SURPRISE, AZ - FEBRUARY 17: Peyton Gray #75 of the Texas Rangers poses for a photo during the Texas Rangers photo day at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Robert Garcia has been placed on the 15 day injured list retroactive to April 20, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the team has purchased the contract of pitcher Peyton Gray from AAA Round Rock. To make room for Gray on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated catcher Willie MacIver for assignment.
In addition, the team announced that Carter Baumler, currently on the injured list, is beginning a rehab assignment with Round Rock.
Garcia last pitched on April 16 — a week ago. He has been experiencing shoulder soreness, and the Rangers had held off on making on i.l. move as they felt there was a decent chance he would be recovered in time to avoid an i.l. stint. However, some combination of his shoulder not improving and the Rangers needing a fresh arm in the pen has resulted in his being put on the injured list now.
Gray, a 30 year old righthander, has never pitched in the major leagues. After being released by the Kansas City Royals in 2021, he pitched for Milwaukee in the independent American Association in 2022 and 2023, and pitched in the Mexican Pacific Winter League in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He spent the 2025 since with the Rangers, putting up a 3.58 ERA in 73 innings over 45 appearances between Frisco and (mostly) Round Rock.
Gray had an impressive camp this spring, and in 12.2 innings over seven appearances for Round Rock this year, he has yet to allow a run, and has 15 Ks against two walks.
MacIver was claimed on waivers by the Rangers over the winter, and has stuck around on the 40 man roster as a third catcher, in case one of the two major league catchers got injured.
As for Baumler, as a Rule 5 pick, I imagine the Rangers will not rush him on his rehab assignment, and so long as help in the majors isn’t needed, he’ll get several appearances in the minors on this assignment.
Jenkins has Milwaukee ties, he spent a season as an assistant coach for the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19, before taking the Memphis head coaching job. Jenkins spent six years as the Grizzlies head coach, and based on what he did there was considered by many around the league as one of the best coaches available this summer.
In Memphis, Jenkins had a 250-214 record and helped develop the Grizzlies into a team that went to the playoffs four times in his six years (although he did not coach the team in the fourth of those appearances because the Grizzlies fired him late in the regular season).
Milwaukee set its sights on Jenkins early, and general manager Jon Horst, as well as team owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam, traveled to Memphis to talk to him, something The Athletic first reported several days ago.
While they had a star in Ja Morant, Jenkins' Memphis teams were built around defense and winning the possession battle (for example, going hard after offensive rebounds). That's a departure from how Doc Rivers viewed the game. Jenkins' teams had Jaren Jackson Jr. during his Defensive Player of the Year run, serving as a rim protector, but also focused on things like taking away corner 3s.
What the team that Jenkins will be coaching looks like is a good question. It appears Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo are on a path to part ways — how much a new coach or a major roster overhaul can change that is up for debate — which means Milwaukee will start a rebuilding process. In Memphis, Jenkins and his staff proved good at player development, which will be a key part of what comes next for the Bucks.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Elias Lindholm #28 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal with teammates Nikita Zadorov #91 and David Pastrnak #88 in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on April 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Game 3 is upon us, folks!
TD Garden should be jumping tonight, with the Bruins coming home from Buffalo with a split and playing their first home playoff game in a couple of years.
The Bruins were an excellent team on home ice this season, so here’s to hoping that continues.
If the B’s can make things start to snowball for the Sabres, some doubt/desperation may creep in for the relatively inexperienced (in the playoffs, that is) team.
Of course, those things are likely just talking points from people like me, as the Sabres remain a good team, one that hasn’t really played its best 60 minutes yet.
After exiting Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Twins early with left calf tightness, the Mets are placing star shortstop Francisco Lindor on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain.
In a corresponding move, New York is recalling Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse.
Additionally, RHP Christian Scott is being recalled and will start Thursday's game; RHP Austin Warren was optioned to Triple-A following last night's game.
Lindor appeared to grimace while rounding third base in the fourth inning on Wednesday before sliding safely feet first into home plate. The shortstop headed straight to the tunnel and did not return to the field for the top of the fifth inning, as Bo Bichette moved to shortstop and Brett Baty entered to play third base.
