Category: MLB

Trevor Bauer wanted to send a message on social media to those doubting him. 

The controversial former major leaguer, who is now calling suburban Long Island his baseball home, threw a seven-inning no-hitter on Sunday for the Long Island Ducks in his second start for the independent league ballclub that plays in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. 

After the 13-0 win over the Lancaster Stormers, Bauer took to social media. 

“Trevor Bauer sucks so much. He’s so washed,” he posted on his popular X account, @BauerOutage.

Bauer allowed just one walk while striking out seven batters on 84 pitches in the abbreviated game and became just the third player in Ducks history to throw a no-hitter. 

Here's the moment @BauerOutage finished off the no-no!! https://t.co/S1tbrFsnLUpic.twitter.com/8aDdufq4mc

— Long Island Ducks (@LIDucks) April 26, 2026

Rod Henderson became the first to do so on May 25, 2001, against the now-defunct Atlantic City Surfand Robert Stock accomplished the feat against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 18, 2023. 

The 35-year-old former Cy Young Award winner had been coming off an opening day start last week that marked his first start in the U.S. in nearly five years. 

Bauer has been trying to make a major league comeback after he was suspended for 194 games in 2022 over sexual assault allegations, which he vehemently denies and was never criminally charged for. 

He has spent time playing professionally in Mexico and Japan, though no MLB team has taken a chance on bringing him back to the big leagues in the United States. 

In his vlog on YouTube, Bauer talked about the fan support that he had received in his first start and how he was able to pitch in America without any major negative incidents. 

“I didn’t hear any negative comments. There was no protests,” Bauer said in the vlog titled, “I Joined My New Team In New York.” “Nothing blew up. There was no meteor that hit the stadium. Apparently, those fears have been massively overstated, I think. Imagine that I can pitch in America and not have massive protests and get cancelled and whatever else.” 

The Rockies and Mets came into this series with nearly identical records: 10-16 for Colorado, 9-16 for New York.

Which… felt misleading. Like two teams arriving at the same place for completely different reasons.

Then the Rockies swept the series, and the gap in records is growing: 13-16 for Colorado, 9-19 for New York.

Same neighborhood, different direction.

Before the season, PECOTA had the Mets at 88 wins and real playoff odds. The Rockies were pegged for around 60 wins and, essentially, a long summer.

So what changed?

For the Mets, it’s not just losing — it’s the weight of it. This is a ‘World Series or bust’ roster, built with Steve Cohen money, and it hasn’t clicked. Roles feel unsettled. The fit feels off. Even snapping the 12-game losing streak didn’t stop the bigger question from hanging over everything: why isn’t this working?

When expectations are that high, losses don’t just count — they linger.

Now the Rockies feel… different. Still imperfect, still under .500, but more coherent. More competitive. There’s actual energy — call it the Goodman/Moniak/Johnston effect — where players are giving you a reason to watch beyond the standings.

The Mets have stars. The Rockies have spark.

And to be fair — Mets fans have lived through October magic, titles, and franchise icons, from the Miracle Mets of 1969 to the dominant 1986 team. They were in the NLCS as recently as 2024. The Mets history runs deeper than Colorado’s, but Rockies fans have built their own decades of memories since 1993.

Both fanbases have stuck through plenty of losing to get those moments. Nobody’s switching sides.

So here’s the question:

For the rest of this season… who would you rather be:

• The fanbase watching a $350M Goliath stumble over itself?
• Or the fanbase watching an underdog finally start to figure out who they are?

And looking ahead to next year and beyond?

Do you trust the stars in New York to figure it out… Or the spark in Colorado to turn into something real?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

After yet another disastrous offensive performance in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sat down at the podium for his postgame presser and, looking exhausted, sounded incredulous at what he just witnessed.

Not only did his team score one run over the course of 18 innings en route to getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at home, but hardly at any point did the offense look even remotely competitive.

“It’s hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time,” said a fed up Mendoza. “It’s just not a good showing, not good at-bats up and down [the lineup].

“Overall not hitting the ball hard consistently and it’s hard. Like I said, it’s hard to explain because usually you get 3-4 guys that go through it, but you got 4-5 guys that can carry you. But right now it’s hard to describe.”

Unfortunately, this is what the Mets’ offense is right now – one that’s scored one or fewer runs 10 times in 28 games to start the season and who ranks at or near the bottom in almost every offensive category.

From top to bottom, the offense has been struggling basically since that Opening Day game against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates where New York put up 11 runs while getting contributions up and down the lineup in a game that teased fans of what could be but now feels like an aberration.

