Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) throws a pass beside Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
In an article by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, he describes where the Cavaliers’ ‘brain trust’ lands on a potential trade centered around Evan Mobley for Antetokounmpo.
“The Cavs love Mobley, they believe in him and there are multiple members of the Cleveland brain trust that would be vehemently against a Giannis-Mobley swap…(Mobley) is viewed as not only a future star but also a proverbial safety net when it comes to another rebuild.”
There has been a lot of discourse around Mobley as the player to be moved if the Cavaliers want to reshuffle the deck. It would make sense if the Cavaliers were angling for a win-now mentality. With a soon to be 37-year-old James Harden and a will be 30-year-old Donovan Mitchell, you can’t have this two-timeline sort of mentality.
Everyone wants to point to the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 title and how they were able to navigate this, almost impossible feat. However, when you look at that championship from a 3,000-foot view, you would notice that in 2026, no one considered as a young building block really panned out. It was the old guard that made that title team who they were, Golden State would soon offload all those players (Jordan Poole, James Weisman, Jonathan Kuminga, etc.) to try and keep their core (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green) relevant.
If the Cavaliers brass reportedly already is thinking about “safety net(s),” they may be setting themselves up to blow up this nucleus sooner rather than later. A half-in, half-out mentality will hamstring whichever direction the franchise would prefer to go.
To achieve either a rebuild or trying to improve their title odds, the Cavaliers need to go all in. By acquiring a veteran Harden at last deadline, there was a clear signal of going for the title now. If they decide not to move Mobley because they are thinking about the future, they’re likely not maximizing their current title window.
Miami (26-34) and Washington (31-29) meet for the second series this season as the Marlins won the first series, 2-1. The three-game series will be at Nationals Park and the final stretch of a nine-game road stand for Miami.
The Marlins enter on a season-long five-game losing streak. Miami has been outscored 35-11 in that span and scored one run in four out of five games. Miami is hitting .222 in those five games (22nd), while the pitching staff has a whopping 7.19 ERA (27th).
Washington has won two straight and six of the previous eight to stay afloat and over .500. The Nationals' pitching rotation has a 3.36 ERA over the last 13 games (8th), while the offense has the third-most home runs (20) in that stretch.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Marlins at Nationals
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
Time: 6:45 PM EST
Site: Nationals Park
City: Washington, DC
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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Odds for the Marlins at the Nationals
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Washington Nationals (-144), Miami Marlins (+119)
The Nationals’ CJ Abrams is hitting .294 with 63 hits and 116 total bases over 214 at-bats
The Nationals’ Nasim Nunez is hitting .189 with 32 hits and 42 strikeouts over 169 at-bats
The Marlins’ Otto Lopez is hitting .326 with 75 hits and 105 total bases over 230 at-bats
The Marlins’ Kyle Stowers is hitting .221 with 30 hits and 44 strikeouts over 136 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Marlins at Nationals
The Mets are 24-35 ATS, ranking fifth-worst
The Marlins are 26-34 ATS, ranking eight-worst
The Mets are 29-25-5 to the Under, ranking ninth-best
The Marlins are 36-21-3 to the Over, ranking second-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Nationals
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Marlins and the Nationals:
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The AL West may have missed its chance to leave the Seattle Mariners behind.
Seattle has been under .500 for most of the season, but now the Mariners (31-29) lead the division after six straight victories. They’ve made this run without slugger Cal Raleigh, who was hitting .161 when he went on the injured list.
It doesn’t take much to shake up the standings in the AL West. The Mariners’ streak included a three-game sweep over the Athletics. The A’s were in first place, but have lost seven of their last nine. Houston has won eight of its last 12 to pull back into contention, just 4 1/2 games out of first place. The whole division is separated by 8 games, the top three teams by 2 1/2.
Despite Raleigh’s absence, the Mariners are fourth in the American League in home runs, but pitching is what has driven this recent run. Seattle has held opponents to two runs or fewer in five of its last six games.
The same five starters have made 57 of Seattle’s 60 starts. Bryan Woo (3.44), Logan Gilbert (3.69), George Kirby (3.77) and Emerson Hancock (2.78) all have ERAs among the top 25 in the AL. Luis Castillo (5.53) lags behind the other four starters, but lately Seattle has been using him in sort of a tag team with Bryce Miller, with one starting and the other coming out of the bullpen.
In a 9-2 win over the Athletics, Castillo pitched four scoreless innings and then Miller threw the last five. Against Arizona, Miller started and went five innings, then Castillo worked the last five and Seattle won 3-2 in 10.
Trivia time
The New York Yankees scored 13 runs in the third inning in their 13-8 victory over the Athletics. The Yankees actually went hitless in the other eight innings.
Anthony Volpe became the third player in the last 50 years to have two hits, two runs and two steals in an inning. Who were the other two?
Bonus question: Volpe nearly got to bat three times in the inning, but he was on deck when the third out came. Who was the last player with three plate appearances in an inning.
Performance of the week
Jacob Misiorowski struck out 12 in seven two-hit innings — throwing 57 pitches of at least 100 mph — as the Milwaukee Brewers beat St. Louis 5-1. Milwaukee went on to sweep three straight from the Cardinals, and the Brewers now lead the NL Central by 4 1/2 games over St. Louis.
Comeback of the week
The Orioles trailed by four with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth. Toronto never got another out, with Jeff Hoffman allowing the next six hitters to reach base before Connor Seabold issued a bases-loaded walk to Adley Rutschman that tied the game. Pete Alonso followed with a single to give Baltimore a 6-5 win.
