It is hard to believe that this is the same team that recently had a six game win streak. Maybe the Rays were never that good, and the Yankees and White Sox just aren’t much competition?
Yesterday the Rays lost in part due to bad luck and less than stellar defense.
Tonight, the team fell apart just about every other way. This wasn’t bad luck. This was just terrible, no energy, no strategy, no hope baseball. Don’t let the almost respectable score fool you. This was a debacle.
Matz apparently met his match(z) in the Cincinnati lineup. In the first inning, Ely de la Cruz hit a two run home to put the Reds up 2-0. In the second inning, two Reds players each hit solo shots and it was 4-0.
Brian Anderson commented that Matz’s stuff seemed fine but his location is off. That is a very kind, nearly euphemistic way of saying the guy was nowhere near the strike zone. Three innings. Four walks. Throwing nearly more balls than strikes. I’d think most pitchers could do better blindfolded. Not only did he put the Rays in a big hole, but left a tired bullpen to get through six innings, with a day game tomorrow.
And believe me, the six bullpen innings were not pretty. Walks, hits, runs.
Altogether, the Rays 5 pitchers gave up 12 runs (include five home runs) and ten — TEN — walks. Just a disaster. The last pitcher was actually position player Ben Williamson, and he did not do any worse than the actual pitchers! A mere solo home run, practically a clean inning.
The Rays largely seemed flummoxed by Chase Burns, but then again they’ve been flummoxed in general for the last few games, and Burns is really good. In fact the only fun part of this game, in those moments in which I could pretend I wasn’t actually a Rays fan, was when they showed slow motion video of a Burns’ pitch that seemed to move in eight different directions as it crossed the plate.
The Rays managed to scatter a few singles. Jonathan Aranda managed to square one up and hit a two-run home run. But Burns was very effective for 5.2 innings, and the Cincinnati bullpen was equally tough for the Rays.
The best scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the ninth, when Kyle Nicolas, no doubt the low man in the Cincinnati bullpen (because that’s the sort of pitcher you throw in to pitch the ninth when you have a 10 run lead). Nicolas walked the bases loaded and then walked in two runs. He then gave up a very lucky (for the Rays) 2 run-double, a bloop hit that was barely fair, and made the score 12-6. But a lazy fly ball ended the rally and the game.
Apr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
Boy, does it feel good to beat Boston.
The Yankees got their heads right over the weekend in their home sweep of Kansas City and carried that momentum to Fenway Park, handling the scuffling Red Sox in the first rivalry meeting of 2026. Luis Gil had little trouble shutting down a brittle Boston offense, and the previously-slumping Giancarlo Stanton smashed two extra-base hits to lead New York’s offensive attack. The Bomber bullpen took care of the rest of the paperwork in a 4-0 final as the Yanks collected their league-leading fifth shutout win.
In Gil’s previous outing, the Angels feasted on his fastball, taking him yard off the pitch three times in five innings. Tonight, though, a struggling Red Sox lineup simply couldn’t square him up. Gil allowed a pair of knocks in the first two innings, but from that point he did not allow a hit for the rest of the night. The fastball wasn’t the overpowering offering we saw in his rookie year—in the New England chill, he only averaged 93.6 mph on it—but the Red Sox just couldn’t make hard contact.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees had just extended the lead to 3-0, giving him some extra cushion. He responded by retiring the top of the order in four pitches. He finally lost his command with two walks in the seventh, but some excellent relief work from Brent Headrick preserved his scoreless outing. He finished with 6.1 innings pitched, two hits, three walks, and two strikeouts, only permitting two Boston hitters to even reach scoring position.
The first of Stanton’s two salvos came in the second inning when he put one out of sight—at least, from the vantage point of the YES booth. Stanton’s 111.5 mph blast left the yard at such a high arc that neither Joe Girardi and Michael Kay really saw it go. The launch angle was an absolutely comical 41 degrees—usually a pop-up, unless you have freakish power like Stanton does. That swing busted him out of a 1-for-21 skid.
Big G’s second big hit came following a pair of walks issued by Early to Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge. By this point in the game, Early was losing his edge, nibbling around the strike zone and playing with his food after getting to two strikes. Rosario walked on four pitches, but Judge worked his way back from 0-2 down. So did Stanton. Once he’d gotten the count full, Early was forced to re-enter the strike zone—and he was punished. Giancarlo pounded a changeup off the Monster, scoring both Rosario and Judge to supplement the Yankee lead.
After surrendering lhis third free pass of the inning, Early was finally lifted. The Yankees went on to leave the bases loaded against reliever Jack Anderson—and José Caballero burned their final ABS challenge—but the damage was done.
An unlikely but welcome source helped add on against Anderson in the eighth inning. Ceddanne Rafaela began the frame with a spectacular leaping catch to rob Stanton of what would’ve been his third extra-base hit, but Cody Bellinger slapped an opposite field single to start a rally which was immediately converted by Randal Grichuk. Inserted into the lineup to face the left-handed Early, Aaron Boone opted to keep Grichuk in against the right-handed reliever. Grichuk rewarded the decision with a double into the left-center gap. Bellinger hustled around to score all the way from first to give New York a big insurance run.
Boston’s Carlos Narváez led off the eighth with a single, leading to a call for Tim Hill—who delivered a quintessential Tim Hill performance. He got all three of Roman Anthony, Willson Contreras, and Masataka Yoshida to roll over on grounders to retire the side and set the stage for David Bednar in the ninth. The Yankee closer worked around a Rafaela single to complete the shutout, striking out pinch-hitter Jarren Duran for the 27th out.
The Bombers seek to extend their winning streak to five games tomorrow night. It’ll be two top-flight lefties and former NL East foes facing off: Max Fried against Ranger Suarez. First pitch is once again set for 6:45 pm; as a Wednesday night game, coverage will be on Prime Video.
Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) reaches second base on a pitch in the dirt as Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) catches the ball during the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images
After a road trip, it’s always nice to get home, and the Tigers were certainly happy to be back at Comerica Park. The first game of their series against the Brewers had Keider Montero on the mound for the Tigers, and Kyle Harrison up for the Brewers. Right now, before you continue reading this, I need you to look at a photo of Kyle Harrison and tell me he doesn’t look like Andy Dirks’ brother.
In the first inning, with two outs on the board, Jake Bauers singled. A Gary Sanchez groundout ended the inning, though. In the home half, Gleyber Torres was hit by a pitch with one out. A passed ball then allowed Torres to advance to second. Unfortunately, two outs came right on the heels of that boon and the Tigers did what they love to do: leave a man stranded.
Top of the second, and while it looked like the Tigers had their first out, Garrett Mitchell quickly called for a review, and at a very quick glance, he was right to, and the call was overturned, putting a man on first. Luis Rengifo drew a walk. Sal Frelick then followed that up with a single, which brought Mitchell home for the first run of the game. A perfectly placed bunt single from David Hamilton loaded the bases. Montero finally got the first out of the inning, but it soon got uglier. Bruce Turang singled, scoring two runs. Hamilton made a push for home but was tagged out. The Brewers were up by three at the mid-point of the second. In the home half, Riley Greene got a one-out single, and Spencer Torkelson singled right behind him, but the Tigers would leave both baserunners stranded.
Montero course corrected nicely in the third, getting the side out in order. The Tigers built up another opportunity in the bottom of the third. Kevin McGonigle got a two-out double, and Matt Vierling followed that with a walk, but once again the Tigers left two on base.
The fourth saw another 1-2-3 inning for Montero against the Brewers, something he and the team desperately needed if they hoped to overcome the gap in the score. Greene took a leadoff walk in the home half, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Torkelson then walked. Hao-Yu Lee singled, and with the bases loaded, that was it for Harrison, who was pulled and replaced by Grant Anderson. Anderson’s first order of business was to induce a double play off the bat of Javier Baez, but the Tigers did score their first run of the game in Riley Greene. They’d have to settle for just the one run for now, though.
The Brewers once again went three-up, three-down in the fifth. In the home half, the Tigers continued to attempt to make something happen. Torres got a leadoff single, but a flyout and double play meant he didn’t get much of a chance to score.
Two outs into the sixth, Montero’s night was done. His final line for the game was 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K on 88 pitches. We’ve certainly seen better from him this season, but it was nice to see a strong course correction after he floundered early in the game. He ended up getting 12 outs in a row before being pulled. Enmanuel De Jesus came out of the pen to replace him, and he got the final out of the inning. Trevor Megill came out of the Brewers pen in the bottom of the inning and got the Tigers out in order.
A nice streak of 15 outs in a row against the Brewers ended in the seventh with a two-out single to Hamilton. Blake Perkins then took a walk. A throwing error was charged to De Jesus on a pickoff attempt. Then Turang singled, bringing Hamilton home. Just an ugly inning, and it kept getting worse as a William Contreras line drive headed to left and scored another run. The Tigers managed to get out of the inning without more runs scoring, but when it was all said and done, the score was now 5-1 for the Brewers. Aaron Ashby was the new pitcher for Milwaukee in the bottom of the inning. Lee took a leadoff walk, even though the Brewers challenged a ball call, it was confirmed correct. With two outs, Torres walked as well, putting two men on. It was another case of Tigers Threaten But Do Not Score, though.
Gary Sanchez started the inning with a triple. Mitchell then got a triple of his own, scoring another run. Rengifo singled as Vierling just barely missed making the catch in right. This scored another run. No one was warming, so this is just how we live now. Sal Frelick walked. If you’re still reading at this point, you’re a real one. Hamilton then singled, which should have been a pretty run-of-the-mill grounder, but nope, instead it’s bases loaded. Can a whole team be charged with defensive indifference? De Jesus was finally pulled. Connor Seabold came in and decided to maintain the status quo by hitting Blake Perkins with a pitch to walk in a run. Sure, why not? The Tigers finally got their first out of the inning with a Turang flyout, but another run scored. Then a Contreras single brought in yet another one. A well-placed double into left by Bauers scored another run. 10 batters into this inning, and we still have only one out. Sanchez, in his second at-bat, grounded out, scoring a run, but also getting the Tigers a much-needed out. The Tigers finally got out of the inning, but seven runs scored, and everyone was a little worse-off personally for having watched it.
Jake Woodford was the new Brewers pitcher. Dillon Dingler reached thanks to a fielding error by Joey Ortiz, but was eliminated in a force out.
Ah, at last, a silver lining! POSITION PLAYER PITCHING! Jake Rogers came out for the top of the ninth, tossing his cute little eephus pitch, and with it, he collected his first career strikeout. He collected two outs before giving up a single to Hamilton. Blake Perkins hit a groundball that took an unexpected hop to keep it from being an out, but the Tigers did manage to get out of the inning without any runs scoring, so go Jake go! In the bottom of the inning, a pinch-hitting Colt Keith hit a one-out single. Wenceel Perez, also pinch-hitting, then singled. McGonigle came through, singling and bringing Keith home. McGonigle advanced to second on defensive indifference, and that was followed by a Vierline double, that scored two more runs. The mini rally was good for the soul, but a flyout to right ended the inning and the game.
The most tangible glimmer of hope for the Mets on Monday occurred hours before they attempted to snap an 11-game losing streak.
Juan Soto, out since early April, sprinted from home to first base, then from first to third before running from second to home, simulating different baserunning scenarios.
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That meant the Mets opened their three-game series against the Twins and their nine-game homestand at Citi Field with some peace of mind, knowing their $765 million outfielder — one of their only productive hitters before sustaining the injury in San Francisco — was set to return to the lineup. Questions remain about how they’ll balance his time in the field and at designated hitter. But the desperate Mets need a jolt, and Soto’s presence alone will be tasked with providing just that.
“It definitely helps,” Mendoza said pregame, “but we cannot put all the pressure on one player. We got a lot of good players in there that, unfortunately, they’re going through it for quite a bit now. Yes, his presence in the lineup — nobody’s going to deny that. But putting all the pressure, ‘Oh we’re gonna have Juan Soto now’ and all of a sudden you start winning, that’s not fair for him either.
“But adding him to the lineup will definitely help.”
Soto, who logged 160 games last season during his first year in Queens, hasn’t played during the losing streak.
When he injured his calf running from first to third April 3, the Mets were hovering around .500. He was hitting .355 with a .928 OPS, and the Mets managed to overcome his absence with three consecutive wins at first.
But then the losing streak began.
Juan Soto, who is expected to return from the IL Wednesday, throws before the Mets-Twins game on April 21, 2026. Robert Sabo for New York Post
The Mets were outscored 62-19 entering play Monday. Everyone in the lineup largely stopped hitting, failing to maximize at-bats the way Soto often does.
One year after finishing third in National League MVP voting, Soto had already collected 11 hits and launched a homer in just eight games.
All it took for a return was one more day of full baseball activity — hitting, defense, running the bases, all of it — for Soto that served as his final test.
He didn’t require a rehab assignment, but the Mets were still cautious with his return, trying to ensure that they won’t lose their superstar again to the same injury. That approach will continue even after he officially gets activated.
“We’re gonna have to manage that,” Mendoza said of Soto’s workload. “We still have a decision here whether we want to DH him [Wednesday] and then play in the outfield, or if he goes and plays the outfield [Wednesday], he’s gonna have to DH. We’re not gonna play him back-to-back, 18 innings at least, on the field. So he’s gonna need days off as well, but hopefully [Wednesday] is just the beginning of it with him in the lineup and then we’ll go from there.”
But the placement of Soto in the field isn’t the most pressing concern facing the Mets. They have a manager on the hot seat and a president of baseball operations whose offseason decisions are all backfiring. They entered Monday with the franchise’s longest losing streak since 2004. Their rotation has struggled. Their bullpen has struggled. Their lineup has struggled. Everything that could possibly go against the Mets seemingly has.
If they have any chance at fixing their sinking season, they need things to start going in their way. And for one night, that was the case with Soto and his looming return.
The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-0 on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
New York has now won four in a row.
Here are some takeaways...
- Giancarlo Stanton came into the night with a career .904 OPS at Fenway and it didn't take long for him to build on that, crushing a homer over the Green Monster to open the scoring leading in the second. It was Stanton's third of the season, and his second in his last four games.
Boston starter Connelly Early held the Yanks there for the next three innings, but Stanton struck again in the sixth, making him pay for a pair of walks with a two-run double off the monster. The slugger enjoyed himself a much-needed big night at the plate after coming in hitless in his last nine at-bats.
- Luis Gil led the way on the other side of things for New York, delivering his best outing of the season to this point. The young right-hander had to work around traffic in each of the first three innings, stranding a man on second in the first and second, before brushing off a one-out walk in the third.
Gil's first clean inning of the night was a six-pitch fourth. He then hit a man leading off the fifth, but went right back to cruising with some help from a double-play ball just three pitches later. Gil enjoyed another five-pitch shutdown inning after the Yanks extended the lead in the sixth.
The 27-year-old ran out of steam in the seventh, leaving after issuing back-to-back walks. Brent Headrick entered and retired the next two batters to close Gil's line with no runs allowed on two hits and three walks while striking out just two batters over 6.1 innings of work.
Gil now has a stellar 0.80 ERA in six career outings against the Red Sox.
- Randal Grichuk gave the Yanks an insurance run in the eighth, lining a one out RBI double into the left-center gap. Grichuk has gotten off to a bit of a slow start offensively this season, but he put together his first multi-hit game and has how driven in runs in two straight.
- David Bednar worked around a two-out single to close out the victory in the ninth.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr has struggled to find his groove at the plate, but he also enjoyed his first multi-hit game of the season. The lefty-hitting infielder laced a single up the middle against Early in the top of the second and reached on a bunt hit to keep the inning going in the sixth.
- Aaron Judge didn't do much damage but he was able to reach safely three times on the night, lining a two-out single in the top of the seventh and drawing a pair of walks. The big man is still hitting just .235 on the season, but he's also racked up a strong .337 OBP and .931 OPS.
- Ben Rice's four-game homer streak came to an end, as he went hitless across four at-bats.
Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
The big man paced the offense with a much-needed big night at the plate.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches the flight of his ball as he hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the six inning at Oracle Park on April 12, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 24: A detailed view of the Los Angeles Angels logo on a seat inside Angel Stadium of Anaheim before the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago Cubs on August 24, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game two of three in Anaheim. And it is another late one for you guys out east (tho I guess I’m further east than any of you). Though, if everything goes to plan, I should be flying home today. I say if all goes to plan, because we’ve had a couple times when our flight home was cancelled and we had to stay an extra day or two. It always worked out really well, we enjoyed our extra days.
But then, this will be a month away and I’m sure we’ll be ready to get home. The great part it is a direct flight, 10 hours. I’m sure there will be a few days of jet lag. Jet lag never used to get to me, but the last few years, especially coming home, it’s kicked my butt.
It will be good to be back and into a normal routine. Likely, I’ll be ten pounds heavier and be wanting to take off that weight in a hurry.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 16: Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 16, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.38 ERA, 2.20 FIP, with 24 strikeouts to seven walks in 22.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, in which he allowed just one hit with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
He’ll have his work cut out for him, facing off against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.10 ERA, 3.48 FIP, with 21 strikeouts to three walks in 25.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the New York Mets last Tuesday, in which he allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in seven and two thirds innings.
Tanner Scott pitches against the New York Mets earlier this season. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Who’s your closer, Dave Roberts?
The Dodgers’ manager paused and thought about it before offering an answer. Edwin Díaz, the closer the Dodgers signed for $69 million, is scheduled to undergo elbow surgery Wednesday and is not expected to return until after the All-Star break.
“I would say, probably, Tanner Scott,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers signed Scott for $72 million before last season, but he lost the closer’s role during the season and did not pitch in the postseason.
In his first 10 appearances this season, Scott has given up one run in 8⅔ innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Roberts, asked why he offered Scott as his answer, paused again.
“Don’t have an answer,” Roberts said. “I honestly don’t know. Tanner could pitch in the seventh tonight, and Blake [Treinen] could get the save. It’s kind of day to day.”
Alex Vesia has not given up a run in 8⅔ innings, with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Of the Dodgers’ six saves this season, Diaz has four and Vesia has two.
Why the hesitation?
“For me, I think the closer should stand out among the other guys as far as performance, a clear-cut guy at the back end,” Roberts said. “That’s my hesitation. If we don’t have a clear-cut guy that I feel should get the lion’s share, or should be the dedicated closer, then I feel that — I know people don’t like to hear — but the closer by committee.”
Girl dad
Freddie Freeman rejoined the team Tuesday, two days after the birth of his daughter. He and his wife Chelsea welcomed London Rosemary Joy Freeman, with London a nod to Chelsea’s English family and Rosemary Joy Freeman as the full name of his late mother.
“I got to hold her one last time before I got on the plane this afternoon,” Freeman said. “She’s perfect.”
After three sons, he said, the Freeman family is complete.
“You will not be seeing another baby announcement from the Freemans,” he said. “This is it. We are happily done with four. She is the perfect addition.”
In order to clear a roster spot for Freeman, the Dodgers returned first baseman-outfielder Ryan Ward to triple-A Oklahoma City. Ward made his major league debut Sunday, collecting two hits and driving in a run.
“I’ve gotten to know Ryan over the last few years," Freeman said. "He’s an incredibly hard worker. He’s worked so hard for that moment …
“We all know he can do it. I’m sure there will be another opportunity at some point for him to get back here.”
Etc.
Roberts said Shohei Ohtani, who did not bat when he last pitched, would be in the lineup as hitter and pitcher Wednesday. … Blake Snell is scheduled to start a minor league rehabilitation assignment Wednesday in Ontario. Roberts said Snell would need “most likely” four minor league appearances before rejoining the Dodgers. … The Dodgers gave center fielder Andy Pages his first day off Tuesday. Pages leads the major leagues with a .370 batting average. … Dalton Rushing started at catcher Tuesday, and Roberts said he would do so again Thursday. Will Smith started three of the four games in Colorado.
CHICAGO — Philadelphia ace right-hander Zack Wheeler, out since last August because of a blood clot found near his right shoulder and thoracic outlet surgery, will return to the struggling Phillies rotation on Saturday in Atlanta, manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday.
A three-time All-Star, the 35-year-old Wheeler last pitched on Aug. 15, 2025, at Washington, exiting after five innings.
Wheeler finished his sixth season with the Phillies at 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA through 149 2/3 innings and 24 starts. He's 113-75 with a 3.28 ERA for his career over 11 seasons with Philadelphia and the New York Mets.
Wheeler completed a five-game minor league rehab stint on Sunday when he threw 77 pitches for Double-A Reading. The righty also pitched for Triple-A Lehigh Valley during the assignment.
Thomson didn't think Wheeler, who rejoined the Phillies in Chicago, would face significant restrictions against the Braves.
“I see him as kind of a six (inning), 90 (pitch) guy,” Thomson said before the Phillies faced the Cubs. “I think he's basically at the end of spring training.”
Wheeler's return could provide a much-needed boost to the Phillies, who entered Tuesday on a six-game slide that dropped them to 8-14.
“I think having Zack Wheeler on your 26-man roster makes you a better roster no matter what,” Thomson said. “So when he's healthy and pitching, well he's one of, if not the best pitcher in the National League.”
Fresh off a victory last night in Seattle, the first place A’s take on the Seattle Mariners tonight at T-Mobile Park. The A’s have not sat atop the American League West Division since June 19, 2021. It’s early and hardly an opportunity for a parade since they are just one game over .500, but it is worth noting.
Tonight, Jacob Lopez takes the mound for the A’s. The 28-year-old lefty is 1-1 in four starts this season with a 6.38 ERA. He’ll go up against Luis Castillo for the Mariners. Castillo is 0-1 after four starts, with a 5.40 ERA in eighteen innings.
Castillo will go up against this lineup for the visiting Athletics:
Apr 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) steals a base before Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) can receive a throw during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Luis Castillo gets the ball for the M’s, still in search of his first win of 2026 in his fifth start. With a 5.40 ERA this season, the results haven’t been on La Piedra’s side to this point, though his 3.30 FIP suggests some bad luck.
Last time out in San Diego, Castillo allowed quite a bit of hard contact for one earned run over 5.1 innings — though that line is a tad deceiving. He gave up four runs in total, all of which came during an ill-fated second inning in which he made an error on a throw to Josh Naylor at first that maybe should’ve been picked, making three of the runs unearned. All in all, no one is accusing the Mariners infield of putting on a defensive clinic lately, but Castillo didn’t exactly look sharp either. He’ll look to bounce back in the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park.
The Athletics will counter with Jacob Lopez (1-1, 6.38 ERA), who is also making his fifth start of the season. For more on the pitching matchup, you can check out the series preview written by Jake Mailhot.
In other news this afternoon, the Mariners designated RHP Casey Legumina for assignment in the aftermath of his losing decision last night. As a corresponding move, RHP Alex Hoppe was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and will join the Mariners bullpen. His first appearance will be his major league debut. John Trupin wrote about the roster move here.
Lineups
The Mariners are rolling out their righty platoon to face the lefty Lopez. Cal Raleigh will get a DH day while Mitch Garver is behind the dish. With Rob Refsnyder in the lineup batting leadoff, J.P. Crawford slots down to sixth.
Game Information
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT
TV: Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryon Healy and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
This aerial view taken on January 7, 2026 shows Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
WHITE SOX
DIAMONDBACKS
Andrew Benintendi – DH
Ketel Marte – 2B
Munetaka Murakami – 1B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Miguel Vargas – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Colson Montgomery – SS
Adrian Del Castillo – C
Everson Pereira – RF
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Sam Antonacci – LF
Jose Fernandez – DH
Chase Meidroth – 2B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Tristan Peters – CF
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Reese McGuire – C
Alek Thomas – CF
Sean Burke – RHP
Merrill Kelly – RHP
Fun fact: if you discount James McCann’s single inning of work, the Arizona bullpen now has an ERA of 3.81, better than the rotation’s figure of 4.03. Admittedly, I guess you could discount Ryne Nelson’s last start and reduce similarly – by an even larger amount, actually – the rotation ERA, getting it down to 3.40. We probably need to take the good with the bad. But Brandon Pfaadt’s outing certainly saved the bullpen after Nelson’s blow-up. It’s only the third time a D-backs reliever has thrown over six innings. One came in 2001, when Randy Johnson threw seven after Curt Schilling started, when a power outage in San Diego pushed the game to the next day. His 16 K’s is still the MLB record for reliever strikeouts, breaking a mark set in 1913.
However, the “legitimate” record is the 20 outs recorded by Vidal Nuño in 2015. Josh Collmenter got clobbered by the Nationals and left with one out in the second. Nuño took over and allowed two runs through the end of the eight. It was still an 11-1 loss, but again it helped save the bullpen. Vidal threw 105 pitches, eleven more than the Washington starter… Who was none other than Max Scherzer, the starter for Toronto in the game before Sunday’s blow-out. History not repeating itself, but certainly rhyming. In his six year career, Nuño had only a handful of starts where he threw more pitches. But in addition to RJ’s game (109 pitches), Braden Shipley threw more, tossing 108 in relief during a 2017 game in Minnesota.
Some health updates. You’ll note that Corbin Carroll is back, and should have no limitations, Torey Lovullo calling him “good to go.” Gabriel Moreno is eligible to come off the IL today, but it appears that won’t happen before the weekend series in Mexico City. He still needs to take full-blooded swings to confirm everything is good there. Finally, tidying up something from earlier in the week. Jack discovered that the unexpected return of Tommy Henry to the mound last week is because he did indeed only need the internal brace procedure, not full Tommy John, allowing for a quicker rehab. A.J. Puk had something similar, but it is his second operation. He said today he expects to go on a rehab assignment at the end of May.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 19: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates his two run home run with Julio Rodríguez #44 during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on April 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week, I dropped a request in the FEED for all y’all’s hottest Mariners takes and you definitely served up some HEAT. Here is a handy ranking system:
Blake Beaven = 1 star – a fine yet fairly tepid take Chris Bosio = 2 stars – workmanlike, solid, but not earth-shattering Hisashi Iwakuma = 3 stars – an above replacement level hot take, boundary-pushing but not absurd Matt Brash = 4 stars – a very hot and BRASH take, will upset people, will get the people going Cliff Lee = 5 stars – nuclear, scorched earth-level take
Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here. We’ll start tepid and work our way up.
Poster Donguelard says: “People give Randy Arozarena way too much shit for for how productive he is.
Rating: Blake Beaven
I mean, I obviously agree with this. Randy is a good ballplayer. He definitely turns it up and turns it down as the situation requires. He is not a 100% hustle up the line every time player. He’s conserving his ammo for when he needs it, and as a 42-year-old who still tries to play sports, I respect that. He’s a couple hot streaks away or flashy catches away from being everyone’s favorite player again. Randy gonna Randy.
Poster Chris From Bothell says: “Dan’s devotion to doing lefty-righty matchups is going to directly cost the M’s at least 3 wins by the end of the season. The Padres finale on April 16 was one of those.”
Rating: Chris Bosio
I’m putting this on the tepid side of things, but still very respectable in terms of a take. Costing 3 wins can definitely mean the difference between the postseason or golf season, but I think this take would be much hotter if we were talking about Dan’s decisions costing the team 5-6 wins. Now we’re getting spicy.
MarinersFanInAZ says: “Emerson Hancock will be the second-best starter this year.
Rating: Hisashi Iwakuma
Oooh baby, we’re cookin’ now. This is definitely a hot take, but certainly not impossible from the small sample size we’ve seen so far from the Mariners starters. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that Bryan Woo takes the top honors, and then we’ve got newcomer Hancock in second, so then how far behind are Gilbert, Kirby, Castillo, and even Miller once he’s back? If they’re all relatively close behind Hancock, then hello playoffs. If there’s big drop off, then yikes! This is a good and spicy one, well done.
Poster Nichos9 says: “Bryce Miller is coming for Luis Castillo’s job not for Emerson Hancock’s.”
Rating: Matt Brash
Woooo, boy, this is BRASH as hell. I respect it, but definitely disagree for two reasons. 1. I think Castillo’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. He’s fine and he is a crafty veteran at this point and will figure out how to keep winning games for as long as his arm stays healthy. 2. This take assumes that Bryce Miller is going to come back and really put it all together again. Sadly, I have my doubts. I want it to happen because I love Cowboy Bryce and he’s fun to watch when he is on his game, but I will believe it when I see it. Still, this is steaming hot take because of how sneakily divisive it is. Well played!
Poster YesItsRyan says: “Cole Young proves he is the best Mariners 2nd baseman since the 90’s.”
Rating: CLIFF LEE (sirens, fire alarms, Chernobyl klaxons)
Hoooo YEAH, head for the hills! We’ve got a winner right here. Let’s take a look at the highest single season bWAR totals by Mariners second basemen since 1990
Bret Boone, 2001: 8.8 bWAR
Robinson Canó, 2016: 7.3 bWAR
Harold Reynolds, 1990: 4.8 bWAR
Joey Cora, 1997: 2.6
It goes downhill pretty quickly after that, so let’s stop there. So, I admit, I did not see this coming from Cole Young after what we saw last season. Obviously it’s April, but he’s been one of the compentnt hitters in the lineup for the last month and is currently 4th in bWAR for the Mariners in 2026. That’s pretty significant for a fairly overlooked prospect (not by one Kate Preusser, I am legally obligated to say). So Yung Cole is off to a great start, he is very strong, can slug the ball, and has a pretty high baseball IQ. Can he outdo 2.6 by Joey Cora? Pretty decent chance, I’d say. Could he outdo Harold Reynolds at 4.8? We’re in big stretch territory. Possible but unlikely. How about 7.3 by Canó? I mean, the Mariners are definitely in the playoffs if that happens. That would overcome A LOT of shortcomings by other players, but is extremely unlikely. Can Young outdo Boone at 8.8? I’m gonna say that record will probably he held by Boone until the sun burns out unless Young shows up with suspiciously swollen fore arms out of nowhere and begins doing nonchalant flick of the wrist bat flips on dingers.
So, yes, I certify this take as NUCLEAR. Bombastic. Morally questionable. Scorched earth.
Okay that’ll do it for this week’s reverse mailbag. Thank you to everyone who dropped a take, I’ll include more next time. The spicier, the better. Keep an eye out for the next prompt later this week.
Sean Burke will make his fourth appearance this season, hoping to bounce back from last week’s outing against the Rays. | (Getty Images)
The White Sox snapped their series drought over the weekend, taking two of three from the Athletics for their first series win since early April against the Blue Jays. They now head out to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game set. In some good news, the South Siders are shockingly not in last place in the AL Central, and officially do NOT have the worst run differential in the MLB — thank you, Kansas City, for both.
On top of that, two of their prospects were named players of the week in their respective leagues (Colby Shelton and Braden Montgomery), and left-handed pitching prospect Noah Schultz bounced back in his second start with five solid innings on Sunday, so not all is bad.
Righthander Sean Burke is making his third start (fourth appearance) of the season, and despite a rocky outing last week against the Rays, he’s been fairly solid overall this month, with a 3.86 ERA in three games (16 1/3 innings). Though he’s sitting at a cumulative 4.43 ERA on the year, his 3.77 FIP highlights that the defense could be impacting his expected performance, which wouldn’t be all that surprising considering the Sox rank 26th in fielding run value this season, according to Statcast. Burke also doesn’t walk an absurd amount of batters, ranking in the 73rd percentile for walk rate (6.9%), so if the team were more solid behind him, he might have better numbers.
Burke will face some tough D-backs hitters with Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, and Geraldo Perdomo already packing a punch of power at the top of the order. Though he is batting eighth, Ildemaro Vargas has had a hot start to the season, slashing .368/.390/.596 with a .986 OPS with five doubles so far.
For Arizona, righthander Merrill Kelly will take the mound, making his second start of the season after beginning the year on the IL. Kelly gave up two runs on five hits, including a homer, across 5 1/3 innings in his first outing, though shaky command led to four walks against three strikeouts. In 32 starts last season, he posted a 3.52 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP, and he tends to lean towards his cutter and changeup to shut down an at-bat.
For whatever reason, Andrew Benintendi is leading it off for the White Sox. However, the following three are the hot core in the lineup that are hopefully going to remain more consistent to help turn things around: Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery. And honestly, don’t leave out Everson Pereira batting fifth because after a few horrific at-bats to start the season, he has really turned it around and has been leading the Chicago offense alongside Murakami.
In the last week, Mune ranks sixth in MLB in OPS (1.311) and slugging percentage (.833), and has mashed three homers, driven in seven runs, and walked five times. Montgomery and Vargas have also mashed two bombs apiece in that same time frame, and Montgomery’s 1.117 OPS in his last five games certainly looks a lot better than a couple of weeks ago.
The first pitch on the West Coast is later, at 8:40 p.m. CT. You can tune in at the usual locations: on TV at CHSN or on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. Back-to-back series wins, anyone?
