Category: MLB

The Nats lost in a way that looked a lot like their final game of the Phillies series. It is also the kind of loss we have seen a lot in the last year. The Nationals bats were up for the fight, but they were let down by a bullpen that is not big league caliber.

This is a game the Nats really needed to win. It was a getaway day for the Dodgers, who had a lot of their starters sitting. The Nats also managed to take a 6-1 lead. That should be plenty of cushion, but not for this bullpen. Today proved that changes are necessary in the bullpen, and the Nats will need to churn through a lot of guys to find something resembling competence. 

The game felt like it would be a feel good game, even if there was a feeling of dread in the back of your mind. Offensively, the Nats continued to look good, and even James Wood got in on the fun. In this series, the Nats scored 17 runs against a great pitching staff, but came away with nothing to show for it.

Back to Wood though, I liked his at bats today. Obviously, the homer was great, and it was a classic Wood opposite field shot. However, the way he was attacking pitches and balancing patience and aggression was good for the most part. We will need to see more before he is officially back, but today was a step in the right direction.

A lot of these guys are locked in offensively, and it sucks that they are getting overshadowed by an atrocious pitching staff. CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr. and even Jorbit Vivas are excelling right now, but it is tough to talk about them.

The story right now is pitching. In the first two games, the starters were the main culprits, but the bullpen laid an egg today. Foster Griffin was actually very good for a second straight start. The only run he allowed came on a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani, which is something that can happen even to the best of pitchers.

His pitch count got high, so he was only able to give the Nats five innings. You could already sense trouble in the 6th inning, when PJ Poulin allowed a two-run homer to make the game 6-3. To Poulin’s credit, he stopped the bleeding and gave the Nats another inning in the 7th.

It was now a three run game, and Cionel Perez came in to try and preserve the lead. He totally imploded, failing to get an out and allowing four runs. Perez, who looked so sharp in Spring Training, looks much more like the guy who posted an ERA over 8 last year. 

On the season, the lefty has now allowed 6 runs in 2.2 innings. He just did not have it today, and did not give the Nats a chance. You have to wonder how much longer he will get to turn things around, and if the Nats make bullpen moves before tomorrow’s game.

Even without considering the poor performance, the Nats could use a fresh arm. Butera was non-committal when I asked him if changes were coming to the bullpen. For the sake of Nats fans’ sanity, I would hope for some changes.

This series was a real reality check after the Nats promising start. They have now lost five in a row. The boys cannot allow this to spiral and need to bounce back against a more manageable opponent in the St. Louis Cardinals. This was a tough one, but hey it is just game 9 out of 162.

Record 5-5. Pace: 81-81. Change on 2025: 0.

The D-backs blew leads of 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4, but managed to prevail in the bottom of the tenth inning. Ketel Marte swatted the first pitch he saw over the head of the Atlanta right-fielder, driving in Manfred Man Jorge Barrosa from second for our first walk-off win of the year. That gave them a split of the four games against the Braves, despite being outscored 25-10 overall. It also returned the team to .500, and Arizona now gets a day off tomorrow, to rest before a tough upcoming road-trip to the East coast.

Brandon Pfaadt started this game, and it was another underwhelming experience. He seemed to be throwing an inordinate number of curveballs in the early going. But it didn’t help in the first, as new nemesis Drake Baldwin homered off a thigh-high sinker with one out in the top of the inning. However, the Answerbacks showed up, tying the game in their half. Ketel Marte led off with a double to left, and productive outs proved to be productive. Marte advanced on a groundout to second by Corbin Carroll, and Geraldo Perdomo was able to get the run in from third with a sacrifice fly to left, making it 1-1.

The bottom of the second saw Carlos Santana gets his second single of the year, therefore avoiding the dishonor of lowest batting average by a D-back through ten games. However, he tweaked his groin earlier in the at-bat – not even on a swing – and was clearly hobbling as he was going down the line to first. He was lifted from the game, replaced at first by Ildemaro Vargas. But if an IL stint is needed – and it didn’t look good – it’s going to be interesting. Because the Diamondbacks literally do not have any other healthy position players on the 40-man roster. Jordan Lawlar, Tyler Locklear, Pavin Smith and Lourdes Gurriel are all hurt.

Today, at least, this proved to a blessing in disguise. The next time that spot came up, in the bottom of the fourth, two men were on base: Carroll had singled and Nolan Arenado walked. Vargas then drove them both in with a two-run triple into right (above). I feel fairly confident in saying that Santana would not have done that. Not least because since the start of 2020, he has hit precisely one triple in 3,133 plate appearances. That gave the D-backs a 3-1 lead. However, Pfaadt was unable to hold it. Three hits, a walk and a wild pitch, while recording only one out, let the Braves tie things up, and one out later, Pfaadt’s day was over.

