Category: Baseball

Baseball News

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Shohei Ohtani brilliant on the mound as Dodgers sweep Mets

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson) reacts after striking out the side in the sixth inning during the game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Dodgers honored the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson on Wednesday, and then proceeded to back Shohei Ohtani’s gem with four home runs as they swept the New York Mets with a dominant 8-2 victory.

Dodgers fans might have been disappointed that they weren’t afforded the opportunity to see Ohtani demonstrate his two-ways powers, but he certainly made up for it with another dazzling start.

Both team were held scoreless in the first inning for the first time in the series, but after Clay Holmes got two quick outs in the bottom of the second inning, Dalton Rushing continued his torrid start with a two-out double down the right field line. Hyeseong Kim attacked a sinker down the middle on a 1-1 count and sent it just past a leaping Carson Benge for his first home run of the season, giving the Dodgers an early two-run lead.

The Mets broke through against Ohtani in the top of the third as M.J. Melendez lined a double to the left-center field gap to bring up the potential tying run. Ohtani, who already had one strikeout in the inning, got Tommy Pham swinging for the second out. On the 11th pitch of his battle against Francisco Lindor, he side-stepped him, and blew a fastball at 100 miles per hour by him for his third strikeout of the inning to leave Melendez at second.

Ohtani had gone the first four innings without allowing a walk, but he immediately issued a free pass to Francisco Alvarez to begin the top of the fifth. Carson Benge would have made it two on with nobody out as he lined a would-be single to left field, but Alvarez thought that Teoscar Hernández had made the catch on a diving attempt. Hernández had actually trapped it, and he threw out the lead-runner with Alvarez retreated back to first.

The Mets made up for their base running blunder as Marcus Semien reached on Ohtani’s second walk of the inning, and Melendez connected for his second double of the game, driving home Benge and marking Ohtani’s first earned run of the season. Ohtani rebounded with another strikeout of Pham, and he kept the lead intact by getting Lindor to line out to left field.

The Dodgers had Blake Treinen warming up in the bullpen during the top of the fifth, but Ohtani stayed out for the sixth inning. The decision to keep Treinen from entering paid off, as Ohtani struck out the side in order to cap off the Dodgers’ third consecutive quality start against the Mets and a 10 strikeout performance from their regular leadoff hitter.

Teoscar Hernández greeted Mets reliever Tobias Myers rudely in the bottom of the sixth inning by connecting for a solo home run to the opposite field to give the Dodgers a two-run lead.

Blake Treinen eventually entered the game for the seventh inning, and he continued his impressive start to the season as he worked around a one-out double from Carson Benge to keep his ERA scoreless over 6 2/3 innings on the mound this year. Tanner Scott added to his turnaround start to the season with a perfect top of the eighth inning on just eight pitches.

The Dodgers looked to get some insurance against the former All-Star closer Devin Williams, and Teoscar Hernández beat out a routine ground ball to Lindor for an infield single. Things continued to unravel for the Mets, as Williams walked Muncy before Andy Pages drilled a ball over the head of Benge in right field, but both baserunners held on the play and were forced to advance just 90 feet. Dalton Rushing erased a possible save opportunity for Edwin Díaz by drilling a grand slam to center field to put the game out of reach.

In need of getting anything going his way offensively, and after lining out on a ball hit 107 miles per hour, Kyle Tucker connected for his first home run in front of the home crowd in a Dodgers uniform, giving the Dodgers a seven run lead and giving the Dodgers their fourth four home run game of the season.

Kyle Hurt made his long-awaited return from injury one day shy of two whole years since his last appearance, and it started off well with a strikeout of Brett Baty. Hurt allowed a single to Bo Bichette and then plunked Alvarez to put two on with one out, but recovered by striking out Benge. The Mets got back one run on a single from Marcus Semien, but Hurt struck out Melendez to finish the sweep and hand New York their eighth consecutive loss.

Game particulars
  • Home runs— Hyeseong Kim (1), Teoscar Hernández (4), Dalton Rushing (4), Kyle Tucker (2)
  • WP—Shohei Ohtani (2-0): 6 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
  • LP— Clay Holmes(2-2): 5 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday as they fly out to Denver to open a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday (5:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow makes his fourth start while the Rockies have yet to announce their starter.

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8-11: Chart

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Emerson Hancock #26 of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the fifth inning of a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Padres 7, Mariners 6

I had some really good chart art cued up, too 🙁

A puffy vest giveaway on a chilly night: Emerson Hancock, +.18 WPA

Realizing a vest doesn’t have sleeves: José Ferrer, -.84 WPA

Game thread comments of the day:

I could not choose between these two, and my hubris has been punished by the baseball gods.

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9-9 – Rangers come up short in 6-5 loss to Athletics

Apr 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Members of the Texas Rangers wear number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day during the national anthem before the start of a baseball game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored five runs but the Athletics of California, United States on planet Earth scored six runs.

