Having already made his fair share of mental mistakes in the field and on the base paths in the early going of the season, the normally meticulous Lindor had another miscue in Saturday’s 11-6 loss to the Athletics.
With the bases loaded and one out in a tie game in the second inning, Kodai Senga, who was not at his best, induced a ground ball to the right side of the second base bag that looked to be a relatively easy potential double play that would’ve ended the inning.
However, despite Marcus Semien fielding the ball, Lindor went to his right to try and make a play on it as well, instead of breaking towards second base to get the force out and throwing to first to complete the potential double play.
With nobody covering second, Semien had to step on the bag himself for the force out (just barely beating the runner) and was unable to throw the runner out at first, allowing a run to score.
After the game, Lindor was asked what happened on that play.
“I went after the ball and Marcus was there, and I didn’t make it to second base and we didn’t turn a double play,” he said. “Senga could’ve got out of the inning right there and I didn’t help him.”
It’s not the first time, or even the second time, that Lindor has made an unusual decision either defensively or on the bases that has cost the Mets. Just last night, he was thrown out at third base on a grounder hit to first after veering too far off the bag in a game New York was trailing 1-0 late.
The mental lapses combined with his struggling offense have made Lindor, a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold-Glover, look like a shell of himself during the first month of the season.
“It’s weird because that’s not him,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “It’s hard to explain. He’ll be the first one to tell you that he has to be better. Never seen some of those plays where he’s just out of position sometimes.”
Even Lindor had trouble explaining what’s going on because he feels like he’s “locked in” out there.
With the calf injury to Juan Soto causing him to be out of the lineup, is it possible Lindor is putting added pressure on himself to perform?
“Not at all,” Mendoza said. “He’s the same guy. He shows up, he prepares. He works as hard as anybody; he wants to win. I don’t think it has to do with who's in the lineup and who’s not.”
While all of that may be true, it’s still hard to ignore the shortstop’s struggles this season.
Offensively, Lindor, who is known to get off to cold starts in his career – especially with the Mets, is slashing .167/.296/.250 with no home runs and zero RBI. While those numbers are nowhere near his expected production or career averages, what was at least somewhat encouraging during the first week of the season was his ability to get on base via walks.
However, since Soto landed on the IL retroactively on April 4, Lindor has not walked once. During that stretch, he is 5-for-33 at the top of the Mets lineup.
“He’s been through it before,” Mendoza said. “This is a guy who is very streaky and he’s gotten off to starts like this. It’s just hard to explain right now.”
To Lindor’s credit, after many such cases of poor starts to a season, his end-of-year numbers are always there. Right now, he’s even got a three-game hit streak going.
“I feel like I’m trending in the right direction,” he said.
As for the mental mistakes that keep piling up? Mendoza believes they’ll be fixed sooner rather than later.
“We’re better than that and they know that… making errors and mental mistakes. We’re better than that. We gotta fix it and we will,” the skipper said.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: New York Yankees Infielder Jose Caballero (72) at bat during the regular season game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays on April 10, 2026, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The bottom of the Yankees lineup has caught a lot of flack for being automatic outs in the early going this season. Naturally, on a night when the 6-9 hitters drove in four runs and Max Fried threw eight innings of three-run ball … the Yankees still lost. Why, you ask? Take away José Caballero’s two (!!) hits with runners in scoring position and the Yanks were 0-for-10 in those situations. Meanwhile, for as good as he was, every single time the Yankees scored for him, Fried immediately gave the runs back. Add it all up and you have the recipe for the usual despicable Yankee loss at the Trop.
I noted in the game preview that one of Rays starter Nick Martinez’s calling cards early has been a lack of walks. So, of course he put Trent Grisham on with four pitches leading off. I also noted he has not been striking guys out. So, of course he whiffed Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger, who has been scuffling of late, turned on a cutter in the middle of the plate and singled down the right field line and later stole second, putting two runners in scoring position.
A golden opportunity for an offense that desperately needs to score runs. Alas, Ben Rice struck out looking on middle-middle heat and Giancarlo Stanton drove an absolute missile directly at the left fielder. Opportunity squandered.
Austin Wells came into today hitting .152 with neither a home run nor an RBI on the young season. He rectified that in the top of the second, turning on an inside fastball and driving a ball out down the right-field line.
