EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Kris Knoblauch on Thursday, dismissing him after a first-round exit followed him guiding the team to consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Knoblauch coached the Oilers to the playoffs three times since taking over as a midseason replacement when Jay Woodcroft was fired following a bad start in November 2023. They won 166 of their 286 total games behind the bench, and Knoblauch’s .623 regular-season points percentage ranks sixth among active NHL coaches.
The Oilers are now set for their sixth coach since Connor McDavid entered the NHL in 2015 and became the best player in the world, skating alongside fellow MVP Leon Draisaitl. The two still have not won a championship, now going into their 12th season together.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch looks on from behind the bench. AP
Moving on from Knoblauch comes in the aftermath of a report earlier this week that Edmonton had sought and were denied permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to speak to Bruce Cassidy, whom they fired as coach in late March but is still under contract. Teams making offseason changes typically wait until there is a vacancy before reaching out about prospective candidates.
General manager Stan Bowman getting to make this move seems to indicate he will keep his job, along with president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson, who joined the organization in August 2023. Jackson took over control of hockey operations following the team’s first trip to the final in 2024 and hired Bowman as GM that summer. Assistant coach Mark Stuart was also fired.
“Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed,” Bowman said. “We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization and we wish them the best moving forward.”
The Oilers fell behind 3-0 in their first final matchup against Florida before pushing the Panthers to a Game 7 and losing by a goal. They made it back the following year and had home-ice advantage but seemed to regress in a six-game series defeat that could be blamed on poor defense and goaltending.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers looks on during the third period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks. Getty Images
Those problems continued this season, before and after Bowman made a goalie swap to get Tristan Jarry and send Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh. It made the situation worse, as Edmonton ranked 29th out of 32 teams in the league in save percentage at .883.
McDavid late in the season heaped praise upon Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper after the Lightning beat the Oilers 5-2. Even if it was not meant as criticism of Knoblauch, it stood out from a player who usually speaks more about taking responsibility for losses.
Edmonton was eliminated by the less-experienced Anaheim Ducks, when he was unable to find someone to stop the puck between Jarry and backup-turned-starter Connor Ingram. They combined for an .880 save percentage, worst in the playoffs, and the Oilers’ 4.33 goals allowed also ranked last.
The three-year contract extension the Oilers signed Knoblauch to in October kicks in next season and runs through 2028-29. They are obligated to pay him until another team hires him and would be on the hook for any differential in salary over that time.
What a season it has been for Kahlil Watson! He went 2-5 with a 2 RBI double to raise his average to .276 and his OPS to .931. Juan Brito also went 2-5 with an RBI triple. He is hitting .281 with a .903 OPS in AAA this season. Stuart Fairchild went 2-4 with a walk, and Kody Huff continues his great season going 2-3 with a walk. He is now hitting .318 with an OPS of .980.
It was a solid start for Rorik Maltrud. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings pitched but also had 7 strikeouts to just 1 walk. His ERA on the season sits at 2.50. Daniel Espino pitched 2/3 of an inning and had two more walks, something he has been struggling with lately. Trent Denholm wound up getting the win by pitching 3.1 scoreless innings of relief with 5 strikeouts.
We are calling this one the Juan Benjamin game. Benjamin went 4-4 with two doubles and was responsible for 3 of the 5 RubberDucks runs. Alfonsin Rosario went 1-4 with a double, Alex Mooney went 1-3 with an RBI single.
It has been a rough season for Dylan Delucia. This start wasn’t too bad but he still allowed 4 runs on 7 hits in his 4 innings pitched. His ERA on the season sits at 8.14. Adam Tulloch, Reid Johnston, and Jay Driver combined for 5 scoreless innings of relief with 5 strikeouts to just 2 walks.
What a day it was for the Rake County Captains. They really made that nickname proud last night. Luke Hill continues to have an awesome season, he went 4-5 with two Home Runs. Nolan Schubart had 3 walks and hit a grand slam. Aaron Walton might be the highest rising position player prospect in the system after homering again today, he is hitting .319 with a 1.027 OPS on the season. They have to get him to Akron soon. Jace Laviolette went 1-4 with a double and a walk, and Dean Curley went 1-3 with two walks and an RBI single.
It hasn’t been the season that Rafe Schlesinger was hoping to have. He allowed 3 more runs today in 3.1 innings pitched and his ERA is up to 5.33 on the season. The main takeaway from this game on the pitching side has to be Cam Schuelke. His ERA is down to 0.55 on the season after throwing 2 scoreless innings of relief with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Dauri Fernandez went 2-4 with an RBI double and a walk. He is now hitting .288 with a .769 OPS on the season. Cannon Peebles went 2-4 with a walk and an RBI single. Jose Pirela homered again and continues his nice season. Tyler Howard went 2-4 with a 2 RBI ground rule double.
Nelson Keljo continues to look awesome. He tossed 4 more scoreless innings tonight with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. His ERA is down to 1.69 on the season. Ryan Prager made his Single A debut today and threw 2 scoreless innings of relief with 2 strikeouts.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MAY 08: Mike Burrows #50 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds on May 08, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (17-27) will continue their seven-game homestand today as they look to earn a four-game series split with a win against the rival Seattle Mariners (21-23).
