MLB News
The Freddie Freeman gauntlet weekend begins. Some lineup shuffling against tough lefty Chris Sale.
Sign up for a user account and get:
The Atlanta Braves are about the face the biggest test of the season as they taking on the might Los Angeles Dodgers in a road game after losing their first series of the season and getting an off day.
Chris Sale will be taking the mound. Can we talk about how crazy it is that he gave up six earned runs in 4.0 innings in a game, yet still has a pristine ERA of 2.14? He has had one poor outing and every single other one he has been one of the best pitchers on planet Earth. He will be facing Emmet Sheehan, who is not exactly performing like he did last season. Sheehan currently has an ERA of 5.23 ERA. His expected ERA (xERA) of 4.31 is better than his on-field ERA, but it does give the Braves offense some hope. It also should be noted that the Braves are second in all of MLB in balls hit 95.0 MPH or higher and hard-hit rate is Sheehan’s biggest weakness.
Let’s keep up with the game together in the comments.
Get your caffeine ready as the game starts at 10:10 EDT
Sign up for a user account and get:
Well, it wasn’t exactly the offensive explosion we’ve been waiting for but they got the win. Dylan Cease was phenomenal, taking the Angels lineup apart for seven innings without ever really getting into trouble. They needed to stop the losing streak, and they did enough tonight to do that.
Dylan Cease was exceptional tonight. He made it through three innings before allowing a base runner, picking up five K’s and three soft pop outs his first time through the order. Zach Neto lined a single to lead off the fourth, and Mike Trout crushed a grounder up the third base line that could have been a problem had Kazuma Okamoto not made a great grab to turn it into a double play ball. He gave up a single each in the fifth and sixth, but neither scored and he also racked up his sixth through eighth punch outs.
He got the first two batters in the seventh, but Jo Adell lofted a fly ball over Daulton Varsho’s head in centre that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double to give the Angels their first runner in scoring position of the night. Cease responded with his tenth strikeout. That would be the end of his night. He went seven shutout innings, scattering five hits. Importantly for him, he didn’t walk a batter and took only 97 pitches to get as deep as he did. This is the kind of outing the Jays hoped to see a dozen of a year when they paid him.
The offence was happy to wait out a wild Angels pitching staff, but when they did swing they didn’t generate a lot of hits. Reid Detmers battled his command all night, but it took the Jays offence a while to capitalize. Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Kazuma Okamoto worked back to back two out walks in the first but were stranded. In the second, Davis Schneider also walked and then stole second. He moved to third on a ground out but again was left on. Finally, in the third, they brought a couple home. George Springer lead off with a ground ball single up the middle. One batter later, Vlad won a challenge to earn his second walk of the evening. Okamoto singled up the middle himself to bring Springer around to score. Following a Varsho walk, Ernie Clement hit a sac fly that was just deep enough to get Vlad home, putting the Jays up 2-0.
Detmers’ pitch count was getting out of hand at that point. He returned to face the first four batters in the bottom of the fourth, getting two outs but walking Brandon Valenzuela and allowing Springer to reach on catcher’s interference. At that point, Kurt Suzuki called for Jose Fermin to face Vlad. Vlad hit one on a line but not that hard and right to Neto at short to end the inning. Fermin returned and struck out the first two Jays in the bottom of five. Clement hit a deep fly ball to the track in centre, but Trout was there to make the catch.
Brent Suter got two strikeouts in a clean sixth. In the seventh, after Kirby Yates got the first out pinch hitter Yohendrick Pinango lined a single into left field. A Yates balk advanced him to second. Vlad hit a one hopper that looked like it passed a few inches outside the third base bag, but it was called fair and Vlad was thrown out at third without running. Okamoto lined out to prevent them from adding the insurance run.
That looked like it might cost them in the top of the eighth. Jeff Hoffman gave up a lead off double to Vaughn Grissom, who advanced on a ground out. Hoffman pulled it together to get a pop out and a Trout K to escape.
Old friend Alek Manoah got the eighth for the Angels. In his first MLB appearance in almost two years, he got two pop ups and a strikeout to hold the margin at two.
