Category: Baseball

New jerseys of new, losing streaks of old. One was introduced, and another stayed the same on Tuesday night in Mizzou baseball’s 11-4 loss against SIUE at Taylor Stadium. After two straight SEC series, which have now accumulated to two sweeps and seven straight losses, Mizzou’s offensive struggles reached their compounding point, accumulating just five hits against the Cougars.

The Tigers started well from the plate, with a lead-off homer from Blaize Ward, his second over the last four games and of his freshman season as a Tiger. Missouri bats continued to slowly chip away at SIUE pitching, as catcher Juliomar Campos’ RBI double and an infield RBI single by Eric Maisonet gave the two Puerto Ricans with an RBI apiece and a 3-0 Missouri lead by the bottom of the fourth.

The main difference between SIUE and Mizzou? The Cougars’ offensive production wasn’t slow but surely, and it wasn’t spread out; it was condensed to just two innings of pure offensive devastation. A three-and-eight run slot in the sixth and eighth innings was too much to overcome for Kerrick Jackson’s squad, on a night where the debut of brand-new COMO jerseys and free admission aimed to set a more positive evening tone for the Tigers.

The visitors did exactly that from the sixth inning onward, scoring 10 runs against the Tigers’ bullpen, to the one run in response by Mizzou, which came on a Kam Durnin sac fly in the bottom of the sixth.

“[From an offensive standpoint] just not consistent and focused in what their approach needed to be,” Jackson said. “We had flashes and had a couple of guys that were consistent on the day with how they went about their business. But again, just getting anxious. The worst thing for us was Blaize hitting a home run in the first, and the reason why that was the worst is that that’s his second home run of the year. Everybody else after that thought I should hit a home run too.”

THE INFAMOUS EIGHTH

After the Cougars scrapped their way back from a 3-0 deficit, Kam Durnin’s sacrifice fly gave the Tigers a one-run lead. In the space of an inning, two in-game replays, and what felt like a slow-motion collapse, SIUE turned a one‑run deficit into an 11–4 lead before the Tigers recorded the third out.

An error on a routine grounder by Ward at second base resulted in Gage Franck reaching first. The inning grew more complicated from there for Tigers reliever Juan Villarreal, who didn’t end up earning any earned runs due to the error by Ward.

A passed ball moved Franck up, a balk pushed him to third, and suddenly, Juan Villarreal was working with a runner ninety feet away and no real margin for error. He walked Joshua Heyder, and SIUE brought the game even when Ethan Willoughby lifted a sacrifice fly to right.

Missouri still had a chance to settle things, but the Cougars kept stacking up runs. Mack Mitchell jumped ahead in the count against Villarreal and turned a 3–0 pitch into a two‑run homer that traveled well over the left field fence.

Brenden Fry followed with a double to right‑center, prompting a move to the bullpen, but the momentum didn’t shift. A pitching change by Jackson led to PJ Green didn’t stop pinch hitter Cooper Eggert from attacking the first pitch he saw and sent another two‑run shot out to right.

Even after the opening onslaught, Missouri couldn’t slow the inning down. A walk and a wild pitch set up another run when Daniel Gierer punched a single through the left side. Another wild pitch moved Gierer up a base, and a throwing error on a comebacker to Green brought in yet another unearned run.

By the time the Tigers finally recorded the third out, SIUE had turned a one‑run game into an 11–4 lead, fueled by a mix of hard contact, free bases, and defensive mistakes. A bullpen game for the Tigers rotation ultimately led to seven total pitchers being used, starting with Dane Bjorn and ending with a very sudden and devastating end in the infamous eighth.

“Guys come in and throw strikes, but you also need to execute pitches,” Jackson said. [SIUE] was aggressive. Their ball club was aggressive, and we threw pitches in the zone, and they attacked them. Hopefully, if anything, our guys are watching that thinking to swing the bat. If a guy’s coming in, he’s coming in to throw strikes, and if he’s gonna throw strikes, then you could be on time, that’s what they were.”

THE MENTAL ERRORS

What was going wrong for the Mizzou offense and defense was compounded by mental mistakes that drove the point home of Tuesday evening being one to forget for the Tigers. Two players, Isaiah Frost and Juliomar Campos, were sent to the bench mid-game by Jackson. Jamal George replaced Campos to begin the fourth, and Donovan Jordan replaced Frost to begin the ninth.

The common theme? Errors on the base-paths. After a Tyler Macon walk occurred in the bottom half of the second, Campos inexplicably wandered too far off of second base and was caught in between the baselines between third and second, thrown out at third, by Jose Fichera behind the plate.

Frost, after reaching base on a hit-by-pitch in the eighth, was doubled off at first base following a line drive hit by Eric Maisonet. Jackson was critical of both of these moments post-game when I asked about the thought process behind the two substitutions.

“[The subsitutions] were based on stupidity.” Jackson said. “You can’t just take off running when you’re Campos in a situation where we just drew a two out walk, where were you going? Isaiah Frost, we talk all the time about when a line drive is hit, you go back on a line drive. This is the second time that as a fifth year senior, he’s looked to advance, and you just can’t do bad things on the baseball field, and then think that you’re still going to have the opportunity to be out there. If you’re going to do that, then just come out and let me put somebody who is hopefully is a little bit more mentally locked in.”

UP NEXT

Missouri turns its attention back to Southeastern Conference play later this week. The Tigers stay home to open a three‑game series against No. 24 Arkansas on Thursday night at Taylor Stadium, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. The matchup begins another stretch of conference play where Mizzou will look to steady its bullpen and bounce back from its seven-game losing streak.

