SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers slides home to score against the Athletics in the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 9, A’s 6
There was just way too much going on with this game.
It was disorienting. It was confusing. It was befuddling.
It was windy.
The wind was out of control. It was wild. It was nuts.
It huffed and puffed and blew a couple of potential home runs down.
It also blew a high pop fly to right field by Josh Jung into the right field stands for a go ahead homer that we thought would be the difference in the game.
Then it wasn’t because of a ball lost in the sun and a ball blown back towards the infield and what seemed to be a game the A’s should have won but were trying to lose but then were going to win, only to then lose.
Four runs from your resilient Rangers in the top of the ninth turned a 6-5 deficit into an9-6 lead and eventual win.
And Cal Quantrill made his Rangers debut. Got a win, even. Madness.
These are the games that I’m used to the Rangers losing in Oakland.
I guess it’s a good thing it was played in Sacramento.
Jack Leiter maxed out at 98.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 96.2 mph. Robert Garcia’s fastball touched 96.8 mph. Tyler Alexander hit 92.4 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s fastball topped out at 92.9 mph, Jacob Latz reached 95.2 mph with his fastball. Cal Quantrill’s fastball hit 94.5 mph.
Ezequiel Duran had a 107.3 mph groundout and a 102.9 mph single. Wyatt Langford had a 105.6 mph groundout. Josh Smith had a 105.0 mph double. Brandon Nimmo had a 103.2 mph fly out and a 100.0 mph single.
Back above .500, back in first place, and on to Seattle.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 16: Starting pitcher Parker Messick #77 of the Cleveland Guardians tips his hat to the fans as he leaves the game during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the Orioles 4-2. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Guardians’ rookie Parker Messick took a no-hitter into the 9th inning, but couldn’t complete the first Cleveland no-hitter in 25 years, settling for a 4-2 victory over the Orioles, Thursday.
Messick game into the bottom of the 9th with only two walks allowed and nine strikeouts on 106 pitches. He tried to sneak a cutter past Leody Taveras, only for the Orioles’ CF to slash to the ball back up the middle toward right-center, just out of the reach of 2B Juan Brito, for the Orioles first hit of the night.
Parker Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth, and on the first pitch of the inning Leody Taveras delivered a single pic.twitter.com/tc9Sj4blPM
The relief of no longer having a 0 in the hit column helped spark a mini rally for Baltimore in the top of the 9th. Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt left Messick in to face Blaze Alexander, who rewarded that decision by lining a single to center field. That forced Vogt to turn to closer Cade Smith, who allowed the O’s to further claw back in the game. Taylor Ward worked a full count against Smith, and then loaded the bases when he line a 3-2 fastball into center.
Gunnar Henderson then came to the plate representing the tying run for Baltimore. The star SS just missed hitting a game-tying grand slam as well, getting just out in front of a Smith splitter and sending a 355-foot sac fly to deep right-center. Pete Alonso then took his own chance at being the Orioles’ hero, attacking a first-pitch fastball and sending it ricocheting off the top of the wall in right field for an RBI double. Had Alonso’s sinking line drive been five feet higher and five feet to the left, it would’ve been a three-run homer that tied the game. Instead, he had to settle for putting the tying run at second with one out.
As minds in Birdland began to turn to the Orioles magical no-hitter to walk-off winner Houdini act last September against the Dodgers, Colton Cowser stepped in as a pinch hitter. After fouling off some tough pitches from Smith, Cowser just got under a ball, sending a hard-hit shallow fly to left-center for the second out. That left the fate of the comeback to rookie Samuel Basallo, who sent a 108mph grounder screaming up the middle, only for Brito to grab it and toss the ball over to first for the final out.
The fact that the O’s made Thursday’s loss look respectable came as a surprise after Messick left them utterly befuddled for eight innings. The stocky, 25-year-old lefty had Orioles swinging through fastballs, flailing and changeups and pounding easy groundouts to shortstop all night. The only really loud outs of the game on a Ward flyout in the 3rd that died right up against the centerfield fence, and a nifty snag in foul territory by José Ramírez in the 8th. The complete lack of good swings from the Orioles against Messick made it look like they could go 100 ABs against the southpaw and never sniff a hit.
