Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

I'm watching Blake Snell, who started the Dodgers' home opener, and later Tanner Scott, who pitched the eighth inning, and I'm thinking that maybe I'll see these pitchers in October. Jack Harris reported recently that Snell (who has made at least 20 starts in every full season of his nine-year career,) and Scott (who has racked up 275 appearances over the last four seasons) are durable pitchers.

Knowing the bad luck the Dodgers have had with injuries in recent years, I wouldn't bet on any Dodger pitcher still being available in October. It's fortunate that the Dodgers are very deep.

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

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What with the Dodgers and their fans confident of a World Series repeat — and assuming the team is already looking at bigger and flashier 2025 championship rings — I have a suggestion for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. It’s simple and will keep baseball fans somewhat interested as the Dodgers strive to clinch a playoff spot before Memorial Day.

So, if (and that’s a big IF) they actually lose a few games, in addition to crediting them with a loss, subtract a win from them in the standings and place it in a third column called either “Oops” or “My Bad!” It could be both funny and entertaining, and trust me subtracting a few wins is not going to have any effect on the final outcome. But, it could save the baseball season from an absolute borefest. At least until the 2026 season, when the Dodgers' payroll is guaranteed to increase again to well over $400 million!

Richard Whorton
Studio City

White out

As a lifelong Dodgers fan (66 years old) I am sickened to hear the team is intending to visit the Trump White House. If they follow through with those plans I will never go to another Dodger game and stop rooting for the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts saying it’s an honor to visit Trump is offensive to me and to the fan base. I will be removing the Dodgers hat from my head.

Mark Bedol
Claremont

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The team of Jackie Robinson, with the largest Hispanic fan base in the history of American professional sports, has lost this lifelong fan forever.

I will never root for or support the Dodgers again in any way, shape or fashion.

Charles L. Freeman Jr.
Baldwin Village

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As a Dodger fan since 1958 I cannot give the team a pass for agreeing to visit the White House. Given what this president is doing to dismantle our government and the number of people he is hurting, I do not want my team to take any part in this “tradition.”

I have tickets for the game on Friday night when the players will be getting their World Series rings. If the team shows up at the White House on April 7, I will not attend another game this season and possibly forever. There has to be consequences for normalizing what Trump is doing to our country and our world.

Larry Weiner
Culver City

October musings

How soon they forget. A Plaschke quote: “They re-signed all of their free agent postseason heroes.” Except for perhaps one of the biggest, Walker Buehler, whose postseason performance was exceptional and who will be pitching for the Red Sox this season.

Jack Wishard
Los Angeles

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Bill Plaschke opined the Dodgers must repeat as World Series champs this season if they want a dynasty.

I say Shohei Ohtani with his All-Star play will lead the way to another joyful October day in L.A.

Mark Sherwin
Los Angeles

Repeat performance

The article re: Freddie Freeman and Kirk Gibson, World Series game-winning home runs, reminds me of Jack Nicholson's Colonel Jessup diatribe in the movie “A Few Good Men.” “I did my job. I’d do it again.”

Oscar Rosalez
Diamond Bar

What the Halo?

Nothing concretizes futility like declaring “wait ‘til next year” on opening day more than the Angels using a position player to pitch in a blowout against the team a season removed from the dubious distinction of having lost the most games in Major League Baseball history.

Steve Ross
Carmel

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Can the Angels be any more vindictive by DFA-ing Mickey Moniak because he beat them in arbitration? They released him over a difference of $500,000. With a team philosophy like that, it's no wonder they've not won anything in forever and likely won't. Maybe they don't deserve to.

Thomas Filip
Moorpark

Purple and fool's gold

Three weeks ago I wondered if the Lakers were the real deal or fool's gold. They had just won eight straight games and were on a roll.Since that time, they have gone 4-8. Looks like they were indeed fool's gold.

This team can't hold a lead. They get killed by the opponent's backcourt. They play the I-hope-they-miss defense. JJ Redick stands on the sideline as if he is taking advice from Darvin Ham. Luka Doncic disappears in the second half. LeBron James is showing his age. The bench is non-existent. And, oh yeah, they tied a record for giving up the most points at home in a non-overtime game in Lakers history. Lack of coaching. Lack of size. Lack of offense. How about just a lack of all around.

Geno Apicella
Placentia

March happiness

Alabama’s record-breaking three-point shooting display in its Sweet 16 victory over BYU brought back great memories of No. 11 Loyola Marymount’s 149-115 victory over defending champion and No. 3 Michigan in the 1990 NCAA tournament.

I attended that game in Long Beach. Starting with Bo Kimble taking and making his first free throw left-handed (in tribute to Hank Gathers), and continuing throughout — LMU was led Jeff Fryer’s and Kimble’s scintillating three-point shooting; they scored 41 and 37 — this was the most exciting non-championship sporting event I have ever witnessed.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

Nothing original there

I have to admit, I did a double take when I saw in last Sunday's letters, not just one, but two USC detractors dredged up the same tired old jab, "The University of Spoiled Children." Well at least it gives credence to the old adage, " Clichéd minds think alike."