Yes, injuries have taken their toll on the Mets who are not fully healthy at the moment, but even when most of the pieces were in place, the offense was still sputtering.

Francisco Alvarez, who has three hits in his last 20 at-bats, leads all qualified hitters on the team with a .240 average and a .760 OPS. Nobody else has an OPS above .669 and that belongs to Francisco Lindor who will be out for the foreseeable future with a calf strain.

Sure, Juan Soto is slashing .304/.418/.413 in 13 games but since returning to the lineup after missing two weeks with a calf strain of his own, he’s 3-for-15 with no RBI or runs scored. In fact, teams have resolved to not pitch to him and are making anybody else in the lineup beat them.

Right now, nobody has been able to step up to the plate.

“We all know what kind of talent we have in that lineup and what kind of hitters we have and how much damage they can do so it’s just a matter of time that they’re gonna wake up and bring the best out of themselves,” Soto said. “I know they're trying their hardest but sometimes things don’t go your way and you just gotta keep it as you are, a professional, keep your head and keep moving forward.”

After making significant changes to the roster this offseason and going from comfortable to perhaps unconventional, none of the moves have really paid dividends yet.

Bo Bichette had a nice moment on Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins with a bases-clearing double to give the Mets the lead late, but outside of that he’s been a huge disappointment after being billed as somebody who makes solid contact and hits in the clutch.

Luis Robert Jr. has followed up a torrid start with a prolonged slump, Marcus Semien went 1-for-12 against the Rockies and Jorge Polanco is on the IL.

Meanwhile, homegrown players like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos who were tasked to take another step in the right direction this season have failed to do so.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this to be honest with you, that goes on for so long when you got so many guys struggling at the same time,” Mendoza said.

The team-wide slump, which was the biggest problem during New York’s recent 12-game losing streak, has led to uncomfortable questions surrounding the skipper with the Mets a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 9-19.

And it’s not just this year. Since June 12 of last year, the Mets are 47-74 despite being committed to winning and spending more than nearly everybody else thanks to owner Steve Cohen.

With all of that, is Mendoza concerned about his job security?

“The only thing I’m worried about here is I gotta get the guys going,” he said. “I get it. I get it. It sucks and I know the questions will continue to come up, but my job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk. That’s the bottom line.”

How exactly Mendoza plans to do that remains to be seen because, by his own admission, he’s tried everything. So far nothing has worked.

At the end of the day, though, it’s on the players to play better.

“As players we have to perform,” Soto said while defending his skipper. “This is definitely not Mendy’s fault or David [Stearn’s] fault. They definitely put a great team together and we have to be the ones that gotta go out there and perform at the end of the day.

“I don’t think [Mendoza’s] been doing anything wrong. I think he’s been doing a great job as a manager. He’s moving the pieces and putting the pieces in the right spot, we just haven’t come through, but it’s not his fault at all.”

It was a long day at Kauffman Stadium, but the Kansas City Royals completed the sweep, overcoming a 6-0 deficit to sweep the Angels, winning it 11-9. Lane Thomas played the hero, with the walk-off three run dinger.

Zach Neto flared the first pitch of the game into left for a single. Mike Trout followed that up with a two-run homer, just over the wall in left center.

In the top of the second, after two singles to start the inning, the Angels had first and second for former Royal Adam Frazier. After bunting two balls foul, Frazier smacked a double into the gap to make it 3-0. Neto doubled in two runs in the next at bat, 5-0 Angels. Other former Royal, Jorge Soler later singed in the final run of the inning to make it 6-0.

After Reid Detmers retired the first 10 batters, Bobby Witt Jr. tripled with one out in the fourth but would be stranded there. Nick Loftin doubled with two outs in the fifth and was driven in by an Isaac Collins single.

Lane Thomas led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and scored on Witt’s first homer of the season. A 427-foot bomb to left center field. 6-3 Angels.

Seth Lugo was very effective after the second inning but surrendered a leadoff double to Soler in the top of the 7th. Jo Adell singled him in after a groundout, 7-3 Angels. Lugo’s final line was 6.1 innings, 14 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. Eli Morgan got a double play ball to end the inning.

Collins led off the bottom half of the 7th with a home run off the right field foul pole. Collins second homer of the year and his first from the left side this season.

Michael Massey walked on four pitches and Lane Thomas singled on a swinging bunt to third. 7-4 LA, 1st and 2nd nobody out with Witt, Vinnie and Salvy coming up. But then the game was put into a rain delay.

After the nearly 2-hour delay, Witt hit into a fielder’s choice, making it 1st and 3rd with one out. Vinnie’s sac fly made it 7-5. But Perez grounded out to end the inning.

