Category: MLB

The Mets returned home to a frigid Citi Field on Tuesday night and fell to the Twins, 5-3, extending their losing streak to 12 games.

Here are the takeaways...

- Devin Williams entered a 3-3 game in the ninth inning and couldn't find the plate, issuing back-to-back walks before Mark Vientos made a questionable decision to try to nab the lead runner at third on a sacrifice attempt, leading to a bases loaded, none out jam. Williams then allowed a base hit through the drawn in infield as the Twins took a 4-3 lead. He followed by issuing a bases loaded walk to make it 5-3, Twins. As boos rained down, Carlos Mendoza came out to get him.  

Austin Warren replaced Williams and struck out all three batters he faced, leading the agitated, freezing fans to shout mock "MVP" chants at him. 

-The final 14 Mets to come to the plate were retired in order. 

-Throwing a fastball that was up to 98 mph, his dastardly two-seamer, and a host of his filthy secondary offerings, Nolan McLean got off to a perfect start, retiring the first 15 batters he faced, including eight strikeouts -- fanning five batters in a row spanning the second and third innings. 

McLean's perfect game bid ended in the sixth inning, when Matt Wallner led off and lined a clean single to left on a 1-0 two-seamer. After a standing ovation from the crowd, McLean quickly turned the page, getting Royce Lewis to fly out to right field and Brooks Lee swinging on a bugs bunny curve. But with a chance to escape the inning, McLean served up a two-run homer to Byron Buxton that sliced the Mets' lead to 3-2. 

After notching his 10th strikeout to get the first out of the seventh inning, McLean faltered, serving up a double to Kody Clemons and run-scoring single to Luke Keaschall as Minnesota knotted the game, 3-3. McLean got the second out as Lindor made a stellar play on a grounder, ranging behind the second base bag before nabbing Matt Wallner at first base. But that's where McLean's night would end. 

Brazoban relieved McLean and extinguished the threat, needing just one pitch to get Lewis to fly out to left field. 

McLean's final line: three runs on five hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings. The 10 strikeouts were one short of McLean's career high.

- With Juan Sotoexpected to be activated off the IL ahead of Wednesday's game, the Mets on Tuesday trotted out another iteration of the lineup -- with Marcus Semien leading off, Bo Bichette batting cleanup, and Carson Benge ninth. 

The new lineup started off slow against former Mets prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, who entered the game with a 6.10 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 20.2 innings over his first four starts of the season. The only Met to reach base over the first two innings was Bichette, who looped a single to right field. 

Things changed for the Mets in the third inning against Woods Richardson. Mark Vientos lined a sharp single to left field leading off the frame, and was erased on Benge's ground out -- with Benge swiftly stealing second base. After Semien drew a walk, Francisco Lindorcame up and ran the count full before blasting a three-run homer into the second deck in right field to give New York a 3-0 advantage -- their first lead of two or more runs since April 7.

New York's hitters did a good job of making Woods Richardson work in the third and fourth inning, getting his pitch count up to 80.

Highlights

Nolan McLean strikes out two in the first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mk9ebU0qA2

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 21, 2026

Four strikeouts in two innings for Nolan McLean 💪 pic.twitter.com/UBOkBRbybb

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 21, 2026

7 strikeouts in 3 innings for Nolan McLean! pic.twitter.com/mdPhAgJDUg

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 21, 2026

3-RUN HOME RUN FOR FRANCISCO LINDOR AND HE’S PUMPED! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/iNUY6LMlcY

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 21, 2026

Nolan McLean gets a nice hand from the Citi Field crowd after allowing his first baserunner of the night pic.twitter.com/IVHlGHyGHd

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2026

8 strikeouts in 5 innings for Nolan McLean pic.twitter.com/NBi6dmD7HD

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2026

Francisco Lindor cuts it off to save a run pic.twitter.com/vBxSxV2W2P

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2026

Huascar Brazobán strikes out two in a scoreless 8th! pic.twitter.com/tOMKdU1nt5

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2026

Upcoming schedule

The Mets and Twins continue their series on Wednesday night at 7:10. 

Clay Holmes will start for New York, while Minnesota has not yet announced a starter.

BOSTON — Giancarlo Stanton came into Tuesday in the midst of a skid and struggling against left-handers through the first month of the season.