In the words of Jack Sommers, regression is a harsh mistress. And the past 2 games the Dbacks have played, there couldn’t have possibly been more regression. This game seemed like a game where absolutely nothing went the Dbacks way and everything the White Sox’s way. From baseballs getting stuck in Nolan Arrenado’s mitt, to inside the park home runs due to golden glover interference. The Dbacks could absolutely not catch a break in this game.

The starting rotation may have been a storyline of the early season, but the Dbacks have now allowed 12 runs in the previous 2 first innings. Merrill Kelly flat out stunk in this one allowing 4 ER in the first inning and 3 consecutive home runs to put the Dbacks into a 7 run deficit almost immediately.

The offense was able to come up with 5 runs tonight, however they should’ve come up with a lot more. Dbacks had leadoff hitters on base 6 of the 9 innings tonight, a 45.5% hard hit percentage and an xBA of .277. The White Sox defense seemed to be positioned perfectly all night to take hits away from the Arizona offense. It felt like almost every single inning there would be some base traffic followed by a diving catch in the outfield or a snared line drive by a White Sox infielder. Certainly a frustrating loss for the fans and the team, however with slightly better luck the score could’ve certainly been much closer.

About the only positive from tonight’s game may have been the the bullpen did a good job of holding the White Sox in check. They had to really shoulder the load tonight because of Kelly’s ineffectiveness, and they did a pretty good job of doing just that silencing the White Sox offense to mostly singles the rest of the game.

In addition, Ildemaro Vargas continued his hitting streak in this one with a 3-run home run in the 9^th inning. This marks the 16^th straight game he has hit safely in to begin the season. What an accomplishment!

As if this game wasn’t already lopsided enough against the Dbacks favor due to batted ball luck, things really got ridiculous in the 9^th inning when a ball was hit down the 3^rd base line that was clearly interfered with by the golden glover and the umpire team ruled that the play wasn’t reviewable despite the challenge by Torey Lovullo. This was the second time in the past 3 games a golden glover interfered with a ball in play. The official scoring came back as an inside the park home run. Clearly one of the most bizarre plays you will see and a clear head scratcher as to why that play wasn’t reviewable. Home plate umpire Doug Eddings had already had himself a game by not allowing several players to challenge ball strike calls, and then he didn’t allow Torey to challenge the clearly blown call by the 3^rd base ump.

Obviously none of the above matters a whole lot when your starting pitcher allows 7 runs in the first 2 innings, however nothing much was going the Dbacks way tonight. There is still time to salvage this series to maintain their series winning streak, however it doesn’t appear as thought the White Sox are going to just roll over and just let them take it. The Dbacks are going to have to do a better job this season of playing when they have expectations on them to win, something this team has struggled with in previous seasons.

A’s 5, Mariners 2

Good: Cal Raleigh, +.25 WPA

Bad: J.P. Crawford, Eduard Bazardo, -.13 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

Four games ago, the Dodgers were on a pace to win 128 games. They would win the National League West by, what, 20 or 30 games?

Today, for the first time this season, the Dodgers do not own sole possession of first place in the NL West.

They are tied for first with their rivals: the San Diego Padres.

On a cold and intermittently rainy night in San Francisco, the Dodgers’ bats were cold, and most productive when not used. In a 3-1 loss to the Giants, the Dodgers scored their only run by bunching four walks in one hitless inning.

In the first inning, the Giants tagged Yoshinobu Yamamoto for three runs before he had recorded the second out. Yamamoto righted himself by retiring the next 11 batters he faced, but the Dodgers lost for the third time in four games.

The shine on the Dodgers’ most historic rivalry has faded, right along with the Giants. San Francisco has posted one winning record in the last nine seasons, and the chants of “Let’s Go Dodgers!” at Oracle Park were more spirited than the chants of “Beat L.A.!” until the last couple of innings.

Read more:Who's the Dodgers closer? Tanner Scott ... maybe

The Dodgers collected three hits, never more than one in an inning. They had a prime chance to score in the seventh, when Alex Freeland walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to put the would-be tying runs on base with two out.

Kyle Tucker then struck out, for the third consecutive at-bat.

In 28 at-bats this season with runners in scoring position, Tucker is batting .214, with no extra-base hits.

The walk did extend Ohtani’s on-base streak to 53 games, tying Shawn Green for the longest in Los Angeles Dodgers history. The franchise record: 58, by Hall of Famer Duke Snider for the 1954 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Yamamoto finished his evening’s work by striking out the side. He completed seven innings for the second consecutive start, something he did not accomplish until September last season.

He was succeeded on the mound by Tanner Scott, whom manager Dave Roberts had said before the game might be the first choice in a save situation. In this situation, with the heart of the Giants’ order due up in the eighth inning and two left-handed hitters included, Roberts summoned the left-handed Scott.

Scott worked a scoreless inning, lowering his earned-run average to 0.93.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: The first problem of the season has arrived

The first inning was ugly. The first batter singled, then advanced to second base on a throwing error by shortstop Hyeseong Kim. The second batter singled, the third batter walked, and the fourth batter singled home a run.

Casey Schmitt then hit a very catchable fly ball to left-center field, where left fielder Teoscar Hernández and center fielder Alex Call tried to catch it. Call did, but he slammed into Hernandez and tumbled to the ground. He did get up in time to return the ball to the infield, but the Giants scored a run on what was scored as a sacrifice fly, then another run on a dying fly ball that dropped just in front of Tucker for a single.

That put the Giants up 3-0 with one out, marking the first time in five starts this season that Yamamoto had given up more than two runs in a game. The next two outs were long outs, one to the warning track and one almost as far, balls that might have carried for extra-base hits on a warmer night. After throwing 26 pitches in that first inning, Yamamoto threw 28 over the next three.

In all, Yamamoto gave up six hits over seven innings, striking out seven. All of his first five starts have been quality starts; no other major league pitcher has more than four.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

No one is coming to save the Mets. Rosters cannot be overhauled in April.

