Chicago Cubs @ Texas Rangers
Friday, May 8, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / CW33)
The Shed
RHP Ben Brown vs. RHP Kumar Rocker
Go Rangers!
Game 38 Game Day Thread – Chicago Cubs @ Texas Rangers
One Philly fan devises train ploy to drive up prices to keep Knicks fans out
Joel Embiid pleaded with 76ers fans to keep their home playoff tickets against the Knicks.
One diehard 76ers fan named Matt, as uncovered by the Philadelphia Inquirer, is taking extreme measures to keep Knicks fans from making Xfinity Mobile Arena a de facto Madison Square Garden South, or at least make New Yorkers pay more.
His plan?
Get Sixers fans to buy fully refundable Amtrak tickets ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 before canceling the train trip shortly before the 3:30 p.m. ET tip-off in order to increase the prices for New Yorkers. According to the Inquirer, he posted his idea to Reddit on r/Sixers to get fans to join in on his ploy.
For curious Knicks fans, the estimated cost — as per a search conducted by The Post on the Amtrak website on Friday evening — is just shy of $300 for a round-trip ticket.
But compared to the $500-plus tickets for potential Games 5 and 7 at the Garden — according to the resaler TickPick — New Yorkers who want to trek to Philly won’t be breaking the bank for game tickets, or at least have to give an arm and a leg, comparatively.
TickPick has prices as low as $159 for Friday night’s Game 3 and $170 for Game 4. As The Post’s Zach Braziller reported as of Thursday night, 59 percent of tickets sold on TickPick for Game 3 came from accounts linked from New York and New Jersey.
Embiid, after the 76ers beat the Celtics in the first round, wanted to make sure Philly fans were doing their part to make Xfinity feel like a home.
Because in 2024, when the Knicks beat the Sixers in the first round, New Yorkers were loud and made their presence felt in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support,” Embiid said then. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.
“Knicks fans travel, they buy tickets. There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”
The “war” between the two cities has even transferred to other spaces, as a few New York eateries have rebranded Philly Cheesesteaks with different names for the duration of the playoff series.
And though the 76ers are down 2-0 in the series, Philadelphia scored a win this week when members of The Post picked cheesesteak over New York’s chopped cheese in a taste test.
Diamondbacks DFA former prospect Alek Thomas for 2024 first-rounder Ryan Waldschmidt
The Diamondbacks are calling up their top prospect in their minor league system.
But that means they’re dumping one of their former highly regarded farmhands.
Arizona called up outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt from Triple-A, and to make room for their No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline, designated fellow outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment on Friday ahead of a matchup with the Mets.
Less than two years after he was taken with the No. 31 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Waldschmidt reached the top level of the minor leagues and has thrived.
He has a .289/.400/.477 slash line with 15 extra-base hits in 128 at-bats with Triple-A Reno. It follows a sterling 2025 season in which Waldschmidt hit 18 home runs with 78 RBIs and a .892 with in High-A and Double-A. His year-end performance got him a Double-A All-Star nod from Baseball America.
Thomas, meanwhile, has hit .181 with two homers across 94 at-bats this season. After back-to-back hitless games, he was 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in May.
The DFA is a surprising fall for Thomas, who was Arizona’s top-ranked prospect ahead of the 2022 season and was twice a Futures Game selection (2019, 2021).
And while he’s provided solid outfield defense (two outs above average this season) and speed on the bases, his bat has never translated to the big league level with a career .634 OPS.
Waldschmidt is not in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Mets.
Aaron Boone discusses Spencer Jones’ ‘well-deserved’ promotion to Yankees
The Yankees suffered a tough blow just one batter into Thursday's game, as they lost Jasson Dominguez for at least a couple of weeks with a left shoulder injury after a scary collision with the left field fence.
While it’s unfortunate to see Dominguez go down during his shot back with the big league team, it does present an opportunity for another youngster to come up and get his chance.
