bailey got hits with two outs, but Chase Shugart struck out Chapman to end the inning and eventually earn his first win of the season.
They had chances to pad their lead, but the Giants are like a California homeowner near an earthquake fault line: It’s way harder than it should be to get insurance.
In the 9th, Garcia got his second infield hit of the game on a ball Arraez knocked down on the far side of second base but couldn’t throw him out. Then defensive positioning hurt the Giants again when Stott pulled a ball down the right field line with Jung Hoo Lee shifted well into center field against the left-handed batter. Lee had to run forever to get the ball and Stott got an easy triple.
Manager Tony Vitello made defensive substitutions for the bottom of the 7th, bringing in Drew Gilbert to play center and moving Lee to right. The move may have been motivated by the left-handed Sanchez exiting the game, though Gilbert had to face a lefty in the 9th anyway.
Vitello may have also been motivated by Encarnacion’s own defense, specifically when he clearly believed there were only two outs when he caught an inning-ending fly ball in the second inning. He received a razzing from his teammates and an adorable thumbs-up from Lee.
The Giants gave Encarnación a hard time after he appeared to forget how many outs there were in the bottom of the second 😂 pic.twitter.com/D5BdSqaNVW
The Giants don’t have time to dwell on the loss since they’re making like Ernie Banks and play9ing two. Don’t eat too many hoagies from Wawa or fill up on Tastykakes during the break, fellas!
Los Angeles Kings forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Scott Laughton are both due for new contracts this summer as pending UFAs.
On Wednesday, the duo spoke with the media at the end-of-season press conference and were asked about their intentions and future with the Kings organization.
Both Kuzmenko and Laughton gave different answers in terms of their interest in signing a contract extension with Los Angeles, one more encouraging than the other.
"The interest level is high for me, for sure," Laughton told reporters. "The opportunity I was given here, the guys here, the staff, the way I was treated, my family came down and absolutely loved it... so yeah, the interest level is high."
Laughton featured in 21 games for the Kings this year in the regular season. He put up five goals and eight points while averaging 15:46 of ice time in Los Angeles, which is more than two minutes compared to his stint with the Maple Leafs this season.
The veteran center added that "the culture and the players in place" give him a real reason to stay, too.
Furthermore, earlier this week, David Pagnotta believes that the Kings will take a chance at keeping Laughton. The NHL insider also shared that clarity on who the next head coach will be for Los Angeles is a big part of that potential agreement.
Scott Laughton (Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images)
Kings coach D.J. Smith utilized Laughton well, but he was just an interim bench boss for the dismissal of Jim Hiller. The expectation is that Holland will provide an update on whether Smith is staying on board or if the organization will look for a different candidate.
At any rate, the interest is there for Laughton to stay, as he puts it. The 31-year-old just wrapped up a five-year contract that carried a $3-million salary cap hit.
The Russian left winger completed the regular season with 13 goals and 25 points in 52 appearances. He inked a one-year deal with the Kings last summer, at a $4.3-million cap hit.
If Kuzmenko does move on from the Kings to another NHL club, it'll be the fifth team he's suited up for in the past three years.
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The Detroit Pistons leaned on their size in Game 5 to keep this series alive, but that kind of emphasis typically invites adjustments in the postseason.
If nothing else, the Orlando Magic shouldn’t allow the boards to be dominated again.
Jalen Duren isn’t getting anywhere near his usual offensive workload in this series. The Detroit Pistons center hasn’t cleared 12 points in a game after averaging 19.5 in the regular season, largely because he’s taking just 7.6 shots per game compared to 11.5.
Even with four second-chance points on five offensive rebounds in Game 5, Duren finished with just 12 points.
Don’t expect him to shine offensively. The postseason isn’t built for players like Duren to score in volume.
SGP leg #2: Jalen Duren Under 9.5 rebounds (-155)
Duren has yet to reach double-digit rebounds in this series after averaging 10.5 per game in the regular season. Even with five offensive boards in Game 5, he finished with just nine total rebounds.
This leg is heavily juiced, but that doesn’t deter this same-game parlay, as the Orlando Magic’s Game 6 adjustment should further limit Duren’s rebounding.
SGP leg #3: Magic +3 (-110)
If Duren is slowed in Game 6, Orlando should continue its trend of going 4-1 against the spread in this series, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by more than seven points per game — even including the lone ATS loss.
Get Douglas Farmer's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Pistons vs Magic predictions for Game 6.
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