Now they're waiting to find out whether they will face the Carolina Hurricanes or the Montreal Canadiens in the championship round. The Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-0 win on Wednesday, May 27.
But when will the Stanley Cup Final begin?
Generally, the NHL will move up the Final if the conference finals wrap up in five games. Here are opening dates that make sense if that happens or if the Canadiens extend the series.
If Eastern Conference finals end in five games
June 2 would be the ideal starting date.
That's already set aside for Game 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Game 5 would be May 29 in North Carolina, so there's plenty of time for the Golden Knights to fly to Raleigh and for the NHL to hold media days.
If Eastern Conference finals end in six or seven games
How about June 4?
ABC is showing both the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals, so there aren't a lot of open dates. June 4 would fall between Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals.
And nothing is going on at the Lenovo Center (Hurricanes) and Bell Centre (Canadiens) that day. The Stanley Cup Final will begin at the home of the East champion, regardless of who wins.
If there is a Game 7, it might be a tight turnaround for the Golden Knights to fly to the winning team's city and take part in media days, but it can be done.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 26: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yordan Alvarez has been absolutely on fire in this series, and he continued his torrid stretch at the plate with 2 more home runs to back SP Mike Burrows (W, 3-6) in the Houston Astros (25-32) 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers (25-30) tonight in Arlington.
Burrows tossed 7 innings of 2-run ball, allowing only 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. It is the kind of length the Astros have sorely lacked in the rotation on a consistent basis this year, but have gotten from Burrows in 2 of his last 4 starts. He has gone at least 6 innings in 4 of his last 5 starts.
Alvarez hit his first HR of the night in the 4th off Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, victimizing the star pitcher for the second time this year, which tied the game at 2. He also took Tyler Alexander (L, 1-1) deep in the 8th give the Astros a 3-2 lead.
Alvarez finished the night 3-for-4 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a walk. His 20 HRs are 2nd in MLB and tops in the AL. He has now hit 5 HR in this series.
Enyel De Los Santos got the final 5 outs for his 4th save of the season. He did not allow a run, hit or walk, and struck out 3 in a dominant performance.
Taylor Trammell hit cleanup tonight and finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run. He’s currently batting .371 with a .922 OPS. Those numbers are far higher than anything he has ever shown previously at the MLB level, but he did make swing adjustments before the season and hit well both in spring training and earlier in the season before he was injured. It remains to be seen if this can be a breakout season for Trammell, but the early returns for him are very strong this season.
Houston will look to win the series tomorrow night behind RHP Spencer Arrighetti (6-1, 1.32), who will be opposed by Rangers SP Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.55).
Houston is currently 4-2 vs. the Rangers this season in the Silver Boot Series. They are 3 GB the Seattle Mariners for 1st place in the AL West.
The New York Mets won a baseball game Wednesday evening, and it took everything they had.
Beating the Cincinnati Reds to pull themselves 10 games under .500 required Devin Williams throwing more pitches than he has thrown in an outing all year and happened in large part because the Reds left 17 men on base.
It took every out Jonah Tong could provide in a bulk role behind Huascar Brazoban, the opener they leaned on to get past the Reds' big bats once before handing the game off to a rookie. And Tong needed every inch of center field to keep a few Reds hitters in the ballpark in his 3.2 gritty innings in which he allowed one run.
It took Tobias Myers moonlighting in short relief, heavily worked Brooks Raley throwing more than an inning, and a diving catch from A.J. Ewing with the bases loaded just to get through seven innings with a lead.
They threw recently summoned Eric Wagaman, who had two Major League plate appearances to his name this year, into the starting lineup because of his platoon advantage against Reds lefty Andrew Abbott. He rewarded them with his first big league homer of the season. When they replaced him with recently activated Jared Young against a righty in the seventh, he singled, and it took a two-out hit from Carson Benge to score a much-needed insurance run.
Were it not for two two-out hits from Benge, who was so desperate to climb out of a slump that he shaved his mustache beforehand, the Mets would not have won the game at all.
The point is this: Even games the Mets win these days leave the gnawing suspicion that the Mets are neither better at any one aspect of the game, nor as competent in as many facets of the game as most of their competition. David Stearns momentarily silenced questions about Carlos Mendoza’s job status. Questions about a potential sell-off are fair, but still premature in the eyes of an organization that believes the roster they built can still win when healthy.
So while more existential questions for and about Mets decision-makers are creeping closer, the queries the Mets are trying to answer imminently are these: Will they look more formidable when healthy and whether they can stick around long enough for it to matter if they do?