Joe Kevany
Mount Washington

Grappling with this issue

Penn State won the NCAA wrestling championship for the 12th time in the last 14 years. They scored more points than any team has ever scored. One of their wrestlers, Carter Starocci, became the first wrestler to win five Division 1 championships. It is a record that will probably never be broken as he was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID. Penn State became the second team to have all 10 wrestlers finish as All-Americans. To top it off, the seemingly invincible wrestler from Minnesota, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, lost in the championship on a takedown in the last 30 seconds. Yet nary a word in The Times. Perhaps it is time for UCLA to resurrect its wrestling program so The Times might provide some coverage.

Mark Kaiserman
Santa Monica

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Email: sports@latimes.com

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It was a nightmare start for Milwaukee Brewers' Nestor Cortes in his return to Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Sluggers Paul Goldschmidt, hitting leadoff for the first time in his career, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge blasted back-to-back-to-back home runs on three straight pitches in the bottom of the first inning to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead.

The broadcast noted it was the first time a team hit three straight homers on three pitches to open a game in MLB history.

To make matters worse for Cortes, the left-hander gave up a fourth home run in the first inning to catcher Austin Wells, making it a 4-0 game.

That gave the Yankees their first four-homer first inning ever.

THREE PITCHES, THREE HOMERS.

Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back-to-back home runs! pic.twitter.com/BSrNo4MmZt

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025

AUSTIN WELLS MAKES IT FOUR HOME RUNS! pic.twitter.com/UhXiCt89DQ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025

Verlander honestly assesses his Giants debut in loss to Reds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — Justin Verlander has seen just about everything this game has to offer over the past 20 years, good and bad. But he probably has never before been on a team that struck out 17 times in one game and just once the next time out. 

That’s how Giants hitters have started this season, and because baseball is so often a strange game, they won the first one and lost the second. There was much better contact Saturday, but it led to just two runs of support for Verlander, who took a no-decision in his Giants debut.

After the 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Verlander assessed his performance as “decent.” He’s happy to be healthy and throwing well, but it didn’t lead to a win Saturday. It was the kind of day that left him neither frustrated nor overly encouraged. 

“Our job is to win, I like winning. I wasn’t able to do that today,” he said. “I think if we’re a couple starts in I probably have one more inning in there. I think I had mid-eighties in my pitch count and that was about the highest I had gone in spring, so we didn’t want to have a situation where I’m out there and have to throw 100-plus or get pulled in the middle of an inning and have to leave a big situation. We didn’t win the game. Ultimately my guys kind of gave me a two-run lead and I would have liked to be able to hold that, but I usually try to take a pretty objective view of my performance, good or bad. 

“I think this was OK. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad. It definitely was a step forward from last season, I can say that.”

"I felt pretty good."

Verlander reflects on his Giants debut ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0MvxAjbQ1Y

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025

Verlander threw 83 pitches, leaning heavily on a four-seamer that had a little extra juice in big spots. It was his breaking balls, though, that led to a couple of runs. 

With a two-run lead, he hung a slider to Matt McLain in the third and gave up a solo homer. Two innings later, with a runner on second, he went up against Reds star Elly De La Cruz, who had been frozen by a perfect curve in the first inning. 

Verlander threw a curveball to get to 0-2 and tried to bait De La Cruz with another one in the dirt. A two-strike slider was just off the plate inside, and De La Cruz again watched it. When Verlander went back to the curve, it was bounced into right to tie the game.

“Elly kind of put it in the right spot,” Verlander said. “That’s baseball. You can beat yourself up as a pitcher on many things, but if you make a pitch and the guy doesn’t hit it hard and he gets it in the right spot, you’ve got to tip your cap and move on. He laid off a really good slider the pitch before that. That’s what the best players in the game do.”

Drop your thoughts on Verlander's Giants debut ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EMZTYIgBgC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025

With this being Verlander’s first start, there wasn’t any conversation about pushing him. Spencer Bivens took over in the sixth and gave up a go-ahead homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and the Giants hit into double plays in three of their final four innings. 

Their last chance came in the eighth, when Tyler Fitzgerald led off with a single. Heliot Ramos saw eight pitches in the next at-bat but Fitzgerald didn’t take off, and Ramos bounced into a double play. The Giants wouldn’t reach base again, but Melvin said he didn’t regret the sequence. 

Fitzgerald is the fastest player on the roster and always has the green light, but reliever Graham Ashcraft was too quick to the plate for him to get a good jump. The Giants had his times around 1.2 seconds to the plate. 

“We’ve got some guys at the top of the order that are up that we feel pretty good about,” he said. “Obviously the double play balls hurt us, but I think there are times you pick your spots to go. Maybe that wasn’t one of them.”