Astros starter RHP Mike Burrows (2-4, 5.04 ERA), who tossed 7.0 shutout innings his last time out, will oppose RHP Luis Castillo (0-4, 6.57 ERA) and the Mariners in this series finale.
ABOUT BURROWS: RHP Mike Burrows owns a 2.50 ERA (5ER/18IP) in his last three starts and is coming off the best start of his young career on Friday at CIN (0ER/7IP).
Burrows is acclimating himself to the AL West, as he was acquired from the Pirates this offseason as part of a three-team, six-player trade in which the Astros sent OF Jacob Melton and minor leaguer RHP Anderson Brito to the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Rays sent IF Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
ROCK CLIMBING: The Astros are facing RHP Luis Castillo for the 11th time in his career today and for the second time this season, with the first coming on April 11 in Seattle when the Astros tagged him for seven runs on 3.1 innings.
DH Yordan Alvarez took Castillo deep in that game and now has three career home runs and a lifetime .474 (9×19) average off the three-time All-Star.
VS. SEATTLE: The Astros and Mariners are playing their second series of 2026 and after today will not see each other again until August.
With a win last night, the Astros snapped a nine-game losing streak to Seattle, which spanned back to 2025.
ABOUT THE SKIPPER:Manager Joe Espada recorded his 192nd career managerial victory last night, which moved him past Harry Craft (1962-64) into 12th in club history. He now immediately trails Jimy Williams (215) for 11th on that all-time list.
LANCE REACHES 900 K’S: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. surpassed 900 career strikeouts last night as he fanned six in his 5.1 innings pitched. McCullers became the 15th player in franchise history to reach 900 strikeouts and the quickest to do so in terms of appearances (154g).
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 44 different lineups in their 44 games in 2026. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (hitting second), although he will bat 3rd today.
1B Christian Walker has played in every game (43 starts).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With two RBI last night, 2B Jose Altuve reached 900 career RBI, making him the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark.
He also checks in with 238 career homers as a second baseman, needing one more to tie Lou Whitaker for seventh place all-time in MLB history among second basemen.
THE SHEW FITS: SS Braden Shewmake went 2×5 last night, which extended his current hitting streak to a career-long eight games.
Shewmake has hit .364 (12×33) with three homers and a 1.000 OPS in 13 games since being acquired by the Astros in a trade from the Yankees on April 19.
WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker is hitting .296 (24×81) in his last 21 games (since April 20) with six homers and 13 RBI.
Among AL players this season, Walker ranks tied for third in RBI (29), sixth in extra-base hits (20), seventh in total bases (84), and seventh in SLG (.525).
GUN ‘EM DOWN: In just 21 games, C Christian Vázquez has thrown out nine baserunners attempting to steal (in 25 attempts), which ranks tied for first in the AL and fourth in the Majors.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2017 – The Astros spoil Derek Jeter Night at Yankee Stadium, erupting for six runs in the 1st inning off RHP Masahiro Tanaka en route to a 10-7 win on national TV. 3B Alex Bregman hits his first career grand slam in the big 1st inning. The win gave Houston a split in what was a Mother’s Day doubleheader.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, May 14, 1:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers close out their four-game series. The Giants won the first two games before Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers shut them out 4-0 on Wednesday. Scheduled starting pitchers are Landen Roupp for San Francisco, with a 3.09 ERA, and Emmet Sheehan for Los Angeles, with a 4.79 ERA.
How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
HOUSTON (AP) — The Seattle Mariners placed catcher Cal Raleigh on the 10-day injured list on Thursday morning with a right oblique strain, the first IL stint of the AL MVP runner-up’s career in his sixth major league season.
On Wednesday, Raleigh left the Mariners’ 4-3 loss to Houston in the eighth inning after appearing to aggravate an injury to his right side. Raleigh missed three games from May 2 to May 4 with soreness on his right side.
“Nobody wants to go on the IL, and especially not Cal,” manager Dan Wilson said. “But I think at this point it’s the smart thing to do.”
In 41 games this season, Raleigh is hitting .161 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, four doubles, 18 walks and 16 runs. His .161 batting average is second-lowest in the majors among hitters with enough at-bats to qualify. Only Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cedric Mullins (.150) has a lower average.
To fill Raleigh’s spot on the active roster, the Mariners recalled catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma. Pereda, 30, has appeared in two games with Seattle this season, hitting .400 with a run scored.
It's been touted as one of the best, deepest draft classes in more than a decade. A class that will change the course of multiple franchises.
Can it? The class' elite players — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and on down the list — have been under the spotlight in Chicago this week at the NBA Draft Combine. They were measured, had their vertical leap tested, underwent a medical screening and spoke with teams in brief (20-minute) interviews.
What did we see from the top prospects? Here are some notes on them and other things that drew scouts' eyes at the combine. Just a reminder: Don't overvalue what happens in Chicago, especially with the top players. These measurements do not matter nearly as much as what the scouts and GMs have seen already in person and on tape from games and practices. What matters most for all the players is the medical reports and interviews. The impact of the combine is greater further down the draft board, where a player can get noticed and move up or down, something much more difficult in the lottery.
