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Deadspin | Phillies eager to ride ‘good start’ into rematch vs. Giants    Apr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) in the dugout before start of game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images   After beginning the Don Mattingly era with a much-needed victory, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to ride the momentum into Wednesday night’s matchup with the visiting San Francisco Giants.  Philadelphia entered Tuesday with a league-worst-tying 9-19 record, prompting the team to part ways with manager Rob Thomson.   Mattingly was promoted from bench coach to replace Thomson on an interim basis — and the early results overwhelmingly were positive.  Jesus Luzardo allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings, while Trea Turner spurred the offense with four hits in the Phillies’ 7-0 victory over the Giants on Tuesday. Adolis Garcia drove in two runs, while Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm each added two hits and an RBI in the lopsided triumph.  “It feels great, obviously, for us to win, and not necessarily for me,” said Mattingly, 65, a former major league manager with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins “… It’s really about our club, and it’s a good win for us, as a team. Hopefully, this is the start of us playing better baseball.”  Turner had not recorded a multi-hit game since April 12, while Bohm (.157), Kyle Schwarber (.190) and Bryson Stott (.213) are among the Phillies with lower-than-expected batting averages this season.  “Tonight was a good start,” Turner said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we did. We played a great team game today. Everyone contributed.”  For his part, Luzardo had not worked seven innings in a game all season. However, he was at his best against a Giants team that entered with seven wins in its previous 10 games.  “We obviously could have done things better, but you can’t take away from the way Luzardo was throwing the ball,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said.   Wednesday’s pitching matchup will feature two aces who have not been at their best this season.  Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA) has won only once since Opening Day and is coming off a rough start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in a game in which he gave up six runs and a career-high 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Sanchez got a no-decision in his team’s 8-7 loss in 10 innings.  “I just tried to execute the plan that we had, stay as long as I could in the game,” he said through an interpreter. “They jumped on their plan, and they got me.”  Sanchez also was hit hard by San Francisco on April 7, when the Giants tagged him for four runs (two earned) and 11 hits in five innings in a 6-0 victory. That loss dropped Sanchez to 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in six lifetime games against the Giants.  Wednesday’s scheduled starter for San Francisco, right-hander Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86 ERA), yielded three runs in seven innings in his last start — a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.  “I honestly thought that was one of the better games I’ve thrown this year,” Webb said, adding that he’s “still working, still trying to get back to what I expect of myself.”  Webb is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Phillies. He did not face them when the teams met in San Francisco last month.   –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Phillies #eager #ride #good #start #rematch #Giants

Deadspin | Phillies eager to ride ‘good start’ into rematch vs. Giants
Deadspin | Phillies eager to ride ‘good start’ into rematch vs. Giants    Apr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) in the dugout before start of game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images   After beginning the Don Mattingly era with a much-needed victory, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to ride the momentum into Wednesday night’s matchup with the visiting San Francisco Giants.  Philadelphia entered Tuesday with a league-worst-tying 9-19 record, prompting the team to part ways with manager Rob Thomson.   Mattingly was promoted from bench coach to replace Thomson on an interim basis — and the early results overwhelmingly were positive.  Jesus Luzardo allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings, while Trea Turner spurred the offense with four hits in the Phillies’ 7-0 victory over the Giants on Tuesday. Adolis Garcia drove in two runs, while Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm each added two hits and an RBI in the lopsided triumph.  “It feels great, obviously, for us to win, and not necessarily for me,” said Mattingly, 65, a former major league manager with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins “… It’s really about our club, and it’s a good win for us, as a team. Hopefully, this is the start of us playing better baseball.”  Turner had not recorded a multi-hit game since April 12, while Bohm (.157), Kyle Schwarber (.190) and Bryson Stott (.213) are among the Phillies with lower-than-expected batting averages this season.  “Tonight was a good start,” Turner said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we did. We played a great team game today. Everyone contributed.”  For his part, Luzardo had not worked seven innings in a game all season. However, he was at his best against a Giants team that entered with seven wins in its previous 10 games.  “We obviously could have done things better, but you can’t take away from the way Luzardo was throwing the ball,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said.   Wednesday’s pitching matchup will feature two aces who have not been at their best this season.  Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA) has won only once since Opening Day and is coming off a rough start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in a game in which he gave up six runs and a career-high 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Sanchez got a no-decision in his team’s 8-7 loss in 10 innings.  “I just tried to execute the plan that we had, stay as long as I could in the game,” he said through an interpreter. “They jumped on their plan, and they got me.”  Sanchez also was hit hard by San Francisco on April 7, when the Giants tagged him for four runs (two earned) and 11 hits in five innings in a 6-0 victory. That loss dropped Sanchez to 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in six lifetime games against the Giants.  Wednesday’s scheduled starter for San Francisco, right-hander Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86 ERA), yielded three runs in seven innings in his last start — a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.  “I honestly thought that was one of the better games I’ve thrown this year,” Webb said, adding that he’s “still working, still trying to get back to what I expect of myself.”  Webb is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Phillies. He did not face them when the teams met in San Francisco last month.   –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Phillies #eager #ride #good #start #rematch #GiantsApr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) in the dugout before start of game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

