Category: MLB

Good morning everyone! A longer, original version of this post was lost due to some technical difficulties, so apologies on being at least somewhat brief with the question today.

The big news in Yankeeland is that Jasson Domínguez is reportedly on his way back to the Yankees to join his AL East-leading teammates. The erstwhile top prospect started 2026 with a hot bat, and with Giancarlo Statnton seemingly heading to the IL with a calf injury that curtailed his showing in Houston, an opening emerged for Jasson to get a look. The thing is, Domínguez probably would’ve already been on the big-league roster for almost all the other teams, but when your outfield alignment has Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham with Stanton at DH, there isn’t much flexibility.

So what do you think about the Martian, entering his fourth career season? Are you looking for him to just continue improvements that he began last year? And where are your expectations? Are you keeping them in check? Do you think he’ll only play a little bit and then go back to Triple-A very soon with Anthony Volpe soon to return, too? Or with Stanton potentially out for awhile, will Jasson get a longer look?

Today on the site, Estevão will preview this early-week series further north in Texas and Madison will have the Rivalry Roundup, which features the Rangers losing a home series to the A’s with a 2-1 defeat on Sunday. Bummer. Also keep an eye out for Jonathan taking the occasion of what would be Enos Slaughter’s 110th birthday to write a Yankees Birthdays series entry about the Hall of Famer better known for his time in St. Louis.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at Texas Rangers

Time: 8:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Rangers Sports Network

Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie superstar, Konnor Griffin, made meaningful strides in the team’s series against Milwaukee as he continues to find his footing in the Major Leagues.

Griffin has played in just 22 Major League games, but has been one of the most talked about players since his promotion. His debut of course made waves, as he had an RBI double in his first big league at-bat. From there though there was a lot of hit and miss from the Mississippi native. While he never looked completely lost at the plate, there have been stretches where Griffin clearly stood out as a teenager. In particular, he seemed to struggle against fast balls.

Against the San Diego Padres, Griffin would record his first multi-hit game and would repeat that feat twice against the Washington Nationals. Heading into the series against the Brewers Griffin was hitless in three straight games against the Texas Rangers.

On April 24, Griffin turned 20-years-old and was batting eighth against the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers. This contest might as well have been Griffin’s coming out party. In game one against the Brewers, Griffin recored his first career homer in the third inning, with a towering opposite field shot. He wasn’t done there though, as he had a single and a steal in the fifth, before adding to his day with a two-run RBI single in the ninth. Griffin became just the third player in Pirates’ history to hit a home run on their birthday as he recorded his first ever three hit game.

In the second game against the Brewers, Griffin picked up where he left off, as he recorded two more hits. He would exit Sunday’s contest with zero hits in two at bats, and struck out twice. The rookie shortstop finished the series with five hits in ten plate appearances, with four of those hits coming off fastballs.

Griffin acknowledged the learning curve that comes with adjust to Major League pitchers and their velocity.

“Yeah, every time I step into the box, there’s going to be a good plan against me and the velo’s a little higher, the velo’s consistently higher than what I saw in the minors,” Griffin said. “So just trying to adjust to that and continue to be myself and continue to trust my work and my preparation and when I get in the box, just try to be a tough out.”

The Milwaukee series was a big stepping stone for Griffin. He has been plagued with inconsistent play at the plate to start his big league career, but he is only 22 games into that career. It’s not unusual for a rookie to struggle at the plate early in their career, especially when they debut as a teenager. With that being said, Griffin has certainly been making strides in the right direction. The home run he hit registered at 104.4 mph off the bat and soared 386 feet into right field, so he’s definitely finding his pop at the plate. Not to mention his vision has been decent, with a .286 OBP to show for it. He also has six steals on the season and has not been caught stealing once. Overall, we know Griffin is a five-tool player, and we’re starting to see each of those tools on display more with each contest he plays in.

Although Griffin only has a .224 batting average on the season, it does not tell the whole story. His .316 slugging percentage is encouraging and his .602 OPS is continuing to climb as well. If Griffin can continue to take these meaningful steps with each series, the Pirates will have a bonafide star in due time.

Chuckle at the New York Mets, if that's your thing. Gawk at the five-car pileup that is the Boston Red Sox organization, which decided to kneecap its paragon of stability.

