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

It didn't take long for Francisco Alavrez to reestablish his presence in the Mets' lineup with a clutch hit. He only needed five at-bats, to be exact.

In his second game since returning from the injured list, the slugging catcher delivered some opportune power on Saturday, smacking a two-run home run that served as the Mets' only offense in a 2-0 road win over the division-rival Nationals.

Blame the lineup's lack of rhythm on the weather, as the afternoon at Nationals Park featured two rain delays that irked fans in attendance and at home. What mattered was the pop from Alvarez, who's hoping to prove that his surgically-repaired left hand is fully healed and overall approach at the plate yields the long ball.

"It means a lot. I've worked a lot on my hitting, on all facets of my game," Alvarez said of his homer after the win. "To be able to have a day like today means a lot because I put a lot into my game as a player."

The two-run blast from Alvarez came in the second inning, facing Nationals starter Brad Lord. With two outs and Jesse Winker on first, the 23-year-old jumped on a high 0-1 slider and watched it slice down the right field line and land inside the bullpen near the foul pole. The homer turned out to be ample support for the Mets' pitching staff.

Only time will tell how long it'll take Alvarez to once again find his groove as a lineup fixture. The Mets are obviously hoping that the young backstop resembles more of his 2023 rookie self, who produced 25 homers and 12 doubles across 382 at-bats. They have reason to believe that his 2024 power outage was largely due to an early-season thumb injury.

"When he's able to hit a ball out like that, pretty impressive," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Alvarez. "Off the bat, I didn't think that ball was going to go, and it just kept going. He's got the ability to use the whole field and drive the ball with authority. That's what makes him a special player."

Kranick answers the call... again

When the Mets were forced to pull Edwin Diaz due to a hip injury in Thurday's extra-inning win over the Phillies, Max Kranick played the role of hero in relief by registering two huge outs in a 10th-inning jam. So, naturally, he was thrust into a similar emergency situation on Saturday.

This time when the bullpen phone rang for Kranick, he took over for A.J. Minter, who exited with one out in the eighth with a tricep injury. Once again, the chaotic moment didn't faze him -- after allowing a walk, he induced a strikeout and popout to collect his second hold this season.

It's been an impressive April for the 27-year-old right-hander, who didn't see any big league action during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Kranick now owns a 2.70 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, and Mendoza is thrilled with the confidence and composure he's seeing from him during high-leverage moments.

"That's back-to-back [games] now where he has to come in and warm up on the game mound. That's not easy to do," Mendoza said. "He continues to attack, make pitches, get outs. He's been solid for us... Calm, poise, confidence. There's a lot to like. The more he pitches out of the roles, the more he continues to get outs... He knows he's got elite stuff."

Just about everything Mets converted starter Clay Holmes is experiencing in 2025 is new, but Saturday was something no one could have predicted.

The start of Saturday's tilt between the Mets and Nationals was delayed about 25 minutes. No big deal, Holmes hadn't started the game yet.

However, after getting one out in the bottom of the first inning, the skies opened up and the officials stopped the game to get the tarp on the field. As baseball fans know, rain delays could spell the end of a starter's outing, especially if it's a lengthy one. For 46 minutes, Holmes had to cool down from the nine pitches he threw, staying loose and then getting warmed up all over again when the delay was over because he had to take the ball immediately.

"Everything is new. This is new for him," Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said of the delay's effect on Holmes. "As a reliever, you deal with a rain delay, you’re most likely done. We're not even through the first inning... He had to develop a routine and find a way to stay loose, stay warm and give us a solid five, that’s not easy to do. Part of the learning and I’m glad he went through it."

"You try to stay as locked-in as you can, but there's really not much you can simulate like the game speed," Holmes said of the experience. "Try to give what I could there, got through five and was able to make the most of it.”

Holmes pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out two batters. While that statline may not jump off the page, Holmes was dominating this aggressive Nationals lineup, throwing just 70 pitches in those five innings, and at one point retiring nine straight batters. The right-hander would have gone deeper into the game if it weren't for the rain delay.

"The only thing that stopped him from going deep in the game was an almost 50-minute rain delay," Mendoza said with a chuckle. "He was dealing. Got groundballs and when he’s getting groundballs, lefties, righties, you know he’s on. Pitches were moving, attacking. Everything was in the zone. He was pretty good today. Part of the learning and I’m glad he went through it."

