NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and the surging Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.
Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Toronto and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.
McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.
Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 3: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves goes to the basket against Joel Embiid #21 and Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 3, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“We realized it was a basketball game, not a football game,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said coming out of the locker room at halftime on the television broadcast on Friday night.
Nori, his usual entertaining self during halftime interviews, was referring to an abominable first quarter in which the Wolves shot just 2-14 from three and traded bricks with the home Philadelphia 76ers.
Donte DiVincenzo was struggling, Ayo Dosunmu was scoreless at halftime, and Anthony Edwards was not himself. Yet with all of those things working against them, the Wolves still found themselves up at the half heading into the locker room on the back of a strong Bones Hyland performance (21 points in the game) and a steady Julius Randle game in all facets (21 points).
Up 10 points and in full control of the game at 10:51 in the third quarter, the 76ers would assemble a 17-4 run over the next four minutes, and end the quarter up 12 points. Both Tyrese Maxey (21 points) and Joel Embiid (19 points) had quiet first halves, but were large parts in spearheading that run. Maxey particularly was relentless in attacking downhill, and exposed a weak interior for the Wolves with Rudy Gobert off the floor.
“We started to play for the foul, and they got loose in transition,” coach Chris Finch said after the game.
Maxey’s downhill mentality and Embiid’s awakening would lead to a 52-40 Philly advantage in the paint, which would ultimately decide the game.
The good news? Dosunmu woke up in the second half. Hyland was his usual energetic self, and Julius Randle looks to be rounding into form at a time of year where his team needs it most.
The bad? The franchise player is still clearly not doing well. Until playoff time, that has to be the number one priority.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 3: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76erson April 3, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Get Well Soon
Frankly, there’s not much more to write about this one. The Wolves got outplayed and Anthony Edwards might have had his worst game of the season. If he makes a few more shots, we’re likely talking about this game being very different.
But it wasn’t the case. Edwards went 3-15 from the field and 0-7 from three, just his third game of the season where he failed to make a three pointer. Sitting out Thursday night due to an illness in addition to his knee soreness he’s been nursing for the last month or so, Edwards gutted it out and made his return on the tail end of a back to back.
Finch said after the game that he clearly lacked juice with some of the ailments that he had heading into the game, but that it wasn’t an excuse for an underwhelming performance. I apologize for the account I’m about to drop below, but they actually put a pretty solid montage together of some of the lowlights, including the missed dunk early in the game.
Not only was Edwards not active on either side of the ball and seemed to be out of it overall, but his jumper mechanics were extremely bad. He didn’t have much elevation or balance on his shot, which historically does show that something might be a little off.
There’s no question that his knee might still be bothering him a little bit, and that he’s still clearly a little under the weather. All likely affected his game this evening. But moving forward, his health must be a priority over everything else. If this version of his jumpshot is what ends up surfacing in a couple weeks, the Wolves will find themselves in trouble.
Up Next
The Wolves will head back to Target Center for an Easter Sunday track meet against the elite offense of the Charlotte Hornets. Fifth in the NBA in offensive rating this season and the likely Rookie of the Year in the fold, Charlotte presents a good test for the Wolves, but an opportunity to get a quality win to find themselves for the home stretch of the season.
Mar 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images | Mady Mertens-Imagn Images
The Hawks came out hot in Brooklyn — and as they should against a very inexperienced Nets squad. Within five minutes, it was 16-4 good guys, and it didn’t look like the home team could put up any fight.
Atlanta was basically a hot knife to the soft butter of Brooklyn. They diced up the defense with great ball movement like this:
At the halfway point of the first quarter, the lead was now 22-8 and the Hawks didn’t look as though they’d slow down.
And the rain of fire continued throughout the quarter save for a last-minute flurry from the Nets. The team lost their focus, and they let a 35-17 edge dwindle to 35-25 after one quarter.
Spanning the two quarters, the Hawks ceded a 14-0 run, and they had no one but themselves to blame. Poor execution on offense and a handful of ugly turnovers turned a blowout back into a competitive game.