After beginning the Don Mattingly era with a much-needed victory, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to ride the momentum into Wednesday night’s matchup with the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Philadelphia entered Tuesday with a league-worst-tying 9-19 record, prompting the team to part ways with manager Rob Thomson.

Mattingly was promoted from bench coach to replace Thomson on an interim basis — and the early results overwhelmingly were positive.

Jesus Luzardo allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings, while Trea Turner spurred the offense with four hits in the Phillies’ 7-0 victory over the Giants on Tuesday. Adolis Garcia drove in two runs, while Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm each added two hits and an RBI in the lopsided triumph.

“It feels great, obviously, for us to win, and not necessarily for me,” said Mattingly, 65, a former major league manager with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins “… It’s really about our club, and it’s a good win for us, as a team. Hopefully, this is the start of us playing better baseball.”

Turner had not recorded a multi-hit game since April 12, while Bohm (.157), Kyle Schwarber (.190) and Bryson Stott (.213) are among the Phillies with lower-than-expected batting averages this season.

“Tonight was a good start,” Turner said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we did. We played a great team game today. Everyone contributed.”

For his part, Luzardo had not worked seven innings in a game all season. However, he was at his best against a Giants team that entered with seven wins in its previous 10 games.


“We obviously could have done things better, but you can’t take away from the way Luzardo was throwing the ball,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said.

Wednesday’s pitching matchup will feature two aces who have not been at their best this season.

Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA) has won only once since Opening Day and is coming off a rough start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in a game in which he gave up six runs and a career-high 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Sanchez got a no-decision in his team’s 8-7 loss in 10 innings.

“I just tried to execute the plan that we had, stay as long as I could in the game,” he said through an interpreter. “They jumped on their plan, and they got me.”

Sanchez also was hit hard by San Francisco on April 7, when the Giants tagged him for four runs (two earned) and 11 hits in five innings in a 6-0 victory. That loss dropped Sanchez to 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in six lifetime games against the Giants.

Wednesday’s scheduled starter for San Francisco, right-hander Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86 ERA), yielded three runs in seven innings in his last start — a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

“I honestly thought that was one of the better games I’ve thrown this year,” Webb said, adding that he’s “still working, still trying to get back to what I expect of myself.”

Webb is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Phillies. He did not face them when the teams met in San Francisco last month.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Phillies #eager #ride #good #start #rematch #Giants

Apr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) in the dugout before start of game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

After beginning the Don Mattingly era with a much-needed victory, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to ride the momentum into Wednesday night’s matchup with the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Philadelphia entered Tuesday with a league-worst-tying 9-19 record, prompting the team to part ways with manager Rob Thomson.

Mattingly was promoted from bench coach to replace Thomson on an interim basis — and the early results overwhelmingly were positive.

Jesus Luzardo allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings, while Trea Turner spurred the offense with four hits in the Phillies’ 7-0 victory over the Giants on Tuesday. Adolis Garcia drove in two runs, while Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm each added two hits and an RBI in the lopsided triumph.

