Category: MLB

The Yankees had a lead early, then the offense went dormant, but Jose Caballero saved the day with a two-run walk-off double to lift New York to a 5-4 win over the Angels on Wednesday night.

The ninth-inning comeback started when Jazz Chisholm Jr. popped up to the left side of the infield with one out, but Oswald Peraza and Zach Neto were confused as to who would take it, and it fell between them. Chisholm stole second and Wells walked to bring up Caballero. The Yankees shortstop lined a hit to left center that pushed across the tying run, and Wells -- who was running on the pitch with Chisholm -- was sent and slid just before the tag to give the Yankees the win.

All of this came against Jordan Romano, the closer who gave up the lead in Monday's win. The Yankees have now won two of the first three games of this series.

Here are the takeaways...

-Luis Gil was on the mound, making his second start of the season and got off to an inauspicious start.Neto hit a leadoff double just fair down the left field line, but was stranded there thanks to Aaron Judge's strong arm in right field, keeping Neto at second. A ground ball and a fly out later, and Gil was out of the inning.

After a clean second inning, Gil would give up his first run of the game. After getting behind Adam Frazier 2-0, Gil threw a 95 mph fastball down the middle and the second baseman muscled it 398 feet over the right center field wall. It wouldn't be the only solo shot Gil would allow. Logan O'Hoppe drove a 95 mph fastball up in the zone over the left center field wall. The blast went 427 feet. Three batters later, Mike Trout launched a two-run shot to give the Angels a 4-3 lead in the fifth. It's Trout's fourth home run of the series.

Gil completed the inning, but that was all for him. 

The right-hander tossed 83 pitches (48 strikes), allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. The longball got him and prevented him from going longer in this one.

-Judge doesn't just do it on defense. The Yankees captain got the scoring started with a two-out blast in the first inning, shooting the ball the opposite way for his AL-leading seventh home run of the season. Judge now has three home runs in this series.

-After the Yankees scored just one run on Tuesday, they didn't let it happen on Wednesday. Trent Grisham hit an opposite-field single to drive inChisholmandCaballero with two outs in the second inning to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

But the Yankees had a hard time pushing across more runs, especially when they were trailing. In the seventh,Wells led off with a bunt single and was at second base with one out. Ryan McMahon struck out before Paul Goldschmidt -- pinch-hitting for Grisham against a left-handed reliever -- lined out sharply to second base to end the threat.

The Yankees were outhit 7-6 and were 2-for-7 with RISP with five left on base. The Angels were worse, however, going 0-for-4 with RISP and leaving four men on base.

-The Yankees bullpen, much-maligned of late, was great on Wednesday. They pitched four scoreless innings after Gil was pulled to give the Yankees a chance.

• Tim Hill: 1.0 IP
• Fernando Cruz: 1.0 IP, 1 H
• Brent Headrick: 1.0 IP, 1 H
• David Bednar: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Game MVP: Jose Caballero

Caballero's hit turned around what would have been another dreadful night for the Yankees offense.

Highlights

ALL RISE!

Aaron Judge's 7th home run of the year pic.twitter.com/4Uavv52sYq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2026

Trent Grisham brings home two 💪 pic.twitter.com/ESlVkRyruY

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2026

JOSE CABALLERO WALKS IT OFF FOR THE YANKEES!!!! pic.twitter.com/qjY9kufhC4

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 16, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Angels complete their four-game series on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.

Max Fried (2-0, 1.93 ERA) will take the mound while the Angels have yet to announce their starter.

For the second straight night, the Philadelphia Phillies (8-10) gave up double-digit runs to the visiting Chicago Cubs (9-9) by a score of 11-2 on their way to dropping a third straight series.

Jesus Luzardo’s early season struggles continued, allowing nine of the Cubs’ 11 runs on 12 hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Luzardo, sporting a 7.94 ERA, has surrendered five-plus runs in three out of his four starts to begin the year, equalling his total in 32 starts last season.  

This third lost series at home also equals the Phillies’ total from last season. They are 1-5 in series finales.

Trea Turner led off the game with a home run to straightaway center, his second of the season, on the second pitch offered by Cubs’ starter, Shota Imanaga.

Trea Turner leadoff homer! pic.twitter.com/ZMTPEYuBhn

— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2026

Imanaga would allow only two more hits across his six innings of work, a single and a double by Adolis Garcia.

