Category: MLB

A Tale of Two Starts

– byMario Crescibene

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the age of countless homeruns, it was the age of no homeruns, it was the spring of hope, it was the summer of baseball – in short, that is to say that while the country was torn asunder by embattled dualities, America’s pastime was once again being played in Cleveland.

The duality of our time could find no better manifestation than in the contrast between starts for the Cleveland Guardians’ Chase DeLauter. For it was he, who in his first play in the major leagues, dropped a fly ball hit to him during the playoffs. The unfortunate soul went hitless in that first career start. And it was he who mustered just one hit on 6 at bats during that same playoff series. And yet it was also he who started the current campaign with 5 homeruns in 26 at-bats. And it was he who was named the American League Player of the Week to start the season.

Chase DeLauter’s error was in the past, and the future lay before him in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-six.

Chase DeLauter took his bat and made his way from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. They said of him, about the stadium that day, that it was the most determined man’s face ever beheld there. Many in the stands added that he looked sublime and prophetic. If he had given any utterance to his thoughts that day, and they were prophetic, they would have been these:

“I see the city before me, alive with expectation and the echoes of 78 years of suffering. I see the streets leading to the ballpark lined with Guardians banners fluttering from light poles, the scent of Nathan’s hotdogs and freshly cut grass drifting on the Lake Erie breeze. I see Progressive Field, rising from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario like a cathedral of summer, its blue seats sun-warmed, waiting for the unfolding of moments that will be remembered long after the final Tom Hamilton call.”

“I see the scoreboard with the Cleveland skyline behind it as I walk to the plate. I see my photo appear on the screen that now bears my name. I see my teammates, their hands wrapped tight on bats, their eyes following the path of each ball. I see the coaches along the bench, their voices carrying across the dugout, reminders of swings that missed and pitches left over the dish.”

“I see the fans leaning forward in their seats as I walk to the plate, hands clutching foam fingers and cold drinks. I see the little girl in the stands, wearing my number 24, eyes wide with awe. I see old men, nodding with quiet satisfaction, as they jot down notes in their scorebooks. I see the ump meticulously clean the plate the same way he has done countless times before. I see the catcher returning the ball to the pitcher, their eyes meeting in a silent strategy for the at-bat to come. I see the recorded history of Cleveland seasons past etched into the dirt as I step into the batter’s box.”

“It is a far, far better start that I make than I have ever made; it is a far, far better victory that I go to than I have ever known.”

BATTER UP.

Reds 2, Rangers 0

• Not a great start to the homestand.
• A very 2025 feeling game, this was. Quality pitching, but the offense does a bunch of nothing and the Rangers lose a low scoring game.
• Kumar Rocker pitched well in his 2026 debut. The first inning was messy, with problematic defense contributing to two runs scoring before Rocker recorded his second out, but he stayed poised, handled things, and ended up pitching five innings of two run ball.
• Not bad for a guy who was only named the fifth starter at the end of camp, and who hadn’t pitched for two weeks.
• Rocker utilized a five pitch mix, with his slider and sinker making up almost 70% of his pitches while also using his changeup, fastball and cutter. The changeup was a pitch that it had been discussed he was going to need to use more often, and he got three swings and misses on it.
• Texas got good work from four relievers — Jalen Beeks, Jacob Latz, Carter Baumler and Tyler Alexander — to keep things close. It was a winnable game.
• Also, shout out to Carter Baumler for a 1-2-3 inning. He got a fly out, a strike out and a ground out and threw eight strikes in 12 pitches. It is his first 1-2-3 inning in the majors, and the first time he hasn’t walked a batter in an outing.
• The offense? I don’t want to talk about the offense.
• Kumar Rocker topped out at 97.2 mph with his fastball. Jalen Beeks hit 94.8 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz touched 94.7 mph with his fastball. Carter Baumler’s fastball reached 95.0 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball maxed out at 91.6 mph.
• Corey Seager had a 107.4 mph single. Jake Burger had a 107.1 mph single. Josh Smith had a 105.0 mph line out.
• Okay, let’s go out and avoid being swept.

MLB | Bryan Hoch: After beginning 2026 at Triple-A with a packed house in the rotation, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is set to make his season debut this coming week. Gil is scheduled to start today for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (his first appearances this year) and will then pitch for the Yankees on regular rest, which would mean he’ll take the ball on Friday at Tropicana Field against Tampa Bay. The Yankees took advantage of early season days off to roll with a four-man rotation temporarily. But barring injury, that will end soon, when Gil returns to the big leagues.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Ben Rice looked like he was going to have a no good, very bad day Friday, striking out in his first three at-bats. But when the game ended, Rice had a home run, a double, and three runs batted in. Behind the paywall, Kirschner looks at Rice’s rise to stardom. One interesting, though early, note: Rice is clobbering non-fastballs so far in 2026, something that had previously been a hole in his game. With pitchers throwing him fastballs 15 percent less often thus far, he has countered by clubbing non-fastballs to the tune of a 1.351 OPS.

