Burrage and Dart overcome Hunter and Perez 6-3, 6-4
Australia to miss BJK Cup finals for second straight year
Australian team captain Sam Stosur’s fears of a “funky” upset have been realised as an understrength Great Britain sent Australia crashing out of Billie Jean King Cup contention.
After the visitors claimed both opening-day singles matches at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, new British doubles pairing Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart completed a 3-0 rout in the best-of-five qualifying tie on Saturday. Their 6-3, 6-4 win over Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez gave Great Britain an unassailable lead, sending last year’s semi-finalists into to September’s finals in China. It is the second straight year Australia have missed the eight-nation finals.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 10: Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates with Matt Chapman #26 after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 10, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At some point this year, there was a brief moment — a very brief moment, but a moment nonetheless — where you wondered if the San Francisco Giants would win three games this season. And now they’ve won three straight. Things can change quickly, it turns out.
The Giants beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Friday, kicking off a nine-game road trip in style. More importantly, however, the Giants beat the Orioles in a fashion that made you feel happy and confident, not in a “even the sun shines on the Colorado Rockies 50 times a year” way.
They won because some of the stars that are supposed to carry the team, carried the team. They won because the players you’re worried about had encouraging games. They won because their starting pitching was excellent. They won because all of the above added up to give the bullpen enough of a buffer that they didn’t need to be great, or use their most trusted arms.
There are wins and there are “hey, maybe this team is all right” wins, and this was, thankfully, the latter.
The other day I wrote about how all teams make mistakes every game. And you can expand that: all teams get bad luck every game, and all teams have moments of inadequate play every game. And when a team is bad, those mistakes, bad luck, and inadequate play stand out like sore thumbs, because they have no way of overcoming it. When a team is good, you can go whole games, series, or even weeks not noticing the mistakes, bad luck, and inadequate play, because they have the ability to negate it entirely.
Let me give an example for those of you who watched the game on Apple TV, or listened to the radio: how many of you remember that the game started with Luis Arráez drawing a one-out walk, and Matt Chapman grounding into a frustrating double play on the very next pitch? Right now you’re probably nodding your head wisely, and saying ahh, yeah, oh…yeah, i guess that did happen.
Had the Giants been as useless as they were the last time they played an AL East team, that sequence would be seared into your brain. It would represent their ineptitude and struggles, and your general frustration with the team.
Instead, it was just a play.
A play you forgot as soon as the third inning rolled around when, with two outs and the bases empty, Willy Adames stepped up to the plate, worked the count full, forced Shane Baz to find the strike zone, and absolutely pummeled the baseball.
It was a gorgeous swing of the bat, and if you want to know why the Giants offense has been struggling lately — and why maybe it will break out a bit this week — well, it perhaps provided a comical insight.
Adames’ dinger brought life to the offense (their only hit the first time through the lineup was a Jung Hoo Lee double), as it was followed up by another Arráez walk (you don’t see that everyday) and a Chapman single. But Rafael Devers was unable to capitalize, ending the inning with a ground out.
That wasn’t a mistake, per se, but it was an opportunity not fully taken advantage of. Which, again: happens every game. And, again: you didn’t remember this one. I just told you it happened and you still might not remember that it happened. You might think that I’m making something up to prove a point, the way Duane Kuiper once admitted that he replaced a late-inning substitute’s name with his neighbor’s name during a Spring Training broadcast and no one noticed.
But I’m not. That really happened, and you really don’t remember it, perhaps because you didn’t watch the game and that’s why you’re here, or perhaps because it was Just Another Play in a game with plenty of good ones.
For instance, in the very next inning, when Casey Schmitt led off with one of the three doubles he had on the day, each as gorgeous and emphatic as the one before. Lee was robbed of an RBI single by second baseman Jeremiah Jackson, presenting yet another moment that could have been frustrating if the Giants weren’t so … good? Is that the word I’m looking for?
We’re used to Lee getting robbed (which moved Schmitt to third), tearing out our collective hair (mine’s getting grey, I don’t mind pulling it out) about the bad luck, and then wailing in frustration as Schmitt gets stranded on third by a strikeout, something you’ll mull over all night, with the only silver lining being that you permit yourself to have a second beer out of misery.
But no. Lee’s robbed base was followed up by an RBI single off the bat of Heliot Ramos, slumping in the slumpiest of slumps, in desperate need of such a hit.
And the rally continued with a single off the bat of Patrick Bailey, also slumping in the slumpiest of slumps, also in desperate need of such a hit (perhaps to save his entire career, if you made the mistake of listening to talking heads on the radio or the internet over the last week).
And while Harrison Bader couldn’t move either runner over, the table was set for another dynamic Adames plate appearance, which resulted in a double ripped down the left field line, scoring a third run and giving Adames his seventh extra-base hit in the last four games.
But it was the fifth inning that really provided the grist for the negative mill, should the Giants choose to … you know … uhh … mill it, or whatever. A Devers single and a Schmitt double put runners at second and third with just one out, but Lee was unable to find the situation at-bat to plate a run, and Ramos grounded out.
It could have been a moment that crumbled the game, especially with Baltimore starting to show some life on the offensive end. But like the other plays, it was a momentary struggle that you may have forgotten about, if you even registered it in the first place.
Because in the seventh inning, trying to add to a 3-1 lead, Chapman drew a one-out walk. And with two outs, Schmitt came through with the triple-double (animal style), knocking yet another triple. Chapman, running with two outs and never slowing down, ever so slightly beat out a tremendous left field relay, scoring the ever-important insurance run.
I think, at this point in the game/story, I’ve described the difference between a frustratingly bad team and a competent one. But what happened next happened next is the difference between a competent team and a good one.
