After last night’s AHL results, there is officially nothing Islanders playoff-related to discuss anymore except the past and perhaps hopes for the future.
The end of Bridgeport’s 25-year run as the Islanders’ AHL affiliate came with a frustratingly familiar, quick playoff exit. The Bridgeport Islanders (nee Sound Tigers) were swept in their best-of-three opener against Hershey, losing Game 2 Thursday night.
Their previous postseason appearance, in 2021-22, included a qualifying mini-round 2-0 sweep of Providence before quickly exiting at the hands of Charlotte, 3-1.
Prior to that, in their Sound Tigers era, they’d make the playoffs about once every three seasons with first-round exits — often to Hershey or Wilkes-Barrie — each time other than their first two appearances. The first season, when they made it to the finals under Steve Stirling, was and remains the high point.
Raise a glass to Mike Fornabaio, Alan Fuehring, Brent Thompson, Steve Stirling, Jason Shaya and so many others https://t.co/aiTk5ltGn3
By the way, Cory Schneider has been doing some unofficial goalie coaching with the Baby Islanders. [THN]
Meanwhile, in the NHL playoffs, there are some good series…and some laughers.
The Stanley Cup favorite Avalanche have the Kings on the brink at 3-0, which is no surprise to anyone — honestly, the Kings have done well with their vaunted defense to keep each game close.
The Hurricanes likewise have the Senators’ backs against the wall after winning Game 3 in Ottawa. That included an amazing sequence where the Senators couldn’t get the puck out of their half of the ice with a sixth attacker. It was a remarkable display of incompetence for a playoff team, and great work by the Canes.
The other 3-0 series is the Battle of Pennsylvania, but the Penguins get an extra day to complain about officiating and stew over their doomed fate in Philadelphia, as that series resumes on Saturday.
Friday night’s games span the time zones, with three 1-1 series shifting venues: The Lightning in Montreal, the Knights in Utah and the Oilers in Anaheim.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, the man who has been in charge of getting players for the Wings for most of their decade-long playoff drought says they need to get better players. [TSN]
Peterson, a 6'5" combo guard, is an elite shot creator and finisher who averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, shooting 32.8% from 3-point range.
That season at Kansas also raised a few eyebrows because of health concerns — Peterson missed 11 games (a sprained ankle and illnesses), but maybe more concerning were the early exits due to cramping. Several times during the season, Peterson checked himself out of games due to cramping. The most notable was against BYU and potential No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa — Peterson was dominant in the first half but left early in the third quarter. He has yo-yo'ed in and out of the lineup all season, but he also explained what was behind this in his mind.
Scouts and team officials NBC Sports has spoken with said they are not overly concerned about the health issues, but acknowledge that, for stretches of the season, he has not looked as explosive as he did a year earlier in high school. To a man, they added, "We want to see the medicals," referring to the medical evaluations that will take place at the NBA Draft Combine next month.
Those health concerns were enough to take Peterson from the projected No. 1 pick in the draft to likely No. 2 behind Dybantsa, because Dybantsa is seen as a safer bet.
Peterson entered the season seen as a point guard and a high-level playmaker, but he averaged just 1.6 assists per game with the Jayhawks. Some scouts speaking to NBC Sports wondered how much coach Bill Self's offensive system limited Peterson in that regard. Still, one scout told NBC Sports he may be more of an Anthony Edwards type who needs to play next to a traditional point guard, but what team couldn't use an Anthony Edwards?
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 15: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sunday, June 15, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Monica Bradburn/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Cincinnati Reds lefty Andrew Abbott went toe to toe with Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet on Opening Day in Great American Ball Park, and did so admirably. Abbott fired 6.0 IP of scoreless ball for the Reds, scattering 7 hits and a walk while striking out 4 in an 83 pitch effort that kept the Reds otherwise inept offense within striking distance of a comeback (even though that didn’t pan out).
In the four starts since then, however, Abbott has looked a shell of his All-Star self. He’s only managed to clear 18.2 IP in that span, and has been tagged with 17 runs (16 earned) with a near equal 11/10 K/BB.
Next up for Abbott is the lineup of the Detroit Tigers, as that’s who is in town this weekend as the Reds celebrate their newest inductees into their team Hall of Fame. Detroit, to date, owns a .308 wOBA and 93 wRC+ against left-handed pitching so far in the early going of 2026, marks that both rank 18th in the league in their respective categories. They have, however, swatted only 3 dingers off southpaws this season, and only two teams can claim fewer homers in said category (the Marlins with 2 and Padres with 0, somehow).
The Reds, for the record, rank 4th in Major League Baseball with 12 homers off LHP – thanks, Elly!
Cincinnati will be up against an All-Star lefty themselves in the series opener on Friday as veteran Framber Valdez gets the start. He was mauled by the Minnesota Twins for 8 ER in 5.0 IP in his start against them on April 8th, yet in his other four starts combined he’s yielded 1 ER or fewer in each (3 ER total in 25.0 IP), so odds are the Reds are going to be up against it a bit.
Fortunately for the Reds, all-world ace Tarik Skubal pitched yesterday in the series finale between the Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers. So, he won’t feature in this particular series.
First pitch on Friday is set for 6:40 PM ET. Brady Singer will toe the rubber on Saturday at 7:15 PM ET (after the team’s big HoF induction ceremony), while Rhett Lowder will start on Sunday in the series finale at 1:40 PM ET.
Apr 23, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson (11) and center Parker Kelly (17) celebrate an empty net goal during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES — Cale Makar scored the tiebreaking goal, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves and the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche moved to the brink of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen scored on fortunate deflections for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche, who went up 3-0 in the series with another narrow win over the persistent Kings.
With Wedgewood backstopping the defense in his first playoff series, Colorado has allowed just four goals in three games by defense-minded Los Angeles, which has held superstar Nathan MacKinnon without a goal so far.