Yet if you're looking for the messiest big-market failure as April draws to a close, the Philadelphia Phillies might fill the bill.

They didn't lose a dozen games in a row, like the Mets, just 10. Yet a one-night reprieve gave way to perhaps their most discouraging setback yet - a 6-2 loss to the front-running Atlanta Braves in which starter Aaron Nola was very bad and the lineup utterly powerless to counteract lefty Chris Sale.

Nola has a $172 million guaranteed deal and they can't simply make his 6.03 ERA go away like they did Taijuan Walker. And in a season of league-wide parity, they now own the biggest deficit in the major leagues - 10 ½ games behind the Braves - and dropped another 10 spots in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Took two of three from the Cubs. Must have been all that Hollywood flash, right, PCA?.

2. New York Yankees (+1)

• Luis Gil was sent to the minors, but Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are on the comeback trail.

3. Atlanta Braves (+1)

• Only the 1997 team can top their 20-9 record at this stage.

4. San Diego Padres (-2)

• Lucas Giolito finally finds a home in diminished Padres rotation.

5. Chicago Cubs (+6)

• Ten-game win streak halted by Dodgers, who did not need any special rules to do so.

6. Cincinnati Reds (-)

• Losing Eugenio Suárez to the IL hurts less when Sal Stewart remains unstoppable.

7. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

• Konnor Griffin hits first homer on night Paul Skenes threatens to throw perfect game. Exciting times!

8. Detroit Tigers (+1)

• Spencer Torkelson homers in five straight games, first Tiger to do so since legendary Marcus Thames in 2008.

9. Tampa Bay Rays (+6)

• Junior Caminero's two-homer night included drives of 435, 450 feet.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• Very quietly, Mike Soroka off to 4-0, 2.60 ERA start.

11. Milwaukee Brewers (-6)

• In a three-way tie for last with 19 homers.

12. Cleveland Guardians (-4)

• Angel Martínez's first career multi-homer game comes with a pair of blasts off Max Scherzer.

13. Seattle Mariners (-)

• Kade Anderson watch: One earned run, 30 strikeouts in 18 ⅔ innings at Class AA.

14. Miami Marlins (-)

• Win every other day and it's real easy to build big leads over the Phillies and Mets.

15. Texas Rangers (+1)

• Don't look now, but Josh Jung has a .920 OPS.

16. Toronto Blue Jays (+1)

• Pitching the eighth inning means Jeff Hoffman loses his light show intro.

17. New York Mets (+1)

• Move up a spot only because the Phillies are more embarrassing.

18. Baltimore Orioles (+1)

• Kyle Bradish averaging nearly three walks per start.

19. Athletics (+1)

• Have won four consecutive series away from Yolo County.

20. St. Louis Cardinals

• Outfield prospect Joshua Baez has six homers at Class AAA.

21. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• Catcher Logan O'Hoppe suffers wrist fracture.

22. Philadelphia Phillies (-10)

• What if they're simply this bad?

23. Boston Red Sox (-1)

• Alex Cora their first manager to get fired during the season since Jimy Williams in 2001.

24. Minnesota Twins (-)

• Have lost nine of 10, perhaps an inevitable bit of regression.

25. San Francisco Giants (-)

• Daniel Susac's injury puts onus on Patrick Bailey to hit, once again.

26. Washington Nationals (+1)

• Foster Griffin tosses seven shutout innings and looks more and more like a real find.

27. Houston Astros (-1)

• Christian Walker's revival (seven homers) one of the few bright spots.

28. Kansas City Royals (-)

• It took more than 100 at-bats, but Bobby Witt has himself a home run.

29. Colorado Rockies (-)

• Overworked bullpen prompts Chase Dollander's first start of season - and he pitches seven shutout innings.

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Noah Schultz strikes out eight in third major league start..