Toronto’s win probability was 99.3%, according to Baseball Savant, before Hoffman hit a batter and allowed a triple, a single, a double and two walks.
The Orioles went 7-3 on their homestand against Detroit, Tampa Bay and Toronto. That included a walk-off win over each of those teams and a three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Rays.
Trivia answer
Detroit’s Alan Trammell had two hits, two runs and two steals in the bottom of the first on Sept. 20, 1983, against Baltimore. Seattle’s Mike Cameron pulled it off in the top of the seventh on May 16, 2002, against Toronto.
Bonus answer: Boston’s Johnny Damon had three plate appearances in the bottom of the first on June 27, 2003, against Florida. He had a single, a double and a triple as the Red Sox scored 14 runs in the first.
Tanner and Maddie Scott attend Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: "Dodgers Comedy Night" at Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. (Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for Netflix)
The Tanner Scott redemption story took a dark, twisted turn Saturday night.
Not because the Dodgers reliever gave up three runs in the eighth inning to the Philadelphia Phillies, blowing a save opportunity and getting tagged with his first loss of the season. Getting knocked around happens.
But comments directed toward Scott’s wife on social media afterward were beyond alarming. Maddie Scott reposted vile comments from one user in particular that threatened not only her and her husband, but also their newborn son.
“When did it stop being a game?” Maddie Scott wrote on an Instagram story that has expired but was captured by the New York Post. “I don’t speak out often. Ever actually. I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”
The answer to her rhetorical question is layered. Maybe baseball stopped being a game when her husband signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers before the 2025 season, elevating expectations.
Maybe the end came seven years ago when a Supreme Court ruling led to sports gambling becoming legal. Or maybe fun and games ceased some 20 years ago when Facebook, Twitter and Instagram launched and anonymous threats could be dispatched by anyone with an account.
Death threats directed toward athletes have become disturbingly frequent. Without giving oxygen to the threats by repeating them, Scott is hardly the first pitcher whose family has been targeted after a loss.
Scott took heat last year when he pitched poorly in his first season with the Dodgers. Expected to become the team’s closer, the left-hander had an MLB-high 10 blown saves and did not pitch in the postseason.
This year, however, Scott has bounced back admirably. Even after the loss Saturday, he has a sparkling 2.19 earned-run average and five saves.
The co-host of the “Game Over” podcast, alongside Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul, dipped his toe into the waters again on Monday. Discussing the San Antonio Spurs’ Western Conference finals Game 7 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kellerman compared Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s dominance of Thunder center Chet Holmgren with LeBron James’ performance against Curry in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
“What Wemby did to Chet, in a way, is what LeBron did to Steph, in [Game 6 of the 2016 Finals]” Kellerman said, referencing a viral moment in which James blocked Curry’s shot and appeared to stare him down afterward. “[James] blocked the shot and screamed on [Curry] and Steph…had his head hung. There was something in that moment where it was like…no, you’ve got to respond, you can’t let someone scream on you like that.”
Max Kellerman:
“What Wemby did to Chet in a way, is what LeBron did to Steph. In Game 6 where he blocked his shot and screamed on him, Steph kind of had his head hung, there was something in that moment.”
Paul, whose Klutch agency famously represents James, pushed back with an “I don’t know about that, Max” as Kellerman began to make his argument.
“Now, Steph was a young player back then,” Kellerman conceded. “LeBron had been there before, right? The Steph Curry I saw against Kawhi [Leonard in the 2019 NBA Finals] and in 2022 when he was the Finals MVP…I think if that Steph is in that series, maybe the Warriors win because Steph can hit those shots. But I felt like LeBron let him know, and Steph believed it, ‘I’m the best player in the world.’”
There are, of course, several significant differences between the two situations ten years apart. Primarily, Curry scored 30 points and hit six of his 13 three-point attempts in that Game 6, while Holmgren finished with just 4 points in his team’s Game 7 loss.
And while no one knows what the future holds for Oklahoma City, any psychological advantage James might have gained in 2016 likely evaporated as the Warriors won NBA championships against him in each of the following two seasons.
For all of his records and accomplishments, the most remarkable thing about Curry might be the eyebrow-raising takes he inspires (shout-out Phil Jackson.)
Never seen anything like SCurry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes looks even in a lot of ways, with very little margin for error.
Vegas has won 12 of 16 games in the playoffs, including a sweep of Colorado in the West final, while Carolina has taken 12 of 13. They’ve allowed the third-fewest and fewest goals against, respectively, while each scoring more than three goals a game.
So, what will make the difference in a series between NHL powerhouses? Look no further than special teams.
Stifling penalty kills
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill is clicking along at a 92.5% success rate, allowing four goals and scoring once shorthanded.
“Carolina’s been an elite penalty-killing team for years now and that’s part of their identity and that comes from their puck pressure and their sticks, their discipline — all that kind of stuff,” goaltender-turned-NHL Network analyst Cory Schneider said. “Vegas will have its work cut out for itself.”
Vegas has been elite itself. The Golden Knights allowed six power-play goals through three rounds and scored four times short-handed.
Brayden McNabb, who has been around since the team’s inaugural season in 2017-18, has been a key cog of that, logging more than 45 total minutes of ice time on the kill. Three other huge pieces are players general manager Kelly McCrimmon brought in midseason.
Goaltender Carter Hart, whose presence alone has been scrutinized, has stopped 64 of 70 shots while an opponent is on the power play. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, acquired before the Olympic break, and center Nic Dowd, an addition on the eve of the trade deadline, along with McNabb have been among the first guys over the boards on the penalty kill.
