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Deadspin | MLB roundup: Padres score 5 in 9th to edge Mariners, extend win streak to 7  Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France, left, dumps a cooler over center fielder Jackson Merrill after he hit a walk-off double during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images   Jackson Merrill’s two-run double capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres stretched their winning streak to seven games with a wild 7-6 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.  Merrill lined a 2-2 fastball from reliever Jose A. Ferrer down the left field line. Luis Campusano scored the tying run and Ramon Laureano plated the winning run when Randy Arozarena wasn’t able to make a throw home as the ball slipped out of his hand.  The hit made a winner of Alek Jacob (1-0), who tossed two scoreless innings in his first major league outing of the year after being called up on Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso.  Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-2) was charged with all five runs in the ninth. Luke Raley had a four-hit game that included a two-run homer.  Dodgers 8, Mets 2  Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings, Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam and Los Angeles pulled off a series sweep with a victory over visiting New York, sending the Mets to their eighth consecutive loss.  Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who improved to 10-2 since April 3 and 14-4 on the season. Ohtani (2-0) gave up one run, two hits and two walks on a rare pitching outing when he was not also used as a hitter. It was the first time Ohtani did not hit on the same day he pitched since May 2021 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.  MJ Melendez had two doubles with an RBI and Clay Holmes (2-2) gave up two runs over five innings for the Mets, who were held to three runs in the three-game series. Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Brett Baty each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the top of the New York order.  Yankees 5, Angels 4  Jose Caballero hit a game-ending two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as New York earned a victory over visiting Los Angeles.  The Yankees won for the second time in eight games after losing an early 3-0 lead built on an Aaron Judge homer and a two-run single from Trent Grisham. David Bednar (1-2) threw one scoreless inning for the win.  Mike Trout hit a two-run homer and Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Frazier added solo shots for the Angels. Trout became the first visiting player to homer in three straight days at Yankee Stadium since Miguel Cabrera did so nearly 13 years ago. Jordan Romano (0-2) allowed the ninth-inning runs.  Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5 (10 innings)  Adrian Del Castillo drilled a two-run home run in the 10th inning as part of his five-RBI outing, as Arizona won at Baltimore.  Del Castillo, who also had a two-run triple, matched his RBI total from his first six games of the season combined. Through nine innings, all nine players in Arizona’s batting order collected at least one hit, with Corbin Carroll singling twice.  Jeremiah Jackson homered and knocked in three runs for the Orioles. Starter Kyle Bradish lasted six innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits in the longest of his four starts this season.  Pirates 2, Nationals 0  Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six shutout innings and led the host Pittsburgh to a three-hit shutout in a victory over Washington.  Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each had RBI singles in the first inning. Mlodzinski (1-0) struck out five, walked two and gave up only two hits. Dennis Santana handled the ninth inning for his second save.  Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2) went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.  Cardinals 5, Guardians 3  Dustin May tossed six strong innings, and Alec Burleson drove in two runs, fueling St. Louis to a victory over visiting Cleveland.  May (2-2) allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts for St. Louis, which won the rubber match of the series. Nathan Church went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.  Bo Naylor drove in two runs for the Guardians, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Starter Slade Cecconi allowed one run on three hits in four innings. Connor Brogdon (2-2) relieved Cecconi and surrendered three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.  Red Sox 9, Twins 5  Trevor Story hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs to help Boston avoid a three-game sweep with a win over Minnesota.  Boston starter Connelly Early (1-0) earned the win for holding the Twins to one run on two hits in six innings; he struck out five and walked two. Andruw Monasterio collected three hits for the Red Sox. Roman Anthony and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits in the win.  Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in five innings. Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler homered for Minnesota, which outscored Boston 19-6 in the first two games of the series.  Reds 8, Giants 3  Sal Stewart slugged a pair of three-run homers, Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz each hit solo shots, and Cincinnati beat San Francisco at home.  Stewart went deep for the second straight night and has seven homers to lead all rookies. Suarez went 3-for-4, and Spencer Steer had a pair of singles for Cincinnati, which has won three of its last four games.   Daniel Susac doubled in two runs and had two hits for San Francisco, which lost its fourth straight. Starter Tyler Mahle allowed eight runs and eight hits with five walks over four innings against his former team.  Cubs 11, Phillies 2  Nico Hoerner had a career-high five RBIs, and Shota Imanaga matched a personal best with 11 strikeouts, lifting Chicago to a victory over Philadelphia.  The Cubs finished with 15 hits to win the decisive contest of the three-game series and record a second straight victory for just the second time this season. Matt Shaw ripped a two-run double, and Dansby Swanson launched a solo homer to highlight their respective three-hit performances.  The power surge was more than enough for Imanaga (1-1), who overcame a leadoff homer by Trea Turner to shut down the Phillies. The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and one walk before exiting after six innings. Bryce Harper added a solo shot in the ninth inning for Philadelphia.  Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1  Chad Patrick and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Milwaukee rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to snap a six-game losing streak.  Toronto starter Dylan Cease was dominant, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking three in a 106-pitch outing. The Blue Jays took an early lead on a sacrifice fly by Jesus Sanchez to score Daulton Varsho.  The Brewers broke through for two runs in the eighth against right-hander Tyler Rogers (1-1). William Contreras delivered an RBI single, and Brice Turang’s groundout scored Sal Frelick.  Tigers 2, Royals 1  Wenceel Perez hit a go-ahead eighth-inning home run and host Detroit extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Kansas City.  Perez’s first homer of the season made a winner of reliever Kyle Finnegan (1-0), who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Jake Rogers drove in the other run for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres had a three-hit game.  Kyle Isbel’s RBI single accounted for the lone Royals run. Kansas City has scored two or fewer runs in 11 games this season.  Braves 6, Marlins 3  Bryce Elder threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Atlanta backed him up with three home runs to defeat visiting Miami in the decisive game of a three-game series.  Elder (2-1) allowed four hits and two walks and struck out seven. The Braves got solo home runs from Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley plus a two-run shot from Matt Olson. Raisel Iglesias struck out three while working a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.  Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer for the Marlins. Chris Paddack (0-3) threw 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits.  Rays 8, White Sox 3  Junior Caminero, Jake Fraley and Jonny DeLuca homered to back five shutout innings from Jesse Scholtens and boost visiting Tampa Bay to a victory against Chicago.  The Rays stretched their winning streak to five games while sending the White Sox to their fourth loss in the past five. Scholtens (1-0) permitted one hit in a bulk-relief role.  Reese McGuire, who spent the first eight innings at catcher for Chicago, pitched a perfect ninth inning. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sean Burke (0-2) yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.  Athletics 6, Rangers 5  Shea Langeliers smashed a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Jacob Wilson hit a two-run shot one inning later to help the Athletics edge Texas in West Sacramento, Calif.  Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI double while reaching base three times and Denzel Clarke added a run-scoring single as the A’s won for the seventh time in eight games. Joel Kuhnel retired four straight hitters to register his third save of the season.  Jake Burger hit a three-run blast and Corey Seager belted a two-run homer for the Rangers, who lost for the second straight night after winning the opener of a four-game series.  Astros 3, Rockies 1  Spencer Arrighetti struck out 10 batters in his season debut and Yordan Alvarez slugged his seventh home run, as Houston claimed an interleague series victory against visiting Colorado.  Elevated to the taxi squad on Tuesday, Arrighetti (1-0) became the second starter to debut for the Astros in as many days. With Houston down three injured starters, Arrighetti followed Colton Gordon and joined the makeshift rotation after starting the season with Triple-A Sugar Land.  Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks with one strikeout over 3 2/3 innings.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Padres #score #9th #edge #Mariners #extend #win #streak

