MLB
Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Guardians at 1:10 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV.
The three-game set between the Rays and the Guardians concludes this afternoon in Cleveland. Runs were hard to come by yesterday as Tampa Bay prevailed over Cleveland, 1-0. Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez was lights out, allowing just three hits in seven innings. A single by Tampa first baseman Jonathan Aranda in the fifth inning drove in the game's only run, which eventually gave the Rays the victory. The starters today will be Drew Rasmussen for Tampa Bay and Gavin Williams for the Guardians.
One question that will be answered: Will there be at least four runs scored today?
Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres at 4:10 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV.
The Cubs evened up the series after an 8-3 drubbing of the Padres late last night. Chicago outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made his presence felt with a home run and three RBIs. Starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was also exceptional, with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. Today's game will be the rubber match, with either San Diego or Chicago winning the series two games to one. James Taillon will be on the bump for the Cubs, while Matt Waldron gets the nod for the Padres as he looks for his first win of the season. Both of these guys struggled the last time they took the mound, giving up ten combined earned runs in their previous starts.
One question that will be answered: Will Waldron and Taillon give up more than six combined earned runs?
St. Louis Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:40 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV.
The Cards once again beat the Pirates. Although this time around, there was an explosion of offense as St. Louis won, 11-7. Three different Cardinals finished the evening with three RBIs, including third baseman Nolan Gorman, who hit his fourth home run of the season. In the third matchup of this four-game set, Andre Pallante will be the starter for St. Louis, while Bubba Chandler gets the start for Pittsburgh. Chandler is hoping for a better result than his last start, where he gave up six earned runs. The same can be said for Pallante, who allowed three earned runs in his last start.
One question that will be answered: Can Pallante and Chandler each make it through four innings apiece?
Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves at 7:15 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV.
Yesterday's game might have ended 5-2, but the Braves controlled that contest all the way through. After taking a 5-0 lead, the Tigers scored their lone runs in the top of the ninth inning, but it wouldn’t be enough. Atlanta pitcher Martin Perez pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five batters. Detroit is turning to ace pitcher Tarik Skubal to try and even up the series. His 0.99 WHIP is good for 20th in the Majors. On the other side, the Braves will be sending out JR Ritchie less than a week after he recorded his first win of the 2026 campaign.
One question that will be answered: How many runs, if any, will Tarik Slubal give up today?
NBA
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime Video.
The Pistons' backs are against the wall as they’re looking down the barrel at elimination. The Magic took a 3-1 series lead on Monday night behind a 22-point outing from Orlando guard Desmond Bane. Offense was once again an issue for Detroit as just three players finished the evening with double-digit scoring outputs. If the Magic win tonight, they’ll become the seventh team in NBA playoff history to beat the number-one seed in their conference as an eighth seed. If the Pistons want to avoid being on the wrong side of history, they're going to have to find a way to put up a lot of points.
One question that will be answered: Will four Detroit players score at least ten points apiece?
Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Just when it looked like the Cavaliers would breeze past the Raptors for an easy first-round victory, things took a turn when this series moved to Toronto. The Raps were able to tie things 2-2 after a gutsy 93-89 win on Sunday. Even though Toronto shot 32% from the field and an abyssmal 13% from beyond the arc, the Raptors still pulled out the victory thanks to forwards Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram combining for 46 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists. Meanwhile, it was a bad day for Cleveland's James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, who were 12 for 38 from the field in that matchup with 11 turnovers and just 39 points. They'll obviously have to be better if the Cavs want to tip the scales in their favor.
One question that will be answered: Can James Harden and Donovan Mitchell limit themselves to fewer than nine combined turnovers?
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
The last time out, the Rockets managed to avoid a sweep, even without the services of future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Houston defeated Los Angeles, 115-96. Guard Amen Thompson might have led all players with 23 points, but it was a full team effort from the Rockets, with five players finishing the game with double-digit scoring outputs. Houston will need to put up that type of performance once again, since Kevin Durant has already been ruled out of tonight's game with an ankle injury. With this matchup scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, the Lakers could move on to the next round, especially with guard Austin Reaves potentially returning to the lineup tonight.
One question that will be answered: If Reaves plays this evening, how many points will he score?
NHL
Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
With this thing tied 2-2, the series returns to Tampa for Game Five, where the Lightning are 1-1 so far in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After going down 2-0 to open Game Four in Montreal, Tampa showed its mettle by scoring three unanswered goals for the eventual 3-2 victory. Lightning winger Brandon Hagel was the star of the show with two goals, including the game-winner with 4:53 remaining in the third period. Neither squad has been able to get an edge thus far, alternating wins since the series started. Hell, three of the four games played have gone to overtime! If history is any indication, tonight's contest will be decided by just one goal.
One question that will be answered: Will Game Five be decided in regulation or overtime?
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 p.m. EDT on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.
Though it looked like the Flyers would pull off a clean sweep of their in-state rivals, the Penguins bounced back with two straight wins in Games Four and Five to cut Philly's series lead to 3-2. Longtime Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang used a little bit of luck to score the game-winning goal with less than three minutes to go in the third period. After Flyers goalie Dan Vladar whiffed on a glove save, the puck bounced off the back wall and slid underneath his knee guard. While looking for the puck, it slowly glided past the red line, giving the Penguins the goal and the eventual win. If the Pens can win a third straight, we’ll get a Game Seven in Pittsburgh on Saturday. But if Philly takes care of business tonight, they'll move on to the next round.
One question that will be answered: Will these teams combine for at least five goals scored?
Utah Mammoth @ Vegas Golden Knights at 10:00 p.m. EDT on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.
This series will be decided by whoever gets two more wins first since we're tied 2-2. It might have taken extra time, but the Golden Knights were able to even things up with an overtime victory on Monday. Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore chose a great time to score his first goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he lifted the Golden Knights over the Mammoth, 5-4, with less than a minute to go in the first overtime period. The series shifts back to Las Vegas, where the Knights are 21-13-9 during the regular season and the playoffs. It won't be a cakewalk, though, considering Utah is 22-18-3 on the road during the 2026 campaign.
One question that will be answered: Will three goals be enough to propel one of these two teams to a victory?
