COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Rashaun Agee had 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists as Texas A&M cruised by Mississippi State 88-68 on Wednesday night.
The Aggies (15-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) have won eight of their last nine, their only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 24 Tennessee 87-82 in double overtime.
Agee was 7 of 14 from the field and 9 for 9 from the free-throw line. His nine double-doubles this season are second most in the SEC behind Florida's Rueben Chinyelu (10).
Rylan Griffen added 15 points, and Jacari Lane and Pop Isaacs each scored 10 for Texas A&M. Lane led the Aggies with six assists.
Texas A&M led for over 32 minutes of game time, last trailing just before the midway point of the first half. Agee made a layup to put the Aggies ahead 19-18, and they did not trail again, holding a 44-33 lead at the break.
Brandon Walker scored 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench for the Bulldogs (10-9, 2-4). King Grace had 13 points, Josh Hubbard 12 points and Jayden Epps scored 11. Achor Achor grabbed 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Mississippi State has lost four straight games.
Up next
Texas A&M: The Aggies host South Carolina on Saturday.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs host No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday.
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The worst kept secret of the offseason is the San Diego Padres do not want to add significant money to their payroll. Reports surfaced after Nolan Arenado was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Arizona Diamondbacks the Padres were involved in the trade discussions for the third baseman, but they wanted the Cardinals to pay more of Arenado’s salary. The Diamondbacks will pay him $11 million for the next two seasons.
It was recently reported that San Diego president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller was considering additions to his roster but was not ready to make a move. At the time the thought was Preller was waiting for the asking prices of free agents to drop and/or he needed to trade away some of the money already on the roster to create financial flexibility. We may never know what he was waiting for, but we can speculate.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athleticreported earlier this week that some potential free agent pitchers the Padres might target are Lucas Giolito, Nick Martinez or Justin Verlander. An addition of one of those players is not going to send the Friar Faithful into a frenzy, but it may be all we have to look forward to.
Lucas Giolito
Giolito is a 6-6, 245-pound 31-year-old right-hander from Southern California. Maybe he wants to return home and pitch close to family and friends in San Diego. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox and pitched in 26 games, finishing with a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA over 145.0 innings. Giolito spent the bulk of his major league career with the Chicago White Sox and holds a career 4.30 ERA. It should ne noted that Giolito did not pitch in 2024 because he had surgery to repair his right elbow ulnar collateral ligament in March of that year.
Nick Martinez
Padres fans are very familiar with Martinez, 35, and what he can bring to the rotation. He spent two years in San Diego in 2022 and 2023 before signing with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent. He spent 2024 and 2025 with the Reds and threw 165.2 innings. He appeared in 40 games and 26 of those were starts. Martinez finished 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA. Preller does not typically bring former players back, unless it’s in a front office or coaching role as we have seen with manager Craig Stammen or developmental coach Wil Myers, but considering the need for pitching he might make an exception with Martinez.
Justin Verlander
Verlander and his career speaks for itself. He is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and despite being 42 years old, he still wants to pitch and keeps getting opportunities. Verlander spent 2025 with the San Francisco Giants and started 29 games. He finished with a 3.85 ERA over 152.0 innings, but his final record of 4-11 was not what you expect from a player of his stature. Of course, wins and losses are not solely on the pitcher, so perhaps a season in San Diego with a solid defense behind him would flip the record.
If we are to believe the reporting of Rosenthal, which I will admit is difficult to do due to his constant praise for the Los Angeles Dodgers and his unconfirmed disdain for the Padres, which one of Giolito, Martinez or Verlander would you, the readers of Gaslamp Ball, want San Diego to sign?
Results of the poll will be published later this week.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (AP) — Boden Kapke scored 19 points and his 3-pointer with 22 seconds left was the game-winning basket as Boston College left Pittsburgh in the ACC cellar with a 65-62 win on Wednesday night.
Fred Payne also scored 19 points and Donald Hand Jr. added 18 points as the Eagles (9-10, 2-4) shot 45% (25 of 55) from the field despite 32% (7 for 22) from 3-point range.
Roman Siulepa and Cameron Cohren each scored 13 points, Brandin Cummings 11 and Barry Dunning Jr. and reserve Nojus Indrusaitis 10 each for Pittsburgh. Cohren and Siulepa grabbed 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.