The fifth inning failure was behind them thanks to the insurance run, but that insurance run would triple just three pitches later, on something no one saw coming: Lee hitting not just a two-run home run, but hitting a two-run home run in an 0-2 count against a left-handed pitcher, reliever Nick Raquet.
And if that doesn’t give you confidence in things turning around for the Giants, then I just don’t know what will.
Of course, half of the battle is on the other side of the ball, and it was there where the Giants did the exact same thing. Landen Roupp was not at his sharpest, but it didn’t matter because every mistake he wiped right off the board. He struggled mightily to find the strike zone, with just 54 of 93 pitches going for strikes, but somehow only walked two of the 25 batters he faced.
Even when Roupp didn’t erase his own mistakes, his teammates did, such as in the third inning, when he issued a one-out walk to Gunnar Henderson, before Adley Rutschman tattooed a two-out pitch off the right field wall. Yet even with the speedy Henderson getting a two-out jump, Lee was able to play the double so well that the runner was forced to stop at third, where he could only watch helplessly as Roupp struck out slugger Pete Alonso.
Funnily enough, the Orioles would finally break through an inning later, when they seemed to learn from that situation. Again they drew a one-out walk (this time Dylan Beavers), which was again followed by a double to right field (this time a one-out shot by Leody Taveras). This time Baltimore sent a runner, who barely scored ahead of nearly-perfect relay by Lee and Arráez.
But other than that, Roupp held the Orioles completely in check by challenging when he fell behind in the count, and being especially stingy early in the innings. He gave up a double in the first inning, but with two outs. He allowed a single in the second inning, but with two outs. He did the same in the fifth inning. Finally, in the sixth inning — his last — Roupp set down the side in order for the first time all night, and needed just 10 pitches to do so.
But the theme carried over into the bullpen. Keaton Winn handled the seventh, and the leadoff hitter, Jackson, reached safely on an Adames error, when his throw was in the dirt and Devers — to his own ire — couldn’t pick it out. Like the other mistakes in the game, this one you forgot … perhaps because of what transpired in the rest of the game, or perhaps because, if you looked away for a few seconds, you not only missed that play but the ensuing pitch, in which Winn induced a double play to pick his teammates up.
Similarly, J.T. Brubaker issued two walks in the eighth and had to be removed from the game, but that went largely unnoticed because Matt Gage entered and, two pitches later, the inning was over.
The Orioles finally got to the Giants bullpen in the ninth inning, when Tony Vitello was in the no-man’s land of trying to preserve a big-but-not-insurmountable lead. Vitello landed on Tidwell, a sensible choice, but it didn’t go well. Baltimore finally found life in the inning when Henderson smacked a gorgeous two-out, two-run home run, making the score a more respectable 6-3.
You would have understood if Vitello pulled Tidwell there. You also would have understood if he pulled him an inning later, after Taylor Ward doubled. And you would have been livid if hindsight analysis allowed you to criticize those lack of moves after the Giants lost.
But Vitello opted to preserve his bullpen, and trust his young reliever with the tying run still outside the batter’s box. And after Rutschman popped up, it became clear that, like all other situations in the game, the good outweighed whatever we would have complained about had they lost.
Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill (29) reacts after allowing four runs to score in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The homestand did not start well for the Brewers. After a burst by both offenses in the first, the pitching staffs kept it close until the Brewers buckled late. Most of it came from a terrible performance by Trevor Megill, and the Brewers dropped the series opener to the Nationals 7-3.
The game started with more first inning struggles for the Brewers. After James Wood led off the game with a double, Curtis Mead singled to center and the Nationals scored their first run. Aaron Ashby recovered a bit and got the next two batters out but a wild pitch moved Mead up. That didn’t matter as much as CJ Abrams doubled to right center, brining in Mead for a second run. Ashby responded with a strikeout of former Brewer Joey Wiemer, but they were already down 2-0.
However, the Brewers did not take long to rally. Jake Irvin struggled to find the strike zone and only threw 14 of his first 32 pitches for strikes. It started with a four-pitch walk to Brice Turang. He recovered for strikeouts of William Contreras and Christian Yelich, but Garrett Mitchell also drew a walk. That set up Jake Bauers, who worked the count full before hitting a slider thrown right down the middle deep into the right field bleachers. With one hit, the Brewers went from down 2-0 to up 3-2.
Both starters settled in for the second inning, each retiring the side in order. Ashby came back out to start the third and struck James Wood out. Manager Pat Murphy brought in Chad Patrick for the bulk innings after that. His day started alright with a line out and ground out. As for the Brewers, they got a walk and single but couldn’t score them in the bottom of the inning.
The next two innings were quiet before the Nationals threatened in the sixth. Wood and Daylen Lile singled to put runners on the corners, then Patrick walked Brady House following a stolen base by Lile. With the bases loaded, Murphy brought in Angel Zerpa to get them out of the jam. It worked as CJ Abrams grounded into a double play, and the score remained at 3-2.
Zerpa remained in the game for the seventh. He walked Wiemer to start the inning, who then switched places with Luis García, Jr. on a ground out. After Jorbit Vivas walked, pinch-hitter Jacob Young came in to face Zerpa. Young won the match, hitting a double to the right field corner that scored García Jr. Young tried to stretch it to a triple and was thrown out, but the damage was done. The game was tied at 3-3.
That tie held into the ninth inning. Trevor Megill came into the game to try and keep it tied for a potential ninth-inning rally. What followed was a sequence of nine pitches that completely torpedoed the game. With his third pitch, he hit CJ Abrams to give the Nationals a leadoff baserunner. On the fifth pitch, Wiemer hit a bunt to the third base side of the infield and was able to beat Luis Rengifo’s throw. The next pitch was hit right down the middle by García Jr., scoring Abrams and moving Wiemer to third. That got a mound visit, as well as Easton McGee warming in the bullpen.