The final line for Brandon: six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings, with three runs (all earned allowed) and just two strikeouts. The last is perhaps the most immediate matter of concern. In 10.2 innings of work, Pfaadt has struck out just five batters: that 6.75 ERA seems earned. He will get one more start, with the news today that Merrill Kelly needs an additional rehab appearance. But when Kelly is pronounced fit to return, on the evidence of the first two spins around the rotation, it would probably be Pfaadt, and not Michael Soroka, who makes the transition to pitching long relief out of the bullpen.

Thereafter, it was a case of punch and counter-punch. In the sixth inning, Carroll singled, stole his first base of the year and eventually scored on Arenado’s first RBI of the year, making it 4-3. But Nolan then blotted his copy-book with an error in the seventh, while trying to look the runner on third back to the bag. That extended the inning, allowing that runner to score: 4-4. The Answerbacks answered back immediately again, on a Jorge Barrosa double, followed by a Carroll triple (above): 5-4. Kevin Ginkel pitched a scoreless eighth, but three straight hits off Jonathan Loaisiga, in to save the game (because Paul Sewald pitched Friday and Saturday) blew that lead.

Indeed, it could have been worse than just a tying, but Loaisiga then avoided further damage from a situation of two on, with nobody out. This took Arizona into extras, and all the was left in the bullpen for the D-backs was either Taylor Rashi or Andrew Hoffman. Torey Lovullo went with the former, and the key play came with one out, after the Manfred Man had been advanced to third. The Diamondbacks had their infield in, and it paid off as a hot smash (102 mph) off the bat of Mauricio Dubón, was smothered by Perdomo. He looked the runner back, threw to first for the second out, and Rashi finished off the inning, putting up an invaluable zero.

Ketel Marte: one pitch (above). Any questions? It was Marte’s first walkoff hit in almost seven years, and gave him two doubles on the day. Carroll had three hits – all coming off left-handed pitchers – while Arenado and Vargas each reached base twice, with a walk and a hit. Credit must also go to the bullpen. While they were credited with a pair of blown saves, they allowed one earned run over 5.1 innings of work. Taylor Clarke and Ryan Thompson worked in addition to those mentioned above. While their collective ERA is still 6.50, it’s worth noting that half of the 26 earned runs they have allowed belong to Joe Ross and James McCann.

Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Eggs Benedict: Corbin Carroll, +33.5%
Eggs-ultation: Marte, +33.4%; Vargas, +22.6%; Rashi, +14.0%; Clarke, +13.4%; Ginkel, +12.2%
Rotten Egg: Jonathan Loaisiga, -19.5%
Walking on Eggshells: Tawa, -18.0%; Pfaadt, -12.7%; Thompson, -10.4%; Fernandez, -10.2%

An interesting decision about who should get the SnakePit W today. Unofficially (based off the Fangraphs figures, which are slightly different from Baseball Reference), this game goes to Carroll. The hitters picked up +53% in total, while the pitchers combined for -3%. But Carroll and Marte are so close at the top, that we will have to wait for the B-R results tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, in the Gameday Thread, we went past two hundred comments, with today’s winner being chwalter. While there were more-rec’d comments, this was the most relevant to the outcome!

All told, given how this series started, I’m more than happy to walk away with a split, and the team back at .500. Fingers crossed they will come back from this nine-game road-trip to the Mets, Phillies and Orioles no worse than one game below even. Things get under way at City Field on Tuesday, with Zac Gallen on the mound for the Diamondbacks, facing Freddy Peralta.

Angels 8, Mariners 7

Reese’s eggs: Cole Young, .37 WPA

Black jellybeans: José Ferrer, -.34 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

The Cubs had three home runs in this game, the second time they’ve gone deep three times in the early going in 2026. Matt Shaw, Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ homered for the Cubs.

Unfortunately, the result was the same as the other time they homered three times (a 6-3 loss to the Nationals). This time, it was a 6-5 loss to the Guardians, giving them a split of the Sunday doubleheader and a loss in the series.

The game began like the first game had been all along — scoreless, with the teams seemingly not able to hit anything.

Shaw’s home run in the third gave the Cubs the lead [VIDEO].

The Cubs extended their lead to 3-0 in the sixth. With one out, Carson Kelly singled. One out later, Swanson smacked his first home run of the season [VIDEO].

Meanwhile, Shōta Imanaga was mowing down Guardians hitters. He had allowed just two hits and a walk through five innings, then Steven Kwan doubled leading off the sixth. That was it for Shōta, who had a nice outing, throwing 92 pitches (62 strikes). Here’s more on Imanaga’s afternoon [VIDEO].

That was a good outing from Imanaga and he did not allow a home run. So, progress!

Ben Brown relieved Imanaga and, to be frank, was just awful. He couldn’t throw strikes — only 22 in 42 pitches — and allowed two walks, two hits and a sacrifice fly in the sixth, one of the runs charged to Imanaga, and Cleveland tied the game 3-3.

