Torpedo bats are all the rage this season, and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred believes all that chatter is positive for the sport.
“They’re absolutely good for baseball,” Manfred said in a Q&A published by The New York Times on Sunday. “I believe that issues like the torpedo bat and the debate around it demonstrate the fact that baseball still occupies a unique place in our culture, because people get into a complete frenzy over something that’s really nothing at the end of the day.”
The interview covered multiple topics and included Manfred praising the testing of robot umpires during spring training. He said he’d like to see their use expanded to the regular season soon.
“I hope that we bring it to the big leagues in short order,” Manfred said. “It won’t be in 2025. It’d be in 2026.”
Torpedo bats drew attention recently when the New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers in one game. With several players using a strikingly different model in which wood is moved lower down the barrel toward the label, shaping the end a little like a bowling pin, the bat has become baseball’s latest fad.
It’s caused All-Star and even amateur players to want to take their swings with the unusual-looking bat, creating a rush of orders for Victus Sports. The company is the official bat maker of MLB and has seen sales and interest spike in the torpedo bats.
Manfred highlighted that the bat has been used for a few years now, with players such as Giancarlo Stanton and Francisco Lindor using torpedoes last season.
The odd shape of the bat — like making a sausage, the meat is simply pushed down the casing — has little to no effect at Victus on the dynamics of making a baseball bat. The cost is the same as a standard bat, with a sticker price starting at around $200. Only the slogan is punched up: Get your hands on the most talked-about bat in the game.
“Players have actually been moving the sweet spot around in bats for years,” Manfred told the Times. “But it just demonstrates that something about the game is more important than is captured by television ratings or revenue or any of those things, when you have the discussions and debates about it.”
Here's how some of the Mets' top prospects fared on the mound Sunday afternoon...
Former top prospect back on mound
Matt Allan’s pro career hasn’t quite gone as planned thus far.
The young right-hander was once viewed as the Mets’ top pitching prospect -- but he’s been plagued by numerous different arm issues over the past couple of seasons and hasn’t taken the mound since 2019.
But after working his way back this offseason, Allan is finally healthy and ready to roll.
He made his first appearance in nearly six years on Sunday afternoon with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets and fared extremely well -- allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out five across 2.2 innings of work.
The 23-year-old threw 28 of his 44 pitches for strikes and touched 97 mph.
The biggest thing will be for Allan to stay healthy -- but if he can continue putting together strong performances like this one, he might be able to work his way through the system relatively quickly given his age.
Nolan McLean picks up where he left off
McLean is one of the more intriguing Mets prospects to keep an eye on.
He came into the organization as a two-way player out of Oklahoma State, but opted to transition into a full-time pitcher last season, and pitched to a strong 2.36 ERA over his final seven starts.
After working all offseason many believe that 2025 will be a breakout year for the 23-year-old, and Sunday's outing was certainly a strong start.
McLean was phenomenal across four scoreless innings of work with Double-A Binghamton, allowing just three hits while striking out eight and generating 15 swing-and-misses.
He threw 54 of his 70 pitches for strikes, and his 70-grade sweeper was on full display.
McLean is the Mets' third-ranked prospect on Joe DeMayo's updated Top 30 list heading into this season, and he could quickly find himself in Triple-A if he's able to build off his stellar season debut.
Nolan McLean today in his first start of the year with Double-A Binghamton:
Núñez has looked good with Syracuse since being sent down at the end of spring training -- but he finally put together his first rough outing on Sunday afternoon.
The right-hander entered in relief of Luis Moreno in the top of the seventh and immediately allowed the next two batters to reach as Ismael Mungia singled and stole second before scoring on an Everson Pereira two-run homer to right-center.
He bounced back to retire the next batter, bringing his outing to an end.
Núñez has now pitched to a 7.36 ERA across three minor league outings, but manager Carlos Mendoza said earlier in the day that they weren't too concerned about the results.
“We just want him to continue to take the baseball. We’re not looking at results right now,” Mendoza explained. “I think it’s just more building him up. I think it’s twice that he’s gone multiple innings, and that’s what we want to see, his ability to recovery.
“I think it’s just the recovery. Are you going to be able to take the baseball two days after you throw two innings? Are you going to be able to bounce back, you throw one inning, and not necessarily back-to-back, but what about two out of three? That’s what we’re preparing him for.”