Of the 15 outs Holmes got, 10 came on groundballs thanks to his patented sinker, which he threw 37 percent of the time. His new changeup was thrown at a 20 percent clip, and complemented his other pitches, allowing Holmes to go at least five innings for the fourth straight start, while allowing one or fewer runs in three of those outings.

All in all, the Holmes experiment is working for the pitcher and the Mets. In his six starts this season, Holmes is 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA and considering how much of an unknown he would be in the rotation, the organization will take it.

"I still think there's a lot of room for growth, but overall, it's been, I feel like, pretty good," Holmes said of his season so far. "I think today was good to experience something new, having to deal with those things, but for me, I’ve relied on the people around me. Pitching coaches, the communication we have, the catchers. In that regard, I feel like it hasn’t been all on me; I’ve trusted the people around me. It’s been a group effort that’s been really good."

Francisco Alvarez's first home run of the season was enough for the Mets' pitching staff, as New York shut out the Nationals, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

The start of Saturday's game was delayed by about 25 minutes before a rain delay in the bottom of the first added another 46 minutes.

Here are the takeaways...

-It took the Mets seven innings to score against the Nationals on Friday, but New York didn't waste much time on Saturday. After a two-out single by Jesse Winker, Francisco Alvarez -- in just his second game off the IL -- went the other way and deposited a Brad Lord slider just inside the right field foul pole to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.

Alvarez finished with 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

-That Alvarez home run was all Clay Holmes needed on this day, but it was an inauspicious start for the reliever-turned-starter. After getting one out in the first, the heavens opened up and the game was delayed for a total of 46 minutes. Holmes returned to the mound and promptly got the next two batters out to finally complete the first frame. Holmes would settle in after that disrupted first inning, retiring nine straight Nats at one point.

Holmes was never in trouble, cruising through five scoreless innings. He probably could have gone longer, if it wasn't for the long rain delay. The right-hander threw 70 pitches (44 strikes), allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out two. He lowered his ERA to 2.64.

It's the 14th consecutive start a Mets starter hasn't allowed a home run.

-The Mets' bullpen was great after blowing the save on Friday. The combination of Danny Young and Reed Garrett pitched two scoreless innings before A.J. Minter came out to start the eighth. After getting the first out, Minter was in a 3-1 count to James Wood before he had to leave with an apparent injury. Similar to the series finale against the Phillies, Max Kranick was called upon to sub in on an injury. After walking Wood -- which was charged to Minter -- Kranick got the next two Nationals batters to get through the eighth.

Edwin Diaz returned for the ninth inning, his first appearance since leaving Wednesday's game with a hip cramp. He struck out his first batter but threw five straight balls before Alvarez came out to talk to Diaz. Diaz came back to strike out Dylan Crews and Jose Tena to nail down the win.

-Jeff McNeil started in center for the first time this season, and it was his first time playing in that position since 2023. He played six innings in the field without much doing and was 1-for-3 at the plate. Tyrone Taylor took over at center in the seventh inning.

-The Mets had eight total hits and Francisco Lindor had three of them. It was his fifth three-hit game this season, tied for the most in MLB.

Game MVP: Francisco Alvarez

The whole pitching staff should be applauded, but Alvarez's blast gave the Mets enough to come away with the win.

Highlights

TIME TO PAY THE TROLL TOLL.

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ'S FIRST HOME RUN OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/jD2EUrCceZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

Five shutout innings for Clay Holmes! pic.twitter.com/uwmZKmGiXg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

Three strikeouts for Danny Young in the 6th 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hzAKb9w3K4

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

Max Kranick comes in for A.J. Minter and gets two HUGE outs to get the Mets through the 8th 👏 pic.twitter.com/HffjM0adQy

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

What's next

The Mets continue their series against the Nationals on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

Tylor Megill (3-2, 1.09 ERA) will be on the mound, opposite Nationals lefty Mitchell Parker (3-1, 1.39 ERA).

The Mets' bullpen has been great this year, but one of their best arms had to leave Saturday's game against the Nationals.

A.J. Minter was called upon in the eighth inning and after getting the first out, was in a 2-1 count to Nationals slugger James Wood when he threw a ball but seemed to tweak something coming off the mound.

Manager Carlos Mendoza and the athletic training staff approached Minter, and after a short conversation, he was pulled from the game.

The Mets announced Minter left with left triceps tightness.