The Rangers didn’t have many hits on the night — just five total — but two of them contributed to all five of their runs with Corey Seager hitting a two-run home run in the 3rd and Jake Burger continuing to feast in Sactown with a three-run shot in the 8th.

Unfortunately for Texas, the A’s got a couple of two-out, RBI hits early off a rather inefficient Kumar Rocker and then had their own big swings with a two-run home run off the bat of Rangers killer Shea Langeliers that broke a 2-2 tie in the 6th and a two-run home run from Jacob Wilson an inning later.

Despite being solid so far this season, both homers were given up by Cole Winn in what proved to be a bad moment for a poor outing as the 6-2 lead was exactly enough insurance for the A’s.

Nevertheless, the lack of production throughout most of the game (just one hit through the first five innings) ultimately feels like more of the deciding factor than anything else.

Player of the Game: Burger and Seager tried to make it happen with their home runs but I’d like to give a nod to Gavin Collyer who made his debut, threw three pitches, and picked up the first strikeout of his career.

Up Next: The Rangers close out this series in West Sacramento with RHP Jack Leiter set to make the start opposite LHP Jacob Lopez for the Athletics.

The Thursday afternoon finale from Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 2:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

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Arrighetti’s 10K Lead Astros to 3-1 Victory over Rockies

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 15: Spencer Arrighetti #41 of the Houston Astros is congratulated by Yainer Diaz #21 during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park on April 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Houston Astros beleaguered starting rotation was desperate for a strong starting performance.

Spencer Arrighetti, in his first start of the season, delivered.

Arrighetti gave the Astros their third quality start of the season, hurling 6 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 10 to lead Houston to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Arrighetti was terrific, allowing only 2 hits on the night. He threw 100 pitches, 61 for strikes. He generated an incredible 20 swings and misses.

Arrighetti was backed by Yordan Alvarez, who was 2-for-3 with a double and his 7th HR of the season. He scored twice and also drew a walk.

Alvarez is now batting .333 on the season with a 1.250 OPS. He has 7 HR and 17 RBI.

Also of note, struggling reliever Bryan Abreu threw 1.1 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball. He walked one and struck out 2.

Enyel De Los Santos pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his second save of the season, and second in as many nights. He struck out 2, needing only 14 pitches to complete the inning.

With the victory, the Astros improve to 8-11 on the season.

The Astros will go for the sweep Thursday at Daikin Park. Ryan Weiss will get the start for Houston. First pitch scheduled for 7:10 P.M.

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Bryce Elder pitching like an All-Star again for the Braves

ATLANTA — Bryce Elder is pitching like an All-Star again.

Considered the weak link in the Atlanta rotation coming into the season, Elder has turned in four dominating starts to rekindle memories of his surprising 2023 season.

Elder hurled scoreless ball into the sixth inning on Wednesday night, leading the Braves to a 6-3 victory over the Miami Marlins.

“This feels a little more complete,” the 26-year-old right-hander said. “I have more weapons. We’ll just try to keep it going.”

Elder was a huge surprise for the Braves three years ago, earning an All-Star berth in his first full season while going 12-4.

But he struggled mightily the last two seasons while bouncing back and forth between the majors and Triple-A Gwinnett. His ERA soared to 6.52 while making just 10 big league starts in 2024, followed by an 8-11 mark with a 5.30 ERA a year ago.

Elder might’ve been done in Atlanta if not for a rash of injuries that ravaged the starting rotation, allowing him to claim the fourth slot in a makeshift group as the Braves wrapped up spring training.

His performance over four starts — a 2-1 record with a 0.77 ERA — has manager Walt Weiss feeling good about his chances of remaining the rotation even when ailing pitchers such as Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach return to the mound.

“He’s in a really good place,” Weiss said of Elder.

He believes the Texan is a more complete pitcher than he was in ’23, with a diverse arsenal that helps him get by with a fastball in the low 90 mph range.

Elder has paired an improved slider with a change-up and three different fastballs — a two-seamer, a four-seamer and a cutter — to keep hitters off balance. Despite the lack of overpowering stuff, he has 23 strikeouts in 23 1-3 innings.

“All his stuff has really picked up,” Weiss said. “He’s throwing the ball really well.”

Elder doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. Better than almost anyone, he knows how quickly things can change. This time, he wants to show a bit of staying power.

“I’ve had a lot of good runs and I’ve had a lot bad runs,” Elder said. “More than anything, I’m just trying to treat it like one day at a time. Just keep my stuff crisp, keep my work right, and whatever happens that day is what happens.”

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White Sox spoil back-to-back prospect debuts, lose another to Rays

Sam Antonacci went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored in his major league debut. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Tonight’s game felt almost like déjà vu from Tuesday. The Rays (10-7) once again put up eight runs while a prominent Chicago prospect made their major league debut, dealing the White Sox (6-12) back-to-back losses, 8-3.

