Leading off while New York (9-16) was without the injured Francisco Lindor, Bichette's 3-for-5 evening at Citi Field featured a three-run double with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning.
"It's a good moment," Bichette said. "Great thing about baseball is you've got to show up and do it again tomorrow. So, looking forward to that."
The Mets ended up needing every last one of the three runs that Bichette drove in, surviving Minnesota (12-13) after the Twins scored a run in the ninth inning and brought the tying run to the plate.
"Huge," said Carlos Mendoza. "I think he's been looking for that moment, especially here at home -- or any ballpark, but I think meaningful to do it here in front of our fan base. I think I'm going to go back to that first opening weekend when he wanted it so bad. And then for him, after we lost the lead in the eighth, the way we did it, and just punch right back -- it was just good to see it."
Bichette overcame two strikeouts while adding a single in the first and fourth innings.
"I think the desire to help a new team and the desire to just perform at the level you know can perform at," said Bichette, who is slashing .277/.310/.373 with one home run and nine RBI through 83 at-bats in April. "So, I don't know if any of that was weighing on me. But I definitely still need to get better, but make adjustments and get to the player that I need to be at."
Bichette and the Mets, on the heels of this month's 12-game skid, seek their third straight win Friday when they start a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field.
"Winning games in the big leagues is really hard," Bichette said. "I think good teams fight, no matter the ebbs and flows of the game, and it was really exciting to see tonight from us."
May 13, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; A Yorkie named Prince is dressed up in Texas Rangers attire for Bark at the Park night before the game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Pittsburgh Pirates scored one run.
That’s more like it. After a few annoying losses here and there over the last couple of weeks, the Rangers came out tonight and did pretty much everything right as they finished off a series win over Pittsburgh in the first leg of the current homestand.
The Rangers had Jacob deGrom on the mound at The Shed and that usually works out pretty well.
Indeed, tonight was vintage deGrom as he allowed a single run on five hits and a walk with ten strikeouts in 5.2 innings of easy breezy dominance.
Meanwhile Evan Carter continued to make enemies of Pittsburgh with a two-run inside the park home run that gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Josh Jung keeps contributing as he kept his average back above .300 with a hit while also making a diving stop and throw to prevent the Pirates from converting on a bases loaded rally and keeping a final run off deGrom’s ledger.
Perhaps best of all there was Corey Seager demolishing one for a back-breaking three-run shot to finish off a four-run fourth inning during a two-hit night that hopefully catapults him out of an early slump.
The bullpen managed 3.1 more innings of scoreless ball, including a 10-pitch scoreless ninth from newest reliever Peyton Gray in his MLB debut.
The win also allows the Rangers to climb back above .500 and avoid slipping below the mark once again.
Player of the Game: I just can’t choose. My steak is too juicy, my lobster too buttery.
Up Next: The Rangers will don their new red TEJAS City Connect uniforms for the first time as they welcome the unhoused Athletics to Arlington for a three-game set. RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for Texas opposite RHP Luis Severino in a rematch of the series opener from West Sacramento from about ten days ago.
The Friday night first pitch in the series opener from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be telecast over-the-air via CW33.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) celebrates after hitting a three-run double during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It wasn’t pretty, but the Mets managed to win another game, topping the Twins in their series finale 10-8. Christian Scott was poor and the bullpen coughed a lead up late, but the Mets offense – largely dormant for the past three weeks – finally woke up and scored enough to cover for the poor night on the mound.
The aforementioned Scott got the start, making his 2026 debut and his first major league appearance since July of 2024. He struck out the first batter he faced, then managed to walk four of the next five batters, forcing in a run. It didn’t get much better in the second either; a walk, a balk, and a hit batter ended his night after only 1.1 innings.
Against Joe Ryan, one of the more underrated starters in the game, you’d likely expect that to be the end of it with the way things have been going for the Mets. But no, tonight was different. Brett Baty got Ryan for a three-run home run in the bottom of the first, his first homer of the year. A couple of doubles led to another run in the bottom of the second, and two more came home after a passed ball on a strikeout extended the inning. The Twins got one run back in the fourth, but the Mets immediately responded with a solo shot from Carson Benge, giving them a 7-2 lead after four.
Nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets though. Tristan Gray homered off of David Peterson out of the bullpen in the sixth, making it 7-3. Then, the real disaster in the eighth. Craig Kimbrel entered and had nothing, loading the bases with two outs. Huascar Brazoban, Carlos Mendoza’s security blanket, was brought in to put out the fire. Instead, he surrendered a game-tying grand slam to Ryan Jeffers. Yup.
If anything, it’s fitting that the Mets were burned for making what was clearly the wrong transaction prior to the game. Yes, Craig Kimbrel is a future hall of famer. Yes, he has a shiny ERA so far as a Met. No, he is not currently a better pitcher than Austin Warren, and that’s immediately obvious to anyone who can visually or statically evaluate a pitcher. Optioning the superior arm in deference to a veteran who doesn’t have it anymore is simply bad process.
