MILWAUKEE -- As the final seconds of the third quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals bled away, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam brought the ball upcourt. At the last moment, and still a couple of steps behind the 3-point line, he rose up for a shot over the outstretched arm of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the ball softly dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The basket gave the Raptors an 83-76 lead after three quarters and seemingly had them poised to steal home-court advantage from the top-seeded Bucks in this series. Instead, it turned out to be the final field goal that any Raptor not named Kyle Lowry would make Wednesday night.

Rather than take an early lead in the series, the Raptors instead saw the Bucks outscore them 32-17 in the final quarter, as Milwaukee emerged with a 108-100 victory in front of a sellout crowd here at Fiserv Forum.

"Pretty frustrating," Lowry said. "Fourth quarter killed us. ... They outplayed us in the fourth quarter. They got a little bit more aggressive. They made some big shots, made some big plays.

"It sucks when you lose like that. But we had a chance. We've got to learn from it, make an adjustment. [We have to] stay even-keeled ... not too high, not too low. Just look at the film and get better."

The fourth-quarter film will highlight an ugly picture. Lowry was fantastic, going 5-for-7 from the floor and scoring 14 of his 30 points in the final 12 minutes alone. The rest of the Raptors, though, were awful. Toronto's other seven players who saw time in the fourth combined to go 0-for-15 from the floor, including 0-for-7 from 3-point range, with the only other points coming on free throws by Kawhi Leonard (two) and Siakam (one).

"Couple key turnovers," Leonard said after finishing with 31 points but going 0-for-3 and only scoring those two points in the fourth. "Missed some easy layups, some wide-open 3s. And we didn't play too well on defense. ... They ended up scoring their highest quarter points in the fourth quarter. [That] pretty much sums it up."

Toronto saw that initial lead entering the fourth instantly evaporate in the opening two minutes while Leonard was on the bench. The Raptors had three open looks -- a Norman Powell layup, a Fred VanVleet midrange jumper from the top of the key and then a VanVleet 3-pointer from the wing -- but none of them went in.

On the other end, Milwaukee -- which went a combined 6-for-34 from 3-point range through the first three quarters -- immediately got two straight 3s from Brook Lopez (who finished with a team-high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four blocks) and a pair of free throws from Nikola Mirotic to take its first lead since early in the first quarter.

And while the teams went back and forth over the final few minutes -- thanks in large part to Lowry's heroics -- after Leonard drained two free throws to make it 100-98 with 3:31 remaining, the Bucks scored the final 10 points to seal the victory. Toronto missed its final eight shots over that span, including five 3-pointers.

Milwaukee controlled the paint throughout the game, winning points in the paint (44-26), second-chance points (24-13) and fast-break points (25-15), while also turning Toronto's 12 turnovers into 20 points. Meanwhile, the Raptors not named Leonard or Lowry finished a combined 14-for-51 from the floor.

"It's gonna be an interesting series," said Siakam, who finished 6-for-20 from the field for 15 points, "and we know we had a chance to win tonight. We felt like we could've gotten this game, but obviously, we didn't. And credit to them, they came back and took the game from us.

"But it's a long series, and we've got to bounce back and be better next game if we want to get out of here with a win."

Perhaps some fatigue set in from Toronto's survival from a grueling seven-game series with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series the Raptors won thanks to Leonard's incredible buzzer-beater Sunday evening. The Bucks, on the other hand, finished off the Boston Celtics in five games and had a week to rest and prepare at home for this game, and Milwaukee certainly looked like the fresher team down the stretch.

From Toronto's standpoint, though, the why of how this game played out the way it did ultimately was irrelevant. A chance to take control of this series right off the bat had been wasted. Now, the Raptors have no choice but to try to find a way to put themselves in a similar position when these teams meet again here Friday night in Game 2 of this best-of-seven affair.

"Each one of these games is critical," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "I thought we played tough tonight, a tough brand of basketball, for the most part.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win a game on the road in the Eastern Conference finals. It didn't turn out, and we put in a lot of work, but you're going to file that one away and put in more work the next time."

"We gotta get some rest here tonight, focus in on our film, figure out some adjustments, build up some confidence," Nurse added. "But then again, once it gets ready to go up for Game 2, we have to be tough."