Louis Varland picked up the save without much drama in the ninth.
Jays of the Day: Cease (0.40), Okamoto (0.10),
Less So: Nobody!
It’s a 3:07pm ET start tomorrow. Jack Kochanowicz (2-1, 3.05) will take the mount for the angels. For the Jays, Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.96) will make his third start of the season.
It’s the start of a three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hopefully it goes better than the last few series have gone.
For the Giants, lefty Robbie Ray will make his eighth start of the year. The two-time All-Star is 2-4 on the season, with a 2.95 ERA, a 4.47 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 39.2 innings. He gave up three runs in 6.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays his last time out.
On the other side is right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, a 27-year old in his fourth season. In seven games (six starts), Mlodzinski is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA, a 2.49 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 13 walks in 34 innings. After starting the season strong, he’s allowed five runs in each of his last three games.
Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Giants!
Sign up for a user account and get:
Giants
LHP. Robbie Ray
Pirates
RHP. Carmen Mlodzinski
Who: San Francisco Giants (14-23) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-17)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 7:15 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area and KNTV
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Mookie Betts played five innings at shortstop and had a singled in his three at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The tentative plan is for Betts to play two games for the Comets then return to Los Angeles and be activated on Monday, if all goes well.
“One part is to take six or seven at-bats, and feel good with his timing. Build up some endurance in playing defense, on both sides of the ball with the running piece,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday at Dodger Stadium. “Hopefully he gets tested where he doesn’t feel anything.”
Saturday marks five weeks since Betts strained his right oblique in Washington D.C., and on Friday he singled in the first inning for Oklahoma City before flying out to (old friend Chris Taylor in) right field and striking out.
It’s the first minor league game Betts has played since 2015 while with the Boston Red Sox. He’s since had injured list stints in 2018 (abdominal strain), 2021 (right hip inflammation), 2022 (right rib fracture), and 2024 (broken hand), and in each of those occasions used simulated games and batting practice as his rehab assignments.
“Once he gets back with us, we’re not going to run him out there every single day. There will probably be a couple days where he can get reintroduced to playing a lot,” Roberts said. “I’m going to count on Mookie. As long as he’s healthy, we’re better with him.”
Once Betts returns, whether it’s on Monday or some other date, one infielder will need to be sent down. Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim have minor league options, while veteran reserve Santiago Espinal does not.
“We’re going to have some hard conversations. But fortunately, we don’t have to have those until he does come back,” Roberts said. “As we’ve seen, these things can change quickly, so we’ll be prepared.”
It’s game 2 for the St. Louis Cardinals in San Diego as they’ll ask Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52 ERA, 24SO) to lead them to a victory Friday night. Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 7 SO) will make the start for the Padres. Friday night’s broadcast will be handled by Apple TV, so that 7-day trial is your friend. First pitch scheduled for 8:45pm central time.
Sign up for a user account and get:
LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves in a matchup of National League division leaders.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is set to rejoin the rotation sooner than anticipated after teammate Tyler Glasnow left a start early this week because of back trouble. Glasnow was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with low back spasms, and Los Angeles recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Snell missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a lingering shoulder injury, making just 11 starts after signing a $182 million, five-year contract in November 2024. But the left-hander went 3-2 in six postseason games to help the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title.
Snell has been on the IL since late March with left shoulder fatigue. He had been scheduled to make one more minor league rehabilitation start for Class A Ontario on Saturday, but instead will face the Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Glasnow exited after one inning against the Houston Astros on Wednesday. He had an MRI that showed “nothing really significant,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday before the opener of a three-game series against Atlanta.
The 32-year-old Glasnow is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in seven outings this season.
The 6-foot-10 Gervase, 25, is 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA in nine games for Oklahoma City this year. He made one appearance for the Dodgers last season, striking out two batters in two innings. He also pitched in five games for Tampa Bay, compiling a 4.26 ERA.
In: Blake Snell. Out: Tyler Glasnow. Soon: Mookie Betts.
The Dodgers took two steps forward and one step back in their quest for full strength Friday, putting Glasnow on the injured list because of back spasms while planning to activate Snell from the injured list on Saturday and Betts on Monday.
Snell’s start Saturday will be his first since the World Series. The two-time Cy Young winner opened the season on the injured list because of shoulder fatigue, as the Dodgers eased him into spring with the goal of putting him in the best possible position to succeed in October.
Glasnow left Wednesday’s game because of the injury. An MRI examination revealed “nothing really significant,” according to manager Dave Roberts, but the IL stint allows Glasnow to avoid rushing to be ready for his next start, with the bigger October picture in mind.
Glasnow never has made more than 22 starts in a season. He has been on the injured list in every full season since 2019.
With Glasnow’s status in question, the Dodgers on Thursday reconsidered their plan for Snell. They originally planned for him to make a final rehabilitation start Saturday, but Roberts said the pitcher and the team agreed he could throw the planned five innings in Los Angeles as well as he could in Ontario.
The Dodgers recalled reliever Paul Gervase to fill Glasnow's roster spot. They could return him to triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Snell on Saturday.
Betts strained an oblique muscle April 4. The shortstop is scheduled to play two minor league rehabilitation games Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday, then return to Los Angeles for evaluation, with the hope he’ll be cleared for activation Monday.
“We’re not going to run him out there every single day,” Roberts said.
Read more:Will work for free? Trevor Bauer hypothetically offers to sign a '$0 salary' deal with any MLB club
Snell and Betts are not the only reinforcements on the way. Utilityman Kiké Hernández and reliever Brusdar Graterol began rehabilitation assignments this week.
The return of Betts would appear to allow the Dodgers to jettison infield reserve Santiago Espinal, although the team opened the season with Espinal on the roster and Hyeseong Kim at triple-A, allowing Kim to play every day and Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas to split time at second base.
However, since rejoining the Dodgers when Betts was injured, Kim is batting .314 with an .801 OPS.
The Dodgers dropped outfielder Kyle Tucker to sixth in the lineup Friday, in a batting order Roberts said was designed to combat Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.
In his career, Tucker is 0 for 9 with four strikeouts against Sale.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brandon Lockridge slammed his legs into the concrete base of a wall pursuing a foul pop fly, and was taken from the field by cart Friday, May 8 at American Family Field.
Lockridge was chasing a foul ball hit by the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger in the top of the fourth inning when he went into a slide and slammed into a wall that was unpadded at the base. He winced in pain and tumbled face down on the foul line for several moments.
Brandon Lockridge was in serious pain after crashing into the wall in foul territory pic.twitter.com/tgLfCpHaIp
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 9, 2026
He was eventually helped to his feet, yet needed the assistant of a cart to exit the field. Garrett Mitchell replaced Lockridge, who had an RBI single earlier, in the outfield.
The Brewers were leading the game 5-0 when Lockridge, 29, was hurt. He's batting .294 with a .709 OPS in 85 at-bats this season.
Brewers reporter Sophia Minnaert said the injury was to Lockridge's right knee.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said postgame that "Initial X-rays say it's not fractured" but added that Lockridge has "a huge laceration."
"It's going to be a while. It's all the way down to his bone, the laceration. So, pretty ugly," Murphy said.
"We don't know the extent of any other damage because there's so much swelling that we're going to have to wait until it goes down to get an MRI," he added.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Lockridge injury update, status after scary crash into wall
Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet
Starting Pitcher: Carmen Mlodzinski
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the San Francisco Giants looking to grab a win.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
The Dodgers and Atlanta Braves continue their weekend series on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, with a start time an hour earlier than Friday night.
Rather than make one more rehab start for Ontario on Saturday, Blake Snell will instead be activated off the injured list to start against the Braves at Dodger Stadium, on his bobblehead night no less.
Spencer Strider is on the mound for Atlanta, making his second start since returning from the injured list after missing the first five-plus weeks of the season with a left oblique strain. He struck out six last Sunday at Coors Field but also allowed three runs and walked five in his 3 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers are 2-0 when wearing their city connect uniforms, beating the Texas Rangers 6-3 on April 11 and winning 12-4 over the Chicago Cubs on April 25.
So, after all that excitement about Ryan Waldschmidt getting called up… He’s not in the starting line-up. This does kinda make sense based on past history. It feels like Torey Lovullo likes to give prospects a parachute, letting them absorb the atmosphere gently rather than hurling them into the fire on their first night. I would not be surprised to see Waldschmidt come off the bench for a pinch-hit opportunity late in the game, and quite possibly be starting in center. We’ve been patient and waited for him to show up in the majors. Another 24 hours or whatever isn’t going to make any difference.
It’s the Mets again. The last time we saw them was just about a dozen games into the season, and we did not realize quite how terrible they seem to be. Taking two of three in New York seemed like a huge success at the time, but we did not realize how terrible they are. Now, it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity: they got swept by Colorado, and the Mets have gone 7-17 since we left town. We kick-started a twelve-game losing streak, though on this road trip, they have won series against the Angels and Rockies, so might be turning things round a bit. Both teams could certainly use a series win.
Sign up for a user account and get:
The Cincinnati Reds were absolutely smoked by the Houston Astros to the tune of 10-0 on Friday night in Great American Ball Park, the loss stretching this agonizing losing streak to 8 games (so far).
Nick Lodolo returned and looked mostly ok, though he did get touched up for a pair of 2-run homers in his 5.1 IP. From there on, it was the bullpen that was in charge of getting absolutely shelled, up until the point that poor ol’ Jose Trevino was summoned to be a position player pitching on the mound in lieu of a mercy rule.
Cincinnati’s offense was nonexistent against former 11th round draftee Mike Burrows, who came through the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before being dealt to Houston this offseason. He entered play tonight with a burly 5.97 ERA and 5.18 FIP in 7 starts (37.2 IP) this year before making this Reds offense look like an Arizona Complex League squad.
The good news, I guess, is that I’m pretty sure no further Reds got hurt on the evening, though that could very well be wrong given [/gestures wildly at everything that’s happened the last two weeks].
The Reds aren’t spiraling, they’re collapsing in real time.
Jonah Tong got off to a bit of an up-and-down start to the Triple-A season, but he’s shown some positive signs over his first two starts to open May.
The Mets’ top pitching prospect allowed just two runs over 5.0+ innings on Friday.
Tong struck out two batters to brush off a one-out walk in the top of the first, then worked around a leadoff hit and another free pass en route to a scoreless second.
He breezed through the top of the third for his first clean inning of the night, before using a routine double-play ball right at the second baseman to evade a leadoff walk in the fourth.
Tong struck out the side in the fifth, but Rochester was finally able to get to him as he returned to the mound with 81 pitches in the sixth, when Christian Franklin led off the inning with a homer to left-center.
The righty walked the next batter on seven pitches, bringing his up-and-down night to an end.
Carlos Guzman entered and completely melted down for Syracuse, giving up four runs in the inning, adding another onto Tong’s line, and putting Hartford in front for the first time.
The 22-year-old’s line closed with two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out eight over 5.0+ innings.
Tong has given up just three runs (one earned) in 11.0 innings thus far in May.
Lefty pitching prospect Jonathan Santucci has gotten off to a rough start with Double-A Binghamton, but he put together easily his best outing of the season on Friday.
Santucci pitched into the seventh for the first time in his career, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven batters across 6.1 innings of work.
The southpaw retired the first seven batters before allowing a one-out double in the top of the third. He quickly settled back into a groove, again setting down the next seven in order before giving up a single in the fifth.
Hartford finally broke through against Santucci, homering to lead off the seventh.
He exited in the midst of a first and third jam later that frame, but Binghamton’s bullpen did a good job of limiting the damage to just one run against.
The 23-year-old is down to a 4.61 ERA through six outings.
St. Louis Cardinals (22-15) at San Diego Padres (22-15), May 8, 2026, 6:45 p.m. PST
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
Sign up for a user account and get: