Apr 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) and left fielder Nathan Church (27) and right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At times it wasn’t pretty, but the St. Louis Cardinals got it done again as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night 5-4 thanks to Andre Pallante, two doubles from JJ Wetherholt and a game-saving catch by Nathan Church.
Let’s start with the excellent start from Andre Pallante as he went deeper into Wednesday night’s game than any of his appearances this season. He tossed 6 strong innings giving up only 1 run before he turned the game over to the bullpen. More on that almost dumpster fire later.
The St. Louis Cardinals got on the board first when JJ Wetherholt continued his homecoming party doubling to the opposite field in the 3rd inning which scored Urias making it 1-0 Cardinals.
St. Louis would add to their lead in the top of the 5th inning when Alec Burleson hammered a 411 foot home run to left-center giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t roll over as they answered in the bottom of the 5th inning cutting into the Cardinals lead 3-1. Victor Scott’s speed would become a factor in the top of the 7th inning when he stole a base and scored on a single by Ivan Herrera increasing the Cardinals lead to 4-1.
Herrera would score on a single by Jordan Walker also in the top of the 7th inning making it 5-1 St. Louis and they would need that additional run because…the bullpen. Ryne Stanek would come in for the bottom of the 7th inning and he was ineffective and that’s being kind. He walked Konnor Griffin then gave up a single to Bart. Griffin would advance to third on a wild pitch by Stanek. Ryne followed that up with a walk to Cruz to load the bases. Manager Oli Marmol went to the bullpen for emergency help in the form of JoJo Romero. He would immediately give up a single to Yorke scoring 2 runs cutting the St. Louis lead in half 5-3. Reynolds was then walked, but JoJo was fortunately able to get O’Hearn on a strikeout followed by a groundout by Ozuna to end the bottom of the 7th.
George Soriano was brought in for the bottom of the 8th inning, but drama followed him, too, not all of his doing. Gonzalez singled followed by a walk to Horwitz. Mangum grounded into what should have been at least a force-out if not a double play to Masyn Winn, but he bobbled it for an error leaving everyone safe. Cruz would ground out on a fielder’s choice for the 2nd out to JJ Wetherholt, but a run scored on the play making it 5-4 Cardinals.
Riley O’Brien came in for the save in the bottom of the 9th and he succeeded – barely. After getting Reynolds to ground out to start the 9th, O’Hearn hit a bloop single to left. Riley struck out Ozuna for the second out, but the final out would be dramatic. Gonzalez hit a ball to deep left that looked like it would be a walk-off winner for the Pirates, but Nathan Church did a very Nathan Church thing.
St. Louis will go for the 4-game sweep against Pittsburgh on Thursday as Hunter Dobbins will take the mound for his first St. Louis start against a guy you’ve probably heard of named Paul Skenes. First pitch scheduled for 11:40am central time Thursday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 29: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves reacts with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tigers needed their ace tonight, and they got him.
Tarik Skubal was as advertised. Outside of one blemish to start the game, he did not allow a Braves runner in scoring position in his seven innings of work. It would’ve been a well-deserved, tip-your-cap type of win.
But the 2026 Braves simply won’t be denied. Pitching by Ritchie, Lee, and López kept them in it, and our patience was richly rewarded with a Matt Olson walk-off home run to clinch another series win for Atlanta.
JR Ritchie’s first inning set the tone for his home crowd debut: serviceable, but not as dominant as what we’d seen in the DC matinee. The Tigers worked deep counts and didn’t go down 1-2-3 in any inning he pitched. In the first inning, he worked around a Gleyber Torres walk and Colt Keith single, but got two K’s to strand them.
In the bottom half of the first, the Braves drew first blood against Skubal by way of a Drake Baldwin single and an Ozzie Albies home run that looked identical to the one he hit to left field last night.
However, Ritchie would give those runs back in the top of the second in a two-out rally by Detroit. Wenceel Pérez, who spoiled last night’s shutout with a homer off Aaron Bummer, doubled to left. Ritchie walked the recently-recalled nine hole hitter Jace Jung. Hitting machine Kevin McGonigle’s single made it 2-1. An ill-advised pickoff attempt would tie it up 2-2.
Unfortunately, Skubal settled in to shut down the Braves, sending us to the third. Riley Greene’s leadoff homer would give the Tigers the lead, 3-2.