The Yankees have designated Adam Ottavino for assignment for the second time in the last week.
The move was made in order to make room for reliever Ian Hamilton on the active roster following his return from the IL.
Ottavino was first DFA'd last week when closer Devin Williams was reinstated from the paternity list, but re-signed with the Yanks on Sunday.
The 39-year-old made two appearances prior to being cut loose from the Yanks for the first time, walking two and striking out two across 1.1 scoreless innings of work.
Following his initial signing, Aaron Boone told reporters he thought there's still "a lot left" in the tank for Ottavino.
“He’s kinda been on our board a little bit," the skipper said. "I know the front office [has] been talking about him the last couple weeks as a potential. Felt like what he was doing back end of spring training was in line with who Otto is."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $500 million, 14-year contract that starts in 2026, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that removes what would have been the biggest star from next offseason’s free-agent market.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity early Monday because the agreement had not been announced.
Guerrero’s deal does not include any deferred money, the person said.
Guerrero agreed in January to a $28.5 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration and the four-time All-Star first baseman had said he wouldn’t negotiate after he reported to spring training in mid-February. Still, talks continued well into the regular season.
Guerrero got the third-largest contract in total dollars behind outfielder Juan Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets that started this season and two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero’s $35.71 million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts behind the agreements of Ohtani ($70 million), Soto ($51 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million), Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell ($36.4 million) and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million).
Here are some key notes following the Mets' win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon...
Peterson’s fine after leaving early
Not everything went as planned for the Mets on Sunday.
They did have a bit of a scare during the top of the fifth when left-hander David Peterson was forced to leave the game after appearing to have injured himself during an at-bat against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. earlier in the inning.
While there was some speculation that Peterson may’ve potentially tweaked something, manager Carlos Mendoza clarified postgame that that was not the case.
“Physically fine, he was just feeling nauseous there,” the skipper said. “He went out and said he felt like he got punched in the stomach and got a little bit of blurry vision but that was it -- physically he is fine.”
The southpaw was checked out by team doctors and felt fine afterwards.
Peterson fell into trouble when the blurry vision developed during that inning, but prior to that he was cruising, as he worked around three hits and a two walks across four scoreless innings of work.
“I felt good up until that point,” he said. “It felt like [Hayden] Senger and I were on the same page — we had a good gameplan and I feel like we were attacking those guys, getting a lot of groundballs and the defense was amazing behind me.”
New York Mets relief pitcher A.J. Minter (33) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Citi Field / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Minter’s up and throwing
With Peterson forced to leave, the Mets had to lean heavily on their bullpen again.
While the group was a bit shorthanded, they were tremendous -- and one of the arms who helped bridge the gap to Edwin Diaz was A.J. Minter, who put together arguably one of his best appearances of the young season.
After his slow buildup in spring training, Minter has looked stronger each time he’s taken the mound -- striking out five over his last two showings -- but he still feels there’s some room to improve moving forward.
“Fastball felt pretty good today,” he said. “Still feel like I’ve got something more in the tank -- not quite where I want to be, but I’m definitely trending in the right direction and it was encouraging to see some of the stuff today for sure.”
Most importantly, Minter feels healthy and he’s confident he’ll get to where he wants to be.
The 31-year-old has taken the Citi Field mound plenty in his big-league career, but this weekend presented his first opportunity to do so in the orange and blue rather than for the division-rival Braves.
“It lived up to the hype for sure,” he said. “Super pumped to get out in front of these fans -- it’s good to be on this side of the fans now. It was definitely really exciting and I can’t wait for more.”
The Mets’ bullpen continues to be a weapon early on this season.
With the starting rotation failing to work deep into games they’ve stepped up tremendously -- and that was again the case during Sunday’s series finale with the Blue Jays, in which David Peterson was forced to leave in the top of the fifth.
While there was some concern around the southpaw at the time, manager Carlos Mendoza clarified postgame that there was no physical issue and he was simply dealing with some stomach problems.
But with him sidelined, the bullpen was required to take on another big workload to help secure the series sweep and they did a tremendous job kicked off by Max Kranick, who is quickly developing himself into a long-relief weapon.
