Category: MLB

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Braves:

Let’s talk about it.

The Mets and Cubs were in the thick of a pitcher's duel until the sixth inning, when a three-run shot from a pinch-hitting Carson Kelly gave Chicago the go-ahead hit in New York's 4-2 loss on Saturday afternoon.

Freddy Peralta and three relievers combined to allow only five Cubs hits, but two were home runs and accounted for all four Chicago runs.

The Mets have now lost 10 games in a row, the longest since 2004.

Here are the takeaways....

-The Mets' offensive explosion -- by their standards -- from Friday carried over early. Francisco Lindor hit a two-out single before Luis Robert Jr. smoked a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third. MJ Melendez, who started his Mets tenure 4-for-7, lofted a fly ball to left as the Cubs got out of the inning. 

Unlike Friday's game, the wind -- especially in left -- was coming in. A few balls hit that way died in midair, but it didn't matter to Mark Vientos. The slugger, who started at first base, smashed a 433-foot blast to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. The homer came off the bat at 110 mph. It's just the Mets' second home run in the last six games. The Mets made Cubs starter Jameson Taillon work hard in the first three innings, but the veteran right-hander settled down, getting through six innings without giving up another run.

Taillon tossed 100 pitches (61 strikes), allowing the one run on five hits, three walks and striking out four batters. 

-Peralta was on the mound and facing a team that knows him very well from his time with the Brewers. Ian Happ took him deep to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning, but there wasn't much doing for the Cubs lineup against Peralta. However, Peralta just wasn't efficient enough to give the Mets length. 

After getting two outs in the sixth, he walked back-to-back batters and his day was done. 

Brooks Raley came on in relief and Cubs manager Craig Counsell pinch-hit Moises Ballesteros, who is having a good series, for Kelly. Kelly ambushed Raley, launching the first-pitch cutter that had way too much plate 405 feet over the wall to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. It's the first time a pinch-hitter launched a homer on the first pitch this season. It also put a bow on Peralta's line.

The Mets ace went 5.2 innings (93 pitches/54 strikes), allowing three runs on three hits, two walks, while striking out three.

-Although the Mets lineup struggled to string together hits, they were a bit unlucky as well. Marcus Semien smashed a pitch to left field that Happ made a leaping grab near the left field wall. It was hit at 103.5 mph and would have been out in six ballparks, but the wind and where it was hit knocked it down. 

That luck turned in the eighth. After Bo Bichette picked up a single, a ball that bounced off Ben Brown, Lindor picked up his second hit of the game when Dansby Swanson mishandled the grounder. Robert hit a grounder that could have been a doubleplay, but the slow-developing play allowed Robert to reach first safely after Swanson's throw took Michael Busch off the bag. Melendez struck out, but Francisco Alvarez muscled a grounder between second and first base that Nico Hoerner stopped from going into the outfield, but his throw pulled Busch off the bag, and pushed the Mets' second run of the game, but couldn't get any more.

In the ninth, Tommy Pham, pinch-hitting for Brett Baty against the left-hander Caleb Thielbar, struck out to lead off the inning. Semien struck out and Tyrone Taylor, pinch-hitting for Carson Benge, flew out to end the game. The Mets outhit the Cubs 7-5 but were 0-for-6 with RISP and left eight runners on.

-Baty, starting in right field after a tough game defensively at first on Friday, went 0-for-2 but drew his first walk of the season.

Game MVP: Carson Kelly

Kelly's home run was the difference in this game

Highlights

That's WAY outta here!

Mark Vientos blasts his second home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/TjTDK6mtdp

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 18, 2026

Bo Bichette makes the long throw across the diamond to get Nico Hoerner pic.twitter.com/Cdb5amciq0

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 18, 2026

After review, Michael Busch came off first base on Francisco Alvarez's ground ball and a run comes home for the Mets pic.twitter.com/IB0AKcRiBN

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 18, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Cubs play the season finale of their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2:20 p.m.

