Since the NFL draft, there has been plenty of talk about a lot of things with the Arizona Cardinals. The biggest story has been the possibility of perhaps signing Aaron Rodgers to play for them in 2026.

It seems like a bit of nonsense, but people are talking about it, so cohost Seth Cox and I joined in on the conversation in a new episode of the podcast.

In this new show, we discussed the possibility of Rodgers and whether it would make sense or not. We also talked about the odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year, as the Cardinals’ first-round pick, running back Jeremiyah Love, is currently the favorite. We detailed why we think that’s not a great bet while still being very excited about his outlook as a rookie. We also mentioned quarterback Carson Beck, who is lumped with a few other players for the same award.

Finally, we discussed the defense and what expectations he can reasonably have for that side of the ball in 2026.

• (1:00) Aaron Rodgers to the Cardinals rumors and whether it would make sense
• (19:28) Jeremiyah Love, Carson Beck and Offensive Rookie of the Year odds
• (38:30) Reasonable expectations for the Cardinals’ defense.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Aaron Rodgers, Rookie of the Year odds, defensive expectations

Buccaneers poised for 2026 bounce-back if 1 thing happens originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ season ended in 2025 was nightmare fuel for Todd Bowles and his staff.

As such, a huge overhaul off the field, coupled with some personnel changes, now leaves us unsure what to expect in 2026.

Will the offense be able to cover for the loss of Mike Evans? Will the defense finally avoid the injury bug and be able to play consistent football? 

For Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano, he thinks that if the younger players on the roster improve, the Bucs could be in the thick of everything in 2026.

“The Buccaneers got younger this offseason, but now they’re banking on inexperienced players to fill the voids left by Evans, David and Dean,” Manzano wrote. “If the younger players can make the most of their opportunities, the Buccaneers could quickly rebound to become a viable threat in the division and the conference.”

MORE:Chargers’ Justin Herbert will love 1 rookie projection

Bucs reliance on young players not ideal

For a team that is now expected to bounce back and be NFC South champs, possibly even more, having younger players slated for bigger roles isn’t exactly a good formula.

Yes, we have seen it work, and the Buccaneers’ younger players have the talent to not only be productive in 2026 but also be really key cogs in Tampa Bay’s machine.

The question is, if there are wobbles early, can the Buccaneers withstand it? After all, Atlanta, Carolina, and New Orleans are all expected to improve.

So, the margin for error is tiny, and when young players are key to moving the franchise forward, that’s a lot of pressure on them.

But we have seen in the NFL that some players rise to the pressure. Can the Buccaneers?

More NFL news:

• Skyler Bell prediction spells doom for Keon Coleman’s Bills future
• Chargers do something in NFL Draft not done for nearly a decade
• Chiefs have huge Patrick Mahomes dilemma to resolve
• Cardinals WR makes stunning plea to four-time NFL MVP
• Bills urged to sign 3-time All-Pro WR for Josh Allen

Sabres vs. Canadiens live score, updates, highlights from Game 1 of NHL playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — The highly anticipated NHL Eastern Conference playoff series between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens has arrived at the KeyBank Center on Wednesday night.

It’s one of those series that looks right off the bat like it could last seven games, but it has to start with Game 1.

The Sabres are playing in their first second-round playoff game in 19 years.

The Canadiens, who have won more Stanley Cups than any team in NHL history, are chasing their first Cup since 1993.

MORE: Maple Leafs winning lottery doesn’t mean what you think for Auston Matthews

If one of these teams wants to hoist the Stanley Cup, there are still 12 more wins to go from this point.

That’s a journey they’re both chasing, and it’ll lead to some high-intensity hockey in this Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Below, we’ll be keeping track of the live action from our view at press level in the KeyBank Center, so follow along.