Manager Carlos Mendoza spoke with reporters Thursday ahead of the game to discuss Lindor's injury, saying that the team will be without him "for a while."
"We still have multiple people looking at the imaging and the MRI and all that. We do know, obviously there's the injury there, and he's going to be down for quite a bit here," Mendoza said. "I don't think we are anticipating something like, we knew right away with Juan [Soto] 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."
Mendoza added: "It's hard to put a timetable. Because again, we got to wait. We do know that he's going to be down for a while."
The manager was also asked what the plan is defensively -- either keeping Bichette at third and having Mauricio at shortstop, or having Bichette to move back to his old position in some capacity. He reiterated the loose plan mentioned after Wednesday's game, saying they will keep Bichette at third and have Mauricio take over as the starting shortstop.
"We could, but Mauricio is going to get an opportunity here to play," Mendoza said. "But yeah, depending on matchups, off days for some of the guys, Bo will slide over at times. But in the meantime, Mauricio is going to get a majority of the opportunities here at shortstop."
Mendoza then made it clear Mauricio could start against left-handed pitching going forward, with the occasional matchup change when needed. Mauricio owns a career .134 batting average against left-handers, going 11-for-82 over 42 games.
"He'll get some chances there," Mendoza said. "I'm going to pick what we consider good matchups for him from that side of the plate. But yeah, he'll start against lefties. But I will also not hesitate, if the game's on the line and it's a tough left-on-right matchup there and I have a better option on the bench, I'll probably shoot that bullet if I feel like we need to.
"I feel like it'll be case-by-case, but he'll face lefties."
It had been another slow start to the season for Lindor, but the injury comes at a time when it looked like he was turning a corner. Over his last seven games, Lindor was slashing .360/.386/.640 with two home runs, five RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Through 24 games overall, Lindor has a .669 OPS, with all his home runs and RBI coming in the last seven games.
Mauricio, who has played in just two big league games this season (including his pinch-hit walk-off on April 7), is slashing .293/.349/.638 with a .987 OPS across 15 games in Triple-A. The 25-year-old is coming off his best game of the season on April 21, when he smashed three home runs to bring his season total to six and his RBI total to 13.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 22: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets slides home past Victor Caratini #37 of the Minnesota Twins for a run in the fourth inning at Citi Field on April 22, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets have placed Francisco Lindor on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain, the team has announced. This news was expected after Lindor looked hobbled running the bases and scoring on a double by Francisco Alvarez in the fourth inning of last night’s game and subsequently did not return to the field in the fifth due to tightness in his calf. Lindor received an MRI today, which revealed a strain that is worse than the one Juan Soto suffered (also in his calf) that sidelined him for 15 games. Lindor is “going to be down a while,” according to manager Carlos Mendoza. There is currently no timetable for his return, but the Mets expect him to miss significant time.
This news is a huge blow to the Mets, who just got Juan Soto back and halted their 12-game losing streak. Though Lindor got off to his usual slow start in April which this year included some mental lapses in the field, he had just been heating up prior to the injury, putting up a 154 wRC+ over the past nine games with two home runs, four runs scored, and five RBIs, hitting lower in the order in Soto’s absence.
Ronny Mauricio has been called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take Lindor’s spot on the roster and is starting at shortstop in tonight’s series finale against the Twins at Citi Field. Mauricio had been up with the big league squad briefly when Soto first went on the injured list and went 1-for-4 with the one hit being his walk-off knock on April 7, which turned out to be the Mets’ last win before last night. While Lindor is sidelined, the Mets could opt to use Bo Bichette at his natural shortstop position, as they did in last night’s game after Lindor’s early exit, but Carlos Mendoza indicated that Mauricio is going to get the chance to prove himself as the team’s every day shortstop.
The Mets also made another roster move prior to tonight’s game, optioning Austin Warren to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the roster for Christian Scott, who will make his season debut tonight. Warren stopped the bleeding after Devin Williams’ meltdown on Tuesday by striking out three straight batters. Though it wasn’t enough to save the Mets from defeat, it’s unfortunate that this heroic effort was rewarded with a demotion, but such is the life of an optionable reliever.