It has been old reliable for the Hurricanes, with defensive defenseman Jaccob Slavin skating over 56 minutes short-handed. Coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team plays with a particular structure all the time, and this is where it is most effective as long as the three or four guys on the ice in front of goalie Frederik Andersen are on the same page.
Polarizing power plays
Vegas’ power play has scored 11 times in 46 opportunities, good for 24%. Captain Mark Stone and winger Pavel Dorofeyev have four apiece, while centers Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl each have six power-play assists.
“I find the Vegas power play to be more threatening,” Schneider said. “Can Carolina quiet Vegas’ power play and force them 5 on 5 in order to beat them?”
The better question is can Carolina’s power play keep up? It is 7 of 56 in the playoffs, a 12.5% rate that has gotten the job done against Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal.
Vegas, as Brind’Amour said, is “a different animal.”
“Carolina’s got a good power play, don’t get me wrong, but I think that could be a bit of a wash and Carolina’s going to have to try to generate more 5-on-5 offense than rely on their power play like Vegas should,” Schneider said.
What to expect
Given these teams’ ability to put the puck in the net at even strength, there will be an emphasis on discipline. Stay out of the box and play 5 on 5, where the Golden Knights have scored 34 goals and the Hurricanes 30.
Vegas has averaged a little under four minor penalties a game to Carolina’s five. That makes every power play even more valuable, with much of the games becoming a test of two teams with demanding coaches who don’t let a lot of the details slip.
“They play the right way,” Slavin said. “They play a very similar style to us. It’s going to be who can do it better and who can stay on it longer? But it’s going to be an awesome series.”
Who will win Giants vs Brewers today: Brewers moneyline (-140)
The Milwaukee Brewers turn to Shane Drohan, who owns a 2.63 ERA this season, and posted a 2.05 FIP in May. While he's expected to work only a few innings, Milwaukee can comfortably turn the game over to one of baseball's best bullpens.
The Brewers' relievers have allowed just a 6% barrel rate this season and enter Monday's contest rested after only two bullpen arms were used on Sunday.
The San Francisco Giants don't have the same luxury. The Giants' bullpen owns a 4.88 xERA and 5.40 xFIP over the last week, while Landen Roupp rarely works deep into games.
Milwaukee's bullpen advantage should prove decisive. I'd play this pick up to -155.
COVERS INTEL: Milwaukee's bullpen has held opponents to a .245 BABIP over the last seven days.
Giants vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-120)
My secondary lean is the Under. While the Giants exploded for 19 runs against Colorado on Sunday, that outburst heavily inflates their recent offensive numbers.
Milwaukee's pitching situation remains strong, with Drohan expected to cover the opening innings before handing the ball over to one of baseball's best bullpens.
Roupp has also held his own recently, posting a 2.71 FIP across his last two starts. With Milwaukee's elite relief corps entering rested and San Francisco's offensive form potentially overstated, this game could be lower-scoring than expected.
I'll play this to -130.
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 20-14, +5.21 units
Over/Under bets: 20-13, +3.40 units
Giants vs Brewers odds
Moneyline: Giants +133 | Brewers -138
Run line: Giants +1.5 (-163) | Brewers -1.5 (+156)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+108) | Under 7.5 (-113)
Giants vs Brewers trend
The Giants have hit the team total Under in 26 of their last 40 away games (+10.15 Units / 22% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Brewers.
How to watch Giants vs Brewers and game info
Location
American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Date
Monday, June 1, 2026
First pitch
7:40 p.m. ET
TV
FS1
Giants starting pitcher
Landen Roupp (5-5, 3.30 ERA)
Brewers starting pitcher
Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.63 ERA)
Giants vs Brewers latest injuries
Giants vs Brewers weather
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The St. Louis Blues have signed goaltender Will Cranley to a one-year, two-way contract extension, Blues president of hockey operations and GM Doug Armstrong announced today.
The 24-year-old was a 2020 sixth-round pick of the Blues and has spent the past three seasons bouncing between the ECHL and the AHL, and was set to become a restricted free agent (RFA) on July 1.
The 2025-26 season was Cranley’s best season to date. In the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he posted a respectable .892 save percentage in 10 games, while in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades, he recorded a .915 SP in 18 games. He had previously never posted a save percentage above .900 in either the ECHL or AHL.
His AHL career numbers show a .890 SP in 13 games and a .896 SP in 74 ECHL games.
Prior to joining the Blues organization, Cranley was a netminder in the OHL, where he posted a .881 SP in 117 career games across five seasons.
While his numbers have never been eye-catching and often look rather disappointing, Cranley boasts a 6-foot-4 frame and is still quite young for a goaltender. He may never make it to the NHL, but organizational depth in the minor leagues is valuable, and retaining homegrown talent in that role is a necessity.
Cranley’s contract will see him paid $850,000 at the NHL level, with a minor league salary of $95,000, according to Puckpedia. Due to his age and lack of NHL experience, Cranley will become a Group 6 RFA at the end of the 2026-27 season.
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CLEVELAND — For one inning, it appeared as if all the breaks were going the way of Cleveland starting pitcher Tanner Bibee.
Despite giving up a leadoff homer for the second straight game, the right-hander left with a lead for the first time in 13 starts this season and finally got run support as the Guardians led the Boston Red Sox 4-3 going into the seventh inning.
Instead, Bibee had a front row seat as the bullpen had one of its worst innings of the year as Boston rallied for a 9-4 win.
That put Bibee at the top of a couple of lists no starting pitcher wants to join.
Boston’s six runs in the seventh inning en route made Bibee the 12th opening day starter since 1976 to make at least 10 starts and not earn a win before June, according to Sportradar.
