May 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Matthew Liberatore gave the St. Louis Cardinals the strong start they needed to begin their west coast swing as his nasty curveball and a power surge from Alec Burleson made the difference in a victory over the San Diego Padres 2-1 late Thursday night.
Matthew Liberatore looked both shaky and nasty in the bottom of the first inning. After getting the first two outs, he walked Manny Machado. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to left moving Machado to second and Xander Bogaerts singled to right scoring Machado and giving the Padres a 1-0 lead.
The St. Louis Cardinals bats were quiet until the top of the 4th inning when Alec Burleson turned on a Michael King pitch and jacked it over the right field wall with an impressive exit velocity of 111 mph tying the game 1-1.
After a 1st inning where he looked vulnerable, Matthew Liberatore shut the Padres down giving the Cardinals six strong innings only allowing the 1 earned run on only 3 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. Michael King was equally impressive for San Diego as he also pitched a solid six innings allowing only 1 hit, but that one hit was the one from Burleson that left the park.
The Cardinals would take the lead in the top of the 7th inning when Jordan Walker missed a home run by maybe a foot crushing a line drive off of the left field wall for a double. He then scored when Masyn Winn hit a ball down the right field line to a helpless-looking Nick Castellanos who stumbled toward the ball as it bounced past him and continued to the right field wall as Walker scored and Winn cruised into third base giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.
George Soriano entered the game in the bottom of the 7th inning giving up an infield single to Tatis Jr, but he was thrown out by Pedro Pagés even though the tag by JJ Wetherholt was unsuccessfully challenged by the Padres. That caught stealing muted any potential Padres threat in the 7th inning.
The bottom of the 8th inning belonged to JoJo Romero. He had no problems with Ty France, Nick Castellanos or Rodolpho Duran shutting the Padres down 1-2-3. That helped the Cardinals from having to deal with super-reliever Mason Miller as San Diego brought in Jason Adam to handle the top of the 9th inning as they still trailed 2-1. He was greeted by Jordan Walker who hit a laser shot into left center that he turned into a hustle double. Nolan Gorman then worked Adam for a 9-pitch walk. Yes, miracles do happen. Unfortunately, Masyn Winn was unable to get a sufficient bunt down as the Padres were able to get the force at third base for the first out. Nathan Church hit a weak fly to left field for out number 2 with neither runner being able to advance. Pedro Pagés was retired for the final out shutting down the Cardinals 8th inning threat.
Riley O’Brien came in to close out the Padres in the bottom of the 9th inning. He was tasked with facing the top of the San Diego lineup. He quickly retired Merrill on a weak groundout to JJ Wetherholt. Miguel Andujar struck out and failed to use the ABS challenge that probably wouldn’t have saved him anyway. Manny Machado grounded out to Masyn Winn to end the game giving the Cardinals a tight victory.
The St. Louis Cardinals will send Michael McGreevy to the mound for Friday night’s contest against Griffin Canning. First pitch is scheduled for 8:45pm central time and will be an Apple TV exclusive so finding a free 7-day trial is your friend.
May 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Eli White (36) is tagged out by Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves are coming off a series loss to the Seattle Mariners and have a challenging weekend ahead. After losing their first series of the season, the West Coast road trip has moved on to Los Angeles, where the Braves take on the Dodgers in a three-game set.
Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Bryce Elder are each expected to start against a talented LA pitching staff. The Braves are tied for the best record in the league with 26 wins and 12 losses, while the Dodgers enter play with a 23-14 record. Fortunately, the Braves are 14-6 on the road, and this could shape up to be a great series should Atlanta’s performance remain consistent.
The series gets underway Friday night at 10:10 ET.
More Braves News:
With an abundance of moving parts in the starting rotation, we discuss what the Atlanta pitching staff looks like in the near future.
Tate Southisene continues his strong start with the Augusta GreenJackets after driving in three on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap.
Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd will undergo meniscus surgery and is expected to miss at least a month. Fortunately, the club does not expect a major meniscus repair.
From the Feed:
After clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, the Carlos Carrasco saga continues.
They improved to 7-0 in the 2026 NHL playoffs with a 4-1 road victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, May 7. And in doing so, they showed why they are so formidable.
A turning point occurred in the second period with the game tied 1-1. Taylor Hall rocked Philadelphia's Travis Sanheim into the boards.
"I was in a vulnerable spot and he decides to finish his check and it just felt like his hands drove my head right through the wall," Sanheim said. "I thought it was a pretty dirty play."
Hall was called for a five-minute major in order to trigger a review. A two-minute penalty was issued instead.
The Flyers weren't happy, but they still had a power play in order to break a tie. But 11 seconds later, it was the Hurricanes who broke the tie when Carolina forced a turnover and Jordan Staal fed defenseman Jalen Chatfield for a short-handed goal.
Here's why the Hurricanes are unbeaten in the playoffs:
They're hard to play against
Carolina plays an aggressive style that frustrates opponents. The 'Canes never trailed in the opening sweep of the Ottawa Senators and added to that in Game 1 against the Flyers.