No cheapie, it would be a dinger in all 30 parks. And speaking of guys who have been brutally struggling, Ryan McMahon managed a single later in the frame, boosting his average to half a Mendoza Line (.100). It was no home run, but anything the bottom of the lineup can do that isn’t an uncompetitive at-bat is a pleasure to see.
With the offense semi-somnolent, it was absolutely incumbent on Yankee ace Max Fried to hold the Rays down, and he did so in the first. Unfortunately, Fried coughed the run support back up in the second. Junior Caminero doubled and moved to third on a groundball. One dunk single into right field later, Caminero was home and the game was tied. Given the offense’s struggles, it felt like Fried had already ceded his margin of error.
The bottom of the lineup was back doing their nonsense in the fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit his second weak fly ball of the game, having seen a total of three pitches total to that point. I will not harp on Wells’s swinging strikeout considering he was the sole reason the Yankees were in the run column. I will pick on Caballero who, after yet another uncompetitive at-bat, was now 1 for his last 28. I found myself really missing Anthony Volpe right about then.
The Yanks had a golden opportunity to break the game open in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks, to Grisham and Rice, and a Bellinger single, loaded the bases and sent Martinez to the shower. In came righty Kevin Kelly to face Big G, with the sacks juiced and two out. Stanton, with a .325 career average with the bases loaded, promptly whiffed. Opportunity squandered.
Back to the bottom of the lineup in the sixth and Chisholm continued his skid, making him 2 for his last 24. After Wells hit a hard groundball out to second, Caballero struck out. Literally the entire Yankee lineup, other than Rice and to an extent Stanton, was ice-cold simultaneously.
Max Fried retired 11 in a row after giving up that second inning RBI, then ran into trouble in the sixth. Who, you ask, broke that streak? There can be only one. Taylor bleeping Walls. Walls came into today with a career OPS 135 points higher against the Yanks than his overall mark. So, of course he singled to start the home sixth. Fried then had Yandy Díaz take him for a ride to left. Luckily, Bellinger flashed some leather for the first out or the frame could have gotten out of hand.
Another single put runners on the corners and Jonathan Aranda, unlike the Yankees, made his opportunity count. His sac fly to left gave the Rays their second run and the 2-1 lead. You would be forgiven for assuming you could put this game in the loss column, considering the Yankees’ grand total of six runs in their last 3.5 games.
With Fried’s pitch count in great shape (74 through six), Aaron Boone sent his ace back out for the seventh. The star southpaw made Boonie look like a genius, retiring the Rays in order.
The Yankees put themselves in position for a big inning in the eighth. After Stanton walked, Randal Grichuk came in to pinch-run. Then Chisholm, who needed a hit the way a man dying of thirst in the desert needs water, hit a chopper down the first base line that ended in a double. That gave Wells a chance to tie the game without a hit. He failed. A bad at-bat ended in a fly ball too shallow to score the run. All of that meant it was Caballero Redemption Season. And the Yankee shortstop came through. His double to left scored a pair and gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead.
Fried returned for the eighth, with Boonie opting to roll with his ace. This time, it did not work out as well as he surrendered a leadoff double. A bunt moved the tying run to third and turned the lineup over again for Diaz. And Diaz did his job. His infield single tied the game, though Fried escaped without any further damage.
With one out in the ninth, Judge walked for the second time and immediately stole second, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position for the heart of the order. But the Rays retired Bellinger and intentionally walked Rice, leaving the Yankees’ hopes resting on Grichuk. He came into the at-bat hitless as a Yankee. He left the at-bat hitless as a Yankee.
Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill combined to hold the Rays scoreless in the ninth and send the game to extras. Grichuk started on second as The Manfred Man, advancing to third but with two out. Luckily, Caballero was at the dish. His second hit with runners in scoring position plated the go-ahead run and gave Cabby three ribbies on the night.
The bottom of the 10th quickly became a nightmare. Chandler Simpson, who entered late as a pinch-runner, bunted off David Bednar to put runners on the corners with no one out then immediately stole second. Walls then bunted and brought the ghost runner in to tie the game, leaving runners on the corners still with no one out.
Boone opted to walk the bases loaded rather than face Diaz. It worked at first but a weak Aranda chopper scored the winning run. The ball never left the infield and it didn’t matter.
Game over. And for anyone who’s watched the Yankees in extra innings on the road the past couple of years, there should be zero surprise. It’s like clockwork. They fail to do the little things, and they lose.
The Yankees try to avoid the sweep tomorrow in the series finale. Join us for all the coverage. First pitch is at 1:40pm Eastern and you better have your Schlitt together because super sophomore Cam Schlitter gets the start.
After an impressive spring and solid start to the season, it looked as if Kodai Senga was getting back to what made him such a dominant force for the Mets.
However, the ineffective Senga emerged in Saturday's 11-6 loss to the Athletics as the right-hander had his worst start as a major leaguer. Senga allowed a career-high seven runs on eight hits and two walks across 2.1 innings.
What plagued Senga was his lack of control, as only 40 of his 72 pitches went for strikes.
"The biggest thing is I wasn’t able to control many pitches near the strike zone or over the plate," Senga said of his outing through the team interpreter.
"He didn’t have much," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Senga. "Starts with fastball command and he just didn’t have it. He kept going to that sinker to get back in counts or get a strike, but he didn’t have a feel for his pitches… Overall, just getting behind because the command wasn’t there."
Senga, who has become known for letting bad starts snowball on him, attributed his lack of control to a "slight" mechanical issue, but he felt great physically.
In spring and in his first two starts, Senga's fastball was in the high 90s. On Saturday, he was hovering around 93-94 mph. The Mets skipper acknowledged the dip in velocity, but when asked whether Senga was affected by having to pitch on regular rest, which Senga hasn't done consistently since coming to the majors, Mendoza pointed out the off day gave his starter an extra day of rest; he just didn't have it on Saturday.
And when velocity isn't there, location becomes more important and the lack of it played a big part in the game-altering third inning. With the Mets only down 2-1, Shea Langeliers doubled and Tyler Soderstrom homered to give the A's a 4-1 lead. Consecutive singles and a one-out home run by Carlos Cortes capped off the five-run inning and Senga's day.
In the second and third innings -- where all seven runs were scored -- Senga had to throw 54 combined pitches. He was asked if those long innings made it difficult to find a rhythm. Senga didn't use it as an excuse, but instead wants to learn from the start.
"I think it’s tough to have back-to-back innings with high pitch counts," Senga said. "Not every outing is going to be smooth sailing. Some outings are going to be tough. Probably going to have, in a long season, stuff like this is going to happen. I’m going to reflect on this the next time I go back out there so that it doesn’t happen again or it’s better the next time out.
"I didn’t feel like I was going to have a rough outing," Senga added. "I thought I felt good. A lot of unfortunate things came and didn’t stop. That’s how the outing went."
The Mets offense would awaken to cut the A's lead to just one run, but the bullpen couldn't hold down the Athletics long enough to complete the comeback as New York dropped their fourth game in a row. It was a shame considering Mets pitching has been very solid, and the offense hasn't pulled their weight. They pulled it on Saturday, but Senga put them too far behind the eight ball to pick up the win.
"Times like this, it’s important as a starting pitcher to get the team off on the right foot," Senga said. "I wasn’t able to do that today. It’s very regretful on that end."
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: Manager Craig Stammen #14 of the San Diego Padres talks with umpire Hunter Wendelstedt #21 during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Craig Stammen admitted there would be a learning curve in his first year as manager of the San Diego Padres. The former reliever, who had not coached at any level before landing the job in San Diego this offseason, had a rough start to his tenure dropping to a 2-4 record after his first six games at Petco Park. The Padres took one game from the Detroit Tigers and one game from the San Francisco Giants and fans were already speaking in hushed tones about the decision to hire Stammen and whether he would see the end of the season.
San Diego went on the road and seemed to find its stride. The Padres flipped the record from the homestand and took both series, the first against the Boston Red Sox 2-1 and the second against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1. San Diego returned home after a winning road trip and were the owners of a .500 record. The successful road trip calmed the fan base and propelled the Padres into their home series against the Colorado Rockies.
The 6-6 record to start the season put San Diego right where the Frair Faithful put Stammen’s managerial performance when Gaslamp Ball asked respondents to grade Stammen in this week’s Padres Reacts Survey – right in the middle.
It is unclear if the grade for Stammen would change after the Padres took the first two games of the series against the Rockies in walk-off fashion on back-to-back nights. But if the question was asked today prior to Stammen releasing his Game 3 lineup, which included Fernando Tatis Jr. playing second base he may have received a higher grade.