NJ.com: Speaking of young stars, how about Cam Schlittler. The flamethrower is coming off his second consecutive outstanding start for New York, and the voice of the Yankees has noticed. In an interview, Michael Kay reveals that it was this spring when everyone in the organization realized Schlittler looked even better than last year, which is impressive considering what Cam did to Boston in the playoffs. For his part, Kay thinks the sky is the limit.

“And if you look at this guy, if he doesn’t get hurt… this guy could be an All-Star. He’s going to be in the Cy Young conversation. He’s that good. And I don’t think that’s hyperbolic.”

MLB | Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru: Former Yankee CC Sabathia did something new on the weekend. On Friday, the Hall of Famer, with former teammate and New York native Dellin Betances in tow, took the New York City subway for the first time. CC and Dellin needed to get to the Yankees’ home opener and evidently decided the subway was the way to go. I’m guessing a bunch of Yankees fans were thrilled by the presence of the former Yankee superstars.

The Dodgers got their second straight blowout win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday, but will be without shortstop Mookie Betts for a little bit. Betts left the game with lower right back pain in the first inning, and will be sent for an MRI exam to determine the severity.

Betts walked and scored in the top of the first inning on a double by Freddie Freeman, then didn’t take the field for defense in the bottom of the frame, replaced by Miguel Rojas at shortstop.

“It was running the bases, scoring on that double,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Nationals Park, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s going to get some testing right now, and we’ll know more later. It’s certainly more moderate than significant.”

Betts won’t play Sunday, and might be out for at least a few days, regardless of whether an injured list stint is needed. From Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of what we’re gonna do. But we’ll see,” Roberts said. “We’ll huddle up and see if we need to get a player here to protect us, depending on how the MRI comes. But yeah, he certainly won’t be playing the next couple days, I would assume.”

Hyeseong Kim, who would be the logical call-up should the Dodgers decide they need extra infield depth, did not play for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Betts had played every inning this season prior to leaving Saturday’s game. He’s hitting .179/.281/.429 with a 103 wRC+ through all of 32 plate appearances so far this season.

The Mets have been a little uneven to start the 2026 campaign, putting it on Paul Skenes on Opening Day but struggling to hit in the subsequent games; before last night’s ten run breakout that is. The Mets kept the momentum going tonight, winning 9-0 over the Giants, with a funky lineup that lacked Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr. or Francisco Alvarez. It also featured a starting outfield of Jared Young in left, Carson Benge in center, and Brett Baty in right, which is what you imagined coming into Spring Training.

The Mets fifth win of the season was arguably their most complete, and that started with starting pitcher Clay Holmes. Holmes was excellent on the day, stymieing the Giants offense over seven scoreless innings. He only walked two, perhaps the most important part of his performance, considering walks have taken him out of games quicker than you would want from time to time. He only struck out four, but he was consistently around the strike zone, throwing 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes. The Giants simply could not square him up; according to the Statcast data, they did not barrel a single ball against him.

The offense did their fair share of the hard work, especially in the middle innings. They did get out to the 3-0 lead after the second inning, but it was more misplays by the Giants than anything else. A Mark Vientos double, Jared Young walk, and Marcus Semien infield single (that honestly probably should have been an out if Jerar Encarnacion was a more experienced first baseman) loaded the bases with one out in the aforementioned second inning. Carson Benge hit a weak ground ball to Literally Platinum Glover Matt Chapman, who failed to field the ball cleanly and subsequently threw it away, chasing two runs home. The next batter, Luis Torrens, grounded out productively, making it 3-0 without the ball leaving the infield.

Landon Roupp, despite the bad luck, looked pretty good for stretches of the game, generating ten whiffs and seven strikeouts. He kept the score 3-0 until the fifth inning, where the Mets got to him again. Torrens singled, was moved over to second on a Francisco Lindor ground out, and was driven home by Bo Bichette (who is still good at baseball despite the five game slump to open the season), making it 4-0. A Brett Baty single moved Bichette to second, and the red hot Vientos drove him home with a single of his own to make it 5-0, chasing Roupp from the game.

