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Archives for May 26, 2026

Sox Lose in Stride(r) vs. Braves

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Boston Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez retired the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves in order in the top of the first of this three game series between the National League East leader and the American League East cellar-dwellers. That brought Red Sox lead-off hitter, Jarren Duran to the plate to face (one of) Atlanta’s ace pitchers, Spencer Strider.

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Strider returned to the Braves’ starting rotation May 3 after being placed on the club’s injured list on March 25, after a left oblique strain sidelined him in the final week of Spring Training. Strider worked his way back by making three minor league rehab appearances in April, going 0-1, but with a steady 1.42 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched. He also recorded 18 strike-outs in those 12 innings between the High A Rome franchise and Triple A Gwinnett.

Not bad, right?

Strider’s even tougher than that.

Tuesday night against the Sox at Fenway, Strider made his fifth start of the 2026 season. He owned a 2-0 record (and 3.00ERA) going into the game and considering the Braves are 51-27 in Strider’s starts, things weren’t looking too bright for the hometown nine.

Consider one more interesting nugget: Strider owned a .631 winning percentage (41-24) in his career with Atlanta, the third best mark among Braves pitchers since 1966 (at least 80 starts). That means Strider only trails Baseball Hall of Famers Greg Maddux (.688) and active phenom (and current New York Yankees’ ace) Max Fried (.670). Strider ranks ahead of Hall of Famer Tom Glavine (.624) on that Braves totem pole (no disrespectful pun intended).

Duran, batting .193 as the game began, decided Strider’s resume wasn’t all that impressive and rocketed an (0-1) pitch some 412 feet for his seventh home run of the season. It was his 10th career lead-off home run. It was highly unusual for both Duran and Strider, for sure. But, then Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela stepped up to the plate and hit another whopper.

Rafaela’s homer travelled only 368 feet but went out of the ballpark at 101 mph to make the score Red Sox 2, Braves 0 before the 34,126 fans settled into their seats at the beloved joint. It marked the first time the Red Sox had back-to-back, lead-off homers since May 31, 2016 in Baltimore.

Strider settled in and the Braves gradually hacked away at that 2-0 deficit.

Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson tied the game in the fifth inning with a 2-run blast off Suarez. Olson’s homer traveled 428 feet at 105 mph and it brought Mauricio Dubon to the plate as well.

In Atlanta’s half of the sixth, a pair of doubles bookending a walk created three runs for the Braves with OF Michael Harris II providing the effort for two RBI to give the Braves a 5-2 lead.

The Sox picked up a couple runs, one in the sixth on a Mickey Gasper ground out (GIDP) that scored Wilyer Abreu and in the seventh on a Isiah Kiner-Falefa home run.

With the Braves leading 7-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias got the call but looked quite shakey in his attempt to put the lights out on Boston. Iglesias gave up a lead-off single to Gasper, then a double to second baseman Nick Sogard. Both Gasper and Sogard scored later in the inning when Kiner-Falefa singled.

Atlanta dug in on defense, made a tough SS Ha-Seong Kim to 3B Austin Riley force-out, then after a Duran single, Iglesius retired Abreu to end the game and preserve a 7-6 Atlanta victory.

Strider earned the win, his third, and Iglesias – somehow – placed a save in his column, the ninth for the veteran reliever while Sox starter, Ranger Suarez, took the loss. He’s (2-3) on the year after allowing five earned runs with six hits and three walks in his five innings pitched.

 

Thunder Planning to be Aggressor

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Wire Service Preview) – The San Antonio Spurs have gotten off to big starts in each of the last two games of the Western Conference finals. Heading into Game 5 tonight with the seven-game series deadlocked at 2, the host Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to reverse that trend.

“They just punched us in our face early,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after Sunday’s 103-82 loss in San Antonio. “It’s two games in a row they’ve all come out the aggressors. Last game, we were able to course-correct. Tonight, we just didn’t do so. We’ve just gotta do a better job of starting the games.”Sports news articles

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In Sunday’s game, the Spurs jumped out to a 23-8 lead. In Friday’s Game 3, San Antonio scored the game’s first 15 points before Oklahoma City came back to win 123-108.

The series has been physical throughout, with the Thunder throwing several different looks at San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs doing the same against Gilgeous-Alexander.

“They have multiple guys that are tenacious, they get into the ball, and then they have Wemby behind them, and they know that, and they do that to their strength,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So obviously a really good defense. … To score on them, it’s gonna take quick decisions, the right decisions, you gotta be really good offensively and really sound.”