“It’s been tough sledding to create offense, but we have different guys stepping up on different nights and scoring in different situations,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “That’s been able to make the difference.”
Trevor Moore and Adrian Kempe scored and Anton Forsberg stopped 19 shots, but the Kings are a loss away from being eliminated in the first round for the fifth consecutive season.
Game 4 is in Los Angeles. A loss would end the 20-year career of Kings captain Anze Kopitar, who is retiring after the season.
Los Angeles scored two goals for the first time in the series, but couldn’t find a tying goal after Kempe scored on a power play with 4:03 to play. Instead, Brock Nelson scored into LA’s empty net with 2:18 left.
“We’ve just got to continue to find ways to break them down,” Makar said. “I feel like tonight, we got a lot of chances and capitalized on a few. Still, I feel like there’s areas for improvement, for sure.”
Los Angeles hasn’t won a playoff round in six previous tries since raising the Stanley Cup in 2014, and this loss was the Kings’ seventh straight postseason defeat dating to last spring.
After grinding out a pair of 2-1 victories in Denver, the Avalanche again took care of business in LA with fundamentally sound hockey — and a good bit of luck this time.
Landeskog put the Avs ahead in the opening minutes with a fluke goal when his wrist shot hit the end boards and caromed back perfectly to deflect in off Forsberg’s skate.
Colorado then got another fortunate bounce during a Kings power play in the third period. When Lehkonen and Logan O’Connor broke out on an odd-man rush, Lehkonen’s pass deflected off the back of Kempe’s skate and ricocheted through Forsberg’s legs with 12:21 to play.
Offense remains the fatal flaw of the Kings, who were the only team in the bottom third of the NHL in scoring to make the playoffs. Los Angeles has four goals on 76 shots against Colorado.
“We’ve got to find ways to score,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “I mean, we had looks. You can give them credit, but we missed the net 13 times leading into the third period.”
Makar put Colorado ahead in the second, dangling just inside the blue line and firing a brilliant wrist shot through traffic. The perennial Norris Trophy candidate has 23 playoff goals — second-most among active defensemen — in 82 career games, memorably scoring eight in his Conn Smythe Trophy-winning performance during the Avs’ championship run in 2022.
Colorado defenseman Josh Manson left Game 3 early with an upper-body injury. He’ll be re-evaluated before Game 4, Bednar said.
The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic take their Round 1 set to the “Sunshine State” with the series locked up at 1-1.
Game 3 has a tight spread, but my same-game parlay tips its hat to the visitors, with Detroit boasting one of the best road records in the NBA.
Beyond that moneyline pick, however, I like Jalen Suggs to keep hitting from deep while Tobias Harris’ inefficient offense comes back to earth.
Here are my Pistons vs. Magic predictions and NBA picks on April 24.
Our best Pistons vs Magic SGP for Game 3
The Detroit Pistons let homecourt slip away but can build on the momentum of a Game 2 win. Their smothering defense keeps this limited Orlando Magic offense away from the rim and turns the Magic’s miscues into easy buckets on the other end.
Jalen Suggs has made three triples in each of the first two games of the series but still isn’t making the most of the wide open looks offered up by the Pistons' perimeter defense. He’s a much sharper shooter at home and makes Detroit pay from distance in Game 3.
Tobias Harris has scored 16 and 17 points in the first two games despite poor shooting, especially from deep. Detroit is spreading the scoring around and Harris’ Game 3 projections come in short of his scoring prop of 15.5 points O/U.
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.
CORAL GABLES, FL - APRIL 05: Virginia Tech pitcher Luke Craytor (19) pitches in relief in the seventh inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Virginia Tech Hokies on April 5, 2026, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Who’s the Pack playing?
Opponent: Virginia Tech
Mascot: Thanksgiving Dinner | School Location: Metallica, VA | Conference: ACC
John Szefc is a hell of a good coach, but this Virginia Tech job may be getting the better of him. Szefc led Marist to four Regional appearances in seven years during his first go as a head coach from 1996-2002. The Red Foxes have been to just three Regionals since. After a four-year detour to the middle of the country for assistant gigs at both Kansas and Kansas State, he took over as the head man at Maryland and led the Terrapins to three Regionals – advancing to the Super Regionals in two of those – during a five year run there. Prior to Szefc’s arrival in College Park, Maryland hadn’t been to the NCAA postseason since 1971. They’ve made three Regionals in the eight postseasons since Szfec left.
That leads us to Szfec’s current gig, entering his 9th season as the Hokies head man. It started out slow, as you’d expect for a program rebuilding from Pat Mason’s four-year ditch driving run. Year five, though, saw Virginia Tech go 45-14 with a 19-9 ACC mark, hosting a Regional and Super Regional in Blacksburg with a team that had an RPI ranking of 5th in the country. It really looked like Szefc might turn the Hokies into a power, but since then it’s been a program stuck on average. Three winning seasons since, but no winning conference marks, with RPI’s between 49 and 68.
This year’s squad doesn’t look like they’re going to break that trend. The Hokies started off the year 7-1, but that included a 4-0 mark in one-run games. They went 1-8 in their next nine games, although that run included games against Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, all potential NCAA Regional hosts this year. Things got a little better, winning the last game of the Virginia series, topping VCU in a midweek game, and then winning their series over Duke.
Unfortunately, a 4-8 run followed, including midweek losses to East Tennessee State and Liberty, as well as a series loss at home to Stanford. That series with the Cardinal was one the Hokies had to win, but dropped it in an extra-innings loss in the rubber match. NC State will catch the Hokies back on a bit of a heater, winning four of their last five after topping Pittsburgh last weekend.
That early season luck in close games has evened back out, with Virginia Tech going 3-3 in games either decided by a single run or that went extra innings. It’s not hard to find the culprit for the Hokies woes this year: the pitching staff.