Left-hander Ryan Borucki came in, and Jared Young was lifted for Tyrone Taylor. Taylor rewarded the newly bespectacled Carlos Mendoza with an absolute rocket of a three-run home run, traveling 419 feet with a 105.1 exit velocity.

At 8-0, the game was elementary from there. Holmes coasted through the seventh inning, Taylor added a superfluous insurance run to make it 9-0, and Tobias Myers finished the game with two perfect innings. It was a wonderful performance all around.

The Mets next match up is a fun one, with Kodai Senga squaring off against Logan Webb in the final game of the series.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Clay Holmes, +20.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -4.9% WPA
Mets pitchers: +20.1% WPA
Mets hitters: +29.9% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge reaching on a fielding error in the second, +15.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Matt Chapman’s single in the bottom of the second. -5.8% WPA

Did you think Friday was tough? Well, let me introduce you to Saturday — it was so much worse! Bad defense, no offense, frustrated pitching.

Sound familiar?

Believe it or not, there was a point at the beginning of the Giants’ 9-0 loss to the Mets when things were actually going pretty swell. 

Landen Roupp started the evening with four strikeouts on the first four batters he faced. He flashed everything in his arsenal: Curve, sinker, change-up, curve. Check, check, check. One out in the 2nd, the sun was shining, the Mets were whiffing. Everything was going just fine.

But good things don’t last — at least, not for the 2026 San Francisco Giants. 

The Mets hitters — rather abruptly — figured out how to put the bat on the ball, and everything got so much worse. Mark Vientos found a seam along the third base line for a one-out double. Marcus Semien followed by lunging at a curveball, rolling it so softly towards short that Willy Adames had to rush his throw to first. Of course, it sailed wide, Semien was safe, the bases were loaded, and that was when the flashbacks started. The terrible recollections of weak choppers, wayward throws, missed catches from earlier in the week. Poorly struck grounders in the most inconvenient places, like grains of sand in the infield gears, grinding them to a halt.

Jerar Encarnacion did the right thing on Adames’s throw and left the bag to secure the ball — but the bigger problem remains. That lack of sharpness, especially from their veterans, has exposed the lack-of-expertise of others. It haunted them in their finale against San Diego, and it bit them big time here. 

Next batter, in an 0-2 count, Carson Benge threw his bat at a change-up and somehow put it in the most annoying place possible. The grounder dragged Chapman’s momentum away from the plate, making the force out there unlikely. But it was just likely enough for Chapman to consider it. That brief glance towards the plate split his concentration on the exchange. The ball fell out of his glove, somehow recovered it in mid-air, and now desperate to get one out, whipped the baseball in first base’s general direction.

Looking back at the replay, the throw was surprisingly accurate, and Encarnacion, perhaps shocked that Chapman actually managed to get a throw off, botched the easy part. The “catch the f***ing ball” part.

Next batter, another 70 MPH grounder hit just slow enough, just far enough away from the infield positioning, to take away the possibility of Luis Arraez starting an inning-ending double play and preventing another run from scoring.

A double, three grounders that didn’t leave the infield, and three runs for New York in the 2nd. Landen Roupp was understandably steamed. And he only got hotter by the 5th. After a lead-off single, Encarnacion fell on a grounder, blocking it like a hockey goalie, rather than fielding it like a normal baseball player would. The misplay, though redeemed by Roupp coming over to pick up the loose ball and get the out first, cost the starter another chance at a two-fer. This proved costly when Luis Torrens, advancing to second on the play, promptly scored on Bo Bichette’s RBI single up the middle. That ball too skipped within range of an infielder’s glove, and while it would’ve been an impressive play by Adames, Roupp couldn’t help but tamp down his frustrations that another grounder had made its way through to the outfield. 

The right-hander tried to refocus. He battled through nine pitches to eventually strike out Jorge Polanco for his seventh K, but at that point, Roupp was gassed physically and emotionally. A shell of a his former self way back in the 1st inning. Tough breaks coupled with lack-of-execution will do that to a man. But even though Roupp was clearly broken, the Mets refused to let up. Brett Baty rolled another grounder through the right-side of the infield to extend the inning, then Vientos sent a single through the same hole to plate New York’s fifth run, and…yeah, that was it. Roupp was done. Tony Vitello released him from the mound, and he slumped back to the dugout where he had the pleasure of watching Tyrone Taylor launch a hanging curve ball from Ryan Borucki over the wall in left-center, mercifully closing the book on the starter’s outing.