“It feels great, obviously, for us to win, and not necessarily for me,” said Mattingly, 65, a former major league manager with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins “… It’s really about our club, and it’s a good win for us, as a team. Hopefully, this is the start of us playing better baseball.”

Turner had not recorded a multi-hit game since April 12, while Bohm (.157), Kyle Schwarber (.190) and Bryson Stott (.213) are among the Phillies with lower-than-expected batting averages this season.

“Tonight was a good start,” Turner said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we did. We played a great team game today. Everyone contributed.”

For his part, Luzardo had not worked seven innings in a game all season. However, he was at his best against a Giants team that entered with seven wins in its previous 10 games.

“We obviously could have done things better, but you can’t take away from the way Luzardo was throwing the ball,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said.

Wednesday’s pitching matchup will feature two aces who have not been at their best this season.

Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA) has won only once since Opening Day and is coming off a rough start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in a game in which he gave up six runs and a career-high 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Sanchez got a no-decision in his team’s 8-7 loss in 10 innings.

“I just tried to execute the plan that we had, stay as long as I could in the game,” he said through an interpreter. “They jumped on their plan, and they got me.”

Sanchez also was hit hard by San Francisco on April 7, when the Giants tagged him for four runs (two earned) and 11 hits in five innings in a 6-0 victory. That loss dropped Sanchez to 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in six lifetime games against the Giants.

Wednesday’s scheduled starter for San Francisco, right-hander Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86 ERA), yielded three runs in seven innings in his last start — a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

“I honestly thought that was one of the better games I’ve thrown this year,” Webb said, adding that he’s “still working, still trying to get back to what I expect of myself.”

Webb is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Phillies. He did not face them when the teams met in San Francisco last month.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Phillies #eager #ride #good #start #rematch #Giants