Yes, Juan Soto is returning from the injured list Wednesday. And yes, at times during their 12-game streak, this Mets offense looked a mere Juan Soto shy of normalcy.

But that time was a few series ago, when at least some things were going right. After a huge home run from Francisco Lindor and a would-be Nolan McLean no-hitter evaporated into a 12th straight loss Tuesday, it is safe to say nothing is going right for the Mets anymore.

“It sucks,” Carlos Mendoza said.

No one will ever know how many times out of 10 this roster David Stearns assembled for Mendoza would start this badly. It is not hard to imagine a universe in which Bo Bichette started hot or Jorge Polanco slid in seamlessly or Brett Baty translated a promising spring into a big April or the return of Kodai Senga’s velocity led to the reemergence of an ace...and so on. But none of that happened in this universe, which has thus far proven to be home to several worst-case scenarios at once.

For example: In this universe, Devin Williams looks vulnerable to New York again, not inoculated against it. Tuesday night, with the game tied in the top of the ninth, the All-Star walked the first two hitters he faced. A bunt loaded the bases. A bouncer over third that would have been an easy out or two with the infield back hopped over the drawn-in left side and gave the Twins their first lead. Another walk doubled it for them. Williams blew a save in the Mets' last loss, which came to the Cubs at Wrigley on Sunday. The outing before that, he surrendered a grand slam.

“Honestly,” Williams said. “I would say all three outings were [caused by] something different.”

Maybe, given that Edwin Diaz needs elbow surgery, the Mets would have found themselves facing ninth-inning questions even if that part of their offseason had gone differently. But as things stand now, they must turn to Williams and other internal options for answers. No teams are selling yet. The Mets, who can rightfully assume they will not play this way forever, might not even know exactly what they should be buying. Because almost no one in their lineup is performing as intended.

Quite clearly, the Mets' biggest problem is their so-far relentless inability to sustain offensive pressure beyond a few innings a game. And in that way, Soto should help. The Mets have scored a total of 22 runs over the course of the streak, or 1.83 runs per game. Soto has 702 career RBI in 1,104 career games — or roughly .635 runs batted in per game. In other words, if Soto were to produce runs at his normal rate upon returning, he would increase the Mets' nightly run production by 33.3 percent.

Obviously, that math ignores some statistical nuance. Still, those numbers are illustrative: Soto can increase the Mets' offensive production dramatically. But even if he adds exactly six tenths of a run driven in per game, the Mets could then count on just fewer than 2.5 runs per game – at least if they keep scoring as rarely as they have during the streak. No other team in baseball is averaging fewer than 3.30 runs per game this season.

“We can’t wait for [Juan] to come back and do his thing. At the end of the day, I hope everybody doesn’t put all the pressure on him,” Lindor said Tuesday. “That would be a little unfair. But I know he’s going to help us a ton. He’s a top three-hitter in the league.”

The Mets had four hits Tuesday night, the fifth time during the streak they have been held to five or fewer. They own the lowest on-base percentage in baseball. Only two teams have hit fewer home runs. Maybe in other versions of this season, a lineup composed of these players would fare better than it has during the first month of this season, when everyone is struggling at once. Maybe, a recovery to a better offensive mean is inevitable.

But right now, it feels impossible. Soto is coming to help, but no one is coming to save them. There is, as Lindor put it, only one way for the 2026 Mets to end this spiral, let alone become the first team in history to lose 12 straight games and still make the postseason: “By winning.”

Patrick Corbin turned in a second pretty good start in a row today, giving the offence time to overcome a slow start. Jeff Hoffman continues to be disturbingly combustible, but the rest of the bullpen did good work. Louis Varland picked up his first MLB save, and you have to wonder whether he’ll start to get some more opportunities with the way he’s been dominating.

Amazingly, this was their first series win since sweeping Sacramento to open the season. They’ve dug a hole, but this little three game win streak hopefully represents the turning point.

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We had a scoreless pitchers’ duel for the first half of tonight’s game. The Jays got runners in each of the first three innings against Jack Kochanowicz, but couldn’t score. Ernie Clement lined a single in the first, and Jesus Sanchez and Daulton Varsho singled in the second, while Kochanowicz hit Lukes in the third. A pair double plays helped erase all the runners, though. An Eloy Jimenez walk and Varsho’s second hit put a pair on in the fourth, but again they were stranded. Kahanowicz faced the minimum for the first time in the fifth.

Patrick Corbin, on the other hand, retired the first six Angels hitters before walking Vaughn Grissom to open the third. The Jays got their own double play, though, on a nice backhand flip by Clement and a strong turn by Andres Gimenez. Corbin again allowed no runners in the fourth.

Finally, Oswald Peraza broke up the no-hitter with one out in the fifth, on a grounder into left field. Nolan Schanuel followed with another single to put runners on the corners. That set the table for Grissom to break the stalemate with a sac fly to centre field, putting LA in front 1-0. Corbin then walked Logan O’Hoppe, but got a ground out to escape the jam.

Vlad reached on a throwing error after grounding to third with one out in the sixth. Sanchez pulled a grounder through the gap into right to advance him to third, putting them in the same position the Angels had been in in the previous half inning. And like the Angels, they got a sac fly to plate their first run. This one came courtesy of Eloy Jimenez and tied the game at one. Sam Bachman was called from the bullpen to take over for Kochanowicz. He got Varsho swinging to preserve the tie.

Spencer Miles took over in the bottom of the sixth, working a clean inning including a strikeout and a nifty bare-hand on a Mike Trout broken bat tapper back to the mound. Bachman remained in the game, taking care of business against the bottom third of the Jays order.