The Hawks eventually got it together and proved they’re the better team in this matchup. Plays like this from Daniels helped stem the tide:
At that point, the Hawk maintained a roughly 10-point lead for a while as the Nets continued to hang in the game with transition points and downhill slashing.
The Hawks opened the game back up with a flurry of turnovers forced from the starting unit. Dyson Daniels, alone, had four steals, and those became fast break points more often than not.
A made three to begin the next quarter made it 15-for-30 shooting from three for the Hawks tonight. And the Hawks basically ended the game at the three-point lead within the first four minutes of the quarters, with Corey Kispert in particular swishing the nets (pun intended) at will:
It was a drama-less end to the game, with the Hawks waiving the white flag with around five minutes left. Asa even Newell saw his first NBA action in almost two months in the blowout.
The Hawks won 141-107 in a game that ended up being fairly close for over three quarters.
CJ McCollum had 25 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting. Jalen Johnson added 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
Atlanta returns home to take on the 3-seed New York Knicks on Monday.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 03: Starting pitcher Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs of the home opener at Progressive Field on April 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well. What a game. Cantillo was nearly perfect this afternnon, going 5 1/3 innings of “1-run” ball. He notched 6 strikeouts, walking only 2. I put 1-run ball in quotations because, if you watched the game, that run being earned is nonsense. For those who might not have watched, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a lazy fly just past the infield to which Jose, Arias, and Kwan all converged. Arias called off Jose and Kwan, and then proceeded to let the ball drop. PCA got to second on that error-that-somehow-wasn’t-an-error. The Cubs brought PCA home right after. Cantillo wasn’t in the zone much today, but got the Cubs to chase quite a bit. He did a fantastic job of limiting hard contact, only surrendering 1 batted ball over 100 mph. That ball, for reference, was a groundball that escaped up the middle of the infield.
A few innings after the Cubs scored, the Guardians put guys on second and third with DeLauter coming up to bat. Counsell had brought in submarine lefty Hoby Milner to face the top of the Guardians’ order, and DeLauter did this against him:
The kid just won’t stop hitting. Arias, shown in this video, did in fact get thrown out at the plate… somehow. From a different angle, it looked like he got a pretty bad jump. Despite there being two outs, he got a bad jump. Speaking of jumps, Connor Brogdon pitched the 7th. Facing Matt Shaw, he surrendered a ball that was smoked to right-center, and Daniel Scheneemann was able to reel it in with this unbelievable play.
DeLauter went 3-4 in his regular season debut in Cleveland, notching 2 singles and a 2-run homer. For those keeping count, he’s slashing .346/.370/.923 through 27 plate appearances, good for a 271 wRC+. He’s up to 5 HRs and 8 RBI.
Flying somewhat under the radar was what is, somehow, an almost routine thing for Jose Ramirez. After the homer, he softly served a liner into center. What made that a signature Jose play was him somehow turning that into a double. Not many people turn 73 mph line drives up the middle into doubles.
And not to let CTC figurehead Quincy Wheeler’s favorite reliever go unnoticed… Matt Festa pitched today! He came on for Cantillo with runners on, and got back-to-back pop-ups to end the 6th.
Armstrong pitched a clean 8th, and Cade shut the door in the 9th. Cade was much better today. He was able to throw his splitter more consistently for strikes, which had been a problem for him so far this year. Hopefully, that’s a good sign.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Tyler Mahle #54 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the New York Yankees in the second inning at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue their four-game series against the New York Mets tonight at Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who finished the 2025 season with a 2.18 ERA, 3.37 FIP, with 66 strikeouts to 29 walks in 86.2 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Giants’ 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday, in which he allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk in four innings.
He’ll be facing off against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean, who finished the 2025 season with a 2.06 ERA, 2.97 FIP, with 57 strikeouts to 16 walks in 48 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, in which he allowed two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners plays shortstop during a 7-2 Seattle Mariners win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 26, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
J.P. Crawford is back in the lineup Friday as the Mariners begin their first road trip of the season.