The next few innings would be largely uneventful. Drake Baldwin notched a second hit off Skubal, Ritchie worked around runners on the corners in the fourth. In their respective innings, Matt Olson and Michael Harris II tried to set the table for a Braves offensive rally, only to be erased by double plays by Austin Riley and Jonah Heim, respectively.
Ritchie came back out for the sixth and walked Kerry Carpenter, but got Spencer Torkelson to fly out before exiting to an appreciative ovation from the fans at home. Ritchie’s final line: five and a third innings pitched, five hits, three earned runs, four walks, and the homer to Greene. It wasn’t as efficient or commanding as his performance against the Nationals, but selfishly, I hope he is able to stick around to start in his hometown vs Seattle next week.
Dylan Lee, back from his one-day stint on the paternity list, finished off the sixth and set them down in order in the seventh.
Midway through Matt Olson’s at bat in the seventh, Tarik Skubal summoned his coaches and trainers and seemed to indicate that he was feeling something in his elbow or forearm. But after seemingly easily convincing him that he was fine enough to stay in, he looked more than fine as he struck out Olson, Riley, and Dubón in order.
Reynaldo López came trotting out of the bullpen to relieve Lee and only needed eight pitches to retire the Tigers in order. Efficient, but sideyeing that velo a little as he irons out his mechanics. Another thing to watch? Michael didn’t seem comfortable after gloving a sharp lineout.
Former National Kyle Finnegan came in to face the Braves in the eighth. He struck out Mike before Walt Weiss went to his bench to pinch-hit for White and Heim. Mike Yastrzemski flew out, and Dominic Smith worked an ABS-assisted walk. Ronald walked and the table was set for our clutchest boy, Drake Baldwin. It was looking promising as he fouled off pitch after pitch and the speedy Jorge Mateo ready to rev the wheels and tie it up on a base knock. But it wasn’t to be as he grounded out to end the inning. Disappointed, but not in you, sweet Drake. Never in you.
Reynaldo went back out for the top of the ninth and threw another nine pitches to get three outs.
Old friend Kenley Jansen took the mound for the Tigers looking for a save to add to his illustrious career. But he must still harbor some love for his ATL days, as he walked Ozzie on six pitches and getting the leadoff man aboard for Matt Olson. Matt had been hitting the ball pretty hard all night without much to show for it. Austin Riley lurked on the on deck circle. But all Riley had to do was watch it go off the bat of Matty O.
Bring out the Dubble Bubble bucket hat! This one feels especially good after Tarik Skubal did Tarik Skubal things for so much of the evening. That’s another series win, and an extension of the winning streak vs Detroit we mentioned earlier.
The Braves will go for the sweep in some brunch baseball tomorrow. Elder and Valdez will face off starting at 12:15 pm ET.
The Mets were routed by the Washington Nationals 14-2 on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
Here are some takeaways...
- David Peterson's return to the starting rotation didn't quite go as planned. Washington jumped on the left-hander for a pair of runs on three hits and a passed ball in the top of the first, continuing his season-long struggles in an inning he mastered all of last season.
- Peterson appeared to have settle in nicely, retiring nine in a row, but the roof caved in on him in the fourth. Washington flipped the script on the Mets from Tuesday, putting together a seven-run inning of their own, with two of those coming against Peterson before they chased him from the ballgame.
- Sean Manaea entered after a bases loaded walk and he didn't fare much better, forcing in another run with a HBP then giving up a grand slam to put this one out of reach. Peterson's ERA now sits at an ugly 6.53 after allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks over just 3.2 innings of work in his first start back in the rotation.
- The Mets' offense did try to pick Peterson up after his rough start to the night, as they used a double and two walks to load the bases against Cade Cavalli with two outs in the first, but the righty struck out Tyrone Taylor with a 3-2 sinker up in the zone to dance his way out of danger.
- Juan Soto had the double which started that first inning rally. The red-hot outfielder also got the Mets on the board in the third with an opposite-field homer for the second straight night, and then picked up his third hit to try to start a rally trailing by eight in the bottom of the fifth.
- MJ Melendez followed Soto's knock with a single off the first baseman's glove. Francisco Alvarez immediately rolled into his sixth double play of the season, though, killing any hopes of a rally and allowing the Nats off the hook. The young backstop struck out looking in his other three AB's, bringing his average down to .123 over his last seven games.
- Marcus Semien enjoyed himself a nice day at the plate, singling twice across his three at-bats.
- Manaea ate the next two innings but fared just as poorly as Peterson. Washington tacked on five more runs against him, ripping seven hits, five of which went for extra-bases. Manaea has given up 15 runs over his last five appearances, raising his ERA to 6.14 for the season.
