Apr 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Ryan Watson (56) celebrates beating the Milwaukee Brewers with catcher Carlos Narvaez (75) at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
The Red Sox needed 12 games to do it, but Boston secured its first series victory of the season. The 5-0 getaway day win over the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the series over the reigning National League Central champions.
Starting pitching did indeed prevent runs and the offense did its job in a productive third inning.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s series finale.
Sonny Days
Sonny Gray clearly found his rhythm once Boston began its 2026 Fenway slate.
The veteran right-hander tallied six innings of two-run ball to down the San Diego Padres last Friday. Gray followed that with 6 ⅓ shutout frames Wednesday afternoon. The Brewers mustered just three hits against the Red Sox starter, who added two strikeouts.
In the third inning with rare trouble, he made a big pitch to end the third with a sweeper to strike out Jake Bauers.
Gray talked his way back to the mound after a post-sixth inning chat with Alex Cora. Gray pitched like the competitor the Red Sox hoped they acquired. For the second straight outing, Gray impressed.
Dro’s Woe’s
Shane Drohan ran through two stints in the Red Sox organization. At 27, he finally made his MLB debut in Boston, though he did so with the Brewers.
The lefty looked strong for two innings before the Red Sox wore him down in the third. Boston forced eight three-ball counts while Drohan walked four hitters.
The home team tallied three runs in the inning with opportunistic offense: a bases-loaded walk for Willson Contreras, an infield laser for Wilyer Abreu and a sacrifice fly for Trevor Story.
Mets prospect Jonah Tong gave up a pair of early runs, but settled in for a fine outing, striking out seven batters over five innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon.
Tong's third outing with Syracuse went much better than his last one, as he allowed two runs on just one hit and two walks while getting 15 outs on 83 pitches (53 strikes) in what would be a 4-3 defeat to Buffalo in a seven-inning affair to close a doubleheader.
After hitting the first batter he faced when a 1-2 breaking pitch lost its way, Tong left a 2-1 changeup right over the plate to Rafael Lantigua, and he hammered it 100.7 mph off the bat for a 382-foot home run to left.
After a one-out walk was erased with a caught stealing, the righty issued a second walk, both on 3-2 counts, and it was an early mound visit from pitching coach A.J. Sager. A called strike three on a 96 mph fastball got him out of the inning, but not after throwing 30 pitches (16 strikes).
And that was it as Tong rebounded for a 12-pitch second, adding a strikeout thanks to a generous call on the outside corner for the first out. And after a lengthy spell on the bench as Syracuse scored three in the top half of the third, the righty got a shutdown inning, including getting Lantigua looking at a slider that just caught the corner.
Tong would close his afternoon by making it 13 straight batters retired with a two-strikeout fourth and a two-strikeout fifth.
On the afternoon, he was fastball-heavy, throwing the heater 59 percent of the time, and with some good effect, with a 33 percent called strike plus whiff rate. Emblematic of the 22-year-old settling in, his average fastball velocity ticked up to 96.2 for the fifth inning, after hanging at 94.8 mph in the first and second.
His cutter, a new pitch for him, was his second most used offering, 13 of 83, and almost exclusively to right-handers, and got five called strikes and whiffs.
Tong's ERA now stands at 5.06 through his first 10.2 innings to go along with 13 strikeouts, seven walks, and a hit batter.
Wenninger, making his second start at the Triple-A level, had a decent outing in the first half of the Wednesday twin bill, a 2-0 Syracuse loss.
The 24-year-old allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over 4.1 innings, throwing 85 pitches (50 strikes). And like his first outing of the year, the right-hander struck out five batters.
He sported an effective fastball, getting 11 called strikes and four whiffs on 11 swings for a 42 percent called strike plus whiff rate. His slider, which he threw primarily to righties, was hard to touch with five whiffs on 11 swings.
Wenninger, the No. 8 prospect on DeMayo’s list, has posted a 1.00 ERA and 1.333 WHIP through his first nine innings of the year with 10 strikeouts to four walks.
Davey Lopes batting for the Cubs in 1985 | | Getty Images
Davey Lopes was an outstanding second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers for most of the 1970s and early 1980s, playing for them in four World Series and getting a ring in 1981. He was part of a famous infield that included Steve Garvey, Bill Russell and another guy who later played for the Cubs, Ron Cey.