Crawford was activated from the injured list Thursday. He makes his 2026 debut in what very well may be his last season with the Mariners.
Bryan Woo is on the mound and will look to build off a solid six inning, nine strikeout performance last week against the Guardians.
The Mariners send their lefty lineup to face Reid Detmers, who Jake Mailhot covered in our series preview.
Lineups
Game Info
First pitch: 6:38 PM PDT TV: Mariners TV and MLB Network (for those out of market). For how to watch, Kate’s got the details. Radio: 710 KIRO
In the top of the ninth inning, Miami’s Xavier Edwards smoked a hard liner at 96.4 mph to left off lefty reliever Ryan Yarbrough, sending Bellinger back toward the warning track.
Bellinger leapt off the edge of the outfield grass, knocking the ball down but could not snag it.
However, as he came back down to earth, Bellinger blindly swiped at the ball with his gloved hand and came up with it for the out.
Bellinger lifted up both of his hands as he rested against the outfield wall, with adoring fans in the Yankee Stadium bleachers cheering him on.
New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) catches a fly ball by Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards (9) during the ninth inning of a home-opener baseball game, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. AP
He admitted after the game that he got a bit “lucky” with the snag.
“I feel like I had a good bead on it the whole way,” he told reporters after the victory. “I think it caught off my wrist. I really don’t know. I’m just glad I came down with it.”
Fans celebrate New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) after catching a fly ball by Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards (9) during the ninth inning of a home-opener baseball game, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. AP
Bellinger has been known for his defensive prowess during his career, winning a Gold Glove with the Dodgers during the 2019 season. During his first season in pinstripes, Bellinger recorded seven outs above average to rank in the 93rd percentile in the category, according to Baseball Savant.
The outfielder went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double, walk and run scored.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 3: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolveson April 3, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Don’t look now, but the Sixers haven’t just won two games in a row, they’ve won two third quarters in a row.
Philadelphia took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 Friday night.
They are now 43-34 and will remain in the sixth seed.
Paul George had the only good first half for Philly, leading them with 23 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Tyrese Maxey came storming out of halftime to lead the Sixers with 21 points and eight assists shooting 7-of-13 from the floor. Joel Embiid was also able to shake off the first half to finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds going 6-of-17 from the floor.
VJ Edgecombe was never able to find much space, finishing with just eight points on nine shots. Bones Hyland and Julius Randle led the Wolves with 21 apiece.
Jaden McDaniels was out for the Wolves with a knee injury while the Sixers were only without Johni Broome (meniscus tear).
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
Despite getting some good looks the Sixers opened the game pretty sloppy. They had two turnovers, throwing the ball way behind its target. Embiid gave up a couple offensive rebounds and missed a couple shots that are normally automatic for him. Edgecombe and George both hit their first jumpers of the game, Maxey and Dominick Barlow were able to get out and run early, and Minnesota missed six of their first seven shots.
The Wolves did look like they had played the night before, but the Sixers defense was stellar to start the night, especially protecting the rim. They blocked several shots in the first — Maxey and Barlow each impressively denying a shot in transition. Embiid hit a jumper coming out of a timeout, but he still couldn’t find a rhythm. He had a three-point shot blocked and undid Maxey’s block by immediately turning it over. He was able to make up for that at least by swatting the following Wolves’ shot.
Barlow really was everywhere, pulling down seven rebounds in the quarter before having to sit with two fouls. George replaced him and broke down his defender off the dribble to nail a jumper on his first touch back before getting to the line the following possession. He tried to take Donte DiVincenzo off the dribble with the quarter winding down, but the ball got booted into the stands, a good summary of the offensive production from both teams so far. DiVincenzo hit a corner three on the other end to pull Minnesota within two.
Second Quarter
More solid stuff from George to start the second as he got himself a pull-up, found a cutting Adem Bona on the baseline, and got to the line again. The first player to get anything going offensively though was Bones Hyland. He ripped off 14 in the quarter, impressively drawing a foul on a floater before heating up from outside.