David Peterson (0-3, 6.41 ERA) looks to bounce back as the Mets go up against Javier Assad (1-1, 8.10 ERA). 

Will Warren continues to impress early on this season, and on Saturday afternoon, the young right-hander delivered arguably his most impressive performance to this point. 

It helps that the Yankees offense broke out and spotted him a seven-run advantage through four innings, but Warren still did his job, cruising his way through the Royals’ lineup.

“It’s always nice to go out there with a lead,” Warren said. “You’re not worried about giving up one or two runs -- gave up some leadoff hits, but was able to keep my composure knowing that the boys are banging out there.”

One of those leadoff hits came on the very first pitch, as Maikel Garcia lined a double to open the game, but Warren was able to bear down and retire the next three hitters easily.

The youngster continued cruising from there, pushing the stretch to nine consecutive batters set aside before allowing a leadoff single to Bobby Witt Jr. in the top of the fourth. 

Witt was quickly erased, though, as Warren picked him off first. 

“I could see him out of the corner of my eye, hopping off the base,” he said. “I had been talking with Ben [Rice] about some stuff and we executed and got him, so I was pretty pumped.”

Warren gave up another knock leading off the fifth, but responded by striking out the next three he faced and then breezing his way through a perfect sixth. 

The lone blemish came in the seventh, as the 26-year-old gave up a single, then rookie slugger Carter Jensen jumped him for a two-run shot to right, breaking up the shutout.

Warren rolled a grounder, then finished his day matching his career-high with his 11th strikeout.

He allowed just the two runs on five hits over seven stellar frames.

“The four-seam was really playing well,” Aaron Boone said. “He got a lot of swing-and-miss, the changeup was good today too, I just think it was the overall mix -- it was good to see him take that lead and run with it, really good job.”

Warren pitched to a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts through his first five outings.

While Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are still a few rehab outings away from making their returns, this hot start certainly bodes well for the youngster keeping his spot in the Yankees' rotation. 

At least for one day, the Yankees spared themselves the drama.

After each of their previous five wins had come by taking the lead for good in their final at-bats, the Yankees jumped ahead early Saturday and kept piling on — against a lefty starter, to boot — while Will Warren turned on cruise control.

Cody Bellinger crushed two of four Yankees home runs and drove in five while Warren dominated across seven innings as the Yankees breezed to a 13-4 win over the Royals on a sunny afternoon in The Bronx.

The Yankees (12-9) had not won a game like this since the home opener on April 3, having to grind for everything in between with nothing coming easy — including 11 of their 13 games in that stretch decided by two runs or fewer, the exceptions coming in blowout losses.

But they finally synced strong pitching and strong hitting on the same day, which made for a much-needed laugher — so much so that Aaron Judge, who had played every inning of every game, got the final three innings off — as they tried to finally break out of this early-season funk with their fourth win in the past six games.

“Obviously, these games are more ideal,” Bellinger said. “We’ve had a lot of close ones recently, had a crazy series against the Angels. Will did a great job of doing what he does and for us to get a few runs on the board, that was big for us.”

That they did it against a left-hander made it even more encouraging, after southpaws had given them trouble through the early going. Entering Saturday, the Yankees’ .535 OPS against lefties was the second-lowest mark in the majors, and they were 2-4 against lefty starters.

Royals lefty Noah Cameron offered little resistance, though, as the Yankees got to him for seven runs across four innings — keyed by a five-run third inning in which Amed Rosario, Bellinger and Ben Rice all went deep.

That alone was more than enough run support for Warren, who tied a career high with 11 strikeouts while easily turning in his best start of the season. Getting ahead early and often, he scattered three hits through the first six innings before finally giving up a two-run homer to Carter Jensen in the seventh, the only damage the Royals (7-13) had against him all day.

“It’s nice to go out there with the lead,” Warren said. “You’re not worried about giving up one or two [runs].”

