Now, get ready for Game No. 13! The Royals are 5-7 after their first dozen games. Don’t fret just yet, there are still 150 of these things left. But I’d sure like to see the Royals win, if not sweep, this four-game series against the White Sox, which Max previews here.
Tonight’s game begins at 6:40 p.m.
For the Royals, Seth Lugo is on the mound. Lugo has pitched very well over two starts this young season, one against the Braves and one against the Brewers, which makes this, oddly, his first start against an American League team.
Against the Brewers in his most recent outing, he lasted only five innings as he threw 103 pitches, allowing four hits, two walks, and two earned while striking out seven. After he left the game, the Royals’ offense broke it open. The team is 2-0 in Lugo’s starts.
The Pale Hose turn to lefty Anthony Kay, who spent the last two years pitching in Japan. Already this season he’s started one game and appeared in relief in another. He’s walked (six) more than he’s struck out (five) over nine innings with a ghastly 6.96 FIP. He last won a game in the Majors in 2021.
After catching consecutive games, Carter Jensen gets the day off. Glad to see Cags in there against a lefty this early in the season. Aside from Lane Thomas starting in right, I like this lineup a lot.
Hey, look, it’s former Royal Andrew Benintendi. Cool. Great guy. I’ve never written anything about him that argues otherwise, so don’t bother looking it up.
Anyway, it cracks me up that he has the largest contract in White Sox history. Or does he? Did Murakami break it? Let’s sleuth. [Types into Google machine] Yep, still Benintendi at 5/$75m though Murakami earns more per year with a 2/$34m deal.
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 23: OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on February 23, 2025 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight the Knicks (51*-28) host the Celtics (54-25) at Madison Square Garden. It’s an Eastern Conference showdown that could be a playoff-preview. Our heroes lead the season series 2-1.
As of this writing, Boston’s injury report lists four starters, and there’s a chance that Joe Mazzulla will rest them, given that a win is not necessary to secure the second-seed. However, the last time Jayson Tatum saw the Knicks, he left the court with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Perhaps the visitors will rally ‘round the tater and treat this as revenge game?
Game time is 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG and Amazon Prime. This is your game thread. This is CelticsBlog. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Enjoy yourselves. And go Knickerbockers!
* Should be one more, but NBA Cup victories prefer to live in the shadows.
Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage (39) celebrates after winning game two of the ALDS against the New York Yankees for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Very little going on today, except a couple of minor MiLB notes:
Trey Yesavage went 2.2 innings for Dunedin this afternoon. The surface results, 4 earned on 4 hits and a walk, aren’t great, but all four hits were singles. More importantly, he got 10 whiffs on 20 total swings and sat 94-96 all the way through the outing while commanding his pitches. That suggests that he’s close to ready to move up, and probably only a couple of turns away from being able to go 80+ pitches. The Jays will evaluate how he feels and make a decision about his next appearance later this week. We might yet see him with the big club this month.
In that same fame, Jojo Parker recorded his first pro extra base hit, on a lined ground rule double:
Austin Voth and Josh Fleming have reportedly both cleared waivers and elected free agency. Both were clearly short term stopgaps in Toronto, and with Patrick Corbin now up and starting in Cody Ponce’s spot for the foreseeable future and Joe Mantiply tapped for Brendon Little’s former lefty specialist role, they’ll move on to seek greener pastures. Farewell Austin and Josh, we hardly knew ye.
Also, the Yankees lot to the homeless A’s, which foe all this has been a rough start the Jays can at least say they have not done. So that’s nice.
we’ll be back with actual Blue Jays baseball tomorrow.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -APRIL 8: Keldon Johnson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs and Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trailblazers dive for a loose ball in the second half at Frost Bank Center on April 8, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, and still controlled the game in the 112-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. They got contributions up and down the roster to fill in for two of their stars. The Spurs’ bench outscored Portland’s 48-10.