Lopes passed away Wednesday, about four weeks shy of his 81st birthday, reportedly from complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Lopes was a prolific base stealer in his early years, in an era when stolen bases were a huge part of the game. He led the NL in steals in 1975 with 77 and in 1976 with 63.
He was thought to be done after 1981 at age 36, so the Dodgers traded him to the A’s for a minor leaguer. He had two decent years in Oakland and the Cubs acquired him one day before the deadline to qualify for the postseason roster in 1984, Aug. 31, as the player to be named later in a June 15 deal that had sent pitcher Chuck Rainey to the A’s.
Lopes didn’t play much for the Cubs in September 1984, just 16 games and 23 plate appearances, mostly as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. And he appeared in just two of the NLCS games that year, once as a defensive replacement, the other as a pinch-hitter.
In 1985, though, with injuries taking their toll on the Cubs, Lopes played in 99 games, mostly as an outfielder, though he did play a bit of third base. He had a good year, batting .284/.383/.444 with 11 home runs in just 275 at-bats. And Lopes also stole 47 bases that year and was caught just four times. The 47 steals is still the MLB single-season record for any player age 40 or older.
Lopes was hitting well for the Cubs in 1986, batting .299/.419/.490 with 17 steals in just 59 games, but the team was well out of contention so they traded him to the Astros around the trade deadline for pitcher Frank DiPino, who had a couple of undistinguished seasons in the Cubs bullpen.
He did establish one distinction for the Cubs franchise before he left. On July 2, 1986, Lopes hit a walk-off home run against the Expos. At age 41 years, 60 days, Lopes is the oldest Cub ever to hit a walk-off homer. Here is video, from this Instagram post from last year when Justin Turner became the oldest Cub to do that since Lopes (and they are the only two aged 40 or older to hit walk-off homers for the Cubs).
After his playing career, Lopes coached for the Rangers, Orioles and Padres and managed the Brewers for two full seasons in 2000 and 2001 before he was fired 15 games into the 2002 season. Later he returned to coaching with the Padres and also coached with the Nationals, Phillies and Dodgers before retiring after the 2017 season.
Lopes had a 42.4 bWAR career and stole 557 bases, which ranks 26th all-time. He was definitely a Hall of Very Good player and I remember that 1985 season well — he just ran all over the place. He wasn’t a Cub very long, but that year was memorable.
Sincere condolences to Lopes’ family, friends and many fans around baseball.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Davey Lopes, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-setting infield of the 1970s and ‘80s and one of baseball’s premier base stealers, died Wednesday. He was 80.
The Dodgers were informed of his death in Rhode Island by his former wife, Lin Lopes.
Lopes was a four-time All-Star during his 10 years with the Dodgers. He played in four World Series, winning the 1981 championship. He holds the franchise record for most games played at second base with 1,134. His 1,145 games batting leadoff are second in the organization only to Maury Wills (1,279).
Lopes was 27 years old when he made his MLB debut on Sept. 22, 1972.
The next season, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, Ron Cey and Lopes began the first of 8 1/2 consecutive years starting together in the infield.
Lopes established himself as one of the most prolific base stealers in baseball. He stole 418 bases as a Dodger, second-highest career total in franchise history behind Wills (490). Lopes holds the franchise record with an 83.1% career success rate (minimum 100 steals).
On Aug. 4, 1974, Lopes became the first Dodger since Wills to steal four bases in a game, and 20 days later, he tied the NL record with five steals against the Cardinals. In 1975, Lopes recorded a then-MLB record 28 consecutive steals without being caught.
He led the majors in 1975 with 77 steals and the National League in 1976 with 63. In 1978, he stole 45 bases in 49 attempts.
In 1978, Lopes had the best World Series of his career, starting with two home runs in Game 1 against the New York Yankees. He also won a Gold Glove that season.
After leaving the Dodgers, he played for the Oakland Athletics (1982-84), Chicago Cubs (1984-86) and Houston Astros (1986-87). He stole 557 career bases — 26th in MLB history — while hitting .263 in 1,812 regular-season games with 155 home runs, 614 RBI, 232 doubles and 50 triples.