Righthander Sean Burke was doing all right through four innings despite giving up a solo shot to Junior Caminero in the third, but the righthander had zero run support and started to fall apart in the fifth. Two hits in a row from Tampa Bay to begin the fifth kick-started their offense, with Caminero driving in his second run on an RBI ground out and Jonathan Aranda following that up with an RBI double to make it 3-0, Rays.

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Attempting to come out for one final inning, Burke was unable to get it done and conceded a fourth run to Tampa on a leadoff home run from Jake Fraley to start the sixth. Burke was able to work around Cedric Mullins, but Richie Palacios’ base hit marked the end of the road. Until tonight, Sean hadn’t surrendered a single home run this year, and doing so ballooned his 3.60 ERA up to 4.43. Burke clearly didn’t have his A-game tonight, and his 17% CSW% (called strike plus whiff rate) was much lower than his previous two outings (averaging around 30%).

Notably, Burke’s fastball CSW% was only at 15% tonight, whereas in his previous start his fastball drew 13 called strikes + whiffs (35% CSW%), and a 44% CSW% from his April 3 outing. Burke ultimately allowed four runs on seven hits, and walked one more batter (three) than he struck out (two). At the very least, his average four-seam velocity was right in line with his 94 mph average, so hopefully it was just one of those days.

In for Sean, but not faring much better, was lefthander Tyler Gilbert, who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte earlier today as Brandon Eisert was shuttled back down. This was Gilbert’s second appearance with the MLB squad this season, and just like Burke he surrendered four runs on two hits: a Yandi Díaz RBI double and a pinch-hit, three-run blast from Jonny DeLuca as a part of the Rays’ four-run seventh inning that made it 8-0.

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It only took eight innings for a White Sox pitcher to make it through a frame unscathed — thank you, Bryan Hudson. Appearing in back-to-back games, Hudson put together a second consecutive clean inning tonight.

You’ll notice that I’ve only talked about pitching thus far, and that’s because up until the bottom of the ninth, there wasn’t much life coming from the South Side bats. Righthander Cole Sulser opened the game for the Rays and shut the Sox down for two innings before our old pal Jesse Scholtens took over for the next five. Scholtens ended up with the win in his one-hit outing against his former team, walking two and striking out three.

The Good Guys had posted just five hits and were facing an eight-run deficit through eight stanzas, and ended up waving the white flag given the starting catcher ended up pitching the last inning. Reese McGuire navigated a 1-2-3 inning, joining Hudson as the only other effective pitcher the White Sox used tonight, which is honestly kind of sad.

One of the (very few) positive offensive notes was that Sam Antonacci got a hit in his first major league at-bat — welcome to the show, Sam.

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Antonacci also reached base a second time to start the ninth and ended up scoring for the first time as a White Sox. Rays reliever Ian Seymour began the ninth by walking both him and Tanner Murray. Derek Hill drove a base hit out to left to load the bases up for the Good Guys with nobody out; it finally seemed like they were getting something going, far too late. Antonacci crossed the plate on a wild pitch, which felt fitting. McGuire, the new star White Sox pitcher, yanked a single to drive in their second run of the game, 8-2.

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Luisangel Acuña came up in another clutch situation and actually put up a decent at-bat, fouling off a few pitches and working a full count before grounding into a double play. Whomp whomp. A third run did score on the play, but going from zero to two outs with one pitch killed the momentum, and Andrew Benintendi struck out on three straight pitches to end the game.

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Looking at the box score, the White Sox were outhit just 9-7, and going 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position doesn’t seem too bad. But they had just five hits and couldn’t convert a single run through eight frames, also leaving seven on base. On top of that, they struck out six times as a team, with four of them coming from Colson Montgomery in the cleanup spot — woof.

It was a rough showing from the Good Guys these last two games, given the mental gaffes, poor defense and lack of offensive production. Regardless of how the pitching does, they aren’t going to be able to win games without scoring runs. As Ozzie Guillén pointed out in the postgame show, the White Sox have seven players batting below .200, which is borderline horrific.

It would also be really nice if they started scoring runs earlier in the game rather than waiting until the very last minute to start stringing some hits together. The series finale will take place Thursday at 1:10 p.m., with lefthander Anthony Kay on the mound. Let’s hope the offense can wake up before then.

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Braves News: Luke Williams era ends, Martin Perez, more

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 11: Martín Pérez #33 and Jonah Heim #20 of the Atlanta Braves converse in the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Braves are cruising to start this season, with the second best record in MLB and the best run differential (pending the Dodgers game tonight). While there’s been some good fortune on the pitching side, there has also been some uncharacteristic underperformance from Chris Sale and some bad luck from a few of Atlanta’s bats. Dominic Smith is unlikely to be Aaron Judge all year, but on the whole this feels in the realm of sustainable, especially with reinforcements coming over the coming weeks and months. It would be especially useful if a few of Schwellenbach, Smith-Shawver, and Waldrep could come up and be productive, perhaps giving the team and opportunity to bump Grant Holmes and/or Reynaldo Lopez into an impact reliever spot. For now though, let’s just enjoy the team being in a good spot 10% of the way into the season, a stark contrast from last year.

