Category: MLB

Spoiler alert: There weren’t going to be many highlights to share from tonight’s St. Louis Cardinals game in Pittsburgh as the Pirates bullpen nearly no-hit the birds. However, the St. Louis Cardinals broke the heart of the Bucks thanks in part to a loud homecoming from JJ Wetherholt and a rally for the ages.

The Pittsburgh Pirates tossed a potpourri of pitchers on the mound for Monday night’s game versus the St. Louis Cardinals and nearly made history. Mason Montgomery tossed 1 inning. He was followed by Justin Lawrence who also served his team with a perfect inning. Wilber Dotel was responsible for the heart of the game and he was also perfect through his 4 innings. It wasn’t until Evan Sisk in the top of the 7th inning that a St. Louis Cardinal reached base and that was Alec Burleson barely beating out an infield hit tapped to third baseman Nick Gonzales.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense wasn’t exactly on fire either as Dustin May held them to 2 runs on just 7 hits through a solid 6 innings. Dustin May’s start was nearly overlooked when Mangum singled in Gonzales in the bottom of the 1st inning and O’Hearn scored Lowe on a single in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. It’s too bad that the Cardinals offense didn’t give him support earlier.

The Cardinals offense was such a dud (for the first 8 innings) Monday night that the TV play of the game was a groundout to third base in the 7th inning. Seriously. That changed in the 9th inning, though, when Pedro Pagés hit a one-out home run into the left field bleachers cutting the Pirates lead in half 2-1.

The Pagés bomb was followed up by JJ Wetherholt who grew up just 18 miles from PNC Park. With many friends and family in the stands to watch, JJ ripped a home run over the right-center field wall to tie the game 2-2. Welcome home, rookie, indeed.

The cardiac Cardinals were not done. Iván Herrera walked and was pinch-run for by Victor Scott II. Alec Burleson then hit a dribbler that hugged the third base line and refused to go fowl for an infield hit. Jordan Walker then walked to load the bases. José Fermín followed that with a blazing double down the left field line to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

Let’s not forget to acknowledge Ryan Fernandez who threw 2 innings without allowing a run to keep the Cardinals within striking distance.

George Soriano was brought in to close out the heart of the Pirates lineup in the bottom of the 9th representing a still-exhausted bullpen. Soriano was nearly lights out with Pittsburgh managing a 9th inning single, but future superstar Konnor Griffin was the final out.

The St. Louis Cardinals will try for an encore Tuesday night when Kyle Leahy takes the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time again at PNC Park.

The Rays won a well-pitched, sharp defense nail biter tonight in Cleveland, with Steven Matz (seven innings pitched) and Ryan Vilade (three hits, two RBI) leading the way.

If you like quick moving pitching duels, then the first four and a half innings of this game would be your idea of a good time.

The Rays had their work cut out for them, facing Plant City’s own Parker Messnick, a 25-year old lefty who has been phenomenal over his short career.

Steven Matz, pitching for the Rays, came off a terrible start against the Reds but tonight he had overcome whatever had caused him to give up four walks and three homers in just three innings (or maybe his problem last time was simply having to face the 21st century iteration of the Big Red machine).

He scattered two hits until the fifth inning, when he gave up a two-run homer to Daniel Schneemann (fun fact, his last name translates to “snow man.”) You know the baseball truism, “it’s not the home runs, it’s the walks before the home runs?” Tonight that was truly the case. Just before Snow Man’s homer, David Fry had walked on a 10 pitch at bat, with ball four coming after Cleveland challenged a called strike.

The Rays did get one of those runs back in the sixth inning. Yandy Diaz drew a walk, advanced to second on a ground ball and scored on Ryan Vilade’s two out single. This was nice because it cut the Cleveland lead in half, and also led to Messick’s exit from the game.

Matz pitched very well — his final line was seven innings, four hits, two runs and one walk. He only struck out two but being a weak contact guy > being a big K guy, at least sometimes, because a weak contact guy is more likely to get through seven innings.

He was also helped by good defense, with really no “what the heck” plays in the field, and a few very nice outs like this one:

The Rays finally managed to barrel up a few pitches, and take the lead, in the eighth inning. Jonathan Aranda homered on a mistake pitch over the plate.

Junior Caminero hit a 114mph single, after which he was pulled for a pinch hitter, Richie Palacios. Palacios immediately stole second. Although some of us speculated that Vilade, up next, would be replaced by Jake Fraley to face the right handed pitcher, but Cash stuck with Vilade, and Ryan singled Richie home. The Rays took the lead and made their manager’s decisions look like genius. Take that, “Fire Cash” twitter account.