Keldon Johnson and Carter Bryant were brilliant off the bench in the win and earned some of the top player grades for the Spurs. As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
Fox kicked things off and closed them out for the Spurs. He scored 10 of his 25 points in the first four minutes of the game. He was a pest on the perimeter and scored easy buckets in transition to keep the Spurs in the game against Portland early. When it looked like the Blazers might make a comeback in the fourth quarter, Fox hit a clutch three to extend the lead to 9. The team never looked back from there.
This is the type of performance Fox has given all season when Wembanyama sits. He takes over the offense in stretches and is the team’s steadying hand late in the game. Some rough turnovers hold this back from being an A-performance, but it was just the pick-me-up Fox needed before heading into the playoffs.
This may have been Harper’s most impactful defensive game this season. He was all over the court, walling off drives, grabbing steals, and blocking a couple of shots. He contested with the Blazers’ guards all night and made it tough for them to get into a real rhythm. It was the kind of game you’d expect more from Stephon Castle, who missed the game with a knee injury.
Harper continued to play well offensively by getting two feet into the paint, although he didn’t finish as often against Portland. He did, however, make one of the more impressive step-back threes I’ve seen from him this year.
What Champagnie didn’t do offensively, he made up for defensively. It was a cold shooting night for Champagnie, whose only basket came on a fast-break dunk. He was impactful defensively, though. Champagnie was just solid on that end against the Blazers’ tough wings. His box score won’t make anyone look twice, but it felt like the Spurs played better when he was on the floor.
It’s fair to say that Kornet owns the Trail Blazers. After scoring 20+ in his last game against them, he was a huge difference maker on Wednesday. His paint defense was among the best of the season, as he broke up lobs and contested drivers at the rim. He may have only gotten 5 rebounds, but he impacted the boards by tipping the ball back to the perimeter for his teammates to save the possession.
It wasn’t a Wembanyama-level defensive performance, but there is no way the Spurs win this game without Cool Hand Luke holding it down inside.
It wasn’t quite the offensive explosion that we have gotten accustomed to in games without Wembanyama, but Vassell was solid against Portland. He hit some difficult shots, including a tough mid-range jumper over the top of Donovan Clingan. Defensively, he chipped in with a few steals.
Barnes has been quiet recently. He was a part of the Spurs’ small-ball lineup that crushed the Blazers, which is why his +/- numbers look so good (more on that later). San Antonio needs him to hit shots in the playoffs if he is going to play major minutes.
Johnson was EVERYWHERE on Wednesday. In what could have been his best performance of the year, KJ got to the basket at will, dove after loose balls, and kept possessions alive with offensive rebounding. It was a great reminder of why he is currently the betting favorite (-900) to win Sixth Man of the Year on FanDuel.
I thought it was funny that Johnson seemed to go especially at his former teammates, Sidy Cissoko and Blake Wesley. When they were guarding him, KJ got straight to the rim and scored.
Bryant scored a career-high 17 points in his best game of the season. He was confident on both ends, hitting threes and holding his position against bigger offensive players on defense. You could see something click with him around the second quarter of this game. He started to be more physical on screens and in the paint, and he took wide-open shots without hesitation. If this is a glimpse into who Bryant can be for years to come, the Spurs may have gotten a steal with the 14th overall pick.
McLaughlin is just solid. He came in and did his job for 9 minutes, playing pesky perimeter defense, taking care of the ball, and playing within the flow of the offense. He’s about all the Spurs could ask for in a fourth guard.
Grade: B
Monday’s Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller
Dec 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks may have clearer weaknesses than any other team that considers themselves a contender. Their best player is an undersized negative defender, the offense can be stagnant despite posting strong numbers, the outside shooting can abandon them at times, and the starting lineup often digs themselves into deep holes to start out games. But the Knicks also do a lot of things really well. Despite how the season started, their defense has statistically been amongst the best in 2026, they have two extremely talented offensive players with Jalen Brunson being one of the best postseason players in the league, and know how to win dirty.
