NBA

• Celtics 104, Heat 103
  • Boston’s crunch-time struggles were almost its downfall yet again in this game. The Celtics, in the event they defeat the Heat in Game 7, will have to get late game situations figured out if they wish to defeat the Nuggets. Besides the final few minutes of this game, the Celtics played pretty well, as the team was able to withstand a barrage of Miami threes. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart combined for 78 points, which was just enough to put Boston over the top.
  • This was Miami’s Game 7. The Heat had to win this game. Shooting 14-30 should’ve been more than enough to grab this victory, but Jimmy Butler limped to a 5-21 line, and played poorly until the final few minutes of this contest. I find it hard to believe that the Heat can come out on Monday night with the energy and juice to win, but we’ll see. Celtics by 15 or more.
• Bucks hire Adrian Griffin as head coach
  • Griffin has never been a head coach, so there’s a level of mystery to this hire, but it’s a less than inspiring move to replace Mike Budenholzer. On a positive note, Griffin seems to be a well respected assistant, but taking over for a contender like the Bucks creates an extra layer of pressure than their would be with taking an ordinary job. I wouldn’t be surprised if Griffin fared well, though, as it’s possible he has the chops to handle a talented roster like the one he’s inheriting.
    Grade: C

MLB

• Tigers 7, White Sox 3
  • Zach McKinstry has been an excellent addition for the Tigers. Acquired in March in a trade with the Cubs, the utility man has been light years better than he was in 2022, increasing his OPS by .221 points. McKinstry went 3 for 4 with a home run in this game for Detroit, which has been a decent story so far at 24-26.
  • It’s safe to say the White Sox are not getting their intended production from the top of the lineup. Combining to go 0 for 7 yesterday, Tim Anderson has an OPS under .600, while Andrew Benintendi’s is under .700.
• Twins 9, Blue Jays 7
  • Bo Bichette. Again. I’ll probably continue to pound the drum for the Blue Jay for being the best shortstop in the league. Bichette did more to prove that notion in this game, going 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs to raise his average to .335. Great player.
• Rangers 5, Orioles 3
  • Apparently, the Orioles had enough. I suggested yesterday that Baltimore could consider temporarily giving up on Grayson Rodriguez, and the O’s did exactly that, optioning the star prospect to Triple-A. Baltimore has lost two games in a row — a less than ideal outcome when chasing the 38-16 Rays.
• Astros 6, Athletics 3
  • I took advantage of a 25 percent profit boost to bet on the Astros’ moneyline for this game. Framber Valdez versus the Athletics? That’s an easy decision. In this contest, Valdez pitched six innings, allowing just one run, and lowering his ERA to 2.38.
• Dodgers 6, Rays 5
  • The results may have been less than stellar (4.1 innings and three earned runs), but having the talented Tyler Glasnow back is a huge boon for the Rays — as if they needed more help.
• Phillies 2, Braves 1
  • Zack Wheeler is a good, accomplished pitcher, and he showed it in this affair. Yesterday, Wheeler threw eight innings and struck out 12 Braves. With Aaron Nola struggling a bit, Philadelphia needs these type of outings from Wheeler every now and then.
  • Michael Harris was a great story as a rookie, but 2023 has been brutal for Atlanta’s center fielder. After going 0 for 2 yesterday, Harris is hitting .177 with a .541 OPS. Eight years and $72 million doesn’t look so great anymore.
• Mariners 5, Pirates 0
  • It was probably the correct call for the rebuilding Reds to trade Luis Castillo to the Mariners, but Castillo has been everything as advertised with Seattle. The Mariners’ ace went six innings in this game and struck out 10 Pirates.
  • Ke’Bryan Hayes is a tremendous defensive third baseman, but it would be helpful to the Pirates if he started to hit better. Hayes went 0 for 4 in this contest with three strikeouts, lowering his OPS to .634.
• Giants 3, Brewers 1
  • This game was the perfect formula for San Francisco from a pitching perspective. Logan Webb started the game off and struck out 11 batters, Tyler Rogers picked up his 11th hold, and Camilo Doval closed out his 14th game, and lowered his ERA to 1.90. It feels like the Giants, ever since the Barry Bonds era ended, have thrived off good pitching.
• Nationals 4, Royals 2
  • Corey Dickerson picked up career hit No. 1,000 in this game. Seemingly every year, it seems as if Dickerson’s time as a major leaguer should be up, yet he continues to land on rosters. Good for him on reaching this milestone.
• Reds 8, Cubs 5
  • After the offseason the club had, I doubt the Cubs envisioned being in last place on May 27th, yet here we are. The Jameson Taillon signing certainly hasn’t gone according to plan, either, as Taillon sports a 8.04 ERA after allowing four earned runs last night.
• Cardinals 2, Guardians 1
  • It’s rare to see a team win while batting 2 for 32, but that’s exactly what St. Louis did in this tilt.
  • The Andres Gimenez extension looks awful at the moment. After batting 0 for 4 yesterday, Cleveland’s second baseman has an OPS of just .631, far below his 2022 mark of .837. The Guardians just can’t afford to whiff on big contracts, and it would be horrible for the club if Gimenez’s $106.5 million contract flops. Thankfully for Cleveland, Gimenez has a fairly high floor as a player, so his hitting only needs to be slightly above average for him to be worth his new deal.
• Rockies 10, Mets 7
  • Francisco Lindor just isn’t a star anymore. In this tilt, Lindor batted 0-5 with two strikeouts, lowering his average to .226. Surely, the Mets would be in a better position if they had the version of Lindor that existed when he played for the Indians. Justin Verlander may not be a star anymore, either. The 40-year-old allowed six earned runs last night, increasing his ERA to 4.80. The Braves have been fizzling out slightly, so the Mets are fortunate to be only 4.5 games back of Atlanta.