"Felt it on the pitch there," Mendoza said after the game. "He's going to get an MRI tomorrow and then we'll see what we're dealing with."

Mendoza said that it's likely Minter will go on the IL, just because it involves a pitcher's throwing arm.

"When you have a pitcher coming out of the game because of an arm, even if we get good news, you have to be careful. I don't want to get ahead of myself, we have to wait and see what we're dealing with here."

"I can't remember what pitch it was, but about two pitches or a pitch before you can see me move my tricep a little bit, it tightened up," Minter said afterward. "I'm just glad it wasn't my elbow. That's what I was 'happy' about. We're probably looking at an IL stint. Come back, get this thing fixed and continue to help the team."

Minter said he's never had a triceps injury before, so it's all new to him, and that's "super frustrating" considering how well he was throwing and how well the team is playing.

The inevitable loss of Minter will deal a big blow to the Mets' bullpen. Entering Saturday, Minter had a 1.69 ERA in 12 appearances with 13 strikeouts over 10.2 innings.

A.J. Minter leaves the game with the Mets' athletic trainer in the 8th inning pic.twitter.com/T57KqeHL4K

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

After the start of Saturday afternoon's game between the Mets and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park was delayed due to inclement weather, the matchup between NL East teams did not get far before it was stopped because of rain.

Originally a 4:05 p.m. start time, the game was pushed back to 4:30 p.m.. However, with one out in the bottom of the first, rain began to pour at Nationals Park, forcing the umpires to stop play and the grounds crew to come out with the tarp. The game was just 13 minutes in when the stoppage occurred.

The rain delay lasted about 45 minutes and resumed at 5:30 p.m.

After the Mets' bullpen blew the save on Friday night in the team's 5-4 loss, New York will look to bounce back with Clay Holmes on the mound. The former closer made his sixth start with the Mets this season, and looks to put up another quality outing. In his last two starts, Holmes has allowed just two runs over 11 innings while striking out 14 batters.

Saturday will see Jeff McNeil, who just returned to the team on Friday after starting the season on the IL, playing in center field for the first time since 2023. With McNeil starting in the outfield, Luisangel Acuña got the start at second base.

Francisco Alvarez, who also returned to the team after an IL stint on Friday, started for the second straight game.

2 big Phillies rallies and more Luzardo excellence snaps the losing streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — The Phillies hadn’t homered in five days and knew it would be extremely difficult for either team to hit one out of Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.

It was 47 degrees at first pitch and the wind was blowing in 15-20 mph from left field, making it even more important for both lineups to focus on passing the baton. The Phillies finally did, rallying for six runs in the fourth inning and three in the sixth of a 10-4 win over the Cubs.

“It might take a bloop hit at some point and then it kind of just explodes,” manager Rob Thomson said Friday evening after the Phillies’ losing streak reached five.

Those words were prescient because it was Max Kepler’s bloop into no-man’s land in shallow left field that scored the Phillies’ first run Saturday and reloaded the bases ahead of an Alec Bohm RBI single, Johan Rojas sacrifice fly, Bryson Stott RBI single and Bryce Harper two-run double.

“I don’t remember what the last week was like but that fourth inning was great,” Kepler said. “Started off, me and J.T. (Realmuto) had some duck-fart knocks and then, yeah, we opened it up. That’s the game of baseball, you don’t really have to square ’em up every time but just try to make something happen to rally around.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for, to rally together. When we try to do the small things, big things happen. That inning started with some not-so-impressive hits but they got the job done and got us where we needed it to be.”

The Phillies have put a ton of runners on base this season and have a Top 3 team OBP but the explosions have been few and far between. A big hit with men on base has eluded them since Sunday. The situational struggles have been exacerbated by them hitting just one home run in a span of 296 plate appearances before Kepler went deep in the seventh.

The fourth inning Saturday was the Phillies’ best of the season. Facing Ben Brown, the former pitching prospect they traded to Chicago for David Robertson in 2022, the Phils had five hits with a runner in scoring position, their most in any inning since last August 15 against the Nationals.

Jesus Luzardo followed with a 1-2-3 bottom half and the 14-13 Phillies won for the first time in a week.

Luzardo has exceeded all expectations through six starts with a 1.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He’s kept the Phillies squarely in each game and been a godsend to a rotation that hasn’t yet had Ranger Suarez or an effective Aaron Nola.