But Philadelphia scored two quick goals in Game 2. No problem. The Hurricanes kept chipping away, tied the game and won 3-2 in overtime.
Philadelphia had a 5-on-3 power play in Game 3 and wasn't able to muster much.
Hurricanes have scoring depth
Thursday was Staal's night with a goal and an assist. It was his first goal of these playoffs.
The Hurricanes have more than enough scoring to go around.
Logan Stankoven is tied for the playoff goal lead with six. Hall has nine points and Jackson Blake has eight. Nikolaj Ehlers has goals in each of the past two games. They're unbeaten despite Andrei Svechnikov not scoring until Thursday.
Frederik Andersen is strong in net
Andersen had a regular season to forget with a 3.05 goals-against average and .874 save percentage. Brandon Bussi supplanted him at one point.
But coach Rod Brind'Amour went with the veteran Andersen in the playoffs, and it has paid off. Andersen has two shutouts and has given up two or fewer goals in each game. He's just the third goalie in the last 30 years to open 7-0.
The Flyers are banged up with Owen Tippett and Noah Cates unable to play. But unless the Flyers can figure out the Hurricanes, they, like the Senators, will be swept.
Then it comes down to whether the Hurricanes and Brind'Amour can get past the conference finals. The way they're playing, it's possible.
May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) scores a goal against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) during the first period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes extended their winning ways with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night in the Xfinity Mobil Arena.
The Canes remain undefeated in postseason play and now lead this second round series, 3-0. They are 7-0 overall in these playoffs.
Going back to the regular season, they have won 16 of their last 18 games.
Frederik Andersen earned another win in goal and made 18 saves out of 19 shots.
The Flyers came out fired up and had several scoring chances early, but failed to convert. They hit the post a couple of times and the other times Andersen and the Carolina defense were both equal to the task.
Late in the period, Jordan Staal took a puck off the boards during a powerplay and tucked it past goalie, Dan Vladar to start off the scoring.
Trevor Zegras tied it up early in the second but that would be the only time they could get one past Andersen.
During a shorthanded opportunity a bit later in the period, Staal fed a wide open Jalen Chatfield who made no mistake as he gave the Canes a 2-1 lead.
At 3:52 into the third period, Andrei Svechnikov rifled in a one-timer to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. It was another powerplay goal for the Canes, who went 2-9 on the night.
K’Andre Miller and Jordan Martinook then got the puck to a streaking Nikolaj Ehlers and “Fly” broke in alone and roofed in a beautiful goal to virtually put the game out of reach.
Carolina’s balanced scoring made a statement in this game.
On the other side, the penalty kill was perfect, even during over a minute of a 5-3, disadvantage. This was due to a poor sportsmanship call on coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Obviously it was far from a perfect game but the Hurricanes did what they had to do for the win. It was another penalty filled fiasco at times. The Canes were called for 10 penalties while the Flyers were called for 15, but six of them were called with less than three minutes left in the game when the home team intentionally tried to rough up the Canes.
Carolina will look for another sweep as they face the Flyers for game four on Saturday.
Mar 13, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kane Kepley against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Ferguson was acquired from the Athletics and sent to Triple-A Iowa.
Right-hander Kenten Egbert was promoted from High-A South Bend to Iowa.
Iowa catcher Casey Opitz was activated off the Development List.
Connor Noland gave the I-Cubs a solid start, going five innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Noland did walk five batters while striking out five. One of the five walks issued was intentional.
Paul Campbell pitched the other four innings and got the loss after he gave up back-to-back solo home runs in the eighth inning. Campbell’s final line was two runs on three hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked no one.
Iowa managed just five singles in this one. First baseman BJ Murray was 1 for 3 with a walk.
A nice play on defense by second baseman Scott Kingery.
Grant Kipp had an impressive start, allowing just one run on three hits over five innings. Kipp struck out eight and walked no one.
Jace Beck relieved Kipp and took the loss after he allowed one unearned run on one hit over two innings. Beck struck out four and walked one.
The Smokies only run came on a home run by first baseman Owen Ayers in the bottom of the second inning. It was Ayers’ ninth home run this year and third for Knoxville.
Ayers was 1 for 4.
Here’s the Ayers home run.
You don’t see a lot of beautiful swings from the right side, but Owen Ayers sure does have one pic.twitter.com/DXBDxedLtc
Eli Jerzembeck’s High-A debut went about as well as the Cubs could have hoped for. Jerzembeck pitched three scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He walked two, hit two and struck out three.
I don’t know if Jerzembeck would have be taken out anyways after 51 pitches, but the game was delayed 92 minutes by rain after three innings. Alfredo Romero took over when the rain stopped and he got the win. He gave up two runs on three hits over four innings. Romero struck out two, walked two and hit one batter.
South Bend scored nine runs on just seven hits and none of them were home runs. First baseman Cole Mathis had one of the two doubles, which drove home two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mathis was 1 for 4.
Left fielder Kane Kepley went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI double in the sixth inning. Kepley also stole one base.