Tonight will be Scott’s first appearance for the Mets since undergoing hybrid Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in September of 2024 which cost him the entire 2025 season. Scott got off to a rough start in Triple-A Syracuse, but has been much better lately and is throwing even harder than he did prior to the UCL injury. Scott started nine games for the Mets in 2024 and pitched to a 4.56 ERA in 47 1/3 innings with 39 strikeouts and 12 walks. The Mets plan to keep a five-man rotation for now with David Peterson remaining in the bullpen.
The Kings are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss that saw them go down 2-0 in the series. The Kings and Avalanche did not score until the 13th minute of the 3rd period, where Artemi Panarin scored his 2nd playoff goal. But the Avalanche tied it minutes after and won in overtime to get their 2nd win. The Kings have limited the Avalanche to just 2 goals per game, but they need to start scoring at 5-on-5, as their only 2 goals have come from Panarin and on the power play.
Projected Kings Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings in Game 3:
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Joel Armia - Scott Laughton - Andrei Kuzmenko
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Jared Wright
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Darcy Kuemper
Projected Avalanche Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Avalanche in Game 3:
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Parker Kelly - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Gabriel Landeskog - Nazem Kadri - Nicolas Roy
Joel Kiviranta - Jack Drury - Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski
Josh Manson - Brent Burns
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Injuries and Line Changes
The Avalanche are expected to have the same lineup in the first 2 games. Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko could play for the first time since February 25 after he has missed the last 25 games after getting surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Jared Wright has been moved to the 4th line.
Key Factors
A major factor for both teams in this series has been the goaltending. Both Forsberg and Wedgewood have played very well for their teams, with Forsberg posting a .941 SV% and a 1.90 goals-against average. Wedgewood has posted a .960 SV% and a 0.94 goals against average. Both teams are getting strong goaltending.
For the Kings, goaltending and defence have seemingly not been the problem; rather, it is the offence that has been the problem in this series. Only 1 player has scored for the Kings, and both of those goals were on the power play.
The Kings have not scored at even strength throughout this series, and if they want to change the series' outlook, they will need to do so. Panarin leading the team with 2 points is something the Kings seriously need to change, and they need to be better offensively, or they will not be in the playoffs for much longer.
Game 3 is in Los Angeles and starts at 10:00 P.M Eastern time.
Cam Schlittler is in many ways fulfilling a childhood dream by pitching in Fenway Park. The twist is that he hopes to turn it into a nightmare for the home team.
Schlittler couldn't be much more Boston - he's still a Bruins fan, and his dad is the police chief of Needham, a town roughly halfway between Walpole and Fenway Park. Yet Schlittler's epic eight shutout innings and 12 strikeouts in the decisive Game 3 of the Yankees-Red Sox 2025 wild card series changed the dynamic between player and hometown team forever.
To the point Schlittler might want to check that no one slipped anything into his Dunkies when he goes back home.
Schlittler said this week he's received death threats in advance of his Fenway start, continuing a pattern that Schlittler said began before the wild card game, when he said many Red Sox fans got out of pocket in their trash talking before wild card Game 3.
Schlittler has only raised his profile since that postseason meeting. He's posted a 1.95 ERA in his first five starts and in striking out 36 and walking just three, has the best strikeout-walk ratio in the major leagues. Schlittler has not given up a home run in 27 2/3 innings and leads the majors in fielding independent pitching.
He will be opposed by Red Sox rookie left-hander Payton Tolle.
BOSTON — “I think it’s going to be loud, and I’m really looking forward to it," said Schlittler, anticipating the ire of 30,000 denizens of Red Sox Nation.
“Things definitely get a little more intense when we play Boston," said Schlittler, who has already dealt with on-line threats against himself and his family ahead of this series, as first reported by the New York Post.
“Been dealing with that stuff for six months now,’’ said Schlittler, who is “not overly concerned’’ about it. “Just looking forward to going out there Thursday.’’
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 12: The sneakers worn by Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 12, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 23: Starting pitcher Ryan Feltner #18 of the Colorado Rockies throws against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Coors Field on April 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
UPDATE 2:23pm MT: The Rockies broadcast just announced that Feltner left with right triceps tightness, and Castro left with right knee soreness.
