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Dan Wilson managed to shut down the Rangers just long enough.

The Mariners snapped a pair of losing streaks on Saturday. They entered the day having lost four straight games. They also entered the day having lost four straight to the Rangers, dating back to last week’s sweep in Arlington. With another strong start from George Kirby and some timely hitting to boot, the Mariners secured a 7-3 win, beginning what they hope is the slow climb from their hole in the AL West.

The offense finally had a few things go their way, racking up seven runs on 11 hits and three walks. They picked up five of their runs on hits that snuck through a drawn-in infield with the Rangers defending against a runner on third. They got another run on a towering solo home run from Luke Raley, his fifth of the season.

But it was Wilson’s bullpen management that caught my eye Saturday. It was pretty much flawless, despite increasingly tricky circumstances. Wilson and his coaching staff used nearly all their relievers, and seemed to perfectly pair each for the situation in the game.

Decision #0: Furious George Kirby

Bullpen management, of course, starts with the starter. Kirby took the mound for the fifth time this season and was solid once again. He pounded the zone with fastballs and expanded the zone with sliders — a strategy that’s helped him dominate this Rangers’ lineups in the past. It worked for the most part: Kirby got 14 whiffs on 51 swings (27%) and five strikeouts; he also got 12 grounders to raise his ground ball rate to a league-leading 60.2%.

But Kirby struggled with efficiency at times. He allowed seven hits, two walks, and frequently pitched with men on base. 

“I kind of feel like I wasted a lot of pitches, got in some deeper counts, forced a couple of those guys on,” he said after the game. 

There were a few tough-luck moments for Kirby. In the fourth inning, he gave up a hard single to put a runner on first with one out. The next batter ripped another hard grounder up the middle. This might have been a double play, but the ball instead hit Kirby in the pants and ricocheted into no man’s land for a single.

Kirby walked the next batter to load the bases with one out. He faced Ezequiel Duran, who took a 2-2 pitch just off the edge of the strike zone. Kirby, perhaps in equal parts desperation and frustration, challenged the called ball. ABS confirmed the ump’s ruling to work the count full.

In the past, Kirby might have unraveled after this series of misfortune. Instead, he ramped up and threw a perfect, 96 mph fastball up and in. Duran jammed a shallow fly out to center. Kirby then faced Kyle Higashioka, who hit a go-ahead homer off him last week, and got him to fly out as well. 

Kirby said he’s been working on his composure in these moments, where the game isn’t quite going his way. He said it’s about trying to stay in control, not do too much, and simply attack. 

“They just keep coming up, opportunities to get better and learn from it,” he said. “You just gather your breath, or just take a couple quick exhales, get yourself going to kind of get your body right for the moment you’re in.”

The only run Kirby allowed was a solo shot in the sixth inning. With his workload maxed out, a two-out single ended his day. Wilson turned to the bullpen.

Decision #1: Matt Brash gets an out

Matt Brash was the first reliever in the game on Saturday. He entered with a runner on first and two outs, with the Mariners up 3-1. The leverage index read 1.03.

The leverage index is a measure of how “on the line” a game is during an at bat, given the inning, score, outs, and men on base. Basically, it reflects the stakes of the game. Everything 0.85 and below is low leverage, and everything 2.0 and above is high leverage. The mushy middle is medium leverage.

The game was low leverage when Kirby began the sixth inning, with the Mariners holding a three-run lead and nobody on base. After the homer and single, the game progressed to medium leverage. The moment the game shifted from low to medium leverage, with Kirby at 96 pitches, Wilson turned to Brash — the Mariners’ second best righty reliever.

Now, one could argue this was maybe a better moment for Eduard Bazardo — the Mariners’ third best righty reliever — to face the Ranger’s nine-hole hitter in Higashioka. But had Higashioka reached base in any capacity, the game would have moved firmly into high leverage with the top of the order coming up. Given the minimum three-batter requirement, Bazardo would have been required to stay in the game, and the Rangers could have taken the lead before Wilson could make another change.

Instead, Wilson turned to Brash as contingency against a potential high-leverage spot. It worked. Brash threw just six pitches to dispatch Higashioka with a groundout, and the Mariners’ lead held.

Decision #2: Gabe Speier faces the leadoff lefties

The Mariners picked up another run in the bottom of the sixth, meaning they lead 4-1 in the top of the 7th. The game was back to low leverage.

Wilson turned to Gabe Speier, (arguably) his best lefty out of the pen to face the top of the Rangers’ order. One could argue maybe Wilson should have stuck with Brash after his quick work in the previous inning. But the top of the Rangers’ lineup — Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager — are both very good lefty batters.

Wilson said that handedness matchup was the main consideration in turning to Speier. But he also noted the move keeps Brash available for Sunday’s game, which wound up looking quite prescient on a day where nearly every Mariners’ reliever pitched.