He has the most starts without a win before June and is the fourth with at least 12. The others were Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (2025), Miami’s José Ureña (2018) and Atlanta’s Carl Morton (1976).
Bibee also is the first pitcher in Cleveland’s 125-year franchise history to go winless in his first 13 starts.
“I’ve said this in the past. I don’t have any control over it. All I can do is go out there, try to throw up some zeros and whatever happens, happens,” said Bibee, who is 0-7.
Bibee’s seven losses are tied for the second most among among the 12 opening day starters. His 4.57 is the fourth lowest.
“Wins and losses don’t matter for starting pitchers. It’s not a stat that means anything. So I know he’s not worried about it and we’re definitely not worried about it,” catcher Austin Hedges said.
Bibee bounced back after Jarren Duran connected on the fifth pitch of the game and drove it into the right-field stands, the fourth time he gave up a leadoff homer this season. He allowed only one hit in the second through fourth innings before the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Mickey Gasper tied it at 2-all with a sacrifice fly to drive in Marcelo Mayer and Wilyer Abreu’s RBI single gave Boston a 3-2 lead.
However, the Guardians rallied.
Cleveland scored twice in the bottom of the fifth on José Ramírez’s RBI double after Boston left fielder Masataka Yoshida lost track of the fly ball in the sun. Chase DeLauter’s single drove in Ramírez. They loaded the bases with two outs when Stuart Fairchild struck out and unsuccessfully challenged the called third strike.
That left the Guardians without a challenge for the rest of the game, which would come back to haunt them.
Bibee retired the Red Sox in order in the sixth. He threw 90 pitches, including 62 strikes, and allowed three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
The Guardians bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Tim Herrin seemed poised to escape a bases-loaded jam with a fastball on the outer corner to Abreu on a full count, but home plate umpire Austin Jones called it a ball, allowing Connor Wong to score and tie it at 4-all.
The inning unraveled as Boston had three straight hits and added five more runs to take control of the game.
Cleveland has the third-worst challenge rate on ABS at 44.4% (59 for 133). The league average is 52.6%.
“I mean, it’s frustrating, but that’s on us. We shouldn’t have lost our challenges. It’s what they’re there for, and we’ve got to take accountability and be better at it,” Hedges said.
Bibee was a fifth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2021 amateur draft. He went 22-12 with a 3.25 ERA in his first two seasons in the majors and was second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. He was also the third Cleveland pitcher since 2000 with at least 10 wins in each of his first two seasons in the big leagues. Hall of Famer CC Sabathia (2001-02) and Shane Bieber (2018-19) are the others.
However, Bibee is 12-18 with a 4.33 ERA in 44 starts since signing a five-year, $48 million contract during spring training last year.
“We haven’t scored a lot of runs when Tanner’s been on the mound, even in some of the starts in which he’s pitched exceptionally well,” general manager Chris Antonetti said. “I think as we look forward, we’ll start to see more of those outings in which he’s pitching more effectively than maybe some of those other hiccup.”
Bibee remains confident he can turn his season around. Manager Stephen Vogt said Bibee’s changeup showed improvement after he allowed seven runs in three innings against Washington.
He has six quality starts this season with the latest being the fourth in his past five games.
“You want to win games, but I feel like it’s important to know pitching; you’re playing a completely different sport than the other nine people in the field. So it’s just figuring out what the kind of self-evaluation of it,” Bibee said.
Since 1990, only one side had ever successfully defended the Champions League – Real Madrid, who won three in a row between 2016 and 2018. Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the final on Saturday elevates them to a new tier of the pantheon. No bad side has ever won the European Cup or Champions League, but only great sides have ever retained it.
Arsenal pushed them much closer than Inter had in losing in the final the previous year, and there is always something slightly unsatisfying about a victory on penalties, but the quality of this PSG cannot be denied. They put six past Bayern in the semi-final – their superiority far greater than the one-goal aggregate margin would suggest. It was a similar story in the quarter-final, in which a 4-0 aggregate victory didn’t really reflect how much better they were than Liverpool. And while Chelsea may think they were slightly unlucky to lose the first leg of their last-16 tie away to PSG 5-2, the 3-0 result in the second leg was a devastating assertion of authority: three goals scored by an almost bored opponent apparently just as they felt like it.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) talks with guard Dylan Harper (2) in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Back in August, in the midst of the Spurs third offseason with Victor Wembanyama, I wroteabout the state of the franchise and how the Spurs were progressing on their way back to the top of the proverbial NBA ladder.
Since the summer of 2022, the San Antonio Spurs have gone through four phases of the NBA life cycle; The Teardown, The Rebuild, The Playoffs and The Contenders. In August, the storied franchise was sitting at the start of The Playoff phase after seven years without a postseason appearance. Brian Wright and the front office made the requisite moves to signal they were ready to break their playoff-less streak. What happened next was unforeseen by everybody, even by the most optimistic of Spurs believers.
On Wednesday night, the five-time NBA Champions will be hunting for their sixth when the basketball world assembles in the Alamo City for Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals. So how did one of the youngest and least experienced teams go from a playoff hopeful to a championship favorite in the span of just ten months? Let’s take a look.
The emergence of the new best player in basketball
It’s hard to call it an emergence when once upon a time on NBA Draft lottery night, the great Adrian Wojnarowski called Victor Wembanyama “the greatest prospect in team sports history”, but after a blood clot halted his second season in the league, Wemby came back with a vengeance this year. All-Star, All-NBA first team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense first team and third in MVP were just some of the accomplishments that the French phenom accumulated in his age 22 season.