Things seemed to unravel for Luzardo and his backing group in the top of the third inning. After needing only 17 pitches to get through the first and second, Luzardo threw 34 in the third, nine of which went to Matt Shaw who reached on a one-out double. Shaw came home to score on a Nico Hoerner single and then Luzardo walked Alex Bregman. Hoerner and Bregman tried for a double steal and an overthrow by JT Realmuto was dropped by Turner which allowed Hoerner to score and Bregman to reach third. Luzardo’s wild pitch brought Bregman home.

Kyle Backhus allowed one run in 1.2 innings of relief and Dylan Moore took to the mound as the sacrificial lamb for the second time already this year, allowing another run.

Jose Alvarado pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with one strikeout.

Bryce Harper hammered a garbage-time homer in the bottom of the ninth, his fourth of the year. Edmundo Sosa had the only other hit for the Phillies.

Bryce Harper – Philadelphia Phillies (4) pic.twitter.com/YkBea9fzqc

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 16, 2026

The Phillies have a day off tomorrow before hosting the Atlanta Braves for a weekend series. Taijuan Walker is slated to go up against a TBD Braves’ starter on Friday night.

Well, it turns out the problems with the offense might not be fixed so easily. The Mariners looked more like their early-season selves last night in the series opener against San Diego, eking out just four hits and scoring a lone run on a sac fly. It was a disappointing comedown after the high of the Houston series. The Mariners will look to get back on track tonight against Padres starter Randy Vásquez, but it will be a tough task; as Jake outlines in the series preview, Vásquez will throw not just a kitchen sink but an entire Zillow listing at hitters. Who will emerge triumphant in the battle of the Randys?

Lineups:

Emerson Hancock starts for the Mariners on Jackie Robinson Day. Hancock and Robinson actually share a birthplace: Cairo, Georgia, which is a pretty big coincidence for a town with a population of about 10,000. (Other MLB players born in Cairo, pronounced like the syrup: Willie Harris, Ernest Riles, and one other active player, Hurston Waldrep, currently of the Braves.)

Game information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: Mariners.TV and associated channels with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink

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

As a reminder, we’ll be watching Thursday’s game at the Rebel in Wallingford – come through if you can! 21+, food and drink specials, and prizes.

The Royals did it again. They lost 2-1. The offense has now scored 2 or fewer runs in 11 of their first 18 games and in 7 of their last 8. The offense was miserable and missed the few opportunities they had to do something, per usual. The pitching was awesome again, unfortunately perfection has been required lately.

There was a couple of bright spots. Jac Caglianone was on base all four times, including three hits and a walk. He hit his second career triple as well. His leadoff triple in the 3rd was followed up by a Lane Thomas pop out to center and a Kyle Isbel ground out to second, where Cags was thrown out at the plate on the contact play.

Caglianone also got an outfield assist in the bottom half of the inning, cutting down a Tigers run, and he almost did it on the next play as well, but Javier Baez got by Salvador Perez just in time.

Seth Lugo was awesome again, all four of his starts have been after two straight Royals losses. Lugo went 6.2 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 run and struck out 7.

Kyle Isbel drove in the Royals only run with a two out single to right field in the 5th.

Kyle Isbel swings one to right to knot it up! pic.twitter.com/rEYkPdpAzX

— Royals.TV (@kcroyalstv) April 15, 2026

Daniel Lynch IV got the final out of the 7th on just four pitches. After throwing just 12 pitches in the last five days, he needed to be replaced. Eli Morgan, who has looked good with the Royals so far, unfortunately, gave up a first batter home run to Wenceel Pérez in the bottom of the 8th. Perez was 0-10 on the season coming into the at bat.

After a two out Cags single in the 9th, Tyler Tolbert came in to pinch run and got all the way to third, but Lane Thomas hit a measly fly ball to left to end the game.

The Royals drop to 7-11 on the season, they have lost three in a row. They have won just one series this season, split one and have lost every other series. They will try to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 12:10 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on Royals.TV.