Braves News

Martin Perez is back and expected to start Friday’s game, after being waived, electing free agency, and ultimately re-signing with Atlanta.

Luke Williams elected free agency after being DFA’d, but of course he could always sign back in Atlanta like Perez did.

We took a minute to appreciate what Dominic Smith has produced for Atlanta so far this season.

The Braves collected another series win, this one against the Marlins in a convincing 6-3 game behind Bryce Elder and some solid offense.

MLB News

Nick Pivetta will be sidelined for significant time with a flexor strain for the Padres.

Jorge Soler’s suspension for his brawl with Reynaldo Lopez was reduced to 4 games from 7, 1 fewer than Lopez got.

Young shortstop Kevin McGonigle signed an 8 year, $150 million extension with the Tigers.

The MLBPA continues to shake up its upper level management in the 11th hour of this CBA, as negotiations are set to begin in earnest on the new CBA.

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Dodgers on Deck: Friday, April 17 at Rockies

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After an off day Thursday, the Dodgers open a four-game weekend wraparound against the Colorado Rockies starting Friday night at Coors Field in Denver.

Tyler Glasnow takes the ball in the series opener on Friday. Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will be on the mound for Colorado.

Friday game info
  • Teams: Dodgers at Rockies
  • Ballpark: Coors Field, Denver
  • Time: 5:40 p.m. PT
  • TV: SportsNet LA
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
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Mariners Game #19: Game Thread II

Apr 15, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone hits an RBI double during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

More game thread!

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Reds, Sal Stewart smash Giants in 8-3 victory

CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 15: Sal Stewart #27 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by Elly de la Cruz #44 and Matt McLain #9 after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on April 15, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The older you get, the easier it is to think four, five years ago wasn’t ancient history. I still have the same phone, same laptop from 2022, for instance – the same desk chair, car, house, backpack. But watching Wednesday evening’s contest in Great American Ball Park between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants was enough to make one realize just how long ago the promise of the early 2020s Reds really was.

Tyler Mahle, who was dealt during the 2022 teardown to Minnesota for the likes of Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, was back on the mound in GABP to face the Reds. He was doing so as a Giant after he’d been a Twin and Texas Ranger in between, a nomadic post-Reds trip that shows just how fickle the business of baseball can be once injuries begin to tear away at your fabric.

Mahle was the vet in this one, the one whose velocity is down and pitch-mix is new as he works to figure out how to pitch once rearing back for a couple extra miles per hour isn’t in the cards any more. Sharing the mound with him was Rhett Lowder, who was a 19 year old pitching for the Strasburg Express in the Valley League of collegiate summer ball during the same 2021 season when Mahle posted career-bests in bWAR (4.9) and IP (180.0) with the Reds.

And it was Lowder who was in command.

Cincinnati’s righty exited after going 6.2 IP, his longest outing yet in the big leagues. He’d allowed 2 ER while on the bump, though Brock Burke did allow one inherited run to score once taking over in the 7th. It was an effective, efficient 90 pitch outing for Rhett, who limited hard contact for the most part and threw all of his pitches all over the strike zone.

The same could not be said for Mahle, however. He spiked a handful of balls in the dirt, walked 5 batters in his 4.0 laborious IP, and left enough pitches over the heart of the plate for the Reds to not just homer four times off him, but post some tape measure shots in the process.

Neither of the 3-run blasts by Sal Stewart were tape measure, truly, as both only flew into the first few rows of GABP’s small confines. Still, they were lasers off the bat on pitches not exactly right down the pipe, both coming on swings where Stewart’s elite combination of hand-eye coordination and reaction time allows him to put his own unique swing on each pitcher’s pitch and still find ways to barrel them. Both were also to right-center, in case anyone’s worried whether or not he’s a step-in-the-bucket rookie who’s just thriving on pulling the ball.

(He’s tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, by the way. He was a senior in high school down in Florida during Mahle’s brilliant 2021.)

Similarly, Eugenio Suarez (3 for 4, HR, R, RBI) poked a slider the other way for a homer on a pitch Mahle left up, a good piece of hitting as opposed to just running into one that missed in a hot zone.

Elly De La Cruz, though, hit the snot out of one. He launched a 442 foot homer to straightaway CF off Mahle, a true tape measure shot from the left-side of the plate as he reminded us that, despite recent success hitting righty, it’s him hittin’ lefty that’s the show-stopper.

