Sports
Chandler Simpson Is an Anomaly for Tampa Bay Rays
Chandler Simpson has become a hot-button topic in baseball conversations. To simplify the issue, old-school guys love his high-contact approach, while modern, analytical viewers hate his game because he provides below-average offensive production according to their stats.
I don’t think either group is absolutely right on Simpson. Both groups are leaning into narratives that better suit their arguments for or against him. To analyze Chandler Simpson, I think it takes a little bit more nuance.
To start, if you think Simpson has been an overall bad player in 2026, you are objectively wrong. He’s only been a slightly below league-average hitter, while playing some of the best defense out in left field and providing tremendous value on the base paths. If you don’t agree with those sentiments, you are simply hating a guy for no reason.
However, I’m not sure he can maintain his consistent performance at the plate like he has so far this year. Simpson does have some elite traits; he carries 99th percentile whiff%, K%, and squared up percentages. He creates a ton of contact and does as much damage as he can with the slowest swing in the sport. Also, he only strikes out 8.8% of the time, so he’s going to put the ball in play very frequently.
Since he puts the ball in play a ton, he, in turn, has a ton of bad batted ball data. Simpson rarely walks and chases after bad pitches, which really limits how productive he can be offensively. Additionally, his expected stats are a mixed bag. His xBA is higher than his actual batting average, but his xWOBA outpaces his actual WOBA. What we’re currently seeing from Simpson is one of the better versions we’ve seen, unless he starts becoming more patient at the plate.
Furthermore, he has generated only an OPS+ of 95 this year, 5% below the league average, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Simpson has stolen 11 bases this year, and in my eyes, steals should be looked at similarly to doubles when it comes to OPS. His OPS would be nearly 100 points higher if you counted his steals as doubles to his stats, and he would have an OPS+ of 116, which would be a well-above-average hitter in baseball.
Chandler Simpson is a flawed baseball player, but his polarization has been completely unfair. He’s a solid player who gets on base, plays great defense, and can steal bases. As long as those things stay consistent, he’s going to play in the MLB for a very long time.
Sports
NBA Draft Lottery 2026: Odds, Format, and How It All Works
Late Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully delivered arguably one of the greatest assessments of sports’ relationship with chance moments before the Kirk Gibson home run in the 1988 World Series.
“And with two out, you talk about a roll of the dice, this is it,” Scully said.
It’s unlikely that such an iconic call will emerge from Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago (3 p.m. ET, ABC), although the event at McCormick Place still stands to leave a legacy.
The NBA is expected to amend the current format, effective next spring.
Say it ain’t so, 14-ping-pong-ball-system enthusiasts.
While reciting Lottery ins and outs might not be as easy as remembering post time at your Kentucky Derby party, this primer is the ticket to impressing whichever gathering you’re among ahead of Knicks-76ers Game 4 later Sunday afternoon.
How does this year’s NBA Draft Lottery work?
The NBA Draft Lottery sets the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the league’s annual draft, slated for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This is Lottery No. 42 if you’re scoring – or pulling ping-pong balls – at home. Actually, you can sort of do the latter, but more on that later.
Fourteen ping-pong balls, numbered 1 through 14, are used for the drawing, representing the teams that didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Per math whizzes and NBA.com, there are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are pulled out of 14 “without regard to their order of selection.”
The NBA assigns 1,000 combinations to the participating lottery teams. The team that’s assigned the combination that is drawn receives the No. 1 pick in the draft. The NBA uses the same process for the Nos. 2-4 picks. The league discards the result and redraws if the same team “wins” more than once or the unassigned combo is chosen.
I played bingo with my grandma a few times growing up. Are these balls jumping around all afternoon?
Nah, not quite. On Sunday, the balls are placed in the lottery machine and mixed for 20 seconds before the first one is drawn. The balls that remain are mixed for another 10 seconds before the second one is chosen. Additional 10-second mixes transpire before the third and fourth balls are drawn.
Drawings take place before the draft order is broadcast on national TV.
Ten-second mixes, eh? Which lucky DJ gets to be on hand?
The NBA holds lottery drawings in a separate room. A representative from the accounting firm Ernst & Young witnesses the proceedings, alongside league office members, representatives from each lottery team, and select media members.
Later, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum announces the results upon opening envelopes in reverse order. That is, the 14th pick is revealed first and the first pick last.
Which teams have the best odds of landing the top pick?
The Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets each have a 14% chance, based on regular-season finish. However, recent history shows it’s anybody’s ping-pong ballgame. The Dallas Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance last year before winning the lottery and landing eventual Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
Atlanta had merely a 3% chance in 2024 but still won.
The Lottery ensures that the team with the worst record selects no worse than fifth overall. Teams in positions 5-14 will pick according to reverse order of their records during the regular season, though tiebreakers could add further jockeying.
