How Yankees can survive without Aaron Judge; Spurs need to start Dylan Harper against Knicks

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🤕 Five things to know Friday

1. Aaron Judge is expected to miss significant time with a rib stress fracture. The silver lining for the Yankees is that the reigning back-to-back American League MVP is expected to return at some point this season. Still, this is a brutal development for a club that leans heavily on the most powerful bat in baseball. The Yankees might end up spending the summer months without Judge, as they said he will undergo imaging in four to six weeks before potentially ramping up his rehab. Judge has 17 home runs on the year, but his production slipped over the past few weeks as he battled discomfort, and he sat each of the last three games.
2. The Spurs seek a bounce-back effort tonight in Game 2. If the fourth-quarter collapse in the opening game of the NBA Finals was not the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, then when will we ever see Dylan Harper crack the Spurs’ starting lineup? Our Sam Quinn says San Antonio needs to slot the rookie into the starting five and give De’Aron Fox a break. It might take more than just that for the Spurs to level the series with the Knicks. They also need Victor Wembanyama to answer the call again and win the head-to-head battle with Karl-Anthony Towns, who did not back down from the MVP finalist in Game 1.
3. The Hurricanes leveled the Stanley Cup Final in an overtime thriller. The Golden Knights held a 2-0 lead with under 10 minutes to play, but then Game 2 went haywire. Carolina rattled off three consecutive goals to jump in front with a ferocious comeback, but then Vegas responded with an equalizer in the final two minutes of regulation before Seth Jarvis scored the game-winner for the Hurricanes in overtime. Carolina had to have this game after it dropped the series opener on home ice, and the series now heads west level at one game apiece.
4. Tommy Fleetwood headlines a four-way tie atop the Memorial Tournament leaderboard. The first round is complete at Muirfield Village, and Fleetwood finds himself level with a couple of recent U.S. Open champions at 5 under. Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Ryan Gerard also shot 67 to begin the PGA Tour’s penultimate signature event of the year. The first 18 holes were not quite as kind to Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, though. McIlroy made double bogey early in the round, while Scheffler has work to do after shooting 73.
5. Texas repeated as Women’s College World Series champion. There is a new dynasty in college softball. For the second straight year, the Longhorns topped Texas Tech in a Lone Star State showdown to win the WCWS championship series. This sport is not unfamiliar with back-to-back title winners, and the question looking forward is whether Mike White can match the four consecutive titles rival Oklahoma pulled off from 2021-24. He has now coached in the championship series four out of the last five years.

⚽ Do not miss this: Why USA could win the World Cup

Let’s be honest; it would be a colossal surprise if the United States won its first FIFA World Cup this summer. The Americans have not finished better than eighth in any tournament since 1930, and they have just the 12th-best odds to win this time around. But in explaining why each of the top contenders has a chance to win the 2026 installment, our James Benge did not go so far as to rule out a miracle.

• Benge: “Give Mauricio Pochettino his 11 best players, fully fit and roared on by a crowd that has finally swung behind the team, and they can have maybe a fighter’s chance (not a good fighter mind you, but nevertheless) against anyone they draw. Winning three such games, well that’s a very unlikely event. That we haven’t seen one such event in the last 22 World Cups doesn’t mean we can guarantee they won’t this time.”

So you’re telling me there’s a chance?

At least the USMNT has a better outlook than 36 other teams in the field. Speaking of those teams a little further down the ladder, there are a few stories from smaller nations that deserve to be told. Check them out:

⚾ MLB overreactions: Paul Skenes’ Cy Young streak is over

If you like instant gratification, then baseball can be a frustrating sport. Small sample sizes are not to be overblown in MLB. But sometimes we cannot resist the urge to jump to conclusions. When we see pitchers like Cristopher Sánchez, Chase Burns, Jacob Misiorowski and other stars get off to otherworldly starts, we can be tempted to set aside the relatively pedestrian numbers of one Paul Skenes.

Our Matt Snyder tells us that even though Skenes stands fourth in the Cy Young race, we should still be buying into the Pirates ace and his chances to repeat as the award winner in the National League.

• Snyder: “He likely has 19 starts left and probably won’t have to deal with pitching in the All-Star Game again (he’ll make the team, but since he’s started two years in a row, he’ll be one of the guys who doesn’t pitch). Skenes is absolutely not done in this race.”

Now, if you want to believe the Rays have cost themselves the AL East lead for good, that might not be so much of an overreaction.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚾ NCAA super regionals, all day on ESPN networks
🎾 French Open men’s semi: Mensik vs. Zverev, 8:30 a.m. on TNT
🎾 French Open men’s semi: Arnaldi vs. Cobolli, 1 p.m. on TNT
⛳ Memorial Tournament, second round, 2 p.m. on Golf Channel
⛳ U.S. Women’s Open, second round, 2 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Giants at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ White Sox at Phillies or Mariners at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Sun at Sky, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 NBA Finals: Knicks at Spurs, Game 2, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Guardians at Rangers, 8:15 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Royals at Twins, 8:15 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Brewers at Rockies, 8:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Mets at Padres or Nationals at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Wings at Sparks or Mercury at Fire, 10 p.m. on Ion

Saturday

🎾 French Open women’s final: Chwalinska vs. Andreeva, TBD on TNT
⚾ NCAA super regionals, all day on ESPN networks
🏀 Storm at Lynx, 1 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Mariners at Tigers, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Royals at Twins, 2:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Giants at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on Peacock
⛳ Memorial Tournament, third round, 2:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Men’s friendly: United States vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Valkyries at Aces, 3 p.m. on ABC
⚾ White Sox at Phillies or Pirates at Braves, 4:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⛳ U.S. Women’s Open, third round, 7 p.m. on NBC
⚾ Red Sox at Yankees or Guardians at Rangers, 7:35 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Stanley Cup Final: Hurricanes at Golden Knights, Game 3, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Fever at Liberty, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🤼 UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim, 8 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Angels at Dodgers or Mets at Padres, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network

Sunday

🎾 French Open men’s final: TBD on TNT
⚾ NCAA super regionals, all day on ESPN networks
⚾ Red Sox at Yankees, 1:35 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Pirates at Braves, 1:35 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ White Sox at Phillies or Orioles at Blue Jays, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⛳ Memorial Tournament, final round, 2:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏁 NASCAR at Michigan, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Nationals at Diamondbacks, 3:15 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
⛳ U.S. Women’s Open, final round, 5 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Fire at Sparks, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Giants at Cubs, 8:20 p.m. on NBC