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NBA Draft lottery changes are shortsighted, confusing, and create new problems <div id="zephr-anchor"><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1103241/nba-tanking-standings-odds-every-slot-bulls-mavs-2026-draft">Adam Silver heard the outcry over tanking</a> ahead of a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1112669/nba-mock-draft-2026-update-after-college-basketball-early-entry-deadline-final-odds">loaded 2026 NBA Draft</a> and was determined to find a solution. The league has now settled on its preferred system of lottery reform, and it essentially reduces the distribution of top young talent entering the league to complete randomness.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">ESPN insider <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48619907/sources-nba-eyes-new-anti-tanking-proposal-draft-lottery?referrer=scribe">Shams Charania revealed the NBA’s new “3-2-1” lottery system</a> on Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know:</p></div><div class="duet--article--block-placement jgpyd51 jgpyd50 duet--article--article-body-component"><ul class="duet--article--unordered-list _1nfb3k4i feuejx0 ls9zuh1"><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The three worst teams in the league are in the “relegation zone,” which means they lose ping-pong balls.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams that finish 4th through 10th in the reverse standings get three lottery balls in the drawing.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams in the “relegation zone” get two lottery balls, and can’t fall further than the 12th pick</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">“The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The lottery is expanded from 14 to 16 teams.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Under the current system, lottery balls are only drawn for the top-4 picks. Now, the first 16 spots in the draft will be up for grabs in the drawing.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams can’t land the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years, and they can’t pick in the top-5 three times in a row.</span></li></ul></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Got all that? Probably not, because it’s pretty complicated. When Adam Silver was weighing multiple options to reform the NBA Draft lottery last month, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1108433/nba-anti-tanking-proposals-bad-no-good-trades-picks-lottery-hate-it">I wrote</a> “in rushing to find a medicine to cure tanking, the NBA risks giving itself bigger problems from the side effects.” While this system likely will curb tanking to some extent, it opens up a ton of new problems for the league.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It’s pretty wild that Silver rushed this system through so hastily with it slated to take effect for the 2027 NBA Draft. Teams already made long-term roster decisions based on the incentives of the old rules. The Chicago Bulls traded Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White at the deadline after years of floundering in mediocrity to increase their chances at finding a star. This system <em>rewards</em> mediocrity. It would have been nice if Chicago actually knew the rules before making its February deals. The Memphis Grizzlies traded away Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane because they felt like they couldn’t get out of the middle of the Western Conference standings. Would Memphis had made the same decisions if they knew the lottery format would change like this?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It’s no surprise the league is giving itself the option to opt out of this plan after the 2029 NBA Draft, per Charania’s report. This lottery format feels like an extremely slippery slope for a few reasons. Let’s get into it.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The new lottery system kills hope for diehard fans of bad teams</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Teams had the ability to go from worst-to-first under the current lottery system despite the fact that the worst team in the league literally never won the lottery since the last round of reform went into effect in 2019. The Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves all made the worst-to-first jump in the 2020s.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Those are all small market teams who used the draft to land their franchise player. They still had to get lucky to land the top pick. It’s just going to require way more luck for bad teams to get good under this system.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><strong>The risk of this system is that it creates a permanent NBA underclass</strong>. Now the worst team in the league can fall to the 12th pick. Given how rarely good players change hands in free agency these days (more on that later), it feels like bad teams could get stuck in a cycle of being bad for a long, long time.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">If teams can’t sell wins, they need to sell hope. What hope would fans of bad teams have now knowing they could fall out of the top-10 in the draft? The risk here is that diehard fans of bad teams just choose to give up because there’s no path forward.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Lottery reform feels like it should be coupled with free agency changes</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">How are bad teams supposed to get good players if they can’t do it through the draft? Free agency and trades are the only other options, but the prospect of bad teams overpaying free agents to land them only offers more downside, especially in this more punitive CBA.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It feels like the league needs more good young players to hit free agency if it doesn’t want teams to tank for the draft. One idea I saw elsewhere that I liked was eliminating restricted free agency. Under the current system, the Pistons still have the ability to match any contract offer to Jalen Duren even after failing to reach an extension with him. What if Duren was just an unrestricted free agent this year, and could be had for any team?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Something like that would open up more avenues for talent acquisition outside of the draft. For now, it feels like bad teams that don’t get lottery luck are simply screwed.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The NBA already killed free agency. Will these changes kill trades, too?</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Silver heard the outcry over Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors, and essentially made rule changes that kept superstars away from free agency. The last true superstar to change teams in free agency was Kawhi Leonard signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. Since then, the biggest player to change teams in free agency is … washed Paul George in 2024?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA gets a lot of attention from offseason player movement. I wonder if these changes will make teams more reluctant to trade their future first-round picks, thus diminishing the trade market, too.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">First-round picks are the currency of trades. A team that was around .500 was more incentivized to trade a future first because it had a lower probability of turning into a premium pick. Now that’s been flipped on its head.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">This is all pretty speculative for now, but it’s something to monitor. This new lottery system will have unintended consequences, and it would be a net-loss for the NBA if it resulted in fewer trades.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Tanking will still happen under these lottery rules, just in different ways</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">This lottery system should curb tanking, but it won’t eliminate it entirely. If the goal of these changes is to preserve the sanctity of March and April games, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Let’s say a team enters the All-Star break in 10th place in their conference. They might not want to risk losing a ping pong ball by making the 7/8 play-in game, so they will still rest players as long as they have a big enough cushion not to finish in the bottom-3. The sweet spot in this reform is the 4-10 range. Given how often injuries play a factor in team performance — and given how many significant injuries there are in the modern game — it feels likely a team can still rest players/try to lose on purpose from an organizational perspective and still enter the lottery sitting pretty.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Tanking was never the NBA’s biggest problem anyway</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Adam Silver is a reactionary. He reads online criticism, and he acts quickly. My complaint with rushing through this tanking reform is that fans of teams that are tanking aren’t the ones doing the complaining. It’s usually coming from football fans after the Super Bowl who will just find another way to criticize the NBA even if tanking was solved.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><strong>The NBA’s biggest issue is that the regular season lacks anything resembling meaningful stakes</strong>. Silver thinks that these lottery reforms will fix that problem, but I’m extremely dubious. If the NBA wants to give the regular season more stakes, it needs to reduce the number of games. Play every team twice and call it a season. Once the NBA adds its two expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, that would create a 62-game schedule. It gives the players more rest in between games, and cancels a lot of the end of season games where tanking tomfoolery is happening.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The point of the draft is to give the worst teams the best young players. The NBA apparently doesn’t see it that way, and they’re instead leaving it all up to chance.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><a href="https://draft-lottery-simulator.figma.site/">This lottery simulator shows how much randomness is in the new system</a>. Play with it yourself:</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">On my first spin, the Miami Heat drew the No. 1 pick and the Washington Wizards fell to 12th. Is that the type of system the NBA really wants?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The biggest winner of these lottery changes feel like … the Oklahoma City Thunder. <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/teams/oklahoma-city-thunder/21/draft-picks">Check out all of the future first-round picks OKC owns here</a>. Now their future picks coming from the Nuggets and their swap rights with the Clippers could be even more valuable, as those teams likely wouldn’t have been near the bottom of the standings, but could be in the middle ground that is now more fruitful.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Back in 2017, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/3/26/14973314/kill-the-nba-draft-rookies-ncaa-free-agency">the great Tom Ziller wrote a column at this site titled “Kill the NBA Draft</a>.” <a href="https://www.teamziller.com/">Subscribe to Tom’s newsletter here for more great NBA coverage</a>.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Given how much randomness is in this new system, I find myself far more open to just killing the draft entirely starting in 2030. Give every team a rookie exception they can offer top players. Let teams with cap space offer them more money beyond that. It would make sense if a bad team has more open cap space and could hypothetically offer the next Cooper Flagg a max deal out of college. If Flagg prefers to sign with his childhood favorite Boston Celtics instead, so be it.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA is opening up a whole new can of worms with this lottery system, and the people it hurts the most are loyal fans of hopeless franchises. The NBA really does not want a world where those people check out of the league entirely. I feel like it could happen after these changes.</p></div></div> #NBA #Draft #lottery #shortsighted #confusing #create #problems