Their strongest unit, the starting rotation, has been picked apart by injuries. Most noticeably, injuries have also rendered their remodeled lineup completely unrecognizable from its intended form:
Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr., and Jorge Polanco have been in the Mets starting lineup together seven times this season. The Mets are 4-3 in those games, one of which was an Opening Day disemboweling of the normally steel-stomached Paul Skenes.
But without one or two or three of them at any given time, and with Bichette struggling early, the Mets have looked lifeless. The day Soto returned from injury, Lindor suffered his. If there is one thing anyone evaluating the Mets internally or externally can say for sure, it is that their lineup did not have the depth to withstand losing multiple of its most important hitters for long stretches, some of which overlapped.
May 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge (3) reacts to hitting an RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the fifth inning at Citi Field. / Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Whether a team with the financial resources they have should run out of depth is a fair question, given the way the Los Angeles Dodgers have spent to inoculate themselves against casualties in recent years.
And while one person’s feelings do not a teamwide mindset define, multiple people who spend their evenings in the Mets dugout have expressed continued belief in what this team can be when Lindor and Francisco Alvarez and Polanco and Clay Holmes and maybe even long-stalled Robert Jr. get healthy.
So the key will be trying to find ways to get the players they do have to perform beyond projections -- taking chances on the bases with Ewing and Benge they might not otherwise, trying to get Tong’s best innings without relying on him so much to fall victim to his growing pains, adjusting David Peterson’s role and Sean Manaea’s role and shuffling whenever one hand looks hotter than the other.
At times earlier this month, the Mets were piecing things together that way more often than not. The trouble, however, is that since they climbed to five under .500 with a win against the Nationals last week, they have looked like a team without several of its best hitters relying on people to produce above their proven means.
Recent history suggests that rallies from late May deficits like these are possible. Soto, of course, was on the Washington Nationals team that was 19-31 in May and went on to win the World Series. Bench coach Kai Correa served in that role for last year’s Cleveland Guardians, who rallied from 15.5 games out to win the American League central. But those teams were largely healthy when they staged their comebacks. The Mets are still beholden to daily injury updates about players they desperately need.
Lindor is fielding ground balls before games daily. Alvarez did what looked to be high impact, highly athletic agility work in the outfield before Wednesday’s game, despite being just two weeks removed from tearing his meniscus. In fact, only Robert seems stalled entirely, as the Mets moved him to the 60-day disabled list Tuesday because he remains limited by a lower back issue.
A few weeks from now, the Mets lineup could look much more potent than it has since early April. But if they cannot play .500 baseball, let alone make up games between now and then, a few weeks from now might be too late.
Mets veterans understand the numbers, which will either prove a blessing or a curse. On one hand, Soto and Bichette and Marcus Semien and others understand the reality of their situation – sometimes, believing is easier when no one knows better.
But Semien’s World Series winning Texas Rangers looked dead more than once in 2023. Bichette knows what it looks like for a team that has fallen short of expectations to finally meet them. Soto’s experience in 2019 always serves as a beacon. And the somewhat dwindling number of Mets who rode 2024’s magic to the National League Championship Series also know first-hand that slow starts do not guarantee quiet finishes.
Practically speaking, the Mets roster and coaching staff understand the importance of scratching out wins and staying in striking distance until injured players return. Realistically speaking, they have not yet proven they can do that.
The game got off to a rough start for Hagen Smith, who allowed a two-run homer in the top of the first. However, despite that mistake, Smith had a strong performance, and he did not allow any additional runs during his five innings of work. Smith struck out seven and only issued one walk.
In the third, with the score still 2-0, Korey Lee stepped up to the plate and fell behind in the count. With a runner on second and an 0-2 count, Lee took full advantage of a breaking ball over the heart of the plate, and he launched it 424 feet. That was Lee’s seventh homer of the season, and this one tied the game at two.
After Smith delivered a scoreless top of the fifth for the Knights, the game entered a rain delay with the score tied at two. Due to inclement weather, the game was suspended and is scheduled to be completed on Thursday. The Knights are set to bat in the bottom of the fifth and will be looking to break the 2-2 tie.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos 23, Birmingham Barons 4 After taking the first game of the series on Monday, the Barons (17-29) came up way, way short in Birmingham against Pensacola (24-23).
Barons starter Connor McCullough, 25, did not have his finest performance. McCullough allowed three runs in the first and five in the third. McCullough was removed with one out in the top of the third, but incredibly, things did not improve when the bullpen took over. While McCullough allowed eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, the bullpen allowed 15 in 6 2/3 innings. Just an ugly day all-around for the pitching staff.