In the seventh, Gimenez made an amazing leaping grab on a broken bat liner by Jorge Soler for the first out. Peraza bunted for a single, prompting John Schneider to call on Mason Fluharty to face the lefty Schanuel. He got his man, and Brandon Valenzuela got Peraza at second to turn the strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play.

Drew Pomeranz took over for the eighth, and Schneider decided to get deep into his managerial bag to counter. Myles Straw pinch hit for Lukes and flew out to right, but Clement laced a double down the left field line. The Angels intentionally walked Guerrero to get to Lenyn Sosa, who was hitting for Sanchez. That proved to be a mistake, as Sosa doubled off the wall in right. Clement scored standing up, and Vlad narrowly beat the throw at the plate to put Toronto ahead 3-1. Davis Schneider came on to run for Sosa, and Jimenez hit a ground ball single to bring him around and increase the lead to three. I’ll admit using Straw to hit and Schneider to pinch run is not how I would have done it, but you can’t argue with the results. Tyler Rogers came on to protect the newly acquired lead, gettin his usual three easy ground outs.

Old friend Nick Sandlin pitched the ninth for the Angels and retired the Jays in order. In the bottom half, Jeff Hoffman had yet another meltdown. He struck out Zach Neto, but then Trout lined a single. Hoffman hit the next two batters to load the bases, then gave up a hard line single to Yoan Mondaca, plating one to make it 4-2. That finally prompted Schneider to give Louis Varland a chance to pick up his first major league save. It took him one pitch to get Schanuel to ground into a double play.

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Jays of the Day: Varland (0.33), Sosa (0.31), Sanchez (0.12), Corbin (0.12)

Less So: Hoffman (-0.29), Okamoto (-0.18), Gimenez (-0.12)

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It’s a day game tomorrow, with first pitch at 3:07pm ET. Eric Lauer (1-3, 7.13) will look to keep working his way back into form, while Jose Soriano (5-0, 0.28) looks to continue what’s been a breakout year for the Angels. After that it’s a travel day, with the Jays coming home to host the Guardians over the weekend.

The highest-scoring team in the majors managed only three hits on Tuesday night at Oracle Park, and when the Giants scored three runs in the first inning that proved to be enough to beat the Dodgers 3-1 in the series opener in San Francisco.

Chaos reigned in the bottom of the first inning, beginning with Hyeseong Kim airmailing a throw from shortstop into the Giants dugout. Yoshinobu Yamamoto issued only his fourth walk of the season and loaded the bases before recording an out. All three runners scored during the four-hit frame, including on a sacrifice fly in which Teoscar Hernández collided with Alex Call, who started in center field with Andy Pages getting his first off day of the season (at least until pinch-hitting in the ninth.

But after that 26-pitch first inning, Yamamoto locked in, retiring 11 in a row and 16 out of 17 batters at one point, enough to get through seven innings without allowing another run, and on just 101 pitches to boot.

Yamamoto nearly gave up a fourth run thanks to a pair of two-out hits in the sixth, but Jung Hoo Lee’s mad dash around the bases in the rain was for naught, thrown out at home plate trying to score on a single.

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Yamamoto followed this by striking out the side in the seventh inning, completing his night.

MLB teams through Monday had a .674 winning percentage when their starting pitcher completed at least six innings this season. The Dodgers are now 12-3 (.800) in those games after Tuesday’s loss. Two of the three losses are Yamamoto starts.

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The Dodgers managed only one single off Landen Roupp, though they did make him work. He walked four batters in the fourth inning alone, though the Dodgers scored only once in the frame, which ended on a double play grounder by Call.

Roupp needed 106 pitches to complete five innings thanks in part to five walks, the most by any pitcher against the Dodgers this year. It might have been six walks, but Alex Freeland seemed allergic to challenging what appeared to a three-ball pitch outside the strike zone for the second time in three days. Roupp was able to limit the damage during his outing thanks to seven strikeouts.

It only took two batters after Roupp exited for a Dodger to reach second base on his own volition, thanks to a Teoscar Hernández one-out double into left field in the sixth inning. But Max Muncy struck out and Dalton Rushing flew out on the first pitch he saw to end that rare threat by the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Shohei Ohtani singled in the seventh inning, extending his on-base streak to 53 games, matching Shawn Green (2000) for the longest streak in Los Angeles Dodgers history. In modern franchise history (since 1900), only Duke Snider’s 58-game on-base streak in 1954 for Brooklyn is longer than Ohtani’s. It’s also the longest MLB on-base streak since Orlando Cabrera reached in 63 straight games for the Angels in 2006.

Ohtani’s single put another runner in scoring position, but Kyle Tucker struck out.

Los Angeles had the tying run either on base or at the plate in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, but was hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring position on Tuesday, with three strikeouts.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Landen Roupp (4-1): 5 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts

LP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2): 7 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

Sv — Ryan Walker (2): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound in the middle game of the series on Wednesday night (6:45 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with right-hander Tyler Mahle pitching for the Giants.

When the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies get together, anything can happen, especially at Coors Field where games can quickly escalate into unruly slugfests.

That wasn’t the case tonight, however, when both teams’ pitching staffs silenced the opposing team’s offense in a game that can only be described as almost meticulous in its pitching.

In the end, however, the Padres managed to eke out a 1-0 run win to kick off the three-game series in what would be only the 12th 1-0 game in the history of Coors Field, and just the fourth time the Rockies were on the losing end of one. (It last happened in 2006, when it happened three times!)

A Rockies pitching clinic

Opener Jimmy Herget got the game off to a sparkling start by striking out the side (Ramón Laureano, Fernando Tatís Jr., and Jackson Merrill) on a tidy 14 pitches, 10 for strikes.

Chase Dollander took the mound in the second and was absolutely on fire with his slider and four-seamer especially effective.

