Keep that arm loose, Davis Martin, the White Sox offense is going to need you to be stingy tonight. | (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
If I’m the Royals, and even just two weeks into the season the WHITE SOX are tied with me in the standings, I’m much displeased. But thankfully, despite some significant time logged in Kansas City, I am not the Royals.
The good news? Davis Martin is on the hill, and so far this season that has meant some good, good stuff. The unofficially team/spirit captain has been a rock in the rotation in the early going, and with an lineup that comes into the game as exactly replacement level, 0.0 WAR, the righthander will need to be at the top of his game.
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CT, available at the usual TV and radio spots.
Jeff McNeil and Luis Severino returned to Citi Field for the first time since they departed Queens and were treated to tribute videos by the Mets ahead of the team’s series opener against the Athletics.
Severino, of course, left after a great 2024 campaign, his only one with the Mets, before signing a lucrative deal with the Athletics that offseason.
The right-hander pitched to an 11-7 record and a 3.91 ERA while making 30 starts for the first time since the 2018 season. He was also solid in the postseason that year, throwing 16.2 innings and going 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA across three starts.
While Severino impacted the Mets for one season, McNeil was in Flushing for eight and experienced plenty of highs and lows. He made two All-Star teams with the Mets, was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, and was the batting champion in 2022 after batting .326. While his offensive production fluctuated over the years, his versatility on defense was invaluable to New York.
Across his eight seasons with the Mets, he slashed .284/.351/.428 with an OPS of .779 to go along with 80 home runs and 367 RBI.
“I played hard, I played with passion every single day,” McNeil told SNY’s Steve Gelbs before Friday’s game. “I’m a fiery guy, but you know I cared. I wanted to win, I wanted to do well. I think the fans knew that. I just wanted to be known as a player who played the game the right way, gave it his all, and enjoyed being in the Mets organization.”
McNeil was traded to the Athletics this offseason for RHP Yordan Rodriguez in what was an organizational re-tool that saw Pete Alonso leave to Baltimore in free agency and Brandon Nimmo traded to the Rangers.
TORONTO, CANADA – MARCH 3: Landry Shamet #44 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on March 3, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The New York Knicks (52*-28) host the Toronto Raptors (45-35) tonight at Madison Square Garden in their penultimate game of the regular season. The Knicks have a chance to firm up their grip on the East’s No. 3 seed while the Canadian Club is wrestling with the Hawks and the Magic for the middle seeds.
Tip off is 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is RaptorsHQ. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Extend kindness to your fellow humans. And go Knicks!
* Should be one more, but NBA Cups are cyborgs sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor.
CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 9: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Are we looking at a first-round playoff preview? Tonight, we could be looking at a matchup between the one seed — the Detroit Pistons — and the eighth seed — the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets, however, are not your typical eighth seed. They are one of the hottest teams in the East, and they have been since late January. They have shooting all over the floor, plenty of ball handlers, and play a quality team defense. The Detroit Pistons are healthy, so they could treat this game as a serious statement of intention against a potential opponent. Or they could treat it as a bit of a laboratory. Coach JB Bickerstaff has talked about using the season’s final two games to get certain lineup combinations experience on the floor. Chief among them is Kevin Huerter and some of the starters, and Daniss Jenkins playing alongside Cade Cunningham with the other three-person units. They will play to win, but they might also forgo the best potential situational lineup to ensure he can test these lineup combos.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Odds: Pistons +5
The legendary broadcaster shared on Friday, April 10 on his social media page that he went in for a biopsy on Friday to look into some of the “abnormalities” that were found on a series of routine tests that he had done last week. It’s the second update in as many days from Vitale.
“Just leaving hospital after biopsy/now anesthesia has worn off,” Vitale wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) to go along with a photo of him sitting in a wheelchair outside of a hospital. “Hope & pray for good results as they did study of my lungs where spots showed in Pet Scan & MRI’s!”
Just leaving hospital after Biopsy / now anesthesia has worn off. Hope & pray for good results as they did study of my lungs where spots showed in Pet Scan & MRI’s ! pic.twitter.com/CwllVW1cZ1
In his latest update before Friday, Vitale mentioned that he feels “great physically” and “sharp mentally” and that his doctors recommended some additional testing to determine the next steps of his latest battle. He underwent a PET scan, a CAT scan and two MRIs in his last round of tests, which showed those “abnormalities.”