Hokies hurlers are sporting a combined 7.21 ERA over 336.0 innings this year, with a walk rate of 12.6% and a strikeout rate of 23.1%. They do have two solid starters in JR RHP Brett Renfrow and rJR RHP Griffin Stieg and that group strikeout rate will play, but once you get past Renfrow and Stieg, only one of the next nine pitchers who have tossed more than 10.0 IP this year have a sub-10.0 walk rate. That’s an issue, and will obviously lead to giving up more runs.
The lineup hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been bad with a collective .267/.379/.440, 78 2B, 44 HR, 12.6 BB%, 22.6 K%, 43-56 SB. The issue is there’s not a player who does any one thing exceptionally well, so it’s hard to construct an offensive identity. It is a strong defensive team, though, although the lack of errors combined with the high ERA of the pitching staff does make you wonder what kind of range the team has in the field, and some of the advanced metrics tell that story. Only four VT position players have a DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) total over 1.00 this year. Compare that to NC State that has 11 players over that mark.
Barring the Hokies going 6-3 or better down the stretch in ACC play and then making some noise at the ACC Tournament, it’ll be four straight missed Regionals for Virginia Tech.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: TBD vs TBD
Saturday: TBD vs TBD
Sunday: TBD vs TBD
Key Players:
Offense
C Henry Cooke (SR) – .252/.369/.409, 7 2B, 3 HR, 13.4 BB%, 28.2 K%, 3-3 SB. Hitting .361/.467/.623, 5 2B, 3 HR, 17. BB%, 26.7 K%, 1-1 SB in ACC play. Has also thrown out 23.7% of base stealers, with an almost identical 23.1% mark in ACC play. Multiple hits in 4 of his last 7 games.
1B Hudson Lutterman (SO) – .291/.357/.545, 6 2B, 8 HR, 7.0 BB%, 17.1 K%, 0-0 SB. Undersized first baseman (5’10, 180 lbs) is having a big sophomore jump after hitting just .208/.291/.392 over 34 starts in 2025. Hit 2 HR last weekend at Pitt, including a walk-off in the series finale.
SS Ethan Gibson (JR) – .319/.385/.511, 6 2B, 4 HR, 10.9 BB%, 20.9 K%, 1-1 SB. Mostly used as a defensive sub over his first two years with the program, making 28 starts over 73 games across 2024-2025 with just a .193 batting average over that time. Has been fantastic with the glove, committing just 3 errors on the year with a .979 fielding percentage. Current 10-game hitting streak.
2B Ethan Ball (FR) – .299/.387/.565, 13 2B, 8 HR, 7.7 BB%, 33.3 K%, 3-3 SB. Started off his college career with a 10-game hitting streak before being more spotty over the last month. Only has four hits over his last six games, but they’ve all been doubles, including two in VT’s win over VCU on Tuesday.
Pitching
RHP Brett Renfrow (JR) – 2-4, 6.41 ERA, 46.1 IP, 7.8 BB%, 30.1 K%. Two-time 3rd Team All-ACC selection, he was listed by some as a Top 100 prospect entering this year, but has had a rough go of it. The 6’3, 220 lbs righty has some nice tools, with a mid-90’s fastball that will touch 97, a upper-80’s cutter, mid-80’s slider, low-80’s curve, and mid-80’s changeup. It’s a nice arsenal of pitches, and the peripherals show what he’s capable of with them. Got beaten up by GT, UVA, Miami, and BC, but shut down Duke, Stanford, and Pitt, so it’s been a mixed bag.
RHP Griffin Stieg (rJR) – 2-2, 5.87 ERA, 46.0 IP, 8.8 BB%, 17.6 K%. Started 13 games for the Hokies in 2024 (3-2, 4.70 ERA, 51.2 IP, 5.7 BB%, 21.1 K%), but then needed elbow surgery at the end of that year that wiped out his 2025 season. Despite that, was drafted in the 18th round by the Mariners last year, but turned down the Mariners – as well as his transfer portal commitment to Alabama – to return to the Hokies. He’s a low-90’s arm who will touch the mid-90s, adding in a slider and changeup.
RHP Preston Crowl (JR) – 1-2, 4 SV, 6.42 ERA, 33.2 IP, 12.0 BB%, 22.7 K%. Has 55 career appearances with the Hokies. Hasn’t had the success he did last year (2-0, 1 SV, 3.90 ERA, 32.1 IP, 16.3 BB%, 26.9 K%) in terms of ERA or strikeout rate, but his control has been better and he’s been counted on in bigger spots. He’s heavily relied upon, making multiple appearances in a single ACC series three times this year and has topped 30 pitches in each of his last 7 appearances, including a 74-pitch relief outing at Boston College two weekends ago.
LHP Brendan Yagesh (SR) – 2-2, 1 SV, 7.47 ERA, 31.1 IP, 12.7 BB%, 20.4 K%. Former transfer from Mount St. Mary’s, originally hailing from Urbana, Virginia. Started 16 games over two seasons for the Mountaineers, but has mostly been a reliever for the Hokies, although he did start three ACC games earlier this year, including tossing 7.0 shutout innings against Duke (he then gave up 13 ER over 7.0 IP in his next two starts). Outside of those two negative starts and one bad turn at Virginia, he’s been solid.
LHP ChaseSwift (SO) – 1-1, 4.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 9.7 BB%, 45.8 K%. The mustachioed redhead is aptly named for a guy who ranks 12th in the country in whiff rate. Those peripherals say the guy needs more innings. He won’t blow the ball by anybody with a heater that only tops in the low-90’s, but he has a four-pitch mix (cutter, slider, changeup) that generate a lot of swings and misses.
Quick! Fun Facts!
