Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is open to leaving the club for Inter Milan this summer. The Italian side has shown interest, and Jones reportedly wants the move, adding a new twist to his future at Anfield. newssport.cv

SEATTLE — A two-run home run from shortstop J.P. Crawford and a seven-inning quality start from starting pitcher George Kirby wasn't enough for the Seattle Mariners, who fell 3-2 to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park.

Kirby and Braves starter Bryce Elder both put up "zeroes" through the first two innings. After Kirby retired the side in order in the top of the third, Elder blinked first.

Elder gave up a lead-off walk to catcher Mitch Garver in a seven-pitch plate appearance. After Elder got third baseman Leo Rivas out on a fly ball, Crawford stepped to the plate and hit his second two-run homer in as many games.

Crawford's blast gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead.

Back-to-back nights for J.P.! #TridentsUppic.twitter.com/yAo8MAn861

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 6, 2026

Despite finishing with a quality start — his fifth in eight starts this season — Kirby wasn't able to finish without any blemishes.

In the top of the fourth, Kirby allowed one-out singles to Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies and first baseman Matt Olson.

Albies advanced to third on Olson's hit and the latter moved to second on the attempted put-out at third thrown by M's right fielder Luke Raley.

Two batters later, Braves center fielder Mauricio Dubon hit a two-RBI double that tied the game 2-2.

The hit was a dribbler that stayed just fair of the first base line.

"I don't think they made any good swings in that inning," Kirby said after the game. "I thought I executed really well, they just kind of found a hole. I'm gonna keep doing my thing, keep inducing weak contact and those will eventually go my way. ... I don't know. I threw that ball (to Dubon) four balls off the plate. I don't even want to talk about that one, that one's just ridiculous."

Kirby bounced back after the pair of runs in the fourth inning and finished his outing with five strikeouts, one walk and two earned runs allowed on five hits in seven innings pitched.

George Kirby, Nasty 87mph Breaking Ball. 😨 pic.twitter.com/GdZYkz0gjE

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 6, 2026

Neither team was able to break the tie until the ninth inning. With two-time All-Star closer Andres Munoz on the mound, Olson hit a go-ahead, and eventual game-winning, solo home run to left-center field to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead.

It was Olson's second home run of the series and fourth in five games.

"(Olson's) done it twice on us," M's manager Dan Wilson said after the game. "He's a tough hitter, there's no question. You know that going in. He's one of the best in the league and you got to make pitches against him. Even sometimes when you make good pitches against him, he's able to handle them."

Matt Olson is having a monster year. Leads all of MLB in WAR, RBIs and runs, is atop the National League with 13 home runs and just hit a go-ahead homer to dead center off Andrés Muñoz. Atlanta has the best record in MLB in large part because of Olson. pic.twitter.com/Wb3dj6D4PC

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 6, 2026

Seattle (17-20) was unable to move first baseman Josh Naylor, who represented the game-tying run, home from second base in the bottom of the ninth. Naylor reached via a one-out single and stole second. Left fielder Randy Arozarena struck out swinging and right fielder Dominic Canzone grounded out to end the game.

In between Atlanta's game-tying frame in the top of the fourth and the end of the game, the Mariners had four runners reach and had two in scoring position. They were retired in order in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, respectively.

The Mariners finished the game 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.

The M's will try and win the overall series against the Braves in the rubber match at 1:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.

Bryan Woo will start for Seattle and Martin Perez will start for Atlanta.

The Braves are 5-0 in rubber matches this season.

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Junior Kroupi Transfer Latest: Bournemouth’s £100m Statement Sends Warning to Liverpool and Premier League Rivals

Bournemouth have reached that curious stage in a club’s rise when admiration becomes danger. Perform well enough, recruit cleverly enough, develop players quickly enough, and suddenly the same system that brought acclaim invites predators.

According to iNews, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are all tracking Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi, yet the Cherries have made their position clear. The 19-year-old is not expected to leave this summer, regardless of outside interest.