MORE: Yes, Sabres still play ‘O Canada’ before playing a team from Canada

Sabres vs. Canadiens live score

	1st	2nd	3rd	Score
Canadiens	1	1	–	2
Sabres	2	2	–	4

MORE: NHL salary cap change should be good news for Sabres, Alex Tuch

Sabres vs. Canadiens live updates

Refresh for the latest.

Third period

– Third period underway. Alex Lyon immediate save. Montreal needs to get two back.

Second period

– End of two: Sabres 4, Canadiens 2. 

– Canadiens goal. Kirby Dach scores on his own rebound with 3:29 left in the second period. Sabres lead 4-2. Dach with great persistence as he was being tripped but still found a way to bat it in from the ground.

– Lyon with a glove save with 4:09 left in the second, and a lot of traffic in front gets the first real post-play extended scuffle of the game. Teams eventually separated without anything crazy happening.

– A triple save by Dobes with five minutes left in the second period denies a couple great chances for Buffalo.

– Dobes glove save on a good drive by Dahlin sends it to a timeout with 8:07 left in the second period. Buffalo has scored on 4 of its 10 shots on goal.

– Sabres’ first penalty kill couldn’t get off for almost the whole power play, but Alex Lyon deflects a save out of play with just six seconds left to get the change.

– Canadiens right on the power play almost immediately. It’s Beck Malenstyn high stick.

– Bowen Byram. 4-1 Buffalo. 10:59 left in the second period. Power play goal, a second on the man-up for the Sabres. Josh Doan with a key screen in front.

– Buffalo on the power play with 12:47 left in the second period. Kaiden Guhle for a cross check.

– Jack Quinn had a great chance on the break with 13:20 left in the second period. He hit the metal.

– Canadiens have just one shot on target through six minutes of the second period, and Alex Lyon was up to the task.

– 3-1 Sabres. Jordan Greenway checked out his options and figured, hey, let’s shoot it myself. He goes top shelf and finds the cookies, over Dobes’ left shoulder. 16:28 left in the second period, as the shot looks like it tipped off the goalie’s glove and in. Assist to Mattias Samuelsson.

– A couple of half chances to begin the second period, including Tage Thompson from a dangerous area, but about 2:30 into the frame and not much to note.

– Brian Gionta and Dwayne Roloson wave the towels to get the fans fired up before the second period. The Benson line again starts the period for Buffalo.

First period

– Montreal outshoots Buffalo 10-6, but the Sabres hold the lead on the scoreboard. Buffalo got great play from its third and fourth lines, led respectively by Zach Benson and Beck Malenstyn. Montreal looks most dangerous on the power play.

– End of one: Sabres 2, Canadiens 1.

– Canadiens goal — Juraj Slafkovsky gives it to Nick Suzuki for a tap-in on the power play. With 43.4 seconds left in the first period, the Sabres now lead 2-1.

– Canadiens will go on the power play with 2:02 left in the first period. Rasmus Dahlin for interference.

– It remains 2-0 Buffalo with 3:11 in the first period. Montreal has outshot the Sabres, 7-6.

– Ryan McLeod from a tight angle. 2-0 Sabres, a powerplay goal with 6:34 left in the first period. And guess who else on the assist? It’s Zach Benson. Josh Doan had the secondary assist.

– Sabres powerplay with 8:25 left in the first. Nick Suzuki for tripping. It was Bowen Byram who got into a dangerous position to draw the trip.

– Another chance on the doorstep. Ivan Demidov denied this time by Lyon. 9:12 to play in the first.

– Phillip Danault had the best chance for Montreal, point blank about nine minutes into this one, but Lyon slid well and denied it.

– Montreal is creating more chances than it did in its Game 7 win over Tampa Bay, when it had just nine shots on goal for the game. Alex Lyon will have to be sharp.

– 1-0 Sabres. Zach Benson takes it away, drives the zone, and sets up Josh Doan for a tap-in. Benson is every fan’s favorite. He proves why by being a pest and getting a brilliant takeaway and assist.

– Lane Hutson wide open in the left slot but Alex Lyon stands strong with 15:45 left in the first.