So of course on a chilly night at Fenway Park, Stanton became the hottest hitter in town.

The veteran DH drove in three runs, providing all the offense that Luis Gil needed in his best start of the season on the way to the Yankees’ fourth straight win, a 4-0 victory over the Red Sox.

Stanton was robbed of another extra-base hit in his final at-bat, but settled for going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a two-run double, both off Red Sox lefty Connelly Early.

Entering Tuesday, he had been 1-for-21 and 0-for-17 overall against left-handers, with Aaron Boone giving him a breather Sunday for a double day off to combine with Monday’s scheduled off-day.

The result was Stanton looking like the hitter he was to start the season and continuing to mash at Fenway Park like he has throughout his career — now batting .316 with eight home runs and a .932 OPS in 40 games.

“It’s always a fun rivalry game, no matter where each team is in the standings,” Stanton said. “It’s just a good experience, a good pure baseball place to play. You’ve got to raise your game in those types of situations.”

That provided the support for Gil, who tossed 6 ¹/₃ scoreless innings even without his best stuff.

The right-hander, who could be on the outside looking in of the rotation crunch once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return from the injured list next month, allowed just two hits while walking three, hitting a batter and striking out a pair.

“My focus is to execute pitches, get strikes out there and then at the end, let them figure it out,” Gil said of the looming decision through an interpreter.

Despite his velocity being down in the frigid conditions, Gil found a way to be effective with some quick innings against a rough-looking Red Sox lineup.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

In doing so, he continued his strong track record against the Red Sox (9-14), now having allowed just three earned runs in 33 ²/₃ career innings against them.

Brent Headrick, Tim Hill and David Bednar followed Gil to combine for the shutout, the second straight for the Yankees and the fifth of their season.

Stanton’s big night began in the second inning, when Early threw him an inside slider that he crushed to the light tower above the Green Monster. Smoked off the bat at 111.5 mph, his third home run of the season gave the Yankees (14-9) a 1-0 lead.

“Just some really good at-bats, obviously to get us going with a G-esque moonshot,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Early only faced one batter over the minimum across the next three innings before Amed Rosario drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, sparking a rally.

Aaron Judge came up next and — after an unsuccessful automated ball-strike system challenge left him in an 0-2 count — worked another walk.

One out later, Stanton roped a full-count double off the Green Monster that scored both runners, with Judge chugging around from first and scoring on an aggressive send from third base coach Luis Rojas for the 3-0 lead.

Randal Grichuk later added an insurance run in the eighth inning, belting an RBI double to the gap to make it 4-0 and cap off a solid 2-for-4 night after entering the day 2-for-20 on the season.

But the most encouraging performance came from Stanton, who offered a reminder of the threat he can be in the middle of the order if he remains healthy.

Boone has been proactive in getting Stanton regular days off in an attempt to keep him fresh over the long haul, which could allow him to be another impact bat along with Judge and Ben Rice.

“He’s a huge presence for us and glad he’s gotten some big hits here early,” Boone said. “Obviously the difference for us tonight.”

A fiery Dustin May had a solid start and JJ Wetherholt continued his on-base assault while Nathan Church flexed unexpected power as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins Tuesday night.

It only took 4 pitches before JJ Wetherholt was on base as he ripped a 1st inning double to start the game. After Ivan Herrera struck out, Alec Burleson picked him up with a single to center that scored Wetherholt making i 1-0 Cardinals.

The Miami Marlins responded in the bottom of the 1st inning when Jakob Marsee hit a home run that hit the foam padding above the right field wall which was ruled a home run after an umpires review. Honorable mention goes to Jordan Walker, though, as he rifled the ball in from right field that would have nailed Marsee at third base if the umps hadn’t ruled the ball a home run.

The Cardinals would score again in the top of the 3rd inning when JJ Wetherholt walked and then advanced to third on a hit-and-run from Ivan Herrera. He would then score as his speed forced an errant throw by Connor Narby which sailed above the catcher making it 2-1 Cardinals.

St. Louis would extend the lead in the top of the 4th inning when Masyn Winn singled and scored on a long blast by Nathan Church making it 4-1 Cardinals.

Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman helped the Cardinals add to their lead in the top of the 5th inning as Burleson hammered a line drive to the right-center field wall for a double. Nolan Gorman then went the other way on a 2-strike count dumping a single into left field scoring Burleson making it 5-1 St. Louis.

Masyn Winn then ripped a double to left field moving Gorman over the third. That knocked starter Chris Paddack out of the game for Miami as they turned to the bullpen for help. Former Cardinal John King kept the Cardinals from adding any more runs as he was able to get Nathan Church out on a ball that almost floated over second baseman Edwards.

Jordan Walker’s arm was featured yet again in the bottom of the 5th inning when Jakob Marsee singled to right, but Jordan fired the ball back into the infield to Gorman who was able to catch Marsee venturing too far off of first base and he was tagged out in a rundown which was a key play in keeping Miami from scoring again.

Other than the awkward first inning home run to Marsee, Dustin May had nasty stuff (in a good way) as he only allowed 6 hits through 5 1/3 innings, struck out 5, only walked 1 and only gave up 1 earned run. The Marlins did make solid contact, but had little to show for it. Justin Bruihl was brought in to finish off the bottom of the 6th inning and he was able to get a groundout and a flyout to keep the game 5-1 Cardinals. Bruihl would also stay in the game through the bottom of the 7th and held the Marlins scoreless although 2 did reach base after he hit them.

Ryan Stanek was brought in to deal with the Marlins in the bottom of the 8th inning. He began by striking out Lopez, but then gave up back-to-back walks. After getting another strikeout, he walked another to load the bases. He then gave up a two-run single to Heriberto Hernández making it 5-3 Cardinals before he was removed by manager Oli Marmol. Here’s a fun fact: the name Stanek is of Slavic origin and means “one who achieves glory” which has yet to happen for the Cardinals. George Soriano was brought in to stop the run hemorrhaging which he did by striking out Norby. Riley O’Brien closed out the Marlins in the bottom of the 9th to seal the Cardinals 5-3 victory for his 7th save with some help from Pedro Pagés who made good use of the ABS system on a crucial 2-strike call. The win moves the Cardinals to 14-9 on the young season.

Offensive shoutouts to Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn and Nathan Church who all had 2 hits for the Cardinals Tuesday night.

St. Louis will try to win the series Wednesday when they send Kyle Leahy to the mound against Janson Junk who will make the start for Miami. First pitch scheduled for 11:10am central time Wednesday.

It is hard to believe that this is the same team that recently had a six game win streak. Maybe the Rays were never that good, and the Yankees and White Sox just aren’t much competition?

Yesterday the Rays lost in part due to bad luck and less than stellar defense.

Tonight, the team fell apart just about every other way. This wasn’t bad luck. This was just terrible, no energy, no strategy, no hope baseball. Don’t let the almost respectable score fool you. This was a debacle.

Matz apparently met his match(z) in the Cincinnati lineup. In the first inning, Ely de la Cruz hit a two run home to put the Reds up 2-0. In the second inning, two Reds players each hit solo shots and it was 4-0.

Brian Anderson commented that Matz’s stuff seemed fine but his location is off. That is a very kind, nearly euphemistic way of saying the guy was nowhere near the strike zone. Three innings. Four walks. Throwing nearly more balls than strikes. I’d think most pitchers could do better blindfolded. Not only did he put the Rays in a big hole, but left a tired bullpen to get through six innings, with a day game tomorrow.

And believe me, the six bullpen innings were not pretty. Walks, hits, runs.

Altogether, the Rays 5 pitchers gave up 12 runs (include five home runs) and ten — TEN — walks. Just a disaster. The last pitcher was actually position player Ben Williamson, and he did not do any worse than the actual pitchers! A mere solo home run, practically a clean inning.

The Rays largely seemed flummoxed by Chase Burns, but then again they’ve been flummoxed in general for the last few games, and Burns is really good. In fact the only fun part of this game, in those moments in which I could pretend I wasn’t actually a Rays fan, was when they showed slow motion video of a Burns’ pitch that seemed to move in eight different directions as it crossed the plate.

The Rays managed to scatter a few singles. Jonathan Aranda managed to square one up and hit a two-run home run. But Burns was very effective for 5.2 innings, and the Cincinnati bullpen was equally tough for the Rays.

The best scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the ninth, when Kyle Nicolas, no doubt the low man in the Cincinnati bullpen (because that’s the sort of pitcher you throw in to pitch the ninth when you have a 10 run lead). Nicolas walked the bases loaded and then walked in two runs. He then gave up a very lucky (for the Rays) 2 run-double, a bloop hit that was barely fair, and made the score 12-6. But a lazy fly ball ended the rally and the game.

Boy, does it feel good to beat Boston.

The Yankees got their heads right over the weekend in their home sweep of Kansas City and carried that momentum to Fenway Park, handling the scuffling Red Sox in the first rivalry meeting of 2026. Luis Gil had little trouble shutting down a brittle Boston offense, and the previously-slumping Giancarlo Stanton smashed two extra-base hits to lead New York’s offensive attack. The Bomber bullpen took care of the rest of the paperwork in a 4-0 final as the Yanks collected their league-leading fifth shutout win.

In Gil’s previous outing, the Angels feasted on his fastball, taking him yard off the pitch three times in five innings. Tonight, though, a struggling Red Sox lineup simply couldn’t square him up. Gil allowed a pair of knocks in the first two innings, but from that point he did not allow a hit for the rest of the night. The fastball wasn’t the overpowering offering we saw in his rookie year—in the New England chill, he only averaged 93.6 mph on it—but the Red Sox just couldn’t make hard contact.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees had just extended the lead to 3-0, giving him some extra cushion. He responded by retiring the top of the order in four pitches. He finally lost his command with two walks in the seventh, but some excellent relief work from Brent Headrick preserved his scoreless outing. He finished with 6.1 innings pitched, two hits, three walks, and two strikeouts, only permitting two Boston hitters to even reach scoring position.

The first of Stanton’s two salvos came in the second inning when he put one out of sight—at least, from the vantage point of the YES booth. Stanton’s 111.5 mph blast left the yard at such a high arc that neither Joe Girardi and Michael Kay really saw it go. The launch angle was an absolutely comical 41 degrees—usually a pop-up, unless you have freakish power like Stanton does. That swing busted him out of a 1-for-21 skid.

Big G’s second big hit came following a pair of walks issued by Early to Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge. By this point in the game, Early was losing his edge, nibbling around the strike zone and playing with his food after getting to two strikes. Rosario walked on four pitches, but Judge worked his way back from 0-2 down. So did Stanton. Once he’d gotten the count full, Early was forced to re-enter the strike zone—and he was punished. Giancarlo pounded a changeup off the Monster, scoring both Rosario and Judge to supplement the Yankee lead.

After surrendering lhis third free pass of the inning, Early was finally lifted. The Yankees went on to leave the bases loaded against reliever Jack Anderson—and José Caballero burned their final ABS challenge—but the damage was done.

An unlikely but welcome source helped add on against Anderson in the eighth inning. Ceddanne Rafaela began the frame with a spectacular leaping catch to rob Stanton of what would’ve been his third extra-base hit, but Cody Bellinger slapped an opposite field single to start a rally which was immediately converted by Randal Grichuk. Inserted into the lineup to face the left-handed Early, Aaron Boone opted to keep Grichuk in against the right-handed reliever. Grichuk rewarded the decision with a double into the left-center gap. Bellinger hustled around to score all the way from first to give New York a big insurance run.

Boston’s Carlos Narváez led off the eighth with a single, leading to a call for Tim Hill—who delivered a quintessential Tim Hill performance. He got all three of Roman Anthony, Willson Contreras, and Masataka Yoshida to roll over on grounders to retire the side and set the stage for David Bednar in the ninth. The Yankee closer worked around a Rafaela single to complete the shutout, striking out pinch-hitter Jarren Duran for the 27th out.

The Bombers seek to extend their winning streak to five games tomorrow night. It’ll be two top-flight lefties and former NL East foes facing off: Max Fried against Ranger Suarez. First pitch is once again set for 6:45 pm; as a Wednesday night game, coverage will be on Prime Video.

Box Score

After a road trip, it’s always nice to get home, and the Tigers were certainly happy to be back at Comerica Park. The first game of their series against the Brewers had Keider Montero on the mound for the Tigers, and Kyle Harrison up for the Brewers. Right now, before you continue reading this, I need you to look at a photo of Kyle Harrison and tell me he doesn’t look like Andy Dirks’ brother.

In the first inning, with two outs on the board, Jake Bauers singled. A Gary Sanchez groundout ended the inning, though. In the home half, Gleyber Torres was hit by a pitch with one out. A passed ball then allowed Torres to advance to second. Unfortunately, two outs came right on the heels of that boon and the Tigers did what they love to do: leave a man stranded.

Top of the second, and while it looked like the Tigers had their first out, Garrett Mitchell quickly called for a review, and at a very quick glance, he was right to, and the call was overturned, putting a man on first. Luis Rengifo drew a walk. Sal Frelick then followed that up with a single, which brought Mitchell home for the first run of the game. A perfectly placed bunt single from David Hamilton loaded the bases. Montero finally got the first out of the inning, but it soon got uglier. Bruce Turang singled, scoring two runs. Hamilton made a push for home but was tagged out. The Brewers were up by three at the mid-point of the second. In the home half, Riley Greene got a one-out single, and Spencer Torkelson singled right behind him, but the Tigers would leave both baserunners stranded.

Montero course corrected nicely in the third, getting the side out in order. The Tigers built up another opportunity in the bottom of the third. Kevin McGonigle got a two-out double, and Matt Vierling followed that with a walk, but once again the Tigers left two on base.

The fourth saw another 1-2-3 inning for Montero against the Brewers, something he and the team desperately needed if they hoped to overcome the gap in the score. Greene took a leadoff walk in the home half, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Torkelson then walked. Hao-Yu Lee singled, and with the bases loaded, that was it for Harrison, who was pulled and replaced by Grant Anderson. Anderson’s first order of business was to induce a double play off the bat of Javier Baez, but the Tigers did score their first run of the game in Riley Greene. They’d have to settle for just the one run for now, though.

The Brewers once again went three-up, three-down in the fifth. In the home half, the Tigers continued to attempt to make something happen. Torres got a leadoff single, but a flyout and double play meant he didn’t get much of a chance to score.

Two outs into the sixth, Montero’s night was done. His final line for the game was 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K on 88 pitches. We’ve certainly seen better from him this season, but it was nice to see a strong course correction after he floundered early in the game. He ended up getting 12 outs in a row before being pulled. Enmanuel De Jesus came out of the pen to replace him, and he got the final out of the inning. Trevor Megill came out of the Brewers pen in the bottom of the inning and got the Tigers out in order.

A nice streak of 15 outs in a row against the Brewers ended in the seventh with a two-out single to Hamilton. Blake Perkins then took a walk. A throwing error was charged to De Jesus on a pickoff attempt. Then Turang singled, bringing Hamilton home. Just an ugly inning, and it kept getting worse as a William Contreras line drive headed to left and scored another run. The Tigers managed to get out of the inning without more runs scoring, but when it was all said and done, the score was now 5-1 for the Brewers. Aaron Ashby was the new pitcher for Milwaukee in the bottom of the inning. Lee took a leadoff walk, even though the Brewers challenged a ball call, it was confirmed correct. With two outs, Torres walked as well, putting two men on. It was another case of Tigers Threaten But Do Not Score, though.

Gary Sanchez started the inning with a triple. Mitchell then got a triple of his own, scoring another run. Rengifo singled as Vierling just barely missed making the catch in right. This scored another run. No one was warming, so this is just how we live now. Sal Frelick walked. If you’re still reading at this point, you’re a real one. Hamilton then singled, which should have been a pretty run-of-the-mill grounder, but nope, instead it’s bases loaded. Can a whole team be charged with defensive indifference? De Jesus was finally pulled. Connor Seabold came in and decided to maintain the status quo by hitting Blake Perkins with a pitch to walk in a run. Sure, why not? The Tigers finally got their first out of the inning with a Turang flyout, but another run scored. Then a Contreras single brought in yet another one. A well-placed double into left by Bauers scored another run. 10 batters into this inning, and we still have only one out. Sanchez, in his second at-bat, grounded out, scoring a run, but also getting the Tigers a much-needed out. The Tigers finally got out of the inning, but seven runs scored, and everyone was a little worse-off personally for having watched it.

Jake Woodford was the new Brewers pitcher. Dillon Dingler reached thanks to a fielding error by Joey Ortiz, but was eliminated in a force out.

Ah, at last, a silver lining! POSITION PLAYER PITCHING! Jake Rogers came out for the top of the ninth, tossing his cute little eephus pitch, and with it, he collected his first career strikeout. He collected two outs before giving up a single to Hamilton. Blake Perkins hit a groundball that took an unexpected hop to keep it from being an out, but the Tigers did manage to get out of the inning without any runs scoring, so go Jake go! In the bottom of the inning, a pinch-hitting Colt Keith hit a one-out single. Wenceel Perez, also pinch-hitting, then singled. McGonigle came through, singling and bringing Keith home. McGonigle advanced to second on defensive indifference, and that was followed by a Vierline double, that scored two more runs. The mini rally was good for the soul, but a flyout to right ended the inning and the game.

Final: Brewers 12, Tigers 4

The most tangible glimmer of hope for the Mets on Monday occurred hours before they attempted to snap an 11-game losing streak.

Juan Soto, out since early April, sprinted from home to first base, then from first to third before running from second to home, simulating different baserunning scenarios.

Meanwhile, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed Soto — pending any last-minute setbacks — is expected to return from his right calf strain Wednesday.

That meant the Mets opened their three-game series against the Twins and their nine-game homestand at Citi Field with some peace of mind, knowing their $765 million outfielder — one of their only productive hitters before sustaining the injury in San Francisco — was set to return to the lineup. Questions remain about how they’ll balance his time in the field and at designated hitter. But the desperate Mets need a jolt, and Soto’s presence alone will be tasked with providing just that.

“It definitely helps,” Mendoza said pregame, “but we cannot put all the pressure on one player. We got a lot of good players in there that, unfortunately, they’re going through it for quite a bit now. Yes, his presence in the lineup — nobody’s going to deny that. But putting all the pressure, ‘Oh we’re gonna have Juan Soto now’ and all of a sudden you start winning, that’s not fair for him either.

“But adding him to the lineup will definitely help.”

Soto, who logged 160 games last season during his first year in Queens, hasn’t played during the losing streak.

When he injured his calf running from first to third April 3, the Mets were hovering around .500. He was hitting .355 with a .928 OPS, and the Mets managed to overcome his absence with three consecutive wins at first.

But then the losing streak began.

The Mets were outscored 62-19 entering play Monday. Everyone in the lineup largely stopped hitting, failing to maximize at-bats the way Soto often does.

One year after finishing third in National League MVP voting, Soto had already collected 11 hits and launched a homer in just eight games.

All it took for a return was one more day of full baseball activity — hitting, defense, running the bases, all of it — for Soto that served as his final test.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

He didn’t require a rehab assignment, but the Mets were still cautious with his return, trying to ensure that they won’t lose their superstar again to the same injury. That approach will continue even after he officially gets activated.

“We’re gonna have to manage that,” Mendoza said of Soto’s workload. “We still have a decision here whether we want to DH him [Wednesday] and then play in the outfield, or if he goes and plays the outfield [Wednesday], he’s gonna have to DH. We’re not gonna play him back-to-back, 18 innings at least, on the field. So he’s gonna need days off as well, but hopefully [Wednesday] is just the beginning of it with him in the lineup and then we’ll go from there.”

But the placement of Soto in the field isn’t the most pressing concern facing the Mets. They have a manager on the hot seat and a president of baseball operations whose offseason decisions are all backfiring. They entered Monday with the franchise’s longest losing streak since 2004. Their rotation has struggled. Their bullpen has struggled. Their lineup has struggled. Everything that could possibly go against the Mets seemingly has.

If they have any chance at fixing their sinking season, they need things to start going in their way. And for one night, that was the case with Soto and his looming return.

The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-0 on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

New York has now won four in a row. 

Here are some takeaways...

- Giancarlo Stanton came into the night with a career .904 OPS at Fenway and it didn't take long for him to build on that, crushing a homer over the Green Monster to open the scoring leading in the second. It was Stanton's third of the season, and his second in his last four games. 

Boston starter Connelly Early held the Yanks there for the next three innings, but Stanton struck again in the sixth, making him pay for a pair of walks with a two-run double off the monster. The slugger enjoyed himself a much-needed big night at the plate after coming in hitless in his last nine at-bats.  