“He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet until he gets on that hill, and then he turns into a different guy,” Thomson said. “He’s been outstanding. Looking at him from across the field, I think I appreciate him more now that I can see him every day and what he does, the stuff that he has, the way he goes about his business.”

Luzardo did not allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth, a strong performance in his first start against the Cubs since their reported decision to back out of an offseason trade for him. The Cubs had concerns about Luzardo’s back and elbow, according to The Athletic, and the Phillies swooped in to do the deal themselves.

“Oh, he’s been dealing,” Kepler said. “You see his name on the sheet for the upcoming game and it gives you a reassuring feeling.”

Luzardo’s only troublesome frame was the fifth when Trea Turner committed a two-out error with nobody on base, which led to two Cubs runs and forced the lefty to throw 19 additional pitches. Turner has had a couple of rough moments in the field in this series. He whiffed on a tag at second base when Realmuto had a base-stealer out by a wide margin on Friday and committed his third error of the year in the middle game.

The shortstop did make up for it, though, with an RBI single up the middle the half-inning after his miscue. Turner crushed the ball over 104 mph in both his third and fourth at-bats, potentially a good sign for a player who’s hitting .245 with just five extra-base hits.

Kepler seems to be finding a rhythm at the plate. He went 3-for-5 with a solo home run to right field, the only location a ball had a chance of leaving the yard on Saturday. The left fielder is 10-for-26 (.385) with two doubles and a homer over his last seven games.

“Starting to see it, starting to believe in what I work on in the cage,” he said. “Just taking my swings, not trying to reach for balls or poke. Just hunting my zones.”

It’s just a 13-game sample but Kepler has done major damage at Wrigley Field, hitting .391 with four homers, three doubles and 10 RBI. He hadn’t even realized.

“I didn’t even know that, usually I’m freezing my ass off and just trying to get a quick game in,” he said. “But it’s a great place to play, it’s like Fenway, it’s magical. It’s an honor to stand in one of these ballparks.”

The Phillies go for the series win on Sunday Night Baseball. It should be about 10 degrees warmer at first pitch but will be another chilly night for Nola to try to find his command.

2 big Phillies rallies and more Luzardo excellence snaps the losing streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — The Phillies hadn’t homered in five days and knew it would be extremely difficult for either team to hit one out of Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.

It was 47 degrees at first pitch and the wind was blowing in 15-20 mph from left field, making it even more important for both lineups to focus on passing the baton. The Phillies finally did, rallying for six runs in the fourth inning and three in the sixth of a 10-4 win over the Cubs.

“It might take a bloop hit at some point and then it kind of just explodes,” manager Rob Thomson said Friday evening after the Phillies’ losing streak reached five.

Those words were prescient because it was Max Kepler’s bloop into no-man’s land in shallow left field that scored the Phillies’ first run Saturday and reloaded the bases ahead of an Alec Bohm RBI single, Johan Rojas sacrifice fly, Bryson Stott RBI single and Bryce Harper two-run double.

“I don’t remember what the last week was like but that fourth inning was great,” Kepler said. “Started off, me and J.T. (Realmuto) had some duck-fart knocks and then, yeah, we opened it up. That’s the game of baseball, you don’t really have to square ’em up every time but just try to make something happen to rally around.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for, to rally together. When we try to do the small things, big things happen. That inning started with some not-so-impressive hits but they got the job done and got us where we needed it to be.”

The Phillies have put a ton of runners on base this season and have a Top 3 team OBP but the explosions have been few and far between. A big hit with men on base has eluded them since Sunday. The situational struggles have been exacerbated by them hitting just one home run in a span of 296 plate appearances before Kepler went deep in the seventh.

The fourth inning Saturday was the Phillies’ best of the season. Facing Ben Brown, the former pitching prospect they traded to Chicago for David Robertson in 2022, the Phils had five hits with a runner in scoring position, their most in any inning since last August 15 against the Nationals.

Jesus Luzardo followed with a 1-2-3 bottom half and the 14-13 Phillies won for the first time in a week.

Luzardo has exceeded all expectations through six starts with a 1.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He’s kept the Phillies squarely in each game and been a godsend to a rotation that hasn’t yet had Ranger Suarez or an effective Aaron Nola.

“He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet until he gets on that hill, and then he turns into a different guy,” Thomson said. “”He’s been outstanding. Looking at him from across the field, I think I appreciate him more that I can see him every day and what he does, the stuff that he has, the way he goes about his business.”