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What we learned as Verlander's Giants debut ends with loss to Reds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

CINCINNATI — Before Saturday’s game, Giants manager Bob Melvin talked about how Justin Verlander is a throwback when it comes to statistics. It’s no surprise that the active wins leader is still a big fan of the pitcher win, and if all goes according to his plans, Verlander will at some point in the next few years get No. 300. 

The first in orange and black will have to wait, though. Verlander did his part, but the lineup was quiet in a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. 

Verlander is the oldest player in any of the four major professional sports in the United States and the oldest to start for the Giants since 45-year-old Randy Johnson in 2009. At no point, Saturday, did he look like someone nearing the finish line.

Verlander was so intense in the morning that Melvin joked he wouldn’t say a word to him, and when Melvin pulled him after five, he leaned on the dugout rail and casually watched the sixth inning before going back for the usual treatment.

Verlander no longer can reach back for 99 mph whenever he needs it, but he had 95-96 in the back pocket on Saturday while generally looking like someone who will be a huge boost to the rotation if healthy. In five innings, Verlander allowed two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out five. 

Drop your thoughts on Verlander's Giants debut ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EMZTYIgBgC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025

The Reds took the lead in the sixth on a solo shot from NorCal native Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and the Giants couldn’t take advantage of golden opportunities in the next three innings. They twice got a leadoff single and also had a one-out single, but all three times, a double play erased the runner. 

First Time Out

Verlander kicked off his day with nine straight four-seamers, including one at 94.4 mph that got TJ Friedl for his first strikeout as a Giant. He was fastball-changeup the entire inning, right up until the point when he dropped a gorgeous curve on Elly De La Cruz, who watched it go by for an inning-ending strikeout. 

With two outs in the fifth and the Giants holding a one-run lead, De La Cruz came up with a runner on second. Verlander got ahead with a 95.8 mph fastball and then went back to the curve for a second strike. When he tried it again at 2-2, De La Cruz pulled it into right to tie the game.

Verlander threw 83 pitches, half of which were fastballs. The only other run off him came when Matt McLain hit an elevated slider out to left. 

Justin Verlander's 2Ks in the 4th.

5Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/tBE04mwBLI

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 29, 2025

Flo Show

Thursday’s game-winning homer was a reminder that a healthy Wilmer Flores is generally a very productive Wilmer Flores. He kept it going Saturday. 

Flores got an inside fastball with one out in the second and hit a low screamer into the first row in left, where it was caught by one of the few Giants fans in a sea of red at Great American Ball Park. Flores is already halfway to last year’s home run total; he didn’t hit his second homer last season until June 5.

Second homer of the season for Wilmer 😎 pic.twitter.com/moYOsDaKud

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025

Looking Left

The Giants threw eight right-handed hitters out against lefty Nick Lodolo, but he gave up just a pair of runs in six innings. Flores got the Giants on the board and in the third, Heliot Ramos doubled and Jung Hoo Lee singled.

Jung Hoo Lee extends the lead with his first hit of the season 👏 pic.twitter.com/WZ01uWIdew

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 29, 2025

Ramos is going to lead off against lefties, and he had good at-bats against Lodolo. He led off the game with a liner to center that was caught on the edge of the track. Luis Matos got the start in right and doubled in his first at-bat of the year. He later singled off reliever Tony Santillan. Casey Schmitt started at DH and went 0-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch.

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Injured Phillies Ranger Suarez, Weston Wilson making progress originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Ranger Suarez is a safe bet to miss most of April rehabbing a back injury but he took a positive step on Saturday at Nationals Park, throwing a 26-pitch bullpen session.

“The report was really good, velocity was good,” manager Rob Thomson said before the second game of the season. “That’s a good sign. We’ll wait until tomorrow, reassess it when he comes in and figure out where we go from there.”

If Suarez’ body responds well, the next step would be an up-down bullpen session, simulating finishing one inning and beginning the next. From there, the remaining requirements would be facing hitters in live batting practice and then going on a rehab assignment since he pitched only five innings in camp. Given the weather conditions in the Northeast in April, that rehab assignment could happen in Florida.

Suarez is rehabbing lower back stiffness. The Phillies don’t seem especially concerned but this is the third time in four seasons he has missed time with a back injury. It’s a huge year for Suarez, a contract year, and he wants to show not only the Phillies but potentially 29 other suitors that he can stay healthy and withstand the rigors of a full season. Suarez set a career-high last season with 150⅔ innings but missed from late July through late August with lower back soreness.

Taijuan Walker will fill Suarez’ rotation spot in the meantime. Walker’s first start will come in the Phillies’ sixth game of the season, the finale of their first home series against the Rockies.

Wilson progressing

Weston Wilson strained his oblique five weeks ago, the day before spring training games began, and was expected to miss six weeks. On Saturday, he took batting practice on the field in Clearwater for the first time since the injury.

“He did a full workout today,” Thomson said. “Tomorrow is going to be somewhat of a recovery day and then keep building. We’ve been shooting for mid-April-ish to get him into a rehab assignment. I think he’s doing pretty well.”

Wilson is a pretty important piece of the Phillies’ roster given their lack of right-handed outfield options. He can play both infield corners, both outfield corners, potentially some center field, and he’s far from a zero at the plate. Wilson has batted .288/.375/.490 in 120 big-league plate appearances the last two seasons, hitting .333 with a 1.096 OPS vs. lefties.

He would have been on the Opening Day bench if he was healthy, but the injury opened the door for Kody Clemens, who unlike Wilson is out of minor-league options.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Friday, in case you missed it...

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• Juan Soto homered for the first time this season and Tylor Megill tossed five solid innings in the Mets' 3-1 win over Astros
• Clues emerge about how Carlos Mendozawill manage Mets’ early-season roster
• Megill and Edwin Diaz were "attacking" the Astros in New York's fine pitching display
• Mets Notes: When Jose Siri could start, confidence in starting rotation despite injuries
• Brett Baty had a quiet debut at second base in Friday's win
• SEE IT: Soto smashes first home run with Mets
• RHP Paul Blackburn's knee is progressing "really well," as he will start throwing Monday
• WATCH: Pitching prospect Blade Tidwelldominated in Friday's win for Triple-A Syracuse
• WATCH: The Mets Pod discussed how will things play out for the Mets at second with Baty and Luisangel Acuña

The Mets (1-1) take on the Houston Astros (1-1) on Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• Griffin Canning makes his first start in a Mets uniform after a strong spring, owning a 2.13 ERA with 20 strikeouts
• Juan Soto hit his first home run of the 2025 season in Friday's 3-1 win
• Most of the Mets haven't faced Astros second-year starter Spencer Arrighetti, but having played in the AL last year, Soto is 2-for-3 with a HR and three RBI against him
• Francisco Lindor is still searching for his first hit of the year after going 0-for-7 with an RBI over two games
• Outfielder José Azócar cleared waivers and will be assigned to Triple-A Syracuse

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Turner suspects hip issue led to Saturday's back spasm originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Trea Turner was initially second in the Phillies’ lineup Saturday after leading off on Opening Day, but he was scratched an hour before game-time with a low back spasm.

He was replaced at shortstop by Edmundo Sosa in the Phillies’ 11-6 win.

Turner said after the game that this is something he’s never dealt with before. He felt hip discomfort late in spring training and suspects that led to his back locking up while fielding a groundball Saturday afternoon.

“I had a little hip thing back in spring training and then Thursday after the game it got a little tight on me,” he said. “Maybe three or four days left in spring, my right hip. Felt good playing, it was more sitting down or sleeping. It felt a little weird, but then when I played, it would feel fine. I think that turned into this. 

“Just treated it, treated it. But doing groundballs, it kinda grabbed on me. I’ve never had anything like this. I feel way better now than I did a few hours ago. Basically did treatment all day. I don’t know a timeline or anything but hopefully tomorrow, if not the next day.”

The Phillies intend to lead Turner off against lefties and Kyle Schwarber against righties. Turner led off on Thursday against Mackenzie Gore and went 0-for-4 with a walk, seeing 28 pitches. He was scheduled to lead off again Sunday vs. Mitchell Parker but that’s TBD.

Turner scratched from Phillies' second game with back spasm originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Trea Turner was initially second in the Phillies’ lineup Saturday after leading off on Opening Day, but he was scratched an hour before game-time with a low back spasm.

The severity of Turner’s injury wasn’t immediately clear, but he was replaced at shortstop by Edmundo Sosa.

The Phillies intend to lead Turner off against lefties and Kyle Schwarber against righties. Turner led off on Thursday against Mackenzie Gore and went 0-for-4 with a walk, seeing 28 pitches. He was scheduled to lead off again Sunday vs. Mitchell Parker but that’s TBD.

Here was Saturday’s lineup against Nats right-hander Jake Irvin:

1. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
2. Alec Bohm, 3B
3. Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
4. J.T. Realmuto, C
5. Max Kepler, LF (L)
6. Nick Castellanos, RF
7. Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
8. Brandon Marsh, CF (L)
9. Edmundo Sosa, SS

Jesus Luzardo, LHP

Whether it’s Turner or Schwarber up top, it’s important for the Phillies to alternate lefties and righties in the first six spots. On Thursday, Harper made the Nationals pay with a game-tying homer for using a right-handed reliever to try to navigate the right-left-right section of Turner-Harper-Bohm. Ideally, they get that sort of opposite-handed production to keep opposing managers honest in their late-game decision-making.

If this is merely a one- or two-day absence for Turner, there should be a good mixture of both batting orders over the first few weeks with the Phillies drawing two lefties in the opening series in Washington, Kyle Freeland in their first home series and then likely Blake Snell and Chris Sale in the two to follow.

There may be challenging shadows again during the first half of Saturday’s 4:05 p.m. game, but fortunately for the hitters, it’s a cloudier day than Thursday which could nullify the disadvantage.