The Barons did stay in this game for a little while, as the score was 3-3 after two innings. Alec Makarewicz put the Barons on the board with a solo homer in the first, his 11th blast of the season. Then, in the second, the Barons scored a pair. Wilfred Veras led off with a single, and with one out, Drake Logan doubled to put a pair in scoring position. Jordan Sprinkle hit a sacrifice fly, and Colby Shelton doubled to tie the game. After that point, however, Pensacola went on a 20-1 run.
Winston-Salem Dash 3, Rome Emperors 0 For the second straight day, the Dash (28-19) had an excellent pitching performance during a victory against the Emperors (25-22).
In the bottom of the second, the Dash broke the scoreless tie. With one out, Kaleb Freeman singled, and after a productive ground out, Alex Ungar walked. That set the stage for T.J. McCants, who lined a single to drive in the first run of the game. From there, the Dash did not look back.
In the fourth, Kyle Lodise hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Ely Brown, who had singled to open the inning. Winston-Salem added another insurance run in the fifth, when Ely Brown reached on an error. That error allowed Arxy Hernández, who had singled, to score the third and final run of the game.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff got the job done and then some. Drew McDaniel pitched four shutout innings after Frankeli Arias served as the opener, delivering a shutout inning in the first. From there, Jake Bockenstedt, Mathias LaCombe, and Jack Young took care of business, combining for four shutout innings down the stretch.
Ryan Galvan led off the bottom of the second with a bang, launching his eighth homer of the season to put Kannapolis ahead, 1-0. The Cannon Ballers were not done hitting homers, as Javier Mogollón crushed a two-run shot in the third to drive in Abraham Núñez, who had singled. Incredibly, the next batter after Mogollón was Stiven Flores, who homered to extend the lead to four.
Cannon Ballers starter Truman Pauley was quite effective during his first three innings, but the fourth frame was a challenge. Pauley allowed two runs on two hits and a walk before being removed with two outs. Still, when Pauley left the game, Kannapolis had a 4-2 lead.
Kannapolis just could not find any runs down the stretch, and the bullpen was not up to the task of protecting a 4-2 lead. A three-run homer by Dallas Macias in the top of the eighth gave the GreenJackets a lead that they did not relinquish.
Complex Sox starter Fabian Ysalla, 21, struggled, allowing two runs on three hits in the first. After allowing a single and a walk in the third, Ysalla was removed from the game with two outs. Reliever Jesús Méndez took over, but he failed to strand either of the runners he inherited from Ysalla.
The Complex Sox scored their first run in a unique way. In the top of the third, Osniel Castillo doubled with one out and advanced to third on a ground out. D’Angelo Tejada walked, and incredibly, Castillo and Tejada executed a double-steal. Although they pulled off one of the most exciting plays in baseball, it was not nearly enough to come away with the victory, as the ACL Rangers pulled away late.
The Complex Sox did not score again until the seventh, when the game was far out of reach. Tejada hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Jurdrick Profar, who led off that inning with a walk.
The series isn't over yet by any means, but the way they Carolina Hurricanes handled the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final certainly makes it seem like it already may be.
The Hurricanes stomped the Canadiens in a 4-0 beatdown at Centre Bell on Wednesday in one of their more complete games of the postseason.
From the drop of the puck to the end, Carolina was far and away the better team.
They piled on the chances, outshooting the Canadiens 43-18 overall, and that was bookended by a hot start and a dominant finish.
The Hurricanes didn't allow a shot on goal through the first eight minutes of the game and then in the final period, they outshot the Habs 19-3.
Despite the Canadiens needing their best possible push in that third period, they didn't manage to put any rubber on Frederik Andersen until the final three minutes of the game, a testament to the Canes' defensive clinic.
The game looked much like the last two, where the Hurricanes held Montreal to 12 and 13 shots respectively, but the difference tonight is that they finally found a little more finish.
Carolina blew the game open midway through the first period, putting three past Jakub Dobes in less than three minutes.
Sebastian Aho got the party started with the team's first power play goal of the series, rifling home a Nikolaj Ehlers feed.
Just over a minute later, the Canes' third line got the cycle going and after a long o-zone shift, K'Andre Miller activated down from the blueline and fed a perfect pass to Jordan Staal in front.
And then a minute and a half later, Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven were sprung on a 2-on-1 thanks to a monster Shayne Gostisbehere block and the former fed the latter for his team leading eighth goal of the playoffs.
From there, the Hurricanes just put the pressure on the Canadiens and even though the Habs had a few pushes, Andersen was there, stopping all 18 shots he faced for his third shutout of the postseason (Andrei Svechnikov scored an empty netter at the end too).
Again, the series isn't over by any means, but it's hard to see the Canadiens finding a way from here.
