This is a tough time of the year for writing about a team not in the playoffs. MLB likes teams not to make much news while the playoffs are on.
But we do have baseball tonight:
6:00 Eastern Dodgers @ Braves. They are tied at a game each.
Lineups, Ohtani has dropped to fifth in the lineup.
9:30 Eastern Brewers @ Padres. No lineups up at the moment. Brewers are up 2-0, so the Padres need this one. Dustin May (4.70, 7-9) starts for the Brewers. Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86) starts for the Padres.
Nathan McSweeney shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on a call-up to Australia’s Test squad by hitting a match-winning century for Australia A in the first one-day game against India A in Puducherry.
It’s a pivotal game 3 in the NLDS as the Braves return home to Atlanta. They’ll give the ball to Chris Sale while the Dodgers will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto. First pitch is scheduled for 5pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Fox/FS1.
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The winless Philadelphia Flyers have signed gritty winger Michael Bunting in the hopes that he can give them a spark following some alarming early season struggles.
General manager Daniel Briere announced the agreement Tuesday in the aftermath of a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. Bunting’s contract is worth a prorated $1.2 million after he went unsigned over the summer as an unrestricted free agent.
It was not immediately clear how soon the 31-year-old would be able to join the team. Philadelphia next plays at Ottawa on Thursday night.
The Flyers have been outscored 17-5 through four games. Opponents have attempted 246 shots to their 122, a margin of minus-124 that is by far the worst in the NHL, with San Jose next at minus-53.
Bunting is an aggressive energy player who has had a scoring touch over his career and brings some much-needed toughness to the situation. He is a veteran of 432 games, counting the playoffs, since making his debut in the league in 2018 and spent last season with Nashville and Dallas.
Philadelphia is his seventh NHL organization after previously spending time with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina and Pittsburgh.
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Kevin Byard details Mike Vrabel's Allen Iverson-inspired message to Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was left looking for answers after his team’s blowout Week 4 loss in Jacksonville.
He found the answer in Buffalo.
The Patriots bounced back in Week 5 with a thrilling 29-26 victory over the 3-0 Bills. Drake Maye overcame his early-season struggles with three touchdown passes, including the game-winner hauled in one-handed by Efton Chism III. The defense largely held perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen in check.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was an encouraging and hard-fought win for Vrabel’s group. According to Patriots safety Kevin Byard, Vrabel set the tone for New England’s gutsy victory with his pregame messaging.
“I truly believe that the culture of a team is exposed when you face adversity,” Byard said on Tuesday’s Early Edition. “Let’s face it, we got our behinds whooped in Jacksonville. And I think starting from Monday, from the team meeting we had to taking the off day to prep for this team, watching film, and obviously coming in on Wednesday, I think the tone was set that Vrabel kind of spoke the message that the answer to getting ourselves back on track is right in this room.
“We don’t have to search for anything outside of what we already have, believe in what we have, and I think guys kind of really took heed to that. It was very rewarding or just exciting to be able to finally kind of — I won’t say get the monkey off your back, but to go up in Buffalo and get a huge win on the road, first win in Highmark Stadium too as well, so I’m kind of proud of that as well.”
To get his message across, Vrabel referenced the famous clip of Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson stepping over Los Angeles Lakers guard Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals. Iverson drilled a 3-pointer over Lue, then stepped over him in what became one of the most iconic snapshots in NBA history.
“He showed a video of the famous Allen Iverson, NBA Finals, making the 3-point shot, stepping over Tyronn Lue. So at first, you don’t really know where he’s going with it. … I think the overall messaging was, ‘it’s time to start stepping over people.’ You know what I mean? It’s time to get back to where we’re stepping over people and making sure that we’re not about to be the team that’s gonna let people bully them. …
“So yeah, I think that was kind of the overarching message to, hey, we are physical. We are a tough team. Let’s, let’s start stepping over people kind of like how A.I. did in that video.”
Vrabel’s Patriots channeled Iverson’s stepover last season, starting 1-2 and finishing 14-3 with division and conference titles. The schedule is tougher this year, and the injuries are mounting, but the mindset is the same.