We’ve seen this play out multiple times in varying ways. The strong fourth quarter against the Cavaliers on Christmas day, the big comeback against the Rockets, the back-to-back comebacks against the Celtics last year, and the close wins against the Pistons in the first-round last season, they’ve been there and done that when it comes to eking out wins with the exception of game one in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
While not everything during the regular season translates the post season, fans can, and likely should feel confident about the fact that this battle-tested group performed exceptionally well when it mattered most. It would be nice to see the Knicks start off games better, and not have to rely on a fourth quarter run or a late-game surge. But this should be one of the core strengths of this team come playoff time.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 04: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Athletics in the bottom of the six inning of a major league baseball game at Sutter Health Park on April 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:
Astros making roster moves:
Source: OF Taylor Trammell and RHP J.P. France will join the Astros in Seattle tomorrow. Neither is on the 40-man roster, but there’s one open spot on the roster. @Chandler_Rome first said France was en route to Seattle.
While it would be franchise malpractice not to put Cristian Javier on the IL after he left his last start after just one inning with shoulder pain, there is some encouraging news:
Through an interpreter, Cristian Javier said he did not know what was next for him, but that initial strength tests performed on his shoulder were encouraging. Javier said he felt tightness in his scapula during the final at-bat of the first inning.
Astros pay their respects to Davey Lopes. The former second baseman and manager passed away at the age of 80 yesterday from complications associated with Parkinson’s disease.
The Houston Astros join the baseball world in mourning the passing of Davey Lopes, who spent two of his stellar, 16-year Major League career with the Astros (1986-87).
Lopes, who appeared in four World Series as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a member of the 1986 NL… pic.twitter.com/5uqJHRUnZw
The Tigers and Mariners are off to very suboptimal starts:
The Detroit Tigers, heavily favored to win the AL Central, suffer a 4-game sweep to the Minnesota Twins. They fall to 4-9, and are now tied with the Seattle Mariners for the worst record in MLB.
The Athletics pitchers probably can’t wait to move to Las Vegas:
The A’s pitching staff certainly loves life on the road rather than pitching in their minor league park in Sacramento: They are allowing 3.77 runs a game on the road; they are allowing 8.34 runs a game at home in the early-going.
Also, the A’s just shut out the Yankees 1-0. They haven’t shut the Yankees out and won 1-0 in over 46 years.
The A’s first 1-0 victory over the Yankees since 1979, and the first against the Yankees in NY since July 14, 1972, per @SlangsOnSports. https://t.co/Vx0VhpthQo
The Yankees starting rotation is yielding a dazzling 2.14 ERA this season, permitting just 16 earned runs, the fewest in franchise history though the first 12 games of a season.
The Yankees went 11 1/3 innings without a hit until Ben Rice’s one-out single off A’s starter Jeffrey Springs in the 7th inning today. Yet, they still have not scored a run since the first inning Wednesday. A’s 1, Yankees 0 through 7 innings.
World Series losses are hard to get over, even for the nice people North of the Border:
The Toronto Blue Jays appear to still be agitated by at least one thing from last year’s World Series: how long it takes Shohei Ohtani to warm up when he’s on the mound.https://t.co/vGXaRokuC2
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 10: Atmosphere around Washington Square Park on May 10, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Luis Robert – CF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
Jose Fernandez – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
James McCann – C
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Alek Thomas – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Tim Tawa – LF
Luis Torrens – C
Jorge Barrosa – RF
Tyrone Taylor – LF
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Nolan McLean – RHP
It seems a little odd, to have the game on getaway day start three hours later than the rest of the series. But, due to the rescheduling of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday, here we are. Though at least the D-backs don’t have far to go. Google Maps tells me that Citizens Bank Park and Citi Field are only 111 miles from each other by road – 117 if you want to avoid tolls. Though I think the closest parks, discounting those located in the same city like the Mets and Yankees, might be the Orioles and Nationals. Again per Google Maps, those two are 38 miles apart. There was a lengthy dispute when the Nats relocated, about them encroaching on the Orioles territory.
This is the rubber game of the series, after the teams split the first two, and give the D-backs a chance to climb above .500 for the first time in 2026. It’s the fourth opportunity they have had to do so. But they have gone 0-3 previously and been outscored 29-7 over those three games. The most recent and closest was the opener in New York, where they got walked off, and here we are again. If past form is any guide, they should be optimistic, with starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez yet to concede an earned run this year. Discounting opener types, the record such streak to start the season is four games, most recently by Chris Carpenter and Zack Greinke in 2009.
