Category: MLB

The Mets know what they got in Nolan McLean, and the young right-hander showed off that ace potential on Friday night against the Giants.

McLean may not have been as dominant as some of his past starts, but he was near-perfect for most of his outing. The right-hander pitched five perfect innings, before the Giants finally wore him down in the sixth. 

Still, McLean delivered the losing-streak-stopping stuff to help the Mets come away with a 10-3 win.

"He was very good. The cutter was the pitch he had today," manager Carlos Mendoza said of McLean's outing. "A lot of three-ball counts. And the cutter was the one to get back in counts to get swings and misses. It’s impressive when he doesn’t have the feel for the secondary pitches and that cutter was the way he did it today. It goes to show you that there are so many weapons there that he can go through lineups with a pitch or two. It was good to see it."

Those three-ball counts were McLean's one kryptonite on Friday. It elevated his pitch count and once the Giants batters started drawing walks, it was only a matter of time until they broke through. With one out in the sixth, and two runners on base via the walk, Willy Adames drove a double in the gap to give San Francisco their first hit and first run.

"I was just trying to piece it together," McLean said of his outing. "Nothing felt incredibly great. It felt ok towards the end of the game. Full counts snuck up on me there at the end, got a little fatigued by the end of it. Leaning on the cutter really helped things tonight."

McLean said he leaned on the cutter because it was the only pitch he could throw strikes with any consistency. Of his 93 pitches, 19 were the cutter (20 percent) and it's the pitch he got his most whiffs on (4). However, the 24-year-old said that his other pitches showed up at times, and made hitters keep them in the back of their minds. McLean took advantage of that to get through his outing.

In fact, he didn't even realize he was throwing a perfect game because of how ineffective most of his pitches were.

"I didn’t realize [I was perfect]," he said. "It didn’t feel that way because of how many 3-2 counts and behind in the counts I felt like I was. Felt grinder than what the scoreboard showed."

"If he's got a perfect game going and he didn't feel great, I can't wait to see what he does when he feels great," Marcus Semien said of McLean's start.

"It’s pretty impressive. He had one pitch today, which was the cutter, and he still dominated that lineup," Mendoza said. "Kid’s special, man. Still going to show you the breaking ball, the secondary, the sinker, he kept using it. But when he needed to get back into counts or execute a pitch, it was the cutter tonight."

Perfect or not, McLean delivered a performance the Mets needed. Although the offense exploded for 10 runs, McLean gave them the lane to break out offensively by putting up zero after zero. 

Friday was McLean's 10th start as a major leaguer. He's now 6-1 with a 2.16 ERA. And although it's a small sample size, the Mets know their chances of winning a game goes up with him on the mound.

"You feel good about your chances every time he takes the baseball," Mendoza said. "Every time he’s pitching, you feel good about winning that game and that’s what he’s done. And even when he’s not at his best, you know he’s going to keep you in games, he’s going to go at least five. That’s what makes him special."

Mets left fielder Juan Soto exited Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants due to right calf tightness.

Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto in the bottom of the first inning.

After leadoff-batting shortstop Francisco Lindor's game-starting single to left field against Tyler Mahle, Soto singled to right-center field and appeared to come up gingerly on a run from first base to third during third baseman Bo Bichette's subsequent RBI knock that scored Lindor.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that the injury occurred when he was running first to third, and the slugger hoped that his calf would loosen up while standing on third. It did not, instead getting tighter, so he came out of the game once he was out at a force play at home. 

"We don’t have much other than what was announced," Mendoza said after Friday's win. "He’s going to get imaging tomorrow and we’ll see what we’re dealing with. There’s obviously concern. Every time you send a player for MRI, those calf areas can be tricky. We have to wait, but obvioulsy concern."

Juan Soto left the game after running the bases in the first inning pic.twitter.com/R2JJ3uE7Lh

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 4, 2026

The Mets built a 2-0 lead after second baseman Marcus Semien's eventual two-out single to left-center field, scoring Bichette.

Taylor, 32, entered Friday's game with six hitless at-bats in four games this season, striking out once.

The 27-year-old Soto, meanwhile, is slashing .355/.412/516 with one home run and five RBI through the Mets' first eight games.

There was a lot to like about tonight’s relatively smooth and easy 10-3 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Mets’ offense, which had been floundering, finally had a big day. Marcus Semien hit his first home run as a Met and Francisco Alvarez went deep twice. Semien and Bo Bichette both had a three-hit game. Nolan McLean was brilliant—perfect through his first five. Much like McLean’s performance, it was almost a perfect night…except for one very significant wrinkle. Juan Soto left the game in the bottom of the first inning after experiencing calf tightness running the bases in the top of the inning. So instead of being able to breathe easy and freely enjoy a nice rebound win after last night’s disastrous game, some anxiety and foreboding hangs like a specter over this victory.