AJ Dybantsa
He officially measured 6'8.5" tall (barefoot), with a 7-foot wingspan and an 8'10" standing reach, all about what was expected. What stood out was his 42-inch max vertical leap, which was an impressive fourth-best in the combine and clearly the best of any of the top-10 projected picks.
Dybantsa also stood out because he wore a suit to his interviews with teams (he met with all the teams with top five picks), reports Josh Robbins at The Athletic.
"I had interviews this morning with different teams, and I mean, I never had a job before," Dybantsa told reporters on Wednesday. "I was 13 (when I) started taking basketball serious. But this is like my first job interview. So my dad's kind of like, [You know, this is your job interview. So come professional, come in a suit.'"
Darryn Peterson
Peterson's measurements matched up with previous ones: 6'4.5" tall (barefoot), with a 6'10" wingspan and 8'7" standing reach — elite numbers for a guard.
In speaking with the media, Peterson pushed back on the idea that he wants or needs to play point guard. That's important if he does go No. 2 to Utah, where he would share the backcourt with Keyonte George (or if Washington took him No. 1, as they already have Trae Young).
Darryn Peterson showcasing his skills at the 2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine
Here are his unofficial scores:
Standing Vert - 31.50" Max Vertical - 37.50" Pro Lane Drill - 11.170 seconds 3/4 Court Sprint - 3.160 seconds Shuttle Run - 6.021 seconds Spot Up 3s: 19/25 3PM pic.twitter.com/T1GV2lciIT
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 13, 2026
Cameron Boozer
The Duke standout posted measurements that help the case he can not only play the four but some small-ball five: 6'8.25 height, 7'1.5" wingspan, and an impressive 9-foot standing reach. While some have questioned his athleticism at the NBA level, he had a 35-inch vertical leap.
"I think my mind, for sure. My feel for the game is elite. My competitiveness, my will to win, I think those are the biggest things that are going to translate."
Caleb Wilson
League sources NBC Sports has spoken with continue to say there is a top four in this draft, with North Carolina's Wilson in the group with Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer, and then there is a tier break to the run on guards that will follow.
Wilson measured 6'9.25 tall with a big 7-foot wingspan and a 9-foot standing reach, and he had an impressive 39.5-inch max vertical leap. He also came in at 211 pounds, he's got to put on some muscle to be a big in the NBA. Wilson showed he has recovered from his thumb injury and has some shooting range.
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 13, 2026
Other players of note
• Guard Darius Acuff measured 6'2" tall and with a 6'7" wingspan — better numbers than many expected — and that will boost his case and comfort the GMs considering him in the 5-6 range of the draft (there's a lot of speculation he goes to the Clippers at No. 5 and pairs with Darius Garland). The question isn't whether he can score the ball, the question is his defense. But teams love his game.
• Houston guard Kingston Flemmings didn't blow anyone away with his measurements (6'2.5" height, 6'3.5" wingspan), but he impressed with his athleticism, like a 40.5" vertical leap) and shooting 19-of-25 from beyond the arc in that shooting drill. He and Acuff are expected to go in the top six.
• Baylor guard Cameron Carr has had a standout combine. He was already a projected first-round pick — he went 18th to Charlotte in the first NBC Sports mock draft — but may have moved up to the lottery showing off a 42.5-inch vertical leap and finishing near the top of the class in all the agility drills. The man showed in college that he can get buckets, but he dropped 30 in the second scrimmage he participated in and has shown real range with his shot.
• Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg has looked NBA-ready. His measurements were the same as a year ago (when he went through the combine then decided to return to Ann Arbor) but his agility and shooting were improved. We had him going 12th in the NBC Sports mock draft, and that may be too low.
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 13, 2026
• Speaking of Michigan, center Aday Mara turned heads with a 7'3" height and 9'9" standing reach (tied with Mark Williams for the second-longest standing reach in Combine history. Those are numbers close to Zach Eddy, and a lot of teams could use a Zach Eddy. The NBC Sports mock draft had Mara going in the top 10 and that may not change now.
• Cincinnati center Baba Miller turned a few heads with impressive measurements — 6'10.5" tall, 7'2" wingspan, 9'3" standing reach — then he went out and led the first scrimmage with 20 points. He's projected as a mid-second round pick but could be moving up.
• Koa Peat had a rough combine, not measuring particularly tall (6'7") for a forward and shooting 6-of-25 on spot-up 3-pointers. Don't be surprised if he chooses to return to Arizona (or another college) for a season, then try the draft again next year.
• Morez Johnson, another national champion from Michigan, had a strong camp showing off his combination of size (6'9" with an 8'11" reach) and athleticism, as highlighted by a 39-inch vertical leap, and he was solid shooting from 3 (something he did not do a lot of for the Wolverines).
May 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander (32) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Update 11:39am MT: Thomas Harding reports that Dollander was removed due to right arm tightness.
#Rockies RHP Chase Dollander left today's game with right arm tightness.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander left today’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after facing two batters in the second inning.
After giving up a leadoff double to Endy Rodríguez and then walking Jared Triolo, he shook his right arm and was visited by Keith Dugger and Warren Schaeffer on the mound before being lifted.
Dollander threw 28 pitches, 17 for strikes while allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits with a walk. Two of the runs were scored on a two-run homer from Ryan O’Hearn in the first inning.
