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

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series starting on Friday.

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Preview

Can Aaron Judge keep this torrid pace?

Judge is having one of the best starts of his career. Entering play Wednesday, Judge was a career .291 hitter in March/April. This season? He's hitting .415 after picking up two more hits in the Yankees' win against the Guardians on Wednesday.

He'll enter the weekend series with a 21-game on-base streak, tied for the fifth-longest streak of his career. It's the third-longest active streak in the majors and has reached base in 24 of 25 games this season. He also leads the big leagues in batting average, OBP, SLUG, OPS and hits.

I can go on, but Judge is on pace to exceed what he did last season when he won the AL MVP. But can he keep that hot hitting going while at home? It's very likely the captain will be able to, and we should just sit back and enjoy what we're seeing right now.

Can Anthony Volpe break out of slump?

As hot as Judge is, Volpe is the complete opposite.

After going hitless on Wednesday, the young shortstop is hitting below the Mendoza line (.198) and has struck out seven times over his last five games. In just this Cleveland series alone, Volpe went 1-for-11 with a run, two walks while striking out five times, including four in Wednesday's series finale. It's a disturbing slump for Volpe, who has lost his ability to get on base, let alone get hits, and power -- his last homer coming back on April 2.

Perhaps manager Aaron Boone will give Volpe a day off. But even if he does, the shortstop and the team have to figure something out.

Can Devin Williams bounce back...again?

Feels like every week, Williams needs to "bounce back" or get it together after a bad outing. Last time out, Williams allowed three runs in his one inning of work against the Rays back on April 19. That outing was one reason why the Yankees failed to sweep the Rays in that four-game set, but the right-hander hasn't pitched since then.

The Yankees lost both Monday and Tuesday, and were up big when Luke Weaver came in to finish off Wednesday's win. After Thursday's off day, the earliest Williams would come in would be Friday on four days rest. The Yankees need Williams to get right, but if he can't do it at home this weekend, the noise to give Weaver the closer's job will be deafening at Yankee Stadium.

Will Clarke Schmidt find it again?

Schmidt was supposed to be the arm that solidified the rotation that has lost so many to begin the season. However, the young right-hander has been anything but since being activated off the IL last week.

After allowing three runs in 5.2 innings in his first start, Schmidt pitched a dud on Monday against the Guardians. He allowed five earned runs on seven hits, three walks in just four innings. Schmidt is scheduled to pitch Sunday and the Yankees will need him to show that he can put that bad start behind him.

The Yankees do have Max Fried pitching this weekend, so the pressure is off a little bit but the team can't win all of the southpaw's starts this season. Carlos Carrasco, the other probable this weekend, is still unreliable, so, for now, Schmidt needs to pitch like the No. 3 guy behind Fried and Carlos Rodon.

AL East battle

This series is the first against the Blue Jays this season and the second the Yankees will face a team from their division. After taking three of four from Tampa, the Yankees are in a good spot at the top of the AL East. Entering the series, the Yankees are three games ahead of the Blue Jays, so taking care of business will go a long way toward putting distance between them and holding off the Red Sox -- who are 1.5 games behind the Yankees entering Thursday.

The Blue Jays are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, but were 7-3 in the 10 games prior to this tumble so it's a team not to be overlooked, especially with the trio of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt on the mound.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Paul Goldschmidt

With Aaron Judge on a tear, there will be plenty of moments that Toronto avoids the slugger and Goldschmidt -- who has been hitting cleanup of late -- will need to do damage.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried

When your other options are Carrasco and Schmidt, it's safe to pick Fried but I see Schmidt bouncing back in his start at home.

Which Blue Jays player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?

George Springer

Springer has had a solid start to the season, but his numbers at Yankee Stadium are pretty impressive. He's slashed .274/.345/.476 with a .821 OPS to go along with his six home runs in 31 career games (28 starts).

Hunter Manning lives so close to the West Ranch High baseball field that he can hear sounds of balls being hit in the batting cage at night.

He decided to attend Sherman Oaks Notre Dame as a freshman, requiring 6:30 a.m. wake-up calls and enduring traffic jams on the 5 Freeway. Now he sleeps until 7:45 a.m. without being late to walk to school and is playing with lifelong friends.