The Yankees have now hit 15 home runs over their last six games after hitting only 14 through their first 15 games, getting back to the kind of offense they are built for.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Bellinger, the left-handed hitter who crushed lefty pitching last season, took Cameron deep for a two-run shot to the second deck in the third inning before adding another two-run homer against righty Mitch Spencer in the sixth that made it 10-0.

“I was joking with him, he had one homer in two months since the start of spring and then two in an hour,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it’s a funny game that way. But a lot of good swings from him and obviously up and down the lineup. And against a tough lefty, too, so good to see the bats break out like that.”

Rice’s homer off Cameron marked the third straight game in which he has gone deep, his second left-on-left and seventh overall this season.

“He’s just continuing to solidify himself as one of the really outstanding hitters in the league,” Boone said. “We’re seeing that more and more, whatever hand you throw with.”

Rosario and J.C. Escarra both drove in three runs to help the cause, with Escarra doing so on a double and triple after coming into Saturday 1-for-15 with a single on the season.

The backup catcher got the third-inning rally started when his fly ball to the gap was dropped in a collision between right fielder Jac Caglianone and center fielder Kyle Isbel. He later put an exclamation point on his day with a two-run triple that made it 12-2 in the seventh.

“It’s just being ready — taking lots of swings every single day when no one’s watching,” Escarra said. “It’s great to catch Will and get some knocks in and ultimately help the team win.” 

The Royals will probably win another game this year, but you’d be forgiven if you doubted it.

Royals fans were hoping for a different result from the previous six games, and it was different, alright, just not the way they hoped. The Royals were blown out in New York. The Yankees hit four home runs – including two by Cody Bellinger, who was available as a free agent for much of the offseason. The Royals did get a home run from Carter Jensen in the seventh inning, which was nice, but only cut the deficit from 10-0 to 10-2 at that point.

If you want an inning that exemplifies the Royals’ struggles this year, the first had it for you. Maikel Garcia smacked a double down the left field line on the first pitch he saw. Unfortunately, Bobby Witt Jr. struck out swinging, Vinnie Pasquantino struck out looking (on a pitch he probably would have been best served to challenge, even if it was probably ultimately in the strike zone), and Jac Caglianone smashed a line drive at 111 MPH and a launch angle of 21 degrees to center, where it was run down by Bellinger. The ball had an expected batting average of .950, but it was just a long, loud out.

Then, when the broadcast came back from commercial break, we discovered that manager Matt Quatraro had been ejected, likely for arguing that Will Warren should have been called for a balk in the first inning. It was a curious time for the argument to occur, as at least one pitch had been thrown since the alleged balk and had nothing else changed, Caglianone’s flyout still would have ended the inning. As many fans, including your truly, would joke later: maybe Q just saw what was coming and decided he didn’t want to be in the dugout for it.

Things started off pretty good for Noah Cameron; he retired seven of the first eight he saw with a four-pitch walk to Aaron Judge. Then, with one out in the third inning, Caglianone and Kyle Isbel collided on what could have been a routine flyout, leading to a three-base error. Isbel, as the centerfielder, has priority on the play, but without having been on the field, I blame him for not being louder when calling for it. He’s the one who got the error because the ball initially landed in Jac’s glove before being jostled free by the collision. From there, things went off the rails.

Amed Rosario smashed a two-run home run, Aaron Judge took a second walk, and Cody Bellinger smashed his first home run of the day. Giancarlo Stanton hit a grounder for the second out, but Ben Rice hit a home run to make it 5-0 Yankees, and we all knew the game was basically over.

In the top of the fourth, Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a single but was picked off first base after a Vinnie Pasquantino popout and before Jac Caglianone could strike out looking. The Royals struck out 12 times on the day, 5 of those were looking. They didn’t advance a runner until Carter’s home run in the seventh, and not again until Carter’s walk in the ninth and Massey’s subsequent 2-RBI double. Isaac Collins returned to the lineup to collect a golden sombrero from the designated hitter slot. The Royals played some sloppy, sloppy baseball and look badly in need of a reset. The TV broadcast team had hoped the road trip would serve as one for the offense, but it seems to have only made things worse.