In the third inning, Dollander struck out Laureano which began a string of six consecutive Ks until Miguel Andujar grounded out in the fifth. (For those keeping score at home, Germán Márquez set the Rockies record for consecutive strikeouts in 2018 with eight.)

The Padres did not have a player in scoring position until Jake Cronenberg hit a double in the sixth inning. And that’s when things got complicated for Dollander. Tatís Jr. hit a soft single, and then Dollander grazed Merrill, loading the bases for Manny Machado.

Dollander walked Machado on six pitches, and the Padres took a 1-0 lead.

He came back to strike out Xander Bogaerts, but the Rockies were down in a game that had seen little offense.

After allowing the run, Dollander returned to pitch the seventh inning and retired the side after hitting Fermín.

His final line was 6.0 IP giving up one run, earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out nine on a career-high 102 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Currently, Dollander has a 2.88 ERA in 25 total innings.

Also worth noting, Dollander’s nine Ks ties the Rockies record for strikeouts by a reliever, which was set by Bruce Ruffin in 1993.

“He was great tonight. What a well-pitched ballgame on both sides of the ball,” manager Warren Schaefer said. “He looks like a completely different guy this year.”

The Rockies turned to the bullpen in the eighth when Juan Mejia entered the game. He allowed one hit, but no runs.

The ninth inning went to lefty Brennan Bernardino. After getting two quick outs, he allowed a two-out single to Andujar followed by a Fermín double — only the second Padres extra-base hit of the evening. With the count 2-2, Cronenworth took a pitch that was called a ball. Goodman was quick to tap his helmet, and the call was overturned.

Inning over.

In total, the Rockies pitching staff struck out 15 — the most strikeouts the Padres have recorded in a game this season. They issued only one walk and allowed one run (earned) on six hits.

A Padres pitching clinic, too

On the Padres side of Coors Field, starter Randy Vásquez was dealing. Although the Rockies were able to get players on base in every inning until the fifth, none of them managed to get past second base.

Vásquez went 7.0 IP giving up just three hits and no runs. He struck out three and did not issue a walk and now has a 1.88 ERA.

“Vásquez was awesome. It was the cutter,” Schaeffer said. “We just didn’t have an answer for it tonight.”

For the eighth inning, the Padres sent out Jason Adam, who easily handled the bottom of the Rockies order.

In an odd move, the Padres did not bring in stellar closer Mason Miller for the ninth. Instead, that duty fell to Adrian Morejon, who made quick work of the top three hitters.

A work-in-progress offense

On a low-scoring game when the Rockies needed offense, they could not figure out Randy Vásquez and fared no better against the Padres bullpen. They managed only three hits and were 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.

Rockies hitters struck out eight times and had no walks. They did not manage a hit after Goodman’s single in the fourth inning.

That said, although no one likes losing, this was an encouraging showing for a rebuilding team.

One other note: In the postgame, Dollander gave a shoutout to Alon Leichman for his pitch calling.

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Join us for Game 2 tomorrow night at 6:40. Walker Buehler will start for the Padres while Tomoyuki Sugano will take the mound for the Rockies.

See you then.

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One of the most unfortunate things about being an American sports fan is you’re relentlessly inundated with erectile dysfunction advertisements. Are you unable to perform like you used to? Having trouble getting it up? Not making enough hard contact?

The saving grace is these inquiries are generally quarantined to the commercial breaks. But lately, and especially tonight, the bottom half of every inning at Fenway Park is resembling one of these uncomfortable questionnaires.

The Red Sox didn’t just get shutout tonight. They were held to a mere two hits over 6.1 innings against Luis Gil, who entered the game with a 7.00 ERA and has stuff so underwhelming, even this lineup walked more times (three) than they struck out (twice). Not a single pitch thrown by a Yankee arm tonight registered higher than 96mph, and the Red Sox couldn’t do anything in the box. These are the games you’re supposed to post crooked numbers! If the Sox are getting shutout and frankly not coming close to scoring runs against this competition, what are they possibly going to look like when they start facing some real flamethrowers?

Accompanying this latest listless performance was an 0-7 effort with runners in scoring position, which now leaves Boston with a .159 batting average with runners in scoring position on this homestand.

Needless to say given the score, the bats once against failed to go deep, which means they’ve now hit just five home runs in their last 16 games. During this stretch, they’re more likely to score two runs or less in the game (seven times) than they are to hit a home run at any point in the game (five times).

The at bats were so terrible and widespread in this one, it’s not even worth dissecting any key moments because there weren’t any that stood out. It was just one never-ending conveyor belt of uninspiring and boring at bats. They were so bad they didn’t even create a key spot in the game to fail in.

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On the mound, Connelly Early was mostly solid until the sixth inning when he lost command of the zone and walked three guys. The overall outing was a mixed bag, but with a normal offense, this would have been enough to make it a competitive game that likely would have been decided in a nail biter in the ninth.

Unfortunately, the impotency of this lineup is anything buy normal. Ask your front office if a power hitter is right for you.

Studs

No player is going in this category tonight, but we can give it to …

The Pitch Timer: Not only did it get this disaster class game over with in a reasonable amount of time, but it also provided a couple of the most interesting exchanges of the night (both involving Jose Caballero).

In the sixth inning, when Jack Anderson came in to relieve Connelly Early, Caballero successfully baited Anderson into a violation twice by waiting until the eight second mark (when you have to be ready and address the pitcher) to address Anderson. As a result, Anderson was early both times and got called for it.

But then, Anderson showed us a little something and came back to to strike out Caballero, including on a perfect pitch down and in on 3-2.

Then in the eighth, Caballero got the tables turned on him and ended up getting rung up on a pitch timer violation of his own.

Not only has the pitch timer improved the game by tightening it back to where it was for the majority of last century, but it also provides some drama as teams push the edge.