Ian Seymour came out to pitch the eighth, and when he walked the lead off batter and fell behind 2-0 to the next batter, many of us might have been thinking “Um Kevin, seriously? Ian Seymour?” But a fly out and two strikeouts later that, too, looked like a brilliant move.

It was no surprise that Cash went to Bryan Baker to close out the 3-2 game, but for a few miserable minutes that, ironically, looked like the one move that was going to bite the team in the rear. After getting the dangerous Jose Ramirez out, Baker allowed hits to the next two batters, putting men on second and third with just one out. But Baker reached back for that something extra, and struck out the next two batters.

Here is how the game ended:

That’s five in a row, and wins in nearly every game against an American League team. Suddenly I think interleague play is the worst!

The Dodgers continue their series against the Miami Marlins with the middle game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Shohei Ohtani takes the mound on Tuesday, needing six more innings to get back on the ERA leaderboard for at least another day. The Dodgers mulled flipping Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow in the rotation such that Ohtani could pitch on Wednesday, the day before a team off day, but decided to stay in order after Glasnow pitched eight scoreless innings last Thursday in San Francisco.

Janson Junk starts for Miami. Among the 138 pitchers with at least 20 innings this season, Junk’s 15.5-percent strikeout rate ranks 116th, so expect a lot of balls in play.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Marlins
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Chicago Cubs (17-11) at San Diego Padres (18-9), April 27, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Jasson Domínguez is back in a Lamborghini after crushing it in a Corolla.

And while the luxury car may just be a rental, Domínguez is looking to make the most of it.

The 23-year-old outfielder — who, upon being optioned to Triple-A on the penultimate day of spring training, compared going back to the minors after spending last year in the majors like driving a Corolla after being in a Lamborghini — was called up to join the Yankees on Monday before they eventually placed Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list with a “low-grade” right calf strain.

How long of a run Domínguez gets remains to be seen — the Yankees might need to open a roster spot as soon as Friday if Anthony Volpe is deemed ready to return from the IL, and Stanton may not be a long-term absence — but at least for this series against the Rangers, Domínguez has a chance to prove he belongs again.

“Down there in Triple-A, that’s what you work for,” Domínguez said Monday before serving as the designated hitter and going 1-for-4 in a 4-2 win at Globe Life Field. “You want to get back to the majors. Now that I’m here, trying to enjoy my time and help the team.”

Domínguez, who was squeezed out of an everyday role in the second half last year and then faced the same situation to start this season with Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger both back in the fold, has impressed everyone around the Yankees with how he has handled the situation.

“Phenomenal,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He deserves a lot of credit. I think one thing the last four months has revealed is Jasson Domínguez’s character. Because when we did some of the things we did this winter, there was all the talk and writing on the wall maybe that he was going to potentially start in Triple-A. All he did was come and work. Showed up early to spring training ready to go, had a good spring and then has gone down to Triple-A.

“As a young player, when you’ve been here and had some success at the big league level and you got to go back, a lot of times you see guys struggle and not do well or pout a little bit. He hasn’t done any of that. He’s worked hard, he’s performing and he deserves to be here right now.”

Entering this season, the two biggest weaknesses in Domínguez’s game were hitting right-handed against lefties and playing consistent defense in left field.

He has made real strides on the former — hitting .389 (7-for-18) with a 1.172 OPS — while the latter remains a work in progress.

“He’s been raking at Triple-A,” Aaron Judge said. “I think he was definitely upset not making the team out of camp. I think he’s going to show up here ready to prove some people wrong and send a message, so I’m excited about it.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Domínguez’s success against left-handers is important because it would make him more viable on the big league roster full time.

The Yankees already have enough left-handed hitting outfielders, but if Domínguez proves his gains from the right side are real, he could vie for the fourth-outfielder role currently held by Randal Grichuk.

“There’s very good reasons on the team for me to go to Triple-A. I understand it,” Domínguez said. “It’s been good. Trying to get better at the things I have to get better [at].”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided some injury updates prior to Monday’s game in Texas… 

Anthony Volpe

The Yankees still don’t know if Volpe will be ready to rejoin the team when they take on the Orioles over the weekend.

Volpe is set to continue his rehab in Double-A on Tuesday and Wednesday, then they’ll see how he’s feeling from there. 