All told, it was a brilliant night of baseball for the Reds, who won 8-3 and moved to 11-7 on the season. They claimed the series win over San Francisco, as that ends tomorrow at 12:40 PM ET with Chase Burns on the mound. They also made the iffy-hamstring issue that closer Emilio Pagan is dealing with a moot point for a night, as their offense finally kicked it into gear enough to make needing a closer not really a thing.

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Astros 3, Rockies 1: Strikeouts swing Rockies to sixth-straight loss

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 15: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies is hit in the hand by a pitch in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on April 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It was a rough night at the plate for the Colorado Rockies as they failed to get their offense rolling once again as the Astros took home a 3-1 victory to win the series and hand the Rockies their sixth-straight loss.

Not Around Long Enough

Things did not get off to a good start for Jose Quintana on the mound. The veteran lefty struggled to find his command out of the gate as he walked the first three Houston batters into the bottom of the first inning. It marked the first time in his long career that he had ever done that to start a game. The Astros then managed to scratch across their first two runs via sacrifice flies, but the inning set a tone for Quintana. After giving up a Yordan Alvarez home run in the third inning, Quintana’s night would end in the fourth with two outs. He lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits with one strikeout and four walks.

Labored at-bats and an Astros team that refused to chase resulted in a lot of deep counts for Quintana. He threw 75 pitches with 41 going for strikes, with roughly 25 of those pitches coming in the first inning because of the walks and long at-bats. He lines up to make his next start in Colorado, where he will need to be effective and efficient.

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Can’t Touch Arrighetti

The Rockies hadn’t faced Spencer Arrighetti since 2024, when he tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits with 10 strikeouts. This time around wasn’t all that forgiving an encounter either, as Arrighetti appeared almost unhittable. He went six innings, allowing just one run on two hits, having thrown 100 pitches. He again struck out 10 Rockies but did pair it with four walks and a couple of hit batsmen. He generated 20 swing and misses, the majority of which came on his curveball, which he threw 38% of the time. The lone run he gave up was a Willi Castro RBI double in the second inning, as he later escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning.

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Ouch That Hurts

Speaking of those hit batters, Arrighetti ended up knocking two Rockies out of the game. Troy Johnston was plunked by a fastball on the meatier part of his thigh in the first inning, but remained in the game until he was replaced by Kyle Karros in the bottom of the third. Castro was then hit on the hand by a fastball in the fourth inning and had to immediately depart the game to get checked out, and was replaced by Tyler Freeman.

That left the Rockies with a shortened bench the rest of the game, but the good news is that Johnston has only a contusion, while Castro’s results were negative on the hand, though his hand is going to be swollen.

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Trust the Gordon Pitcher-man

After Quintana’s shortened start, the Rockies turned to the recently recalled Tanner Gordon to pick up some innings out of the bullpen. Luckily, a long reliever stepped up in the moment once again for manager Warren Schaeffer.

Gordon proceeded to cruise through four innings, allowing just two hits as he struck out four batters against one walk. Peppering in a healthy dose of fastballs with his improved secondaries, Gordon threw 40 of his 60 pitches for strikes.

Rockies starters have struggled to give length over the last few games, and luckily, the bullpen has stepped up to limit the damage, but more members of the rotation will need to find a way to work through five innings more often than not, despite the excellence of the performances of pitchers like Gordon, Chase Dollander, and Antonio Senzatela.

Too Many Strikeouts

Once again, the woes of the Rockies’ offense boiled down to the strikeout. After striking out 10 times against Arrighetti, the Houston bullpen tallied five more for a total of 15. The team managed just one run on three hits, producing 27 whiffs against the Astros’ pitching. The top third of the order had eight strikeouts while the team managed just five walks in the game. Despite generating a few opportunities to score as the game went on, the Rockies went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and had a team total of 10 men left on base. The lone extra-base hit was Castro’s RBI double.

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Up Next

The Rockies and Astros will conclude the series on Thursday before heading home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Colorado will use an “opener” before giving way to Dollander for the bulk of the innings as they try to avoid the sweep. Houston has not announced a starter.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm MT.

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Brewers defeat Blue Jays 2-1 to end losing streak

Apr 15, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe (45) celebrates with catcher Gary Sanchez (99) after beating the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Sometimes the stupidest things can change a team’s momentum.

In the eighth inning tonight, a Brewers offense that was grasping at straws all night managed to score two runs on four batted balls that had an average exit velocity of 63 mph and went combined distance of 23 feet in the air. Baseball is a stupid game.

Those two runs, plus a big day for Brewers’ starter Chad Patrick and a beleaguered Milwaukee bullpen (who pivoted to a likely new closer), were enough to finally put an end to the Milwaukee’s dismal six-game losing streak.

Though no one would’ve predicted it at the time, Toronto nearly won the game in the top of the first inning. After Marshfield native Daulton Varsho drew a walk with one out, he moved to third on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single and scored on a Jesús Sánchez sacrifice fly. It was 1-0 in the top of the first, but that score nearly stood for the entire game.