After his playing days, Lopes managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-02. He coached with the Orioles, Padres, Nationals, Phillies and Dodgers.
He won a second World Series as the Phillies’ first-base coach before returning to the Dodgers as the baserunning and first-base coach from 2011-15. He spent his final two seasons in the majors as the Nationals first base coach in 2016-17.
Lopes is survived by his brothers, Patrick and John, and sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.
Nobody likes getting called out at work — especially when doing so happens on a JumboTron in front of tens of thousands of folks.
Some MLB umpires are “stewing” about the new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge (ABS) system and believe it’s creating a “near-impossible standard” for their jobs, according to The Athletic.
The caveat is that umpires agreed to this system in their last collective bargaining agreement, as The Athletic noted, meaning they are not blameless for this new world.
An ABS challenge at Citi Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That lack of accountability from umpires is why ABS received such a push, with fans and players alike wanting fewer games determined by human judgement that can sometimes be faulty.
The ABS system seemingly has earned positive reviews for fans, rewarding batters for good eyes or pitchers for painting the black.
The system is designed to not let those types of calls blow the game.
“We’ve only really had one game where it’s been a lot – I think there were 11 challenges in the game,” former Met and current Royals starter Seth Lugo told The Athletic.
“We were all thinking that the umpire (Andy Fletcher) was starting to get pissed off and someone asked him about it and he was like, ‘This is great. I’m getting better in-game, so this is cool.’”
One issue is that the system does not have a buffer zone, meaning it doesn’t afford umpires who miss even a strike by .01 of an inch any grace.
Mike Estabrook had a rough night during a Yankee sgame. AP
That call is ruled a ball, the same as if a pitch missed the zone by six inches.
MLB umpires reportedly gripe that ABS is not a perfect system since MLB officials previously told the Athletic they are 95 percent confidence ABS will locate a pitch within 0.39 inches of its location and they are 99 percent the system would track the pitch within 0.48 inches of where it ultimately lands.
Umpires would prefer if they received the same kind of help, but it has not been OK’d.
“Major League umpires hold themselves to the highest standard and deeply care about getting calls right. We appreciate the professionalism of our umpires and their commitment to the good of the game and the wishes of fans,” MLB’s senior executive Michael Hill told The Athletic.
The ABS system shown at Yankee Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“As they adjust to the new zone, we commend the umpires for being the most accurate as a group in history, building off last season’s historic high with a 93.5 percent accuracy rate on pitches this year (through April 7), up 0.8 percent through the same number of games in 2025 (92.7 percent). We are also pleased that on the closest of pitches, those being challenged, umpires have been correct nearly half of the time (46.2 percent).”
The Athletic cited data from Tap To Challenge showing the top 11 umpires averaged less than one inch on their misses, although Bucknor averaged 1.36 inches, the seventh-worst mark in the sport.
Orioles righty and longtime starter Chris Bassitt defended the umpires.
Michael Harris III challenging a call. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I don’t think people realize 0.2, 0.3 inches off the plate — they’re like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe you missed that call,” he told the publication. “Go get a ruler out, please, and realize how much they just missed it by. He barely missed it.
“This guy is throwing 96 mph, and the ball moved 18 inches sideways. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’ve never even seen this. So the fact these umpires are that good, let’s not take that away from them. These umpires are literally that good. I could not be more in favor of keeping umpires in this game.”
Apr 7, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Luke Raley (20) hits his head on the ground returning to first base during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the Seattle Mariners scored zero runs.
We had ourselves a real Shed classic today with two good starters on the mound and runs at a premium. Zeros were traded between Texas’ MacKenzie Gore and Seattle’s Bryan Woo before the Rangers finally broke through with a crooked number inning halfway through the game.
The Rangers probably should have had more runs as they hit a couple of balls in the early innings that would have been home runs in more than half of the parks in the league. As we know, no balls hit at The Shed go for home runs so they were forced to wait until they could manufacture a rally aided by Seattle’s questionable gloves.
That rally came in the bottom of the 5th when, after a quick out and Woo cruising, the bottom of the order made something happen. Danny Jansen reached via an infield single on a play that third baseman Brendan Donovan couldn’t make. Josh Smith followed with a sharp single and then No. 9 hitter Ezequiel Duran came back from an 0-2 count to single to load the bases.
