KANATA, Ont. — Sometimes the end arrives with a bang.
Screaming and fighting. Hung heads and blank stares. Spilled beer and sweaters thrown in disgust.
A frenzied and dramatic winner-take-all exclamation point on an eight-month-long journey.
Edge-of-your-seat, analyze-to-death stuff.
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That’s how Toronto Maple Leafs seasons used to finish.
Nah, the final page of the 2025-26 Leafs’ season — a 3-1 loss to the surging and playoff-bound Ottawa Senators on a rainy Wednesday in Kanata, Ont. — was turned quietly and without emotion. Like the acknowledgments at the end of a tragic novel.
The final chapter of this sad tale was written weeks ago.
And so, the Maple Leafs, coasting through a seventh consecutive loss with preseason-like electricity, skated through the motions at the Canadian Tire Centre. They got outshot (38-20) for the 17th time in their final 19 games.
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James Reimer, the goaltender who tried out for the Leafs in camp only to land a gig a few hours east, got the win.
Ottawa’s organist cued up the locals for a few jolly but half-hearted choruses of “Leafs suck!” A “Matthews leaving!” chant burst out late from the upper bowl.
One man wearing a blue-and-white replica sweater and sitting front row pressed a handmade FIRE BERUBE placard against the glass in Toronto’s end throughout warmup and at various stoppages.
Eventually, that fan lost interest too.
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It was the type of uninspired performance that would make Rick Bowness blow a lid.
It’s shrugs and acceptance and how soon can we get outta town?
The Maple Leafs will clean out their lockers first thing Thursday morning, speak a few final clichés, then scatter for summer.
“You want to be going to the playoffs,” Toronto defenceman Simon Benoit said. “It feels like s— to be honest.”
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The most disappointing season in the franchise’s 109-year history ends with a lottery-odds-boosting seven-game losing skid. Toronto went 0-for-April, putting a stamp on its worst year-over-year decline ever.
From 108 points and its lone regular-season Atlantic crown to 78 points and last in division. From a plus-37 goal differential to a minus-46, worst in the East. A 30-point swing in the standings and an 83-goal swing on the scoreboard.
“Tough finish, but I guess kinda relieved a little bit,” Nick Robertson said. “You’re battling a lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions.”
Why did it all go so wrong?
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“There’s a lot of reasons,” Robertson said. “Lack of execution, buy-in, emotion on everyone’s part, including myself. You know, it’s hard. It’s unfortunate how it ended.”
Fans will cling to hope that the Maple Leafs, locking up fifth-last place in the NHL, won’t get leaped in May’s draft lottery by one of the six teams below them in the reverse standings. And maybe, just maybe, Toronto wins the lottery outright. The odds of that are 8.5 per cent.
Heck, the Leafs did precisely that in their last lost season, rewarded handsomely for their pain in 2016.
No team gave up more shots this season than Toronto (2,660). No franchise did less to stop the bleeding or act alarmed when the “check engine” light blinked bright orange.
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This 18-wheeler didn’t soar off the cliff in a blaze of Thelma & Louise glory. It sputtered out of gas 10 miles from the nearest station, and everyone inside figured, ah, well, might as well catch a nap.
“It’s a disappointing season, definitely,” said Craig Berube, who outlasted GM Brad Treliving and has two more years on his contract with MLSE. “I’m not going to express all my opinions to everybody. I’m going to keep that inside.”
Quietly swallow the bitter pill and hope, somehow, the group learns something and returns… different. Motivated.
“It’s tough ending the season like this,” said William Nylander, who registered his sixth 30-goal campaign. “I haven’t been in this position. So, I mean, just go into the summer and be ready to have a big season next year.”
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Troy Stecher is hopeful this is a one-off, an ugly blip caused by “a magnitude” of different reasons.
“That’s something the organization will dissect amongst the players and the staff however they go about it,” Stecher said. “But we’re definitely aware as players what went wrong within the room.
“We’ll just probably keep that private for the organization.”
• At 35, John Tavares is both the oldest Maple Leaf and the only one to play all 82 games this season, something he hasn’t done since his inaugural campaign for Toronto back in 2018-19.