“I think we really felt with the lefties that that was Gabe’s inning, and he came out and did what he does. I think with our guys you also have to weigh rest. You have to weigh what’s tomorrow, and what’s beyond tomorrow. So all those things you have to throw in the hopper and come up with the best decision you can at that point. But yeah, we really felt like that was Gabe’s inning.”

Now, I’m not always a fan of thinking ahead in bullpen management. Wilson’s predecessor, Scott Servais, often espoused was (something to the effect of), “Win today’s game first,” when referring to bullpen decisions, and I generally agree with that. But this move was a good example of the range of considerations a manager faces when dealing with their bullpen. Wilson made the decision to sacrifice an arm in the game to get the better matchup while still saving an arm for the next game. It was a shrewd move that worked out given the context to that point.

But Wilson also got hit with a consequence of that decision: sometimes the bird in the bullpen just doesn’t have it. Speier struggled. He got Nimmo to strikeout but then walker Seager and later walked Jake Burger.

With the game back to medium leverage, Wilson opted for a fresh arm.

Decision #3: Break glass for Eduard Bazardo

Eduard Bazardo entered the game. He also wasn’t quite sharp, immediately walking Josh Smith to load the bases and progress the game to high leverage.

Maybe one could argue Wilson could have stuck with Speier and trusted him to escape, though I’m not sure I’d buy that after 24 not-great pitches. There’s also a case that Wilson could have gone with Jose Ferrer, though that would sacrifice the handedness advantage (Bazardo is a bit better against righties for his career).

I think this was probably the right move, and it wound up OK. Bazardo got Josh Jung to fly out to escape the jam he and Speier created. 

Decision #4: Sticking with Bazardo

The game remained 4-1 heading into the eighth, with the game back in low leverage. Wilson stuck with Bazardo to face the 7-9 batters in the Rangers’ lineup.

Again, there’s some question about whether Bazardo, having struggled with his command in the previous inning, was the best choice. But given Kirby’s abbreviated outing, the decision to save Brash for Sunday, Speier’s struggles, and the Mariners three-run lead with the bottom of the Rangers’ order coming up — and given Ferrer threw 20 pitches Friday — Wilson was out of medium leverage options.

Bazardo wasn’t quite sharp. He walked the leadoff batter to move the game to medium leverage. Then he got a fly out and a pop out to push the game back to low leverage.

With two outs, a runner on first, and Bazardo at 21 pitches, Wilson turned to the pen.

Decision #5: Jose Ferrer to face the leadoff lefties

Wilson went with Ferrer to face the lefties at the top of the Rangers’ order.

Again, maybe one could argue Ferrer should have been the choice to begin the inning. But given his workload the night and the situation in the game, Ferrer appeared to be something of a last resort. When the situation required that last resort, Wilson was ready.

Ferrer gave up a weak bloop single to Nimmo but got Seager to groundout to end the thread.

Decision #6: Cole Wilcox to close out the blow out

The Mariners scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to extend their lead to 7-1, effectively ending the game. Wilson turned to Cole Wilcox, who’s impressed early but is firmly a “low leverage” arm. It was the ideal spot to get him some work without much on the line.

Unfortunately, Wilcox quickly raised the stakes. He gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out. He got the second out with a sac fly to make the game 7-2. but gave up a double to make the game 7-3. Wilcox then walked the nine-hitter Higashioka to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate in Nimmo. 

Decision #7: Andrés Muñoz, the redeemer

Wilson turned to Muñoz with the game back in medium leverage. Muñoz had a rare meltdown in his last outing in San Diego, giving up five runs and eventually the game. He’s looked just off early in 2026 and has struggled with command over the last week.

But he looked sharp Saturday, quickly punching out Nimmo on four pitches to end the game.

Verdict

This was essentially flawless execution from Wilson in what wound up being a tricky game to manage. The game was rarely in jeopardy for the Mariners, who finally strung together some hits on offense, but it was very often in jeopardy of being in jeopardy. Wilson had manage a comfortable lead and a starter who couldn’t get through six innings and a trio of relievers who didn’t quite have it. He made seven correct — or at least “defensible” — decisions at each inflection point, and the Mariners held on.

“Those are the things you sort of try to walk through ahead of time and try to make a plan. And sometimes it doesn’t go to plan and you end up in a weird situation,” Wilson said after the game. “Definitely it’s been a while for a couple of guys in the bullpen. (Brash) hadn’t been out there in a while and (Speier), really, too. So it was nice to get those guys in the game and I thought they threw the ball well. Good to get them rolling. But you have to weigh all those things when you’re making decisions. We try to do that as much as we can ahead of time and then follow the plan.”

There’s not a single number to say whether a manager is making the right calls to the bullpen, but Saturday’s game outlined Wilson’s general strategy. He operates with a hierarchy of relievers and turns to them based on the “leverage” in the game. Presumably, the hierarchy and the leverage are set by the front office, and it’s Wilson’s job to execute that plan within the context of the game and season.