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Deadspin | Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez to make MLB debut against Rangers   Mar 10, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images   The New York Yankees are excited about Elmer Rodriguez’s major league debut on Wednesday afternoon.   They also are enthusiastic about the prospect of capping a nearly perfect road trip with another win.  Rodriguez, a 22-year-old right-hander, will be on the mound when the Yankees finish a nine-game journey Wednesday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.  The Yankees are 7-1 on the trip after hanging on for a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Aaron Judge homered for the third straight game and ninth time in 16 games, and David Bednar survived a shaky ninth by getting a double play to cap a stellar night defensively.  Judge has nine of his 12 homers this season in the past 16 games and tied Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami for the major league lead. Austin Wells homered and Cody Bellinger hit an RBI double as the Yankees became the third team in the majors with 20 wins, joining the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.  “A lot of good things to help us finish off that game, so an opportunity to finish off a great road trip tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.  New York is 10-1 over its past 11 games after getting scoreless outings from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler in the opening two games of the Texas series. Those outings lowered New York’s team ERA to 3.11, and Rodriguez will join the rotation for at least two turns.  In four starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he is 1-2 but also posted a 1.27 ERA and an 0.89 WHIP. In 21 1/3 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked seven.   “He’s impressive,” Boone said. “I’ve really been impressed with a lot of our young guys that are kind of knocking on the door, Elmer included in that, about to be big-leaguers. Feel like they have a chance to be longtime big-leaguers. As well as being a talented pitcher, he seems to have a really good way and makeup about him that should serve him well.”  Texas hopes its offense can support a strong outing from right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (2-4, 5.79 ERA) on Wednesday. The Rangers did not score while Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom were on the mound in the first two games as they mustered seven combined hits off Schlittler and Fried before making late rallies.  On Tuesday, Danny Jansen hit an RBI triple, and Josh Jung had an RBI single. Corey Seager ended the game by hitting into a double play with two runners on base and is hitting .189 over 24 games in April.  Texas also went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and is 3-for-24 in that situation over its past three games.  “The last inning we did a really good job; we had the right guys up at the right time,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said of his team, which scored its two runs Tuesday in the ninth inning. “I thought we made a run at it towards the end. Just couldn’t cash in.”  Eovaldi went 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA in his first two starts and 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his next two. He has been tagged for eight earned runs in 11 innings during defeats to the Athletics and Seattle Mariners in his two most recent outings.  Eovaldi is 6-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 career appearances (21 starts) against the Yankees, with whom he made 51 appearances and had a 23-11 combined record in 2015 and 2016.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Yankees #RHP #Elmer #Rodriguez #MLB #debut #RangersMar 10, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are excited about Elmer Rodriguez’s major league debut on Wednesday afternoon.

