May 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early (71) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Let’s do a little dive into what I think was the most important frame of the entire ballgame.
Top of the third inning, things could have gone off the rails and fast. Nick Fortes leads off with an infield single—advancing to second on a balk by Connelly Early. Taylor Walls loops a single to left field on a pitch that leaks a little back towards the middle of the plate with some cut, and Yandy Diaz gets hit on a back foot curve to load the bases.
This could have been absolute chaos.
Early said no way. Ryan Vilade, sit back down on a nice strikeout to settle things down a hair. Junior Caminero then saved Boston’s skin. First pitch, bounding bouncer to Caleb Durbin: 5-4-3 double play. The Rays frankly didn’t threaten any other time in this ballgame.
Not only did this cool off Connelly Early, it completely changed his tempo. He dialed in and got six more strikeouts after that—eight total—and ate his way through seven frames.
You don’t need a ton of offense when your starter dominates like he did. Better rebound start for him and a nice Friday night win for the Red Sox.
Studs
Connelly Early (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)
Nuff said above. This was an absolutely stellar start for Early.
Ceddanne Rafaela (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R)
What a needed homer for Rafaela and a good game for the center fielder overall.
Wilyer Abreu (1-f0r-2, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB)
Wilyer’s deadlock breaking solo shot is the longest home run of his career at 427 feet. Working two walks showcases how big a threat Abreu is at the dish.
Aroldis Chapman (1.0 IP, 2 K)
…how is he still this good? Did he drink the Tom Brady defy father time juice?
Duds
Masataka Yoshida (0-for-4)
Just an eh day but it happens! I’m starting to find a warm spot for Masa again.
Trevor Story (0-for-3, 3 Ks)
The hat trick of strikeouts drops Story’s season batting average to .199, and that’s a big yikes for this lineup.
Mar 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) hits a single against the Cleveland Guardians during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Freddie Freeman gauntlet weekend begins. Some lineup shuffling against tough lefty Chris Sale.
DENVER, CO - MAY 02: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are about the face the biggest test of the season as they taking on the might Los Angeles Dodgers in a road game after losing their first series of the season and getting an off day.
Chris Sale will be taking the mound. Can we talk about how crazy it is that he gave up six earned runs in 4.0 innings in a game, yet still has a pristine ERA of 2.14? He has had one poor outing and every single other one he has been one of the best pitchers on planet Earth. He will be facing Emmet Sheehan, who is not exactly performing like he did last season. Sheehan currently has an ERA of 5.23 ERA. His expected ERA (xERA) of 4.31 is better than his on-field ERA, but it does give the Braves offense some hope. It also should be noted that the Braves are second in all of MLB in balls hit 95.0 MPH or higher and hard-hit rate is Sheehan’s biggest weakness.
Let’s keep up with the game together in the comments.
Get your caffeine ready as the game starts at 10:10 EDT
May 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Well, it wasn’t exactly the offensive explosion we’ve been waiting for but they got the win. Dylan Cease was phenomenal, taking the Angels lineup apart for seven innings without ever really getting into trouble. They needed to stop the losing streak, and they did enough tonight to do that.
Dylan Cease was exceptional tonight. He made it through three innings before allowing a base runner, picking up five K’s and three soft pop outs his first time through the order. Zach Neto lined a single to lead off the fourth, and Mike Trout crushed a grounder up the third base line that could have been a problem had Kazuma Okamoto not made a great grab to turn it into a double play ball. He gave up a single each in the fifth and sixth, but neither scored and he also racked up his sixth through eighth punch outs.
He got the first two batters in the seventh, but Jo Adell lofted a fly ball over Daulton Varsho’s head in centre that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double to give the Angels their first runner in scoring position of the night. Cease responded with his tenth strikeout. That would be the end of his night. He went seven shutout innings, scattering five hits. Importantly for him, he didn’t walk a batter and took only 97 pitches to get as deep as he did. This is the kind of outing the Jays hoped to see a dozen of a year when they paid him.
