Category: MLB

The New York Rangers ended their home campaign at Madison Square Garden with a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. 

With the Rangers playing their last home game of the 2025-26 season, let's take a deep dive into the team’s play at the world’s most famous arena over the course of the year. 

The season opened up at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Going into that matchup, there was a lot of excitement, yet uncertainty as the Mike Sullivan era was set to begin.

Against Sullivan’s former team in front of a full house at MSG, the Rangers were outplayed and lost 3-0 in what would ultimately be a sign of things to come. 

The Blueshirts failed to score a goal over their first three home games, marking the second-longest scoring drought to start a season at home. 

They also lost their first seven games at home before finally recording their first win on Broadway against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 10. 

During this tumultuous stretch, the Rangers became the first NHL team in 98 years to be shut out in five of their first seven home games. 

Through the first handful of games, despite struggling to score goals, the Rangers were putting up shots and generating offense at a high rate. It was constantly preached by both Sullivan and veteran leaders in the locker room that they were playing the right way and would eventually be rewarded. 

“'I’ll go back to when you look at the first 20 games of the season, there were a lot of games that we felt pretty good about our overall game from a process standpoint, and we struggled to score goals for whatever reason in particular, at home,” Sullivan said. “We were creating offense. We just weren't scoring.”

Over time, as the Rangers’ scoring woes persisted, their confidence wavered, and the positive messages that used to come out of the locker room turned into cryptic messages and seeds of doubt.  

Playing in the comfort of your own building is usually an advantage, but the mounting pressure on the Rangers in the confines of MSG overwhelmed them to the point that playing on home ice became a disadvantage. 

“To a certain extent, it took a life of its own because our guys care deeply about playing in front of the home crowd and the people that support us,” Sullivan said. “We have a sincere appreciation for that, and so sometimes that becomes a challenge because you're trying so hard to try to win at home. Sometimes it gets in the way of your instincts and you don't play with a free mind and instinctive mindset, which is when players are at their best.”

By the midpoint of the season, the Rangers managed to scrap together just five home wins compared to their 14 wins on the road. 

“It’s a passionate fanbase. It’s hard when things are not going well, and then you squeeze a little tighter to get out of it,” J.T. Miller said. “Maybe you play a little differently than you would when you're a little more loose. It’s hard mentally.”

With the Rangers well out of the playoff race late in the season, they’ve brought life back to MSG and have played their best hockey despite the games being meaningless from a standings perspective. 

Tye Kartye Happy With How Things Have Worked Out With Rangers When the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> claimed Tye Kartye off waivers, the team likely couldn’t have expected the impact he’s provided since then.

The Rangers have won five out of their last seven games at home, while scoring three or more goals in each of those five victories. 

“It's not like we've changed our game plan,” Sullivan said. “I think we've got back to a pretty consistent team game. We're generating a lot of offense, and we're scoring a lot of goals. I wish I could have solved it earlier. Sometimes you can't always control whether the puck goes in the net, but what you can try to control is the process.”

To finish the season, the Rangers held a 14-20-7 record at home. The franchise record for fewest wins at home is 13, set back during the 2003-04 season.

In the grand scheme of things, this hot stretch to close out the year will likely get lost in the shuffle of a season haunted by failure and disappointment. 

Through it all though, there’s a sense at least from the players’ words that they’ve been able to recapture an identity that you can only hope can be carried into the 2026-27 campaign.

“I just like the way at the end of the year you can look at it like we're not playing for anything, but I think that we've done a good job of flipping that like, ‘Hey, we're playing for something, playing for the Rangers in Madison Square Garden. We're going to show up.’ I think the results lately have shown that,” Miller said. “I feel good about the way we are playing.”

Things were very different in 2013. Barry Zito was completing a wildly successful eight-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. America was falling in love with a prehistoric family called The Croods and an up-and-coming rapper from the Pacific Northwest named Macklemore. Anthony Weiner was running for mayor and Toronto mayor Rob Ford (R.I.P.) was smoking crack. It was also the last year the Philadelphia Phillies won a series in San Francisco.

That streak continued Wednesday as the Giants shut out the Phillies for the second game in a row. Tyler Mahle and four relievers combined on a four-hit shutout, with Matt Gage getting the first win of his career after Rafael Devers got the Giants on the board with a three-run home run in the 6th inning.

The 411-foot blast was Devers’ second of the season and delighted all the fans perusing the organic garden in center field. Devers finished the day with four RBI when he singled in Luis Arraez in the 8th. Arraez scored two runs, as did Willy Adames, who celebrated his teammate’s big day, by, what else, throwing a big bucket of Gatorade on him.

Adames scored on the Devers bomb and scored from first when Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado threw away Arraez’s sacrifice bunt in the 8th inning. He and Adames each went 2-for-4, with Adames adding a double and Arraez tripling in the first, though he was stranded after two strikeouts. Arraez is now hitting .320 and clearly heading for another batting title.

The 31-year-old Mahle had his best start as a Giant, yielding three hits — one on the infield — and four walks in 5.2 innings, striking out six. He retired eight straight Phillies after Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper got hits in the first, then pitched his way out of a third-inning jam after walking those same two Phillies and throwing a wild pitch, by getting Alec Bohm to ground out to third baseman/baseball vacuum Matt Chapman.

Mahle couldn’t retire Schwarber, who hat a hit and two walks, but the other Phillies went 2-for-18 with two walks against him. Gage replaced Mahle with two outs in the 6th and 94 pitches on Mahle’s count after Adolis Garcia singled and retired Brandon Marsh.

Gage gave up a pinch-hit to Otto Kemp and Caleb Killian relieved him, walking Trae Turner on four pitches. But he finally retired Schwarber, striking him out with his knuckle curve, and getting Harper to ground out. Daywalker Blade Tidwell and Erik Miller pitched perfect innings for a Giants bullpen that struggled to hold leads recently. Gage, Killian, and Tidwell still have spotless ERAs for the season.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola pitched well into the 6th, escaping trouble with strikeouts in the first and getting Devers to ground into a double play with two runners on in the 4th. But he couldn’t escape Devers and dropped to 1-1.