Center fielder Christian Olivo was 2 for 4. He scored twice and drove in two runners.
Shortstop Ty Southisene hit a two-run single in the fifth. He was 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He also scored once.
Mason McGwire continued his strong start to the season by allowing three runs on six hits over four innings. Only one of the three runs McGwire allowed was earned. Most impressively, he struck out seven and walked just one.
Braylon Myers relieved McGwire and got the win. Myers gave up four runs on four hits over three innings. Myers struck out four.
Riely Hunsaker got his first career save by retiring all six batters over the final two innings. Hunsaker struck out one.
Catcher Logan Poteet hit a solo home run in the fourth, his fifth on the year. Poteet was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy clubbed a two-run home run in the sixth. Lumpuy was 1 for 5.
The Pelicans took the lead after they scored six runs in the eighth inning. They took the lead when shortstop Alexis Hernandez hit a two-run single in that inning. He was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.
Second baseman Jose Escobar was 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored one run.
PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play and Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, keying a special teams effort that helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their seventh straight playoff game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Thursday night.
The Hurricanes — who outshot the Flyers 30-19 —can complete their second straight postseason series sweep in Game 4 on Saturday in Philadelphia.
The Hurricanes — coming off a Game 1 shutout and a Game 2 overtime thriller — again rode the hot hand of Frederik Andersen in net to move to the brink of a sweep.
The Flyers, the last team in the East to clinch a playoff spot who then beat Pittsburgh in the first round, had a few sensational early looks at the net but again failed to finish and again failed on the power play. They had the worst power-play efficiency (15.7%) in the NHL this season and did not score with the man advantage in Game 3.
To make it worse, Chatfield scored to make it 2-1 in the second just 11 seconds into the Flyers’ power play with Taylor Hall in the box for boarding.
The Flyers hit Andersen with 15 shots during 19 minutes of overtime in Game 2 and whiffed on their chance at the win — and perhaps their best shot at making this a competitive series — when Travis Konecny missed a makeable look on a breakaway.
Konecny fired another clean look minutes into Game 3, only for Andersen to knock it away with his pads. Porter Martone, the Flyers’ teen sensation, rang the right side of the post moments later and two great chances at goals meant nothing on the scoreboard.
The Flyers still had a chance on the power play but were stymied and fell at that point to 1 for 12 in the series and 3 for 29 in nine playoff games.
The Hurricanes are too playoff tested, too veteran savvy to not capitalize on Philadelphia’s slow start.
Staal punched in a rebound in the first period for the 1-0 lead.
Trevor Zegras, a 26-goal scorer held without a point the previous four games, tied the game for the Flyers from one knee in the second period.
That was it for the Flyers. They went 0 for 5 on the power play while the Hurricanes were 2 of 7.
Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers scored in the third period, the latter of which sent Flyers fans headed toward the exits.
NHL playoff history is still against the Flyers. Only four teams that trailed 3-0 in a seven-game series have come all the way back to win — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1980 New York Islanders, 2010 Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 07: Greg Weissert #57 of the Boston Red Sox tosses his glove out of frustration in the dugout after pitching less than an inning in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on May 07, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I had a feeling this game wasn’t going to go the Sox way before it even started. To be fair, that isn’t saying much— most games haven’t gone the Sox way this year! But I knew the vibes would be off as soon as this came across the timeline shortly before the game started:
Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony are the two most important players on the Red Sox. As fun as the sweep in Detroit was, it’s going to be really hard for this team to build any sort of momentum without those two guys healthy playing to the best of their abilities. Tonight’s game showed everyone precisely why that is. The lineup looked punchless, as any lineup with Trevor Story batting cleanup would. The pitching staff couldn’t get big outs when it mattered. And the Sox dropped a listless game to a team they’ll probably need to catch in the standings at some point this season if they’re going to make the playoffs.
Three Studs
Jake Bennett
Bennett didn’t exactly mow down the opposition. In fact, I would describe his outing as more of the “chugging along” variety. He generated just five swings and misses all night, but managed to keep it close, limit the walks, and pitch into the sixth. Look, folks, the word “stud” is relative tonight.
Tyler Samaniego
Like I said, we’re playing a little fast and loose with the studs. Samaniego faced just two batters, coming into the game after Greg Weissert coughed up two runs in the sixth. But he sat those two batters down, as he’s done to most guys so far this season.
Wilyer Abreu
He singled in the third and brought home a run on a sac fly in the eighth. That was enough to make him the most productive hitter in the Red Sox lineup tonight — by far.
Three Duds
Greg Weissert
To a certain extent, Weissert can console himself with the thought that he was BABIPed to death in the sixth inning, when he gave the Rays a two-run lead they would not relinquish on a couple of soft hits. But the fickle nature of the BABIP gods is precisely why it’s so important for relievers who come into tight games to strike dudes out. Weissert did not strike any dudes out, and walked a dude to boot. It’s not his year, folks, which is something that gets said about most middle relievers a few times throughout their mercurial careers.
Ryan Watson
Ryan Watson, on the other hand, cannot blame the cruel winds of fate for his performance. Watson entered the game in the seventh tasked with holding the Rays lineup at bay long enough for the Sox to get back in the game. The Rays sure looked happy to see him, as they hit him hard and often, putting the game out of reach.
Willson Contreras
There’s never a good time for a TOOTBLAN. But it’s hard to think of too many worse times for a TOOTBLAN than in the eighth inning of a three-run game with no one out and a runner on second. Contreras’s terrible decision to try to take second after singling while Jarren Duran held up at third base cost the Sox a chance at a big inning.
Play of the Game
I’m giving it to the back-breaking TOOTBLAN, the latest deflating moment in a season that’s already had too many.
Dru Baker drove in five runs in Charlotte’s rout of the Jumbo Shrimp. | Getty Images
Charlotte Knights 16, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 1 Not only did the Knights (18-18) make it back to .500, but they outhit the Jumbo Shrimp (18-18), 14-5, and went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Charlotte’s pitching set the tone for the rest of the White Sox affiliates, striking out eight while walking just one, with the one run coming off an RBI double in the fifth, when the Knights already had a 10-run lead. Appearing for the seventh time this season and making his fifth start, Duncan Davitt tossed four scoreless with two hits, a walk, and two Ks. Earning his first win of the season, however, was righthander Jackson Kelley, shutting the Shrimp down for two scoreless.
Back to the red-hot offense. Half of the Knights hits were for extra bases — five doubles and two home runs — and they drew eight walks as a team while striking out 10 times. Nearly everyone got a hit tonight, but there were two guys that drove in more than half of the runs for the Knights: Dru Baker and Jacob Gonzalez. Baker’s first two came off an RBI single with the bases loaded in the fifth, and he then hit a three-run bomb the next inning, giving him five RBIs on the day.
Gonzalez accounted for four, off of a two-bagger and a homer, and Braden Montgomery was the only player that mashed three hits, also accounting for two of the doubles and runs batted in. These were Montgomery’s first extra-base hits in Triple-A, but he has overall adjusted well so far, holding down an .804 OPS in his 14 at-bat sample size.
Outside of Montgomery and Gonzalez, Ryan Galanie also went 2-for-4, with both of his hits being doubles. Galanie has been slugging like crazy since being promoted to Charlotte (.586 SLG), and has maintained an .881 OPS. It was a beautiful, well-rounded win for Charlotte. Hopefully, the big-league squad can follow in their footsteps and get back to .500.
Birmingham Barons 4, at Knoxville Smokies1 A prime six-inning start from lefthander Jake Palisch to begin a holistically outstanding performance from the Barons (14-15) pitching staff set them up for success in their 4-1 win over the Smokies (14-15). Left fielder Jacob Burke led the way for the Birmingham offense, posting three hits with a triple while driving in two runs. Burke has been hot at the plate recently, leading qualified Barons players with a 1.072 OPS (44 at-bats), four doubles, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs over the last 15 days.
A solo bomb for the smokies off of Palish was the lone run given up for Birmingham. After the five hits allowed during his start, the bullpen didn’t let up another the rest of the game, and Jairo Iriarte received the save. The bats did just enough to keep Birmingham in the game, though outside of Burke only Jordan Sprinkle recorded an RBI. As a team the Barons struck out 14 times while walking just three, and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position with eight left on base; it’s a good thing the bullpen was on its A-game.
Winston-Salem Dash 7, Hudson Valley Renegades 3 Bouncing back after a blowout loss on Wednesday, the Dash (18-12) pushed seven runs across in as many hits while going 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Thursday’s 7-3 win over the Renegades (15-14). Righthander Gabe Davis tossed another excellent four innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven. Davis now sits at a 1.80 ERA across 20 innings, and if he keeps this kind of efficiency up he will likely make a trip over to Double-A Birmingham sooner than later.
Driving in two runs apiece for the Good Guys were Ryan Burrows and Kyle Lodise, including a solo bomb from Burrowes in the fifth. T.J. McCants and Kaleb Freeman also joined the homer brigade, while the other extra-base hit was an RBI double from Grant Magill in the fourth. Despite giving up the most runs (two), Frankeli Arias ended up with the win for the Dash, and Garrett Wright followed it up with two hitless innings to end the game and establish the W.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3, Columbia Fireflies 2(10 innings) The Cannon Ballers (12-18) completed a late-game comeback against the Fireflies (14-16) to force extras, and pulled off the W, now having won four of their last five, 3-2. Kannapolis was outhit, 7-4, and Columbia essentially handed two runs and the game over to the Ballers in the final two innings.
D’Angelo Tejada led the eighth inning off with a double, and scored a couple batters later on a balk from the Fireflies pitcher, cutting the lead to one. In the bottom of the ninth, Marcelo Alcala lined an RBI double out to left, allowing pinch-runner Abraham Núñez to score all the way from first and tie the game.
Tejada poked a perfect sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th, but wild pitch offense ended the game after the Columbia pitcher threw it away, allowing the Ballers to walk it off.