The offence was happy to wait out a wild Angels pitching staff, but when they did swing they didn’t generate a lot of hits. Reid Detmers battled his command all night, but it took the Jays offence a while to capitalize. Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Kazuma Okamoto worked back to back two out walks in the first but were stranded. In the second, Davis Schneider also walked and then stole second. He moved to third on a ground out but again was left on. Finally, in the third, they brought a couple home. George Springer lead off with a ground ball single up the middle. One batter later, Vlad won a challenge to earn his second walk of the evening. Okamoto singled up the middle himself to bring Springer around to score. Following a Varsho walk, Ernie Clement hit a sac fly that was just deep enough to get Vlad home, putting the Jays up 2-0.
Detmers’ pitch count was getting out of hand at that point. He returned to face the first four batters in the bottom of the fourth, getting two outs but walking Brandon Valenzuela and allowing Springer to reach on catcher’s interference. At that point, Kurt Suzuki called for Jose Fermin to face Vlad. Vlad hit one on a line but not that hard and right to Neto at short to end the inning. Fermin returned and struck out the first two Jays in the bottom of five. Clement hit a deep fly ball to the track in centre, but Trout was there to make the catch.
Brent Suter got two strikeouts in a clean sixth. In the seventh, after Kirby Yates got the first out pinch hitter Yohendrick Pinango lined a single into left field. A Yates balk advanced him to second. Vlad hit a one hopper that looked like it passed a few inches outside the third base bag, but it was called fair and Vlad was thrown out at third without running. Okamoto lined out to prevent them from adding the insurance run.
That looked like it might cost them in the top of the eighth. Jeff Hoffman gave up a lead off double to Vaughn Grissom, who advanced on a ground out. Hoffman pulled it together to get a pop out and a Trout K to escape.
Old friend Alek Manoah got the eighth for the Angels. In his first MLB appearance in almost two years, he got two pop ups and a strikeout to hold the margin at two.
Louis Varland picked up the save without much drama in the ninth.
Jays of the Day: Cease (0.40), Okamoto (0.10),
Less So: Nobody!
It’s a 3:07pm ET start tomorrow. Jack Kochanowicz (2-1, 3.05) will take the mount for the angels. For the Jays, Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.96) will make his third start of the season.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Oracle Park on April 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the start of a three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hopefully it goes better than the last few series have gone.
For the Giants, lefty Robbie Ray will make his eighth start of the year. The two-time All-Star is 2-4 on the season, with a 2.95 ERA, a 4.47 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 39.2 innings. He gave up three runs in 6.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays his last time out.
On the other side is right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, a 27-year old in his fourth season. In seven games (six starts), Mlodzinski is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA, a 2.49 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 13 walks in 34 innings. After starting the season strong, he’s allowed five runs in each of his last three games.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets on a rehab assignment on May 8, 2026.
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Mookie Betts played five innings at shortstop and had a singled in his three at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The tentative plan is for Betts to play two games for the Comets then return to Los Angeles and be activated on Monday, if all goes well.
“One part is to take six or seven at-bats, and feel good with his timing. Build up some endurance in playing defense, on both sides of the ball with the running piece,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday at Dodger Stadium. “Hopefully he gets tested where he doesn’t feel anything.”
It’s the first minor league game Betts has played since 2015 while with the Boston Red Sox. He’s since had injured list stints in 2018 (abdominal strain), 2021 (right hip inflammation), 2022 (right rib fracture), and 2024 (broken hand), and in each of those occasions used simulated games and batting practice as his rehab assignments.
“Once he gets back with us, we’re not going to run him out there every single day. There will probably be a couple days where he can get reintroduced to playing a lot,” Roberts said. “I’m going to count on Mookie. As long as he’s healthy, we’re better with him.”
Once Betts returns, whether it’s on Monday or some other date, one infielder will need to be sent down. Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim have minor league options, while veteran reserve Santiago Espinal does not.
“We’re going to have some hard conversations. But fortunately, we don’t have to have those until he does come back,” Roberts said. “As we’ve seen, these things can change quickly, so we’ll be prepared.”
The Grand Rapids Griffins are hoping to gain the upper hand by eliminating the Manitoba Moose in the Calder Cup Playoffs, currently enjoying a two games to one series lead after rebounding from their Game 1 loss.
And it was defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka who scored what was nothing short of a highlight-reel worthy goal to try and help them make that quest a reality.
Sandin-Pellikka took a pass in the neutral zone and proceeded to dangle through a pair of Manitoba defenders before slipping the puck through the pads of goaltender Thomas Milic into the back of the net, sending the crowd at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids into a frenzy.
The goal gave the Griffins a 2-1 lead over the Moose with 5:10 left in the second period.
The Swedish defenseman, who was Detroit’s first round pick (17th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, was one of several rookies to make the Red Wings roster this past fall thanks to a strong showing in Training Camp and the preseason.
He ultimately appeared in 68 games, scoring seven goals with 14 assists while averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per outing.
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Apr 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) prepares to throw a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
It’s game 2 for the St. Louis Cardinals in San Diego as they’ll ask Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52 ERA, 24SO) to lead them to a victory Friday night. Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 7 SO) will make the start for the Padres. Friday night’s broadcast will be handled by Apple TV, so that 7-day trial is your friend. First pitch scheduled for 8:45pm central time.
LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves in a matchup of National League division leaders.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is set to rejoin the rotation sooner than anticipated after teammate Tyler Glasnow left a start early this week because of back trouble. Glasnow was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with low back spasms, and Los Angeles recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Snell missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a lingering shoulder injury, making just 11 starts after signing a $182 million, five-year contract in November 2024. But the left-hander went 3-2 in six postseason games to help the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title.
Snell has been on the IL since late March with left shoulder fatigue. He had been scheduled to make one more minor league rehabilitation start for Class A Ontario on Saturday, but instead will face the Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Glasnow exited after one inning against the Houston Astros on Wednesday. He had an MRI that showed “nothing really significant,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday before the opener of a three-game series against Atlanta.
The 32-year-old Glasnow is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in seven outings this season.
The 6-foot-10 Gervase, 25, is 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA in nine games for Oklahoma City this year. He made one appearance for the Dodgers last season, striking out two batters in two innings. He also pitched in five games for Tampa Bay, compiling a 4.26 ERA.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 29. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers took two steps forward and one step back in their quest for full strength Friday, putting Glasnow on the injured list because of back spasms while planning to activate Snell from the injured list on Saturday and Betts on Monday.
Snell’s start Saturday will be his first since the World Series. The two-time Cy Young winner opened the season on the injured list because of shoulder fatigue, as the Dodgers eased him into spring with the goal of putting him in the best possible position to succeed in October.
Glasnow left Wednesday’s game because of the injury. An MRI examination revealed “nothing really significant,” according to manager Dave Roberts, but the IL stint allows Glasnow to avoid rushing to be ready for his next start, with the bigger October picture in mind.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers against the Houston Astros on Wednesday. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
Glasnow never has made more than 22 starts in a season. He has been on the injured list in every full season since 2019.
With Glasnow’s status in question, the Dodgers on Thursday reconsidered their plan for Snell. They originally planned for him to make a final rehabilitation start Saturday, but Roberts said the pitcher and the team agreed he could throw the planned five innings in Los Angeles as well as he could in Ontario.
The Dodgers recalled reliever Paul Gervase to fill Glasnow's roster spot. They could return him to triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Snell on Saturday.
Betts strained an oblique muscle April 4. The shortstop is scheduled to play two minor league rehabilitation games Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday, then return to Los Angeles for evaluation, with the hope he’ll be cleared for activation Monday.
“We’re not going to run him out there every single day,” Roberts said.
Snell and Betts are not the only reinforcements on the way. Utilityman Kiké Hernández and reliever Brusdar Graterol began rehabilitation assignments this week.
The return of Betts would appear to allow the Dodgers to jettison infield reserve Santiago Espinal, although the team opened the season with Espinal on the roster and Hyeseong Kim at triple-A, allowing Kim to play every day and Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas to split time at second base.