Luzardo did not allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth, a strong performance in his first start against the Cubs since their reported decision to back out of an offseason trade for him. The Cubs had concerns about Luzardo’s back and elbow, according to The Athletic, and the Phillies swooped in to do the deal themselves.

“Oh, he’s been dealing,” Kepler said. “You see his name on the sheet for the upcoming game and it gives you a reassuring feeling.”

Luzardo’s only troublesome frame was the fifth when Trea Turner committed a two-out error with nobody on base, which led to two Cubs runs and forced the lefty to throw 19 additional pitches. Turner has had a couple of rough moments in the field in this series. He whiffed on a tag at second base when Realmuto had a base-stealer out by a wide margin on Friday and committed his third error of the year in the middle game.

The shortstop did make up for it, though, with an RBI single up the middle the half-inning after his miscue. Turner crushed the ball over 104 mph in both his third and fourth at-bats, a good sign for a player who’s hitting .245 with just five extra-base hits.

Kepler also seems to be finding a rhythm at the plate. He went 3-for-5 with a solo home run to right field, the only location a ball was leaving the yard on Saturday. The left fielder is 10-for-26 (.385) with two doubles and a homer over his last seven games.

“Starting to see it, starting to believe in what I work on in the cage,” he said. “Just taking my swings, not trying to reach for balls or poke. Just hunting my zones.”

It’s just a 13-game sample but Kepler has done major damage at Wrigley Field, hitting .391 with four homers, three doubles and 10 RBI. He hadn’t even realized.

“I didn’t even know that, usually I’m freezing my ass off and just trying to get a quick game in,” he said. “But it’s a great place to play, it’s like Fenway, it’s magical. It’s an honor to stand in one of these ballparks.”

The Phillies go for the series win on Sunday Night Baseball. It should be about 10 degrees warmer at first pitch but will be another chilly night for Aaron Nola to try to find his command.

Giants closer Walker bounces back with huge outing after tough week originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When he’s right, Giants closer Ryan Walker is one of the best baseball players in the world, but he doesn’t necessarily realize it. Walker doesn’t consider himself a diehard fan, and he often has no idea when he’s facing one of the game’s best hitters when he’s out on the mound.

One day earlier in his career, Walker and teammates were talking about their first big league strikeouts. That first outing is one that nearly every pitcher can recite pitch-for-pitch, but Walker couldn’t quite remember the name of a Minnesota Twins star that he struck out in his second game as a big leaguer. Teammates laughed when they looked it up and discovered it was Byron Buxton.

A few weeks into his rookie season, Walker made a statement by freezing Nolan Arenado with a slider in the eighth inning of a game in St. Louis. Asked about it later, he shrugged. He had no idea that Arenado had done so much damage against the Giants over the years.

“I try to treat every hitter the same,” Walker said this spring. “Whether it’s Ohtani or someone off the bench, everyone is here for a reason.”

There are times, though, when it’s harder to take that approach. Walker was well aware that he would face Joc Pederson in the ninth inning Saturday, and not just because they were teammates in 2023. Pederson’s eye-popping struggles this season came up in a scouting meeting before the series, and while Walker didn’t know he had just one RBI on the season, he did know Pederson had gone hitless over 41 at-bats recently. 

That only meant one thing when Walker watched Pederson stroll to the plate with two runners on in a tie game. 

“He’s due,” Walker thought. “That man is due.”

For Pederson, the breakthrough will have to wait. But Walker and the Giants are hopeful that the right-hander’s came in the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over the Rangers. 

Walker threw a 97-mph sinker past Pederson to strand both runners. When Patrick Bailey walked it off in the bottom of the inning, Walker had his first win of the year, and a nice confidence boost at the end of what has been the worst week of his big league career. 

“It’s huge. I think it gives him back his confidence,” Bailey said. “I know it’s been a few rough outings in a row, but the stuff has been there all year. It happens, it happens to the best of them — and he is one of the best of them.”

Walker was part of a theme Saturday. The Giants got off to a slow start after celebrating Brandon Crawford, but Willy Adames, who is hitting just .205 through his first month in orange and black, tied the game with a two-run single. Bailey is down at .171, but he was sent up to hit for Sam Huff with two runners in scoring position and poked the first pitch into right for his fourth career walk-off hit. 

For Adames and Bailey, the first few weeks of the 2025 MLB season have been a grind. But there is no spotlight greater than the one in the ninth inning, and there’s no worse feeling in the game than being a closer who coughs up what looked to be an easy win. 

Walker did that Sunday in Anaheim, allowing four runs in a gut punch of a loss. Three days later — when he gave up three hits, plunked a batter and allowed two runs — Bob Melvin pulled him for Camilo Doval, who got the save. 

Doval is a former MLB All-Star, and it would have been easy for Melvin to ignite a closer controversy by saying he would ride the hot hand, or give Walker a break for a few days. But the manager said repeatedly this week that he would throw Walker back into the fire, and when the Giants trailed by a couple of runs late Friday, Walker struck out a pair and looked more like his old self. 

Melvin never wavered, viewing it as just two bad outings in a career that thus far has produced a 2.72 ERA in 137 appearances. Walker was going to pitch in a big spot if it came Saturday, and Melvin stuck with him against Pederson, even though lefty Erik Miller was loose. He figured Bruce Bochy would counter with Adolis Garcia if he made a move, and he liked Walker’s chances against Pederson.

The former Giant jumped on a two-strike slider and yanked it over the arcade in right, but it was well foul. A pitch later, Walker blew him away with a sinker. The normally calm closer pumped his fist and yelled as he walked off the mound. 

“I think it’s the last week, all that kind of stuff just boiling up,” he said. “Finally finding a groove brought out all that emotion.”

The last week has been difficult, but Walker took a lot away from it. He had been 15-for-15 in save opportunities before last Sunday, and teammates and coaches reminded him repeatedly that he was still a good pitcher. When he went home, he was able to get away by spending time with his young daughter and chatting with his wife, who is a counselor. 

“A lot of guys have been talking me through it and helping me realize it’s two games out of 162,” he said. “It’s not something to fret about. It’s really, I feel like, brought me closer to the team, which is really cool. Seeing everybody support me is awesome.”

Walker also found a mechanical fix in recent days. He had been standing too upright and said that was leading him to be “more rotational” as he went down the mound. He tightened up his mechanics and found that his old stride length and arm path were back. He no longer was worried about missing arm-side, a huge issue in those two rough outings. 

Walker felt good when he took the mound Saturday, but a pair of singles put a sellout crowd in a nervous state. A popped-up bunt helped everyone relax a bit, and Walker struck out Josh Smith ahead of the Pederson at-bat. That final out set the stage for the latest round of ninth-inning heroics. 

There will be other speed bumps over the course of the next five months. That’s life as a closer, and when you fail, there’s no safety net. But over the last two games, Walker has looked like his old self.

“It helps out a lot, that’s for sure,” Walker said. “The biggest thing, though, is I’m not going to get too high. There’s plenty of baseball left. I’ll enjoy these two and continue to move forward with the progression.”

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What we learned as Giants walk off Rangers on Bailey's clutch single originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — A sellout crowd showed up Saturday to honor Brandon Crawford. Patrick Bailey made sure they went home happy. 

The catcher pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth and dropped Jacob Latz’s first pitch onto the right field grass, giving the Giants a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park. With the victory, the Giants are guaranteed of having a winning record during this stretch of 17 games in 17 days.

PINCH-HIT PATTY WALKS IT OFF‼️pic.twitter.com/QQ3NealLmz

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 26, 2025

The lineup got shut out Friday, and for most of their next game things weren’t looking much better. They gave off some 2024 vibes until Willy Adames broke through in the fifth with a two-run single up the middle that tied the game.

Willy trae dos al plato y empatamos 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/FOxohlXSyi

— SF Gigantes (@SFGigantes) April 26, 2025

It stayed tied into the ninth, when manager Bob Melvin turned to struggling closer Ryan Walker. He gave up a pair of singles, but Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka did him a favor by popping up a bunt. After striking out Josh Smith, Walker stayed in to face pinch-hitter Joc Pederson, despite the fact that lefty Erik Miller was warmed up in the pen. Pederson hit a long foul ball and then swung through 97 mph to end the inning as Walker pumped his fist and screamed.

With Erik Miller ready, Bob Melvin stuck with Ryan Walker against Joc Pederson. He struck him out to strand a pair. A huge out for a guy who has had his worst week in the big leagues: pic.twitter.com/1JlTV4TpTC

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) April 26, 2025

Heliot Ramos ignited the winning rally with a leadoff single in the ninth. After a walk by LaMonte Wade Jr., Christian Koss advanced both runners with a bunt. Bailey hit for Sam Huff and ended it quickly. 