Mercifully (for us at least), this game didn’t go like so many others in this streak. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, bringing Bo Bichette to the plate. Bichette entered the game with a .220/.255/.390 line and the worst strikeout rate since his rookie season. He finally came through though, launching a ball that missed being a grand slam of his own by inches and which gave the Mets a 10-7 lead.
But again, nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets. Huascar Brazoban ran back out to the mound for the ninth, only he wasn’t meant to; Devin Williams was supposed to come in. But because Brazoban crossed the foul line, he needed to face at least one batter. (This whole incident is a huge indictment of the manager, as if we’ve not had enough of those recently.)
That’s okay though, Brazoban got the first out and Williams entered, and even struck out the first batter he faced. Then he allowed a single. Then another single. Then a double. Suddenly, the tying run was in scoring position, and it sure felt like yet another disaster was pending. But no, Williams bounced back to strike out Trevor Larnach and finally close out the 10-8 win.
The Mets are now 9-16 and perhaps are back on track, though losing Francisco Lindor earlier in the day for an extended period is not going to help (Ronny Mauricio did not look good at short today). They’ll start a 3-game series with the Rockies tomorrow with Freddy Peralta squaring off against Michael Lorenzen.
Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +44% WPA Big Mets loser: Huascar Brazoban, -32% WPA Mets pitchers: -29% WPA Mets hitters: +79% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette hits a three-run double in the eighth, +34.2% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Ryan Jeffers hits a grand slam in the eighth, -36.5% WPA
Bo Bichette, brought to New York in part because of his clutch hitting expertise, delivered in an enormous spot Thursday night at Citi Field. He smacked a three-run double in the eighth inning after the Mets had squandered a huge lead.
Bichette’s hit lifted the Mets to a wild 10-8 victory over Minnesota in their first game without the injured Francisco Lindor. The Mets had built early advantages of 6-1 and 7-2 before the Twins rallied for a 7-7 tie in the top of the eighth.
The Mets, who ended a 12-game losing streak on Wednesday, now have a modest winning streak -- two in a row. The Mets (9-16) took two-of-three from Minnesota, giving them their third series win of the season.
Here are the main takeaways:
-Christian Scott started for the Mets, his first outing in the majors since 2024 elbow surgery. The good part? He didn’t give up a hit. That’s it, though. The righty was wilder than he’s ever been in the majors -- was he too amped for his return? -- and did not make it out of the second inning, even with the Mets ahead at the time.
Scott delivered just 1.1 innings and allowed one run, forcing in a run with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. Scott, who had not walked more than two hitters in any of his first nine starts in the majors, faced 10 batters Thursday and walked five. He also hit a batter and balked. In the first inning, he threw 33 pitches alone and only 13 were strikes. He had three straight walks in the frame and fell behind, 3-0, to the final batter of the inning before getting to 3-2 and inducing a fly ball. Scott walked Brooks Lee on four pitches to start the second inning and, one out later, balked him over and then plunked Byron Buxton, which ended the night for Scott. Overall, Scott threw 43 pitches and only 18 were strikes.
-Tobias Myers relieved Scott and threw 2.1 innings, allowing only an unearned run, which scored after Ronny Mauricio -- Lindor’s replacement at shortstop -- bungled a grounder in the fourth. Myers struck out three and walked none. David Peterson cleaned up the fourth and then had a five-pitch fifth inning, helped by a nice 1-4-3 double play. In all, Peterson threw 3.1 innings of relief and allowed one run and four hits while striking out two and walking one. The lone run Peterson gave up came on a solo home run by Tristan Gray.
-Things went sideways for the Mets in the eighth inning, even though they were up, 7-3. Craig Kimbrel got two outs in the frame, but also allowed two hits and a walk, which brought the tying run to the plate. The Mets brought in Huascar Brazobán to face Ryan Jeffers and Jeffers hammered a grand slam to left field, knotting the score at 7-7. Entering the appearance, Brazobán had not allowed a single run in 10.2 innings of work this season. Three of the runs that scored on Jeffers’ blow were charged to Kimbrel and one to Brazobán.
-There was an odd moment in the ninth. Between innings, Devin Williams started coming in from the bullpen, but Brazobán emerged from the dugout and headed toward the mound, a moment of Met confusion. Because Brazobán crossed the foul line, he had to at least face the first batter of the inning. He got the first out and then Williams came in.
-When Williams arrived, his recent troubles continued. He got one out, but then gave up three consecutive hits. That brought in one run and trimmed the Mets' lead to 10-8 and meant that Williams had to face Trevor Larnach with the tying runs in scoring position. Ultimately, though, Williams struck out Larnach swinging on an “airbender” changeup to end the game.
-The Mets entered the game with the worst offense in the majors by runs per game, averaging only 3.25. Brett Baty got nearly that many with one cut against Minnesota ace Joe Ryan with a three-run homer in the first inning and several other Mets contributed important hits, too. Baty’s homer was huge, considering the Twins had jumped to a 1-0 lead on Scott’s wildness. The blow was Baty’s first homer of the season and came on the first pitch he saw. It was measured at 414 feet and clocked at 107.1 miles per hour off the bat. It was Baty’s first extra-base hit since April 8.