- Carl Edwards Jr. gave up a run but threw well, striking out six over 2.2 innings of work.
Game MVP(s): Curtis Mead
Mead fattened up against the Mets' pitching, stringing together his first career four-hit game.
Colorado Rockies designated hitter Hunter Goodman (15) gestures after hitting a 2-run home run in the seventh inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It looks like the Colorado Rockies offense just needed an extra day to arrive in the riverside city of Cincinnati. After last night’s two-run affair, the Rockies exploded on offense tonight while largely shutting down the Reds.
A spoonful of Tommy Sugar
Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 continued his run of strong pitching for the Rockies with 5.1 scoreless innings against what has been a fairly potent Cincinnati offense. Sugano wasn’t as sharp as usual, issuing three walks with two strikeouts, but he kept the Reds off the board despite those walks and four hits. He also had a little help from a sharp Rockies defense. In the bottom of the first inning, Ezequiel Tovar made a diving stop and threw out a Reds baserunner at home to end the inning.
After issuing a single and a walk to start the sixth inning, Sugano managed to get one final out before his pitch count and situation pulled him from the game. His ERA for the season now sits at just 2.84, the lowest of any member of the Rockies’ rotation. Only Chase Dollander—operating largely as bulk relief with an opener—has a lower ERA.
Believe in the bullpen
Lefty Brennan Bernardino entered the game with two runners on and only one out with the goal of keeping the Rockies’ shutout intact. Brett Sullivan and Ezequiel Tovar caught the lightning-quick Elly De La Cruz stealing before an easy flyout ended the inning. Bernardino would work another full inning with a strikeout before his night was done, though he did give up one hit.
Juan Mejia took over for the eighth inning and did give up a leadoff base hit, only to quickly set down the next three batters swinging.
Jimmy Herget, newly reinstated from the paternity list, had a little rust to shake off in a ninth inning that was largely a formality. All three outs he recorded were strikeouts, but he did give up two earned runs on four hits. The earned runs were via a Will Benson home run, the first home run Herget has given up since July 29th of last season.
The game had a promising start when Brenton Doyle doubled in his first at-bat of the day and was followed up walks issued to Willi Castro and Hunter Goodman. Backup catcher Brett Sullivan then slapped a bases-clearing double to right field to give the Rockies an early 3-0 lead.
A Willi Castro RBI double in the third inning and a Hunter Goodman solo home run in the fifth had the Rockies up 5-0, but the damage kept coming. In the top of the seventh inning Hunter Goodman demolished a second home run—his eighth of the season and the Rockies’ league-leading fifth multi-home run game of the season—to score another two runs. A Kyle Karros sacrifice fly scored yet another run.
With the Rockies up 8-0 in the top of the ninth inning, the Reds chose to wave the white flag and send in catcher Jose Trevino to pitch. The Rockies didn’t take it easy on Trevino, scoring another five runs on six hits. The inning saw Ezequiel Tovar, Kyle Karros, and Mickey Moniak get their first hits of the ballgame, with Moniak’s double extending his current hitting streak to 13 games. When all was said and done, the Rockies had gone 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. It was a breath of fresh air after yesterday’s 1-for-11 mark.
Sadly, only Jordan Beck was left hitless after the festivities. Beck went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts and currently has a .440 OPS this season. Meanwhile, Brett Sullivan and Hunter Goodman were the heavy hitters of the evening, both going 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies have an early start time tomorrow as they close out the series against the Reds and look for a series win on the road. Righty Michael Lorenzen will make the start for Colorado against Cincinnati lefty Andrew Abbott. First pitch is scheduled for 10:40 AM MDT.
Apr 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter (30) catches a fly ball against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Tigers were hoping to bounce back from their Tuesday evening loss to the Braves, and they were hoping Tarik Skubal would be the man on the mound to make that happen. Atlanta was leaning on J.R. Ritchie to get them the second win of the series.
The Tigers started out aggressively against Ritchie, with a one-out walk to Gleyber Torres followed by a single for Colt Keith. But two outs followed, despite Dillon Dingler’s attempt to challenge a third strike call that ended the inning. Skubal, meanwhile, had a rough start to the first. with Drake Baldwin getting a one-out single, followed by some unfortunate deja vu as Ozzie Albies homered into left to score two runs. Atlanta would have to settle for just those runs, but it was a tough way to get the game going.