Milwaukee’s offense is missing a whole lot of punch right now, and Toronto starter Dylan Cease—the newly-minted $210 million man—smelled blood. Cease, who came in with a 2.45 ERA and an absurd 26 strikeouts in less than 15 innings, was on his game. William Contreras did manage a line drive single in the bottom of the first, but Milwaukee didn’t have another hit until fifth inning (a Joey Ortiz single), and they managed to get a runner past first base only once during Cease’s entire six-inning outing, when Ortiz stole second and moved to third on a groundout but was stranded there.

Patrick, though, was up for the challenge after the early hiccup. He’s had a somewhat strange season—walks are up, strikeouts are way down, he’s not giving up runs but things have been pretty shaky. Patrick came in with a FIP of 4.29 and an ERA of 0.73, which is borderline funny. He still couldn’t find his strikeout stuff tonight, and that remains a concern, but Patrick was inducing weak contact all over the place, took advantage of the good defensive players behind him, and worked with shocking efficiency.

After Toronto’s first-inning run, they did very little to threaten Patrick again. A third-inning leadoff single was erased one batter later by a double play. Lenyn Sosa hit a two-out single in the fifth (just after Brandon Lockridge made a fantastic leaping catch on a foul ball), but did not advance. The one time the Blue Jays got a little bit of a rally going was in the seventh: Kazuma Okamoto drew a one-out walk, but Patrick got the second out before giving way to DL Hall. Andrés Giménez singled to put two on with two out, but Hall retired Sosa on a fly ball to end the inning.

In total, Patrick needed just 81 pitches to go 6 2/3 innings—he was the first Brewer starter this season to record an out in the seventh inning. He struck out just two batters, but allowed only three hits (all singles) and two walks.

It was in the eighth when the Brewers, down 1-0 and looking helpless at the plate, made their move. Cease was pulled after six, so Milwaukee had gotten that hurdle out of the way, and the pitcher in the eighth was the submariner, Tyler Rogers, who entered with a 0.00 ERA in 8 2/3 innings this season. The Brewers will not win any awards for style for what came next, but they needed something to go their way, and something finally did. Here’s how it went:

  • David Hamilton hit an infield single on a swinging bunt. 48 mph exit velocity, 2 feet, -79 degree launch angle.
  • Sal Frelick hit a high chopper directly in front of the plate that just sort of died. It went 0 feet, according to game day, with a -76 degree launch angle. The exit velocity here was 61.3 mph. Catcher Brandon Valenzuela waited to see if it would go foul, then tried to pick it up to throw Frelick out, but mishandled it; it was ruled an E2.
  • William Contreras poked a single through the right side of the infield, which was pretty open for him due to a defensive shift. A classic piece of slap-hitting—this one had a distance of 17 feet and a launch angle of -7 degrees, with an exit velocity all the way up at 92.3 mph. Hamilton scored, and Frelick advanced to third.
  • Brice Turang hit a soft ground ball just past Rogers that enabled Frelick to score from third. Turang was out at first, and his RBI groundout went 3 feet, with a -57 degree launch angle, and came off the bat at 53.3 mph.

Here are the highlights from that sequence:

Of course, given Milwaukee’s issues lately finishing ballgames, no one was comfortable heading to the ninth with a 2-1 lead. Nobody except perhaps Abner Uribe, the man with the baseball. Looking sharp and hitting 99 on the radar gun, Uribe got Okamoto to ground out and struck out Ernie Clement. With two outs, Giménez hit a ball pretty hard toward the left field gap but the speedy Lockridge moved over and made the catch without too much trouble. The losing streak was over. Uribe, at a time when the team desperately needed someone to come through in a save situation, came through.

There was nothing pretty about Milwaukee’s offense today, but the pitching staff showed up big time and the Brewers managed to turn a game that looked like it was headed toward a soul-crushing 1-0 loss into a feel-good, come-from-behind victory. There were no Brewer extra-base hits and only Contreras reached base more than once, but they did what they needed to do tonight. On the mound, Patrick had his good outing and was followed by scoreless appearances by Hall, Aaron Ashby (who allowed a hit and a walk in his inning but struck out the side), and Uribe, who struck out one and didn’t allow a hit.

For all the (justified) doom and gloom after Monday’s game, the Brewers can now win this series and build some real momentum with a win tomorrow afternoon. That game will be at 12:40 p.m., and will see two players on opposite ends of their careers face off: the veteran lefty Patrick Corbin for Toronto, and Brandon Sproat, making his return to the rotation, for the Brewers.

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'He's a beast.' Can Reds' Sal Stewart win NL Rookie of the Year?