With the top of the order up, the Rangers had their chance to score the runs that would make starter Gore the pitcher of record and Brandon Nimmo did just that with an assist from Seattle first baseman Connor Joe. Filling in for usual first baseman Josh Naylor on a getaway day in Arlington, Joe attempted a force play at home but his throw was wide of catcher Mitch Garver, who was in behind the plate to get Cal Raleigh off his feet.
Jansen scored on the play and Smith came around on the errant throw as well. A Corey Seager sac fly followed to give Texas a 3-0 lead. Following that breakthrough with Seager’s flyout accounting for the only RBI, the Rangers turned to the bullpen needing another four innings from their relievers.
Chris Martin pitched a scoreless frame and then Luis Curvelo made his 2026 debut with two scoreless innings. Skip Schumaker turned to Cole Winn in the 9th for a scoreless inning and save and the Rangers have their first sweep of the season while finishing their homestand 3-3 despite beginning it 0-3.
Texas now sits at 7-5 and are atop the American League West while the swept Mariners begin their much-hyped season at 4-9.
Player of the Game: Josh Smith had a couple of hits and made perhaps the best contact for Texas on the day. He was flat out robbed of a home run by former Ranger Rob Refsnyder in the 3rd. Brandon Nimmo also had a couple of hits and technically produced the winning run with his grounder that Joe threw away.
However, despite a shorter outing than would have been liked, starter Gore was the standout for Texas today.
The young lefty was nearly unhittable during his five innings of work with his only hit allowed coming after a dropped popup in foul territory by Jansen off the bat of old friend Garver. Otherwise, Gore struck out nine and had the Mariners looking silly with swing-and-miss stuff.
Gore did walk a couple in the first inning before he had settled in and that contributed to his high pitch total early, but overall he was excellent and has had a superb start (2-0, 2.76 ERA) to his tenure with Texas.
Also, just in general the pitching staff was fantastic with only two hits allowed all game. Overall, the Rangers allowed just three runs total in this series against Seattle and have allowed just 12 runs in their first six games at home this year including no more than two runs in any of the previous five games.
They may not be scoring much at The Shed, but they’re not giving up many runs either.
Up Next: The Rangers get a day off on Thursday to rest up their bullpen before opening a series on the West Coast against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup between the two most recent World Series winning franchises. RHP Kumar Rocker is expected to make the start for Texas in Friday’s opener opposite RHP Tyler Glasnow for Los Angeles.
The first pitch in Friday’s opener from UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 9:10 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
Apr 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker (55) walks to the mound during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The last three World Series winners will be represented in the series opener between the Dodgers and Texas Rangers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The Rangers after winning the 2023 Fall Classic went 78-84 in 2024 and 81-81 in 2025. This year, former Dodgers infielder Skip Schumaker is in his first year managing in Texas.
Tyler Glasnow starts the series opener, moved up a bit in the pecking order given the six-man rotation at the moment plus Thursday’s off day. Glasnow last pitched Saturday in Washington D.C., and will be on five days rest on Friday night. Emmet Sheehan, who pitched on Friday, April 3 against the Nationals, will start on Saturday vs. Texas.
Kumar Rocker starts Friday for Texas, making his second start of 2026. The right-hander allowed two runs in five innings last Saturday in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Both Soler and López have been suspended seven games and were fined an undisclosed amount, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill announced via press release. The suspensions had been scheduled to begin in the final of the three-game series between the Angels and Braves on Wednesday afternoon, but MLB announced that both players are appealing the decision, which will put any suspension on hold until the process is complete.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chad Bishop later reported that López and MLB have reached a settlement to reduce his suspension to five games, effective immediately.
"It's obviously disappointing losing a guy like Jorgie, in the clubhouse, obviously what he's been doing on the field for us," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said after their 8-2 loss on Wednesday. "But at the same time, I'm 100% behind what he did. I felt like that was what he needed to do and I support him 100%. He's appealing it, so we'll see how it goes after that."
