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

When the Dodgers called up Andy Pages to the majors early last season, one of the first things co-hitting coach Aaron Bates did was seek out veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

That spring, Bates had watched a relationship blossom between Pages, a then 23-year-old prospect who had bounced back miraculously fast from a labrum surgery the previous season, and Hernández, an All-Star veteran who had signed with the club that winter at age 31 in search of a bounce-back performance.

All camp, Pages and Hernández were among the first to arrive at the batting cages each morning. They became almost attached at the hip in the clubhouse and on the backfields, constantly discussing the state of their games.

It was, as Bates and several others around the team have since described it, the start of a “big brother, little brother” relationship between the two sluggers.

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto stellar once again for Dodgers in rain-delayed win over Braves

Thus, once Pages joined the big-league roster a couple weeks into the regular season, Bates encouraged Hernández to help reinforce the coaching staff’s message to the newly recalled rookie — and to, more important, be a guiding voice as he took Pages under his wing.

“As a hitting coach, you can go to a veteran player if you want him to get a message across to a younger guy, if it’s coming off better or might land a little bit better with the veteran player telling him,” Bates said. “So as Andy was coming up to the big leagues, Teo was a big asset to us to get stuff across to Andy. And Andy is super coachable. You can tell him yourself. But Teo can see it from his vantage point.”

“Their relationship,” Bates added, “kept going [from there].”

One year later, few Dodgers teammates are closer than Hernández and Pages.

They talk almost daily in their shared corner of the team’s clubhouse. They’ll watch one another during batting practice, and coordinate defensively in outfielders’ meetings. After most home games, they’ll leave the stadium side-by-side (more than once this year, Hernández has waited in the clubhouse hallway, playfully shouting for Pages to hurry up to leave). And the more their bond has strengthened, the more they’ve each benefited from the partnership — leaning on one another while becoming integral pieces of the Dodgers’ offense.

“We’ve always been really close,” Pages said through an interpreter. “We talked through a lot of things. We’ve been talking through a lot of difficult times. A lot of the good times. Obviously, he has a lot of experience in the big leagues, so I utilize him for some of these difficult times. But we’ve had a close relationship since the beginning.”

When Hernández first arrived in Dodgers camp last spring, Pages wasn’t the only young Latin American player that gravitated toward him.

Miguel Vargas — who, like Pages, was signed as an amateur out of Cuba — was transitioning full-time to the outfield. Jose Ramos, a double-A prospect originally signed out of Panama, had also earned an invite to big-league spring training.

“Because they were working in the outfield, we built a good relationship,” said Hernández, a Dominican native who was once in their shoes while trying to break into the majors with the Houston Astros in 2016. “I was trying to teach them some of the things I went through when I came to the big leagues. Trying to make them feel better when things are not going right.”

In Pages specifically, though, Hernández found something of a kindred spirit.

Pages is not as outwardly animated as Hernández, whose “happy-go-lucky” personality, as Bates described it, is evident every time he showers his teammates with sunflower seeds to celebrate home runs. But Pages did have the same persistent work ethic, having spent the 2024 offseason making a rapid recovery from his 2023 shoulder surgery. And he had the same steady demeanor, helping him earn his first big-league promotion in mid-April of last year.

“We all knew he was gonna get to the big leagues last year,” Hernández said. “When you see a good player, you’re gonna see it right away. You’re gonna see the guy has talent. You’re gonna know right away if he can play in the big leagues.”

That’s why, once Pages did join the Dodgers, Hernández helped him hone the mental side of his game.

Read more:Why the Dodgers' Max Muncy has started wearing glasses in games: 'Anything that can help'

In the good times, like when Pages hit over .300 in his first 20 games, Hernández reinforced his confidence. In bad stretches, like when Pages was demoted after a 33-game run through July and early August in which he batted .226 with just one home run and 28 strikeouts, Hernández tried to foster positivity.

“This game is hard,” Hernández told him. “You’re gonna fail more times than you have success.”

All players know that when they arrive in the majors. But understanding it is different. And only with experience, Hernández had learned, came the ability to navigate such adversity.

“When you realize that as a player, and you get it, everything becomes easier to handle,” Hernández said.

A similar dynamic was at play early this season.

Despite returning to the majors late last year and exploding for a two-homer game in the National League Championship Series, Pages entered this season on the fringes of the Dodgers’ MLB roster. And even though he made the team coming out of camp, he felt pressure to try and entrench his place permanently in the big leagues.