The Spurs changed the way they guarded the Thunder in Game 4, using more one-on-one looks against Gilgeous-Alexander and preventing Oklahoma City from getting as many open looks from beyond the arc.Games

The Thunder were just 6 of 33 on 3-point attempts in Game 4 after shooting nearly 40% from distance in the first three games.

“I don’t want to say what it was,” San Antonio’s Devin Vassell said. “I think we made a great defensive adjustment. … I feel like they had so many wide-open 3s over the past couple games, and you’ve got to respect them, especially if they’re making them. So we were trying to cut them out with that.”

While the adjustment sometimes gave Gilgeous-Alexander more room to work, it also helped San Antonio keep Oklahoma City’s bench largely in check.

The Thunder bench still outscored the Spurs’ 34-30, though more than half of Oklahoma City’s bench points came in the fourth quarter, when the team sat Gilgeous-Alexander and used three of its other starters for 3:17 or less with San Antonio in control of the game.

Oklahoma City is also navigating without two of its primary ballhandlers in Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

Williams has missed the last two games after aggravating a hamstring injury. Mitchell is dealing with a right calf strain that knocked him out of Game 3. ESPN reported Monday that both are considered day-to-day.

Mitchell averaged nearly 19 points per game in the first two rounds, starting six of the eight games in place of Williams.

Before being knocked out of Game 3, Mitchell was averaging just 5.3 points per game in the series. While Oklahoma City has struggled with guard play outside of Gilgeous-Alexander and sans Williams and Mitchell, San Antonio is hoping to continue its trajectory among its backcourt.

Guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox had just one turnover between them Sunday and combined for 25 points and 11 assists.

–Field Level Media

Mazzula Wins NBA Coach of Year

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The NBA announced Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was named the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year. He becomes the fourth Celtics head coach to win the award (Auerbach, Heinsohn, Fitch), after Mazzulla and his coaching staff steered Boston to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 regular season record. Mazzulla takes home his first Red Auerbach Trophy this season with the help of his assistant coaches and staff: Sam Cassell, Tony Dobbins, D.J. MacLeay, Da’Sean Butler, Nana Foulland, Amile Jefferson, Tyler Lashbrook, Craig Luschenat, Ross McMains, Alex Merg, Phil Pressey, God Shammgod Jr., and Steve Tchiengang.
“Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night,” said Mazzula. “I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day. This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named, staff of the year.”
The NBA Coach of the Year Award trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Red Auerbach. The legendary head coach guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1959-66.
“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team. On top of all of that, Joe leads with an authentic care for the Celtics and everyone he works with – players, coaches, and staff.”
Ranking second in the NBA in offensive rating (120.0) and fourth in defensive rating (111.7), Boston was one of two teams this season to be in the top four in both offensive and defensive rating. The Celtics also led the league in several categories this season, including fewest turnovers per game (12.4), fewest opponent points in the paint per game (40.1), and fewest steals allowed per game (6.2). The Celtics averaged 16.9 second chance points per game this season, the team’s most in the play-by-play era, and averaged the team’s most offensive rebounds per game (12.5) since the 1999-2000 season. Boston was tied for the league lead in games allowing 100 points or less (22) this season and led the NBA in games with 20+ 3-pointers made (16).
Mazzulla was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December, his fifth career monthly honor, after guiding Boston to a 9-3 record in December with a league-best 124.3 offensive rating. He earned his 200th career victory in just 275 games, making him the third-fastest coach in NBA history to do so behind Steve Kerr (238 games) and Phil Jackson (270 games).
In four seasons as Boston’s head coach, Mazzulla owns a 238-90 regular season record (.726 winning percentage) and has gone 36-21 (.632) in the playoffs.

Red Sox Face MLB Best Braves

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It’s been a season full of questions for the Boston Red Sox, none more perplexing than this: Why has Boston struggled so much at Fenway Park?

The Red Sox are 8-17 at home, the worst mark in Major League Baseball, entering Tuesday’s matchup with the visiting Atlanta Braves, who happen to have Baseball’s best road record (19-8). Boston’s 6-5 loss to Minnesota on Sunday extended the team’s home losing streak to four games.

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“You can readily acknowledge (that) at some point this year, if we’re gonna do something, we’re gonna have to get going at home,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It’s just that simple. These are not blowouts. We’re playing good baseball games. But we’re gonna have to win some games at home, no question.”

The Red Sox are 1-6-1 in home series this season. They haven’t won a series at Fenway Park since they took two of three games from Milwaukee by winning the rubber match on April 8.

“It’s tough,” Isiah Kiner-Falefa said following Sunday’s loss to Minnesota. “You look at the standings and somehow we’re still in it. So I think that helps a lot. I felt like this series would have been a big swing with our team, the fan base, getting the belief back and kind of going from there. So to get swept right here definitely hurts.

“We feel it. As a group, we really want to make our fan base proud and hopefully we can go on a run and get in this wild-card thing or maybe back in the division. But one step at a time. First we gotta find a way to stack some wins together at home and get back in the race.”

The Braves, who won two of the three games between the teams played in Atlanta earlier this month, are scheduled to start right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider (2-0, 3.00 ERA) on Tuesday. Strider has made two career starts against Boston and allowed three earned runs on nine hits in 11 2/3 innings (2.31 ERA), but didn’t get a decision in either game.

Boston is expected to go with lefty Ranger Suarez (2-2, 2.40 ERA). Suarez has made 22 appearances against Atlanta during his career, including 13 starts. He’s 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA and has recorded 86 strikeouts in 80 innings.

The Braves, who have the most wins in the major leagues (36), will be looking to jump-start their offense after being held to one run across two losses to Washington on Saturday (2-0) and Sunday (2-1). Atlanta was limited to one hit on Saturday and went 17 straight innings without scoring before pushing a run across in the ninth inning Sunday.

“It’s just difficult to go out and score six or seven runs every single night,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “So there’s going to be times where you have a handful of guys that are searching for it at the same time. I think that’s kind of what we’re going through right now.”

Matt Olson is batting .160 (8-for-50) with two extra-base hits in his last 13 games.

“He’s been so good since the start of the season that these things tend to level off,” Weiss said. “But, I feel really good any time Matt Olson is in the batter’s box. I feel like something good is about to happen, and it usually does.”

–Field Level Media

NY Knicks Sweep Cleveland

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CLEVELAND – (Wire Service Report) – As the clock wound down, few Cleveland Cavaliers fans could be found. The New York Knicks left them with no reason to stick around.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, routing the Cavaliers 130-93 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night.

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The Knicks extended their franchise playoff-record winning streak to 11 games — matching the third-longest run in a single postseason in league history — and their long-suffering supporters took over Cleveland’s arena.

“Growing up in the (New York) area, I feel like the word hope has been gone for a long while, so to restore that is special,” Towns said. “There is nowhere better in the world than when (Madison Square) Garden has hope.”

OG Anunoby contributed 17 points and Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench on 4-for-4 3-point shooting for New York, which built a 29-point lead in the second quarter and went up 123-78 in the fourth.

Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points apiece, and Josh Hart added six points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The former Villanova championship teammates relished the opportunity to win the East together.

“It’s something that is surreal,” Hart said. “We already share a bond and a brotherhood for life, and we’re going to keep adding memories for that.”

Brunson was named the series MVP for averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists. The Knicks have outscored their opponents by 262 points during their win streak, the most dominant span in league history, playoffs or regular season.

Donovan Mitchell logged 31 points and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which reached the East finals for the first time since 2018. James Harden had 12 points and five turnovers while missing all six of his 3-point tries.

“Sometimes you’ve got to ultimately give the other team credit,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They played great basketball and they’re on a heater.”

The Knicks’ Mike Brown is off to the NBA Finals for the second time as a head coach, having led the Cavaliers to their first East crown in 2007.

The 37-point defeat was the Cavaliers’ largest ever in a playoff home game.

“We have unfinished business,” Mitchell said. “I have no doubt this group can get there.”

New York dominated the rebounding battle 60-33 with backup center Mitchell Robinson grabbing 10 boards in 18 minutes.

New York delivered the knockout blow early with a 20-0 run over a span of 4:39 from late in the first quarter into the second. A dunk by Towns punctuated the surge, making the score 50-26.

The Knicks eventually built a 61-32 lead on Shamet’s third 3-pointer of the half.

Mitchell scored 10 points and Mobley had seven in the first six minutes, putting the Cavaliers up 17-14. A 9-0 run then put New York on top for good. Robinson entered for New York and made an impact with six points and four rebounds, sparking a 24-9 run to end the quarter.

Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schroder was a late scratch with an illness.

Among the Knicks’ celebrity fans seated courtside were comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Timothee Chalamet.

-Field Level Media