They also are enthusiastic about the prospect of capping a nearly perfect road trip with another win.

Rodriguez, a 22-year-old right-hander, will be on the mound when the Yankees finish a nine-game journey Wednesday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

The Yankees are 7-1 on the trip after hanging on for a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Aaron Judge homered for the third straight game and ninth time in 16 games, and David Bednar survived a shaky ninth by getting a double play to cap a stellar night defensively.

Judge has nine of his 12 homers this season in the past 16 games and tied Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami for the major league lead. Austin Wells homered and Cody Bellinger hit an RBI double as the Yankees became the third team in the majors with 20 wins, joining the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.

“A lot of good things to help us finish off that game, so an opportunity to finish off a great road trip tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.

New York is 10-1 over its past 11 games after getting scoreless outings from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler in the opening two games of the Texas series. Those outings lowered New York’s team ERA to 3.11, and Rodriguez will join the rotation for at least two turns.


In four starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he is 1-2 but also posted a 1.27 ERA and an 0.89 WHIP. In 21 1/3 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked seven.

“He’s impressive,” Boone said. “I’ve really been impressed with a lot of our young guys that are kind of knocking on the door, Elmer included in that, about to be big-leaguers. Feel like they have a chance to be longtime big-leaguers. As well as being a talented pitcher, he seems to have a really good way and makeup about him that should serve him well.”

Texas hopes its offense can support a strong outing from right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (2-4, 5.79 ERA) on Wednesday. The Rangers did not score while Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom were on the mound in the first two games as they mustered seven combined hits off Schlittler and Fried before making late rallies.

On Tuesday, Danny Jansen hit an RBI triple, and Josh Jung had an RBI single. Corey Seager ended the game by hitting into a double play with two runners on base and is hitting .189 over 24 games in April.

Texas also went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and is 3-for-24 in that situation over its past three games.

“The last inning we did a really good job; we had the right guys up at the right time,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said of his team, which scored its two runs Tuesday in the ninth inning. “I thought we made a run at it towards the end. Just couldn’t cash in.”

Eovaldi went 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA in his first two starts and 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his next two. He has been tagged for eight earned runs in 11 innings during defeats to the Athletics and Seattle Mariners in his two most recent outings.