Deadspin | MLB roundup: Padres score 5 in 9th to edge Mariners, extend win streak to 7
Deadspin | MLB roundup: Padres score 5 in 9th to edge Mariners, extend win streak to 7  Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France, left, dumps a cooler over center fielder Jackson Merrill after he hit a walk-off double during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images   Jackson Merrill’s two-run double capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres stretched their winning streak to seven games with a wild 7-6 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.  Merrill lined a 2-2 fastball from reliever Jose A. Ferrer down the left field line. Luis Campusano scored the tying run and Ramon Laureano plated the winning run when Randy Arozarena wasn’t able to make a throw home as the ball slipped out of his hand.  The hit made a winner of Alek Jacob (1-0), who tossed two scoreless innings in his first major league outing of the year after being called up on Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso.  Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-2) was charged with all five runs in the ninth. Luke Raley had a four-hit game that included a two-run homer.  Dodgers 8, Mets 2  Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings, Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam and Los Angeles pulled off a series sweep with a victory over visiting New York, sending the Mets to their eighth consecutive loss.  Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who improved to 10-2 since April 3 and 14-4 on the season. Ohtani (2-0) gave up one run, two hits and two walks on a rare pitching outing when he was not also used as a hitter. It was the first time Ohtani did not hit on the same day he pitched since May 2021 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.  MJ Melendez had two doubles with an RBI and Clay Holmes (2-2) gave up two runs over five innings for the Mets, who were held to three runs in the three-game series. Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Brett Baty each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the top of the New York order.  Yankees 5, Angels 4  Jose Caballero hit a game-ending two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as New York earned a victory over visiting Los Angeles.  The Yankees won for the second time in eight games after losing an early 3-0 lead built on an Aaron Judge homer and a two-run single from Trent Grisham. David Bednar (1-2) threw one scoreless inning for the win.  Mike Trout hit a two-run homer and Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Frazier added solo shots for the Angels. Trout became the first visiting player to homer in three straight days at Yankee Stadium since Miguel Cabrera did so nearly 13 years ago. Jordan Romano (0-2) allowed the ninth-inning runs.  Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5 (10 innings)  Adrian Del Castillo drilled a two-run home run in the 10th inning as part of his five-RBI outing, as Arizona won at Baltimore.  Del Castillo, who also had a two-run triple, matched his RBI total from his first six games of the season combined. Through nine innings, all nine players in Arizona’s batting order collected at least one hit, with Corbin Carroll singling twice.  Jeremiah Jackson homered and knocked in three runs for the Orioles. Starter Kyle Bradish lasted six innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits in the longest of his four starts this season.  Pirates 2, Nationals 0  Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six shutout innings and led the host Pittsburgh to a three-hit shutout in a victory over Washington.  Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each had RBI singles in the first inning. Mlodzinski (1-0) struck out five, walked two and gave up only two hits. Dennis Santana handled the ninth inning for his second save.  Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2) went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.  Cardinals 5, Guardians 3  Dustin May tossed six strong innings, and Alec Burleson drove in two runs, fueling St. Louis to a victory over visiting Cleveland.  May (2-2) allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts for St. Louis, which won the rubber match of the series. Nathan Church went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.  Bo Naylor drove in two runs for the Guardians, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Starter Slade Cecconi allowed one run on three hits in four innings. Connor Brogdon (2-2) relieved Cecconi and surrendered three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.  Red Sox 9, Twins 5  Trevor Story hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs to help Boston avoid a three-game sweep with a win over Minnesota.  Boston starter Connelly Early (1-0) earned the win for holding the Twins to one run on two hits in six innings; he struck out five and walked two. Andruw Monasterio collected three hits for the Red Sox. Roman Anthony and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits in the win.  Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in five innings. Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler homered for Minnesota, which outscored Boston 19-6 in the first two games of the series.  Reds 8, Giants 3  Sal Stewart slugged a pair of three-run homers, Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz each hit solo shots, and Cincinnati beat San Francisco at home.  Stewart went deep for the second straight night and has seven homers to lead all rookies. Suarez went 3-for-4, and Spencer Steer had a pair of singles for Cincinnati, which has won three of its last four games.   Daniel Susac doubled in two runs and had two hits for San Francisco, which lost its fourth straight. Starter Tyler Mahle allowed eight runs and eight hits with five walks over four innings against his former team.  Cubs 11, Phillies 2  Nico Hoerner had a career-high five RBIs, and Shota Imanaga matched a personal best with 11 strikeouts, lifting Chicago to a victory over Philadelphia.  The Cubs finished with 15 hits to win the decisive contest of the three-game series and record a second straight victory for just the second time this season. Matt Shaw ripped a two-run double, and Dansby Swanson launched a solo homer to highlight their respective three-hit performances.  The power surge was more than enough for Imanaga (1-1), who overcame a leadoff homer by Trea Turner to shut down the Phillies. The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and one walk before exiting after six innings. Bryce Harper added a solo shot in the ninth inning for Philadelphia.  Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1  Chad Patrick and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Milwaukee rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to snap a six-game losing streak.  Toronto starter Dylan Cease was dominant, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking three in a 106-pitch outing. The Blue Jays took an early lead on a sacrifice fly by Jesus Sanchez to score Daulton Varsho.  The Brewers broke through for two runs in the eighth against right-hander Tyler Rogers (1-1). William Contreras delivered an RBI single, and Brice Turang’s groundout scored Sal Frelick.  Tigers 2, Royals 1  Wenceel Perez hit a go-ahead eighth-inning home run and host Detroit extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Kansas City.  Perez’s first homer of the season made a winner of reliever Kyle Finnegan (1-0), who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Jake Rogers drove in the other run for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres had a three-hit game.  Kyle Isbel’s RBI single accounted for the lone Royals run. Kansas City has scored two or fewer runs in 11 games this season.  Braves 6, Marlins 3  Bryce Elder threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Atlanta backed him up with three home runs to defeat visiting Miami in the decisive game of a three-game series.  Elder (2-1) allowed four hits and two walks and struck out seven. The Braves got solo home runs from Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley plus a two-run shot from Matt Olson. Raisel Iglesias struck out three while working a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.  Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer for the Marlins. Chris Paddack (0-3) threw 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits.  Rays 8, White Sox 3  Junior Caminero, Jake Fraley and Jonny DeLuca homered to back five shutout innings from Jesse Scholtens and boost visiting Tampa Bay to a victory against Chicago.  The Rays stretched their winning streak to five games while sending the White Sox to their fourth loss in the past five. Scholtens (1-0) permitted one hit in a bulk-relief role.  Reese McGuire, who spent the first eight innings at catcher for Chicago, pitched a perfect ninth inning. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sean Burke (0-2) yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.  Athletics 6, Rangers 5  Shea Langeliers smashed a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Jacob Wilson hit a two-run shot one inning later to help the Athletics edge Texas in West Sacramento, Calif.  Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI double while reaching base three times and Denzel Clarke added a run-scoring single as the A’s won for the seventh time in eight games. Joel Kuhnel retired four straight hitters to register his third save of the season.  Jake Burger hit a three-run blast and Corey Seager belted a two-run homer for the Rangers, who lost for the second straight night after winning the opener of a four-game series.  Astros 3, Rockies 1  Spencer Arrighetti struck out 10 batters in his season debut and Yordan Alvarez slugged his seventh home run, as Houston claimed an interleague series victory against visiting Colorado.  Elevated to the taxi squad on Tuesday, Arrighetti (1-0) became the second starter to debut for the Astros in as many days. With Houston down three injured starters, Arrighetti followed Colton Gordon and joined the makeshift rotation after starting the season with Triple-A Sugar Land.  Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks with one strikeout over 3 2/3 innings.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Padres #score #9th #edge #Mariners #extend #win #streakApr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France, left, dumps a cooler over center fielder Jackson Merrill after he hit a walk-off double during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Jackson Merrill’s two-run double capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres stretched their winning streak to seven games with a wild 7-6 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Merrill lined a 2-2 fastball from reliever Jose A. Ferrer down the left field line. Luis Campusano scored the tying run and Ramon Laureano plated the winning run when Randy Arozarena wasn’t able to make a throw home as the ball slipped out of his hand.

The hit made a winner of Alek Jacob (1-0), who tossed two scoreless innings in his first major league outing of the year after being called up on Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso.

Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-2) was charged with all five runs in the ninth. Luke Raley had a four-hit game that included a two-run homer.

Dodgers 8, Mets 2

Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings, Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam and Los Angeles pulled off a series sweep with a victory over visiting New York, sending the Mets to their eighth consecutive loss.

Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who improved to 10-2 since April 3 and 14-4 on the season. Ohtani (2-0) gave up one run, two hits and two walks on a rare pitching outing when he was not also used as a hitter. It was the first time Ohtani did not hit on the same day he pitched since May 2021 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

MJ Melendez had two doubles with an RBI and Clay Holmes (2-2) gave up two runs over five innings for the Mets, who were held to three runs in the three-game series. Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Brett Baty each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the top of the New York order.

Yankees 5, Angels 4

Jose Caballero hit a game-ending two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as New York earned a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

The Yankees won for the second time in eight games after losing an early 3-0 lead built on an Aaron Judge homer and a two-run single from Trent Grisham. David Bednar (1-2) threw one scoreless inning for the win.

Mike Trout hit a two-run homer and Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Frazier added solo shots for the Angels. Trout became the first visiting player to homer in three straight days at Yankee Stadium since Miguel Cabrera did so nearly 13 years ago. Jordan Romano (0-2) allowed the ninth-inning runs.

Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5 (10 innings)

Adrian Del Castillo drilled a two-run home run in the 10th inning as part of his five-RBI outing, as Arizona won at Baltimore.

Del Castillo, who also had a two-run triple, matched his RBI total from his first six games of the season combined. Through nine innings, all nine players in Arizona’s batting order collected at least one hit, with Corbin Carroll singling twice.

Jeremiah Jackson homered and knocked in three runs for the Orioles. Starter Kyle Bradish lasted six innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits in the longest of his four starts this season.

Pirates 2, Nationals 0

Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six shutout innings and led the host Pittsburgh to a three-hit shutout in a victory over Washington.

Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each had RBI singles in the first inning. Mlodzinski (1-0) struck out five, walked two and gave up only two hits. Dennis Santana handled the ninth inning for his second save.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2) went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

Cardinals 5, Guardians 3

Dustin May tossed six strong innings, and Alec Burleson drove in two runs, fueling St. Louis to a victory over visiting Cleveland.

May (2-2) allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts for St. Louis, which won the rubber match of the series. Nathan Church went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.

Bo Naylor drove in two runs for the Guardians, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Starter Slade Cecconi allowed one run on three hits in four innings. Connor Brogdon (2-2) relieved Cecconi and surrendered three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Red Sox 9, Twins 5

Trevor Story hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs to help Boston avoid a three-game sweep with a win over Minnesota.

Boston starter Connelly Early (1-0) earned the win for holding the Twins to one run on two hits in six innings; he struck out five and walked two. Andruw Monasterio collected three hits for the Red Sox. Roman Anthony and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits in the win.

Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in five innings. Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler homered for Minnesota, which outscored Boston 19-6 in the first two games of the series.

Reds 8, Giants 3

Sal Stewart slugged a pair of three-run homers, Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz each hit solo shots, and Cincinnati beat San Francisco at home.


Stewart went deep for the second straight night and has seven homers to lead all rookies. Suarez went 3-for-4, and Spencer Steer had a pair of singles for Cincinnati, which has won three of its last four games.

Daniel Susac doubled in two runs and had two hits for San Francisco, which lost its fourth straight. Starter Tyler Mahle allowed eight runs and eight hits with five walks over four innings against his former team.

Cubs 11, Phillies 2

Nico Hoerner had a career-high five RBIs, and Shota Imanaga matched a personal best with 11 strikeouts, lifting Chicago to a victory over Philadelphia.

The Cubs finished with 15 hits to win the decisive contest of the three-game series and record a second straight victory for just the second time this season. Matt Shaw ripped a two-run double, and Dansby Swanson launched a solo homer to highlight their respective three-hit performances.

The power surge was more than enough for Imanaga (1-1), who overcame a leadoff homer by Trea Turner to shut down the Phillies. The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and one walk before exiting after six innings. Bryce Harper added a solo shot in the ninth inning for Philadelphia.

Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1

Chad Patrick and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Milwaukee rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to snap a six-game losing streak.

Toronto starter Dylan Cease was dominant, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking three in a 106-pitch outing. The Blue Jays took an early lead on a sacrifice fly by Jesus Sanchez to score Daulton Varsho.

The Brewers broke through for two runs in the eighth against right-hander Tyler Rogers (1-1). William Contreras delivered an RBI single, and Brice Turang’s groundout scored Sal Frelick.

Tigers 2, Royals 1

Wenceel Perez hit a go-ahead eighth-inning home run and host Detroit extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Kansas City.

Perez’s first homer of the season made a winner of reliever Kyle Finnegan (1-0), who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Jake Rogers drove in the other run for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres had a three-hit game.

Kyle Isbel’s RBI single accounted for the lone Royals run. Kansas City has scored two or fewer runs in 11 games this season.

Braves 6, Marlins 3

Bryce Elder threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Atlanta backed him up with three home runs to defeat visiting Miami in the decisive game of a three-game series.

Elder (2-1) allowed four hits and two walks and struck out seven. The Braves got solo home runs from Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley plus a two-run shot from Matt Olson. Raisel Iglesias struck out three while working a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.

Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer for the Marlins. Chris Paddack (0-3) threw 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits.

Rays 8, White Sox 3

Junior Caminero, Jake Fraley and Jonny DeLuca homered to back five shutout innings from Jesse Scholtens and boost visiting Tampa Bay to a victory against Chicago.

The Rays stretched their winning streak to five games while sending the White Sox to their fourth loss in the past five. Scholtens (1-0) permitted one hit in a bulk-relief role.

Reese McGuire, who spent the first eight innings at catcher for Chicago, pitched a perfect ninth inning. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sean Burke (0-2) yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Athletics 6, Rangers 5

Shea Langeliers smashed a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Jacob Wilson hit a two-run shot one inning later to help the Athletics edge Texas in West Sacramento, Calif.

Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI double while reaching base three times and Denzel Clarke added a run-scoring single as the A’s won for the seventh time in eight games. Joel Kuhnel retired four straight hitters to register his third save of the season.

Jake Burger hit a three-run blast and Corey Seager belted a two-run homer for the Rangers, who lost for the second straight night after winning the opener of a four-game series.

Astros 3, Rockies 1

Spencer Arrighetti struck out 10 batters in his season debut and Yordan Alvarez slugged his seventh home run, as Houston claimed an interleague series victory against visiting Colorado.

Elevated to the taxi squad on Tuesday, Arrighetti (1-0) became the second starter to debut for the Astros in as many days. With Houston down three injured starters, Arrighetti followed Colton Gordon and joined the makeshift rotation after starting the season with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks with one strikeout over 3 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Padres #score #9th #edge #Mariners #extend #win #streak

Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France, left, dumps a cooler over center fielder Jackson Merrill after he hit a walk-off double during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Jackson Merrill’s two-run double capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres stretched their winning streak to seven games with a wild 7-6 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Merrill lined a 2-2 fastball from reliever Jose A. Ferrer down the left field line. Luis Campusano scored the tying run and Ramon Laureano plated the winning run when Randy Arozarena wasn’t able to make a throw home as the ball slipped out of his hand.

The hit made a winner of Alek Jacob (1-0), who tossed two scoreless innings in his first major league outing of the year after being called up on Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso.

Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-2) was charged with all five runs in the ninth. Luke Raley had a four-hit game that included a two-run homer.

Dodgers 8, Mets 2

Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings, Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam and Los Angeles pulled off a series sweep with a victory over visiting New York, sending the Mets to their eighth consecutive loss.

Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who improved to 10-2 since April 3 and 14-4 on the season. Ohtani (2-0) gave up one run, two hits and two walks on a rare pitching outing when he was not also used as a hitter. It was the first time Ohtani did not hit on the same day he pitched since May 2021 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

MJ Melendez had two doubles with an RBI and Clay Holmes (2-2) gave up two runs over five innings for the Mets, who were held to three runs in the three-game series. Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Brett Baty each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the top of the New York order.

Yankees 5, Angels 4

Jose Caballero hit a game-ending two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as New York earned a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

The Yankees won for the second time in eight games after losing an early 3-0 lead built on an Aaron Judge homer and a two-run single from Trent Grisham. David Bednar (1-2) threw one scoreless inning for the win.

Mike Trout hit a two-run homer and Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Frazier added solo shots for the Angels. Trout became the first visiting player to homer in three straight days at Yankee Stadium since Miguel Cabrera did so nearly 13 years ago. Jordan Romano (0-2) allowed the ninth-inning runs.

Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5 (10 innings)

Adrian Del Castillo drilled a two-run home run in the 10th inning as part of his five-RBI outing, as Arizona won at Baltimore.

Del Castillo, who also had a two-run triple, matched his RBI total from his first six games of the season combined. Through nine innings, all nine players in Arizona’s batting order collected at least one hit, with Corbin Carroll singling twice.

Jeremiah Jackson homered and knocked in three runs for the Orioles. Starter Kyle Bradish lasted six innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits in the longest of his four starts this season.

Pirates 2, Nationals 0

Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six shutout innings and led the host Pittsburgh to a three-hit shutout in a victory over Washington.

Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each had RBI singles in the first inning. Mlodzinski (1-0) struck out five, walked two and gave up only two hits. Dennis Santana handled the ninth inning for his second save.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2) went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

Cardinals 5, Guardians 3

Dustin May tossed six strong innings, and Alec Burleson drove in two runs, fueling St. Louis to a victory over visiting Cleveland.

May (2-2) allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts for St. Louis, which won the rubber match of the series. Nathan Church went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.

Bo Naylor drove in two runs for the Guardians, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Starter Slade Cecconi allowed one run on three hits in four innings. Connor Brogdon (2-2) relieved Cecconi and surrendered three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Red Sox 9, Twins 5

Trevor Story hit a three-run home run and drove in five runs to help Boston avoid a three-game sweep with a win over Minnesota.

Boston starter Connelly Early (1-0) earned the win for holding the Twins to one run on two hits in six innings; he struck out five and walked two. Andruw Monasterio collected three hits for the Red Sox. Roman Anthony and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits in the win.

Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in five innings. Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler homered for Minnesota, which outscored Boston 19-6 in the first two games of the series.

Reds 8, Giants 3

Sal Stewart slugged a pair of three-run homers, Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz each hit solo shots, and Cincinnati beat San Francisco at home.

Stewart went deep for the second straight night and has seven homers to lead all rookies. Suarez went 3-for-4, and Spencer Steer had a pair of singles for Cincinnati, which has won three of its last four games.

Daniel Susac doubled in two runs and had two hits for San Francisco, which lost its fourth straight. Starter Tyler Mahle allowed eight runs and eight hits with five walks over four innings against his former team.

Cubs 11, Phillies 2

Nico Hoerner had a career-high five RBIs, and Shota Imanaga matched a personal best with 11 strikeouts, lifting Chicago to a victory over Philadelphia.

The Cubs finished with 15 hits to win the decisive contest of the three-game series and record a second straight victory for just the second time this season. Matt Shaw ripped a two-run double, and Dansby Swanson launched a solo homer to highlight their respective three-hit performances.

The power surge was more than enough for Imanaga (1-1), who overcame a leadoff homer by Trea Turner to shut down the Phillies. The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and one walk before exiting after six innings. Bryce Harper added a solo shot in the ninth inning for Philadelphia.

Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1

Chad Patrick and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Milwaukee rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to snap a six-game losing streak.

Toronto starter Dylan Cease was dominant, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking three in a 106-pitch outing. The Blue Jays took an early lead on a sacrifice fly by Jesus Sanchez to score Daulton Varsho.

The Brewers broke through for two runs in the eighth against right-hander Tyler Rogers (1-1). William Contreras delivered an RBI single, and Brice Turang’s groundout scored Sal Frelick.

Tigers 2, Royals 1

Wenceel Perez hit a go-ahead eighth-inning home run and host Detroit extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Kansas City.

Perez’s first homer of the season made a winner of reliever Kyle Finnegan (1-0), who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Jake Rogers drove in the other run for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres had a three-hit game.

Kyle Isbel’s RBI single accounted for the lone Royals run. Kansas City has scored two or fewer runs in 11 games this season.

Braves 6, Marlins 3

Bryce Elder threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Atlanta backed him up with three home runs to defeat visiting Miami in the decisive game of a three-game series.

Elder (2-1) allowed four hits and two walks and struck out seven. The Braves got solo home runs from Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley plus a two-run shot from Matt Olson. Raisel Iglesias struck out three while working a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.

Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer for the Marlins. Chris Paddack (0-3) threw 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits.

Rays 8, White Sox 3

Junior Caminero, Jake Fraley and Jonny DeLuca homered to back five shutout innings from Jesse Scholtens and boost visiting Tampa Bay to a victory against Chicago.

The Rays stretched their winning streak to five games while sending the White Sox to their fourth loss in the past five. Scholtens (1-0) permitted one hit in a bulk-relief role.

Reese McGuire, who spent the first eight innings at catcher for Chicago, pitched a perfect ninth inning. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sean Burke (0-2) yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Athletics 6, Rangers 5

Shea Langeliers smashed a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Jacob Wilson hit a two-run shot one inning later to help the Athletics edge Texas in West Sacramento, Calif.

Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI double while reaching base three times and Denzel Clarke added a run-scoring single as the A’s won for the seventh time in eight games. Joel Kuhnel retired four straight hitters to register his third save of the season.

Jake Burger hit a three-run blast and Corey Seager belted a two-run homer for the Rangers, who lost for the second straight night after winning the opener of a four-game series.

Astros 3, Rockies 1

Spencer Arrighetti struck out 10 batters in his season debut and Yordan Alvarez slugged his seventh home run, as Houston claimed an interleague series victory against visiting Colorado.

Elevated to the taxi squad on Tuesday, Arrighetti (1-0) became the second starter to debut for the Astros in as many days. With Houston down three injured starters, Arrighetti followed Colton Gordon and joined the makeshift rotation after starting the season with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks with one strikeout over 3 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

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WADA admits to doping concerns in India, indicates close monitoring of process <div id="content-body-70869167" itemprop="articleBody"><p>The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday declared that doping was a big problem in India and that it would be working closely and monitoring the country’s anti-doping process and systems in the coming months.</p><p>WADA president Witold Banka and director of intelligence and investigations Günter Younger, addressing select media in New Delhi, admitted as much after the final conference of the expansion phase of its Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) in Asia and Oceania.</p><p>The one-day meeting brought together representatives of law enforcement agencies and National Anti-Doping Organisations from 23 countries in Europe and 45 countries across the Asia/Oceania region besides INTERPOL and EUROPOL.</p><p>“Operation Upstream is a global operation across continents but there is no doubt that the biggest producer of illegal and performance enhancing drugs, illegal steroids is in India. Of course, there’s no doubt that we have a problem with doping in India. This is an ongoing, confidential operation but there are no doubts that there is a big problem here,” Banka said.</p><p>While appreciating the support from various Indian agencies, Banka nevertheless made it clear that compliance with WADA rules and cleaning up the house was non-negotiable to India’s hopes of hosting major sporting events.</p><p>“There is understanding of the problem here, no one is blind on the problem. I was very honest and very clear that we, as WADA, expect stronger engagement and commitment. Our expectation is to see how NADA applies the rules, how strong is the system, how the investigation looks like, to assess the educational actions and programmes. India is very ambitious when it comes to organising sporting events, it will not be possible without strong anti-doping policy,” he added.</p><p>He also agreed that there was a need to revise the code to make coaches and doctors more accountable and punishable without putting the onus completely on the athlete, something sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya hinted at during his address in the morning.</p><p>“The government is working towards introducing criminal provisions against those involved in administering or trafficking prohibited substances. While earlier efforts were largely confined to laboratory testing protocols and athlete compliance, doping today is an organised multinational enterprise, underscoring the need for coordinated global response,” Mandaviya said.</p><p>Banka also revealed that he had visited the National Dope Testing laboratory – with NADA Director General Anant Kumar saying there were plans to set up more labs — and that there would be a virtual audit regarding the results and management of the decision results and management process in the coming weeks. “There’s room for improvement and we see the need to accelerate in many areas like testing, I&I and verification. We will monitor the efforts as well,” Banka said.</p><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 16, 2026</p></div> #WADA #admits #doping #concerns #India #close #monitoring #process

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites  Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.  #Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR  Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdleGill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.Published on May 10, 2026  #VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

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