How do I try this at home?
ESPN Analytics unveiled a draft lottery simulator last week. Godspeed.
Sports
Feeling 'revitalization,' Dodgers eager for continued production on offense vs. Astros
May 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) celebrates with second baseman Alex Freeland (76) after the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images After amassing only 11 runs in the previous five games and going six games without a home run, their longest drought since July 2014, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense finally broke out on Monday.
The Dodgers opened a three-game interleague series against the host Houston Astros with an 8-3 victory that featured home runs from Alex Freeland and Kyle Tucker, and three-hit games from Freeland and Will Smith.
Freddie Freeman and Tucker posted two hits and two RBIs apiece as the Dodgers feasted on the Astros’ beleaguered pitching.
“I like where our guys’ heads are at,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “There is a new sense of revitalization, walking around the clubhouse.
“(The Astros have) a pitching staff that certainly has scuffled a little bit. And if we can get into some good counts, take advantage of some hitters’ counts — yeah, it is a hitter-friendly ballpark. Hopefully, we just take some good at-bats and grind, and mix in some slug, too.”
Right-hander Shohei Ohtani (2-1, 0.60 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Ohtani sustained his first loss in his previous start, a 2-1 setback to the Miami Marlins last Tuesday, after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with nine strikeouts over six innings. Ohtani has logged exactly six innings in all five of his starts this season, with three of those outings scoreless.
Ohtani is 3-6 with a 3.89 ERA across 14 career starts against the Astros. He worked two scoreless innings against them on July 5, 2025, allowing one hit and striking out three. He did not factor into the decision of a 6-4 home loss.
Right-hander Peter Lambert (1-2, 3.52 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Tuesday.
He worked a season-low 4 1/3 innings in a 10-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Lambert will make his second home start this season and first since absorbing a 9-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 17.
Lambert is 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) against the Dodgers. In his previous outing against them on June 2, 2024, he worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the Colorado Rockies, allowing one hit and three walks with three strikeouts.
The Astros, ravaged by injuries to their pitching staff, used an opener for a second consecutive game on Monday, with left-hander Steven Okert working in back-to-back games and Houston using five pitchers in both contests. Among the 13 players currently on the injured list are eight pitchers, but Houston could field reinforcements in the near term.
Right-handers Tatsuya Imai and Nate Pearson are scheduled to make rehab appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, with left-handed closer Josh Hader likely to do the same.
“Things are moving in the right direction,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why LeBron James Is Unlikely To Pull off Another Upset Against Thunder
LeBron James has found a way to turn back the clock one more time, pulling off a massive upset for the Lakers in the first round over the Rockets. Not to take anything away from that achievement, but the Rockets looked like an exceedingly flawed team through most of the second half this year. Most importantly, when Kevin Durant was absent, their offense was exceedingly stagnant.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that life will be exceedingly harder for the Lakers against OKC. Luka Doncic is likely out for this series, and if not longer if Los Angeles were to advance, but they will be missing his offensive production far more severely in round two.
The Lakers have a 7% chance of advancing, according to prediction markets, and are +1400 to reach the Western Conference Finals. They are also 15.5-point underdogs in the series opener in Oklahoma City.
I gave the Lakers as an upset pick in round one, but I can’t see how they pull it off this time around. What are some things they could do in this series to continue their playoff success?
Los Angeles is one of the slower teams in the NBA, but they’ve become even slower in the playoffs. Across any sport, if teams can limit the number of possessions that occur in a game, the odds of them pulling off an upset increase drastically.
They were solid offensively when they settled into their half-court sets, but led all teams in turnovers per game in the first round. Oklahoma City was on the other end of the spectrum, but that will have to change for the Lakers against a far more cohesive Thunder core.
Austin Reaves was quiet in the two games he played in the first round and was only 2/12 from three. He has to play above his weight class and knock down threes at a rate that’s higher than his season average.
Furthermore, it sucks that we need to have this conversation in his age 41 season, but the Lakers are going to need to be carried by LeBron. He was great in round one, but he’s going to need to turn the clocks back even further this time around. That’s seriously the only way I think the Lakers pull this off. I would be an idiot to fully write off LeBron after everything he’s done in 23 seasons, but even a vintage King James appearance might not be enough to beat a Thunder team that’s one of the best we’ve ever seen.
OKC is +115 to sweep, and that’s probably the only thing I’d bet in this series. LeBron’s done crazy things in his career, but this would be bigger than anything we’ve ever seen. Even with a healthy Luka Doncic, this would be a very tough draw for the Lakers.
NBA Draft Lottery 2026: Odds, Format, and How It All Works
Feeling 'revitalization,' Dodgers eager for continued production on offense vs. Astros