Brown was better in the seventh, retiring the side 1-2-3. I am still beginning to wonder what spot Brown actually has on this team. He’s clearly being used in a long relief role. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s very early in the season, but so far, the Cubs pen, a strength last year, has been shaky.

Happ, who was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, led off the eighth for the Cubs.

He had struck out the first six times he batted Sunday afternoon — all four times he batted in Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Guardians and the first two times in the nightcap. That was followed by a fly out in the sixth, making him 0-for-7 on the day.

Happ homered in his eighth PA of the day, his fourth long ball of the young season [VIDEO].

Facts about Happ’s six whiffs from BCB’s JohnW53:

Ian Happ struck out six times, something a Cub had done 165 times before in back-to-back games. A Cub has had  seven strikeouts 27 times and eight strikeouts eight times.
Twenty-seven of the 165 with six whiffs also hit a home run, including two who homered twice: Byron Browne, in 1966 and Sammy Sosa, in 2000.
But only five before Happ struck out six times in a doubleheader, and none of them hit a homer:
Hank Sauer, 1951 (9 PA, 1 for 9, double)
Dee Fondy, 1953 (8 PA, 2 for 8, single and double)
Bobby Morgan, 1957 (9 PA, 2 for 9, single and double)
Billy Cowan, 1964 (10 PA, 2 for 10, two singles)
Derrek Lee, 2024 (9 PA, 1 for 9, double)

Unfortunately, Jacob Webb could not hold the lead in the bottom of the eighth. CJ Kayfus hit a one-out homer off Webb to tie the game, and then a single, walk and another hit gave Cleveland a 5-4 lead. So far — and yes, I realize it’s early — the signing of Webb isn’t looking too good.

Ethan Roberts, up as the 27th man for the doubleheader, relieved Webb. The first hitter he faced, Austin Hedges, singled to drive in a run to make it 6-4. That run, unfortunately, turned out to be really important for the Guardians.

Cade Smith came on to throw the ninth for Cleveland. And the Cubs rallied off him with two out, scoring a run and getting the tying and lead runs to scoring position.

Smith got Pete Crow-Armstrong on a fly to short right and struck out Moisés Ballesteros. Then Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman walked. Happ singled in Hoerner to make it 6-5 [VIDEO].

Scott Kingery ran for Happ and took second on defensive indifference.

But Carson Kelly struck out to end the game [VIDEO].

Give the Cubs credit, at least, for not folding with two out in the ninth and at least putting together a rally. But they are going to have to revisit some of the bullpen structure. So far, only a few of the relievers have been reliable.

Some doubleheader facts from John:

This is the first time since at least 2015 that the Cubs have alternated losses and wins through nine consecutive games.
….
The Cubs have not swept a doubleheader on the road since Sept. 11, 2015, when they won at Philadelphia, 5-1 and 7-3. They are 6-12 in games of nine subsequent twin bills on the road, including today. Today was just the third time they won Game 1. The two others both were at Cincinnati, on Aug. 29, 2020, and Sept. 1, 2023.

The Cubs move on to Tampa Bay, where they will open a three-game series against the Rays Monday afternoon. It’s the Rays’ home opener and first game back at Tropicana Field, which has been renovated after the roof was destroyed in Hurricane Milton in October 2024.

Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and Shane McClanahan will go for the Rays in the series opener. Game time Monday is 3:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Welp, going into extra innings to keep the game alive, the Arizona Diamondbacks capitalized on an opportunity to prevent the third consecutive series win for the Atlanta Braves (6-5) and end the series on a split.

Besides Drake Baldwin’s solo homer in the first inning to give the Braves their early lead and racking up on RBI’s to keep the team in the game, today might not have started as the most exciting, but it sure was kept interesting to the finish.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets waited most of Sunday afternoon to start their offensive engine, and once it got revved, they weren’t about to leave Oracle Park with anything short of a series victory.

One at-bat after another in the eighth inning they persisted, placing hits in all corners of the field until four runs scored in a 5-2 victory over the Giants.

Luis Torrens’ pinch-hit double brought in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth before the Mets added on. That meant Mark Vientos and Marcus Semien each with a run-scoring hit, allowing a cushion for Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, who pitched the final two innings scoreless.

The Mets won their third straight to complete a 4-3 road trip.

“The team has looked excellent the way the pitchers are pitching and the hitters are hitting,” Torrens said through an interpreter. “It’s been really special to come back in these games and just how [Kodai] Senga pitched today was amazing.”

Jared Young, who had already delivered three hits in the game, wasn’t permitted to face lefty reliever Erik Miller in the eighth with runners on second and third with one out. Enter Torrens, who worked the at-bat to nine pitches before slicing a changeup just inside the right field line, scoring both runners.

A short bench — Brett Baty was scratched from the lineup with left thumb soreness and Juan Soto is awaiting further evaluation on a right calf strain — left Carlos Mendoza’s options limited. The manager credited bench coach Kai Correa with the idea to use Torrens, the backup catcher, as a pinch hitter if an opportunity against a left-hander arose.