Following Kapke's 3, Cummings missed a deep 3 attempt with nine seconds left. After a Pitt (8-11, 1-5) intentional foul, Siulepa stole the inbounds pass and fed Cummings who missed another attempt from 3 as time expired.
Pitt, Notre Dame and Florida State sit at the bottom of the conference at 1-5, a game behind California, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and BC.
Up Next
Pitt: The Panthers host North Carolina State on Saturday.
Boston College: The Eagles visit Notre Dame on Saturday.
Just hours later, the Mets' President of Baseball Ops was able to deliver.
According to SNY analyst and SiriusXM's Jim Duquette, Stearns was considering multiple options, but talks heated up with his old club, and he was able to complete a deal to bring ace RHP Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee to Queens.
He had to pay a hefty price with top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat heading to the Brewers, but it’s certainly worth it to acquire one of the top arms available on the trade market.
“Acquiring Freddy brings another established starter to help lead our rotation,” Stearns said in a statement. “Throughout this offseason, we sought to complement our rotation with another front-end pitcher, and we’re thrilled we are able to bring Freddy to the Mets.”
Peralta is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, in which he finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting after leading the league in wins (17) and finishing fourth in ERA (2.70).
The two-time All-Star has made 30+ starts each of the past three seasons.
And he isn’t the only piece being acquired in the deal.
The Mets were also able to grab an intriguing arm with control, bringing in RHP Tobias Myers, who has accumulated a 3.15 ERA in 49 games the past two seasons.
Myers is much more than just a throw-in, as he provides Carlos Mendoza with a steady piece for the bullpen and even more rotation depth.
“Tobias has become an extremely valuable Major League pitcher,” Stearns said. “His ability to pitch out of both the rotation and bullpen allows him to help our team in multiple ways. His addition adds to another quality, young major league arm to our organization.”
Owner Steve Cohen certainly seems amped about the moves as well…
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Treysen Eaglestaff hit six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to help West Virginia beat Arizona State 75-63 on Wednesday night.
Brenen Lorient made 7 of 11 from the field and scored 15 points for West Virginia (13-6, 4-2 Big 12). Jasper Floyd had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Honor Huff, who went into the game averaging 17.1 points per game, scored eight on 2-of-9 shooting.
Maurice Odum had 17 points and eight assists, Massamba Diop scored 14 points, and Noah Meeusen added 11 points for Arizona State (10-9, 1-5). The Sun Devils have lost three straight and seven of their last eight.
Lorient hit a 3-pointer that gave the Mountaineers the lead for good with 11:55 to play, Chance Moore followed with a three-point play and Floyd made a layup to cap an 8-0 spurt in a 65-second span that made it 53-46.
Diop threw down a dunk and Anthony Johnson added a three-point play that made it a two-point game. Floyd then answered with a 3 and a layup before Eaglestaff made a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play that gave West Virginia a 64-54 lead with five minutes remaining.
The Mountaineers shot 51% (27 of 53) from the field and hit 11 3-pointers.
The Sun Devils won the only other matchup between the teams 65-57 a year ago to the day.
Up next
West Virginia: The Mountaineers visit No. 1 Arizona on Saturday.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils host Cincinnati on Saturday.
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Olivia Hamlin scored 20 points, Delaney Gibb tallied 17, and BYU trailed for less than a minute of game time in a 73-61 win over No. 19 Texas Tech.
The Cougars (15-4, 4-3 Big 12) won their first game against a ranked team since a 68-64 win on Feb. 15, 2025 against then-No. 20 Oklahoma State. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games against ranked opponents, and 23-55 historically.
After Texas Tech hit a game-opening 3-pointer, BYU went on a 7-0 run that gave them the lead for good. A 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter extended their lead to double-digits, and they cruised to a comfortable victory.
Laura Rokohl added 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting for BYU and grabbed eight rebounds. Gibb dished a team-high six assists. Hamlin was 9-of-15 from the floor and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
For the No. 19 Lady Raiders (19-2, 6-2), Snudda Collins scored 17 points and Jalynn Bristow came one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Raiders have lost two straight after their 19-0 start.