– First shift for the Sabres’ fourth line is a fantastic one with three big hits and a great setup for defenseman Logan Stanley, although it gets blocked.

– Canadiens kill the power play. Only one shot, and a lot of failed entries for Buffalo.

– Buffalo’s first shot on the power play comes 1:50 into it, and it knocks off Jakub Dobes’ mask, but he makes the save.

– Sabres power play 30 seconds into the game. Lane Hutson to the box. Tripping.

Pregame

– Bill Fichtner hits the drum and it’s hockey time.

– The Sabres are going with energy on their starting line in this one — Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Josh Norris.

– The teams are back on the ice. The Sabres’ mascot has descended from the ceiling. A couple of anthems and then playoff hockey.

– The Canadiens bring Arber Xhekaj back into the lineup on the third defenseman pairing with Noah Dobson.

– Player warmups wrapping up about 6:45 p.m. Tage Thompson slots in a backhand, five-hole shot past backup Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and skates off after finishing on a make. KeyBank Center filling in nicely.

– As was mostly expected, Sam Carrick remains out with injury for the Sabres.

– There’s a towel on each seat in the place for fans to wave. It reads “Buffalo versus everybody,” with the words going top-to-bottom so it also looks like it says Buffalo over everybody.

– There are a lot of fans already in the building in Canadiens red, white and blue.

– An hour before listed puck drop, the warmup clock reads 47 minutes, which suggests that with all the pregame proceedings, this game shouldn’t start too long after the listed 7 p.m.

– For those wondering: Yes, there are plenty of Canadiens fans wandering around downtown Buffalo on Wednesday.

– This game should feature a matchup of two red-hot goalies, with Alex Lyon in net for the Sabres and Jakub Dobes tending the twine for the Canadiens.

More NHL news:

• A lesson for the Sabres from the Buffalo Bills
• This is the Maple Leafs’ Cooper Flagg, LeBron James moment
• How good is Gavin McKenna?
• Canucks may have gotten 2004-level historically unlucky
• Flames’ trade offer for Nathan MacKinnon is informative for Maple Leafs

The Golden State Warriors have put together their teams through a variety of ways over the years, yet few approaches have proven as successful as the NBA draft. More than anything else, the most talented players to represent the Warriors have arrived in Golden State either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades executed on that same night.

The Golden State Warriors have taken many of their top stars through the draft, but have also landed a number of notable players over the years as well. From tiny colleges to blue blood programs, these alumni have contributed significantly to the team’s roster over the years. So, we chose to take a closer look at which Dubs came from which schools over the years.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Warriors out of Davidson.

Fred Hetzel – forward

Draft year and position: first round (first pick, first overall), 1965 NBA Draft

Seasons at Davidson: three

Seasons played with Warriors: three

Stephen Curry – guard

Draft year and position: first round (seventh pick, 7th overall), 2009 NBA Draft

Seasons at Davidson: three

Seasons played with Warriors: 17

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Every Davidson player drafted by the Warriors

Just a quick intro today, work continuing to kick my ass. But it’s probably a good thing the D-backs were able to start out the series with a win, because things only get tougher tonight. After Paul Skenes’s Opening Day outing ended with a 2026 ERA of 67.50 (!), normal service has been resumed. In April, he made six starts, with an ERA of 1.62 and 38 strikeouts over 33.1 innings, while walking just five. Even including that initial disaster, opponents are still batting only .174 against Skenes. So it’s not going to be easy for the D-backs’ hitters tonight, and I’m basically going into this one not expecting much. I hope to be pleasantly surprised!

Four-star small forward Donovan Davishas committed to Iowa State, he told Rivals.

Ranked No. 31 overall nationally in the 2027 class per Rivals, he becomes one of the highest-ranked prospects to choose the program in the modern recruiting era. He’s also the No. 10 ranked small forward and the No. 3 player in Wisconsin.