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“That’s what you work all off-season for. That’s what you wait every day for is the ability to wake up and get to go compete and play in this league,” Tavares said.
Since Matthews went down to injury, Tavares slid in seamlessly to the dual role of captain and No. 1 centre, racking up nine goals and 19 points in 17 games while facing reporters daily and saying the right things.
A career-low minus-28 rating is tough to wear, but Tavares generating his eighth 30-goal and ninth 70-point season for $4.4 million makes him the best value on the entire roster.
• The Maple Leafs are light on unrestricted free agents.
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Calle Järnkrok sat out Wednesday due to injury and has completed all four years of his $8.4-million contract in Toronto. Will another NHL team offer the 34-year-old a one-year deal for cheap? Or will Järnkrok keep his career going back home in Sweden?
Waiver-scoop Stecher, 32, said he has loved being a Maple Leaf and is hoping to re-sign in Toronto. But it’s tough for him to speculate on his future with no GM in place yet.
If Stecher does hit the open market on July 1, what’s his priority?
“A job,” he smiles.
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“Guy like me, fighting his way off the league-minimum line,” he says, “I’ve battled to stay in the league.”
• Popular take: Nursing a bad knee and lobbed out in trade discussions, Matthew Knies has endured a setback season.
Counterpoint: Knies lost Mitch Marner and, later, Auston Matthews off his line yet still quietly produced more eight more points this season (66) than in his much-celebrated sophomore campaign (58).
“It’s been a grind for him all year,” Berube says.
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• Rough ending for the Anthony Stolarz–Joseph Woll tandem that was so stellar last season.
Stolarz suffered yet another lower-body, non-contact injury in his final start, one that will impact his off-season training.
Since Jan. 15, Woll went a disturbing 4-12-5 with an .883 save percentage, albeit playing behind a defensively negligent team.
“Overworked,” Berube believes. “Faced a lot of rubber. Too much.”
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Woll joined the team in mid-November and appeared in 39 games, five more than Stolarz but five below his own career high.
Can Woll carry a true starter’s pace?
“There’s a few things he probably has to think about and change a little bit to handle that type of load. It’s a lot,” Berube says. “Look at the goalies in the league. There’s only a handful of guys that play 50 or more games in a season.”
This season there were 19. Last season there were 22. Workhorses are on the decline.
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• Yes, Berube saw Rick Bowness’s epic rant after the Columbus Blue Jackets phoned in Game 82.
“I’m not in Bones’ head. But for me, it’s like, losing has to hurt. It’s got to be vocalized in the room by your players,” Berube said. “Things have to be said in a not-so-nice manner. And when that happens in a locker room enough times, things are bound to change. You got to challenge each other. He’s not wrong.”
Do the Maple Leafs have a similar issue with not hating to lose?
“I’m not getting into that stuff,” Berube replied.
The San Antonio Spurs host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday with the series tied 2-2, creating one of the biggest games of the year to this point to take advantage of the latest DraftKings promo code to get $100 in bonus bets instantly after your first $5 wager. Both teams have won a game on the opposing team’s home floor, and rather than backing a side, the SportsLine Projection Model finds the best value in playing Over 218.5 total points scored for Tuesday’s NBA best bets at DraftKings.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the second week of the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
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Tuesday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook
Timberwolves vs. Spurs: Over 218.5 total points (-108)
Paul Skenes, Pirates, Under 7.5 total strikeouts (-127)
Timberwolves vs. Spurs: Over 218.5 total points (-108)
The Under cashed in Game 1, but the Over has hit in each of the last three games in the Timberwolves vs. Spurs series, with those three contests averaging 224.7 points per game. These two teams also went Over this total in two of three matchups during the regular season, making the Over 5-2 in seven combined games this year. Anthony Edwards had 36 points for Minnesota in Game 4 for his second straight game with more than 30 points. The Spurs have the No. 4 scoring offense in the NBA at 119.1 points per game, and the Timberwolves are eighth at 117.1 ppg. The model projects the Over trend to continue, with the Over cashing in 55% of simulations. Back the Over here, and claim $100 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins as a new user:
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Paul Skenes, Pirates, Under 7.5 total strikeouts (-127)
The reigning NL Cy Young winner was already one of the biggest names in the sport even before winning last year’s top pitching honor, and that can often inflate his MLB player prop odds. The model sees that to be the case on Tuesday ahead of Skenes’ start against the Rockies. Despite the Rockies having a below-average offense, they haven’t allowed an opposing starting pitcher to strike them out at least eight times in a game in any of their last seven games. Skenes has gone Over this strikeout total just once in eight starts this season, and even in his Cy Young season last year, he averaged 6.8 strikeouts per start. The model projects Skenes for six strikeouts on Tuesday. Play Skenes’ Under at DraftKings here, and claim $100 in bonus bets instantly after your first $5 wager as a new user:
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Blue Jays (-102) vs. Rays
The defending American League champions meet the team with the best record in the AL on Tuesday, and the model is backing last year’s AL champs in this matchup. The Blue Jays are starting veteran Patrick Corbin, who has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts, including holding the Rays to two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start on Wednesday. The Rays are starting Shane McClanahan, who hasn’t allowed a run in any of his last three starts, but the 29-year-old allowed at least three runs in three of his first four starts. Despite an 18-23 record, the Blue Jays are 4-2 in Corbin’s six starts this season, and the model projects Toronto to win in 58% of simulations compared to its implied odds of 50.5%. Back the Blue Jays at DraftKings here, and claim $100 in bonus bets instantly after your first $5 wager as a new user:
Hassan Seif al-Din never expected that, at the age of 65, he would be teaching martial arts to children in a football stadium in Beirut. But these are not normal times.
The coach fled to Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium from Dahiyeh, one of the capital’s southern suburbs, along with thousands of others. He now lives in one of the many rows of tents set up in the venue.
The Middle East was plunged into fresh fighting on February 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and the conflict spread into Lebanon just days later. In April, The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations said that over a million people in Lebanon had been displaced as Israel has bombed Hezbollah targets in the country. Hassan is just one of them.
Hassan Seif al-Din was forced to flee from a southern Beirut suburbImage: Sara Hteit/DW
“There was so much bombing around us, so we escaped and ended up displaced here at the Sports City,” Hassan told DW. After he arrived, he was determined to maintain his martial arts routine.
“I was training here on my own for two to three hours a day,” he said.
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As he did so, he noticed children around watching him.
“I thought to myself, ‘let me bring them together, train them, and bring some joy into their lives through this sport, help them forget what’s happening in the city, teach them how to switch off for a while and build their strength — physically and mentally.’”
Adnan is one of the children who has been learning a new skill.
“I really love how the coach teaches us, especially how to defend myself and build confidence,” he told DW. “If someone attacked me in the street and tried to kidnap me, I’d know how to defend myself.”
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Sports as a distraction
There’s more to it than self-defense for Hassan. It is about giving young people something else to think about than bombs, the homes they are missing and their normal lives. It is about giving them something to look forward to.
“The displaced people living in the tents carry their own trauma,” he said.
“(During training) they’re away from everything happening outside, enjoying being together and training with me. Having a coach and a team is something they never had before, so they take to it naturally. They’ve become like family.
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Tents have been set up in Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium to house people who fled from southern Lebanon Image: Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
“It means so much to them to forget the pain and everything happening outside this pitch. They’re happy. Sometimes they will come and wake me up saying, ‘Let’s go, coach, time to train.’”
Football clubs chip in with support
The stadium has long been the home of the Lebanon national team and the venue has witnessed some of the country’s greatest sporting moments, such as a famous win over South Korea in 2011 during World Cup qualification. Older residents still talk of 1975 when Pele played a friendly there in front of over 35,000 fans.
The stadium reflects the country’s troubled history to an extent. It was destroyed during the Israeli invasion of 1982 and rebuilt in 1990 after the 15-year-long civil war ended. In 2024, it hosted Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral after the Hezbollah leader was killed in an Israeli strike.
Football is the country’s most popular sport and clubs have been working hard to help those in need.
“I am happy that the stadium is able to shelter people,” Wael Chehayeb, a member of the Executive Committee of the Lebanon Football Association, told DW.
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“It’s also sad that this, a place that usually brings joy and pulls people out of their stressful lives to come and watch games, has to be used like this.”
Some of the country’s football clubs have been busy helping out.
“Players and officials at second-division club Akhaa have volunteered at public schools where some displaced families were sheltered,” Chehayeb said.
The Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium’s usual role is to host Lebanon national team matchesImage: Murat Sengul/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
“Clubs such as Safa and Nejmeh sheltered some families at their stadiums and provided food. Other clubs like Ansar helped with food parcels.”
Despite being unable to use dressing rooms and other facilities, some players are still training as clubs feel that players being around and interacting with the families helps lift spirits.
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‘A sense of solidarity’
Anything that makes life in the stadium easier is welcome for its temporary residents, such as the family of Howaida Amin Mzannar who fled from Aitaroun, a village in southern Lebanon. It had become so dangerous that the family, which has been forced to flee in the past, was unable to bring any of its possessions.
“We have been suffering from the situation on the border for a long time,” Mzannar told DW. “Now we are here but it is so difficult, not knowing where you will be tomorrow, there is the psychological pressure due to the uncertainty of the future.”
The only comfort to be found comes in others, their new and sudden neighbors.
“There is a sense of solidarity among people; everyone is helping each other” Mzannar said.
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“Life is simple and follows a daily routine: cleaning, organizing, sitting together, and the children are trying to create a sense of normal life.”
Hassan plans to continue helping in that regard.
“I never imagined I’d be displaced one day and become a coach at the same time. It’s God’s will — a coincidence that led me here,” he said.
“I’m truly happy here. Believe it or not, I feel like I want to stay here and train them for a year, two or three. In a year and a half, I could make national champions out of them.”
Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been given an 11-year ban for his involvement in an “orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution”.
Six internationals were charged in March following a joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) dubbed “Operation Obsidian”, which found five instances where players allegedly swapped urine samples to avoid detection. Employees of Georgia’s national anti-doping agency also tipped off players about upcoming tests, Wada said.
Sanctions have now been levied against the players involved and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava, who has received a nine-year suspension from the game.
Sharikadze, who won 104 caps and led Georgia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, received the longest ban of the players. The 32-year-old spent time at Hartpury College near Gloucester as a teenager.
Giorgi Chkoidze (six years), Lasha Khmaladze (three years), Otar Lashkhi (three years), Miriani Modebadze (three years) and Lasha Lomidze (nine months) are the other Georgia internationals to be banned.
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“The investigation was triggered when irregularities in urine samples were identified by World Rugby’s athlete passport management programme, covering an extended period of time prior to the men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France,” World Rugby said.
The governing body also suggested that its investigation had indicated that the sample substitution had been to conceal the use of cannabis and tramadol, rather than performance-enhancing substances.
Outbound is a peaceful exploration game where you travel various types of biomes in your van and expand it using the resources you find. The van is the highlight of the game since you can craft items, store them, and build an entire living space with several machines on the van itself. Along with all these features, there is a method to check tire pressures and fill them as well.
Here is a short guide on checking tire pressure and filling air in them in Outbound.
Method to check tire pressure and fill them in Outbound
Aim towards your van’s tires to check and fill them (Image via Square Glade Games || Sportskeeda)
The van is basically your travel buddy in Outbound. You are required to take care of it and build on it as you explore the beautiful scenery. Even though you refuel it using fiber or wood logs or upgrade it to be faster, it might slow down after exploring for several days. This can be because of low tire pressures.
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In order to check tire pressures, head to each tire and check how much pressure they have. If the tire pressure is lower than 100%, there will be an option to press ‘E’ and inflate them with more air. Make sure to inflate all four of them.
This might not be the most realistic way to inflate tires, but it is still quite realistic, particularly when the overall realism of the game is taken into consideration.
After inflating them to 100%, you will notice that they will not run out too quickly, specifically if you keep driving. This is because the tire pressures decrease slowly if you keep the van rolling. If you are static at a place and only focus on building your house above it, you might notice that the tire pressures will decrease quickly.
Another factor that determines how quickly tire pressures decrease is the van’s weight. The more you build on your van, the heavier it will be, and it will decrease the van’s tire pressure more quickly.
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Apart from tire pressures, Outbound also has a decent amount of detailed van mechanics like engine temperature, energy use rating, charge rating, etc.
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Are you stuck on today’s Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer.
I Am Dirty may emulate the Group 1 achievements of stablemates Overpass and Green Spaces after her dominant display in The Coast Raceday 2yo Handicap (1200m) at Gosford on Saturday.
While trainer Bjorn Baker rates I Am Dirty’s potential highly, he is undecided on stakes tests for her this season.
“We will have a bit of a think about what we do next with her,” Baker told Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Greg Radley. “Maybe we go one more or possibly put her out.
“I’ve always had a really good opinion of her and it is important to win these Saturday two-year-old races.
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“I’m confident she will go on to better things, it is just a matter of when.
“This has been a great form race, particularly for my stable, and we are lucky to have a very, very nice filly in I Am Dirty.”
Baker recalled his stable’s sprinter Overpass winning that exact two-year-old race at Gosford’s initial standalone fixture in 2021.
Overpass boasts 10 wins in 36 starts, with two Group 1s, two The Quokkas, and earnings exceeding $12.5 million.
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The trainer now prepares Overpass for the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1000m) at the famed Royal Ascot in England next month.
Green Spaces, Godolphin’s runner, was unplaced at Gosford last year behind Hidden Achievement before transferring to Baker.
Under Baker this season, Green Spaces has risen to likely the premier staying three-year-old, securing a Group 1 ATC Australian Derby win last month for the trainer.
I Am Dirty’s future feats are uncertain, yet the filly – by star sire I Am Invincible, first foal of Group 3 winner Dirty Thoughts – made a striking debut impression at Gosford.
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Second-up and backed into $2.60 equal favourite, I Am Dirty powered home by two lengths with Rachel King beating Quarterback ($13), Parisest Magic ($71) third after a bold finish.
King noted the $600,000 Magic Millions purchase I Am Dirty improved markedly from her debut behind talented filly Bangkok Hottie at Randwick last month.
“She was a little bit more on the ball today, she jumped ‘clean’ and put herself up on speed,” King said.
“They had a big opinion of her before that first-up run but it didn’t quite come off so hopefully this has repaid them today.
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“She’s pretty tractable and when I got to ‘park’ outside the lead, she relaxed beautifully and won well.”
I Am Dirty’s victory held special meaning for Baker on two fronts.
“I’ve got some very important owners in this filly including none other than (wife) Mrs Andrea Baker,” the trainer said.
“This is her Mother’s Day gift because I haven’t got anything else organised!”
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Visit betting sites to find racing odds for standout juvenile contests like Gosford’s opener.
China will field the most teams with three, while Japan and Korea will have two universities.
The Fighting Maroons will be competing against Japan’s Hakuoh University and Waseda University, Korea’s Korea University and Yonsei University and China’s Peking University, Shangai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University.
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Also in the fold are Chinese Taipei’s National Chengchi University, the inaugural champion of the tournament, along with Mongolia’s National University of Mongolia, Hong Kong’s Chinese University of Hong Kong and Australia’s University of Sydney.
The AUBL welcomed the addition of the Filipino and Australian teams this year.
“Having experienced the energy of the inaugural 2025 season, we are delighted to see the competition return with such a strong and diverse lineup,” said Seetow Cheng Fave, Secretary General of the Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) in a press release.
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“AUBL serves as an important platform for both high-level competition and meaningful sports and cultural exchange.”
The 2026 Preakness Stakes field features a pair of half-siblings in Iron Honor and Taj Mahal. They are both sons of Nyquist, who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby and placed third at The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky-bred Iron Honor won the Gotham Stakes but was a disappointing seventh in the Wood Memorial, which was his last start before the Preakness Stakes 2026. Meanwhile, the Florida-bred Taj Mahal has won all three of his starts but has yet to compete in a Graded Stakes race.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 21 Preakness winners, including 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He hit the trifecta in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and nailed Journalism as the 2025 Preakness winner. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes field now set, Demling is sharing his 2026 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
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Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Ocelli, even though he is not one of the top-four favorites. Ocelli is still winless in his career and only has one runner-up finish in seven races, but he has undeniable momentum entering the Preakness Stakes 2026.
He was a giant 70-1 longshot at the Kentucky Derby, but surged to third place and was charging hard at the end, posting a speed figure just one point below the top-two horses. In a lighter field at the Preakness, Demling expects Ocelli to be very much in the mix on Saturday.
“He’s still a maiden, but was third in the Wood Memorial and ran third in the Derby,” Demling told SportsLine. “For a split second, I thought he might win the Derby. He will be running in the end.” See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
Canelo Alvarez is set to challenge Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight world title upon his September return and whilst many fans are anticipating an intriguing fight, 168lb rival Hamzah Sheeraz is expecting a statement stoppage.
A two-time undisputed ruler of the division, Canelo lost all four of his super-middleweight belts to Terence Crawford in an upset defeat back in September, but the 35-year-old is wasting no time trying to reclaim them and is expected to challenge the newly crowned Mbilli next.
As for the WBO strap, Sheeraz takes on Alem Begic at the end of the month in a vacant title showdown, seeking to tee up a unification clash with Mexican superstar, Canelo, for 2027.
Speaking to The Ring, Sheeraz appeared to have no concerns that Canelo would be unsuccessful in handing Mbilli a first defeat, predicting an early knockout win for the pound-for-pound veteran.
“I believe that he knocks Mbilli out within six rounds. Styles make fights at the end of the day.
“No disrespect to Mbilli; great champion, great fighter, but I believe that Canelo knocks him out within six rounds, only because styles make fights.”
I am not going to preview every single Paul Skenes start for the Pirates in this space, but there’s no question that when the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner takes the mound, it draws more attention than a typical MLB game. I find his home start tonight vs. Colorado somewhat amusing, because it appears to be perhaps the starting pitching mismatch of the season to this point, as he is opposed by struggling journeyman Michael Lorenzen.
Rockies-Pirates BetRivers parlay (-112)
Skenes (5-2, 2.36 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) has had some memorable outings already in his two-plus seasons in the majors but comes off arguably his best one, eight shutout innings with only two hits allowed, seven strikeouts and no walks in a 1-0 victory at Arizona. Four strikeouts came on four-seam fastballs, two on changeups and one with his unusual splitter.
Skenes didn’t throw more than 17 pitches in an inning and three times needed nine or fewer. He was the first Pirates pitcher with eight-plus innings and two or fewer baserunners allowed since Doug Drabek in 1991.
“I don’t know what else there is to say,” Bucs manager Don Kelly said. “He was unbelievable. Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, being able to put guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”
Skenes was never particularly close to his first no-hitter. He did retire the first 14 he faced, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a soft dribbler down the third-base line for an infield single and then Nolan Arenado followed with a sharp single to left. That was the final baserunner Skenes allowed.
The 23-year-old whiffed the final three batters he faced in the eighth. He clearly owns Arizona, now at 3-0 with a 0.69 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks, including three straight scoreless starts. He became the first pitcher with three straight scoreless starts of six-plus innings against the Snakes.
Apparently, with him at 97 pitches, there was no real thought about letting him pitch the ninth and try for his first complete game and shutout. Skenes said he wasn’t clear on his pitch count after the eighth. Kelly said they “talked about it briefly.”
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The outing was an out shy of his career longest start on July 23, 2024 vs. St. Louis, and his game score of 85.0 was the best of 2026 and second-best career after an 87.0 on July 11 in his rookie year, in which Skenes threw seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts and one walk in a victory.
It was the second time in the past three outings that Skenes, +200 to repeat as NL Cy Young, has been dominant. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 win over the Brewers on April 24 – although he struggled in the start in between against St. Louis. Skenes has already reached half his win total from 2025 when he got almost no run support — he didn’t get his fifth win until July 21. This year, he’s getting plenty, with six starts of at least six runs of support compared to just one with 0-2, and that obviously was against Arizona.
At home this season, Skenes is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA and .171 batting average against in four starts spanning 21.1 innings with 26 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against Colorado. The SportsLine Projection Model projects him for 5.3 innings, 5.9 strikeouts, 4.1 hits allowed and 1.3 earned runs. Skenes is -155 to personally win at DraftKings; I personally don’t trust the Pittsburgh bullpen regarding that prop play.
Interested in wagering on MLB? You should check out the latest BetMGM promo code for the best offer.
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The Rockies are terrible, if not quite as historically bad as last season. Per usual, the pitching staff is the main culprit with a 4.84 collective ERA that is second-worst in the majors Over the weekend in Philly, the Rockies allowed 22 total runs and at least six in each game. In fact, they have allowed at least six runs in eight of their past 10.
Colorado signed Lorenzen to a one-year deal worth $8 million in the offseason and has gotten little on that return, as the righty is 2-4 with a 6.92 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. Sure, some of that is pitching at Coors Field, but in four road outings Lorenzen allowed at least four runs in two of them.
He was shelled for seven runs on 11 hits last time out in Denver vs. the Mets. The model has him allowing 3.3 earned in 5.4 innings tonight. Lorenzen is a cool +469 to get a victory (No at -730) and +596 on a head-to-head strikeout matchup vs. Skenes (-1000).
“Michael will be fine. He wanted to come here, to pitch here specifically. He’ll figure it out,” first-year manager Warren Schaeffer said after the Mets outing.
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The model has Pittsburgh winning by 2.1 runs, and it having any team winning by that much is pretty rare. But I much prefer the possibility of a push on -1 than a loss on -1.5 no matter the price. If Skenes is as dominant as I expect, the Pirates shouldn’t hammer Lorenzen THAT bad to worry about the alt total. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.
May 11, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The top three batters in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup — Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo — have not found the form that keyed an offensive surge the last two seasons, although manager Torey Lovullo is trying.
After producing a combined four hits and the game’s only run in the series opener against the Texas Rangers on Monday, the trio will seek an encore on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game series at Arlington, Texas.
Marte has hit first and second, Carroll has hit second and third, and Perdomo has hit in all three spots at the top of the order as the Diamondbacks attempt to kick-start an offense that ranks in the bottom third in scoring this season after leading the majors in runs (886) in 2024 and placing sixth (791) last season.
“We need those top three to get moving in the right direction,” Lovullo said.
They took a step in the right direction on Monday, when back-to-back doubles from Carroll and Perdomo in the first inning were all the D-backs needed in a 1-0 victory. Marte went 1-for-4, Carroll 1-for-2 with two walks and Perdomo 2-for-4 with an RBI.
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Lovullo said of eking out a low-scoring win, “It’s not anything we want to keep doing. We want to bang the baseball and score a lot of runs.”
Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen (1-3, 4.70 ERA) is to oppose Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 5.18) on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks rank 27th in on-base percentage and 24rd in OPS.
Carroll is off to the best start of the top-of-the-lineup trio, hitting .261 with five homers and 20 RBIs. Perdomo improved his average to .228, and Marte is batting .213.
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“They are all doing OK, but I think they are better than just doing OK,” Lovullo said.
Texas had only four hits off Michael Soroka and three relievers on Monday after shutting out the Chicago Cubs in the final two games of a weekend series.
“The last two days were good,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. “(Monday) not so great. Lot of ground balls to the pull side, which falls into (the D-backs’) game plan. We chased some sliders off the plate that we were trying not to do, obviously.”
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Gallen is 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA in his past six starts and is looking for his first victory since April 1. He threw a season-high 100 pitches in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in which he gave up four runs and two homers in six innings. He has struggled on the road this season, going 0-2 with a 7.13 ERA in four starts.
He has had a good success against the Rangers, going 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in six career starts. He has no decisions and a 5.40 ERA in two starts at Globe Life Field. Jake Burger is 4-for-8 with two homers against Gallen, while slumping Corey Seager is 7-for-24 (.292) vs. Gallen.
After a strong start, Gore is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA since April 8, when he threw five scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The last time out, Gore held a 2-1 lead through five innings against the New York Yankees on Thursday before giving up five runs in the sixth and taking a 9-2 loss. His line looked worse than it could have, as a catchable popup that fell for a hit helped fuel the Yankees’ rally.
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“I think after every good or bad outing, you have to be honest,” Gore said. “There’s definitely some things we did better than the last one here. We’re going to move on. It’s frustrating right now.”
Gore is 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in four games (three starts) against Arizona. Nolan Arenado is 4-for-12 with a homer off him, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 5-for-9.
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