However, since rejoining the Dodgers when Betts was injured, Kim is batting .314 with an .801 OPS.
The Dodgers dropped outfielder Kyle Tucker to sixth in the lineup Friday, in a batting order Roberts said was designed to combat Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.
In his career, Tucker is 0 for 9 with four strikeouts against Sale.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brandon Lockridge slammed his legs into the concrete base of a wall pursuing a foul pop fly, and was taken from the field by cart Friday, May 8 at American Family Field.
Lockridge was chasing a foul ball hit by the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger in the top of the fourth inning when he went into a slide and slammed into a wall that was unpadded at the base. He winced in pain and tumbled face down on the foul line for several moments.
Brandon Lockridge was in serious pain after crashing into the wall in foul territory pic.twitter.com/tgLfCpHaIp
He was eventually helped to his feet, yet needed the assistant of a cart to exit the field. Garrett Mitchell replaced Lockridge, who had an RBI single earlier, in the outfield.
The Brewers were leading the game 5-0 when Lockridge, 29, was hurt. He's batting .294 with a .709 OPS in 85 at-bats this season.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said postgame that "Initial X-rays say it's not fractured" but added that Lockridge has "a huge laceration."
"It's going to be a while. It's all the way down to his bone, the laceration. So, pretty ugly," Murphy said.
"We don't know the extent of any other damage because there's so much swelling that we're going to have to wait until it goes down to get an MRI," he added.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 02: Carmen Mlodzinski (50) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during an MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 02, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the San Francisco Giants looking to grab a win.
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May 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The Dodgers and Atlanta Braves continue their weekend series on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, with a start time an hour earlier than Friday night.
Spencer Strider is on the mound for Atlanta, making his second start since returning from the injured list after missing the first five-plus weeks of the season with a left oblique strain. He struck out six last Sunday at Coors Field but also allowed three runs and walked five in his 3 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers are 2-0 when wearing their city connect uniforms, beating the Texas Rangers 6-3 on April 11 and winning 12-4 over the Chicago Cubs on April 25.
1960s Cars On Central Avenue Downtown Phoenix Arizona USA (Photo By C P May/ClassicStock/Getty Images)
Today’s Lineups
METS
DIAMONDBACKS
Juan Soto – LF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Bo Bichette – SS
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Brett Baty – 3B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Carson Benge – CF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
MJ Melendez – RF
Gabriel Moreno – C
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Jose Fernandez – 1B
Luis Torrens – C
Jorge Barrosa – CF
Nolan McLean – RHP
Ryne Nelson – RHP
So, after all that excitement about Ryan Waldschmidt getting called up… He’s not in the starting line-up. This does kinda make sense based on past history. It feels like Torey Lovullo likes to give prospects a parachute, letting them absorb the atmosphere gently rather than hurling them into the fire on their first night. I would not be surprised to see Waldschmidt come off the bench for a pinch-hit opportunity late in the game, and quite possibly be starting in center. We’ve been patient and waited for him to show up in the majors. Another 24 hours or whatever isn’t going to make any difference.
It’s the Mets again. The last time we saw them was just about a dozen games into the season, and we did not realize quite how terrible they seem to be. Taking two of three in New York seemed like a huge success at the time, but we did not realize how terrible they are. Now, it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity: they got swept by Colorado, and the Mets have gone 7-17 since we left town. We kick-started a twelve-game losing streak, though on this road trip, they have won series against the Angels and Rockies, so might be turning things round a bit. Both teams could certainly use a series win.
Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn appeared to take a skate to the hand in Friday's Game 2 but stayed on the ice against the Montreal Canadiens while killing a penalty.
The incident happened in the second period of Friday's game while the Sabres were killing the leftover time on a first-period penalty to Josh Doan.
Jordan Greenway leveled Canadiens rookie of the year finalist Ivan Demidov with a big hit in the defensive end. Demidov's skate came up and appeared to clip Malenstyn. His glove came off and he shook his hand.
Demidov got up and skated to the Canadiens dressing room, but Malenstyn couldn't leave because the Sabres were still killing the penalty.