7 runs, 6 earned, and Roupp maybe deserved half of them. A small consolation: the bad defense wasn’t personal. It continued after he left the mound. Luis Arraez missed a tag at second. Keaton Winn didn’t back up home properly on a relay, and a subsequent wild pitch gave Taylor a free trip to third after his RBI single. 

I suppose none of these defensive shenanigans really mattered considering the offense amounted to three singles and a pair of walks against Clay Holmes. In the words of Mike Krukow, the bats have been living in the castle or the outhouse so far this season — and this was another night in the shitter. Early opportunities presented themselves too. The leadoff man reached base in each of the first three innings. They had a chance to get back in the game and capitalize on a defensive miscue too when a throwing error by Bichette put Chapman in scoring position in the 2nd. But Jung Hoo Lee waved through three straight breaking balls from Holmes, and the next two hitters were dutifully retired.

And I use that word “dutifully” without embellishment — there was an odd air of obedience when the Giants were at the plate. They knew their roles, and with heads down, they fulfilled them quickly and with little fight. Routine fly out to center. A grounder to short. Any spark, like Patrick Bailey’s well-struck line drive, was promptly snuffed out.

Another forgettable game. Hasn’t there been a couple of those already?

Mark Vientos slashed .057/.108/.171 with one home run and two RBI across 11 spring training games in February and March, but the Mets' 26-year-old corner infielder and designated hitter has been a different player since the calendar flipped to April.

He extended his hitting streak to four games with three knocks in Saturday's 9-0 win at the San Francisco Giants, continuing momentum from a two-hit, two-walk performance that sparked Friday's 10-3 victory.

"I feel like myself," Vientos said. "I feel good. I think the best part is just guys are going, had good day, all of us together. Clay (Holmes) pitched a heck of a game, and it was fun -- it was fun today."

Vientos had one hit in three at-bats across the Mets' March 28 and 31 games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and at the St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, before a 7-for-14 start to this month.

"It's good to see it," Mendoza said. "It's good to see it, especially after what he went through in spring training. We kept telling him, 'It's spring training. Keep hitting the ball hard. Keep controlling the strike zone.' As a human, as a competitor, they want to see results. It's just good to see him having the start he's having right now.

"He's a pretty important player for us. We're going to need him. If we can get some confidence early on, man, he's going to be an impactful player for us."

Mark Vientos brings home Bo Bichette and the Mets lead 5-0!

Vientos is 3 for 3 tonight 💪 pic.twitter.com/HHAfH80jfn

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Batting fifth and starting at first base in a lineup that was without Juan Soto, whose day-to-day status leaves the Mets (5-4) relying on others to step up, Vientos sparked New York's pivotal second and fifth innings against the Giants (3-6).

The Mets' three-run second started when Vientos picked up Brett Baty's leadoff strikeout with a double to left field. Three frames later, Vientos' two-out single to right field scored Bo Bichette and padded the Mets' 5-0 lead before Tyrone Taylor's pinch-hit home run blew the doors open at 8-0.

"When you see him challenging pitches like that -- from the dugout, they look pretty close," Mendoza said of Vientos. "And then you look up on the board, it's like, 'Mark is seeing the ball really well here out of the hand.'

"What it follows is he's not missing pitches and he's recognizing, he's staying in the zone and not trying to do too much -- going the other way when he needs to, getting the head out when he needs to -- so he's in a good place right now."

Vientos, who hit his first home run of the early season in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Giants, is slashing .471/.526/.765 with three RBI and two walks through six

"I'm focused on the process and focused on having good at-bats and letting the rest fall into place," Vientos said.

Angels outfielder Jo Adell put on a show against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on April 4.

Adell denied the Mariners three home runs with incredible catches, including one that had him diving into the crowd near the foul pole at the top of the ninth inning.

His defense helped keep the Mariners off the board in what became a 1-0 victory for the Angels.

The weekend series is tied at one game apiece. The Angels and Mariners will play against each other on Sunday, April 5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jo Adell robs three home runs as in Angels win over Mariners

Emerson Hancock gave up a home run to Zach Neto on the first batter he faced Saturday. It was the only run of the game.

The home run was the first hit Hancock allowed in 2026. He threw six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts last week against the Guardians in his season debut. He looked sharp in that outing, showing a lower arm slot and better “stuff” than he’d ever shown before. That made Saturday’s start against the Angels a surprisingly anticipated event: Could he look good in twice in a row?

The answer, as it turns out, was yes. Hancock pounded the zone with fastballs early and finished the day without a walk. He always seemed to be ahead, even as he expanded the zone with each turn through the order. The Angels matched Hancock’s aggression with aggression of their own, swinging at about 60% of his pitches. But they couldn’t quite figure him out, whiffing 28% of the time and striking out five times. They did tag a few balls here and there, but most of their contact was too low or too high to matter.