Outside of Carolina's disastrous Game 1 start, where they gave up four goals in the opening 14 minutes following 11 straight days off, there really hasn't been any portion of games where you can say Montreal was better.
Yes, they've gotten strong goaltending and they've certainly been opportunistic with their chances, but that's not a sustainable method.
Carolina has been better in every matchup, their defense has been dominant on both ends of the ice, they're more physical, they're quicker to pucks, they're more decisive.
I mean, the Hurricanes had as many shots on Wednesday as the Canadiens have had combined over the last three games, even despite playing at home and being able to dictate their matchups in the last two.
The Hurricanes are a machine and the Habs so far just don't have an answer.
That's been the story of the playoffs so far, as Carolina handled the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in back-to-back sweeps and now they sit just one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
It's been a long road to get to this point, but the job is certainly not done.
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Shohei Ohtani is one of the best in the business and he continues to prove it.
The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star crushed a leadoff home run in LA's Wednesday meeting with the Colorado Rockies in the bottom first inning, sending it 424 feet over the center field fence.
May 27, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) shoots on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the second period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
MONTREAL (AP) — Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for his third shutout in 12 postseason games this year to help the Hurricanes take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 5 is Friday night in North Carolina, with the series winner facing the Vegas Golden Knights.
Anderson and the Hurricanes are 11-1 in the first three rounds. They put it away early in Game 4 after winning the previous two games in overtime.
The Hurricanes scored first for the fourth straight game when Aho beat Jakub Dobes with a one-timer from the right circle on a power play with 5:02 left in the first.
Staal followed with 3:53 to go, tipping in K’Andre Miller’s centering pass. Stankoven then finished off a two-on-one with Jason Blake with 2:14 remaining in the period.
Andrei Svechnikov had an empty-net goal in the third.
Carolina had a 19-3 shots-on-goal advantage in the third period for a 43-18 overall edge.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 25: Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 25, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Teoscar Hernández was forced to depart the game early on Wednesday, as he came up hobbling trying to beat a ground ball in the bottom of the second inning against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers announced that Hernández suffered a left hamstring strain.
Teoscar Hernández left tonight’s game with a left hamstring strain.
Hernández was slow to walk off the field and was seen on the SportsNet LA broadcast smashing his helmet against the helmet cubby in the dugout. He was replaced by Hyeseong Kim in left field to begin the top of the third inning.
After miring in a month-long homerless drought, Hernández was one of the driving forces behind the Dodgers’ 7-2 road trip, as he smashed three home runs and drove in 13 runs in the nine games against the Angels, Padres and Brewers. Hernández had a hit in each of the first two games against the Rockies, and he finishes the series with a .250 average over the three games.
Hernández joins Kiké Hernández as another Dodger to exit the game early against Colorado, as the utility man suffered a left oblique strain during batting practice on Monday and left after the fourth inning on Tuesday. Alex Freeland was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City with Hernández landing back on the injured list.
Carson Benge came into Wednesday night's series finale against the Reds with just one hit in his last 20 at-bats, so he decided it was time to shake things up.
The youngster shaved off his mustache, and the new-look actually worked.
Benge came through for the Mets in a big way, coming through with a pair of clutch run-scoring knocks late in the game to help them end their five-game losing skid.
“It’s always nice to get a win,” he said. “You always want to go out and win.”
The 23-year-old lost the lefty-lefty matchup with Andrew Abbott each of his first two times up, but he was sure to make the Reds pay for a two-out error in the bottom of the fifth.
Benge battled back from down 0-2 in the count, working things full before pulling his hands in and dumping an up-and-in fastball to shallow center for the massive knock.
“You just fight,” he said. “Fight for every pitch to not give him anything there.”
“He continues to work and grind out at-bats,” manager Carlos Mendoza added. “Those were some really good takes trying to stay in the fight and not trying to do too much in that spot.”
The rookie slugger kept that same approach his next time up, two innings later.
Facing a righty with a man on third and two outs, Benge again fought off a tough pitch way up and out of the zone, and he was able to drop it in to add a much-needed insurance run.
“I said to [bench coach] Kai Correa right away, it’s really good to see,” Mendoza said. “That’s a pitch that he struggled with early on, and he just continues to get better, he continues to find a way -- those weren’t easy at-bats there, the two of them.
“The thing I like about him is you can’t tell if he’s 0-for-8 the past couple of days or he’s coming off a game like this -- he’s going to show up and be the same person and just give you his best, it’s impressive for a player his age.”
Even with the rough stretch, Benge is now hitting .302 with six XBH’s, 14 RBI, and a .753 OPS in May.