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Phillies a huge disappointment in NL East standings

MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: Jasson Domínguez is being called up to the big-league roster from Triple-A ahead of the upcoming series against the Rangers. He fills the spot opened by Luis Gil’s demotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and could factor into the DH and outfield pictures with Giancarlo Stanton sidelined with a calf injury. After getting optioned to the minors out of spring camp, Domínguez has performed well to open the season, slashing .306/.404/.471 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, eight stolen bases, a 135 wRC+, and almost as many walks as strikeouts in 22 games. His defense will not come under as much scrutiny with the 23-year-old slated to mostly DH, and he’ll look to improve upon his 103 wRC+ in 122 games last season. The Yankees will face three righties in this upcoming series against the Rangers, allowing the switch-hitting Domínguez to contribute from his superior side.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty ($): Gil’s demotion to Triple-A opened the spot on the roster for Domínguez’s call-up. He got shelled for six runs in four innings in the series finale against Houston and always looked like the first name to be called with Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole nearing their returns to the rotation from injury. Until Rodón is ready to return, the Yankees will likely use Ryan Yarbrough in a spot start, though they are also weighing calling up one of their top prospects including Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodríguez (they are at least able to skip his next start due to the Thursday offday).

Aaron Boone and Matt Blake said they hope Gil can work on finding a consistent release point and better command in the minors. His path back to the majors is uncertain with Will Warren and Ryan Weathers ahead of him in the rotation pecking order. In four starts, Gil is 1-2 with a 6.05 ERA, 8.43 FIP, more walks than strikeouts, and -0.4 fWAR across 19.1 innings.

MLB.com | Steve Schaeffer: Domínguez’s promotion coincides with lingering uncertainty over the severity of Giancarlo Stanton’s calf injury. He was removed from Saturday’s game in Houston with right calf tightness after feeling discomfort running the bases and missed the final two games of the series. The team said they will make a final decision on Monday as to whether he will go on IL. In 24 games, Stanton is hitting .256/.302/.422 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, and a 101 wRC+.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees have made several ill-advised ABS challenges over the last few weeks and have had to institute a fining system for particularly egregious decisions. To hold each other accountable for wasting challenges, players are fining themselves $500 for a challenge on a pitch that is fully inside of the strike zone, Jazz Chisholm Jr. even fining himself $1,000 for challenging a strike right down the middle against the Astros on Saturday. The Yankees have made the second-most challenges in baseball but own the ninth-worst success rate (43-percent). Boone has even indicated that some players might have their ABS challenge privileges revoked if they don’t follow the guidelines laid out by the team at the start of the year, Boone notably calling José Caballero into his office for a “stern” one-on-one meeting about wasting challenges.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: The Red Sox front office made waves when they fired manager Alex Cora and much of his staff on Saturday, Triple-A skipper Chad Tracy replacing him yesterday in a win over Baltimore. Cora had been at the helm of the team for eight years and won the 2018 World Series, but with the Red Sox in last place, Cora had to go. Also getting the axe is former Yankees hitting coach Dillon Lawson — his second midseason firing in just a few years — and Jason Varitek, who had been serving as the club’s game planning and run prevention coach (the longtime catcher was reassigned within the organization). Boone is close friends with Cora from their time working together on ESPN broadcasts, and revealed he reached out with words of support for his now-former rival manager.

It seems like watching Rays baseball is all sunshine and rainbows when Tampa Bay isn’t playing an NL Central opponent, right?

The Rays are 11-1 against teams not hailing from the Senior Circuit, and are 5-10 against teams that do. In fact, the Rays went 1-2 against the Reds, Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals, and Brewers.

Now, on to the fun stuff.

Griffin Jax opened today, going 2.1 IP while striking out two and walking one. He allowed one hit.

Jesse Scholtens collected the win, with Cole Sulser grabbing a hold and save, respectively.

On the offensive front, Yandy Diaz continued his torrid April with another homer, Chandler Simpson swiped his ninth bag of the season, and Jake Fraley and Taylor walls both had doubles.

Jonathan Aranda also had a two-RBI single.

We do it again on Monday from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario (shoutout Guardians radio and Ford C. Frick award winner Tom Hamilton) where the Rays begin a quick three game road trip against Cleveland, with southpaws Steven Matz and Parker Messick toeing the slab.

Even with things looking bleak for the Mets after dropping both games of Sunday's doubleheader and getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, the team is still fighting for one another and will continue to do so until the very end.

Make no mistake, it's not good for New York who dropped to 10 games below .500 and whose offense continues to reel. However, instead of pointing fingers the players on the team say they're all on the same page and are pulling on the same rope while acknowledging they must be better.

"It’s not great. We gotta be better," said Brett Baty who went 0-for-7 on the day, including three strikeouts in Game 1. "We’re putting in the work, all the guys are working really hard. Personally, I’ve been taking a bunch of swings and trying to get going. At the end of the day we just gotta be better."

Everyone from the manager to the batboy knows the Mets have to be better. How they plan on doing that and turning their season around before things truly get out of hand is the real question.

The good news is New York does still have time.

Thanks to their abysmal stretch coming at the beginning of the season as opposed to the middle or the end of the season, the Mets have all summer to right the ship. They may never, but they're at least afforded the chance to try.

"I was just raised like you gotta put your head down and keep working hard," Baty said. "A lot of ball left to play. Our goal remains the same so put our head down and keep working hard."

It won't always be pretty, but the hope for New York is the players on the roster eventually play up to their capabilities -- some even up to their potential.

Sooner or later, perhaps when the weather gets warmer as its been an unseasonably cold spring in Queens, results will come. 

"They’re good hitters," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "They’ve done it for a long time."

As for if the Mets, who saw a few long-time players leave town during the offseason, need a new voice in the clubhouse for guidance or leadership, Baty doesn't think so and believes the team has everything it needs to be successful right here already.

"I think we all have each other’s backs here and I think we all understand that we’re gonna keep working hard and we’re gonna have each other’s backs til the last day," he said.

The Mets have become an easy mark on social media these days as their dreadful 2026 season continues.

The Rockies became the latest team to take jabs at the Mets after they swept them in a doubleheader on Sunday in a series of posts on X, which included calling themselves the “Kings of Queens” and using their mascot Dinger to troll the Metropolitans. 

The biggest jab came in a post to the X account of the famed Manhattan icon, the Empire State Building. 

“Hey @EmpireStateBldg , just an idea…,” the team wrote in a post that included a photo of the New York City landmark lit up in Rockies purple. 

Hey @EmpireStateBldg, just an idea… pic.twitter.com/GBj2sbl4pb

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 27, 2026

In a separate post, they captioned a graphic after their 3-0 win in the second game against the Mets, “Sweep State of Mind” in a play on words of “New York State of Mind.” 

The Rockies defeated the Mets in the first game of the day, 3-1, before shutting them out in the second game to complete the sweep. 

Colorado also defeated the Mets on Friday night in a 4-3 win that quickly ended the good times in Queens after the Mets had snapped a 12-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over the Twins. 

Minnesota had also used social media to poke fun at the struggling Mets earlier in the week, as did MLS club Charlotte FC after they defeated New York City FC, which uses Citi Field as a part-time home, earlier this month.

The Mets managed a mere one run over 18 innings of baseball on Sunday as questions around manager Carlos Mendoza’s job security continued to swirl as his ballclub’s season spiraled out of control.

The Mets have Monday off before they begin a three-game set with the Nationals at Citi Field, looking to find any sort of positive momentum they can find while the team sits 10.5 games back of the top spot in the National League East. 

Tommy Pham’s second tenure with the Mets is finished after only two weeks, and another veteran bat is headed to Queens.

Pham was informed Sunday night that he will be designated for assignment. The club has signed Austin Slater, according to industry sources.

Slater, 33, owned a .460 OPS in 11 games with the Marlins this season before his release.

Pham, 38, was 0-for-13 at the plate in a part-time role after arriving on a minor league deal.

As the starting left fielder in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader, he went 0-for-2 and did not appear in the nightcap. The Mets lost 3-1 and 3-0 to the Rockies.

Nolan McLean was “pretty happy” with his start Sunday, but it was hardly his cleanest outing of the season.

The Mets rookie worked into the sixth inning in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader but never recorded an out before he was removed with the bases loaded in the team’s 3-1 loss to the Rockies.

The Rockies also produced traffic in the fourth, driving up McLean’s pitch count. Overall, he allowed two runs, one unearned, on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches.

“I thought my stuff was in a good spot,” McLean said. “I am pretty happy with the outing. There was some traffic there in a couple of innings, but I felt I did a good job.”

It was the team’s fourth straight loss in a game started by McLean, who has yet to surrender more than three earned runs in an outing this season. The right-hander owns a 2.55 ERA in his six starts.

Is there added pressure knowing the room for error might be minuscule given this struggling lineup?

“The way we see it in the clubhouse, it’s just any minute now,” McLean said. “We look at the lineup going out there each day and we know how hard they are working. It’s just a matter of time. We know how good these players are.”

Jorge Polanco has begun running and hitting off a tee in his rehab from a right wrist contusion. Polanco is also dealing with right Achilles bursitis that has been an ongoing issue since the opening weekend of the season. Polanco is under evaluation on a week-to-week basis, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.

Trevor Bauer wanted to send a message on social media to those doubting him. 

The controversial former major leaguer, who is now calling suburban Long Island his baseball home, threw a seven-inning no-hitter on Sunday for the Long Island Ducks in his second start for the independent league ballclub that plays in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. 

After the 13-0 win over the Lancaster Stormers, Bauer took to social media. 

“Trevor Bauer sucks so much. He’s so washed,” he posted on his popular X account, @BauerOutage.

Bauer allowed just one walk while striking out seven batters on 84 pitches in the abbreviated game and became just the third player in Ducks history to throw a no-hitter. 

Here's the moment @BauerOutage finished off the no-no!! https://t.co/S1tbrFsnLUpic.twitter.com/8aDdufq4mc

— Long Island Ducks (@LIDucks) April 26, 2026

Rod Henderson became the first to do so on May 25, 2001, against the now-defunct Atlantic City Surfand Robert Stock accomplished the feat against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 18, 2023. 

The 35-year-old former Cy Young Award winner had been coming off an opening day start last week that marked his first start in the U.S. in nearly five years. 

Bauer has been trying to make a major league comeback after he was suspended for 194 games in 2022 over sexual assault allegations, which he vehemently denies and was never criminally charged for. 

He has spent time playing professionally in Mexico and Japan, though no MLB team has taken a chance on bringing him back to the big leagues in the United States. 

In his vlog on YouTube, Bauer talked about the fan support that he had received in his first start and how he was able to pitch in America without any major negative incidents. 

“I didn’t hear any negative comments. There was no protests,” Bauer said in the vlog titled, “I Joined My New Team In New York.” “Nothing blew up. There was no meteor that hit the stadium. Apparently, those fears have been massively overstated, I think. Imagine that I can pitch in America and not have massive protests and get cancelled and whatever else.” 

The Rockies and Mets came into this series with nearly identical records: 10-16 for Colorado, 9-16 for New York.

Which… felt misleading. Like two teams arriving at the same place for completely different reasons.

Then the Rockies swept the series, and the gap in records is growing: 13-16 for Colorado, 9-19 for New York.

Same neighborhood, different direction.

Before the season, PECOTA had the Mets at 88 wins and real playoff odds. The Rockies were pegged for around 60 wins and, essentially, a long summer.

So what changed?

For the Mets, it’s not just losing — it’s the weight of it. This is a ‘World Series or bust’ roster, built with Steve Cohen money, and it hasn’t clicked. Roles feel unsettled. The fit feels off. Even snapping the 12-game losing streak didn’t stop the bigger question from hanging over everything: why isn’t this working?

When expectations are that high, losses don’t just count — they linger.

Now the Rockies feel… different. Still imperfect, still under .500, but more coherent. More competitive. There’s actual energy — call it the Goodman/Moniak/Johnston effect — where players are giving you a reason to watch beyond the standings.

The Mets have stars. The Rockies have spark.

And to be fair — Mets fans have lived through October magic, titles, and franchise icons, from the Miracle Mets of 1969 to the dominant 1986 team. They were in the NLCS as recently as 2024. The Mets history runs deeper than Colorado’s, but Rockies fans have built their own decades of memories since 1993.

Both fanbases have stuck through plenty of losing to get those moments. Nobody’s switching sides.

So here’s the question:

For the rest of this season… who would you rather be:

• The fanbase watching a $350M Goliath stumble over itself?
• Or the fanbase watching an underdog finally start to figure out who they are?

And looking ahead to next year and beyond?

Do you trust the stars in New York to figure it out… Or the spark in Colorado to turn into something real?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

After yet another disastrous offensive performance in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sat down at the podium for his postgame presser and, looking exhausted, sounded incredulous at what he just witnessed.

Not only did his team score one run over the course of 18 innings en route to getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at home, but hardly at any point did the offense look even remotely competitive.

“It’s hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time,” said a fed up Mendoza. “It’s just not a good showing, not good at-bats up and down [the lineup].

“Overall not hitting the ball hard consistently and it’s hard. Like I said, it’s hard to explain because usually you get 3-4 guys that go through it, but you got 4-5 guys that can carry you. But right now it’s hard to describe.”

Unfortunately, this is what the Mets’ offense is right now – one that’s scored one or fewer runs 10 times in 28 games to start the season and who ranks at or near the bottom in almost every offensive category.

From top to bottom, the offense has been struggling basically since that Opening Day game against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates where New York put up 11 runs while getting contributions up and down the lineup in a game that teased fans of what could be but now feels like an aberration.

Yes, injuries have taken their toll on the Mets who are not fully healthy at the moment, but even when most of the pieces were in place, the offense was still sputtering.

Francisco Alvarez, who has three hits in his last 20 at-bats, leads all qualified hitters on the team with a .240 average and a .760 OPS. Nobody else has an OPS above .669 and that belongs to Francisco Lindor who will be out for the foreseeable future with a calf strain.

Sure, Juan Soto is slashing .304/.418/.413 in 13 games but since returning to the lineup after missing two weeks with a calf strain of his own, he’s 3-for-15 with no RBI or runs scored. In fact, teams have resolved to not pitch to him and are making anybody else in the lineup beat them.

Right now, nobody has been able to step up to the plate.

“We all know what kind of talent we have in that lineup and what kind of hitters we have and how much damage they can do so it’s just a matter of time that they’re gonna wake up and bring the best out of themselves,” Soto said. “I know they're trying their hardest but sometimes things don’t go your way and you just gotta keep it as you are, a professional, keep your head and keep moving forward.”

After making significant changes to the roster this offseason and going from comfortable to perhaps unconventional, none of the moves have really paid dividends yet.

Bo Bichette had a nice moment on Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins with a bases-clearing double to give the Mets the lead late, but outside of that he’s been a huge disappointment after being billed as somebody who makes solid contact and hits in the clutch.

Luis Robert Jr. has followed up a torrid start with a prolonged slump, Marcus Semien went 1-for-12 against the Rockies and Jorge Polanco is on the IL.

Meanwhile, homegrown players like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos who were tasked to take another step in the right direction this season have failed to do so.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this to be honest with you, that goes on for so long when you got so many guys struggling at the same time,” Mendoza said.

The team-wide slump, which was the biggest problem during New York’s recent 12-game losing streak, has led to uncomfortable questions surrounding the skipper with the Mets a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 9-19.

And it’s not just this year. Since June 12 of last year, the Mets are 47-74 despite being committed to winning and spending more than nearly everybody else thanks to owner Steve Cohen.

With all of that, is Mendoza concerned about his job security?

“The only thing I’m worried about here is I gotta get the guys going,” he said. “I get it. I get it. It sucks and I know the questions will continue to come up, but my job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk. That’s the bottom line.”

How exactly Mendoza plans to do that remains to be seen because, by his own admission, he’s tried everything. So far nothing has worked.

At the end of the day, though, it’s on the players to play better.

“As players we have to perform,” Soto said while defending his skipper. “This is definitely not Mendy’s fault or David [Stearn’s] fault. They definitely put a great team together and we have to be the ones that gotta go out there and perform at the end of the day.

“I don’t think [Mendoza’s] been doing anything wrong. I think he’s been doing a great job as a manager. He’s moving the pieces and putting the pieces in the right spot, we just haven’t come through, but it’s not his fault at all.”

It was a long day at Kauffman Stadium, but the Kansas City Royals completed the sweep, overcoming a 6-0 deficit to sweep the Angels, winning it 11-9. Lane Thomas played the hero, with the walk-off three run dinger.

Zach Neto flared the first pitch of the game into left for a single. Mike Trout followed that up with a two-run homer, just over the wall in left center.

In the top of the second, after two singles to start the inning, the Angels had first and second for former Royal Adam Frazier. After bunting two balls foul, Frazier smacked a double into the gap to make it 3-0. Neto doubled in two runs in the next at bat, 5-0 Angels. Other former Royal, Jorge Soler later singed in the final run of the inning to make it 6-0.

After Reid Detmers retired the first 10 batters, Bobby Witt Jr. tripled with one out in the fourth but would be stranded there. Nick Loftin doubled with two outs in the fifth and was driven in by an Isaac Collins single.

Lane Thomas led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and scored on Witt’s first homer of the season. A 427-foot bomb to left center field. 6-3 Angels.

Seth Lugo was very effective after the second inning but surrendered a leadoff double to Soler in the top of the 7th. Jo Adell singled him in after a groundout, 7-3 Angels. Lugo’s final line was 6.1 innings, 14 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. Eli Morgan got a double play ball to end the inning.

Collins led off the bottom half of the 7th with a home run off the right field foul pole. Collins second homer of the year and his first from the left side this season.

Michael Massey walked on four pitches and Lane Thomas singled on a swinging bunt to third. 7-4 LA, 1st and 2nd nobody out with Witt, Vinnie and Salvy coming up. But then the game was put into a rain delay.

After the nearly 2-hour delay, Witt hit into a fielder’s choice, making it 1st and 3rd with one out. Vinnie’s sac fly made it 7-5. But Perez grounded out to end the inning.

Nick Mears worked a 1-2-3 8th inning. The Royals got a pair of two out walks in the 8th, but Maikel Garcia fouled out to end the inning.

Alex Lange got the 9th inning. He gave up a leadoff single and a stolen base. After getting two outs, he walked Adell after a long at bat, 1st and 3rd, two out, Bryce Teodosio up. Lange allowed Adell to steal second, and then walked Teodosio, and on the play, Carter Jensen allowed a passed ball to make it 8-5. Lange then walked another, making it another bad outing for Lange. After loaded the bases with his third walk, Lange finally struck out Adam Frazier to end the inning.

The Royals had the top of the order come up in the bottom of the 9th. Lane Thomas led off, he and Witt grounded out. Pasquantino hit a two out triple, Perez singled him in and Jac Caglianone hit a game-tying two-run homer to tie it at 8.

Lucas Erceg pitched the 10th, he walked Neto to start the inning and then got Trout to hit into a fielder’s choice. But another passed ball on Jensen allowed the Angels to take a 9-8 lead. Erceg struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.

Loftin grounded out to first to start the bottom half of the inning, allowing Jensen to get to third. Collins struck out, and after a long battle, Garcia walked. 2 out, runners on the corners, Lane Thomas up. On a 3-1 pitch, Thomas hit a walk-off three run homer to left center. His first on the year, and the Royals first sweep of the year, on an 11-9 win after 5 hours at the ballpark.

The Royals improve to 11-17 on the season and go 4-2 on the homestand. They are off tomorrow and are on the way out west to take on the Athletics and Mariners next week.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were battered by the Louisville Bats (Reds), 12-6.

Paul Campbell gave up five runs, including a grand slam, in the first inning and two more in the third and got the loss. Campbell’s final line was seven runs on seven hits over three innings. Campbell walked three and struck out three.

Reliever Zac Leigh had an immaculate inning in the top of the ninth. Leigh pitched two scoreless innings total and allowed one hit and one walk while striking out just the three.

First baseman BJ Murray was 3 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and drove in one.

Justin Dean went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Pedro Ramirez left this game in the seventh inning with no apparent injury, but I-Cubs broadcaster Jason Kempf is reporting that it was purely a precaution and that Ramirez is on the bus to St. Paul.

Leigh’s immaculate inning.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got into the eyes of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 7-2.

Vince Reilly was the opener for the Smokies and got tagged for two runs on three hits in the one inning he worked. Reilly struck out one and walked no one.

Nick Dean came out in the second inning, threw four scoreless innings and got the win. Dean allowed just two hits and did not walk anyone. He struck out five.

After Frankie Scalzo Jr. threw two scoreless innings, Luis Martinez-Gomez finished the game with the two-inning save. Martinez-Gomes allowed no runs and no hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Center fielder Alex Ramírez hit a two-run home run in the third inning that put the Smokies up for good. Ramírez had a big game, going 4 for 5 with the home run and three total runs batted in.

Catcher Ariel Armas was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI single in the eighth. He also scored once run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were flamed by the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 3-0.

Starter Ethan Flanagan made two mistakes that were turned into two solo home runs. Flanagan’s final line was two runs on four hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Kevin Valdez allowed just one unearned run and one hit over three innings of relief. He struck out one and walked one.

South Bend’s bats were silenced by a rehabbing Nick Lodolo for five innings. He allowed two hits, no walks and he struck out seven.

Third baseman Brian Halbach was 2 for 4 with a double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were swept in a doubleheader by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 6-5 in ten innings in the completion of Sunday’s game and 6-2.