Nick Mears worked a 1-2-3 8th inning. The Royals got a pair of two out walks in the 8th, but Maikel Garcia fouled out to end the inning.

Alex Lange got the 9th inning. He gave up a leadoff single and a stolen base. After getting two outs, he walked Adell after a long at bat, 1st and 3rd, two out, Bryce Teodosio up. Lange allowed Adell to steal second, and then walked Teodosio, and on the play, Carter Jensen allowed a passed ball to make it 8-5. Lange then walked another, making it another bad outing for Lange. After loaded the bases with his third walk, Lange finally struck out Adam Frazier to end the inning.

The Royals had the top of the order come up in the bottom of the 9th. Lane Thomas led off, he and Witt grounded out. Pasquantino hit a two out triple, Perez singled him in and Jac Caglianone hit a game-tying two-run homer to tie it at 8.

Lucas Erceg pitched the 10th, he walked Neto to start the inning and then got Trout to hit into a fielder’s choice. But another passed ball on Jensen allowed the Angels to take a 9-8 lead. Erceg struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.

Loftin grounded out to first to start the bottom half of the inning, allowing Jensen to get to third. Collins struck out, and after a long battle, Garcia walked. 2 out, runners on the corners, Lane Thomas up. On a 3-1 pitch, Thomas hit a walk-off three run homer to left center. His first on the year, and the Royals first sweep of the year, on an 11-9 win after 5 hours at the ballpark.

The Royals improve to 11-17 on the season and go 4-2 on the homestand. They are off tomorrow and are on the way out west to take on the Athletics and Mariners next week.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were battered by the Louisville Bats (Reds), 12-6.

Paul Campbell gave up five runs, including a grand slam, in the first inning and two more in the third and got the loss. Campbell’s final line was seven runs on seven hits over three innings. Campbell walked three and struck out three.

Reliever Zac Leigh had an immaculate inning in the top of the ninth. Leigh pitched two scoreless innings total and allowed one hit and one walk while striking out just the three.

First baseman BJ Murray was 3 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and drove in one.

Justin Dean went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Pedro Ramirez left this game in the seventh inning with no apparent injury, but I-Cubs broadcaster Jason Kempf is reporting that it was purely a precaution and that Ramirez is on the bus to St. Paul.

Leigh’s immaculate inning.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got into the eyes of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 7-2.

Vince Reilly was the opener for the Smokies and got tagged for two runs on three hits in the one inning he worked. Reilly struck out one and walked no one.

Nick Dean came out in the second inning, threw four scoreless innings and got the win. Dean allowed just two hits and did not walk anyone. He struck out five.

After Frankie Scalzo Jr. threw two scoreless innings, Luis Martinez-Gomez finished the game with the two-inning save. Martinez-Gomes allowed no runs and no hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Center fielder Alex Ramírez hit a two-run home run in the third inning that put the Smokies up for good. Ramírez had a big game, going 4 for 5 with the home run and three total runs batted in.

Catcher Ariel Armas was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI single in the eighth. He also scored once run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were flamed by the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 3-0.

Starter Ethan Flanagan made two mistakes that were turned into two solo home runs. Flanagan’s final line was two runs on four hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Kevin Valdez allowed just one unearned run and one hit over three innings of relief. He struck out one and walked one.

South Bend’s bats were silenced by a rehabbing Nick Lodolo for five innings. He allowed two hits, no walks and he struck out seven.

Third baseman Brian Halbach was 2 for 4 with a double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were swept in a doubleheader by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 6-5 in ten innings in the completion of Sunday’s game and 6-2.

Mason McGwire started game one yesterday before the rains came. His first pitch was smashed over the right field wall. He retired the next six batters he faced, striking out three of them.

The Pelicans led 5-1 when the game was suspended in the middle of the third inning. Hayden Frank started today and tossed four scoreless, giving up just three hits. Frank struck out four, walked one and struck out four.

Things went south when Luis A. Reyes came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and he coughed up the lead, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Reyes struck out two.

Braylon Myers relieved Reyes and retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth innings. But after the Pelicans failed to score in the top of the tenth, he allowed a leadoff single in the tenth to end the game.

The final line on Myers was one unearned run on one hit. He struck out one.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a three-run home run in the third inning on Saturday before the rains came. It was his third home run of the season. Hartshorn was 1 for 4 with two runs scored.

Shortstop Alexis Hernandez went 1 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored twice.

Hartshorn’s home run in game one.

Some Mason McGwire highlights.

Dominick Reid started game two today and got the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits over three innings. One of the five runs was unearned. Reid struck out five and walked one.