Nonetheless, this was otherwise a relatively stress-free game. The Mets got on the board right away in the first against Tyler Mahle. Francisco Lindor led off the game with a single and Juan Soto followed with a single of his own. Bo Bichette then laced the Mets’ third consecutive base hit to drive in Lindor for the game’s first run. Luis Robert then walked to load the bases with nobody out and with one run already in, it looked like the Mets were poised for a huge first inning, much like they achieved on Opening Day. However, Brett Baty grounded into a 1-2-3 double play to take some of the air out of the rally. The Mets did manage to scratch out another run on a well-struck Marcus Semien single over the shortstop to double their lead to 2-0, but it should have been a bigger inning—both because of Baty’s double play and because Robert didn’t run on contact on Semien’s hit, despite the two-out situation, so he was unable to score from second on the play. Still, the Mets found themselves two runs to the good early and Nolan McLean took the mound with some run support already behind him.

It turned out that two runs was plenty of run support for McLean on this night, as he had all of his pitches working and was throwing some absolutely filthy stuff at Giants hitters all evening. In fact, McLean did not allow a single baserunner until the sixth inning when he issued back-to-back walks to start the inning. It was clear McLean was tiring at that point, partially because—to the credit of the Giants lineup—there were eight full counts against McLean in the first 17 batters he faced. Those walks came back to bite McLean, but he was still fantastic tonight. If you did not watch this game live because you are not a night owl sicko like I am, you should do yourself a favor and watch the clip of the pitch McLean threw to strike out Heliot Ramos to end the fifth inning. You can thank me later.

Meanwhile, the Mets added three more runs in the top of the fourth—all via the long ball. Mark Vientos singled to lead off the inning and Marcus Semien blasted a two-run homer to dead center—an impressive feat at Oracle Park—for his first Mets home run. Then with one out, Francisco Alvarez followed with a pretty prodigious blast of his own to extend the Mets’ lead to 5-0.

Unfortunately for McLean, both of those walks he issued in the sixth would come around to score. After recording the first out of the inning on a Jerar Encarnacion fly out to right, Willy Adames launched a ground rule double to end the no-hitter and the shutout. That chased McLean from the game and after 93 pitches, he made way for Brooks Raley, who did his job, striking out Rafael Devers and retiring Luis Arraez on a ground ball to first. However, Francisco Alvarez failed to handle one of Raley’s pitches and the Giants’ second run scored on the passed ball. But Alvarez would immediately make up for the run he cost his team, going deep again to lead off the seventh. The Mets piled on that inning against JT Brubaker in his second inning of work. After Alvarez’s second homer, Francisco Lindor—becoming quite the on-base machine in the early going—walked. Tyrone Taylor then struck out for the first out, but Bo Bichette doubled, advancing Lindor to third. Luis Robert drove him in with a single, which knocked Brubaker out of the game. Matt Gage came in for the Giants and struck out Brett Baty for the second out, but then Mark Vientos singled to plate the Mets’ eighth run.

Huascar Brazobán worked around a two-out hit by Heliot Ramos (the Giants’ second hit of the evening) to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh. Unlike his other recent appearances, this game proved to be an appropriate situation for Richard Lovelady, who gave up a run in the eighth on a Jerar Encarnacion double and a Luis Arraez RBI single. But luckily this time Lovelady had plenty of margin for error and the Mets added yet more insurance off Erik Miller in the top of the ninth. Luis Robert got things started with a walk and Brett Baty, who was one of the few Mets having a rough night at the plate, doubled him in. Marcus Semien notched his third hit of the night, advancing Baty to third and Baty scored on a Carson Benge grounder to second to put the Mets’ run total into double digits. Luis García polished off the lopsided victory with a scoreless ninth inning, working around a one-out single by Heliot Ramos.

Thus, the Mets snap their three-game losing streak in resounding fashion, but on a night when the bats finally broke out, concern remains for the lineup’s most potent threat; we should find out more about the severity of Juan Soto’s calf injury in the coming days.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Marcus Semien, +20.2% WPA
Big Mets loser: Brett Baty, -15.1% WPA
Mets pitchers: +17.3% WPA
Mets hitters: +32.7% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette’s RBI single in the first, +12.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Willy Adames’ ground rule double to break up Nolan McLean’s no-hitter in the sixth, -7.7% WPA

The Angels' offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.

In a scoreless game in the 10th inning, Seattle's Cole Young tripled to the right-field corner off Angels reliever Brent Suter that scored Luke Raley from second base. Two outs later, Suter intentionally walked Julio Rodríguez. Josh Naylor singled in two more runs to make it 3-0.

Jorge Soler drove in Mike Trout on a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the 10th, but that was all the Angels (3-5) could muster after Seattle held them to just one hit and retired the final 21 Angels batters.

Mariners starter Bryan Woo gave up that one hit, struck out six and walked one over seven strong innings. Seattle relievers Matt Brash, Andres Muñoz and Gabe Speier were just as dominant, combining for six strikeouts and no walks over three no-hit innings.