The game nearly unraveled on Hancock early. Neto lead off with the homer. Nolan Schanuel then shot a sinking liner into the left-center gap that Julio Rodríguez missed with a tumbling dive for a double. Schanuel advanced to third on a hard single from Jorge Soler. With two outs, Hancock threw a wild pitch that looked like it should score Schanuel, but Cal Raleigh made a nice play to scramble for the ball and fired to Hancock for the tag at home.

From there, Hancock settled in. He faced the minimum in four of the next five innings. He nearly made it through seven before a two out squibber from Jo Adell snuck through the infield; at 82 pitches, Dan Wilson turned to the pen. Perhaps most importantly, Hancock’s fastball velocity sort of held up: It was 96.1 mph in the first inning and 96.4 mph in the fourth inning. Now, it was 93.3 mph in the seventh when he exited, but given that dip used to happen in the second (or even midway through the first), I’d call that progress. 

Hancock’s final line was 6 2/3 innings, six hits, five strikeouts, no walks, 28% whiff rate, and a 31% hard hit rate. That’s not quite as good as his last outing, but if anything, I think it’s a better representation of what the good version of Hancock could potentially look like — unspectacular, efficient, solid.

None of that really mattered. Here’s highlight number one: 

And highlight number two: 

And highlight number three:

Cal Raleigh in the first inning, Josh Naylor in the eighth, and J.P. Crawford in the ninth each hit home runs that Adell, arguably the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, brought back from over the fence. The Mariners offense wasn’t great, striking out 10 times with a lot of weak contact. But those plays, in addition to two other nice plays from Josh Lowe and Oswald Peraza, kept them from scoring, or even really threatening.

And so there it is: A game recap about… Emerson Hancock pitching well and Jo Adell playing good defense. Whodathunk.

The Braves are hitting the ball pretty hard this season, but have had a number of barreled outs and haven’t always seen results from hitting the ball well. It does seem like some of this might be due to the balls being further deadened, as has seemingly been a trend over recent years. Some of it also has just been rotten luck, but it continues to be fairly outrageous both that the status and consistency of the single most important piece of equipment in the sport is a constant question and that it is not a bigger point of broad discussion.

Braves News

The Braves lost a game that they probably should have won against Michael Soroka and the Diamondbacks.

The Braves got some good prospect performances as minor league baseball kicked off, with Didier Fuentes and Owen Murphy highlighting the day on Friday.

MLB News

Mookie Betts exited the Dodgers’ game with back tightness and will get an MRI to assess the injury.

Mets’ Juan Soto is day to day with calf tightness.

The Tigers placed veteran pitcher Justin Verlander on the IL on a precautionary basis due to an injury to his hip.

The Blue Jays placed catcher Alejandro Kirk on the IL with a thumb fracture.

The Mets signed Braves Legend Luke Jackson to a minor league deal.

SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Vientos is hardly guaranteed playing time and will have to earn many of his at-bats this season.

Over the past four games he’s built up a decent amount of equity.

On Saturday, he had a second straight game of reaching base at least three times, helping lead a 9-0 rout of the Giants at Oracle Park.

The Mets hardly missed Juan Soto in winning their second straight. Soto, who departed Friday’s game in the first inning with a right calf strain that was deemed “minor” following an MRI, will rest until at least Tuesday — when a decision is likely on whether he will need an injured list stint.

Vientos is among those carrying the load. He was in the middle of two scoring rallies on this night and finished 3-for-5 in leading a 12-hit attack. Suddenly, the Mets scoring woes in six games that followed the season opener seem like 19th-century history.

“I think the best part is guys are going, we had a good day all of us together,” Vientos said. “Clay [Holmes] pitched a heck of a game, and it was fun today.”

It was just two weeks ago that Vientos was set to break camp with the team after going 2-for-35 (.057) in the Grapefruit League.

“We kept telling him in spring training, ‘Keep hitting the ball hard, keep controlling the strike zone,’” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “As a human, as a competitor, they want to see results. And it’s good to see him having the start that he’s having right now.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Bolstering Vientos’ performance (he owns a 1.291 OPS) has been his respectable work at first base, a position he’s sharing as Jorge Polanco deals with left Achilles tendinitis.

Holmes handled much of the run prevention with seven shutout innings to follow the gem Nolan McLean produced a night earlier when the rookie carried a perfect game into the sixth before walking two batters and allowing a single.