Davis, a 6-foot-7 junior out of Freedom High School (WI), chose the Cyclones after also taking visits to Iowa, Nebraska, Marquette, and Wisconsin.

The Kaukauna, Wisconsin native averaged 21.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists during his junior season, while shooting 70% from the field.

Davis on his commitment to Iowa State

Donovan Davis went in-depth on his commitment to Iowa State with Rivals.

“I liked the relationship I had with their coaches and with the players but I also felt pretty comfortable and that I fit well into their system.”

What led to his trust in the coaching staff?

“Just the relationship I had with them and their plan for me and how they treated me and my family.”

In his own words, what type of player is Iowa State getting in Davis?

“I would say I’m kinda an inside out scorer. I can score inside and get to my spots but also shoot the 3 a little and I like playing defense and getting rebounds as well.”

He has a message for Iowa State fans.

“Let’s work Cyclone Nation! ”

76ers lead Knicks heading into the 2nd half of Game 2: live score updates, highlights, 2026 NBA playoffs 2nd round series originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Knicks are coming off of a very convincing, 39-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers in game 1. Game 1 was an exercise in growing a lead. 2:30 in the first, up by 1. 10:17 in the second, up by 11. 2:18 left in the fourth, up by 37. 

Philadelphia got double digit scoring from all five starters but did not have an answer for Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, especially in critical moments. This series will come down to situational basketball more than volume scoring. 

The 76ers will need to find a way to keep these games close. The Knicks are not a team the 76ers can hope to come back on if they’ve given up double digits leads for most of the game. 

76ers vs Knicks live updates, highlights from Game 1 of NBA playoffs

Games Updates and Highlights

3rd Quarter-6:03: Jalen Brunson makes a two-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-6:45: Paul George makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-7:34: VJ Edgecombe makes a 20-foot pull up jump shot. 

3rd Quarter-8:07: Kelly Oubre makes a driving layup. 

3rd Quarter-8:33: Paul George makes a 27-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-9:07: Tyrese Maxey makes a 1-foot shot. 

3rd Quarter-9:55: Karl Anthony Towns makes a 24-foot three-point shot. 

THAT’S GOOD. pic.twitter.com/PYXvmoZGFI

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 7, 2026

3rd Quarter-10:39: VJ Edgecombe makes a 24-foot three-point shot. 

the rooook! pic.twitter.com/HB49k2OQwA

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 7, 2026

3rd Quarter-11:30: Mikail Bridges makes a 1-foot layup. 

The 76ers look like a different team through two quarters. The largest lead in this game has been only +7 and Philly has held a lead for 75% of the first half of this game. The 76ers’ 47% from three has been the difference early. Philly is shooting 47% to New York’s 25%. Neither team has separated themselves, but if this continues, Philly has a chance to steal a game on the road. 

Tyrese Maxey leads all players on either team with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the first half. 

1st Half Team Stats

	PHI	NYK
FG	20-41	24-45
Field Goal %	49	53
3PT	8-17	3-12
Three Point %	47	25
FT	14-20	10-12
Free Throw %	70	83
Rebounds	22	16
Offensive Rebounds	8	4
Defensive Rebounds	14	12
Assists	12	14
Steals	4	7
Blocks	4	2
Total Turnovers	10	6
Points Conceded Off Turnovers	13	7
Fast Break Points	6	15
Points in Paint	16	38
Fouls	10	14
Technical Fouls	0	1
Flagrant Fouls	1	0
Largest Lead	7	3
Percent Led	76	18

Celeb Row at MSG for Game 2 🤩 pic.twitter.com/776zEQRJVU

— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2026

The Philadelphia 76ers lead the New York Knicks 62-61 at the half. 

2nd Quarter-0:04: VJ Edgecombe makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

https://t.co/H11rSiHw79pic.twitter.com/iLTv6J2CGP

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-0:27: VJ Edgecombe makes a driving layup. 