“[Woo] is one of the best starters in the league. He was on his game tonight,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He pitched well and when a guy like that pitches well you just got to do your best in battle and I feel like our guys were battling, just couldn’t muster anything up."

Read more:Five-run third inning sinks Angels in series finale loss to Cubs

Angels starter Reid Detmers also had a strong game, giving up three hits, with four strikeouts and four walks over 6⅔ innings.

"It was a well-fought game and obviously we didn’t come out on the winning side, but we’ll go get them tomorrow," Detmers said.

Suzuki thought Detmers was in control and executed pitches well. He was getting ahead in the count of batters and putting them away, while also inducing soft contact, which allowed him to go deep into the game.

“He pitched his butt off,” Suzuki said. “It was nice to see him rebound from the last one and really have a good start."

In the first inning, Trout stared down Woo before taking first base after a sinker hit the star outfielder’s left shoulder. The blow came after the right-hander threw a four-seam fastball that nearly missed Trout's face.

“Anytime you get thrown up-and-in and then you get hit on the next pitch, you’re gonna be upset,” Trout said.

The first hit came in the bottom of the third after Oswald Peraza sent a bloop single to right field. Woo cleared the base paths after picking off the runner for the second out of the inning. Zach Neto grounded out to stop the Angels’ offense.

threw a fastball behind Rodríguez to open the top of the fourth inning. The outfielder stared down the left-hander and later grounded out to first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Seattle threatened to break the tie after Naylor reached first and Randy Arozarena followed with a single to right field.

Neto threw out Brendan Donovan at third to record the second out and Detmers struck out J.P. Crawford to end the inning.

Trout almost ended the pitchers' duel in the bottom of the sixth inning after sharply hitting a fly ball to left field but Arozarena tracked it down.

“I thought I got enough, for sure,” he said. “I hit it off the end a little bit but I thought I got enough — it is what it is.”

Suzuki also believed Trout hit the ball hard enough for a home run.

“I didn’t really see what the exit [velocity] or anything like that was, but I thought it came off his bat pretty well," Suzuki said. "Obviously the wind kind of hung it up there, but I thought it was a great pass.”

After a one-out walk to Crawford in the top of the seventh, Detmers picked off the runner but gave up a single to Victor Robles. The hit concluded his night after 104 pitches. He walked off to a round of applause from the crowd, but he didn't notice.

“I was in my zone, so I mean, it was a good game,” said Detmers, who lowered his ERA to 2.38.

Reliever Chase Silseth struck out Young to end the seventh.

In the eighth, Drew Pomeranz gave up a one-out walk to Cal Raleigh and a single to Rodriguez but retired Naylor and Arozarena on a fly ball and a groundball, respectively.

In the ninth, Jordan Romano threw a fastball that looked like it hit Leo Rivas, but the call was overturned after a challenge confirmed it hit the bat. The right-hander struck out Rivas and Crawford and got pinch-hitter Raley to line out.

With two outs and two strikes, Trout struck out to send the game to extra innings.

Read more:C.B. Bucknor's week gets worse: Umpire leaves game with injury days after ABS and replay reversed his calls

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Nolan McLean pitched into the sixth inning with a perfect game and the Mets bats launched three home runs as they defeated the Giants, 10-3, on Friday night in San Francisco.

Friday's 10 runs scored is the most the Mets have driven in since the 11 they put on Opening Day. The 10 runs are more than the Mets offense scored in their last four games combined. 

The combination of McLean and four relievers allowed just five hits. The Mets put up 15 hits, with each batter reaching base at least once. 

Here are the takeaways...

-The Mets offense had struggled mightily since Opening Day, but the lineup would get started early on Friday. Three straight hits from Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette drove in the game's first run. After Luis Robert Jr. walked the bases loaded, Giants starter Tyler Mahle got what he needed with double play from Brett Baty. Mark Vientos walked, giving way to Marcus Semien with the bases loaded and two outs. Semien lined a single to drive in the second run of the inning, but Robert Jr. held up at third when he should have scored. Carson Benge struck out swinging to end the inning.

That extra run didn't matter much as the Mets offense continued to break out of their funk.

Vientos hit a leadoff single in the fourth and Semien followed up with a two-run shot, his first home run as a Met to put the team up 4-0. Two batters later, Francisco Alvarez hit a solo shot that landed in the same place as Semien's, straight away center field. 

-Alvarez would hit a second solo home run in the seventh, but not to be outdone, Robert Jr. poked a single to drive home Lindor and Vientos, two batters later, looped a single to score Bichette and put the Mets up 8-2. 

-As for McLean, the young right-hander was perfect through four innings. He tossed 54 pitches to that point, hurt by a few 3-2 counts a couple of times through the order, but it didn't deter him. McLean would get through five perfect innings before Harrison Bader worked a leadoff walk in the sixth. McLean walked the next batter, and after a fly out, Willy Adames knocked McLean out of the game with a run-scoring double.

Brooks Raley entered to try and limit the damage in relief of McLean. After striking out Rafael Devers, a wild pitch allowed the Giants' second run of the inning to score. Luis Arraez grounded out to end the inning and close the book on McLean's night.