The young slugger has been swinging a hit bat thus far during his rehab, hitting .308 with a homer and three RBI across eight minor league games. 

He’s played shortstop in all of those games, and has committed just one error. 

Volpe has missed the first few weeks of the season as he continues working his way back from shoulder surgery he underwent in October. 

Carlos Rodon

There had been some thought that with Luis Gil being sent down, Rodon would be ready to return the next time the team needs a fifth starter on May 5. 

However, Boone quickly shot down that idea.

The left-hander is set to make his second rehab outing on Thursday, jumping up to Double-A after a successful High-A outing on Friday.

He allowed just one hit and struck out four across 4.1 scoreless innings. 

Rodon reached up to 65 pitches (43 of which were strikes), so the hope is that he’ll be able to stretch out to around 75 in this next outing. 

He’ll likely need a couple of more appearances before coming back. 

Gerrit Cole

Taking the ball the day before Rodon will be Cole. 

The Yanks continue playing things safe with their ace on his road back from Tommy John, but he is set to shift his rehab back to Somerset on Wednesday. 

Cole began the assignment there before being bumped down to High-A last week, where he allowed two runs across 4.1 innings of work. 

He’s now allowed five runs (four earned) over his first two appearances. 

Rodon is expected back first, but Cole will also likely require a handful more outings before the Yanks are comfortable working him back into the mix. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a lot to celebrate recently. The team entered play April 27 at 16-12, just two games back of the NL Central lead in the most competitive division in baseball to start the year. They're coming off a series win over division rival Milwaukee and reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes is looking dominant as ever after his lackluster Opening Day start.

However, the Pirates wanted to take the celebrations up a notch, and since rookie Konnor Griffin's 20th birthday was April 24, the team made sure to bring the celebration to the locker room ... by ordering a bounce house.

As evidenced by the video, this wasn't the first time the Pirates had considered getting a bounce house in the locker room. Skenes had thought of that very act not long ago. Now, the Pirates have seen it through.

How did Konnor Griffin perform on his birthday?

Griffin balled out on his birthday, so perhaps the bouncy castle will become a new tradition.

The highly-touted rookie went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and his first major league home run in Pittsburgh's 6-0 win over Milwaukee.

Konnor Griffin stats

Although Griffin went bananas on his birthday, the top prospect has struggled to start his big league career, slashing just .224/.286/.316 with one home run through 22 games.

Griffin remains one of the fastest players in baseball though, boasting a sprint speed in the 99th percentile of the league and one of the best bat speeds in baseball as well.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Konnor Griffin gifted a bounce castle for 20th birthday

Juan Soto’s return to the Mets was much anticipated last week, but it has hardly jump-started an ailing lineup.

A team in need of juice isn’t receiving it.

Soto is 3-for-15 (all singles) in his five games since returning from a right calf strain, and his nakedness within the lineup is evident: he’s drawn six walks over that stretch as opponents hardly seem intimidated by the options behind him.

“You can make a case, right?” manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked about teams pitching around Soto. “You pitch around him, and that is kind of what we’re seeing here.”

It certainly hasn’t helped that Francisco Lindor strained his left calf last Wednesday only four innings into Soto’s return from a nearly three-week IL stint.

Lindor, who has been relegated to a walking boot, won’t be back anytime soon.

Bo Bichette has served as the leadoff hitter, removing him from the spot behind Soto in the batting order.

It has left Mendoza to tinker with Luis Robert Jr. and Francisco Alvarez behind Soto.

Neither has produced enough to dissuade pitchers from working around Soto.

After the Mets got swept in a doubleheader Sunday against the Rockies — and scored one run over the 18 innings — Soto was careful to avoid pointing fingers, but it was clear he understood how exposed he’s appeared in the lineup.

Another key component, Jorge Polanco, is on the IL with a right wrist contusion.

The Mets signed the veteran Polanco largely as a lineup replacement for Pete Alonso, who served as Soto’s primary protection last season.

Even before the wrist injury, Polanco was hobbled by Achilles bursitis.

He owns an ugly .532 OPS over 61 plate appearances, primarily as the DH. 

“I can’t tell you they are pitching around me,” Soto said. “I had a couple of pitches today to do damage and I couldn’t come through. Definitely, they don’t want to give up extra-base hits, so definitely they are being a little careful, not only with me, but with other guys you have to be careful with in this lineup. It’s part of the game.”

The Mets entered Monday last in MLB with a .625 OPS and it wasn’t particularly close; the equally disappointing Phillies were ranked one spot ahead of them with a .656 OPS.

