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

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.

Phillies moves: Suarez activated, Ruiz sidelined, Walker to bullpen 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 roster move 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 reason why the Phillies made the move Saturday rather than Sunday was because Aaron Nola felt neck tightness 45 minutes before first pitch. Suarez was active in case of emergency but Nola was able to pitch through the issue and said postgame that he felt normal.

The likeliest cut candidate before Ruiz’ IL stint appeared to be Carlos Hernandez, the last man in the bullpen picked up by the Phillies the week of Opening Day. Hernandez has a 6.92 ERA and has put 24 men on base in 13 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.

Walker to the ‘pen

Thomson officially announced after Saturday’s win that Taijuan Walker is moving to the bullpen. Walker has a 2.54 ERA through six starts, which the Phillies have split. Given the frequency of pitching injuries, he may not have made his last.

Walker 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.

Businessman Martin Jepson has completed his takeover of Super League club Castleford Tigers.

Jepson has become the majority shareholder of the west Yorkshire outfit after buying out previous owner Ian Fulton at the end of a drawn out process.

While expressing his delight at taking over, the new owner, who has made his money in property, is determined to drive the Tigers forward.

"I am totally committed to seeing a stronger Castleford competing in the Super League and the club being sustainable for many generations to come," he said.

Castleford are currently 10th in Super League, with only two wins from their nine games so far this season.

• Jepson's Castleford takeover misses deadline
• Prospective owner lays out vision for Castleford

Saturday's game between the Mets and Cardinals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to rain.

Carlos Mendoza said earlier in the day that there may've been a window for them to get the game after a delay, but with thunderstorms in the forecast, they decided it would be best to push things back.

The game will now be made up as part of a split-doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

Game 1 is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. and Game 2 at 6:15 p.m.

Blade Tidwell will make his big league debut against Erick Fedde in the first game and Tylor Megill will take on Andre Pallante in the nightcap.

After Friday's victory, New York has won a franchise-record nine straight games against the Cardinals.

The other notable international acquisition of the Dodgers’ offseason this winter is on the verge of his major league debut.

South Korean utilityman Hyeseong Kim is being called up by the Dodgers, people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed, set to join the team in Atlanta on Saturday for what will be his first stint on the MLB roster this year.

Kim, 26, was signed to a three-year, $12.5-million contract this winter, arriving as a highly touted defensive and base-stealing weapon but with serious question marks at the plate.

In spring training, Kim struggled mightily to hit in Cactus League play, going six for 29 with one home run and 11 strikeouts. His swing needed so much work, the Dodgers elected to have him open the season in triple-A Oklahoma City, hoping it would provide a softer landing spot for him to revamp his mechanics in order to handle big league-caliber competition.

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

“The foundations, the actual swing mechanics needed to improve,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week.

Improvement, however, has come fast for Kim, who has batted .252 in Oklahoma City with five home runs, 19 RBIs and a .798 OPS. He has also stolen 13 bases.

The corresponding move for Kim’s call-up wasn’t immediately known, but utilityman Tommy Edman has been battling a right ankle injury the past couple days that manager Dave Roberts indicated could land him on the injured list if it didn’t improve.

Losing Edman, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season, for any stretch would be a blow.

But the anticipation for Kim, potentially a future Gold Glove winner with game-changing speed, might help cushion it more than most.

A left-handed hitter who over eight seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization batted .304 but amassed only 37 home runs, Kim’s bat always figured to be the biggest question mark when the Dodgers signed him.

It was clear the team envisioned a prominent role for the 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster, trading former second baseman Gavin Lux to Cincinnati just days after Kim was acquired. But it was also clear they’d have to be patient with his development, after Kim spent most of the spring flailing in the batter’s box in his first dose against big league competition.

“Getting him exposed to real big league pitching, there’s just no real way to simulate that,” Gomes said when asked about Kim’s development last week. “You see a lot of guys [from overseas], it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted.”

After just one month, though, the team was already seeing growth.

Kim started the season with a 13-game tear, batting .293 with three home runs, seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs. His OPS at that point was .963. And he was immediately emerging as “a real threat on the bases,” Gomes said.

“[It was] the overall package of what we were hoping for,” Gomes said. “Speed, defense — and we knew the swing was gonna need a little bit of work.”

Kim has not been as productive lately, batting just .211 over his last 15 games. But, Gomes said reports from the minor league staff have remained strong.

“The numbers are good. The swing is taking real steps forward,” Gomes said. “Now you’re starting to hone in on maybe some more advanced game-planning stuff, and being able to cover different parts of the zone.”

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

Regardless of how Kim hits in the majors, he should provide production in other ways for the Dodgers.

A four-time Gold Glove second baseman and shortstop in South Korea, Kim has added center-field duties to his plate in triple A. His 13 steals, meanwhile, are second most in the Pacific Coast League, trailing only Oklahoma City teammate Estuery Ruiz. 

“He’s completely bought in,” Gomes said, “and [his improvement is] actually happening and performing even better than we expected this early.”

Kim hadn’t been called up sooner because the Dodgers were believed to be waiting for an opportunity to give him consistent playing time. Edman’s uncertain status opened the door for that this weekend. And now, exactly four months to the day after his Jan. 3 signing with the team, he’ll get his first taste of life in the majors.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Chapman, Giants continue resilient theme in comeback win vs. Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants were three innings away from yet another inexcusable loss against the historically bad Colorado Rockies on Saturday afternoon.

But San Francisco values momentum like no other major league club.

Luis Matos’ solo homer in the third inning was the only run scored by either team through five innings. That changed in the sixth.

Luis Matos' solo shot gets the Giants on the board first 🚀 pic.twitter.com/JittXj4sVn

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 3, 2025

Colorado took advantage of a worn out Jordan Hicks, who was solid through five innings. The Rockies scored three runs and took a 3-1 lead as the Oracle Park crowd grew anxious.

But the Giants didn’t.

With bases loaded and one out for the Giants, Jung Hoo Lee stepped to the plate. He singled to center, bringing Matos home and shrinking the deficit to one with still just one out.

Matt Chapman, who entered Saturday’s game hitting just .149 over the past two weeks, approached the plate next with the same opportunity. On the second pitch, Chapman took a 94 mph sinker to center for a go-ahead grand slam.

MATT CHAPMAN GRAND SLAM 😤 pic.twitter.com/mRiuUjHkpC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 3, 2025

“Obviously, it was the hit of the game,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters postgame. “But this is something we’ve been doing for a while now. When we do get down, we don’t really fret. We continue to push and grind on it. And [against] their best reliever.”

It was Chapman’s third career grand slam and first for the Giants this season.

He joined “Giants Postgame Live” and explained that he wasn’t sure if the ball was going to go over the fence.

“I think I was in suspense. You never quite know here,” Chapman told Greg Papa and Rod Brooks. “There’s not too many cheap home runs here. I knew I hit it hard. I knew it was going to be close. But I’ve hit a few balls here that I thought were out and weren’t, so I definitely don’t want to count on them going until I see it going over the fence. So I was excited.”

Chapman also explained what he saw during the at-bat as he exceeded his expectations.

“With [Lee] hitting in front of me, getting that base hit, and then having the bases loaded, I just wanted to make sure I could get that run across to tie the game,” Chapman told Papa and Brooks. “I fouled off that first pitch slider. Thought he might come back with a sinker to try and get me into a double play. So I was really just trying to get something out there to centerfield.

“Luckily, I was able to drive it a little further than just centerfield. So that was a big swing for us. I was glad to get the runs in and help us win the game.”

After breaking out of a bit of a funk, Chapman now is tied with Wilmer Flores for the team lead in home runs (seven) after going yard in back-to-back games.

That, combined with a big hit from Matos, certainly are encouraging signs for the Giants as they enter Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies with at least a four-game split, but will look for more.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Blade Tidwell’s pregame sheet looked a bit different this week. 

Instead of receiving information on the Yankees’ Triple-A club ahead of his scheduled start this weekend in Syracuse, the note had a much more impactful message for the talented young right-hander. 

“You’re going to the big leagues, kid.”

In need of a sixth starter this time through the rotation, the Mets decided to call upon Tidwell to make his highly anticipated big league debut during Game 1 of Sunday afternoon’s doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Tidwell knew he was getting close to receiving the call, but didn’t know how close. 

He admitted that he was a bit surprised when he found out on Friday -- he grabbed his 12-week-old puppy named Bentley and paced around barefoot for a few moments before calling his parents to tell them the good news. 

“It was a complete surprise, but it’s pretty exciting,” he said.

Tidwell is one of the high-upside pitching prospects in the organization. He showcased some of his potential during spring training, striking out five and tossing an immaculate inning during an appearance against the Rays. 

He hasn't quite been able to carry that success over to his first few outings in the hitter-friendly confines of the International League, pitching to a 5.00 ERA -- but if you dig deeper, you’ll see he's run into some tough luck.

The second-round pick misses a ton of bats with his deep arsenal and his BABIP of .369 through six outings is the fifth-highest among all qualified minor league staters -- which is why he was never worried about the numbers. 

“I’m just trying to stick to the process,” Tidwell said. “I don’t really look too far into the statistics this early into the season. The BABIP was high, usually that’ll equal out over time. If I keep throwing the way I am down there, it would’ve all equalled out.”

Tidwell’s last two outings were perhaps his best of the season -- he walked just one batter while striking out a total of 18 across 9.0 innings of work, a strong impression that helped seal the deal.

“He earned it,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We know the stuff is there -- we saw flashes of it in spring training. Some of the numbers are inflated a little bit, but he's throwing strikes, using all of his pitches. He put himself in a good position and he's getting the call.”

Marsh back in Phillies' lineup but Rojas will still get chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Brandon Marsh was activated from the injured list Saturday afternoon and returned to the nine-spot, starting in center field for the Phillies against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

Will Marsh resume starting against all right-handers as he did before his hamstring injury?

“Not necessarily,” manager Rob Thomson said. “(Johan) Rojas is playing so well. We’ll just pick and choose, see where we’re at on a day-to-day basis.”

Rojas hit .310 with a double, triple, homer, three walks and three stolen bases in the 14 games Marsh missed with a right hamstring strain. He had a couple of lapses in the field and on the basepaths over those two weeks but Rojas’ sensational ninth-inning catch in the gap in left-center preserved Friday’s win and was an example of how he can impact a game.

“Rojas is incredible and I’m not just saying this because he’s sitting next to me,” Marsh said Saturday afternoon from the Phillies’ clubhouse. “He’s a phenomenal outfielder so we expect nothing less from him.”

The Phillies expect more offense from Marsh than they received in April and hope he is in a better place at the plate. He went 4-for-9 in his final two games with Triple A Lehigh Valley, homering and driving in five runs. He is just 4-for-42 (.095) with one extra-base hit in the majors this season.

“The last two games have been really good,” Thomson said. “Staying through the ball, hit an opposite-field home run. I thought the at-bats were a lot better.”

Marsh last played in the majors on April 16 against the Giants, when he suffered a mild right hamstring strain. He began a rehab assignment eight days later at Triple A but it was paused on Sunday when he experienced cramping in the area of the injury.

“It was just a late night game to early day game, it was a little tight, a little crampy, nothing major,” Marsh said.

The Phillies sat him down for three days before Marsh restarted the rehab assignment on Thursday with the IronPigs, had two productive games and made the trip early Saturday morning from Rochester to Philadelphia.

“It feels awesome (to be back),” he said. “It was a good time in Rochester, the boys are playing really well down there and the vibes are up, so it was a lot of fun.”

The Phillies talked in the spring about wanting to play Marsh more against left-handed pitching but the bigger priority now is his finding a rhythm against righties. That’s Marsh’s best path to long-term playing time. He hit .276/.363/.463 vs. right-handers in 2023 and 2024 but is just 2-for-29 this season.

Rojas will be back in the lineup Sunday against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. He avoided injury when colliding into the wall in left-center after the ninth-inning robbery Friday night.

“Good, I think he was just a little banged-up running into the wall,” Thomson said. “But he came out of it fine and said he’s all good today.”

Marsh back in Phillies' lineup but Rojas will still get chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Brandon Marsh was activated from the injured list Saturday afternoon and returned to the nine-spot, starting in center field for the Phillies against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

Will Marsh resume starting against all right-handers as he did before his hamstring injury?

“Not necessarily,” manager Rob Thomson said. “(Johan) Rojas is playing so well. We’ll just pick and choose, see where we’re at on a day-to-day basis.”

Rojas hit .310 with a double, triple, homer, three walks and three stolen bases in the 14 games Marsh missed with a right hamstring strain. He had a couple of lapses in the field and on the basepaths over those two weeks but Rojas’ sensational ninth-inning catch in the gap in left-center preserved Friday’s win and was an example of how he can impact a game.

“Rojas is incredible and I’m not just saying this because he’s sitting next to me,” Marsh said Saturday afternoon from the Phillies’ clubhouse. “He’s a phenomenal outfielder so we expect nothing less from him.”

The Phillies expect more offense from Marsh than they received in April and hope he is in a better place at the plate. He went 4-for-9 in his final two games with Triple A Lehigh Valley, homering and driving in five runs. He is just 4-for-42 (.095) with one extra-base hit in the majors this season.

“The last two games have been really good,” Thomson said. “Staying through the ball, hit an opposite-field home run. I thought the at-bats were a lot better.”

Marsh last played in the majors on April 16 against the Giants, when he suffered a mild right hamstring strain. He began a rehab assignment eight days later at Triple A but it was paused on Sunday when he experienced cramping in the area of the injury.

“It was just a late night game to early day game, it was a little tight, a little crampy, nothing major,” Marsh said.

The Phillies sat him down for three days before Marsh restarted the rehab assignment on Thursday with the IronPigs, had two productive games and made the trip early Saturday morning from Rochester to Philadelphia.

“It feels awesome (to be back),” he said. “It was a good time in Rochester, the boys are playing really well down there and the vibes are up, so it was a lot of fun.”

The Phillies talked in the spring about wanting to play Marsh more against left-handed pitching but the bigger priority now is his finding a rhythm against righties. That’s Marsh’s best path to long-term playing time. He hit .276/.363/.463 vs. right-handers in 2023 and 2024 but is just 2-for-29 this season.

Rojas will be back in the lineup Sunday against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. He avoided injury when colliding into the wall in left-center after the ninth-inning robbery Friday night.

“Good, I think he was just a little banged-up running into the wall,” Thomson said. “But he came out of it fine and said he’s all good today.”