At least on paper, it should be a better day for the bats. The Phillies faced Irvin four times last year and scored four-plus runs off him each time, winning three of the games. Five different Phillies — Turner, Kepler, Realmuto, Stott and Marsh — have taken him deep.

Luzardo makes his Phillies debut. He feels healthy after missing a bulk of last season with a back injury, and though he had a couple of shaky spring outings, the much more important sign was his four-seam fastball and sinker averaging 96 mph.

Luzardo debuts, Schwarber leads off for Phillies in Game 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Facing a right-handed starting pitcher in Game 2 of 162, the Phillies went with a different lineup than Opening Day.

Get used to the back-and-forth. Manager Rob Thomson plans to lead Trea Turner off against lefties and Kyle Schwarber against righties.

Turner led off in Thursday’s opener vs. Mackenzie Gore and is likely to do so again Sunday afternoon when the Phillies see southpaw Mitchell Parker. Saturday’s opponent was Jake Irvin, thus the different arrangement.

1. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
2. Trea Turner, SS
3. Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
4. Alec Bohm, 3B
5. Max Kepler, LF (L)
6. J.T. Realmuto, C
7. Nick Castellanos, RF
8. Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
9. Brandon Marsh, CF (L)

Jesus Luzardo, LHP

Whether it’s Turner or Schwarber up top, the important part is being able to alternate lefties and righties in the first six spots. On Thursday, Harper made the Nationals pay with a game-tying homer for using a right-handed reliever to try to navigate the right-left-right section of Turner-Harper-Bohm. Ideally, they get that sort of opposite-handed production to keep opposing managers honest in their late-game decision-making.

There should be a good mixture of both batting orders over the first few weeks with the Phillies drawing two lefties in the opening series in Washington, Kyle Freeland in their first home series and then likely Blake Snell and Chris Sale in the two to follow.

There may be challenging shadows again during the first half of Saturday’s 4:05 p.m. game, but fortunately for the hitters, it’s a cloudier day than Thursday which could nullify the disadvantage.

At least on paper, it should be a better day for the bats. The Phillies faced Irvin four times last year and scored four-plus runs off him each time, winning three of the games. Five different Phillies — Turner, Kepler, Realmuto, Stott and Marsh — have taken him deep.

Luzardo makes his Phillies debut. He feels healthy after missing a bulk of last season with a back injury, and though he had a couple of shaky spring outings, the much more important sign was his four-seam fastball and sinker averaging 96 mph.

Giants' Encarnacion to miss several weeks after hand surgery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — The Giants got a game-winning homer from their designated hitter on Thursday, but it’ll be a while before they see the other right-handed hitter who was supposed to get at-bats in that spot. 

Jerar Encarnacion had surgery on his fractured left hand Friday in Los Angeles and will be in a splint for the next two weeks. The Giants are estimating an eight-week return to play, which manager Bob Melvin said was the expectation all along. 

Encarnacion was headed for a lot of DH time and would have started against every lefty, either as the DH or an outfielder. Without him, Casey Schmitt is the DH on Saturday against Cincinnati Reds lefty Nick Lodolo. Wilmer Flores is the first baseman and Luis Matos is in right field. Schmitt has a .725 OPS against lefties in the big leagues and hit them well this spring. 

“You look at the history and he does some damage there,” Melvin said of Schmitt. “It’s one of the reasons he made the team.”

With Schmitt and Matos in the lineup, only Sam Huff and Christian Koss haven’t played thus far. Huff will catch Robbie Ray on Sunday and Melvin said he’ll look for an opportunity on this trip to get Koss his MLB debut. 

Back to Sac

David Villar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. There wasn’t a spot for Villar this spring and he was out of options, so earlier in the week the Giants had designated him for assignment to clear a 40-man spot for reliever Lou Trivino. 

Melvin said multiple times this spring that he hoped Villar could get an opportunity in the big leagues elsewhere, but he’s now in limbo a bit. He returns to the River Cats, but without a spot on the 40-man roster, which makes it more difficult to get back to the big leagues. 

The River Cats were short on position players in their opener, carrying just 11 of them. Villar should be their starting third baseman. 

Hot Start

Marco Luciano got his Triple-A season off to a hot start, hitting a three-run homer in the opener on Friday night and walking twice. Luciano is playing left field this season and the Giants are hopeful that taking some defensive concerns off his plate leads to a surge in the batter’s box. 

“We saw some good at-bats from him when we were there for the exhibition game,” Melvin said. 

Nothing is imminent for the 23-year-old. The Giants optioned him early in camp and want him to play every day for several weeks at least and get comfortable in the outfield. 

It was a good night for a very deep River Cats pitching staff. Right-hander Carson Seymour struck out eight over four scoreless innings and hit 97 mph with his sinker. Joel Peguero, the last cut in the bullpen, pitched the ninth and averaged 99.8 mph with his fastball, which hit triple digits three times.