Brennan Bernardino entered in relief, and recently-recalled Tanner Gordon will likely pitch most of the innings today.
The reasons for Dollander leaving the game are not known at this time, but Purple Row will continue to follow this developing story.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 06: Isaac Collins #1 of the Kansas City Royals reacts after striking out during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 06, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Royals have not been happy road warriors. Their loss to the White Sox last night ensures they will have lost six of their first seven road series, the only success being a sweep in Seattle. They are just 6-14 overall on the road, the second-worst record in baseball.
The road woes have been a complete team effort – both the hitting and the pitching have been noticeably worse away from Kansas City.
The team moved the fences in at Kauffman Stadium to give hitters a more neutral environment. Runs are up 35 percent at the K – they averaged just 3.71 runs-per-game there last year. At home, the Royals are an offensive juggernaut. They have the seventh-best home offense in baseball with a wRC+ of 115. Royals hitters have a line of .265/.349/.436 at home. They have the fifth-best on-base percentage and the second-highest hard-hit rate. Maikel Garcia is hitting .351 at home. Michael Massey is hitting .333 with three home runs in 14 games at the K. Seven Royals hitters are hitting .298 or better at home.
The road is a completely different story. Royals hitters are batting just .213/.284/.341 on the road – only the Phillies have been worse. Their hard-hit rate falls from 37.1 percent at home to just 29.9 percent on the road, fifth-worst in baseball. Garcia is hitting just .207 on the road. Isaac Collins went hitless in his first 28 at-bats on the road.
Pitchers have endured similar struggles. Their 5.05 road ERA is the fifth-worst in baseball. Royals pitchers have the third-worst home run rate on the road, while they have the tenth-best home run rate at home. Cole Ragans has a 7.97 ERA on the road, second-worst among qualified pitchers. Royals relievers have a 5.57 ERA on the road, although admittedly that figure is distorted by a six-run blowup by Carlos Estévez in Atlanta.
For all their struggles last year, the 2025 Royals were not a particularly bad road team. They finished 39-42 away from the K, scoring more runs on the road. Could the changes to Kauffman Stadium be a possible culprit for the offense? It has boosted offense at home, but could there be a “hangover” effect? Coors Field famously inflates offensive numbers for Rockies hitters, but it also seems to make their road numbers worse as hitters adjust their approach when playing in Denver, but struggle to readjust for road games. Could Royals hitters be eyeing the shorter porches at Kauffman, messing up their approach on the road?
Their home run totals on the road don’t seem to dip too much, rather it is their road batting average of .213 that is an outlier. Some bad luck could be contributing to that – their road BABIP is .261, second-worst in baseball. It could also be a matter of small sample size and matchups. Three of the teams they have visited – the Braves, Guardians, and Athletics, all sit in first place, and another – the Yankees – have one of the best records in baseball.
Still, the Royals will need to figure out their road struggles soon. Some home/road disparity is normal. But the Royals haven’t just been worse away from Kansas City – they look like an entirely different team.
FORT MYERS, FL- MARCH 04: Zebby Matthews #52 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during a spring training game against Puerto Rico on March 4, 2026 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):12:40 PM TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: Fish on First
The Twins go for the series victory and first series win vs an NL team in 2026. Zebby Matthews was recalled today to make the start, his first of the season, while the Twins’ lineup will see lefty Braxton Garrett, also making his first start of the year.
After losing the battle for the final rotation spot to Mick Abel, Zebby has been passed over several times as injuries have come up, with the Twins opting for the likes of Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas, and Zebby’s AAA numbers make that decision obvious. In 34.1 innings, Matthews has a 4.72 ERA/6.09 FIP/4.28 xFIP while striking out just 21.9% of batters and walking a career high 7.4% of them. His diminished velocity from Spring Training hasn’t really improved and, more importantly, his breaking pitches aren’t really breaking. He’s been better over his past three starts in St. Paul, but this many walks for a player who relies on pinpoint accuracy is concerning. We’ll see if he can turn things around today!
Roster notes:
RP Travis Adams was optioned to make room for Zebulon
Struggling Matt Wallner finally got demoted in favor of utility man Ryan Kreidler. Kreidler is likely a placeholder until one of Alan Roden, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or Walker Jenkins is healthy, but it’s a disappointing run for a player the Twins were hopeful could be part of their next core. With so many top prospects on the brink of debuting, there’s a chance we may not see the Forest Lake native with the Big League squad again.
In the meantime, Austin Martin will get a chance to play every day and see if his hot start is sustainable. Martin has established himself as a key role player, but he’ll get a few weeks to see if he can be more than that.
Byron Buxton is getting a rare day off. He’s been either their best or second-best player this season (I see you Ryan Jeffers) but even superheroes need breaks occasionally. The Twins don’t have an off day for another week so this seemed like a good time get him off his feet after a monster Wednesday performance.
AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 22: Pitcher Dylan Volantis #99 of the Texas Longhorns screams after striking out the last batter of an inning during the college baseball game between Texas Longhorns and Michigan State Spartans on February 22, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For the first time since 2011, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns host the Missouri Tigers in Austin as conference opponents as head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s team tries to secure a favorable seed in next week’s SEC Tournament — as Schlossnagle noted on Wednesday, he was told the Horns could finish anywhere from second to ninth.