Kyle Anderson was also becoming a problem, getting a few floaters with that old guy at the YMCA bag. The Sixers’ offense had dried up despite a Maxey and Embiid lineup taking the floor. They went over three minutes without a basket in the half court. To pile on Embiid was grabbing his side after a Julius Randle drive, Maxey was favoring his back after getting tied up on a jump ball with Ayo Dosunmu, and George was bonked on the head by Rudy Gobert incidentally going up for a rebound.
Embiid’s 1-of-10 half would have looked a lot better if a couple shots didn’t rim out, but at the same time he was settling for a lot of jumpers. He only took three shots in the paint and was favoring his side for much of the second quarter, but the recovery he made to block a Dosunmu layup did look pretty good. George continued to be the only Sixer shooting it well though, and silly mistakes followed him as well such as getting T’d up for throwing the ball against the stanchion. After Anthony Edwards made that technical free throw, George hit two more as well to make it a six-point deficit at the break.
Third Quarter
On the first possession of the second half, Embiid made as many field goals as he had all first half, but Maxey came out of the half showing a bit more aggression. After he buried a three, he was able to get all the way to the rim for a layup. Another drive led to a wide open kick to Barlow but he couldn’t hit it. That remained the only flaw of Barlow’s night though as he was everywhere around the rim, swatting Gobert for his third block of the night.
Barlow was rewarded for those efforts immediately as Embiid hit him with a lob in transition. They were able to string a couple solid possessions on offense together and took the lead back after a George steal caused another fast break. That amounted to a 10-0 Sixers run that ironically was halted after the Sixers won a challenge to take possession back.
With the Sixers shooting under 20% from three for most of the night, anytime the Wolves made a couple in a row it looked like the game could get out of hand. Embiid and Maxey kept going back to their two-man game and it finally started to pay off for them. Maxey hitting shots early in the quarter opened up space for whichever one of the two was catching the drop off from the other. Feeling the need for more size, the Sixers played Embiid with Andre Drummond for the last couple minutes of the quarter. They held the Wolves to one point over that stretch, going on a 15-1 run to go up by 12.
Fourth Quarter
The minutes with just Drummond started a bit rockier. He gave up a few offensive rebounds, including one he had secured that Randle was able to turn into a jump ball. He did steal the ball off Edwards though, put back a dunk, and threw a nice hit ahead pass as Quentin Grimes was trying his hardest to push the pace. All in all, Drummond ended up being a +11 in his nine minutes of play.
It helped that the Wolves gave them of plenty of opportunities, but the Sixers constantly being able to get on the fast break is why they were able to pull away. It was the only time Edgecombe found space to do anything. Minnesota kept a lid on him in the half court for much of the night.
Right after he and Maxey checked back in, Embiid fouled Dosunmu on a three-point attempt, the four-point play making it just a 10-point game with still over four minutes to go. An ugly turnover by George allowed them to cut it to seven a few possessions later. Edgecombe was able to get to the basket for a layup, his best look in the half-court since the first possession of the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. did the same and got fouled in the processs, converting the and-1. Oubre answered four more Wolves points with a three in the corner and one more from the top of the key on the following possession to put the game away.
The Greenville Drive fought back late in their season opener before ultimately falling in extras to the Greensboro Grasshoppers, 9-5 in 11 innings on Thursday.
The Drive had been shut out through eight innings before Freili Encarnacion delivered a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game 3-3. It was an oppo blast, and Freili was deservedly fired up.
FREILI ENCARNACION TIES IT WITH A THREE-RUN HOME RUN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH pic.twitter.com/0EZfwylj2H
Each team scored in the tenth, with Greenville tying the game once again due to a balk, before the Grasshoppers opened things up with five runs in the eleventh.
Spring training helium lefty Juan Valera got the start and struck out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Reliever Joey Gartrell relieved Valera, pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings. The loss went to Jay Allmer, who allowed four runs (two earned) in the tenth and eleventh innings. Third baseman Jack Winnay had the lone multi-hit effort for the Drive.