Going Viral

How popular is Jung Hoo Lee in his home country? Both Luis Matos and Mike Yastrzemski did interviews with South Korean reporters on Saturday morning, simply because they showed up in a video the Giants put out of the three outfielders enjoying Korean BBQ this spring. 

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Tommy Lasorda had a lot of things to say, many of which still stick in our heads after all these decades.

He exulted in the fruits of victory. He dubbed Dodger Stadium "Blue Heaven on Earth." He warned you might not get into the real heaven if you did not root for the Dodgers.

He also had a simple formula for success.

“No matter how good you are, you’re going to lose one-third of your games,” Lasorda liked to say. “No matter how bad you are, you’re going to win one-third of your games. It’s the other third that makes the difference.”

If you believe the hype, these Dodgers are out to make a liar out of Lasorda.

Under Lasorda’s axiom, no team wins more than two-thirds of its games. For the Dodgers, that would be 108 games.

“117 would be a nice number,” former Dodgers pitcher and current broadcaster Orel Hershiser said. “Set the record.”

The record indeed is 116, set by the Chicago Cubs in 1906 and tied by the Seattle Mariners in 2001.

“There's just a lot of excitement,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base.”

Nine teams in history have won 109 or more games. One of those teams: the 2022 Dodgers, winners of 111 games during the regular season, eliminated by the San Diego Padres in four games in October.

Two Brooklyn Dodgers teams won more than two-thirds of their games: the 1953 team, which lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series; and the 1942 team, which lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League, at a time there were no divisions and the league champion advanced directly to the World Series.

These Dodgers enjoyed a ring ceremony Friday. They plan to enjoy another one this time next year.

“That’s our only focus right now, to go back to back,” Roberts said. “We have the best team.”

Hershiser pitched under Lasorda, who managed the Dodgers to two World Series championships in 20 years. In 1977, Lasorda’s first year, the Dodgers won 98 games. In 1978 they won 95. Never again under Lasorda did the Dodgers win so many games.

This is not a knock on Lasorda, who is in the Hall of Fame. Teams are not supposed to win two-thirds of their games, and yet here we are watching a team so talented and deep that not winning two-thirds of its games might be a letdown to its fans.

“It’s going to be really hard to continue to think of glowing things to say about this team,” Hershiser said. “I think the adjectives are going to get real thin.”

Hershiser has allowed himself a moment or two to have some fun with the anticipation of greatness. At the start of the season, he said, the Dodgers’ broadcasters had a group text for predictions about how many games the team would win.

Hershiser smiled as he told the story. The regular season features 162 games. His text read 162.

It was a joke. The fans, he said, should have some fun too.

“I would hope it’s fun,” he said. “I guess it’s less excitement when you win, and more disappointment when you lose. It’s not quite as balanced of a feeling.”

For fans of every other team, the exhibition season is over. For fans of the Dodgers, the exhibition season extends through September, and the meaningful games start in October. The last time the Dodgers failed to make the playoffs: 13 years ago.

Yet a baseball season is a book with 162 chapters. There is plenty to savor within, new players and surprise storylines, a bounty to celebrate and appreciate as the summer unfolds.

Read more:Mookie Betts' walk-off homer in 10th keeps Dodgers undefeated: 'We just don't quit'

This is not as easy as the Dodgers plan to make it look, even with their 4-0 start.

When I asked Roberts what he would suggest to fans already counting down to October, he channeled one of the greatest champions in our city’s history.

“My advice would be what Kobe said: The dream is a journey. And when we're in your living rooms every night, when you come to the ballpark — 4 million people come to the ballpark every year — enjoy the journey.

“If you're just waiting to win a championship, and that defines the season for you and your joy, then you might want to find something else to root for, because you're missing a lot.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Five months removed from one storybook ending, the Dodgers are already penning another Hollywood-worthy script.

It started last week in Japan, when the defending World Series champions were fervently welcomed on the other side of the world. It continued into this weekend’s opening homestand; one that featured a sentimental banner-raising celebration at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, then an emotional championship ring ceremony before first pitch Friday.

Read more:The Dodgers received their World Series rings. Here's what they look like

Amid that backdrop, the Dodgers might have been forgiven for struggling with an early season hangover. Like countless champions before them, it would have been no surprise for their title defense to begin with a slow first step.

But instead, these Dodgers have embraced all the pomp, absorbed all the circumstance, and put their own triumphant stamp on the season’s opening act.

For the first time since 1981, they're off to a 4-0 start. And on Friday — in an 8-5, walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers that included a five-run rally and Mookie Betts' game-winning home run in the 10th inning — they even started to rekindle last year’s magic.

"By far, the best opening week I've ever experienced,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“Kind of feels like we’re just picking up a little bit where we left off last year,” third baseman Max Muncy echoed. “There’s still a lot of fight in this team.”

Friday night was not always destined to end so spectacularly.

Early on the Dodgers generated little against Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, one of the few core pieces from their postseason run who didn't return, and didn't score until a two-run home run from Freddie Freeman in the sixth.