With two outs in the second it seemed like the Tigers might already be fizzling, but then Wenceel Perez doubled, followed by a Jace Jung walk. Kevin McGonigle then singled on a liner into center, bringing Perez home. Then, Ritchie made an error attempting to pick off McGonigle, which allowed Jung to come home and tie up the game. It was all the Tigers would get, but they were two mighty important runs.
The Braves went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning because Skubal doesn’t like having bad innings and tries to make teams suffer for them.
The third showed that the Tigers weren’t going to let this game stay tied for long. With one out, Riley Greene hit a solo home run practically to dead center. Two outs followed but the Tigers sure did have the lead when it was all said and done. Now they just had to keep it.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Drake Baldwin singled, but the Braves weren’t able to convert the baserunner.
In the fourth, Perez got on base for the second time in the game with a one-out walk. Another out later, McGoingle continued to McGonigle, singling to put two men on. Unfortunately, a Gleyber Torres groundout ended the inning with no additional runs scored. In the home half, Matt Olson singled to start things off, but don’t clutch your pearls just yet because he was quickly eliminated in a double play off the bat of Austin Riley. A groundout then ended the inning no harm done.
The fifth inning saw the Tigers going 1-2-3. Michael Harris II singled to start the home half, but a flyout and double play then safely ended the inning.
Kerry Carpenter got a leadoff walk in the sixth, and while Ritchie did collect the first out of the inning with a Spencer Torkelson flyout, his day was still done. Dylan Lee came out of Atlanta’s bullpen to get the final two outs of the inning. A nice little 1-2-3 outing for Skubal in the home half had to feel good for everyone involved, especially Colt Keith whose precision throw to first got the final out of the inning.
The seventh was another 1-2-3 inning, and I don’t know about everyone else watching but I do feel like some insurance runs might be a good idea here. There was a concerning pause at the start of the home half where Skubal had Dingler come out to the mound and it looked like he might be having some left forearm discomfort. A.J. Hinch and assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades came out to look at him, but he waved everyone off and stayed in the game. Whatever was going on with him didn’t seem to lessen his skill, though, as he mowed through the side in order.
Reynaldo López was the new Atlanta pitcher out of the pen in the top of the eighth. He got the Tigers three-up, three-down. In the home half, Skubal’s day was done after seven, his final line for the game was 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 91 pitches. Kyle Finnegan came in out of the Tigers’ pen. While a missed call would have gone Detroit’s way with a called third strike, it was overturned by the ABS for ball four for Dominic Smith. Ronald Acuña Jr. then drew a walk. A groundout from Baldwin ended the inning, though, and Finnegan was no worse for the wear.
The Tigers once again went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and had to hope they’d done enough to hold onto the lead. Helping them manage it would be Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the inning, trying to add to his all-time saves total. Jansen started out rough, with a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies. Matt Olson then hit a home run right into the bullpen to walk off the game and make the Tigers regret not getting more insurance runs.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals rounds the bases after he hit a three-run home run against the Athletics in the tenth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game two of the series in Sacramento is tonight, and the Royals have an opportunity to lock down their second series win in a row. Winning five out of six, and scoring quite a lot of runs in the process, has really calmed the doom and gloom down. Now the team needs to keep going strong as they try to climb back out of the early hole that they dug for themselves.
Tonight that means we will see Michael Wacha versus Luis Severino. The two veterans have had very different seasons so far. Wacha has been great to start the season posting a 2.51 ERA over his first five starts. He is probably not going to stay quite that good according to the underlying metrics, but he is still looking like a solid starter for the club to depend on. Severino, on the other hand, has a 5.17 ERA and is walking a little over 6 per 9 innings. His peak years of Cy Young contention are now in the distant past, but there is still talent and velocity in that arm, though we hope this is not the start that he finds it.
The Royals will be without Pasquantino, which means Carter Jensen is moving up in the lineup.
Athletics pitcher Luis Severino gets the start against the Kansas City Royals tonight in West Sacramento. | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
The A’s let one slip through their fingers last night against the Royals, but the good news is the two teams are back at it tonight at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The lack of clutch hitting was the key last night, so let’s hope the guys in Kelly Green & Gold can mash when it counts in today’s matchup.
Luis Severino gets the start for the Athletics today. Severino, the 32-year-old righty out of the Dominican Republic is 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts in 2026. He’s struck out 32 in 31.1 innings so far. Severino has a career 5-1record with a 3.67 ERA against the Royals with 32 K’s across 41.2 innings. He’ll go up against 34-year-old righty Michael Wacha for the Royals. Wacha is 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA this year over five starts. Over the course of his career, he has started three games against the Athletics and gone 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA and twelve strikeouts.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: Tyler Fitzgerald #49 of the San Francisco Giants at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oracle Park on August 17, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tyler Fitzgerald had one glorious five-week stretch for the San Francisco Giants in 2024 where he hit 13 home runs in 26 games. He fell off so badly that the Giants traded last season’s primary second baseman to the Toronto Blue Jays in early April. But now Fitzgerald is ready to revive his career with one simple change: He’s been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers acquired IF/OF Tyler Fitzgerald from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred RHP Landon Knack to the 60-day injured list.
The Dodgers tapped their most reliable trade asset to scoop up Fitzgerald: Cash. Cash considerations, to be specific, which we think means they sent their check to the Blue Jays inside a thoughtful greeting card.
There’s a lot of reasons that the Giants gave up on Fitzgerald. He slashed .217/.278/.327 last season in an injury-marred year where he got demoted to Triple-A. His power disappeared but his strikeout rate stayed high. This year, Fitzgerald has struck out in more than a third of his plate appearances in the minors, with his defense looking steadily worse in his age-28 season.
So why should anyone expect him to thrive as a Dodger? Because the Giants gave up on him, and as per the blood sacrifices made from 2010-14, the baseball gods will curse the team until penance is paid and Rusty the Robot rises from his watery grave in McCovey Cove.
It’s also because Fitzgerald is the type of multi-positional utility player that has over-performed with the Dave Roberts Dodgers. Chris Taylor had similar numbers to Fitzgerald in his own age-26 season in 2017. There’s just something about being a middle infielder willing to practice shagging flies in the outfield that leads to wild success in Chavez Ravine. Just ask Taylor, or Kike Hernandez, or Tommy Edman, or Gavin Lux, or Howie Kendrick.
It could be that Fitzgerald will have a Mike Benajmin-like fade into obscurity for Giants shortstops who got insanely hot for short stretches (Benjamin had 13 hits over two games in 1995). But it seems like fate has placed Fitzgerald in Dodger Blue to punish the Giants for giving up on him, like how Michael Conforto got a World Series ring last season with the Dodgers (though he was terrible).
Don’t expect Fitzgerald to go back to his slugging ways right away with the Dodgers. He’ll wait until he can start hitting balls into McCovey Cove when the Dodgers visit again on the last weekend of the season, invariably knocking the Giants out of the wild-card race. Can’t wait!
Yankees left fielder Randal Grichuk (34) hits a double to drive in a run against the Boston Red Sox.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The decision to designate veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk for assignment Wednesday came just as the 34-year-old was starting to heat up, batting 6-for-16 after starting the year 0-for-15.
The Yankees had signed the right-handed hitter to a minor league deal in camp before he made the team to help them against lefties.
“Difficult decision, just because I feel like Randal’s come in here and fit in really well,” Aaron Boone said before the 3-0 loss to the Rangers. “I feel like, despite numbers-wise a slow start, he’s shown us the at-bats we’ve wanted to see from him when he’s got his opportunities against left-handed pitching.
Yankees left fielder Randal Grichuk (34) hits a double to drive in a run against the Boston Red Sox. David Butler II-Imagn Images
“But just the fit right now, feel like with me not catching [Ben] Rice much, [Paul Goldschmidt] being backup first baseman, not having that position flexibility right now with the guy on the bench that Max [Schuemann] brings, think it just makes sense for our club right now to be a little bit better fit.
“But Randal, and I even told him [Tuesday] night, he can still do this. He can still play this game at a high level. It was hard though, because he fit in well with this group.”
Anthony Volpe played in a 10th rehab game Wednesday at Double-A Somerset, going 2-for-4 while playing a full nine innings at shortstop for the second straight day.
The Yankees have said they will reevaluate Volpe on Thursday, which is Day 17 of a maximum 20-day rehab clock, but Boone was cagey on whether the shortstop would be activated Friday.
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“We’ll see,” Boone said. “We got this game and he’s playing in Somerset today. We’ll see.”
Gerrit Cole made his third rehab start Wednesday afternoon, building up to 60 pitches (45 strikes) across 5 ²/₃ innings with Double-A Somerset. He gave up three runs on three hits and no walks while striking out three. Cole has only walked one batter across 14 ¹/₃ innings on his rehab assignment so far.
“It was nice to get six ups, so it was a good day,” Cole told reporters in Somerset. “Lot of strikes, that’s good. Not a lot of large misses, and consistency out of all the offerings today, which was nice.”
The former AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to need at least a few more rehab starts before potentially being activated in mid-to-late May.
An umpire asked Elmer Rodríguez to change his glove after the second inning Wednesday, which the rookie right-hander did but was unsure why it was necessary. Making his MLB debut, Rodríguez was sporting a blue, red and white glove, as a tribute to his native Puerto Rico, but then used a black glove for the final two innings.
“Thankfully I had one here,” Rodríguez said. “He just told me I could change it for the next inning and that was it.”
The Kansas City Royals (12-17) face the Athletics (15-14) in the second game of their series. The Royals won the series’ opener 4-3 in 10 innings on Tuesday. Scheduled starting pitchers are Michael Wacha for Kansas City, with a 2.51 ERA, and Luis Severino for the Athletics, with a 5.17 ERA.
Jorge Polanco, signed to a two-year, $40 million contract with the hopes that he could transition from the middle of the infield to first base, has been hurt most of the season and played poorly when on the field.
Brett Baty, introduced to the position during spring training, has been inconsistent in the field and at the plate. He’s shown flashes of his lefty power, but ended an 0-for-10 skid going 1-for-3 in Wednesday’s 14-2 loss to Washington at Citi Field.
And then there’s Mark Vientos, who has struggled badly on both sides of the ball, looking to recapture at least the power he displayed two years ago, which seems to be more and more of a distant memory.
Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) falls off the bag, allowing a batter on during the ninth inning when the New York Mets played the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Altogether, they entered Wednesday with the fourth-worst OPS at the position this season (.581), a year after Pete Alonso helped them to the second-best OPS in the majors (.861).
Neither has stood out defensively, either.
And according to FanGraphs, the group has the second-lowest WAR (-0.5).
Asked about the spot, Carlos Mendoza said the duo of Baty and Vientos has “handled the position fine,” adding Vientos has been OK defensively.
But the manager acknowledged: “Offensively, we expect more.”
In fairness, the lack of production has been a failure of almost the entire lineup — not just at first base.
Jorge Polanco (11) throws out Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ryan O’Hearn at first base during the seventh inning of a baseball game. APPete Alonso of the Baltimore Orioles blows on his finger gun as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run. Getty Images
But it’s felt there especially, since they had such a consistent threat at first with Alonso.
“They took a strength and made it a weakness,’’ one National League scout said. “I think Baty can hit, but he shouldn’t be at first base. If they had just kept him at third, where he looked comfortable last year, I think he would have come on at the plate. But they’re making it harder on him, all to get another guy who’s out of position [former shortstop Bo Bichette] into the lineup.”
Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) fields a throw during the first inning when the New York Mets played the Pittsburgh Pirates. Robert Sabo for NY Post
With Polanco nursing both a right wrist contusion and Achilles discomfort — and considered week to week by David Stearns — the Mets figure to go with Baty and Vientos.
“We signed Polanco to play there and he’s had health issues,’’ Mendoza said.
This game started out like it might be something special for Jameson Taillon, but then the home-run bug bit him again.
Jamo recovered from that to throw seven strong innings and the Cubs squeaked out a 5-4 win over the Padres with some nails relief pitching from Ben Brown and Hoby Milner, winning the series and ending a road trip that has to be termed a success with a 3-3 mark against two very good NL West teams.
As they have so many times, the Cubs had plenty of baserunners early. They loaded the bases with one out in the first on a Nico Hoerner single (a popup that dropped between two Padres infielders!), another hit by Alex Bregman and a walk drawn by Ian Happ. Unfortunately, Michael Busch hit into a double play to end the inning.
The Cubs got on the board in the second. Michael Conforto hit a deep fly to center that glanced off Jackson Merrill’s glove for a double. (Yet another reminder that defense matters.) Conforto went to third on a ground out by Matt Shaw, but had to hold there when Pete Crow-Armstrong grounded to first.
That ball was a hanging sweeper and PCA did not miss it, homering for the second time in as many games. He seems to have finally locked in and I hope for a big homestand from him beginning Friday.
Taillon retired the first 14 Padres he faced before he, too, was victimized by a sweeper that didn’t sweep. Miguel Andujar homered to break up any thought of a no-hit or perfect game bid. Look where this pitch was!
Way above the zone and Andujar just yanked it out of the yard.
Maybe that rattled Taillon a bit, because then he walked Jake Cronenworth and Nick Castellanos, who came into this game with a .151/.196/.208 slash line, smacked his first home run of the year to tie the game.
Home runs have been an issue for Jamo this year. That’s nine home runs allowed in 34.2 innings, yikes. Nevertheless, Taillon settled down after that and retired seven of the final eight Padres he faced. Overall Taillon had a good outing — seven innings, 95 pitches (66 strikes), three hits, one walk, six strikeouts.
More on Taillon’s afternoon from BCB’s JohnW53:
Jameson Taillon is the Cubs’ third starter this season to complete seven innings. Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera did it against the Phillies, two days apart, April 21 and 23. Imanaga gave up one run on three hits and one walk; Cabrera, three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks.
Taillon had pitched six innings in three previous starts.
Taillon’s longest as a Cub was eight innings, with one hit and two walks, at New York against the Yankees on July 7, 2023. He has gone 7.1 twice, both in 2024. This was his 10th of 7.0, for a total of 12 of at least 7.0, in 86 starts as a Cub.
While Taillon was holding the Padres down after the home runs, the Cubs took the lead back. Busch led off the sixth with a walk and was forced at second by Conforto. Matt Shaw doubled, with Conforto stopping at third.
With only one out, that’s a risky contact play. Conforto never hesitated and made a great slide under the attempted tag by Luis Campusano and the Cubs had a 4-3 lead.
Corbin Martin entered to throw the eighth. It did not go well. He walked the first three hitters he faced. That brought Ben Brown into the game, raising the question: Why didn’t Craig Counsell just start the inning with Brown?
Also, here’s a not-so-fun fact about Martin, from John:
Martin became just the 10th Cub since 1901 to walk the only three batters he faced.
The first four were in 1910-37, then Eddie Solomon in 1975, Chuck McElroy in 1993, Justin Berg in 2011, Steve Cishek on April 3, 2019, at Atlanta, and Dan Winkler on April 8, 2021, at Pittsburgh. The Cubs won only two of the previous games: 6-3 at Philadelphia in 1993 and 4-2 at Pittsburgh in 2021.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a deep fly to center field that made it 5-4. Brown then induced Manny Machado to hit into an inning-ending double play [VIDEO].
That was just about the best possible result you might expect with a reliever coming in to a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation. Brown did an excellent job here, recording the three outs on only five pitches, and he’s clearly well into Counsell’s circle of trust.
Mason Miller, who gave up two runs to the Cubs Monday night, entered to throw the ninth. This is the first time this year, in his 15th appearance, that Miller pitched when the Padres were trailing. With one out, he walked Bregman and wild-pitched him to second. But Happ struck out on an ABS challenge and Busch hit a deep fly into the gap that Merrill ran down to end the inning.
Brown stayed in to close things out. He struck out Xander Bogaerts and got Ty France to ground to third. The Padres sent Gavin Sheets up to pinch hit for Andujar, and Counsell countered with left-hander Hoby Milner. The Padres burned Sheets and sent up Ramon Laureano to bat for him.
That is absolutely outstanding relief work from Brown and Milner, who recorded six outs in about the highest-leverage situations you can imagine, on just 14 pitches. Really good stuff — and as pointed out on the broadcast, that was just the second save of Milner’s career, the other one coming two years ago for the Brewers.
Some last notes on this big win from John:
The Cubs have won all three games this season in which their starter completed seven innings. Last year, they were just 13-10, including five straight losses and seven of eight from Aug. 2 to the end of the season.
This was just the 12th game since 1901 in which the Cubs allowed four runs on three hits. The first three were in 1914, 1944 and 1956, then there have been eight since 1987. The previous one was at home vs. the Giants on Sept. 1, 2016. That was only the second the Cubs won, both by 5-4. The first was at home vs. the Mariners in 2007.
They lost four times by 4-3, once by 4-2 and four times by 4-1.
None of the previous games were vs. the Padres.
Two of the hits were homers in one earlier game, a 4-3, 12-inning loss at home against the Phillies on Aug. 11, 2009.
The Cubs will certainly have a happy flight back to Chicago this evening and enjoy their off day at home Thursday. Then they will open a three-game series against the Diamondbacks Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs. The D-backs, who have an afternoon game Thursday in Milwaukee, have not yet listed a starter but if they stay on rotation, it will likely be Zac Gallen. Game time Friday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and MLB Network outside the Cubs and D-backs market territories).
Sep 3, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Ryan Bergert (38) pitches during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
You can never have enough pitching.