The injury occurred during the bottom of the second inning, when Teoscar Hernández was sprinting to first base on a ground out to Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Hernández immediately grabbed his left hamstring after reaching the base.
Hyeseong Kim replaced Hernández in left field to start the top of the third inning.
Teoscar Hernandez is grabbing his hamstring after running to first base, marking the second injury in as many days after Kike Hernandez suffered his.
Teo slammed his helmet, and Dave Roberts was left shaking his head after the play. pic.twitter.com/EVGjKF9U0A
Teoscar Hernández had been on a hot streak of late. He entered Wednesday night's game riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he hit two home runs. An 11-year veteran in his third season with the Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández is a two-time All-Star — including winning the 2024 Home Run Derby.
MONTREAL, CANADA - MAY 25: Taylor Hall #71 of the Carolina Hurricanes scores a goal past Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens during the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on May 25, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from their first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
A convincing win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 series lead over the young, upstart Habs.
Carolina came out of the gate on fire, recording the first six shots on goal of the game while dominating the puck and pushing Montreal around.
An abbreviated power play gave the Canes their first lead, as Sebastian Aho hammered home a one-timer off a nice feed from Nikolaj Ehlers for his first goal since Game 4 of the first round against the Senators.
Just moments later, Carolina doubled the advantage, as K’Andre Miller made a strong play with the puck to attack toward the goal before feeding a pass to the net front, where Jordan Staal beat out Josh Anderson for positioning to deflect the puck in behind Jakub Dobes.
A gutsy blocked shot by Shayne Gostisbehere set up a two-on-one for Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, and the former fed the latter who sent it home to a yawning cage to make it 3-0 with a trio of goals in just 2:47 of game time.
The Canadiens came out with a better push in the second, showcasing some rare ability to generate shots on goal, but Frederik Andersen was up to the task, holding Montreal off the scoresheet for another 20 minutes that featured. pair of embarrassingly futile power pays for the Canes, including a 1:44-long 5-on-3 in which they did not even attempt a shot.
But more importantly, the three-goal lead was intact heading into the third, keeping the Canadiens in a hole they would not be able to dig their way out of.
Montreal could not break through in the third period either, as Svechnikov added an empty-net goal to make it 4-0 and Andersen finished the night with an 18-save shutout for his third of this postseason.
Game 5 is set for an 8:00 PM EST puck drop from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh on a night that could prove special for this team and fan base.
Mar 24, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Josiah Hartshorn against the New York Yankees during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Left-hander Ty Blach elected free agency on Sunday. Today he re-signed with the Cubs and reported back to Iowa to make tonight’s start. Or rather with Iowa in Indianapolis. Reminds me of what Jack Paar said when he returned to the Tonight Show after quitting for a month: “ . . . my last words were that there must be a better way of making a living than this. Well, I’ve looked and there isn’t.”
Shortstop Jose Escobar was promoted to High-A South Bend from Low-A Myrtle Beach.
It’s looking more and more like Josiah Hartshorn will be the Cubs’ top prospect in the mid-season update.
Everybody won tonight! So can we get some smiles for once?
Four Iowa pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout. Ty Blach made his return to the Cubs a good one as he allowed just two hits over 4.2 innings. Blach walked three and struck out six.
Blach was one out away from qualifying for a win but also at 81 pitches, so Gavin Hollowell entered the game with two on and two outs in the fifth. Hollowell struck out Nick York to end that threat and then retired the side in order in the sixth to get the win. Hollowell struck out two.
CollinSnider then retired the side in order in the seventh, striking out one. Christian Roa then got the save by pitching the eighth and ninth inning. Roa allowed a two-out single in the eighth, but no other baserunners. Roa struck out three.
First baseman Jonathon Long scored the only run of this game in the top of the first inning. He singled with one out and then went to second on a wild pitch. After left fielder BJ Murray singled him to third. After shortstop Owen Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Long scored on a wild pitch.
Long went 2 for 4. Murray was 1 for 3 with a walk. Miller was 0 for 3 with the hit batter.
Catcher Christian Bethancourt went 2 for 4 with a double. That’s all five Iowa hits in this game. It was all they needed.
A nice defensive play by third baseman James Triantos.
The Smokies got an excellent start from Grant Kipp, who gave up just one run on four hits over five innings. Most impressively, Kipp struck out eight and walked no one, although he did hit one batter.
Unfortunately, Jace Beck didn’t pitch as well in relief of Kipp, giving up three runs on two home runs over two innings. But Vince Reilly pitched the eighth and the ninth inning and got the win after the Smokies re-took the lead in the top of tenth. Reilly allowed no runs and just one hit over his two innings. Reilly struck out four and walked no one.