To say Orioles starter Shane Baz had a bad outing in Cleveland would probably be a little harsh, but he certainly paled in comparison to his counterpart, Messick. Coming off a lackluster outing against the Giants, Baz didn’t start the game with his best stuff against the Guardians. After punching out Steven Kwan to start the game, he walked Chase DeLauter on five pitches and then made a big mistake to perennial All-Star Ramírez. Baz threw a first-pitch fastball down the heart of the plate, and the Guardians’ all-time leader in games played smashed it to deep left-center for a two-run blast.
The 26-year-old right-hander quickly but that blunder behind him, though. He got out of the first thanks to a diving stop by Jeremiah Jackson at second and a lineout to Pete Alonso. The Polar Bear then made a great snag on a grounder to start the 2nd, before Baz punched out Austin Hedges on a foul-tipped cutter and ended the inning with a pop out to short.
The Orioles’ right-hander breezed through the 3rd inning thanks to a pair of grounders and a pop-up to the catcher. He’d open the 4th by striking out Kyle Manzardo looking, before giving up a single to George Valera, ending a streak of seven consecutive Guardians retired. The O’s defense would pick up their starter to end the 4th, as Coby Mayo stabbed a hard-hit grounder at third and started a 5-4-3 double play.
Baz picked up his fourth punchout of the night to begin the 5th, snapping off a knuckle curve below the zone to get Juan Brito. After getting Hedges to ground out on another good knuckle curve, the hard-throwing Texan ran into some bad luck to end the 5th.
Shortstop Brayan Rocchio grounded a ball to the right side that just barely eluded the pocket of Jackson’s glove, skipped off the glove into right field and allowed Rocchio to skamper to second for a double. After a double with an xBA of .120 kept the inning alive, Kwan lined a single to RF Johnathan Rodríguez. The Orioles’ outfielder fired a frozen rope to home plate, beating Rocchio, but the Cleveland infielder just barely slid under the tag of Samuel Basallo to score the Guardians’ third run.
Cleveland would add their fourth run against Baz in the 6th, thanks to another rally started by Ramírez. The Guardians’ best player led off the inning by working a 10-pitch walk. He then moved to third on a line drive by Manzardo to right, before scoring on a single to left off Valera’s bat. The Oriole’s starter would limit the damage, finishing the inning with two more Ks and a groundout to short. That closed Baz’s line at 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB and 6 K.
The Orioles will look to end their second three-game losing streak of the season tomorrow when Chris Bassitt takes the bump in Cleveland. First pitch is set for 6:10pm ET.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is a lot to like about the 2026 season so far for the St. Louis Cardinals. Through the first 18 games, the team has a winning record and several players are off to a great start. One of the exceptions is Nolan Gorman and the early numbers reveal there is real reason for concern as 2026 is starting to look a lot like 2025.
Full disclosure: I am not a numbers expert like some of my colleagues here. I’m interested in the metrics, but don’t pretend that I can interpret them like the many in our community that also probably did a lot better in algebra than I did in school, too. However, I decided to dig in to see exactly how much progress (or not) that Nolan Gorman has made with his new approach. I did not like what I learned.
I decided to compare how Nolan started the 2025 season compared to what he’s done in 2026 through the same amount of games. So far during the 2026 season, Nolan Gorman has 11 hits in 53 at-bats with 2 home runs and 9 RBI’s and a .208 average and .611 OPS. Through the first 18 games of 2025, he had an almost exact same stat line. Gorman had 10 hits in 53 at-bats with 2 home runs and a .189 average. Nolan’s walk rate and walk-to-strikeout rate was also slightly better at the start of the 2025 season compared to what we’ve seen in 2026. His hard hit rate and barrel percentage are also slightly down from 2025.
“When you talk about what we’re doing with him and what he’s doing in order to prevent that from changing…more contact, not doing that at the expense of bat speed. You have to start somewhere and that’s why I wanted to lay that out last year….the bat speed is going to drop a little bit while we try to figure out how to get him through the zone and impacting the baseball at a higher rate.”