Later the Dodgers squandered the opportunity for a more rudimentary win. New reliever Tanner Scott blew a save in the ninth and needed his defense to throw out another runner at the plate simply to force extra innings. In the 10th the Tigers quickly surged to a 5-3 lead when Dillon Dingler’s two-run, two-out triple landed just beyond a diving effort from Michael Conforto in left field.

But in a week that has been so dedicated to honoring the Dodgers’ 2024 success — when their World Series trek included a litany of injuries, a shorthanded roster and near-elimination at the start of the playoffs — this team orchestrated its own resilient answer for the first time.

"It's kind of a hallmark of our ballclub,” Roberts said. “We just don't quit.”

“We're kind of carrying that over a little bit from last year,” Muncy added. “You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have that gel in the clubhouse, then it’s not gonna work.”

In the bottom of the 10th, Conforto cut the deficit in half with a leadoff double, scoring the automatic runner from second. Will Smith came off the bench and slapped an RBI single through the infield, tying the score at 5-5.

Shohei Ohtani kept the rally going, lining a base hit to right to put two runners aboard. Then, just as he had two innings earlier, when he broke a 2-2 tie with a home run to left, Betts came to the plate and delivered again, whacking a no-doubt, stadium-shaking blast.

“I just couldn't have scripted it any better,” Roberts said. “It's huge, especially given all that we've taken on in this last, call it, 10 days."

No one’s last 10 days have been as wild as what Betts has experienced.

In Tokyo he was unable to play after losing more than 15 pounds while battling a stomach virus. Up until Tuesday it was unclear if the 32-year-old star, who also is embarking on a position change back to shortstop, would be available for this series.

His first home run was so surprising to his teammates — given that he has been playing at about only 165 pounds, well below an already undersized stature to begin with — that Muncy said they joked it “was probably the best bulk that he’s got right now,” noting how it barely clear the fence in left field.

When Betts came up in the 10th, he worked an eight-pitch at-bat before jumping on a changeup below the zone. The ball rocketed off his bat at 97 mph. Even on a brisk night at Chavez Ravine, it landed several rows deep in the left-field pavilion.

Read more:Shaikin: Jack Flaherty grateful for L.A. World Series moment even though it didn't last

“He one-upped us, so we were all wrong on that one,” Muncy conceded with a laugh.

"That was not on my bingo card,” Roberts echoed in amazement. “He just does some special things ... He won a ballgame for us tonight."

As Betts rounded the bases he broke into an animated celebration that felt right out of last October’s highlight reel.

Part of the reaction, he explained later, was personal exaltation.

“Just the fight that I’ve been through, the ups and downs, the nights where I’m just crying because I’m sick, my wife there kind of holding me,” he recalled of his two-week ordeal, “that’s where that emotion comes from.”

But the rest of the emotion, he added, was simply “winning for the boys.”

Such sentiments are what helped carry the Dodgers last fall — a key reason why, for roughly 30 minutes before first pitch Friday, every 2024 team member in the building other than Flaherty (who will get his ring Saturday) was called to a makeshift stage to receive their 14-karat, 300-diamond piece of jeweled history.

“It’s my favorite one,” said Betts, the only active position player in MLB with three World Series championships. “Hopefully I can get some more and we’ll be able to compare.”

To that end, the Dodgers already giving early validation to their status as World Series favorites with the franchise’s best four-game start in 44 years.

“It’s a great thing to be a Dodger, a lot of cool things happen,” veteran catcher Austin Barnes said. “Play a lot of cool games. Go to Tokyo. Get some rings. Opening day. They do things right here. ... So yeah, it’s been a great little week. But gotta keep going.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Brett Baty got the chance to play at second base for the first time in the big leagues on Friday night in Houston and had a quiet night.

Thanks to Tylor Megill and four relievers out of the Mets’ bullpen, there was little action save one line drive on the right side of the infield as they struck out 10 batters in a 3-1 win over the Astros.

Baty, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout at the plate, was forced to make a tough play, turning a 5-4-3 double-play to end the fifth inning. His throw from the bag at second was in time, but the out was saved by Pete Alonso making a good stretch to dig the ball out.

Of course, there was one play to be made on the Mets’ right side of the infield, but it happened to come in the eighth inning after Baty was lifted in the top of the seventh for Luisangel Acuña to pinch hit.

With one out and a runner on first, Yordan Alvarez yanked a ball in the hole and Acuña made a diving stop to his left before jumping up and tossing the ball to Alonso at first. Carlos Mendoza called it “a sneaky good play.”

While the Astros’ left-hander Steven Okert led to the decision to lift Baty in a game the Mets led, Mendoza said inserting Acuña for defense in late-inning situations is something they may do.

“Even though Brett has been doing a really good job, we’re looking at a plus, plus defender that’s played the position a lot more,” he said. “There’s gonna be times where Baty stays in there, but today, I thought once they brought that lefty in, I thought it was the right thing to do.”

(Okert got Acuña on strikes to end the inning).