Carson Benge smashed his second homer of the season, a 105.7-mph scorcher to right, and added his second double, too. The homer was Benge’s first since Opening Day. Luis Robert hammered an RBI double in the second. Marcus Semien had two hits, including a double. Juan Soto, playing in his second game back from a calf injury, was 0-for-3 but walked twice. The Mets were 5-for-13 overall with runners in scoring position.
MVP of the game
Bichette, obviously. He took a .325 career average with runners in scoring position into the game, but had been hitting only .174 in such situations as a Met. His bases-clearing double off Anthony Banda, which struck the wall in left-center, was his third hit of the night and one of the biggest hits of the season for the Mets, snapping a 7-7 tie. Bichette celebrated with several cathartic fist pumps after reaching second.
Smokies outfielder Andy Garriola (22) runs to first base during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and the Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 21, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jordan Wicks went 2.2 innings in a rehab assignment and gave up no runs. He did allow five hits, all singles, and walked one. Wicks struck out two. He threw 43 pitches, of which 26 were strikes.
Ty Blach pitched the next 5.1 innings and got the loss after giving up an RBI double to Francisco Urbaez in the fifth inning. Blach gave up five hits in addition to the one run. He walked one and struck out one.
Iowa had just three hits today. Second baseman Pedro Ramírez was 1 for 3 with a walk. Right fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with a walk.
Grant Kipp has been on a roll to start the year, but today he got tagged for the loss after giving up five runs on six hits over five innings. Three of those runs came on a three-run home run in the second inning. Kipp struck out seven and walked four.
Frankie Scalzo Jr. tossed two scoreless innings in his season debut. Scalzo allowed two hits and issued two walks while striking out two.
DH Andy Garriola was most of the Smokies offense as he smacked two home runs tonight. The first one came with the bases empty in the third inning and the second one was with a man on in the fifth. Garriola went 2 for 3 with a walk.
Cole Reynolds started for South Bend and was a little wild. He allowed two runs on just two hits over 3.2 innings, but he walked five and struck out six. He also hit two batters.
The win went to Nate Williams, who relieved Reynolds in the fourth inning and was promptly greeted with a three-run home run. But he settled down after that and allowed just one run (of his own) on one hit over 1.1 innings. He struck out three and walked one.
JP Wheat was also wild in relief. He faced five batters in the fifth inning and retired just one of them, but got out of the inning because of a pitch that got away that ended up throwing out the batter trying to score from third; and then he induced a 4-6-3 double play. Wheat threw two innings and allowed one run on two hits, five walks and two wild pitches. He struck out one. But hey, he was sitting 100 to 101 on the radar gun.
Third baseman Matt Halbach had a triple-double tonight in that he doubled three times. Halbach was 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Right fielder Kade Snell hit his first professional home run in the top of the ninth inning with the bases empty. Snell was 1 for 3 with a walk.
First baseman Cameron Sisneros was 2 for 5 with a double. He also scored twice and drove in two.
Left fielder Reginald Preciado went 2 for 4 with a walk and a double.
Here are back-to-back doubles by Halbach and Sisneros and an RBI single by Drew Bowser.
Pelicans starter Kevin Camacho was activated off the injured list and didn’t make it out of the first inning in his season debut. Camacho allowed four runs on one hit and four walks over two-thirds of an inning. An error by catcher Jairo Diaz meant that only one of the four runs was earned. Camacho struck out one.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 3 with a triple and a run scored.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Minnesota Twins pinch hitter Ryan Jeffers (27) hits a grand slam home run during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
There were Twins littered on the bases all night, but as has been the case this series, they just couldn’t seem to find the one key hit to put up a crooked number. Until Ryan Jeffers came up with the bases juiced. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Making his first start after two years away recovering from a torn UCL, Mets SP Christian Scott had no feel for any of his pitches. Scott walked four Twins in the first frame, including Austin Martin which drove in the opening run of the game, but Minnesota couldn’t find the hit they needed to knock out New York’s starter. A walk, a balk, and a HBP to start the second inning ultimately did in Scott without allowing a hit.
Also unfortunate: Joe Ryan. The Twins’ ace did not have his best stuff tonight, repeatedly leaving pitches down the middle of the plate. Three of the first four players he faced reached base, highlighted (or lowlighted, in our case) by Brett Baty’s three-run blast to put the Mets right back on top.
Ryan did allow three more runs in the second inning, but all of those were unearned after a dropped strike three from Ryan Jeffers prolonged the inning. A solo homer from rookie outfielder Carson Benge was the final run added to Ryan’s tally, but he was clearly fighting it all night.
Despite all the aforementioned baserunners, the Twins were only able to scrape across two runs in the middle innings while rookie pitcher Andrew Morris pitched a couple scoreless frames to keep Minnesota in striking distance. And boy, did Ryan Jeffers strike it well. Bases juiced, two outs, tying run at the plate. Take it away, Cory Provus.
Game tied at 7, Morris came back out after retiring six straight Mets, but like in his previous outing, was just left out there one inning too many. New York went single, sac bunt, single, to put runners at the corners with one out. A short fly from Ronny Mauricio kept the score tied with two outs, but manager Derek Shelton turned to Anthony Banda to get the final out of the frame.