To his credit, Wilson has been very good at this in broad strokes. His best relievers, generally in rank order, have pitched in the biggest spots — this year and last year. Muñoz, for instance, was the highest-leverage reliever in the game last year. It’s also worth noting the Mariners got significantly more WPA from their bullpen in 2025 than their context-neutral performance would indicate. Remember, the Mariners pitching was something of a mess last year, with an injured rotation often exiting early, requiring a 2 1/2-man bullpen asked to pick up four or five innings each night. Wilson was often forced to punt games early rather than using a leverage arm to protect a narrow deficit in the fifth inning. But when the Mariners did hold a late lead, Wilson was ready with Muñoz and Speier (and eventually Brash) to the shut the door.

Of course, that changed in the ALCS when Wilson made the infamous decision to go with Bazardo over Muñoz, which wound up being the final note for the 2025 Mariners. But it was a rare mistake for Wilson, who’d threaded the needle with a below average pitching staff all season.

Again, there isn’t a single number to summarize whether Wilson or any manager is good at deploying relievers. For instance, last year I was able to say pretty confidently lthat the Mariners extreme dependence on pinch hitters wasn’t working (and I’m a bit disappointed to see so many pinch hitters again to start 2026). But it’s not as easy to say whether the Mariners are getting all they could out of their bullpen. As we saw Saturday, there are plenty of variables that change in real time, and relievers can be a bit finicky. Still, Wilson does seem to know who his best arms are and when to use them. Sometimes, it even works out.

What a game that was for the Guardians. Gavin Williams is blossoming into everything we hoped he could be. He was excellent tonight, as he has been all season. 7 innings, 3 hits, one run, and 11 big strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.12 on the season. Oh, and he also leads all of MLB in strikeouts. He was in full control tonight with the only mistake being a hanging curveball to Leody Taveras in the top of the 4th.

It is also noteworthy that Cade Smith came in and got the save, and he looked like Cade Smith. That was the best we have seen him look all season by far.

As for the offense, we only had three hits, but they sure were big ones. Brayan Rocchio’s three run HR in the bottom of the 5th was personally one of the most exciting moments of the season for me thus far. The development we have seen from him since the all star break last year has been incredible. Bo Naylor finally hit his first HR on the season. He has had some brutal luck this year and it was awesome to see him finally get some good results for his process.

Game 4 will be tomorrow at 1:40 pm ET. The pitching matchup will be Joey Cantillo vs Trevor Rogers.

Another Saturday game, another Zac Gallen start, another swirling bit of anxiety in the gullet as we waited to see which Zac we were going to get today. I remember the heyday of Gallen’s good times, when he really was the unquestioned ace of the rotation, rather than simply being the guy who happens to pitch for us on Opening Day. I’ve mostly gotten over the animosity I’ve developed for him over the last couple of seasons, but I still feel kinda queasy when I see that I’ve pulled a Gallen start for a Saturday recap. Today, he was starting opposite grizzled veteran (and old friend for a brief moment at the very start of his career) Max Scherzer, who entered today with an ERA above 9, while Zac was enjoying a 3.60 ERA coming into this start.

It didn’t look great, honestly, in the top of the first. Gallen was being efficient—he got through the first four batters with only seven pitches thrown—but he was very efficiently throwing meatballs in the middle of the strike zone, which meant that three of the first four Blue Jays to come to the plate reached on singles into the outfield. The third single drove in Toronto leadoff hitter Nathan Lukes, putting us in an early hole. Thankfully, however, after that third single Zac actually seemed to buckle down and start to, you know, pitch. The results were much better after that, as he struck out the next two batters to end the frame. 1-0 Toronto

It turned out not to be the end of the world, though, because we got the run right back in the bottom of the first, thanks to a one-out Corbin Carroll walk that he capitalized on by promptly stealing second base on Scherzer’s first pitch to Geraldo Perdomo, and then Perdomo lining a single to center on the next pitch he saw to drive home Corbin. Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., back in the lineup for the first time since September 1 of last year, hung a pretty decent 7-pitch at bat on Scherzer before popping out to first, and Adrian Del Castillo saw another seven pitches before grounding out to first. But things were all tied up again. 1-1 TIE

After that, the game got kinda quite for the next few innings. Gallen pitched around traffic in each inning, giving up singles in the second, third, and fourth, and then a double in the fifth, but despite that he was quite effective, putting up zeroes and wrapping up the fifth with only 66 pitches thrown. Meanwhile, we were doing absolutely nothing against Scherzer, sitting down in order in the second, third, and fourth innings, while only making Shcerzer throw 31 pitches total to get through those three innings. Scherzer’s probably going to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot once he retires, but the dude is old and not all that at this stage of his career, but our hitters were making him look like he was back in his Cy Young heyday. It was disappointing, to say the least.