The context would make such a slide extremely disappoint, as Missouri enters the series in last place in the conference at 6-21 after entering the season with low expectations when the league’s head coaches picked the Tigers to finish 16th in the 16-team conference.
Given that profile, it’s unsurprising that Missouri has struggled on the road this year with a 3-12 record, but Kerrick Jackson’s program did upset then-No. 24 Kentucky in Lexington for two of those wins — the other came in Knoxville against Tennessee — the first road series win for the Tigers over a ranked team since 2021.
Missouri is also coming off a home series win against Vanderbilt, its first time taking a home conference series since April 2024, so the Tigers do present some level of danger for the Longhorns.
That danger is not typically present at the plate, however — Mizzou is 14th in the SEC in batting average (.262), 15th in runs scored (312), and last in home runs (45) and slugging percentage (.405). With 11 home runs, first baseman Jase Woita is the only Tiger in double digits, while shortstop Kam Durnin and designated hitter Blaize Ward are the only regulars batting over .300 at .329 and .321, respectively.
The pitching hasn’t been much better because the Tigers are saddled with a 5.43 ERA that ranks 15th in the SEC and a .246 opposing batting average that slots 13th. But the No. 1 starter, right-hander Josh McDevitt (3-5, 4.08 ERA), has been good for Missouri, striking out 91 batters in 69.2 innings and ranking fourth nationally in whiff rate on his fastball at 31.8 percent. Left-hander Brady Kehlenbrink (3-8, 6.45 ERA) gets the nod on Friday, but the Saturday starter remains to be determined.
“That’s the thing about Missouri is they play a lot of close games and their starting pitching, especially the first two guys, those guys can pitch for every single team in our conference in the weekend rotation,” Schlossnagle said.
The Texas rotation remains the same as last weekend, led by sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis (6-0, 2.06 ERA) and followed by redshirt senior left-hander Luke Harrison (5-2, 3.88 ERA) and senior right-hander Ruger Riojas (4-2, 3.93 ERA).
The key for all three starters is to get off to a better start. Volantis gave up three runs over the first two innings in last Friday’s loss to Tennessee before reeling off three straight scoreless frames. For Harrison, every inning was a struggle against the Volunteers, but giving up two runs in the first inning is the continuation of a trend that includes eight runs allowed in the first inning against the Aggies and five runs allowed in the first inning against the Bulldogs. After Texas took a 4-0 lead on Sunday against Tennessee, Riojas gave up a first-inning grand slam and also conceded three runs in the first inning against Vanderbilt.
Riojas cited some poor luck on batted balls as part of the randomness of baseball as a factor in his slow starts and recent struggles, but also referenced the need to play with emotion, but not emotional.
“Honestly, the most exciting time is when you first when you first step onto the mound. You take everything in and it can be hard for you to refocus into that. I feel like I do, but maybe when I try to refocus off that excitement, it takes the edge away from it. When I try to be calm and collected, maybe I’m just too calm,” Riojas said.
With the rotation remaining the same despite the short week imposed by the start of the SEC Tournament, the biggest decisions for Schlossnsagle are who to play at second base with junior Ethan Mendoza still unable to throw — senior Jayden Duplantier, redshirt senior Temo Becerra, or sophomore Callum Early — and whether redshirt senior outfielder Dariyan Pendergrass is healthy enough to play after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury.
“We’ve got to look at the matchups and see what that looks like,” Schlossnagle said.
Missouri trails the all-time series 37-30 and hasn’t won a series in Austin since 2007.
The series opens with 6:30 p.m. Central start times on Thursday and Friday, followed by the series finale at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday. SEC Network+ airs all three games.
The Chicago Cubs will look to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves when the two teams hit Truist Park on Thursday, May 14.
My top Cubs vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks call for the Chicago bats to wake up in the finale tonight.
Who will win Cubs vs Braves today: Cubs moneyline (+158)
The Chicago Cubs have the lowest BABIP and scored just 3.0 runs per game over the past week, and they’re a huge underdog despite pacing the majors in wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Atlanta Braves southpaw Chris Sale is up to his typical no-nonsense self and cruising to the tune of a 2.20 ERA, but there are still signs for slight concern.
Sale’s .223 BABIP and 88.4% strand rate are notably better than his respective .313 and 81.0% marks over the previous two seasons, and the Chicago lineup is a top candidate to kick-start the statistical correction.
COVERS INTEL: Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale’s 2.20 ERA is well below his 3.06 xERA.
Cubs vs Braves Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+100)
In addition to the Cubs leading the majors in wOBA against left-handed pitchers, the Braves pace baseball in the metric against righties.
Of course, Atlanta also leads the way in runs per game (5.51), with Chicago tied for the third most per (5.07), and Chicago has also hit the Over in 21 of their past 35 games (+6.75 Units / 17% ROI).
Finally, while Cubs starter Ben Brown pitched well across four frames in his first start of the year, he also sports a 5.08 ERA as a starter across a healthy 118 2/3 innings.