Nolan Gorman showed signs of improvement during Spring Training, but the first 18 games of the season have not seen that trend continue. If anything, he’s regressed somewhat although 18 games is a very small sample size. I suppose I would be delusional to hope that we’d see the Nolan Gorman that we saw at the start of the 2023 season when he began on a tear. Through the first 18 games of 2023, Nolan had a .319 batting average, already had 6 home runs and 18 RBI’s with an OPS north of 1.000. The 2023 version of Nolan Gorman was a confident one while the 2026 Nolan we’ve seen so far looks…well, “uncomfortable” would be the word that comes to mind.
I have to wonder if the key to Nolan Gorman rediscovering himself might be what’s happened with Jordan Walker. When asked about how he’s been able to turnaround his approach and results, Jordan has said that he doesn’t want to think about it too much. On one of the pregame broadcasts earlier this week, I recall Jim Hayes talking to hitting coach Brant Brown. When asked about Jordan Walker, Brant said that he’s not discussing too much about mechanics unless he sees a red flag. The only change he says he’s made is talking to Walker about how he will now be pitched with the opposition knowing he’s a threat. Other than that, he doesn’t want Walker to overthink his new success. The at-bats I’ve seen Nolan Gorman take this season, he looks like a player that’s trying to apply someone else’s approach.
I think that Nolan Gorman is a player that really needs to have some success and he needs to have it soon. Jordan Walker now has his confidence back and he goes to the plate expecting to do damage. We know that Nolan Gorman is capable of being that type of impact player, too. I daydream about a St. Louis Cardinals lineup where both Gorman and Walker are offensive threats. Walker is on his way to living up to his massive potential. Will Gorman be able to jumpstart his flatline start to 2026? We can only hope.
Anthony Volpe continues his road back to the Yankees with his second rehab start playing for the Somerset Patriots on Thursday night.
The Yankees shortstop played five innings and finished 1-for-3 with a strikeout on the night. After going hitless in his two at-bats on Tuesday -- batting against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler -- Volpe has the first hit of his rehab assignment.
Batting second in the lineup, Volpe grounded out to third base in his first at-bat. In his second at-bat in the third inning, Volpe swung and missed on a 3-2 pitch down in the zone. He's struck out three times in his first five at-bats since starting his rehab assignment. But Volpe got the barrel on the ball in his third at-bat, this time coming in the fifth.
On a 3-0 count, Volpe had the greenlight and drove the ball up the middle for a base hit.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that the plan is for Volpe to play back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday. The shortstop will take Saturday off before taking the field again on Sunday.
From there, Volpe will head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where his workload will increase.
Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. started at third base for the Patriots on Thursday before shifting over to shortstop once Volpe's night was done.
Lombard's scorching-hot start to the minor league season continued, as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk through six innings of Thursday's game.
Over his first 10 games, Lombard is hitting .425 and has five multi-hit games this season.
Apr 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo (58) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
The Mariners are back under the lights tonight after a game where for some reason, who can say really, the ninth inning absolutely did not happen. Seriously. Eat some chicharron, drink a Russian imperial stout, and smile through it all. That’s how we get through 162 games together.
Lineups:
Luis Castillo takes the mound tonight for the final match of this weird 3-game road trip. Luis actually leads MLB in swings-and-misses (3,426) since 2017, the year he made his debut. Here’s hoping he adds to that lead tonight. Offense-wise, it’s a fairly conventional lineup for Dan Wilson’s Mariners. J.P. Crawford is back in the lineup after getting the day off yesterday, and there’s been some slight jiggling in the 7-9 holes, but otherwise it’s the same lineup that put 6 runs on the Dads last night.
Walker Buehler takes the mound tonight for San Diego. Buehler had a to-ugh time in Boston last year, and his 2026 hasn’t been any better. Sporting an ERA of 4.97, the two-time All-Star has been scuffling out of the gate. With luck, the Mariners can put the hurt on him and get his ERA north of 5.
Game Information:
First Pitch: 5:40 pm PT
TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink in the booth with Brad Adam on the field.