Thankfully, our young blood got things going again in the bottom of the fifth, as Jose Fernandez lined a single to left to lead off the inning. Nolan Arenado grounded out to short, but Fernandez alertly took second to keep from being doubled off, and Ildemaro Vargas popped out to first for the second out of the inning. Alek Thomas came to the plate, and promptly rolled over on the first pitch he saw, squibbing a grounder just over the first base bag that rolled to the fence about halfway up the first base line and ended up going as an RBI double:

Ketel Marte continued his fruitless night at the plate with a first-pitch pop-out to shallow center, but we had a lead now. 2-1 D-BACKS

Sadly, however, Gallen and what feels like an increasingly frequent Perdomo miscue led to us giving the run right back in the top of the sixth. Toronto DH Eloy Jimenez singled with one out in the sixth, but Gallen immediately induced what appeared to be a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning. But no. Toronto challenged the out call at second, and the call was overturned because Perdomo’s foot came off the base before the ball was in his glove, so after heading back to the dugout he had to come back to the mound. As folks noted in the Gameday Thread, Zac often responds badly when the fielders behind him blow a play, and that was the case here, as he gave up a single that scored Jimenez and earned Gallen the hook. Ryan Thomspon came on and recorded the third out on three pitches, but our short-lived one-run lead was no more. 2-2 TIE

Nothing much happened for a little while after that—Gerry TOONBLANned his way into an out in the bottom of the sixth after singling to right and trying to stretch it to a double. Ryan Thompson and Jose Morillo put up a zero for us in the top of the seventh, we sat down in order against the Blue Jays bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, Morillo pitched around a one-out single in the top of the eighth to put up another zero for the bullpen.

Cue the bottom of the eighth. Jeff Hoffman, who I guess is supposed to be the Blue Jays’ closer—Maybe? Sometimes? He’s had five save opportunities so far this year, and have converted two of them, and he came on for the eighth, so who knows?—gave up a ground ball single to Ildemaro Vargas, then another ground ball single to Alek Thomas, and then he walked Ketel Marte to load the bases with no outs. Corbin Carroll came to the plate, swung at the first pitch he saw, laid off the next three to bring the count to 3-1, and finally got a meatball right down the middle that he did not miss:

Perdomo, Gurriel, and Del Castillo then made three quick outs, but really, who cares? 6-2 D-BACKS

Because it wasn’t a save situation anymore, Torey Lovullo brought Kevin Ginkel out to pitch the top of the ninth, and despite a two-out single surrendered to Nathan Lukes, he did his job and put up the final zero. Yay.

Win Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs

Killer of Birds: Alek Thomas (4 AB, 2 H, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, +21% WPA)
Harrassers of Birds: Juan Morillo (+15% WPA), Corbin Carroll (+11% WPA), Ryan Thompson (+10% WPA), Geraldo Perdomo (+10% WPA)
The Bird Whisperer: Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (4 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, -14% WPA)

We had a nice, vibrant, very well-attended Gameday Thread tonight, with 307 comments at time of writing. The leading comment by popular acclaim belonged to chwalter, but it wasn’t game-relevant, sadly, so I’m giving this one to Snacks&DBacks, who posted the following right before Carroll’s big swing (plus an assist from Smurf1000, which I’m including because why not?):

And with that, it’s on to not the rubber match, but our chance to secure our second sweep of the season, as well as our second sweep against an AL team that went deep in the playoffs last year while we and our Diamondbacks were sitting at home watching them on TV from our respective couches. Ryne Nelson takes the mound for us, Kevin Gausman goes for the Jays. Gausman seems to be the sole competent starting pitcher Toronto has going for them so far this year, so it may not be easy to secure the sweep. But bring your brooms anyway, and cheer us on and help keep TheRealRamona company as she gears up for her first guest recap of the 2026 season! First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time. Hope you can join us!

As always, thanks so much for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!

The Braves continue to just cruise this season, in a refreshing departure from last season. Chris Sale had a really nice outing against the Phillies’ lineup on Saturday, backed up by Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez, while the offense got enough done to win the game. That makes for the sixth series win this season, as the Braves have still not lost a series in 2026. Atlanta is 14-7, 5 games clear in the division lead, and has the best run differential in baseball. That is nothing short of a fantastic start, especially given all of the talent Atlanta has on the IL, and how much of that talent could be returning in the coming months.

Braves News

Ha-Seong Kim has been taking batting practice and is set to participate in a simulated game this week, as he approaches his return from injury.

Grant McAuley took a look at Austin Riley and his attempt to bounce back from a couple of down years at the plate.

We remembered Garret Anderson, who passed away far too young this week.

MLB News

Zach Wheeler looks on pace to return from his injury late this month, perhaps to face the Braves in Atlanta.

The Phillies placed star reliever Jhoan Duran on the 15-Day IL with a “mild” oblique strain that they are hopeful he will be able to return from quickly.

The Mets placed Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL with a wrist contusion.

Whether it was a snowy Friday giving way to a sunny Saturday or the playoff vibes from the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche spilling over, the Mile High Magic was palpable across the city today.