What allowed the Spurs to make it to their seventh NBA Finals was that in the biggest games and on the biggest occasions, they had someone who not just only embraced the responsibility of the moment but demanded it. From his game-winner against the Phoenix Suns to clinch their playoff spot, to his 39-point performancein Game 3 in Minnesota, to his masterpiece of a Game 1 against the defending champions, every time San Antonio has called, Vic has answered.
There’s been a lot of reasons the Spurs have exceeded expectations but none bigger than the 7’5” alien.
The fearless duo that doesn’t care how young they are
Were the Spurs lucky last May when for the third straight time, the lottery gods blessed the franchise with another top 4 pick (which, under new lottery reform, won’t happen again for anyone else)? Yes, but that’s not for them to worry about. They just did what they were supposed to do and added guard Dylan Harper, the second-ranked prospect, to their already young talented core.
At the same time, reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle was out to prove a point. The two guards were like two peas in a pod with not just how they played on the court, but in their drive for success. Castle made a major leap in year two, becoming a more efficient scorer while levelling up his already elite perimeter defense.
For Harper, after an up-and-down start in his first forty-one games, the flip switched for the New Jersey native, and with each passing week he was becoming a star in front of our eyes. Unstoppable getting to and finishing at the rim, under control with the ball in his hands and a stern and reliable defender.
But the biggest point of difference that turned the league on its head was the improvement from three-point range from the two young guards. From shaky shooters to 40% in the blink of an eye, and their confidence was as high as ever to finish the regular season.
A lot of questions were then asked heading into their first playoff run. Would they be able to meet the moment? Would they wilt under the pressure? Would they get figured out? The answer is a resound YES. Every time they have met with someone or something in front of them, they have just gone right through them, literally.
Buying in with only one goal in mind
To win any championship, everyone must be on the same page. If one person goes rogue, it can shift the dynamics, and there goes your chance at glory. You need selfless players who are willing to sacrifice personal numbers and recognition for the betterment of the team.
This Spurs team has good people. There’s De’Aaron Fox, who for five years was a 25-5-5 guy but has routinely sacrificed to help the growth of the aforementioned fearless duo. Then there’s the longest-tenured Spur Keldon Johnson, who has averaged 22 points a game in this league, buying into his role as a sixth man. And don’t forget Devin Vassell, who has had a million different roles over his six seasons, but has never complained once and now makes all the winning plays.
It doesn’t take just one player. It takes a village, and the Spurs have one heck of a village. With Wemby ascending to the top of the mountain, Castle and Harper breaking the mold of what young guards should look like, everyone embracing their role for the good of the team, and Mitch Johnson and his coaching staff rising to the occasion, everything clicked into place and here the Spurs are, back at the top of the NBA ecosystem.
So what now? Well, in the words of the legendary Tim Duncan:
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 29: MJ Melendez #1 of the New York Mets celebrates his tenth inning game winning two run home run against the Miami Marlins at home plate with his teammates at Citi Field on May 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MONDAY
Nolan McLean became the first Met to allow 16+ runs in a two-start span since Jerad Eickhoff in July 2021.
TUESDAY
Juan Soto hit his fourth home run on a pitch at 97+ mph, giving him the most in MLB this season. (source: Sarah Langs / MLB)
David Peterson became the first Met to surrender 11+ hits in a game since Luis Severino against the Brewers during his first start as a Met on March 30, 2024.
WEDNESDAY
Eric Wagaman notched his first Met hit by blasting one of only six Mets home runs at 110+ mph and 415+ ft this season, joining one from Mark Vientos, one from Brett Baty, one from Ronny Mauricio, and a pair from Juan Soto.
FRIDAY
The Mets earned their seventh extra-inning win of the season in just their 57th game. The 1971 Mets are the only team in franchise history to record more extra-inning wins (9) through their first 57 games.
MJ Melendez became the first Met pinch-hitter to hit a walk-off home run since Jesse Winker against the Orioles on August 21, 2024.
Mark Vientos hit his 61st career home run before turning 27 years old, moving him into a tie for 13th place among Mets leaders before their 27th birthday. The man he tied? Lee Mazzilli, who was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon. Vientos doesn’t turn 27 until December, so he’s currently on pace to reach 8th place on that list by the season’s end.
The Mets scored four runs in the first inning, making it their second-biggest first inning of the year behind…well, their literal first inning of the year on Opening Day against Paul Skenes and the Pirates, in which they scored five runs.
SATURDAY
Christian Scott earned his first major league win in his 16th career start. No other pitcher in franchise history had gone more than 12 starts without a win, and no pitcher in baseball had gone their first 15 starts without a win since Liam Hendriks in 2011-12. Hendriks finally got a win in his 18th big league start.
Carson Benge recorded his fifth three-hit game in just his 55th career game. Only one Mets left-handed hitter recorded more three-hit games within their first 55 career games: Jeff McNeil, who had 7. TJ Rumfield is the only other rookie this year to have accomplished the feat, with one of his five three-hit games coming at Coors Field against the Mets on May 6. (If you’re curious, the modern era record belongs to Joe DiMaggio, who recorded three hits in 12 of his first 55 games.)
SUNDAY
Carson Benge became the fourth Met to hit a leadoff homer this season along with Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and Juan Soto. It’s the first time the Mets have had four different players hit a leadoff homer since 2004, when Kaz Matsui hit five and Eric Valent, Jeff Keppinger, and Mike Cameron each hit one.