Radio: Seattle Sports 710 AM with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Gavin Sheets #30 congratulates Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres after his two run homerun during the sixth inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park on April 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Seattle Mariners (8-11) at San Diego Padres (12-6), April 16, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
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HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Ryan Weiss #51 of the Houston Astros pitches in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park on March 30, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (8-11), who enter tonight’s game on a seven-game home winning streak, look to secure a series sweep tonight in the finale of their three-game series vs. the Colorado Rockies (6-12).
Astros starter RHP Ryan Weiss (0-2, 7.36 ERA) will transition from the bullpen to the rotation to make his first Major League start tonight as he opposes the Rockies and their opener RHP Juan Mejia (0-2, 5.40 ERA).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Ryan Weiss, who’s made five relief appearances this season, is back pitching in the United States in 2026 after spending the last two seasons in the KBO.
He made 46 career starts in Korea for the Hanwha Eagles and posted a 3.16 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 305 strikeouts in 270.1 innings over those two seasons.
The Astros signed him to a Major League deal in December.
VS. THE ROCKIES: The Astros were swept by the Rockies last week in a three-game series at Coors Field (April 6-9), which was the Astros first sweep at the hands of the Rockies since a four-game series from May 28-31, 2012. After the 2012 season, the Astros have not lost a season series against the Rockies, winning seven times and splitting twice.
FLEET WEEK HOUSTON: In honor of Fleet Week Houston, a ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by U.S. Navy Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Tarren Foreman from Lufkin, Texas. A special Play Ball Call will be made by Admiral Karl Thomas, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
TONIGHT’S SPECIAL GUESTS: Astros closer LHP Josh Hader will host a group of kids from BEAR at Thursday’s game as a part of his Hader’s Heart program. The group will also get to experience BP and talk with Hader on the field prior to the game.
TAXI SQUAD ADDITION: The Astros have added RHP Peter Lambert to the Major League Taxi Squad.
A former Rockie, Lambert has spent his 2026 season at Triple A Sugar Land, posting a 1.84 ERA (3ER/14.2IP) in three games (two starts).
ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the American League in several key offensive categories: Runs, AVG, OPS, OBP, SLG, Total Bases
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 19 different batting orders in their 19 games so far this season.
Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the batting order (batting second).
HOT START: LF Yordan Alvarez ranks first in the AL in extra-base hits (13), total bases (48), OPS (1.250), SLG (.762) and OBP (.488), ranks tied for first in walks (17), tied for second in RBI (17), tied for third in doubles (6), and tied for fourth in batting average (.333) and runs scored (15).
MR. 2000: 2B Jose Altuve has appeared in 1,994 career games and is looking to become the third player in franchise history to reach 2,000 career games, which would join him with Craig Biggio (2,850) and Jeff Bagwell (2,150).
Only four active players have reached 2,000 career games: Andrew McCutchen (2,274), Carlos Santana (2,212), Freddie Freeman (2,197) and Paul Goldschmidt (2,081).
HARD TO HIT: RHP Kai-Wei Teng, just the second Taiwanese-born player to appear with the Astros in their history, has held opponents to 5×34 on the season for a .147 opponent average.
Overall, Teng has gone 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA (3ER/9.2IP), a 0.93 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 9.2 innings in relief.
ON THE MEND:LHP Bennett Sousa (left oblique strain) is currently on a rehab assignment with Double A Corpus Christi and is next scheduled to pitch tomorrow for the Hooks…Sousa was an integral member of the Astros bullpen in 2025, posting a 5-1 record with four saves and 2.84 ERA (16ER/50.2IP) in 44 appearances.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, April 16, 7:10 p.m. CST
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Apr 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) hits a two-RBI single against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
The Athletics entered the fourth and final game of their series against the Texas Rangers seeking a third straight win and a series victory, but the Rangers instead earned a split with a 9-6 win in a wild, wind-swept finale.
Making his second home start of the season, A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez was sharp early, only throwing 25 pitches, striking out two and allowing just one walk over his first two innings. Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter was similarly sharp, issuing just one walk to A’s designated hitter Shea Langeliers in his first two innings of work.