He also mentioned that “the roadmap” for his recovery would be determined after the biopsy, which he underwent on Friday.
Vitale has had multiple health battles, including with several types of cancer, over the last few years. He was declared cancer-free last year and made his return to broadcasting, which included a pair of broadcasts alongside Charles Barkley this season, one coming in the First Four of March Madness in Dayton, Ohio.
“I’m still doing games,” Vitale told USA TODAY Sports back in March ahead of the First Four. “It’s a miracle. It’s absolutely a miracle. I get emotional about it sometimes.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 08: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 122-116. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Atlanta Hawks again. This time, the Cavs will be down a few rotation players. We’ll see if they still have enough to get a second-straight win.
Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) dribbles around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
Tthe Atlanta Hawks (45-35) try once against to clinch the Southeast Division title and a playoff appearance against the Cleveland Cavaliers (51-29) tonight in the home finale.
Jock Landale (ankle sprain) has been ruled out.
Starting lineup:
G CJ McCollum
G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
F Dyson Daniels
F Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT
TV: Atlanta News First (WANF), Peachtree Sports Network (PSN)
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: Amazon Prime, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 07: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbling the ball is guarded by Doug McDermott #7 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on April 07, 2026 in San Francisco, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a five-game homestand, the Golden State Warriors will close out the regular season with a two-game California road trip, beginning Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM PT in Sacramento and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Warriors dropped what could potentially be their final home game of the season Thursday night, losing 119–103 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Playing without Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Gui Santos, and several others, the undermanned Warriors kept the game competitive for much of the night. However, the Lakers seized control in the fourth quarter, opening with a 13–2 run in which LeBron James scored or assisted on all 13 of the team’s points. It ended up being a vintage performance for James, who finished with a near triple-double of 26 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds.
Golden State will play Sacramento for the second time this week after beating them on Tuesday, 110-105. While the Kings haven’t played since that day, the Warriors will be on their second night of a back-to-back. They did choose to rest most of their players on the front end of the back-to-back, meaning they are expected to be closer to full strength for this one with Curry and others set to return.
Al Horford will make his return for the Warriors tonight in Sacramento. Missed the last month with a calf strain. Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis are both probable. Warriors gearing up their rotation for the play-in next week.
Having said that, these remaining two games hold little significance with the Warriors already locked into the 10th seed. Still, as head coach Steve Kerr noted after Thursday’s loss, the focus remains on building rhythm. And with much of their expected rotation back in the lineup, Friday’s matchup could serve as a final dress rehearsal before the Warriors potentially rest their stars ahead of Wednesday’s Play-In game.
“We’re in a position where we have a chance to get into the playoffs… Tomorrow and Sunday, maybe we get a couple games to develop a little rhythm and get a swing at it. We got some hope.”
The introduction of ABS challenges to MLB have created various firsts throughout the 2026 season. The first challenge? José Caballero. The first successful challenge? Francisco Alvarez. The first walk-off challenge? The Baltimore Orioles.
On Friday, we got the first challenge that was taken back but succeeded anyway.
That arrived in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, with Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales facing Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar in the seventh inning. With an 0-2 count, Thielbar went with an outside fastball for a called strike three.
Gonzales responded by raising his hand to his helmet as if to challenge the strike call, then walked away, accepting the strikeout. However, home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz accepted the challenge and refused to let Gonzales take it back.
The strike was then overturned, with replay determining the pitch was outside the zone by 1.3 inches.
Nick Gonzales challenged this two-strike pitch and instantly tried to retract it since the Pirates only had one challenge remaining. The umpire insisted that he had to challenge it, and it ended up being successful pic.twitter.com/FpAbRZdSQ1
Much of the friction with the ABS challenge system so far has been players being found to have challenged calls too late, so it’s fun to see the opposite problem develop.
Gonzales went on to work an eight-pitch at-bat, eventually flying out to left field for the second out of the inning. No more runs were scored for the remainder of the game, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 win.
The victory improves the Pirates’ record to 8-5, keeping pace in a competitive NL Central, while the last-place Cubs fall to 6-7.