The starter turned reliever was tossed into a bases loaded jam for the second time over the first two weeks of the season, and he showed no fear yet again — as he fell behind in the count but got Alejandro Kirk to pop out to end the threat.
After putting together a perfect top of the seventh, the 27-year-old has now retired 21 of the 22 batters he’s faced across seven scoreless innings of work to begin the year.
“Max has come up really big,” Brandon Nimmo said.
“I know he’s had a long road dealing with injuries,” Pete Alonso added. “For him to come back and have the electric stuff that he’s had it’s really awesome and we’re super stoked for him. The way he’s throwing the ball right now is awesome.”
And it wasn’t just Kranick on Sunday -- as Reed Garrett put together his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance, A.J. Minter had arguably his best outing to this point, and then Edwin Diaz worked around a pair of HBP’s to lock up his second save of the season.
As a group, they combined to allow one hit while striking out five in 4.1 scoreless innings of work.
That continued a terrific weekend on the mound -- as the bullpen allowed just one earned run (Jose Butto on Saturday night) during the three-game sweep of Toronto to help lower their ERA on the year to a league-leading mark of 1.29.
“They’ve been a huge reason behind our success,” Nimmo said. “They have amazing stuff. We have a few different weapons that can matchup well with the other side -- it’s not just one guy, we have different guys in different positions in order to get it to Diaz.
"That's what you want," Minter added. "The hitters are going to go through streaks, they'll come up big and it's just one of those games where you really need the bullpen to step up. That's what really matters and the pitching staff did an amazing job this weekend."
The Yankees missed a chance to earn their second series sweep of the early season when they suffered a 5-4 loss at the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sunday's 11-inning finale.
Takeaways
Ex-Yankee Andrew Heaney outdueled Will Warren, whose second start of 2025 saw him hit a fourth-inning wall after retiring his first eight batters. Warren's two-out walk to ex-Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the third inning -- Warren's first and only free pass of the afternoon -- spiraled into a 2-1 swing for the Pirates after Ke'Bryan Hayes' single and Bryan Reynolds' two-run double. The Pirates added two more runs in the fourth inning, which Warren finished but not before allowing a cumulative four runs on six hits while striking out five. The Gerrit Cole-less Yankees (6-3) need more than four innings from pitchers in their starting rotation, and Warren failed to meet the bar while pitching with an initial lead.
Heaney, meanwhile, dominated the Yankees in a seven-inning gem. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out 10 and walked one against his former team -- the Yankees acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels in a July 30, 2021 trade that did not age well and ultimately led to a late-season DFA -- while helping the Pirates (3-7) back into the win column.
Jazz Chisholm struck out three times but scratched across the Yankees' only run of the game until the ninth-inning rally with a two-out double in the first inning that scored Cody Bellinger, who followed Paul Goldschmidt's leadoff strikeout swinging with an infield single. Through nine games, Chisholm -- who batted cleanup Sunday -- has nine hits and nine RBI.
The Yankees' three-run ninth inning sent the game into extras before Tommy Pham's game-winning RBI single in the 11th walked the Pirates off. Aaron Judge and Jasson Dominguez each reached base with one walk apiece, but they were the only Yankees to go hitless in a pair of 0-for-4 efforts.
Who's the MVP?
Heaney, who shoved for six straight scoreless innings after allowing a run in the first and got enough support from the Pirates' offense to defeat his former team.
The Yankees continue their six-game road trip with a three-game series at the Detroit Tigers. New York LHP Carlos Rodón (1-1, 3.97 ERA) and Detroit RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 0.00 ERA) are set to start Monday's 3:10 p.m. opener.
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the third inning of an 8-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. (Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)
On a windy, wet and dreary afternoon at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, the Dodgers twice watched a lead slip frustratingly from their grasp.
It first happened in the third inning, when a steady drizzle, slippery ball and muddy mound caused Tyler Glasnow to come unglued in a six-run implosion.
It happened again in the seventh, when the Dodgers stormed back in front with five unanswered runs only to let a sloppy inning of defense cost them their first series defeat of the season.
Such were the lapses that decided the Philadelphia Phillies' 8-7 win in Sunday’s series rubber match; reminding a Dodgers team that won eight straight games to start the season that they’re also capable of beating themselves.
“Two evenly matched teams, good series,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We just didn't do some fundamental things well today.”