Coincidentally on Jackie Robinson Day across Major League Baseball, Cincinnati Reds' rookie Sal Stewart continued a rookie season surge that has him on the fast track to winning the award named after the player who broke the game's color barrier 79 years ago.

The Reds waited 22 years for one of their rookies to win the Jackie Robinson Award, also known as the Rookie of the Year.

Jonathan India broke through in 2021, now Stewart is the betting favorite five years later.

Stewart has shined in a struggling Cincinnati lineup through the first month of the season. He helped his National League ROY campaign in a big way on Wednesday, April 15, slugging a pair of three-run homers in the Reds' 8-3 win over the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park.

According to the Reds, Stewart's six RBI are tied for the second-most by a Reds rookie in a single game since rookie rules were established in 1958.

"Don't throw it over the plate to him," fellow rookie Rhett Lowder. "He's a beast."

Elly De La Cruz added: "I like everything (about Stewart's game). He's a really good hitter."

De La Cruz, who hit a 442-foot homer of his own Wednesday, is the youngest player in Reds' history to post a multi-homer game in 2024 at 22 years, 88 days old. Stewart is just 41 days older.

Stewart's six RBI helped the Reds, who entered the night 27th in baseball in scoring, post a season-high eight runs. The five-run cushion was the largest of the club's 11 wins thus far.

"We have such a deep lineup and we're gonna show that. We're gonna prove that" Stewart said. "I've said it over and over again. I'm excited for what this lineup can do."

How does Sal Stewart stack up against other MLB rookies?

According to an odds tracker for all MLB awards, Stewart was +220 to win the National League Rookie of the Year award going into Wednesday's tilt.

He's one of five players listed at less than 15-to-1 to win the award, along with New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean, Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin, St. Louis shortstop JJ Wetherholt and Miami outfielder Owen Caissie.

Stewart's seven homers are most among MLB rookies and tied with Brandon Lowe and Aaron Judge for second most in the league. After Wednesday's win, he leads MLB in slugging percentage. He's also top 5 in total bases, extra-base hits, OPS and RBI.

Griffin, who made his MLB debut April 3, is hitting .189 with five RBI. Wetherholt is hitting .227 and hit a pair of homers in the Cardinals' win over Cleveland Tuesday. Caissie is hitting .245 for the Marlins but has just one hit in 17 at-bats since going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI against Cincinnati April 9.

McLean, the only pitcher in the top 5 in the betting odds for the award, is 1-1 with a 2.28 ERA over four starts.

"His confidence is really high. He uses all of the field. He's just a really good hitter," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "It's early. Let's let it play out. He's done a tremendous job."

Stewart echoed that not-so-fast mentality with 88.9% of the regular season still remaining.

"The game's over now. I'll enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow, we gotta come out here and look for a sweep," Stewart said. "I'm super happy to help the team win and I put my team in a good position."

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds' Sal Stewart looks like NL Rookie of the Year candidate

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Yankees lay out Anthony Volpe's next steps, set Gerrit Cole's first rehab start

Anthony Volpe played a baseball game Tuesday night for the first time since he underwent shoulder surgery to deal with a torn labrum last October. It was in Somerset, not Yankee Stadium. And he only played long enough to take two at-bats. But he was out there again, and he felt that was worth celebrating.

"It was great. Like, so much fun to be back out there,” Volpe said. “It felt like a big milestone. We appreciated it for what it was.”

Whatit was is the beginning of a build-up that his manager, Aaron Boone, said will likely continue in the minor leagues through at least next week. He said Volpe will play five-plus innings in Somerset again Thursday and Friday, take a day off Saturday, then play again Sunday. Minor league teams do not play on Mondays, so the Yankees currently plan to use that as a rest day before transferring Volpe’s rehab to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he will continue to increase workload.

“Probably four or five games next week, then we’ll kind of evaluate and see where we’re at from there,” Boone said.

Volpe admitted it will be difficult for him to wait through such a deliberate build-up before returning to the big leagues, though he conceded he wants to experience a variety of in-game occurrences – running the bases, diving for a ball, etc. – so he knows how the shoulder will feel during and after each of them.

“I wish I could play more to test it more, but it felt amazing,” Volpe said. “I feel like we have a great routine to warm everything up and get ready, so it feels good.”

The Yankees have mostly relied on Jose Caballero to play shortstop in Volpe’s absence, with a few appearances from Ryan McMahon sprinkled in as well. That combination left the Yankees tied for the worst shortstop OPS in baseball entering Wednesday night’s game -- .471, tied with the Boston Red Sox.

Exactly what a now-healthy Volpe will be offensively remains to be seen, but he certainly enjoyed a good test of his readiness Tuesday: Both of his at-bats came against rehabbing Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. He struck out both times.

“He looked sharp,” Volpe said. “But I feel like I saw it okay. It was a treat for sure.”

Speaking of injured aces, two Yankees who qualify for that title should be taking steps forward in the next few days. 