Kyson Witherspoon will make his debut tonight at 6:45 ET, toeing the rubber for the Drive.
Minor league franchises are meant to have outrageous, multisyllabic, and often fictitious nicknames. The Salem Red Sox did not qualify. The RidgeYaks sound badass. And they won in their first game of the rebrand.
Dylan Brown was the Red Sox’ eighth-round pick in 2025 out of Old Dominion, and in his first minor league start, he threw a beauty. Brown struck out six in five shutout innings, allowing only two baserunners. He threw a tidy 52 pitches, which got him through five to qualify for the Win.
On the offensive side for the RidgeYaks, Skylar King had two doubles, which knocked in a total of three runs on the day. Starlyn Nunez and D’Angelo Ortiz each had two hits, with Nunez stealing a base and Ortiz stealing two.
On Friday at 6:35 ET, Madinson Frias will make his first outing of the season.
Worcester Red Sox at St. Paul Saints (ppd.)
Thursday’s game in St. Paul was rained out. The teams will try again tonight at 7:37 ET with Worcester’s starter TBD.
The Portland Sea Dogs will kick things off this evening at 6:35 ET as Blake Wehunt takes the hill.
Apr 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor (12) warms up before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – 1B
Mark Vientos – DH
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – RF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Nolan McLean – RHP
Giants lineup
Willy Adames – SS
Rafael Devers – DH
Luis Arráez – 2B
Matt Chapman – 3B
Jung Hoo Lee – RF
Heliot Ramos – LF
Harrison Bader – CF
Patrick Bailey – C
Casey Schmitt – 1B
Tyler Mahle – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 10:15pm EDT TV: WPIX Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
he Houston Astros (5-2) travel to the Athletics (1-5) tonight In Sacrament0 in the first game of a three game series.
Astros game three starterRHP Cristian Javier will make his second start of the season for the Astros, this time opposite LHP Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics.
Friday’S TILT: The Astros and Athletics will play the first game of their three-game series tonight as Houston goes for their sixth straight win.
ON THE HUNT: RHP Cristian Javier is making his second start of the season after getting knocked around in 4.2 innings in game three. He carries am 11.57 ERA with one strikeout and four walks.
Javier came back in August of last season following Tommy John surgery. He finished 2-4 on the season with a 4.62 ERA in 37.0 innings. He added 34 strikeouts and 15 walks in those innings.
ASTROS VS. Springs: The Astros are squaring off against Springs for the fifth time in his young career. He is 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA and ten strikeouts against the Astros. Springs comes in with a 0-0 record and 3.38 ERA after his first start.
RIVALRY VS. THE ATHLETICS: The Astros and Athletics have squared off 182 times in their history. They have a 101-81 against the Athletics in their lifetime. However, the Athletics were 8-5 against the Astros in the 2025 season.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed IF Isaac Paredes on the Bereavement Leave…to take his place on the active roster, Houston has recalled IF Shay Whitcomb.
Jorge Polanco is not in the Mets' lineup on Friday as he misses his second of the team's last four games with what the team is calling Achilles tendinitis.
It's a condition that Polanco has dealt with since the second game of the regular season. The Mets have tried to accommodate Polanco by having him start as the DH to get him off his feet, and it seemed to be working, but playing in Thursday's loss set the veteran infielder back.
"Better today, but after the game last night, he was sore," manager Carlos Mendoza said before Friday's game. "That’s why we decided to give him the first half of the game off. And see how he was going to feel this morning. Luckily, in a better place."
With the up-and-down nature of how Polanco has been feeling, Mendoza was asked if he's concerned, and the Mets skipper downplayed it a bit.
"I’m not going to say concerned, it’s a day-to-day [situation]," he said. "He’s got days where he feels it more. For the past couple of days, he was in a pretty good place until last night. We’ll have to continue to monitor it. He’s getting a lot of treatment. Trainers are working really hard with it. As of right now, it’s day-to-day type deal, and we’ll go from there.
"He’s going to have some good days and out of nowhere, he’s going to start feeling it. And that’s what happened last night."