Three Duds

It really should be the entire offense, but we’ll specifically give it to the three guys who never got on base.

Wilyer Abreu: 0-4 tonight, and his OPS has fallen from 1.101 to .796 over his last nine games.

Masataka Yoshida: 0-4, easily his worst day at the dish so far this season.

Strikeouts: 0-3 with two strikeouts. The only reason he wasn’t 0-4 like the others is because the lineup was so bad it didn’t get around to him again. He’s now hitting .155 with a .475 OPS on the season.

Play of the game:

There was this really sweet highlight reel catch from Ceddanne Rafaela tonight. It’s just too bad it happened late in this complete nothing game instead of to keep the score tied in the eighth or something like that.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, this offense gets to face Max Fried. I’ve been told it’s not possible to score negative runs in a baseball game, but if it is, these guys are going to find it soon.

Nolan McLean was outstanding again on Tuesday night. 

After being handed an early 3-0 lead on a Francisco Lindor homer, the young right-hander was doing everything he could to make sure he brought the Mets’ 11-game losing streak to an end. 

McLean absolutely cruised his way through the Twins’ lineup in the early-going, retiring the first 15 batters he faced and picking up eight strikeouts along the way over the first five innings. 

Matt Wallner immediately brought both the perfect game and no-hit bids to an end, though, leading off the top of the sixth with a clean single. 

The righty retired the next two hitters easily, but then fell behind Byron Buxton 3-1 before he lifted an up-and-away cutter for a towering two-run homer down the left-field line. 

McLean gave up another hit but was able to escape without any further damage. 

Even with the youngster starting to show some signs of fatigue, Carlos Mendoza elected to stick with him to start the seventh, and Minnesota was quickly able to break through again. 

Back-to-back knocks from Kody Clemons and Luke Keaschall completely flipped the script, evening things up at three apiece and chasing McLean from the game. 

“He’s our guy,” the skipper said afterwards. “With the way he was throwing on a day when we had a couple of our guys down, we knew we were going to push him, so we felt good with where he was at and he gave us a chance."

"I’d like to go a bit longer," McLean admitted. "But Bux made a good swing and things snowballed from there."

The 24-year-old finished giving up just three runs on five hits while matching his career-high with 10 strikeouts.

McLean was outstanding the first two times through the order once again, but this isn’t the first time that he’s been hit a bit harder that elusive third time around. 

As pointed out by Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com, opponents have just a .075 average against him over the first five innings, compared to a .360 mark in the sixth and beyond. 

It’s something McLean knows he has to work on moving forward. 

“These guys are getting paid to play baseball, too,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just have to execute a little bit better, maybe do a little bit more homework on how guys are adjusting, but I just have to execute better at the end of the day.”

The Mets are in the midst of a lengthy losing streak that has seen some of the best hitters in the league go cold, and starters and relievers implode in various ways.

On Tuesday night, it was Devin Williams' turn. After blowing his first save as a Met on Sunday, Williams was called upon to keep the team's series-opener against the Twins tied at three in the ninth. Williams, however, just could not control his signature changeup and allowed two runs on a hit and three walks in the team's 5-3 loss at Citi Field.

"Felt a little out of sync, mechanically," Williams said of his outing after the game. "Couldn’t really land my changeup for strikes. It was tough to beat guys with just the fastball." 

“Today, the command. Getting behind hitters, not able to execute," manager Carlos Mendoza said of his closer. "Once you start walking people, you’re in dangerous territory there. He’s gotta come back in the zone, and when he’s getting behind, good hitters are going to make him pay. Overall, the walks kinda hurt him there."

Williams has thrown his changeup 48 percent of the time this season, but he just couldn't rely on it on Tuesday. Of the 21 pitches he threw, Williams only tossed eight to the five Twins hitters he faced; only one was thrown for a strike.

For a two-pitch pitcher, their job is much harder when one of those pitches is taken away from them. But is it the reason for Williams' recent struggles? After allowing four runs in 0.1 innings against the Dodgers on April 15, Williams allowed a run in the aforementioned blown save in Chicago before Tuesday's performance. 

Those seven earned runs have ballooned his ERA to 9.95.

But Williams and Mendoza said today's outing was the result of bad command. Williams, who inked a three-year, $51 million deal with the Mets this offseason, was asked if the team's now 12-game losing streak is adding more pressure on him to perform. The right-hander, who is in his eighth season, didn't agree but can't pinpoint anything specific for his recent tough stretch.

"Obviously, you want to do well," Williams said of pitching during the losing streak. "We’re in a tough stretch here. It’s the same as any other game."

He added, "All three outings were something different. Today, I didn’t have command. Couldn’t throw my changeup for a strike. It’s tough to be one-dimensional."

Although he doesn't place blame on the added pressures of the Mets' losing streak for his recent performances, he acknowledges that it hasn't been easy.

"It’s tough, man. I’ve never been a part of something like this," he said of the streak. "I think we just need to get the one win out of the way and I think everything else will take care of itself. It’s proving pretty difficult right now... Every day is a new day. We have a chance to win a new game every day. Everyone knows the situation; it’s just stacking on top of each other." 

 

 

 

The Orioles coughed up two different leads on Tuesday night as starter Shane Baz was, yet again, inconsistent, and the team’s bullpen had a rare stumble. All of it led to a frustrating 6-5 loss to the Royals, evening up the series at one game apiece.

The Orioles’ half of the second inning felt like a game-changer in the moment. They made Royals starter Kris Bubic throw a ton of pitches. Jeremiah Jackson saw five pitches before singling, Weston Wilson walked after nine pitches, and Leody Taveras lined out on the seventh pitch of his at-bat.

That all happened before Coby Mayo gave the O’s an early lead with his first home run of the season, a 114-mph bomb that went 439 feet down the left field line. Swings like that are why the organization continues to believe in Mayo.