Texas Tech struggled shooting, managing 33% from the floor and 26% from beyond the arc. BYU was 47% and 44%, respectively.
SEATTLE (AP) — Sayvia Sellers scored 24 points, Avery Howell had a double-double, and No. 25 Washington dominated the second half in an 81-65 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night.
The Huskies led 38-37 at halftime before outscoring Penn State 43-28 in the second half.
Washington opened the third quarter on a 2-for-10 shooting slump but made 6 of 7 free throws in the first 4 1/2 minutes to lead 48-44. Sellers scored nine of the Huskies' 22 points in the quarter and they led 60-51 heading to the fourth.
Howell opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and the Huskies led by double digits for the final eight minutes. The lead reached 19 at 79-60 and again at 81-62 in the final minute.
Howell had 13 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Brynn McGaughy had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Washington (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten).
Gracie Merkle scored 19 points and Kiyomi McMiller had 11 for Penn State (7-13, 0-9).
McGaughy scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the first quarter and the Huskies took a 21-11 lead. The Nittany Lions scored 26 points in the second quarter to cut their deficit to a point.
The Huskies have won six of their last seven conference home games dating to last season.
Up next
Penn State: The Nittany Lions visit Oregon on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Sproat — the 81st prospect on the Baseball America list — was part of the Mets’ young pitching brigade, along with Nolan McLean (No. 8) and Jonah Tong (No. 44), called up in the second half of last season in hopes of giving the team a jump-start in their push to the playoffs.
Sproat had a 4.79 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 20 ⅔ innings across those four MLB starts after posting a 4.24 ERA in 26 Triple-A appearances.
Brandon Sproat, who was traded to the Brewers, made four starts as a rookie last season for the Mets. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
But the Mets did not have to give up McLean, a third-round pick in 2023 who is expected to have a spot high in the rotation this season.
McLean made eight big-league starts last season, going 5-1 while posting an impressive 2.06 ERA. He also recorded 57 strikeouts in 48 innings, while displaying a fastball in the upper 90s to go along with a diverse pitching arsenal.
The Mets also moved on from Williams, a 22-year-old first-round pick in 2022 who is a middle infielder and center field prospect.
The Mets traded Jett Williams, a top 100 prospect, to the Brewers. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
He hit .261 with an .828 OPS, 17 homers, 52 RBIs and 34 steals in 130 games across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025 and was working toward getting a call to the big club.
But when the Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr., an elite defender in center field, in a trade with the White Sox on Tuesday night, that made Williams more expendable.
Carson Benge at No. 19 and outfielder/second baseman A.J. Ewing at No. 83 are the other two Mets prospects in the Top 100.
Los Angeles Kings prospect goaltender Carter George made history in the OHL on Wednesday in the OHL.
The 19-year-old netminder scored a goal from behind his own goal line, giving his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds a 4-2 lead, late in the third period against the London Knights.
The puck was dumped in by a Knights defenseman, ringing the puck along the boards on the left side of George's crease. Once the puck approached him, he fired it down the ice without hesitation, and it was a perfect shot.
Sault Ste. Marie went on to win the contest 5-2 at home. This was George's fourth-straight victory since being traded to the Greyhounds on Jan. 7.
Remarkably, this isn't George's first goalie goal of his young career. Last season with the Owen Sound Attack, he scored his first goal on Nov. 14, 2024. This tally was against the Peterborough Petes to give his team a 4-1 lead.
The Kings drafted George in the second round of the 2024 draft. He was the 57th overall pick, and has been a solid prospect for Los Angeles since.
Carter George (Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)
He's been sensational since joining the Greyhounds with the four-straight wins as mentioned. With that, he's posted a .947 save percentage and 1.25 goals-against average in those four contests.
This is his third full season in the OHL, but his fourth year of appearances.
Along with his OHL career, he's represented Team Canada twice at the World Junior Championship.
In the past competition in early January, George featured in four games for the Canadians, winning in all of his matchups. In 2025, he played another four games at the world juniors, registering an impressive 1.76 GAA and a .936 SP.
The young goaltender will be able to transfer his talents to the pro level as early as next season when he becomes eligible to join the Ontario Reign, the Kings' AHL affiliation.