That strain beget a slump, Pages batting .159 through the season’s first three weeks.

But Hernández continued to support him, both in public comments to reporters and private chats between the two, aiming to simply “keep his mind positive.”

“We’re not talking about what he’s doing wrong, or the slump he’s in,” Hernández said. “Just trying to tell him: ‘OK, let’s try this. Or that. Whatever it is for you to feel good with what you’re doing on the field.’”

Part of the slump, Pages felt, came from adjustments he had while primarily batting in the nine-hole — feeling the need to be overly selective in hopes of getting on base for leadoff man Shohei Ohtani.

So, recently, Dodgers hitting coaches encouraged Pages to get back to his typical aggressive approach at the plate. Hernández, who in another parallel to Pages is a free swinger himself, once again backed up that message.

“I think having someone like that to look up to, and model himself as far as what he wants to be, is great,” Bates said.

Pages not only heeded the advice, but has seen his results improve almost immediately. Over his last nine games entering Saturday, Pages is batting .500 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs and only five strikeouts.

Hernández has been almost as good in that same stretch, snapping out of an early slump by batting .410 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs (giving him an MLB-high 32 runs driven in on the season) since April 22.

Manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence.

“I think that there is some type of commonality to Andy and Teo’s success [happening] together,” Roberts said this week. “They certainly have a big brother, little brother relationship. And Teo obviously has established himself as an All-Star and has been a mentor to Andy … But I do think that those guys are continuing to push each other, which is fun to watch.”

No sequence was more joyful than last week’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when both Hernández and Pages homered in the same inning.

Hernández’s long ball was a milestone moment, marking the 200th home run of his MLB career.

Read more:Tony Gonsolin shines in his first game since 2023 as Dodgers win fifth straight

But his reaction to Pages’ big fly later in the inning was noticeably more gleeful, with Hernández flying out of the dugout and pelting Pages with an overhand chuck of sunflower seeds at the top step.

“I was happy, yes. Two hundred, that’s a big one,” Hernández said. “But I was more excited for him.”

To those who have watched Hernández and Pages up close over the last year, that was hardly surprising to hear.

“Teo, he likes those numbers, but I don’t think he plays for that reason,” Bates said. “He just plays to love the game. And I think he’s happier when he sees a younger player like that, that he can help.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Celtic defender backs forward team-mate, Steven Gerrard trumpeted for Rangers return and Hamilton plan to stay full-time...

Liam Scales believes criticism of Celtic and Republic of Ireland team-mate Adam Idah is harsh and the defender backs the striker to shine against Rangers on Sunday. (Sun)

Scales, 26, enjoys fishing in Scotland as it is "good for keeping your mind clear". (Record)

James Forrest, 33, plays down the notion that he will take a penalty should Celtic be awarded one before the end of the season to maintain his streak of scoring in successive seasons dating back to the 2010-11 campaign. (Glasgow Times)

Mohamed Diomande, 23, admits there's going to be "a lot of regret" at Rangers come the end of the season. (Herald - subscription required)

Former Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack backs Steven Gerrard to return as Ibrox manager. (Record)

Gerrard, 44, is the leading candidate for the Rangers vacancy. (Football Insider)

Luka Elsner, who has managed nine clubs across Europe, emerges as a candidate for the Hearts manager's job. (Herald - subscription required)

Hamilton Academical plan to remain full-time following their relegation to Scottish League 1. (Sun)

• Nkunku wants to leave Chelsea - Sunday's gossip
• Frankfurt rival Celtic for Kvistgaarden - gossip

The national anthem had been sung. A sold-out crowd was in its seats. The field was raked, chalked and ready for baseball.

More than three hours later, the first pitch was finally thrown.

What was scheduled as a 7:15 p.m. local start at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday didn’t actually kick off until 10:21 p.m., with the Dodgers and Braves getting delayed by a thunderstorm that rolled in shortly after the game was supposed to begin.

Read more:Dodgers call up utilityman Hyeseong Kim, put Tommy Edman on injured list

The three-plus hour delay could have been enough to force a cancellation, and trigger a doubleheader on Sunday. But the Braves and Dodgers instead were asked to “hunker down,” as manager Dave Roberts quipped before the game, and wait.