The Hokies have four alums in the MLB this year: 1B T.J. Rumfield (Rockies), LHP Ian Seymour (Rays), OF Kerry Carpenter (Tigers), and LHP Joe Mantiply (Blue Jays). They had three other alums appear at the MLB level in 2025: RHP Nic Enright (Guardians; will miss 2025 with TJS), RHP Zach Brzykcy (Nationals; now with Marlins), RHP Jesse Hahn (Mariners; now with Blue Jays).
The seven former Hokies at the MLB level over the last two years is impressive for the program, given that there were only 11 former Virginia Tech players to make it to that level over the previous 25 seasons.
Virginia Tech doesn’t have a single player from the state of North Carolina. That’s wild.
The Hokies roster isn’t very deep on All-Name Team candidates, but FR INF Willie Hurt (.407/.619/.444, 1 2B, 0 HR, 27.9 BB%, 14.0 K%, 1-3 SB) is a no-doubt 1st Teamer. The lefty swinging DH currently has a 7-game hitting streak.
The Key To A Series Win For State
With Ryan Marohn unavailable for a second straight weekend, the Wolfpack bats are going to have to come alive against this Hokies pitching staff. The Hokies have been one of the best defensive teams in the conference, so State will need to also play clean to support the pitching staff and not supply any extra help to VTs lineup.
Prediction
There’s not a lot of confidence to be had for the Wolfpack after last weekend’s showing in Winston-Salem. With another road trip starting – and doing so without Jacob Dudan and Ryan Marohn – it’s hard to predict an NC State series win. Couple that with the Hokies coming off a series win of their own, it’s easy to see Virginia Tech coming out on top here in what should be a close, high-scoring three-game series.
NEW YORK (AP) — Already struggling to win games, the New York Mets also had difficulty figuring out which pitcher was supposed to be on the mound Thursday night.
Closer Devin Williams headed to the mound from the bullpen to start the ninth inning after Bo Bichette’s go-ahead, three-run double. And Huascar Brazobán walked back to the mound from the dugout.
Because Brazobán crossed the foul line, Williams was prevented from entering.
“Mistranslation there,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team hung to beat Minnesota 10-8 for its second straight win. “The messaging there was if it’s tied, you’re going to go back out. We take the lead, Devin’s in the game. The thing that got stuck to him was ‘I’m going back out.’
“I speak Spanish. So I need to go and tell him to make sure he gets the message there.”
Brazobán gave up a two-out grand slam in the eighth to Ryan Jeffers as the Twins knotted the score at 7 and completed their comeback from a pair of five-run deficits.
In the dugout afterward, Mendoza told Brazobán that he’d only pitch the ninth if the Mets didn’t take the lead — which they did on Bichette’s double.
Yet with the lights dimmed at Citi Field for the bottom of the inning, Williams headed to the mound from the bullpen as called for by Mendoza — as Brazobán simultaneously walked from the dugout back to the mound.
Asked what he thought watching Williams trot in, Brazobán delivered an answer in Spanish — punctuated by a profanity delivered in English with an accompanying a laugh.
“The lights are going off, and I was like ‘Wow,’” Brazobán said through interpreter Alan Suriel “So that’s when I realized.?
Brazobán retired Austin Martin on a groundout and Williams then relieved and struck out Luke Keaschall.
“I was frustrated with myself for the prior inning,” Brazobán said. “They told me clearly if the game was tied, I’d go out. But if they took the lead, Devin would come in. But I kind of stayed on autopilot
“Honestly, it was really my bad.”
Brooks Lee singled and scored on Tristan Gray’s single, and Bryon Buxton’s double put the potential tying run in scoring position. Williams (1-1) then struck out Trevor Larnach — just the sixth out recorded by Williams over the last 20 batters he’s faced, during which his ERA has risen from 0.00 to 10.29.
Williams was awarded the win because Brazobán pitched briefly and ineffectively and surrendered the lead while throwing less than an inning.
The win was the second straight for the Mets after a 12-game losing streak — their longest since 2012. All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor was placed on the injured list prior to the game with a left calf injury suffered in Wednesday’s 3-2 win — when Juan Soto returned from a 15-game absence due to a right calf injury.
“A lot happened there from the very beginning,” Mendoza said. “But I’m glad that we were able to get the job done tonight.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 16: Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 16, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the strengths for the Pittsburgh Pirates to start the season has been their starting rotation, and right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft is a big reason because of that.
In his most recent start for the Pirates, he threw seven innings and 94 pitches, both career-highs, while only allowing two earned runs against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on April 22, earning an 8-4 victory.
Ashcraft is in his first full season as a starting pitcher at the major league level and he’s done incredibly well so far for the Bucs.
He has a 1-1 record in five starts, a 2.43 ERA over 29.2 innings pitched, 32 strikeouts to nine walks, a .202 batting average allowed and a 1.01 WHIP.
His strikeouts are tied for 15th in baseball, with his BAA 25th in baseball and his WHIP ranks 33rd as well.
The 26-year-old started the season with a little walk problem after walking four batters in his season debut on March 30th but in his four starts in April he only walked five batters.
He also just gave up his first home run of the season against the Rangers, but soon settled in and got some ground balls and went the longest he has in his major league career.
This is massive news for Pittsburgh because of the fact that Ashcraft is the fourth pitcher in their rotation. The fact that the Buccos are getting that contribution from someone pretty far in the depth chart is massive. It shows how deep the Pirates starting rotation actually is, which is important because of the shaky start from the bullpen.
The Pirates have a lot of faith in the young pitcher as well, with no real pitching limits. Ashcraft has had some injury problems in the past dating from his minor league days in triple-A. His 29.2 innings pitched lead the Pirates and are tied for 19th-most in baseball.
Pirates fans knew that Paul Skenes was going to do his thing and that they were going to get solid outings out of Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler, so the fact they are also getting serious production out of Ashcraft is massive. Ashcraft has been one of the biggest surprises for the Pirates to start the season and if he can continue to pitch like this, the Pittsburgh starting rotation would be in a great place.