Time will tell if fans are too high or too low on Stammen the manager, but for now, they seem to have him and his performance pegged.
Jose Caballero gave the Yankees a late lead twice, but New York could not hold down the Rays in their 5-4 loss on Saturday evening at Tropicana Field.
In the 10th, and the Yankees up 4-3, the Rays played small ball. Back-to-back leadoff bunt singles pushed the tying run across before a one-out infield single by Jonathan Aranda gave Tampa the walk-off victory.
The loss extended the Yankees' losing streak to four games and they have now lost back-to-back series. All four losses were by a combined five runs.
Here are the takeaways...
-Despite the Yankees' struggles to score runs over the last few games, they were not having trouble producing baserunners and that was the case in the first inning. After a leadoff walk by Trent Grisham and a one-out single by Cody Bellinger -- and an eventual stolen base -- the Yankees' best hitter so far, Ben Rice, was up with runners on second and third with one out. The lefty swinging first baseman struck out looking before Giancarlo Stanton -- the team's second-best hitter so far -- smoked a line drive, but it was hit right at the left fielder to end the threat.
Austin Wells got the scoring started with a solo shot that went 396 feet over the right field wall for his first long ball of the season.
But the theme of the game was missed opportunities for the Yankees. Aside from the first inning, the Yankees had bases loaded with two outs for Stanton in the fifth. The slugger struck out to leave more runners on.
The Yankees would have another chance in the eighth after Stanton drew a one-out walk and Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled to put runners at second and third for Wells. The Yankees' backstop popped out to shallow left field, leaving it up to the former Ray, Caballero. The struggling shortstop was hitless in his last 29 at-bats, but came through with a double that plated two and gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
-Max Fried was excellent and bounced back from his loss to the Marlins last Sunday.
After getting the lead, Fried allowed the tying run to score in the second when Jonny Deluca dunked a bloop single to score Junior Caminero -- who led off the inning with a double -- from third base. But after that hit, the Yankees southpaw set down eight straight batters to settle the game down. However, Tampa would take the lead in the sixth after an Aranda sac fly scored Taylor Walls from third. It could have been a bigger inning for the Rays if Bellinger hadn't come up with an impressive leaping grab at the wall that robbed Yandy Diaz of extra bases.
Diaz would get his revenge on Fried though. The Yankees southpaw pitched into the eighth inning and after allowing a leadoff double to Nick Fortes, Diaz hit a single, a chopper to first base that scored the speedy Chandler Simpson from third base to even up the score at 3-3.
Fried pitched eight innings (94 pitches/66 strikes), allowing three runs on six hits, no walks and striking out six.
-In the ninth, the Yankees would fail to come up with the big hit once again. Aaron Judge walked with one out and stole second base. He took third on a sac fly by Bellinger. The Rays intentionally walked Ben Rice to get to Randal Grichuk, who pinch-ran for Stanton earlier in the game. The outfielder would fly out to end the threat.
In the top of the 10th, and the ghost runner on third with two outs, Caballero came through again with a single to put the Yankees up. But the inability to put up big innings cost the Yankees who finished 2-for-12 with RISP and left 12 runners on base. In comparison, Tampa was 5-for-7 with RISP.
-One silver lining from the loss was the performance of the bottom of the order. The combination of Wells, Caballero and Ryan McMahon went 5-for-12 with four RBI.
Game MVP: Chandler Simpson
The speedy outfielder didn't start, but made his presence felt late. He scored the tying run in the eighth and the winning run in the 10th. He finished 1-for-1 with two runs and a stolen base.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Lance McCullers Jr. #43 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Athletics during the bottom of the first inning at Sutter Health Park on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (6-8) are in Seattle (5-9) for the second game of a four-game series with the Mariners as they seek to end a five-game slide.
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. will be on the mound for the Astros opposite RHP Luis Castillo and the Mariners.
ABOUT MCCULLERS: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is set to make his third start of the season.
In his last start on April 5 at ATH, he allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four innings.
He also tossed seven innings of one-run ball in his season debut on March 30 vs. BOS, which was his longest outing since Sept. 21, 2022 at TB, where he also went 7.0 innings. It was his first quality start and win since July 4, 2025 at LAD.