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Luis Robert – CF
3. Brett Baty – 1B
4. Bo Bichette – 3B
5. Francisco Alvarez – C
6. Carson Benge – RF
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. MJ Melendez – DH
9. Tommy Pham – LF

SP: Clay Holmes – RHP

Dodgers lineup

1. Kyle Tucker – RF
2. Freddie Freeman – 1B
3. Will Smith – C
4. Teoscar Hernandez – LF
5. Max Muncy – 3B
6. Andy Pages – CF
7. Dalton Rushing – DH
8. Hyeseong Kim – SS
9. Alex Freeland – 2B

SP: Shohei Ohtani – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 10:10 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Happy Jackie Robinson Day, everyone! The Tigers and Royals were sporting their number 42s in Detroit, and hoping for a repeat of the previous night’s victory, perhaps with a few more runs. To get there, the Tigers would need to get through Seth Lugo on the mound for the Royals, while the Tigers themselves turned to Jack Flaherty to get the job done.

The first inning got started nicely as Flaherty got through the Royals in order. The first out of the game was even on a strikeout, something Tuesday’s outing was relatively short on. In the bottom of the inning, Gleyber Torres hit a one-out single, but Colt Keith grounded into a double play to eliminate the baserunner and end the inning.

Three straight strikeouts took the Royals out in order in the second. I promise this is the last time I’ll mention the strikeouts. I mean, unless they’re relevant. The Tigers likewise went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Jac Caglianone hit a triple to start the third. Zack McKinstry appeared to have been hit when Caglianone headed into third, but stayed in the game, so hopefully it wasn’t serious, though he was wincing. With one out, Kyle Isbel reached on a fielder’s choice as the Tigers got Caglianone out at home, avoiding the run. A wild pitch helped advance Isbel to second, but the Royals weren’t able to convert the runner. In the home half, McKinstry started things off with a leadoff single, and Javier Baez hit a line drive to right, bringing McKinstry home. Salvador Perez immediately called for a review, and it very quickly showed that McKinstry was tagged out before touching the plate. The safe call at home was overturned. Jake Rogers then flied into a double play, one of those being Baez at home, and while he was ruled out, he immediately called for a review, and dang it was one of the most insane plays I think I’ve ever seen in slow motion. On review, he was ruled safe, just an absolutely bonkers tag evasion.

spoiler alert: SAFE pic.twitter.com/H4K96NQOyC

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 15, 2026

Kevin McGonigle got his first single of the extension era, followed by a single from Gleyber Torres. Keith struck out to end the inning, but the Tigers still got on the board first.

Flaherty worked through the side in order in the top of the fourth. The Tigers likewise went 1-2-3 in the home half.

In the fifth, Flaherty started to show some issues with his command. With one out, he gave up back-to-back walks to Michael Massey and Jac Caglianone. Those two walks certainly came back to haunt. With two outs, Isbel singled, scoring Massey to tie the game. Flaherty was able to end the inning on the next out, but the game was now tied. The Tigers didn’t make much of an effort to break that tie in the bottom of the fifth, going in order back to the dugout.

Things evened out a bit in the sixth, as Vinnie Pasquantino got a one-out walk, but then Salvador Perez hit into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers again went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Jack Flaherty’s night was done after six with a final line of 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, on 97 pitches. Tyler Holton came out of the pen to replace him. With two outs, Caglianone singled, then Lane Thomas singled right behind him. The Royals went to their bench for Starling Marte, and that was when the Tigers stepped in to go back to the bullpen for Kyle Finnegan. Lifting Kyle Isbel for Marte denied me a golden opportunity to write about a Kyle on Kyle matchup, and I’m a bit miffed about that.

Finnegan induced a groundout to end the inning though it was due to Caglianone obstructing McKinstry on the play, with a collision that sent McKinstry sprawling to the turf. He looked okay coming off the field, but headed down into the clubhouse with a trainer. Báez moved to shortstop, with McGonigle sliding over to third base. Wenceel Pérez took over in center field, and that would prove fortunate later on.

In the home half, with two outs, Seth Lugo’s day was done, and he was replaced by Daniel Lynch IV, who got the final out of the inning.

McKinstry was out of the game following a second collision, rough night for Zach, hopefully he’s okay. With two outs in the top of the eighth inning Vinnie Pasquantino hit a triple, and I’m going to need the Royals to have shorter last names, please. The Royals left him stranded, though. Eli Morgan came in next for the Royals and Wenceel Perez, who replaced McKinstry, got his first hit of the season in style with a solo home run to right field.

WHY NOT WENCEEL!!! pic.twitter.com/JxQLylqQxx

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 16, 2026

With two outs, McGonigle walked, followed by a Torres single, but again it was Keith who ended the inning. C’mon Colt, you were our clutch guy for like two whole weeks!

Kenley Jansen was once again the Tigers’ man for the ninth, looking to add to his saves total. With two outs, Caglianone hit a line drive into left, and was replaced by pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert. And in an unreal moment, Jansen threw a pick-off toss over to first and it was ruled an out, but the Royals challenged and it really did look like Tolbert made it back safely, Torkelson’s hand seemed to swing right over his helmet instead of tagging him, though the fault was Jansen’s for throwing to the home plate side of first base, forcing Torkelson to catch it and attempt a backhand tag. The call was rightly overturned, but it sure would have been a fun ending to the game.

A passed ball allowed Tolbert to advance to second, then a balk advanced him to third, and things were feeling sketchy despite Jansen sustaining that better velocity for the second straight night, but the final out of the inning came on the next batter, Lane Thomas, who flew out to left. Jansen got the save and Finnegan and the Tigers the win. The Tigers are finally back at .500 as well on this five game winning streak.

Final: Tigers 2, Royals 1

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani was visibly caught off guard when Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts informed him that he would not be the designated hitter in the series finale against the New York Mets on Wednesday, April 15.

So much so, that Roberts recreated his expression for reporters when he explained that the two-way superstar's responsibilities would strictly be on the mound as the Dodgers concluded their six-game homestand.

"(He was) maybe surprised, but fine with it, because I've never asked him to pitch and not hit," Roberts said pregame. "Explaining to him why, I think it makes complete sense."

The why was straightforward enough: Ohtani took a sinker from Mets pitcher David Peterson to the back of his throwing shoulder to lead off Monday's 4-0 win and was still dealing with soreness. He was also having issues getting loose to hit after his afternoon throwing sessions, though Roberts said Ohtani is feeling "much better than he did two days ago, and better than he did yesterday."

Shohei Ohtani gets hit up and high in his first at bat by David Peterson

This breaks up his lead off home run streak. Today, he was looking for 3 in a row to leadoff the game. pic.twitter.com/V5Hnw2jxwu

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 14, 2026

In Roberts' eyes, the move lets Ohtani focus on one thing and is what he feels is the best way to keep him loose throughout his outing.

"We felt — training staff, pitching coaches and myself — we just thought it was the best thing for him," Roberts said. "So once I told him, he completely understood."

Roberts expects Ohtani to be DHing again and pitching in his next start but didn't close the door on possibly dropping him down from the leadoff spot — or even sit him out of the lineup entirely — on some of his pitching days at some point down the road, if the situation calls for it.

But that's something that Roberts said he won't be necessarily proactive about. After all, anytime you don't have your best hitter in the lineup, it has to be a move that makes sense.

And for Roberts, taking the bat out of Ohtani's hands makes the most sense on Wednesday.

"Specific to today, I think this is the right decision," he said. "This is the best decision, for him not to hit today. Then the question is, when does he hit on days that he pitches? Where does he hit in the order? I think there's fair arguments to both — to moving him down a little bit, to give him a breather, to let him get into the game — I'm not prepared to make that decision quite yet, but it is something that I'm mindful of.

"You can tell (Mets manager) Carlos Mendoza he's an option, though."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Shohei Ohtani is out of the Dodgers lineup vs Mets on Wednesday

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave updates on Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco and more prior to Wednesday's series finale against the Dodgers...

---

Latest Juan Soto update

After Mets owner Steve Cohen updated the fans that Soto has begun his running progression, the Mets skipper had more to reveal about his star player.

"He ran again today," Mendoza said of Soto. "He took live at-bats at Citi Field. We brought some pitchers from Brooklyn. He came out well."

Mendoza was asked if Soto will rejoin the team in Chicago, but the manager quickly said he wouldn't. However, the goal is to have Soto be with the team when the Mets return to Queens.

"Not sure when, but at some point in the next homestand, we’ll get him back," Mendoza said. 

After the Mets' three-game weekend series against the Cubs in Chicago, they have an off day on Monday before hosting the Twins for a three-game set on Tuesday.

Soto has missed significant time since injuring his calf back on April 3. Mendoza said that the team will continue to monitor Soto's progress before he undergoes more imaging to make sure everything is healed. The Mets skipper added that the next step for Soto is to increase the intensity of his running, in particular, going side to side, and starting and stopping.

Before his injury, Soto was having a strong start to the 2026 season. He was 11-for-31 with one home run, two doubles and five RBI across his first eight games.

Carlos Mendoza says that the goal is for Juan Soto to return at some point on the next homestand pic.twitter.com/eAcTayphaw

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 16, 2026

Decision on Jorge Polanco coming soon

Polanco is dealing with Achilles bursitis and he has his good and bad days. After going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts yesterday, Polanco is not in the starting lineup.

"Just one of those days where yesterday he felt it a lot more," Mendoza explained. "Trying to take advantage of tomorrow’s off day. We’ll go from there. Have to check back on him to see if there’s any type of availability for today’s game."

Polanco has been in and out of the lineup for weeks now, and has been used strictly as a DH. Mendoza was asked whether they will consider placing the veteran on the IL and he revealed a decision is likely coming soon.

"Still on the table. Not going to lie," Mendoza said. "We’ll see where we’re at after today, after tomorrow’s off day. By the time we get to Chicago, if we decide to go that route, pretty sure we will."

Polanco has played in 14 games, and is 10-for-56 with one home run, three doubles and two RBI.

Decision to call up Melendez

The Mets placed Jared Young on the IL on Wednesday and called up outfielder MJ Melendez.

Melendez is in Wednesday's lineup and Mendoza was asked why they chose to bring Melendez up from the minors instead of Ronny Mauricio.

"The versatility piece. Lefty bat," Mendoza explained. "Talking about with Mauricio, we want him to play. I’m pretty sure it’ll continue to be fluid, but right now, we felt Melendez was the right way to go."

The Mets will look at the other depth pieces to step up in the absence of Young, who has provided a strong left-handed presence off the bench -- and would sometimes start.

Mendoza also admitted that Brett Baty will see more time with Young on the IL.

"Especially when we’re facing righties. We’ll stock up on as many lefties as possible," Mendoza said. "We’ll go from there. We’re going to need all of these guys."

Baty is 12-for-55 with seven RBI in 15 games, while playing all over the diamond, including outfield.

We’re about one hour away from gametime here tonight in Sacramento as the Athletics gear up for the third game of this four-game set against their division-rival Texas Rangers. Both teams are tied atop the AL West so whoever wins tonight’s contest can lay claim to sole possession of first place. Big stakes even if it’s only April, especially these divisional games. And it’s a big day for another reason as baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, the day the legend broke the color barrier and made his MLB debut. So many greats in the game wouldn’t have had the chance to make their mark on the sport we love and we all love Jackie for the sacrifices he made in his time.

Taking the ball looking to make it two in a row for the good guys will be J.T. Ginn. The right-hander earned his first start of the season last week and did not disappoint, tossing four innings of one-hit ball against the team that drafted then traded him to us, the New York Mets. That must have felt good for the 26-year-old but now he’ll be tasked with taking on a division opponent in Texas. Last year Ginn made three starts against the Rangers, sandwiching a quality outing between a couple of duds. He’ll be looking for better results tonight and if he comes out looking like he did against New York we could see him in the game for a decent chunk tonight. There’s also a chance we see fellow right-hander Jack Perkins make an appearance tonight but that’ll largely depend on how Ginn is doing in the early frames.

The A’s lineup for Game 3 shakes out like this:

Tonight, we all wear 42. pic.twitter.com/aGJ1kcjkTo

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 15, 2026

The big 1-2 punch atop the lineup is back as Nick Kurtz reclaims the leadoff spot with Shea Langeliers right behind him. We do have a bit of a surprise in the #3 hole as backup outfielder Carlos Cortes will bat behind Langeliers. A curious move considering he’s just 7-for-24 with one home run so far. Not terrible numbers and I guess someone has to hit in that spot, but still feels like a curious choice. We’ll see if Mark Kotsay’s smarter than the rest of us. He’ll be the DH tonight.

The rest of the lineup is filled with the starters at all their primary positions. Soderstrom and Wilson will hit back-to-back in the middle of the order and Denzel Clarke will bring up the rear in the batting order.

On the mound for Texas tonight is former top prospect Kumar Rocker. The right-hander is considered one of the better younger pitchers in the Rangers’ organization and he’s looking like he’s taking a step so far in what will be his second full season in the big leagues. In two starts so far he’s pitched 10 innings (5 in each game) and allowed five total runs against the Reds and Dodgers. Not a bad start to his season but the A’s can pounce on the young arm if they can work his pitch count early. Last season the Athletics roughed him up for five runs in less than two innings of work so history is on the home team’s side in that regard tonight.

The Texas starting nine:

Lining up on Jackie Robinson Day. #Jackie42pic.twitter.com/oUHMIuB8LN

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 15, 2026

Ginn will have to work around the big bats in the middle of the order, especially the left-handed ones in Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager at the very top of the order. Texas’ offense hasn’t quite hit their stride yet but they have the ability to put up a crooked number any time.

Let’s get back to first place with a win tonight, fellas. Let’s go A’s!

The Texas Rangers have placed reliever Chris Martin on the 15 day injured list with a shoulder impingement and reliever Luis Curvelo on the injured list with a biceps strain. To replace the pair, the Rangers have purchased the contracts of righthanded pitchers Gavin Collyer and Cal Quantrill. To make room on the 40 man roster for the new additions, the Rangers have moved Cody Bradford from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list and have designated reliever Marc Church for assignment.

Martin and Curvelo each left yesterday’s game due to their injuries, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether either of them would have to go on the i.l. Martin had injury issues last year, and so playing it safe with him makes sense, and Curvelo is just a guy, so there’s no real need to wait and see on him.

Collyer, 24, will be making his major league debut when he first steps on the mound. Picked in the 12th round by the Rangers in 2019, and signed to a $585,000 bonus, Collyer had mixed results for much of his minor league career and had just one inning above A ball prior to 2025. He showed progress in 2025, however, splitting the season between AA and AAA, and though he became a minor league free agent after the season, the Rangers were able to re-sign him.

Collyer had an impressive camp, showing much improved command compared to prior years, and was reportedly being considered for a spot on the Opening Day roster. In 6.2 innings at Round Rock over 6 games, he allowed two runs, struck out 11 of 27 batters faced, and walked two. He has the stuff to be a potential late inning arm, and given the state of the pen, will likely get some late inning opportunities.

We wrote about Quantrill earlier this week when he won the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week award. He will presumably fill the long man/mop up role for the time being.

The initial hope was that Bradford would be back in the majors in May, but after having soreness after his rehab start on April 8, he’s on pause, and so the Rangers have apparently determined he’s not going to be an option before Memorial Day.

The surprising news is the decision to designate Marc Church for assignment. Church, taken five rounds after Collyer in 2019, established himself as a relief prospect, and made his major league debut at the end of the 2024 season. Church started the 2025 season in the majors, but was sent down after five appearances, and wasn’t healthy for most of the remainder of the season. He struggled with his command this spring, and has allowed four runs in 4.2 innings over five appearances at AAA this year.

The Rangers will now have seven days to waive, trade or release Church. If he clears waivers, he can be outrighted.

Texas Rangers @ Athletics

Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 8:40 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Sutter Health Park

RHP Kumar Rocker vs. RHP J.T. Ginn

Go Rangers!

Seattle Mariners (8-10) at San Diego Padres (11-6), April 15, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

---

Today, we all wear 42 💙 pic.twitter.com/v7Tp3FwpvX

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 15, 2026

Here’s how we line up on Jackie Robinson Day. #Jackie42pic.twitter.com/yvMIYFRHQ8

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 15, 2026

---

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball 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

Mets right-hander Christian Scott took the mound for Triple-A on Wednesday and had a second consecutive solid start for Syracuse.

After giving up some early runs, Scott settled in and struck out five in his 5.1 innings of work, retiring the last 11 hitters he faced and 13 of the last 14. The one batter that reached base during that stretch reached on an error. 

Scott allowed just two hits and a walk in his outing while throwing 82 pitches (50 strikes), but the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, made them count. Spencer Jones hit a two-out double following a walk to open the scoring in the first and Ernesto Martinez Jr. tagged the 26-year-old for a solo shot to lead off the second. 

From there, Scott faced one over the minimum until he was pulled from the game in the sixth, in line for the loss with Syracuse down 2-0. Regardless, his season ERA dropped from 6.48 to 5.27 over 13.2 innings this season.

Scott missed the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery following a big league promotion in 2024. That year, Scott had a 4.56 ERA in nine major league starts and a 2.76 ERA in nine starts in Triple-A. 

Christian Scott's final line tonight for Triple-A Syracuse:

5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Scott retired the final 11 batters he faced.