Eight consecutive strikeouts for Hunter Manning of West Ranch, which leads Hart 2-1 B3. pic.twitter.com/0MpocUSJ5u

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 23, 2025

He's headed to UC Irvine in the fall to pitch and only wishes he could take catcher Nolan Stoll with him. Manning struck out 12 on Wednesday with Stoll calling the pitches in West Ranch's 3-1 win over Hart in a battle for first place in the Foothill League. West Ranch is 16-8 and 8-1.

It was by accident that Stoll started calling pitches for Manning earlier this season when the PitchCom communication device malfunctioned. It worked out so well that Stoll was allowed to continue to call the pitches for the rest of this season for Manning even though he still wears a wire and receives instructions from the dugout to move fielders. With Stoll in charge, Manning struck out a school-record 16 batters against Valencia and then came Wednesday's effort.

"He called an awesome game," Manning said.

Nine strikeouts in four innings for UC Irvine commit Hunter Manning. West Ranch 3, Hart 1. pic.twitter.com/phKp9MaAOf

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 23, 2025

Stoll is a Stanford commit with a grade-point average out of this world. Manning's 3.8 GPA probably wouldn't get him to Stanford, so he'll need to figure a plan to take Stoll with him to Irvine.

"Sadly, I can't," he said.

Omar Gutierrez had a two-run first-inning single for West Ranch. Hart (11-9, 6-2) got two hits and an unearned run off Manning in the first inning, then saw him strike out eight consecutive batters.

The two teams meet again Friday at Hart.

St. John Bosco 2, Mater Dei 1: The Braves got a walk-off bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gavin Cervantes threw all eight innings for the Braves.

Santa Margarita 5, JSerra 1: A three-run triple by Warren Gravely IV in the top of the ninth inning keyed the Eagles' Trinity League win. Ben Finnegan finished with a double and triple.

Newport Harbor 5, Huntington Beach 2: Lucas Perez, Adam Martin and Keoni Wun each had two hits to knock off No. 1 Huntington Beach.

Big time from @diegogonzalez8_pic.twitter.com/JKKH7QhLZX

— matt lucas (@EDHawksBaseball) April 24, 2025

El Dorado 4, Cypress 0: Logan Steenburgen threw the shutout, striking out two and walking none. Diego Gonzalez hit a two-run home run.

Foothill 4, El Modena 1: Sean Green hit a three-run walk-off home run in the 10th inning.

Edison 3, Corona del Mar 1: Gavin Johnson hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning for Edison.

Etiwanda 1, Rancho Cucamonga 0: Luke Mendoza hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for the game's only run. Michael Aleman threw eight innings with nine strikeouts for Etiwanda.

Chino Hills 1, Damien 0: Brody Buoncristiani and Matt McCliman combined on a two-hit shutout.

Los Osos 10, Upland 4: Roberto Topete finished with four hits to lead Los Osos.

Summit 5, Grand Terrace 3: Dylan Harrison and Ian Stewart each had two RBIs for Summit (20-3), which has won 17 straight games.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 4, La Salle 0: J. Beckett Berg threw a complete game, striking out eight with no walks.

Crespi 8, Saugus 2: Jackson Eisenhauer threw four scoreless innings with five strikeouts, making it 47 innings without giving up an earned run this season for Crespi (17-1). Josh Stonehouse had three hits.

Sierra Canyon 11, Kennedy 1: Freshman Kingston Monette struck out 11 in six innings. Dezi Delgado had four RBIs.

Mira Costa 5, West Torrance 1: Ace Tarango had three hits and Aiden Pinn threw four innings of scoreless relief. Mira Costa is 20-2 and 9-1 in the Bay League.

Vista Murrieta 3, Murrieta Valley 0: Jonas Jusay threw 6 2/3 innings, striking out four.

Cleveland 7, Granada Hills 3: Four Cleveland pitchers combined for a no-hitter. Joshua Pearlstein led the way with five hitless innings.

El Camino Real 10, Taft 2: Luke Howe, Troy Shaw and Adan Viner each contributed two RBIs for El Camino Real.

Birmingham 1, Chatsworth 0: The Patriots won on a walk-off from Cristian Martinez in the eighth inning. Allen Olmos threw the shutout.

Royal 9, Oak Park 0: Dustin Dunwoody threw the shutout. Brady Hewitt had three RBIs.

Warren 2, Gahr 1: Max Ruiz had the walk-off single in the seventh for Warren.

La Habra 5, Yorba Linda 0: Isaac Aguirre struck out eight, walked none and threw a four-hit shutout.

Long Beach Millikan 6, Long Beach Poly 3: Anthony Pack had two RBIs for the Rams, who are 8-1 in the Moore League.

Long Beach Wilson 7, Lakewood 0: The Bruins stayed unbeaten in the Moore League. Ben Howard threw a five-hitter.

Softball

Carson 11, Banning 3: Kiarah Chukwudi had a home run and three RBIs for Carson. Giselle Pantoja struck out six.

Granada Hills 20, Taft 4: Alana Miller had four RBIs and Zoe Justman had four hits for the Highlanders.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The stage was set for an intentional walk.

The Dodgers had the potential go-ahead runs in scoring position. First base was open with two out in the sixth. And, in his fourth at-bat of the night against Chicago Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, none other than Shohei Ohtani was at the plate.

For much of his Dodgers tenure over the last two seasons, such a situation would usually trigger an automatic “four” signal from the opposing dugout.

For much of his Dodgers tenure, after all, Ohtani has been one of the best hitters on the planet.

Lately, however, the reigning National League MVP has been slumping. Considerably.

Entering Wednesday’s sixth-inning at-bat, he was just one for 10 since returning from the paternity list this last weekend. Going back to April 5, he was batting only .232 over his last 14 games.

Read more:Dodgers blow late lead, outslugged as Cubs win in extra innings

Against that backdrop, Cubs manager Craig Counsell stood motionless in the dugout. Even with a right-hander warming and Mookie Betts on deck, he let Boyd work to the game’s biggest star.

In the Cubs’ 7-6 victory over the Dodgers, it proved to be a prescient decision. Despite working a 2-and-0 count, Ohtani chased on a fastball that was well up and well inside. His soft pop out to shortstop extinguished the Dodgers’ best chance to rally.

Unlike so many other highlight stretches since his arrival in Los Angeles, the $700-million slugger looked incapable of turning the tide.

As the Dodgers (16-9) return from their second straight losing trip to open the season — after going 2-4 in Philadelphia and Washington earlier this month, this week’s two losses at Wrigley left the club with a 2-3 record on this five-game swing through Texas and Chicago — there are plenty of names on the roster posting subpar production.

Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are both batting in the .250s to this point (despite a three-hit night from Betts on Wednesday that snapped a one for 22 slump). Everyone at the bottom of the order is hitting .200 or worse (despite the Nos. 6-9 hitters on Wednesday combining for five hits, including a home run from Andy Pages).

Even a once-stout bullpen has started to waver, following up a late-game collapse on Tuesday with a creaky showing in Wednesday’s predetermined bullpen game (three of the runs were allowed by recently called-up depth arm Noah Davis; the other four belonged to rookie left-hander Jack Dreyer, snapping his streak of nine consecutive scoreless outings).

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Want to go to a game? Visit a financial planner

Still, no one’s struggles have loomed larger than Ohtani’s.

And as the Dodgers try to even out the up-and-down play that has marked this opening month, there is no one more equipped to provide a steadying presence.

For all the other talent on their roster, so much of the Dodgers' success still depends on their leadoff man.

Ohtani did aid one rally Wednesday, poking a softly hit single to right field that loaded the bases in the top of the third. Two batters later, Teoscar Hernández (another recently slumping hitter who found his swing during a four-hit series at Wrigley) laced a two-run single to left.

Despite Ohtani flying out in the fifth, the Dodgers scored three more runs in that inning, with Betts lining an RBI double to left before Hernández belted a two-run home run that gave him 22 RBIs (most on the team and fourth-most in the NL).

Still, after Davis was knocked around in a three-run fourth and Dreyer was punished for walking the bases loaded in his four-run fifth, the Dodgers needed more from their offense. And even with a golden opportunity to snap out of his recent slump, neither Ohtani nor anyone else from the club’s lineup could provide it.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Nationals play a four-game series in Washington, D.C. beginning on Friday at 6:45 p.m. on SNY.

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Preview

The returns of Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil

Alvarez and McNeil are expected to be activated from the IL ahead of Friday's series-opener after spending the first chunk of the season working their way back from injuries that were suffered in spring training.

Asked earlier this week whether Alvarez would be the starting catcher upon his return, David Stearns did not give a clear yes or no. So the playing time situation between Alvarez and Luis Torrens bears watching.

Regarding McNeil, he's returning at a time when Luisangel Acuña is starting to put his stamp on things at the plate. Acuña carried a 107 OPS+ into play on Wednesday, and was hitting .353/.421/.471 over his last 38 plate appearances.

So it stands to reason that Acuña and McNeil will split time at second base.

McNeil also got some time in center field while on his rehab assignment, so it's possible he'll get some burn there in addition to second base and the corner outfield. Carlos Mendoza recently said he's also comfortable using Acuña in center.

Clay Holmes is starting to go long

While making the transition from reliever to starter, Holmes went just 4.2 innings in each of his first two starts. Since then, he's started to provide more length.

Holmes went 5.1 innings on April 8, 5.0 innings on April 14, and a season-high 6.0 innings against the Cardinals on April 20 at Citi Field.

Along the way, he's been trusting his expanded arsenal more. Holmes featured six pitches against the Cards, relying heavily on his sinker, slider, four-seam fastball, and changeup, while mixing in the occasional sweeper and one cutter.

As Holmes has gotten more comfortable in his new role, the results have followed.

In 11.0 innings over his last two starts, Holmes has allowed just two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out 14. His ERA for the season is down to 3.16.

Ryne Stanek has been dominant

Stanek has announced his presence with authority this season while serving as one of the main bridges to Edwin Diaz.

The hard-throwing right-hander has held the opposition scoreless in nine of his 10 appearances spanning 9.1 innings, posting a 0.96 ERA and 1.07 WHIP to go along with 10 strikeouts.

Stanek's fastball has averaged 97.9 mph this season, which is in the 95th percentile, with hitters slugging just .192 against the offering.

Washington's starting pitching has been strong

With the exception of old friend Trevor Williams (who has a 5.95 ERA and 1.62 WHIP), the Nationals' starting pitching has been very good.

Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker are two of the Nats that Mets will face during this series, and they're both riding high.

Irvin is coming off a strong start in Colorado, where he allowed two runs in 6.1 innings while striking out nine. In his prior start in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, he fired 7.0 scoreless frames.

Parker has been phenomenal all season, with a 1.39 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He twirled eight shutout innings against the Orioles during his last start, allowing just one hit.

James Wood is becoming a star

Wood impressed last season during his rookie campaign, posting a .781 OPS in 79 games in what was his age-21 season.

This year, he's taken things to another level.

Entering play on Wednesday, Wood was slashing .253/.350/.552 with seven home runs, five doubles, 17 RBI, and 16 runs scored.

Out of all the players in the National League, only Fernando Tatis Jr. and Tommy Edman (who each have eight homers) have hit more long balls than Wood.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Mark Vientos

Vientos has turned it on, hitting safely in eight of his last nine games.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Kodai Senga

Senga hasn't allowed a run since his season debut on April 1, firing 17.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts.

Which Nationals player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

James Wood

As much as the Mets will try to limit the damage Wood does, it won't be easy,

It was a tightly-contested game between the Mets and Phillies on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field

The score was tied 2-2 heading to the 10th when Edwin Diaz, in his second inning of work, got one out before allowing an RBI single to give the Phillies the lead. The Mets closer was in obvious discomfort and was lifted from the game with what was revealed to be a left hip cramp.

Enter Max Kranick.

The young right-hander was tasked with getting the Mets out of further trouble without the usual bullpen warmups, but that didn't seem to bother him.

After allowing a walk to J.T. Realmuto and an Alec Bohm single, Kranick got Bryson Stott and Max Kepler to fly out to keep the score, 3-2.

"Looking back at it, I probably should have thrown a couple more [warmup pitches], I would have been more ready," Kranick said after the game with a smile. "That’s my fault, I’ve never done that before. Next time I’ll be ready."

Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said he was trying to avoid using Kranick after the 27-year-old threw two innings two days prior.

Kranick knew the plan, but understood that with how the game was going, and extra innings were imminent, he figured he would be used and kept moving around in the bullpen just in case. And it helped.

"He was unbelievable today...Comes in there in a very difficult spot and continues to make pitches. Continues to stay on the attack," Mendoza said of Kranick. "The moment is never too big for him. Trusting his stuff in the zone and got a huge out for us."

Kranick executed his pitches and allowed the Mets a chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th, which they did thanks to Starling Marte.

He said he's found success this season by staying in the moment and not think too far ahead. He wants to "go pitch-by-pitch" and "win every pitch." That has led to his impressive 2.81 ERA over 10 appearances this season.

And as Wednesday proved, he can be counted on in even the most difficult situations.

"Getting hot took a little bit, but happy I was able to come through for the team," he said.

Thanks to Kranick's heroics, the Mets (18-7) own the best record in baseball, have won seven straight and are 12-1 at home for the first time in franchise history.

Juan Soto wasn’t able to come through for the Mets with the bat during Wednesday’s win over the Phillies -- but he still found a way to make his mark. 

The superstar hasn’t exactly been known for his outfield defense throughout his career -- but that’s exactly where his impact was felt the most during this one. 

With two on and two outs in a 2-2 game in the top of the eighth, Phillies outfielder Max Kepler lined what appeared to be a go-ahead single to right off of Jose Butto; however, Soto fielded the ball and came up throwing.  

The throw was a bit off line but catcher Hayden Senger made a terrific play behind the plate, quickly reaching over to slap the tag on the sliding Nick Castellanos, just in time to keep the score tied and the inning. 

It was Soto’s first outfield assist as a Met -- and it was a huge one.

JUAN SOTO THROWS OUT NICK CASTELLANOS TO KEEP THE GAME TIED! pic.twitter.com/0PhXH8iIl9

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2025

"It was pretty good," Carlos Mendoza said. "Soto getting behind the ball and then Senger making sure he catches the baseball and then quickly applying the tag -- but the one hope from Soto, just getting behind the ball and making that one hope throw, it was a well-executed play."

The Mets were able to keep things evened up after that before heading into extras.

In the top of the 10th, the Phillies were able to bring across the ghost runner from second base against Edwin Diaz before he was forced out of the game due to a left hip cramp.

Max Kranick then entered and somehow worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam before the Mets fought right back and scored two runs of their own, securing the sweep on a Starling Marte walk-off hit.

“This is a team that doesn’t give up,” Soto said. “We keep working day in and day out every inning — it doesn’t matter if we’re winning by a lot of losing by a lot, I think the guys have been showing that we just never give up.”

Despite finishing the day 1-for-4 with a punchout, the 26-year-old was happy to be able to come through somehow.

“It’s always great to have some role and play a part in the game,” Soto said. “I’m trying my best to come through with the bat, but whenever that doesn’t come through, I have to do something else to help. We play defense, we run the bases right -- today I had the chance to help the team with my defense."

Umpires call it a train wreck, a play that results in a horrific collision through no fault of the baserunner or fielder. No interference or obstruction is called. It's considered "just baseball" and seemingly unavoidable.

The most recent example began with a bunt by Luis Arráez of the San Diego Padres against the Houston Astros on Sunday. First baseman Christian Walker fielded the ball and tossed it to second baseman Mauricio Dubón, who'd raced over to cover first.

Dubón's momentum carried him directly behind the base as he touched it with his foot to record the out. Arráez, meanwhile, motored up the line and through the base, then slammed into Dubón. Arráez got the worst of it, suffering a concussion that landed him on the injured list.

Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs. Nobody likes seeing an injury, but the game is the game and, as the saying goes, it hasn't changed in 150 years.

Now, though, tweaking rules and introducing concepts are in vogue, whether to improve the pace of play with a pitch clock, increase stolen bases with larger bags, or address player safety by eliminating catchers blocking home plate.

Read more:How four rule changes will impact Major League Baseball

Addressing collisions at first base might be next. They are frequent, and often result in serious injury.

An abbreviated list of memorable train wrecks at first base:

— 2023: The Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis flips over Cleveland Guardians first baseman Gabriel Arias and lands on his face, with his neck bending as his legs fly up and over his body.
— 2022: Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets his free hand stepped on while stretching for a throw.
— 2017: The Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper hyperextends his left knee when he lunges to beat a throw and slips on a wet base during a crowded play at first.
— 2013: The New York Mets' Eric Young steps on the right ankle of Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson, who is covering the bag on a ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Hudson suffers a fractured ankle.

And, of course, Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy suffers a torn ulnar collateral ligament when the Brewers' Jace Peterson slams into his left arm as he reaches into the base line to catch a throw in the last game of the 2021 regular season. Muncy is out for the entire postseason and the injury lingers into the next spring.

"I definitely felt like my arm wasn't there," Muncy said.

Read more:Haunting memories of last year are driving Max Muncy

Several if not all of those calamitous collisions could have been avoided with one simple solution: Follow the lead of NCAA baseball and utilize two first bases, an orange or green one for the runner and a white one for the fielder.

The injury to his three-time National League batting champion Arráez fresh in his mind, Padres manager Mike Shildt said on the "Starkville" podcast with Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville that common sense dictates Major League Baseball explore the two-base solution.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he said. “I haven’t seen it or played with it to form a real strong opinion. But conceptually, it’s one of those things where you go: You know, why not? I mean, we want our players to be safe and on the field. ... Conceptually, it does check some boxes to me that make sense — that listen, let’s just create a lane for everybody.”

Shildt said Arráez seems to be recovering well so far.

“He’s sore, as you would expect,” Shildt said. “But nothing from a CT scan that’s alarming in the cervical area or the jaw line, because he got a little abrasion on his jaw. And cognitively, [he’s] alert, remembers what’s taken place, is testing positively to this point on anything relative to the concussion side of it.”

Read more:Shaikin: Are Dodgers ruining baseball? 'There are some owners that have concerns'

Pushback on implementing double first bases might come from purists, but player safety has become an overarching concern as salaries have increased. The average MLB salary this year is $5 million, which is what Dubón will make. Arráez will make $14 million.

The collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season. Top of the agenda for owners in negotiations will be the creative spending of deep-pocket teams such as the Dodgers and Mets. Another hot-button topic is player safety, which union chief Tony Clark mentions at every turn. Double first bases, anyone?

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What we learned as Logan Webb, Wilmer Flores spark Giants' win over Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — Through the first month of the season, Logan Webb has already faced Hunter Greene (twice), Carlos Rodón, Tyler Anderson and Freddy Peralta. That’s just part of being the Opening Day starter, but so far the difficult slate is working out well for Webb and the Giants. 

The staff ace threw 6 1/3 shutout innings Wednesday, outdueling and outlasting Peralta, who entered as one of the league’s ERA leaders, to pick up his third win of the season. With a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants improved to 4-2 in games started by Webb and 7-6 during this stretch of 17 consecutive games. 

Webb didn’t need much help, but Mike Yastrzemski provided a boost in the top of the sixth by making a perfect throw from right to nail William Contreras at third and keep the Brewers from having runners on the corners with one out in a scoreless game. In the bottom of the inning, the Giants broke through for four runs, and they ended up needing that big frame.

Big inning, anyone? pic.twitter.com/kBx0HTu1F6

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 24, 2025

Ryan Walker came on in a non-save situation and again struggled to put hitters away. After two singles, a hit-by-pitch and a double, Walker was pulled for Camilo Doval, who struck out Jackson Chourio and then got Christian Yelich to ground out to pick up his fourth save of the year. 

Walker has given up six earned runs in his last two outings after going 15-for-15 previously in save opportunities. The struggles have come out of nowhere and might lead to a change in the ninth far sooner than anyone could have expected.

tranquilo pic.twitter.com/c3NkVA30BM

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 24, 2025

Here are the takeaways as the Giants improve to 16-9 this season:

Mr. 200?

Webb said at the end of camp that he would like this to be the year he wins his first Cy Young. He also said he would like to finally join the 200-strikeout club, and that one is starting to look like a lock if he stays healthy. 

Webb struck out six on Wednesday to get to 44 through six starts, putting him on pace for about 240 over a full season. His previous career-high is 194 and he has only one previous season with an average of even one strikeout per inning. He currently ranks third in the NL in strikeouts and, as always, he is among the league leaders in innings pitched. Only Zack Wheeler currently ranks ahead of him there. 

Put those two numbers together with an ERA that dipped to 1.98 and Webb is among the early favorites for the Cy Young, which is no surprise. He currently ranks fifth in the NL in ERA behind Yoshinobu Yamamot, Nick Pivetta, Mitchell Parker and Andrew Heaney. 

Mr. 100? 

Wilmer Flores has just one season in his career with more than 60 RBI, and his career-high is 71, set in 2022. At the moment, he’s on pace to more than double that total. 

Flores bounced a single up the middle and off shortstop Joey Ortiz’s glove in the sixth and two runs scored easily, getting him to 27 RBI, the most in the big leagues. He’s one ahead of a couple of New York sluggers, Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. The hit came after singles by Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee and a walk by Matt Chapman, and it ignited a four-run rally.

Who else but Wilmer 😏 pic.twitter.com/iUu81TQrll

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 24, 2025

Going For Gold, And Then Platinum

Chapman and Patrick Bailey are coming off Gold Glove seasons, and both look like they’ll win again this year. There’s a level beyond gold, though, and last year’s Platinum Glove winner is in this series, too. 

Brewers second baseman Brice Turang got the honor of being named the best defender in the NL last year, but he has had a rough three days in San Francisco. Turang had two balls bounce off his glove Monday, although he recovered both times to avoid errors. 

In the sixth Wednesday, Turang couldn’t glove a double-play ball from LaMonte Wade Jr., and the Giants piled on. The error allowed a run to score and the Giants made it a four-run inning when Ortiz made a wide throw on a bouncer up the middle from Christian Koss.

Once again, the Giants will take it 😅 pic.twitter.com/Q2rJD8QDsr

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 24, 2025

Turang led all big leaguers with 22 Defensive Runs Saved last season but he was at negative one coming into Wednesday’s game. Chapman is currently at three DRS, which is tied for third in the NL behind Tommy Pham (six) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (four).

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When the Mets started talking last year about getting Brett Baty reps at second base, the rational response was … what? That Brett Baty? The bat-first corner guy? The one who does not seem to possess the tools of a middle infielder?

It felt like a classic case of a team floating a topic that it knew made little sense, but that it hoped rivals would notice enough to increase a player’s trade value.

In the offseason, when president of baseball operations David Stearns continued to praise Baty’s work at second, it seemed more of the same. The Mets weren’t actually planning to do this at the major league level, were they?

But then Jeff McNeil suffered an oblique injury during spring training. Nick Madrigal, the infielder who would have backed up McNeil, was already out for the season after separating his shoulder. That left Baty and Luisangel Acuña with an opportunity to split time filling in for McNeil.

A funny thing happened when reality met expectations. Baty ended up exceeding all internal and external projections for his defense. He utilized a strong work ethic and naturally quick first step to perform capably at second base. If he goes back to Triple-A on Friday, as seems likely with McNeil’s expected return, he will do so with increased value and versatility.

Similarly, Hayden Senger – a catcher who was long perceived to have a big league-caliber glove but perhaps the bat of an org-gut or non-prospect – has hit well enough during Francisco Alverez’s stint on the injured list to prove himself a viable MLB player.

Senger will also likely head to Syracuse prior to Friday’s game, but he will leave having added potential years to his professional career. That’s likely no exaggeration; now that Senger has shown that he belongs, he could break through as someone’s backup rather than wind down his career in the minors. For that matter, Luis Torrens proved he can be a starting catcher, which is why he’ll continue to see significant playing time after Alvarez returns on Friday.

Baty, of course, holds more significance to the franchise. A one-time top prospect, he has established a pattern of raking in spring training and at Triple-A and failing to control at-bats while with the Mets. He now finds himself blocked by Mark Vientos at third base.

Talk of Baty switching positions or serving in a utility role long seemed fanciful. Through no fault of his own, Baty was born with the broad lower half of a corner guy. Increasing his agility at third seemed a more reasonable goal.

But while Baty will never be as naturally slick and rangy at second as Acuña (who has earned a lasting place on the team) or Jose Iglesias, he left a deep impression on the Mets with his progress there. Just as Senger can survive at the plate in the big leagues, Baty has now shown that he can play a credible middle infield. Both he and the Mets staff, from Triple-A manager Dick Scott to major league infield instructor Mike Sarbaugh, deserve praise.

He has also validated the confidence that the Mets showed in him earlier this month. On April 9, Baty went 0-for-3 in a loss to Miami, striking out twice and hearing boos from the home fans. It seemed like a moment to consider optioning him to Triple-A, but the Mets did not seriously weigh it. Between that day and Tuesday of this week, Baty batted .280 with a .797 OPS.

On Wednesday, he homered when Zack Wheeler left a fat cutter over the plate, punishing the ball at 113.9 miles per hour. He also made a pair of slick plays and second on well-struck balls. If Baty goes down now instead of outfielder Jose Azocar, roster construction will be to blame, not the quality of his play.

This all means that, if Baty is forced to take another trip to Syracuse, it will be as a player enhanced by this stint in Queens, not diminished by it. Now the Mets – and perhaps as importantly, with Vientos emerging – other teams can view him as more versatile and attractive.