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 20-11, +10.05 units
Over/Under bets: 12-6, +5.73 units
Cubs vs Braves odds
Moneyline: Cubs +150 | Braves -175
Run line: Cubs +1.5 (-140) | Braves -1.5 (+120)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+100) | Under 7.5 (-120)
Cubs vs Braves trend
The Chicago Cubs have won 21 of their last 30 games (+11.60 Units / 29% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Braves.
How to watch Cubs vs Braves and game info
Location
Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Date
Thursday, May 14, 2026
First pitch
7:15 p.m. ET
TV
Marquee, BravesVsn
Cubs starting pitcher
Ben Brown (1-1, 1.82 ERA)
Braves starting pitcher
Chris Sale (6-2, 2.20 ERA)
Cubs vs Braves latest injuries
Cubs vs Braves weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Although the NBA Playoffs are far from over, the Suns’ season is a wrap, and Phoenix fans are already more concerned with offseason things than who ultimately gets to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. The internet is full of Suns trade proposals and free agency talk, with a little draft speculation thrown in here and there.
In this article, I’m not going to speak on what the Suns should do, but rather what they can do, how they can get things done, and the tools they have to work with.
First, let’s look at some key league thresholds for the 2026-27 season:
Cap: $165 million
Luxury Tax Threshold: $201 million
First Apron: $208 million
Second Arpon: $222 million
Salary Cap SITREP
Second, let’s summarize where the Suns stand right now.
The Suns are currently looking at a cap sheet of $185,670,477 for 11 players (and $23.2 million in dead money) under standard NBA contracts for the 2026-27 season. That puts them over the cap and just $15,329,523 under the luxury tax threshold. They have three players — Highsmith ($1 million guaranteed), Bouyea (non-guaranteed), and Ighodaro (non-guaranteed) — on contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed or are club options ($6,898,968 total value). If they were not to bring back any of those three, it would get them a total of $178,771,509 in guaranteed salary and put them $22,228,491 below the luxury tax threshold.
One thing to keep in mind is that the luxury tax threshold is NOT the same as the first tax apron line. The first apron is $8 million above the luxury tax threshold.
Phoenix starts out the offseason $23,329,523 below the first tax apron, but could get that up to $30,228,491 by waiving the three players on non-guaranteed contracts. While that extra $6.9 million of space added to the cap sheet cushion by waiving three non-guaranteed contracts might look good at first glance, it doesn’t actually cover the cost of replacing them with three other players on vet minimum contracts. Yes, it would actually cost more to do that unless the replacements were all players with one year of experience or less. As doing it really wouldn’t help free up a significant amount of salary to use elsewhere, I won’t mention it again. Another thing that isn’t a concern regarding the cap sheet is two-way contracts, because they don’t count against the cap.
In short, here’s where the Suns stand at this moment:
Usable Cap Space: None
Space Under the Tax Threshold: $15,329,523
Space Under the 1st Tax Apron: $23,329,523
Space Under the 2nd Tax Apron: $36,329,523
That’s going to make it very difficult to re-sign their own free agents without going over the first tax apron and virtually impossible to re-sign them without paying luxury taxes this season. The only possible way to do that would be to make some drastic cost-cutting trades to shed a lot of salary…and doing that could be much harder than you expect.
According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, he’s projecting only 4 teams will have enough open cap space to just take on salary without sending much or any back in return.
I'm continuing to tweak my cap space projections for this summer as we gather more intel and plans for the offseason become clearer. Now, I'm projecting only four cap space teams in July:
While deals with any of these teams could be made, it’s a good bet the Suns wouldn’t be the only team calling them to work out deals to shed some of their own salary. That doesn’t mean it would be impossible, though.
Shedding salary works in the Suns’ favor in two ways. First, it gives them more space to operate in and potentially avoid the tax aprons. Second, it could give them a bit more flexibility in pursuing free agents other than their own. Having Bird rights (Mark Williams) and Early Bird Rights (Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin) allows them to go over the aprons to re-sign them. No worries there.
For signing other free agents, they have to rely on “exceptions” rather than cap space to do so.
Exceptions Available to the Suns
Author’s Note: All salary figures denote maximum amounts allowed for the first salary year of the contract.
Full (non-taxpayer) Mid-Level Exception: $15,049,000 (up to 4 years)
While the Suns will have enough space under the tax threshold and the first tax apron to use the full MLE to sign a free agent, using it hard caps a team at the first tax apron. If the Suns were to use it, that would leave them with only $8 million to sign other players, including re-signing all of their own free agents. Use the Full MLE, without shedding a LOT of salary first, and we can only wave goodbye to the possibility of bringing back Collin, Goodie, and Mark W. There is no way around a hard cap. None.
Yes, it’s possible to shed enough salary to make using this exception practical, but I’ve already gone over the likely difficulty in doing that, so it’s best to just shelve the idea of using the full MLE. Although going over either of the tax aprons is undesirable, not having the option of going over the first apron greatly hamstrings the front office if they are serious about putting a better team on the floor in 2026-27.
Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception: $6,066,000 (up to 3 years)
The TPMLE is actually a portion of the full MLE that can be used by tax-paying teams as well as any team over the cap. It’s worth only 40% of the full MLE, but using it doesn’t hard cap the team at the first tax apron. It does, however, hard cap the team using it at the second apron. Since the Suns definitely want to avoid going over that, consider this as their main option to sign a free agent (other than their own) this offseason. It’s not a lot to work with, so don’t count on landing a big fish with it, although it could be enough to bring back a solid rotation player.
Although both forms of the MLE can be split in order to sign more than one player, teams are only allowed to use one form of the mid-level exception in a given season.
Bi-Annual Exception (BAE): $5,478,000 (up to 2 years)
While this is available to the Suns, it also hard caps teams that use it at the first tax apron. See my comments in the Mid-Level Exception portion of the article on why this is a “bad thing”.
Second-Round Pick Exception: $2,450,000 (up to 4 years)
This can be used to sign a player to either a three-year contract that includes a third-year team option or a four-year contract with a fourth-year team option. Players who are signed using the second-round pick exception won’t count against a team’s cap between July 1 and July 30 of their first season. That allows teams to preserve all the cap room they need until July 31 without having to worry about their second-rounders cutting into it and allows those players to sign their first NBA contracts before taking part in Summer League games.
Veteran Minimum Exception: $2,450,000 (up to 2 years)
Teams have unlimited use of this exception to fill out their rosters unless doing so would violate an existing hard cap.
Traded Player Exceptions (TPE)
$5 million (Nick Richards), expires 2/5/27
$2 million (Nigel Hayes-Davis), expires 2/5/27
Here are the rules for using TPEs:
TPEs cannot be combined with each other or with players to acquire a higher-salaried player.
They can only be used to acquire players via trade, not to sign free agents.
Teams can use them to take in up to $250,000 more than the TPE value (if under the first apron).
On the surface, these TPEs don’t seem to be very valuable, but they could be very handy in certain situations. For example, if the Suns have a trade set up to send out Royce O’Neale’s $10.9 mil salary in exchange for two players, one making $10 million and the other making $5 million, they don’t need a TPE to make it work but by taking back more than 100% of the salary they send out hard caps them at the 1st tax apron…unless they use the $5 million TPE to absorb the seocnd player’s salary which helps them avoid the hard cap. They basically get to apply a salary imbalance from a previous trade to a new one, which counts on the books as the Suns sending out more salary than they received.
More on Avoiding a 1st Tax Apron Hard Cap
Last season, 27 of the NBA’s 30 teams ended the season hard capped at either the first (19) or second tax apron (8). There are multiple ways to get hard capped at either of the two, but here I’m going to concentrate only on the first tax apron. There’s no way the Suns should even consider going over the second tax apron again, so getting hard-capped there isn’t something we need to be concerned about.
With over $23 million in dead money on their cap sheet, the Suns’ odds of fielding a team better than the one they had this past season aren’t good…unless they’re willing to not only pay luxury taxes again AND take a step or two over that first tax apron line. Yes, they could take measures to cut salary from their cap sheet to stay under it, but those won’t be easy to do and would most likely result in a roster less talented than last season’s.
That’s why it’s important to avoid a first tax apron hard cap. To do that, they have to avoid doing any of the following:
Use the bi-annual exception (BAE) to sign a player to a contract or to acquire a player via trade or waiver claim.
Use more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception to sign a player to a contract.
Use any portion of the mid-level exception to acquire a player via trade or waiver claim.
Acquire a player via sign-and-trade.
Sign a player who was waived during the regular season and whose pre-waiver salary was higher than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Use an outgoing player (or multiple players) in a trade for matching purposes to take back more than 100% of the outgoing salary.
A Final Note on Trades
While I’m not proposing that the Suns should use any of their very limited supply of future draft picks as trade sweeteners this offseason, they can, and here is a list of their tradable picks:
May 13, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) is greeted by center fielder Matt Vierling (8) after scoring in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (18-24) vs. New York Mets (17-25)
Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Citi Field SB Nation Site: Amazin’ Avenue Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (2-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Nolan McLean (1-2, 2.78 ERA)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 12: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets in action during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field on May 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Soto fouled a pitch off his foot in the third inning of a 3-2 win in extra innings for the Mets. He finished the at-bat despite being in obvious pain, and came back for an at-bat in the sixth inning before eventually being replaced by MJ Melendez. Soto’s x-rays were negative following the game, and being placed immediately in the lineup for a day game after a night game is certainly a good sign.
Soto hasn’t been himself at the plate since returning from the injured list in April, hitting .221/.333./.412 with six RBIs in 19 games. Even if he isn’t playing to his career numbers yet this season, Soto’s immediate return to the lineup is the best-case scenario for a team dealing with key injuries to Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr., among others.
Steve Gelbs of SNY reported Thursday that Lindor’s updated MRI showed healing in his injured calf, but that there is still no timetable for the shortstop’s return. Adding that, manager Carlos Mendoza said that Lindor will progress with the strength-training portion of his recovery.
Additionally, MLB’s Anthony DiComo reported Thursday that Alvarez had surgery on the torn meniscus in his right knee. The team expects Alvarez’s recovery to be towards the longer end of his recovery timetable, and he is likely to be sidelined for eight weeks.
New York has a chance to earn their first series sweep of the season Thursday afternoon against a struggling Tigers team. Detroit is just 3-8 in May.
CLEVELAND, OHIO MAY 08: Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians singles on a ground ball to center field in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field on May 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians, again, are hanging around the bottom half to bottom third of MLB in offense. Why is that the case, and what can be done to change things?