The confrontation began brewing after Soler hit a two-run home run off López in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday, the fifth in 23 career at-bats off of his former teammate. López appeared to have retaliated by plunking Soler with a pitch inside that got him on the wrist/hand area, after which Soler was visibly frustrated.
Then in the fifth, all hell broke loose.
MASSIVE brawl breaks out in Anaheim as Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López throw punches at each other after Soler took exception to a high-and-in pitch. pic.twitter.com/SOHkZjVqNn
López threw a ball up and in that flew over the head of Soler while teammate Nolan Schanuel took second on the wild pitch. Soler stayed in the batters box the entire time, staring down López.
"I have good numbers against him," Soler told reporters in Spanish after the game. "I hit a home run, my second time up he hits me in the hand, and then threw me another one up and in. This is the big leagues, you can't be throwing that."
Soler told reporters he asked López if he was okay, to which he responded with a bad word. Soler then took a few steps toward the mound and began to charge as López raised his arms. The two 2021 World Series champions exchanged haymakers on the diamond like it was a heavyweight boxing match as benches cleared until Braves manager Walt Weiss tackled Soler to the ground.
Both Soler and López were ejected from the game, which would go on to be a 7-2 win for Atlanta.
While Soler believes that López was intentionally trying to hit him, López maintains that it was an accident.
“We spent time together as teammates and so I just think it was a misunderstanding because I would never do anything,” López told reporters in Spanish. “I wasn’t trying to hit him and there was never any intent on my part to hit him at all at any point.”
It was initially speculated around the league that López would get a heavier punishment because he held the ball during the fight and struck Soler in the helmet with it at one point, but that was apparently not the case.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 08: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cantillo was great today. He unfortunately didn’t finish the 6th, but went 5.2 solid innings walking only 2 Royals hitters. He struck out 9, and did a fantastic job of limiting hard contact. He had some trouble locating his fastball, but all of his other pitches were consistently in the zone. Entering today’s game, Guardians starters averaged a tick over 5 innings a start (5th in MLB), and posted a 2.77 ERA (2nd in MLB). The rotation has been fantastic so far. They’re striking out over 10.5 hitters per 9 innings, although they are walking roughly 4.5 hitters/9. Both their walk rate and HR rate are bottom 10 in MLB, but they’ve managed to limit damage otherwise. It helps that, so far, they’ve induced the 11th most groundballs in MLB. The pitching staff, today, notched their 10th game with 10+ strikeouts, the most in MLB (2nd most has 7). To the offense!
The Guardians had 16 hits today which, per MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins, tied their season-high from 2025. They only had 15+ hits 3 times last season. Definitely an encouraging sign that they’re having outbursts like today’s so early in the season.
Cole Ragans did not get out of the first inning today. He was first hit in the hand by a Jose comebacker, but stayed in the game.
Cole Ragans got hit with a comebacker and left the game with injury.
Brito has been fantastic so far. 2 MLB games, 2 multi-hit games, 2 XBH. So far, he’s chasing a little more than you’d like, but it’s early. But, he’s barely whiffing, and putting up really good exit velocity numbers for someone this new to MLB. He’s averaging 98+ mph on his batted balls and has been really aggressive in the zone (97th percentile zone-swing%).
Cantillo’s only earned run of the day came on a Bobby Witt double to left. The other run came on a fielding error by Kwan (although it could’ve just as easily been charged to Martinez).
It was pretty quiet until the 8th, when Brito and Hedges singled back-to-back (Hedges, by the way, has a 174 wRC+ on a .933 OPS). Rocchio worked a 3-1 count and, after an iffy 3-1 strike call, singled to right. Kwan walked to load the bases, and then Martinez smoked an oopsie slider into the seats in right-center. The Royals brought in a position player to pitch, which is always a welcome sight. For reference, the last position player to pitch against the Guardians was Luke Maile on September 8 of 2025… also for the Royals. That game also ended 10-2.
In other news, the Guardians announced today that Gabriel Arias will miss 4-8 weeks with a hamstring strain.
Guardians provided an update on Gabriel Arias after he got further evaluated. Expected to miss 4-8 weeks.
The Guardians have won 3 straight series against playoff contenders. They head south this weekend for a 3-game set with the Braves. It’ll be Cecconi vs. Elder on Friday night.