Normally, when someone throws 38 pitches in one inning, they aren’t in for a long night at the office. Bubic would prove otherwise. The southpaw rebounded from the nightmarish second frame and then delivered four consecutive scoreless innings to protect the Royals bullpen for as long as possible. That is both an indictment of the Orioles’ offensive showing for much of this game, but also an impressive bit of veteran moxie from the 28-year-old Bubic.

Orioles starter Shane Baz had himself yet another uneven outing in the black and orange. Over 6.1 innings, the righty allowed four runs on eight hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Kansas City’s first run of the day came in the bottom of the second. Carter Jensen doubled with one out, moved to third base on a wild pitch, and then trotted home on a Michael Massey sac fly to right field. That made it a 3-1 Orioles advantage.

Baz worked out of trouble in both the third and fourth inning. The third saw him get a big groundout of Vinnie Pasquantino with two outs and two runners in scoring position. In the fourth, he again stranded runners at second and third by getting a strikeout followed by a pop out.

That luck would run out in the fifth inning, when the Royals would tie the score up at 3-3. Kyle Isbel opened the frame with a double, and then moseyed home on a single by Maikel Garcia. The speedy Garcia then scooted to second base on a ground out before stealing third base. That then put him in position to cross the plate on a Pasquantino sac fly to knot things back up.

It seemed like O’s manager Craig Albernaz was testing Baz from there. The righty worked a shutout sixth inning, which included two big strikeouts on what felt like a finale to his day. But he had only thrown 85 pitches, and the bullpen was thin after going to extra innings on Monday. So, Albernaz brought the starter back for the seventh. That would prove to be a poor decision.

Isbel doubled yet again to begin the inning. This came right after he had taken a pitch that was called ball two but should have been strike three. The Orioles had a challenge to use, but Rutschman decided against it. After the double, Isbel advanced to third on a wild pitch and was then joined on base by a Garcia walk. Albernaz followed that with a visit to the mound, where it seemed like he was prepared to yank Baz from the game. Instead, they had a quick chat, and he stuck with him for one more batter. That batter was Bobby Witt Jr. It worked out fine, relatively. Witt did drive in Isbel with a sac fly, and Baz was then removed. But Grant Wolfram came in and limited the damage from there, leaving his one inherited runner stranded and keep the game at 4-3 after seven innings.

The Orioles would go back ahead in the eighth inning. Gunnar Henderson led off with a double down the left field line. Then Adley Rutschman, fresh off of his brief IL stint, came up clutch with a two-run homer to left field off of reliever Matt Strahm.

Despite a really rough patch in the game’s middle innings, somhow the Orioles found themselves ahead 5-4 going into the late frames. Considering how good their bullpen has been to this point, it felt like a win was incoming.

Think again.

Rico Garcia was called on for the eighth inning. Prior to today’s game, the righty had basically been perfect this season. He had yet to allow a hit or run on the year. That streak ended with the first batter he faced on Tuesday. Michael Massey led off the eighth inning with a solo homer to give us yet another deadlock, this one at 5-5. Garcia did look really good outside of that at-bat, but the damage had been done.

The Orioles failed to score in their half of the ninth inning, and then they brought on closer Ryan Helsley for the bottom of the frame. He had not control in this one, as he issued walks to both Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. to begin the inning. A strikeout of Pasquantino didn’t help much because it came on a pitch in the dirt that allowed the two runners to advance anyway. Then, with Salvador Perez at the plate, Helsley spiked another pitch in the dirt. Rutschman blocked it, but it bounced too far away from him in front of the plate, leaving plenty of time for Garcia to sprint home from third as the winning run.

This was one of the rare Orioles losses that can mostly be pinned on the bullpen. That’s not to say that Baz was great, because he wasn’t. But he provided 6.1 innings. And that’s not to say the offense had some incredible performance, because they didn’t. But they scored five runs and produced a lead late. The Orioles need to count of the duo of Garcia and Helsley to lock down those wins. It didn’t happen tonight.

There was good news buried within the loss.

Rutschman’s return was a welcome one. He instantly adds depth and credibility to the lineup. It also freed up Samuel Basallo to be a pinch-hit option late in the game. It turns out that when your best players are healthy, your team is more dangerous. Very interesting discovery, that is.

Mayo’s homer was awesome too. The young slugger still has some runway here while Jackson Holliday is out to figure things out at the plate. Could that dong be the first step? We sure have to hope so. The Orioles, as a team, need to be hitting more home runs. Mayo should be a reliable source of them.

Outside of that, it was just a tough loss to the take. Can’t dwell on it. Just go get the series win tomorow.

Speaking of which, he Orioles will wrap up this series, this roadtrip, and the 13-day run without a day off on Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City. Chris Bassitt (0-2, 6.19 ERA) will be on the bump to face Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.00 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:10 from Kauffman Stadium.

It’s another Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents nd Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us. New friends or old, all are welcome. The dress code is casual. We’ve still got a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs won their seventh-straight game, beating the Phillies 7-4. For all the early-season nail-biting, this team looks pretty darn good right now. Let us hope they stay that way.

Last night I asked you what the Cubs should do with Jordan Wicks after he returns from the injured list. The majority of you said “Leave him in Iowa” as 56 percent voted for that. Another 34 percent thought he should go into the Cubs depleted bullpen.

On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do a movie essay, but I always have time for jazz and that time is now. You can skip ahead if you wish.

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Today we’re continuing our series on Chicago jazz in anticipation of International Jazz Day in Chicago on April 30. This is Chicago’s own saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Von Freeman at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1988. This sax battle features Willie Pickens on piano, Dan Shapera on bass and Robert Shy on drums.

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Welcome back to those of you who skip all that jazz.