Apr 23, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) celebrates with team his goal scored in the first period against the Ottawa Senators in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn
Marc DesRosiers/Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
OTTAWA, Ontario — Jackson Blake broke a tie late in the second period, Frederik Andersen made 21 saves and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
The top team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, the Hurricanes can wrap up the series in Ottawa.
“You just want to keep taking steps,” Andersen said. “That was a really good grind.”
Logan Stankoven also scored for Carolina, and Taylor Hall had two assists.
Hall and linemates Stankoven and Blake have combined for 13 points in the series.
“They’ve been really special,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They’re contributing and putting goals up for us.”
Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa, and Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots.
Only four teams in NHL history have overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
“Pretty frustrating, but we’ve got to find a way,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said. “We’ve never quit all season … got to step up to the occasion.”
Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson left in the second period after taking an illegal check to the head from Hall.
Stankoven opened the scoring at 5:13 of the first period with his third goal of the series. He beat Ullmark with a one-timer from the left side.
Batherson tied it with 3:54 left in the second, taking a pass from Nick Cousins in the slot, moving left and flipping a backhander past Andersen.
Blake countered 1:23 later, putting the puck in the open right side off a feed from defenseman K’Andre Miller.
Ottawa was 0 for 5 on the power play and generated just four shots on target — including 1:38 of 5 on 3 when Andersen had to make a solitary save — on the way to falling to 0 for 12 in the series.
“Didn’t really create anything, no momentum, nothing,” Senators center Tim Stutzle said. ”(We’ve) got to make quicker plays.”
In Game 2 in Raleigh, Jordan Martinook scored in the second overtime in a 3-2 victory. The Hurricanes won the opener 2-0.
The home run vibes are high heading into the Friday slate, with some great spots to look for MLB player props, despite the weather still not in bettors' favor.
I'm going indoors with the Jays back home and some home-run potential on both sides of the field, and taking the easy route with one of the best home-run hitters facing one of the worst pitchers in baseball at +EV prices.
Plus, I'm backing a Cubs bat to keep his recent hot streak going.
These are my favorite HR props for Friday, April 24.
UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
+610
Munetaka Murakami
+320
Michael Busch
+520
💲Today's HR parlay
+14581
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+610)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. might not be the home-run hitter he was in 2021, but +610 is a big price for an indoor game with a bland home-run setting on Friday’s board.
His swing speed is still elite, and his Blast Contact numbers are strong — he just needs to improve that launch angle, as he ranks last on the team in Ideal Attack Angle%. He needs to elevate the ball, and there are signs he can against Gavin Williams.
Guerrero has taken Williams deep once in eight career at-bats, and the Cleveland Guardians starter struggled with HR/FB% last year. That number looks even worse early this season, and his ground-ball rate could regress toward his career norms, and his .167 BABIP is unsustainable.
There’s a price point for any Guerrero home run in a favorable setting, and it starts at +600 or better. The fair price on this four-bagger is around +540.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SN1, Guardians.TV
Munetaka Murakami (+320)
Let’s get a taste of the good life with one of the best home-run bats in baseball, at home, facing Miles Mikolas.
Munetaka Murakami just had his five-game homer streak snapped, but this may be the best matchup of that stretch. He’s 12-for-27, and every extra-base hit has left the yard. When he gets the ball in the air, it’s leaving at an incredible 39% clip.
Mikolas has been one of the worst HR/FB pitchers in baseball, and his early-season struggles have pushed that even lower. The only thing that can slow Murakami is swing-and-miss, which isn’t a major concern against Mikolas.
Despite the production, this price still shows value, with a fair line around +260.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Nationals.TV, CHSN
Michael Busch (+520)
It took some time, but Michael Busch has found his power stroke, going deep in back-to-back games. Now he enters a strong matchup tonight at Dodger Stadium.
The No. 2 hitter for the Chicago Cubs still profiles as a 30-HR bat in a favorable hitting environment with winds blowing out to center. Emmet Sheehan is a solid target for home runs, ranking near the bottom of MLB starters in Blast Contact% while allowing plenty of fly balls — with nearly 20% leaving the yard this year.
Chicago enters on a nine-game win streak, gets the full nine innings on the road, and this home run price should be closer to +430.
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Josh Inglis's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 5-43, -13.4 units
Today’s HR parlay
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Bet Now +14581
Munetaka Murakami
Michael Busch
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.
The scouting report on the Orlando Magic is no secret. They can’t shoot the 3-ball.
Orlando has done little to disprove that in the opening two games of its Round 1 series with the Detroit Pistons. The Magic, who shoot just 34% from deep on the season, are a collective 18 for 66 from beyond the arc (27%) as the series swings home for Game 3.
With Orlando unable to throw a grape in the ocean, life is easy for Detroit’s defense, which is packing the paint and practically begging Orlando to hit a shot from deep.
Our Pistons vs. Magic predictions don’t discard all of Orlando’s outside threats with my NBA picks seeing solid value in Jalen Suggs to find his form at home Saturday.
Pistons vs Magic prediction
Pistons vs Magic best bet: Jalen Suggs Over 2.5 made threes (+102)
The Detroit Pistons know the Orlando Magic can’t make them pay from the perimeter and have given their first-round foes nothing but clean air on the outside.
Of the 66 3-point attempts taken by the Magic through two games, 62 have come with no Detroit defender within at least four feet, including 29 long-range looks qualifying as “wide open” with no Pistons player within six feet of the shooter. Orlando has made only 16 of those open 3PAs.
Jalen Suggs is the Magic’s most consistent 3-point threat and has gone 3 for 10 from distance in each of the first two playoff contests.Nineteen of his total 20 shots from downtown have been either “open” or “wide open” with Suggs making good on just five of those attempts.
However, with the series swinging to the Kia Center this weekend, Suggs will make the Pistons pay for their passive perimeter patrol.
Alliteration aside, Suggs’ shooting sees a surge at home, with his 3-point success jumping from less than 30% on the road to 37.4% in Orlando. He attempts the same number of 3-pointers at home vs. away (6.3) but makes 2.4 triples inside the Kia Center compared to 1.9 in enemy gyms.
Game 3 projections aren’t bullish on Suggs’ shooting, pegging him for two 3-point makes. But with Detroit keeping its heels below the arc and Suggs shooting almost double his usual 3PAs, the opportunity is there to hit at least three treys – especially when you consider his shooting splits at home and a game script that has Orlando playing from behind.
Pistons vs Magic same-game parlay
The Pistons finally got dialed in on defense in the second half of Game 2, and that travels to Orlando on Saturday. Detroit is one of the best road teams in the NBA, with a 28-13 SU record as a visitor.
Tobias Harris has put up scores of 16 and 17 points in the first two games while shooting a collective 12 for 32, including 1 for 10 from beyond the arc. That catches up with him on the road, with projections short of 16 points in Game 3.
Pistons vs Magic SGP
Pistons Moneyline
Jalen Suggs Over 2.5 made threes
Tobias Harris Under 15.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Raiders of the Lost (3-Point) Arc
In a series featuring physical defense, these 3-point threats get hot and help push the final score past this low total. Duncan Robinson and Suggs have each made three triples in the first two games of this Round 1 series.
Pistons vs Magic SGP
Pistons moneyline
Over 214
Jalen Suggs Over 2.5 made threes
Duncan Robinson Over 2.5 made threes
Pistons vs Magic odds for Game 3
Spread: Pistons -2.5 | Magic +2.5
Moneyline: Pistons -150 | Magic +125
Over/Under: Over 214 | Under 214
Pistons vs Magic betting trend to know
The Detroit Pistons cashed in on the moneyline in 28 of their last 40 away games (+11.50 Units/9% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Pistons vs. Magic.
How to watch Pistons vs Magic Game 3
Location
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Date
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Tip-off
1:00 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Pistons vs Magic latest injuries
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.
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 5: Julian Reese #15 of the Washington Wizards grabs the rebound during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on April 5, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to our Wizards player review series. We’ll go through each guy that played meaningful minutes and look back on their season. Here’s Julian Reese.
The last games of the Wizards’ season were a testing ground for borderline NBA talent. Nobody else made quite the impression that Julian Reese did, at least on the scoresheet. The young two-way center averaged a double-double, 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds, in 13 appearances.
Reese played big minutes in a few tanktastic exhibitions. But gobbling this many rebounds, including more than four offensive boards per game, has to mean something. We can at least conclude that Reese is a workhorse with a nose for the ball.
It’s tempting, from here, to elevate Reese as a promising diamond in the rough, even a candidate for a standard NBA contract. I’d pump the brakes a bit there.
Look a little deeper, and you’ll see a very raw collection of tools. As a 6’9 center who doesn’t shoot threes, he already has an uphill battle toward NBA relevance. He plays with a chaotic, shoulder-down approach, which helps him beat out guys for rebounds, but also translates to a clunky offensive game.
He committed an impressive 32 turnovers, compared to 24 assists, in his 154 minutes. His turnovers ran the gamut — illegal screens, dribbling foibles, swipe-downs on rebounds. To stick around as a threatening roll man, he’ll have to develop smoother hands:
His finishing, similarly, is a work in progress. He shot 52.9 percent from the field, mostly on shots near the rim and from floater range, a number that will have to improve. Overall, on shots inside eight feet, he converted 56 percent of the time, worse than all but two NBA big men (Derik Queen and Jusuf Nurkic).
A big reason for that: he made just 34 percent of his shots in the paint, but outside the restricted area, one of the worst numbers in the league. His floater looks a little mechanical, a line-drive last resort.
The shooting looks far away. He shot 63 percent from the line and generally avoided jump shots. He doesn’t have to be a threat from three-point range to stick in the NBA. But he does have to haul in passes and finish in a variety of ways near the rim.
He’s still figuring out how he can be a threat on offense. He’s shown some flashes slipping screens and getting behind big men. (The flip side of that is the illegal screen calls.) Admirably, he likes to get ambitious with his passing at the top of the key when he has the chance. Off the dribble, he tends to lean into defenders with long, slow steps:
As he adjusts to the speed of the game, we could see him refine moves like that. But as it is, he doesn’t have enough feel and touch to offset a lack of pure downhill explosiveness.
On defense, he’s of course a ball of energy. The rebounding is a real NBA skillset. Like most rookie bigs, he tends to get jumpy near the rim and will take time to settle into NBA schemes and strategies.
The Wizards don’t have another big that fits Reese’s mold as it stands. (It’d be wonderful if you could combine the best of Reese and Tristan Vuckevic.) It’s worth monitoring Reese as a developmental project. His pure energy and effort is valuable, and we’ve seen guys around the league, like Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate, develop around that as a baseline.
Reese signed a two-year contract as a two-way guy, so we could see him start next season shuttling between the NBA and G-League. Best case, he shows enough to grab spot minutes a fourth big man.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 18: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts with teammates after defeating the Houston Astros in the game at Daikin Park on April 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re a week away from the end of the first month of the season, and the Mariners still haven’t found their groove. The walk-off win on Wednesday afternoon was a nice way to escape a sweep at the hands of the A’s, but it wrapped up a disappointing 3-3 homestand against AL West foes. Thankfully, no one else in the division has been running away in the standings. Everyone is still bunched together, which means the projections and playoff odds are largely unchanged from the start of the season. The other bit of optimism comes from Seattle’s underlying performance; the team has underperformed its Pythagorean record by two wins and their base runs record by three wins. They’ve been the “unluckiest” team in the majors by both those measures.
The Cardinals are in the initial stages of a major transition for the organization. Chaim Bloom took over as president of baseball operations this offseason and quickly traded away a bunch of high priced veterans. Gone are Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan. There was already a small core of young players already contributing in the majors, but the seemingly endless pipeline of talent coming through St. Louis’s farm system has dried up over the last few years. A lot of their recent top prospects have failed to make much of an impact in the big leagues, which is one of the root causes of this current rebuilding cycle.
Player
Position
Bats
PA
K%
BB%
ISO
wRC+
JJ Wetherholt (MiLB)
2B
L
496
14.7%
14.5%
0.203
154
Iván Herrera
DH
R
452
18.6%
9.5%
0.180
137
Alec Burleson
1B
L
546
14.5%
7.1%
0.169
124
Jordan Walker
RF
R
396
31.8%
7.3%
0.091
66
Nolan Gorman
3B
L
402
33.8%
11.7%
0.165
88
Masyn Winn
SS
R
537
19.0%
6.3%
0.110
91
Nathan Church
LF
L
65
27.7%
4.6%
0.071
46
Pedro Pagés
C
R
389
27.5%
4.9%
0.133
77
Victor Scott II
CF
L
463
24.0%
9.1%
0.080
76
Most of that young talent still on the Cardinals roster resides in their lineup. JJ Wetherholt, their first round pick in the 2024 draft, made his major league debut on Opening Day and represents a significant piece of the team’s future. The most impactful development has been the early season breakout from Jordan Walker. A former top prospect who has really struggled to establish himself in the big leagues, he’s looking like he’s finally put it all together this year. He’s still swinging and missing a ton, but he’s elevating all of his loud contact and has already blasted eight home runs. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson are two solid everyday regulars that complete the backbone of the Cardinals lineup. The rest of the group is pretty questionable at the plate, though both Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II are defensive stalwarts.
Andre Pallante is a groundball specialist who has carved out a nice role as an innings-eating back-end starter in St. Louis. He doesn’t strike anyone out, walks a few too many, but gets away with it by inducing a ton of contact on the ground. His four-seam fastball is super weird. He throws from a really high slot and you’d expect a ton of carry from that pitch at the top of the zone. Instead, it’s arrow straight and drops a lot like his sinker. It has the highest groundball rate of any four-seamer in baseball. It’s almost as if he has two versions of his sinker, one that has a bit of armside run (like a traditional sinker) and one that doesn’t (his four-seamer).
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Matthew Liberatore
151.2
18.8%
6.2%
10.1%
37.4%
4.21
4.03
Bryan Woo
186.2
27.1%
4.9%
12.8%
40.8%
2.94
3.47
2025 stats
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
31.9%
17.0%
93.9
85
57
102
0.370
Sinker
7.5%
27.3%
94.0
95
46
72
0.418
Cutter
11.0%
8.2%
90.2
89
64
112
0.401
Changeup
15.5%
0.0%
88.4
79
57
90
0.344
Curveball
17.4%
9.7%
77.4
121
103
111
0.194
Slider
16.7%
37.8%
86.4
104
96
84
0.296
2025 stats
Once upon a time, Matthew Liberatore was one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects. His development stalled out once he reached the big leagues and St. Louis actually tried to use him as a high leverage reliever for a while back in 2024. Back in the rotation last year, he had a great start to the season but wore down during the summer. It was his best showing in the big leagues and a stepping stone to continue growing this year. He has a wide arsenal but his big curveball is the only standout pitch. His command is good enough, and repertoire varied enough, that he can keep opposing batters off balance, but his stuff isn’t dominant enough to rack up a ton of strikeouts.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Michael McGreevy
95.2
14.5%
5.0%
11.5%
47.3%
4.42
4.27
Emerson Hancock
90
16.6%
8.1%
15.2%
43.0%
4.90
5.08
2025 stats
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
19.7%
40.9%
93.0
81
109
73
0.407
Sinker
62.7%
2.8%
91.7
98
53
112
0.275
Cutter
3.5%
18.7%
88.6
80
63
68
0.365
Changeup
1.0%
20.9%
88.0
76
96
110
0.316
Curveball
13.1%
16.7%
79.6
91
54
80
0.358
Sweeper
50.0%
7.7%
83.7
94
79
88
0.314
2025 stats
Michael McGreevy is a throw back to a bygone era. He’s a kitchen sink righty with a fastball that barely touches 91 mph and seven different pitches in his arsenal. He’s got excellent command of his entire repertoire and locates well on both sides of the plate. That makes at-bats against him pretty uncomfortable for opposing batters, though none of his pitches are that dominant individually. Instead, batters are more likely to mishit any contact they make because any given pitch could break in or out, up or down. Like the other two starters previewed above, the Cardinals fantastic defense is capable of turning a lot of that contact into outs, which makes his low strikeout rate less of a liability.
The Big Picture:
Team
W-L
W%
Games Behind
Run Diff
Recent Form
Rangers
13-12
0.520
—
+15
L-L-W-L-W
Athletics
13-12
0.520
—
-15
W-L-W-W-L
Angels
12-14
0.462
1.5
+10
L-L-L-L-W
Mariners
11-15
0.423
2.5
+2
W-W-L-L-W
Astros
10-16
0.385
3.5
-13
L-L-W-L-W
The Rangers and Athletics head into this weekend tied atop the AL West standings, and those two division rivals meet up for a three-game series in Texas this weekend. The Angels have continued to be entertaining to watch, though they’ve slipped down the standings after losing back-to-back series to the Padres and Blue Jays; they’ll play in Kansas City this weekend. The Astros won their series against the Guardians earlier this week but still bring up the rear in the standings. Houston hosts the Yankees this weekend.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Your 2026 New York Mets: OK, we won a game yesterday. If we win today, it’s called ‘two in a row.’ And if we win again tomorrow, it’s called a ‘winning streak’… It has happened before!