Jose Avila got his first hit as a Giant with a pinch-hit single in the 8th. Center fielder Harrison Bader couldn’t stick it to his old team, going 0-for-4 in the game and 1-for-10 in the series.

The Giants are now 5-8 and are 2-2 in their series, which isn’t actually a stat that counts in the standings but still feels good after some miserable games against the city of New York to start the season. They’re making what Boyz II Men would call an East Coast swing for the next week and a half, heading to Baltimore for a three-game series Friday, then hitting Cincinnati and our nation’s capital. Get ready for some crabs, spaghetti covered in chili, and some serious legislative gridlock, fellas!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The 6-6 Colorado Rockies have made it through their rotation 2.4 times so far and each starter has had at least one road start and one home start (except for José Quintana, of course, who is on the IL with a hamstring injury).

We’ve seen some dominant performances and some not-so-dominant performances so it begs the question: how is the new Rockies’ pitching philosophy playing out in real time?

But before we answer that question, since we’re still in small sample size territory, I’d rather ask you this: how would you grade the starting rotation so far in 2026?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

David Bednar had earned a save in each of his five appearances this season prior to Wednesday’s loss, but the closer has struggled recently, with his fastball velocity down a bit. 

Both Bednar and Aaron Boone said they are unconcerned about the dip with his four-seamer and his splitter, but the right-hander gave up a run for the third time in his last four outings in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the A’s. 

“It’s early in the season and the weather [is cold],” Bednar said. “It’s nothing to panic about.” 

Bednar could also be feeling the effects of recent consecutive appearances in which he combined to throw 73 pitches.

He struggled again against the A’s, as he allowed a pair of hits and the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. 

In his last four games, Bednar has thrown 4 ¹/₃ innings and allowed eight hits, a walk and three runs, while striking out six. 

“I got ahead of guys and couldn’t put them away,’’ Bednar said of his performance Wednesday. “That can’t happen in a game like that. I got in a jam, tried to get out of it and unfortunately wasn’t able to.” 

In an interesting peek at what was and maybe what could be, Jasson Domínguez returned to center field Wednesday for the first time since 2024. 

Domínguez — who had begun his professional career in center then was moved to left field, where he exclusively played in the majors last season and where he had begun this season — was the center fielder for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his eighth minor league game this year, going 0-for-5. 

With Domínguez moving over, Spencer Jones received his first start in left field this season. Aaron Boone said the Yankees want to give the top prospects looks at different spots. 

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“You never know when things pop up,” the manager said. 

Injuries pop up and sometimes so does underperformance. The Yankees major league outfield is filled — with Cody Bellinger in left, Trent Grisham in center, Aaron Judge in right, Giancarlo Stanton at DH and Randal Grichuk as a righty bat off the bench — which has meant the Yankees have a star-studded prospect outfield at the top level of the minors. 

With the outfield remaining healthy, neither Domínguez nor Jones had a real shot at cracking the Opening Day roster. Boone said he was happy with Domínguez’s spring at-bats, particularly a few later in the Grapefruit League as a righty, including launching a home run against Philadelphia lefty Tanner Banks. The switch-hitting Domínguez has struggled in the minors and majors from the right side. 

“I know he’s had a homer and an extra-base hit from the right side down there,” Boone said. “I saw him make a really good play in left field the other day in their day game that I was watching. So off to a pretty good start.” 

If Domínguez and Jones prove capable at both the corners and center field, the Yankees would be able to pick the better performer when they have a major league need. That need could arise out of injury or if, say, Grisham is not able to replicate his strong 2025 season. 

Carlos Rodón was set to throw two simulated innings during a bullpen session. The lefty, whose progress from offseason elbow surgery was paused because of a tight hamstring last week, was able to throw through the setback. 

Boone was not immediately sure of the next step for Rodón, who had been close to starting a rehab assignment before the hamstring issue. 

“We want to make sure he’s in a good spot before he goes and does something live or in a game situation,” Boone said. 

When the Yankees travel home from a series in Tampa this weekend, they expect Anthony Volpe to join them. 

Volpe, who has been getting at-bats at the club’s spring facility, could start a rehab assignment next week, Boone said, “but we’ll see in the next few days.” 

Honored as 2025 Silver Slugger Award winners before the game: Judge (outfield), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (second base) and the entire Yankees offense, which won the team award.

Well the Braves are quietly cruising so far this season, with a strong 8-5 record and tied for the MLB lead in run differential. The rotation hasn’t been a weakness yet overall, though the fifth spot had been pretty rough, and while the offense hasn’t been truly humming, only 3 teams in MLB have scored more runs. With Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider seemingly only a few weeks away from their return and further reinforcements coming later on with Ha-Seong Kim and potentially a handful of talented pitchers, it sure feels like the Braves could be near the top of the standings this season based on the first two weeks of baseball. When Ronald Acuna gets going and Austin Riley recovers some of his form at the plate, this team could be a force to be reckoned with at full strength.

Braves News

Reynaldo Lopez received a 7 game suspension for his brawl with Jorge Soler, which he appealed down to 5 games, avoiding a missed start.

Sean Murphy will be resuming his rehab assignment in AAA Gwinnett, as his return to MLB is seemingly approaching rapidly.

The Braves finished their West Coast trip with a win against the Angels, as they have still not lost a series this season.

MLB News

Guardians’ starting shortstop Gabriel Arias is set to miss a month or two with a hamstring strain.

Orioles’ starter Zach Eflin will get Tommy John surgery, ending his season and perhaps eating into some of his 2027 season.

Astros’ Cristian Javier left his start with shoulder tightness on Wednesday.

Right-hander Dawson Netz was promoted from South Bend to Knoxville. He hadn’t yet pitched for South Bend this year and pitched for both teams last season.

Everybody wins!

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs rained all over the parade of the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 12-4.

Charlie Barnes started and got the win after allowing just two runs on four hits over five innings. Both runs came on a two-run home run in the fourth by Kameron Misner. Barnes struck out four and walked no one.

Barnes has now pitched in three games this year and is 3-0, although this was his first start.

The I-Cubs took an early lead when second baseman Pedro Ramirez hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. It was Ramirez’s fourth home run of the year already. His career-high in a season is only eight. He also hit an RBI double in the sixth inning, giving him three total runs batted in today. Ramirez went 2 for 5 and scored twice.

In the second inning, catcher Eric Yang made it 5-0 with a three-run home run. He also chipped in an RBI single in the third inning that made it 6-0. Yang went 3 for 4 with a double, the home run and four total RBI. He scored twice.

In the sixth inning, third baseman BJ Murray cranked a three-run home run, which was also his fourth home run this year. Murray went 2 for 5.

First baseman Jonathon Long went 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the sixth. Long scored twice.

The Ramirez home run.

Yang’s home run.

Long’s double went in the the right-center field gap.

Murray’s home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies took out the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 8-7 on a walk-off two-run single by Ariel Armas.

Tyler Schlaffer’s season debut had some good and some bad. The bad was that he gave up three runs on three hits over three innings. The good was that he struck out six and walked just one.

Erian Rodriguez relieved Schlaffer and his appearance was pretty much all bad. Rodriguez put the Smokies down 7-4 after giving up four runs on four hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out just one.

Netz kept the Trash Pandas in check with two scoreless innings of relief in his season debut. Evan Taylor pitched the top of the ninth and got the win. Taylor allowed a one-out single, but no other baserunners. He struck out two.

Arias pinch-hit for Ethan Hearn in the eighth inning, flew out and then stayed in the game to catch the top of the ninth. He came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and delivered a two-run single up the middle to win the game.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu hit a solo home run in the third inning. Nwogu was 2 for 4 and scored twice. He was also hit by a pitch.

Center fielder Carter Trice was 2 for 4 with two runs scored. He was intentionally walked in the ninth to face Armas.

Third baseman Karson Simas went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. He also singled home the first run of the game in the second inning.

Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 5 with a double.

Seiya Suzuki took two at-bats as the designated hitter before exiting. He struck out in the first inning and walked in the second inning. He may have had a plane to catch.

Here’s Nwogu’s home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs mauled the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 13-1.

It was a great first start of the year for Brooks Caple, who got the win after pitching five innings and allowing just one unearned run on one hits. He dominated the plate with seven strikeouts and no walks. He did hit one batter.

Alfredo Romero was just as good, getting a four-inning save. Romero gave up just one hit and no runs. He struck out five and walked no one.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda opened the scoring with a two-run single in the third inning. Cepeda wasn’t done as he had another RBI single in the fourth. The final line on Cepeda was 3 for 5 with a walk and the three RBI. He also stole a base and scored once.

Third baseman Reginald Preciado also had a great game, going 2 for 5 with a solo home run in the third inning. Preciado scored twice.

Catcher Justin Stransky hit his first professional home run in the seventh inning with two men on. He had earlier hit an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, giving him five RBI on the night. (That doubles his career total in one night.) Stransky was 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Center fielder Kane Kepley doubled twice in a 2 for 6 game. He also stole third base and scored twice.

Second baseman Drew Bowser was 2 for 5 with two doubles. He drove home two and scored twice.

First baseman Matt Halbach was 3 for 5. He had one RBI and scored once.

Right fielder Kade Snell went 2 for 5 with a double and one run scored.

Preciado’s home run.

One of Bowser’s doubles.

Stransky’s first professional home run.

One of Kepley’s doubles.

Some nifty defense at third base by Preciado.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans went to 5-0 with a 14-9 win over the Columbia Fireflies (Royals).

Thomas Frank started and turned in a solid 3.2 scoreless innings, Frank allowed on hit. He walked three and struck out three.

Luis A. Reyes had a pretty disastrous performance in relief of Frank. He entered the game with two outs in the fourth and after walking the first batter, he got a pop up to end the inning. Then Reyes came on to pitch the fifth inning and walked the first five batters before he was pulled from the game. All five of those walks came around to score.

Edwardo Melendez came on to relieve Reyes with the bases loaded and no outs and he got out of the inning, but not before allowing all three inherited runners to score. However, Melendez was awarded the win as the “most effective” pitcher since Frank didn’t go five. Melendez’s final line was no runs (of his own) on three hits over two innings. He did strike out five and walked one.

Shortstop Ty Southisene went 2 for 5 with a bases-loaded walk and an RBI triple in the fourth inning. He drove in four runs total.

Left fielder Jose Escobar was 3 for 6 with a double. He also had four RBI and scored once.

Second baseman Ludwing Espinoza went 2 for 3 with a double and three walks. He scored twice and drove in the first run of the game with a single in the second inning.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with two walks and a stolen base. Hartshorn scored one run.

DH Michael Carico went 2 for 4 with two walks. He scored twice and drove home one.

Catcher Logan Poteet went 2 for 5 with a sacrifice fly. He scored twice.

The Pelicans won despite their pitching staff issuing 12 walks. It helped that their lineup walked 16 times.

Jose Escobar’s double.

There's not much to critique the 2026 Yankees so far this season.

Even with their 3-2 loss to the Athletics, the Yankees (8-3) have the best record in the American League and lead their division by 2.5 games. But what Wednesday night's defeat showcased was that the offense will have its off days, but for Ryan McMahon, those days seem more common, especially early on this year.

McMahon has never been a consistent hitter in his career. His two best seasons came in 2019 and 2021 with the Rockies when he batted around .250 and slugged 23-24 home runs. But across his first 10 games this season, the veteran infielder is 2-for-26 after going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts -- the second punchout being the final out of Wednesday's loss with him as the tying run.

"If I knew, I don’t think I’ll be in the slow start," McMahon said after the game. "Hey, I’m grinding. I’m not happy about it, I’m sure other people aren’t. At the end of the day, it’s about the team winning. I’ll keep working and try to turn it around."

McMahon, who is best known for and still is a plus-defender, has struggled ever since being acquired by the Yankees at last year's deadline. In 54 games with the Yanks in 2025, McMahon slashed .208/.308/.333 with an OPS of .641 to go along with four home runs, eight doubles and 18 RBI. 

The third baseman took questions from the media following the loss on Wednesday and when asked about the whys and hows of his slow start, McMahon answered with every variation of "I don't know" you could think of. 

It's an early-season issue that manager Aaron Boone and the organization hope resolves itself. In the meantime, Boone has changed up the lineup, benched McMahon for Amed Rosario against certain pitching matchups and even started McMahon at shortstop to get both him and Rosario in the lineup. 

Wednesday was McMahon's first start at short, and the Yankees skipper said he looked "great" and made tough plays "look routine." But defense has never been the problem with McMahon wherever he plays on the diamond. And with Jose Caballero struggling at the plate while the team awaits the return of Anthony Volpe, the left side of the Yankees infield needs a jolt. 

Boone believes McMahon can provide that and defended his third baseman by pointing out how early it is in the season and that he will continue to use him in the lineup as he sees fit. 

"Mac's a good major league hitter. It's 10 games in, okay?" Boone said. "He's scuffling right now, but the reality is, the last three games, he's been on base four times too, with walks and hits and big at-bats.

"We want him to improve even who he's been obviously in his career, and he's off to a slow start right now, but a number of our guys are, as well. He'll get it rolling and trust that he will, especially against some of these good right-handed matchups."

Boone is correct that it's very early in the season, and that others on the team have not hit to the back of their baseball cards. But it's also hard to ignore that after 65 games as a Yankee, McMahon hasn't shown that consistent offensive presence the team needs.

Aaron Boone was asked what he's seen from Ryan McMahon at the plate:

"Mac's a good major league hitter. It's 10 games in, okay? He's scuffling right now, but the reality is, the last three games, he's been on base four times too, with walks and hits and big at-bats.

We want him… pic.twitter.com/1A2jSjoz2H

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 9, 2026

J.D. Martinez vowed as a young player that if he were fortunate enough to have a successful career, he would become a mentor to others.

That stemmed from his early days with the Astros, when he sought advice from veterans and discovered a hard truth.

“I was an up-and-down guy that barely played and I would reach out to the veteran guys, and at that time it was a little different,” Martinez said Wednesday at Citi Field before the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. “The veteran guys weren’t very nice. I remember seeing them and asking questions and them kind of never answering it and blowing me off and making my life a nightmare.”

Martinez became a mentor to many, including in his lone season with the Mets in 2024. That impact with teammates led to the organization last week hiring the 38-year-old Martinez as a special assistant.

He began his new role on this homestand, serving as a “resource” within the clubhouse.

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“I had quite a roller coaster throughout my career from being released to being a top prospect, just my rise and then going in and retiring,” said Martinez, a six-time All-Star who played 14 seasons. “There’s a lot of things I have experienced where I feel I can relate to a lot of those guys in that clubhouse … whether it’s the offense, the strategy, the mentorship. I am just here to help out any way I can.”

During his Mets tenure, Martinez took a special interest in Mark Vientos, who had a breakout season before regressing last year.

“He was an unbelievable player — he still is, he still is a great player,” Martinez said. “I know he struggled last year, but he’s got the ability. It’s in there. And for him, I think it’s just one of those things, a little bit of guidance could go a long way with him. He’s off to a good start this year.”

Martinez’s role is similar to the one Carlos Beltrán has within the organization. Beltrán has become a visible presence around the team in recent seasons.

It’s a new-look Mets team following an offseason overhaul to the roster.

“I would argue this team is more talented than the 2024 team by far,” Martinez said of the group that reached the NLCS. “This is a really good group. I played with and against a lot of these guys.”

Martinez was asked what advice he would give players about playing in New York.

“Ignore all you guys,” Martinez said, referring to the media. “The fans are great, it’s just the Northeast and they are tough. You have got to kind of take it with a grain of salt. When I was here, the famous quote, ‘We suck, we all suck together.’ That is kind of the mindset you have got to have.”

If he didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all.

Pitcher Packy Naughton, in the midst of an MLB comeback attempt following multiple arm injuries, left his 2026 debut on Wednesday with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate after just three pitches with another apparent injury.

Facing White Sox farmhand Korey Lee in the bottom of the sixth inning, the left-hander’s 1-1 pitch missed well outside the zone, and left Naughton in obvious discomfort.

The 29-year-old Naughton immediately grabbed at his left elbow and bent over in pain as Redbirds catcher Leo Bernal and the training staff tended to him.

Naughton then walked off the field with a trainer while clutching his left elbow.

“That’s never a good sign,” Charlotte Knights announcer Matt Swierad said during the broadcast. “Hopefully nothing too serious there, just something he was trying to be cautious about.”

Naughton was shaping up as a feel-good story in 2026 after missing most of the past three seasons.

Absolutely HEARTBREAKING stuff.

Packy Naughton throws the ball. He is hurt afterward. This poor young man. pic.twitter.com/fGaQfLtneu

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) April 9, 2026

He logged a 1.29 ERA over seven appearances in a “resurgent” spring training with the Cardinals, ramping up to potentially making his first MLB appearance since 2023.

“Even after the first pitch, it was kind of a sigh of relief,” Naughton told St. Louis’ NBC affiliate KDSK during spring training about his return. “Elbow was intact, everything was good to go. All the work I’ve done; it paid off.”

The Boston native tore his flexor tendon after just four scoreless outings with St. Louis to begin the 2023 season, which sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

As he rehabbed in the Cardinals’ minor league system in July 2024, Naughton re-tore the flexor tendon while also tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery.

The injury and subsequent surgery also caused him to miss the entire 2025 season.

The Cardinals re-signed Naughton to a two-year deal in the offseason with the understanding he would miss all of 2025, but would hopefully be a factor in 2026.

During his time away from the field, Naughton got his real estate license, which he told STLSportsPage.com felt like “competing again.”

“I knew I was missing all of 2025 and I knew I needed to do something that wasn’t going to drive me crazy being in South Florida during the summer,” Naughton told the outlet about juggling baseball and his second job as a realtor.

Naughton was drafted by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB Draft before being traded to the Angels in August 2020.

He made his MLB debut with the Angels the following season, but was designated for assignment after making seven appearances.

The Cardinals scooped Naughton off the waiver wire, and he made a career-high 27 appearances during the 2022 campaign.

In parts of three MLB seasons, the swingman sports a 4.98 ERA across 37 games.

Reynaldo Lopez might not miss his next scheduled start after all.

The Braves starting pitcher, after working things out with MLB, got his suspension for his role in Tuesday night’s benches-clearing brawl reduced from seven games to five, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Here’s an angle of the brawl where you can see Reynaldo Lopez land a blow on Jorge Soler with the baseball in his hand pic.twitter.com/dSucXM4T9c

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 8, 2026

That should keep him in line to pitch Tuesday against the Marlins, USA Today noted.

Lopez was in the middle of the fray in Anaheim last night when he threw a pitch high and inside that Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler — a former Braves teammate — took exception to.

Soler then charged the mound, throwing punches at Lopez, who threw punches in kind, but with a ball in his right hand, connecting on a blow to Soler’s helmet and face.

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator, per MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”

As things continued to escalate and Soler charged Lopez from the pitcher’s mound to the first base line, several Braves tackled the Angels DH, with Atlanta skipper Walt Weiss among those in the fray.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss told reporters. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I’ve gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”

Soler was suspended for seven games, though he is appealing. On Wednesday against Atlanta, he homered for the second straight day in an 8-2 Angels loss.

Both players also received undisclosed fines for their roles in the brawl.

Lopez is off to a strong start in 2026 with a 1.15 ERA in three starts.

Another chilly day for a game in Minnesota (honestly, scheduling games before May in the midwest is really a fool’s errand, but that’s baseball for you). The Tigers, currently on a three-game losing streak, were looking to break up the bad luck with Framber Valdez on the mound. They’d be facing off against Bailey Ober for the Twins, whose only aim was to continue the Twins’ winning run against their division rivals.

The Tigers quickly went 1-2-3 to start the game. As things headed into the bottom of the first, Byron Buxton got a base hit immediately. Austin Martin was then hit by a pitch to put two baserunners on. Then, what should have either been a force-out or even a double play turned into a bases loaded scenario as Luke Keaschall reached on a fielder’s choice. A wild pitch from Valdez allowed Buxton to score. Ryan Jeffers then hit a ground out to score Martin. The inning continued to be a bummer, as Victor Caratini walked. Josh Bell then singled to get Keaschall in. A Matt Wallner double brought Caratini home. The cold weather must super power the Twins. Oh but this inning still isn’t over. Royce Lewis singled, scoring two more Twins runs. He then stole second.

In the second, the Tigers got an early baserunner in Kerry Carpenter, who took a leadoff walk. Dillon Dingler got lucky as Royce Lewis made a great infield grab but couldn’t turn around to get it to first, and Dingler arrived safe on base with a single. Despite the efforts, however, the Tigers couldn’t convert the baserunners to actual runs. Valdez started the home half og the second a lot stronger, with two outs back-to-back. Ryan Jeffers then singled. The Twins didn’t manage to add to their early lead, though.

The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the top of the third. Much to the relief of Valdez, though, the Twins did the same in the bottom of the inning.

The top of the fourth was another three-up, three-down for the Tigers, which isn’t the ideal result if they hope to come back from a six-run deficit. Things got worse in the home half. Buxton got a one-out single. Then, with two outs, Keaschall singled into center, there was no easy play, and Buxton scored. Keaschall then stole second, followed by a Ryan Jeffers walk. The Twins didn’t manage to convert any additional baserunners, but the score was now 7-0.

Heading to the fifth, Dingler reached on a throwing error by Brooks Lee. A Matt Vierling ground out then pushed Dingler into scoring position. Two more outs followed, however, leaving Dillon on base and the Tigers still scoreless. While Valdez continued to look more confident and dialled in as the innings progressed, in the bottom of the second, once again with two outs, the Twins got the better of him. Lewis hit a single, but thankfully they weren’t able to score any additional runs. Given how the first inning had gone, with 29 pitches, it was somewhat surprising to see Valdez get through five, but it was good to see his quality improve over the course of the game. While it’s certainly not the kind of start fans would want from someone who was touted to be such a good offseason score, it was still just one bad inning, when you really look at it, much of which was also on the fielders to shoulder blame for. So certainly not time to pull out any pitchforks just yet.

Colt Keith proved that the Tigers still had some motivation left to play this game as he hit a leadoff double. With one out, Gleyber Torres then singled. A Kerry Carpenter single finally got the Tigers on the board, bringing Keith home. With two outs, Dingler singled to score Torres, and that was it for Bailey Ober for the day. Justin Topa came out of the overworked Twins bullpen. Parker Meadows, pinch-hitting for Matt Vierling, came in and singled, loading the bases. Unfortunately a flyout ended the inning, but at least they were finally on the board. Valdez’s day wasn’t done after five, which was a bold choice despite all the nice things I said earlier. Byron Buxton hit a leadoff double. Austin Martin followed that with a single. That was it for Valdez, whose final line was 5.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K on 87 pitches. Rough. Would have liked to see those strikeous a lot higher to feel really good about this one, but so it goes. Better luck next time. Emmanuel De Jesus came out of the Tigers pen to try getting out of the jam. With one out, Martin got picked off trying to steal second and was caught in a rundown for an out. Naturally, though, Buxton scored another run. Ryan Jeffers walked, and Caratini singled. Josh Bell then challenged a strike call and was rewarded when it was overturned but getting a walk to load the bases again. A strikeout finally ended the inning, though, with only the one run of damage.

Anthony Banda was the next reliever in for the Twins in the top of the seventh. Javier Baez got a leadoff single. Spencer Torkelson came in to pinch-hit for Keith and did little more than take a walk to the plate and then back to the dugout. Kevin McGonigle then singled. A Gleyber Torres double then scored Baez and McGonigle. Rally time? Sure! There was a brief delay onfield as the umpires assessed whether the Torres double was lodged, but since no one made a call on the field about it, the ball was considered live and both runs counted. Jahmai Jones came in for Carpenter, and a wild pitch from Banda allowed Torres to advance to third. Riley Greene then singled to score Torres.

The Twins had to dip into their bullpen again, a nightmare for them at this point given how overworked the pen has been this series. Cole Sands came out, and gave up a single to Dingler. With two outs the Tigers managed to have the tying run at the plate. A wild pitch scored Greene. While Meadows struck out to end the inning, the Tigers had come way, way back, and the score was now 8-6. Baseball is a wacky game.

In the bottom of the seventh the Tigers turned to Kyle Finnegan. Lewis got a leadoff walk. One out later, Buxton walked. A pinch-hitting Trevor Larnach hit into a double play, eliminating Buxton, thank goodness. That ended the inning and put the Tigers back in a position to turn things around even more.

Cody Laweryson was the next Twins reliever out. Baez got a one-out double, followed by Torkelson getting hit by a pitch for a free base. The effort was good, but a pop out and strike out ended the inning (though Torres did attempt to challenge one of the strike calls, it was upheld), another ABS call, this time from Jeffers, ended the inning as it was ruled to be a strike and not a ball. Brutal. Will Vest came in for the Tigers in the bottom of the inning. Vest had a much-needed clean inning getting the Twins out 1-2-3.

With one out in the top of the ninth there was a Cody for Kody swap, as Kody Funderburk came in to finish off the game. Riley Greene then walked. Dingler was then hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Parker Meadows grounded into a force out, eliminating Dingler but advancing Greene to third. While the Tigers made a valiant late effort at a comeback, it wasn’t enough to turn it around.

Final: Twins 8, Tigers 6

After seven pitches from Luis Severino and before they had recorded one out, the Yankees had tallied three hits and scored one run.

Over the next 153 pitches from Severino and four relievers, the Yankees recorded 27 outs and added just one hit — a fourth-inning single from Amed Rosario erased by a double play.

In the early weeks of the season, the Yankees have so often found a way, typically producing a timely hit that would swing a game in their direction.

On this night, that hit never arrived.

The Yankees bats made like the weather and froze, applying too much pressure to a bullpen that eventually cracked when David Bednar allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth in what became a 3-2 loss to the A’s in front of 38,147 shivering fans in The Bronx on Wednesday.

“That’s just baseball,” J.C. Escarra said. “We’ve had a lot of good games offensively. Today wasn’t one of them.”

The Yankees (8-3), who have fallen by one run in each of their losses, would have to take the rubber game Thursday afternoon to win a fourth series in as many tries this season.

The losing pitcher was Bednar, who had thrown 14 pitches to record a save Tuesday and could not pitch his way out of danger as he has so often.

After excellent, shutdown work from Tim Hill, Camilo Doval and Brent Headrick, the closer allowed hard contact to Nick Kurtz for a single and Shea Langeliers for a double before Brent Rooker lofted a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run.

In the bitter cold and after plenty of work in the World Baseball Classic, Bednar’s velocity has dipped a bit.

“I think once we get rolling into this, he’ll be fine,” manager Aaron Boone said of a closer who was not the problem.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

The problem was an offense that went silent. Nos. 4-9 in the order went 1-for-20.

Of particular note were Ben Rice (0-for-4 with four strikeouts) and Ryan McMahon (0-for-3 with a walk, two strikeouts and a double play that drew boos).

“Mac’s a good major league hitter,” Boone said of McMahon. “We’re 10 games in. … He’ll get it rolling.”

The Yankees got to old friend Severino immediately but never again.

In a long bottom of the first, the Yankees strung three hits together and scored quickly, the seventh pitch a looper down the left field line from Cody Bellinger. Later in the frame, Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked to load the bases before Escarra drew his own walk to push a second run across.

Rosario struck out with the bases loaded on Severino’s 32nd pitch, and Yankees hitters were not heard from again.

“The story was we just didn’t score when we had a chance to throw a knockout punch early,” Boone said after the Yankees went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Severino and wasted their few chances, including inning-ending double plays in the second (off Aaron Judge’s bat) and fourth (McMahon).

Severino walked Trent Grisham to begin his fifth and final inning, but bounced back and struck out Judge and later Rice, roaring off the Yankee Stadium mound like it was 2017.

“He’s got great stuff and he didn’t flinch,” Boone said of Severino.

Will Warren (4 ²/₃ innings, two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five) was not sharp but kept the Yankees around.

Both runs the righty allowed came in the fourth, when the team that used to be from Oakland put together a two-out rally. Consecutive singles from Lawrence Butler, Max Muncy and Jeff McNeil — the last a shot through the left side of the infield that resulted in Butler diving home just ahead of a throw from Bellinger — scored one run. After Warren walked No. 9 hitter Carlos Cortes to load the bases, he dirted a curveball that bounced off Escarra, the wild pitch tying the game.

The best potential Yankees rally late arrived in the seventh, when a pair of walks brought Bellinger to the plate with two outs. He swung through a curveball and spiked his bat into the dirt.

“Couldn’t break through,” Boone said, “and then they held us down.”

It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thank you for stopping in tonight. We’ve been waiting for you. There’s no cover charge. We still have a couple of good tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked if you think, in response to the injuries in the Cubs starting rotation, that the Cubs should sign free agent Lucas Giolito. The question is complicated because we don’t know how much money that Giolito wants to sign, But with that in mind, 65 percent of you think it would be a good idea, considering the health issues of the team to start the season.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You’re free to skip ahead if you want.

Tonight we’re featuring Chicago and Rockford’s own Kurt Elling singing the Joe Jackson tune “Steppin’ Out” with the Bundesjazzorchester in 2o12.

I don’t have a movie essay for tonight, I thought I’d throw the floor open to you.

As a way of stimulating the conversation, tell us your favorite actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The American Film Institute put out their top 25 actors and actresses as part of an end-of-the-millenium TV special back in 1999. We’ll save the actresses for another day, so let’s concentrate on the actors tonight.

AFI’s cutoff point was that an actor had to have made their screen debut by 1950. That’s a good cutoff point for a “Golden Age” list, although it does exclude Jack Lemmon, who didn’t make his credited movie debut until 1954. (He had some uncredited roles before that.) Rock Hudson only had one bit part before 1950 and they didn’t spell his name right. I’m not sure whether they counted that.

You can see the complete top 25 at the link, but their top ten were:

1. Humphrey Bogart
2. Cary Grant
3. James Stewart
4. Marlon Brando
5. Fred Astaire
6. Henry Fonda
7. Clark Gable
8. James Cagney
9. Spencer Tracy
10. Charlie Chaplin

That’s a pretty good list to start. So tell us who is your favorite and which movies he did make you love him?

For me, the answer is easy. It’s Grant. There’s no one on this list whom I don’t think is terrific, but Cary Grant stands out to me. I’m not sure any actor of the era was as equally at home in drama and comedy, often in the same film. North by Northwest is a masterpiece. His comedies like The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday and Monkey Business are great. But he also made a lot of great dramatic pictures such as Gunga Din, Only Angels Have Wings and Notorious are excellent too. Charade is fantastic spy drama in the same vein as North by Northwest. Yes, Grant appeared in some turkeys, as did every actor in the studio system. But I don’t think he was ever in a bad movie that wasn’t made a little better because he was in it.

Welcome back to everyone who skipped ahead.

The Cubs have made it clear that they expect that Seiya Suzuki will be activated for Friday’s game against the Pirates. Suzuki has been playing in Knoxville all week and every indication is that he’s ready to return to the majors.

That means someone has to go, assuming no one gets hurt between now and Friday. (The Cubs don’t think that Ian Happ will need a trip to the injured list.) Since teams must have 13 position players these days, the Cubs will have to remove one to activate Suzuki.

There are basically three choices of players who can be removed. I think at the beginning of the season there was a possibility that Matt Shaw, who has options, could go down to Iowa to make room for Suzuki, but I think Shaw is proving himself too valuable so far to go down. If you disagree (or you have some other candidate), you can vote other.

The three players, in reverse order of how likely I think they are to get removed, are:

Michael Conforto: Manager Craig Counsell certainly seems to like Conforto and he’s certainly had the most opportunity to play of the three choices. Conforto has played in seven games (and is in the starting lineup tonight as I write this) and is hitting .250 with a .438 on-base percentage. Sure, he’s yet to have an extra base hit yet and he was pretty awful for the Dodgers last year, but he’s definitely had the best career of our three choices. He was a pretty good outfielder for the Mets from 2o15 to 2021. He wasn’t terrible for the Giants for two years after that. But maybe you think that he’s about to turn back into what he was with the Dodgers last year.

Scott Kingery: You’d be forgiven if you forgot that Kingery was even on the Cubs. So far, all he’s done is pinch-run twice. His only stat is one stolen base. I don’t know the particulars of the minor league deal that Kingery signed with the Cubs over the winter, but he still has minor league options according to Fangraphs. Assuming that’s correct, the Cubs could send him down to Iowa and still have him in reserve

The only issue is that removing Kingery leaves the Cubs with five outfielders plus Matt Shaw, who has been playing outfield most of the year, and five infielders, with Shaw as the only backup. I suppose that Ian Happ could fill in at second or first in an emergency, but that’s not something the Cubs want to rely on. Sending down Kingery leaves the Cubs thin in the infield. On the other hand, it’s not like he’s playing at all right now.

Dylan Carlson: Carlson has barely played more than Kingery, despite Suzuki (and now Happ) being injured. He’s gotten one start and that was in game two of the doubleheader in Cleveland. He went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in that game. He pinch-ran in game one and scored a run, which was his Cubs debut. He pinch-hit for Conforto in Monday’s game versus the Rays and flew out.

So basically, Counsell has barely used Carlson despite having ample opportunity to do so. Perhaps he would accept an assignment to Iowa, which would make the decision to take him off the roster easy. But he’d probably prefer to go somewhere where he might actually get an opportunity, since it doesn’t look like Counsell wants to give him one on the North Side.

But tonight’s question isn’t who will be removed from the roster, but rather who you would remove if you were in charge. So who’s your choice?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. Thank you to everyone who who has voted and commented over the past week. Or even listened to the music. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans or bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And joiin us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

The A’s and Yankees had a duel on Wednesday evening in the Bronx. One day after dropping a close game in the late innings, it was the Athletics’ turn as they beat the Yankees thanks to a top of the ninth RBI to win 3-2. Close but we’ll take it.

Right-hander Luis Severino was on the mound for the A’s facing his longtime former team. He entered tonight’s game with two horrible starts against the pinstripes in his career (both last season) so he was looking for a bit of revenge tonight.

Well it looked like early on that things wouldn’t go his way. New York put up two quick runs against the expensive righty, opening up with three straight hits. Sevy buckled down and got two much-needed strikeouts but then a bases-loaded walk brought in New York’s second run. He’d get another punchout to get out of the jam, doing a good job of limiting the damage against him.

The Yankees meanwhile sent fellow righty Will Warren to the bump to take on the A’s lineup. The bats haven’t quite gotten started yet as the A’s currently rank just 22nd in the entire league with a .654 OPS. Not the start A’s fans were hoping for but there’s signs things are heading in the right direction on offense.

The bats were quiet the first time through the order, with only a couple singles and a walk against the New York right-hander. That changed in the fourth though. After the first two batters of the inning went down outfielder Lawrence Butler, manning center tonight, began the rally with a single. Max Muncy followed him with his own hit, followed by the third in a row from Jeff McNeil, this one bringing in the Athletics’ first run of the evening:

He finished the day 2-for-4 with that RBI knock being his second in an Athletics uniform. Would be nice to get him going.

That wasn’t the end of the rally. Carlos Cortes, in the starting lineup in place of Denzel Clarke, worked a two-out walk to load the bases. Then the A’s got a little help from Warren as he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Muncy to cross home plate and tie this game up at 2 apiece:

Sadly Nick Kurtz struck out to end the rally but at least the A’s had knotted things up.

Back to Severino, after that first inning the righty settled in. Over the next four innings Sevy only allowed one more hit with a couple walks sprinkled in there. He also racked up four more strikeouts as well, getting up to 7 on the evening. He was able to finish the fifth off the hook for a loss, but also without a chance for his first win of the season.

• Luis Severino: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K, 100 pitches

Not a bad start from the 32-year-old. Considering his horrible appearances against his former team last year there was some apprehension of him going into New York but he held his own against a tough lineup. Next up for him will likely be the Texas Rangers at home next week.

Warren couldn’t finish the fifth as the A’s chased him with another scoring opportunity, one they wouldn’t be able to cash in on. It was now a bullpen game and whoever blinked first would likely lose.

Neither team bent during the later innings. Scott Barlow, Hogan Harris, and Elvis Alvarado all made appearances after Severino’s departure and did their jobs with scoreless outings, getting us to the ninth inning still tied up at 2.

Not looking to go into extra innings the A’s bats got to work. Going up against New York’s closer in David Bednar, Nick Kurtz started things off with a single, his second hit of the night. Catcher Shea Langeliers followed him up with a double to left field that put two runners in scoring position for the Athletics. After Tyler Soderstrom struck out there was fear that the A’s would waste this golden scoring opportunity but Brent Rooker stepped to the plate and came through with a productive out, a sac fly that brought Kurtz home and gave the A’s the late lead:

Now with a save situation to preserve, manager Mark Kotsay turned to the newest member of his bullpen in Joel Kuhnel. A strong start to his season in Triple-A earned him the first promotion of the year and he was thrown right into the fire tonight. Facing the bottom third of the lineup Kuhnel sat down every Yankee he faced, ending the game by getting Ryan McMahon to strike out swinging for his first save of the year and second of his career.

That was a bit stressful. The A’s turned the tables on the Yankees though and they were the team that had the late-game rally to steal the win. Sevy started a bit shaky but settled in and pitched well for the most part. The bats came through in big spots and the bullpen did it’s job with four scoreless innings of work. A well-rounded win if there ever was one.

The club is now 4-7 with the finale set for tomorrow morning. It’ll be a lefty-on-lefty starting matchup as Jeffrey Springs gets the ball for his third start of the year. He’s been the team’s best starter in this early going so the club will be hoping for that to continue. New York counters Springs with Ryan Weathers, their offseason acquisition who is off to a so-so start to his campaign. Will the A’s win their second series of the year and first on the road? Only one way to find out and that’s to tune in tomorrow bright and early for more A’s baseball!

Enough of the new season smell has worn off that we can all say this game was a bit miserable. The Yankees had a golden opportunity to blow the contest open in the first inning, and after the first three Yanks all reached base, barely a soul managed to do so for the rest of the game. David Bednar couldn’t hold serve in the ninth inning, getting himself into an immediate jam, and a solid Athletics lineup made him pay. New York dropped the second game of this three-game set, 3-2 your final.

The Yankees jumped on Luis Severino early, with both Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge starting the first inning with sharp singles. Cody Bellinger was up next and put his club ahead before an out had been recorded:

Sevy then had a hell of a back and forth with the strike zone, getting whiffs of Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton, before back-to-back four-pitch walks to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and J.C. Escarra, the second of those bringing in Judge from third base. Amed Rosario was also set down swinging to end the threat, and while the Yankees were up 2-0 by the end of the first, it felt like they could have gotten more out of it.

That somewhat-missed opportunity loomed large in the fourth, after Will Warren cruised through the first three innings. The Yankee right-hander began to bleed baserunners, with three-straight singles—all with two outs—bringing in the first run of the game forth the A’s. Warren would walk the bases loaded and then spike a ball that Escarra couldn’t corral, The Other Max Muncy broke for the plate, and the game was tied.

Warren doesn’t have the natural stuff that Cam Schlittler has, and he’s always going to be a little more of a project pitcher. He might even be pretty good — although he didn’t end up getting out of the fifth today. The problem is for me, he’s kinda good and an absolute slog to watch pitch:

When you don’t sit 98, you have to find strikes around the edges of the strike zone, and Warren just doesn’t have the command for that. Instead you get a lot of easy takes and it feels like he ends up spotting every single hitter one more pitch than he needs to. So he throws more pitches, they’re not very good pitches, and he forces us to watch while he does it.

Thankfully Tim Hill was somewhat more expeditious, needing just one pitch to finish the fifth, and working a sixth inning that saw an Athletics’ single and a real nice grab from Jazz:

Still, that first inning continued to cast a shadow, since after Severino threw 32 pitches in the frame, he actually settled down well to complete five innings on exactly 100 pitches. Luis Severino’s 2017 Cy Young finalist year is one of the single player campaigns I’ve most enjoyed covering while at PSA, and while he never was that good again I also couldn’t help but enjoy seeing him continue to pitch well enough — even if he could have left a cement mixer or two out.

The team continued to be flummoxed by a pretty paltry As pitching staff, especially when Mark Leiter Jr. wasn’t brought out. Trent Grisham did manage a two-out walk in the seventh inning against the lefty Hogan Harris, setting up a platoon-advantaged matchup against Judge, but he was swiftly walked. Cody Bellinger went down on strikes to continue the offensive futility.

Bednar was tasked with keeping the game tied in the ninth, and immediately allowed a single and double to the top of the Athletics order. The Yankee closer was able to get Tyler Soderstrom swinging for one out, but Brent Rooker’s sac fly brought in Nick Kurtz, and that would be all the A’s needed. The bottom of the Yankee order went down quietly in the ninth.

This has been a pretty blergh series, where outside of Amed Rosario’s heroics on Tuesday the Yankee offense has been awful quiet against a team not known for its pitching prowess. I think the hitters are largely too passive at the plate right now, taking a lot of strikes in hitters’ counts for no reason that I can see. A little more controlled aggression from the lineup would help them win this series tomorrow, where Ryan Weathers will start the finale against fellow southpaw Jeffrey Springs. First pitch will be at 1:35pm Eastern.

Box Score