Kroupi Emerges as Premier League’s Next Elite Prospect

Kroupi’s rise has been rapid, but not accidental. Signed from Lorient for £10m in February last year, he has scored 12 goals in 30 league games, a return that places him among the Premier League’s most exciting young forwards.

For Liverpool, the interest makes obvious sense. With iNews reporting that “Mo Salah set to depart”, the need to reshape the attack is clear. Kroupi offers youth, movement, penalty box instinct and resale value, the modern checklist for elite recruitment.

Yet Bournemouth’s stance changes the calculation. There is reportedly no release clause in his contract, which gives the club rare control in a market often tilted toward bigger names and louder voices.

Bournemouth’s £100m Valuation Changes Transfer Picture

The idea that Kroupi could be valued around £60m has apparently caused bemusement on the South Coast. Bournemouth sold Dango Ouattara, a player with fewer goals, to Brentford for £42.5m last season. Kroupi’s ceiling is higher, his age profile stronger, and his trajectory sharper.

Photo: IMAGO

That is why the earliest serious discussion may come in 2027, when the fee could rise beyond £100m. It is a bold position, but not an irrational one.

Bournemouth are no longer acting like grateful guests in the Premier League. Under Bill Foley’s ownership, they have built something more deliberate, a club capable of losing Antoine Semenyo and still finding Rayan, capable of preparing for Andoni Iraola’s exit without collapsing into panic.

Liverpool Interest Reflects Bigger Attacking Reset

Liverpool’s admiration for Kroupi should be seen through a long-term lens. When Salah leaves, replacing him directly is impossible. Rebuilding the forward line means layering profiles, not chasing ghosts.

Kroupi would fit that vision, but Bournemouth’s message is firm. They do not need to sell. The player is happy. The contract is secure. The valuation is climbing.

For once, the richer clubs may have to wait.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this feels like one of those stories that should be filed under “watch very closely, but do not expect immediate movement.”

Kroupi looks exactly like the kind of player Liverpool should be identifying early, before the fee becomes ridiculous. The problem is that Bournemouth have already reached that conclusion themselves. Twelve goals in 30 league games for a 19-year-old in the Premier League is serious output, especially in a side not built entirely around him.

The Salah angle will naturally dominate Liverpool discussion. If he does leave, supporters will want a superstar replacement, someone with proven numbers, presence and fear factor. But the smarter rebuild may involve two or three forwards with different qualities. Kroupi could be one of those pieces, a player bought for what he might become rather than what he already is.

Still, £100m plus changes everything. Liverpool have to be careful with valuation, especially if Bournemouth hold all the contractual power. There is admiration, then there is market discipline.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Waiting for the rest of his teammates to catch up, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander threw a routine bounce-pass to Isaiah Hartenstein. After trailing the play, the 28-year-old fluttered up a patented floater that fell through. He mimicked being a butterfly with his hands as both sides cleared their benches.

The Oklahoma City Thunder did just enough to get a 108-90 Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. They open the Round 2 playoff series with a 1-0 lead.

After most expected a walk in the park for the Thunder, the Lakers showed that there's some fight in them. They opened up with the first seven points. A well-rested LeBron James shouldered his way for an and-one layup and then drilled a pull-up outside jumper.

That rattled some of OKC's confidence. Unlike the last two times the Lakers were in town, the Thunder didn't run them out of the gym from the start. Instead, Los Angeles attacked them in the interior. Eventually, the reigning NBA champions settled down — more specifically, Chet Holmgren.

As long as the Lakers sent multiple defenders Gilgeous-Alexander's way, someone was left open. It was a simple math game. That turned out to be Holmgren. The seven-footer chilled around the dunker spot. He was spoonfed easy dunks. The Thunder built up a 31-26 lead after the first quarter.

Playing the second unit sans Jalen Williams, the Thunder went with another lineup that has garnered success. Jared McCain got buckets in a frenzy. A daring pull-up 3-pointer saw them balloon their lead to double-digit points without Gilgeous-Alexander. A common occurrence this year.