Two of Noah Cameron’s three worst starts are against the Yankees, his only two against them. Maybe Q should arrange the rotation such that Cameron never faces them again. Small hat tip to Mitch Spence, who pitched the final four innings of the game. He gave up six runs while striking out 3 and walking 5, but at least the rest of the bullpen got a day off to think about what they’d done this whole road trip.

Tomorrow, as always, is another day. It’s a day where the Royals will battle a left-handed starting pitcher, Ryan Weathers, so don’t get your hopes up too much. Cole Ragans will go for the Royals. If his stuff looks as bad as it didn’t against Detroit, don’t expect the team to be in it for very long. The game will be broadcast on Royals.TV at the same time as today’s contest, 12:35 central.

Texas Rangers lineup for April 18, 2026 against the Seattle Mariners: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and George Kirby for the Mariners.

The Rangers look to make it two in a row against the Mariners and three in a row overall. Josh Smith gets a day off.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Seager — SS

Langford — LF

Burger — 1B

Pederson — DH

Jung — 3B

Carter — CF

Duran — 2B

Higashioka — C

6:15 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +110 underdogs.

Their overall record is still fine, but the Yankees have struggled of late. Even a lot of their wins have required comebacks or them holding on for dear life over the final couple outs. That included Friday night’s series-opening win over the Royals.

On Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, the Yankees finally played a laugher. A hat trick of home runs in the third inning allowed the Yankees to open up a lead over the Royals, and they never let their foot off the gas after that. On the mound, Will Warren had a very nice day, striking out 11 Kansas City batters in his seven innings. Meanwhile, his offense kept things going, as they clubbed 11 hits and four homers in total.

That allowed the Yankees to have a pretty relaxed final couple innings, as they beat the Royals 13-4.

After a quiet first couple innings, the Yankees unleashed a barrage of homers in the third to take control. Things started out with a bit of good fortune, when a deep fly ball from J.C. Escarra ended up dropping in. That was thanks to an error on center field Kyle Isbel, but it was really a combination of Isbel and Jac Caglianone miscommunicating and colliding, causing Isbel to drop it. Just two pitches later, Amed Rosario hit a rocket out to left field to give the Yankees the lead.

After Aaron Judge drew a walk, Cody Bellinger then added a second two-run homer, taking one into the second deck in right field. Two batters after that, Ben Rice hit his third homer in as many games, as he completed the trio of third-inning dingers.

An inning later, Escarra and Bellinger were in on the action again as the Yankees tacked on. With José Caballero on base, Escarra ripped another ball to center, this one going for a RBI double, without any help. Shortly after that, Bellinger punched through a hit to score Escarra.

A couple innings after that, the Yankees got into double digits. In the sixth inning, Caballero set the table again when he led off with a single. He moved to second on an Escarra groundout and then scored when Rosario singled to pick up another RBI. Shortly after that, Bellinger went deep for the second time on the day, hitting a porch job for a second two-run shot.

Warren mostly cruised through the first six innings, but the Royals eventually got on the board in the seventh. With Caglianone on after a single, Carter Jensen homered off Warren to end the Yankees’ shutout.

However even then, the Yankees immediately answered right back. With two runners on, Escarra hit a fly ball to right. Caglianone’s attempt at a diving catch came up short, allowing both runners to score, with Escarra going to third with his first career triple.

Warren’s day ended after that, as the Yankees went to the bullpen for the eighth. His line looked even better before the seventh, but he still had a pretty good day. In his seven innings, he allowed two runs on five hits, while striking out 11 to tie his career-high.

Paul Blackburn replaced him for the eighth and had a quick and easy inning before the offense picked up one final run on a Randal Grichuk sacrifice fly. Blackburn came back out for the ninth and allowed a couple garbage time runs before sealing the deal.

The Yankees and Royals will wrap up their series in the Bronx tomorrow at 1:35 pm ET, with the Yankees trying for the series sweep. Ryan Weathers is expected to go for the Yankees, opposite Cole Ragans for Kansas City.

Box Score

The Yankees cruised to their second win in a row, beating the Royals 13-4 on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx.

Here are some takeaways...

- Aaron Boone said pregame that Amed Rosario was in the lineup against a lefty over Ryan McMahon because he earned the opportunities. Rosario immediately made the decision pay off, smacking the first of three homers to open the scoring and a commanding advantage in the bottom of the second. 

Rosario added an RBI single later in the game, bringing his OPS to .856 on the season.

- The other two homers came left-on-left and landed in the second deck. First, Cody Bellinger crushed a two-run shot, then Ben Rice cranked a 398-foot solo blast of his own, making it 5-0 Yanks. For Rice, it was his seventh homer of the season and his second against left-handed pitching. 

Bellinger reached four times, homering twice, doubling, drawing a walk, and driving in five. 

- New York tacked on again an inning later, as back-to-back extra base-hits from Jose Caballero and J.C. Escarra resulted in the sixth run of the game. Escarra has gotten off to a bit of a slow start with the bat, but he doubled home Caballero, was gifted a triple that was later ruled an error, and then drove in another with a legit triple in the seventh. 

Escarra finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base knocks and three RBI. 

- Working with the big league for most of the game, Will Warren continued his strong start to the season. The righty found himself in immediate trouble, giving up a double on the first pitch he threw, but he danced around it with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout. Warren cruised from there, retiring the next six hitters before allowing a leadoff single in the fourth. 

He quickly erased that baserunner, picking Bobby Witt Jr. off first to close another scoreless frame. The 26-year-old gave up another leadoff hit in the fifth, but then went on another run where he retired the next seven hitters in order before allowing a one-out knock in the top of the seventh. 

Two batters later, rookie Carter Jensen broke up the shutout, lifting a two-run homer to right. Warren responded by setting down the next two batters easily, ending his day with just those two runs allowed on five hits and no walks while matching his career-high with 11 strikeouts. 

The youngster is down to a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 31 strikeouts through five starts. 

- Paul Blackburn saved the Yankees' bullpen by eating the final two innings, but he gave up a pair of runs on a walk and two hits in the top of the ninth. 

- It wasn't all pretty for New York, as Jazz Chisholm Jr's struggles continued. Boone said pregame that he thought the slumping infielder wasn't too far off the plate, but he went hitless in four at-bats with a pair of strikeouts in this one, bringing his average down to .149 on the season. 

- Royals manager Matt Quatro was ejected in this one after arguing Warren balked when he appeared not to come set before a pickoff attempt at second base.  

Game MVP: Cody Bellinger

New York's offense exploded in general, but Bellinger paced them with his five RBI. 

Highlights

Amed Rosario with a laser to left! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/43tcFySvMV

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026

Cody Bellinger hits one to the second deck 💪 pic.twitter.com/foabjzcxUO

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026

Ben Rice's 7th home run of the year! 🍚 pic.twitter.com/eu2TXJvHUN

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026

Amed Rosario's third RBI of the day 👏 pic.twitter.com/cnOr1zQPGj

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026

Second home run of the day for Cody Bellinger! 😤 pic.twitter.com/Sl6EqZYndw

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026

What's next

Ryan Weathers takes the ball as the Yanks go for the sweep against Cole Ragans and the Royals on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.

Detroit Tigers (10-10) vs. Boston Red Sox (8-11)

Time/Place: 4:10 p.m., Fenway Park
SB Nation Site: Over the Monster
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (2-2, 2.22 ERA) vs. RHP Brayan Bello (1-1, 6.14 ERA)

Unfortunately, pleasurable though being on the winning side of a blowout may be, the rules say you have to start the next game all over again at 0-0. That’s a bad break for the White Sox, who had about as many hits last night as they’d had in a normal week over the past four seasons.