Here’s a tweet confirmation from Thomas Harding:
#Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner left today's game after two innings with right triceps tightness. 2B Willi Castro left after three innings with right knee soreness.
UPDATE 2:18pm MT: 2B Willi Castro also exited the game in the fourth inning for unknown reasons. Prior to leaving the game, Castro had one walk and one strikeout.
Purple Row will continue to provide updates as we receive them.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner left today’s game against the San Diego Padres following the end of the second inning.
He threw 40 pitches, 25 for strikes while allowing two hits and two runs (both earned). He also struck out three and walked one.
Zach Agnos entered the third inning in relief.
The reasons for Feltner leaving the game are not known at this time, but Purple Row will continue to follow this developing story.
The Montreal Canadiens return north of the 49th parallel to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, April 24.
My Canadiens vs. Lightning predictions and NHL picks (unsurprisingly) suggest another nail-biter, with Cole Caufield poised to dish the puck as opposed to his usual antics filling nets himself.
Lightning vs Canadiens Game 3 prediction
Lightning vs Canadiens best bet: Cole Caufield Over 0.5 assists (+130)
Fortunately, Caufield and his overshadowed vision have produced three assists in the meantime. Tampa's game plan to limit his scoring opportunities has created an abundance of passing options for the winger.
With Tampa suppressing his scoring opportunities, it's opened passing lanes and high-danger chances for his linemates (see Juraj Slafkovsky's Game 1 hat trick). At plus odds, I'm banking on a Caufield helper in Game 3.
Lightning vs Canadiens Game 3 same-game parlay
Many may be surprised Lane Hutson blocked 137 shots in his sophomore season. While his offensive numbers may be better suited for a flashy stat or a viral tweet, he's stepped up big in his own zone as Noah Dobson remains sidelined.
Hutson played over 32 minutes in Game 2, blocked two shots, and ranks third in the NHL in blocked shots over the last calendar month. He's a workhorse at both ends of the ice.
Both games in this series thus far have needed extra time, and the Montreal Canadiens have covered the puck line in five straight against Tampa — with four of them coming within the last month.
More convincingly, they've covered the PL in 10 of Jakub Dobe's last 11 starts.
Lightning vs Canadiens SGP
Cole Caufield Over 0.5 assists
Lane Hutson Over 1.5 blocked shots
Canadiens +1.5
Lightning vs Canadiens Game 3 goal scorer pick
Josh Anderson (+450)
Josh Anderson has scored in three of his last four playoff games against Tampa, including in both games in this series and dating back to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
He's scored in three of his last four and had his highest single-game shot total since March 3 in Game 2. I'm all over this at a whopping +450.
Three of the last five meetings between these teams have required extra time, including both playoff games thus far. Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Canadiens.
How to watch Lightning vs Canadiens Game 3
Location
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Date
Friday, April 24, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet, TNT
Lightning vs Canadiens latest injuries
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.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Pitching Coach, Matt Blake and Preston Claiborne of the New York Yankees talk before the game against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The year is 1997. Liván Hernández takes the mound for the Marlins in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves. Little did the Braves, the fans in attendance, and those tuning in know that they were about to witness one of the most outrageous displays of home plate umpiring in MLB history.
Granted, Greg Maddux also benefitted from this… liberal interpretation of the strike zone, but it really felt like Eric Gregg was on a one-man mission to get home ahead of the traffic.
It’s the era of the sinker. For an entire generation of baseball players and fans, this is pretty close to the norm. Before there were umpire audit accounts and later the ABS system, pitchers learned to weaponize the East-West strike zones of umpires around the league. They knew they could steal strikes often as much as a half-foot off the plate on either side, so horizontally running pitches reigned supreme.
Fast forward almost 30 years and we’ve entered a new age. It actually started on the hitting side with the launch angle revolution, hitters increasing the angles of their swings to lift all those pesky sinkers low in the zone. This precipitated a reaction from pitchers, starting with former Astros pitching coach Brent Strom, the paradigm shifted to high-spinning four-seamers whose late riding life at the top of the zone effectively neutralized the proliferation of steep swings. Aided by advances in pitch tracking and biomechanic technology and the strike zone going from East-West to North-South (as well as some sticky foreign substances), we saw this transition from sinker to four-seamer take place almost overnight.
