Mets not planning to move on from Carlos Mendoza: ‘We don’t view this as a manager problem’

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza should be able to worry less about his future with the team now, after he received backing from president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Despite a 10-21 start, which included a 12-game losing streak, the organization isn’t pinning the current state of the team on the manager.

“We know our record is not what we want, and we know we are capable of more,” Stearns told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change.”

Through 31 games, the Mets have scored the second-fewest runs (106), recorded the fifth-fewest hits (235), posted the worst OPS (.631) and are tied for the third-worst batting average (.227) in MLB. Injuries have played a part in the dismal start, with shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielder Luis Robert Jr, infielder Jorge Polanco, starting pitcher Kodai Senga and reliever A.J. Minter currently on the injured list. Juan Soto also missed 15 games due to a calf strain.

While the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies recently dismissed their managers, Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen have reportedly not discussed moving on from the 46-year-old Mendoza, who was hired in 2004 and led the team to the NLCS the following year.

Stearns and the front office are hoping for a repeat of 2024, Mendoza’s first season in charge, when the Mets began the season 24-35 and finished 89-73 to earn one of the NL wild cards.

Ahead of spring training in February, Cohen said he gets more “annoyed” each year that the team doesn’t win and that “table stakes is making the playoffs” in 2026 and missing out two straight seasons is “not good.”

Mendoza, who is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, is getting this lifeline as the team begins a nine-game road trip on which it will play the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets will return home May 12 to face the Detroit Tigers before the first Subway Series of the season against the New York Yankees.

D-Backs’ Ildemaro Vargas has hit streak ended at 27 games, second-longest to open MLB season

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas had his hitting streak ended at 27 games after going 0-for-4 in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Vargas, 34, got a base hit in each of the D-Backs’ previous 24 games this season and three more in Arizona’s final three games last year. With the hitless game, he still leads MLB with an .388 batting average. His .412 on-base percentage ranks fifth in the National League and he leads the league with a .673 slugging percentage.

In his four plate appearances on Saturday, Vargas grounded out to third base in the first inning, flew out to center field in the fourth and grounded out to shortstop in the seventh against Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. In the ninth, Vargas hit a ground ball to shortstop facing reliever Ben Brown.

As a team, Arizona managed only four hits against Imanaga and Brown on Saturday.

Vargas’ streak ends as the second-longest to begin a season in MLB history. Ron LeFlore opened the 1976 campaign with hits in 30 consecutive games for the Detroit Tigers. But Vargas still had the longest hitting streak in baseball since Trea Turner’s 27 games from 2021-22.

In the Diamondbacks’ record book, Vargas’ 27-game streak ranks second behind Luis Gonzalez’ 30 games in 1999. His 24-game streak to open a season is tied with Tony Womack’s streak in 2000.

Additionally, Vargas recorded a hit in 20 consecutive road games which set a franchise record. The previous high mark was 18 games by Junior Spivey in 2002 and Stephen Drew in 2010.

However, Vargas’ 27-game streak is the longest by a Venezuelan player, something he noted with pride after Saturday’s game. Wilson Ramos had a 26-game streak with the New York Mets in 2019.

During his 10 major-league seasons, Vargas has had three separate stints with the Diamondbacks. He began his MLB career in 2017 before moving on in 2020., then returning to Arizona for the 2021 campaign. The infielder has also played for the Minnesota Twins, Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals.

D-Backs’ Ildemaro Vargas has hit streak ended at 27 games, second-longest to open MLB season

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas had his hitting streak ended at 27 games after going 0-for-4 in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

As a team, Arizona managed only four hits against Imanaga and Brown on Saturday.

In the Diamondbacks’ record book, Vargas’ 27-game streak ranks second behind Luis Gonzalez’ 30 games in 1999. His 24-game streak to open a season is tied with Tony Womack’s streak in 2000.

Additionally, Vargas recorded a hit in 20 consecutive road games which set a franchise record. The previous high mark was 18 games by Junior Spivey in 2002 and Stephen Drew in 2010.

However, Vargas’ 27-game streak is the longest by a Venezuelan player, something he noted with pride after Saturday’s game. Wilson Ramos had a 26-game streak with the New York Mets in 2019.

D-Backs’ Ildemaro Vargas has hit streak ended at 27 games, second-longest to open MLB season

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas had his hitting streak ended at 27 games after going 0-for-4 in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

As a team, Arizona managed only four hits against Imanaga and Brown on Saturday.

In the Diamondbacks’ record book, Vargas’ 27-game streak ranks second behind Luis Gonzalez’ 30 games in 1999. His 24-game streak to open a season is tied with Tony Womack’s streak in 2000.

Additionally, Vargas recorded a hit in 20 consecutive road games which set a franchise record. The previous high mark was 18 games by Junior Spivey in 2002 and Stephen Drew in 2010.

However, Vargas’ 27-game streak is the longest by a Venezuelan player, something he noted with pride after Saturday’s game. Wilson Ramos had a 26-game streak with the New York Mets in 2019.

Cherie DeVaux Makes History as First Female Trainer to Win Kentucky Derby as Golden Tempo Races to Thrilling Victory

Cherie DeVaux; Jockey Jose Ortiz with Golden Tempo.
Credit: Rob Carr/Getty; Andy Lyons/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Cherie DeVaux has made history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner
DeVaux, jockey Jose Ortiz and Golden Tempo took home the coveted first-place prize with a time of 2:02.27 in the 1 1/4-mile race on Saturday, May 2
“I’m just glad I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to,” DeVaux said after her historic win

Cherie DeVaux has made history as the first woman to train a , as she held her nephew, Maverick, and was surrounded by more family members. “I just can’t. Just so, so so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.”

According to , before she sent out her first winner in March 2019.

Earlier in the week, DeVaux shared that she doesn’t aim to center her persona around being a female trainer, but she told the Courier Journal that she still realizes the weight of her accomplishment.

“By doing this, I am inspiring other young women, and that I am proud of,” DeVaux told the outlet. “Women — young, old, whatever age — can look up to me and say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’ “

Read the original article on People

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 7: Can Harden, Mitchell beat Barnes, Raptors at home?

We are here because of one of the wildest bounces you will ever see to decide a game.

RJ BARRETT HITS THE GO-AHEAD 3 IN OT TO WIN IT FOR THE RAPTORS AND FORCE GAME 7

WHAT A SHOT WITH THE SEASON ON THE LINE pic.twitter.com/FI6yKSWCaq

— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2026

Well, it’s a lot more than that shot. It’s Toronto’s pressure twice causing Cleveland to collapse in the clutch. In Game 4 in Toronto, the Cavaliers led by eight with less than five minutes remaining, with the most memorable moment being Donovan Mitchell not being able to get the ball past half court.

Game 6 was wilder. Toronto had been the better team all night and was up by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Cleveland’s core five — Dean Wade, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — sparked a comeback, forced overtime, then did not have the bounces go their way.

This has been an incredibly even series statistically, with both teams scoring exactly 669 points through six games, and, as a result, each has the same 113.2 offensive rating. On paper, it shouldn’t be this close, Cleveland should have won this series handily, especially against a shorthanded Toronto team without starters Brandon Ingram or Immanuel Quickley much of the series (Ingram is officially questionable for Game 7, Quickley is out).

Yet here we are in Game 7 and anything can happen. Including wild bounces off the rim. Here’s what you need to know about Game 7.

When is Raptors vs. Cavaliers Game 7?

Game 7 between the Raptors and Cavaliers is at 7:30 on Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The game will be broadcast on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock.

Player to watch: James Harden

James Harden could take over, dominate this game and win it for Cleveland.

Or, he could have another game like Game 4 — where he had more turnovers than field goals — and cost them the game.

Harden has a history of doing both in big moments at his previous stops, and this risk was part of what the Cavaliers traded for him at the deadline. For all he does well, his playoff foibles are a known quantity.

Harden’s overall numbers for the series are good: 21 points, 6.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds a game, shooting 39.5% from 3-point range. But he also is averaging 5.7 turnovers a game — and those are what fuel Toronto’s transition offense that it needs.

Which Harden to the Cavaliers get on Sunday? It could decide the game.

Keys to look for in Game 7

Do the Raptors turnover Harden, Mitchell?

Toronto has been successful in this series with a pressure defense that has frustrated Harden and Mitchell — combined, they are averaging 8.3 turnovers per game.

Toronto is the younger, more athletic team and wants to play fast — if the Cavaliers’ stars cough up the ball and the Raptors’ young legs get out in transition, this could be a long night for Cavs fans.

Can the Raptors buck history?

Cleveland knocked Toronto out of the playoffs for three straight years (2016-2018), and the Raptors are 0-10 against the Cavaliers in playoff games in Cleveland.

If that trend is going to change, look for big nights from one (or both) of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, both of whom are averaging 24 points a game.

Toronto has played harder in this series than Cleveland — it has defended with more energy, dove after the loose balls, and just used hustle to make up for a talent gap. They just need to do that one more time.

And maybe get another lucky bounce.

NBC abruptly cut Kentucky Derby live coverage, sparking fan outrage

Horse racing fans weren’t happy with NBC about its abrupt end to the live coverage of the history-making Kentucky Derby 152.

And basketball fans weren’t too keen on the network either, having had to wait longer than expected to see an NBA playoff matchup.

Not long after Golden Tempo won the Derby — making Cherie DeVaux the first winning female trainer in the history of the race and giving veteran jockey Jose Ortiz his first Derby win — the Peacock network cut coverage and shifted to game seven of the 76ers and the Celtics playoff series.

Television viewers didn’t get to see the traditional draping of the winning horse with the garland of roses in the Winner’s Circle at the Kentucky Derby.

The NBA game, being played in Boston, was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The race festivities went past that time.

“What The Bloody Hell???! @nbc Cuts Away From Draping the Blanket of Red Roses on The Incredible Kentucky Derby Win…??? For The First Few Minutes of Basketball? BLOODY HELL DAMN SCHEDULING,” one person posted on X. “Sometimes you can’t HATE certain networks enough @nbc The Kentucky Derby Win this year was EPIC more so than the first few minutes of a basketball game.”

What The Bloody Hell???! @nbc Cuts Away From Draping the Blanket of Red Roses on The Incredible Kentucky Derby Win…??? For The First Few Minutes of Basketball? BLOODY HELL DAMN SCHEDULING 🤬🤬

— Mary Loedding 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 (@MaryandBessie) May 2, 2026

Another called out NBC Sports and Peacock streaming service, writing, “You have outdone yourself with your absolute CRAP coverage of the Kentucky Derby. You cut to warm ups in a basketball game and skipped the first woman to win the Derby and the post interviews and pictures. What a total, complete disgrace! HORRIBLE.”

@NBCSports @peacock

You have outdone yourself with your absolute CRAP coverage of the Kentucky Derby.

You cut to warm ups in a basketball game and skipped the first woman to win the Derby and the post interviews and pictures.

What a total, complete disgrace! HORRIBLE. 💩💩

— Horselover (@QuestingHS) May 2, 2026

Some basketball fans appeared to be just as irritated.

“Reason number 17274737 having national broadcasts for these rounds suck: coverage for the game I should be able to watch locally is delayed because of the Kentucky Derby,” one X user said.

Reason number 17274737 having national broadcasts for these rounds suck: coverage for the game I should be able to watch locally is delayed because of the Kentucky Derby 🤬😡

— Stephanie (@smars319) May 2, 2026

Contact Midwest Connect reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBC cut Kentucky Derby coverage for NBA playoffs, sparking outrage

Gleyber Torres injury: Detroit Tigers 2B leaves game vs Rangers

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres suffered an injury.

The 29-year-old exited the Tigers’ game on Saturday, May 2, with left side tightness before the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park, replaced at second base by Hao-Yu Lee.

Torres remains under medical evaluation.

The severity of the injury is unknown.

In the first inning, Torres was thrown out at home plate – from right fielder Ezequiel Duran to catcher Danny Jansen – trying to score from second base on Riley Greene’s single.

Torres is the slowest player on the Tigers’ roster, and Duran has a strong arm in the Rangers’ outfield.

Third-base coach Joey Cora sent Torres anyway.

Torres, though, stayed in the game and provided an RBI single in the second inning.

By the fourth, however, Torres was out of the game.

This story will be updated.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers’ Gleyber Torres leaves game with injury

Gleyber Torres injury: Detroit Tigers 2B leaves game vs Rangers

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres suffered an injury.

The 29-year-old exited the Tigers’ game on Saturday, May 2, with left side tightness before the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park, replaced at second base by Hao-Yu Lee.

Torres remains under medical evaluation.

The severity of the injury is unknown.

In the first inning, Torres was thrown out at home plate – from right fielder Ezequiel Duran to catcher Danny Jansen – trying to score from second base on Riley Greene’s single.

Torres is the slowest player on the Tigers’ roster, and Duran has a strong arm in the Rangers’ outfield.

Third-base coach Joey Cora sent Torres anyway.

Torres, though, stayed in the game and provided an RBI single in the second inning.

By the fourth, however, Torres was out of the game.

This story will be updated.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers’ Gleyber Torres leaves game with injury

Houston Rockets jersey history No. 13 – Kelvin Cato (1999-2004)

The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.

To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.

With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the fifth of 11 who wore the No. 13, big man alum Kelvin Cato. After ending his college career at Iowa State, Cato was picked up with the 15th overall selection of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

The Atlanta, Georgia native played the first two seasons of his pro career with the Portland Trail Blazers after a draft night deal, coming to an end when he was dealt to the Houston Rockets in 1999. His stay with the team lasted until he was dealt to the Orlando Magic in 2004.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Cato wore only jersey No. 13 and put up 6.2 points, as many rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 13 – Kelvin Cato (1999-2004)