With Polanco DHing, Mark Vientos and Jared Young have started at first base. But with Polanco out of the lineup altogether, that's allowed Brett Baty to man first base with Vientos starting at DH for the second game of the team's four-game set in San Francisco.
So far this season, Polanco is 4-for-23 across six games.
Carlos Mendoza says that Jorge Polanco is feeling "better today" as he deals with Achilles tendonitis pic.twitter.com/d2ZP6YhmZH
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 02: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammate Austin Riley #27 after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field on April 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves have started the season with three straight series-opening wins after last night’s 17-2 thumping of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now they go for their first three-game winning streak of the season in Game 2 of the four-game series Friday night in Phoenix. Atlanta will give the ball to Grant Holmes as he looks to bounce back from a loss in his first start of the season Sunday vs. Kansas City.
The second straight late-night start is set for a 9:45 p.m. EST first pitch and will be broadcast on Apple TV.
Stay locked in here as Atlanta looks to move into sole possession of first place in the NL East (entirely too early to be worried about this but after last year’s start, it should be acknowledged) and watch for our West Coast correspondent Scott Coleman’s recap late tonight.
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 30: A general view of the exterior of Chase field is seen prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, March 30, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
BRAVES
DIAMONDBACKS
Ronald Acuna – RF
Ketel Marte – 2B
Drake Baldwin – DH
Corbin Carroll – RF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Matt Olson – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Austin Riley – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Eli White – LF
Alek Thomas – CF
Mauricio Dubon – SS
James McCann – C
Michael Harris – CF
Carlos Santana – 1B
Jonah Heim – C
Tim Tawa – LF
Grant Holmes – RHP
E. Rodriguez – LHP
And, no – I will not be including James McCann’s interesting appearance on the mound yesterday, in the chart above. Over the Statcast era, there have been a total of 19 pitches thrown by Diamondbacks which came in at a velocity below forty miles per hour. Fourteen of them were thrown by McCann last night: the others belonged to Josh Rojas (2), Jose Herrera (2) and Tucker Barnhart (1). McCann bottomed out at just 35.8 mph, the slowest pitch recorded in Arizona franchise history. Mind you, that was still lickety-split compared to the 33.6 mph lollipop delivered by Dylan Moore of the Phillies to CJ Abrams on Monday. The all-time low? 21.7 mph by… Garrett Crochet? Of course, there’s a caveat…
After that unfortunate pounding, it’ll be interesting to see how the D-backs bounce back, especially given the equally unfortunate loss of Jordan Lawlar. Just after he had hit his first home-run as well, and had got his numbers for the season up to 6-for-18 with a .956 OPS. Small sample size, but there’s no arguing that Lawlar looked an awful lot better this year than he had previously. Despite a gaffe last night, his performance in the outfield had generally been solid, especially considering the near-total lack of professional experience Jordan had at the position. Hope he heals quickly and fully, and returns to take up where he left off.
Tonight, we’ll get to see if Eduardo Rodriguez’s first start was a genuine turn for the better, or if it needs to filed in the “one swallow doesn’t make a summer” category. It wasn’t the deepest of outings, going only five innings. He wasn’t particularly inefficient, using 79 pitches to get to that point. I think it was more a case of it being so early in the season. I’d imagine the training wheels are off tonight, with regard to pitch count, and we could probably do with a quality start from E-Rod, give the bullpen a bit of a breather.
By the time the Yankees finished blasting the Miami Marlins 8-2 in their home opener Friday afternoon, two things felt true about the group many accused of running things back at the expense of pushing them forward.
First, the 2026 Yankees are good enough to win the World Series. Second, it is way too soon to say so.
Because even if their season falls apart for one reason or another, few teams can win the way the Yankees did Friday -- let alone the way they have been winning all week, against strong opponents and struggling ones alike.
Consider this: On Friday, sophomore righty Will Warren forced his Yankees to suffer through the worst start they’ve endured all season. The torture included all of two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings that required just 77 pitches. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Their starters’ ERA bloated to an unwieldy 0.92 in seven games – four earned runs, 41 strikeouts.