And Banda, it should be noted, is bad. He walked pinch hitter Tommy Pham, who hasn’t been a good hitter in half a decade. Then the Mets got some heroics of their own with big offseason acquisition Bo Bichette delivering a bases-clearing, three run double to suck the remaining life out of the Twins.
Down to their final strike in three separate ABs, Brooks Lee, Tristan Gray, and Byron Buxton all delivered two-out hits in the 9th to put Buxton on second as the tying run, but closer Devin Williams got Trevor Larnach swinging to secure the Mets’ second win in the past two weeks.
The bullpen is the biggest weakness on this team and it has shown for the past week, blowing late leads in four of the last five ballgames. There are potential reinforcements on the way with Kody Funderburk returning from paternity leave. Additionally, Travis Adams and David Festa are beginning rehab assignments, but neither of those pitchers is a proven relief option despite some internal optimism within the organization. If the Twins can hover around .500 until the trade deadline, there will be plenty of options to find relief help then, but we have a long way to go until July.
STUDS
Austin Martin: 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Brooks Lee: 3-4, 3 R, 1 BB
Tristan Gray: 2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
Ryan Jeffers: GRAND SALAMI
DUDS
Joe Ryan: 5 IP, 7 H, 7 R (4 earned), 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Andrew Morris in his third inning (the first 2 were very good!)
Anthony Banda: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, allowed three game-winning runs to score
Mar 4, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Seth Halvorsen (54) throws against the United States in the second inning at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The Rockies have some potential pitching scenarios on the horizon that may force some interesting decisions.
First, there’s Ryan Feltner. The righty left Thursday’s game with right triceps tightness after only two innings of work. He gave up two runs on two hits with one strikeout and one walk on 40 pitches. After the game, Feltner admitted it wasn’t a new problem.
“We have been working on it in the training room for the past few days. It just got a little more tight than we would have liked in the second inning there, so we took precaution,” Feltner said. “It felt good in the bullpen and it felt good in the first inning. It was just more of a general tightness in the second inning.”
On the bright side, Feltner seemed optimistic and said his goal is to still make his next start.
“Concern is relatively low, but there is no official prognosis right now,” Feltner said.
On the worrisome side, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer added a bit more concern than just the tightness, adding there was “some nerve stuff going down to his fingers. We’ll see on the follow-up.”
If Feltner’s injury ends up sidelining him for a while, what should the Rockies do with their rotation?
Keep in mind that Kyle Freeland is eligible to come off the IL on April 28.
In the bullpen, there is Seth Halvorsen. The right-hander was called up on Thursday and made his 2026 debut by throwing one scoreless inning with no hits, two strikeouts and one walk.
A roster spot was opened up for Halvorsen when Jimmy Herget was placed on the paternity list. Halvorsen has been crushing it in Triple-A, where he has posted a 1.80 ERA with two saves, 12 strikeouts and five walks in nine appearances (10 innings).
What if Halvorsen continues to dominate and makes a strong case to stay in the Colorado bullpen? Who gets sent down when Herget comes back?
Tell us what you think of these scenarios in the comments!
Sep 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off a tough walkoff loss to the Tigers in a Thursday afternoon rubber match, are headed back to Milwaukee for another homestand. They’ll welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games beginning Friday night, their first series against an NL Central opponent this season.
In baseball’s deepest division to this point, the Brewers sit in last place at 13-11. The Pirates are right in the middle of the pack at 14-10, 1.5 games behind the Cubs and Reds, who are tied at the top. Pittsburgh has split the first two games of their current series with the Rangers, and they’re playing the series finale in Texas tonight.
The Brewers remain without outfielders Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, first baseman Andrew Vaughn, right-handed starter Quinn Priester, and relievers Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig. Reliever Craig Yoho was reactivated earlier Thursday and was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Chourio, Priester, and Vaughn are all semi-close to returning, as Chourio and Vaughn have resumed activities and Priester began a rehab assignment this week. Yelich, Zastryzny, and Koenig all have expected returns in May.
Pittsburgh is without right-hander Jared Jones, who is out until May or June with a UCL sprain. Infielder Jared Triolo is the only other player on the injured list, with a return TBD as he resumed baseball activities this week.
After a hot start offensively, the Brewers have cooled off considerably over the last few weeks, though they did have a 12-run outburst in Detroit this week. Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez are tied for the team lead with five homers apiece, with Brice Turang right on their tails at four homers. Turang leads the team offensively, as he’s hitting .280/.412/.512 with 18 RBIs, 20 runs, and seven steals. William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell are the only other Brewers with an OPS over .700, as soft-hitting David Hamilton, Sal Frelick, Greg Jones, Brandon Lockridge, Luis Matos, Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo round out the roster (only Frelick has a homer). As a team, the Brewers are hitting .241/.342/.368 (.710 OPS ranks 15th), with 19 homers (tied for 25th), 124 runs (seventh), and 35 steals (first).