Marino Santy retired the side in order in the bottom of the tenth for the save. He struck out two.
Smokies pitchers combined to strike out 16 Lookout batters and walk none of them.
Left fielder Carter Trice opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, his seventh of the season. Trice also singled home the automatic runner in the top of the tenth with what proved to be the winning run. Trice went 2 for 5.
In the seventh inning, catcher Owen Ayers homered with the bases empty. It was his sixth on the season. Ayers went 1 for 2 with two walks. He was also hit by a pitch.
DH Cameron Sisneros singled in a run in the sixth inning for his first Double-A hit and first RBI. Sisneros went 1 for 3 with a walk. He also scored one run.
Kevin Valdez started and allowed just one run on five hits over 4.1 innings. Valdez walked two, hit one batter and struck out two.
The win went to Kenyi Perez because Valdez didn’t go five innings. Perez entered the game with runners on first and second in the fifth inning and struck out the next two batters to end the threat. He then allowed a one-out walk in the sixth, but no other baserunners. His final line was no runs or hits over 1.2 innings. Perez walked one and struck out three.
If there was a downside to this game, it’s that South Bend allowed four runs on no hits in the eighth inning thanks to six walks and an error. Ben Johnson and Kenten Egbert both walked three batters each. In fact, South Bend allowed just six hits total, but they walked 11 batters.
In only his second game in High-A, first baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit his first Midwest League home run. It came with a man on in the fifth inning off of rehabbing major leaguer Ty Adcock. It was Hartshorn’s sixth overall home run.
But that wasn’t all Hartshorn did. He was 3 for 4 with a sacrifice fly and five RBI and two runs scored. In just two Midwest League games, Hartshorn already has seven RBI.
Hartshorn wasn’t the only one who had a big game. Right fielder Leonel Espinoza was 3 for 5 with a two-run triple and three overall RBI. Espinoza scored once.
DH Kane Kepley was 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly and two steals of third base. Kepley scored twice.
Shortstop Ty Southisene went 3 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He stole second twice, both times were as the back half of a double steal with Kepley. Southisene scored four runs.
Center fielder Miguel Olivo went 2 for 4 with two RBI and one run scored.
It was a very good start for Dominick Reid, who gave up just one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out nine, walked two and hit one batter. It was Reid’s second win of the season and his career.
Henry Cone pitched the sixth inning and allowed one run and one hit in his Pelicans debut. He struck out one and walked one.
Daniel Avitia pitched the final three innings, did not allow a run and got the save. Avitia allowed two hits, walked three and hit one batter. He struck out two.
The Pelicans took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when catcher Logan Poteet smashed a three-run home run, his sixth on the season. Poteet was a perfect 2 for 2 with a double, the home run and two walks. He scored twice.
Second baseman Derniche Valdez singled home two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh. Valdez went 2 for 4.
May 27, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) rounds the bases after he hits a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the Houston Astros scored four runs.
Eschewing the exchange of bizarre history that highlighted the first two games of this series, the Rangers and Astros instead settled into more standard fare at The Shed tonight with a low-scoring contest that sort of became a home run derby between each designated hitters for each squad.
Rangers starter Jacob deGrom mostly recovered from his terrible trip to Disneyland where he allowed six runs in three innings in his last start in Anaheim. Tonight the veteran went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. However, twice the Rangers took one-run leads in the early innings only for Houston to immediately tie the game the next half inning.
The second time that happened came via a Yordan Alvarez solo home run to continue both deGrom’s inability to keep the ball in the yard and Alvarez’s reign of terror against Texas (more on that in a moment). Then again, a solo home run to Alvarez probably shouldn’t be evidence that deGrom is still dinger prone as there’s virtually no one Alvarez wouldn’t take deep if they were wearing RANGERS across their chest.
The game stayed tied through the middle innings until it got to the bullpens when left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander was tasked with tackling Alvarez to lead off the eighth. Instead, Alvarez hit one about 450 ft for his second solo home run of the game, which gave Houston their first lead of the night.
That lead was doubled when Alexander fielded a bunt with a man on and threw it down the right field line to allow a second run to score in the eighth. That error proved costly as the Astros cashed in on that insurance when Joc Pederson made it a 4-3 game with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning.
Not even the cavalry could save Texas with career .619 OPS hitter Nicky Lopez going hitless in his debut. 4-3 was as close as the Rangers got with the loss leaving them trailing in this series ahead of tomorrow’s finale.