AGAINST THE MARINERS: The Astros and Mariners face each other tonight for the second of 13 scheduled matchups in 2026. The Astros went 5-8 against the Mariners in 2025, including 2-4 record at T-Mobile Park.
Houston owns a 132-98 all-time regular season record against Seattle. The Mariners will travel to Daikin Park for the first of two road trips to Houston from May 11-14 for a four-game series.
TUVE VS. THE MARINERS:2B Jose Altuve has hit .311 (242×779) with 48 doubles, 21 homers, 96 RBI and an .828 OPS in 191 career games against the Mariners. He already ranks third all-time in hits vs. SEA, trailing only Cal Ripken Jr. (261) and Michael Young (259), and ranks eighth all-time in games played vs. the Mariners.
ON THE MEND:LHP Bennett Sousa will begin a rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land tonight. He began the season on the Injured List due to a left oblique strain.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have optioned RHP J.P. France to Triple A Sugar Land. To take his place on the active roster, the Astros recalled RHP Jayden Murray.
IMAI UPDATE:RHP Tatsuya Imai flew back to Houston today for further evaluation due to right arm fatigue.
ROAD TRIP: Tonight is the eighth game of a 10game road trip for the Astros.
The Astros are 1-6 so far on this road trip.
Houston went 41-40 on the road last season.
Following this four-game series in Seattle, the Astros will face the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series at Daikin Park from April 14-16 .
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Astros lead the American League in runs (85), doubles (35), total bases (216), hits (130), walks (71), SLG (.449), OBP (.372) and OPS (.821).
Individually, LF Yordan Alvarez leads the AL in walks (14), OPS (1.266) and OBP (.516).
2B Jose Altuve ranks tied for first in the AL in runs (12) and 1B Christian Walker ranks second in the AL in doubles (6) and tied for second in RBI (13).
NO. 1000: C Christian Vázquez and 1B Christian Walker each appeared in their 1,000th career game last night vs. SEA.
Vázquez ranks third among active catchers in games, behind KC C Salvador Perez (1,721g) and PHI C J.T. Realmuto (1,383g).
Walker has played in games with Arizona (819g) Houston (168g) and Baltimore (13g).
MOVIN’ ON UP: LF Yordan Alvarez recorded his 175th career home run last night at SEA.
The home run moved into sole possession of seventh place on the Astros all-time home run list, passing franchise icon OF George Springer. Next up on the Astros all-time list is 3B Alex Bregman (191 HR).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2016 – 2B Jose Altuve goes 3×4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored in an Astros 8-2 win over the Royals in Houston. This game is the first of a seven-game stretch for Altuve in which he hit .407 (11×27) with eight runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, and a 1.336 OPS en route to being named the AL’s Co-Player of the Week, an honor he shared with the Orioles RF Mark Trumbo.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 11, 8:40 p.m. CST
Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
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 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) in the dugout prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Apr 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) walks off the mound after giving up four runs in the eighth inning against the Athletics at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Mets managed to blast three home runs in their 11-6 loss Athletics, but they couldn’t overcome an early deficit and their recent skid is now up to four games.
Kodai Senga got the start and had the worst start of his young season so far. After the Mets had jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, Senga gave it right back when he gave up two runs in the second. The wheels really came off in the third when Senga gave up a two-run shot to Tyler Soderstrom and then a three-run home run to Carlos Cortes later in that same inning. Cortes’s home run ended Senga’s outing after just 2.1 innings pitched. Senga certainly did not have it on the mound, but he was not helped by his defense either. Francisco Lindor did not cover second on a potential double play ball, Marcus Semien and Mark Vientos both allowed infield hits, and Francisco Alvarez allowed a passed ball.
After Senga’s departure Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, and the newly recalled Craig Kimbrel allowed the team to get back into it. Brazobán especially did the heavy lifting pitching 2.2 innings and settling things down at 7-1. The team started to chip away by hitting home runs in three straight innings. First it was Bo Bichette with a two-run home run, and then Francisco Alvarez and Jorge Polanco followed with solo home runs of their own. Brett Baty also added a sacrifice fly in the sixth and, after seven innings, the Mets pulled to within one. They did get runners on first and second after Polanco’s home run in the seventh but two fly outs by Carson Benge and Marcus Semien ended the rally.
Any hope of the team coming back ended in the top of the eighth when Luke Weaver gave up four backbreaking runs with two-outs. After a good start to the season, Weaver has struggled in his last two appearances. Thi is especially concerning given the state of the rotation right now. David Peterson and Kodai Senga struggled in their appearances and Clay Holmes was lifted with an injury in his last start, so the last thing this team needs is an unreliable bullpen.
Absolutely nothing is going right for the Mets right now, but at least the offense finally showed up. Hopefully they can continue hitting the ball in a winning effort sooner rather than later, since they are now under .500 for the season.
Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +24% WPA Big Mets loser: Kodai Senga, -45.0% WPA Mets pitchers: -62% WPA Mets hitters: +12% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Jorge Polanco’s home run in seventh, +14.5% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Shea Langeliers’s RBI single in the eighth inning, -12.0% WPA
Randy Johnson of the Houston Astros throws a pitch in the first inning 29 September against the San Diego Padres in game one of the Division Series at the Houston Astro Dome in Houston, TX. The Padres won the game 2-1. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Usually an offensive explosion to the tune of nine runs involves a lot of running, or at least jogging, around the bases. But I was fine with the Mariners walking around the bases instead last night. Tonight, they’ll have a trickier task. At least theoretically. Lance McCullers is scheduled to start for Houston, but given his injury history, I’ll believe it when I see it. Houston better hope he does start though because the state of the Astros pitching is like, a whole thing right now:
Tatsuya Imai is headed to Houston for medical evaluation of a “tired arm”
JP France was sent back to Sugar Land
Jayden Murray was recalled to take his place
The Mariners will turn to Luis Castillo, who’s looking every bit like himself through his first two starts, though with a lot of bad BABIP luck in his last start. He keeps dialing up his four-seamer and slider useage and dialing down his sinker and changeup. That’s giving him more strikeouts but also making him more prone to damage when guys connect. It’s a recipe for looking pretty good when pitching at T-Mobile Park in April though.
Lineups
Another day off for Brendan Donovan while he recovers from the bug means another day of J.P. Crawford at the top of the lineup, which I always find aesthetically pleasing.
A bit of a shuffle from yesterday’s lineup for Houston. Regular catcher Yainer Diaz is back in there. Jose Altuve heads back into the field, so Yordan Àlvarez can DH. That shifts Isaac Peredes off of second base, and creates a spot in the outfield for Taylor Trammell. Basically this was a lot of shuffling to give the Astro’s two Christians the day off, which maybe should have happened this past Sunday instead.
Game Info
First Pitch: 6:40 PDT TV: Mariners TV Radio: Old Reliable
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up in the outfield during batting practice before the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell pitched a simulated inning on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, facing hitters for the first time this year, the latest step in his rehab from starting the season on the sideline with shoulder fatigue.
Snell threw about 15 pitches on Saturday, facing Tommy Edman (the switch-hitter batted both right-handed and left-handed) and Alex Call on the field about four hours before the scheduled first pitch of the Dodgers’ game against the Texas Rangers.
“I’m very excited about how I feel, where I’m at. Getting back to some normalcy again feels really good,” Snell said Saturday. “Throwing bullpens, not facing hitters, it’s tough to stay locked in.”
This is essentially the early part of spring training for Snell, who is expected to face hitters in a two-inning simulated outing at some point next week. Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that he wasn’t sure if Snell would need two or three more such outings before going on a minor league rehab assignment.
“This one for me, personally, is just an exercise. I’m not really looking for command, to be quite honest,” Roberts said. “Just getting out there, competing against hitters, and just trying to get through the, call it 20-pitch exercise.”
Roberts on the last homestand targeted roughly the end of May for Snell’s potential return to the Dodgers rotation, and Saturday’s simulated inning falls in line with that plan. Let’s assume at minimum, Snell would have two more simulated outings followed by three minor league starts, with five days rest in between each one. That would put his last rehab start 30 days from now, on May 11, with his potential return to the Dodgers another six or seven days after that. Adding in a fourth rehab start would push his return into the final week of May.
The Dodgers have shown patience with the top of their rotation before, like last season when Snell missed nearly four months on the injured list before returning for the last two months of the regular season and all postseason. Same for Tyler Glasnow, who missed over two months before returning to the rotation last July.
Take Saturday for what it was, a positive next step for Snell.
“I talked to him yesterday a little bit in the dugout, and he’s getting antsy,” Roberts said. “But I think he’s just excited because he feels strong, he feels healthy. He’s been working on his diet and stuff, so he’s in a good spot.”
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park on April 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers on Sunday afternoon finish off their series against the Texas Rangers, with Roki Sasaki making his third start of the season.
Jacob deGrom takes the ball for Texas in the series finale.
The Dodgers have only lost one series to the Rangers over the last decade, going 15-6 in their previous 21 matchups, dating from 2015 through Friday night.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 11: Sal Stewart #27, Eugenio Suárez #28 and Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate after scoring during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park on April 11, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds dropped the final two games of their most recent road trip as the Miami Marlins put it to them pretty heavily. Then, on Friday, the Los Angeles Angels came into Great American Ball Park and knocked around Chase Burns en route to a 10-2 win over the good guys.
The Reds offense was sputtering. Their pitching, already held together by a series of unproven arms as Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo sit on the injured list, was wilting. If ever there were a time for a team’s star to put the club on his back and show them how it’s done, it was Saturday, and fortunately for Cincinnati they’ve got Elly De La Cruz on whom to lean.
Elly went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a walk, swiped a pair of bases, and scored to power the Reds offense, who pounced on Angels starter George Klassen for a 4-spot in the Bottom of the 1st en route to an eventual 7-3 victory.
Elly gets Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game treatment in this one, but it was actually Nathaniel Lowe who broke the game open initially. His bases-loaded double cleared the bags in that big 1st inning, as he rewarded manager Terry Francona for giving him a rare start in this one.
Other Notes
Brandon Williamson got the start in this one and had a hard time finding the plate. He walked 6 batters and needed 93 pitches to get through just 4.0 IP, though he did limit the damage to just 3 ER while on the mound.
Props to the bullpen, who combined to go the rest of the way with nothing but zeroes. Connor Phillips, Pierce Johnson, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan got work in today – and that’s what the best of the bullpen theoretically lines up like when all are available.
Spencer Steer smacked a homer off the LF foul pole in this one, his second dinger of the year.
Sal Stewart got a rare start at 2B today with Lowe starting at 1B. Ol’ Sal walked twice and singled in a run in the 1st.
Ke’Bryan Hayes went hitless once again. He’s hitting .079/.146/.079 on the season so far and I truly don’t know how the Reds keep playing him all game, most every game.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 5: Jack Leiter #22 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at Globe Life Field on April 5, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8:10 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
Fedde pitched a fine game today. Michael Wacha pitched a better one.
Fedde made one mistake, starting the game after a short rain delay with a get-me-over first pitch to settle in, a pitch Maikel García deposited 412 feet away. Well, two mistakes, the other being a case of chronic White Sox pitcher inefficiency that made him leave the game after five innings and 85 pitches, 53 of them strikes.
Part of the inefficiency came in the second inning, when a walk, an infield single and a hit batter loaded the bases, but García grounded out to end the only time the Royals had a runner in scoring position against him. Otherwise, Fedde walked no one else and only gave up one more hit.
Small problem, though — if Fedde was lights barely visible, Wacha was lights fully out. In the first inning, he threw 11 pitches, all of them strikes, and then tossed six more strikes to start the second. He was as efficient as Fedde wasn’t, cruising through eight innings on just 88 pitches, 63 of them strikes.
Wacha did allow the Sox offense four hits, doubles to Andrew Benintendi (raising his average to .184) and Lenyn Sosa (raising his to .179) and singles to Reese McGuire (now hitting a hearty .125) and Murray, who got his first-ever big league hit on a grounder up the middle:
And the Sox only struck out eight times in the game, so that’s some form of progress.
Sean Newcomb did a nifty six-up, six-down in relief, but then the Royals added a run off Jordan Hicks in the eighth on a García double and two fly balls. That was totally unnecessary against the Sox, who now have scored eight runs in their last six games, with seven straight games of three runs or fewer and 11 such games of the 15 this year.
The White Sox are now 5-10 on the young year — a 54-win pace, in case you’re keeping track. The finale in KC is at 1:10 p.m. Central tomorrow, with the Sox going with the famous “undecided” (as opposed to the equally famous TBA or TBD), as it would be Shane Smith’s turn in the rotation and Smith is enjoying Charlotte.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: Former Padres pitcher and Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman hugs Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Colorado Rockies (6-8) at San Diego Padres (8-6), April 11, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