MILWAUKEE -- Brook Lopez was frustrated. His early 3-pointer missed badly, his fadeaways were clanking off the back rim and he was struggling to find a rhythm within the Bucks' offense.

The 7-foot center shook his head in disgust as Toronto raced out to a 34-23 first-quarter lead Wednesday night. The Raptors, hoping to steal home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference finals, kept their momentum rolling and controlled the game through three quarters.

But Game 1 turned on the Bucks' strong fourth-quarter comeback, with Lopez hitting key shots to seal the come-from-behind 108-100 win.

"We just don't quit as a unit," Lopez said. "We keep hounding, keep hounding, keep hounding and grinding, and then we finally got there. There's no quit in our team. I don't think it's really in our DNA at all."

All told, Lopez scored 13 of his career-playoff-high 29 points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks. Lopez hadn't scored at least 29 points in a game since March 2018 and hadn't grabbed at least 11 rebounds since October 2017.

Down the stretch, Lopez was crucial. He got a layup. Then he buried his third 3-pointer of the fourth to give the Bucks a 104-100 lead with less than two minutes remaining. He stood up Kawhi Leonard and stripped the Raptors forward of the ball. Then with a little more than a minute remaining, Lopez claimed a long defensive rebound to end another Toronto possession.

"This is the Brook we all know and love," Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "We just want him to be aggressive, especially in this series."

Without Lopez's late heroics, the Bucks easily could have dropped Game 1 for the second straight series. Toronto guard Kyle Lowry drained seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points, and the Raptors were the more energetic team early, despite having less rest time between series.

The Bucks suffered the sluggish start they had wanted to avoid. The Game 1 blowout loss at home to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals weighed heavy on the minds of Milwaukee's players -- perhaps becoming paralyzing at the outset.

Slowly but surely, however, the Bucks cut the Raptors' lead to single digits, and the Fiserv Forum crowd rose in unison to holler approval. Finally pulling close in the fourth quarter, the Bucks cut Toronto's lead to four, then two. Again fans stood and screamed, only to deflate once the Raptors answered.

The comeback wasn't all pretty. Khris Middleton plowed into a Raptors defender, drawing an offensive foul that preceded a Lowry 3. On the next possession, Middleton dribbled the ball out of bounds. Despite those offensive hiccups, Middleton was essential in Milwaukee's defensive game plan for Leonard, who scored only two of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.

"I think we need games like this, because not every game is going to be a blowout," Antetokounmpo said. "Not every game is going to be easy. And I think this game definitely made us better."

MILWAUKEE -- At the moment Kawhi Leonard shook Khris Middleton on a backdoor cut for an easy layup midway through the third quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night, the Toronto Raptors looked like their best selves.

The Raptors had managed only five shot attempts at the rim in the first half, but here was a beautiful half-court set that encapsulated how brutally efficient the Raptors can be when they're maximizing their strengths: Leonard and Kyle Lowry splitting off Marc Gasol in the high post -- Lowry fanning out to the left corner and Leonard skirting behind Middleton. This was Toronto high IQ basketball at its savviest, and the bucket gave the Raptors a 10-point lead with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third period.

By many measures, the Raptors turned in a solid effort Wednesday night. They executed their defensive game plan, enthusiastically took many of the open shots they'd turned down through much of the first two rounds of the postseason, and found opportunities in transition.

Yet, a fatal fourth quarter undid much of that solid work in a 108-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wednesday night was another Game 1 throat-clearing for a Bucks team that hadn't played in a full week. A unit that relies on cadence and timing, the Bucks couldn't find their flow through much of the game. Mainstays like Middleton initially struggled to find shots against Toronto's switching schemes, an irregular coverage for Toronto. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the ultimate rhythm player, wasn't at maximum effect with the long break.

Yet despite missing 29 of their first 35 attempts from 3-point range and their forgettable 45.7 percent effective field goal percentage, the Bucks came away with the series opener. If Game 1 is evidence of anything, it's that the Milwaukee Bucks are -- and will continue to be -- an exceptionally difficult team to beat under any condition.

"I think we did a great job of just sticking with what we've been doing all postseason long," said Brook Lopez, who led the Bucks with 29 points. "Shots didn't go in early, but we did a great job of grinding it out, played great defense and just stuck with it. Then things started going our way."

This is one measure of NBA team dominance: an ability to win difficult games against tough opponents despite subpar performances from top players, marginal success against defensive strategies, and poor shooting. On that standard, the Bucks, now 9-1 in the postseason, are dominant, even if the end result in Game 1 wasn't an exhibition of their best choreography.

As he donned his signature Disney gear at his locker before heading to the postgame podium, Lopez debated one of the great postseason conundrums for a team that encounters a switching defense like the one Toronto fashioned Wednesday night. Should an offensive team respond by hunting available mismatches in the half court, or should it disregard whatever advantage it might or might not have and just continue to run its stuff?

"Someone will say, 'Why don't you just go down in the post?' but that's not who we are," Lopez said. "We don't want to change who we are."

Though there are many NBA coaches who believe not attacking mismatches amounts to leaving money on the NBA hardwood, the position articulated by Lopez has been the consistent stance of Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. Though the Bucks never quite cracked the code offensively in Game 1, they enjoyed a timely outburst by Lopez in the fourth quarter, when he drained three of his five attempts from beyond the arc.

"This is the Brook we all know and we all love," said Antetokounmpo, who noted that Gasol, assigned to guard Lopez, has a directive to be an active help defender in this series, which will frequently leave Lopez open.

Lopez's exploits everywhere on the floor were essential to Milwaukee's victory Wednesday night, but the game was won on the defensive end -- with Lopez, again, as the catalyst. With rare exceptions, the Raptors simply couldn't get to the rim in Game 1, attempting only a fifth of their shots at point-blank range, a woefully low frequency. For all of Antetokounmpo's offensive gifts and the floor spacing the Bucks demonstrate, their ability to wall off the basket area is their single most consistent attribute as a team. Toronto rarely got to the rim, and on the occasions the Raptors did, they were a meager 9-for-17.

"You can bring your defense every night, and that's what we expect," Budenholzer said. "There are going to be nights when you don't make shots, and you've got to just continue to do well or give it defensively. If you do that, you maybe can break through and find a way to win on a night when you really don't shoot very well offensively or play that well offensively."

This idea is gospel in Milwaukee under Budenholzer: In a league in which games are increasingly won and lost by the vagaries of streaky perimeter shooting, defense is the ultimate insurance policy. Go 6-for-35 from 3-point range over the first 36 minutes of basketball? Certainly not ideal, but nobody attempts to miss. But if the defense is tightening around the paint like a vise, and defenders are instantaneously scrambling back out, and rotators are sharp in their anticipation, cold snaps can be endured -- and big games can be won.

Herein lies the challenge for any team that needs to take down the Bucks in a seven-game series: Setting aside the games that will be lost because Milwaukee employs a transcendent superstar, and capable shooters around him, what do you do when the Bucks' defensive effort -- far less variable -- is so ruggedly committed to depriving you what you want and need most?

CINCINNATI -- The commissioner's office might not like it, but Chicago Cubs fans won't be complaining if enigmatic righty Yu Darvish wants to take his time on the mound.

As long as the results look like they did Wednesday -- Darvish struck out 11 without issuing a walk against the Cincinnati Reds -- he can pretty much do whatever he wants.

"I'm a slow guy," Darvish said after the Cubs' 6-5, 10-inning loss. "I'm always slow, especially my first three-to-four years. I told [pitching coach] Tommy [Hottovoy] yesterday, I want to go slower. That's why I was taking my time. That makes me more comfortable."

It would not be an exaggeration to say Darvish looked as good as he has in years, even if he lasted only 5 1/3 innings. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Darvish hasn't had 11 strikeouts without issuing a free pass since August 2013. But there's more.

• His first strike percentage was 67, his highest this season and second-highest as a Cub. In his career, the opposition has a slash line of .177/.219/.277 when Darvish throws strike one.

• He earned 26 called strikes, the most in a game for him since 2014.

• He threw 37 percent cutters, his highest percentage in a start since joining the Cubs. Ten of his called strikes came on his cutter, tying the most in his career.

• He took seven hitters to a 3-ball count but retired all of them, including five via strikeout.

• He had six strikeouts looking, the most in a game in his career.

Two of Darvish's called third strikes came at the expense of Joey Votto. The Reds star looked as uncomfortable at the plate against the Cubs righty as you'll see from the All-Star. Between the strikeouts, Darvish got Votto on a check-swing popup.

"He's the best hitter in the lineup, so if he struggles, that means I'm good," Darvish said.

The Cubs have basically thrown out the script for Darvish. They don't care about tempo or anything else if it doesn't make him comfortable. If one pitch is on, then that's the one he'll lean on. Usually it's his slider, but not on Wednesday.

"I felt good about my cutter," Darvish said. "That's why I threw it a lot."

His catcher illustrated the "whatever it takes" attitude the Cubs and Darvish are employing.

"I know the tempo was a little slow, but I don't care," Taylor Davis said. "He was getting guys out. He was making quality pitches ... The pressure situations he was able to handle a lot better.

"I'm taking this as a win for the Cubs. A win for Yu."

However, the Cubs actually came up short after the bullpen blew a lead.

Darvish's next start won't be any easier. He'll face former Cub Jake Arrieta and the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at Wrigley Field.

"He's a legend in Chicago, for sure," Darvish said of Arrieta. "I respect that, and I'm really looking forward to facing him."

Darvish replaced Arrieta in the Cubs' rotation after signing a six-year, $126 million contract before 2018. Arrieta settled with the Phillies for three years and $75 million. The two have been linked ever since. Darvish would like nothing more than to repeat his performance against the Reds -- but in front of Cubs fans.

"I think I need it at Wrigley," he said. "That's what I want. I always struggle [at home]. I need this start at Wrigley."

Asked what he thought of facing Arrieta at the plate, Darvish deadpanned: "I need a base hit off him."

ATLANTA -- When Austin Riley connected with the pitch, his father was watching from the concourse at SunTrust Park.

Mike Riley knew it was good contact, but he couldn't tell how far the ball went.

Then he looked toward the outfield.

"As soon as I saw the outfielders not move," the elder Riley said, "I knew it was gone."

Austin Riley homered in his big league debut Wednesday night, leading Atlanta to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and signaling the arrival of another top prospect for the Baby Braves.

"He's got lights-out power," said Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, who played his entire career with the Braves and was at the game. "I think he's a 40-homer guy before it's all said and done in the big leagues."

Mike Soroka turned in another strong start with three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings, but this night belonged to the 22-year-old Riley. He was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game after Ender Inciarte went on the injured list with a sore back.

Riley, who started in left field and batted sixth, struck out swinging against Michael Wacha in the first at-bat of what the Braves hope will be a long major league career.

Then, leading off the fourth, Riley showed why he was leading the International League with 15 homers and 39 RBI.

Riley launched a high fastball deep into the left-field seats, a 438-foot drive that gave the Braves a 2-0 lead and sent his parents and a group of about 40 family and friends -- many of whom hastily made the drive from his native Mississippi -- into a delirious celebration.

"I'm speechless," Riley said, struggling to find the words. "That second at-bat, I figured he was going to challenge me a little bit. I was able to put a good swing on it."

Riley hit another drive to the edge of the warning track his next time up, and handled a couple of chances without any problem in left. Normally a third baseman, he figures to mostly play left field at least during his initial stint in the big leagues. Josh Donaldson is locked in at third base for 2019 with a one-year, $23 million deal.

After taking over as a defensive replacement for Riley, Charlie Culberson sealed the victory with a two-run homer in the eighth.

It was quite a showing for Atlanta's kids.

Even younger than Riley, the 21-year-old Soroka (4-1) lowered his ERA to 0.98 in six starts. The right-hander has yet to allow more than one earned run in any of his appearances, and this was his best one yet.

Soroka escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third, getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into an inning-ending double play. He stared down another trouble spot in the sixth when the Cardinals put runners at second and third, fanning Jose Martinez to snuff out the threat.

"What I like about this kid is he doesn't panic. He just goes pitch to pitch," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "That's a great trait for a young pitcher to have."

In the eighth, Dan Winkler walked the first two St. Louis hitters on eight pitches, but Luke Jackson worked out of the jam -- this time, it was Paul DeJong hitting into a double play -- and finished up for his fifth save in six chances.

Wacha (3-1) surrendered only four hits and one earned run over five innings.

"Anytime you've got somebody new coming in there, you don't really have too much video on that guy," Wacha said. "Obviously, I didn't want to make that pitch where he ended up hitting the homer, but he didn't miss a mistake."

Atlanta also scored when the Cardinals pitcher threw one away at third base after appearing to pick off Ronald Acuna Jr., who was able to trot home when the ball skidded under the glove of Matt Carpenter.

LUKE, YOU ARE OUR CLOSER

Jackson has been a godsend for Atlanta's shaky bullpen.

After giving up four runs in his first appearance of the season, he has surrendered just one over his past 19 innings and appears to be the closest thing the Braves have to a closer.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (shoulder) threw two innings for Double-A Springfield in an 8-2 loss to Arkansas on Wednesday. He allowed one run on four hits and could rejoin St. Louis for a weekend series in Texas.

Braves: Inciarte went on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain. He left Tuesday night's game after experiencing tightness in his lower back.

UP NEXT

In the rubber game of the series, RHP Adam Wainwright (3-3, 4.15) goes for the Cardinals against Atlanta RHP Julio Teheran (2-4, 4.26).

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke was removed in the eighth inning of Wednesday's home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with abdominal tightness.

He is scheduled for an MRI on Friday, manager Torey Lovullo said.

"It's not too bad,'' Greinke said. "Just didn't seem like a good idea to try to push it.''

The right-hander was rolling before exiting. He allowed just four hits and no runs in 7⅔ innings pitched. The Diamondbacks prevailed 11-1, and Greinke earned the win to improve to 6-1 this season.

Greinke said the current situation seems less serious than the left oblique injury that cost him six weeks in 2016, though he thought about that at first.

"I just knew something was wrong and didn't want to take the chance of hurting it more,'' he said. "At first I thought it was an oblique thing, but it seems to be in a different spot.''

Greinke has allowed one or fewer runs in five of his past six starts, and he has a 2.78 ERA this season.

He finished Wednesday's contest with five strikeouts, just three shy of 2,500 for his career. He would become fifth active pitcher to reach 2,500 K's, joining CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Felix Hernandez.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar will have season-ending surgery to repair a small labrum tear in his right shoulder.

New York announced the decision Wednesday night during the second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles that the Yankees swept.

Andujar, last year's American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, initially was sidelined by the injury from April 1 to May 3, and he struggled mightily in his return.

After going 3-for-34 with no extra-base hits, he went back onto the injured list on Monday. Manager Aaron Boone had said Andujar was discussing the possibility of an operation with the team and his family.

"Hurt for him a little bit," Boone said. "But know this is also just the beginning of the road back."

Yankees head team physician Christopher Ahmad is expected to perform the surgery on Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The 24-year-old Andujar was a major factor in the Yankees' run to a playoff spot last season, hitting .297 with 27 home runs and 92 RBIs.

"Miggy's beloved in that room and obviously really important to us between the lines and just who he is," Boone said. "Hopefully, this is a really good step for him and starting the healing process."

Without Andujar this season, the Yankees have relied on Gio Urshela at third base. Newly acquired slugger Kendrys Morales is likely to pick up the bulk of the designated hitter duties until some of New York's other injured hitters return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Everything about Braves right-hander Mike Soroka is a little funky.

He's Canadian, for starters. That's a rarity. Only eight Canadians have played in the majors this season, and that's if you generously include Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was born in Montreal.

Soroka has an unusual delivery, in which he tilts back with his upper body as he brings his pitching arm behind him and then kind of slings the ball in what seems like an almost effortless delivery, at least compared to the all-max effort we see from so many pitchers these days. Unique deliveries are also rare these days, and Soroka's is different enough that he's going to be one of those guys with whom you catch a glance of his windup and immediately know who is pitching.

He doesn't give up home runs. After pitching seven scoreless innings in the Braves' 4-0 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday, Soroka has pitched 36⅔ innings without allowing a home run (and 56⅓ innings going back to last season). Considering that you can't run to the bathroom without missing two home runs these days (well, unless the Marlins are playing), that's a remarkable achievement and a testament to the kind of movement he gets on his sinking fastball and the deception he has in his delivery that minimizes solid contact.

He's 21 years old.

Soroka has allowed one earned run or fewer in all six of his starts to begin the season. The only other pitcher 21 or younger to do that in the live ball era since 1920 was another rookie, Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, when he had seven, five of which were shutouts.

The Braves had another big highlight Wednesday, as Austin Riley, who has been absolutely scorching the ball in Triple-A, made his major league and did this in his second at-bat:

WELCOME TO THE SHOW @austinriley1308!#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/yVyrCFrMJ6

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 16, 2019

Riley is a third baseman but will play left field with Ender Inciarte on the injured list. Riley played only four games in left in Triple-A, but after hitting .360 with 10 home runs in May, the Braves wanted to give him a shot even if he's going to be a little raw in the outfield.

Anyway, Soroka's hot start -- he's 4-1 with a 0.98 ERA -- and the fact that most teams are now around the 40-game mark means it's a good time for a quick snapshot of the first quarter of the season, starting with some of these young kids.

Most impressive rookies

1 and 1A: Soroka and Chris Paddack. It's hard to separate these two, but I think they're both future aces if they prove durable. Paddack has the better strikeout rate and throws a little harder, and Soroka gets all those grounders. Both are fun to watch and confident, with a great feel for pitching.

2. Fernando Tatis Jr. He's still on the IL, but we saw all the talent in April: power, speed, plus defense at shortstop. He's a future star and possible MVP candidate.

3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. OK, the numbers aren't great so far, but with his two-homer game on Tuesday, look for him to relax and the hits to start falling.

4. Pete Alonso. He has 12 home runs while showcasing some of the best raw power in the game. The strikeouts (on pace for 198) are a concern, but there is some hit potential here, and I think he'll eventually cut down on the K's.

5. Victor Robles. He has flashed power and speed and can play center field, but that 46-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio is a big red flag. Strikeouts weren't a big issue for him in the minors, so he might be selling out too much to get to that power.

Honorable mention: Dan Vogelbach. Hey, the guy is hitting .248/.390/.602 with 11 home runs.

Bottom line: It looks like another impressive year for rookies. Michael Chavis has been great in Boston, and Christian Walker is an unconventional rookie at 28, but he has big numbers for Arizona.

Alex Verdugo is finally getting playing time for the Dodgers and has impressed with his line-drive stroke. Brandon Lowe has hit for power for the Rays. Yusei Kikuchi has been as advertised in the Mariners' rotation, a solid No. 3 starter. Willians Astudillo, everyone's favorite pudgy contact hitter, has just two strikeouts in 70 plate appearances.

The ball

Yes, home runs are up, even more than in the record-setting year of 2017, so the ball has been a popular topic of discussion:

2017: 1.26 home runs per game (4.65 runs per game)
2018: 1.15 home runs per game (4.45 runs per game)
2019: 1.29 home runs per game (4.58 runs per game)

David Ross talked about this during Wednesday's ESPN broadcast, and some players he talked with said the ball definitely seems different this year.

It's worth mentioning that home runs are down slightly in May -- one home run every 25.79 at-bats in April and one every 26.92 at-bats in May -- but here's another example of the ball contributing to all the home runs. The Triple-A leagues switched to the major league ball this season, and look at the impact on offense there:

Pacific Coast League
2018: .270/.340/.423, 4.97 runs per game, 0.94 HR/game
2019: .270/.351/.466, 5.61 runs per game, 1.42 HR/game

Home runs are up 50 percent. Wow.

International League
2018: .252/.320/.389, 4.16 runs per game, 0.80 HR/game
2019: .264/.343/.439, 5.24 runs per game, 1.18 HR/game

Home runs are up almost 50 percent here as well.

Keep that in mind when you see some of those gaudy Triple-A numbers from hitters this season. The numbers are going to look a lot more impressive than in recent years.

The good

1. Cody Bellinger's Ted Williams-like start. Actually, he's on pace for 55 home runs. Williams hit more than 40 just once (43 in 1949).

2. Christian Yelich. Yeah, .333/.451/.716 could be the start of another MVP season.

3. Hyun-Jin Ryu's 54-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Nolan Ryan had 118 innings in his career with at least three walks.

4. The Astros. They are riding an eight-game win streak. They're the only team with an eight-game streak so far ... and they've had two of them.

5. Twins catchers. When behind the plate, Mitch Garver, Jason Castro and Astudillo are hitting a combined .322/.404/.748 with 16 home runs, 38 runs and 37 RBIs. Incredible.

The bad

1. All those Yankees injuries, yet New York is just a half-game back of the Rays.

2. Jose Ramirez. He has finished third in the past two AL MVP votes but is off to a .195/.290/.312 start on the heels of a huge slump the final seven weeks last year.

3. Bryce Harper. He's drawing his walks but hitting .220 with an absurd 57 strikeouts in 42 games, putting him on track for 200-plus whiffs.

4. The Nationals. Harper's former team clearly has been the most disappointing so far, with a 17-25 start.

5. The closer carousel. With some teams going to closer by committee and others revolving through guys losing their jobs, it has been a frustrating start for fantasy owners (not to mention managers trying to stabilize the late innings of games).

The ugly

1. The Marlins' offense. The 1906 White Sox were called the Hitless Wonders. But they won the World Series! The Marlins will not win the World Series. They've scored two runs or fewer in seven straight games after being shut out again Wednesday. They're averaging 2.56 runs per game. Maybe we need relegation like European soccer leagues.

2. The Orioles' pitching. They've allowed 89 home runs in 42 games, a stunning pace of 343 over a full season. That would break the previous record by nearly 100 home runs.

3. The Mariners' defense. What a travesty. They've made 47 errors, 12 more than any other team, and their .972 fielding percentage would be the lowest since the 1981 Mets. Errors aren't everything, but this defense is also lacking in aesthetic quality and advanced metrics. At one point last week, the M's had an infield of Ryon Healy, Tim Beckham, Edwin Encarnacion (at second base!) and Jay Bruce.

4. Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, still unsigned.

5. Tyler O'Neill's throw. Oops.

Tyler O'Neill probably didn't mean to throw it there pic.twitter.com/LUb8HtZeKC

— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) April 16, 2019

Home run robberies are fun!

There were 65 last season, the most in the 15 seasons that Sports Info Solutions had tracked robberies. We already have had 21 this year, so we might top that mark. Really, this was just an excuse to run Jackie Bradley Jr.'s catch again:

And Kevin Pillar's:

And Lorenzo Cain's to save the win on Opening Day:

And another one from Cain:

Please, can we get this man a Gold Glove this year?

Edwin Jackson

The well-traveled Jackson started Wednesday for the Blue Jays, his 14th major league team.

Edwin Jackson has played for almost half the league! ? pic.twitter.com/jXnLXaLdkF

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 15, 2019

Congrats, Edwin. Maybe you deserve the Iron Throne. Surviving is half the battle.

Hannah Winter examines the psychological consequences of injury and outlines strategies athletes can use to cope more effectively

Despite the best efforts of athletes and coaches, injuries are unfortunately commonplace in sport. Athletes often concern themselves mostly with the physical aspects of rehabilitation. However, athletes will often report a number of negative psychological consequences when injured.

What’s more, while an athlete may be physically ready to return to sport and competition after injury, we know that this is not the same as being psychologically ready. With this in mind, effective injury rehabilitation and a successful re-entry into athletics after an injury requires a focus on both the physical and psychological factors.

Psychological responses to injury

People respond to injuries in various ways. Athletes understandably can be incredibly upset and frustrated when sidelined. There is often a lot of uncertainty, for example, in understanding how long an injury will take to recover from, how it will impact sporting ambitions or whether it will be career-ending.

For some, having an injury is therefore incredibly debilitating and is viewed as a disaster. Depression, frustration, stress, anxiety, anger, rehabilitation compliance problems, poor concentration and exercise addiction are some of the emotions and behaviours injured athletes report.

For some, responses can be clinically significant. In one study, 24% of coaches said they had referred an athlete for counselling following an injury.

In contrast, some people when injured react more positively. For them, an injury is seen as a challenge to overcome, an opportunity to demonstrate courage or even as a relief to have a break from training.

Developing effective ways of coping with injury setbacks is therefore important to help navigate what can be a difficult time.

A culture of risk

It can be a challenge for injured athletes to express how they are truly feeling about an injury. Certain beliefs concerning accomplished athletes and successful injury rehabilitation are often drilled in by coaches, parents and media to an injured athlete.

For example:

Coaches, parents and sporting organisations therefore have a role to play in determining what is in the best interest of the injured athlete to help them reach their full potential and be mindful that those previously-mentioned beliefs may exist within the injured athlete.

Coping strategies

If you are faced with an injury, employing strategies to help you cope with the psychological impact may therefore be just as important for your recovery as the physical rehabilitation.

A response to an injury is very individual and it is important to work out what strategies are beneficial for you. As with any new skill acquisition, these techniques can take time to put into practice and lead to desired outcomes.

Here are some examples of evidence-based coping strategies that have been found to be effective in managing the psychological challenges that can come with injury:

1. Educate yourself: research shows that people who take time to really understand their injury cope better. Talk to your doctor, physiotherapist or surgeon and learn about your injury and the rehabilitation process. This can help you become more engaged in your recovery and it can help you feel more empowered in the process.

2. What’s in your control: be really clear about what is in your control versus what’s outside with regard to your injury and recovery. Write them down and place the list somewhere visible. Then each day focus on what is in your control.

3. Talk about it: don’t go through an injury alone. Social support is often critical in the rehabilitation process, particularly with severe injuries. Find a friend, family member or team-mate to listen to your concerns and provide emotional support when needed. This is often most effective if the person you are talking to understands your sport. Coaches can also set up injury support groups to enable injured athletes to have a safe space to talk openly about their injury experience.

4. Don’t isolate yourself: staying involved with your sport can, for some, be helpful. For others, however, it can have a negative impact on their emotional state. If you think it would be helpful for you, you can look for ways that you could be involved in your sport, for example, by coaching or mentoring other athletes.

5. Find a mentor: research has shown that, if your recovery is going to take a long time, finding a peer mentor – someone who has successfully recovered from a similar injury – can be helpful.

6. Focus on the long term: with an injury, it can be very tempting to push through pain or go back to training too quickly. However, it is important to focus on your long-term objectives and not the short-term fear of losing fitness.

7. Set realistic goals: be flexible with your goal for recovery. Depending on the nature of your injury, understand that rehabilitation can at times be slow and have setbacks. Once you’re ready to return to sport, set new and realistic goals to avoid disappointment. It may not, at least initially, be possible for you to compete at the level you did previously.

8. Track your progress: keep a daily or weekly diary on your rehabilitation progress. Writing in a diary each day about the current state of your injury can help see the progress you are making recovery-wise. This can be particularly helpful if you are out of your sport for a long time.

9. Mix up your rehabilitation: physiotherapy exercises may be needed for a long time. Completing the same routine for weeks or months on end can be boring. Mixing up rehabilitation choices can improve motivation and adherence.

10. Consider the positives: ask yourself whether there are any positives to have arisen from the injury. For example, have you been able to come back stronger than before? Have you been able to work on a weakness? Or perhaps you were able to spend more time with your friends and family. Become clear on any positives and write these down.

11. Positive self-talk: think about your inner dialogue and whether you are having helpful or unhelpful thoughts about your injury and recovery. Negative self-talk can be self-defeating and prevent rehabilitation adherence. Look for ways to develop your inner dialogue to be self-enhancing.

12. Practise relaxation strategies: breathing techniques can help manage any anxiety and frustration throughout the injury process. One example is box-breathing: breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four and hold for a count of four; repeat five times.

There is no doubt that injuries can be incredibly frustrating, leading to a loss of identity and confidence. However, when approached correctly, psychological adjustment can be healthier and an athlete may more readily return to higher levels of performance.

Understanding what coping strategies work for you is important. Even if you are not currently injured, formulating a clear plan on how you would respond to an injury should one arise can help minimise confusion when such a time comes.

Lastly, it is important to note that, for some, professional support may be helpful if the psychological consequences are severe, particularly if they have suffered a career-ending injury.

After Stephen Curry and Seth Curry made history by becoming the first brothers to play against each other in an NBA Conference Final, we are asking how much you know about other famous sibling rivalries in sport?