The talented right-hander got through 5.1 innings pitched (93 pitches/51 strikes), allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks while striking out four.

-In the top of the first, Soto was replaced in left field by Tyrone Taylor. Soto suffered a tight right calf seemingly when he was going first to third on a base hit. Taylor finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

-Vientos, making his fourth straight start, is making the case to stay in the lineup. The young slugger went 2-for-3 with two walks and reached base four times. It's just the third time in his career he's reached four times in a game.

Game MVP: Marcus Semien

The veteran infielder was struggling, but his two-run shot opened up the game for the Mets to win this game. Semien finished 3-for-5 and drove in three runs.

Highlights

Bo Bichette gets the Mets on the board first in San Francisco! pic.twitter.com/Z6hJBVc7WJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

Marcus Semien brings home the second run of the inning! pic.twitter.com/qaVHmgYWJs

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

MARCUS SEMIEN'S FIRST METS HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/EsXwN1MzPX

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ WITH THE SECOND METS HOME RUN OF THE INNING! pic.twitter.com/oui3wrRtLI

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

FORGET THAT!

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ BLASTS HIS SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/OBfLBJ0c2y

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

Luis Robert Jr. brings home Francisco Lindor! pic.twitter.com/DIv8xF4GvD

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

What's next

The Mets continue their four-game set with the Giants on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 9:05 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes takes the mound for the second time this season. Landen Roupp will take the mound for San Francisco.

Mike Trout was not entirely pleased with reaching base in the fashion that he did during the Los Angeles Angels' home opener on Friday, April 3.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo threw a 95 mph pitch that hit Trout high on the shoulder in the bottom of the first inning. That came after a high pitch that made Trout duck back.

Trout was seen glancing over at Woo with a look of disapproval before making his way over to first base.

Bryan Woo’s first pitch to Mike Trout was up and in and near Mike Trout’s head. His second pitch to Trout drilled him up high. Interesting 👀

Mike Trout was not pleased one bit 👀 pic.twitter.com/r40A0U01Nn

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 4, 2026

More: Angels could be required to add Anaheim to name due to California legislation

Later in the game, Angels pitcher Reid Detmers nearly hit Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners, the pitch going behind his legs.

Now, Reid Detmers throws at Julio Rodriguez as he missed and the pitch went behind him. Julio stared right as Detmers after the pitch. https://t.co/4Tv1jXRD4Jpic.twitter.com/N5J0cEKODP

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 4, 2026

After nine scoreless innings of play, the Mariners outscored the Angels 3-1 in the 10th inning to secure the victory.

Trout told reporters that Woo apologized to him later in the game, per The Athletic.

Trout, the three-time MVP, has already produced six hits, two home runs, six runs scored and three RBI through the first seven games of the season.

Outside of the pitch to Trout, Woo had a solid outing on the mound. He allowed just one hit and a walk, while striking out six in seven innings pitched.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Trout hit by pitch near head in Mariners vs Angels game

Seattle Mariners 3, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1

Chicken katsu sliders from Marination: Brendan Donovan (+.07 WPA)

Sweeping sliders from lefty pitchers against these Mariners: Julio Rodriguez (-.16 WPA)

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

We venerate and appreciate a dog who would’ve hated this game going long but we loved seeing be celebrated with a win.

Game Summary

Another Friday night, another tough loss. This week’s episode featured outstanding starting pitching from the hologram himself, Eduardo Rodriguez, as well as some incredible defense. Unfortunately, the offense didn’t come along for the ride and is now riding a streak of 3 runs scored in 27 innings since that 3-run go-ahead bomb off the bat of the rarely-seen-again Jose Fernandez. Sewald will get plenty of hate for his role in this outcome, but feel free to let me know the last time a team won a game when scoring 0 runs.

Eduardo Rodriguez truly does look like a new pitcher after the WBC and this offseason where he lost 30 pounds (per the Apple TV broadcast tonight). He was extremely efficient, needing 90 pitches to go 7 strong innings and rarely feeling like he was in trouble. The defense made a couple spectacular plays to back up ERod and our setup man, Juan Morillo. Corbin’s leaping grab in the first and Alek’s diving play in the 8th highlighted everything the Diamondbacks were hoping for when building out this roster this offseason: run prevention.

Unfortunately, the other side of the run prevention coin is run generation, and the Serpientes just couldn’t get anything going on that front, feeling like they were stuck in mud all night. Feel free to fact check me on this, but I don’t believe a single Diamondback reached third base all night. Grant Holmes was very effective and the 8-9 tandem of Suarez and Iglesias is top-shelf, but the Snakes just didn’t seem like they were able to make anyone work for their outs and they missed the few mistake pitches they were given. The lineup is extremely top-heavy right now, and if the Big 3 don’t do damage (combined 4-28 in the last 3 games), this team doesn’t have anyone left to reliably pick up the slack. When will Torey and the Front Office start pulling levers to try and jolt the offense? Too early to make big changes or should we just let it ride and hope to a return to the mean for our scuffling offense?