New York recalled Spencer Jones from Triple-A following Thursday’s win.
Jones has joined the Yanks for Friday’s series opener with the Brewers, and he won’t have to wait long to debut, as he’s been inserted right into the lineup batting sixth as the DH.
“He fits in really well with the guys,” Aaron Boone told reporters pregame, via YES Network. “He’s gotten off to a really nice start this year down in Triple-A, has been really productive with the bat, and earned the opportunity to be here.
“I think we’re all very excited for him -- obviously, being a first-round pick and working his way through our system, him being here today, it’s well-deserved.”
Jones still has some swing-and-miss in his game, but his at-bats certainly have improved to start this season, as he's reached an impressive .336 rate and has a .958 OPS over Scranton's first 33 games of the season.
Of his 31 hits, 18 have gone for extra bases, and he's driven in 31 runs thus far.
The slugger will have a tall task ahead of him facing Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski in his big-league debut, but Boone is looking for him to keep his same approach at the plate.
“Tonight he's DHing, so I just want him to focus on having good at-bats,” he said. “Obviously, we’re going up against a great pitcher here tonight, but just as much as you can, you take what you've been doing and apply it up here.
“Obviously, he has the ability to impact games, but it’s just about keeping things small and focusing on the at-bat.”
While Jones is handling DH duties out of the gate, he won't strictly be relegated there, as Boone feels comfortable throwing him out in the field and will pick and choose his spots to do so.
Michael Harris hits cleanup and will play CF against Dodgers
The Atlanta Braves are starting their most hyped series of the year as they face the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers team. Few probably thought before the season started that the Braves would be the team with a better record going into this series.
There have been several reasons why the Braves have been successful, but the offensive rebounds of key players has played a huge role in the early season success. Players like Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, and Dominic Smith have had surprising rebounds, and the steady players like Matt Olson and reigning ROY Drake Baldwin have chipped in like they hoped they would.
The Braves will be facing Emmet Sheehan on the mound, and believe it or not he debuted back in 2023 and that was the only season he faced the Braves in. No player on the Braves roster in 2023 has faced Sheehan in more than two at-bats so it is hard to make a conclusion on how well they will do against him. The one player that draws the eye is that Ozzie Albies got a hit both times he faced Sheehan.
With the day off the other question was if Michael Harris’ quad will allow him to play CF or not. With him back in CF it allows Walt Weiss to put together the optimal lineup that would include Dominic Smith or Sean Murphy. We did see Harris play LF to give his quad some rest, but ideally we don’t want to see anyone other than him defensively if he is actually healthy. With Sean Murphy back it also brings the question of what the standard lineup will be versus both LHP and RHP starter. Tonight’s lineup may shine a light on that question.
Michael Harris will be in CF after all in a really fun lineup that has him in the cleanup spot with Baldwin hi and Dominic Smith getting the DH nod.
Chris Sale is on the mound for the Braves, and even though he is one of the more seasoned veterans of the league the Dodgers’ players shockingly don’t have many at-bats against him. Teoscar Hernández leads the team with eighteen at-bats, but then it drops all the way down to nine at-bats, which old friend Freddie Freeman has against Sale. Freddie Freeman has had success in those nine at-bats with an OPS of 1.222, and Hernández has a .818, but no one else is better than .708.
Shohei Ohtani has an OPS of .708 in eight at-bats. Even with this solid Dodgers lineup, the edge appears to go to Chris Sale here.
First pitch is at 10:10 EDT
Big Bash star unleashes in blistering hundred as fourth-straight win keeps IPL dream alive
Finn Allen unleashed a blistering maiden IPL century to power a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders to a fourth win on the bounce with an eight-wicket rout of Delhi Capitals on Friday.