The Royals acquired Ryan Bergert from the Padres last summer hoping he could provide additional depth to their starting rotation. He impressed with a 4.43 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 40.2 innings over eight starts, but was sent to Omaha to begin this season. He exited his third start with right elbow discomfort.
The Royals announced today that Bergert successfully underwent Tommy John surgery this week to reconstruct his right ulnar collateral ligament. The typical timeline after Tommy John surgery requires 12-16 months of recovery.
Bergert had a 3.66 ERA in 76.1 innings in his debut season last year, split between the Padres and Royals. He was acquired with pitcher Stephen Kolek for catcher Freddy Fermin last July. Kolek is currently out with an oblique injury, although he has begun a rehab assignment in Omaha.
MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers also reports that Royals pitching prospect Ben Kudrna underwent an olecranon stress fracture fixation surgery on his elbow. The typical recovery time for that injury is 3-6 months. Kudrna had a 5.30 ERA in 105.1 innings in the minors last year, and made just one start for Omaha. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the #9 prospect in the organization.
Apr 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) hits a two RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Much is made about the so-called ‘sophomore slump’ in sports — you never know how a young player will respond as their opponents do anything and everything in their power to adjust to their game. After a slow start over the first couple of weeks, Cole Young has stabilized, and then some. It’s only fitting that he provided the exclamation point to close out the first full month of the year.
Behind a pair of clutch hits from Young in the late innings, the Mariners came from behind to defeat the Twins 5-3 Wednesday to take the series and guarantee a .500 record at the end of April.
Facing a drawn-in infield, down a run with one out in the ninth, Young snuck a grounder back up the middle to score two runs and give the Mariners the lead — and it wasn’t the first time on the afternoon that he came up huge. Just two innings earlier, he drove a double into the opposite-field gap to produce a tying run with two outs. Both of the hits came with two strikes.
“When we have that type of a hitter in those kinds of situations, you feel really good about your chances,” manager Dan Wilson said about having Young near the bottom of the order. “He’s really delivered.”
Things were looking bleak at multiple points later in the game, especially with the Mariners struggling to get runners into scoring position against Twins starter Taj Bradley, who eclipsed 110 pitches over seven innings and allowed only four hits and two walks. Prior to Young’s game-tying double in the seventh, Bradley’s only run was surrendered on a solo homer by J.P. Crawford in the third.
Thanks in part to Young, however, the Mariners were able to make the most of their few scoring opportunities, going 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Meanwhile, for Mariners pitching, it felt like they couldn’t catch much of a break. George Kirby worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits — none of which came on hard-hit balls. Balls were dropping where fielders weren’t, and soft contact wasn’t resulting in outs the way they might’ve hoped.
Despite that, Kirby nearly made it through his outing unscathed, passing the game off to the bullpen with the game in reach. His two runs allowed both came across on a weak flare by Brooks Lee that dropped in for a two-out single in the fourth.
To add injury to insult, Matt Brash left the game after throwing only two pitches to begin the bottom of the eighth. Wilson said postgame that Brash has been feeling some discomfort in his side and that he will be evaluated again tomorrow.
Gabe Speier was sprung into action as a result. He allowed a Ryan Jeffers single to center, and pinch runner James Outman was able to steal second base to move into scoring position with nobody out. Though Speier was able to strike out both Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall to get the first two outs of the inning, pinch hitter Victor Caratini was able to slip a base hit just under a ranging Crawford’s glove to score the go-ahead run.
Needing only three outs to close the game out, the Twins called upon righty Eric Orze to face the 5-6-7 of the Mariners order. His first six pitches of the ninth were balls, and Randy Arozarena was able to work a lead-off walk as a result. After Orze bounced back to strike out Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone singled to right and move the tying run just 90 feet from home plate. Leo Rivas pinch-ran for Canzone and stole second to set up Young’s game-winning single.
Cal Raleigh tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly later in the inning, giving Andrés Muñoz some additional breathing room in the bottom half. This time, Muñoz had no problem, setting down the Twins in order to pick up his sixth save and close out a 5-1 roadtrip for the M’s.
The Mariners will return home to face the Royals for three games starting Friday night at 6:45 pm on Apple TV.
Apr 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (15-15) vs. Atlanta Braves (21-9)
Time/Place: 7:15 p.m., Truist Park SB Nation Site: Battery Power Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.72 ERA) vs. RHP JR Ritchie (1-0, 2.57 ERA)