Needing to knock off the rust, the Thunder were on a roll. Holmgren met Deandre Ayton at the apex of his floater. He swatted the attempt away. Hartenstein then threw the ball back to him on an alley-oop connection that ended with Jarred Vanderbilt breaking his pinky finger.

Even with Gilgeous-Alexander struggling to dissect Los Angeles' double-team defense, the Thunder kept their distance on the scoreboard. They had 30 points in the third quarter. At the halftime break, OKC had a 61-53 advantage. Not bad, but definitely felt like it could've been a lot more.

After the break, both teams saw their offense dip. The Thunder couldn't completely break it open — even when there were several moments when it felt like they were on the verge. Rui Hachimura's outside shooting kept the Lakers within single-digit points.

Knowing the Thunder were one nuclear scoring run away from putting this to bed, Gilgeous-Alexander's frustration finally boiled over. He flung a wristband over to the crowd after another missed layup. He eventually made the Lakers pay for their hysterical four-on-one defensive game plan. To end the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander found Ajay Mitchell for a four-point play.

Finally, a big-time scoring play. The Thunder put up 23 points in the third quarter. They held an 84-72 lead over the Lakers. Once again, OKC's bench came in to expand its advantage. Alex Caruso's one-handed jam had the OKC crowd popping. McCain made back-to-back 3-pointers to give them a 94-75 advantage.

The Thunder scored 24 points in the final frame. They led by as many as 21 points. Any uneasing feeling that OKC could pull a Denver Game 1 was slowly erased as the second half played out. The Lakers just didn't have the offensive firepower to mount anything seriously.

The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 13-of-30 (43.3%) from 3. They shot 11-of-12 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 42 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled with 18 points and six assists. Holmgren finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Mitchell had 18 points and four assists. McCain scored 12 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 41% from the field and went 10-of-30 (33.3%) from 3. They shot 10-of-13 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 35 baskets. Four Lakers players scored double-digit points.

James led the way with 27 points and six assists. Hachimura finished with 18 points and two rebounds. Marcus Smart had 12 points and seven assists. Ayton tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Not the prettiest or most convincing Game 1 win, but the Thunder take care of business in their first duel with the Lakers. Even when Gilgeous-Alexander gets his game muddied up, the rest of OKC has proven to continue to function like a high-octane machine. It's one of their best traits as an NBA win machine. Plenty to improve on, but they did enough to pull away late.

Let's see how much gas the Lakers have in the tank after this. Considering the circumstances, this was probably their best bet at catching the Thunder sleeping — at least in these first two games of the playoff series. On fully-rested legs, James showed out. But we'll see how the 41-year-old continues along as this Round 2 series plays out on an every-other-day basis. So far, things have gone chalk. Even if it took OKC longer than most anticipated to run away with Game 1.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: C-minus

Anticipating the double, Gilgeous-Alexander went for his escape valve. After Jaylin Williams faked a screen, he sat at the top of the key. Waiting for the ball to reach him, James beat him to the punch. The 41-year-old intercepted the reigning MVP's pass. Another frustrating turnover led to an easy fastbreak dunk for the Lakers.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had two blocks and one steal.

Everything that could've gone wrong, did, for Gilgeous-Alexander. The Lakers completely threw him off-kilter with constant double teams. Once that bold game plan resulted in tangible turnovers and missed shots, they got even more daring. At one point, four Los Angeles players had their eyes set on the reigning MVP.

One of Gilgeous-Alexander's superpowers is his elite ball security. Rarely does he turn it over multiple times. That's something you just don't see from a high-usage NBA superstar like him. But the Lakers made him look like Luka Doncic with seven turnovers. As wacky as their defensive game plan looked, it worked out.

Elsewhere, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to generate looks. That comes with the territory of how he was defended. Seldom did he get any one-on-one looks. The Lakers ensured those were limited. That likely explains why he finished with fewer than 20 points for the first time this whole season.

They were able to get away with it this time, but the Thunder need more from Gilgeous-Alexander. If you roll out this type of production from your MVP candidate — especially without Jalen Williams — that could lead to dropping some bad losses. The rest of the team stepped up, but this is not a long-term winning formula. They need him to return to being an efficient 30-plus point machine.

Get right 2️⃣ it pic.twitter.com/TxIG6m7cnk

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Certified HOOPER 👏 pic.twitter.com/7ZWrcMYIia

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Livin' life above the rim 🔝 pic.twitter.com/uy92MCgx9k

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Chet Holmgren: A

Running towards the corner, Holmgren read the court perfectly. He went with a backdoor cut as all of Los Angeles paid attention to Gilgeous-Alexander's next move. He walked into an easy-peasy alley-oop as the reigning MVP leveraged his gravity.

Holmgren finished with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had three blocks.

Playing within the flow of the offense, Holmgren benefited from being forgotten. Because of how extreme the Lakers went with their all-eyes-on-Gilgeous-Alexander defensive approach, that left at least one person open on the Thunder in the halfcourt. That turned out to be the seven-footer.

Hanging around the paint, the Thunder fed Holmgren with a bunch of alley-oops and putback dunks. He morphed into prime DeAndre Jordan as the Lakers lacked size to battle him on his jumps. He had 18 points in the first half from working off that formula alone. He also helped OKC keep its head above water on the boards.

Defensively, the Lakers rarely dared to go at Holmgren. James has the cache to do so, but the rest of Los Angeles' players are middling role players. Nobody really has the slashing or finishing talent to go at the seven-footer. That's why the Lakers struggled to get to 90 points on poor efficiency.

Holmgren continues to be humongous for the Thunder's playoff run. Following in line with the rest of the season, he's stepped up in spots when needed. He might not have the flashy isolation buckets or can break down his defender one-on-one, but he'll gladly serve the meats and potatoes of OKC's offense to keep the scoreboard moving.

Chet going 🆙 on a Tuesday pic.twitter.com/uzEJbRH50I

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Never stop fighting on the play 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/001NVLx2Cz

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Ajay Mitchell: B

After the Lakers sent three at Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder quickly took advantage of the numbers game. After Hartenstein pitched the ball back to Mitchell, the 23-year-old caused one of the biggest uproars of the night. He swished in a corner look. And because of Smart's clumsy closeout, he completed a four-point play.

Mitchell finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, four assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.

Until Williams' return, the Thunder will continue to depend on Mitchell as their second-best scorer. Considering they've won three NBA playoff games in a row since then, not a shabby backup plan, I must say. Against the Lakers, it was the same type of shot diet at going to the rim with zero concern for his well-being.

This time, the Lakers failed to plant any doubt in Mitchell's mind to go away from that. He sliced through Los Angeles' defense. The jumper eventually joined in on the party. He had eight points in the third quarter alone as the Thunder stiff-armed Los Angeles on the scoreboard.

The Thunder will take all of the offense they can get. Especially if the Lakers left Game 1 thinking their defensive game plan against Gilgeous-Alexander was attainable. Mitchell is one of the few guys who could make Los Angeles reconsider its radical approach. He's shown he's not afraid to get shots up in his first real NBA playoff run.

Got his basket and ☝️ pic.twitter.com/MSm0CFDuWi

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Jared McCain: B-plus

Receiving Mitchell's pass, McCain quickly went up for the outside jumper. Swish. Next possession, those two connected once again. At the same spot, too. Back-to-back 3-pointers had the 22-year-old feeling himself and giving the Thunder more reasons to pencil him into the rotation.

McCain finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. He shot 4-of-5 from 3.

Just some big-time buckets by McCain. He scored nine points in the final frame — all on outside makes. As Gilgeous-Alexander rested on the bench, the Thunder's second-unit offense put this one away. Quite the luxury to have for the NBA superstars. Others in his shoes usually see the opposite effect.