2nd Quarter-0:42: Josh Hart makes a driving layup. 

2nd Quarter-1:16: OG Anunoby makes a running layup. 

2nd Quarter-3:08: Paul George makes a 13-foot jumper. 

2nd Quarter-3:31: Mikail Bridges makes a 1-foot dunk. 

josh 🤝 mikal

and @TheGarden LOVES it 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0Ca2mjPMXW

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-4:00: OG Anunoby makes a running dunk. 

LOOK OUT BELOW 😤 pic.twitter.com/Cylx2Dvjl5

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-4:34: Jalen Brunson makes a driving layup. 

2nd Quarter-5:22: Kelly Oubre makes a dunk. 

swiper no swiping! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/LM8Eqix3Ey

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-6:11: Tyrese Maxey makes a driving dunk. 

Another bucket from Maxey!

A tough finish for 2 😤

He’s up to 18 PTS (14 in Q2) as the Sixers lead in Game 2 🔥 https://t.co/iLHI1MrGwmpic.twitter.com/eEc40brFTf

— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-6:37: Andre Drummond makes a tip in shot. 

2nd Quarter-8:34: Tyrese Maxey makes the second of back-to-back mid-range jump shots (13 and 17 feet respectively). 

2nd Quarter-9:23: Jose Alvarado makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

when defense leads to offense >>> pic.twitter.com/NAiuym0g0U

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-9:59: Tyrese Maxey makes 24-foot three-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-11:03: Adem Bona blocks Jose Alvarado’s two point shot. The second Bona block in the last 4 minutes of game action. 

AGAIN. https://t.co/KizGCNVYEGpic.twitter.com/hCqHQZaCYt

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 7, 2026

2nd Quarter-11:10: Karl Anthony Towns commits his 3rd foul and had to come out of the game. He was replaced with Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will play the 5 while the Knicks go with a small lineup. 

2nd Quarter-11:24: Karl Anthony Towns makes a 5-foot two-point shot. 

1st Quarter Team Stats

	PHI	NYK
FG	10-17	10-20
Field Goal %	59	50
3PT	6-9	2-7
Three Point %	67	29
FT	7-10	9-10
Free Throw %	70	90
Rebounds	8	6
Offensive Rebounds	1	0
Defensive Rebounds	7	6
Assists	6	7
Steals	2	2
Blocks	2	1
Total Turnovers	5	3
Points Conceded Off Turnovers	7	1
Fast Break Points	4	4
Points in Paint	6	14
Fouls	7	6
Technical Fouls	0	0
Flagrant Fouls	1	0
Largest Lead	7	2
Percent Led	65	26

The Philadelphia 76ers lead the New York Knicks 33-31 at the end of the 1st quarter. 

1st Quarter-0:14: Quentin Grimes makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-0:33: Jalen Brunson makes a 9-foot fade away jump shot. 

1st Quarter-1:39: Jalen Brunson makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

cap knows how to get the crowd going 🔋 pic.twitter.com/ziKeiK5Quj

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 6, 2026

1st Quarter-2:13: Ariel Hukporti makes a 1-foot dunk. 

AERIAL HUKPORTI 😏 pic.twitter.com/2Q8hXG2rS9

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 6, 2026

1st Quarter-3:25: Kelly Oubre makes a 22-foot three-point shot, the second in a row for Oubre. 

🔙 to 🔙 https://t.co/lanHbcA4cDpic.twitter.com/3UrVxyLoVF

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 6, 2026

1st Quarter-3:58: Kelly Oubre makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-5:27: OG Anunoby makes a driving layup. 

1st Quarter-6:03: VJ Edgecombe makes 7-foot driving floater. 

1st Quarter-6:50: OG Anunoby makes a dunk. 

1st Quarter-7:50: Paul George makes a 22-foot three-point shot, second in consecutive possessions. 