The Rangers broke through in the third. With one out, shortstop Ezequiel Duran doubled, and right fielder Brandon Nimmo followed with an RBI single to make it 1–0, but Lopez retired the next two hitters to limit the damage.
The A’s attempted to answer back immediately. With two outs in the bottom of the third, second baseman Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch and then Langeliers got the A’s first hit of the game, a single to left. First baseman Nick Kurtz walked to load the bases for left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, who smacked a hard line drive that Nimmo caught in right field to end the hosts’ two-out rally. Through the first few innings, A’s hitters made plenty of hard contact off of Leiter, but failed to score.
Lopez worked around a leadoff double by Josh Jung to keep the Athletics deficit at one. The bottom of the fourth was another wasted scoring chance for the “Green and Gold”. After Carlos Cortes and Lawrence Butler singled, Leiter buckled down, getting the next two hitters to groundout to escape another jam unscathed. It marked the second-straight inning in which the A’s left multiple runners in scoring position.
In the fifth inning, Lopez lost his command, issuing three straight walks. With the bases loaded, Rangers first baseman Jake Burger continued his strong series with a sacrifice fly to double the lead to 2–0. The Rangers left two runners on as Lopez got third baseman Josh Jung to fly out to end the inning.
In the bottom of that inning, the A’s finally broke through against Leiter. Langeliers walked and then with two outs, Soderstrom hit a ground-rule double to right. Shortstop Jacob Wilson blooped a two-RBI single to right field.
Lopez turned in arguably his best start of the season, only allowing two runs on three hits in five innings. In the sixth inning, A’s manager Mark Kotsay turned things over to his bullpen. Right-handed reliever Luis Medina quickly gave up the lead in his highest-leverage relief appearance of the season. Second baseman Josh Smith’s RBI double scored Joc Pederson, who had walked, to tie the game at three apiece.
The Rangers’ momentum carried over to the seventh. Facing A’s reliever Scott Barlow, Jung hit a fly ball that the wind carried over the short right-field fence for a go-ahead two-run home run. Barlow followed the home run by walking the next two batters, continuing the team’s issues with walks.
The A’s threatened in their half of the seventh, opening with back-to-back singles, but two Rangers relievers combined to retire the next three hitters. In the bottom of the eighth, the wind that hurt the A’s earlier helped them. The Rangers intentionally walked Langeliers, choosing to pitch to Kurtz with the bases loaded and two outs. Kurtz hit a fly ball that left fielder Wyatt Langford lost in the wind as it dropped in front of him. All three runners scored on the misplay, giving Kurtz a bases-clearing hit and the Athletics a 6-5 lead heading into the ninth.
Three outs away from taking the series, the hosts turned to right-hander Justin Sterner for the save opportunity. The decision backfired as the Rangers scored four runs on four hits against Sterner, responding to the A’s three-run frame the inning prior. The tying run scored on Sterner’s throwing error after he fielded a bunt and threw to third, where the ball was not caught by third baseman Darell Hernaiz. Texas added insurance runs before the Athletics came up empty in their final at-bats.
The Athletics will look to bounce back quickly as the Chicago White Sox arrive in Sacramento for a three-game weekend series to close out the home stand. Aaron Civale will make his first home start of the season, as he seeks to carry over his road success to Sutter Health Park. Civale will be opposed by White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 6: Juan Mejia #47 of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on April 6, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies are riding a season-high six-game losing streak as they prepare for their series finale against the Houston Astros. Despite woes from multiple sources—starting pitching deficiencies, injuries, and a sputtering offense—the games have been close.
The Rockies could use a win tonight, not only to snap their losing streak but also because of what lies ahead: a four-game weekend wraparound series against the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers. A loss tonight could open the Rockies up to the possibility of an 11-game losing streak… or worse.
With difficult outings from José Quintana and Michael Lorenzen eating into the bullpen, and Kyle Freeland on the injured list, the Rockies find themselves mixing things up on the mound. As such, they’ll be utilizing an opener tonight.