Going a dozen deep, the Thunder are still trying to figure out their playoff rotation against the Lakers. Through Game 1, McCain has made a sound case for why he should be among the must-play group. They need a bucket-getter on the floor. And among their group of guys that fit their profile, he showed that the bright lights aren't too much for him.

We'll see what McCain's rotation minutes look like in Game 2 and beyond. The Lakers don't really have the premier-perimeter scorers to make the Thunder pay for playing him aside from James. There's no question that his scoring and shooting are valuable enough to deal with those headaches either way, though.

Money McCain 🤑 pic.twitter.com/WqXx9PrHBp

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Back-to-back from Ajay to JMac 👌 pic.twitter.com/V9ss2vmSvr

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2026

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder pull away late in 108-90 Game 1 win over Lakers

Near the end of Tuesday’s telecast of the San Diego Padres’ 10-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants, broadcaster Duane Kuiper tried to look on the bright side of Matt Chapman’s 0-for-4 night.

“If it’s any consolation,” Kuiper said, “Chapman’s had the longest out in this game.”

That’s how hard it was to find a positive on a night where the Padres overcame early deficits of 2-0 and 4-1 with a five-run 4th inning off Logan Webb. As the Padres were coming back, starter Walker Buehler (2-2) settled down with three straight shutout innings. By the time a Rafael Devers single and Bryce Eldridge’s first hit of the season chased Buehler in the 6th inning, the Giants were trailing 8-4.

Buehler worked 5.1 innings and gave up seven hits and four runs. Three Padres relievers retired 11 of the 12 Giants they faced, with the lone exception being rookie catcher Jesus Rodriguez, who launched an opposite-field blast off Jeremiah Estrada for his first big-league home run.

Rodriguez got his first big-league hit and first big-league RBI five innings earlier, when he slapped the ball into right field and Willy Adames was rewarded by absolutely blowing through a stop sign at third base to score the team’s third run of the game. After a Jung Hoo Lee groundout, 25-year-old Drew Gilbert came around to score, following his 33rd big-league hit earlier in the inning.

The Giants took an early lead on the 29th big-league home run by Casey Schmidt, his sixth of the 2026 season and one that inspired a truly wretched pun from the NBC Sports social media intern.

This author contends that the sheer awfulness of “HOTTER THAN SCHMITT GREASE” doomed the Giants to their defeat Tuesday night. Maybe reading that tweet in the dugout made Webb lose focus, leading to Xander Boegarts’ solo homer that halved the Giants’ lead in the 2nd.

Aside from the Bogaerts blast, Webb cruised for the first three innings until disaster struck in the top of the 4th. Gavin Sheets continued his career-long ownage of Webb with a single, and No. 5 hitter Fernando Tatis, Jr., hitting the lowest in the Padres lineup since his rookie year, doubled to right.

After an RBI grounder from Bogaerts, Webb brushed back Nick Castellanos, which woke up the slumping outfielder, and his single to center score Tatis. Then Webb really did hit a Padre, catcher Luis Campusano. Sung-Mun Song, in his second big-league at-bat, got his first two big-league RBIs with a double off the wall and scored his first major-league run on a Jackson Merrill single.

Webb’s final line: 4IP, 7H, 6R, 4K, but hey, zero walks!

JT Brubaker had a miserable, 38-pitch 5th inning, but escaped having allowed only one run on a Castellanos sac fly despite walking the bases loaded twice. Merrill singled, stole second, and scored in the 6th on a Miguel Andujar (3-for-5) single off Ryan Borucki.

Gregory Santos gave up two runs in a mistake-filled 8th inning, where Song reached on an infield single, stole second and took third on a Rodriguez throwing error, a double from Merrill (he went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs) and a balk. All in all, the Giants’ defense was sloppy all game, with dropped throws, balls bouncing past outfielders, wild throws, and ill-timed balks.

But Matt Chapman really did hit that ball a long way when he flew out to right field in the 4th inning.