The Mets also became just the third team to have four different players hit a leadoff home run before their 60th game, joining the 2025 Yankees and the 2007 Rays. (source: Sarah Langs / MLB)
Juan Soto hit the Mets’ first grand slam of the season, and their first since he took Charlie Morton deep in Detroit on September 1, 2025.
Soto became the 14th Met to record nine home runs in a 15-game span, joining: Frank Thomas, Tommie Agee, Lee Mazzilli, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Jeff Kent, Robin Ventura, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltrán, Lucas Duda, Yoenis Céspedes, Pete Alonso, and most recently, DJ Stewart.
The Mets swept the Marlins for the first time since July 29-31, 2022. It was the first time they swept the Marlins at Citi Field since a four-game sweep on August 5-7, 2019.
Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:
The Mets are 13-11 on days when the Knicks are playing in the NBA Finals.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 20, 2026: Ryan Sloan #97 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during the third inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Tacoma Rainiers
The Rainiers are in the midst of a major slide, dropping all six of their games this week after winning just one the week prior. Having now dropped eleven games under .500, Tacoma will have to bounce back in the second half if they hope to get a seat in the playoffs this fall.
After missing most all of the season thus far, Miles Mastrobuoni has officially returned to game action and has been rehabbing with the Rainiers this week. Though it’s unclear at the immediate moment if he’s a candidate to earn his way back on to the big league roster immediately following his rehab stint, because he is out of minor league options, the M’s brass will have to make a decision on whether they want to keep Mastrobuoni in the organization. Perhaps his positional versatility is preferable to Patrick Wisdom’s one-dimensional bat-first profile, but already with a glut of lefties, it’s possible the team will prioritize the handedness advantage Wisdom carries for this roster. It’s a storyline to monitor with big league ramifications.
A popular name amongst writers of the site, utility man Brock Rodden hit the IL this week with a hamstring injury. It sounds as though it’s relatively minor and he’ll be out for just a week or two, but already shorthanded offensively, the Rainiers will have to muster up some additional production at the plate if they hope to stop this skid they’ve been on the past two weeks.
Arkansas Travelers
The Travs dealt with some weather problems this week and only managed to squeeze in five of the six games this series, but with some truly dynamic pitching performances from the rotation’s top stars, the two wins they did manage to lock down were must-see TV. Tulsa’s six game win streak has knocked the Travs down to second place in the standings, but just a game and a half back, Arkansas is well positioned to reclaim their spot atop the division and clinch the first half title.
Ryan Sloan was unreal tonight. Final line: 6IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 11K, 18 whiffs, 61 pitches, 46 strikes. That was a pleasure to watch. pic.twitter.com/VTNI0OBGPG
Turning in his best start as a professional, Ryan Sloan worked six perfect innings against Frisco and tallied eleven punchouts, dominating opposing hitters from the very first pitch. The young righthander has been dialed in over his last four starts and features a sub-two ERA across those outings, commanding the zone beautifully and striking out a healthy amount of hitters. Having turned 20 in January of this year, Sloan’s age-adjusted success at Double-A is rather remarkable and makes him one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball; if his past month is any indication of what’s to come, Sloan could easily pitch his way into the conversation of being a top-ten prospect leaguewide.
Kade Anderson was awesome again. Final line: 5.1IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, 16 whiffs, 74 pitches, 53 strikes.
Rotationmate Kade Anderson was his usual self on Friday night, working five and a third innings of two-hit baseball. Anderson punched nine tickets on the afternoon and did not surrender any free passes, pushing his K:BB ratio up to a gaudy 67:7 mark for the season. Anderson is arguably the top lefthanded pitching prospect in baseball, and having the one-two punch of he and Sloan puts the Mariners in rarified air with regard to their minor league pitching talent. Most organizations would bend over backwards for one player of their caliber; having two elite pitching prospects waiting in Double-A after promoting an elite 20-year-old shortstop is bordering on an embarrassment of riches, and M’s fans should be incredibly optimistic about the future of this ballclub.
Everett AquaSox
Everett dropped the series four games to two this week, unable to muster up enough offense to best the lowly hops. Everett’s star studded lineup has been central to their success this season, but the usual suspects responsible for the production struggled to find their footing. Hopefully a return to form is in the cards for their upcoming series against a league-leading Eugene squad.
Slugging catcher Josh Caron has been torching the ball recently. Launching three homers in five games this week, Caron finished May with an even .900 OPS on the month and has raised his season mark to .866. Caron’s aggressive approach at the plate has led to him striking out far more than you’d hope to see at the Hi-A level, but if he’s able to maintain this level of pop on his ascent through the minor leagues, his positional value and albeit one-dimensional production might just be enough to get him to the majors in a backup role. It seems likely he’ll finish the season in Everett, but perhaps the M’s prefer to challenge the young backstop with an aggressive promotion to Double-A this summer.
Having officially taken to his new role of backend reliever, Christian Little has been superb for the Frogs this season, and it looks as though a promotion to Double-A is in his not so distant future. Laying claim to a 0.90 ERA on the year, Little worked four clean innings across two outings this week and got the Frogs out of some big spots. A hard-throwing righthander, Little is striking out 35.1% of the batters he’s facing and walking 11.4%, good for a 3.08 FIP. Having already lost Brock Moore to promotion, it seems likely the AquaSox will be losing yet another reliever to the Texas League in the coming weeks.
Inland Empire 66ers
The 66ers only managed to snag a single win this week, dropping the series convincingly to an excellent Lake Elsinore team. It’s been tough sledding for the 66ers in their first year as a Mariner affiliate, and though there have been some breakout performers mixed throughout the roster, it’s largely been a disappointing season.
