A night after the Phillies’ hitters had their way with the Cubs’ pitching staff, the Cubs returned the favor on Tuesday. Phillies pitchers couldn’t keep the Cubs off the bases, giving up 15 hits, six walks, and one hit batter. And once those runners got on board, the Phillies didn’t do much to stop them from scoring. The end result was an ugly 10-4 loss.

Early on, it looked like the Phillies might be due for another big offensive night. Edmundo Sosa crushed a home run in the second to stake the team to a 3-0 lead.

Edmundo Sosa goes dead center and the Phillies lead the Cubs 3-0! pic.twitter.com/dQ3gI6PcJu

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 14, 2026

The Cubs answered immediately. Aaron Nola got the start for the Phillies, and he had an uneven night. He held the Cubs scoreless in the first two innings, but the Cubs used five hits to score two runs in the top of the third. The damage would have been worse if not for a tremendous throw by right fielder Adolis Garcia to get a runner out at third base.

Omg Adolis Garcia this throw is absurd pic.twitter.com/zk3YbLp2dt

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 14, 2026

One team continued to score with regularity, but it wasn’t the Phillies. After Sosa’s home run, they managed only one runner over the next five innings. Meanwhile, the Cubs took advantage of two Nola walks in the fifth, as Alex Bregman tied it up with an RBI single.

Tim Mayza entered the game in the sixth. He’s been a pleasant surprise thus far this season, but this was a bad night. He walked two batters, hit another, and gave up a single in one-third of an inning as the Cubs took the lead. Brad Keller came in to clean up the mess, but he gave up a two-run single to the heretofore slumping Bregman before getting out of the inning.

more runs from alex, thank youuu! pic.twitter.com/rgdTuJf9Ec

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 15, 2026

The Phillies had a chance to make a game of it in the eighth. Sosa led off with a double and scored on a Trea Turner single. A Kyle Schwarber single and walk to Garcia loaded the bases with two outs. With lefthander Caleb Thielbar in the game for the Cubs, Alec Bohm was sent to pinch hit for Brandon Marsh. Like Bregman, Bohm was slumping heading into this game. Unlike Bregman, that slump didn’t end, as he struck out to end the threat.

Tanner Banks gave up a three-run home run to Carson Kelly in the final inning to remove any sense of drama.

Now that both teams have traded ugly wins, they’ll have the rubber match on Wednesday. Jesus Luzardo and Shoto Imanaga will try to provide their teams with less ugly pitching than we’ve seen the past two nights.

Dodgers and Mets in the middle game of three in Los Angeles.

Tonight's #Dodgers starting lineup for Game 2 against the Mets. pic.twitter.com/Kt0DMIF9HL

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 14, 2026

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Mets
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

South Bend right-hander Brooks Caple was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.

The Cubs signed left-hander Ty Blach and right-hander Paul Campbell assigned both to Triple-A Iowa.

Catcher Casey Opitz was activated by Iowa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs sunk the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 8-1.

Connor Noland gave up a run in the first base on a disengagement violation. Other than that, he was pretty strong. Noland gave up just one run on five hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked no one.

Corbin Martin tossed one scoreless inning, Yacksel Ríos threw two and Zac Leigh tossed a scoreless ninth to close out the game.

Center fielder Kevin Alcántara hit two home runs tonight. The first one came in the third inning with the bases empty. The second one was a three-run blast in the fifth. It was The Jaguar’s sixth and seventh home runs on the season. He went 2 for 5.

Third baseman Pedro Ramirez was 2 for 5 with a double and a two-run single in the fifth. He scored on Alcántara’s second home run.

One paw up for Alcántara. This one went 405 feet.

Kevin Alcántara has hit another home run. What else is new? pic.twitter.com/stsaWc57NI

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 14, 2026

The Jaguar’s second home run went 387 feet.

MAKE IT A MULTI HOME RUN GAME FOR KEVIN ALCANTARA! HIS THREE-RUN BLAST MAKES IT 8-1 IOWA IN THE FIFTH! ☄️ pic.twitter.com/MCOGVqdAM2

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 14, 2026

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were pulled into the water by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 5-1.

Tyler Schlaffer started and took the loss. Schlaffer gave up four runs on two hits over just two innings. Both hits were home runs—a three-run blast in the first and a solo shot in the second. Schlaffer walked three and struck out two.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu went 2 for 3 with an RBI single. He also stole two bases.