“For us, decisiveness is probably better,” Roberts said. “Versus waiting around all night and ultimately not playing.”

The Dodgers ultimately did play, and rolled to a 10-3 win, as well, looking unfazed by the weather, the conditions or a late night that stretched into the early hours of Sunday morning before their seventh straight victory was finally complete.

Despite the long delay, Roki Sasaki survived his latest big-league test, dancing in and out of danger in a five-inning, three-run start for his first MLB win.

Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman both hit home runs; Ohtani to break an early 1-1 tie in the third, Freeman to put the game out of reach in the eighth.

And a Dodgers team (23-10) that spent most of the opening month trying to get synced up on the mound and at the plate — despite still posting the best record in the majors — continued to round into increasingly dominant form, inching ever closer to hitting their tantalizing top gear.

Few sequences better exemplified the Dodgers’ recently improved play than the crooked numbers they posted in the third and fourth innings.

In the third, the Dodgers played both long-ball and small-ball to produce two runs. Ohtani led off with his eighth home run, launching a towering solo blast to straightaway center field. Then, Betts hit a single, took second base on a hit-and-run play that likely would’ve resulted in a double-play grounder otherwise, and scored when Teoscar Hernández snuck a ground ball through the infield — giving Hernández his 33rd RBI to tie Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.

In the fourth, their offense went station-to-station in a four-run rally, all of the runs coming with two outs. Ohtani roped a single to center to get the threat started. Betts followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, marking his fourth-straight multi-hit game. Freeman then chased Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach (who entered with a sub-3.00 ERA) with an RBI single to left, Betts staying on his feet all the way home to score just ahead of a tag at the plate.

With the clock ticking toward midnight, Aaron Bummer entered the game for the Braves (14-18) and immediately turned into a pumpkin.

His first batter, Hernández, hit a dribbler up the first-base line that Bummer initially fielded, but then dropped while trying to transfer the ball to his throwing hand for a flip to first base. Bummer quickly retrieved the ball again, and turned toward home with Freeman taking a wide turn around third. But his throw there was off-line, sailing over catcher Sean Murphy’s head to allow Freeman to score with ease.

Hernández also took second on the play, setting up Will Smith for an RBI single in the next at-bat.

It was late Saturday night baseball, at its sloppily, messy finest.

Sasaki didn’t make life easy on himself in the seventh start of his rookie season.

He had to strand two runners in the first, the latter of which reached on a two-out walk. He hung a slider to Ozzie Albies for a leadoff single in the second, then gave up a run when Eli White hit a half-swing double the other way to right. Another two-out walk created more stress in the third. And despite taking the mound with a 7-1 lead in the fourth, he gave up a leadoff homer to Albies and a one-out RBI double to Nick Allen, prompting a mound meeting from pitching coach Mark Prior.

But, as he has made a habit of during his up-and-down campaign, the 23-year-old right-hander managed to limit damage. Despite hitting a batter in the fourth, he escaped without yielding another run. In the fifth, he finally posted a 1-2-3 inning, having just enough gas in a season-high 98-pitch outing to qualify for his first victory.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here's the latest on some of the Mets' young talent down in the minor leagues...

---

Drew Gilbert hits first 2025 Syracuse homer

Gilbert is known for his power but hadn't gone yard for the Syracuse Mets this season... until Saturday.

Going up against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Gilbert took Yerry De los Santos -- the reliever who started the season in the majors with the Yankees -- deep, launching an 85 mph changeup 369 feet. The outfielder went 1-for-2 but walked three times.

Gilbert had two home runs with Port St. Lucie this season before he returned to Syracuse in mid-April. In 13 games with the Triple-A affiliate, Gilbert is slashing .275/.426/.425 with an .851 OPS.

Former Mets outfielder Rafael Ortega had the big blast in Saturday's 8-2 win, launching a three-run shot to put Syracuse up 5-0 in the first inning.

Drew Gilbert homers for Triple-A Syracuse! 💣

(via @SyracuseMets) pic.twitter.com/jL84fLtpeC

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 4, 2025

Nate Dohm dominates with St. Lucie

Dohm, the 22-year-old right-hander, dominated his latest start for the St. Lucie Mets on Saturday. Dohm pitched 5.1 innings while allowing one unearned run on four hits, two walks and striking out six batters. It's the second consecutive start Dohm has not allowed an earned run.