Carlos Rodón, who threw three innings and 50 pitches in his last live batting practice session, will pitch to live hitters in Somerset on Saturday, Boone said. Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, threw his regularly scheduled side session before Wednesday’s game. The team later decided that Cole will pitch in a game Friday at Somerset. The veteran threw three innings in a live batting practice session last weekend.

Exactly when both will return to the majors remains unclear, though Boone said earlier this week he still estimates Rodón is ahead of Cole. But both pitchers are firmly in the building-stamina phase of their rehabilitation process, which means if everything continues to go well, they can both now count their remaining absence in weeks, not months.

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Cubs Minor League Wrap: Cole Mathis’ 2HR leads Pelicans past

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 26: Cole Mathis #16 of the Mesa Solar Sox bats during the game between the Mesa Solar Sox and the Scottsdale Scorpions at Scottsdale Stadium on Sunday, October 26, 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

For those of you asking. Jaxon Wiggins was placed on the injured list today. The Cubs say that they’re hopeful it will be a short trip.

Porter Hodge will have elbow surgery and is out for the season.

Dylan Carlson elected free agency.

Left-hander Marino Santy was promoted to Double-A Knoxville from High-A South Bend.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were broadsided by the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 9-4.

Paul Campbell pitched the first four innings in his Cubs’ organization debut. Campbell allowed a two-run home run in the fourth, but otherwise acquitted himself well. His final line was two runs on four hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

Unfortunately, Tyler Beede did not have as good of a Iowa debut. He came on to pitch the sixth inning and didn’t managed to get through it. Beede got the loss after allowing four runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. One of those hits was a three-run home run. Beede did not have a strikeout.

Catcher Casey Opitz made his season debut and went 2 for 3 with an RBI single and a squeeze bunt. He scored once in addition to the two RBI.

Shortstop Ben Cowles went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI single.

DH BJ Murray was 2 for 4.

Here’s Opitz’s safety squeeze.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies reeled in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 8-0.

Four Knoxville pitchers combined on the five-hit shutout. Yennri Rojas started and gave up just one hit over 3.1 innings. Rojas did walk four while striking out two.

Jace Beck pitched the next 2.2 innings and got the win. Beck surrendered one hit while walking two. He struck out six.

Evan Taylor pitched the seventh and eighth innings. He allowed two hits but didn’t walk anyone and struck out one.

Marino Santy handled the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single but nothing else. Santy struck out one.

Right fielder Alex Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a double. He scored twice and drove in one.

DH Ethan Hearn was 2 for 4 with a two-run double. He went 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. Hearn also stole a base.

Miguel Useche added an insurance run with a pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth.

Some Smokies highlights from the fourth inning.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs filleted the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 9-5.

Starter Kevin Valdez struggled tonight, giving up three in the first inning and two in the fourth. His final line was five runs on five hits over 3.1 innings. Valdez walked two, hit one batter and struck out three.

Ethan Bell relieved Valdez in the fourth and while he did let two (out of three) inherited runners to score, he didn’t allow any runs of his own and took home his first South Bend win. Bell allowed no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out one over 1.2 innings.

Ethan Flanagan pitched the final four innings without giving up a run for the save. Flanagan allowed just two hits while striking out seven and walking no one.

Right fielder Kade Snell gave South Bend the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth with an two-run single. Snell also had an RBI ground out earlier in the game and a sacrifice fly later. That gave him four RBI on a 1 for 4 game. Snell also stole a base.

First baseman Cameron Sisneros clubbed a solo home run in the seventh inning. It was his second on the year. Sisneros went 3 for 4 with two RBI.

Catcher Owen Ayers tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run. It was his fourth home run already this season and third in as many games. Ayers went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Second baseman Drew Bowser was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored once.

An RBI triple for Leonel Espinoza. He was 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He scored twice.

Easy power out of Sisneros.

Ayers’ home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans melted down the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox), 5-4 in 10 innings.

Starter Dominick Reid surrendered three runs on four hits over 3.1 innings. He walked three and srtuck out five.

Eli Jerzembeck provided solid relief after not giving up a run over 2.2 innings. He allowed two hits and walked one while striking out four.

Ben Johnson pitched the top of the tenth, didn’t allow a run and got the win. After balking the automatic runner over to third with no outs, Johnson escaped with a walk, a caught stealing and two strikeouts. Johnson walked two batters total.

First baseman Cole Mathis provided most of the offense tonight with two two-run home runs. The first came in the bottom of the first and the second one was in the third. Mathis now has six home runs in just 11 games. He just missed a home run later in the game and had to settle for a double. Mathis went 4 for 5 with the double and two home runs.

Left fielder Jose Escobar singled home the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. Escobar was 3 for 4 and was hit by a pitch.

Shortstop Ty Southisene was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored one run.

The two Mathis home runs.

Escobar sends everyone home happy.