Of course, late-inning decisions like this will all depend on who you are facing and the situation of the other team’s bullpen, Mendoza added. 

Despite the late change, the plan is for Baty to get a lot of time at second. The manager’s message to him after he was told he would be on the roster to start the season: “Be yourself.”

"Same thing that you're doing here. Whenever we get to the regular season, just continue to be yourself. Play your game,” he said ahead of Friday’s game. “Don’t feel like you have to get four hits, three hits every day to be in the lineup the next day. Let us make those decisions; just control what you can control. 

“Trust the work, he’s put in a lot of work this offseason. We saw results in spring training. Now it’s up to him to go out there and continue to be himself and trust the work.”

Vientos ➡️ Baty ➡️ Alonso for the double play!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/gD2K6xTw12

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 29, 2025

Luisangel Acuña makes the diving stop and throws to first for the out!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/3GB7R47TPF

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 29, 2025

Mendoza was encouraged by the work he saw Baty do to improve during the spring.

“The communication from pitch to pitch, there’s a lot that goes into it when you’re playing middle infield as opposed to when you’re playing third base,” he said about the areas of improvement. “There’s more communication with your shortstop, with the first baseman, with the pitcher. I think he did a really good job going to the right places when he needed to with cuts and relays, covering a base where it was a first base steal coverage.

“The range, going to his right especially, he’s made some plays that are not easy and then throwing with a different angle. He did a lot of that and we’re encouraged by that.” 

The key factor the Mets are looking for from him is seeing that he is slowing the game down and moving on to the next play if mistakes occur.

“[The] game is gonna be fast. And I think it starts with the preparation, it starts with the anticipation: Knowing what to do with the baseball before the plays happen," Mendoza said. "That’s what good infielders do. And, especially when you’re playing up the middle. He did a little bit of that, now he’s gotta go out there and do it.

“I think [Francisco] Lindor’s gonna help him, [Mike Sarbaugh] in between innings, myself, we’ll be there for him.”

Mendoza said there will be some “give and take” with Baty as he gets to learn the intricacies of the new position during big league action and will, of course, likely go through a rough patch.

“I think having the feel for the situation, but there’s gonna be things that need to be addressed right away, we will address them right away,” the manager said. 

“The more you play, you’ll learn,” he continued. “And then the Q and A: ‘What are you thinking here? What were you thinking? What was the thought process before the play happened? Did you think about this?’

“Those are some of the discussions that we’ll have and I know [Sarbaugh] is constantly have these conversations with the guys.” 

HOUSTON -- Two games into the season, we have gathered some data on how Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will approach game strategy with his new roster.

Friday’s 3-1 win over Houston allowed Mendoza his first opportunity to deploy his current group of high-leverage relievers. He chose to bring in Reed Garrett to bail Tylor Megill out of a jam in the sixth, new acquisition A.J. Minter in the seventh, Ryne Stanek in the eighth and Edwin Diaz in the ninth.

All were effective, but that order of relievers was not what we will see every time the Mets are protecting a tight lead in the early part of the season.

-- Mendoza said he is still tinkering with when to use Minter, Stanek and Garrett in the eighth versus the seventh.

“There’s going to be a combination,” the manager said. “[It will depend on] who is available, who is coming up.”

When Mendoza served as Aaron Boone’s bench coach with the Yankees, the coaching staff would meet before the game to determine the best “lanes,” as they called them, for each reliever against the night’s opposing lineup.

The Mets’ approach under Mendoza sounds similar. They will look every day at data that cuts deeper than handedness and prior history, like how a given pitcher’s stuff plays against an opponent’s swing. They will consider which pitchers are most capable that night of contributing length, among many other factors that will determine the ideal situation for each.

-- You’ll see Diaz at some point in the spot that Stanek faced on Friday: eighth inning, best part of the lineup. In this case, it was Jose Altuve, Isaac Parades and Yordan Alvarez. Stanek took care of them, but contemporary managers, including Mendoza, often use their “closers" (a term that is gradually becoming anachronistic) in that spot.

I asked Mendoza after the game if he considered Diaz in the eighth. He said no, primarily because it was Diaz’s first appearance of the season. He wanted to get his closer out of the gate in standard fashion. But if, say, it’s next weekend at Citi Field and Toronto’s Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander are due up in the eighth with the Mets up by a few runs, that could easily be Diaz’s inning.

-- One last bit of late-inning run prevention strategy: Mendoza said that he might use Luisangel Acuña as a late-inning defensive replacement at second base on days that Brett Baty starts. On Friday, Acuna pinch-hit for Baty in the seventh because of a platoon advantage. He then made a nifty play on a grounder in the eighth.

Baty is a hardworking neophyte at the position and Acuña is what Mendoza called a “plus-plus defender” there. Because of that, the manager might make the substitution for purely defensive reasons late in games, even if an obvious pinch-hit situation does not arise -- provided that he is not facing a team with righty relievers that could make it unwise to remove the lefty Baty. Managing is complicated.