For the cherry on top of a wonderful sports day in Denver, the Colorado Rockies got the best of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-3 rollercoaster of a win.

Runs early and often

It was a good night if you bet YRFI.

Starting pitchers Ryan Feltner and Emmet Sheehan brought a pair of high ERAs into their matchup today (7.30 and 6.60, respectively). That showed as the scoreboard was lit up immediately in the first inning.

That’s sadly not out of character for the Rockies, who have given up 161 runs in the first inning since the start of last season — the most in MLB.

To start off the evening, Shohei Ohtani reached first base after a throwing error by Troy Johnston on the first pitch. Kyle Tucker followed immediately with a home run on the second pitch of the game, giving the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead.

The Rockies responded in the bottom of the inning. Mickey Moniak doubled to center and was brought home with a line-drive single from TJ Rumfield to bring the game to 2-1.

The Dodgers and Rockies would notch one more run each in the second inning. L.A.’s came on a Dalton Rushing homer knocked right above the out-of-town scoreboard in right on a 78 MPH curveball from Feltner. The Rockies’ run came after Johnston put himself in scoring position with a line-drive single, a stolen base, and a move to third on a Brenton Doyle ground out. Johnston ultimately came home on a Kyle Karros sacrifice fly to make it 3-2 Trolley Dodgers.

Pitchers dueling

That “early and often” hot start dried up pretty quickly. Despite some scattered chances, the offensive action calmed down and yielded scoreless third, fourth, and fifth innings as both pitchers found their rhythm.

After walking Freddie Freeman in the top of the third, Feltner sat down eight straight batters. Among those eight, Feltner struck out Teoscar Hernández, Alex Freeland, and Andy Pages. Feltner looked in command of his four-seam fastball in particular across those punch outs. He also got a fly out to left from Ohtani, dropping Ohtani to 1-10 against Feltner across their last encounters.

Sheehan walked a couple of baserunners and gave up a double in the fourth inning, but otherwise looked sharp. He gathered strikeouts against Hunter Goodman, Brenton Doyle, and Edouard Julien across those three innings.

Feltner’s streak came to an end on a Freeman triple in the top of the sixth. Lucky for him, Karros would save a run with an incredible diving grab to stop a ball driven down the third base line, throwing out Hernández at first.

Following that, Brennan Bernardino came in to relieve Feltner with two outs and Freeman on third. Feltner finished his day with five strikeouts, five hits, and three runs surrendered via two home runs.

The Rockies got rolling

Despite a 1-2-3 fifth inning from Sheehan, the Dodgers pulled him at 77 pitches, swapping in Will Klein. That did not go well.

The Rockies immediately pounced with a Goodman double to deep center. Up next, Ezequiel Tovar singled with a ball banked off of Klein over to Freeman, with Tovi winning the foot race to first. Johnston brought those two in with a double to center for his team-leading 10th RBI, giving the Rockies their first glorious lead over the Dodgers in what felt like an eternity.

Klein would get the next three batters out to keep Johnston at second and to limit the damage at 4-3 Rockies.

Catching a crazy eighth

The top of the eighth inning got a little dicey for the Rockies, with much of the commotion centered around Goodman behind the dish.

Jaden Hill replaced Bernardino to kick off the inning with the Dodgers back at the top of the order. Hill worked to an 0-2 count against Ohtani. In an at-bat that looked like it might end in another Ohtani out, Goodman was called for catcher interference as hit glove bumped Ohtani’s swing, putting the batter on first.

Tucker singled next, putting two men on with no outs. Just when things felt like they were about to get worse, Goodman redeemed himself with a wonderful ABS challenge, overturning a ball and sitting Pages down on strikes.

Freeman flied out to center next, moving Ohtani and Tucker up a base. In a tense at-bat for Hernández, the Rockies would challenge a pitch again, but this time unsuccessfully. Hernández walked to load the bases.

Hill responded extremely well to cap off a nice relief pitching performance, throwing two strikes to Max Muncy before getting him to ground out on a changeup to end the (very stressful) inning.

No insurance needed

The Rockies wouldn’t get any insurance runs in the bottom of the eight, but luckily they wouldn’t need them (although that would have reduced some ninth inning stress).

Victor Vodnik came in to close out the ninth, trying for his third save of the season. He sat Rushing and Hyeseong Kim out quickly. With two outs, Will Smith singled on a nice hit to second that made for a just-difficult-enough throw for Julien.

Santiago Espinal came in to pinch run and Ohtani got his first hit of the night to move the runner to second. With the game on the line, the energy in Coors felt exciting in a way it hasn’t felt too often is recent years. Tucker sent a routine flyball to left field, and Vodnik got his save.

A winning recipe

There was a lot to be proud of for the Rockies today. Namely, the Rockies looked resilient.