Holmes allowed only three hits and walked two over the 90-pitch performance. It was a second straight strong outing for Holmes, who allowed two earned runs over 5 ²/₃ innings against the Cardinals on Monday.

“We have played a lot of extra-inning games, and the bullpen has been used a lot, so I was just trying to go fill it up,” Holmes said. “Go fill it up and once we got the lead see how many innings I could go to take some pressure off the guys.”

About the only semblance of trouble Holmes faced was in the second inning. Matt Chapman led off with an infield single, reaching second on Bo Bichette’s throwing error. But with help from Vientos, whose diving stop and toss to Holmes covering the bag produced the second out, Holmes kept a 3-0 lead intact.

“[Vientos] has been really good,” Holmes said referring to Vientos’ first base work. “He’s been putting in the work, we all see it as players. Just how badly he wants it.”

Carson Benge’s grounder to third base with the bases loaded in the second turned into two runs for the Mets. Chapman booted the ball before his throw to first baseman Jerar Encarnacion was mishandled for a second error on the play. Vientos and Jared Young raced home. The lead extended to 3-0 on Luis Torrens’ RBI groundout.

“We didn’t hit the ball out of the infield, but the fact we were able to put the ball in play there helped us,” Mendoza said. “Not only can we hit the ball out of the ballpark, but putting together some really good at-bats.”

Vientos doubled to begin the rally and Young walked before Semien’s infield single loaded the bases. It was the third straight game with at least one hit for Semien, who snapped an 0-for-20 drought Thursday.

Bichette’s RBI single in the fifth widened the lead to 4-0. Torrens singled leading off the inning and reached second on a groundout before Bichette delivered for a team-leading sixth RBI this season. Vientos, for his third hit in the game, stroked an RBI single in the inning to give the Mets their fifth run against Landon Roupp. After lefty Ryan Borucki entered, Tyrone Taylor was deployed as a pinch-hitter for Young and belted a three-run homer that buried the Giants in an 8-0 hole.

Taylor stroked an RBI single in the seventh that put the Mets ahead 9-0 following Brett Baty’s leadoff double.

Charlotte Knights at Nashville Sounds — Postponed due to weather
The Knights and Sounds will pick back up Sunday at 1:05 p.m. CT, and Saturday’s makeup will be announced at a later date.

Birmingham Barons 6, Knoxville Smokies 2 (Gameday Box)
The Birmingham Barons (1-1) scooped up their first win of the season Saturday, defeating their north side Double-A rivals, the Knoxville Smokies, 6-2. Both teams put up seven hits, though the Barons went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position and scored two early in the game to provide a small amount of run support for righthander Connor McCullough.

The two-run cushion came from a two-run blast from Ryan Galanie on a 3-0 count in the top of the first, driving in Caden Connor who had gotten a base hit right before that. Center fielder Braden Montgomery had walked, but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning during Connor’s at-bat. Thankfully, the lost run wouldn’t mean anything in the end, and I don’t hate the aggressive attempt to get into scoring position super early in the game with no runs on the board — especially when Montgomery was safe more 67% of the time in 2025.

Taking one back in the bottom of the inning, McCullough worked through two outs quickly enough, but a double and single from Knoxville cut the lead in half, 2-1. The Smokies loaded the based back up after another base hit and a walk, but McCullough was able to force the ground out. That would be the only run he allowed in his three innings, and he ended up with four hits given up and struck out two batters.

The Barons bullpen stepped up big, allowing just one more run in the remaining six innings, with Jarold Rosado earning the win. He pitched a smooth fourth: One Smokie got a base hit, but all three outs were strikeouts.

Both Chase Watkins and Jackson Kelley made their first appearance in the White Sox organization, and though Watkins allowed a run, each recorded a hold. Kelly tossed for 1 2/3 innings without giving up a hit, his lone baserunner a walk in the bottom of the sixth.

Finally, the Good Guys added some more run support in the top of the seventh, as Jorge Corona kicked off the rally with a walk, just for Connor to drive two in a few batters later with two outs, 5-2. Jeral Perez came up to rip his second hit of the game for a double out to center, allowing Birmingham to score their sixth run before Galanie was thrown out at the plate. Worth a shot, I guess.

Unconventionally, Riley Gowens took over for the last two innings, and was nearly flawless while recording three strikeouts. Typically Gowens is a starter for Birmingham, but he flexed his versatility tonight in the “closer” spot despite the offense already taking care of business, and held down the 6-2 win.