Oneil Cruz (eight HRs) and Brandon Lowe (seven HRs) lead a power-heavy, rebuilt Pittsburgh offense. Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna are the other major additions for the Pirates, with old friend Bryan Reynolds still in the fold. Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, Jake Mangum, Nick Yorke, and rookie Konnor Griffin round out the regulars, with Joey Bart and Billy Cook rounding things out. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .250/.334/.391 (.725 OPS ranks seventh), with 28 homers (tied for 10th), 123 runs (eighth), and 24 steals (seventh).
Grant Anderson and Aaron Ashby remain atop Milwaukee’s bullpen with 13 appearances each, with DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Angel Zerpa, and Trevor Megill also with 10-plus appearances. Jake Woodford and Carlos Rodriguez round out the ‘pen. Ashby (2.93 ERA, 24 Ks), Hall (2.31 ERA, 14 Ks), and Anderson (2.63 ERA, 11 Ks) have been the most successful of those arms. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.98 team ERA (13th), including a 3.65 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.36 bullpen ERA (17th). They rank 16th with 212 strikeouts over 212 1/3 innings.
Isaac Mattson and Gregory Soto lead the Pittsburgh bullpen with 13 outings each, with closer Dennis Santana right behind them at 12 appearances. Mason Montgomery, Justin Lawrence, Yohan Ramírez, Evan Sisk, and Wilber Dotel round out the active arms. Mattson has a 1.32 ERA and 10 strikeouts, Soto has a 2.13 ERA and 19 strikeouts, and Santana has a 0.75 ERA, nine strikeouts, and a pair of saves. Lawrence (6.55 ERA) and Montgomery (4.82 ERA) have both struggled, while the rest of the depth chart has held their own. As a staff, the Pirates have a 3.50 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.07 starter ERA (third) and a 3.65 bullpen ERA (10th). They rank fifth with 232 strikeouts over 226 1/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, April 24 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP)
Woodruff gets the ball in the series opener on Friday night in his fifth start of the season. Through four outings, Woodruff has spanned 23 2/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 20 strikeouts. He’s coming off arguably the best start by a Brewer this season, as he went seven innings with one run allowed on three hits and a walk, striking out four on 92 pitches. In 19 career appearances (17 starts) against Pittsburgh, Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 115 strikeouts over 97 1/3 innings. That includes a pair of starts last season, when he totaled 10 innings with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts.
The reigning NL Cy Young winner, Skenes is now in his third MLB season with the Pirates. He’s made five starts so far, with a 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP, a 3-1 record, and 23 strikeouts. Those numbers are deceiving, though, as five of the eight runs he’s allowed this season came in his first inning of work against the Mets on Opening Day — in four April starts, he has a 1.27 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. His last outing was just four innings, as he allowed no runs on three hits, striking out five on 64 pitches against the Rays (before a rain delay shortened his outing). In four career starts against Milwaukee (including three last season), Skenes has a 1-2 record, a 3.86 ERA, and 27 strikeouts over 21 innings.
Saturday, April 25 @ 6:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA, 3.63 FIP) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP)
Misiorowski has had a solid start to the season, but he doesn’t have much to show for it. He has a 1-2 record through five starts, but he’s leading the league with 42 strikeouts in just 26 2/3 innings. The issue for Miz to this point has been the big inning, which has plagued him in both of his losses this year. Last time out, he went five innings against the Marlins, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out nine. All three of those runs came in the first inning in a 5-3 loss. Miz made two starts against the Pirates last season (including a head-to-head battle with Skenes), totaling 12 innings with one run allowed and 16 strikeouts, picking up the win both times.
Keller, 30, is in his eighth MLB season, all with Pittsburgh. He’s never been “great,” with a 4.46 career ERA and 3.99 career FIP, but he’s been a constant in the Pirates’ rotation over the last four seasons, making at least 29 starts every year since 2022. Through five starts this season, he’s turned in the best numbers of his career, with a 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and 19 strikeouts over 29 innings. His last outing spanned seven innings against the Rays, as he allowed two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out five in a win. In 12 career starts against Milwaukee, Keller is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings.
Sunday, April 26 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.06 ERA, 4.27 FIP) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-1, 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP)
Harrison has made four starts this season but totaled only 17 2/3 innings, striking out 18 while sporting a 3.06 ERA and 4.27 FIP. His last start was his shortest of the year, as he went just three-plus innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks, striking out three on 72 pitches against the Tigers. He made one start against Pittsburgh while with the Giants back in 2024, going six scoreless innings (five hits, no walks) with seven strikeouts in a no-decision.
Mlodzinski, 27, is in his fourth MLB season with the Pirates, and he’s also having a solid start to the year. Through five appearances (four starts), he has a 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 26 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. His last outing was his worst of the season, though, as he allowed five runs on six hits and two walks, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings in his first and only loss of the year. Mlodzinski has made 12 career appearances (all in relief) against the Brewers, with a 2-1 record, a 3.52 ERA, and 13 strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, April 24: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, April 25: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, April 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
This is probably the best Pirates team we’ve seen in a while, but the Brewers haven’t lost a season series to them since 2018 (and they’ve won eight straight dating back to last June). I’ll take Milwaukee to win two of three this weekend.
BOSTON (AP) — Cam Schlittler limited the team he rooted for growing up to four hits over eight innings, and the New York Yankees rallied twice to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Thursday night for a three-game sweep and a season-high six-game winning streak.
With his family cheering on at Fenway Park, Schlittler (3-1) allowed two runs — one earned — while striking out five, walking one and lowering his ERA to 1.77.
It was the longest outing in 20 regular-season starts for the 25-year-old right-hander from Weymouth, who pitched eight shutout innings to beat the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in last year’s AL Wild Card Series.
David Bedner tossed a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances, dropping the last-place Red Sox (9-16) seven games back of New York with their fifth loss in six games. Boston scored three runs in the series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the score 1-1 for the AL-best Yankees (16-9) with a fifth-inning homer off rookie Payton Tolle. Chisholm’s first home run of the season was the shortest of his big league career, a 333-foot shot around the Pesky Pole in right.
Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double following shortstop José Caballero’s second-inning throwing error and Carlos Narváez’s fifth-inning homer twice provided leads for the Red Sox.
After New York loaded the bases in the seventh off Danny Coulombe (0-1) on three singles, Cody Bellinger put the Yankees ahead with a two-run single off former Yankee Greg Weissert for just his fifth hit in 31 at-bats as a pinch-hitter. The Yankees had not had a go-ahead pinch hit while trailing at Fenway since Elston Howard on April 23, 1967.
Aaron Judge followed with an RBI single.
Tolle, called up from Triple-A Worcester and making his first major league appearance this season, struck out a career-high 11 — including his first five batters. He allowed one run, three hits and one walk in six innings.
New York faced a left-handed starter for the fifth straight game for the first time since April 21-25, 2016.
The Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton struck out a season-high four times.
Boston’s Roman Anthony was sidelined for the second straight game with back tightness.
Up next
Yankees: RHP Will Warren (2-0, 2.49) starts Friday at Houston, which goes with RHP Lance McCullers (1-1, 6.20).
Red Sox: RHP Bryan Bello (1-2, 6.75) takes the mound Friday at Baltimore, which starts RHP Brandon Young (1-0, 0.00).
Apr 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) is congratulated after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
For six innings, it looked like the Yankees might have finally run out of timely hits in Boston. I will not lie and say I did not put my broom back in the closet. The missed opportunities felt all too similar to the frustrating Tampa series. They stranded runners, watched Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle pitch out of repeated trouble, and trailed entering the seventh inning.
Then the same formula that carried the first two games of the series showed up again: enough pitching and timely hitting. Cody Bellinger delivered the biggest swing off the bench, Aaron Judge added insurance, and the Yankees stormed back for a 4-2 win to complete their first three-game sweep at Fenway Park since September 2021.
Cam Schlittler was not overpowering in his homecoming start, but the Walpole native gave the Yankees exactly what they needed. Boston scratched across an early run on Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double in the second, and then former farmhand Carlos Narváez pushed the Red Sox back ahead with a solo homer in the fifth.
Schlittler limited the damage and kept the game close long enough for the lineup to respond. For a young starter pitching in front of family and friends near his hometown, it was another composed outing in an increasingly impressive opening month. Saying opening month for Schlittler almost feels ridiculous at this point, because he already carries himself like a four-year veteran.
The right-hander worked efficiently throughout the night, showing the poise that has quickly earned trust inside the Yankees’ clubhouse. He changed speeds, got ahead in counts, and never let the atmosphere or the moment speed him up. That type of maturity is difficult to fake, especially in Fenway Park against a rival.
The Yankees had chances well before their breakthrough. They loaded the bases in the fourth inning, only for Tolle to escape with strikeouts of Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham and a popup from Randal Grichuk. On another night, that sequence could have defined the game. However, these Yankees seem to be finding some swagger and confidence in each other.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the fifth inning by launching a solo homer to right field, tying the game at one and injecting life into an offense that had missed multiple earlier opportunities. The first home run of the year for Jazz snuck around the Pesky Pole and, perhaps, can jumpstart him back into his old pesky self.
The winning rally arrived in the seventh. Grisham singled and Chisholm followed with a base hit before José Caballero loaded the bases. After Austin Wells struck out, Aaron Boone called on Bellinger as a pinch-hitter. Belli delivered, ripping a two-run single to left that scored Grisham and Chisholm to put New York ahead 3-2.
Judge followed immediately with an RBI single to right that plated Caballero. A misplay in the outfield allowed Judge to take second, and just like that, a tense one-run deficit had become a two-run Yankees lead.
Boston threatened to respond in the bottom half, but Trevor Story bounced into a momentum-killing double play started by Caballero. Schlittler’s final line was outstanding: eight innings, one earned run, four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts — the first time the Yankees have had consecutive outings of at least eight frames since May 2022. He was not overpowering, but he once again looked in complete control and outdueled a young Boston lefty. At this point, Cam may not own the city of Boston, but he certainly lives there rent free.
Schlittler handed the ball over to closer David Bednar for the final frame. Bednar closed the door one, two, three. It earned Bednar his seventh save on the year and dropped his ERA down to 3.38.
A series sweep at Fenway is rare, but the Yankees leave Boston atop the American League East, carrying a six-game winning streak and plenty of momentum into their next test against the Astros. Friday night’s opener in Houston is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT, with Will Warren scheduled to face Lance McCullers Jr.
Apr 23, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) slides into San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) trying to make the double play with second baseman Luis Arraez (1) during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The series was already in hand. LA had just scored one run over the past 18 innings. Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak snapped. Aftershocks from Patrick Bailey’s game-winning, three-run shot on Wednesday night were still reverberating around Oracle. San Francisco’s previous wins gave them a commanding two game advantage over LA over 2,597 head-to-head match-ups. So yeah…there was a certain level of sympathy being felt amongst the orange-and-black community in Thursday’s finale. Pity is a good word too. It’d be impolite to not give your guests something for their troubles. LA fans had journeyed so far, trekking up the cement cow-chute of I-5 (savvier Californians prefer the free-flowing, lettuce chute of Highway 101) — and for what? Dalton Rushing content? For Shohei Ohtani to go hitless and not win as a pitcher in the same game? And isn’t it weird that he’s a two-way player once every six days and he gets all the attention, yet Luis Arraez scoops short hops at second and hits singles every damn day?
So a parting gift for our forlorn brothers and their clown prince, Tyler Glasnow. Ultimate goof, certified knucklehead — the Giants bats graciously blessed him. A 3-0 shutout for a 3-0 shutout. The cup of compassion overfloweth.
I jest, of course. Not about Glasnow being a knucklehead, he will always and forever be one thanks to this clip.
I jest about the Giants having any semblance of control over the outcome of Thursday’s game because hot dang Glasnow was dominant today. No generosity needed — he took everything that he wanted over 8 scoreless innings, while allowing just one single, striking out 9 and facing the minimum of 24 hitters. He racked up chase and whiffs and legless contact, stealing strikes with his fastball and spinning hitters with his curveball, working them north, south, and right down the equator. He gave hitters a ladder for them to climb, and they asked “How high?” He threw shovels at them and told them to dig.
Believe it or not, this was Glasnow toning down his breaking ball usage. The “off-script” approach might help explain some of his effectiveness. His sinker usage over his previous starts sat at 18%, he bumped it up to 45% Thursday afternoon. He dropped his four-seam reliance from 37% to 12%, and his curveball (including knuckle curve) from 30% to 22%. Fastballs accounted for 15 of his 23 called strikes (especially at the top of the zone). While hitters inched up to the plate, anxious about the big hook or slider, Glasnow’s fastballs caught them off guard. In a friendly 3-1 hitter’s count, he served up a 96 MPH sinker right down the middle and Willy Adames threw his bat at the ball, popping it up in foul ground, as if it snuck up and bit him.
Perhaps a visual would be the most effective. This pool noodle wave at a curveball to end the 6th pretty much sums up the experience.
Is it best to have no idea, close your eyes, and swing? Or have no idea, close your eyes, and take because you have no idea what is about to be thrown at you?
It wasn’t that Webb pitched poorly — he logged his second consecutive quality start and third of the year, allowing 3 earned over 7 IP — he just got left in the dust by Glasnow. That’s how life works sometimes. Webb knows that, and he knows he pitched well and kept the offense in the game, but there will always be something grating about being hung with the loss, with having to wear, as the inimitable Smash Mouth would say, “the shape of an ‘L’ on your forehead.”
I get the sense too that Webb still isn’t completely stoked about how 2026 is going. Maybe that’s why he’s a professional athlete. He’ll never be fully satisfied, even after a solid outing with a lot of good in it. The obvious one: he kept the Dodgers in the park and held them to just three runs. He helped extend Ohtani’s not-on-base streak to two games with a pair of strikeouts and a pair of ground outs (including a DP). He slayed that beast, much like he did with Aaron Judge in the season opener, but lacked a needed edge against others.
In the 2nd, Webb had Dalton Rushing — the rivalry’s newest troll — in a 1-2 hole with two outs and a runner on second. The pitch he threw wasn’t by no means a mistake in terms of location, it was just a mistake in the sense Rushing saw it coming. He was looking down, got something waaayyy down, and scraped a change-up off the plate and deposited it into center field for LA’s first run, and lead, of the series. Webb could tip his cap, or he could think about predictability, about pitching backwards, or like Glasnow did, “off-script.” Would it have been better to go to another elevated cutter, perhaps a four-seamer (a pitch he fanned Ohtani on in the 3rd)?
Then in the 4th, Webb got a little lazy with location. Both Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy punched back-to-back doubles on first-pitch offerings left right out over the plate. And with two outs and a runner on second, Hyseong Kim ambushed another first pitch for another RBI.
Webb played into the Dodger’s attack a little bit there, and some less than ideal defensive work behind him didn’t help either. On Max Muncy’s double, Kyle Tucker after a terrible read on the ball ended up stopping at third base. A lucky break, except for the fact that the relay throw from Drew Gilbert in center to Adames at short was bobbled, allowing Tucker to break for the plate and score anyway. Not the worst infield infraction that Webb has had to pitch through, but this one sure doesn’t help in restoring the trust between pitcher and his defense.
A bad break, or bad bounce, came on Kim’s single to Heliot Ramos in right. Even with Muncy’s two out jump from second, Ramos’s relay was on target and looked like it’d arrive on time — until it lost all its energy on its first hop. Instead of the ball skipping off the infield grass, it kicked up, slowing it down enough for Muncy to score LA’s third run.
Not that it really mattered in the end. Winning was never the intention anyway. The Giants are just too gentlemanly to sweep a visiting team, even if it is the Dooogers.
Apr 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Boston Red Sox have left us collectively feeling like we’re living with a diabetic.
If you want some juice, you gotta go elsewhere.
Payton Tolle, however, knew we were missing out and brought his own on Thursday, putting together a stupendous performance during his season debut against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park — so if you were more focused on the local hockey club’s playoff game, the drama involving your football team’s head coach, or the world’s biggest job fair, you missed out.
Until you didn’t…
Danny Coulombe and Greg Weissert combined to ruin the entire thing, giving up the lead in the seventh inning in a 4-2 loss that completed the series sweep for New York.
Tolle finished with 11 strikeouts in six innings of work, but perhaps the most impressive part of the start was allowing zero runs after loading the bases with no outs in the fourth inning — eventually sitting down Giancarlo Stanton (strikeout), Randal Grichuk (popout), and Trent Grisham (strikeout).
The bases were loaded with no outs for the #Yankees
Carlos Narváez: I’ll always respect dudes who play well against their former team. Narváez sent one over that big wall in left field, marking his first home run of the season.
DUDS
Danny Coulombe: HOW DARE YOU, SIR!?
Coulombe was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the seventh inning, but instead loaded the bases before being yanked in favor of Greg Weissert.
Greg Weissert: Weissert didn’t fare much better, giving up back-to-back hits that plated three runs that were ultimately credited to Coulombe.
LOOKSMAXXING/MOGGING OF THE GAME
Jarren Duran tried to steal this award when he almost lost his cool after colliding with Caleb Durbin.
Tolle would not be denied, however, as he looked like a man on top of the world after his first inning strikeout of Aaron Judge. It’s rare that you see that much beef on the diamond, but we’re talking about the size of a weaning calf between these two.
Quiz: Which hands belong to whom? | (Getty Images)
After both teams combined to score 34 runs in the first two games of the series, the rubber match turned into a pitchers’ duel between Davis Martin and Michael Soroka. At least it was until the ninth.
Arizona scored off Martin in the first on a Ketel Marte single and an Adrian Del Castillo double. After that, though, he didn’t allow another runner past first, thanks in part to a fourth-inning play from Munetaka Murakami that showed he’s more than just a slugger.
Davis ended up going 6 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and just one walk while striking out seven. He was matched most of the way by Soroka, who gave up four straight singles to Andrew Benintendi, Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery, most of them off curve balls that hung in the middle of the plate, but otherwise kept the Sox off the board.
Soroka gave up one more hit than Martin and had one fewer K, but the key difference is that he threw a lot more pitches per inning and lasted only five frames.
Both bullpens performed well, at least until one didn’t. Grant Taylor relieved Martin with one out and Nolan Arenado on first in the seventh. He gave up a double to Alek Thomas that missed a home run by about a foot, but bounced back with a strikeout and a scoreless eighth.
The Sox had a runner in scoring position in the eighth on Montgomery’s third single of the day (one a lucky pop-up, the others solid), a fielder’s choice, and a stolen base by pinch runner Derek Hill, but that was part of their 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
However, in the ninth, tied 1-1, the Diamondbacks went to their closer, Paul Sewald, who came into the game with a 1.93 ERA. Sewald had only issued one walk all season, but he had no idea where the ball was going this time. He walked Chase Meidroth (2-for-3) on four pitches, one on a challenge, the others not even close. Tristan Peters moved him over with a sacrifice, then he issued another free pass to pinch-hitter Edgar Quero with the balls all completely non-competitive (as Stoney would say). Behind in the count to Andrew Benintendi, he finally tried to steal a strike, and left a 92 mph fastball so middle-middle it might as well have been a game under 1870s rules, where a batter got to instruct the pitcher where to throw it. Benintendi showed his appreciation.
Balls don’t usually carry well in Arizona when the dome is shut, as it was today, but that 104.5 mph shot went 410 feet.
Will Venable handed a three-run lead to Seranthony Domínguez, who managed not to blow the save, getting two strikeouts in a clean ninth.
Only downer — the three consecutive-game homer streaks of Murakami, Montgomery, and Vargas all ended, so Mune will have to settle for tying the team and MLB rookie streak record at five.
The win ended a 4-2 western road trip and raised the Sox record to 10-15. Next, they head home to open a series with the Nationals tomorrow night.
Tribunal verdict upheld that St Kilda player guilty of conduct unbecoming
Reduced four-week suspension comes with two weeks suspended
St Kilda forward Lance Collard will serve a two-week suspension over his latest homophobic slur after having his ban reduced by the AFL appeal board.
Collard was initially banned for seven weeks, with a further two weeks suspended, after being found guilty of calling a VFL opponent a “fucking faggot” last month. He denied the allegation.
Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have been cleared to play in the Indian Premier League after missing the first half of the season because of fitness concerns, Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday.