Making up for where the bats were lacking, the pitching staff walked just one batter, while combining for a whopping 15 strikeouts. Righthander Riley Eikhoff was solid for his six-inning start, racking up six Ks and allowing the two runs, but receiving zero run support in return. In his ninth appearance for the Ballers, Jackson Nove was nearly perfect in his two innings, adding five strikeouts to the tally. Closing it out, righthander Marco Barrios earned his fourth win of the season, also striking out another four in his two innings of work.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 3: Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians smiles as he throws the ball after a play against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park on May 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Kelley L Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If I were a Royals’ fan, I’d hate the Guardians.
There was all the reason in the world to think the Royals would win this series today. Seth Lugo had the best numbers of any pitcher on Kansas City’s roster so far this year, and Slade Cecconi has been the worst pitcher on the Guardians’ roster. Lugo has also mostly owned the Guardians. But, that’s why they play the games, folks. Somehow, the Guardians won 8-5 today and have a 4-3 lead on the Royals in their season series, needing to win only three more games to clinch the season series (which could be significant).
How did the Guardians’ do it?
Well, maybe it was because I wore my Red Diamond C hat today. Or, perhaps because I wrote an unpublished article about how Slade Cecconi should go to the bullpen, hoping to jinx him into a decent start today. Or, perhaps it was because YOU wore your underwear inside out (thank you for your service). More likely, however, it was because the Guardians finally remembered how to hit.
I wasn’t the only one with my doubts:
Royals will take 3 of 4 today after seeing the pitching matchup.
Kwan had a hit and a walk, DeLauter had a hit and a walk, Jose had a hit and 2 walks, Kyle Manzardo had a huge double and almost hit another one out, Schneemann had a hit and a walk, Bazzana had a hit and a walk, Rocchio had two hits and a walk, Naylor had two hits and Halpin had a hit and a walk. See, now, Guardians? Wasn’t that easy? Do that every night.
Slade Cecconi was better! Still gave up six hits and three walks and should be lifted after five. But, he bought himself more time, especially since Logan Allen isn’t doing much. Connor Brogdon is bad and needs to be replaced by Franco Aleman, Hunter Gaddis struggled AGAIN and had to be rescued by Erik Sabrowski overpowering Vinnie Pasquantino. And Cade Smith looks back to his old self, thank heavens, striking out two.
Oh, also, Travis Bazzana made a heads up play and a great throw to nail Maikel Garcia trying to go to third:
Greg on Twitter said today: “Mlb so scripted man. As soon as a pitcher has a 6 era they turn into Randy Johnson when you put money against them. 2 days in a row now getting burned by pitchers with horrible ERAs throwing perfect games 💀”
Greg, let this be a lesson to you and Emmanuel Clase: Don’t bet on baseball. It’s dumb.
Michael McGee on Twitter said: “Yea it’s official! Lugo needs to hang it up. He wasn’t ever that good to begin with, no reason to think he’ll be worth anything approaching 40 years old.”
Michael, Lugo has had a couple bad games. But, hey, if you want to cut him, I’m interested.
JMP77 said: “Thurs game is SO IMPORTANT. Forget Standings. I mean for the mentality of the team. We got 1 hit….after Ragans left. Must WIN Thurs imo.…..”
Ooops.
Our friends at RoyalsReview tweeted: “Wow, it is possible for the Royals to get Kyle Manzardo out.”
Yes, it is. But, we do hope he has found some things this week he can carry with him as the boys head back to Cleveland.
The Royals seem like a good fanbase. I almost feel badly about how the Guardians have treated their team over the past decade.
Mets prospectA.J. Ewingadded another highlight to his already impressive 2026 season on Thursday night.
Playing in just his ninth game at the Triple-A level, Ewing came through with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Syracuse over the Rochester Red Wings, 3-2. He ripped a line drive to right field off LHP Zach Penrod, scoring Kevin Villavicencio from third base.
The 21-year-old was having a rare tough night at the plate prior to his game-winning hit, finishing the night 1-for-5 with the RBI.
He's now hitting .364 with a double and three RBI over 33 at-bats in Triple-A since being promoted on April 27.
This game had a little bit of everything, both good and bad. The second inning was the story early on as the Rays showed to a national audience how they had won 12 of their last 13, before then reminding those same viewers how they got off to a 2-5 start this season with defensive issues and pitching command problems. A month ago, this would have been one of those game that went from bad to worse (see series vs Cubs), but this red hot team showed its character by putting the second inning behind them and sticking with the flat swings and soft contact to come back in the mid stanza before bringing out the late inning thunder against the Boston bullpen to put the bow on a 8 to 4 victory over the Red Sox.