- Luis Gil led the way on the other side of things for New York, delivering his best outing of the season to this point. The young right-hander had to work around traffic in each of the first three innings, stranding a man on second in the first and second, before brushing off a one-out walk in the third. 

Gil's first clean inning of the night was a six-pitch fourth. He then hit a man leading off the fifth, but went right back to cruising with some help from a double-play ball just three pitches later. Gil enjoyed another five-pitch shutdown inning after the Yanks extended the lead in the sixth.  

The 27-year-old ran out of steam in the seventh, leaving after issuing back-to-back walks. Brent Headrick entered and retired the next two batters to close Gil's line with no runs allowed on two hits and three walks while striking out just two batters over 6.1 innings of work. 

Gil now has a stellar 0.80 ERA in six career outings against the Red Sox. 

- Randal Grichuk gave the Yanks an insurance run in the eighth, lining a one out RBI double into the left-center gap. Grichuk has gotten off to a bit of a slow start offensively this season, but he put together his first multi-hit game and has how driven in runs in two straight. 

- David Bednar worked around a two-out single to close out the victory in the ninth. 

- Jazz Chisholm Jr has struggled to find his groove at the plate, but he also enjoyed his first multi-hit game of the season. The lefty-hitting infielder laced a single up the middle against Early in the top of the second and reached on a bunt hit to keep the inning going in the sixth. 

- Aaron Judge didn't do much damage but he was able to reach safely three times on the night, lining a two-out single in the top of the seventh and drawing a pair of walks. The big man is still hitting just .235 on the season, but he's also racked up a strong .337 OBP and .931 OPS.

- Ben Rice's four-game homer streak came to an end, as he went hitless across four at-bats. 

Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton

The big man paced the offense with a much-needed big night at the plate. 

Highlights

Stanton smashes a homer out to left field! pic.twitter.com/oFmxALCJUb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 21, 2026

There G goes again 👊 pic.twitter.com/4anvJV04Eh

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 22, 2026

What's next

Max Fried takes the ball against Ranger Suarez in a battle of southpaws on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.

Dodgers and Giants on Tuesday night will break their 1,288-1,288 series tie that dates back to 1890.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Giants
• Ballpark: Oracle Park, San Francisco
• Time: 6:45 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Game two of three in Anaheim. And it is another late one for you guys out east (tho I guess I’m further east than any of you). Though, if everything goes to plan, I should be flying home today. I say if all goes to plan, because we’ve had a couple times when our flight home was cancelled and we had to stay an extra day or two. It always worked out really well, we enjoyed our extra days.

But then, this will be a month away and I’m sure we’ll be ready to get home. The great part it is a direct flight, 10 hours. I’m sure there will be a few days of jet lag. Jet lag never used to get to me, but the last few years, especially coming home, it’s kicked my butt.

It will be good to be back and into a normal routine. Likely, I’ll be ten pounds heavier and be wanting to take off that weight in a hurry.

The San Francisco Giants welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.38 ERA, 2.20 FIP, with 24 strikeouts to seven walks in 22.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, in which he allowed just one hit with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings.

He’ll have his work cut out for him, facing off against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.10 ERA, 3.48 FIP, with 21 strikeouts to three walks in 25.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the New York Mets last Tuesday, in which he allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in seven and two thirds innings.

Game #23

Who: San Francisco Giants (9-13) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (16-6)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 6:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Who’s your closer, Dave Roberts?

The Dodgers’ manager paused and thought about it before offering an answer. Edwin Díaz, the closer the Dodgers signed for $69 million, is scheduled to undergo elbow surgery Wednesday and is not expected to return until after the All-Star break.

“I would say, probably, Tanner Scott,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers signed Scott for $72 million before last season, but he lost the closer’s role during the season and did not pitch in the postseason.

In his first 10 appearances this season, Scott has given up one run in 8⅔ innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Roberts, asked why he offered Scott as his answer, paused again.

“Don’t have an answer,” Roberts said. “I honestly don’t know. Tanner could pitch in the seventh tonight, and Blake [Treinen] could get the save. It’s kind of day to day.”

Alex Vesia has not given up a run in 8⅔ innings, with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Of the Dodgers’ six saves this season, Diaz has four and Vesia has two.

Why the hesitation?

“For me, I think the closer should stand out among the other guys as far as performance, a clear-cut guy at the back end,” Roberts said. “That’s my hesitation. If we don’t have a clear-cut guy that I feel should get the lion’s share, or should be the dedicated closer, then I feel that — I know people don’t like to hear — but the closer by committee.”

Girl dad

Freddie Freeman rejoined the team Tuesday, two days after the birth of his daughter. He and his wife Chelsea welcomed London Rosemary Joy Freeman, with London a nod to Chelsea’s English family and Rosemary Joy Freeman as the full name of his late mother.

“I got to hold her one last time before I got on the plane this afternoon,” Freeman said. “She’s perfect.”

After three sons, he said, the Freeman family is complete.

“You will not be seeing another baby announcement from the Freemans,” he said. “This is it. We are happily done with four. She is the perfect addition.”

In order to clear a roster spot for Freeman, the Dodgers returned first baseman-outfielder Ryan Ward to triple-A Oklahoma City. Ward made his major league debut Sunday, collecting two hits and driving in a run.

“I’ve gotten to know Ryan over the last few years," Freeman said. "He’s an incredibly hard worker. He’s worked so hard for that moment …

“We all know he can do it. I’m sure there will be another opportunity at some point for him to get back here.”

Etc.

Roberts said Shohei Ohtani, who did not bat when he last pitched, would be in the lineup as hitter and pitcher Wednesday. … Blake Snell is scheduled to start a minor league rehabilitation assignment Wednesday in Ontario. Roberts said Snell would need “most likely” four minor league appearances before rejoining the Dodgers. … The Dodgers gave center fielder Andy Pages his first day off Tuesday. Pages leads the major leagues with a .370 batting average. … Dalton Rushing started at catcher Tuesday, and Roberts said he would do so again Thursday. Will Smith started three of the four games in Colorado.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Fresh off a victory last night in Seattle, the first place A’s take on the Seattle Mariners tonight at T-Mobile Park. The A’s have not sat atop the American League West Division since June 19, 2021. It’s early and hardly an opportunity for a parade since they are just one game over .500, but it is worth noting.

Tonight, Jacob Lopez takes the mound for the A’s. The 28-year-old lefty is 1-1 in four starts this season with a 6.38 ERA. He’ll go up against Luis Castillo for the Mariners. Castillo is 0-1 after four starts, with a 5.40 ERA in eighteen innings.

Castillo will go up against this lineup for the visiting Athletics:

Lopez will face this lineup for the Mariners:

Follow the Game:

Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

After coughing up a three-run lead in a loss last night, the Mariners hope to even the series against the Athletics Tuesday night.

Luis Castillo gets the ball for the M’s, still in search of his first win of 2026 in his fifth start. With a 5.40 ERA this season, the results haven’t been on La Piedra’s side to this point, though his 3.30 FIP suggests some bad luck.

Last time out in San Diego, Castillo allowed quite a bit of hard contact for one earned run over 5.1 innings — though that line is a tad deceiving. He gave up four runs in total, all of which came during an ill-fated second inning in which he made an error on a throw to Josh Naylor at first that maybe should’ve been picked, making three of the runs unearned. All in all, no one is accusing the Mariners infield of putting on a defensive clinic lately, but Castillo didn’t exactly look sharp either. He’ll look to bounce back in the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park.

The Athletics will counter with Jacob Lopez (1-1, 6.38 ERA), who is also making his fifth start of the season. For more on the pitching matchup, you can check out the series preview written by Jake Mailhot.

In other news this afternoon, the Mariners designated RHP Casey Legumina for assignment in the aftermath of his losing decision last night. As a corresponding move, RHP Alex Hoppe was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and will join the Mariners bullpen. His first appearance will be his major league debut. John Trupin wrote about the roster move here.

Lineups

The Mariners are rolling out their righty platoon to face the lefty Lopez. Cal Raleigh will get a DH day while Mitch Garver is behind the dish. With Rob Refsnyder in the lineup batting leadoff, J.P. Crawford slots down to sixth.

Game Information

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT

TV: Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryon Healy and Ryan Rowland-Smith

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.