The Angels’ Jorge Soler and Braves’ Reynaldo López, both at the center of the on-field dust up at Angel Stadium, were suspended seven games for the incident.
Both players are appealing their suspensions, per The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Los Angeles Angels’ Jorge Soler (12) and Atlanta Braves’ Reynaldo López (40) fight during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. AP
A chaotic benches-clearing fight broke out between the teams during Atlanta’s 7-2 win that even saw Soler, the Angels’ designated hitter, and López, the Braves’ starting pitcher, throw punches at each other.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Soler took a pitch from López up-and-in that went to the backstop, allowing the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel to go from first to second base.
Soler appeared to take exception and López threw his arms out as the two exchanged words before the former came charging out to the mound, setting off the brouhaha.
“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”
Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez (40) winds up to hit the Angels’ Jorge Soler during a brawl on April 7, 2026. @JomboyMedia/X
“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said, per MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”
Soler had hit a home run off López in the first inning of the game, the fifth of his career against the right-hander.
The pair were teammates with the Braves during the second-half of the 2024 season after Soler was acquired from the Giants in a trade.
NOT STREAKING, YET: The Cubs and Red Sox are the only two teams that have not won at least two games in a row. The Orioles did it for the first by winning yesterday. The 28 other teams have won two or more a total of 42 times: four streaks each of five and four games, five of three games and 19 of two. Last season, the Cubs had 25 winning streaks: one of five games, four of four and 10 each of three and two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
THE BATS FINALLY GOT GOING: The Cubs’ 16 hits last night raised their team batting average for the season by 22 points, to .221, which ranks 22nd among all teams, between the Red Sox (.223) and Diamondbacks (.213). The Dodgers lead, at .292, and six more teams are above .250, including the Rays, whose .260 is fifth best. The Angels are at .200; the Guardians, .197; and the Mariners, .191. The Reds are last among National League teams, at .204, 27th overall. The 29 other teams combined are .234. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Derrek Lee led off the eighth inning with a home run. That broke a 2-2 tie and the Cubs held on for a 3-2 win over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. It happened 20 years ago today, Saturday, April 8, 2006.
For the second year in a row, Colin Rea is being asked to step into the rotation to replace an injured starter. Last year in place of Justin Steele, Rea was really good. Over his first seven starts after taking Steele’s rotation spot, Rea posted a 2.72 ERA and 1.239 WHIP and allowed just four home runs in 36.1 innings.
Hopefully Matthew Boyd won’t be out long and Rea can go back to the long relief role he does so well. (Or Rea can stay in the rotation replacing Cade Horton.)
He made a competent start Sept. 13, 2025 vs. the Rays at Wrigley Field, allowing three runs in 5.1 innings, striking out five with no walks.
Joe Boyle came to the Rays in a trade with the A’s before the 2025 season and he spent much of the year in Triple-A before being recalled in July. He had a few decent starts and some not-so-decent and it was an unremarkable season.
This year Boyle has a 3.18 ERA and 0.882 WHIP in two starts covering 11.1 innings, with 13 strikeouts. He’s never faced the Cubs and only four Cubs have ever seen him, none for more than four at-bats, so let’s hope the Cubs have a good scouting report.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Apr 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Shane Drohan (55) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
It ends up being just a .500 road trip for the Brewers across Kansas City and Boston as Milwaukee dropped the rubber match Wednesday afternoon against the Red Sox, 5-0.
Sonny Gray had the goods from the beginning. The Brewers were able to get some traffic on the bases against him, but could never capitalize with the big hit. Sal Frelick led off the game with a ground-rule double to right, but was left stranded quickly. Gray ended up covering 6 1/3 IP, scattering just three hits, walking two, and striking out two.
Shane Drohan made his MLB debut today and will end up being a start to forget for the 27-year-old lefty. Drohan made it through just 2 2/3 IP, allowing three hits, three runs, four walks, and a pair of strikeouts. Of the 63 pitches he threw, just 28 of them were strikes.
Grant Anderson was able to make it through 1 1/3 IP scoreless, Aaron Ashby had a scoreless inning, then Jake Woodford covered the final three innings for the Brewers bullpen and gave up a pair of runs late that allowed the Red Sox to get to that comfortable 5-0 lead.
The Brewers had just four hits on the day. With no Brice Turang and no William Contreras in the lineup, it was going to be an uphill battle for the Brewers lineup against Gray to begin with.
The Brewers now fall to 8-4 on the season after a 3-3 road trip. They’ll have a day off tomorrow before starting their next homestand against the Washington Nationals for the weekend, before the reigning AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays come to town to begin next week.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Benches clear as pitcher Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves and right fielder Jorge Soler #12 of the Los Angeles Angels fight on the field during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The verdict is out for Los Angeles Angels’ Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves’ Reynald López. Per Jeff Passan, both players will be receiving a seven-game suspension following last night’s viral altercation.
Los Angeles Angels DH Jorge Soler and Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López have been suspended seven games for the big brawl in Anaheim last night in which Soler charged the mound and López punched him while holding a baseball in his hand.. Both are appealing.
It was the bottom of the fifth inning, where everything took place. López threw a pitch high and tight off the backstop, which Soler didn’t appreciate after previously being hit by a pitch in his second at-bat. Once he charged the mound after what looked to be words exchanged between him and López, hands were thrown, and though punches from both sides didn’t connect, there was footage of López using the ball he kept in his hand as his weapon of choice. It ended with a tackle from Braves manager Walt Weiss to Soler…well, until the bullpen ran out to get the last of the action…
This punishment would also include an undisclosed fine following their actions, starting today.
Keep in mind, however, that this is the initial status before the appeals are reviewed.
Hey, on the bright side…at least Weiss got away scot-free.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López each received seven-game suspensions from Major League Baseball on Wednesday after they were ejected following their participation in a brawl Tuesday night.
Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, also announced the players received undisclosed fines. The suspensions were scheduled to begin with Wednesday’s game but will be on hold as each player is appealing.
Soler homered off López in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. In his next at-bat, Soler was hit by a 96 mph fastball from López. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim’s mitt.
As Soler began walking toward the mound, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.
The right-handed López held the baseball in his right hand as he used it to throw a punch at Soler.
Players and coaches stormed out of the dugouts and bullpens and Braves manager Walt Weiss tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with Atlanta.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 08: Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals exits the game after being injured during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a rough start to the game today in Cleveland. Cole Ragans took the hill in the bottom of the first and started out by striking out Kwan and Martinez. It was looking like he might be dominant, which the Royals could have used going for the series win. Then Jose Ramirez singled off of Ragans, literally.
The come-backer hit Cole in his pitching hand, but he was determined to stay in. That lasted only two batters. David Fry walked on four pitched and then Chase DeLauter hit a 2-RBI double, at which point Ragans was pulled and in came Luinder Avila. Avila allowed DeLauter in, so Cole was charged with 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning for the start. An already taxed Kansas City bullpen then had to piece together the rest of the game.
Avila did a reasonable job getting through 3 innings, but too many baserunners and too many pitches meant he only got through 3 innings and gave up another run, so the Royals ended up down four to nothing. It was not a good performance, though I am giving him bonus points for warming quickly and coming in well before he was expecting to on the day. The offense started to battle back in the 4th when Bobby Witt Jr. ended the longest stretch of his career without an extra base hit with an RBI double.
Alex Lange was next out of the pen and went 2 1/3 innings to get the team through the 6th. He gave up another run, but Starling Marte also added another run with a double that scored Lane Thomas in the 5th. The run was ruled unearned since the Kwan mishandled the ball off of the wall for an error. Joey Cantillo came one strike away from getting through 6 innings for Cleveland. He had quite a start at 5 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 ER, and 9 strike outs. For the second game in a row, the Royals had some issues with striking out. Yesterday, KC struck out 14 times and followed it up with 14 again today.
It seemed like the Royals had a chance to rally at that point as Steven Cruz came in and got through a clean 7th. Unfortunately, the 8th went about as poorly as could have for Cruz. It went single, single, RBI single, walk, grand slam, and strikeout. Five runs was enough that Tyler Tolbert came in and gave up a single then got a double play.
That was a tough end to a disappointing series that sees the Royals fall to 5-7 on the season. Up next is four games at home against a bad White Sox team. Hopefully they can use that to get back on track.