As with many things in life, patterns and trends emerge and then ebb away in cycles. Now it appears that we’re reaching — if not an end — then at least an inflection point in this cycle of fastball usage, and the Yankees are at the forefront of the reemergence of the sinker.
There are several factors which I feel are influencing the current movement back toward the sinker. The league-wide crackdown on Spider Tack and other foreign substances in 2021 was the catalyst, many pitchers finding themselves robbed of the RPMs and induced vertical movement that were making their four-seamers so unhittable. Over the following couple years, research into the effects of seam-shifted wake and its ability to increase the downward movement of pitches, particularly the sinker, provided further impetus for pitchers to dust off their old sinkers and tinker with seam orientation until they found the perfect combination to achieve maximal downward break.
Then in 2024 and 2025, much of the research in the pitching realm zeroed in on the benefits of starting pitchers throwing multiple different types of fastball. On the surface, it makes intuitive sense that having a more expansive arsenal gives you more weapons to make it deeper into games. Digging a litter farther, we now understand how the divergent movement profiles of four-seamers, sinkers, and cutters are interacting to fool hitters. All three types of fastball look the same coming out of the pitcher’s hand, meaning three pitches that look exactly the same can end up in three different locations once they get to home. The best hitters are able to use certain cues to identify pitch type out of the hand — think the dot made by the rotating seams of a slider, or the upward pop of a curveball out of the pitcher’s hand — but with fastballs it is almost impossible to discern four-seamer from sinker from cutter.
Starting in the second-half of 2024, I’ve been mulling over how I want to explore this topic with our readers. Now, I am very excited to use this as the introduction for a series that I’m really looking forward to jumping in to. Over the course of the season, I would like to pick out individual Yankees pitchers who have not only increased their sinker usage, but also improved the raw characteristics (velo, movement, etc.), especially those pitchers who’ve recently joined the Yankees and saw immediate changes to their sinker deployment. Matt Blake, Sam Briend, and the rest of the Yankees pitching department are constantly looking for ways to innovate, and I am intrigued to learn about their process in disseminating the sinker across pretty much the entire Yankees pitching room. From Max Fried to Carlos Rodón to Cam Schlittler and many others, I can’t wait to share what I’ve observed with all of you, so stay tuned!
Feb 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; NBC Peacock analysts Reggie Miller (left) and Jamal Crawford (center) and play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle during an NBA All Star Rising Stars game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Back when Kentucky Basketball lost assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart, rumors began to circulate that Mark Pope was making a push for Jamal Crawford as a potential replacement.
However, nothing came of it, and it appeared that ship had sailed.
Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Matt Jones are reporting that there’s still a chance that Crawford could become an assistant coach at Kentucky, as a final decision has not yet been made by Crawford, and the Wildcats remain in pursuit.
Crawford, who is currently an assistant coach at his alma mater, Rainier Beach High School, is also an NBC broadcaster who is calling games in the NBA Playoffs. He’s a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year (shoutout Keldon Johnson) and scored 19,419 career points across his 20-year NBA career.
Needless to say, Crawford is a major name in the world of basketball, and getting him would be a massive pull for any coaching staff.
Saying this, between Crawford coaching at his alma mater and the city he was born in while also calling NBA games, it feels like there’s about as much of an uphill climb for Kentucky to get him as there is for Tyran Stokes, if not bigger.
Oh, speaking of, Stokes is spending his final season of high school basketball at Rainier Beach. Safe to think that getting Crawford would be a major move toward getting Stokes.
But again, both of these feel like a long shot. Crawford has too good of a thing going for him in Seattle right now, where he’s also raising his family. He’d have to leave that and his NBC gig to take on a full-time coaching role at Kentucky.
It’s nice to think about, but this feels like a pipe dream for the time being, though one that Pope was right to shoot for.
One other thing to consider: Kentucky already landed former NBA standout Mo Williams this offseason. Perhaps he can help get Crawford to Lexington?
Crawford is someone UK offered a couple of weeks ago and as recently as two days ago, were still pursuing. Situation not over yet https://t.co/NI1hNlNcK5
The Oklahoma City Thunder had to figure out how to win without Jalen Williams for most of the regular season, they are going to have to do it again, likely for at least the rest of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.