Feltner settled down after a shaky start. The bullpen was flawless in relief. Hits and baserunners came when they were needed most. Scoring chances were converted. Key defensive plays swung the game in Colorado’s favor.

It had been a rough week in the wake of a sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres and a series loss to the Houston Astros. After a 7-1 loss last night, it felt like an uphill battle to steal even one from Los Angeles.

The Dodgers were 10-0 against the National League this season. Emphasis: were. Your Colorado Rockies just served up a tally mark in the L column.

The Rockies are having fun!

Up Next

First and foremost, it’s Dinger Day at the ballpark! Our favorite purple dino and all of his friends will try to bring some good vibes and even better luck to the matchup.

The Rockies and Dodgers square off for Game 3 of the wraparound series at 1:10 p.m. MT. Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for Los Angeles, while Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10) is slated to go for Colorado. The Rockies will try to take the series lead in a Sunday matinee matchup.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Happens to the best of 'em.

Runners stranded in scoring position. Hitters chasing, squandering chances, failing to support a pitcher fighting without his best stuff. A reliever off the mark, his few mistakes a few too many.

All adding up to a loss. Rare and deserved.

For just the fifth time in 20 games so far this season, the Dodgers came out on the wrong end of the ledger, losing 4-3 to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday before a blue-and-purple crowd of 47,925 at Coors Field.

"Up to this point with runners in scoring position, we've been able to — whether it be earn a walk or swing at good pitches – get hits,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “Today it just seemed like we chased a lot more than we have.”

Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers’ new $240 million man, had his second three-hit game this season — but he scored only once, in the first inning, on his 435-foot two-run home run into the second deck.

Freddie Freeman went two for three, including a triple, but he was stranded both times he reached.

And Shohei Ohtani made more history — he extended his career-best consecutive on-base record to 50 games with a ninth-inning single to tie Willie Keeler’s 1901 mark for third in franchise history — but he also scored only once, having reached on an error before Tucker’s first-inning homer.

Read more:Tyler Glasnow weathers cold, leads Dodgers to win at Colorado

In all, the Dodgers left eight runners on base — including Ohtani and Will Smith in the ninth — and went 0 for seven with runners in scoring position.

“I mean, it happens at times,” said Tucker, who jumped on pitches early in counts Saturday in an attempt to build a consistent rhythm from at-bat to at-bat, game-to-game.

“We're facing big league pitchers and they got some guys in their bullpen that can pitch really well. But at the same time, we gotta do our part. We had some opportunities with guys on base, especially late. Just gotta find ways to get hits or just get those guys in. Happens at times, but we just gotta do a better job at it.”

These were atypical postgame lamentations for the Dodgers, whose steamroll hit a speedbump as they lost for the first all season to a National League opponent.

Read more:Dodgers don't need Shohei Ohtani's bat, just his arm, in rout of Mets

Starter Emmet Sheehan wasn’t as sharp as in his prior outing, but he left after five innings with a one-run lead, having thrown 77 pitches, giving up four hits and two runs with four strikeouts and two walks.

“I think last time we made a lot of progress on mechanical stuff,” said Sheehan, who gave up two runs in the first two innings but then held the Rockies at bay. His best inning was his finale one, the 1-2-3, nine-pitch fifth.

“Definitely happy with some of the pitches I made later, but I got to be better earlier in the game,” Sheehan said.

Dalton Rushing concurred.

“He fought, he showed how tough he is out there,” said Rushing, the Dodgers’ hot- and hard-hitting backup catcher who got the start. “He didn’t have his best stuff. He knew that. He knew he was going to have to pivot a little bit, figure some things out. I’ll give it to him. He grinded out there. But there’s some things we can work on, both us, about understanding a gameplan. But overall I’m proud of the way he grinded.

“Obviously I’m not proud of the result. We lost a baseball game. But at the same time I think there was some good coming out of the grinding.”

Rushing’s only hit Saturday was a 371-foot solo home run in the second inning that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead that lasted until reliever Will Klein gave up three consecutive hits and two runs — and the one-run lead he was staked — in the sixth inning.

“I thought tonight his sweeper, the feel for spin wasn't good,” Roberts said. “He didn't have it and I think a couple of those hits early were just cement mixers that just didn't do anything.”

Right-hander Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.23) is scheduled to take the mound for the Dodgers in the famously hitter-friendly ballpark for a 1:10 p.m. game Sunday. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10) is scheduled to start for the Rockies.

Treinen is fine

Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen was struck by a batted ball while he was in the bullpen before the game, but he said afterward that he was “fine.”

The Dodgers' right-handed reliever said he didn’t experience any concussion-like symptoms and could have come on to pitch after being tested to ensure he did not, in fact, have a concussion.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers scored early but not often, unable to cash in on many chances in a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver. It’s the Dodgers’ first loss in 11 games against National League teams.

Kyle Tucker hit a home run that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead just two batters into the game, his third straight game with an extra-base hit. But unlike the series opener, Saturday night wasn’t a runaway by any means.

After scoring in each of the first five innings on Friday, the Dodgers scored three total runs in the first two innings but got nothing else against Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, who kept the Dodgers at bay into the sixth. Freddie Freeman tripled with one out in the sixth of Feltner but was stranded, first by a brilliant diving stab and throw by third baseman Kyle Karros, then by lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino striking out Max Muncy.

Emmet Sheehan had his own trouble early, allowing single runs in the first and second innings, but he settled down to keep Colorado off the board for the next three frames, finishing his night after 77 pitches through five innings, with four strikeouts.

Colorado turned the tied with the first three batters reaching off Will Klein in the sixth inning, the earliest a Dodgers reliever has appeared in a game all week. Klein gave up an infield single off his own foot sandwiched by two doubles, the latter by Troy Johnston to drive in a pair, giving the Rockies their first lead of the series.

The Dodgers got the first two batters on base in the eighth inning and loaded the bases with two outs, then put two more runners on in the ninth, but were unable to push across the tying run.

One streak still going

Shohei Ohtani reached on an error by the first baseman Johnston in the first inning, and scored on Tucker’s home run. He also reached on catcher’s interference in the eighth. But by not getting on via hit, walk, or hit by pitch, he didn’t technically reach base safely in any of his first four plate appearances on Saturday.

A pinch-hit infield single by Will Smith with two outs in the ninth inning gave Ohtani one more chance in the ninth inning, and he obliged with a single.

Ohtani’s 50-game on-base streak is tied with Wee Willie Keeler (1900-01) for the third-longest streak in modern Dodgers history. It’s already the longest MLB streak by a Japanese player, and the longest on-base streak by any MLB player since Shin-Soo Choo reached in 52 straight games for the Texas Rangers in 2018.

Staying hot

Dalton Rushing is off to an incredible start to his second major league season, and his solo shot in the second inning gave him already more home runs this year (five) in his first 19 plate appearances than he had all of last season (four) in 155 plate appearances.

It’s still absurdly early in the season, and while Will Smith has two home runs thus far he’s hit at least 15 home runs in all six of his non-shortened major league campaigns. The last time the Dodgers had two catchers with double-digit home runs was way back in 1979, when Joe Ferguson hit 20 (14 as catcher) and Steve Yeager hit 13.

Of note

Second baseman Alex Freeland was seen flexing his left hand after catching a Will Klein fastball from close range on a pickoff throw in the sixth inning. Freeland was pinch-hit for in the seventh with Alex Call, though it might have been simply a matchup preference against the lefty Bernardino. On the SportsNet LA broadcast, Kirsten Watson noted that team trainers didn’t immediately tend to Freeland once he got to the dugout. Hyeseong Kim took over at second base in the bottom of the seventh.

Saturday particulars

Home runs: Kyle Tucker (3), Dalton Rushing (5)

WP — Brennan Bernardino (2-0): 1 1/3 IP, 2 strikeouts

LP — Will Klein (1-1): 1 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs

Sv — Victor Vodnik (3): 1 IP, 2 hits

Up next

Dodgers and Rockies are back at it on Sunday afternoon (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), which remember, is not the series finale. Roki Sasaki is on the mound in the third game of the series, with Michael Lorenzen starting for the Rockies.

This one will go on Jeff Hoffman, but realistically you also can’t score seven runs in four games and expect anything good to happen. The team is a mess on all fronts right now, from pitching to hitting to defence and base running. One in the loss column is all that’s keeping them above Kansas City and the Mets for the worst record in baseball.

A couple of positive notes, because I’m tired of wallowing:

• Max Scherzer looked strong in his return to his first major league team. I had actually forgotten that was where he came up, but then the Bush administration was a long time ago. Anyways, I don’t expect his plaque in Cooperstown will have an A on it. As regards that eventual plaque, Scherzer’s one strikeout tonight left him one shy of 3,500 for his career and 10 behind Walter Johnson for a spot in the top 10 all time. Of course, Johnson took 2,940 more innings to put together his total. Seeing him reach those milestones in the next couple of weeks will be something fun in a rough start to the season.
• Nathan Lukes had three hits. His awful start has apparently been the result of issues with vertigo. I’ve known people struggling with unexplained vertigo, and it’s an awful thing to go through. He’s apparently found medication that’s helping with the issue, and certainly looks better the last couple of games. I really hope the issue is solved for him, for reasons beyond baseball. It does raise the question of how on earth the Jays decided to play him through a debilitating neurological issue, though. I’d really like an explanation, because I can’t see one other than outright managerial malpractice. But, positive thoughts. He’s feeling and looking better, and they could really use the old Nathan Lukes right now.