When Soto returned Wednesday, the hope was that he would provide pop to a sorely deficient lineup. Soto delivered a career-high 43 homers last season, when he finished third in the National League MVP voting.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Soto has homered only once in 46 at-bats this season.

If it’s any consolation to the Mets, last season Soto homered only three times before April 30, over 112 at-bats.

Soto’s scarce power would be easier for the Mets to digest if there were other big bats in the lineup.

But Alvarez (four) is the only Mets player with more than two homers. Soto (.831) and Alvarez (.760) are the only Mets regulars with an OPS above .700.

“It’s just a matter of time that they are going to wake up and bring the best out of themselves,” Soto said. “I know they are trying their hardest to be their best and be out there and perform. But sometimes things don’t go your way. That’s where you are professional: Keep your head up and keep moving forward.”

In the meantime, Mendoza — fighting to keep his job amid a slide in which the Mets have lost 15 of 17 games — is searching for his own answers.

“It’s hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time,” Mendoza said. “It’s just not a good showing — not good at-bats up and down. You have a guy here and there, but we are not hitting the ball hard consistently and it’s hard to explain, because usually you get three or four guys going through it, but you get four or five guys that can carry you, but right now it’s hard to describe.”

Jasson Dominguez tried not to think too much about getting back to the big-league level as he opened the season back down in Triple-A. 

The young outfielder just took things day-by-day and went out and did his job. 

By doing that, Dominguez was able to perform well enough to earn his call back up to the Yankees ahead of Monday night’s series opener against the Rangers. 

With Giancarlo Stanton sidelined as he awaits results on an MRI on his calf, Dominguez immediately slots into the lineup batting sixth as the DH.

“As a young player when you’ve been here and you’ve had some success and you have to go back, a lot of the times you see guys struggle and not do well or put their head down and pout, he hasn’t done any of that,” Aaron Boone said.

“He’s worked hard, he’s performing, and he deserves to be here -- with Giancarlo down and us facing three righties over the next three games we feel that he fits into our lineup really well.”

Dominguez certainly has earned his spot back in the majors, as his pair of multi-hit showing in Sunday’s doubleheader raised his average to .326 through 24 games. 

The 23-year-old is also getting on-base at an impressive .415 clip while racking up three homers, five doubles, 16 RBI, and striking out just 14 times.

“I had a very good spring training and I’m just continuing that same routine into the season,” Dominguez told YES Network’s Meredith Marakovitz. “I feel good with that, and I think that’s what has helped me keep it going.”

The Yankees are still waiting to see how things go with Stanton, but Boone expects that we could see Dominguez playing the field at some point this week.

While he’s had a rough time out there in the past, he also feels he’s take a step forward in both center and left over the first few weeks of the season.

“I’ve been getting better at it,” Dominguez said. “The more reps that I take, the more fly balls that I see, the more I’m gonna get better at it -- I’ll be ready for whatever they ask.”

Sunday saw the Yankees’ eight-game winning streak snapped, as they fell behind the Astros and couldn’t make up the deficit. Despite that loss, they have been on quite the roll lately, and a new day means a new game and a chance to start a new winning streak. Tonight, they’re still in Texas, but they’ve moved north to Arlington to open a set against the Rangers.

Texas comes into this series with a 14-14 record, but just a game back of the A’s for the AL West lead. They’re part of a huge glut with .500-ish records in the AL, a group that the Yankees only escaped thanks to their recent winning streak.

For tonight’s series opener, Max Fried will take the mound for the Yankees. Fried has been very good on the season so far, and is coming off arguably his best start of the year, as he thew eight scoreless against the Red Sox last time out.

The big news in the rest of the lineup is that the newly-promoted Jasson Domínguez will be the starting DH in his first game back, batting sixth in place of the still-monitored Giancarlo Stanton. He and the rest of the Yankees will be going opposite Jack Leiter. The former second-overall draft pick has struggled at the outset of 2026, especially in his last three starts, having given up 11 earned runs in his last 14.1 innings.

Here’s all the information to know on how to catch tonight’s game, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread for all the action!