“And sure enough the situation presented itself and we shot him and [Torrens] was ready to go from the very beginning and he executed,” Mendoza said. “You are not so inclined to use the catcher when you are short on the bench.”

Torrens scored when Matt Chapman threw away Vientos’ grounder. The go-ahead rally was complete on Semien’s RBI double. Others involved included Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., whose double and single, respectively, ignited the comeback. Robert also stole second, eluding the tag on a throw that had him beat.

“We have got good players up and down,” Mendoza said. “We’re dealing with a few guys that have injuries and we’re feeling really good, not only with the guys that are in the lineup who are getting to play more, but on the bench as well. There’s a lot of versatility. There’s a lot of things we can do because of the flexibility.”

In a second straight solid outing to begin his season, Senga allowed two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over 5 ²/₃ innings. The right-hander took a shutout into the sixth but was undermined by two bloop hits sandwiched around Chapman’s game-tying double. Huascar Brazobán gave the Mets 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in relief before Weaver and Williams handled the rest.

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Vientos’ sizzling stretch continued with an RBI single in the second that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Vientos, who reached base seven times over the previous two games, is batting .476.

Robert and Young singled in succession before Vientos delivered against Logan Webb with a third straight hit to begin the inning. But Semien’s ensuing double-play grounder thwarted dreams of a big inning.

Senga struck out six of eight batters to begin his afternoon, utilizing the forkball as his weapon of choice.

Luis Arraez’s 10-pitch at-bat culminated with a leadoff single in the fourth, but Senga rebounded by getting Chapman to ground into a double play. After Rafael Devers walked, Senga escaped the inning by getting Heliot Ramos to hit into a fielder’s choice.

Jerar Encarnacion smoked a shot off the left field fence in the fifth, but Young fielded the carom cleanly and threw a strike to Semien, nailing Encarnacion as he attempted to stretch the single into a double.

Chapman jumped on an 0-1 forkball in the sixth and smashed an RBI double that tied it 1-1. Patrick Bailey singled leading off the inning and stole second before Chapman, with one out, delivered. Devers’ ensuing bloop single — just in front of a lunging Robert — gave the Giants a 2-1 lead and ended Senga’s afternoon.

WASHINGTON –– Sunday was one of those games the Dodgers had no business winning.

Not after Roki Sasaki gave up six runs in five innings. Not with Mookie Betts out injured and Will Smith, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy all getting off days. And certainly not after facing a five-run deficit entering the sixth inning, then a three-run hole going into the eighth.

Alas, on a rain-delayed getaway day at Nationals Park, the Dodgers battled back, flipped the script and secured a weekend sweep over the Washington Nationals, scoring the game’s final seven runs in an 8-6 win.

“It was a good fight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We just didn’t quit.”

The turnaround started as soon as Sasaki completed his calamitous outing –– one that featured two home runs, three walks and a bit of bad luck when a potential inning-ending grounder in the fourth ricocheted off the first-base bag to spur a four-run rally.

Even in the face of a 6-1 deficit, the Dodgers (7-2) kept stringing together late-game hits.

Dalton Rushing had the first big swing, launching a two-run blast in the top of the sixth that put the club within striking distance.

Then, in the eighth, the team completed the comeback against overmatched Nationals reliever Cionel Pérez, who failed to record an out while letting the game slip away.

The inning started with a single from Freddie Freeman. Andy Pages followed with a double down the left-field line. Alex Call loaded the bases after that, reaching base for the fourth-straight time by drawing a four-pitch walk. 

That set the stage for Santiago Espinal, who recorded his first Dodgers hit with a two-run single to center.

Pérez was mercifully removed after loading the bases again on a walk to the pinch-hitting Smith. But by then, the damage was already done.

A fielder’s choice grounder from Tucker, in another pinch-hit at-bat, tied the game. A sacrifice fly from Shohei Ohtani –– who opened the scoring Sunday with a 438-foot homer back in the third inning –– gave the Dodgers the lead.

Thanks to four combined innings of scoreless work from the bullpen, there would be no further late-game dramatics. Instead, Teoscar Hernández hit a ninth-inning insurance homer into the Dodgers bullpen, where closer Edwin Díaz was preparing for what would be his third save with the team.

“It is a mark of our ball club that every out matters, every game matters,” Roberts said.

From five runs down, to a first series sweep of the season.

From a game they shouldn’t have won, to one they wrapped up with relative ease.

What it means

That, even on a day so many other things went wrong, the Dodgers always have enough firepower to mount a late comeback.

In doing so Sunday, they got Sasaki off the hook for what should’ve been an ugly loss to the Nationals (3-6).

In the third inning, he started losing his command, and ultimately gave up a two-run homer to Luis García Jr. on an elevated fastball. The fourth was even worse, with the right-hander coming unraveled after a potential inning-ending grounder from Keibert Ruiz kicked off first base for an RBI single.

