KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 11: Michael Wacha #52 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the 6th inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on April 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael Wacha saw Kris Bubic’s seven-shutout-inning performance and decided to try to one-up him. Wacha knew he couldn’t get the same strikeouts, but he could go even deeper into the game. In the end, Wacha was able to go eight shutout innings, striking out seven, walking only one, and allowing only four hits. The White Sox had only three at-bats with a runner in scoring position all day. No runner ever made it past second base.
As you can see in the above graphic, Michael Wacha did all of that on only 88 pitches. He threw 63 strikes – almost 3/4 of his pitches – in part because the White Sox were just swinging at every dang thing, and missing plenty often. Personally, I would have liked to see him pitch the second Maddux of the season (when someone pitches a 9+-inning, complete game shutout in under 100 pitches). But it’s reasonable that Matt Quatraro decided to go to the team’s closer, instead. Erceg had a clean ninth with a strikeout to earn his fifth save of the season.
The Royals’ offense struggled once again. At first, it seemed like they might get something going when Maikel Garcia reminded us he was related to Alcides Escobar in the first inning.
The Royals only got three more hits and a walk the rest of the day, but they added on in the bottom of the eighth. Garcia, leading off the inning again, smacked a double down the third base line and into the corner. Bobby Witt Jr. lofted a flyball deep enough to right to advance Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino went the other way to left field deep enough to easily bring the insurance run home.
You’d like to see the Royals’ offense wake up, especially because the White Sox’s pitching is not considered to be particularly good, but not panicking and manufacturing a run like that is a really good sign that the hitters are still in the mindset they need to be in. Coming into today, the Royals had the fifth-highest hard-hit rate in baseball. I’ll keep promising an imminent offensive explosion until it happens or those kinds of stats change.
The Royals have guaranteed a series split with the White Sox and have a chance to win the game with another afternoon contest, tomorrow. Noah Cameron (1.69 ERA, 3.69 SIERA) will pitch for the Royals. The White Sox have not yet announced their starter, and I can’t even find any guesses as to who it might be. The game will start at 1:10 KC time, be broadcast on Royals.TV, and will feature the new Royals City Connect uniforms for the third straight game. They’ve won every game they’ve played in them; let’s hope they don’t break that streak.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 30: Kyle Leahy #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning at Busch Stadium on March 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Your first place St. Louis Cardinals will try to win the series vs the Boston Red Sox Saturday night at Busch Stadium. Game time is 6:15pm with Kyle Leahy on the mound for St. Louis vs Ranger Suarez for the Boston Red Sox. Saturday night’s game is a nationwide broadcast on Fox.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 5: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles will attempt to get back to .500 tonight against Logan Webb and the Giants. San Francisco took the first of three games last night in a 6-3 result at Camden Yards.
Chris Bassitt will look to bounce back after a rough start to his Orioles tenure. Baltimore inked Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5 million deal before the start of the season. Now, with Zach Eflin out for the year, Baltimore needs Bassitt to be the veteran innings eater that the club signed him to be. He’s currently 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA and only three strikeouts in two short appearances.
Adley Rutschman was originally in the lineup but scratched with left ankle discomfort. The Orioles moved Samuel Basallo to catcher and inserted Ryan Mountcastle as the DH.
Rutschman has been one of Baltimore’s hottest hitters, and he feels like a guy the team cannot afford to lose for an extended period of time. Basallo has struggled to find his footing early in the season, but the rookie will have another chance to breakout today.
The same can be said for first baseman Pete Alonso and today’s left fielder Colton Cowser. Leody Taveras will play center field with doubles machine Taylor Ward playing right. Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson will round out the infield.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 10: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals gestures after hitting an RBI double in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats stole game one of the series in Milwaukee last night, putting up 4 runs in the 9th inning to win it 7-3. The rally in the 9th was led by 3 consecutive bunts, which resulted in hits for the Nats, much to the dismay of Brewers fans. A welcome surprise was 4 scoreless innings from the Nats bullpen after Jake Irvin went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs, with Clayton Beeter finishing the job in the 9th.
Foster Griffin toes the rubber for the Nats in game two against the Brew Crew, coming off successful starts against both the Phillies and Dodgers, 2 heavyweight lineups. There are a few alterations for the Nats against the left-handed starters tonight, with Curtis Mead shifting from DH to 1B and Luis Garcia Jr. hitting the bench, Nasin Nunez playing 2B over Jorbit Vivas, and Jacob Young returning to the lineup in CF.
For the Brewers, Kyle Harrison toes the rubber in his 3rd Brewers start, acquired from the Red Sox this offseason. There are plenty of alterations to the Brewers’ lineup, as there often is, with Gary Sanchez, Brandon Lockridge, and Joey Ortiz joining the starting lineup and Garrett Mitchell, Jake Bauers, and David Hamilton hitting the bench.
Small ball and clutch pitching got the Nationals the victory against the Brewers last night, and they’ll need it again to beat the Brewers tonight and steal the series. Foster Griffin will also face another test in a scrappy Brewers lineup that will make starting pitchers work for outs. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Less than twenty-four hours after the Diamondbacks managed to overcome a disastrous first inning from Michael Soroka, they had the chance to do it again, thanks to the kind of performance we’ve sadly become accustomed to from Brandon Pfaadt in 2026. On paper, at least, this seemed like a winnable game, and maybe even one in which we had the advantage coming in. Pfaadt hasn’t been good to start the season—he was rocking a 6.75 ERA after his first two starts—but his opposite number today was old friend Taijuan Walker, who came into the game sporting a distinctly unsexy 9.31 ERA.
Pfaadt and Walker are actually in similar positions within their respective team’s rotations, insofar as the Diamondbacks will likely be sending one starter to the bullpen once Merrill Kelly is ready to take his rotation spot, while Walker is keeping a spot warm until Zack Wheeler returns from the injured list. Walker is definitely going back to the Phillies’ bullpen when Wheeler returns; Pfaadt, meanwhile, has been looking increasingly likely to be pitching out of our ‘pen once Kelly is back on the mound. There was some question before Opening Day as to whether he or Michael Soroka would be the odd man out, but while Soroka has been getting good results (aside from that first inning yesterday), Pfaadt continues to display his unerring talent for giving up the dreaded One Big Inning.
So that was fun! Corbin Carroll, back in starting lineup today as the designated hitter, drew a four-pitch walk, and then Geraldo Perdomo moved him to along with a ground out to second. Adrian Del Castillo, behind the plate this afternoon with Gabi Moreno once again ailing, singled to center, driving in Carroll. Jose Fernandez and Nolan Arenado then struck out in succession, leaving ADC stranded at first. Still, it’s nice to take the early lead. 2-0 D-BACKS
Sadly, however, that lead didn’t last. Pfaadt pitched a great bottom of the first—two Ks, ten pitches thrown—and a perfectly serviceable second frame, pitching around a two-out walk to record a second zero. Then, alas, came the OBI.
For starters, Alek Bohm reached on a grounder to short that Perdomo booted for an error. Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford followed with a single to left, turning the lineup over. Pfaadt managed to record the first out by striking out Trae Turner for the second time in the ball game, but then gave up two consecutive long balls over his next four pitches. Kyle Schwarber launched a hanging changeup into the right field seats, and then Bryce Harper launched his own over the fence in right center. Two outs (and another walk, and a hit batsman) later, the inning finally ended, but the damage was done. 4-2 Philadelphia
And that was pretty much that. Pfaadt returned to competence in the fourth, as is often the case—in fact, he wound up going six full innings, pitching around minimal traffic in each inning—a walk in the fourth, a single in the fifth, a double in the sixth—to put up three zeroes. The bullpen did its job, too, with Kevin Ginkel pitching a scoreless seventh and Ryan Thompson a scoreless eighth. But the Diamondbacks offense couldn’t make up the lost ground, despite having plenty of chances:
Alek Thomas hit a two-out double in the second but was stranded there;
Tim Tawa TOOTBLANned his way into an out after drawing a two-out walk in the fourth;
Jorge Barrosa reached on a one-out single in the fifth, but was doubled off thanks to a Ketel Marte grounder to first;
Adrian Del Castillo singled with two outs in the sixth, but was stranded there;
Alek Thomas was drilled with two outs in the seventh, stole second and took third on an errant throw, and was left standing there when Barrosa couldn’t get him home.
We did manage to get a run back in the top of the eighth, thanks to a two-out Perdomo walk, ADC’s third single, and a Jose Fernandez RBI single that scored Perdomo and advanced ADC to third. Sadly, however, ADC is slow as molasses on the bases, so there was no chance he was going to score, and, shocking as it might be to believe, Nolan Arenado struck out on four pitches when it was his turn to try and drive in the tying run. 4-3 Philadelphia
The bottom of the Diamondbacks order had one last chance in the top of the ninth, but they sat down in order, and that was that.
The Gameday Thread seems to have been reasonably lively for a Saturday game for which the first pitch happened at 10:05am Arizona time, with 156 comments at time of writing. Sadly, my attention was taken up with getting some final stuff in order around the house in preparation for TheRealRamona’s dad, who arrived at his new home with us sometime during the eighth inning. Comment of the Game goes to MikeMono by popular acclaim, and because it shows you how it’s done with the /sarcasm font when one is critiquing the lineup and lack of timely pinch-hitting decisions:
Anyway, thanks to the Friday night result, we are still in line for a possible series victory. Join us tomorrow as Zac Gallen takes the mound for the rubber match, going up against highly-regarded Phillies prospect Andrew Painter. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35am AZ time. Hope you can stop by!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
Apr 5, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
On Friday evening, the Brewers dropped an ugly one, maybe their most painful loss of the young season. After Jake Bauers hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the first inning to respond to two early Nationals runs, it felt like Milwaukee might cruise. But instead they were shut out for the next eight innings by the Nationals’ pitching staff — not exactly the ‘90s Braves over there — and fumbled the game away after a bit of a ninth-inning implosion.
They’ll look to bounce back tonight behind Kyle Harrison, one of the brighter spots in what has been a mostly encouraging start to the season. Harrison is making his third start, and each of the first two has been good. On March 30, Harrison allowed one run to the Rays on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in five innings, though Milwaukee lost that game when the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead that Harrison left with. On April 5, Harrison pitched 5 1/3 innings in Kansas City and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six. He earned his first win of the season in that one, an 8-5 Brewers victory.
Washington counters with lefty Foster Griffin, who is back in the big leagues at age 30 after spending the last three seasons in Japan. Griffin came up through the Royals’ organization and made his brief major league debut in 2020, but he was unable to nail down a spot in the majors, and after just nine big-league appearances across three seasons, he made the move to Japan, where he was a star for the Yomiuri Giants — in three seasons that covered 348 innings, Griffin pitched to a 2.51 ERA and 4.50 K-to-BB ratio. That got him a job back in the US, where he signed with the Nationals. He’s been pretty good so far and is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts. Foster does not throw hard (low-90s) but throws a whole bunch of different pitches, which keeps hitters off balance.
The Brewer lineup hasn’t looked great against left-handed pitching lately, but they’ll take another crack at it tonight. Luis Matos, however, continues to ride the pine despite being one of the few available right-handed bats; Brandon Lockridge will play left, with Blake Perkins in center and Sal Frelick in right. After a night off on Friday, Joey Ortiz is back in the lineup today, and Luis Rengifo, who hasn’t been able to buy a hit (though that’s certainly partially due to a .188 BABIP), bats second. Get well soon, Jackson.
A couple of injury notes from the organization: Quinn Priester had a good live batting practice session and is expected to get some game action soon in extended spring training. Tyler Black, who is playing at Triple-A Nashville, went on the seven-day injured list with a “shoulder impingement,” but is not expected to be out long. Cooper Pratt missed a couple of days with a sore shoulder but is back in the Nashville lineup tonight.
First pitch at 6:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
The defending American League champions are feeling a little more snakebit with every passing game.
The Toronto Blue Jays, already beset by a rotation's worth of pitching injuries, lost a crucial offensive performer Saturday, April 11 when leadoff hitter George Springer suffered a fractured big left toe in their 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre.
The designated hitter fouled a ball off his left toe in the third inning, initially waved off Toronto's training staff, but did not come to the plate for his next at-bat in the sixth. The Blue Jays dropped to 6-8 with their seventh loss in nine games.
George Springer had to leave the game with a left toe fracture after fouling a pitch off his foot in the third inning pic.twitter.com/esUbWUhMC5
And suddenly, the Blue Jays are down the equivalent of three everyday players, with Springer, All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb surgery) and infielder/outfielder Addison Barger (ankles) all shelved.
The rash of everyday players going down comes during a spring in which Shane Bieber (forearm), Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Jose Berríos (elbow) and Cody Ponce (torn ACL) aren't able to go. Additionally, 41-year-old Max Scherzer underwent a recent MRI on his right elbow in the wake of his two-inning start April 6.
George Springer injury update
Springer is certainly a big loss. In the final year of a $150 million contract, Springer revived his career with a 32-homer, .959 OPS 2025 season, capped by the biggest homer for the Blue Jays this season, his three-run shot to clinch the pennant in ALCS Game 7. This year, he was off to a 10-for-54 start (.185) with two homers.
His bat may prove difficult to replace, given that the club let Bo Bichette walk in free agency, figuring Barger would take a step forward and newcomer Kazuma Okamoto would adjust quickly to the major leagues. Now, Barger and Springer are shelved and Okamoto is producing a .651 OPS in 13 games.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 10: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves stands in the dugout during the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Martín Pérez will lead the Braves against Parker Messick and the Guardians in the first City Connect Saturday of 2026.
Side note, this picture seems to be from the elaborate light show we now deploy when the opposing team makes a pitching change. They are definitely making use of those state-of-the-art lights and projections… thoughts?
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a spirited victory in the series opener, the San Francisco Giants will look to win their series against the Baltimore Orioles today, in the second game of their nine-game road trip.
The Giants are sending their ace to the mound, as right-hander Logan Webb will make his fourth start of the year. On the year, the 29-year old is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA, a 2.65 FIP, and 15 strikeouts against just six walks in 18 innings. His last start was his best, as he held the New York Mets to one run in seven innings.
He’s up against the veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt, who makes his third start for the Orioles, his fifth MLB team. It’s been a tough start for the 37-year old, who is 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA, an 8.52 FIP, and just three strikeouts against six walks in 6.1 innings.
Apr 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach (9) celebrates hitting a three run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Twins bounced back in decisive fashion on Saturday afternoon, riding a wonderful start from Joe Ryan and an early crooked number to best the Toronto Blue Jays by a 7-4 final, and even the series at a game apiece.
Early momentum was not in Minnesota’s favor; after allowing 10 unanswered runs in the series opener, the Jays jumped on Joe Ryan early, with a two-run homer off the bat of Daulton Varsho making it a 2-0 Toronto lead before Ryan had recorded an out.
But from that point on, Ryan was nails. The Varsho homer was one of only two hits Ryan would surrender in a robust seven-inning start, the other a fourth-inning Vladdy Jr. single. Minnesota’s number-one starter retired the final 12 hitters he faced from then on, providing the bullpen with a much-needed respite in the midst of a remarkably long early-season stretch of games without a day off.
Meanwhile, the lineup consolidated all their momentum into a single inning. Facing an oft-troubling lefty, this time in the personage of Eric Lauer, the Twins were held off the board in every single frame of the game except the third. In that third, Brooks Lee kept his turnaround narrative hot with a leadoff blast to left to cut the Jays’ lead in half. Call-up Ryan Kreidler would ground out, but then it was off to the races.
Back-to-back singles from Byron Buxton and Austin Martin put set up a walk of Luke Keaschall to load the bases, and then a walk to tie the game when Ryan Jeffers drew a free pass on four straight out of the zone. Varsho’s name would come up again when a questionable read on a towering fly to center wound up going as a Josh Bell two-run single. With a 4-2 Twins lead and two outs later in the inning, Trevor Larnach homered against a left-handed pitcher, a three-run jack into right field that marked his jusf fifth career bomb off any southpaw.
Unfortunately, that was almost literally it for the Twins offense. Brooks Lee singled in the visiting sixth, the only remaining hit for Minnesota.
And while Ryan was great, Kody Funderburk had to tiptoe out of danger in the eighth inning, letting his first two assignments reach base and only just managing to record a shutout inning. Cole Sands was not so lucky; tasked again with the ninth, he gave Toronto two back when Jesus Sanchez launched a two-run shot for his second homer of the year.
The loss wasn’t the worst news of the night for the Jays, either; already absolutely beleaguered by injuries, George Springer suffered a toe fracture after fouling a pitch off his foot. He finished his at-bat, but was pulled for the rest of the game in the DH slot.
And so, with the highlights consolidated into one starting pitcher and one offensive inning, and the usual weaknesses (streaky offense + poor bullpen performance) rearing their heads, it is a somewhat incomplete victory that evens this series, but a victory nevertheless.
The rubber match is tomorrow, and the Twins have a lot to play for — a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers followed by a road victory against the reigning American League champions would do a lot to alter perceptions of this team in the early goings.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 10: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox bats in a run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium on April 10, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A Saturday national game, is this the pressure the Red Sox need right now? We at least see a little more normal of a lineup with Roman back in—maybe being the DH will let him focus on one thing at a time and his bat is more important right now. Can the Red Sox stop seeing red and pull out a victory or will Ranger Suárez keep getting pecked by the Redbirds?
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:15pm ET — Busch Stadium, St Louis, MO
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 5: Nick Martinez #28 of the Tampa Bay Rays gestures towards Ben Williamson #15 during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on April 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Suddenly, the Yankees have dropped three-straight contests after losing two games at home against the Athletics then going down to defeat last night in St. Pete for the series opener. The good news is New York sends its ace to the mound tonight. The bad news is said ace cannot hit.* The worse news is neither can the rest of team, with a couple of exceptions.
This will be Max Fried’s fourth start of the season. The southpaw is coming off his worst outing thus far, one that was still perfectly cromulent, as Fried allowed three runs over 6.2 innings against Miami in an eventual 7-6 loss. Through 20 innings, Fried is varying his pitches with the effect of minimizing hard contact. He’s thrown each of his four-seamer, sinker, cutter, curve, change, and sweeper between 10 percent and 23 percent of the time. Good luck sitting on any one pitch. Unsurprisingly, opponents’ average exit velocity, barrel percentage, and hard-hit percentage all rest comfortably in the red on Statcast.
Veteran right-hander Nick Martinez gets the start for the Rays, his third this season. Like Fried, he’s thrown six different pitches at least somewhat frequently this season. Also, like Fried, the results have been good. Through 12 innings, Martinez has a 2.25 ERA and his Statcast has a bunch of red. One thing that jumps out: Yankee hitters will need to earn their way on base. Martinez has only issued one free pass so far, though he’s also only struck out seven. We should see balls in play tonight.
It might not matter how well Fried pitches if the Yankee lineup doesn’t figure it out. The bottom of the order has been a wasteland in the opening weeks. Tonight, Jazz Chisholm Jr. boasts the best OPS among the hitters in those slots, with a putrid .469 mark. Exacerbating the issue is that the top of the lineup is not hitting to the back of their baseball cards either, except for Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton, though the latter’s power is absent in the opening weeks of the year. Cody Bellinger, for example, has four hits in his last seven games. Aaron Judge has a singular home run in that stretch. And Trent Grisham has a .237 SLG this season. All told, the Yankees enter tonight with a .199 team batting average through 13 games, and five runs scored in their last three.
Let’s get this turned around. A couple of crooked numbers in the run column tonight for the Yankees would be the bee’s knees.
Apr 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Eric Lauer (56) walks towards the dugout against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Well, yesterday’s good vibes did not long endure.
Something is up with Eric Lauer. He was sitting 90 early and about 87 by the fourth, and struggling to locate in a way that he hasn’t really since becoming a Blue Jay. His five walks were his worst since he was a rookie back in 2018. Perhaps it’s the lingering effects of the stomach flu that wrecked the pitching staff last week. He did throw 95 pitches, without evidence of arm soreness or anything like that. The rotation is already in tatters, so the Jays will have to hope that’s all it is.
In other bad news, Myles Straw came out to pinch hit for George Springer in the fifth inning (though as it happened he didn’t get into the game until the sixth). It turns out he broke his toe by fouling a ball off it.
Things didn’t start too badly for Eric Lauer. He allowed just a walk through the first two innings. Then the wheels came off. Brooks Lee lead off the third with a solo home run. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and his third walk of the day forced home a run. The Jays could have limited the damage, but a towering Josh Bell fly fooled Daulton Varsho into going back and dropped for a single, scoring two instead of recording the second out. A batter later, Trevor Larnach hit a missile off the facing of the second deck in right to run the Twins’ total up to seven before Lee popped up to end the inning. It was as bad of a meltdown inning as you’ll see. He stayed in the bullpen, presumably to spare the bullpen given Max Scherzer’s uncertain health for tomorrow, and regained his composure from there. In the fourth, an Austin Martin walk was erased when Brandon Valenzuela gunned him down trying to steal second. In the fifth, he sat the Twins down in order. They tried to get one more, and he retired one batter before giving up a walk and being removed from the game. All told, he went 5.1 innings, allowing 7 earned on 5 hits and 5 walks, striking out three. He didn’t give up a hit outside the nightmare third inning. It was a weird afternoon.
Spencer Miles took over, giving up a single to Lee that moved the lead runner to third before inducing Ryan Kreidler to ground into a double play to end the inning. Back for the seventh, he walked Martin but a fly out and a pair of ground outs got him out of it. In the eighth and ninth he retired the Twins in order, picking up a K in each inning. It was a strong performance that did a lot to help the rest of the team set up for what’ll probably be a quasi-bullpen day tomorrow, and he was getting it up over 96 in this fourth inning of work. Miles is looking like a great rule 5 pick and a key part of the bullpen.
The offence, on the other side, started hot against Joe Ryan before going silent. George Springer lead off the game with a walk, and Daulton Varsho put the Jays in front with a two run homer, his second of the year. From there, though, Ryan gave up only a hit batter among the next nine Blue Jays, and erased that with a double play. Vladimir Guerrero jr. lined a single to right to lead off the fourth, but the next dozen Jays batters went in order. Ryan only struck out five, but outside Varsho’s home run they couldn’t lay a finger on him.
They had marginally better luck with the bullpen. Kody Funderburk pitched the eighth. Ernie Clement singled and Andres Gimenez walked, but the rest of the lineup couldn’t capitalize. Facing Cole Sands in the ninth, Vlad hit a hard ground ball single back over the mound to lead off. Jesus Sanchez crushed one deep to right to bring the Jays within three. That was as close as they’d get, though, as Sands ended the inning there.
George Lombard Jr. continues to feel more comfortable in Double-A as his hot start to the minor league season continued on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees' top prospect went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two walks in the Somerset Patriots' 7-6 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Lombard's season average through the team's first seven games now sits at .464.
Lombard's incredible start also includes two home runs.
It's a promising sign for the Yankees prospect after he struggled when he was promoted to Double-A last year. In 108 games with the Patriots, Lombard slashed .215/.337/.358 with an OPS of .695 and eight home runs.
The infielder wasn't the only prospect in Saturday's game. Ben Hess, the Yankees' No. 5 overall prospect, started the game, but his day was short. The right-hander tossed 2.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out five batters. However, Hess walked five batters, contributing to his 82 pitches (42 strikes).
Saturday was Hess' second start this season after a strong debut when he allowed two runs on three hits while striking out nine batters across five innings.
George Lombard Jr. (@Yankees No. 1 Prospect) smacks a 2⃣ RBI single in the fourth.
Up with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, top pitching prospect Lagrange took the mound to start for the RailRiders.
The right-hander only went 3.1 innings, however, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks. He struck out eight batters as he continues to build his case to make the big league club this season.
Saturday's start saw Lagrange's season-high in strikeouts -- his previous two starts saw him strike out five batters combined -- but he allowed his most runs in the early season. Lagrange allowed one run in four innings in his season debut and one run in 3.1 innings in his second start.
Lagrange's ERA stands at 3.38 after three starts and he took his first loss after the RailRiders' 4-2 loss in the first game of their doubleheader.
Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones went 1-for-3 with an RBI single. The slugger has had a slow start to the season. He's batting just .205 with only two home runs in his first 12 games.
Jasson Dominguez, who isn't a prospect anymore but down with Triple-A to get everyday at-bats, continued his strong season by going 0-for-1 with two walks and a run scored. He entered Saturday's game slashing .375/.468/.575 with two home runs.