Ray Day

Robbie Ray said after his last start that it was the closest he has felt to his 2021 Cy Young form in years, and he certainly looked like a top-of-the-rotation arm on Saturday. The lefty went a season-high seven innings and struck out eight. It was his first time recording at least 21 outs since Aug. 28, 2022, which was before his Tommy John surgery. 

8⃣ ponches para Robbie pic.twitter.com/fAhOvJ6UJK

— SF Gigantes (@SFGigantes) April 26, 2025

The Rangers had plenty of traffic early, but Ray limited the damage to a pair of sacrifice flies. With the two earned runs, he lowered his ERA from 4.07 to 3.73. 

Ray was extremely fastball-heavy in his last start, but he showed a four-pitch mix Saturday. He threw each of his pitches at least a dozen times and tossed his new changeup a career-high 20 times. Ray got 23 swinging strikes (a season-high for the Giants) including five on his changeup. 

Revenge Game

Bruce Bochy isn’t the only familiar face in the other dugout in this series. The Rangers’ hitting coaches are Donnie Ecker and Justin Viele, and their roster includes Joc Pederson, Nick Ahmed, Kevin Pillar and Luke Jackson. 

The biggest blow against former teammates came from Huff, though. The former Rangers catcher ignited the game-tying rally with a long double to Triples Alley. It would have brought Koss home, but the infielder slipped going around third. Both players scored on Adames’ single a few minutes later. 

Huff’s double went 375 feet and would have been a homer in six ballparks. Throw in a homer in Anaheim last weekend, and the Giants finally are starting to see the power they expected when they acquired Huff on a waiver claim this offseason. 

The Usual

It’s been a wild week at the back end of Melvin’s bullpen, but he has absolutely no question marks in the eighth. Tyler Rogers is off to a dominant start, and he kept it going Saturday by throwing a scoreless inning. 

Rogers lowered his ERA to 0.63, which is sixth in the NL among relievers with double-digit appearances. Last year’s appearances leader is tied for first in the league in that category, too, and he has thrown up a zero in 14 of his 15 outings. Rogers has allowed just eight hits in 14 1/3 innings. He’s making Melvin’s life very easy when games reach the eighth inning. 

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After Crawford day, what's next for Giants jersey numbers, ceremonies? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Crawford was in a checkered suit Saturday, but No. 35 was still represented at Oracle Park, and not just with the thousands who came to watch the best shortstop in franchise history get honored. Justin Verlander, Friday night’s starter, is wearing the number this season after an offseason conversation with Crawford. 

It wasn’t hard for Crawford to sign off on giving the number to a future Hall of Famer, but Saturday’s ceremony was a reminder that the organization has some difficult decisions to make down the line. 

The front row of guests for the ceremony included president of baseball operations Buster Posey, former manager Bruce Bochy and longtime Giants ace Matt Cain. The Giants have no intention of ever letting anyone wear No. 28 or No. 15 again, but Cain’s No. 18 has been worn by eight players since he retired, including Curt Casali and Donovan Walton last year. So, what are the Giants going to do with No. 35 when Verlander is done in orange and black?

“We haven’t gotten there. Today is a thank you for Brandon, the soonest we could thank him and show gratitude for his career as a Giant,” team president and CEO Larry Baer said. “That [number decision] can be considered later.”

The best shortstop in franchise history is part of a group of teammates who are franchise legends, but also unlikely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which traditionally has been the standard for the Giants to retire a number. The Giants changed their thinking to honor Barry Bonds, who was left out of Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers Association of America, and that opened the door to also retire Will Clark’s No. 22. 

Brad Grems, who is in charge of the clubhouse, has followed Mike Murphy’s lead in not giving out No. 55 (Tim Lincecum) or No. 40 (Madison Bumgarner). But at some point the Giants will have to decide where they draw the lines for longtime Giants who will go on their Wall of Fame but also could be in consideration to have their numbers retired. 

“We’ll try to honor that group. We haven’t only [retired numbers for] Hall of Famers, but it has primarily been Hall of Famers,” Baer said. “We’ll have to come up with a philosophy. There are other guys in his era whose jerseys have not been retired, too. We have to think it through.”

The Giants already have retired 11 numbers, plus No. 42, which is retired across the game for Jackie Robinson. Bochy and Posey will be inducted into Cooperstown in the next few years and join that list.

Regardless of the future standard, Crawford has at least one more big day coming at Oracle Park. He’ll soon be back to go on the organization’s Wall of Fame, which honors former Giants who played at least nine seasons, five seasons with at least one MLB All-Star selection, or won three rings. Brandon Belt would clear the bar, along with Lincecum, Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval and Joe Panik, who flew in from New York to attend the Crawford ceremony.

Panik soon will visit Double-A Richmond as an instructor and plans to work with players at one affiliate every month. With Posey now in charge, others from the championship era are expected to return to the organization in some capacity, but Crawford reiterated on Saturday that he plans to take this full year off. That was always the plan in retirement, and it’s not like he has much free time anyway.

The Crawfords have five children, four of whom are very active in school and youth sports and a fifth who is only a year and a half old. After giving his speech, Crawford said he’ll potentially join the Giants down the road in an official capacity, but for now he has his hands full. 

“It’s been busy,” he said, smiling. “Even busier than baseball seasons, to be honest. But it’s been a lot of fun.”

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Well-liked Kody Clemens traded to Twins: ‘It was just the fit' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — Rob Thomson texted Kody Clemens early Saturday morning to wish him the best. After three years in the Phillies organization, Clemens is moving on to Minnesota. The Phils traded him to the Twins late Friday night for cash.

Clemens had been designated for assignment on Wednesday when the Phillies activated right-handed-hitting Weston Wilson. Clemens saw very little playing time through three weeks, going 0-for-6 with a walk and just six innings on defense — four in left field, two at second base. His left-handed bat wasn’t an ideal fit on the Phils’ bench because the primary positions he’d back up are also occupied by left-handed hitters.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t have given him more of an opportunity here,” Thomson said before the Phillies’ middle game at Wrigley Field. “It was just the fit because he’s a good player, he’s a big-league player and I’ve said that all along. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great human being. I texted him this morning and wished him all the best because I really like him a lot. They like him a lot.”

Clemens was acquired by the Phillies with reliever Gregory Soto in January 2023 from the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Matt Vierling and utilityman Nick Maton. Clemens appeared in 97 games as a Phillie, hitting .220/.265/.394 with 16 doubles and nine home runs in 275 plate appearances. He was 2-for-5 with a double in last year’s NLDS.

The Phillies’ bench currently consists of Edmundo Sosa, Wilson, Cal Stevenson and Rafael Marchan. Brandon Marsh (hamstring strain) is two games into a rehab assignment with Triple A Lehigh Valley and will likely take Stevenson’s place on the roster once he’s ready to return.

Marsh played seven innings in center field on Friday and is scheduled to DH Saturday. He is eligible to be activated on Sunday but the Phillies might keep him at Triple A for another few days.

“I want him to make sure that his swing’s back and that he’s ready to go,” Thomson said Saturday.

It’s not the worst thing in the world for Marsh to be able to find his timing in the minors right now, away from all the attention. Negativity is justifiably swirling in the Delaware Valley over the Phillies’ 13-13 start.

“I think it’s good for him, sure, because you could see the sawdust coming out of his hands as he was up at the plate,” Thomson said. “He was just trying to do too much. It’s a process and it takes time.”

The Mets continue their four-game series with the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. on SNY.

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

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Mets Notes

• The Mets fell to 6-7 on the road with Friday's loss, but still own the best record in the majors at 18-8 (.692 win percentage)
• Clay Holmes has allowed only two runs with 14 strikeouts over his last two starts (11.0 IP)
• Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez both went 1-for-4 in their season debuts
• McNeil gets the start in CF -- he's played the position three times in his big league career (all in 2023)
• Mark Vientos has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, including just the second triple of his career on Friday night

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What channel is SNY?

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The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv. Streaming on the SNY App has been discontinued.

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For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here. 

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

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• The Mets and Brooks Raleyagree to a one-year deal
• Why Brett Batywas the odd man out, and how much time Luis Torrens will see behind the plate
• The Mets activate Francisco Alvarezfrom the IL
• The Mets take a late lead, but blow the first game in a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Nationals
• Here are the highlights from Friday night's game
• Carlos Mendoza discusses the "frustrating" triple play call
• Brandon Nimmo owns "stupid mental mistake" in Mets’ loss to Nationals
• Take a look at Mets prospects highlights from Drew Gilbert, Carson Benge and Colin Houck