While that was a moment of bad luck, what followed was decidedly not. Sasaki gave up another single to José Tena, then hung an 0-2 splitter to James Wood that was clobbered for a three-run shot.

On any other day, his struggles would’ve been the story.

He can thank the team’s offense for ensuring that it wasn’t.

Who’s hot

The Dodgers’ late-game offense.

Sunday was already the team’s fifth come-from-behind victory –– and in all of them, they’ve trailed by multiple runs early on.

It might not be a sustainable recipe for success. But it does epitomize the relentless nature of their deep and talented offense.

And this time, they didn’t even need superstar contributions, instead being led by Call (2-for-3 with two walks), Hernández (2-for-4 with his home run after being bumped up to the No. 3 spot in the order), and Espinal and Rushing (two RBIs apiece).

Who’s not

In the wake of Betts’ injury, Alex Freeland is slated to get more regular starts at second base.

The Dodgers can only hope it snaps his poor start to the season.

Since hitting a home run and a double in his season debut, Freeland has looked more like the hitter who had a .190 batting average in the big leagues last season and a .125 average in an underwhelming spring.

After going 0-for-3 Sunday, he now has just one hit and three walks in his last 19 plate appearances. Even more concerning is that –– for a player tasked first and foremost with taking quality at-bats –– he has struck out two times in each of his last four games.

Up next

The Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays begin a World Series rematch on Monday at Rogers Centre. Justin Wrobleski is expected to get his first start of the season in the opener, opposite former Dodger and future Hall of Fame right-hander Max Scherzer.

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The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage the final game of their series against the Detroit Tigers in a night contest. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will start the game for St. Louis while it will be Keider Montero for Detroit. This will be Montero’s first start of the season while Kyle Leahy is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. Game time at Comerica Park is 6:20pm central time. The broadcast of this game is being handled by NBC Sports Network/Peacock.

Detroit Tigers (4-4) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (4-4)

Time/Place: 7:20 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Viva El Birdos
Media: Peacock, NBC Sports, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Leahy (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

The Dodgers began their road trip in a similar fashion as their first home series, with a comeback win to complete a three-game sweep. This time it came against the Washington Nationals as the Dodgers scored seven unanswered runs and erased a five-run deficit to win 8-6.

It took a two hour and 15 minute rain delay to pass before Roki Sasaki could make his second start of the season, and although he allowed a hit over his first two hitters he faced, he got through a scoreless first inning on just nine pitches. He notched another scoreless inning bottom of the second, striking out a pair of hitters while also working around a two-out walk to Jorbit Vivas.

The Dodgers managed to strike first for a second consecutive game as Shohei Ohtani crushed his second home run of the series 438 feet to dead center field against left-hander Foster Griffin to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Ohtani later picked up a double in the top of the fifth inning to give him his third consecutive multi-hit game against Washington.

The Dodger lead was short lived as Sasaki surrendered a two-out, two-strike home run to Luis García Jr., helping give Washington since the second inning of Friday’s contest. He was still pitching relatively efficiently with just 44 pitches over his first three innings, but his confidence and his faith in his stuff began to weaken in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sasaki was working with a C.J. Abrams at second base with two outs when he induced a weak ground ball from Keibert Ruiz down the first base side, but the ball ricocheted off the first base bag well over the head of Freddie Freeman, allowing Abrams to score and make it a two-run Washington lead. José Tena kept the two-out rally going with a single to put two men on with two outs for the struggling James Wood. Wood got a splitter right down the middle from Sasaki, and deposited it into the center field bleachers to make it a 6-1 Nationals lead.

Sasaki was able to have a clean bottom of the fifth inning, facing the minimum in order while picking up a pair of strikeouts, but it was yet another roller coaster of a performance. Over five innings of work, he allowed six earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five, now carrying an unconvincing 7.00 ERA on the season.

Dalton Rushing was given his second straight start against a left-hander this season, and he cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.

The Dodgers bullpen continued to shine in relief of Sasaki, as both Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer posted scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings respectively and continue to post spotless earned run averages.

The Nationals kept rolling with southpaws throughout the first seven innings, as PJ Poulin completed two innings of work despite being responsible for the Rushing home run. Left-hander Cionel Pérez took over for Washington in the top of the eighth, and he immediately put the Nationals lead in jeopardy by allowing a single to Freddie Freeman and a double to Andy Pages to put two men in scoring position with nobody out. The former National Alex Call worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases and Santiago Espinal had his first big moment as a Dodger with a two-run single to center field, trimming the deficit to one.

Will Smith came in as a pinch-hitter for Dalton Rushing, even though Rushing had gone deep against a left-hander in his previous at-bat, and Smith kept the line moving with a walk to once again load the bases with nobody out. As the Nationals brought in former Dodgers prospect Clayton Beeter, the Dodgers countered with Kyle Tucker as a pinch-hitter for Alex Freeland, and Tucker brought home the tying run by reaching on a fielder’s choice. Shohei Ohtani gave the Dodgers their first lead since the third with a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-6 game.