Player of the Game: You can pretty much pencil in a few Yordan Alvarez runs each night when the Rangers play the Astros but the Rangers tried to counter Houston’s prolific DH with one who has been heating up a little.
Pederson also hit two solo home runs tonight and went 3-for-4 while scoring all three of Texas’ runs. Unfortunately for him and the Rangers, he was basically the lone star for Texas.
Up Next: The Rangers and Astros will close out this four-game series with RHP Nathan Eovaldi set to make the start for Texas against RHP Spencer Spaghetti Arrighetti for Houston.
The Thursday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can view it via the Rangers Sports Network.
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Yankees kept it rolling over the Royals, making it 14 straight overall against Kansas City while sweeping the season series. Behind a vintage Gerrit Cole performance and a huge night from Ben Rice, the Yankees came away with a 7-0 victory over the Royals.
If Tuesday night was about fireworks, Wednesday night was about control. Cole looked completely locked in from the opening pitch. This new, thicker, smoother version of Cole is pure art on the mound. If Cole gets any better than this, watch out American League.
The ace carved through Kansas City’s lineup with precision, allowing just four hits across 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 10 Royals hitters. Cole did not walk a batter, needed only 79 pitches to navigate nearly seven innings, and looked stronger as the game progressed.
The veteran consistently got ahead in counts and buried hitters once he had leverage, looking every bit like he had not missed any time at all. Cole 2.0 appears well on track to filling a role very similar to the one he held before the injury. The one real threat Cole faced was erased by Aaron Judge, who dropped the gavel at home plate when the Royals tried to run on the captain.
The bullpen handled the rest from there as Fernando Cruz worked 1.1 clean innings out of the bullpen before Camilo Doval tossed a scoreless ninth inning to seal the victory. Cole did not leave any strikeouts for the bullpen, but the clean low stress innings are very welcomed.
The Yankees opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Paul Goldschmidt worked his way aboard and got a chance to show that the old man still has some tread left on the tires after Rice drove an opposite-field triple off the left field wall. Goldschmidt never stopped running, charging all the way home from first base as the Yankees grabbed a 1-0 lead. The full-speed athleticism of both Yankees first basemen was on full display as Rice flew into third for the triple. Aaron Judge later added to the lead with a sacrifice fly that brought Rice home and gave Cole a little extra breathing room.
For much of the night, however, the game still carried the feeling that one swing could change everything and that the Yankees might get stuck at two runs again. That changed in the seventh inning when the Yankees finally broke through again. To his credit, Noah Cameron tossed 5.0 innings of two-run ball, but the Royals offense failed to give him any support and the bullpen could not keep the game within reach either.
The inning started with traffic everywhere as Trent Grisham, Anthony Volpe, and Ryan McMahon all found their way aboard. Then Rice came through again. The young slugger lined a single into right field that plated both McMahon and Volpe while moving Goldschmidt to third. Suddenly the Yankees had a 5-0 lead and Kauffman Stadium was starting to empty.
The Yankees were not finished either. In the eighth inning, McMahon delivered the exclamation point when he launched a two-run homer into the left field seats. The blast scored Grisham and stretched the lead to 7-0, fully slamming the door on the Royals.
Rice finished the night with three RBI and once again looked like one of the most important bats in the Yankees lineup. Between his opposite-field triple, clutch seventh-inning single, and continued emergence, Rice continues proving he rightfully belongs in the middle of the Yankees’ short-term and long-term plans.
It is always fun to hear the Yankees win. Tomorrow is an off day, but the club returns to action Friday in Sacramento with first pitch scheduled for 8:40 p.m. eastern. Carlos Rodón is currently scheduled to face old pal Luis Severino.
May 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Aaron Bummer (49) throws a runner out at first against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night I foolishly asked you how Jordan Wicks did in last night’s game, settling on a topic and writing the article before first pitch. Well, 79 percent of you gave him an “F,” and I can’t argue with that. Another 16 percent gave Wicks a “D.”
Here’s the part where we listen to jazz and talk movies. You can skip that.
We continue to celebrate Miles Davis for the 100th anniversary of his birth. As noted in earlier pieces, Miles was never content to stay in one place. With his 1968 album Miles in the Sky, Miles went electric. No, it wasn’t as controversial as Bob Dylan going electric was, although there is always grumbling from the purists. Miles didn’t invent fusion, but him getting on the bandwagon of this merger of jazz and rock music gave it a kind of respectability in jazz circles. Plus, he had the better musicians and the better ear to take fusion to a new level.