Winston-Salem Dash at Bowling Green Hot Rods — Postponed due to weather

The Dash will play in a doubleheader against the Hot Rods on Sunday, April 5, with the first game beginning at 12:05 p.m. CT.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 19, Hill City Howlers 2 (Gameday Box)
Earning their first win of the season, the Cannon Ballers (1-2) absolutely dominated the Hill City Howlers (2-1), 19-2. The Kanny offense laid down the hammer right off the bat, dropping 12 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Yes, 12. You did read that right. Nearly batting all the way around the order twice in the inning, it also certainly helped that the Howlers walked six batters and hit two in the midst of the destruction.

The Ballers ultimately outhit the Howlers 15-5, but all 19 runs scored were earned, unfortunately for the Hill City pitching staff, who ended up striking out 13 but walking nine. Kannapolis put up seven extra-base hits, including four doubles and three homers, with four players driving in three runs apiece: Billy Carlson (2-for-4), Boston Smith (2-for-5), D’Angelo Tejada (1-for-5) and Ryan Galvan (2-for-3).

On the other side of the ball, the Kannapolis pitching staff allowed just five hits, two runs (one earned), three walks, and 11 strikeouts. Righthander Blaine Wynk opened the game for the Ballers, giving up one run on three hits, but by that point he really had to screw something up to blow a 12-run lead. Lefthander Trey Cooper came in for 2 1/3 innings after that and struck out four while walking two with one run scoring, but he ended up with the win as Kannapolis continued to run away with the game.

The Mets won consecutive games for the first time since the team's season-opening victories March 26 and 28 at the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking a 2-1 lead in this weekend's four-game series at the San Francisco Giants with Saturday's 9-0 rout.

Takeaways

1. Clay Holmes went a career-high-tying seven innings, matching the length of his June 1, 2025, start at the Colorado Rockies but delivering a better performance. He was solid in his first start of the 2026 campaign, last Monday's 4-2 win at the St. Louis Cardinals, and built on his season-opening start with arguably his best outing as a Met. He picked up where Nolan McLean left off from Friday's 10-3 win, allowing three hits while striking out four and walking two in seven scoreless innings.
   Holmes was not perfect, putting the leadoff runners on in the second and third innings before issuing a two-out walk to avoid a 1-2-3 fourth, but he kept the Giants (3-6) stranded across those frames while the Mets (5-4) held a 3-0 lead before entering his zone and getting stronger as the game progressed. Holmes (2-0, 1.42 ERA) threw 61 strikes on 90 pitches before Tobias Myers took the ball for the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings.
2. Bo Bichette is improving. After owning his "terrible" at-bats from the Mets' opening weekend last Sunday, he has looked more like himself with five hits in the past two games. Bichette followed Friday's 3-for-5 breakthrough with Saturday's 2-for-5 encore, driving in a run for the third straight game with a fifth-inning single to shallow center field that padded the Mets' 4-0 lead and sparked a five-run frame.
   After a 2-for-22 stretch across five appearances in March, April has been a breath of fresh air for Bichette, who is 7 for 19 with three RBI through four games.
3. Mark Vientos is also trending up. His hit streak is up to four games, following Friday's 2-for-3 step in the right direction with a 3-for-5 breakthrough. Batting fifth and starting at first base, Vientos continued Bichette's fifth-inning momentum with an RBI single to right field that scored Bichette and extended the Mets' 5-0 lead.
   With or without Juan Soto, whose day-to-day status remains to be seen entering Sunday and beyond, the Mets need their big bats to step up. They got that Friday and Saturday in Bichette and Vientos, the latter of whom is 7 for 14 through four April games.
4. Tyrone Taylor, who replaced Soto in Friday's game, came off the bench as a pinch-hit substitution for sixth-batting left fielder Jared Young and blew the game open for the Mets. Taylor's 2-for-3 night featured a three-run homer in the fifth inning that exploded the Mets' 8-0 advantage.
   He added to his damage with an RBI single in the seventh inning that scoredBrett Baty and polished off the Mets' 9-0 final. After an 0-for-4 Friday, Taylor filled Soto's void and then some as the Mets turned a 5-0 win into a 9-0 rout.

Who's the MVP?

Holmes, who retired seven straight from the fifth inning into the seventh and left no doubt on the mound as the Mets piled runs against the Giants.

Highlights

Mark Vientos and Jared Young score on a Carson Benge fielder's choice and throwing error to give the Mets the 2-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/FV38uslshn

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Luis Torrens brings in Marcus Semien for the Mets third run of the inning! pic.twitter.com/rNBXco5H29

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Mark Vientos recovers nicely to secure the out 😅 pic.twitter.com/ad5BxjfOFG

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Bo Bichette's RBI single extends the lead! pic.twitter.com/XEoysGRrmb

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Mark Vientos brings home Bo Bichette and the Mets lead 5-0!

Vientos is 3 for 3 tonight 💪 pic.twitter.com/HHAfH80jfn

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

TYRONE TAYLOR 3-RUN PINCH HIT HOMER 💣 pic.twitter.com/rwXNbLwMWK

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Francisco Lindor shows off his hops 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/CUM8AwLMjo

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Bo Bichette guns down Willy Adames to end the inning! pic.twitter.com/A5wyHUZN9W

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

A 1-2-3 inning for Clay Holmes 👏

Holmes has six scoreless innings on the night! pic.twitter.com/YpprFQ140s

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Tyrone Taylor follows up his 3-run home run with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/aTbKZl8p2T

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

What's next

The Mets look to take the four-game set at the Giants in Sunday's 4:05 p.m. finale on SNY.

New York is set to start Kodai Senga (0-1, 3.00 ERA) while San Francisco goes with Logan Webb (1-1, 7.36 ERA).

Do you feel déjà vu?

As was often the case in the two series against the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays, the Colorado Rockies wasted wonderful pitching with atrocious hitting.

Strikeouts and men left on base loomed large, as the Rox had their chances only to come up just one run short as the Philadelphia Phillies take the series in Denver.

There’s even more déjà vu as the City of Brotherly Love continues to show no love to Colorado, with tonight’s win making the ninth straight over the Rockies for Philadelphia.

Saturday strategy switch-up

The Rockies entered Saturday with a clear approach to the game’s pitching, hinging on a clean outing from Brennan Bernardino before Chase Dollander would get the bulk of the innings.

Unfortunately, you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Bernardino had been efficient in his four appearances this season, giving up zero runs and walks heading into today’s start. Sadly, he had a shaky start, walking Trea Turner first and then giving up a broken bat RBI double to Kyle Schwarber.

As expected, the Rockies were ready to turn to Chase Dollander early, getting him warmed up a few batters in. Not expected, however, was needing to use Jimmy Herget to get the final out of the inning after Bernardino walked Bryson Stott with Schwarber on third.

Given the looming matchups in the second inning, Warren Schaeffer would sit Dollander to try and get a few more outs from Herget.

Herget did indeed notch those, punching out Adolis Garcia to end the first and getting three straight outs in the second, limiting the damage to 1-0 going into the bottom of the inning.

Not ideal, but not catastrophic.

Dollander delivers

Dollander arrived as advertised, striking out Turner with a fireball. He sat Schwarber down on strikes right after that, ultimately tallying six impressive K’s on the night.

He gave up the one deciding run in his 4.1 innings pitched, but overall looked very effective and was able to work out of a few jams comfortably. He was the bright spot of the night, handing off a 2-1 game to Jaden Hill and giving the Rockies a chance.

Unfortunately, his performance did not receive any run support from the Rockies’ bats.

At least it was close?

Look, the bar is low right now.

Today wasn’t the 10-1 Home Opener drubbing. But it didn’t feel great either.

The Rockies are now 1-4 in one-run games. It felt like the game was right there, all the way down the stretch.

The Phillies would leave more men on than the Rockies, with nine LOB for Philadelphia and five LOB for Colorado. In good news, Colorado’s pitching was able to stave off a number of runs that would’ve been early nails in the coffin. In bad news, the Rockies probably only left five on because they couldn’t get them there in the first place.

Brett Sullivan looked solid today, as the only Rockies batter with more than one hit.

Sullivan’s RBI single in the third would provide a glimmer of hope. Sadly, the bottom of the order was doing way too much of the heavy lifting, and it would not be enough.

A familiar issue

The Rockies have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad problem right now: strikeouts.

This marks the third straight game of double digit strikeouts. Not just “barely over nine” double digit either. 17 strikeouts against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. 15 more yesterday. 13 more tonight.

Several of those came on key moments, too.

Colorado had a chance in the seventh. With Ezequiel Tovar on second and Troy Johnston on first, Kyle Karros would go down swinging for the last out.

The game ended on a big ol’ dud as well. Willi Castro ended it all trying to check his swing but going around for the unlucky 13th game-ending strikeout.

Up Next

The Phillies and Rockies will close out the series with a Sunday afternoon showdown at 1:10 p.m. Taijuan Walker and Tomoyuki Sugano, both decision-less in their respective starts this season, will take the mound. The Rockies will hope to keep the brooms locked away before the Houston Astros come to town.

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