New England will look to carry its momentum back home as it prepares for a Week 6 showdown with the 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
Watch Kevin Byard’s full Early Edition segment below:
What we learned as Yaxel Lendeborg dominates Lakers in Warriors' preseason win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Schedule makers didn’t do the Warriors any favors for their next game, and the same can be said about the challenges the Los Angeles Lakers faced Tuesday night at Chase Center.
The Lakers were on their second night of a back-to-back after playing the previous night in Sacramento, so head coach JJ Redick decided to not suit up Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. And the Warriors took advantage in a 124-98 blowout win.
The Warriors led by 14 points after the first quarter, 28 points at halftime and 21 points after three quarters before an eventual 26-point win.
Steph Curry was a plus-26, scoring 16 points in 14 minutes. Draymond Green was a plus-25, making his only shot – a three from the right corner – and handed out eight assists in 15 minutes. The biggest bright spot was the young combination of Yaxel Lendeborg (17 points) and Brandin Podziemski (16 points), who combined for 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting.
On Wednesday, the Warriors will be the ones playing shorthanded on a back-to-back. Curry, Green and Al Horford, among others, won’t even make the trip. But first, the Warriors handled business by playing fast and smart to execute a game plan that gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first win of the preseason.
All it took was one preseason game for Steve Kerr to tinker with his starting five. It wasn’t his highly touted rookie who took a seat, but the oldest player on his roster. Al Horford was replaced by Gui Santos, who began the game alongside Curry, Podziemski, Lendeborg and Green.
Lendeborg, of course, is new to the group. But the previous four enjoyed a whole lot of success together last season. Curry, Podziemski, Santos and Green were a plus-24 in 2025-26 over 13 games and 70 total minutes, which was Golden State’s second-best four-man group overall. They produced a 111.6 offensive rating and 102.1 defensive rating.
Adding Lendeborg only brought more juice, and Kerr has to be happy with what he saw Tuesday night. The starting five raced out to an 11-2 lead and were ahead 23-13 when Kerr made his first substitutions. Warriors starters combined for 31 points in the first quarter, which is how much the Lakers finished the frame as a team.
The Warriors at halftime were ahead by 28 points, 81-53. The starting five through the first two quarters combined to score 56 points, three more than the Lakers as a whole. Though Curry, Lendeborg and Podziemski were the ones pouring in points, Green dropped dimes to the tune of eight assists and did the dirty work of six points on 2-of-2 shooting, 2 of 2 on free throws and had two rebounds and two assists.
Between Kristaps Porziņģis’ mysterious health issues and managing Horford’s minutes, there’s a strong chance this is the same starting five Kerr uses against the Lakers in LA to open the regular season.
The message from Kerr and Lendeborg’s teammates was clear after his first preseason game: Be more aggressive. From the looks of it, Lendeborg listened.
He scored four points and took six shots Sunday in Hawaii. By the end of the first quarter two days later, Lendeborg already was up to seven points on five shot attempts to go with four rebounds and a blocked shot. Lendeborg took advantage of mismatches from the start while still playing his all-around game.
Lendeborg did all his work in the first quarter around the rim, and then drained his first two 3-point attempts of the game in the second quarter on back-to-back possessions – the first off an assist from Green and the second on his own.
His size as a ball-handler is a force that can split the sea. There are numerous ways where Lendeborg automatically has an advantage, and that includes going coast-to-coast on his own.
Lendeborg led the Warriors with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first half and led both sides with eight rebounds. He went 5 of 8 in the paint and made both of his 3-point attempts. The adjustments Lendeborg made after one preseason game were that of a veteran ready to make an instant impact.
Outside of Curry, the key to the Warriors this season can fall in the hands of Lendeborg and Podziemski. They need Podziemski to continue ascending in his fourth season, and Lendeborg to be the kind of win-now rookie they expected when they drafted him No. 11 overall. If they play in the regular season how they did Tuesday night, both boxes will be checked.
Podziemski was the talk of training camp but then struggled to find his shot Sunday in the Warriors’ first preseason game. In their second, Podziemski provided instant offense. Podziemski completed a four-point play off a 3-pointer at the top of the arc on the Warriors’ first offensive possession and then cut behind his defender the next time down the court.
After scoring seven points on 2-of-10 shooting the other night, Podziemski dropped 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting against the Lakers. Though he missed his other two 3-point attempts, Podziemski was crafty and decisive as a scorer. If the Warriors are going to tread water while down Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, it could be Lendeborg and Podziemski keeping them afloat.
If they’re going to surprise many around the league and be a top six team in the Western Conference, it really could come down to how consistently impactful the duo of Lendeborg and Podziemski are on a nightly basis.
For Game 3 of the NL Division Series, the teams change venues and play at Atlanta and at San Diego.
The Brewers can wrap things up tonight, while the Braves and Dodgers will go to Game 4 tomorrow.
TV: FS1. Announcers: Joe Davis, John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP vs. Chris Sale, LHP
Baseball-reference.com preview
TV: FS1. Announcers: Adam Amin, Adam Wainwright, A.J. Pierzynski and Tom Verducci.
Dustin May, RHP vs. Nick Pivetta, RHP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Chris Sale, the rematch.
In a game that could have a massive shift in momentum in either direction for both teams, the Atlanta Braves bring future HOFer Chris Sale to the mound amidst one of the best seasons of his career against Yoshinobu Yamamoto during the best season of his young career.
The last time these two pitchers faced off the Braves beat the Dodgers 1-0 when Chris Sale pitched a complete game shutout on August twenty-seventh. A repeat of that exact result is slim, but if Sale could pitch a long game today, it would be welcomed among the bullpen that has already had back-to-back games where they carried the load.
Drake Baldwin was the offensive hero the last time the Braves faced Yamamoto with a solo shot that was the only run of the game.
First pitch is at 6:00 pm EDT. Follow along in the comments.
This wasn’t how the San Diego Padres drew this up. After two soul-crushing losses to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Friars will now head back to Petco Park with no room for error. They’ll either pull off the ultimate Cinderella story, or it’ll be another in the long line of failed attempts to bring San Diego a championship.
This one stung a little extra. After Ty France was denied a go-ahead home run by a roof, the Padres failed to secure the win in Game 2 when Mason Miller was tasked with recording a six-out save. He had only done it once in his career before. He did not make it twice. Miller got five outs before loading the bases and serving up a two-run single to Jackson Chourio for a walk-off Brewers’ victory.
May has spent the majority of this season dealing with immense command issues. In 145 2/3 innings, the right-hander has issued 50 walks and posted a 1.32 WHIP and 4.70 ERA. He was even worse after being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to Milwaukee, posting 5.65 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.
However, May has dominated San Diego this season. In three starts (22.0 IP) versus the Padres, the veteran starter has surrendered just three earned runs. One of those starts was a complete-game shutout that saw May take a perfect game into the seventh inning. If that’s the version of May the Friars get tonight, it’ll be hard to stave off the inevitable.
Pivetta will be tasked with gifting the Padres a stay of execution. There’s not many starters better equipped to do that. Since returning from the IL, Pivetta has been brilliant. He’s posted a 1.64 ERA in five starts (including his start in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series).
His one flaw has been an inability to work deep into games. Since his return, Pivetta has not pitched more than five innings. He only pitched 3 1/3 in his last playoff start. Thankfully, the bullpen got a rest day on Monday after a tiring weekend in Milwaukee. That should give Pivetta some wiggle room if he struggles.
It’s hard to find anything good about this lineup right now. After looking otherworldly in the Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs, they’ve scored a total of five runs in the first two games versus Milwaukee. San Diego’s left 20 runners on base and gone an abysmal 3-for-18 with RISP. That needs to change on a dime if the Padres want to force Game 4.
France has been the only solid contributor that has consistently proven his value at the plate this series. The slugging first baseman has gone 3-for-7 with two RBI. It would have probably been more had the Milwaukee roof not taken away a would-be go-ahead home run in Game 1. But the Padres have hit, they just need to string those hits together.
It’s worth wondering what made Stammen go to Miller for six outs. He hadn’t used David Morgan yet in the series and could easily have tasked him with at least two outs in the eighth before turning to the closer. Bradgley Rodriguez had finished out the seventh and could have at least started the eighth. What’s done is done, but it’s hard to understand why.
It’s all hands on deck as San Diego tries to stave off elimination in the NLDS. The Padres have every arm available after their rest day on Monday. Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Miller, Adrian Morejon, Morgan and Rodriguez will work out of the ‘pen, but Joe Musgrove could also see time if San Diego gets a big lead.