First, it’s important to acknowledge some notable improvements for Guardians’ hitters. In 2025, they were 28th in MLB with 87 wRC+ as a team. Their walk rate was 16th best in MLB at 8.3%. In 2026, so far, they are 20th in wRC+ and fourth in MLB in walk rate at 11.2%. This improvement is especially notable because the Guardians’ three best hitters from last season have had very slow starts to the season, with Jose Ramirez putting up a 101 wRC+, Kyle Manzardo a 66 wRC+ and Steven Kwan a 70 wRC+. If we assume Ramirez will return at least to something closer to 120 wRC+ and Manzardo and Kwan to something closer to league average, the overall offensive output should be closer to just eking into the top half of MLB.
Why doesn’t it feel like things are better for the Guardians’ than a top half offense? When looking at batted ball date, the team is still solidly top 10 in both pull-rate and fly-ball rate. This, by the way, is Jose Ramirez’s primary issue. His pull-rate is down a solid 9% over what it has been the past three years of his career. He’s also seeing about 5% more first-pitch strikes. Basically, Hosey… go up there and try to deposit the first pitch you see in the corner bleachers, and everything should be fine. Anyway, there’s your “how to fix Jose” article in two sentences. The Guardians, as a whole, likely need to look to swing more often on first pitches as they are 26th in MLB in swing rate on the first thing they see from a pitcher in a given at-bat.
But, back to the topic at hand, the Guardians’ offense as a whole. Cleveland still ranks near the bottom of the league in a couple crucial categories – they are last in bat speed (70.3%), 29th in hard-hit rate (34.7%), and 25th in barrel rate. So, while some folks have rightly pointed out that the Guardians have seen some excellent defense played against them…
Teams that have faced the best fielding against them this season (by FRV):
…the primary issue they are having is they just are not hitting the dang ball hard often enough. So, hey, Guardians – swing faster, get the barrel on the ball – done. Sarcasm aside, some basic ways the Guardians may look to be getting better swings off may be that they are only 15th in MLB in swinging at pitches in the heart of the plate. The Guardians simply are not swinging the bat much – they are toward the bottom swinging at pitches in the shadow of the zone, in chasing and in wasting swings, which is good. However, it seems that this valiant attempt to walk more is perhaps inhibiting their ability to get after pitches in the heart of the zone. Now that a strong plate discipline ethic has been established, it’s truly time to tell these guys to look to let it rip on pitches that drift toward the heart of the plate, regardless of the count.
If you’ve watched a few seconds of Cleveland Guardians’ baseball this season, you MAY have noticed that the team struggles to hit changeups. It’s not your imagination. The Guardians are far and away the worst offense against changeups in MLB at -14.9 runs below average. So, you can bet the Guardians are going to see a LOT of changeups until something changes there. I suspect that part of our hitters’ bat speed issues are due to their attempt to adjust to the steady diet of offspeed they’ve been seeing. The solution for this is pretty simple – get in the cages and set those batting machines to “nastiest changeup mix you’ve ever seen.”
There really is no way out of this predicament other than going through it. Daniel Schneemann, Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez are the only hitters right now to have positive run value vs. changeups. CJ Kayfus leads the team with 1.2 runs above average against them, so, hey, might be a good idea to get him back up here at some point. Over the past three years, Jose, Angel and Kwan are the only Guardians’ hitters currently on the roster who have a positive run value vs. changeups. It’s an organizational issue and you have to hope that Grant Fink and the gang are hard at work on finding a way to deal with it. I note that Stephen Vogt said, recently, that young hitters have to hit the fastball in order to survive in the bigs, so adjusting the offspeed is the next big challenge once they are here. It’s probably fair to expect some improvement vs. changeups from folks like Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, Brayan Rocchio and even Kyle Manzardo as they continue to gain experience… but it’ll take some intentional work.
There could be some help, offensively, still on the way from Columbus. Aside from getting Kayfus back on track, Kahlil Watson has an average exit velocity of 94.4 mph and a hard-hit rate of 56.6% in Columbus. Might swapping him and Petey Halpin in a couple weeks and giving Watson steady plate appearances in center while letting Angel Martinez eat into Kwan’s playing time make sense at that point? Cooper Ingle has an average exit velocity of 90.6% and a hard-hit rate of 56.6%. Is there a way to get him on this roster at some point to see if that can transfer some? And, finally, at some point Ralphy Velazquez will make his way to Columbus and begin putting pressure on both Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins. We don’t yet have his exit velocities and hard-hit rates but a .512 slugging and a .202 ISO are positive signs, especially if he continues to build on a recent hot stretch.
Ultimately, the improvements are going to have to come from within the players currently on the roster. The Guardians need to go to the plate looking to do maximum damage on pitches that come near the heart of the zone. They need to spend tons of time in the cages getting the best looks they can at the best changeups pitching machines can produce. They need to maintain their excellent plate discipline and trust that their 29th best batting-average-on-balls-in-play will improve if they make quality contact consistently. I think Guardians’ fans should be optimistic that, by the summer, this can be a top 15 offense in baseball. But, it won’t come without putting in a lot of work until then.
COVERS INTEL: Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale’s 2.20 ERA is well below his 