The Dodgers’ problems began almost as soon as the rain did, derailing what had been a promising start from Glasnow.
Over his first two innings, the veteran right-hander was cruising through his second start of his second Dodgers season, seemingly picking up where he left off after his scoreless five-inning season debut the week before.
He stranded a walk in the first. He worked around a single in the second. And when he took the mound for the third, he was working with a two-run cushion, thanks to an opposite-field first-inning blast from Teoscar Hernández — the first of two home runs he hit in a five-RBI performance.
At the start of the third, however, a steady drizzle had begun to descend from low overcast clouds.
And within moments, the impact it had on Glasnow became abundantly clear.
First, Glasnow began kicking mud from his cleats between almost every pitch. Then, he repeatedly dried his hand by wiping it on his pants and tried to get a grip with repeated grabs of the rosin bag.
At one point, pitching coach Mark Prior came out for a visit alongside a trainer, ensuring that Glasnow wasn't battling any physical limitations beyond the rain-soaked mound.
None of the remedies, however, could get the pitcher back into a rhythm. Glasnow walked the first three batters he faced in the inning. And as the pressure mounted, he failed to find a way to settle himself back down.
“Once I had a couple poorly gripped balls, I think I lost my aggression and rhythm,” Glasnow said, wishing he "could have just eliminated the thought a little bit more about the mound and the conditions, and just tried to get out of my head."
"I think I just lost some feel and then that kind of compounded into a bad inning," he added. "I was just thinking about other stuff."
Granted, pitching in such conditions has been a rarity in Glasnow’s career. Over the last eight years, sunny Dodger Stadium and Tampa Bay’s domed Tropicana Field have been his home stadiums.
But, Glasnow noted, “there's not really any excuses. I just kind of have to go out and find a way to execute next time."
In agreement, Roberts added: “He just couldn't reset and regroup to kind of slow the game down, and it just went sideways on us."
Indeed, after an RBI bloop single and run-scoring wild pitch tied the score, Roberts replaced Glasnow with left-handed reliever Alex Vesia — who promptly surrendered a grand slam on his first pitch to Nick Castellanos.
In all, Dodgers pitchers issued 11 walks in what was easily their worst performance of the young season. The Phillies, who got a 5⅔ innings of four-run ball from left-handed starter Cristopher Sánchez, yielded only two.
“The weather, it's a factor, but every pitcher that took the mound today had to deal with it,” Roberts said. “You've still got to find a way to reset and try to minimize some damage and put the ball in play. But we just couldn't do that today."
Despite being down 6-2 at that point, the Dodgers didn’t go away quietly.
Hernández almost single-handedly dragged them back within striking distance, launching another opposite-field home run off the right-field foul pole in the fourth inning before lining an RBI double inside the third-base bag in the fifth.
“I was trying to get a little bit more space between home plate and the batter’s box, just so I can get more space to get the sinker,” Hernández said, noting his three-hit game was aided by an adjustment he made to his stance in preparation for facing Sánchez.
“I got some [pitches] out over the plate," Hernández added, "and I was just ready for it.”
It helped set the stage for the Dodgers’ three-run go-ahead rally in the seventh.
Mookie Betts had the key hit that inning, belting an RBI double to center. Hernández hit a sacrifice fly that tied the score, giving him his fifth RBI on the day (one shy of his career high) and 13th of the season (second-most in the National League).
Then, Will Smith narrowly missed a two-run home run by only a few feet off the top of the right-field wall, settling instead for an RBI double that pushed the Dodgers in front 7-6.
However, the Phillies (7-2) responded in the next half-inning. And once again, the Dodgers did themselves no favors.
The inning began when Andy Pages misread a 107-mph missile from Bryce Harper in the outfield, taking a few steps into the left-center field gap before retreating too late and letting the ball get over his head.
Blake Treinen then gave up a walk and score-tying RBI single, before Edmundo Sosa outraced a bouncing throw to first base from Tommy Edman that negated a potential inning-ending double-play and allowed the go-ahead run to score with two outs.
“We kept competing and gave ourselves a chance to win,” Roberts said. “But yeah, we put ourselves behind the eight ball today.”
As a result, the Dodgers dropped a winnable series against a rival World Series contender — failing to overcome their own self-inflicted mistakes, as well as their host's typically sloppy early-April weather.
The Mets hung on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 2-1 on Sunday, completing the three-game sweep.
Here are the key takeaways...
-David Peterson held the Blue Jays scoreless over 4.2 innings, but his afternoon ended on an ominous note. In the top of the fifth, Peterson walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and looked to be in some pain. However, after a visit from Jeremy Hefner and the training staff, the tall lefty stayed in the game, at least momentarily. Peterson then walked Anthony Santander and hit Andres Gimenez with a pitch, forcing in the Jays' first run and forcing Carlos Mendoza out of the dugout.
Peterson allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out three and walking five, and after the game, Carlos Mendoza clarified that Peterson was "nauseous but physically fine," saying the lefty was experiencing stomach issues.
-Pete Alonso entered the game with a team-leading 10 RBI, and he added to that total in the third inning. With a couple of runners on, Alonso sat back on a Bowden Francis curveball, sending it up the middle to score Hayden Senger for the first run of the day. Brandon Nimmo would then provide a sac fly for what would ultimately be the winning run.
Alonso had a pair of hits on the afternoon.
-Max Kranick had another great outing in relief. After getting Alejandro Kirk to pop out in foul territory with the bases loaded to end the fifth, Kranick ended up giving the Mets 1.1 scoreless innings. He has now faced 22 batters this season and retired 21 of them.
-And it wasn't just Kranick. The entire bullpen was terrific, as Kranick, Reed Garrett. A.J. Minter, and Edwin Diaz combined to shut the Jays down. Diaz hit a pair of batters in the ninth, but he got Guerrero to ground into a force-out to shortstop to end the game.
Who was the game MVP?
The bullpen crew, who went 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
The Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Matt Sauer from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday to take Snell’s spot on the roster ahead of their game against Philadelphia.
Whether you’re a fan of the Phillies or the Dodgers, whether you’re a casual or a diehard, this weekend’s series at Citizens Bank Park was legitimate baseball theater.
Three games decided by four runs. Comebacks or near comebacks each night. Execution in the field. Relievers picking each other up. Hitters forcing pitchers to come to them rather than trying to do too much.
The Phillies took a four-run lead in the bottom of the third inning of Sunday’s series finale but the Dodgers came all the way back to take the lead with three in the top of the seventh off Jordan Romano, who also blew a save on Opening Day and allowed two runs in the ninth inning Friday with the Phillies up by three.
Romano is already a concern and the Phillies have to figure out what’s behind his diminished velocity and shaky command, but all the negatives hurt a bit less after a win. Especially after an 8-7 comeback that gives you a series victory over a team that arrived undefeated and is destined to win 100-plus games.
“I thought it was a great series, I thought we played great baseball,” said Bryce Harper, who doubled to start the Phillies’ game-winning rally and scored the tying run on a Bryson Stott single.
“That’s a good team over there, obviously. We took the lead, they came back, they took the lead, we came back. Just two good teams fighting back and forth.
“Knowing we match up pretty well against them, it’s huge for us. Got a great group of guys in here.”
The Phillies don’t just match up pretty well against the Dodgers, they’ve beaten them in eight of the last 10 meetings and six of seven at Citizens Bank Park, outscoring them 38-20 at home over that span.
Does it mean anything if the teams meet in the NLCS? Maybe, maybe not. But the Phillies aren’t going to be intimidated by the perception of L.A. towering over everyone else. The mystique might impact some opponents but not this one.
“They’re the defending champions but this is a new season,” Cristopher Sanchez said after beating the Dodgers for the third time in less than a calendar year.
Only nine games in, a host of Phillies position players have already been “the guy” in a win: Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, Stott, Max Kepler, Edmundo Sosa.
Sosa has been the Phillies’ best player so far this season and had another big day Sunday starting at third base for Alec Bohm. Sosa singled in his first two at-bats, then busted it down the line to beat out a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh that brought in the game-winning run. It was a bang-bang play with Sosa ruled safe.
“We’ve got to really look at this because so far, it’s real,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He has two hits every game. He’s played great at third, great at short, he did well in center field yesterday. We’ve really got to get into the lab and try to figure out some stuff to get him into the lineup.”
One way might be starting Sosa in left field against tough lefties. Keep an eye out for Tuesday’s lineup against Chris Sale.
The Phillies are 7-2 through three series. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been a reminder of how talented and deep they are, how complete a roster it is compared to 27-28 other teams.
“Someone asked me at the start of the series, what’s it going to tell you about your club? Well, I pretty much know our club, and they’re grinders, they’re fighters,” Thomson said. “That’s who they are.”
Now it’s on to Atlanta to face a Braves team that already has to be feeling some desperation after a 1-8 start. Tuesday’s pitching matchup is as good as it gets, Zack Wheeler vs. Sale, a battle of the NL Cy Young runner-up and winner from a season ago.
SAN FRANCISCO – Most of the talk surrounding the Giants this season has been about the addition of ace pitcher Justin Verlander and an offense that has shown a certain panache for coming through in the clutch.
It’s certainly fair to say the bullpen has been equally responsible, if not more so, for San Francisco’s best start to a season in more than two decades.
Take the three-game weekend series against the Seattle Mariners for example.
Giants relievers had to shoulder a heavy load against the Mariners, especially considering Verlander left Friday’s game after recording just seven outs. The bullpen combined to pitch 15 1/3 innings in the three-game sweep while carving a nifty 1.17 ERA.
San Francisco manager Bob Melvin reached deep into his bag of tricks against Seattle, leaning on eight different relievers to get through the series. Five of the six — Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers, Ryan Walker, Erik Miller and Camilo Doval — each pitched in two of the games, while Lou Trivino, Spencer Bivens and Hayden Birdsong pitched in one game apiece.
With the exception of blown saves by Trivino and Doval on Friday — and another by Doval in Sunday’s eventual 5-4 walk-off win — the ‘pen was on point.
“We have a lot of good arms in our bullpen, and we had to use them a lot,” Melvin said. “Everybody’s contributed. Doesn’t surprise me that the bullpen has pitched this well in the series [while] covering quite a few innings.”
Sunday’s victory was a good example of how well the Giants’ bullpen has been.
After starter Jordan Hicks was pulled in the sixth inning, Rodriguez came in and escaped of a one-out jam with one runner on. Rogers followed with a 1-2-3 inning, then Miller entered and allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before inducing an infield pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
With Walker unavailable after pitching on consecutive days, Melvin then turned to Doval. In typical torture fashion, the former Giants closer gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth but got off the hook when Wilmer Flores came through with his 13th career walk-off hit.
“I know how good we are and I know how good we will be,” Birdsong told NBC Sports Bay Area. “This series we threw well in certain situations, but I think we’re going to be better down the road. Right now it’s kind of figuring it out.”
In 2024, the Giants had a decent bullpen that went through various alterations throughout the course of the season. San Francisco had a 3.96 ERA that was the 16th-lowest mark in the majors while teaming up for a league-leading 658 strikeouts.
Albeit a small sample size, this season’s bullpen is a major strength so far.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Giants relievers had combined for a 1.75 ERA that was the third-best mark in the majors and had five saves, tied for second in MLB.
“It’s incredible for the starters because it frees them up to play their own games,” Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski said. “They don’t have to worry about anybody coming in behind them because everybody’s been nails. It’s great to see and it’s fun to watch. These guys have worked so hard, and we saw it in spring training.”
Versatility and depth have been the early common theme for the bullpen. Almost all of San Francisco’s relievers can pitch in multiple situations and can be used in the set-up role if need be. Walker and Doval also are interchangeable at the back end.
“You feel strong one through eight,” Miller said. “It’s always a good feeling where no matter who gets the ball, you feel like they’re going to go out there and shut it down.”
In one of the most intense moments of the Giants’ game against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, a hush fell over the Oracle Park crowd in the bottom of the ninth inning.
With the game tied 4-4, Mariners right fielder Victor Robles rushed into foul territory to catch fly ball hit by Patrick Bailey, putting his body on the line and crashing into the net at full speed. Robles somehow made the catch as the net pushed his glove arm back and over his head, then fell to the ground in agony and tossed the ball away while Luis Matos tagged up from first base and advanced to second after a review.
Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was helped off the field and taken away in a cart after this scary collision pic.twitter.com/vdwJcBemB3
Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski knows the notoriously difficult-to-play area very well, and he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Robles come up with the ball.
“That was incredible,” Yastrzemski told reporters after San Francisco’s eventual 5-4 walk-off win. “It’s one of the best outfield plays I’ve ever seen in my life. Obviously hope that nothing went too wrong and he’s able to bounce back quick, but man, what an unbelievable effort and commitment to his team that says a lot about his character. That’s incredible to see.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters after the game that Robles left with a shoulder issue and was undergoing initial imaging at Oracle Park. After the play, Matos ended up scoring on Wilmer Flores’ two-out, walk-off single — and Yastrzemski knew immediately the young Giants outfielder would have a chance to tag on the ball hit to Robles.
“I was more so concerned about the runner,” Yastrzemski said. “I wanted Matos to tag because I’ve seen that ball stay fair so many times, and I know how tricky that corner can be. So, I kind of caught [the catch] out of the corner of my eye. I’m glad the net was there for part of it, too, because there’s just concrete over there. Who knows what could have happened.
“It’s one of those things where you really hope he is OK, but man, I’ve ever seen anything like that.”
The netting between the field and fans at Oracle Park was extended to both outfield foul poles before the 2020 MLB season, offering more protection from foul balls, flying bats and leaping players. Yastrzemski said the netting can give outfielders more confidence to make a play, but it still can be dangerous.
“There have been some plays in the past couple years where I’ve seen guys be saved by [the netting],” Yastrzemski said. “Obviously I’m not so sure that was the case here, but you definitely have the ability to be more aggressive and go it, especially when the wall is knee-high.
“It’s one of those things where you’ve got to – it’s just another obstacle, too. It’s something you’ve got to look out for, and every time you go to a new ballpark you’ve got to be walking the field and trying to get as much information as you can.”
Yastrzemski certainly can appreciate Robles giving his all to keep the Mariners in Sunday’s game. And after delivering one of the most jaw-dropping catches in Oracle Park history, the Giants certainly hope Robles ends up OK.
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell, who struggled at times against the Atlanta Braves on April 2 at Dodger Stadium, has been placed on the injured list. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers placed starting pitcher Blake Snell on the injured list Sunday with left shoulder inflammation, dealing the first injury blow to their starting rotation this season.
Snell’s IL stint was backdated to April 3, meaning the $182-million offseason signing will be out at least through the end of next week’s homestead.
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t have a specific timeline for Snell’s expected absence, but said the left-hander would miss a minimum of two starts.
Before his injury was announced Sunday, Snell threw off the bullpen mound at Citizens Bank Park, then spoke with general manager Brandon Gomes and head trainer Thomas Albert for several minutes in the outfield.
Roberts said Snell reported soreness, prompting the Dodgers to IL him ahead of his next scheduled start Tuesday.
“If you’re not going to finish your bullpen, that’s pretty much a tell-all to then kind of nip whatever is going on in his arm,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers called up reliever Matt Sauer in a corresponding move, but are without a clear starter for either Tuesday or Wednesday (when they were already planning to go with a bullpen game or spot starter, rather than pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto on four days’ rest).
The team does have depth options in triple-A, including Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski.
“One day you feel good with where you’re at, and then the next day you’re scrambling a little bit,” Roberts said of the uncertainty in the starting rotation. “That’s part of the marathon of a major-league season.”
Wilyer Abreu and the Boston Red Sox stayed hot Sunday in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park.
Boston entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 4-2 with All-Star closer Ryan Helsley on the mound for St. Louis. Trevor Story and Abreu worked back-to-back walks to begin the frame, then Romy Gonzalez made it a one-run game with a one-out double.
Connor Wong walked to load the bases, and Rafael Devers added another walk to score the tying run. Aroldis Chapman kept the Cardinals off the board with a clutch appearance in the top of the 10th.
With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Abreu smashed a line drive off the Green Monster to secure a 5-4 walk-off Red Sox victory:
Abreu, who has arguably been the hottest hitter in baseball to start the year, was supposed to sit Game 1 and play Game 2. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the 2024 Gold Glove award winner was dealing with “heavy legs,” but the 2024 Gold Glover entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning.
Through nine games, Abreu is hitting .522 (12-for-23) with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, eight walks, and only two strikeouts.
The Red Sox’ fourth consecutive win improved their record to 5-4. They will wrap up their series vs. St. Louis with Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader at 7:10 p.m. ET.