Griffin Jax continued his evolution into a starter facing 17 batters and throwing 59 pitches, 38 for strikes. One could argue the results would have been better with even normal defensive execution by the infield, but instead decided to revisit some of the defensive lapses which plagued the club in the early part of the season. Jax threw six different pitch types on the evening, using the full arsenal to both righties and lefties. He got off to an efficient 10-pitch first inning, but the second inning saw him and the club give it all back with some poor pitch and defensive execution. The inning led off with one-hopper rocket down the line to a diving Junior Caminero, who popped up and threw a seed across the infield that pulled Jonathan Aranda slightly off the bag, which was not caught live but replay quickly overturned:
Story quickly, and easily, swiped second base to erase a potential double play and that was followed up by a five-pitch walk to Masataka Yoshida which involved four pitches well out of the strike zone. Cedanne Rafaela then drove in Story with another hard hit ball to Caminero that rebounded off him and Taylor Walls allowing Story to score from second on a ball which barely reached the outfield grass:
Jax came back to retire Rafaela on a forceout on a grounder to Ben Williamson setting up a potential double play with Connor Wong at the plate. Jax did his part in that equation, but Walls did not, and it was u-g-l-y without an alibi. Needless to say, this play will likely not come up on the next Waechter Wednesday interview. I would embed the video, but the play was not recorded. It was a textbook groundball for a 6-4-3 which was first booted and then scooped over Williamson’s head into shallow right field allowing Yoshida to score and Mayer to advance to third. Mayer was then driven on on a single through the infield with Aranda close to the bag holding on Wong. The double play that should have come earlier in the inning finally did happen as Jax induced the required grounder from Jarren Duran to bring the sloppy inning to a merciful end.
That long inning allowed Jake Bennett to reset himself after a rough first two innings which required him to throw nearly 50 pitches to get the first six out of the game. The Rays plated three runs in the second inning after Jonny DeLuca converted a one-out walk into a steal of second base and scored on a Ben Williamson single through the right side. Nick Fortes singled to left which was followed by a Cedric Mullins bunt single and a steal of second base. The final run scored that frame was on a ball Yandy Diaz backspun to the warning track near the Devils Triangle part of the yard. Bennett pitched the rest of the game from a rocking chair retiring seven of the next eight Rays around a Yandy Diaz single. Bennett then was bodied by a batted ball by Caminero for an infield single before striking out Aranda on an ABS overturn to end Bennett’s night on the mound.
This was the first of four lefties the Rays will face in this series, so it was nice to see them plate three runs off Bennett even if they all came off singles, walks, and steals. Keep in mind, most of this was done without Chandler Simpson as he was not in the starting lineup tonight but made his presence felt later with a two-run single, a triple, and a strong throw from left field to home as part of a 7-2-4 put out of Willson Contreras trying to advance to second as the trail runner on a play home. Mike Petriello made a point on the broadcast that Simpson has gone from a 0 measure on his first pitch reads in the outfield to a lead-leading 5.7 so far in 2026. Simpson did not make any notable defesnisve impact in this game, but his two-run bases-loaded single in the 6th inning gave the lead back to the Rays and a later triple to drive in a run in the 8th. His half-day off was been earned as has the love the national broadcast gave him in the bottom of the sixth inning for his improvements.
The streak of 13 consecutive games of allowing three runs or fewer came to an end because Cedric Mullins failed to take charge on a can of corn between him and DeLuca which allowed Jarren Duran to turn a routine out into a double. He came around to score on a sac fly, but Caminero put some more distance between the two clubs with this absolute laser into the center field bleachers that might have mortally wounded someone:
That homer brought home Yandy Diaz, who made some history with his leadoff double becoming the 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000 career hits and kudos to the broadcast for calling that out:
Some final takeaways:
7th straight win and 13 of the last 14 with that very winnable game against Cleveland the only blemish of late. It still feels surreal given just how poorly the team stumbled out of the gate in many aspects of the game.
2026 Cedric Mullins feels more like 2012 Hideki Matsui every day. A roster move has to be made this weekend to bring Gavin Lux on the roster, and while Richie Palacios has an option and is the cleanest move, it just feels like it is time to move on from Mullins.
Jesse Scholtens will have to do some work tomorrow a the bullpen has seen four guys used in each of the past two games. Mason Englert will likely work multiple innings in front of or behind Scholtens.
Connelly Early, who gave the Rays fits last season, pitches tomorrow. We could see an outfield of Simpson/DeLuca/Vilade tomorrow. Hunter Feduccia will have to catch one of these four games and start against a lefty, so having both him and Mullins in the bottom of the lineup would be sub-optimal.
May 7, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins catcher Joe Mack (80) scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) walks away at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
A series of missed opportunities and a Coby Mayo 9th-inning error sunk the Orioles Thursday, as the Marlins walked off the O’s for a 4-3 loss.
After the O’s tied the game in the 8th but couldn’t score in the top of the 9th, Andrew Kittredge entered to try and force extras. The start of the inning couldn’t have gone better for Kittredge, who got pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers to pop out to first before striking out Jakob Marsee with a slider in the dirt.
The inning unraveled with two outs, though. Rookie Joe Mack came off the bench trying to extend the inning, and succeeded with a double into the right-field corner. That brought No. 9 hitter Javier Sanoja to the plate. On a 0-1 slider, it looked like Kittredge got out of the jam, as Sanoja rolled over the ball to third. However, the ball kicked off the heel of Mayo’s glove, and although he recovered to snag the ricochet, his rushed throw to first skipped past Pete Alonso and allowed Mack to score the winning run.