The Dodgers added some insurance in the top of the the ninth inning as Teoscar Hernández took Beeter deep to left-center field for his first home run of the season, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.

Tanner Scott kept up the impressive work from the bullpen and Edwin Díaz recorded his first save on the road as the Dodgers remain undefeated away from Dodger Stadium.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Shohei Ohtani (2), Dalton Rushing (1), Teoscar Hernández (1); Luis García Jr. (1), James Wood (2)
• WP— Jack Dreyer (1-0): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
• LP— Cionel Pérez (0-1): 0 IP, 3 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
• SV— Edwin Díaz (3): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout

Up Next

The Dodgers fly north of the border as they prepare for a rematch of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Monday at Rogers Centre (4:07 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Justin Wrobleski makes his first start of the season, going up against Max Scherzer.

Once they got Logan Webb out of the game, the Mets pounced. And thanks to a four-run top of the eighth against the Giants’ bullpen, they went on to win the game 5-2 and take the series in the process.

Webb was fantastic for San Francisco, as he gave up just one run on seven hits in seven innings of work. That wound up being the better starting pitching line in the game, as Kodai Senga started better than Webb but faltered a bit in the sixth inning. Having struck out five batters in a row at one point across the first three innings of the game, Senga saw his fastball velocity taper off a bit in the sixth, and he gave up two runs before he was able to finish that inning.

Still, it was a very good start from Senga, whose work through his first two games has been one of the most encouraging things about this very early phase of the Mets’ 2026 season. Sure, he topped out at 98 miles per hour today with his fastball, a slight decrease from touching 99 in his first start. But his average velocity and results are both very clearly improved following his late-season struggles in 2025.

Huascar Brazobán deserves praise for his work in relief of Senga, as he got the final out of the sixth after inheriting a runner on first base when he came into the game. And he worked a quick scoreless seventh inning, too, to keep the game well within reach.

As for the Mets’ runs in this one, Mark Vientos stayed hot with an RBI single in the second to open the scoring. Jared Young had a 3-for-3 day at the plate—and made a great throw from left field to get a runner advancing to second base on a single—but wasn’t able to score as Webb found ways to keep the Mets to that one run.

Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Vientos all had multi-hit games, too, but the Mets’ biggest opportunity through the first seven innings came with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, Francisco Lindor grounded out to second base, leaving the Mets trailing by one.

Polanco sparked the Mets’ eighth inning rally, though, as he hit a one-out double, after which he was immediately pinch run for by Tyrone Taylor. Robert singled to put runners on the corners, and with the left-handed hitting Young due up, the Giants turned to left-handed rleiever Erik Miller.

Carlos Mendoza countered by sending Luis Torrens up to pinch hit. After working the count full and getting a stolen base from Robert to put two runners in scoring position, Torrens roped an outside pitch down the right field line for a double, easily scoring both runs to give the Mets the lead. And the Mets tacked on a couple more runs, as Mark Vientos hit a ground ball to third base that Matt Chapman fielded and threw to first base quickly. Rafael Devers, playing his first game at first base this year, botched the scoop, though, bringing Torrens home with the Mets’ fourth run.

To top things off, Marcus Semien smoked a double to left field to plate Vientos with the team’s fifth and final run of the afternoon.

Luke Weaver and Devin Williams threw a scoreless inning apiece to close out the win. Weaver didn’t strike anyone out, but he only needed 12 pitches to get through the eighth. And while Williams gave up a pair of hits, he notched a strikeout and didn’t really make it feel like the Mets’ lead was at any risk of slipping away.

The Mets are off tomorrow, but they’re 6-4 on the season. They’re set to host the Diamondbacks for a three-game series the starts on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Luis Torrens, +30.6% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -20.6% WPA
Mets pitchers: +10.9% WPA
Mets hitters: +39.1% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Torrens hits a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth, +31.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Matt Chapman doubles in a run in the sixth, -19.4% WPA

SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Vitello was showered and changed out of his No. 23 home jersey and cream baseball pants into athletic shorts and a hoodie by the time he faced reporters Sunday afternoon.

Vitello watched the final two innings of the Giants’ 5-2 loss to the Mets from his office after the rookie manager earned the first ejection of his major-league managerial career.

The Giants got seven strong innings from Logan Webb and timely hits from Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers but were dealt their third loss of the four-game set against New York.

They were leading 2-1 when crew chief David Rackley tossed him in the bottom of the seventh. Things began to fall apart the following inning as Keaton Winn served up hits to Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert, and Erik Miller allowed both inherited runners to score in a four-run frame.

“I saw blips of the last two innings,” Vitello said. “… It’s hard to watch on TV. I’m sure there’s plenty to criticize.”

Vitello was upset with the ruling from home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez that resulted in Jerar Encarnacion being called out on a dribbler in front of the plate, despite the Mets failing to complete the play. Jimenez said Encarnacion had left the base path, interfering with Mark Vientos’ ability to catch the throw from Huascar Brazoban.

“I didn’t watch the replay. I saw it from a great angle,” Vitello said. “Umpire couldn’t have been better with balls and strikes. I’m sure he got it technically right.It’s just a play I’ve got a lot of history (with).”

What it means

The Giants weren’t able to take advantage of Webb’s strongest start of the season and dropped three of four to the Mets. The loss was their third in a row, already the second time in 10 games that Vitello’s squad has strung together a losing streak of at least three games.

Through seven games at Oracle Park, the Giants are 1-6.

Who’s hot

Vitello, first of all. The manager had a history with SEC umpires, once earning a suspension for bumping chests during an argument on the field. He was upset by the call on Encarnacion, which prevented the Giants from getting a runner on with one out, but his temper didn’t seem to escalate until Rackley tossed him as he was heading back to the dugout with his back turned.

“I said one last thing, just out of frustration or being all fired up that was complete nonsense,” Vitello said, adding that he was upset over something else from the top half of the seventh that he declined to expand on. “I think it was misinterpreted a little bit.”

Vitello added that he planned to pinch-run speedy outfielder Jared Oliva.

“In my mind, we lost a double there,” Vitelo said. “So there was a little bit of frustration.”

The ejection came moments after Webb departed the mound for the last time, limiting the Mets to one run, a ton of ground balls and little hard contact over seven innings.

Webb entered the game with a 7.36 ERA through his first two starts, but he had everything working against the Mets. The Giants couldn’t capitalize and fell to 1-2 with their ace on the mound.

Tony Vitello ejected by crew chief Dave Rackley for arguing call that Jerar Encarnacion was out of the base path.

Vitello’s first MLB ejection. pic.twitter.com/JOBkT6q65g

— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) April 5, 2026

Who’s not

Miller surrendered multiple runs for the second outing in a row. The hard-throwing lefty looked to be vying for some save opportunities as Vitello goes closer-by-committee, but he may have lost some confidence after the Mets tagged him for four runs in two appearances this series.

The Giants also committed multiple errors for the second time in 10 games, bringing their total to eight, more than all but three other clubs.

Devers wasn’t able to pick a low throw from Chapman after an acrobatic stop in the Mets’ big eighth inning, and Patrick Bailey was charged with a critical catcher’s interference that brought up Francisco Lindor with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh.

Chapman also made an inexcusable mistake on the bases, getting caught stealing as the second out of the ninth inning with the Giants trailing by three runs.

“All three (losses to the Mets) kind of had similar things going on,” Vitello said. “There was either defensive mistakes, guys not running the bases hard enough or smart enough … (and) not good enough on the pitching end of things on a couple of occasions.”

Up next

The Phillies visit San Francisco as the Giants wrap up a seven-game home stand. RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 1.69) gets the ball against RHP Andrew Painter (1-0, 1.69) to open the three-game set with first pitch on Monday set for 6:45 p.m.

The loss dropped the Giants to 1-7 in their last eight games against the Mets at Oracle Park. The good news is they’ve fared much better against the Phillies, who haven’t taken a series in San Francisco since 2013. At home, the Giants are 12-3 against the Phillies dating back to 2021.

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The Mets scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2, on Sunday.

New York recorded 13 hits to extend their winning streak to three games after dropping the first game of the four-game series. 

Here are the key takeaways…

-- With Logan Webb out of the game, the Mets bats woke up in the eighth inning with five straight hits to take the lead. Jorge Polanco doubled and Luis Robert Jr. singled, knocking relief pitcher Keaton Winn out of the game after facing just three batters. Robert evaded Luis Arraez' tag to steal second base with one out and came around to score on Luis Torrens' pinch-hit two-run double to put the Mets ahead, 3-2. 

Torrens then scored after a low throw from Matt Chapman on Mark Vientos' hard hit got by Rafael Devers at first base, making it a 4-2 game. The hits kept coming as Marcus Semien doubled to bring Vientos in, pushing the lead to 5-2.

-- Kodai Senga, starting on four days rest, looked great for the first five innings. He struck out two in the first inning (thanks to some help from Francisco Alvarez and the ABS challenge system) and then struck out the side in the second inning. The right-hander kept San Francisco scoreless through the fifth, allowing just two singles up to that point.

Things took a turn in the sixth inning as Senga ran out of gas. Chapman tied the game with a two-out RBI double and Devers put the Giants ahead, 2-1, on a bloop single to center field. Senga's day ended after 5.2 innings and 88 pitches, allowing the two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

-- Vientoscontinued to swing a hot bat and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, driving in Robert from second base. He had another RBI opportunity in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on the corners, but grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

-- Starting in the outfield for just the second time in his career, Jared Young made a nice sliding catch in left field for the second out of the third inning. Young made an impressive throw in the fifth inning, fielding a ball off the wall and launching it in time to get Jerar Encarnacion out at second base on Semien's tag.

-- Manager Carlos Mendoza expressed some frustration in the seventh inning after a strike was called against Semien, but the first base ump said he swung, preventing him from challenging the pitch. Semien ended up striking out swinging with Young on third base. 

New York still had a scoring chance after the strikeout, as Carson Benge walked and stole second base, and Alvarez reached first on a catcher's interference. Although, Francisco Lindor couldn't come up with the big hit, grounding out to second to end the inning.

-- Giants manager Tony Vitello was ejected in the bottom of the seventh for arguing a runner's interference call with Encarnacion at first base with Vientos.

-- Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams combined to toss 3.1 scoreless innings to secure the win. Williams allowed a one-out hit in the ninth, but Torrens helped him earn his second save of the year by throwing out Chapman trying to steal second base.

GAME MVP

Jared Young, who made two clutch defensive plays to help out Senga and went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double.

Highlights

Kodai Senga strikes out Willy Adames and Rafael Devers in the first 💪 pic.twitter.com/5f04vajz74

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

SWAGGY V STAYS HOT.

Mark Vientos brings home the first run! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1LtLA18fma

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Kodai Senga strikes out the side in the 2nd ♨️ pic.twitter.com/iHILQUIlj4

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Jared Young runs it down! pic.twitter.com/wS9Odgfw0y

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Lindor ➡️ Semien ➡️ Vientos for the 6-4-3 double play! pic.twitter.com/LMRu9d542f

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Jared Young throws out Jerar Encarncion at second! 💪 pic.twitter.com/4SmlRlieyw

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Jared Young adds an opposite-field double and he's 3-for-3! pic.twitter.com/c0jJtgFRr5

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Jerar Encarnacion is called out for interfering with Mark Vientos at first base pic.twitter.com/TBVd2ufuBj

LUIS TORRENS DELIVERS!

THE METS TAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/wA3sQKbH3f

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

The ball gets away from Rafael Devers and the Mets add another run! pic.twitter.com/TfeM84KsGj

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Marcus Semien doubles home the fourth run of the inning for the Mets! 💪 pic.twitter.com/RpAzUjhCHh

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Upcoming Schedule

The Mets will travel back to New York and enjoy an off day on Monday before beginning a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Freddy Peralta will take the mound and face former All-Star Zac Gallen. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

The Colorado Rockies successfully avoided the sweep in their first home series of the season, putting away the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Very strong pitching—a key theme through most of the nascent season thus far—helped the Rockies keep the Phillies at bay while three home runs from Rockies bats powered them to victory.

Some Sugar in your Easter basket

We can see why they call him “Tommy Sugar,” because Tomoyuki Sugano’s (菅野 智之) start this afternoon sure was sweet. The veteran Japanese righty was excellent in his Coors Field debut. He gave up just one earned run—a solo home run off the bat of slugger Adolis García in the second inning—through six innings of work. He became the first Rockies starter of the season to go six innings and the first to notch a Quality Start. Sugano struck out five Phillies hitters while giving up just four hits and one walk. He was also efficient and commanded the zone well. Sugano threw 78 pitches, 51 of which were strikes. Sugano also did a good job keeping the ball out of the air, recording eight outs via the groundout.

(Easter) chicks dig the long ball

All four of the Rockies’ runs scored in their win against the Phillies came via some much needed power swings. Mickey Moniak opened things up with a solo home run in his first at-bat during the first inning. When Hunter Goodman reached via single, rookie TJ Rumfield showed off some thump of his own by sending the ball over the right field wall.

However, Moniak wasn’t one to be shown up. Perhaps to make up for losing the ball in the sun twice on defense during this series—once during the Home Opener and once today—Moniak sent his second home run of the game out of the park in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Risen from the bullpen to deliver the save

It may be early in the season, but this Rockies bullpen is earning their stripes through their first three series with a combined 3.12 ERA for one of the better marks in the league. The bullpen was dialed in after taking over for Tomoyuki Sugano. Jaden Hill pitched a hitless and scoreless frame, though he also received a little help from the former Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle. After a runner reached on an error from Edouard Julien, Doyle made an outstanding leaping catch into the wall to keep the Phillies off the board.

Brennan Bernardino worked an excellent 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts while Victor Vodnik entered the game for his second save opportunity of the season after blwoing a save in Toronto. Vodnik gave up a leadoff single to Alec Bohm before striking out Bryson Stott. There was a little sweat on a warm and sunny day when Adolis García reached via a single that got past first baseman Troy Johnston, but Vodnik struck out the next two batters to end the game and earn the save.

Coming Up Next

Starting tomorrow evening the Rockies will host the Houston Astros for a three-game series. The right-handed Ryan Feltner is scheduled to make the start for the Rockies, while the Astros have yet to announce their starter after their ace Hunter Brown was placed on the injured list today. First pitch will be at 6:40 PM MDT.

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