Both teams scored in the first before going quiet. Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero jr. hit ground ball singles to put runners on the corners with one out. Jesus Sanchez cracked a liner to centre field that plated Lukes before Zac Gallen was able to retaliate with a pair of Ks to end the inning. In the bottom, Corbin Caroll worked a walk and stole second, before a Geraldo Perdomo single brought him home to tied the score at one. That would be all the scoring for a while. Kazuma Okamoto singled in the Jays’ second, and Ernie Clement singled in the third. Perdomo managed his second hit in the bottom of the fourth before being erased by a double play. The Jays briefly threatened in the top of five when Ernie Clement laced a two out double off the wall in left, but Vlad couldn’t score him.

The D-Backs pulled ahead in the fifth. Jose Fernandez singled and moved to second on a fielder’s choice. Max Scherzer got the next two batters, but Alek Thomas hit a chopper up the first base line that clipped the back corner of the bag and scooted into the corner for the cheapest double you’ll see. That put Arizona on top 2-1. The Jays responded with the help of some good luck of their own. Eloy Jimenez hooked a grounder around the third base bag but appeared to think Nolan Arenado was going to be able to glove it and so pulled up at first instead of digging for a double. That set up what looked like an inning ending double play, but shortstop Perdomo took his foot off the bag before recieving the ball and Jimenez was ruled safe at second on review. Okamoto lined a single to left that allowed Jimenez to come around to score, tying at two. That ended Gallen’s evening, but Ryan Thompson was able to get Myles Straw to fly out to end it there.

In the bottom of six, Perdomo hit a ground ball into right field. It looked like a double, but the ball kicked off the wall and right to Nathan Lukes, who made a great throw to allow Andres Gimenez to tag him at the bag. Combined with a pop out and a fly out, that got Scherzer through the inning. He went 6.0, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk with one strikeout. It only took him 74 pitches to get there, but give that he’s been battling forearm tendinitis John Schneider prudently decided not to push his luck.

In the top of seven, Thompson got two outs while giving up a single up the middle to Lukes. Juan Morillo got the call to face Guerrero. He got him swinging to preserve the tie. Tyler Rogers took over for Scherzer and retired the side in order.

Jimenez beat out an infield single in the eighth, but the rest of the lineup couldn’t touch Morillo. Jeff Hoffman struggled again in the Diamondbacks’ half, giving up two ground blal singles to lead off and then walking the bases loaded. They didn’t stay that way long, as Corbin Caroll hit a grand slam to left field, cracking the game open. Kevin Ginkel breezed through the botto

Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.10), Okamoto (0.13)

Less So: Hoffman* (-0.38), Gimenez (-0.16), Heineman (-0.10)

*Tonight ran Hoffman’s season WPA to -1.40, making him officially the most damaging pitcher in baseball so far in 2026. Congrats, Jeff.

We’ll wrap the series tomorrow. Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.42) will look to keep his hot start going and hopefully get some support from his offence to secure his first win. Ryne Nelson (1-1, 3.54) is off to a promising start himself for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is slated for 4:10pm ET.

The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Seattle Mariners scored seven runs.

Faced with having to score runs off of George Kirby at T-Mobile Park, a near impossibility, manager Skip Schumaker brought in the infield on the first two opportunities that Seattle had with a runner 90 feet from home, and both times the Mariners shot one through the drawn in infield to score the game’s first three runs.

Both runners reached third base and eventually scored due in part to some shoddy infield defense with Seattle scoring their first run in the bottom of the first after J.P. Crawford doubled off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi to lead off the game on a shot down the line that first baseman Jake Burger couldn’t field despite appearing to be within stabbing distance.

In the fourth, with a runner on first, second baseman Ezequiel Duran fielded a ball and tried to double off the runner but instead threw the ball into left field which gave the M’s two runners in scoring position and both would score on a single up the middle on the drawn in infield.

The Rangers couldn’t really afford unmade plays or miscues since they were facing Kirby who had gone just about a quarter of a full season’s worth of innings having allowed just one earned run total against the Rangers at T-Mobile Park.

Texas did have a few more chances than usual against Kirby but they squander those on the regular against mortal arms, much less the one pitcher designed in a lab especially to beat them. Overall, they went 1-for-8 with RISP and left an astonishing 16 on base with the one success coming with two outs in the ninth.

The Rangers somehow turned 11 hits and eight walks into just three runs with two of those coming in the ninth in what was then a 7-1 game.

The loss means the Rangers will need to win tomorrow to claim the series and avoid finishing with a losing road trip.

Player of the Game: Josh Jung continued his hot hitting with a solo home run off of Kirby. Jung also singled and walked as his OPS on the year has spiked to .861.

The Jung dong was just the second run that Kirby had allowed to the Rangers in over 40 innings at T-Mobile Park and the first home run that Kirby had ever allowed to a Ranger in Seattle.

Up Next: The Rangers close out this lengthy road trip with a final contest against the Mariners. LHP MacKenzie Gore will make the start in the finale against RHP Bryan Woo for Seattle.

The Sunday afternoon first pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 3:10 pm CDT and the telecast will be back on the Rangers Sports Network.