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Freddy Peralta will give the Mets an ace in the hole, but the other right-hander New York is acquiring from the Brewers could also be valuable.
As part of the trade that is sending outfield/infield prospect Jett Williams and pitcher Brandon Sproat to the Brewers, the Mets are also getting pitcher Tobias Myers on Wednesday night.
Myers, 27, made his big league debut in 2024 and has pitched as both a reliever and starter.
Tobias Myers pitching against the Mets during the 2024 playoffs. Jason Szenes / New York Post
But his professional career has been a long and winding one, going back all the way to 2016 when he was drafted in the sixth round by the Orioles.
He was then traded three separate times — including in a late 2021 deal that sent Junior Caminero to the Rays — and spent time with Tampa Bay, the Guardians, Giants and White Sox.
Myers eventually landed in the Brewers organization in 2022 before getting his first taste of big league action two years later.
In 27 games (25 starts) in 2024, Myers thrived with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 138 innings.
Tobias Myers reacts in the fifth inning of the Brewers’ Game 3 wild-card loss to the Mets at American Family Field on Oct. 3, 2024 in Milwaukee. Getty Images
He notably got the start in deciding Game 3 of the wild-card series against the Mets that season, tossing five scoreless innings with just two hits allowed. The Mets won the game in memorable fashion, though, on the back of Pete Alonso’s three-run homer in the ninth inning off Devin Williams, who, ironically enough, is going to be in the back end of the Amazin’s bullpen after he signed a three-year contract earlier this offseason.
Myers pitched 16 of his 22 games in 2025 in relief and carried a 3.55 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
In 18 games as a reliever in his MLB career, Myers has been exceptional with a 1.62 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, fanning 27 hitters. He has kept his walk rate down out of the bullpen, too, issuing just three passes in 33 1/3 innings.
He has six pitches in his arsenal: fastball, splitter, cutter, slider, changeup and curveball.
Though Myers’ heater — which he deployed 45 percent of the time in 2025 — is 1.5 mph slower than the average big league fastball, it appears like a rising fastball to hitters, making it trickier to hit.
The splitter was a new pitch he added last season, and the opposition hit just .108 against it.
As far as his contract situation, Myers has team control through the 2028 season.
NEW YORK — The active New York Mets are acquiring ace pitcher Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, two people familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.
New York also receives right-hander Tobias Myers as part of the trade. Milwaukee gets a pair of top prospects: pitcher Brandon Sproat and infielder Jett Williams.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Duran scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Daniss Jenkins added 17 points and the Detroit Pistons never trailed while cruising to their fourth straight victory, 112-104 over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Duncan Robinson had 15 points while shooting 4 of 9 from 3-point range for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, who have won seven of their last eight.
Saddiq Bey scored 20 points to lead the Western Conference-worst Pelicans, who have lost 14 of their last 16.
Zion Williamson, who started after being listed as questionable with an illness, went to the locker room early in the third quarter and didn't return. He had 4 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
Trey Murphy III shot just 6 of 19 from the floor and finished with 17 points, ending his streak of eight straight games with at least 20 points. Micah Peavy also had 17 points and added seven rebounds and four steals for New Orleans.
Duran's dunk 16 seconds into the game gave the Pistons a 2-0 lead and they built a lead as large as 13 points.
Peavy's 3-pointer with 5:41 left in the game cut the Pelicans' deficit to 5 points at 101-96, but that was as close as they would get before the Pistons closed it out.
Up next
Pistons: Host the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Pelicans: At the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
The Atlanta Hawks were in Memphis on Wednesday evening to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. The Hawks came in looking for anything to work as they were riding a four-game losing streak after suffering a tough defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on MLK Day.
As for the Grizzlies, they’re coming off a win against the Orlando Magic in London, and they got Ja Morant back after he missed time with an injury.
For the Hawks, they were still without Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis, as they are set to be re-evaluated sometime next week.
It was not a good start for the Hawks, as they went down 12-1 early, and couldn’t get a bucket to fall. The shots eventually started to go down, and Onyeka Okongwu’s two three-pointers helped them get back into it.
It was a homecoming for Luke Kennard as he got to face his former team, and he made it worth his while in this one, knocking down shot after shot. Going into the second, the Hawks trailed 32-31.
Johnson turned into a quarterback in the second and threw a perfect pass down court to Vit Krejci for a layup. While he was making opportunities for others, he also got his own in transition.
The Hawks were able to grab the lead midway through the quarter and extended it late. After a rough start in the first half, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was able to finally get a shot to go from deep.
The Hawks did not start off the second half as they wanted to, and the Grizzlies tied the game early. The Hawks didn’t let it bother them, and Corey Kispert gave them the lead back.
The Grizzlies started to pull away just a little bit, but the Hawks kept it close by continuing to execute on offense. The Hawks were active on the boards on this play, and it got Okongwu the bucket plus the foul to cut down their deficit.
If the Hawks could find Kennard on every play, it would’ve done wonders, because he couldn’t miss through the third quarter. He even turned defense into offense with a steal, finding McCollum for a three-pointer.
Nobody could stop Johnson in his tracks on this transition play, and the only thing the Grizzlies could do was try to foul him. Unfortunately for them, he still made the dunk.
The Grizzlies took the lead after this, but not for long. Johnson turned defense into offense and found Alexander-Walker in the corner for a three-pointer, giving the Hawks a four-point lead.
With seconds remaining and the Hawks up two, Johnson missed the jumper to give them a four-point lead. The Grizzlies grabbed the rebound and didn’t call a timeout, so this was going to be the game. Morant took the ball and fumbled it for a minute, and had to chuck up a three-pointer at the buzzer that didn’t drop. With that, the Hawks were able to break their four-game winning streak and get back in the win column.
Johnson finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists; Kennard finished with 18 points, and Okongwu finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Hawks will be back in action on Friday against the Phoenix Suns.
Brett Chancey – Independent Journalist | Co-Host Locked on Astros | Back to the Bullpen with Mike Stanton
The Astros embark on a season in a way they haven’t known since 2016. This is the first year they enter a season where they didn’t qualify for the previous Postseason. We all recall the first round, 2 game exit vs. the Detroit Tigers when they at least made it. Many say was the beginning of the end. I do think, however, despite missing the playoffs in 2025, the Astros stock going into 2026 has gone up.
What gives you the right?
Well, this team has a slew of very capable players on this roster and in this rotation to be highly competitive in the American League West, as well contend for the American League title. Realistically on paper, you would put the Blue Jays, as well others who qualified for the postseason above the Astros. That doesn’t mean I am ready to put them on the shelf, and no one is ignoring it will be a tough task.
I am a firm believer in the law of averages, especially when it comes to the 162-game season that is Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros set a record for injured players in a season and the year prior dealt with injuries so frequently it led to roster irregularities and a team that in the end was too banged up to truly compete in 2026. There is no need to recall all the injuries,
3 Things to focus on:
Win the innings war, with a six man rotation and pitching depth.
Scoring runs, as well keeping them off the board (offensive and defensive approach)
Stop living in the margins: Astros need more depth, fewer empty innings.
Win the Innings War, Pitching Built to Last.
The Astros fastest route back to pitching stability – not “rely on ONE ACE” (AKA HUNTER BROWN), but stack usable starts so the bullpen isn’t cooked by May. They have the starting depth to do that, even if they don’t add anyone at this point. When a team leans into a six man rotation early, which the Astros will by default due to schedule.
There is proof that at this point according to Joe Espada this is a clear and intentional direction for this pitching staff. This was detailed by Brian McTaggart in a tweet December 15, 2025 prior to signing Tatsuya Imai.
Astros rotations options for 2026:
Hunter Brown Cristian Javier Spencer Arrighetti Lance McCullers Jr. Jason Alexander J.P. France Mike Burrows Nate Pearson Ryan Weiss AJ Blubaugh Colton Gordon Ronel Blanco (July/August) Hayden Wesneski (July/August)
The Astros need six serious starters to get off to a hot start pitching wise and take pressure off the offense. My starting 6 would be:
Hunter Brown
Christian Javier
Tatsuya Imai
Mike Burrows
Spencer Arrighetti
Ryan Weiss/Jason Alexander
(Spring Training will also determine if Lance McCullers Jr. has a role in this rotation, which he could earn, Nate Pearson, AJ Blubagh, Colton Gordon, and J.P. France.)
While some may pencil in McCullers Jr. I am not there yet, as with Gordon because I think he profiles as a Long Reliever in the grand scheme of things. The others not mentioned Wesneski and Blanco won’t factor in until July or August realistically speaking.
If the Houston Astros six man rotation can create fewer bullpen “bridge games”, starts where they pitch into the 6th inning more than not, then you have a recipe for success. The one thing that begs the question, will the Astros be able to trust anyone beyond Hunter Brown a 3rd time through the order?
Scoring Runs: Bringing Runners Home.
The Astros don’t need to be the #1 offense in MLB to be a playoff team – but they do need to get back to controlling run environments with quality contact, patience at the plate, and increasing their RISP. With all the discussion of interest from other teams regarding a trade for Isaac Paredes this seems to be a counter intuitive goal, if you are going off past history.
The Astros getting more barrels and fewer easy outs isn’t a vibe, it’s a measurable and attainable goal.
This begins with a Healthy Yordan Alvarez. His Barrel % is 13.8% and huge driver of slugging and extra-base hits. His 52.9% Hard Hit percentage is among the best in MLB, we know his ability to hit all sides of the field as well. Jeremy Pena having another solid offensive year would be huge. While his chase rate is at a career 28.4% he hasn’t been below 35.9%, if the new hitting coaches can get him to reduce that, and get more lift on the ball his barrell % would go up and be a catalyst for this team.
A third player I will mention, (Isaac Paredes is a given if he remains on this roster Opening Day) is Carlos Correa. I believe that with him playing 3B you will see a Correa that stays on the field and can enjoy a chase rate in the 2021 range where he saw his lowest chase% at 24.1%. This would give higher probability to more barrels. In 2021 he had his 2nd highest barrel % at 11.4% only topped by 2019 12.9%. What does this all mean? I see this offense feeding off each other. Notice I didn’t mention Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith, or any of the others. I didn’t for this simple fact, this offense goes as these 3 listed go. If you can get the others to follow you have a playoff offense.
Run Prevention 101 (Pitching and Catching)
This Astros team narrowly missed the playoffs almost solely off of it pitching alone. In the same conversation they were the same pitchers who at times couldn’t stop late inning comebacks. In 2025 the onus is on the offense primarily speaking, but the pitching wasn’t flawless. You need a couple things for this too happen: Prevent runs on the board, manage opponents contact.
The Houston Astros need to understand balls will get hit, so what is the Hard Hit % of batted balls agains their pitchers, as well advancing runners on base. The Houston Astros starting backstop was 1 Catchers CS Above Avg. in 2025, the backup everyone wanted was -4 Catchers CS Above Avg. Both bottom of the barrel. While Yainer Diaz arm strength is 3rd in the league and 4th in Exchange time, his Caught stealing % was only 18%. What does all this have to do with run prevention and the pitching? I will wrap up the discussion here.
Your pitchers have to make a concerted effort to get to the plate as fast as possible. Catchers have to be in an optimal position to throw out the runners. If you can eliminate the threat of running to 2B by throwing out runners, or simply holding them at bay. This team stands to give up fewer runs. Fewer runs less pressure on the offense, as well the pitchers.
All in all I expect the Astros to be contenders in 2026, of course that is why every team plays 162 games in the regular season. As my co-host on Back to the Bullpen Mike Stanton says, getting to the playoffs is the hard part, once you’re in, it’s anybody’s game.“…….or is it? Dodgers????
The New York Knicks entered Wednesday night's game having lost four consecutive contests, but you would have never known it given the way they obliterated the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks won 120-66, their 54-point margin of victory a team record. It could have been even worse − at one point the Knicks led by 59.
The 54-point margin of victory easily shattered the Knicks' previous record of 48, achieved three times (in 1994, 1972 and 1968).
Jalen Brunson led the way for New York with 20 points, and five other Knicks scored in double figures. They shot 57% as a team, including 50% from 3 (16-for-32).
The Nets, by comparison, shot a grisly 29% from the field (23-for-79). They were also soundly beaten on the boards (56-27) and in the assist department (28-15).