Trying to build on the pitching momentum from last night’s fine performance by Davis Martin will be Erick Fedde, who’s having a solid year so far with a 3.63 ERA (4.22 FIP) and 1.063 WHIP. Fedde was particularly strong last time out, giving up just a solo homer to the Royals in five innings.

Trying to tame the Big Sox Machine will be veteran righty Luis Severino, who is having a lousy season so far (0-2 with a 5.59 ERA/4.50 FIP). The problems are mostly of his own making, since at age 32 the two-time All Star is apparently suffering from early onset memory loss and and can’t remember where the strike zone is, walking 16 in 19 1/3 innings.

Severino will face a a Sox lineup that has Andrew Benintendi (who had what was about his season’s worth of hits last night and has hurt Severino at a .342 clip through the years) again in the leadoff spot, and Munetaka Murakami (whose grand slam blast last night is probably still traveling) again hitting second:

Only one batter for the young A’s has ever faced Fedde — but that’s leadoff hitter Jeff McNeil, who’s 7-for-18 against him.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Central, with perfect baseball weather of 73° and almost no wind. Usual broadcast suspects.

Go Rays!

Some news on the day for the Phillies, not all of it good.

The Duran injury is one that is an issue, but he hasn’t had many leads to protect anyway! They can linger, so they’ll likely take their time on it.

Otto Kemp has done almost nothing with the big league team, so they’re bringing up the hot hitting Felix Reyes instead.

Well, last night was rough. But it’s a new day! The A’s get a chance to get back in the win column this afternoon in the middle game of their weekend series hosting the Chicago White Sox. Gotta win today if we want a chance to get the series win this weekend.

Getting the ball today for his fourth start of the year will be Luis Severino. The veteran right-hander has been up and down so far this year. Overall he has a 5.59 ERA through 19 1/3 innings worked and is coming off a tough start last time out. Back at home he got tagged for four runs against the Texas Rangers, continuing a trend of Severino having major troubles at home. Well, he has another home start this afternoon against the White Sox, who just put up a crooked number last night. Things aren’t boding well for Severino in that regard but the veteran can begin righting the ship with a big outing for his team this afternoon.

The A’s lineup for this beautiful day in sunny Sacramento:

Mostly the same lineup as last night, save for a couple tweaks. Shea Langeliers remains in the #2 hole but will not be behind the dish this afternoon. Instead it’ll be Austin Wynns catching Severino this afternoon. Soderstrom returns to left field after DH’ing last night, Lawrence Butler slides over to center field, and Carlos Cortes takes right this afternoon, meaning Denzel Clarke will be on the bench to begin today’s game. He went 1-for-3 last night, but also had two strikeouts. Is an option to Las Vegas in the cards if this continues?

That lineup will be facing Chicago righty Erick Fedde. The veteran right-hander signed a modest one-year deal with the White Sox to be a stabilizing force for them in a young rotation, and the early returns have been positive for them. The 33-year-old has made three appearances (two starts and a “bulk” outing) and has a solid 3.38 ERA through his first 16 innings in a White Sox uniform. Shockingly, in his nine-year MLB career Fedde has only once ever pitched against the Athletics, getting roughed up for six runs in 2 2/3 innings way back in 2022 when he was still a member of the Washington Nationals. Ready for Round 2, Fedde?

The Chicago starting nine for this afternoon looks like this:

And mostly the same lineup for Chicago as well, with a tweak here and there. Why would they mess with a good thing? They just scored nine runs last night. It’d be foolish to mess with a good thing.

But we got this, right A’s fans? We have fallen to third place in the division but a win today (and some help from Seattle and San Diego) and we’re right back at the top of the division. Time to get back in the win column. Let’s go A’s!

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, April 18, 2026, 4:05 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Pittsburgh Pirates looking to grab a win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
• The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.

BD community, this is your thread for today’s game against the Rays. Enjoy!