Today baseball returns its attention to the National League as the Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Atlanta with the series split at one game each. As for the San Diego Padres, it’s win or call it a season as the Milwaukee Brewers have taken a 2-0 lead in the series.
It should be a good day for baseball.
And now to the details.
Pitching Matchup: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.53 ERA) vs LHP Chris Sale (2.16 ERA)
SB Nation Sites: True Blue LA, Battery Power
Lineups;
Pitching Matchup: RHP Dustin May (4.70 ERA) vs Nick Pivetta ( 2.86 ERA)
SB Nation Sites: Brew Crew Ball, Gaslamp Ball
Lineups:
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Australia all-rounder fails to overcome abdominal strain
Maddinson or Cooper Connolly to fill No 5 spot in Durban opener
Andrew McDonald insists Nic Maddinson’s Test squad call-up should be no shock, with the left-hander edging closer to replacing the injured Cameron Green in Durban.
Green has been officially ruled out of Australia’s side for the opening Test against South Africa, after failing to overcome the abdominal strain suffered in last week’s final ODI.
Continue reading...Through the first three games of the Winnipeg Jets' season, 18-year-old rookie Viggo Björck has had a mixed start to his NHL career. Heavily doubted when he entered his first NHL action, the youngster has seen both highs and lows so far.
Over three games, Björck has yet to record a point. He has four shots on net, a minus-one rating and a questionable minor penalty in Winnipeg's 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. He has won just under 26 percent of his faceoffs and is averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time a night, with his season high coming in the opener, when he played just shy of 16 minutes.
Under the hood, however, the numbers are more encouraging. Björck has 29 speed bursts between 18 and 20 miles per hour, which ranks in the 91st percentile in the league and shows his skating is well above average.
The Swedish import has also been getting himself into scoring position, with three of his four shots on goal coming in high-danger situations, a mark that ranks in the 88th percentile of the NHL. That suggests his first career goal should come sooner rather than later.
Viggo Björck was THIS close to scoring his first goal in his first game 😮💨🤏#Jetspic.twitter.com/RIv3bqJo67
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 3, 2026
His hardest shot of the season so far clocked in at 77.01 miles per hour, which lands just above league average in the 55th percentile, another sign that his tools are on display early.
While fans hoped Björck would immediately seize a top-six role, his early numbers sit closer to league average than above it, and he may settle into more of a middle-six role for now.
Still, indicators like his high-danger chances point toward a breakout game coming soon, and it could arrive as early as Wednesday night in a massive matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.
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Ariel Hukporti's injury in the Philadelphia 76ers' preseason opener appears to have been as bad as initially feared.
The team announced on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that an MRI confirmed Hukporti suffered a torn right Achilles tendon less than five minutes into the 76ers' exhibition game against the New York Knicks a day earlier. The 7-footer is scheduled to undergo surgery, and ESPN reported the injury is expected to be season-ending for Hukporti.
The non-contact injury occurred with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter when Hukporti fell to the floor while on defense. The 24-year-old from Germany immediately grabbed his lower right leg and did not return to the game.
The loss of Hukporti is a blow to the Sixers' depth at center, a position that is likely to draw scrutiny given Joel Embiid's injury history and the urgency to win a championship with LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and this star-studded Philadelphia roster.
Embiid hasn't appeared in more than 40 games since the 2022-23 season and his projected back-up, Adem Bona, is also dealing with a foot injury and has yet to participate in team workouts this preseason. Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-5 center who Philadelphia signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, is also sidelined and will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, according to the team.
Hukporti, 24, signed a one-year, $3.4-million contract to join the 76ers after winning an NBA championship with the Knicks. He played sparingly in New York, but the Sixers viewed him as a developmental piece who could compete for frontcourt minutes, particularly during games in which Embiid doesn't play.
The Sixers are eligible to apply for and get awarded a $1.7 million disabled player exception (half of Hukporti's 2026-27 salary), according to ESPN. Philadelphia opens its regular season against the Knicks on Oct. 20.
Hukporti appeared in 54 regular-season games for the Knicks during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while averaging less than 10 minutes per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ariel Hukporti injury update is bad news for LeBron James and Sixers
17 years on, Bryce McGain remains “incredibly proud”.