For the final bit, I’ll write about Paul Sewald. His velocity was down at 90mph on his two meatballs that were turned into the go-ahead home runs. I’m not gonna kill Torey for turning to him. The results have been there early on in the year and you gotta fire the bullets you have. However, this was the risk of building out the roster in the way Hazen did. We have a roster that’s costing almost as much as last year’s record-setting payroll, but we’re still here relying on Paul Sewald or a guy who signed a minor league contract to close out games for the foreseeable future. How much leash does Paul have? Is Loaisiga just going to be same story different character?

Loss Probability and Box Score

Outside the Box Score

• Drake Baldwin’s single in the top of the 1st was a perfectly placed check-swing squibber that fell dribbled perfectly between ERod, Ketel, and Santana. 
• Matt Olson’s flout in the 1st inning was came courtesy of an absolutely amazing defensive play by Corbin in right field. Olson laced a 2-1 cutter into right that looked like it might be a homer off the bat. The camera switched to follow Corbin and you could tell he was tracking it and thought he had a shot at it, then he leapt into the air and snagged the ball out of the air from the middle of the warning track. Likely not a home run saving catch, but getting to that spot and leaping up on a 98mph line drive was still a very impressive feat.
• Corbin followed up his amazing defensive play with a less-than-amazing at bat. He swung at 3 straight sliders in the dirt and walked back to the dugout the first strikeout victim of the night.
• Nolan Arenado made really solid contact on his line drive in the second inning (103.3mph exit velocity!) but it was a little too close to the Braves left fielder who was able to come up with a diving catch to rob Nolan of a needed base hit. It’s a shame that his highest exit velocity to this point in the season resulted in an out, but that’s how it goes when you’re slumping.
• The pitchers were dealing through the first third of the game. ERod needed only 34 pitches to get through his first 3 innings while Grant Holmes only needed 38 pitches for his 3 innings. Holmes’ pitch count was inflated greatly by Tim Tawa’s plate appearance with 2 outs in the third. Tawa worked a great 9-pitch AB that resulted in a walk and was the first baserunner the Snakes had all night.
• Grant Holmes recorded a wild line out fielding Ketel’s 103mph liner back up the box. Holmes looked like he barely flinched as the ball went almost directly into his glove. The camera never even saw the ball so I half expected Holmes to just double over thinking he just got drilled in the chest. Crazy catch.
• ERod hurt himself in the 6th inning when he reached up to field a bouncer back up in the middle. He reached up and the ball bounced off his glove and as soon as ERod knew he didn’t field it cleanly he hit his glove in frustration because it killed the momentum of the ball and resulted in an infield single to put runners at the corners and 1 out with Matt Olson coming to the plate. ERod proceeded to get Olson  to strike out on a check-swing appeal, then got Austin Riley to harmlessly groundout to Geraldo Perdomo. Huge momentum swing to keep the Braves off the board in that high leverage spot.
• Ketel Marte got the first hit for the Snakes in the 6th inning, drilling a liner the opposite way over Austin Riley at third for a 1-out single. That was right after Riley stole a hit from Tawa by making a running, bare-handed catch and throw to barely nip Timmy at first.
• Alek Thomas made an incredible diving/sliding catch to rob a double from Drake Baldwin in the 8th. With 2 outs, Baldwin looked like he hit a sure gapper but AT kept closing and laid out at the last possible second and kept the ball in his glove through a little barrel roll to bring the good guys up to the plate in a still scoreless game. What. A. Play.
• Sewald allowed back-to-back jacks to start off the ninth on a pair of 90mph fastballs in the middle of the zone. In Spring, he had been getting velocity back up to 92 range, but it was not there tonight.

Comment of the Game

The GameDay Thread was a humming along all night, finishing at 247 comments at time of publishing. Tonight’s COTG goes to Dano with this anti-AppleTV statement:

Coming Up

The Diamondbacks face the Braves for the third game of this series and still trying to get their first win of the set tomorrow afternoon with a 4:15pm start time on FOX. Right-hander Bryce Elder (1-0, 0.00) will take the mound for the Braves and the immaculate Michael Soroka (1-0, 0.00) takes the ball for the good guys. Another national telecast, let’s hope the boys don’t embarrass themselves!

The 2-4 record at the end of the first week of the 2026 season reflected less than good execution on multiple levels for the San Diego Padres. The starters had one excellent performance from Randy Vasquez (six innings pitched, no runs and eight strikeouts) and an acceptable one from Michael King but Nick Pivetta, Walker Buehler and, especially, Germán Márquez left fans a bit panicked the first time through the rotation.

The defense wasn’t especially stellar overall, either. Miscommunications, bad routes, throwing to the wrong base and errors/dropped balls contributed to both the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants tallying runs they shouldn’t have.

Then there was the offense.

Until the 7-1 win in the final game against the Giants, the offense was sorely lacking. They barely avoided a shutout with a ninth inning home run by Jackson Merrill in first game versus the Giants and were unable to score more than three runs in five of the six games.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was quick to note that the Tarik Skubal they saw on Opening Day was not even the best Tarik Skubal. Logan Webb is the ace for the Giants and he was inconsistent until later in the game that the Padres lost 9-3.

Even the bullpen, definitely the strength of this team, had multiple hiccups over the first five games. First year manager Craig Stammen will learn as the season goes along, and bullpen management is the toughest part of his on-field job, but he made a few questionable decisions himself.

All this to say, things need to get cleaned up.

The road trip through Boston and Pittsburgh promises some rough weather but the Padres have to play better, despite the circumstances.

One other bright spot was the second start for Nick Pivetta in the win on the final day of the home stand. Throwing 82 pitches over five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, Pivetta looked the part of the ace he was for the Padres in 2025. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief in San Diego.

Mason Miller

The Padres closer broke his consecutive hitless streak at 11.1 innings with a single in his save against the Giants on Wednesday. But he also extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings with that second save of the season.

Miller also debuted his new walk-out music as the Padres called on him to finish the 3-0 win against the Tigers on March 28. The start of the 1990s ńu-metal hit, “Blind,” by Korn played at the start of the ninth while Miller made his entrance and the lights went out at Petco. The new song is a hit with fans and quickly went viral all over baseball.

Mason Miller’s new closer entrance. #Padrespic.twitter.com/Po4SvmbLBj

— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) March 29, 2026

New attendance record at Petco Park

The Friar Faithful set a record during the first homestand of the 2026 season. Over the six sold-out games, the Padres averaged 43,665 per game and their total attendance set a new record for the franchise. It is the first time in history all the games of an opening series have sold out. They are once again second only to the Dodgers in attendance so far for the season. The 45,673 crowd that attended Opening Day was the largest of any in Petco Park history.

Injury updates

• Matt Waldron has started two games for the El Paso Chihuahuas, going a total of seven innings with no runs allowed and nine strikeouts. He is using all five of his pitches while relying heavily on his sinker and knuckleball for outs. In his second start he finished four innings and 61 pitches as he builds up to a starter workload.
• Jason Adam pitched a simulated game on March 31 in Lake Elsinore and threw 1.1 innings in a rehab outing with El Paso on March 28. He is scheduled to pitch in back-to-back games today and tomorrow in Tulsa, Okla. for the San Antonio Missions. He is eligible to return to the major league roster Monday.
• Griffin Canning pitched a three-inning simulated game in Lake Elsinore on March 30, throwing 50 pitches. He will start the San Antonio versus Tulsa, Okla. game on Saturday, his first start in a regular game as he builds up and tests his repaired Achilles.
• Yuki Matsui is in Arizona facing hitters in extended Spring Training. He has not had an appearance in a minor league game yet.
• Joe Musgrove resumed playing catch during the Padres opening week of games and has not thrown off a mound as of yet.
• Sung-Mun Song has played in five games with the El Paso Chihuahuas with a .211 average and .529 OPS with six strikeouts and three RBI. He has played 2B, SS and 3B on defense with the Chihuahuas.

We got our second win of the season folks! The A’s throttled the Astros on Friday evening, opening their home stand with a win against a squad that is expected to compete for the division crown.

More to come…

In a game dominated by the two starting pitchers, it was Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson who stepped to the plate with the score 0-0 in the ninth inning and answered the bell to give the Braves their third consecutive win and improve their record on the young season to 6-2.

The Braves have now recorded three shutouts in the first week of the season.

Albies stood in against veteran reliever Paul Sewald and hammered a ball down the right field line to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Chase Field erupted with a big contingent of Braves fans in attendance.

👋⚾️#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/sylLbm3VX9

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 4, 2026

Olson followed with a solo blast of his own three pitches later, a no-doubter to center field to go back-to-back and make it 2-0. Olson has absolutely mashed throughout his career in Chase Field, and it appears the desert has gotten his season on track in a hurry.

🔙2️⃣🔙#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/wwDrVT1z70

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 4, 2026

Grant Holmes was superb over six innings, flirting with a no-hitter until Ketel Marte finally broke the seal with a single in the bottom of the sixth. That was the lone hit Holmes would surrender in addition to three walks. He struck out four and generated 14 whiffs on 85 pitches.

In relief of Holmes, the trio of Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias brought the win home. The Braves pitching staff through the first week of the season has been, to put it mildly, stellar.

A night after scoring 17 runs, the Braves were pretty helpless against veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. They had a scoring opportunity in the first and sixth innings with two runners on, but they were unable to capitalize and support Holmes’ efforts.

The four-game tilt continues tomorrow night with Bryce Elder set to face old friend Michael Soroka, who pitched really well in his season debut against the Tigers earlier in the week. It’ll be a 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch on FOX.

Maybe the joke’s on me.

Before the season even started, as baseball experts and national publications kept insisting that Lance McCullers Jr. would be part of the Houston Astros’ starting rotation, I wasn’t buying it. Not even a little. I questioned it constantly. I doubted it openly. And realistically, I believed there was no chance McCullers would not only make the rotation, but stay in it.

Truth be told, I was done with him.

At least three different times last season, I reached my breaking point. I even said on my radio show that I didn’t want to talk about McCullers again until he actually earned it—until he performed at a level worthy of the attention. His track record, paired with the endless cycle of injuries, setbacks, and uncertainty over the past few years, made it hard to believe anything else. It felt far more likely that 2026 would be his last season in an Astros uniform, if he even made it through the year.

And then came his first start.

To my surprise, it was nothing short of impressive.

Sure, there were a couple of hard-hit balls that just barely stayed foul, but at the end of the day, he did his job. He pitched effectively. He competed. And most importantly, he helped the Astros secure a win. It wasn’t just serviceable, it was encouraging.

At the same time, my confidence in another arm was trending in the opposite direction.

Coming into the season, I was far more bullish on Cristian Javier. I believed he was the one poised to return to form, the one the Astros could count on again. In my mind, Javier had a legitimate shot to work his way into the top three of the rotation by midseason.

Instead, we’ve seen the exact opposite.

Javier has looked nothing like the pitcher Astros fans remember. He’s committing the cardinal sins of starting pitching: issuing walks, hitting batters, and consistently putting runners on base to start innings. And as any pitcher knows, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Those runners? They’re scoring.

Despite a noticeable uptick in fastball velocity, Javier’s inability to locate his pitches has completely undermined his effectiveness. His command is off. His control is shaky. And his inability to consistently throw strikes has led to a spike in walks and a lack of trust on the mound. His “invisaball” has been located anywhere but near the zone.

Through two starts, he hasn’t looked like a reliable major league option, especially not for a team with the expectations the Astros carry into 2026. In fact, he’s looked more like a pitcher who belongs in Triple-A than one you can depend on every fifth day.

And that’s where things get interesting.

With Spencer Arrighetti closing in on a return and the Astros considering a six-man rotation, there are real decisions looming. We’ve seen this movie before. Last year, “mysterious” or conveniently timed injuries played a role in managing struggling arms, most notably with McCullers himself.

Could that scenario play out again, this time with Javier?

It’s not out of the question.

The good news for Houston Astros is that they have depth. Between options at the major league level and reinforcements in Sugar Land, Dana Brown and Joe Espada have flexibility. If Javier continues to struggle, there are viable replacements ready to step in and stabilize the rotation.

But before we go too far in either direction, before we anoint McCullers as “back” or write Javier off completely, it’s worth remembering something.

We’ve been here before.

Last season, after one strong outing against the Dodgers, McCullers had everyone believing he had turned the corner for good. It didn’t last. That memory alone is enough to pump the brakes on any sweeping conclusions based on a single start.

So where does that leave us?

For me, it means staying cautious.

McCullers deserves credit for what he showed, but I need to see more. A few more quality outings. Consistency. Durability. Proof that this isn’t just another flash before a setback.

As for Javier, the leash might be shorter than expected. The potential is still there because of his track record, but the results have to follow, and soon.

Because in a season where expectations are high, the Astros don’t have the luxury of waiting too long for anyone to figure it out.

So I’ll ask you:

Who do you trust more right now? And how do you see this rotation shaking out between now and the All-Star break?

We were supposed to have our final two affiliates take the field tonight, but South Bend was rained out.

I no longer post anything on Twitter/X. I still go over there because the affiliates are there, but I don’t post any new content. You can find me posting some stuff at Bluesky at @joshftimmers.bsky.social. I’m not quite as active there as I used to be, but I still do some updates.

Everyone wins! Well, not South Bend, but they had a good excuse.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs clipped the wings of the Louisville Bats (Reds), 7-2.

Iowa starter Will Sanders gave up a solo home run in both the first and second innings, but other than that he was quite sharp. Sanders got the win after allowing two runs on six hits over six innings. Sanders struck out seven and walked two.

Iowa manager Marty Pevey then got two scoreless innings out of Collin Snider and one out of Ryan Rolison in non-save situations to close out the game.

Iowa put this one away with a five-run second inning. DH Chas McCormick led off the inning with a solo home run, his second on the season.

Chas McCormick DEMOLISHES one to left field to get the I-Cubs on the board! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/YSjhPx5AH5

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 4, 2026

After catcher Christian Bethancourt singled and center fielder Brett Bateman walked, right fielder Justin Dean singled home Bethancourt to make it 2-1.

After first baseman Jonathon Long grounded out, second baseman James Triantos crushed this three-run home run to make it 5-1. It was Triantos’ second home run of the year.

A three-run blast off the scorching hot bat of James Triantos gives the I-Cubs a 5-1 lead! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BhHm5sOj5i

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 4, 2026

McCormick finished the game 2 for 4 with the home run and this RBI double.

Chas McCormick lines one off the left field wall for his second extra base hit of the game, extending the Iowa lead to 6-2 in the seventh! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/0R6MhMeDtU

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 4, 2026

Triantos went 2 for 5 with the three RBI. Long went 2 for 5 and scored once.

Second baseman Pedro Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored once.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies defenestrated the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 8-6.

Minor League Rule 5 draftee Zane Mills made his Cubs organizational debut tonight. He pitched 3+ innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Mills walked three and struck out four.

Jace Beck relieved Mills in the fourth inning and promptly walked the first two batters and then coughed up a three-run home run to put Birmingham up 6-5. But he settled down after that and collected the win after the Smokies scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead. Beck’s final line was three runs on two hits and three walks over two innings. He struck out four.

Evan Taylor came on for the save in the ninth and he made it a nailbiter after a one-out walk and a two-out double. But with runners on second and third and two outs, Taylor got the strikeout to end the game. He struck out two in his one inning of work.

The third batter of the bottom of the first inning, shortstop Jefferson Rojas, clobbered this three-run home run.

Jefferson Rojas delivering the Smokies first 3️⃣ runs of the game and the first homer of the season! ⚾️💥 pic.twitter.com/YwBbYRAVtR

— Knoxville Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) April 4, 2026

Rojas went 2 for 4 with a walk. He also made this nice play on defense.

Cubs #5 prospect, Jefferson Rojas, with a diving stop sending us into Bottom 6.

🐻⚾️ pic.twitter.com/vU6FCuHSrS

— Knoxville Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) April 4, 2026

Seiya Suzuki played five innings in right field in a rehab appearance. He was 1 for 2 with a sacrifice fly. He also scored on the Rojas home run. Suzuki seemed to be moving fine to my eyes, but he wasn’t really tested out there.

DH Alexander Ramirez led off and was 2 for 3 with a double and two walks in his Cubs organizational debut. Ramirez scored twice and drove in one.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 3 for 5 and scored once.

Catcher Ariel Armas went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI double in the eighth inning. Armas also scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs home opener was postponed because of unplayable field conditions. A makeup date has not been scheduled.

Kane Kepley did double in kickball.

No. 6 @Cubs prospect Kane Kepley rips a backside double with an elite dodge at the end of the play. He’s 2-for-2 in his High-A (kickball) debut. 👀

We’re having fun in South Bend with Opening Day on hold until tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/NINyoQXB5w

— Tyler Reidy (@TylerJReidy) April 3, 2026

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans put a muzzle on the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 5-4.

Pelicans manager Yovanny Cuevas got three innings each from three pitchers. Starter Noah Edders allowed two unearned runs on two hits. He struck out five and walked no one.

Ben Johnson, a 17th-round pick in 2024 who missed all last season with an injury, finally got to make his professional debut in the fourth inning. Johnson gave up two runs on three hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Jordan Henriquez tossed the final three innings and got his first Pelicans win in his first game in Myrtle Beach. Henriquez held the RiverDogs to no runs and just two hits. He struck out four and walked no one, although he did hit one batter.

First baseman Cole Mathis hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth that ended up being the difference in this game. It was Mathis’ second home run in as many games this year. He finished the game 1 for 4 with a walk.

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY FROM COLE MATHIS pic.twitter.com/jAtr4WgWwq

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 4, 2026

In the fifth inning, DH Michael Carico tied the game up 2-2 with a solo home run.

Carico ties it! pic.twitter.com/3UHRlpzW8l

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 4, 2026

Carico was 1 for 3 with two walks.

In the seventh inning, right fielder Josiah Hartshorn crushed his first professional home run on a ball that I still don’t think has landed. It came with the bases empty.

No home run video board animation this time, @ChasRiverDogs? pic.twitter.com/mYwHaI8YLH

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 4, 2026

That is some serious power. If you’re down in South Carolina, I’d suggest getting to see Hartshorn this month because he may be in South Bend sooner rather than later.

Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored.

Shortstop Ty Southisene went 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 2 for 5 with an RBI infield single in the first inning.

After hitting a single in the top of the first inning and then running from first to third, Juan Soto was removed from the Mets’ game in San Francisco before the team took the field in the bottom of the inning.

SNY showed the replay of Soto running the bases, and the 27-year-old outfielder grimaced between second and third. The team proceeded to announce that Soto left the game with right calf tightness.

The Mets’ lineup has been struggling mightily since Opening Day, and if Soto were to miss any time beyond the rest of this game, it would be a major blow to the team. Soto has been hot to start the season, as he’s hit .355/.412/.516 with a 161 wRC+.

While there weren’t any major injuries in spring training, Jorge Polanco has gone from the Mets’ starting first baseman to serving as a designated hitter because of an Achillies issue to not appearing in the team’s lineup for this game. We’ll see if he returns to the lineup tomorrow, but if he and Soto miss the same games, it’ll be that much harder for the organization to get the offense going.