Category: MLB

The 2025 Mets had a terrible time turning around games late. Through 11 games of the 2026 season, the Mets are showing a penchant for late-inning drama.

“We’re never out of games,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his club’s 4-3 win that saw them score one run in the eighth to tie it before Ronny Mauricio's walk-off hit in the 10th.

“We’re gonna continue to grind at-bats, and it’s a good feeling in the dugout. Understanding that we get one guy on, we got the ability to keep the line moving. And it’s good to see it this early,” he said of the comeback culture being established in the season’s first fortnight.

Before Tuesday’s heroics, the Mets overturned a one-run deficit in the 11th for a win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 deficit with a four-run eighth for a win in San Francisco.

Mendoza called last year’s stats – which had the Mets going 0-70 when trailing after eight innings – “crazy.”

“It’s hard to explain, it’s baseball,” the skipper said. “Here we are within the first 10, 11 games, coming back, it’s good to see.

“I think it’s guys trusting each other, trusting their preparation, their game plan, not panicking, and just continuing to have fun, and continue to have good at-bats.”

And part of being able to come back is the bullpen keeping the game close. On Tuesday, the Mets’ final four relievers came into the game looking to keep the deficit to one run, and they delivered five shutout innings, capped by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the ninth and 10th.

"They are used to pitching in high-leverage situations,” Mendoza said of Williams and Weaver. “That's what we brought them in for, to lock games down, to keep games in there for us, and today was a perfect example.”

So far, the bullpen has allowed just seven runs over its first 43.1 innings, second-fewest in baseball, and is holding opponents to a .213 average, seventh-lowest.

Pushing the right buttons

The decision to send up Ronny Mauricio in the 10th may have been Mendoza’s best call of the day, but it only came about because he pushed the right button earlier in the game, too.

On Sunday, Jared Young was called upon to fill in for Brett Baty and make just his second-ever start in the outfield. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and collected an outfield assist before he was substituted for pinch-hitter Luis Torrens, who hit the game-winning two-RBI double.

On Tuesday, he was called who was called upon to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning and came through with the game-tying sacrifice fly.

“He’s gonna continue to give you professional at-bats,” Mendoza said, adding that it was likely just the wind that kept Young’s fly ball to right from being a three-run home run. “It’s one of those nights that that ball doesn’t go out, but it was like 107 [mph off the bat] with a 39 [degree launch angle]. That ball should be in the bullpen.”

“He’s a pro,” the skipper continued. “He’s another guy that understands his role. Another guy that, even though his name is not in the lineup, he knows opportunities are coming.”

Mendoza said that with the Diamondbacks’ righty-heavy bullpen, there were a couple of pitchers he was targeting who would present matchup troubles for his righty batters. Jonathan Loáisiga was one of them, which is why he lifted Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat himself, for Young in that situation.

“You watch the inning unfold,” he said, mentioning hits from lefties Jorge Polanco and Baty, “the game is basically telling you to continue to trust your guts there.”

“And as hard as it is to take the bat away from Mark,” the skipper added, “it’s first and third, double-play is in play, Loáisiga is a big-time groundball pitcher. You got a pretty good left-handed bat off the bench, I felt like I needed to do it. I’m glad he got the job done.”

Hold onto your hats

The Mets moved the start time of Tuesday’s game up by three hours because of the expected cold temperatures and windy conditions, but there was no escaping the cold and wind even with the mid-afternoon first pitch. 

“Tough conditions overall,” Mendoza said. “With how windy it was, that ball was moving pretty much everywhere.”

“Crazy,” starter Freddy Peralta said of the conditions. “It was a battle. From the first pitch of the game, I knew. I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have days like that.”

Was it the wind or the cold? “It was a little bit of everything,” the starter said, “but it was more the wind. It was coming straight from [behind] home plate to me, but I was trying to make adjustments.”  

Weaver said it is all part of the game. 

“The winds kinda blowing in pretty hard in your face,” Weaver said. “I don’t know. I’m in a box most of the game, so the heat is on and it feels pretty good until you get out into the climates. You’re really hoping to be efficient. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s early in the season, you know you’re gonna get this every year. And then it’s gonna get really hot and then we’re gonna complain about that, too. And then we’ll get to September and we’ll be right back to where we started. Just happy to be here.”

The 2025 Mets had a terrible time turning around games late. Through 11 games of the 2026 season, the Mets are showing a penchant for late-inning drama.

“We’re never out of games,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his club’s 4-3 win that saw them score one run in the eighth to tie it before Ronny Mauricio's walk-off hit in the 10th.

“We’re gonna continue to grind at-bats, and it’s a good feeling in the dugout. Understanding that we get one guy on, we got the ability to keep the line moving. And it’s good to see it this early,” he said of the comeback culture being established in the season’s first fortnight.

Before Tuesday’s heroics, the Mets overturned a one-run deficit in the 11th for a win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 deficit with a four-run eighth for a win in San Francisco.

Mendoza called last year’s stats – which had the Mets going 0-70 when trailing after eight innings – “crazy.”

“It’s hard to explain, it’s baseball,” the skipper said. “Here we are within the first 10, 11 games, coming back, it’s good to see.

“I think it’s guys trusting each other, trusting their preparation, their game plan, not panicking, and just continuing to have fun, and continue to have good at-bats.”

And part of being able to come back is the bullpen keeping the game close. On Tuesday, the Mets’ final four relievers came into the game looking to keep the deficit to one run, and they delivered five shutout innings, capped by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the ninth and 10th.

"They are used to pitching in high-leverage situations,” Mendoza said of Williams and Weaver. “That's what we brought them in for, to lock games down, to keep games in there for us, and today was a perfect example.”

So far, the bullpen has allowed just seven runs over its first 43.1 innings, second-fewest in baseball, and is holding opponents to a .213 average, seventh-lowest.

Pushing the right buttons

The decision to send up Ronny Mauricio in the 10th may have been Mendoza’s best call of the day, but it only came about because he pushed the right button earlier in the game, too.

On Sunday, Jared Young was called upon to fill in for Brett Baty and make just his second-ever start in the outfield. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and collected an outfield assist before he was substituted for pinch-hitter Luis Torrens, who hit the game-winning two-RBI double.

On Tuesday, he was called who was called upon to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning and came through with the game-tying sacrifice fly.

“He’s gonna continue to give you professional at-bats,” Mendoza said, adding that it was likely just the wind that kept Young’s fly ball to right from being a three-run home run. “It’s one of those nights that that ball doesn’t go out, but it was like 107 [mph off the bat] with a 39 [degree launch angle]. That ball should be in the bullpen.”

“He’s a pro,” the skipper continued. “He’s another guy that understands his role. Another guy that, even though his name is not in the lineup, he knows opportunities are coming.”

Mendoza said that with the Diamondbacks’ righty-heavy bullpen, there were a couple of pitchers he was targeting who would present matchup troubles for his righty batters. Jonathan Loáisiga was one of them, which is why he lifted Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat himself, for Young in that situation.

“You watch the inning unfold,” he said, mentioning hits from lefties Jorge Polanco and Baty, “the game is basically telling you to continue to trust your guts there.”

“And as hard as it is to take the bat away from Mark,” the skipper added, “it’s first and third, double-play is in play, Loáisiga is a big-time groundball pitcher. You got a pretty good left-handed bat off the bench, I felt like I needed to do it. I’m glad he got the job done.”

Hold onto your hats

The Mets moved the start time of Tuesday’s game up by three hours because of the expected cold temperatures and windy conditions, but there was no escaping the cold and wind even with the mid-afternoon first pitch. 

“Tough conditions overall,” Mendoza said. “With how windy it was, that ball was moving pretty much everywhere.”

“Crazy,” starter Freddy Peralta said of the conditions. “It was a battle. From the first pitch of the game, I knew. I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have days like that.”

Was it the wind or the cold? “It was a little bit of everything,” the starter said, “but it was more the wind. It was coming straight from [behind] home plate to me, but I was trying to make adjustments.”  

Weaver said it is all part of the game. 

“The winds kinda blowing in pretty hard in your face,” Weaver said. “I don’t know. I’m in a box most of the game, so the heat is on and it feels pretty good until you get out into the climates. You’re really hoping to be efficient. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s early in the season, you know you’re gonna get this every year. And then it’s gonna get really hot and then we’re gonna complain about that, too. And then we’ll get to September and we’ll be right back to where we started. Just happy to be here.”

The 2025 Mets had a terrible time turning around games late. Through 11 games of the 2026 season, the Mets are showing a penchant for late-inning drama.

“We’re never out of games,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his club’s 4-3 win that saw them score one run in the eighth to tie it before Ronny Mauricio's walk-off hit in the 10th.

“We’re gonna continue to grind at-bats, and it’s a good feeling in the dugout. Understanding that we get one guy on, we got the ability to keep the line moving. And it’s good to see it this early,” he said of the comeback culture being established in the season’s first fortnight.

Before Tuesday’s heroics, the Mets overturned a one-run deficit in the 11th for a win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 deficit with a four-run eighth for a win in San Francisco.

Mendoza called last year’s stats – which had the Mets going 0-70 when trailing after eight innings – “crazy.”

“It’s hard to explain, it’s baseball,” the skipper said. “Here we are within the first 10, 11 games, coming back, it’s good to see.

“I think it’s guys trusting each other, trusting their preparation, their game plan, not panicking, and just continuing to have fun, and continue to have good at-bats.”

And part of being able to come back is the bullpen keeping the game close. On Tuesday, the Mets’ final four relievers came into the game looking to keep the deficit to one run, and they delivered five shutout innings, capped by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the ninth and 10th.

"They are used to pitching in high-leverage situations,” Mendoza said of Williams and Weaver. “That's what we brought them in for, to lock games down, to keep games in there for us, and today was a perfect example.”

So far, the bullpen has allowed just seven runs over its first 43.1 innings, second-fewest in baseball, and is holding opponents to a .213 average, seventh-lowest.

Pushing the right buttons

The decision to send up Ronny Mauricio in the 10th may have been Mendoza’s best call of the day, but it only came about because he pushed the right button earlier in the game, too.

On Sunday, Jared Young was called upon to fill in for Brett Baty and make just his second-ever start in the outfield. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and collected an outfield assist before he was substituted for pinch-hitter Luis Torrens, who hit the game-winning two-RBI double.

On Tuesday, he was called who was called upon to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning and came through with the game-tying sacrifice fly.

“He’s gonna continue to give you professional at-bats,” Mendoza said, adding that it was likely just the wind that kept Young’s fly ball to right from being a three-run home run. “It’s one of those nights that that ball doesn’t go out, but it was like 107 [mph off the bat] with a 39 [degree launch angle]. That ball should be in the bullpen.”

“He’s a pro,” the skipper continued. “He’s another guy that understands his role. Another guy that, even though his name is not in the lineup, he knows opportunities are coming.”

Mendoza said that with the Diamondbacks’ righty-heavy bullpen, there were a couple of pitchers he was targeting who would present matchup troubles for his righty batters. Jonathan Loáisiga was one of them, which is why he lifted Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat himself, for Young in that situation.

“You watch the inning unfold,” he said, mentioning hits from lefties Jorge Polanco and Baty, “the game is basically telling you to continue to trust your guts there.”

“And as hard as it is to take the bat away from Mark,” the skipper added, “it’s first and third, double-play is in play, Loáisiga is a big-time groundball pitcher. You got a pretty good left-handed bat off the bench, I felt like I needed to do it. I’m glad he got the job done.”

Hold onto your hats

The Mets moved the start time of Tuesday’s game up by three hours because of the expected cold temperatures and windy conditions, but there was no escaping the cold and wind even with the mid-afternoon first pitch. 

“Tough conditions overall,” Mendoza said. “With how windy it was, that ball was moving pretty much everywhere.”

“Crazy,” starter Freddy Peralta said of the conditions. “It was a battle. From the first pitch of the game, I knew. I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have days like that.”

Was it the wind or the cold? “It was a little bit of everything,” the starter said, “but it was more the wind. It was coming straight from [behind] home plate to me, but I was trying to make adjustments.”  

Weaver said it is all part of the game. 

“The winds kinda blowing in pretty hard in your face,” Weaver said. “I don’t know. I’m in a box most of the game, so the heat is on and it feels pretty good until you get out into the climates. You’re really hoping to be efficient. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s early in the season, you know you’re gonna get this every year. And then it’s gonna get really hot and then we’re gonna complain about that, too. And then we’ll get to September and we’ll be right back to where we started. Just happy to be here.”

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!

Box Score

In what was lined up as a battle of aces, the game delivered for the first 5 1/2 innings. However, it was Garrett Crochet who came out on top over Jacob Misiorowski, and the Brewers dropped their second game in Boston, 3-2.

Crochet started with a 1-2-3 inning, aided by a diving catch from Isiah Kiner-Falefa that took a double away from Luis Rengifo. Meanwhile, Misiorowski needed just 15 pitches to strike out the side in the bottom of the inning.

Gary Sánchez recorded the first hit in the second with a single to left-center, and a slow ground ball from Joey Ortiz moved him to second. That was it as Crochet struck out Luis Matos, and Sal Frelick grounded out to end the inning. As for Misiorowski, he didn’t strike out the side again in the bottom of the second, but started with two more strikeouts before a groundout ended the inning.

The Brewers kept up the pressure in the third with a line drive to center from Blake Perkins that just got over the head of Marcelo Meyer. David Hamilton moved Perkins into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Crochet recovered by striking out Brandon Lockridge, but a wild pitch in the next at-bat allowed Perkins to reach third. He would be stranded there as Crochet struck out William Contreras to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox got their first baserunner from a Ceddanne Rafaela walk. Misiorowski recovered quickly with a strikeout of Connor Wong. Kiner-Falefa hit a hard-hit ground ball right by Misiorowski, but Hamilton grabbed it, tagged Rafaela, then threw to first to get Kiner-Falefa for the double play, ending the inning.

In the fourth, Sánchez drew a one-out walk to give the Brewers another baserunner. Ortiz hit a ground ball to shortstop Trevor Story, who threw to Meyer at second for the first out, but Ortiz beat the throw to first (which was off target anyway). However, the Brewers challenged, and on replay it showed that Story’s throw took Meyer off the base. Both runners were safe for Matos, but another ground ball to Story turned into an actual double play, ending the inning.

Misiorowski kept going in the fourth with some help from the defense. Roman Anthony hit a ground ball hard between first and second, but Hamilton made a diving grab, and a great catch from Sánchez beat Anthony to first.

Jarren Duran struck out for the second out, but Willson Contreras got the first hit for the Red Sox by singling to right. He would be stranded there as Misiorowski hit the outside corner against Wilyer Abreu for his eighth strikeout of the night, ending the inning.

Both pitchers kept dealing through the fifth. The bottom of the Brewers’ batting order went down in order against Crochet. As for Misiorowski, he started the fifth with a Story groundout and Meyer strikeout. The Red Sox did have a scoring chance thanks to a Rafaela single and a Wong hit-by-pitch, but Kiner-Falefa grounded out softly to end the inning. Through five innings, both pitchers had allowed just two hits and walked one. Crochet had five strikeouts and Misiorowki nine.

In the sixth, Crochet worked around a one-out single by Wm. Contreras for a scoreless inning, adding on two more strikeouts (the second confirmed on replay). Misiorowski started the inning strong with his 10th strikeout of the night. However, his mechanics fell apart after that. He walked the next three batters (Duran, Wn. Contreras, Abreu) badly, throwing 11 straight balls and 12 in 13 pitches. That ended his night as manager Pat Murphy went to DL Hall, who had not been warming up for long.

Hall started well with two strikes to Story. Unfortunately, his third pitch was a hanging changeup that Story hit down the left field line, scoring two. Pinch-hitter Caleb Durbin hit a ground ball off the first-base side of the mound, and the bounce meant Hamilton had no chance at getting the runner at home, so Hamilton took the out at first. A ground ball to Ortiz from Rafaela ended the inning, but the damage was done. Misiorowski was charged with three runs, and the Red Sox had a 3-0 lead.

While some may question why Misiorowski was left in for so long, the Red Sox made a similar decision with Crochet, and it had similar results. Ortiz led off the seventh with a single. Crochet responded with a strikeout of Matos, but a single from Frelick and a walk to Perkins loaded the bases. Then, with David Hamilton up, Crochet hit him with the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring Ortiz to put the Brewers on the board. That ended Crochet’s day, as Zack Kelly entered with the bases loaded and one out.

The Brewers called on Christian Yelich to counter Kelly. After working to a 2-2 count, Yelich hit a hard ground ball between second and third. Durbin just managed to knock it down and get Hamilton at second, but Frelick scored to make it a 3-2 game. Yelich then stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Unfortunately, Wm. Contreras couldn’t cash them in, with a ground ball to Story ending the inning.

Hall remained out for the bottom of the seventh inning, retiring the side in order to keep it a one-run game. Meanwhile, the Red Sox went to Garrett Whitlock, their set-up man, for the eighth inning. After a rough outing on Monday, Whitlock rebounded against the Brewers with a clean inning of work. Hall continued into the bottom of the eighth, and walked Wn. Contreras around a flyout and groundout. Jake Woodford finished up the inning, getting Story to fly out and keeping it a one-run game.

The Brewers had one final chance against closer Aroldis Chapman. It started with a first-pitch flyout from Matos. Frelick then worked a four-pitch walk as Chapman was missing the strike zone badly. Unfortunately, Perkins didn’t take advantage and hit the first pitch to short, setting up an easy double play that ended the game.

Opportunities to score were limited in this one. The Brewers managed just five hits, three walks, and a hit-by-pitch on offense. Sánchez, Frelick, and Perkins were each on base twice with a hit and a walk. Hamilton and Yelich each had an RBI.

Meanwhile, Misiorowski was brilliant for 5 1/3 innings for the Brewers, but his line will be marred by those late three walks and the three inherited runners that Hall allowed to score. Hall saved most of the bullpen with 2 1/3 innings of work, but his scoreless appearance is marred by those runs. Woodford retired the only batter he saw to finish up the pitching staff’s day.

For the third straight series, the Brewers will head into a rubber match to try to win the series. The Red Sox will send out Sonny Gray for the afternoon game. Meanwhile, the Brewers have pulled back from Chad Patrick (who would have been starting on short rest) as their probable and have not announced a new one. They will either make a roster move before tomorrow’s game or roll with Shane Drohan in his MLB debut. First pitch is set for 12:45 p.m. on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

For once, we have some good injury news to report here in Braves Country. Earlier today, Walt Weiss provided some new information on both injured pitcher Spencer Strider and injured catcher Sean Murphy. While Strider still seems to be working his way towards health, the return of Murphy appears to be relatively imminent. Walt Weiss informed the media that Sean Murphy will be beginning a rehab assignment on Friday.

Needless to say, this is a very positive development on both fronts. Assuming Spencer Strider’s live BP goes well, that could be the prelude to a rehab assignment for him that should get him back on the field shortly. As far as Murphy goes, he was seen taking BP during Atlanta’s last homestand so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise since it was apparent that he was ramping up baseball activities in recent times.

The obvious hope is that we don’t hear about any setbacks for either Murphy or Strider — oblique injuries are tricky to deal with in Strider’s case and hopefully Murphy will be pain-free for the first time in a handful of years. It’s still genuinely shocking to know that Murphy had been playing with a bad hip for as long as he did but as long as it’s taken care of and he can return to the lineup and be productive, then that’ll simply be water under the bridge.

So again, it’s lovely to be able to talk about some good injury news around here for once. We’ll keep you posted on any further developments concerning injury updates but for now, we’re getting closer and closer to the Braves getting their intended band back together at some point in the near future.

For once, we have some good injury news to report here in Braves Country. Earlier today, Walt Weiss provided some new information on both injured pitcher Spencer Strider and injured catcher Sean Murphy. While Strider still seems to be working his way towards health, the return of Murphy appears to be relatively imminent. Walt Weiss informed the media that Sean Murphy will be beginning a rehab assignment on Friday.

Needless to say, this is a very positive development on both fronts. Assuming Spencer Strider’s live BP goes well, that could be the prelude to a rehab assignment for him that should get him back on the field shortly. As far as Murphy goes, he was seen taking BP during Atlanta’s last homestand so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise since it was apparent that he was ramping up baseball activities in recent times.

The obvious hope is that we don’t hear about any setbacks for either Murphy or Strider — oblique injuries are tricky to deal with in Strider’s case and hopefully Murphy will be pain-free for the first time in a handful of years. It’s still genuinely shocking to know that Murphy had been playing with a bad hip for as long as he did but as long as it’s taken care of and he can return to the lineup and be productive, then that’ll simply be water under the bridge.

So again, it’s lovely to be able to talk about some good injury news around here for once. We’ll keep you posted on any further developments concerning injury updates but for now, we’re getting closer and closer to the Braves getting their intended band back together at some point in the near future.

Maybe this is the spark the Blue Jays need.

A fired-up John Schneider — who literally turned red in the face — got ejected on Tuesday night after arguing what he thought was an improper balk call against his starting pitcher.

In the top of the fifth inning with the Blue Jays trailing 2-0 to the Dodgers, starter Kevin Gausman was called for a balk, allowing Hyeseong Kim to advance from first base to second.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider was LIVID and got ejected after a called balk pic.twitter.com/0e9lec93zl

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 8, 2026

Schneider was immediately incensed and got in the face of home plate umpire Dan Merzel, who called the balk. Merzel promptly gave the Toronto skipper the heave-ho.

But that didn’t mean Schneider didn’t get his money’s worth, as he got right in the face of the ump for over 30 seconds of an impassioned argument.

In the short term, though, the ejection proved unfruitful; Los Angeles’ Alex Freeland brought in Kim with an RBI single during the very same at-bat.

It’s been a slow start to the year for the American League champions, who were 4-6 entering Tuesday night’s showdown, a 2025 World Series rematch.

Toronto started the new season with a series-opening sweep of the A’s but lost back-to-back series to the Rockies and White Sox, the latter a sweep on the South Side of Chicago.

Monday night proved to be another brutal day for the Blue Jays in a 14-2 loss to the Dodgers that saw World Series hero Miguel Vargas pitch the final inning. On top of the loss, starter Max Scherzer left his outing with a forearm issue. And, before Tuesday’s game, the Blue Jays announced starter Cody Ponce is likely out for the year after undergoing ACL surgery.

“I don’t want the woe is me, you know what I mean? It’s what can we do now?” Schneider told reporters Monday night. “Right now, not just our depth is being tested, our creativity is being tested as a group, like, how are we going to cover this, what are we going to do? It’s not always perfect, but we take a lot of pride in that and players do, too. The last five games have been really tough. But they’re in a good frame of mind.”

Every now and then last season, Ben Rice would pay a visit to his Baseball Savant page.

“Especially when things were, in terms of luck, not really going my way,” Rice said Tuesday. “I would just check on it.” 

What the Yankees first baseman would find was a lot of red, meaning most of his underlying metrics — like average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and expected batting average and slugging percentage — were among the higher percentiles in the majors.

Of course, that reassurance only went so far when he was not consistently getting the surface-level numbers that his batted-ball data suggested he should be — which placed him among the best hitters in the game, like having the seventh-best hard-hit rate (56.1 percent, tied with Rafael Devers and just ahead of Juan Soto) and boasting the ninth-best average exit velocity (93.3 mph, between Devers and Bobby Witt Jr.).

“I think you can only put so much stock into it, because the reality is the actual performance was not on par with the best players in the league,” Rice said before the Yankees opened a series against the A’s. “It was solid last year, but it wasn’t what the process stuff said it should be or could be or would be. In my eyes, it’s a performance-driven sport. It’s like, let’s keep finding ways to get better. Of course the process looks good, but how can we make it even better? How can we make it so you can get more power, more hits, more walks, fewer strikeouts?”

At least early on this season, the process numbers have lined up with the performance numbers, giving the lefty slugger a chance to end up among the game’s best in both areas.

Rice entered Tuesday batting .370 with an MLB-best 1.380 OPS, four doubles and three home runs. He was averaging an exit velocity of 97.6 mph, which was the second-highest mark among qualified hitters, with a league-leading 77.8 percent hard-hit rate.

“It’s good,” Rice said before offering the usual caution that comes with this time of year. “It’s so early. We always say we’ll evaluate at the end of the year. There’s no point in evaluating it now.”

But everything has been encouraging in terms of Rice looking like he is set to take another step up as the middle-of-the-order bat the Yankees believe he can be — including the fact that he has walked in nine of his 36 plate appearances.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“I think just the consistency of the at-bats every single day and the patience right out of the gate [has stood out],” manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve liked about our offense so far, is the patience, especially this time of year. Guys want to get going, or guys that are off to a little bit of a slow start, you want to get those hits, you start chasing that and then you play into the hands of the pitcher. … Benny’s been really, really good at controlling the strike zone and then when you come in there, he can really hurt you.”

In Rice’s first full season in the big leagues last year, he hit .255 with 26 home runs and a .836 OPS, which ranked 27th among qualified hitters. And yet the Yankees believed he was even better than those numbers indicated because he was hitting into a fair amount of bad luck.

Rice found some validation in those underlying metrics — after coming up through a minor league system in which he was evaluated on those “process-oriented” numbers like hitting the ball hard, he said — but it also helps to see the ball find grass, or a seat.

“There’s always a hole over the fence, so,” Rice said with a grin.

In the small sample size of the early season, Rice was also pulling the ball at a 50 percent clip — notably higher than his 37.7 percent mark last season. But he said that was not by design.

“I never try to do that,” he said. “If I do that, I’m screwed. That’s something that I do naturally. I work more on, at least in my practice, in staying through the middle of the field, because I know in the game, I speed up.”

The San Francisco Giants continue their series against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight from Oracle Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.38 ERA, 4.39 FIP with 11 strikeouts to three walks in 10.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-2 win over the New York Mets on Thursday, in which he allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in 5.1 innings pitched.

He’ll be facing off against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who enters tonight’s game with a 0.79 ERA, 1.23 FIP, with 17 strikeouts to four walks in 11.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Phillies’ 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals last Wednesday, in which he allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 5.1 innings pitched.

Game #12

Who: San Francisco Giants (3-8) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (6-4)

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