While Mayo’s error was the game-losing play, the Orioles’ inability to come up with clutch hits was the biggest reason for the loss. Down 3-2 entering the top of the 8th, Alonso delivered the O’s only clutch hit of the evening. Taylor Ward started the rally on a leadoff walk and moved to second on a soft single to right from Dylan Beavers. Alonso then broke his bat on a Josh Ekness sweeper, but was able to muscle a single into shallow center, driving home Ward to tie the game at three. Samuel Basallo couldn’t keep the hit parade going, grounding into a double play on a 109mph grounder. Tyler O’Neill then left Beavers stranded at third on a towering flyout to left.
After falling behind early, the O’s had plenty of other chances to tie the game or take a lead but consistently failed to capitalize. Trailing 2-0 in the 3rd, Mayo kicked off a rally by reaching on an infield single hit 101mph to short. Jeremiah Jackson then worked a five-pitch walk to move Mayo into scoring position, setting up Gunnar Henderson for an RBI single up the middle to bring home Mayo. With two outs, Beavers worked a walk to load the bases, but Alonso couldn’t come through, striking out to strand all runners.
Baltimore failed to capitalize on another promising opportunity in the 4th. Now down 3-1, Basallo led off the inning with a beautiful piece of hitting, taking a backdoor breaking ball and lining it into the left-center gap for a double. O’Neill then followed it up with a single the other way to score Basallo and bring the O’s back within one. However, the rally died there as Colton Cowser lined into an unassisted double play and the inning ended on a Jackson strikeout after a Mayo single.
In the 5th, Beavers once again put the tying run on base with a two-out double down the left field line. Alonso just missed a two-run home run that would’ve given Baltimore the lead, sending a 104mph, 384-foot fly ball to the warning track to end the threat. The Marlins would rob Basallo of a similarly loud fly ball in the 6th, with Marsee making a leaping catch on a ball 103mph and 396 feet to dead center.
The heartbreaking nature of the loss distracted from the loss of left-hander Cade Povich, who was forced to leave early with what the Orioles called “left forearm discomfort.” The outing got off to an inauspicious start in the 1st when he issued a four-pitch walk to former Orioles Connor Norby. Two pitches later, Povich hung a slider over the plate to Marlins’ No. 3 hitter Liam Hicks, who launched it over the right field fence to give Miami a 2-0 lead.
After allowing yet another early long ball, Povich rebounded with a much calmer 2nd. He began the inning by winning a 10-pitch battle with Esteury Ruiz, getting the speedy outfielder to fly out harmlessly to right. The Orioles’ southpaw would then put Jakob Marsee on base via HBP, as a first-pitch fastball just grazed the front of Marsee’s jersey. Povich would immediately erase the base runner, however, getting Leo Jiménez to ground into an inning-ending 4-3 double play.
Trouble would find the Orioles’ starter again in the 3rd. Miami’s No. 9 hitter Javier Sanoja led off the inning with a walk, before Povich left a fastball over the plate to Otto Lopez. The shortstop’s deep fly ball to right just missed leaving the yard, but Sanoja clearly thought the ball left the yard, as he jogged around second. When Tyler O’Neill’s throw reached relay man Jeremiah Jackson, both runners were halfway between a base—but the O’s defense failed to convert the base-running error into an out. With runners now at first and third, Baltimore pulled the infield in, only for Norby to rocket a single past Gunnar Henderson to give Miami a 3-1 lead.
Povich hung tough to limit any further damage. He got the first out of the inning by getting Hicks to fly out to shallow center, before getting Christopher Morel to pop up to Alonso on his best curveball of the evening. Heriberto Hernández looked like he had a two-out RBI single, only for Povich to snag the comebacker and flip it to Alonso for the final out. There were no signs that it’d be the lefty’s final batter of the game, but he’d exit after three with a final line of 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and 1 K. Should Povich land on the IL, he’d be the Orioles fourth starter to go down injured, joining Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Trevor Rogers.
The bullpen kept the O’s in the game, despite being called into action way earlier than expected. Yennier Cano entered in the 4th, and set down six straight batters to keep the Baltimore deficit at one. Deitrich Enns then breezed through the 6th on five pitches for the Orioles’ third-straight scoreless frame. Jiménez broke a streak of 14 straight Marlins retired when he worked a two-out walk in the 7th. One pitch later, Enns got Sanoja to fly out on a running catch by Colton Cowser in center, as the bullpen set the stage for the comeback.
Keegan Akin then performed a Houdini act in the 8th. The lefty started the inning by giving up a single to Lopez, before Xavier Edwards laid down a perfect bunt single to give the Marlins two on with no out. Akin then punched out Hicks looking with a 3-2 fastball at the knees. Morel then flew out to center to move both runners into scoring position, before the Orioles’ reliever got Hernández to pop up to short to keep the game tied, 3-3.
The loss denied the Orioles their second sweep of the season and dropped their record to 17-21 as they head back to Baltimore. The O’s open a new series tomorrow against the A’s, with Kyle Bradish getting the ball, looking to start a new win streak.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 19: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the fourth inning of the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on April 19, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin a brief west coast trip in San Diego as Matthew Liberatore (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 23 SO) will get the first start versus the Padres who will put Michael King (3-2, 2.95 ERA, 39 SO) on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm central time. TV broadcast will be on ESPN late Thursday night.
Athletics catcher Shea Langelierscelebrates with Nick Kurtz after his homer put the A’s on top in the first inning. Tonight was She’s first game back from Paternity Leave and he went 2-5. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Athletics finished off the three game series in a big way with the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon before packing up to head to Baltimore to finish up this road trip.
Now that’s the kind of first inning we were hoping for. A walk, a bomb, a walk, another bomb and before the Philly fans could wipe the cheese whiz off their chins their hometown boys were down 4-0. Welcome back to the squad Shea Langeliers with his MLB leading 46th hit which just so happened to leave the ballpark for his eleventh long ball of the season.
After a Tyler Soderstrom walk, Brent Rooker launched his fourth homer of the season. In the meantime, J.T. Ginn worked two effective and efficient innings to get his defense back into the dugout.
After skipping a second inning scoring outburst, the A’s got back to business in the third with a leadoff walk by Tyler Soderstrom who advanced to second on a long fly out to deep center field. Advancing on that out allowed him to score rather easily on a Carlos Cortes base hit. Jacob Wilson made scoring super-easy for Cortes from first on a long home run to left field. That was Wilson’s third homer and eighteenth RBI of the season.
With two outs in the fourth inning, and Shea Langeliers on first, Don Mattingly pulled Painter and replaced him with lefty Tanner Banks. Soderstrom said “welcome” with a single into right field allowing Langeliers to cruise into third with two outs. Rooker fought off an inside slider to poke it into right field for an RBI on his 500th career hit. Soderstrom moved to third on the knock. That gave the A’s an 8-0 lead going to the bottom of the fourth.
Kyle Schwarber got the Phillies on the board with his 12th homer of the season. The line-drive shot exited the building quickly. But the A’s got that run right back with a walk to Lawrence Butler and a triple totally lost in the sky to center field by Zack Gelof. Gelof scored on a base hit by Nick Kurtz.
Ginn continued to cruise, finishing the sixth inning with only seventy pitches allowing only two hits and one earned run! Lawrence Butler doubled to lead off the seventh for the A’s. The homer parade continued on a nine-pitch AB, with Zack Gelof’s third homer of the season, scoring Butler.
Ginn finished off the eighth inning, already surpassing the longest outing for an A’s starter in 2026. That would be all for him this Spring evening in Philly. He exited with 8.0 innings, one earned run on four hits and one walk. Hs struck out eight. Brooks Kriske entered the game to handle the ninth. He gave up two hits but no runs and ended the game with a 12-1 victory over the Phillies.
Roman Anthony (19) warms-up before batting against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox will be without one of their young stars for the near future as their season continues to spiral.
Boston placed outfielder Roman Anthony on the 10-day injured list for a sprained right wrist, the team announced Thursday.
The 21-year-old injured his wrist in his first at-bat of the Red Sox’s 5-4 win over the Tigers on Monday before flying back to Boston to see the team’s hand specialist.
Roman Anthony (19) warms-up before batting against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said an IL stint was required for Anthony, adding that there was not enough progression over the past few days.
“Still sore,” Tracy told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “I think it’s more of a case of, ‘How are we willing to play short-handed?’ We’ve already done it for two days.”
Anthony said he has not picked up a bat since Monday.
He was seen sporting a brace on his right hand.
“Obviously not where I want to be, but just got to keep getting better every day,” Anthony told reporters. “The hand is tricky, and I’ve never dealt with a hand issue before. Getting the news that it’s nothing serious is the best news we’ve could have gotten.
“When the IL stint is over, I plan to be in that game the next day and off the IL.”
Anthony has experienced a slow start to his second MLB season, batting .229 with only one home run through 30 games.
Boston Red Sox’s Roman Anthony (19) has his hand looked at by trainer Brandon Henry as interim manager Chad Tracy (17) looks on against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, May 4, 2026, in Detroit. AP
“Just got to get better as fast as I can,” Anthony said.
The Red Sox signed Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million contract midway through his impressive rookie campaign last season, where the former second-round pick posted a slash line of .292/.396/.463 with 18 doubles across 71 games played.
Anthony’s injury comes shortly after the Red Sox axed manager Alex Cora and four members of his coaching staff following a disappointing 10-17 start.
The move, which happened following Boston’s 17-1 win over the Orioles on Saturday, has seemingly not sat well with the players.
Shortstop Trevor Story told reporters that management’s explanation for Cora’s firing was not sufficient.
“Some of the best coaches in the world didn’t get a fair shot,” he said.
Pitcher Garrett Whitlock added: “They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball, and we need to just focus on playing baseball.”
The Red Sox sit alongside the Blue Jays at the bottom of the AL East, with 16-21 records.