10 Takeaways: Hurricanes Score Four Ways In Game 3 Victory
The Carolina Hurricanes are one game away from advancing to a second straight Eastern Conference Final thanks to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Here are 10 takeaways from the win:
1. 4 Goals, 4 Ways
The Carolina Hurricanes scored four goals in their Game 3 win and interestingly, all four goals came at different player configurations.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring on a 5v4 power play as Jordan Staal got a good bounce off of a deflected shot by Andrei Svechnikov.
Then the Canes scored a 4v5 shorthanded goal as Jalen Chatfield finished off a 2-on-1 rush.
Next, the team scored on a 4v3 power play with Svechnikov blasting home a power play one-timer and then Nikolaj Ehlers scored a 5v5 breakaway goal in the third period for the fourth different type of the game.
"You have to find different ways to win in this league," Staal said. "There has been a lot of different guys that have stepped up. That just kind of goes to show the depth of our team and how it's been built. There's been certain guys every other game stepping up and making plays and helping us win."
And if you want to go even a step further, the Flyers' one goal came on a 6v5 pulled goalie, extra attacker situation as a delayed penalty had been called on Carolina.
As colleague Cory Lavalette said to me at the game, it was like the Mario Lemieux of hockey games in a sense.
2. Three More Postseason Firsts
In Game 2, the Hurricanes' first two goals came from players who scored their first of the postseason in Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis.
In Game 3, the Canes got three more players to break the ice as Staal, Chatfield and Svechnikov's goals were all their first of the playoffs.
"Obviously it gives you a little bit of confidence and it feels a little bit lighter on the ice and all those stuff," Svechnikov said.
That's now 10 different players who have scored at least one goal in these playoffs for Carolina and 16 different players have collected at least a point, which is pretty impressive given that the Canes have only played in seven games total so far.
3. Another Day, Another Great Showing For The Penalty Kill
I mean, how many more games are we gonna have to talk about how great the Hurricanes' penalty kill has been?
"It's been good," Brind'Amour said. "Certainly in the playoffs here. I think it's just sacrifice. Guys are obviously working extremely hard and I think we've been in sync. And we have good players. They know what they're doing out there. That helps."
The Canes went another 5-for-5 Thursday night and outscored the Flyers 1-0 while shorthanded.
For once, Philadelphia actually did manage to have more shots on goal than Carolina on their own power plays this time (3-1), but that one shot on goal they gave up was obviously the shorthanded dagger.
The Flyers even had over a minute of a 5v3 opportunity and just did nothing with it as the Hurricanes thwarted them at the blueline multiple times and just generally kept everything to the outside.
"When we step over the boards, no matter if it's 5v3, 5v4, bad call or not, we're looking to kill it and we have no excuses," Chatfield said. "We're holding each other accountable and everyday we're watching video and getting better. Working on the small details that maybe not the average person would see. It could be two feet that way, a stick position that way and I think we've dialed that in a lot and I think that's been huge and showing off."
4. The Power Play Is Starting To Heat Up
On the other side of the special teams coin, the Hurricanes are starting to get the ball rolling on the power play.
Last night was the first time the top unit has found the back of the net and they did it twice, now giving the team five power play goals in the postseason and back-to-back games with power play tallies might I add too.
"We got two goals today and that's big for our unit," Svechnikov said. "Just have to continue working, watching video and hopefully we're gonna do that [again] next game."
Obviously it helps having a plethora of opportunities as the Flyers were so gracious to hand out, but I really liked the way that the power play was moving the puck and putting shots on goal.
"I think for us, it's just about sticking with it and taking what they give us," said Shayne Gostisbehere, who collected his first two points of the postseason in the win. "Not forcing anything. We know when the seams are going to be available. We don't have to fit it through or anything. Just back to basics. When you're struggling a little bit, just put pucks on the net and get some good bounces."
5. Not Backing Down
In both of the Canes' series now, we've seen teams trying to raise the physicality and engage the Hurricanes in post-whistle antics.
However, Carolina hasn't backed down one bit from any of it and have shown to be as feisty as anyone that has challenged them.
Two of the Flyers' biggest guys in Nick Seeler (6-foot-3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (6-foot-4) both went after Logan Stankoven toward the end of the game, but he didn't back down one inch.
And as he stood his ground, all of the Hurricanes' skaters rushed over to help him out too.
In years past, we've seen the Hurricanes getting pushed around a bit without a response, but that hasn't been the case at all this year.
6. Discipline
Having said that, discipline is going to be vital for Game 4.
The Flyers are obviously an extremely frustrated group and that's starting to spill over into the scrums that have been popping up.
I'm sure Philadelphia won't want to go quietly, but the Canes' best course of action will be to just to play between the whistles and take care of business.
Obviously you can't let them take liberties, but if they want to take dumb penalties, let them. The best response would be to score on the power play and potentially end their season at the same time.
7. A Couple Of Milestones
With his two-point night, Svechnikov became just the second player in franchise history to record 50 playoff points (Sebastian Aho was the first).
The Russian winger has really elevated his game the past few playoffs and he now has 24 goals and 51 points in 73 games.
Jordan Staal's two-point night also moved him into fifth all-time in for playoff points with 41 in 96 games.
According to Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff, Jordan and Eric Staal both rank in the franchise's top five for both playoff and regular season points.
The only other pair of brothers to do that with one franchise are Henrik and Daniel Sedin with Vancouver.
8. Andersen Continuing To Stack Wins
In a win where his save percentage actually went down despite allowing just one goal, Frederik Andersen reached a few milestones of his own.
The Danish veteran is now 7-0 to start the playoffs, becoming just the 12th goaltender in NHL history to do that.
That seven-game winning streak also matches a franchise record set by Cam Ward.
In that span, Andersen has a 0.957 save percentage, a 1.02 goals against average and two shutouts.
"To have goaltending like that, it can win you games and you need goaltending like that," Chatfield said. "He's been nothing short of excellent and we know he's gonna keep going like that and we have to play hard in front of him to do our best job."
9. Alexander Nikishin Back In The Lineup
After missing the last two games due to a concussion, the rookie defenseman was back in the lineup for Carolina and it looked the team wanted to ease him back a bit.
Nikishin played just 13:55 in the win and while he didn't start the game with the second power play unit, he did end up there when K'Andre Miller wound up in the box.
It was a fine game for the Russian blueliner, which is pretty good to say about a defenseman as that normally means nothing went wrong with him on the ice, but I do want to compliment his work on the PK.
Coming out of the 5v3 into the 5v4 kill, Nikishin did a tremendous job of killing a play three separate times. At that point in the game, it was still a fairly close contest, so those plays he made ended up mattering a lot.
It was good to see him back in the lineup and hopefully he can start making more of an impact as he readjusts.
10. Job's Not Done
Despite the 3-0 series lead and dominant 7-0 start to the postseason, you won't see too much celebrating in the Hurricanes' locker room.
This is a team with big goals and they know that this series is just a step on the path.
Everyone in the room echoed the same sentiment when asked about the approach to Game 4, that being coming in with the exact same mindset as every other game this postseason.
Carolina's built a winning culture and it starts with nobody being satisfied with anything they've accomplished so far.
"Just the same approach that it's been," said Jordan Martinook. "We've been taking it one game at a time and every game is so different. We just have to be ready for their best and show what we can do in a close out game."
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Will work for free? Trevor Bauer hypothetically offers to sign a '$0 salary' deal with any MLB club
Trevor Bauer wants to pitch in the majors again — so much so that he's willing to start over in the lowest levels of the minor leagues and work his way up.
And he's willing to do it without being paid.
That's the hypothetical Bauer proposed Friday on X: A talented former Cy Young Award winner signs a minor league deal with an MLB team for a "$0 salary" and can be cut at any time at no financial risk to the organization.
Read more:Former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer slated as opening day starter for Long Island Ducks
Since his last MLB start on June 28, 2021, as a member of the Dodgers with a $102-million, three-year contract, Bauer has been accused of sexual assault by four women. He served a 194-game suspension for violating the league’s sexual assault and domestic violence policy. He has denied all the allegations and has never been charged with a crime.
While some might think signing Bauer might be a risky move for an MLB organization, Bauer feels his plan is foolproof in that regard.
"Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team," Bauer wrote. "I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A. If the 'he sucks now' crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team. I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A.
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) May 8, 2026
If the “he sucks now” crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
If the “clubhouse cancer” crowd is…
"If the 'clubhouse cancer' crowd is right, you see it immediately at Low A and cut me. You lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club. If there’s massive negative PR, which we already know there won’t be, you just cut me and move on. The story is dead in a couple days, you lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club."
In the comments on Bauer's post, someone challenged him on the notion that "we already know there won't be" any negative PR if he is signed. In response, Bauer pointed to his current stint with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League to support his argument.
"Where has the negative PR been?" wrote Bauer, who is 3-1 this season and pitched a no-hitter for the Ducks late last month. "I’m playing in America. In New York of all places. Most 'hostile' media market in the United States. Stadiums are sold out when I pitch. There’s no boycotts. No media frenzy. Where is it?"
Read more:Inside the mechanics Shohei Ohtani is working on to end his slump
Bauer wrote in his proposal that if none of the negatives he laid out earlier happen, then the organization can promote their cost-free pitcher through the ranks, re-evaluating him every step of the way, until he reaches the big leagues — "if I earn it," he wrote, "which you'd be 100% in control of deciding."
"If you don’t think I’m good enough, you lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club," Bauer wrote. "You could take away my 'antics'. You could take away my social media. You could ask anything of me. If I don’t comply, you cut me, lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club."
One X user asked why Bauer doesn't just take away his "antics" on his own.
"Because no teams actually care about that," Bauer responded. "They enjoy the content. And I’m not going to rob baseball fans of great baseball entertainment just to solve a problem that only exists in the minds of x bots."
Informed that the MLB Players Assn. might have an issue with him playing for free, Bauer replied, "Who gives a crap about what mlbpa does or doesn’t want?"
This isn't the first time Bauer has made what he considers to be a low-risk proposal for an organization to bring him back into the league. In 2024, Bauer spoke with The Times' Bill Shaikin about an offer he made to play for the league minimum.
Read more:Q&A: What might an MLB owner ask Trevor Bauer? Here's a transcript of what he had to say
"The reason for that was, I want to go back to work, and I am trying to find any way that I possibly can to limit the risk and exposure for a team," Bauer said. "I realize there are a lot of other things, outside of the on-field stuff, that go into whether to sign me. So I figured that, if I could limit the on-field risk as much as possible, perhaps that offsets some of the other perceived risks."
It remains to be seen whether any club is willing to take up Bauer on his current offer.
"What logical reason is there to not do this?" Bauer wrote. "At worst, you cut me and there’s no risk to the big league club. At best, you get a Cy Young winner for $0 who you know can still pitch and could help the big league team if and when you see fit."
Former Miami Marlins president David Samson weighed in on Bauer's proposal in a post on X.
"This will never happen," Samson wrote. "First of all, no team wants to sign him. Secondly, no player is allowed to play for $0. And finally, no team wants to sign him."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NBA Playoff Friday discussion
Here are the NBA playoff games for Friday, May 8, 2026:
- New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers — 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
- San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves — 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
In addition, the Washington Mystics are playing tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on ion when they take on the Toronto Tempo. Enjoy the basketball tonight!
Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins Game Thread
After their first home series win of the season, the Nats hit the road looking to keep up the momentum. The Nats have been road warriors, with a 12-7 record away from home. However, series openers have been an issue for them lately. They will do battle with the Marlins for the first time this season.