PG is 4-for-4 to start Game 2 💯

11 PTS
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/xhsqLL2bJc

— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2026

1st Quarter-8:15: Paul George makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-10:29: OG Anunoby makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-11:14: Mikail Bridges makes a layup. 

turn us up ‘kal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/J1WpUNacr6

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 6, 2026

1st Quarter-11:30: Kelly Oubre makes a 1-foot running dunk.

Jay-Z links up with Richard Jefferson ahead of Game 2!

Sixers/Knicks is LIVE on ESPN 🍿 pic.twitter.com/l0fLYjRX1n

— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2026

all gas, no brakes #AlwaysKnickspic.twitter.com/qdnKzYxDnK

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 6, 2026

throwing fits. @Xfinitypic.twitter.com/12tReOELks

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 6, 2026

How to Watch Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) vs Detroit Pistons (1-0) Game 2 NBA Playoffs

Wednesday, May 6 

Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN 

More NBA Playoffs news:

• Pistons major comeback victory over Magic forces Game 7 in NBA playoffs
• Raptors need OT to outlast Cavaliers, force Game 7 in Cleveland
• T-Wolves crush Nuggets in six, advance to face Spurs in NBA Playoffs
• Knicks advance past Hawks with largest Playoff win in franchise history
• 76ers take Game 5 over Celtics in NBA playoffs

Bryan Woo sat in the Mariners media room a week ago, adrift. Normally thoughtful, eloquent, and precise in postgame interviews, Woo’s responses were disjointed, starting sentences and trailing off, as he searched for answers to questions posed by the media about his back-to-back rough starts – answers he didn’t have. The last thing he said, transcribed verbatim, was:

“But…I don’t know. It’s…I got…not a ton of answers.”

Somewhere in the past week he found those answers. It was a much different Bryan Woo who sat before the media today, fresh off a series win against the Braves, handing Atlanta their first series loss of the season. Woo pitched six innings, matching his season-high in strikeouts (nine) against Atlanta, the team that strikes out the least in the National League. He credits his performance to thinking…less.

“It’s like I was good and I wanted to be great. You try to do more, you try to be perfect, and you lose sight of what makes yourself so good. And for me, that’s simplifying and just competing…It felt like the last two starts, just trying to do too much, think too much, dive into scouting reports too much, just thinking too much, honestly. My best brand of baseball is, do my homework before and talk to catchers and whatnot, but when it’s time to go on the mound, just go be. And I feel like I kind of got away from that the last two starts.”

Woo said what got him on track was actually staying on track – creating a plan beforehand, but trusting himself on the mound no matter what. It wasn’t easy for Woo from the start; he had a 24-pitch first inning, battling Matt Olson for nine pitches before eventually walking him. But Woo stuck to his plan, being aggressive in the zone, and he was able to use his slider and sweeper effectively today – he opened the game by striking out reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin on the slider, and then got Michael Harris to fly out harmlessly on the sweeper to end the inning. Shaking off his last two rough starts, Woo was aggressive in the zone as always, throwing 17 of 21 first-pitch strikes, which the Braves offered at 10 times. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a boatload of weak-contact outs; he allowed just one exit velocity over 100 mph, a first pitch fastball that Mauricio Dubón, who has built an entire career out of ambushing those exact pitches, tagged into right field for a single. As the game wore on and Atlanta batters got choosier with swinging at the first pitch, Woo dialed it in even more; six of his nine strikeouts came in the second half of his outing, finishing off his day with a called strike three to Mariners’ sleep paralysis demon Matt Olson.

Bryan Woo dots a slider on the lower black for a huge ꓘ to Matt Olson to clear the 6th inning, scoreless.

The Braves’ big slugger thought about using an ABS challenge but ultimately held off. pic.twitter.com/96K1Rr8psy

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 6, 2026

Having wandered in self-doubt for the past two weeks, Woo was able to find himself again, all while facing the best offense in baseball.