How to Watch:

Location: Globe Life Field — Arlington, TX

First Pitch: 8:05 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | Rangers Sports Network (TEX)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)

Online stream: MLB.tv, Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Today’s roster move: Here

Monday notes…

• BLANKED: The Cubs have been shut out in three of their 28 games, on pace to be blanked 17 times by the end of the season. They failed to score in 10 games last year, 16 in 2024, eight in 2023 and 12 in 2022. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• ALMOST EVEN: This is the 86th series between Cubs and Padres at San Diego. The Cubs have won the first game in 43 and lost it in 42. They are 13-15 in the first games of series after arriving from Los Angeles. They are 42-39 in all games of such series. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• AGAINST SOUTHPAWS: The Cubs’ .843 OPS vs. LHP is tied with the Dodgers for the best in MLB so far this year. The Cubs are second in BA (.286), first in OBP (.379) and third in SLG (.465), with 14 home runs (ranking second) against left-handed pitchers.
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY:Kerry Wood struck out 14 Giants in a 7-3 win in San Francisco. It happened 25 years ago today, Friday, April 27, 2001.

Cubs lineup:

Padres lineup:

Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Randy Vasquez, RHP

Matthew Boyd’s first start since returning from a bicep issue, last Wednesday against the Phillies, was a bit rough around the edges (84 pitches in 4.2 innings), but he held them to two runs, struck out five and didn’t walk anyone. He’s walked just three and struck out 22 in 14 innings so far this year.

Including last year’s postseason, Boyd threw 15.2 innings against the Padres last year and allowed three runs (1.76 ERA), with four walks and 12 strikeouts.

Randy Vásquez made two starts against the Cubs last year, allowing four runs (three earned) in 9.2 innings, with seven (!) walks and four strikeouts. He didn’t face the Cubs in the Wild Card Series.

In general, Vásquez doesn’t strike out a lot of guys nor walk many. In his last start, April 21 vs. the Rockies, he threw seven shutout innings, allowing three hits.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Petco Park.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. This game will also be streamed on Peacock (Padres broadcast, subscription required).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball. If you do go there to interact with Padres fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

After seeming like the game would certainly start in a delay, the Mariners and Twins are now tracking to get underway close to on-time for tonight’s series opener. If there are further delays we will update this post.

Lineups:

Josh Naylor returns to the Mariners lineup after sitting out yesterday’s game with quad tightness, just in time to play on a soggy field. Cool. Hope the first base side was extra-tarped.

I did the series preview for the Twins with Jake and looked at the last six Twins lineups. All of them were different, and yet none of them looked exactly like this. They really are just trying stuff out over there still.

Today’s Game Information:

Scheduled time: 4:40 PT

Actual start time: ???

TV: Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink, with Brad Adam as field reporter

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Gary Hill Jr. and Ryan Rowland-Smith

The White Sox will get their first look at the Angels this evening in an evenly matched series. Unfortunately, the game will be delayed by rain and additional storms coming through the area.

But before the game gets rolling, some news — both good and bad.

The good news: Sean Burke joined James Baldwin on July 14, 1996 at Kansas City (76 pitches over eight innings) and Mélido Pérez on June 1, 1990 vs. Minnesota (76 over 7 2/3) as the only White Sox pitchers since 1990 to throw 7 1/3-plus innings pitched on 76 pitches or fewer. Congrats to Burke on the great accomplishment during Sunday’s game!

And now for the bad: Tanner Murray suffered a fracture in his shoulder, requiring surgery. His recovery is set at four to six months, so there is a good chance the rookie is out for the season.

With one man down, the White Sox were able to reinstate Austin Hays, who suffered a right hamstring strain on April 6. He’ll set tonight, given his rehab assignment at Triple-A lasted all of two games.

Anthony Kay (1-1, 5.57 ERA) is on the mound tonight. Unlike much of the starting staff, Kay has struggled in recent starts.

Jack Kochanowicz will be on the mound for the visiting team. Kochanowicz is 2-0 with an ERA of 3.1o, so the chilly White Sox offense could be in trouble.

First pitch was scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT, now delayed by rain. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.

New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers

Monday, April 27, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Max Fried vs. RHP Jack Leiter

Go Rangers!

We get the Red Sox, with their new manager, for however long he lasts, for the next three games.

And, we’ve had the post on Max Scherzer, we won’t have him to kick around (more like other teams won’t have him to kick around) for at least the next 15 days. I wonder if he’d be willing to try the long reliever role? Likely, not. I’ll admit I’m using him for that in OOTP Baseball, and he’s been fine in the role. Course, in the game, Kevin Gausman was hurt, in his first start, and is out for the season.

I have to post the rules again, but let me say you are not allowed to insult people here. If you are the smartest in the room, show, not tell.

Tonight’s lineups: