SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 01: Rhys Hoskins #8 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates on second base after he hit a bases loaded two-run RBI double against the Athletics in the top of the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park on May 01, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Fun game today, although it may have been ever-so-slightly overshadowed by the happenings of another Cleveland sports team. Offense looked shaky to start the game.
The Guardians had the bases loaded with no outs in the first, but failed to bring home any runs. In the bottom of the first, Cantillo gave up a 2-run 2-out homer to Brent Rooker. But, the next inning, the Guardians had runners at the corners with no outs, and then made two consecutive outs. Luckily, Cleveland’s own Chase DeLauter rocketed a double into right that the Athletics’ right fielder, Colby Thomas, misplayed, leading to 2 Guardians runs.
In the fourth, Cantillo gave up a 2-rbi single down the line to Zack Gelof. But, again, in the next inning, the Guardians answered right back with a Rhys Hoskins 1-out 2-run double.
Later that inning, Martinez (pinch-hitting for Schneemann) drove in another run with a sac fly.
Cantillo wasn’t his best today, giving up 4 earned in 4 innings. 5 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts. But, when the offense hums the way it did tonight, we spend less time focusing on the pitcher.
In the seventh, Hoskins drove in another run with a solo shot.
Bo Naylor (!) drove in a run with a 104 mph double to right, and then Rocchio drove him in right after.
Erik Sabrowski got out of a Hunter Gaddis-induced bases-loaded jam in the 7th, striking out 2 consecutive Athletics, and getting Colby Thomas to fly out to very deep left-center.
Cade Smith put out a Connor Brogdon-induced fire in the 8th, stranding runners at the corners with two outs. He came back on in the 9th for a 1-2-3 inning.
Other highlights include things such as: a Matt Festa scoreless inning, 2 Travis Bazzana walks, a 2-hit night for Bo Naylor, a *4-hit* (5x on-base) night for Chase DeLauter, and a 3x on-base game for Steven Kwan.
Sawyer Gipson-Long was scratched prior to this game, fueling talk that he might be part of a spot start plan against the Rangers on Sunday in Casey Mize’s regular turn. Instead, it was a bullpen day with Grant Holman leading the way, and early on the Clippers built a 4-0 lead after Sean Hunley allowed a three-run third inning in relief. As you can see by the score, things would take a decisive turn in the Mud Hens’ favor.
It was still 4-0 Columbus when Cal Stevenson led off the fifth with a single. Andrew Navigato doubled him to third, but Tomas Nido flew out to shallow center and Stevenson couldn’t score on that fly ball, nor the shallow fly to right that followed from Max Burt. He would score on a Ben Malgeri bouncer that he beat out. Tyler Gentry doubled in Navigato and Malgeri, and it was a 4-3 Clippers lead.
In the sixth, Corey Julks led off with a walk, and Eduardo Valencia singled. After a Stevenson strikeout, Navigato singled in Julks, and later in the inning, a Max Burt single and an error brought home Valencia and Navigato. Malgeri walked, and Gentry came through with another two-run double to make it 8-4 Mud Hens. Gentry, a former Royals farmhand, has always had a very well rounded game and just never broke through to the major league level. Now 27, the right-handed hitting corner outfielder is a bit of an interesting depth option in Toledo.
In the top of the seventh, the Clippers walked in two runs, and Malgeri cleared the bases with a double that made it 13-4.
Scott Effross allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh, but in the eighth, singles from Valencia and Stevenson set the table for Navigato, who crushed his first home run since rejoining the Tigers’ organization. 16-5 Hens. They added two more in the ninth for fun.
Max Clark had the night off and missed this party.
Navigato: 3-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, BB
Malgeri: 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B, BB
Gentry: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, BB, K
Holman: 2.0 IP, ER, H, BB, K
Coming Up Next: The Hens take a 3-1 lead in the series into a 4:05 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday.
John Peck remains absolutely on fire for Erie, and the offense cracked three home runs to win behind a solid day from the bullpen.
The SeaWolves got rolling immediately with a five run bottom of the first. Peyton Graham singled with one out and then stole his 13th bag of the young season. Brett Callahan made it a moot point, cranking his third home run of the season. Peck smoked a double to left, and a Justice Bigbie lineout to right, Andrew Jenkins doubled in Peck, and then rode home on an E.J. Exposito two-run shot. 5-0 SeaWolves.
Colin Fields and Johan Simon both tossed a pair of scoreless innings to start off the bullpen day. Peck cracked a solo shot in the third, making that four straight days with a home run. He would also single, steal second, and score on a Jenkins single in the eighth.
Trevin Michael allowed a pair of runs in the middle innings, but Tyler Owens handled the seventh and eighth with no issues. Wandisson Charles was knocked around for a pair of runs in the ninth but eventually pulled it together.
Peck: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, 2B, HR, K, SB
Jenkins: 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 2B
Owens: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:35 p.m. ET start in Erie on Saturday with the SeaWolves up 3-1 in the series.
Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box)
The Kernels continue to have the Whitecaps number as they mauled Rayner Castillo and cruised to an easy victory on Friday.
After a good outing last time out, Castillo couldnt’ miss bats in this one and the Kernels scored two runs in each of the first three innings.
Jackson Strong singled, stole second, and scored after a pair of ground outs in the top of the first. So it was a 6-1 games when Castillo’s outing ended early. In the top of the fifth, Samuel Gil doubled in Hunter Dobbins and Strong to cut the lead to 6-3, but that was as close as they’d get.
Luke Stofel allowed a pair of runs in the sixth to make it 8-3. Cristian Santana doubled in the eighth and was wild pitched to third, where he would score on a Juan Hernandez ground out.
The combination of Castillo, Inohan Paniagua, Stofel, and CJ Weins combined for just three strikeouts against five walks, as the system wide drought in pitching contines. Only Ben Jacobs, Kelvis Salcedo, and Grayson Grinsell have really been impressive out of the field of prospects so far.
Hernandez: 1-3, RBI, 2B, BB, K
Strong: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K, SB
Castillo (L, 0-3): 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday as the Whitecaps try to avoid a sweep.
The Flying Tigers got a pretty good short outing from Kelvis Salcedo on Friday, and did a pretty good job at the plate against one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. The bullpen let them down a bit late to lose this one after they’d mounted a comeback.
Anibal Sales smashed a 98 mph Hernandez fastball for a solo shot in the second to open the scoring. Javier Osorio followed him with a double but was stranded. In the third, Zach MacDonald turned on a slider and bashed his eighth home run of the young season. He’ll be coming to a Whitecaps game near you pretty soon, but the strikeouts remain a pretty big problem as well.
This was just Salcedo’s second outing of the year, so he’s still building up his pitch count. He punched out five in three innings of work, but did give up a solo shot to Cristian Jauregui in the third before wrapping up his outing.
The Flying Tigers kept getting some traffic on the bases against Hernandez but wouldn’t score off of him again. Charlie Christensen threw a clean fourth for Lakeland, but he leaked a pair of runs in the fifth to lose the lead. So it was 3-2 Bradenton, and then 4-2 when Luke Hoskins allowed a run in the sixth.
The Flying Tigers struck back in the seventh with Hernandez’s day over. Jude Warwick led off with a double and Jesus Pinto was hit by a pitch. The next two hitters made outs, but Beau Ankeney drove a ball to center for a double to plate both runs and tie the game 4-4.
Unfortunately, Bradenton immediately untied it with a solo shot to lead off the eighth, and the Flying Tigers couldn’t manage another comeback.
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets center fielder Nick Morabito (70) celebrates after scoring against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Mets used a five run fourth and the poor rainy weather to take this one by a score of 6-3 after five. AJ Minter opened the game as a continuation of his rehab assignment and did okay, surrendering an unearned run in the frame.
Eric Wagaman walked home the tying run in the third, and a trio of Yonny Hernandez, Nick Morabito and Wagaman all drove in runs in the fourth to make it 6-1. The IronPigs scored two in the top of the fifth but were denied from there. Then, the rains came and turned this to a quick five inning win.
LF A.J. Ewing: 1-1, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB (2,3)
CF Nick Morabito: 2-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, SB (8)
1B Ryan Clifford: 0-2, BB, 2 K
DH Eric Wagaman: 1-1, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB
3B Christian Arroyo: 0-3, K, E (3)
RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-2, K
SS Vidal Bruján: 1-2, R
C Hayden Senger: 0-1, R
2B Yonny Hernández: 1-2, R, RBI
REHAB ALERT: LHP A.J. Minter: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Bryce Conley: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, W (1-1)
Well, when you go down 6-0 in the first inning, it kind of tells the story for the rest of the game, and Binghamton did just that. Jordan Gerber got lit up in the first, surrendering those aforementioned six first inning runs. RBI knocks by Jose Ramos and JT Schwartz got them back in spitting distance in the fourth, but three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh buried Binghamton.
CF Eli Serrano III: 0-4
1B-3B Jacob Reimer: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, K
C Chris Suero: 0-4, 3 K
RF Jose Ramos: 2-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, E (2)
DH Kevin Parada: 0-4, 2 K
1B TT Bowens: 0-0
LF JT Schwartz: 1-4, RBI, K
3B-2B Nick Lorusso: 0-4, K
SS-P Wyatt Young: 1-4, 2 K
2B-SS Diego Mosquera: 2-2, R, BB, SB (2)
RHP Jordan Geber: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, L (1-2)
RHP Kevin Gowdy: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Wyatt Young: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
The first four and a half innings went by scoreless, with Brooklyn finally breaking the scoring in the bottom of the fifth by way of a Vincent Perozo single. That would mostly be the end of the Brooklyn offensive experience. as they mustered up one other run (a ninth inning Daiverson Gutierrez single), and just three hits.
Frederick took the lead in the sixth and rolled from there.