Across six starts in Single-A, Dohm is 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA and has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start this year. In fact, since allowing four runs in his first two starts, Dohm has allowed just two earned runs across his last two. He's also struck out 30 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.

Following the Yankees' 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon, manager Aaron Boone and some players spoke about a number of topics...

Ryan Yarbrough gives Yanks what they needed

With the sudden scratch of Clarke Schmidt on Saturday, Yarbrough was tasked with being the team's opener against the Rays. The bulk reliever is used to pitching multiple innings, but Boone was very happy with the results.

The left-hander allowed just one run on one hit and three walks in four innings. It was a season-high four innings for Yarbrough, who had a sac fly from Taylor Walls in the second inning to thank for the lone run allowed.

"I tried to convince [Boone] to get me into the fifth there, especially with a bullpen game," Yarbrough said after the game. "Just really giving those guys some time off, especially when you have a day that you don't really necessarily expect early on. We were there to pick each other up and just tried to go as deep as I could."

"I thought he did great," Boone said. Walked a couple of leadoff hitters, which wasn’t ideal, had a few walks in there. But going into the day, if you said four innings, one run. Sign us up, all day long. He gave us exactly what we needed. Gave us a chance and put us in a good position to win a game. Unfortunately, just couldn’t get to the finish line today."

Mark Leiter Jr. gives up lead

The Yankees were up 2-1 heading into the eighth inning when Leiter Jr. came in. The hard-throwing right-hander was a bit unlucky in that inning. After allowing a leadoff hit to Christopher Morel -- on a play that was just out of the reach of Anthony Volpe -- Brandon Lowe walked. Leiter Jr. struck out Junior Caminero before a Curtis Mead bloop single tied the game and then a Volpe error pushed across the go-ahead run.

Boone, after the game, applauded the Rays' hitters, especially Lowe and Mead for getting to Leiter Jr.'s well-executed pitches.

"I thought he threw the ball alright. Just a couple of balls that had eyes," Boone said.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. surprised by MRI

Chisholm was placed on the IL on Friday with a high-grade oblique strain. Boone expects Chisholm to be out 4-6 weeks, but when the infielder was asked how he felt in the Orioles series earlier in the week, he believed he would be back in a few days.

“I’m very surprised [by the results], just depending on how my body feels and how I feel personally," Chisholm said after Saturday's game. "This is the second time I had an oblique. This feels completely different from the first one. So, for me, I was super surprised when I saw the results."

Chisholm revealed that there were three different tears in his oblique, which made him more surprised.

"That’s why I’m really surprised by what [the tests] said," he explained. "It doesn’t feel like three, doesn’t feel as bad as when I tore my oblique two years ago."

Chisholm is having an up-and-down 2025 with the Yanks. He has launched an impressive seven homers, but his batting average (.181) and OBP (.304) remain low.

Nola works through pregame neck injury to deliver 6 scoreless originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Aaron Nola felt his neck tighten up about 45 minutes before first pitch Saturday night.

It put manager Rob Thomson, pitching coach Caleb Cotham and catcher J.T. Realmuto on high alert, and the Phillies even activated Ranger Suarez from the injured list pregame, a day early, in case he was needed for an emergency start.

There was no emergency because Nola felt good enough to pitch. And he didn’t just toe the slab, he delivered six scoreless innings against a Diamondbacks lineup that can hurt you with power and with speed.

“They said we’ll see what we get out of him tonight, essentially,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “We were a little worried, we didn’t know how much he was going to be available but obviously his neck felt good enough.

“I was on high alert in the bullpen just trying to watch his pitches and see if anything was moving differently or his stuff was different, but it was just as sharp as it normally is. Once the game started, I didn’t even really think about it again.”

Nola didn’t have his best command early but found a groove after ending the second inning by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. His velocity was up for a second consecutive start and averaged 92.2, more than 1 mph above his season average. He also had his cutter working for a second straight start and had one of his better curveballs, the pitch he utilized most to beat the D-backs in a 7-2 Phillies win.

“It says a lot,” Realmuto said. “He’s a competitor so if there’s a way for him to go out there and pitch, he’s gonna do it. He showed that tonight.”

Nola is not worried about the neck tightness and expects it to subside quickly. He felt it during the game on a few occasions but is fortunate that it’s the right side of his neck, not the left. The left side is the direction to which a right-handed pitcher like Nola cocks his head before delivering a pitch out of the stretch or when peering over to first base.

“Everything was normal. I felt it a little bit but it didn’t get any worse during the game,” Nola said. “I don’t think it’s gonna be any long-term, lingering kind of thing.

“Felt like it needed to pop and wouldn’t pop. Just a little tight on a couple of different movements but luckily it wasn’t to my left where I have to look toward the plate. If it was on the left side, it might have been a little bit different.”

Nola received seven runs of support, more than the Phillies had provided him all season. He has lowered his ERA in his last two starts from 6.43 to 4.61. His command is sharpening and he’s generating more finish to his pitches. All but one of his 18 outs Saturday night was a strikeout or groundout.

“I feel pretty good, all my pitches feel pretty good right now,” Nola said. “Getting ahead of the hitters better than I was the first few starts and putting ’em away when I need to.”

His next one will be Friday in Cleveland. The Phillies will start Ranger Suarez on Sunday to finish up the Diamondbacks series, then have Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo going in Tampa. Taijuan Walker has been moved to the bullpen, where he’ll be used as a longman or reliever who can pitch one-plus inning.

Red Sox 1B Triston Casas out for rest of season after rupturing left knee tendon​ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on a slow roller up the line and fell awkwardly in Boston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. After laying on his back in pain — not moving the knee — he was carted off on a stretcher before being taken to a Boston hospital.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Casas, who remains in the hospital, will have surgery, but the date has not been determined.

“I talked to him last night,” Breslow said in a press conference discussing the injury outside Boston’s clubhouse. “We exchanged text messages (today). We all care deeply about just his overall wellbeing.”

Manager Alex Cora said Casas worked hard during the offseason to play every day after missing a large amount of last year with torn cartilage in his rib cage.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. It didn’t start the way he wanted it to,” Cora said of Casas’ struggles. “He was going to play and play a lot. Now we’ve got to focus on the rehab after the surgery and hopefully get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”

Casas batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs, but Breslow said his loss will be felt, especially with the team’s lack of depth at the position.

“He certainly struggled through the first month of the season but that didn’t change what we believe his production was capable of being,” Breslow said. “It’s a big loss. In addition to what we think we were going to get on the offensive side, he was kind of like a stabilizing presence on the defensive side of the field — also a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse.”

During spring training, Casas talked about how his focus at the plate this season was being more relaxed.

“You really want it until you don’t,” he said, explaining his thoughts while standing at his locker. “Then you can’t want it that much.”

Now, he’ll have to focus on his recovery plan for next season.

Casas, a left-handed batter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Cora said Toro — a switch-hitter — will split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. who bats right-handed.

Breslow said the team might be exploring a long-term replacement.

“This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what’s available,” he said. “We’ll look both internally and outside as well.”

Cora said there are no plans to move Rafael Devers, who was replaced at third by offseason, free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman, and moved to DH.

“We asked him to do something in spring training that in the beginning he didn’t agree with it and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing,” Cora said. “Like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has avoided the worst after suffering an injury scare during Saturday's game against the Rays.

With the Yankees up 2-1 in the eighth, Volpe ranged to his right on a grounder hit in the hole between short and third base. Volpe dove for the grounder, but his left shoulder slammed into the ground on the attempt. The third-year infielder stayed on the ground for a noticeably long time as manager Aaron Boone and the trainers came out to tend to him.

On Sunday, though, Boone told reporters that X-rays and an MRI showed "good news" for Volpe, who's now considered day-to-day and not in Sunday's lineup.

“Definitely a little cranky in the shoulder today," Boone said of Volpe's status.

"Just felt like a pop in my shoulder," Volpe explained after Saturday's loss. "It happened quick and it was scary, but after that, I felt okay and had my strength."

"I’ve never been in this situation, so it’s scary," he added. "My movements feel good, just a weird play."

Volpe finished the game, but the shortstop was in the spotlight for another reason in that eighth inning. The Rays had already tied the game at 2-2, but with runners on the corners and one out, Jose Caballero hit a grounder up the middle. Volpe ranged to his left and was in position to scoop up the ball, but it bobbled and all runners were safe, allowing the Rays' winning run to score.

"Just trying to make the play without securing the ball," Volpe said.

"With Caballero running, that’s a game you got a chance to potentially turn a double play, but you got to be fast with it," Boone said of Volpe's error. "And probably a half step behind to really be able to turn the double play, probably just rushed trying to make it to the bag. I don’t think he’s going to turn it anyway, but I think that’s what happened when looking back at it."

Anthony Volpe is staying in the game after appearing to hurt his shoulder diving for a ground ball pic.twitter.com/rf67OriqVV

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 3, 2025

Kepler keeps crushing, Nola strong again in first win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Whether he ends up as a true everyday player this season or a platoon left fielder who starts the majority of games, Max Kepler is looking like someone who can help the Phillies. He already has during a power-packed week.

Kepler hammered the first pitch he saw Saturday night from Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, hitting it 392 feet for a missile of a two-run homer to right field. It was 107 mph off the bat but might as well have been 150, the second of five straight loud hits in a three-run second inning for the Phillies, who scored three more in the third on a J.T. Realmuto homer.

The 7-2 win was one of the Phillies’ easiest of the season. They had to eke out all but one of their nine wins from April 3-19, taxing their most important relievers, but the Phils have won three games by a comfortable margin since last Saturday. They’ve needed nights like these.

Kepler has been an important part of them, homering in all three lopsided wins. He is hitting .280 with an OPS just under .900 against right-handed pitching and has 10 extra-base hits in 94 plate appearances. His rate of hard contact is the highest of his career.

“He’s been awesome,” Realmuto said. “He has good at-bats all the time, hits the ball hard. He’s been doing damage for us. Putting us up 2-0 tonight with the way Noles was throwing the ball, that was great.”

The Phillies’ offense scored more runs for Aaron Nola than they had all season — seven on Saturday compared to six in his previous six starts. And Nola made all the support stand up with six scoreless innings. He sure appears to be settling in. After throwing three of his four fastest pitches of the season last Sunday at Wrigley Field, Nola exceeded 94 mph for the first time this year on Saturday with heaters of 94.4 and 94.3.

This has always been the case for Nola, whose fastball after May 1 has averaged 92.3 compared to 91.4 in March and April. He also has historically performed much better in warmer weather and these were by far his best conditions since spring training. It rained during the second and third innings but the temperature was in the high-70s, not the mid-40s or 50s with wind chill he dealt with in St. Louis, New York and twice at home.

What Nola did not have early on Saturday was his best control. His ball-strike ratio was nearly even through the game’s first seven batters, then he found a groove with a 4-6-3 double play to end the top of the second. He retired nine of 10 batters from the second through fifth innings and held the Diamondbacks hitless in four at-bats with a runner in scoring position.

Of the 18 outs Nola recorded, 17 were via strikeout or groundout. It looked like he might be done after five innings because his pitch count was at 95 but Rob Thomson extended him one more. The manager’s reasons were likely three-fold: Nola was pitching well, he will have an extra day between starts and the Phillies were down a reliever after placing Jose Ruiz on the IL pregame with a neck spasm.

Nola is 1-5 with a 4.61 ERA and trending in the right direction. So is Trea Turner, who has a .475 on-base percentage in his last 14 games and so are the Phillies, who at 19-14 have matched a season-high at five games over .500.

They’ve won three straight series since being swept at Citi Field and look for a sweep of their own Sunday afternoon behind a debuting Ranger Suarez.

It has been eight years since the Houston Astros cheated their way through a year that included a World Series victory over the Dodgers. It has been five years since commissioner Rob Manfred publicly detailed the scandal and sanctioned the Astros and their leaders, if not their players.

Does A.J. Hinch, the manager of those Astros, still hear about it?

“Every day,” he said.

Hinch now manages the Detroit Tigers.

“As a manager, my name gets announced in every stadium, every night,” he said Friday at Angel Stadium. “So it gives everybody an opportunity to remind me that no one has forgotten.

“And no one should forget.”

Read more:Shaikin: The Dodgers are good, and old. Should they try NBA-style load management?

We’ll get back to those Astros. But, first, we ought to tip our cap to these Tigers, the team with the best record in the American League.

The Tigers have surrendered the fewest runs in the AL and scored the third most through Friday's games.

Their starting rotation includes defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (2.21 ERA), former Dodger Jack Flaherty (3.34) and former first-round pick Casey Mize (2.70).

Mize preceded sluggers Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson as first-round picks in Detroit; Greene and Torkelson have combined for one more home run (17) than the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández (16).

Hinch is something of an accidental manager. In 2009, he was the minor league director of the Arizona Diamondbacks when general manager Josh Byrnes asked him to manage the team.

“I thought he was crazy,” Hinch said.

What Byrnes saw and many others in baseball did not: The traditional wall between the front office and the coaching staff was crumbling. The analyst or executive coming into the clubhouse might be there to help the manager and coaches, not to usurp their authority.

“I think the Diamondbacks, for the first time, were ahead of the curve,” said Angels pitching coach Barry Enright, then a Diamondbacks pitcher. “It was rare back then to see a front-office member come into the coaches’ room. Now it’s all one big unit.”

Innovation is great when you win. The Diamondbacks did not, and Hinch did not manage even one full season before he and Byrnes were fired.

Look at Hinch now: The Tigers earned their first playoff berth in 10 years last season, with a fraying rotation held together by Skubal and duct tape. In the first round, they beat the — dramatic pause — Astros. Two ex-Dodgers on the current Detroit roster compare Hinch favorably to Dave Roberts.

“Two incredible managers,” Flaherty said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play for both of them.”

“The Dodgers, they can just go out there and roll out their guys: We’re here, we’re going to beat you,” said utilityman Zach McKinstry, who ranks eighth in the AL with a .311 batting average.

“The way we play the game, the way we know the game, the way we know our opponents beforehand, it’s just unmatched. It’s something I’ve never been a part of. We have to strategize and bring our best game every night.”

McKinstry is sensitive to the unfortunately common perception: How good a manager does Roberts have to be if he can write Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman atop his lineup card every night?

“Managing superstars like that definitely comes with different challenges,” McKinstry said. “The way he uses his bullpen; he’s really good at that. Super good manager.

“He can control the media. He controls his players. He controls that locker room. All good things.”

When McKinstry was traded to Detroit in 2023, he was apprehensive about Hinch. McKinstry made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2020, the year the Astros’ scandal exploded into view and Dodgers fans gathered to jeer the Astros’ team bus, even as pandemic restrictions prevented them from entering Dodger Stadium.

“You come over here and you’re like, ‘What am I going to think?’” McKinstry said. “I just kind of erased all that and came over here with open eyes and an open heart.”

Perhaps we all should, at least with respect to Hinch.

Manfred suspended Hinch and Jeff Luhnow, then the Astros’ general manager, for one year. Jim Crane, the Astros’ owner, then fired Hinch and Luhnow.

In his report, Manfred said Hinch did not devise, participate in or approve of the scheme to intercept the pitch calls of opposing teams on live video and communicate the upcoming pitch by banging on a trash can. However, Manfred said, Hinch did not put a stop to it.

“As the person with responsibility for managing his players and coaches,” Manfred said, “there simply is no justification for Hinch’s failure to act.”

In a year the American League is down, the Tigers are up. Does Hinch believe a World Series championship in Detroit would confer legitimacy upon him that the title in Houston might not, at least not to some fans?

“I don’t want to win for me, or for my story, or because of what we did previously in my career,” he said. “I want to win because of all the work that we put into it, and I want everybody to experience the feeling of being on top of the sport.”

His remorse sounds sincere, not coming in a scripted statement but as we talked in the visiting dugout Friday afternoon. Hinch could have declined to talk about the scandal, or he could have offered some version of “I’ve put that behind me,” but he did neither.

“It was wrong, and I should have handled it better,” Hinch said. “I understand my role in my time in Houston, but my goal is to always own it, and do everything I can to show people that I can impact a team.”

If adversity reveals character, as those of us in the sports world like to chirp, consider the reaction of the three most prominent men Manfred cited in his report.

Crane said: "I don't think I should be held accountable."

Luhnow said he had been held out as “the scapegoat for the organization” and sued the Astros.

Hinch said he was wrong.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees were defeated by the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Here are some takeaways...

- Aaron Judge was named the AL Player of the Month on Friday, and he's picked up right where he left off thus far in May. The slugger had two hits during last night's victory and then he got the scoring started in this one by cracking his league-leading sixth first-inning home run into the short porch.

Judge had another chance to tie the game with runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but he grounded out to short. Still, the slugger finished the day 2-for-4 with the homer and a hard-hit single, giving him 17 multi-hit games this season.

- Ryan Yarbrough received the last-minute start after Clarke Schmidt was scratched due to left side soreness. The southpaw allowed the Rays to even things up with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the second, but that was it across a season-high four innings of work.

- Zack Littell was cruising before New York was able to regain the lead on another short porch homer in the bottom of the fifth. This time it was Austin Wells, who led off the inning with a solo shot of his own to right-center, giving him six long balls and 18 RBI on the season.

- The Yankees' bullpen threw well for the most part behind Yarbrough. Ian Hamilton struck out three as he worked around a walk and a hit in the top of the fifth, and Fernando Cruz stranded a man in scoring position to put together two scoreless innings -- Cruz struck out one to increase his league-best mark among relievers (28).

Mark Leiter Jr. then struggled in the eighth, allowing Tampa Bay to take the lead for the first time in the game. The first two batters of the inning reached base and then advanced into scoring position on a double steal, before scoring on a single and an Anthony Volpe error.

- Volpe had a bit of a scare earlier in the inning when he appeared to injure his shoulder on a diving attempt -- but after being looked at by trainers, he remained in the game. The shortstop was unable to extend his seven-game hitting streak, as he finished the day hitless in three at-bats.

- Tim Hill picked Leiter Jr. up nicely, escaping the eighth without further damage and then putting together a scoreless top of the ninth -- but the Yanks were unable to rally against Edwin Uceta and Pete Fairbanks in the later innings.

- Despite his recent struggles, Cody Bellinger was bumped up to the leadoff spot for the first time as a Yankee. The switch didn't help the left-handed hitting slugger much, as he finished 1-for-4 with a single -- lowering his OPS to .610 for the season.

Game MVP: Zack Littell

The right-hander limited the Yanks' offense to just two runs in seven innings of work.

Highlights

ALL RISE.

HOME RUN NO. 11 FOR AARON JUDGE! pic.twitter.com/bCuIHAlRVB

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 3, 2025

AUSTIN WELLS GIVES THE YANKEES THE LEAD 🌯

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/sx2edy9TDK

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 3, 2025

Whats next

Will Warren takes the mound against Taj Bradley as the Yanks and Rays close out their three-game set on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.

Ruiz sidelined as Phillies activate Suarez for Sunday start originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies have next to no optionality on their 13-man pitching staff so there was some uncertainty over the corresponding this weekend to activate Ranger Suarez from the injured list.

It ended up being an IL stint for Jose Ruiz, announced just before first pitch Saturday against the Diamondbacks. The right-handed reliever is dealing with a neck spasm.

The likeliest candidate appeared to be Carlos Hernandez, the last man in the bullpen picked up by the Phillies the week of Opening Day. Hernandez has a 6.00 ERA and has put 22 men on base in 12 innings. He, like most of the Phillies’ bullpen, is out of minor-league options so he would have been exposed to waivers if removed from the active roster.

The only arms in the Phillies’ bullpen who do have options remaining are Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks, two of their more important relievers. Typically, the reliever occupying Hernandez’ slot is someone who does have options remaining to give a team maximum flexibility to cycle in a fresh arm when necessary throughout a long season.

Suarez will start Sunday’s series finale against Arizona, as Rob Thomson revealed earlier this week. It will be the lefty’s season debut. He made just one spring training start before a lower back injury sidelined him for two months.

These next six months will be crucial for the 29-year-old Suarez, a free agent after the season. He looked in the first half of last season like he might be a $100 million pitcher. Bryce Harper referred to him as one during a 15-start stretch to begin 2024 when Suarez was 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA.

Then came the back problems, which cost Suarez an All-Star Game appearance and sidelined him for a month during the summer. He wasn’t nearly the same in his final 11 starts, posting a 6.54 ERA and .885 opponents’ OPS.

Suarez was razor sharp in four rehab starts — two with Single A Clearwater, two with Triple A Lehigh Valley — pitching well all four times. He struck out 24 and walked five with a 1.08 ERA and .175 opponents’ batting average.

The next decision the Phillies will make is what happens to Taijuan Walker. The simple solution would be moving Walker to the bullpen as the long man. The other possibility is a six-man rotation.

Walker has a 2.54 ERA through six starts, which the Phillies have split.

Walker wants to remain in the rotation, understandably so. If he does move to the bullpen, he did his job in April in place of an injured starter the same way Spencer Turnbull did in his absence a year ago. Another injury will likely arise over the next five months and now the Phillies know Walker is a viable sixth starter who not only recaptured some velocity after a strenuous offseason program but also adapted his repertoire to account for a diminished fastball.