Eovaldi is 6-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 career appearances (21 starts) against the Yankees, with whom he made 51 appearances and had a 23-11 combined record in 2015 and 2016.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Yankees #RHP #Elmer #Rodriguez #MLB #debut #Rangers">Deadspin | Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez to make MLB debut against Rangers   Mar 10, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images   The New York Yankees are excited about Elmer Rodriguez’s major league debut on Wednesday afternoon.   They also are enthusiastic about the prospect of capping a nearly perfect road trip with another win.  Rodriguez, a 22-year-old right-hander, will be on the mound when the Yankees finish a nine-game journey Wednesday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.  The Yankees are 7-1 on the trip after hanging on for a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Aaron Judge homered for the third straight game and ninth time in 16 games, and David Bednar survived a shaky ninth by getting a double play to cap a stellar night defensively.  Judge has nine of his 12 homers this season in the past 16 games and tied Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami for the major league lead. Austin Wells homered and Cody Bellinger hit an RBI double as the Yankees became the third team in the majors with 20 wins, joining the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.  “A lot of good things to help us finish off that game, so an opportunity to finish off a great road trip tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.  New York is 10-1 over its past 11 games after getting scoreless outings from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler in the opening two games of the Texas series. Those outings lowered New York’s team ERA to 3.11, and Rodriguez will join the rotation for at least two turns.  In four starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he is 1-2 but also posted a 1.27 ERA and an 0.89 WHIP. In 21 1/3 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked seven.   “He’s impressive,” Boone said. “I’ve really been impressed with a lot of our young guys that are kind of knocking on the door, Elmer included in that, about to be big-leaguers. Feel like they have a chance to be longtime big-leaguers. As well as being a talented pitcher, he seems to have a really good way and makeup about him that should serve him well.”  Texas hopes its offense can support a strong outing from right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (2-4, 5.79 ERA) on Wednesday. The Rangers did not score while Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom were on the mound in the first two games as they mustered seven combined hits off Schlittler and Fried before making late rallies.  On Tuesday, Danny Jansen hit an RBI triple, and Josh Jung had an RBI single. Corey Seager ended the game by hitting into a double play with two runners on base and is hitting .189 over 24 games in April.  Texas also went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and is 3-for-24 in that situation over its past three games.  “The last inning we did a really good job; we had the right guys up at the right time,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said of his team, which scored its two runs Tuesday in the ninth inning. “I thought we made a run at it towards the end. Just couldn’t cash in.”  Eovaldi went 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA in his first two starts and 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his next two. He has been tagged for eight earned runs in 11 innings during defeats to the Athletics and Seattle Mariners in his two most recent outings.  Eovaldi is 6-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 career appearances (21 starts) against the Yankees, with whom he made 51 appearances and had a 23-11 combined record in 2015 and 2016.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Yankees #RHP #Elmer #Rodriguez #MLB #debut #Rangers

With the entire football world believing that Cleveland needed to use their two first-round picks on an offensive tackle and a wide receiver, the Browns did just that, sliding back a few spots and still drafting Utah’s Spencer Fano, and then adding Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion near the end of the first round. Cleveland was not done making picks that fans and analysts loved, as the team added Washington WR Denzel Boston and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on Day 2.

Of course, there is one rather important outstanding matter, and there is news on that front.

Who will be under center for the Browns this season?

According to a new report, none other than veteran Deshaun Watson has the “inside track” to the starting quarterback job in Cleveland as the offseason begins. Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com wrote Wednesday morning that Watson “emerged from the Browns voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1.“

For those who might be wondering yes, this is the same Deshaun Watson that last played in 2024, only made seven starts that season, and saw his year cut short due to an Achilles’ rupture. And the same Watson that during that season posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of just 3.7, and led the Browns to a 1-6 record. It’s also the same Watson who faced a series of sexual assault allegations in recent years.

And yet … there is a reason he might be their best option. Courtesy of RBSDM, here is a look at Quarterback Efficiency — a metric examining both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage Over Expected — for all quarterbacks with 100 or more passing attempts a year ago.

See if you can spot the two Browns passers who fit that category last year: Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel:

Yes, right in the bottom left is where you find the two Cleveland rookies from last season, exactly where you do not want to be on this graphic.

So while the Browns might have “won” the 2026 NFL Draft, what lies ahead is much less certain.

Especially at quarterback.

#Deshaun #Watson #Shedeur #Sanders #Browns #starting #favorite #report">Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders? The Browns have a starting QB favorite, per report  In the minds of analysts and fans alike, the Cleveland Browns were one of the teams that nailed the 2026 NFL Draft.With the entire football world believing that Cleveland needed to use their two first-round picks on an offensive tackle and a wide receiver, the Browns did just that, sliding back a few spots and still drafting Utah’s Spencer Fano, and then adding Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion near the end of the first round. Cleveland was not done making picks that fans and analysts loved, as the team added Washington WR Denzel Boston and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on Day 2.Of course, there is one rather important outstanding matter, and there is news on that front.Who will be under center for the Browns this season?According to a new report, none other than veteran Deshaun Watson has the “inside track” to the starting quarterback job in Cleveland as the offseason begins. Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com wrote Wednesday morning that Watson “emerged from the Browns voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1.“For those who might be wondering yes, this is the same Deshaun Watson that last played in 2024, only made seven starts that season, and saw his year cut short due to an Achilles’ rupture. And the same Watson that during that season posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of just 3.7, and led the Browns to a 1-6 record. It’s also the same Watson who faced a series of sexual assault allegations in recent years.And yet … there is a reason he might be their best option. Courtesy of RBSDM, here is a look at Quarterback Efficiency — a metric examining both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage Over Expected — for all quarterbacks with 100 or more passing attempts a year ago.See if you can spot the two Browns passers who fit that category last year: Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel:Yes, right in the bottom left is where you find the two Cleveland rookies from last season, exactly where you do not want to be on this graphic.So while the Browns might have “won” the 2026 NFL Draft, what lies ahead is much less certain.Especially at quarterback.  #Deshaun #Watson #Shedeur #Sanders #Browns #starting #favorite #report