It just got worse from there. On the seventh pitch, Vivas hit a bunt back towards the mound. A good throw might have got Wiemer at home, but Megill’s throw was a soft lob not close to Contreras that ended up going to the backstop. Pinch-runner Nasim Nuñez easily reached because of that, and the Nationals were up 5-3. Two pitches later, the Nationals went for another sacrifice bunt. Once again, it went back to Megill and there would have been a play at home with a good throw. Once again, Megill just lobbed the baseball to Contreras at home, this time like it was a force play at the plate. Nuñez scored, the Nationals were up 6-3, and the boos were out in full force. Murphy pulled Megill at nine pitches and brought in McGee.
The Nationals got one more run off the Brewers, with Wood hitting a double off of McGee to start his appearance. Mead hit a ground ball hard to Rengifo at third, and he had an easy throw to get Drew Millas at home. After that, Lile hit into a double play and the inning mercifully came to an end. The Nationals scored four runs and the Brewers were down 7-3. Clayton Beeter finished the game in the ninth for the Nationals, and the Brewers just went down in order quietly to end the game.
After the first inning, the Brewers offense was held in check. Jake Bauers led the offense with a two-hit day and added on a walk. Brice Turang had a hit and a walk as well. However, the offense was held to four hits and five walks overall. The bottom four batters in the lineup went 0-for-13 with two walks and three strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Nationals roughed up the Brewers’ pitching staff. They had 11 hits and two walks as a team and only struck out six times. Ashby allowed two of their runs in a rough first inning. Patrick pitched three scoreless innings, but left with the bases loaded. Zerpa got them out of that jam in the sixth before allowing a run in the seventh. Abner Uribe kept the game tied with a scoreless eighth. However, Megill’s four runs allowed in the ninth, along with his terrible throws home, were what sealed this one. After the game, here’s what he had to say.
Trevor Megill on that 9th inning:
"Just completely ass PFPs from my half and need to get better there. Something I take f***ing pride in and just completely failed the team tonight on it. So yeah, need to be better there. There's no excuse for that sh*t"
With the Brewers now on a three-game losing streak, they will try to break that tomorrow in game two of the series. Kyle Harrison will face Foster Griffin at 6:10 p.m., and it will be on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 10: Joey Wiemer #21 of the Washington Nationals bunts for a base hit in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brewers are well known as a team that loves to play small ball. They grind out at bats, get infield hits and are not afraid to drop down a bunt. Tonight, the Nats gave them a taste of their own medicine in the biggest spot. The Nats used three huge bunts to win this one 7-3.
The Nationals attempted one bunt (a Jacob Young sacrifice) through their first 12 games. They just attempted three in the top of the 9th and reached base on all of them.
In the first inning, it looked like this game was going to be a high scoring slugfest. The Nats started things out with a two run inning, thanks to RBI knocks from Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams. However, the Brew Crew responded with a three run blast from Jake Bauers.
For Jake Irvin, he did not have great command, but was able to battle. He walked five and really struggled in that first inning. However, the big right hander was able to settle in and give the Nats five key frames. Irvin was not only able to save the bullpen, he was also able to keep the Nats in the game.
Despite getting five frames from Irvin, the Nats still needed their rickety bullpen to keep the Brewers at bay. Surprisingly, they did just that. Paxton Schultz, Cionel Perez, PJ Poulin and Clayton Beeter combined for 4 scoreless innings. This bullpen has taken a lot of heat, and rightly so. However, they did their job tonight and we have to give them credit for that.
We have all trashed them and rightfully so but credit where it is due, the Washington Nationals bullpen was fantastic tonight
If you told me that the Nats would win a bullpen battle with the Brewers, I would not believe you. That is exactly what they did though. The ‘pen also did not issue any walks tonight, which is a very encouraging sign.
While the pitching staff was putting up zeroes, the Nats were trying to get back in the game. Jacob Young provided a pinch hit spark in the 7th, with a two out RBI double to tie the game. He got thrown out trying to extend it to a triple, but it was still a success even if the patient died.
When the 9th inning rolled around, the Brewers turned to their closer Trevor Megill. That is when the magic really started. It all started with a CJ Abrams hit by pitch and a Joey Wiemer bunt hit. The Nats must have known Megill was not a strong fielder because they were torturing him with bunts that inning. After a Luis Garcia Jr. RBI single, a barrage of bunts made it 6-3.
After all those soft bunts, James Wood decided to turn it up a notch, drilling a 115 mph double down the right field line to make it 7-3. Clayton Beeter shut the door with a clean 1-2-3 9th, and the Nats improved to 5-8.
Speaking of Wood, he is on an absolute tear right now. After the way he finished last season, his first week or so was concerning. However, we have seen the best of Wood in the last week. Somehow, his 115 mph double was not even his hardest hit ball of the night. He launched one 116 mph in the first inning for a double. With four hits tonight, Wood is now hitting .268 with a .930 OPS. I do not think this guy is going to Rochester any time soon folks. Overall, it was a great win for the Nats and hopefully they can finish the job and win the series tomorrow.
Apr 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz throws a pitch during the first inning against New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
Through his first three starts of the season, Steven Matz is making the 2- year, $15M deal he signed with the Rays this offseason look like quite the steal. The 34-year-old southpaw took the mound for the third time this season and left with this third win. This time, Matz held the dangerous Yankees lineup to just two runs over five innings. He allowed only two hits, struck out seven, and walked two.