Teddy McGraw is back on the mound! Joining the 66ers on his minor league rehab assignment, McGraw logged two clean outings this week as he builds his body back up. McGraw has an extensive injury history and will certainly be handled with an abundance of caution, but when he’s been on the mound, there are very few pitchers in this system that can match his raw ability. Hopefully a move to the bullpen is able to keep him healthy with some more frequency.
Mason Peters threw it well again. Final line: 3.2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 6K, 12 whiffs, 71 pitches, 49 strikes.
In the first 9 professional starts for Peters: 1.56ERA, 34.2IP, 23H, 7BB, 51K. pic.twitter.com/h3JOMODx7C
Mason Peters continued his dominant 2026 season against the Storm, starting the lone win on the week for the 66ers. Working 3.2 innings and fanning six, Peters lowered his ERA to 1.56 and showed off his dynamic array of offerings all afternoon. His splitter was a true weapon for him and gives him an ideal pairing for his wide assortment of breaking balls. Everett is a tough place to pitch, but considering his level of dominance in the California League, it seems like a promotion is more than justified for the young lefthander.
ACL Mariners
Shortstop Nick Becker launched his first homer of the season this week and raised his OPS up to .846 across his first 20 games. Becker pairs a highly projectable frame with game-changing speed and sits second in the ACL with a flawless 15 bags thus far. Becker’s swing is a bit stiff and probably needs a bit of fine tuning to be fully maximized, but given his immense tools and young age, he remains one of the more tantalizing talents present in this system.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves prepares to bat prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are off to one of their hottest starts in franchise history and with no shortage of reasons for this early success.
Atlanta’s pitching staff weathered injury storms while a resurgent offense is once again among the best in Major League Baseball after a pair of challenging seasons in the run-scoring department.
While marquee players like Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II have thrived over the first two months, a significant portion of the lineup’s overall success owes to roster construction and versatility – two areas that plagued the club in recent years.
No player better exemplifies those qualities than Mauricio Dubón.
“He’s really been a huge part of this early success,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
As Atlanta won 40 of its first 60 games, Dubón drew starts at five different defensive positions, serving primarily as Atlanta’s starting shortstop over the first six weeks while Ha-Seong Kim recovered from an offseason hand injury.
Acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for slick-fielding but light-hitting shortstop Nick Allen over the winter, Dubón quickly established himself as an essential member of his new team and one of general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ savviest moves.
Dubón, who turns 32 in July, was already known for his excellent fielding, having won a pair of gold gloves at the more recently established utility position, a category introduced in 2022.
“I always told my wife that if I can just play one position, I know I can win a gold glove,” Dubón said. “Then Rawlings came up with the utility gold glove, and I ended up winning two of those. It’s something that I take pride in. For me, it’s always just trying to help the team win.”
Dubón’s knack for chipping in at the plate has also impressed the Braves over the first two months.
Though his season slash line of .250/.307/.370 may not jump off the stat sheet, Dubón has been at his best with runners in scoring position. He is batting .327 with a .920 OPS and 27 RBIs in those 54 plate appearances and quickly established himself as one of the team’s best clutch hitters.
Having a versatile player to plug in anywhere is a weapon that makes Weiss’ job that much easier. In addition to playing multiple defensive positions, Dubón has also started at least one game in every spot in the batting order except for third already this season.
“He just keeps performing regardless of where he’s at,” Weiss said. “That’s not easy to do. There’s a really short list of guys that can do what he does – a guy that can play major-league caliber, really gold-glove defense at shortstop, and then go do the same in center field or left field.”
In his career, Dubón has appeared in at least 20 games at every defensive position except for catcher, the one spot he has yet to see action. He’s played outfield the most, with 365 games, followed by 214 at second base, 137 at shortstop, 53 at third base, and 26 games at first base.
Though most players typically like to have a single position to call home, Dubón has moved around to great effect in his eight-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and now with Atlanta. He has come to realize that the ability to play anywhere makes him one of the most valuable players on any team he suits up for.
“Early in my career, people told me that it has value, then the arbitration process comes and it shows that it doesn’t,” Dubón joked about his defensive versatility. “Then little by little you start playing, winning games and meaningful baseball, (and) it does matter. It’s something that I’m proud of. It’s pretty cool being one of the unique guys in the league that is able to do that.”
Building a well-rounded roster has opened more than a few doors for the 2026 Braves, giving Weiss plenty of levers to pull throughout the game. It is one of the many reasons the club has authored 20 come-from-behind wins, the most in MLB this season.
Dubón was picked up over the winter, the first of a series of moves to create a capable group of reserves. Atlanta then signed veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal with the aim of improving a position group which was among the least productive in baseball a year ago.
Other newcomers include infielder Jorge Mateo, who is swinging the bat well and can play multiple positions while providing elite speed off the bench, as well as spring-signing Dominic Smith, who quickly showcased his value at the plate in the designated hitter spot.
Adding all of that up, the Braves are sitting on one of the best reserve pools since the days of Martin Prado, Omar Infante, Eric Hinske and the like from about a decade and a half ago.
Though Kim is back from injury and back in the fold at shortstop, his slow start at the plate continues to create opportunities for at-bats for Mateo. Dubón, meanwhile, has played more outfield with Harris and Ronald Acuña Jr. each hobbled by leg injuries at different times – and with Jurickson Profar unavailable thanks to a 162-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, his second in as many years.
Weiss has done a fine job of finding opportunities to let his reserve and role players contribute this season. Unlike some of the others, Dubón isn’t as dependent on matchups and platoon splits because he can provide great defense wherever he plays. That along with his penchant for being involved in rallies will lead Weiss to be creative about keeping his super-utility guy in the mix somewhere.