““He struck him out and the ball game is over! And for the first time in more than two weeks, the Mets can shake hands.” -Gary Cohen [New York Post]
I was dreamin’ when I wrote this
“That insidious 12-game losing streak has finally come to an end. Mets win it 3-2.” -Gary Cohen [New York Post]
Forgive me if it goes astray
“Swung on and missed, strike three! Put it in the books!” -Howie Rose [New York Post]
But when I woke up this morning
“For the first time in 15 days, the New York Mets have won a baseball game. They have ended their 12-game losing streak, and if this crowd is not exactly jubilant, they are more than simply relieved.” -Howie Rose [New York Post]
I coulda sworn it was Judgment Day
“It was good to get some wins [and] remember what that feels like.” -Bo Bichette [New York Post]
The sky was all purple
“It was a crazy game.’’ -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
There were people runnin’ everywhere
“Winning games in the big leagues is really hard. Good teams fight, no matter the ebbs and flows.” -Bo Bichette [New York Post]
Tryin’ to run from my destruction
“[Peterson, Manaea, and Myers have] been saving us.’’ -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
You know I didn’t even care
“The desire to help a new team and the desire to just perform at the level you know you can perform at — I don’t know if any of that was weighing on me, but I definitely still need to get better. I’ll make adjustments and get to the player I need to be.” -Bo Bichette [MLB]
‘Cause they say
“I think [Bichette’s] been looking for that moment, especially here at home. Meaningful for him to do it in front of our fan base.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]
2000, zero, zero, party over
“Today, I felt good but like I said, I’ve got to show up tomorrow and do it again.” -Bo Bichette [MLB]
Oops, out of time
“You’re always worried, but you also trust those guys [in the bullpen]. Once Devin got to the mound, that’s what I told him. He got the job done.” -Carlos Mendoza [The Athletic]
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999
“Oh, fuck.” -Huascar Brazobán thought [The Athletic]
“The messaging there was: If it’s tied, you go back out. If we take the lead, Devin’s in the game. I speak Spanish. I need to make sure he gets the message.” -Carlos Mendoza [The Athletic]
“They told me clearly. I stayed on autopilot and just went out there. Really, it was my bad.” -Huascar Brazobán [The Athletic]
“I felt bad and a little embarrassed that I didn’t fully pay attention to what was going on. Luckily, I was able to get that out.” -Huascar Brazobán [The Athletic]
“Whenever I have to miss games, it’s super disappointing. It sucks to be on the side, but I’ll be there with them, cheering them on and probably just as nervous as every fan out there as well.” -Francisco Lindor [MLB]
“He’s going to be down quite a bit here. I don’t think we’re anticipating something like we knew right away with Juan that it was kind of like the best-case scenario and it was going to be on the short side of things. I don’t think we’re dealing with the same thing here.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]
“This kills me not being on the field, but I trust the trainers and I know they have good care here, and I’ll be back. I’ll be back hopefully sooner rather than later.” -Francisco Lindor [MLB]
When your favorite team is 150 years old almost everything has been done before. After all, Wrigley Field is the home of Babe Ruth’s called shot. It’s also the only MLB ballpark left that Jackie Robinson played a game in. You can almost feel the ghosts of baseball past whispering at you from the ivy when you step on the concourse. Wrigley Field has seen no-hitters, cycles, the Sandberg Game, Michael Jordan trying to make a second career out of baseball and so much more.
But fans on Wednesday night were treated to a rare first at the baseball cathedral at the corner of Clark and Addison: the first walkoff ABS challenge in the history of that old park. It was an electric environment as catcher Miguel Amaya tapped his helmet to request an ABS review of Hoby Milner’s pitch, putting to rest any fears that ABS challenges at the end of games would be anti-climactic.
Honestly, one of the most interesting developments of the 2026 season has been how engaging ABS challenges have been for fans. Don’t believe me? Just watch [VIDEO].
Miguel Amaya immediately goes to his helmet to challenge the call, he knows he’s right. The fans erupt with the joy of a crowd that has watched umpires blow those calls their whole lives only to finally have a mechanism to confirm what we’ve all seen with our own eyes all along. Even for fans who love the human element, the ABS challenge system is a good compromise:
MLB Network had this great breakdown of the ins and outs of the system early in the season:
However, the unexpected joy of the ABS system has been the fan reaction. Crowds are into it when their team challenges and are correct. Fans aren’t the only ones feeling the catharsis of a successful ABS challenge, just check out how the Reds welcomed CB Bucknor to the new world of ABS earlier this season:
It’s not just CB Bucknor, though. Watch veteran catcher Salvador Perez demonstrate he really knows the zone in this game against the Braves:
MLB has already seen more than 1000 challenges less than a month into the season according to Jayson Stark. It’s a wild pace:
So is it a surprise that we’ve already seen more than 1,000 taps on those caps and helmets? In the first three weeks of this season, there were 1,082 ABS challenges of ball/strike calls that used to be a job for humans alone.
If this keeps up, we’re heading for nearly 10,000 challenges … and more than 5,000 calls overturned by the time this season is over. That’s about 200 counts that will get flipped every week.
Understand what that means:
Innings change on those flips. Games change. Whole seasons could have a different narrative, all because one high-impact strike turned into a ball — or vice versa.
It’s a wild pace, but consider the outcomes that have already changed — or could have changed. The Phillies are a dangerous hitting team and while the Cubs seemed to have Wednesday night’s affair squarely in hand with a 7-2 lead, I’m not sure any of us wanted to see Hoby Milner throw more pitches to figure out if he could get out of that inning unscathed. Besides, more pitches lead to more injuries and that’s about the last thing the Cubs can afford right now.
Many fans including myself were worried this would be anticlimactic. Watching Samuel Basallo notch the first-ever walkoff challenge, I just have to admit I have rarely been so wrong [VIDEO].
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Munetaka Murakami
Michael Busch