Knoxville had just four hits, all singles, in this game.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs speared the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 5-1.

Brooks Caple picked up right where he left off as Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. Tonight he surrendered just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out nine and walked no one.

Here are the nine strikeouts.

Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for a reason.

Brooks Caple struck out 9⃣ tonight!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/joHKd9dJsC

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 15, 2026

Alfredo Romero did not allow a run or a hit over the final three innings to pick up the save. Romero did walk two while striking out three.

Catcher Owen Ayers continues to rip the cover off the ball on this young season. Tonight Ayers was 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Ayers scored twice.

Right fielder Kade Snell was 2 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. He scored once.

Center fielder Kane Kepley went o for 1 with two walks and was hit by a pitch.

Shortstop Christian Olivo was 2 for 4.

Ayers’ first home run of the year.

Take a ride with Air Ayers. ✈️

Owen Ayers' first @hoosierlottery home run at Four Winds Field!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/prKBkIYRR8

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 14, 2026

Snell scored a run the hard way.

Some gritty ball from Kade Snell to pad the lead!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/gmJNPTeN3p

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 15, 2026

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans defused the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox), 4-0.

Starter Hayden Frank threw four innings and surrendered two hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Mason McGwire threw the middle three innings and got the win because Frank didn’t go five. McGwire had a terrific outing, giving up just one hit. McGwire struck out five and walked no one.

Jordan Henriquez pitched the final two innings in a non-save situation. He allowed three hits. Henriquez struck out three and walked no one.

First baseman Cole Mathis connected on a three-run home run in the third inning. It was his fourth of the season already. Mathis went 1 for 4.

Shortstop Ty Southisene was 2 for 4 with one run scored.

Catcher Logan Poteet was 2 for 4.

DH Jose Escobar was 2 for 3 with a walk.

The Mathis home run.

MATHIS MASH !!! pic.twitter.com/ok4rLVyfeL

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 15, 2026

Well, it was bound to happen. Trevor Rogers was bound to have a bad night. Unfortunately, it happened in a game where the Orioles’ offense was unable to make the most of its opportunities. It was really only one bad inning of pitching. But it was too much for the Orioles to overcome, leading to a 4-3 loss.

The Orioles took an early lead off of starter Merrill Kelly. Kelly was making his season debut and was far from perfect. He walked four, for one thing. The Orioles left runs on the table against him, which is frustrating to watch on any night. But on this night, when Rogers could have used a pick-me-up from his offense, it was especially glaring.

The prettiest hit of the day came off the bat of Samuel Basallo to lead off the second inning. He absolutely crushed a fastball. It left his bat at 109.2 mph and landed 431 feet away in the Eutaw Street seats. It felt like a good omen at the time. It was not.

In the third, the Orioles had the chance at a big inning but could not make it happen. After Taylor Ward singled with one out, Pete Alonso and Basallo walked to load the bases. Kelly was struggling with control. All Dylan Beavers had to do was keep the bat on his shoulder and he would have walked with the bases loaded. Instead, he chased three pitches in the dirt for a strikeout.

Leody Taveras was watching, however, and learned what to do. He took a four-pitch walk. Ward scored the second run. Colton Cowser got a fastball down Broadway for his first pitch, and he let it rip. He smoked it at 105 mph, but it was caught in centerfield for the last out. It was a good pitch to hit and Cowser got a good swing on it, but it was also frustrating when Kelly was having such a hard time finding the plate.

Kelly was in trouble again in the fourth inning, but again the O’s offense bailed him out. Jeremiah Jackson led off with a double and Blaze Alexander…bunted? Why? Jackson was already in scoring position. It was the fourth inning. But that’s what he did. Jackson got to third base with Gunnar Henderson coming up and then Jackson GOT HIMSELF PICKED OFF for the second out. Just terrible decisions all around. Henderson struck out to end the inning.

Though Rogers got through the first four innings without allowing a run, he did run into some trouble in each frame. It wasn’t all his fault. The defense left something to be desired, even if no errors were called. In the fifth inning, he was unable to escape again.

James McCann singled to start the inning and Jorge Barrosa walked. Ildemaro Vargas, who replaced Ketel Marte in the lineup not long before the first pitch, got his chance. He made the most of it. His three-run homer put the Diamondbacks up, 3-2. But that wasn’t the last of it. Geraldo Perdomo singled and stole second base, then came in to score on a double by Jose Fernandez. That was it for Rogers. His final pitching line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR. He threw two wild pitches.

One thing that went right on this night was the bullpen. Craig Albernaz turned to Rico Garcia after Rogers, which I really liked. There was a runner on second and the need to keep the game from getting out of hand, so Alby went to the high-leverage guy who normally comes in late.

Garcia got that last out of the fifth, then pitched a perfect sixth. Grant Wolfram followed with a perfect 1.1 innings. Yennier Cano replaced Wolfram and retired all three batters he faced. Together, the three pitches struck out seven batters in 3.2 innings. Is this bullpen actually good?

The offense made some noise in the bottom of the inning but once again were unable to capitalize. Pete Alonso started a one-out rally by challenging a called strike three. He was correct; it was ball four. Basallo followed with a single. Beavers had another chance, but grounded out. Taveras came through again, this time with an RBI single to cut the deficit to one.

Colton Cowser walked to load the bases for Jackson, but he did not have another grand slam in him. He grounded out to end the rally.

With one out in the top of the ninth, Albernaz made the puzzling choice to go to Nick Raquet. Raquet allowed two baserunners but was bailed out on a sliding catch by Cowser to end the inning. It could have been a lot worse. I would like to request that this guy not pitch in high-leverage situations for awhile.

Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald came in for the ninth and made short work of Alexander, Henderson, and Ward. Thus the Orioles lost what felt like a winnable game, even with Trevor Rogers having an off night.

The Diamondbacks evened the series at a game apiece with a win over the Baltimore Orioles tonight. The victory was powered by a strong 2026 debut from Merrill Kelly and timely offensive contributions from the team’s hottest hitters, Ildemaro Vargas and Jose Fernandez.

Merrill Kelly’s return was a welcome sight after the D-backs brought him back this offseason. His season debut was delayed a couple of turns through the rotation due to a nerve issue that surfaced early in spring training, so it was great to see him back on the mound. Kelly delivered a solid outing, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs. He did struggle with control at times, issuing four walks—including a bases-loaded free pass—which was uncharacteristic for the veteran right-hander. Still, he threw 86 pitches, kept the D-backs in the game, and picked up the win in what was overall a very encouraging performance.

Ildemaro Vargas continued his torrid start to the season, delivering a big three-run homer in the fifth inning. According to the D-backs TV broadcast, Vargas set a franchise record by recording hits in his first 11 games to open the season. It’s worth noting that he was a late addition to the leadoff spot and second base after Ketel Marte was scratched pregame with back tightness. Jose Fernandez kept up his own impressive start, collecting two hits—including a rocket of an RBI double to dead center that missed a home run by just two feet. The ball came off the bat at 102.8 mph and traveled 399 feet. What a dynamic duo these two have been early on!

Geraldo Perdomo showed signs of life at the plate with three hits, but he committed a costly error in the bottom of the eighth. He dropped the ball on the transfer, which would have been an inning-ending double play. That miscue allowed the Orioles to push across a run a couple of batters later and forced Juan Morillo to throw more pitches than ideal. It was the kind of fundamental mistake that runs counter to the brand of baseball manager Torey Lovullo has been emphasizing this season. The error nearly cost the D-backs the game, but Ryan Thompson came in and calmly escaped a bases-loaded jam on just one pitch.

Paul Sewald then closed it out for the save. At this point in the season, it’s remarkable to note that Sewald is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities and leads all of Major League Baseball in saves. With how many one-run games the D-backs have played early on, it’s hard to imagine where the team would be without him.

Tonight was a good one for D-backs fans—especially with Kelly’s return and bouncing back from yesterday’s heartbreaker to even the series. Arizona will look to clinch its third straight series victory tomorrow afternoon, with Eduardo Rodriguez toeing the rubber. Giddy up!

LOS ANGELES — Technically, Wednesday’s series finale against the New York Mets is the first day Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is eligible to return from the injured list. But he won’t be returning any time soon from his oblique strain, taking a more deliberate approach in his rehab.

“He’s moving well. I see him throwing, stretching out a little bit. I’m not sure when he’s going to start swinging the bat,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “But in talking to him, he doesn’t feel any symptoms.”

Betts injured the oblique during the Dodgers’ game on April 4 in Washington D.C., likely while running the bases in the first inning. On Tuesday, Betts told David Vassegh of Dodger Talk that the oblique strain doesn’t bother him with everyday activities, but he feels it while doing sport-specific exercises.

“It’s not that it hurts. It’s just you feel it and — you don’t want to feel it, because the more that you feel it, that means it’s still healing, and any quick movements from there could just re-injure it,” Betts said. “Then we’re in a much worse spot.”

Betts was on the field at Dodger Stadium before Tuesday’s game, throwing and going through various pregame activities. He’s done rotational work while in the weight room, but hasn’t yet swung a bat.

“I’m able to throw. Running, I feel it, but it’s not that bad. I haven’t started hitting yet, but we’re doing med ball throws,” Betts told Vassegh. “We want to get fully comfortable with throwing the med ball, and not having really any hesitation with that before we start swinging, just because I don’t want to start developing bad habits because I’m scared to swing.”

Because Betts hasn’t yet started swinging a bit, there’s no specific timetable yet for his return, nor when he might start a minor league rehab assignment, if he even plays in the minors at all before returning. Betts didn’t play in any rehab games after missing 11 weeks with a broken hand in 2024, for instance.

“We don’t really know how long he’s going to be out for, but I do know there are sim-game opportunities, and he’s not one who loves going on a rehab assignment,” Roberts said. “So we’ll put a pin in that one.”

Betts missed 15 days on the injured list in 2018 with an oblique injury while with the Boston Red Sox. But now, at age 33 instead of 25, Betts and the Dodgers are taking the older, wiser approach.

“I think the oblique is something that is good until it’s not,” Roberts said. “You want to make sure that you’re really mindful of the process to get back and build up.”

“Things are going great,” Betts told Vassegh. “It’s just an oblique and things are going to take time.”

It’s rainy and gray in Seattle but the Mariners are enjoying sunny skies in San Diego for the next three games. After mopping up the Astros this weekend in a weird wraparound series, the Mariners will hope to keep their offensive improvements going against a San Diego team that isn’t quite as battered as the Astros.

Lineups:

Look at the Padres social team trolling Mariners fans with our old first baseman:

Roster updates:

Rob Refsnyder is headed to the paternity list; Patrick Wisdom is up from Tacoma to fill in. Find out more here.

Mariners roster news: Rob Refsnyder to paternity list, Patrick Wisdom selected

For the Padres, they announced pregame they have placed RHP Nick Pivetta on the IL with right elbow inflammation and recalled RHP Alek Jacob.

Game information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: Mariners.TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

As a reminder, we’ll be watching Thursday’s game at the Rebel in Wallingford – come through if you can! 21+, food and drink specials, and prizes.

If you’re looking for MiLB games to watch tonight, the Rainiers game has been postponed because of rain; it will be made up as a doubleheader on Thursday the 16th.

In what is becoming a theme in this short season, the Kansas City offense no-showed and the bullpen again blew a slim lead as the Tigers beat the Royals 2-1 in Detroit. 

Until the late innings, the first inning and half contained all the action, and it started very quickly. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Kevin McGonigle poked a fly ball to left field. As Isaac Collins tracked the ball, it drifted foul, into the seats just around a sneaky corner. Collins didn’t see the seats coming and went head over heels.

Status alert: Isaac Collins leaves game Tuesday.pic.twitter.com/deS4UKuqtU

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 14, 2026

Collins did not come down with the ball, and to make batters worse he banged up his knee in the process. Tyler Tolbert came in to replace him, and Cole Ragans even walked McGonigle with the next pitch. It was not a good few minutes, but fortunately the Royals escaped without the Tigers doing any damage. 

In the second inning, the Royals got some good fortune. Salvador Perez blooped a bouncing single through the right side of the infield, and Tigers starter Framber Valdez mishandled a Vinnie Pasquantino dribbler and barely got Salvy out at second base. Starling Marte singled on a grounder up the middle and Jonathan India walked to load the bases. Carter Jensen–or should I say Young Carter, Eric Hosmer’s nickname for him–made weak contact. But the weak contact prevented a double play and resulted in one (1) run.

Anytime I watch Valdez, I just wonder how anyone scores off him. For his career, Valdez has struck out batters at a healthy 23.4% clip, and when he does allow contact, he induces ground balls 60% of the time. It’s infuriating to watch; when he’s on, like he was tonight, he looks unstoppable. He threw strikes. He got an endless supply of ground balls. Kansas City’s offense was absolutely and completely overwhelmed, in other words. 

Fortunately for the Royals, Cole Ragans was very good. Ragans wasn’t quite at his occasional “world-destroying monster” level, and he only had one strikeout against four walks (two leadoff). But Ragans had the Tigers constantly guessing, and Detroit only managed a single hit against the imposing lefty across six innings in part thanks to some solid defense, like this over-the-shoulder catch from Bobby Witt Jr. 

There aren't many players that can cover ground like Bobby Witt Jr.

This play is a prime example. #Royalspic.twitter.com/5fN7c9uEUS

— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) April 14, 2026

Ragans left with a 1-0 lead. But with such a slim margin for error and Kansas City’s, shall we say, suspect bullpen, Royals fans could smell what was inevitable to happen next. It seemed like that would be immediate, as Matt Strahm stepped into the seventh inning and surrendered a leadoff single to Dillon Dingler and walked Spencer Torkelson a few batters later. 

But while Strahm got out of it, that feared result happened in the eighth. Nick Mears also started off the eighth inning by surrendering a leadoff hit–but this one was of the extra base variety, a Zach McKinstry double. A Gleyber Torres groundout moved McKinstry to third base, and Mears uncorked a wild pitch to allow McKinstry to score. After a McGonigle walk, Dingler doubled to third base on a ball that Maikel Garcia probably should have gotten. It allowed McGonigle to score from first. 

The Royals made it interesting in the ninth inning, with Lane Thomas singling off Kenley Jansen and stealing second base to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. But Jansen overpowered Salvy and Vinnie to get meek back-to-back ground outs, and Marte popped up to center field on what should have been a walk–but Marte didn’t challenge a clear miscall by the ump even though the Royals had both challenges and were about to lose the game.  

Kansas City is now 7-10, and 17 games into the season you and I have combined for as many home runs as Witt, Pasquantino, and Caglianone have, so that’s fun. Should the Chicago White Sox win later tonight, the Royals will be back to their comfortable resting ground of last place (or tied for it, as it were).

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Luis Robert – CF
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Bo Bichette – 3B
5. Francisco Alvarez – C
6. Brett Baty – RF
7. Mark Vientos – 1B
8. Marcus Semien – 2B
9. Carson Benge – LF

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Dodgers lineup

1. Shohei Ohtani – DH
2. Kyle Tucker – RF
3. Will Smith – C
4. Freddie Freeman – 1B
5. Teoscar Hernandez – LF
6. Max Muncy – 3B
7. Andy Pages – CF
8. Hyeseong Kim – SS
9. Alex Freeland – 2B

SP: Y. Yamamoto – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 10:10pm EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The San Diego Padres officially announced that starter Nick Pivetta, who suffered an injury while pitching on Sunday, is being placed on the 15-day injured list. It will be retroactive to April 13. The diagnosis is right elbow inflammation. Pivetta was in the fourth inning of a perfect start against the Colorado Rockies when his velocity dropped and manager Craig Stammen walked out and took the ball.

Starter Matt Waldron and reliever Alek Jacob have been brought up from Triple-A El Paso with Waldron saying (per Padres media) that he will be starting on Friday in Anaheim against the Angels. Waldron has had starts for the Chihuahuas with 12 innings pitched and has allowed seven hits and no runs with 12 strikeouts.

His last start was April 9, going five innings with two hits and no runs with three strikeouts. Friday would normally be the spot for Germán Márquez, following Walker Buehler on Thursday, but the starting pitchers past today’s game against the Mariners have not been announced by the Padres.

Jacob can be activated and used out of the bullpen until Waldron is needed to start. That would give the bullpen a fresher arm to relieve some stress on the current pitchers. Jacob last pitched 1.2 innings on Sunday for El Paso. He has pitched 7.1 innings over five games with a 0.00 ERA. He has six strikeouts and three walks.

Pivetta was placed on the injured list by the Boston Red Sox, his team in 2024, with a right elbow flexor strain and he was activated after a month on the IL. He also experienced what was described as arm fatigue during Spring Training this year and was shut down for a start before resuming his build up.

There was no announcement regarding elbow imaging done or if that is in the plan for Pivetta.