Since Moisés Ballesteros, also known by the nickname “Mo Baller,” was called up to the majors for good last September, he’s done nothing but hit. So far in his career, he’s hitting .333/.405/,529 with five home runs in 39 games. When you throw out his numbers from his first stint in the majors last May, the numbers are even better.

This year, Mo Baller is hitting .378/.420/.600 with three home runs in just 50 plate appearances. I don’t need to tell you that’s elite production. Those are the kinds of numbers where you don’t care whether or not he ever learns to be a catcher. You just stick him in the lineup at designated hitter and let him do his thing.

The problem with this, of course, is that the Cubs aren’t just sticking him at DH and letting him do his thing. Ballesteros is being strictly platooned, playing only against right-handed pitching. So far, manager Craig Counsell’s strategy has been to start Ballesteros against right-handers and then pull him for a pinch-hitter (usually Matt Shaw or one of the other two catchers) if the other team brings in a left-handed reliever to face Ballesteros. Then Counsel goes to Michael Conforto as the DH if a right-handed pitcher comes in later.

So far, this strategy has worked. Saturday’s game was the best example, and I know some of you grumbled when Counsell pinch hit for Ballesteros in the sixth inning. Of course, everyone who did happily reversed themselves when Carson Kelly hit a pinch-hit three-run home run, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was the right call in the situation. Sometimes in baseball, the wrong call works out and the right call fails.

So far, Ballesteros is hitting .405 with a .447 on-base percentage against right-handers and .000 with the same on-base percentage against lefties. Of course, that’s only three at-bats against lefties. Counsell has been pretty strict about not letting Mo Baller face a lefty.

Ballesteros has mixed success facing left-handed pitching in the minor league. Last year in Iowa versus left-hnaded pitching, Ballesteros managed to hit just .230/.296/.281 in 152 plate appearances. That would argue that Counsell is doing the right thing by sitting him. But in 2024, between Iowa and Tennessee, Ballesteros was actually better against left-handers than right-handers. He hit .302 with a .356 OBP against lefties in 2024 and “just” .285 with a .354 OBP versus right-handers. So there is some evidence that Ballesteros can hold his own versus left-handed pitching if given the chance.

Should Counsell let Ballesteros face more left-handed pitching? No one is arguing Ballesteros should be starting everyday, against both lefties and righties. At least not at this stage of his career. What I am asking is whether you think that Counsell should be less aggressive in pinch-hitting for Ballesteros mid-game. Letting him get some at-bats against lefties would serve two purposes. The first is that it would give him more experience facing lefties, which he needs if he’s going to be an everyday DH. The second would be that it would leave Ballesteros in the lineup for the late innings if the opposing team goes to an right-handed reliever later on.

Of course, the argument against this is that what Counsell is doing now appears to be working. Having Michael Conforto on the bench lessens the risks of pinch-hitting for Ballesteros.

So what would you do with Mo Baller? Would you let him at least get his feet wet against lefties? Or would you just stick with what Counsell is doing now? Again, we’re not asking if Ballesteros should start every game, just whether or not Counsell should not automatically pinch-hit for him mid game. Maybe get a rare start against a left-handed pitcher.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re always glad to see you stop by. Please get home safely. Don’t forget anything around your table. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.

The Phillies have had their share of poorly pitched ballgames this season. While they have had games in which they’ve given up more runs, there’s a case that this was actually their worst pitched game of the season. The Phillies’ pitching staff gave up 12 hits, walked ten batters, and hit two others for good measure. The pitchers and the strike zone were not in sync all night. There were several instances in which pitchers looked either scared to throw a strike or simply had no idea where the strike zone actually was.

The only reason the game wasn’t more of a blowout was because Cubs left a staggering 17 runners on base. But that ultimately didn’t matter as the Cubs still scored enough runs to hand the Phillies a 7-3 defeat, their seventh loss in a row.

Jesus Luzardo got the start for the Phillies, and had a relatively uneventful first inning, giving up a mere single. In the second, he allowed two hits but stranded them both. Because he apparently likes patterns, in the third, Luzardo put three runners on bases thanks to two walks and a hit batter, but he once again was able to strand them all.

After stranding two more in the fourth, Luzardo put two runners aboard in the fifth. Rob Thomson decided that Luzardo had pressed his luck far enough and called upon Orion Kerkering to record the final out of the inning. Kerkering was notoriously bad with inherited runners in 2025, and that was again a problem on Tuesday night. He walked the first two batters he faced to put the Cubs up 1-0.

The Phillies had done little on offense up to that point, but when Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run in the sixth to make it 1-1, you might have thought it would be deflating for the Cubs.

Kyle Schwarber goes yard to tie the game in Chicago! pic.twitter.com/YE5oEHK7KN

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 22, 2026

Any deflation was countered by the ineffectiveness of Tanner Banks in the bottom of the sixth. Banks gave up three hits and walked two batters, and the Cubs went up 3-1.

Tim Mayza followed Banks, while he threw more strikes than the others, two of those strikes went over the fence courtesy of Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki, and the Cubs established a 6-1 lead.

The Phillies got two runs thanks to a Bryce Harper home run in the eighth, but Jose Alvarado handed one of them right back. Alvarado walked a batter, gave up two hits, threw a wild pitch, and then hit a batter before being pulled with what was reported as a back spasm.

The Phillies showed a little bit of life in the ninth. They got a few runners aboard, and Alec Bohm got one home on a sacrifice fly. They actually had the tying run at the plate in the form of Trea Turner. But anyone familiar with Turner’s game knew how that was going to go. Sure enough, Turner weakly popped up to end the game.

They’ll be back in action Wednesday night when Taijuan Walker will get the ball after an opener. While that doesn’t sound promising, the Phillies pitchers on Tuesday set the bar extremely low. Let’s see if Walker and company can clear it.