Shortstop Ty Southisene tripled and scored on a balk in the top of the seventh. He was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.

After Kodai Senga struggled for a third consecutive start, failing to get out of the third inning of the Mets' 3-0 loss in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the right-hander’s role with the club is up in the air.

“I’m gonna have a conversation with David [Stearns], see what’s next,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But, obviously, it’s not good enough.”

Senga allowed three runs on three hits and three walks and hit a batter in 2.2 innings, pushing his ERA to 9.00 and WHIP to 1.950 through 20 innings on the year.

“These past few games, I am not able to do my role as a starting pitcher, giving up runs early in the game,” Senga said, speaking through an interpreter, after New York dropped a third straight to Colorado.

Would the Mets see if Senga would agree to a minor league assignment as he did at the end of the 2025 season? 

“Like I said, we just got done, but I’m pretty sure we’re gonna have conversations. What are the options here?” Mendoza said. 

"I don’t know what’s gonna come,” Senga said when asked about his future. “But I know that the performance out on the field isn’t something where I can be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be in the rotation or this, and that is gonna happen.’ I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

Asked if he would accept an assignment to Triple-A, Senga said, “I think that warrants a lot of discussions with a lot of different people. I can’t give you a yes or a no answer right now.”

An issue that could limit the Mets’ options with Senga and prevent him from moving to the bullpen is his rather regimented routine to build up to be ready to pitch and that could be difficult to translate to being in the bullpen. Asked if his routine could adapt to coming on in relief, he said, “I’ve done it in the past, so I don’t think that’s an issue.”

Senga, who had a decent start to the season – allowing four runs on nine hits over 11.2 innings with 16 strikeouts to five walks – after a solid spring training, said it is a mechanical issue rather than a mental one to explain his recent struggles.

Mendoza pointed to a “combination of a lot of things” to explain the right-hander’s recent struggles, but pointed to Senga losing velocity on his four-seam fastball as the main culprit.

During the spring, Senga was throwing the ball hard and in his first start of the year in St. Louis he posted an average fastball velocity of 97.4 mph, which was up 2.7 mph from his average velocity last season.

“We saw when he’s at his best, it’s 97 [mph] plus,” Mendoza said of the heater. “Today we saw a lot of 95, 96.”

Of course, Senga was effective in years past with his fastball at a bit lower velocity. Mendoza said there have been recent outings where there have been “too much nibbling with the cutter, with the sweeper as opposed to staying on the attack.”

That was an issue for Senga during his last outing in Chicago when he allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits over 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and three walks. That wasn't the case on Sunday afternoon as he pumped in mostly forkballs and fastballs through the first two frames, as those two pitches accounted for 32 of his first 34 offerings.

“Today they got him on some of the fastballs that he threw,” Mendoza said.

On Sunday, Senga averaged 95.1 mph on his 30 four-seam fastballs, which was down 1.2 mph from his season average. And notably, the big hit came when Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman took a good low-and-away 94.4 mph fastball and smacked it 390 feet, 104.9 mph off the bat the other way to right-center for a two-run home run in the third inning.

“When the pitches don’t have as much life approaching the hitter, approaching the catcher, with how high the level this league is, that’s just how the results end up being,” Senga said of his struggles.

The Mets are signing veteran outfielder Austin Slater to a minor league deal, as confirmed by SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.

Slater, 34, has appeared for six big league teams over his 10-year career and is seen as a good right-handed bat against left-handed pitching. 

He has a .263/.354/.423 slash line for a .777 OPS in 911 career at-bats against lefties with 30 home runs and 113 RBI.

Slater spent spring training with the Detroit Tigers, but was released from his minor league deal after failing to win a job on their Opening Day roster. He latched on in Miami on a minor league deal soon after and appeared in 12 games with the Marlins before he was DFA'd on April 23. He had four hits in 23 at-bats (.174) with nine strikeouts and four walks with the big league club.

This will be his second stint in New York after the Yankees added him ahead of the trade deadline last season in a deal with the White Sox. However, Slater struggled during his time in The Bronx. The bad run began with him sustaining a hamstring strain in his third game with the club. After returning from the IL, he didn't hit the ground running and was left off the Yankees' postseason roster. 

Overall, Slater had just three hits in 25 at-bats (.120) over 14 games with 16 strikeouts and no walks with the Yanks. 

He did have a solid start to 2025 with Chicago, slashing .236/.299/.423 for a .721 OPS (100 OPS+) over 51 games. Slater has a .247/.335/.381 slash line for a .711 OPS (99 OPS+) in 711 career big league games.

Slater's signing was reported on Sunday, soon after it was reported that the Mets designated veteran outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment.

The two moves came after New York lost both games of Sunday's doubleheader, managing just one run on 10 hits, as the Colorado Rockies completed a three-game sweep at Citi Field.

The Cardinals rotation has not performed particularly well. Individual games are quite good here and there, check out McGreevy’s line from his start today, but on the whole they are near the bottom of the league in many important pitching indicators.

We were joined by Benjamin Hochman of the Post-Dispatch to consider the rotation from an interesting angle. Given a “trust pie,” how would we divide the pie amongst the current starters for the Cardinals? This convo had it all: stats, vibes, insider info from Benjamin and, of course, pie!

Would certainly be curious to see how you all would divide your trust pie amongst the staff. I’ve put all the relevant links below, would be awesome if you could subscribe as you listen! We appreciate your time — and thanks for listening!

HOUSTON — It may only be for a few days, but Jasson Domínguez is headed back to the big leagues.

The Yankees are calling up Domínguez from Triple-A, a source confirmed on Sunday, with Giancarlo Stanton likely headed to the injured list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Aaron Boone said before Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Astros at Daikin Park that the Yankees would make a decision on Stanton by Monday after the veteran DH injured his calf Friday night.

Domínguez, who was batting .326 with a .893 OPS at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, may only be up for a few days, until Anthony Volpe is ready to return from the IL. The shortstop was expected to need at least a few more rehab games as he finishes off a comeback from October surgery on his left shoulder, though it’s possible he could rejoin the Yankees as soon as Friday’s series opener against the Orioles in The Bronx.

In the meantime, Domínguez will likely get some action — either at DH or in left field — as the Yankees are scheduled to face a trio of right-handed starters against the Rangers.

After the Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger and had Trent Grisham accept a qualifying offer this offseason, Domínguez came into camp needing an injury to open a spot for him on the big league roster. That did not happen, but he still had a strong camp and then went to Triple-A and continued to perform. That includes a quality showing against lefties — against whom he struggled last season — batting 7-for-18 (.389) with a 1.172 OPS against them.

Stanton, meanwhile, felt some improvement in his right calf Saturday but still spent the weekend getting treatment, as the Yankees played a man short trying to give him time to see how much he recovered. The Yankees believe they got Stanton out of Friday’s game before it became something more serious, but it was still likely to cost him some time.

As for Volpe, the plan was for the shortstop to play in a few more rehab games after finishing Sunday 8-for-26 across eight games — going a full nine innings in the field in two of them — in what is essentially his spring training.

“Still working on [timing], still getting there,” Boone said. “It’s only been two weeks of games. Still getting there, but I know he feels really good and feels ready to contribute too.”

The Mets have designated veteran outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment, according to multiple reports.

The move came soon after New York lost both games of a doubleheader, managing just one run on 10 hits on Sunday as the Colorado Rockies completed a three-game sweep at Citi Field. Pham went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in the first game, a 3-1 defeat.

A corresponding move had yet to be announced. New York is in the midst of a team-wide slump, and has scored one run or fewer in 10 of the first 28 games of the season, including both games Sunday.

The Mets signed Pham to a minor league deal in late March and called the 38-year-old up earlier this month. He appeared in nine games with the team and went hitless in 13 at-bats with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Pham first signed with the Mets in 2023, appearing in 73 games before he was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of the trade deadline, slashing .268/.348/.472 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI. Pham has always hit left-handed pitchers well, posting a career .802 OPS with 49 home runs against lefties. 

Pham played for 10 teams during his 13 big league seasons. In 449 plate appearances over 120 games for Pittsburgh last season, Pham slashed .245/.330/.370 for a .700 OPS (94 OPS+) with 10 homers and 17 doubles.

[Editor’s note] Due to an incorrectly constructed Google form, I don’t know whose responses are who! So enjoy this game of “Guess the Snakepitter”! LOLExcept for Mak. Thanks for still putting your name, Mak.

So what did the disappointing series against the White Sox tell us?

Response 4: I think it says more about the Chicago White Sox than it does about the Arizona Diamondbacks. The White Sox aren’t the historically bad team that they’ve been the last couple seasons is the main take home here. As far as the Dbacks go, I think this roster is going to need a revamping. You have three position players in Ryan Waldschmidt, LuJames Groover, and Tommy Troy who almost certainly could contribute more than some of the other position players on the roster. There are several veteran relief arms and a few pitching prospects I think it would be a huge improvement over some of the arms currently in the bullpen.

Makakilo: The White Sox series showed excellent batting will often prevail over average pitching.

Response 2: That the bullpen weaknesses we all feared really are still there. But it also showed that this team is more resilient than last season’s. Also, Merrill Kelly is still rusty.

Response 1: That the pitching is still Arizona pitching. And the offense needs to be more consistent. It also told us that Murakami is far more likely to be a Dodger in 2027/2028 than we would’ve thought 2 months ago.

Perhaps more importantly, what did it not tell us?

Response 4: I don’t think it tells us how either team’s 2026 season will go. The White Sox could very well slip and finish with a losing record, and that applies to the Dbacks as well

Makakilo: The White Sox series did not tell us anything about the Diamondbacks chances to reach the playoffs.

Response 3: It still didn’t tell us what sort of pitching we actually do have and it also is still looking like the team is not firing on all cylinders on offense. So what we still don’t know is how this offense is going to fare moving forward. Would the real versions of roster members please stand up?

Response 1: That the season is over. We had a bad series. Ok. Get up, shake it off, move on. Bigger fish to fry.

What is our level of concern with Merrill Kelly and Ryne Nelson?

Response 4: They’ll both be fine. Not going to stress about a sub-4 ERA in Merrill Kelly’s case, and an ERA barely over 4 in Ryne Nelson case. Even Paul Skenes has had a bad start this year, so it happens, and I wont stress or worry about it until this becomes an extended trend.

Makakilo: I’m optimistic that the problem can be fixed. Perhaps it was the mix of pitches. For reasons that are unclear, in their two recent starts, Kelly and Nelson pitched a much higher than normal percentage of four-seam fastballs (MLB com and Baseball Savant). Before he left the game, Kelly had about half four-seam fastballs, when a quarter is his normal. In his first four batters, Nelson pitched 8 four-seam fastballs and one slider, when 60% is his normal.

Response 2: With Merrill Kelly, right now it is around 3-4 out of 10. He looked mostly decent but rusty in his season debut. Oddities galore muddied his second performance where rust and said oddities led to the game spiraling out of control. But he needs to start looking sharper moving forward or that concern is going to escalate quickly. With Ryne Nelson, it’s somewhere around a 7 out of 10. When he is on his game, he is getting the swings and misses. But it really seems like he isn’t trusting his defense to make plays and is trying to strike everyone out, which is leading to him getting swatted around. It really looks like he is grinding through a bit of a confidence problem all around. Those can snowball into nightmare seasons in a hurry and he is still learning to adapt to the Majors. I would be less concerned if he had another full season of decent performance under his belt. If he has another blow-up or two in his next two starts, it might be time to look at piggy-backing a tandem starter situation with Pfaadt on days when Nelson would be the starter.

Response 1: Medium for both. Nelson was supposed to be the next Mainstay. And the old Mainstay is old. I trust and believe in both. Trust the process (and keep an eye on Reno pitching lines).

The Diamondbacks are playing in Mexico as this is being written. What are your thoughts on MLB’s attempts to grow the sport beyond the US/CA borders?

Response 4: I think MLB needs to do a lot more like this to grow the sport. Mexico has been a market that could be tapped into much more, so having series there is a start. I’d like to see more regular season games hosted in WBC countries. What MLB really needs to do though is get games back on free, over-the-air television. Games being broadcast on local television is what got me into baseball for the long haul. New fans arent going to plunk down money on a sport they aren’t even sure they like! If over-the-air TV isnt an option, then my suggestion is for MLB to broadcast a game each day, rotating so every single team gets a couple games available for free with no blackouts each season. THAT would do more to grow the game than having games in random non-American/Canadian countries.

Makakilo: Baseball Reference shows this season there are 8 players in the Majors who were born in Mexico. With two players, the Blue Jays have more than any other team. Baseball shows what team cooperation and healthy competition can look like. The world would benefit if more countries followed the model of baseball.

Response 3: I love the motivation for the Mexico City series. I am getting sick and tired of such international exhibitions costing AZ home games. At the same time, it puts AZ out there more than other teams. I expect the balls to be flying at that altitude, which could get interesting.

Response 1: It’s fine. I wish there was more of this. I’m confused why it’s two games with days off on either side though. I thought the excuse for why international series were so difficult was jet lag, but the series takes place in US Central time zone so that doesn’t add up. Neither does travel time since it’s closer than NYC to Phoenix. As for there only being two games… idk I guess this is just MLB being MLB. Honestly I just hope we fare better than when MLS teams have to go down to play “tournament” matches in Mexico. They almost always seem to get sick. For a soccer team that’s a minor blip on the schedule. For a baseball team? Huge ramifications for end of season record.

Last time the Athletics played the Texas Rangers, the teams split a four-game series in Sacramento. This time, the A’s emerged victorious in a best-of-three battle in Arlington. The two runs they scored in the first inning proved sufficient to win a game in which they overcame an injury to their starter and a 1-for-13 performance with runners in scoring position.

Facing Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker, the A’s offense got going early. With two outs in the first inning, Rocker walked A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom and designated hitter Brent Rooker. Hot-hitting right fielder Carlos Cortes stepped up to the plate and promptly smoked his first triple of the season over the head of the Rangers center fielder Evan Carter, scoring those two runners to give his team an immediate 2-0 lead. That would be the first of three hits in this game for Cortes, who capped off an incredible week at the plate.

Athletics starting pitcher J.T. Ginn only needed to throw six pitches in a scoreless, shutdown first inning. After giving up a leadoff single, he got Joc Pederson to ground into a double play before retiring the dangerous Corey Seager on a line out snagged nicely by first baseman Nick Kurtz.

In the second inning, A’s center-fielder Lawrence Butler came close to hitting a two-run home run. However, it went just foul near the foul pole and he ended up lining into an unlucky double play. Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, who hit the go-ahead home run last night, led off the home half of that inning with a double. Ginn escaped the jam unscathed, striking out Texas’ catcher Danny Jansen to strand Jung and another runner on base.

The next inning, the A’s somehow went scoreless despite the final three batters smoking the ball. Soderstrom crushed a two-out double to the right-center gap, but was left stranded when third baseman Jung made a nice play to field Rooker’s hard-hit grounder and then threw him out.

With Ginn through three scoreless, the A’s sought to give him more of a cushion. Cortes and shortstop Jacob Wilson led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. Rocker got out of the jam by retiring the next three A’s hitters. He got some help from his first baseman Jake Burger, who made a diving stop to rob Butler of a hit.

With one out in the fourth inning, Ginn left the game with right arm soreness, abruptly ending his outing and forcing the A’s to turn to their bullpen earlier than expected. Reliever Joel Kuhnel came out of the bullpen on short notice and got the final two outs of that inning.

The Athletics wasted another scoring opportunity in the fifth. Catcher Shea Langeliers was left at second base after hitting a double down the left field line. Despite all of the baserunners he allowed, Rocker only gave up those two first-inning runs over six innings of work.

The team was planning to skip left-hander Jacob Lopez’s next turn in the rotation as right-hander Aaron Civale is scheduled to start the first game of the home stand against the Kansas City Royals. So, in the wake of Ginn’s injury, Lopez entered this game out of the A’s bullpen in the fifth inning.

Making his first relief appearance of the season, Lopez pitched a scoreless first inning. The sixth inning did not go as well. Jung hit a lead-off double and then Lopez fielded Carter’s bunt, but threw wildly to first, allowing Carter to reach safely and Jung to score the Rangers first run.

Right-handed reliever Justin Sterner replaced the rattled Lopez and came up huge! He pulled a Houdini to escape a bases loaded, no outs jam, striking out two-straight Rangers before getting right fielder Brandon Nimmo to fly out to end the inning.

Seeking insurance runs, the A’s got a two-out rally going against Rangers left-handed reliever Tyler Alexander in the seventh on back-t0-back singles by Kurtz and Langeliers. Unfortunately, Soderstrom flew out to end the inning and stop another scoring opportunity.

Following scoreless innings from Hogan Harris and Jack Perkins to maintain the A’s advantage, the A’s loaded the bases in the ninth looking to extend their lead. In that inning, Kurtz was intentionally walked, overtaking Rickey Henderson for the most consecutive games drawing a walk in franchise history. Alas, Rooker struck out on three pitches to send it to the bottom of the ninth with the Athletics still clinging to their one-run lead.

Perkins finished off the Rangers in the ninth, setting them down in order to complete his second two-inning save of the road trip and lock up the series win for the first-place Athletics.

As a result of their win, the team gets to enjoy a happy flight home and an off day tomorrow before beginning a new series against the Royals. On Tuesday, Civale will look to pitch better than he did in his first Sacramento start during the A’s previous home stand. He will be opposed by left-hander Kris Bubic, who is 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA through his first five starts this season.

If you had any doubt about the 2026 Mets being a terrible baseball team, surely it was erased this afternoon as the team scored just one run across two games of a doubleheader against the Rockies at Citi Field. In the second game, the Mets were shut out, a recurring theme early of a season that feels like it’s ending right before our eyes even though the calendar hasn’t yet turned to May.

As was the case in the first game of the doubleheader, the Rockies scored three runs, and it was once again more than enough as Colorado won by a 3-1 score. The fact that the Mets’ pitching staff only gave up three runs was a minor miracle, as Kodai Senga shit the bed for the third-straight start. He lasted just two-and-two-thirds innings, gave up three runs, struck out one, walked three, and allowed three hits. If not for admirable work by Carl Edwards Jr. in relief of him in the third, he might’ve been charged with more runs. And even with the assist that he got, Senga has a 9.00 ERA and looks like a pitcher who shouldn’t be getting major league starts.

Edwards wound up pitching three-and-a-third innings without allowing any runs, and Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, and Devin Williams each threw a scoreless inning. You’d typically say that they kept the game within reach by doing so, but the Mets’ lifeless lineup really meant that three of the team’s high-leverage relievers were simply able to get some work.

As for those Mets hitters, they had six hits on the day, only one of which went for extra bases. The team is not competitive, and it’s hard to imagine that will change. The Mets are 9-19. Their season is very likely over.

You could look back at what we were writing here just shy of two years ago and point out that it’s possible to turn a miserable season around. It’s still only April, but barring a major turnaround, the Mets could get to mid-June with the worst record in baseball over the past twelve months. That is a massive failure for a team that spent over $300 million on its roster both last season and this.

Thankfully, the Mets are off tomorrow. They’ll begin a three-game series against the Nationals—their first series against a National League East opponent this year—on Tuesday night at Citi Field. Tickets are still available.

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Rox bottom has never looked worse.

Any optimism the Mets carried into the weekend after snapping a 12-game losing streak and winning two straight was completely siphoned over six hours Sunday.

Manager Carlos Mendoza’s beleaguered bunch managed only one run over 18 innings in getting swept by the hapless Rockies in a Citi Field doubleheader.

The three-game series sweep by Colorado was complete with the Mets’ 3-0 loss in the nightcap. The Mets fell 3-1 in the doubleheader’s first game.

With Monday’s off-day, questions will continue to swirl about Mendoza’s job security. Mendoza isn’t the one swinging to weak contact at the plate, but Mets owner Steve Cohen can’t fire the entire team.

Chase Dollander and his 100 mph heat provided the resistance in the nightcap. It was quite the contrast to journeyman Jose Quintana’s assortment of junk in Game 1.

In the nightcap, Kodai Senga continued his free fall by lasting only 2 ²/₃ innings and allowing three earned runs on three hits with three walks. It was a third straight start in which the right-hander failed to complete even four innings.

Hunter Goodman’s two-run homer in the third that gave the Rockies a 3-0 lead suggested Senga might be facing short work. And after Senga walked two batters in the third inning, manager Carlos Mendoza removed him.

Carl Edwards Jr., in his Mets debut, gave the team a chance with 3 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in relief. Edwards, who struck out five, walked three batters without allowing a hit.

The Mets had a chance to rally in the fifth after Carson Benge and Ronny Mauricio delivered consecutive singles to begin the inning. But Tyrone Taylor’s ensuing line drive was snagged by first baseman TJ Rumfield and was turned into a double play.

The Mets took a shot at a late rally in Game 1, but it fizzled in the eighth. After Juan Soto walked to load the bases with one out, Luis Robert Jr. popped out and Mark Vientos struck out, eliciting boos from the crowd.

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Nolan McLean was removed after five innings in which he allowed two runs, one unearned, on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

The start matched McLean’s shortest of the season — he also went only five innings against the Pirates in his initial outing.

McLean allowed an RBI single to Troy Johnston in the fourth, but the inning could have gotten much worse. With the bases still loaded and nobody out, McLean struck out Kyle Karros before getting Brett Sullivan to hit a soft comebacker that started a 1-2-3 double play. The rally started with two straight singles before Rumfield walked to load the bases.

Taylor’s homer leading off the bottom of the fifth tied it 1-1. Quintana had retired 11 straight batters before Taylor cleared the fence in left-center for his second homer this season.

Vientos’ throwing error helped the Rockies score an unearned run in the sixth. Vientos, at first base, fielded Rumfield’s grounder and attempted a throw to second to nail Mickey Moniak. But the throw hit Moniak, leaving the bases loaded and nobody out. Huascar Brazobán replaced McLean and induced a double-play grounder from Johnston, with the run scoring.

Brazobán surrendered an RBI single to Jake McCarthy in the seventh that widened the Mets deficit to 3-1. Sullivan’s double started the rally. Luis Torrens nailed McCarthy attempting to steal second before Jordan Beck reached on a pitch clock violation for ball four. Brazobán retired Edouard Julien for the final out.