Across 16 innings pitched this year, he has struck out 17, allowed just 10 hits, and walked five. He has pitched to a sub 4.00 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP.
Tonight, he kept the Yankees lineup off balance throwing as many changeups as he did fastballs. Matz worked around a sloppy first inning in which two runs crossed the plate and gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead. Early on it appeared we were in for more of the same bad baseball we saw in the final two games of the previous series. Judge stole second and advanced to third on a rare error by Walls on the throw down to second. Later in the inning Chandler Simpson misplayed a line drive to left and turned a single into an RBI triple.
Nonetheless, the new look Rays lineup featuring Simpson at the top and Yandy hitting cleanup, had an answer. A two out walk to Aranda issued by Yankees starter Luis Gil brought Yandy to the plate with a chance to tie the game with one swing of the bat. He did just that launching a two-run opposite field blast to tie the game at 2-2 in the first.
The Rays quickly grabbed their first lead of the game the next inning as Taylor Walls scored on a Chandler Simpson ground ball fielder’s choice. Walls was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning and had advance to third on a Fortes single. The 3-2 lead would hold until the bottom of the sixth when the Rays added two more runs. Williamson started the inning with a leadoff double and Walls reached a sac bunt that the Yankees pitcher Brent Headrick couldn’t handle. With one out, Simpson jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined it into center scoring Williamson. Walls eventually scored on a ground out by Aranda. After six innings, the Rays held a 5-2 lead.
The Rays bullpen was solid tonight as they pieced together four innings of one run baseball. The one run came against Hunter Bigge in the eighth as Ben Rice hit a solo shot to center bringing the Yankees to within a bloop and a blast.
Bryan Baker didn’t make it easy on himself in the top of the ninth, but worked around back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and earned his second save of the season. With the tying run standing on second base, Baker struck out Grichuk and retired the pinch-hitting Grisham via a pop fly to seal the deal.
Jax, Seymour, Bigge, and Baker struck out five over four innings of work and allowed just one run on three hits.
Luis Gil took the loss in his season debut while Matz moved to 3-0. The win moved the Rays to just one game shy of .500 (6-7) as they look to even their record and secure a series win on Saturday evening with Nick Martinez on the mound. Max Fired will take the ball for the Yankees and look to maintain his strong start.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 10: JP Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after scoring on a wild pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 10, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Make sure to look back at the previous game thread and preview if you’re looking for game information.
Apr 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) goes down after being hit by a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in the first inning. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
I don’t have many words for this Red Sox team already, so we’re gonna keep it short.
Studs
No one? Is it that bad I don’t have just about anything good to say about this game?
Duds
Where do I even begin with duds for this game. Willson Contreras with a golden sombrero, including getting wrung up then losing an ABS challenge to end a frame. Duran and Durban both with 0-fers at the top of the lineup. Connelly Early not having any real smooth inning, then the bullpen not saving his skin in the least bit. Letting Dustin May look like a superstar on the bump. This was a rough one.
Play of the Game
The only real positive of the game was this bit of base-running to bring home a run.
Apr 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) runs out a single against the Athletics during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The Mets, after falling to the Oakland Sacramento A’s by a score of 4-0, have pushed their scoreless streak to 17 innings. It’s not what you want.
The good news, which is more existential than tangible after three straight losses, is the loss puts the Mets at an even 7-7 to begin the season, which could be worse. While we all expect more from the team, it also is far from a death sentence — the best teams in every baseball season have stretches where they cannot really hit and go .500 for a spell. It mostly is just a big old heaping plate of Feels Bad when you start the season that way, especially when 2025 left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths.
Clay Holmes got the start in this one and looked good, until he left the game with hamstring tightness (more on that later). He only struck out three in his five and one thirds innings, but he did a great job of forcing weak contact continuously. He surrendered just one run, which came in the third inning. Old Friend Carlos Cortes singled to lead off the frame, Lawrence Butler walked, and Shea Langeliers singled to bring Cortes home. Holmes managed to keep the damage at just the one run, but that would have been enough for the A’s.
Holmes continued to keep it a 1-0 game into the sixth inning, where he surrendered a one out single to Jacob Wilson, did some hamstring sweeps beside the mound and grimaced in pain, and was quickly lifted by the trainer for Tobias Myers. In his postgame scrum, Carlos Mendoza said that they hope he does not miss a start, so hopefully it stays a minor thing for Holmes, who has had a nice start to his 2026 season.
The Mets offense could not hit water from a boat, however, so that one run was more than enough. They had six hits on the day, and only took three at bats with runners in scoring position. Another old friend, J.T. Ginn got the start and gave up a single hit in four innings, and it became a bullpen game from there for the A’s. Their biggest threat came in the sixth inning, when Jack Perkins came in to relieve Mark Leiter Jr. Back to back singles by Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette made it first and third with no outs. Jared Young hit a bouncer to first, and Lindor got held up between home and third. Nick Kurtz made a nice play to freeze him, and threw him out as he retreated to third for the first out. Luis Robert Jr. promptly hit into a double play to somehow escape the inning still down 1-0.
Myers was great in relief of Holmes until the ninth inning. He was perfect for the first two and two thirds innings prior to the ninth, but fell apart in the final frame of the evening. A Jacob Wilson lead off single (coupled with a brutal Carson Benge error in left to turn it into a de facto double) and a single by another Old Friend, Jeff McNeil, made it 2-0. A double by the Younger Max Muncy made it second and third. He got a ground out to finally put an out on the board, but a single by Denzel Clarke made it 4-0 and effectively ended the game. Richard Lovelady came into the game to mop it up and did so efficiently, getting Lawrence Butler to ground into a double play.
The bottom of the ninth inning went by quickly, with Jared Young, Brett Baty and Marcus Semien making the final three outs around a Luis Robert Jr. single.
Losers of three straight, the Mets offense is going through it right now. They obviously miss Juan Soto, and with Jorge Polanco battling Achilles bursitis, and Francisco Lindor ending the day with a whopping 73 wRC+, they are behind the eight ball on the offensive side of the ball. The good news is they are far from a terrible place at 7-7, and there are many many many many games left to be played. Despite that, it has been a frustrating watch over the first 14 games.
Big Mets winner: Clay Holmes, +1.2% WPA Big Mets loser: Luis Robert Jr., -2.0% WPA Mets pitchers: +1.3% WPA Mets hitters: -6.3% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette’s sixth inning single, +16.3% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Shea Langeliers RBI single in the third inning, -11.2% WPA
Apr 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals began the 2nd homestand of the 2026 season taking on the Boston Red Sox at Busch Stadium. Before we get to the baseball, the first important moment of the game was the return of Willson Contreras to St. Louis after being traded during the offseason. As expected, he received a warm welcome.
Dustin May looked more like the Dustin May many of us expected/hoped to see as he gave St. Louis six strong innings allowing only 1 earned run. His stat line looked like this: 6 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 earned run, no walks with 4 strikeouts.
The scoring began early for the Cardinals as they played some small ball in the 2nd inning. After Ramón Urías doubled, Masyn Winn walked and Jose Fermin singled to left. After Pedro Pagés struck out, Victor Scott II got the job done with a sacrifice fly to left.
Of note, Masyn Winn was hit in the calf by a pitch in the bottom of the 3rd inning and he would later leave the game as Thomas Saggese took his place in the lineup.
The Boston Red Sox would scrap back in the top of the 4th inning when Yoshida singled to right followed by a strikeout from Willson Contreras. That would be followed by a single to Abreu moving Yoshida to third. Yoshida would then score on a throwing error by JJ Wetherholt on a Trevor Story groundout. Later that inning, the Red Sox literally stole a run as Mayer stole second, Pages threw to 2nd and Wetherholt was unable to throw out Story at home. That made it 2-1 Red Sox halfway through the 4th inning.
The Cardinals would tie the game up and eventually take the lead in the bottom of the 5th inning when Jordan Walker singled. Urias then walked which brought up Thomas Saggese on his birthday. He did not disappoint. His single tied the game at 2-2.
Later in the 5th inning, Urias advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Jose Fermin making it 3-2 Cardinals.
The Cardinals bullpen held the lead (barely) as Ryan Stanek pitched a solid 7th inning, but JoJo Romero got into trouble in the top of the 8th inning when he allowed a double to Ceddanne Rafaela. After Duran lined out to center, Durbin was hit by a pitch after Romero had 2 strikes on him. JoJo would redeem himself, though, by striking out Yoshida and getting Willson Contreras to flyout to deep right centerfield.
Riley O’Brien was brought in to close out the game in the 9th inning and quickly slammed the door on the Red Sox getting them out 1-2-3.
Other Cardinals stats to pass along from Friday’s game. JJ Wetherholt was 0-3, but managed 2 walks to continue his on-base streak of 12 games. Jordan Walker continued his impressive 2026 start by going 2-4 with singles to both right and left field. St. Louis is now 8-5 this season. Not bad for a rebuilding team, am I right? Let’s not get carried away, but as of right now, the Cardinals are tied for first place. The Cardinals have Kyle Leahy set to start Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox as he’ll do battle with Ranger Suarez. Game time Saturday night is 6:15pm weather permitting. That will be a national broadcast from Fox, by the way.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — AJ Green made 11 3-pointers to set the Milwaukee Bucks’ single-game record and scored a career-high 35 points in a 125-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.
Green shot 11 of 16 from 3-point range to break the record of 10 3-pointers that Ray Allen and Damian Lillard had shared. Green’s now has 227 3-pointers as he chases the franchise single-season record of 229, set by Allen in 2001-02.
Milwaukee’s Cormac Ryan added a career-high 28 points in his first start. Taurean Prince had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Prince was 6 of 11 and Ryan 5 of 9 on 3-point attempts.
As a team, Milwaukee shot 24 of 48 from beyond the arc.
This game marked the Bucks’ home finale as they wrap up their first losing season in a decade, snapping a string of nine straight playoff appearances. It comes amid speculation regarding the future of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo was unavailable for a 14th straight game due to what the Bucks labeled as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo has said he’s healthy and that he wants to play. The NBA is investigating the matter.
The nine-time all-NBA forward will become eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension in October. If he doesn’t agree to that extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after next season, or the Bucks could attempt to trade him beforehand.
Antetokounmpo wasn’t alone in being unavailable for this game, as both of these lottery-bound teams rested numerous usual starters.
Tyson Etienne scored a career-high 23 for the Nets.
Brooklyn’s E.J. Liddell was ejected early in the fourth quarter for delivering a forearm to the face of Milwaukee’s Jericho Sims after getting fouled by the Bucks center.
As the matchup between the Knicks and Raptors returned from halftime, OG Anunoby was not on the court or the bench.
The team announced that Anunoby would not return to the game after suffering a left ankle injury.
It's unclear how or when it happened, but the forward did take a tumble in the waning minutes of the second quarter. Anunoby did play through it and finished with two points on 1 of 4 shooting (0-for-3 from three), five rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes on the court.
With the Knicks having a sizeable lead against the Raptors at halftime, and the Celtics with a sizeable lead over the Pelicans, guaranteeing Boston the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, New York could be sitting Anunoby as a precaution.
Coach Mike Brown didn't have an update on Anunoby after Friday's win. He confirmed that Anunoby tweaked his ankle but hasn't talked to him or trainers just yet.
The Knicks finish the regular season at home against the Hornets on Sunday night, and Brown was asked about resting his starters since they locked into the No. 3 seed.
"We'll talk about it probably. You want to go into the playoffs as healthy as possible," Brown said. "We'll discuss it as a staff in the next day or so and then we'll see what happens."
With Anunoby's tweaked ankle and Sunday's game not meaning anything for the Knicks, it's likely the forward will not play in the season finale.
Mike Brown says that OG Anunoby tweaked his ankle tonight
Brown says he does not have information on where Anunoby stands with the injury pic.twitter.com/lsn8F55RLS
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 10: Arizona Diamondbacks catcher James McCann #8 hits a two run double during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 10th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Game Summary
The Diamondbacks starting rotation has had a habit of being sunk by the “Blow Up Inning” over the last couple seasons, and after the first inning tonight, I thought Soroka was just another member of the club. In a rare twist on that tired trope, the Diamondbacks offense punched through with their own Blow Up Inning against the now very-well-paid Jesus Luzardo, and when the dust settled, the Diamondbacks 5-run fifth eked out the Phils’ 4-run first.
Michael Soroka had been having a stellar start to the season, and I suppose he can say that is mostly still correct, with the lone exception being the first four Phillies hitters who faced him on this beautiful looking April night in Philadelphia. The Phillies offense was riding a 20 inning scoreless streak and quickly snapped it with Turner, Schwarber, Harper, and Marsh opening the game with Single, Walk, RBI Double, 3-Run Dinger. 4 runs. No outs. Cue the mound visit from Brian Kaplan. From that moment on, Soroka’s pitching line was: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 K and ZERO runs allowed. Unfortunately, his final line will include those first four hitters, but Soroka was able to lock in and keep the Blow Up to just the single inning and allow his offense a chance to come back.
It was a bit of a wait for the offense to show up in this game, though, but when it did finally show up, it provided a knockout punch. Jesus Luzardo didn’t have the prettiest ERA coming in to this game, but his 18:1 K:BB ratio was all you really needed to know about this tough lefty. Luzardo had the Snakes hitters flummoxed through the first 4 innings, only being able to muster 2 baserunners via BB and striking out 6 times. Then the floodgates opened in the fifth with young Jose Fernandez leading off with a 110mph single followed by a walk and bunt single from Tawa and AT, respectively. With the bases loaded and 1 out (after Barrosa punched out) Ketel Marte lined a 2-RBI single, Ildemaro Vargas got an RBI single, and James McCann (inserted into the game in the third inning which I’ll discuss more in a bit) rocked a go-ahead 2-RBI double into the right-center gap to put the DBacks in the lead and chase Luzardo from the game.
From that point it was a battle of the bullpens and both were up to the task. Each bullpen only allowed 2 H and 0 BB the rest of the night. Jonny Lasagna was the first out of the pen, getting the final out in the sixth and the first 2 of the 7th, all via strikeout. Juan Morillo then came in for the lefties at the top of the order: Schwarber, Harper and Marsh. Schwarber flew out, but Harper and Marsh went down flailing haplessly at Morillo’s filth. Morillo then got one more strikeout after allowing a single to send the game to the 9th with a Diamondbacks lead. Sewald came in and was living dangerously, his fastball (with velocity at his upper end of 92mph) landing right in the middle of the zone repeatedly, but the Phillies miraculously couldn’t do anything with it outside a 2-out triple and left the Snakes victorious.
The one blemish on tonight’s victory is that Gabi Moreno had to leave the game early due to what the team was saying is lower back tightness. Doesn’t sound too severe, but leaving the game in the third inning is generally not what you want, especially for a guy who has had as much time missed to injury as Gabi has. James McCann hasn’t had the greatest start offensively while Gabi has been one of our best hitters so any extended absence for Moreno would be devastating. Come to think of it, though, tonight makes two nights in a row that the second catcher in the game got a pinch-hit RBI double in a critical moment. Maybe we should use 2 catchers every game! /s
Win Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
No notes from me tonight as I was detained elsewhere for the bulk of this game. Have to get back on it next week.
Comment of the Game
Looks like the GameDay Thread was fairly well attended with a total of 250 comments at time of publishing. Tonight’s COTG goes to the always optimistic ChefAZ with this postscript to the game:
Rolling we are! Not so bad when we aren’t facing a billion-dollar lineup!
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the Phillies for the second game of this 3-game set tomorrow afternoon with an early 10:05am start time on FS1 and DBacks.TV. Former Diamondback right-hander Taijaun Walker (0-2, 9.31 ERA) will take the mound for the Phillies and Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 6.75 ERA) takes the ball for the good guys hoping to make a statement to the front office that he deserves to stay in the rotation after the return of the Mainstay.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: Luis Gil #81 of the New York Yankees throws against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 10, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees dropped Friday night’s series opener in St. Petersburg by a final of 5-3, unable to fully recover after Luis Gil’s rollercoaster 2026 debut and a middle-inning Rays bullpen bridge that slowly squeezed control of the game away. Ben Rice’s late homer gave New York a pulse, but the offense simply could not create enough real opportunities to make the comeback feel sustainable.
New York wasted no time taking advantage of Tropicana Field chaos in the top of the first. Aaron Judge singled, then immediately pressured the Rays by stealing second and advancing to third when the throw skipped into center field. Cody Bellinger brought him home with a sacrifice fly, and after Giancarlo Stanton worked a two-out walk, Amed Rosario lifted what should have been a routine ball into left. Chandler Simpson turned it into a full Trop adventure, misplaying it badly enough for Rosario to race all the way to third with a Little League-style RBI triple that quickly made it 2-0.
It was exactly the kind of early gift the Yankees needed, and one everyone hoped would spark the offense.
The problem was Luis Gil’s 2026 debut never really allowed them to settle into it.
Gil’s first inning was immediately labor-heavy, requiring 32 pitches to get through six Rays hitters. After Jonathan Aranda worked a two-out walk, Yandy Díaz punished a hanging slider and sent it deep to right field for a game-tying two-run homer. The Yankees never led again.
Tampa Bay kept the pressure on in the second. Taylor Walls fought through a 10-pitch at-bat before being hit by a pitch, Nick Fortes executed a hit-and-run through the right side, and Simpson beat out a grounder to plate the go-ahead run and make it 3-2.
From there, Gil’s outing became exactly what watching Luis Gil often feels like: a rollercoaster of emotions. The raw stuff flashed enough to keep the optimism alive, but every deep count seemed to threaten another spiral. The biggest moment came in the fourth, when Ben Williamson opened the inning with a walk and quickly moved to second on a wild pitch. Walls then dropped a swinging bunt single to put runners on the corners, and the Rays tried to manufacture another run with a squeeze bunt from Fortes.
This time, Gil answered. The bunt came right back to the mound, and Gil calmly fired home to Austin Wells to cut down the runner at the plate. With two still on, he got the groundball he needed to escape the jam and keep the deficit at one.
That would end up being Gil’s final act of the night.
The right-hander finished at 88 pitches over four innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, walking three, and striking out two. In many ways, it looked a lot like last season’s version of Gil: inefficient, occasionally electric, and constantly riding the line between escaping trouble and creating more of it.
Jake Bird was the first reliever out of the bullpen and somehow matched the tone perfectly. He struck out the first two Rays he faced before immediately allowing the next two hitters to single, throwing the Yankees right back into stress mode. Still, Bird managed to escape the cuckoo’s nest by his tail feathers, stranding both runners and handing the ball to Brent Headrick with the deficit still just 3-2.
The game tilted harder in the sixth. Headrick allowed a leadoff double, then compounded the trouble with a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt attempt that put runners on the corners. For a brief moment it looked like he might escape when Fortes challenged a called strike three that was upheld, but the momentum disappeared on the very next pitch when Williamson lined an RBI single into center.
Aaron Boone quickly turned to Camilo Doval, but the weirdness only continued. Aaron Judge misplayed a fly ball to right to load the bases, and Jonathan Aranda followed with a slow grounder that only resulted in an out at first while another run crossed to make it 5-2. Doval finally got the groundball he needed from Díaz to prevent the inning from completely unraveling.
That escape kept the game close enough for the offense to matter. Unfortunately, they did not, in fact, matter all that much. Outside of the first-inning defensive chaos behind him, Steven Matz was in complete control. The veteran southpaw finished five innings, allowing two runs on just two hits while walking two and striking out seven, and once he exited the Rays bullpen only tightened the screws.
Griffin Jax breezed through a clean sixth while striking out two Yankees, and Ian Seymour followed with a spotless seventh as the Yankees’ offense could practically hear the collective groans from fans across the country. The bats somehow remained colder than last night’s leftovers, and the early two-run burst already felt like it had happened in another game.
Ryan Yarbrough kept the Yankees within shouting distance in the seventh, though naturally not without adding one more layer of tension. After recording two quick outs, he walked Williamson, who promptly stole second to keep the Trop crowd engaged. The inning finally ended when the large foul grounds and rebuilt roof gracefully allowed Paul Goldschmidt to settle under a popup and make the play.
At 5-2, the Yankees still technically had time. The bigger question was whether the bats had any warmth left to give. The first real sign of life finally came off the bat of Ben “Instant Offense” Rice.
Facing Hunter Bigge, Rice got all of one and launched it deep into the night, cutting the Rays’ lead to 5-3 and instantly changing the energy of the game. The blast left his bat at 104.4 mph and traveled 411 feet, his fourth home run of the season and easily the loudest swing the Yankees had produced since the chaos of the opening inning.
The ninth briefly teased something more.
Bryan Baker came on looking for the save, but Stanton greeted him with a hard-hit single to left. Rosario followed with a single to center, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. beat out a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners with one out. When Jazz stole second, the tying run suddenly sat just 180 feet away and the Yankees had their best chance of the night to completely flip the script.
Instead, the rally fizzled.
Baker got Randal Grichuk to chase a high strike three for the second out, and Trent Grisham’s pinch-hit appearance ended on a lazy infield fly, bringing a frustrating night to a flat finish. In the end, the Yankees scored a very uninspiring three runs, and even that total somehow felt louder than the actual quality of the offense.
Next up: The Yankees will try to even the series on Saturday night at 6:10 PM ET, with Max Fried set to take the mound against Nick Martinez as New York looks to get the bats going again and avoid letting an early AL East opportunity slip further away at the Trop.
Apr 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Shane Baz (34) delivers during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Someone’s three-game win streak had to give. The Orioles came into tonight with three consecutive wins against the White Sox, while the San Francisco Giants just swept the Phillies. Shane Baz and the Orioles were not up to the task, and by the end of the night, the Giants’ win streak was up to four games. The Orioles reset their counter after the 6-3 loss and will try to start a new one tomorrow.
Baz battled through five innings. “Battled” is slang for when a pitcher stunk, but did not blow up. He worked around traffic in each of the first two innings before surrendering a run in the third. He got two quick outs, but then Willy Adames went deep. It was a no-doubt opposite field shot to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Baz went on to walk Luis Arraez for the second time in the game, which is pretty bad. It doubled his walk total on the year. Matt Chapman singled, but Rafael Devers grounded out to keep any more damage at bay.
Until the next inning, that is, when Baz allowed two more runs thanks to four more baserunners. Casey Schmitt doubled, then scored on a single from Heliot Ramos. Ramos scored on an Adames double. Patrick Bailey also singled for good measure. Baz finally retired Arraez to strand two.
Baz flirted with more danger in the fifth but emerged unscathed. After a weak pop-fly single by Devers, Schmitt got his second double of the game. It was a scorcher to left field and put runners on second and third with just one out. But Baz got a strikeout and a groundout to get out of it.
After five innings, Baz’s day was done. It was ugly. He threw 99 pitches and allowed 11 baserunners. He did not have a clean inning. His ERA went from 4.09 to 4.50. He left four innings for the bullpen to cover. But the good thing is that, when he left, the Orioles were in the game. They still had a chance, if the offense were to take it. They did not take it, nor did the bullpen hold the line.
One batter who did not forget how to get on base is Adley Rutschman. With two outs in the first inning, he lofted a ball to left field that fell in for a double. He doubled again in the third, that one a line drive to right field. He had a solid single in the fifth inning. But he wasn’t involved in any scoring on account of the ice-cold Pete Alonso batting behind him. Alonso struck out twice and grounded out once behind Adley, each time ending the inning.
The single run on the board for the Orioles came in the fourth. Dylan Beavers walked, then came all the way around to score on a double by Leody Tavaras. Neither Jeremiah Jackson nor Blaze Alexander could bring Tavaras home, though Alexander made solid contact that lined right to Matt Chapman at third base.
Through six innings, the Orioles had five hits, all by Rutschman or Taveras. Gunnar Henderson walked once along with Beavers. It was not a great night for the offense. Taveras was not in the original lineup; he was a last-minute add after Tyler O’Neill was scratched with illness. Things would have been even more dire if not for his late add.
With the Orioles down by two going into the seventh inning, Craig Albernaz turned to a new relief pitcher, lefty Nick Raquet. Yennier Cano had looked fantastic in the sixth, but that bullpen goodwill was about to be undone. Raquet got two outs sandwiched around a Chapman walk, but had a hard time closing the door. Schmitt hit yet another double, his third of the game. Chapman scored, then Jung Hoo Lee hit his first home run of the year. Just like that, the Giants were up, 6-1. Thanks for trying, Raquet.
Down by five runs after seven innings, the Orioles turned to Albert Suárez. Suárez had two good innings, which was nice. But it didn’t matter in the end.
Giants starter Landen Roupp, who had kept the Orioles offense in check, exited after six innings. With Roupp out of the game, at least Pete Alonso finally got on base. He took a two-out walk in the eighth inning and Samuel Basallo followed with the same. But pinch-hitter Ryan Mountcastle flew out to end the inning.
Rookie pitcher Blade Tidwell came in to pitch the ninth, and he was not good. Too bad the Orioles were already down by five runs, or it might have been more exciting. Tidwell got to two outs with a runner, Jeremiah Jackson, on first base. He threw a fastball down the middle to Henderson, who destroyed it. Gunnar’s fifth home run of the season was of the FUHR variety and cut the score to 6-3.
Taylor Ward followed with a double and Rutschman came to the plate. Even if he had homered, the Orioles would still have been down by two. But he did not. He just missed an 0-1 sweeper and popped out to end the game. I guess he just didn’t have four hits in him.
Orioles lose, 6-3. They and the Giants play again tomorrow at 7:15 with Chris Bassitt scheduled to face off against Logan Webb. What could go wrong?
Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes unexpectedly exited Friday's game against the Athletics in the top of the sixth inning with what the team says is a left hamstring injury.
After letting up a one-out single to Jacob Wilson, Holmes was met on the mound by trainers, who decided to remove him from the game.
It looked like Holmes was stretching and reaching toward his leg after Wilson reached first base.
"To lead off the inning, there was that chopper that I think it was a weird spot there," Holmes said after the game. "Thought I had to make a move for the ball and felt tightness afterward. There was some unsureness about what was going on. It was the smart decision to not make it worse. Hopefully, we’re in a good spot. Doesn’t seem too major, and see how it is tomorrow and go from there. Nothing major here and hopefully we can get right here in a couple of days."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after Friday's 4-0 loss that there are no plans for Holmes to go get imaging on his hamstring. But that could change Saturday if Holmes feels off physically. But overall, the skipper and pitcher are optimistic about the prospects of Holmes not missing time.
"He doesn’t seem too concerned. He got to a weird position on a ball that got hit to second base," Mendoza said. "He got to a weird position and felt a little tight there. The more testing they’re doing there, the better he’s feeling. And see what we got. As of right now, he doesn’t seem too concerned."
"I’m optimistic with it. Feel like I’ll be able to make my next start," Holmes said. "But until I wake up tomorrow, we don’t really know. Can’t rule anything out, but feel pretty good about it right now. I can still keep throwing. I didn’t feel it tighten up on a throw….I think we’ll be good, but we’ll have to see."
Holmes had tossed 81 pitches over 5.1 innings up to that point, allowing one run on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
The right-hander had been one of the Mets' best pitchers to start the season. Entering Friday, Holmes had allowed just two runs in his first two starts across 13.2 innings.
However, Holmes feels he wasn't as efficient as he was in his first two starts and that played a part in him taking his first loss of the season.
"The sinker was good. Was putting some pressure on them was able to get some groundballs and some early outs," Holmes said of his outing. "There was a couple of times I got myself in trouble by getting behind in counts. Having to be perfect with the sinker and they were able to put some good swings on it. When I had the sinker, I got what I needed to and the defense made some good plays."