“St. Louis – obviously, I got whacked, but I felt like I was still pitching like myself. And then with Kansas City I think I just tried to do too much and think too much and try too hard. And it also didn’t work. So it’s just being honest with yourself about when are you at your best, and what does that look like, and what does that feel like to you? And then getting back to that as soon as you can.”

In addition to sticking to himself and not overthinking, Woo said he got a lot out of talking to his teammates—pitchers and hitters—about what it’s like to be in the weeds.

“I don’t know what it is about baseball, but it’s like when you’re not committed in yourself, you don’t trust yourself, for some reason the same pitches – whether they’re really, really good, same velocity, same movement – they just don’t work. I don’t know what it is. Baseball is a weird sport like that. You try too hard, you try to be too perfect, and 98 at the top of the zone gets whacked. 93 with conviction and commitment and trust just works. I don’t know what it is. It’ll never show up on a stat sheet but you just have to have a little bit of like, I don’t really give a shit. Excuse my language.”

Unfortunately, as Woo retired Atlanta on a lot of weak contact, and as George Kirby retired Atlanta on a ton of weak-contact groundballs last night, today it was the Mariners’ turn to suffer at the hands of former Texas Ranger and known Lefty Martin Pérez, making a start in place of scheduled starter Grant Holmes, playing the handedness-matchup-game.

The Mariners loaded the bases in the third thanks to some production from the bottom of the lineup. Jhonny Pereda led off with a line-drive single and then Leo Rivas got some of that BABIP devil magic Mateo had last night with a double down the left field line of his own, pushing runners into scoring position with no outs. J.P. Crawford walked to load the bases but Cal Raleigh reached after a changeup on the outer part of the plate for an easy double play, which scored the run but also burned away future scoring opportunities, as Julio Rodríguez chased after that same changeup for an easy inning-ending groundball out. So, a run, but a deflating one.

Still, Woo made that run hold up, turning away Atlanta’s hitters again and again. After Woo’s strong finish, Julio decided to give him a little extra breathing room in the bottom of the sixth, to the tune of 110.4 mph:

The Mariners had a chance to add more after Pérez exited for Tyler Kinley: Randy Arozarena singled through the five-six hole and Cole Young doubled into the right-field corner – but might have actually hit the ball too hard, at 107.3 mph, so Randy couldn’t quite scoot home. Connor Joe couldn’t push across the extra insurance with two outs.

Woo gave way to Cooper Criswell in the seventh, who hung a zero in a tidy 1-2-3 inning. It seemed like he might be back out to face the bottom of the lineup in the eighth, but Dan Wilson went to the higher-leverage Eduard Bazardo. Given the tight score and the off-day tomorrow, the move made sense in theory, but Bazardo was shaky, going to a full count before surrendering back-to-back singles to his first two hitters to put runners on the corners with no outs. Pinch-hitter Dominic Smith brought in the Braves’ first run of the day with a sacrifice fly, turning the lineup over for Drake Baldwin. The Mariners caught a break, as Bazardo picked off pinch-runner Jorge Mateo at first. Postgame, Dan Wilson offered credit on what could have been a game-changing challenge to Mariners replay coordinator Jake Kuruc, and also Josh Naylor, who applied the tag.

“I got to give Naylz some credit. I think the temptation a lot of times is to go get that ball and then go back to tag. He let that ball travel really well and got right to his hip, and that’s what made the difference.”

That pickoff turned out to be significant as Baldwin laced the first pitch he saw—a sinker three apples below the zone—for a single. Bazardo then got Ozzie Albies swinging after the same sinker Baldwin chased for an inning-ending strikeout, saving the Mariners’ bacon.

The Mariners were able to get that run back in the bottom of the inning against Didier Fuentes, working for his second inning. Josh Naylor singled with one out and then stole second because he is Perfect, and then Cole Young followed with his second double of the day, again wearing out that right field corner. This was an especially nice at-bat by Cole, who had a three-hit day. Fuentes worked him away that whole at-bat with a variety of pitches, and, in a full count, when Cole got a slider in the exact same location he’d just seen a 98 mph fastball, he was ready to hit it.