In 1969, Miles released the electric In a Silent Way that was a lot more controversial. Working with producer Teo Macero, In a Silent Way featured just two tracks, one on each side. While previous jazz records had merged different performances into one longer number in the studio, In a Silent Way was the first to take one solo and loop it into a different part of the piece. Macero even repeated the same solo at different times in the same track. The way I think of it is that Miles used Macero as yet another musician who turned the studio into an instrument in and of itself. Macero and his engineers proved to have just as much creativity as Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. But it’s also a kind of performance that can only be done in the studio with multiple tracks and not on stage.
Miles always said he was influenced by Jimi Hendrix in making In a Silent Way. I think that Hendrix influence is definitely there (especially the Electric Ladyland album), but there’s a lot more there than just trying to do a jazz version of cutting-edge rock.
Here’s side one of In a Silent Way entitled “Shh/Peaceful.” Besides Miles on trumpet, Shorter is on soprano saxophone, John McLaughlin on electric guitar, Corea, Zawinul and Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Dave Holland on bass and Tony Williams on drums.
A great story from the recording session come from McLaughlin, who had just joined Miles’ group and was understandably nervous. Miles was not happy with McLaughlin’s first take on the album and told him to go work on it. With McLaughlin sweating bullets, Miles told him “Why don’t you play it like you don’t know how to play guitar” which was brilliant advice that only makes sense coming from Miles Davis.
I don’t have a film to write about tonight. I’m in the middle of watching director Wong Kar-wei’s 2004 film 2046, but I had to go to sleep last night with about 45 minutes left before the end of the film. The movie is a sequel to Wong’s earlier In the Mood For Love which I wrote about earlier this year. In the Mood for Love made the BFI Sight & Sound poll of the ten greatest films ever made and I agree that In the Mood for Love is a masterpiece. My opinion on 2046 is still out. So far, it’s like if they decided to make a sequel to Love Story that follows what happened to Ryan O’Neal’s character after the events of Love Story. In fact, they made that film—it’s called Oliver’s Story. But it’s as if someone making that film said “Do you know what Oliver’s Story needs? Some elements from Blade Runner. What Love Story was missing was that science fiction element.“
So in light of that, I thought I’d just throw it open for you to talk about your favorite romantic movies. It can be a rom-com or a straight romantic drama. Even if it’s not your favorite, tell us ones that you think are overlooked and the rest of us should check out.
And yes, you should all check out In the Mood for Love.
I don’t have to tell you that the Cubs are struggling to find pitching, as several players whom they were counting on this year have come up injured or Phil Maton. In that light, the Cubs signed 32-year-old left-hander Aaron Bummer to a minor-league deal.
The Chicago Cubs sign veteran reliever Aaron Bummer to a minor league contract after being recently released by Atlanta.
So it’s never a positive sign when a pitcher gets released from another organization, especially since the Braves still owe the pro-rated portion of the $9.5 million Bummer was owed this year. But since it’s a minor league deal, the Cubs are only on the hook for the major league minimum once he gets called up. So the risk is low—the Cubs can send him to Iowa for a few weeks and then decide whether or not they want to add him to the major league roster or release him.
To be clear, Bummer has been poor this year. Teams don’t release good left-handed relievers. Over 15.1 innings this year, Bummer has allowed 15 runs, 13 earned, for an ERA of 7.63. His four-seam fastball has lost some velocity, which normally might not be much of a problem since he doesn’t throw it very much. But it does seem to be affecting how his sinker and cutter give the hitter a different look.
Bummer’s problems are that he’s been walking too many hitters and giving up too many home runs. Six in 15.1 innings qualifies as too many. Bummer has been a ground ball pitcher throughout his career, but this year the fly balls are up and they are leaving the yard at an alarming rate. Some of that might be poor luck, but the increases in the fly ball rate indicate it’s not all bad luck. Also, the increase in the walk rate make those home runs hurt more.
So why would the Cubs want someone like that? For one, Bummer was a pretty good reliever with Atlanta in 2024 and 2025 when he posted an ERA of 3.58 and 3.81 respectively. You’re probably familiar with Bummer from his time with the White Sox, but historically he’s been a pretty good strikeout pitcher as well, striking out 10 batters per nine over the course of his career.
So if the Cubs see something that they can fix in Bummer, then maybe they’ve just gotten a good reliever for free. And if they can’t get him back to his 2024 and 2025 form, they haven’t lost much.
So what do you think of the Cubs signing Aaron Bummer? I couldn’t resist tweaking the traditional “Yay!/Nay!/Meh” format that we normally use by replacing “Nay!” with “Bummer.” I guess I could have replaced “Yay!‘ with ”Bummer!,“ but that would have been too confusing.
Thanks for stopping by. We’ve had a rough week, but it’s been better because of you. Get home safely. Recycel and cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.