2B Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, 3 K
CF Yonatan Henriquez: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
SS Mitch Voit: 0-4, 2 K
DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-4, RBI, K
RF John Bay: 1-3, R, 2B, SB (7)
1B Trace Willhoite: 0-3
C Vincent Perozo: 1-2, RBI, BB
3B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, K, E (3)
LF Sam Biller: 0-3, 2 K
RHP Parker Carlson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Jonathan Jimenez: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, E (3), L (0-3)
LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Felix Cepeda: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Randy Guzman opened the scoring in this one, after a scoreless first three frames. Guzman hit a solo home run in the fourth, hit sixth on the year, raising his OPS to .918 on the year. Tampa tied it in the sixth, but St. Lucie responded by blowing the doors off of the game in the latter innings. They scored four in the seventh, including hitting two triples in the inning, added two in the eighth, and added a final run in the ninth, turning this game into a laugher.
SS Elian Peña: 1-4, R, BB, SB (10), E (3)
CF Edward Lantigua: 1-4, RBI, BB, SB (1)
1B Randy Guzman: 1-4, 2 R, HR (6), RBI, BB, 2 K
DH AJ Salgado: 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, HR (6), 3 RBI, 2 K
LF JT Benson: 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 K, SB (5)
3B Sam Robertson: 0-4, BB, 2 K
RF Simon Juan: 1-5, R, HR (2), RBI, K
C Francisco Toledo: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K
2B Jamari Baylor: 1-3, R, BB
RHP Cam Tilly: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, W (2-0)
RHP Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
The Detroit Tigers opened up their six-game homestand with a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Jack Flaherty floundered once again and the offense simply fell short after clawing back from a 4-0 deficit.
On Saturday night, the two teams will do it again, with right-hander Keider Montero taking the mound for the Tigers while fellow righty Kumar Rocker climbs the hill for the Rangers.
Montero has struggled a bit of late when it comes to allowing the opposition to cross the plate, giving up 10 runs for a 5.40 ERA over the last 16 2/3 innings, while putting up a tidy 13:3 strikeout to walk ratio over that stretch — which does help explain the massive ERA-FIP gap. The 25-year-old last faced off against Texas last summer in Arlington on July 19, when he allowed four runs on four hits (one home run) while walking three and striking out five over 4 1/3 frames to take the loss.
Rocker, a former first-round pick in the 2022 draft, appears to be finally finding his footing in his third season of big league ball, recording two quality starts over his last two outings despite his modest strikeout totals. The 26-year-old’s last matchup with the Tigers came last season on July 19, when he stymied his opponent with 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in which he walked three and struck out five at Comerica Park for his final win of 2025.
Take a look below at how things look heading into Saturday’s battle in the D.
Detroit Tigers (16-17) vs. Texas Rangers (16-16)
Time (ET): 7:15 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 34: RHP Keider Montero (1-2, 4.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (1-2, 3.38 ERA)
May 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Boy is it nice to have Zack Wheeler back in the rotation. Maybe the velocity isn’t all the way back just yet, but his ability to actually pitch makes everything he does have right now play up a bit more.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 01: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a two run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning at Target Field on May 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Friday night one was a fun one in the Bronx, as the Yankees took a left hook early from the Orioles on a Pete Alonso homer but rebounded with a couple big belts of their own. José Caballero and Ben Rice both went yard in the second and Will Warren cruised from there, allowing just three hits in 6.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out nine. The Yankees are now back to 10 games over .500 after a quick one-game dip the day before.
Here’s more on the most relvant American League matchups from yesterday.
Boston Red Sox (13-19) 3, Houston Astros (12-21) 1
Up at Fenway, the Red Sox took the opener in ths three-game set of teams that have deeply disappointed their fanbases thus far. Somewhat curiously, ther were 21 hits between the two clubs, but all of the scoring came on two swings in one inning: a Carlos Correa solo shot in the top of the third and a Jarren Duran three-run shot in the home half against Mike Burrows.
Jake Bennett got the win for Boston in his MLB debut, stepping in for fellow southpaw Garrett Crochet, who recently hit the IL with shoulder inflammation. Aside from the Correa homer, Bennett was up to the task, scattering five hits and two walks in his five innings.
It was a theme, as the Astros kept giving themselves chances, but failed to register the big blow. The threats included two-out doubles from Yainer Diaz and Correa against Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, respectively, and the two former Yankee affiliates were up to the task. Whitlock got Cam Smith to pop up with two men on in the eighth, and Chapman getting his old nemesis Jose Altuve to ground out to end it.
Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) 7, Minnesota Twins (14-19) 3
Deuces were wild in the first five frames of this one, as the Jays notched two-run innings in the second, fourth, and fifth, while the Twins tallied two in the third on a Byron Buxton homer. Kazuma Okamoto countered with a pair of two-run shots against Simeon Woods Richardson, registering his first multi-homer game since leaving the NPB this past offseason.
Patrick Corbin was the one who coughed up the dinger to Buxton but otherwise made like Bennett (or more appropriately, Bennett made like the veteran Corbin) and sprinkled around the six hits, a walk, and a plunking during his 5.1 innings, registering his first win in Toronto.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays tacked on a few insurance runs, which were helpful because Jeff Hoffman had a shaky appearance in middle relief — albeit one that included two infield singles among the three hits, and a score on a sacrifice fly. Minnesota did get the tying run in the on-deck circle with two down in the ninth when Buxton walked and Austin Martin beat out an infield single. But Louie Varland struck out Ryan Jeffers to end it as the Jays drew even with their avian friends in Baltimore at a 15-17 record.
Other Games
Tampa Bay Rays (19-12) 3, San Francisco Giants (13-19) 0: The Rays kept pace with the Yanks and stayed a game and a half behind first place by blanking the Giants at the Trop in the Longo Bowl. Shane McClanahan allowed four singles, a Luis Arraez double, and nothing else in his shutout work through six, which was held up by the bullpen. Although Robbie Ray surrendered fewer hits (four) across his 6.1 innings, two of them were solo shots by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz (who departed early with left side tightness). Can’t win like that with this paltry Giants offense.
Seattle Mariners (16-17) 6, Kansas City Royals (13-19) 7: The disappointing Royals won a wild one in Seattle that saw them blow a 4-0 lead that they built in the top of the first inning alone against Bryan Woo and allow four homers, including two by Julio Rodríguez. Cole Ragans’ shaky start to 2026 continued and Daniel Lynch IV got burned in the home half of the seventh on a two-run clout by J-Rod that tied the game at 6-6. Fortunately for KC, Lane Thomas got them back in front a half-inning later on an RBI single, and each of Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg threw hitless ball to hold the M’s at bay.
Texas Rangers (16-16) 5, Detroit Tigers (16-17) 4: The Rangers made this one more difficult than it had to be, as they built a 4-0 lead through three with Danny Jansen homering along the way, but the four-run advantage went poof across the fourth and fifth. Former Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore’s rough transition to the American League continued; he’s surrendered 13 runs across 18.1 innings in his last four starts combined. Alejandro Osuna broke the tie in the eighth by following Jake Burger’s double off Burch Smith with one of his own. Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz were perfect in their appearances to give Texas the road victory.
Cleveland Guardians (17-16) 8, The Athletics (17-15) 5: Out in West Sacramento, the A’s had no answer for Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter, who went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and two RBI on behalf of Cleveland, who turned a 4-2 deficit in the fourth into a comfortable 8-4 lead by the seventh-inning stretch. Rhys Hoskins also had a homer and a two-run double, with the eight-run outburst on the whole enough to withstand a bad day from Guardians starter Joey Cantillo. His bullpen picked him up, as six different Cleveland pitchers combined for five innings of four-hit ball, with Hunter Gaddis the only member of the sextet to struggle. Cade Smith went four up, four down for the save.
Sep 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Hunter Stratton (65) throws against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves announced a few moves prior to Friday evening’s game in Colorado, beginning with recalling right-hander Hunter Stratton to Atlanta. The club also selected the contract of fellow righty Anthony Molina. Things were not as fortunate for Joel Payamps and José Suarez, who were each designated for assignment.
The #Braves today recalled RHP Hunter Stratton to Atlanta and selected RHP Anthony Molina to the major league roster. The club designated RHP Joel Payamps and LHP José Suarez for assignment.
Stratton has yet to make his 2026 debut at the major league level, but in Triple-A, he’s put together a 4.50 ERA in 11 games.
Molina made his season debut Friday night, where he threw two hitless innings. He recorded just one base on balls.
Given that Payamps and Suarez have been DFA’d, this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Atlanta bullpen.
More Braves News:
Despite his quad issue, Michael Harris II continued to rake and delivered a clutch two-run homer to give the Braves the 8-6 edge over the Colorado Rockies.
In the latest Braves Biweekly, we look at how the Braves are shaping up to be the best team in the league.
MLB News:
The Baltimore Orioles have placed right-hander Ryan Helsley on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. The move is retroactive to April 29.
The Milwaukee Brewers placed righty Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Fortunately, there are no structural concerns and his time on the IL should be minimal.
From the Feed:
After 19 wins in the month of April, it’s time to cast your vote on Braves Player of the Month.
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 24: Jasson Domínguez #24 of the New York Yankees high fives teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Sloan Park on March 24, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SNY | John Flanigan: Ahead of Friday’s game, the Yankees got some good news, as the tests done on Jasson Domínguez’s elbow came back clean. There had been worry after he was hit on the elbow by a pitch in Wednesday’s game, leading to him exiting the game and undergoing X-rays and other tests. However, those appear to have not caused further worries, with Domínguez a possible option off the bench in Friday’s game.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Yankees have lost a little bit of depth as veteran infielder Paul DeJong has opted out of his minor league deal with the team. The Yankees brought DeJong to spring training on a minor league deal with an opt out in May, and he’s decided to exercise that clause and see if he can catch on with another team.
Sportsnet: In other roster news, Randal Grichuk has elected free agency after having been DFAed by the Yankees earlier this week. The somewhat-infamous Yankee Killer leaves New York after a .194/.212/.323 showing in 16 games.
Kyodo News: Despite leaving the Yankees and MLB as a whole, Masahiro Tanaka has continued to pitch professionally back in his home country of Japan. On Friday, he hit a mark that ties him in the history books with another old friend. Yesterday as his Yomiuri Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers, Tanaka picked up his 203rd career win across NPB and MLB. That tied him with fellow former Yankee Hiroki Kuroda for combined wins, with the duo only trailing Yu Darvish in that record book.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 01: Starting pitcher Jake Bennett #64 of the Boston Red Sox throws against the Houston Astros during his MLB debut in the first inning at Fenway Park on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What a weird game to be a part of, right? Your home debut of your interim manager, an MLB debut of a young southpaw, the plane flying Fire Breslow, Sell The Team above Fenway before the game, this had the makings of a mental disaster. Not tonight, apparently. It was left all off the field as the Red Sox snuck in a 3-1 victory over the Astros on Friday night.
Studs
Jake Bennett (5.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K, 5 H, 1 ER)
What an impressive debut to make in a tough situation for this team. You could tell the moment looked a hairrrr bright at the start but he settled in smoothly the rest of the way aside from the Correa solo shot. Kudos to the kid here.
The Bullpen
No pitcher truly had a “clean” frame but all holds and a save is exactly what you want to see to back up a rookie making his debut. Kelly and Whitlock worked themselves into the most obvious trouble but well done to keep it off the board.
Duds
Wilyer Abreu (0-for-4)
Grounding into a double play not but TWICE is brutal. The first one stung more because the Sox had two on and were continuing to rally after Jarren Duran’s three run swat. Still, not an awesome night for Abreu by any stretch.
Play of the Game
This is the kind of swing the Red Sox need to see from Jarren Duran to justify his inclusion in the every day line up. Maybe Chad Tracy will give him some kind of confidence boost.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 01: Bryan Woo #22 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after Kansas City scores during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on May 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A week ago, Bryan Woo got touched up by the Cardinals to the tune of four home runs. He only made it through three innings, while striking out just one of the 18 batters he faced. Recapping the game, I wrote:
Was Woo bad or do we just shake it off? Let’s be real here, four home runs is a lot. And he was genuinely missing middle-middle pretty regularly—this wasn’t some Chicago wind storm or something. But on the other hand, you can’t get too worked up about an off day from a guy who’s had so much consistency that he literally holds the franchise record for most consecutive 6 inning games to open a season. All I know for sure is that, for today, pulling him after three innings was the correct move.
It’s a lot harder to shake off a second outing like this. Facing the other Missouri team tonight, Woo at least made it through six this time, but surrendered six runs on 11 hard-hit balls while striking out just two.
The trouble was mostly contained to his first and last innings. The Royals ambushed him in the first with a pair of leadoff singles setting up a ball off Cole Young’s glove and a Salvador Perez line drive. Before you could blink, the score was 3-0 with a runner in scoring position and nobody out.
Woo took a beat and mostly settled down from there. That runner scored, but it was on a water balloon into shallow left that Leo Rivas couldn’t track down while Randy Arozarena wasn’t even in the camera shot. Woo then got through four clean innings in a row, but allowed more hard-hit balls than whiffs over that stretch. And in his last frame, he gave up two more runs on solo shots from KC’s Ferrari and Lamborghini, Vincent Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone.
So what happened? Woo blew it off, saying of his first-inning struggles, “The only one that I’d probably like to have back is the sinker to Salvy. But I thought the rest of the pitches were not bad by any means.”
I respectfully disagree.
Two culprits jump out tonight. First, he had the same problem that got him into trouble on Saturday: leaking over the plate. I’m going to let a picture tell a thousand words here. That big empty circle in the strike-side of the shadow zone? That’s generally where one wants to throw the ball.
The other issue might be more serious: the sinker. It’s marginal, but this season he’s lost both run and rise on his two-seamer, and those marginal differences can compound, especially when he’s leaving it belt high rather than sending it to the bottom rail. It’s no surprise that guys are having a much easier time squaring it up and keeping it off the ground this year. The Mariners, or at least Cal Raleigh, seem to agree this is an issue. Woo threw seven in his first two innings, but just three over the entire rest of his outing. But I worry about this as a long-term solution. Arsenals are complementary. I’m just not sure his four-seamer will play as strongly without his most-used secondary.
So two bad outings in a row, but with no sign of injury or velo drop. Do we shake it off? I still vote yes, but the concern meter has risen from 0 to 2. And, despite his putting on a confident front through most of his post-game press conference, Woo signaled that he’s concerned too. “My process might have been alright, but I still got my ass kicked. There’s a balance to it, try to take the good and learn from the bad. But. You know. It sucks.”
Woo’s final words before leaving the podium were: “I don’t know. It’s —. I got not a ton of answers.”
If that makes you want to have his back after all he’s done for this team, you’re not alone. Julio Rodríguez said, “I feel like Woo has come through so many times for us and has pitched so many huge games for us.”
In his last outing, the Mariners offense was able to pick up Woo’s bad start by scoring 11 and eventually winning the game. And there were moments when it felt like that might happen again tonight, beginning with the first inning when they struck back after falling behind 4-0.
J.P. Crawford drew a leadoff walk and, the calendar having flipped from April to May, Julio went to the upper tank.
And the Mariners kept chipping away, with Connor Joe and Randy Arozarena hitting solo shots in the fifth and sixth. Julio even tied it up in the seventh inning and earned his first Sun Hat Award of the season, with his second home run of the game, this time going to the deep part of the park.
But, this being a Royals-Mariners game, the Royals struck back, scoring again in the seventh after Salvador Perez’s second double of the game. After that, the only hopeful note for Seattle was Alex Hoppe (the only hoppeful note?), who struck out the side against three batters who each have a career strikeout rate under 18%.
Tune in early tomorrow for Randy Johnson’s number retirement ceremony, which Mariners TV will air starting at 6:00.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 01: Ildemaro Vargas #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks singles during the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 01, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Introduction
There’s a baseball maxim that says, “You can’t win the division in April, but you can lose it.” I couldn’t find who the quote is originally attributed to, but there are plenty of former players and managers that could have said something like that. It also has the added benefit of being both internally consistent and being backed by evidence. Of the 12 eventual playoff teams, a whopping nine were in such position at the end of April last year. The year before, it was the exact same ratio with nine of the eventual playoff field in playoff position at the end of the first month of play. Obviously, if you start out hot, it gives your team more room for error for the inevitable injuries and poor play that comes with a 162-game marathon. It also demonstrates that if you’re on the outside looking in a month in, it’s more likely that you’re going to miss out than you’ll be able to climb over the teams that are above you. There are certainly exceptions: the 2024 Astros had the second-worst record at the end of April that year, but finished the year going 78-54 to secure their division and the number one seed in the American League. But that’s likely the exception that proves the rule in my opinion. Regardless, we’re not talking about the playoffs (yet). Instead, that exercise had me wondering if the same is true for individual players whose statistics can obviously fluctuate even more wildly than a team’s over the course of the season. In other words, how much does a hot (or not so hot) start matter for an individual player and for the D-Backs who fall into those categories?
Since there are no direct comparisons for “playoffs” for individual players, I’ve decided to modify the criteria slightly to look at those players who had an above-average OPS in the first month and then compare to see how those players did by the end of the season. I’m going to leave the pitchers for another week as teasing out the statistical noise will be particularly difficult when dealing with relievers and starters. For the first month of last season, the league averaged a . 707 OPS, unsurprisingly the lowest OPS of any month in the season. There were a little over 100 players who had 90 or more plate appearances in March/April (and would therefore qualify for rate stats) and had an OPS greater than or equal to .707 out of the 177 who accumulated the necessary 3.1 PA per game during that stretch regardless of their OPS. Of those 101 players from the first part of the query, only 34 were able to hold their OPS steady from the end of that first month through the end of the season while the rest saw their OPS drop to varying degrees. In other words, the vast majority of the players who have a hot start to the season will watch that start evaporate over the course of the season. And if we further constrain the list to those players who also ended the season with an above-average OPS for the season of .719, we’re left with just 78 candidates. Sadly, the player with the biggest gap in that 78-person list? Our very own Pavin Smith who was limited by injury and couldn’t sustain his volcanic-hot start. That is a limitation of this query too: I can’t limit the number of PA the player has by the end of the season so a player could theoretically start hot, have a bad week, and then either get injured or demoted to the minors which would hide that noise. But even with that qualification, I think this process at least gives us a directional understanding of what a hot start means for a player.
So what does this all mean for the Diamondbacks other than a hot start is better than a cold one? Well, there’s at least one D-Back who couldn’t be having a better start to the season. Is there any player in the league hotter than Ildemaro Vargas right now? After this afternoon’s 4-for-4 today, and thus extending his franchise-record hitting streak in a big way, his batting average has climbed all the way to .404 and his OPS to 1.131 which currently slots him in at third in the majors above Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Kyle Schwarber. While he’s indisputably been the Diamondback with the most fun storyline to follow in the early going of the season, I sincerely doubt he’s suddenly become an Arizona incarnation of Ted Williams or an upper-tier MVP candidate. As always, the question will be, how steep is the reversion back to the mean? For the team’s sake, we have to hope it’s not too steep or painful.
Earlier in the day, Christian Scott said he was ready to leave his rough first start behind him. And that's exactly what the young Mets right-hander did on Friday.
Going up against the Angels, Scott wasn't his sharpest, but showed improvement, going five innings in the Mets' eventual 4-3 win. But it could have gone sideways fast, and it almost did, for Scott and the Mets in the first inning.
Scott allowed a one-out single to Mike Trout and two batters later, Jorge Soler took him deep. The Mets, losers of 17 of their last 20 games, were already down two runs. But Scott settled in.
Aside from the third inning when he hit Zach Neto with a pitch to lead off, and he eventually scored on two stolen bases and a throwing error by Francisco Alvarez,the Angels could not get anything going off of Scott. Scott would retire the last nine batters he faced.
"That first inning, coming back from that last outing and he kept going," manager Carlos Mendoza said of Scott's outing. "He didn’t put his head down and kept attacking and gave us five innings and a chance to win a baseball game."
"When you go down 2-0 pretty early, you can start to overthink things," Scott said. "I think I did a good job going pitch by pitch, attacking the strike zone, bearing down and competing when I had to."
Scott, whose first big league start in almost two years was spoiled by erratic control that forced him out of the game after just four outs, said Friday's start felt like any other, and that his mindset was on attacking the zone, getting ahead and staying ahead. Scott credited Alvarez for being on the same page as him and calling a good game, but also leaned on his confidence to get over his rough first start and Friday's tough first inning.
"I’m confident in myself and my stuff," Scott said. "I know I belong here and my stuff plays at a high level when it’s in the strike zone. Just have to be consistent... Just do that consistently is my goal moving forward."
"That’s what makes him. Not just because of the stuff, but he has a good head," Mendoza said. "Doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. Could have been easy for him to just put his head down after the last outing. First inning, he goes, ‘here we go again.’ And he didn’t show any sign. I’m not surprised by it. Goes to show you he’s a mature kid."
Once Scott was out after five innings and the score still 3-0, the comeback commenced. In the sixth, the Mets scored three runs on a pair of two-out singles. Ronny Mauricio then completed the comeback with a go-ahead solo homer. The bullpen continued what Scott started, retiring every Angels hitter they faced to finish the game.
"I’ve given up homers before, it’s not the end of the world," Scott said of overcoming the first-inning homer. "But I thought the offense did a really good job battling the whole day. Bullpen came in and not giving up a baserunner was nice to see them bearing down and competing at a high level. It’s early in the game, just have to give the team a chance to win and I thought I did that."
Scott not only gave the Mets a chance to win Friday's series opener, but Mendoza said the 26-year-old set the tone for the rest of the team.
"It started with Scotty. When he got punched, he punched back," Mendoza said. "He set the tone there."
Entering play Friday, the Mets held the worst record in baseball (10-21). Their offense was stagnant and questions regarding Mendoza's job security were rampant. But the team stuck together and prevailed, and it began with Scott's bounce-back start.
Ronny Mauricio picked a good time for his first home run of the season.
The Mets' ninth batter and starting shortstop in Friday's 4-3 win at the Los Angeles Angels took José Fermin's 94 mph pitch deep to right-center field on a 1-1 count with one out, giving New York (11-21) enough of a window to complete a four-run comeback in Anaheim, Calif.
"It feels great to be able to help the team in a situation like that," Mauricio said through an interpreter. "... We're coming out here, we're working, we're doing everything that we have to do to go out in front."
"It says a lot, especially after what we've been going through," Mendoza said. "You get down early in that first inning -- that two-run homer out of the gate -- but they fought back and they found a way. That's a good sign -- when you're able to come back and lock it down, good at-bats, continue to just create some traffic ... it was a solid team win."
With two more games at the Angels (12-21), led by Saturday's 9:38 p.m. start on SNY, the Mets have an opportunity to build as the initial series and overall nine-game road trip begins.
"Every win means a lot, especially when we've dug ourselves into a hole like this," said Marcus Semien, whose two-RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning capped the Mets' three-run rally to tie the game at 3-3. "Especially a comeback win on the road -- that's big. It's big for the group.
From Christian Scott's career-high-tying eight strikeouts in a bounce-back start to the timely hits and the Mets' four-man bullpen consecutively retiring the final 12 batters, Mendoza saw his team dig deep.
"I think they're all different, but every time you get an opportunity to win a game like that -- we haven't been able to win games like that when you get down 3-0 and the feeling's like, 'All right,'" he said. "Today, it wasn't the case. It was something different -- the energy in the dugout, the guys playing loose, the guys playing their game and we saw that. And it started with Scotty -- when he got punched, he punched back. So, it kind of set the tone there."
"We always feel like we're in the game," Semien added. "It's nine innings of baseball. We're all major league players, so we're working hard to scratch and claw to get back into the game."
Maybe in the case of our 2026 Astros, it could be the daily viewing of “As The Losses Mount”.
Seemingly with each passing day, it feels as if meaningful baseball in October will elude us once again. Consider just how long ago it actually was, since we Houstonians endured consecutive postseasons sitting idle.
You’d have to go back to 2014.
In 2014, Dusty Baker wasn’t even managing, having been released by the Cincinnati Reds. Speaking of managers, for a portion of that 2014 season, Houston was led by Bo Porter.
Carlos Correa was still in the minors.
Rob Manfred wasn’t even “officially” MLB Commissioner.
Neither Biggio nor Bagwell had been enshrined in Cooperstown.
Center Field still featured Tal’s Hill.
The A’s still played in Oakland.
Okay, you get where I’m going with this. The injection of historical context, (even in early May) is only fitting because if the trend of dropping series continues, the Astros season will be history and they’ll be home in October for consecutive seasons.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 01: Brent Rooker #25 of the Athletics hits a two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians in the bottom of the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 01, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
May has officially begun, and the A’s begin the month with a series-opening loss to the Cleveland Guardians, falling to their AL Central foes in a high-scoring 8-5 contest. The starting pitching wasn’t great, the bullpen allowed three runners to cross home plate, and while the offense provided five runs they left 10 on base tonight and let this game slip away. The Mariners lost tonight but the Rangers won. The division lead is still ours and still at one game.
Teams trade early runs
Righty J.T. Ginn got the ball tonight looking to continue the solid streak he’s been on since joining the starting staff. He ran into some early trouble tonight though as the first three batters he faced all reached, loading the bases with nobody out before most people had found their seats. Not a good start.
This tough spot didn’t faze the young righty though. He buckled down and got two huge strikeouts before getting out of the early jam with a high flyout to right fielder Colby Thomas to end the threat:
Now it was the A’s turn to bat. Shea Langeliers got things going with a one-out single against Cleveland starting pitcher Joey Cantillo. After a flyout from Kurtz it was Brent Rooker up to the plate with two outs and he absolutely smacked the second pitch he saw over the wall in left field, giving the A’s the first lead of the game:
Pretty amazing considering how this game started. That was Rooker’s third of the season and he really needed that one. Snapped an 0-for-20 streak at the plate, longest of his career. He wasn’t done there tonight either.
While Ginn pulled some magic in the first, he couldn’t do it again in the second. A walk and single started the inning and Ginn got two outs right after that, but he got tagged for a two-run double that tied this game up at 2. Could have been worse.
The middle frames
From there Ginn actually settled in for a bit. He went three up, three down in the third and fourth innings, at one point retiring seven in a row.
On the other side, the A’s were getting contact against Cantillo and broke through again in the fourth. A pair of back-to-back walks to open the frame was followed by a sac bunt to put two runners in scoring position for Zack Gelof. Once considered a building block of the organization but beginning the year in Triple-A, Gelof came through with perhaps his biggest hit of the year to date, a two-run single to retake the lead for the Green & Gold:
Things have been rough for Gelof over the past couple of seasons but he’s already had a couple moments for this club so far. Gelof would actually be thrown out at home when Jacob Wilson grounded a ball to short to end the frame. Not a great call, going for home with only one out, but we like the aggressiveness. That’s a moment too.
Again, once the A’s took the lead Cleveland began to rally. Back-to-back walks to the top of the lineup to open the fifth was Ginn just asking for trouble. While he escaped the wrath of Jose Ramirez, another walk loaded the bases and veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins made Ginn pay with a two-run double after that that tied this game back up. And at 88 pitches, that was the final straw for Mark Kotsay to come get his starter and turn things over to the bullpen.
For someone whose control had been a major selling point, it was a bit disappointing to see Ginn’s command off essentially all night long. Cleveland made him pay for those free passes as three of them ended up crossing home plate. Considering his streak entering tonight he shouldn’t be in danger of being passed over for his next scheduled start, which lines up to be against the Phillies in Philadelphia next Friday.
Hogan Harris replaced Ginn and gave up a sacrifice fly that gave Cleveland their first lead of the game, which was charged to Ginn, though he did get Bazzana to strike out to end the threat. Still, the damage was done and the A’s offense had work to do.
Comeback attempt falls short
It took a couple innings but they got something going in the seventh. Starting with a Wilson single and a pair of walks, Rooker came to the plate with no outs and delivered a base knock that whittled the Cleveland lead down to three:
Of note, one of those walks was to Nick Kurtz, which was the 20th straight game he’d drawn a walk. That officially surpasses Barry Bonds in the modern era:
Nick Kurtz receives a standing ovation after earning a walk for the 20th consecutive game 👏 pic.twitter.com/MvD8GKVEzX
Next up, the all-time record by Roy Cullenbine in 1947, who walked in 22 straight games. Think Kurtz can do it?
Anyway, the bases were still loaded with no one out. The A’s were in business. But it was the Guardians’ turn for some magic. Now into the Cleveland bullpen Darell Hernaiz struck out, then Soderstrom, and finally a fly ball that looked on its way out of the yard was instead robbed by Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan. Owch:
Absolutely horrible luck. On the bright side the fire in the A’s wasn’t out quite yet. Still down three runs, the bats continued to work. A Jeff McNeil double and Jacob Wilson on base via error put runners on the corners in the bottom of the eighth with just one out. Tying run at the plate, and the heart of the order coming up. Instead Langeliers and Kurtz both struck out swinging, ending the threat. Another big owch.
The A’s went down in order in the ninth to seal this one. Their record now stands at 17-15 after the first game of May. Hopefully this isn’t another year where the season is sunk by a terrible May. Not off to a good start in that regard.
Tough pill to swallow, this one. The A’s offense came through tonight for five runs, but the pitching couldn’t hold down a Guardians offense that didn’t allow a hit to Jose Ramirez. Ginn was shaky tonight and clearly didn’t have his control in this one. Kurtz, though he drew that record-breaking walk, went 0-for-4 and came up short in some moments. Everyone of the other starters other than Hernaiz got at least one hit tonight (and Hernaiz drew a pair of walks). It doesn’t help when your bullpen doesn’t keep the deficit to a minimum but still. For someone who was a darkhorse candidate for AL MVP, Kurtz has been a bit absent in the early going.
It’s going to be a quick turnaround as the series continues tomorrow afternoon in the second game of the series. For the A’s it’ll be left-hander Jacob Lopez getting the ball for his sixth start (seventh appearance) of the season. Things have not gone all that smoothly for Lopez in his second full season with the A’s, and his spot in the rotation has to at least be feeling insecure. With other arms in the system ready to jump at their opportunity Lopez needs a big game tomorrow or else the voices calling for a change will get bolder and louder. He’ll be opposed by Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi, who’s in line for his seventh start of the year. He saw the A’s twice last year, first going seven shutout innings against us in June before, strangely, giving up six runs in nearly nine innings of work in a Guardians win. Should be another good one at Sutter Health Park tomorrow!