Catch the @SyracuseMets NOW on SNY pic.twitter.com/MYyJwYMBrM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 15, 2026

Prior to tonight’s series finale against the Dodgers, the Mets placed Jared Young on the IL, retroactive to April 13, with a meniscus tear in his left knee. The team later revealed that Young will undergo surgery and is expected to miss six to eight week of action as a result. To take his place on the roster, the team called up MJ Melendez from Triple-A Syracuse. As an unrelated roster move, the team also released reliever Luis García, whom they designated for assignment last week.

Young had seen more playing time since Soto’s injury, picking up some at-bats at first base and the outfield. In 23 plate appearances, he’s posted a .350/.391/.450 slash line with two runs scored, two runs batted in, a 137 wRC+, and a 0.2 fWAR. Looking at tonight’s lineup, the team will go with Brett Baty at first base, an outfield configuration of Tommy Pham in left, Luis Robert Jr. in center, and Carson Benge in right, and the newly-recalled Melendez manning the DH role.

Melendez is coming off a game in which he homered and tripled for Syracuse Mets in an 8-6 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Tuesday night. In all, the 27-year-old outfielder, whom the Mets signed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal over the winter, is hitting .216/.286/.431 with two homers, three runs batted in, and seven runs scored for Syracuse.

The most telling statistic in the San Francisco Giants’ 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds is the two teams’ pitch counts. Four Giants pitchers combined to throw 145 pitches in eight innings. The Reds got through nine innings against the free-swinging Giants in just 111 pitches, an average of 12.3 per inning.

The Giants had seven hits but only one walk, getting their lone run when Willy Adames crushed his third home run of the season in the 5th inning. Cincinnati got only three hits in the game but two of them were solo home runs off Robbie Ray (2-2), which gave the Reds the first game of the series. The defining moment came in the bottom of the 4th, when Reds first baseman Sal Stewart fouled off four pitches before going deep on Ray’s ninth pitch of the at-bat.

Sal Stewart slugs his 5th home run of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/rhX7XY3FeV

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2026

The Giants pitchers didn’t make too many mistakes apart from that fastball to Stewart and a hanging slider that Spencer Steer turned into a 401-foot bomb in the 3rd.

Way to get us started, Spence‼️@spenc__erpic.twitter.com/D607kcODZq

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 14, 2026

Reds starter Brady Singer pitched a solid six innings of one-run ball, striking out only one batter, hitting another, but walking none. That’s less of a challenge with the walk-averse Giants, but it allowed him to get through six innings in only 75 pitches. The Giants never had more than one runner on base at a time Tuesday, thanks to a caught stealing in the first inning and a Matt Chapman GIDP in the 8th.

Both teams had runners erased in the opening frame, with Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson throwing out Adames trying to steal and Gold Glover Patrick Bailey gunning down Matt McClain. Perhaps traumatized, neither manager called for a steal the rest of the game.

Adames did crush one in the 5th inning, reaching the second deck in left after sitting on Singer’s sweeper.

¡Willy Adames directamente para el segundo piso! 🏌️ pic.twitter.com/NnNhIQqZUT

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) April 15, 2026

But that was it for the Giants offense, besides two singles by Luis Arraez, who went 3-for-4 and raised his batting average to .333. Jung Hoo Lee had a single and a double, but six Giants starters went hitless.

Even the team’s leading hitter, Daniel Susac, couldn’t come through Tuesday. He pinch-hit for Bailey with two outs in the 9th and hit one to the wall, but the ball fell short and lowered his average to .583. What a bum!

The Reds bullpen was excellent. Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan (5 saves) struck out four Giants in three innings, giving up only a single to Arraez and an unintentional-intentional walk to Rafael Devers. Ashcraft was particularly filthy, getting Jared Oliva to whiff on a pitch at least five feet wide of home plate.

SF’s relievers were solid as well, with Keaton Winn and Ryan Walker throwing no-hit innings and Caleb Killian escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the 6th with a strikeout and a timely double play.

It’s the third game in a row that the Giants have scored two runs or fewer. It’s the ninth time in 17 games this season they’ve scored two or fewer and they’re 0-9 in those games.

Tony Vitello may be considering dramatic lineup changes. The most obvious move might come in left field, where Heliot Ramos has two extra-base hits all season, though the team isn’t exactly flush with options. Harrison Bader has struck out in a third of his at-bats. Oliva has one hit this season. Jerar Encarnacion might have the most upside — at least based on exit velocity.

If you can’t hit in the Great American Ballpark, that’s a very bad sign. It’s encouraging for the Giants pitching staff but another rough data point for the sputtering Giants hitters.