“They’re just dictating the at-bat, I feel like. They’re getting ahead. They’re working all their pitches on the corners,” Yankee captain Aaron Judge said. “Those guys, if you get in good counts against hitters, it’s a tough at-bat. So them getting ahead 0-1, 0-2, just putting the pressure on guys at-bat after at-bat, it’s tough for an offense to kind of get rolling when that happens.”
According to researcher Sarah Langs, only two teams have allowed as few runs (eight) in the first seven games of their season as these Yankees: The 2002 San Francisco Giants and the 1993 Atlanta Braves. One of those teams played in the World Series. And the other was building what would become one of the best starting rotations of the modern era.
But while the sample might be small, the relevant context is immense: The rotation making that history does not include its most proven ace, Gerrit Cole, or his fellow top-of-the-rotation anchor Carlos Rodon, both of whom are working their way back from injuries. When they do, Warren -- the man who started more games as a rookie in 2025 than any Yankee pitcher had in decades – will slide into the fifth spot in their rotation.
Now, of course, no pitcher looks the same after a major injury, at least not at first. And Warren or fellow youngster Cam Schlittler could regress – their track records aren’t long enough to call either of them sure things.
Still, the thing that makes the Yankees hopeful that running things back will actually push them deeper into October is the potential for the opposite effect: With expanded pitch arsenals and jumps in velocity, respectively, both Schlittler and Warren look capable of taking steps forward in 2026.
The same could be true for first baseman Ben Rice – though again, no decisions should be made after one productive season and one solid opening week.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during the first inning of the home opener baseball game between the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY, Friday, April 3, 2026. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rice, who struck out in his first three at-bats Friday, was so flustered by the experience that he homered in the seventh before doubling in the eighth. He is hitting .409 with a 1.364 OPS.
“I think Benny can really hit,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Rice could be one of the best hitters in baseball this year. “I think he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter. I think he will be for a long time.”
If Rice can duplicate or improve on the 26 homers he hit last season, the Yankees will once again be the kind of power-heavy lineup it has been for several years. But between homers from Rice and Judge on Friday, they displayed another weapon they have not always had in that time: Team speed and aggressive baserunning.
Almost every Yankee who had a chance to run did so Friday, but the speedsters in the back half of the lineup never stopped. Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, stole second, then stole third before scoring in the second inning. Jose Cabellero stole second both times he reached first. After Chisholm Jr. doubled and tagged on a routine fly ball to right field in the third inning, Caballero tried to squeeze him home with a two-out bunt. Cabellero and Chisholm Jr. combined to steal 80 bases in 2025. They have seven between them in seven games this year.
But even Yankees less known for speed pushed the limits against a Marlins battery not known for controlling the running game. Judge stole a base. Austin Wells (successful) and Trent Grisham (unsuccessful, but only because his momentum carried him off third base) attempted to tag on balls hit in front of them. Yankees runners were in motion, and they scored an extra run or two because of it.
“I think we became that in the second half of last season, where night in and night out we were rolling a good amount of speed and some athletes out there to where that slowly became a little more of our identity,” Boone said. “Obviously, having a lot of the same group now, we have a handful of guys who can really push it in the run game.”
Now, of course, in small samples like this one, winning can camouflage mediocrity. A very similar Yankees bunch was not exactly a baserunning model in 2025 (According to Baseball Savant, only two teams generated fewer runs by taking the extra base than the Yankees did in 2025, though they did create more runs via stolen base than all but four.)
“Guys laying down bunts, guys moving runners over, guys taking the extra base when they can,” Judge said. “It’s just little things like that that if we do that over 162 and into the postseason, good things are going to happen.”
Maybe this is just one of those halcyon weeks when everything is going right. Then again, few teams have the talent to make things go this right, across three cities, in less-than-ideal weather conditions, with two of their best starting pitchers injured and…
Nevermind. Best to be reasonable. It is, after all, way too soon to tell.