That opener will be right-handed reliever Juan Mejia. Mejia currently holds a 5.40 ERA over seven appearances and 8.1 innings this season with four walks and just five strikeouts. After impressing during the World Baseball Classic for the Domincan Republic, Mejia has struggled to find his footing. His last time out—at the beginning of this Houston series—he pitched a scoreless inning but also gave up two hits. Prior to that he had given up three earned runs in 0.1 innings against the Padres.
The Houston Astros also appear to be running a bullpen game this evening, and right-handed reliever Ryan Weiss will make the start for them. Weiss currently holds a 7.36 ERA over five appearances with 15 strikeouts over 11 innings of work.
Weiss has just one career appearance against the Rockies and it did not go well for him. Earlier this season at Coors Field he gave up seven runs—six earned—on eight hits and two walks over 2.2 innings. Weiss’ primary offering is a four-seam fastball that averages 95.7 MPH, and his secondary pitches consist of a sinker, a changeup, and a sweeper. He also throws the very occasional curveball.
Not just a hit TV series of the -70s, but the number of pitches the White Sox staff needed today
The automatic ball/strike system sure was a White Sox buddy this afternoon.
That is, until a time came when even your friends couldn’t help enough.
The Rays tried to be friendly, too, leaving 14 runners on base. That is, until the Sox pitching staff decided it was unfair not to let them score.
The first three White Sox hitters had three of their five hardest hit balls of the day, totaling 324.2 mph, but nothing came of it. That was all the excitement of the first two innings.
Then the early ABS help was huge. First, Edgar Quero got two balls changed to strikes against Yandy Diaz with the bases loaded in the top of the third, leading to an inning-ending pop up. Then, in the bottom of the inning, Miguel Vargas successfully challenged what would have been strike three and then plunked the next pitch 380 feet and over the left field fence:
The Sox and Anthony Kay politely allowed their guests to tie the game in the top of the fourth, as the bottom of the Rays order went walk-single-single. But in the sixth, Chase Meidroth led off with a double off Griffin Jax and his ERA of eight or so, and Quero scored him on a ground-rule double:
Of course, that called for courtesy to visitors again, so Grant Taylor put two on in the seventh and Sean Newcomb gave up a tying RBI single.
Still, the White Sox kept counter-punching. In the top of the eighth Everson Pereira got a hanging sweeper from Kevin Kelly, who had come into the game with another eightish ERA, and didn’t miss:
Ergo, Sox held another lead, 3-2, just three outs away from an actual win and closer Seranthony Domínguez stalking to the mound. Unfortunately, it only took Domínguez three pitches to toss a gopher ball to Junior Caminero to tie the game, and THEN proceeded into quite the meltdown for a big-bucks closer, needing 32 pitches to get through a third of an inning and leave the bases loaded. That brought in Lucas Sims, who played the gracious host to the tune of walking in two runs and handing the Rays a 5-3 advantage.
In the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Benintendi led off with a walk that would have been strikeout except the Rays were out of challenges, not being as good as Quero at that newfound art (which he used nicely many times during the game, until his fortune ran out), but then it was pop-up, ground out, pop-up and the game was over.
The White Sox only left seven on base, half the Rays total, as they garnered eight hits and four walks. Then again, Rays pitchers got through the game on an economical 142 pitches despite all that activity, 80 pitches fewer than the Sox staff somehow felt obliged to use — but then, they didn’t walk seven and strike out 10.
The sweep drops the White Sox to worst in all of baseball, as they pack up for a trip to Sacramento to start a series with the A’s.
Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7), right, and second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) celebrate a 2-RBI double from left fielder Riley Greene (31) during the ninth inning against Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 16, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In a game marred by delays, it looked like the Royals would take the series finale against the Tigers to avoid the sweep, and this after trailing by five runs midway through the game.
Unfortunately, the top of Detroit’s lineup had other plans.
The game started after an hour-plus rain delay. Detroit struck first in the bottom of the second when Spencer Torkelson doubled to left, scoring Matt Vierling. Not very long after, the Royals tied it in the top of the fourth when Bobby Witt Jr., who doubled to lead off the inning and then moved to third on a very long fly ball by Vinnie Pasquantino, scored on an infield single by Carter Jensen.
By the end of the game, the Royals, who had greatly struggled scoring runs and hitting with runners in scoring position lately, finished 5-for-10 with RISP. Bobby Witt Jr., who had only scored one run entering today’s contest, scored three times.
Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic ran into trouble in the fifth inning, which the Tigers entered winning 2-1. By the end of the frame, Bubic was out of the game and Detroit had extended their lead to 6-1 thanks in large part to a two-run home run by catcher Dillon Dingler off reliever John Schrieber. In all, Bubic lasted only 4-and-2/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with three strikeouts. He did not look sharp.
The Royals didn’t fold, though, instead chipping away at the lead. In the top of the sixth, Bobby Witt Jr. once again led off the inning with a double and once more moved to third on a fly out by Pasquantino, who hit several hard ball outs during the game. Bob ended up scoring his second run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez, who roped a screamer to left that Riley Greene caught sliding.
6-2, Tigers.
Alex Lange entered for the Royals against his former team, and while he allowed a runner to reach third, escaped the sixth with the score intact. In the next half-frame, the top of the seventh, the Royals bats busted open as the team batted around while scoring six runs to take a 8-6 lead.
The fun started with a lead-off double by Jonathan India who scored when Jac Caglianone singled up the middle on a ball that hit the second base bag. It was Cags’ first RBI of the season. I’ll note here that in the fourth, Cags, who had three hits and a walk yesterday with an outfield assist, nailed a runner at the plate for yet another outfield assist. Couple of good days for the youngster.
Lane Thomas then pinch-hit for Michael Massey, today’s starting left fielder. Thomas drew a four-pitch walk. Kyle Isbel then sacrificed Cags and Thomas over. The lineup flipped and Maikel Garcia drove in Cags to cut the lead to 6-4.
Bob followed with a check-swing infield single that scored Thomas and made it a one-run game. Pasquantino lined out to bring up Salvy with two on and two out. After completely whiffing on an 86-MPH cutter right down the middle, Perez battled back, and on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, ended up on one knee as he corked a go-ahead three-run homer to left. Thus ended an 0-for-22 with RISP skid for Salvy. 8-6, Royals.
KC – Salvador Perez 3-run HR (3) ⚡ Go-ahead HR ⚡
📏 379 ft | 💨 97.9 mph | 📐 36° ⚾️ 85.1 mph changeup (DET – LHP Tyler Holton) 🏟️ Out in 30/30 MLB parks
Immediately, the fourth and final delay of the game took place as rain briefly poured. About 40 minutes later, the game resumed, as Carter Jensen singled, but India fanned to end the big inning.
Nick Mears entered for the Royals, and hoo boy, was that an adventure. Kevin McGonigle tripled to start and scored on a foul-out by Kerry Carpenter. 8-7. Isbel then robbed Dingler of extra bases with a fantastic sliding catch at the wall. After giving up another hit, Mears escaped with the Royals clinging to the lead.
Not much happened for either team in the eighth. Daniel Lynch IV kept the Tigers at bay and the game headed to the ninth. In the top half, Pasquantino finally hit a hard ball fair, and it went out for his first homer of the season. The Royals had their insurance run, and Lucas Erceg came out to close down the game.
Erceg couldn’t do it. He allowed the first two batters to reach, on a single and walk, respectively. He then struck out Carpenter and induced a line-out by Dingler. Two down.
Next up, Riley Greene, who on the payoff pitch lined one down the first-base line. Torres scored easily from second with McGonigle not too far behind him. Erceg slapped his glove in frustration.
The game ended in the next at-bat as Colt Keith singled home Greene. Cags had a chance to get him, but Greene slid in ahead of the throw. Ballgame: 10-9 Detroit.
Now the Royals are 7-12 and begin a three-game trip to the Bronx tomorrow night against the Yankees.
Today’s game was great, and it would’ve been fantastic to write about a Royals win to staunch the bleeding and move them to 8-11. Instead, the Royals are suddenly five games below .500 and don’t return home until Monday.
Giants first-time manager Tony Vitello, who was a college coach at Tennessee last year, told reporters after the game he didn't see what caused the disagreement between his closing pitcher Erik Miller and Reds rookie Sal Stewart, who was struck out to end the game.
"I looked up and everything was going on," Vitello said. "I know the guys were joking but Miller doesn't say much to anybody, so I don't know who talked first between those guys, or if it's one-sided, but I think something was said. You know, maybe people reacted because of what went on early in the game. I didn’t have a great view."
Feb 28, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The big league team may be off, but we got a full slate of minor league games including a pair of rehab appearances. Spencer Strider makes his first rehab appearance, while Sean Murphy makes his second appearance. Let’s take a look at who is playing around the organization today.
Former Yankees prospect Oswald Peraza had himself some series against his former team.
The infielder helped lead the Angels to an 11-4 win over the Yankees on Thursday afternoon with a home run and three RBI that helped Los Angeles split the four-game series.
And while his teammate Mike Trout will get the headlines for his five-homer performance in the series, you can't overlook what Peraza did against the Yankees. His former manager, Aaron Boone, certainly didn't.
Peraza got the scoring started out of the cleanup spot with a two-run shot off of Max Fried to give the Angels a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But he wasn't done; his game-tying double in the sixth knocked Fried out of the game, and led to the four-run inning that gave the Angels the lead for good.
In the four-game set, Peraza started just three but went 5-for-10 with two home runs and four RBI, while playing his usual slick defense at third base. As Boone said, it was the type of offensive performance they hoped for when he eventually came up to the bigs.
“A lot of good memories here,” Peraza told the media before the series began. “It’s business, it’s baseball. Now I’m with the Angels and enjoy every day.”
While he found playing time with the Angels last season, he struggled offensively. This season, however, he's gotten off to a much better start. He has four home runs this season (18 games) when he had five all of last year (106 games), and has launched three longballs over his last five games. Overall, he's slashing .368/.478/.947 (7-for-19) with four runs, two doubles, three home runs, six RBI, four walks and two stolen bases over his last seven games.
"He looked like what we were excited about several years ago," Boone said after the game. "And then obviously, went through a couple of years of struggling. He’s super talented, always has been. He’s fast-twitched, has power, can run and can do all those things. Clearly, in as good a place as he’s been in a few years. And he absolutely hurt us in this series."
"He looked like what we were excited about several years ago...he's super talented, always has been. He absolutely hurt us this series."
Peraza joined the big league club at the end of the 2022 season and was 15-for-49 (.306) in 18 games. That offseason, there was a lot of hype surrounding Peraza and Anthony Volpe as the next generation of Yankees infielders. However, Volpe outplayed Peraza that spring and won the starting shortstop job. With DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson on the roster at the time, Peraza's path to the club was blocked.
The Venezuela native would get his shot that season, but struggled at the plate, going 33-for-173 (.191) in 52 games. Peraza would start the 2024 season in the minors, but injuries and offensive struggles kept him from seeing any time with the big league club.
Peraza would get his biggest chance with the Yankees in 2025, but it was more of the same for the infielder. He slashed .152/.212/.241 with an OPS of .453 across 71 games with New York before he was ultimately traded to the Angels for a minor leaguer and international money.
Apr 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored nine runs while the Sacramento River Athletics scored six runs.
Brother I don’t know what that was. It was barely even baseball.
Anyhow, the Rangers dropped like ten popups and nearly lost a ridiculous, blustery finale in not-Oakland before the potential shame of blowing a 5-3 lead on a bases clearing popup kicked in and they scored four runs in the 9th to escape Yolo County with a series split.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung had three hits, scored twice, drove in two and had the most wind-aided dong you’ll ever see. It was his first homer of the year.
Up Next: The Rangers continue traveling north along the West Coast with their weekend destination bringing them to Seattle for their second look at the hated Mariners. RHP Jacob deGrom will make the start for Texas in the opener against RHP Logan Gilbert for Seattle.
The Friday evening first pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:40 pm CDT and you can catch it via the Rangers Sports Network.
