Sports
Mets, Braves square off in make-up DH as both vie for playoffs
Sep 29, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9), New York Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor (15) and not seen New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader (44) celebrate a 5-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets each need one victory to qualify for the postseason when they meet in a make-up doubleheader on Monday in Atlanta.
Both teams are 88-72 and are in a virtual tie with Arizona (89-73) for the National League’s two final wild-card spots. If Atlanta and New York split the twin bill, both will advance to the playoffs since each team holds the tiebreaker over Arizona.
But if either team sweeps the doubleheader, the winning team would qualify for the postseason and the loser will be eliminated, sending the Diamondbacks to the wild-card round. Atlanta leads the season series against the Mets 6-5.
“The way we started this year (twice 11 games under .500), nobody expected us to be in this position,” New York manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And here we are with a chance to do something special. We’ll go back to Atlanta and get that last one and go from there.”
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, whose team is trying to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh straight season, said, “The ball is in our court. If we can’t pull one of those off, then you know it’s just one of those things. We’ve done a good job coming out every day and trying to go 1-0. We’ll start fresh with two of our better guys going.”
The Braves will go with rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (8-7, 3.47 ERA) in the opener and Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) in the second game. If the Braves win the first game, they will readjust their plans for the nightcap and reserve Sale for the opener of the wild-card series.
Schwellenbach beat the Mets on Tuesday, the right-hander allowing one run in seven innings. He has given up just one run in 14 innings in two starts against New York.
Sale has already clinched the National League triple crown for pitchers. He leads the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts (225 in 177 2/3 innings). The last pitcher to lead the NL in all three categories was Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
In his four starts in September, Sale is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA. His last loss came against the Chicago White Sox on June 27 when he allowed one run over seven innings in a 1-0 loss. Sale’s most recent start came against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 19 when he pitched five innings and allowed two runs to get the win.
Sale has faced the Mets once this year and received a no-decision on July 25 after allowing two runs in 7 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four career starts against the Mets.
The Mets have not yet finalized their pitching plans for the doubleheader.
“Everything is on the table,” Mendoza said. “We have a chance. We’re right there and we get to play and we need one more, so we feel good.”
Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) will start one of the games. The veteran faced the Braves on Tuesday, taking the loss after allowing four runs in four innings. In five career starts against the Braves, Severino is 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA.
If the teams split, the Braves would open the playoffs at San Diego and the Mets would be at Milwaukee. If either team sweeps, it would open at San Diego, which would allow Arizona to make the playoffs and send the Diamondbacks to Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels activate OF/DH Jorge Soler from four-game suspension
Apr 7, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; A fight breaks out between Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels activated outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler from the suspended list on Sunday and put him in the cleanup spot of the lineup for the series finale against the San Diego Padres.
Soler was given an original seven-game suspension for an on-field fight with former Atlanta Braves teammate Reynaldo Lopez on April 7. Soler appealed the suspension, and it was reduced to four games, while the Angels were in New York last week.
Soler, 34, is batting .231 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 18 games for the Angels this season.
In 13 major league seasons, Soler is a career .240 hitter with 208 home runs and 568 RBIs over 1,112 games for the Chicago Cubs (2014-16), Kansas City Royals (2017-21), Atlanta Braves (2021, 2024), Miami Marlins (2022-23), San Francisco Giants (2024) and Angels.
Lopez had his own seven-game suspension reduced to five games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers aim to take 2-0 lead over rival Penguins
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers got the best of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1, but both teams understand that the Keystone State rivals are likely headed for a long series.
The Flyers aim to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Penguins when the teams match up Monday in Pittsburgh.
In Saturday’s series opener, Philadelphia posted a 3-2 victory behind third-period goals from Travis Sanheim and Porter Martone. Sanheim, one of the team’s veteran players, scored the go-ahead goal midway through the final session before Martone added an insurance tally with 2:37 remaining.
Martone’s goal proved to be critical as Bryan Rust scored with 1:01 to play. However, Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar stayed firm down the stretch as the Flyers held on.
“I think I understand the level that’s needed to play in the playoffs,” said Sanheim, who helped keep Sidney Crosby off the scoreboard. “I understand the challenge ahead and my job, playing against top guys.”
Crosby and Sanheim received penalties late in the third period – Crosby for slashing and Sanheim for cross-checking – that forced both key players off the ice for the final stretch.
“That’s going to be part of a series,” Crosby said. “I think we’ve got to stay out of it a little bit more and trust that when they do it and try to start it up, that they’re going to get penalized for it. But that’s more something I think they’re looking to do. We’ve got to stay out of it and trust they’ll be undisciplined.”
Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia, while Rasmus Ristolainen notched a pair of assists. The headline, though, was Martone with the game-winning goal in his postseason debut.
“Everyone’s been great,” said the 19-year-old Martone, the sixth pick in the 2025 draft. “I think we were all pretty excited going into this game, being able to play in the playoffs. For me, it’s my 10th NHL game. It’s pretty special, and it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up.”
Philadelphia is in the postseason for the first time since 2020, while Pittsburgh is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Penguins certainly don’t want to go down 2-0 in the series before heading across the state for Games 3 and 4.
“(The Flyers) make it hard,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I think that’s part of their game. They’ve been doing that for a while. … They can make it difficult. I think we got away from things that worked. Part of that is the intensity. Everything is ramped up here in the playoffs.”
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was a force in Game 1 with a goal and an assist. He has 68 goals and 114 assists in 178 career playoff games.
“We played good all year long,” Malkin said. “We know how we play and we just, like, maybe nervous too much or we want (it) too much. We just (weren’t) thinking a little bit, I think.”
The Flyers are expecting a crisper overall effort by the Penguins in Sunday’s affair.
“We did a good job, but we know they’re going to respond,” Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. “We know they’re going to come hard next game. We’ve got to keep respecting their skill and just be prepared.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Best College Basketball Transfer Portal Players Still Available
The college basketball portal window has lived up to expectations so far, as long as your expectations were pure chaos.
Approximately a third of all Division-I players — what was projected to be over 3,000 players — have entered the portal.
Louisville landed the top portal player, Kansas big Flory Bidunga, to anchor the elite class of transfers it is assembling.
But there is still plenty of talent available in the portal, which is set to close for entries early next week.
Here’s a look at the best players remaining in the portal:
Milan Momcilovic
Ranked by On3, 247Sports and ESPN as the best transfer still available, Momcilovic is coming off an exceptional shooting season at Iowa State.
In his third season with the Cyclones, the 6-foot-8 forward saw his shooting percentages jump up significantly, making 50.6% of his shots and a nation-leading 48.7% of his 3-pointers.
Mind you, that perimeter performance wasn’t in a small sample size. He finished the season with 136 made threes, ranking fifth nationally with 3.7 made shots outside the arc per game.
Momcilovic also entered his name in the NBA draft. But considering he’s not considered a first-round pick, it’s entirely possible he returns for his senior season at some school and immediately gives their offense a big shooting boost.
John Blackwell
Similar to Momcilovic, Blackwell has been a gradual bloomer in college basketball at Wisconsin.
He went from 8.0 points as a freshman to 15.8 as a sophomore and, most recently, 19.1 points per game this season for the Badgers. The 6-foot-4 guard also made his impact in a number of ways with 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game, making 43% of his shots and 38.9% of his 3-pointers.
With a finalist list of Alabama, Arizona, Duke, Louisville, Illinois and UCLA, that shows the caliber of teams in on Blackwell coming off his second straight strong season in Madison.
Juke Harris
Harris exploded onto the scene at Wake Forest this past season.
He jumped up from 6.1 points per game as a freshman to 21.4 as a sophomore, good for third-most in the ACC.
Harris was only a 33.2% perimeter shooter, but made 44.4% of his total shots, showing his ability as a slasher and jumpshooter. He also led the Demon Deacons in rebounds (6.5 per game) as a 6-foot-7 guard.
He’s reportedly receiving interest from a number of top teams in the portal, including defending champs Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Massamba Diop
Arizona State didn’t have a very good 2025-26 season, finishing 17-16 and seeing head coach Bobby Hurley fired after the season.
But one thing the Sun Devils did have going for them was an exceptional season from freshman big Massamba Diop, who unfortunately for them and new coach Randy Bennett entered the portal after the season.
The 7-foot-1 native of Senegal finished second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.8). He was also second in the Big 12 in blocks (2.1) behind Bidunga.
A 30.8% 3-point shooter in a small sample size (8 of 26) and a 56.9% shooter from the floor, Diop showed his well-rounded ability which could make him a star on a better team next season.