With a lefty on the mound, Blake Butera made a few alterations. James Wood will be off his feet today, getting the start at the DH spot. That means Joey Wiemer will be out in right field. Curtis Mead will remain the first baseman and hit second. After his fantastic game yesterday, Keibert Ruiz will get another start behind the plate. Foster Griffin will toe the slab for the Nats.
The Marlins have a highly touted prospect making his MLB debut tonight. Robby Snelling, the number 32 prospect in baseball, will be pitching tonight. The lefty has been outstanding in AAA, possessing big time swing and miss stuff. He will be throwing to a rookie catcher as well in Joe Mack. The Marlins middle infield duo of Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards have been outstanding this year, and are at the top of the Marlins lineup.
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Game Info:
Stadium: loanDepot Park
Time: 7:10 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
The Nats come into this series with some good vibes after finally exorcizing their home demons. Now they hit the road to play a divisional foe. This will be a good test for the boys, as the Marlins are a team that will punish you if you are not up for the fight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Mariners Game #39, Preview and Discussion: 5/8/26, SEA at CHW
The Mariners take their talents to the South Side of Chicago tonight, where temperatures will be in the high 50s, with winds under 10 mph and no rain in the forecast. Could the Mariners possibly play a normal game at Guaranteed Rate Field?
Emerson Hancock will take the ball for the sailors, fresh off one of the great games of recent Mariners history in which he struck out 14 and walked none over seven innings against the Royals. It brought his K%-BB% up to 25.2%, good for fourth among qualified starters, ahead of names such as Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
Sean Burke will pitch for Chicago, hoping to continue the improvements he’s shown this season, thanks in no small part to the devlopment of his sinker into a real weapon.
Lineups
That sound you hear is the collective sigh of relief across the Northwest upon seeing the most normal starting lineup since the season’s early days. Brendan Donovan has been activated off the IL, and Cal Raleigh will get the start at catcher.
This is their best collection of nine hitters, and they’ve only used it five prior times, and not since April 17th.
The White Sox’ main attraction right now is power hitter Munetaka Murakami, who will play first base and bat second. But I’m curious to get a look at this Jarred Kelenic kid in right field. His stats pages don’t indicate a strong record of production, but he’s apparently a former #6 overall pick.
Game Info
First pitch: 4:40 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old reliable
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Joel Embiid returns for Game 3 for 76ers after missing Game 2 against Knicks with ankle, hip issues
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night after he missed the previous game against the New York Knicks with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip.
Embiid struggled through a short night in the Knicks’ 137-98 romp in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting before the starters were benched with the game out of reach.
Embiid had been listed as probable to play in that game and the Knicks repeatedly took advantage of his lack of mobility to create open shots.
He had been expected to play Game 2 but was ruled out hours beforehand.
Embiid had an appendectomy late in the regular season. He returned during Game 4 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against Boston and helped the 76ers overcome a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Celtics.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
NBA Mock Draft has Malachi Moreno ahead of Jayden Quaintance: What about Milan Momcilovic?
Ready for a curveball?
The latest NBA Mock Draft from Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor not only has Malachi Moreno going in the first round, but even ahead of Jayden Quaintance.
Yes, this projection has Moreno going 24th overall to the New York Knicks, while Quaintance goes 29th to the Cleveland Cavaliers, nearly falling out of the first round altogether.
This would be both a shocking rise for Moreno and a stunning fall for Quaintance, though perhaps an earned one for the latter after he missed most of this past season due to the longest case of knee swelling ever recorded (we think).
I don’t agree with this projection, but if it turns out that this is how NBA executives view Moreno and Quaintance, you’d think there’s actually a chance Moreno stays in the draft and Quaintance returns to college.
The real story here is these recent mock drafts and rankings continue to suggest there’s a very real chance Moreno could hear his name called toward the end of Round 1. Could that be enough to sway him into keeping his name in the draft?
Next week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago could go a long way in deciding where Moreno is playing basketball next season.
Elsewhere, Iowa State transfer and Kentucky recruiting target Milan Momcilovic went 46th overall to the Phoenix Suns. While Momcilovic reportedly prefers to stay in the draft, if that’s the kind of projection he’s getting from NBA decision-makers, then it’s hard not to see him returning to college and collecting an NIL paycheck that could cross $5 million.
Saying this, it only takes one team to fall in love with you, and with Momcilovic’s ability to shoot scorched earth from deep, it won’t be a surprise if someone in the first round will take the gamble on him.
Also, there’s likely going to be a host of players ranked ahead of Momcilovic who return to school, including Andrej Stojaković, Matt Able, Billy Richmond, Flory Bidunga, Rueben Chinyelu, Tyler Tanner, and potentially Moreno.
It’s going to be a process, one that I’d now expect to go into deadline day on May 27 for Moreno and Momcilovic (and Quaintance if his stock really is this bad right now).
Finally, new UK graduate Otega Oweh hears his name called at pick No. 59 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the second-to-last pick of the draft. There haven’t been a lot of mock drafts with Oweh being drafted, so this is nice to see for a guy who’s undoubtedly been the MVP of the Mark Pope era thus far in Lexington (and I selfishly hope we get to see him again playing for La Familia one day).
Playoff Game Thread: Knicks at 76ers, Game 3, May 8, 2026
Tonight, the Knicks (2-0) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (0-2) at Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game Three of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s a chance for New York to take a commanding 3-0 lead on the road, but it won’t come easy. Although ESPN.com etting sites peg the Sixers as slight favorites at home. That’s mainly because the hosts will get Joel Embiid back, while the guests may be without OG Anunoby (hammy) and Josh Hart (bum thumb).
Game time is at 7 p.m. EST on Prime Video. This is your game thread. This is Liberty Ballers. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Show those Philly fans what good behavior looks like. And go Knicks!
Orioles Friday night game thread: vs Athletics, 7:05
The Orioles are back home after a brutal 2-5 road trip. Tonight starts a six-game homestand with three games vs the Athletics followed by three games vs the Yankees. It would behoove the Orioles to get off to a good start against the A’s.
The A’s are, in fact, a first-place team. They are just one game above .500 in the extremely lackluster American League. So far this season, the Orioles have scored more runs than the A’s but have also given up way more. Kyle Bradish, tonight’s starter, has been part of that problem with his 5.03 ERA in seven starts.
Starting for the A’s is lefty Jacob Lopez. It’s bad news that he’s a lefty, but good news that he’s given up even more runs than Bradish. In seven games (six starts), Lopez is sporting a 6.60 ERA. His WHIP is 1.900. Both of tonight’s starting pitchers have walked a ton of guys this year. This is kind of an even match up.
I haven’t given up on Bradish turning it around. He has the track record! Also, what choice do we have but to hope he gets better? There aren’t exactly a lot of other options.
With the lefty on the mound, Samuel Basallo has the day off. After his game-losing error yesterday, Coby Mayo is slotted in as the DH tonight. At least from there, only his bat can hurt us. Blaze Alexander will take third in his place. Lefty batting Dylan Beavers is also out of the lineup. Maybe tonight will be the night Tyler O’Neill finally starts mashing lefties.
Orioles lineup
Taylor Ward (R) LF
Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
Adley Rutschman (S) C
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
Coby Mayo (R) DH
Leody Taveras (S) CF
Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
Blaze Alexander (R) 3B
Athletics Lineup
Nick Kurtz (L) 1B
Shea Langeliers (R) C
Tyler Soderstrom (L) LF
Brent Rooker (R) DH
Carlos Cortes (L) RF
Jacob Wilson (R) SS
Lawrence Butler (L) CF
Zack Gelof (R) 3B
Jeff McNeil (L) 2B
Let’s go O’s!