“I’d imagine looking down the road that he’ll bounce around a little bit more, because I want to keep him involved,” Weiss said. “He’s a plus defender all over the field and there aren’t guys out there like that. And he’s gotten huge hits for us, clutch hits. Seems like every time he comes up in a big spot, he comes through.”
Beyond the tangible impact he is having on the Braves, the bilingual Dubón also comes highly regarded as a quality teammate and competitor – a player who helps keep the entire club connected. Those “glue guys” as they are known in the game are critical pieces of a winning team.
“It’s high energy every day,” Weiss said of what Dubón brings. “He’s very well-liked in there and language is never a barrier with him. He connects with all the groups, and that’s important. I talk about winning players and he’s certainly that. He’s got the winning pedigree. He was a big part of a championship team in Houston. I’ve said this before, but that goes a long way with me. He’s been a great addition.”
Dubón, who won the 2022 World Series with the Astros is a big proponent of the team culture the Braves have established and believes that an unselfish kind of baseball can pay serious dividends over the course of a long season.
“I think everybody knows each other and we’re playing for each other,” Dubón said. “We have fun going out there and that’s the biggest thing. Everybody gets along and everybody goes out there and is having fun right now. Everybody is pulling for each other. If one guy doesn’t do it, the other guy will… At the end of the day, we want to win, and we want to win a World Series. I think the biggest thing is trying to help each other out.”
May 30, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (11) comes up with a leg injury during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
The 2026 Kansas City Royals are an indisputably bad baseball team. On pace for an eye-watering 102 losses, they have one of the worst bullpens and one of the worst offenses in baseball. They run into a bunch of outs on the bases. They have lost 16 out of their last 19 games one month after losing 11 of 13. This isn’t just a good team playing poorly. We crossed that Rubicon a long time ago.
The big question: why? Why is the team bad, especially when lots of people thought that the Royals would be competitive – maybe even a playoff team – this year? Well, after such a protracted string of losing, general manager J.J. Picollo finally talked to MLB.com about all the losing. And wouldn’t you know it, but no one’s at fault here. Everyone’s doing great. According to Picollo, the front office accomplished their goals in the offseason.
“We felt like there’s a core here that we could rely on for offense,” Picollo said. “Surrounding them with a deeper, better group and more balanced group was the goal. I think we did that.”
Oh, and it’s not the coaching staff at fault either, either. They’re doing a great job, and besides, changing staff in the middle of the year doesn’t do anything, silly.
“I have a lot of confidence in our staff,” Picollo said. “You can go back and look at all the historical research on changing coaching staffs. There’s not a lot of strong data on changing coaching staffs mid-season leading to what you need to do. It appeases the fanbase because you’ve made a change, but we have to be logical in our thinking.”
We’ve already established that the front office did a great job assembling the team, so player quality isn’t the issue here. What about player attitude and teamwork and camaraderie? The good news is that’s not a problem, either.
“Is the work getting done?” Picollo said. “Are the [coaches’] conversations productive with the players? Are they still eager to get to the ballpark and learn and work and play? Are they motivated? Right now, all of my observations are: Yes, they are. If anything, they’re saying, ‘I’ve got to be more accountable, I’ve got to be better. I’m the one not executing.’”
At this point, we’re getting pretty thin on reasons why the Royals are on a 102-loss pace in June. According to Picollo, it’s not the front office, it’s not the coaches, and it’s not the players. No one is responsible for the state of Royals baseball right now. So if no one is responsible, something else must be at fault. And I fear we are going to hear more and more excuses about this being an injury-bit season, especially after Maikel Garcia’s hamstring injury from Saturday’s game.
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 30, 2026
It is true that the Royals have had their fair share of injuries this season. Closer Carlos Estévez pitched one game this year and has been sidelined with injuries since. Second baseman Jonathan India had season-ending shoulder surgery at the end of April. Starting pitcher Cole Ragans first went on the injured list in early May and had a setback during rehab. Fellow starting pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list in mid-May, too. Newly acquired reliever Matt Strahm hit the injured list in mid-May, as did Nick Mears a few days ago. And though we don’t know how long Garcia could be out, hamstring injuries are fickle and he could be out anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.
But I don’t buy this excuse and you shouldn’t either, even though I’m sure the team will use it for why they’re selling at the trade deadline and at the end of the year when the Royals finalize a 90-something loss season.
The main reason is that the Royals have had objectively fewer injuries compared to other teams. Spotrac keeps a list of total players, total days, and cash total per days missed for the injured list by team. Kansas City ranks 20th in total players on the IL (10, median of 14), 20th in total days missed on the IL (392, median of 518) and 19th in cash total per days missed ($8.49 million, median of $11.1 million).
And the other reason is that most of the guys who have landed on the injured list are players who the Royals should have expected not to stay healthy all year. Estevez is 33 and his fastball velo has been declining since 2022. Strahm is 34 and his fastball velo has also been declining since 2022. India’s shoulder injury was well known to the club, and he’s only averaged 131 games played per year prior to this season. Ragans only made 13 starts last year. Bubic only made 20 starts last year.
Are injuries a factor to this season? Yes they are. But the Royals don’t play in a vacuum; they are playing other teams who are also dealing with injuries, and most other teams have had more injuries. But the Royals have backed themselves into a corner here with answering the core question of why they’re bad. According to Picollo, the Royals may have the second worst record in all of baseball despite a solid roster, good coaching, and prepared players. It doesn’t add up.
COVERS INTEL: Milwaukee's bullpen has held opponents to a 