With that little bit of extra breathing room, José A. Ferrer made his third straight appearance of the series, filling in for Andrés Muñoz, who had pitched in back-to-back nights. Ferrer was anxious to get the ball and said he wanted the opportunity to try to get a save, saying the pitching coach initially told him before the game he was down to which he replied, essentially, no I’m not!

“I felt super good when I woke up this morning,” he said through translator Freddy Llanos. “I was ready to go. My arm felt great. So when they told me I was in, I was excited.”

Ferrer gave up some hard contact on a first-pitch sinker to Matt Olson, but the park held it; he then got Michael A. Harris to ground out on a sinker. Mauricio Dubón worked the count full but was called out on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, a 99.5 mph sinker right on the inner edge. Dubón immediately challenged, and the call was upheld.

Was Ferrer sure it was a strike?

“I had faith that it was,” he smiled.

It was a great series win for the Mariners, but also a great win for Bryan Woo, who had been struggling for the past two weeks.

“Sometimes you’re good, and you want to be great, and you just kind of do too much. But I’m human. It sucks when you suck. It sucks to sit on it for two weeks. Those thoughts still creep into my head just as much as anybody else, after a bad game, after two really bad games, it’s not easy to do. But to get back to my brand of pitching, my brand of baseball, was the first thing that I looked at, and that’s what I felt I did today.”

BOSTON — The offseason started early for the Boston Celtics, and that means the rumor mill is already swirling, particularly regarding star guard Jaylen Brown. After the C’s were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round series on Saturday night, there was buzz that Brown had grown frustrated.

This report first stemmed from former NBA star — and Brown’s friend and mentor — Tracy McGrady, who told fellow Hall of Famer Vince Carter on the “Cousins” podcast that the longest-tenured Celtic’s “frustration lies deeply within the organization.” McGrady didn’t provide more detail, but that was enough to set social media ablaze.

In a way, the Celtics have Tracy McGrady to thank for the 2024 title.

Jaylen Brown said that the former star told him to stay in Boston when he considered leaving:

“If you can stay, and you got an opportunity to win, win,” he told JB.

“I forever took that with me.”
🎥 @FCHWPOpic.twitter.com/jhy3TBKLrM

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 24, 2025

“There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going on with the Boston organization with (Brown),” McGrady said on his show.

The rumors these comments generated got so out of control that Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens was asked about them on Wednesday morning at the Auerbach Center. Stevens said if there were frustrations, he hadn’t heard about it.

“It was nothing but positive,” Stevens described of a end-of-season conversation he shared with Brown on Monday. “He has not expressed those frustrations to me. We’ve been here 10 years together. Obviously, I love JB, and everybody around here loves JB. And just like any of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season, I’ll be here, and my door is always open.”

Several hours later, Brown announced that he was going live on Twitch, which became a hobby of his over the course of the 2025-26 season. And while he was streaming to thousands of people on Wednesday night, Brown apologized for this online debacle and declared that whatever rumors were going on didn’t represent his feelings about Beantown.

“A lot of stuff swirling around the Celtics and the organization,” Brown began. “I hate that our president of basketball operations even had to respond to this. Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. If it was up to me I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.”

Jaylen Brown clears the air around Tracy McGrady’s “frustration” comments immediately on stream:

“Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. If it was up to me I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.”

Via @FCHWPO on Twitch pic.twitter.com/dSsfIoPDw6

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 7, 2026

To make sure Celtics fans, media members, and everybody else in the basketball world understood, Brown repeated his message.

The offseason will always generate trade talks and discussions of disgruntled players, however, that doesn’t guarantee that every summer rumor is true. Brown has proven that many times throughout his time in Boston, and it sure sounds like he wants to don the green and white for years to come, if not his whole career.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics star Jaylen Brown made it clear he’s happy in Boston