fans alike, the Cleveland Browns were one of the teams that nailed the 2026 NFL Draft.

With the entire football world believing that Cleveland needed to use their two first-round picks on an offensive tackle and a wide receiver, the Browns did just that, sliding back a few spots and still drafting Utah’s Spencer Fano, and then adding Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion near the end of the first round. Cleveland was not done making picks that fans and analysts loved, as the team added Washington WR Denzel Boston and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on Day 2.

Of course, there is one rather important outstanding matter, and there is news on that front.

Who will be under center for the Browns this season?

According to a new report, none other than veteran Deshaun Watson has the “inside track” to the starting quarterback job in Cleveland as the offseason begins. Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com wrote Wednesday morning that Watson “emerged from the Browns voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1.“

For those who might be wondering yes, this is the same Deshaun Watson that last played in 2024, only made seven starts that season, and saw his year cut short due to an Achilles’ rupture. And the same Watson that during that season posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of just 3.7, and led the Browns to a 1-6 record. It’s also the same Watson who faced a series of sexual assault allegations in recent years.

And yet … there is a reason he might be their best option. Courtesy of RBSDM, here is a look at Quarterback Efficiency — a metric examining both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage Over Expected — for all quarterbacks with 100 or more passing attempts a year ago.

See if you can spot the two Browns passers who fit that category last year: Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel:

Yes, right in the bottom left is where you find the two Cleveland rookies from last season, exactly where you do not want to be on this graphic.

So while the Browns might have “won” the 2026 NFL Draft, what lies ahead is much less certain.

Especially at quarterback.

#Deshaun #Watson #Shedeur #Sanders #Browns #starting #favorite #report">Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders? The Browns have a starting QB favorite, per report

In the minds of analysts and fans alike, the Cleveland Browns were one of the teams that nailed the 2026 NFL Draft.

With the entire football world believing that Cleveland needed to use their two first-round picks on an offensive tackle and a wide receiver, the Browns did just that, sliding back a few spots and still drafting Utah’s Spencer Fano, and then adding Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion near the end of the first round. Cleveland was not done making picks that fans and analysts loved, as the team added Washington WR Denzel Boston and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on Day 2.

Of course, there is one rather important outstanding matter, and there is news on that front.

Who will be under center for the Browns this season?

According to a new report, none other than veteran Deshaun Watson has the “inside track” to the starting quarterback job in Cleveland as the offseason begins. Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com wrote Wednesday morning that Watson “emerged from the Browns voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1.“

For those who might be wondering yes, this is the same Deshaun Watson that last played in 2024, only made seven starts that season, and saw his year cut short due to an Achilles’ rupture. And the same Watson that during that season posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of just 3.7, and led the Browns to a 1-6 record. It’s also the same Watson who faced a series of sexual assault allegations in recent years.

And yet … there is a reason he might be their best option. Courtesy of RBSDM, here is a look at Quarterback Efficiency — a metric examining both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage Over Expected — for all quarterbacks with 100 or more passing attempts a year ago.

See if you can spot the two Browns passers who fit that category last year: Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel:

Yes, right in the bottom left is where you find the two Cleveland rookies from last season, exactly where you do not want to be on this graphic.

So while the Browns might have “won” the 2026 NFL Draft, what lies ahead is much less certain.

Especially at quarterback.

#Deshaun #Watson #Shedeur #Sanders #Browns #starting #favorite #report

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