Though the most famous such is probably Fernando Valenzuela in 1985. He didn’t allow an earned run until the ninth inning of his fifth game – and two of the preceding ones were complete game shutouts. That gave him a 41-inning scoreless streak to start the year, before a Tony Gwynn home-run ended it, also giving Valenzuela a 1-0 loss. For the D-backs, E-Rod’s 12 innings is the longest by a starter to open the year since Merrill Kelly went 14.1 innings to kick off the 2022 campaign. Though for relievers, Shelby Miller went 13.2 without an earned run out of the bullpen last year. We’ll see how far Eduardo can go today!
The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday, and will feature the teams that finish 7 through 10 in the East and West standings, with a chance to earn the final two playoff spots in each conference on the line. Let’s break it down:
Play-In Tournament schedule (all games on Prime)
Tuesday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
West 8th place (Clippers or Trail Blazers) vs. (7) Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m. ET
The winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seeds; the losers will play again on Friday.
Wednesday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors vs. West 9th place (Clippers or Trail Blazers), 10 p.m. ET
The winners will play again Friday for a shot at the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
Friday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
West team TBD vs. West Team TBD, 10 p.m. ET
The winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
How the play-in tournament works
The current format of the play-in tournament was introduced during the 2020-21 season. Teams that finish 7 through 10 in the standings will participate in a two-round tournament for a shot at the playoffs as the seventh and eighth seeds.
From the NBA:
Each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team. The winners secure the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losers will get another chance to earn a playoff spot.
Each conference’s No. 9 team in the standings will host the No. 10 team. The winners will advance to the final stage of the Play-In Tournament. The losers are eliminated.
The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups. The winners secure the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs for its conference. The losing teams are eliminated.
The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday, and will feature the teams that finish 7 through 10 in the East and West standings, with a chance to earn the final two playoff spots in each conference on the line. Let’s break it down:
Play-In Tournament schedule (all games on Prime)
Tuesday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
West 8th place (Clippers or Trail Blazers) vs. (7) Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m. ET
The winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seeds; the losers will play again on Friday.
Wednesday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors vs. West 9th place (Clippers or Trail Blazers), 10 p.m. ET
The winners will play again Friday for a shot at the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
Friday
East team TBD vs. East team TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET
West team TBD vs. West Team TBD, 10 p.m. ET
The winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
How the play-in tournament works
The current format of the play-in tournament was introduced during the 2020-21 season. Teams that finish 7 through 10 in the standings will participate in a two-round tournament for a shot at the playoffs as the seventh and eighth seeds.
From the NBA:
Each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team. The winners secure the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losers will get another chance to earn a playoff spot.
Each conference’s No. 9 team in the standings will host the No. 10 team. The winners will advance to the final stage of the Play-In Tournament. The losers are eliminated.
The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups. The winners secure the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs for its conference. The losing teams are eliminated.
Chase Meidroth leads off again tonight, hoping to get on base and cross home plate a few times. | (Getty Images)
The White Sox will get a first look at division rival, the Royals, and at a (hopefully) good time. Kansas City just dropped two of three against the Guardians, losing 10-2 yesterday.
Chicago made several moves ahead of this series. Two pitchers, Duncan Davitt and Brandon Eisert, have been recalled. The team also added Chris Murphy to the 15-day injured list with left elbow impingement syndrome.
After celebrating his first major league strikeout and introducing his entire family and pregnant wife (who missed work for Wednesday’s loss), Tyler Schweitzer was sent back down to Charlotte.
Anthony Kay is on the mound tonight for the visitors. Kay’s starts haven’t been awful, but they also haven’t been great. He maintains an ERA of 4.00, with five strikeouts, four earned runs, and six walks over nine innings. Chase Meidroth, who has been an on-base machine lately, remains at the top of the lineup.
Seth Lugo will start for the Royals. Lugo has one win under his belt so far, with 10 strikeouts over 11 innings. The lineup stays consistent, with plenty of big hitters ready to go.
You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CT.