Mason McGwire started game one yesterday before the rains came. His first pitch was smashed over the right field wall. He retired the next six batters he faced, striking out three of them.

The Pelicans led 5-1 when the game was suspended in the middle of the third inning. Hayden Frank started today and tossed four scoreless, giving up just three hits. Frank struck out four, walked one and struck out four.

Things went south when Luis A. Reyes came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and he coughed up the lead, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Reyes struck out two.

Braylon Myers relieved Reyes and retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth innings. But after the Pelicans failed to score in the top of the tenth, he allowed a leadoff single in the tenth to end the game.

The final line on Myers was one unearned run on one hit. He struck out one.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a three-run home run in the third inning on Saturday before the rains came. It was his third home run of the season. Hartshorn was 1 for 4 with two runs scored.

Shortstop Alexis Hernandez went 1 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored twice.

Hartshorn’s home run in game one.

Some Mason McGwire highlights.

Dominick Reid started game two today and got the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits over three innings. One of the five runs was unearned. Reid struck out five and walked one.

Shortstop Ty Southisene tripled and scored on a balk in the top of the seventh. He was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.

After Kodai Senga struggled for a third consecutive start, failing to get out of the third inning of the Mets' 3-0 loss in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the right-hander’s role with the club is up in the air.

“I’m gonna have a conversation with David [Stearns], see what’s next,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But, obviously, it’s not good enough.”

Senga allowed three runs on three hits and three walks and hit a batter in 2.2 innings, pushing his ERA to 9.00 and WHIP to 1.950 through 20 innings on the year.

“These past few games, I am not able to do my role as a starting pitcher, giving up runs early in the game,” Senga said, speaking through an interpreter, after New York dropped a third straight to Colorado.

Would the Mets see if Senga would agree to a minor league assignment as he did at the end of the 2025 season? 

“Like I said, we just got done, but I’m pretty sure we’re gonna have conversations. What are the options here?” Mendoza said. 

"I don’t know what’s gonna come,” Senga said when asked about his future. “But I know that the performance out on the field isn’t something where I can be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be in the rotation or this, and that is gonna happen.’ I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

Asked if he would accept an assignment to Triple-A, Senga said, “I think that warrants a lot of discussions with a lot of different people. I can’t give you a yes or a no answer right now.”

An issue that could limit the Mets’ options with Senga and prevent him from moving to the bullpen is his rather regimented routine to build up to be ready to pitch and that could be difficult to translate to being in the bullpen. Asked if his routine could adapt to coming on in relief, he said, “I’ve done it in the past, so I don’t think that’s an issue.”

Senga, who had a decent start to the season – allowing four runs on nine hits over 11.2 innings with 16 strikeouts to five walks – after a solid spring training, said it is a mechanical issue rather than a mental one to explain his recent struggles.

Mendoza pointed to a “combination of a lot of things” to explain the right-hander’s recent struggles, but pointed to Senga losing velocity on his four-seam fastball as the main culprit.

During the spring, Senga was throwing the ball hard and in his first start of the year in St. Louis he posted an average fastball velocity of 97.4 mph, which was up 2.7 mph from his average velocity last season.

“We saw when he’s at his best, it’s 97 [mph] plus,” Mendoza said of the heater. “Today we saw a lot of 95, 96.”

Of course, Senga was effective in years past with his fastball at a bit lower velocity. Mendoza said there have been recent outings where there have been “too much nibbling with the cutter, with the sweeper as opposed to staying on the attack.”

That was an issue for Senga during his last outing in Chicago when he allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits over 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and three walks. That wasn't the case on Sunday afternoon as he pumped in mostly forkballs and fastballs through the first two frames, as those two pitches accounted for 32 of his first 34 offerings.

“Today they got him on some of the fastballs that he threw,” Mendoza said.

On Sunday, Senga averaged 95.1 mph on his 30 four-seam fastballs, which was down 1.2 mph from his season average. And notably, the big hit came when Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman took a good low-and-away 94.4 mph fastball and smacked it 390 feet, 104.9 mph off the bat the other way to right-center for a two-run home run in the third inning.

“When the pitches don’t have as much life approaching the hitter, approaching the catcher, with how high the level this league is, that’s just how the results end up being,” Senga said of his struggles.