Jalen Williams has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and "he will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis," the team announced Thursday.
On average, a Grade 1 hamstring strain keeps a player out 12 days, according to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, who maintains a database tracking NBA injuries. That timeline would keep Williams out for the entire first round of the playoffs, even if the series goes seven games (the Thunder are up 2-0), and if it ends earlier, he might miss the start of the second round.
Jalen Williams Injury History: The average time lost for Grade 1 hamstring strains is ~12.4 days. Multiple players have suffered the injury in the playoffs including Jaylen Brown, Steph Curry, & Devin Booker. Curry's injury occurred last year & kept him out of GS's last 4 games.
Williams has been plagued by injuries all season and appeared in just 33 games for the Thunder this season. Williams was out for the first 19 games of the season recovering from right wrist surgery, then missed 30 more games due to a right hamstring injury (the opposite of the leg he injured Wednesday).
With Williams out, expect Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins to get more run.
This latest injury occurred in the third quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday night. Williams missed a transition layup, and as soon as he landed, he grabbed the back of his leg. Williams quickly checked himself out of the game and did not return.
In the 33 games he did play this season, Williams averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. In Game 1 of the series against the Suns, he had 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Thunder won without Williams on Wednesday, 120-107, and took a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3.
Steve Yzerman addressed the Detroit Red Wings' 2025-26 season and how it ended with the club missing the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs for a 10th consecutive year.
Yzerman has been general manager of the team since April 19, 2019. Head coach Todd McLellan was also at the news conference at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, April 23.
The Wings finished the season 41-31-10, for 92 points, seven points back of the team in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Wings looked like they were going to be one of the teams inside the playoff picture when, in late January, they had a 12-point cushion. But as games grew more intense, the Wings wilted. They went 9-15-5 from Jan. 25 on, the fourth-worst record in the NHL over that span. They won only two of their last eight games, and were eliminated on April 11 in a loss at home that left fans booing the team.
The Wings finished their season on April 15, losing 8-1 at the Florida Panthers in a game that left McLellan so frustrated he only talked for 44 seconds afterward, and said that everybody involved should be embarrassed.
Here are key points from the news conference.
How to improve
Yzerman had this to say when asked what needs to change: "The most obvious would be we need better players. We need to improve specifically in certain areas. We can talk about goal scoring, we need to improve in that area, particularly five-on-five. But collectively, if you're watching the playoffs – and I'm assuming and I'm hoping our players are – to play with the intensity and determination needed to be successful to make the playoffs and get there. But ultimately, it's incumbent upon me and my staff to improve the team."
Seven years later
Yzerman on his work since he was named GM: "Knowing full well seven years ago, I knew what I signed up for, I knew what the job, the task at hand was. And so when exactly we were going to be, are going to be a playoff team, I could never pinpoint that.
"To sit here today and say everything's going perfectly according to plan, no. There's a lot of things I'm pleased about within the organization. And areas that I'm not happy, disappointed, things that we need to have done better. We sit here today, a week after the end of the regular season, and see how the season unfolded. I think we're all kind of emotional about this, and need to take a little time to analyze it, and not forget about some of the positive things that are going on here. And then try to address how we move forward."
On the last game
McLellan expanded on his unhappiness with the last game. "I think my lack of words spoke for how I felt at that moment. Listening to the players after and talking to them, they weren't pleased, they were embarrassed with that outing. It's something we have to change in our organization. Every night is important, every day is important. Obviously not happy with the way things ended throughout the season. To cap it off with that was very disappointing. My complimenting Florida was a different way of saying I was disappointed in our players."
On relationship with ownership
Yzerman said he spoke with team owner Christopher Ilitch a few days ago.
"He and the entire ownership of the Illich family are very disappointed with the way the season played out," Yzerman said. "He continues to be extremely supportive of what we're trying to do here. We intend to have further conversations about our team and our organization in the very near future.
"I don't think I'm just going to sit and hope for the best. As an organization, I'm very disappointed how this season played out."
Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) celebrates as he rounds first base after hitting a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
It’s our second early game of the week, but thankfully this one wasn’t so early we needed coffee to get through it. The Tigers were hoping to come away with a series win, and with Tarik Skubal on the mound, that could only help their case. They had a great game on Wednesday night, and just needed to ride that high into today. They’d be facing off against Brandon Sproat for the Brewers.
In expected Tarik Skubal fashion, he got the Brewers out in order in the first. In the home half, Kevin McGonigle hit a leadoff double. On two subsequent outs, McGonigle was able to advance to third, then a Riley Greene home run brought two runs in. Great way to get the game going. Dillon Dingler singled as well, but the Tigers would need to settle for just the two runs.
Skubal was dialled in, getting another 1-2-3 inning in the second. The Tigers, however, did the same in the bottom of the inning, keeping the game moving at a good clip. Speaking of a good clip, the same thing happened in the third, with both teams going quickly through the order.
While Skubal managed to get through the first eleven Brewers in order, he couldn’t get a fourth shutout inning in a row. With two outs, William Contreras doubled, followed by a Gary Sanchez double to bring in the first Brewers run of the game. In the home half, Riley Greene got a leadoff walk, but one out later he was eliminated in a force out off the bat of Kerry Carpenter. One more out followed to end the inning with one man left on the bases.
Skubal was clearly annoyed with his fumble in the fourth, because he turned around in the fifth to just devastate the Brewers in another 1-2-3 outing. With one out in the home half, Javier Baez singled. He was probably hoping to avoid a repeat of the running drills he had to do in a similar situation last night. It turned out worse as McGonigle hit a long fly out and Baez got tagged out at first for a truly odd double play to end the inning.
In the sixth, the Brewers were back at their nonsense, with David Hamilton getting on with a soft bunt. Then they had the audacity to do it again, this one down the first base line by Brandon Lockridge, putting two on safely. A force out off the bat of Brice Turang got Lockridge out at second, but left men at the corners. A double play was exactly what the team needed, and that’s exactly what they got. Skubal induced a ground ball on a 3-0 count and the inning was suddenly done, the threat over. With one out in the home half, Colt Keith walked, and that was it for Sproat, who was replaced by Aaron Ashby. Riley Greene singled, sending Keith to third, then Dingler hit into a force out, eliminating Greene at first, but scoring Keith to give the Tigers another run. Matt Vierling came out to pinch-hit and drew a walk. The Brewers went back to their bullpen, this time for Grant Anderson, who came out and got the final out of the inning.
The Brewers opened the seventh with back-to-back singles from Gary Sanchez and Luis Matos. A Blake Perkins double right to the warning track brought in two runs and tied the game up at 3-3 after a lengthy battle against Skubal. That was it for Skubal, who went 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K on 94 pitches. The game started incredibly strong for him, save one rough inning. It wasn’t until the seventh that he really started to falter, and it’s a shame to see his game end that way. Tyler Holton came out in relief. After getting the first out of the inning, Holton gave up a single to Joey Ortiz. A David Hamilton single then brought one more run in to break up the tie and give the Brewers the lead. Lockridge walked, the first Brewers walk of the game, loading the bases with still just the one out. It was a bad situation for the Tigers until a rare 3-2-2 double play ended the inning. Gotta love it.
Trevor Megill was next out of the Brewers pen in the bottom of the seventh. He got the Tigers out in order on three consecutive groundouts.
Burch Smith came out for the Tigers in the top of the eighth making his Tigers debut. What the team needed was a clean inning, and Smith gave them just that, getting the Brewers out in order. Angel Zerpa was the new Brewers pitcher, and with one out, Jahmai Jones took him yard, hitting a home run to left center. Two outs followed but the Tigers had tied things up again.
Sal Frelick singled to start the ninth. Then, a Rengifo bunt (these guys and their bunts, I swear), saw him out at first but got Frelick to second. Ortiz walked, and Smith was replaced by Brant Hurter. Hurter came in and induced a double play to end the inning. The Tigers headed into the bottom of the ninth hoping to eke out a win and avoid extra innings. Abner Uribe was in for the Brewers. And with one out, last night’s home run hero Spencer Torkelson did it again with a walk-off home run to wrap up the series and game with a win.
