Category: MLB

Today’s Reflections

I’m willing to do all I can to make things right! I closely read the stories from my usual group of writers. Nothing about the big story of the weekend, if not the week. I even read the national writers, thinking that someone may need one more story for the day. Nada. So I present to you the fans the story that should have been written:

Michael Busch entered Monday’s game having struggled all season (.164, 12-for-73). Then … the Philadelphia Phillies came to Wrigley — and so did George the Goose. Busch was looking for contact, a hit any way. Then *Thunk* — Busch hit a weak, soft single, RIGHT OVER GEORGE, who ended up leaving Wrigley with PTSD.

But on that the night, and through the beginning of the weekend, Busch is back! From this almost tragic Monday through Friday’s game, Busch was 8-for-23 (.348) with 2 HR and 7 RBI. This is the story Mr. Busch deserved, celebrating his breakthrough.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball) – Edward Cabrera’s Cubs Legacy Is Only Getting Started “Edward Cabrera has been the Chicago Cubs’ best starting pitcher in 2026. Can he keep the momentum rolling into the summer? There’s a whole lot of good going on with the Cubs, who walked it off in the 10th inning with an 8-7 win Thursday at Wrigley Field.

Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): The Annual Cubs Bullpen Reckoning is Here: “The good news is, the Cubs didn’t lose a bunch of winnable games en route to their yearly spring bullpen overhaul. The bad news is, they have to improbably nail one again, anyway.”

The Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Can’t-lose Cubs sweep Phillies for ninth straight ‘W,’ majors’ longest streak this season. From their stalls in the circular locker room, players — any of them — can shout out teammates for things done well. Some days, here are more of those things than others. Lately, there have been too many to count.“

Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation) – If it’s Never Fun to Head West, But This is as Good a Time As Ever – Cubs vs Dodgers Series Preview. “If you are going to face the Dodgers and Padres in six-straight games, like the Cubs will starting tonight, it sure helps to come in with a nine-game winning streak.”

Evan Altman (Cubs insider): Hodge to 60-Day IL, Lopez Selected, Kingery Optioned” “It’s pretty much a lateral move, with Lopez bringing better defense to the table in what figures to be a very limited role. This will be something like his 43rd stint with the team in the last two years, so he’s very familiar with Craig Counsell and a number of his new/old teammates already do.“

Chicago Cubs Veterans Praise Moisés Ballesteros’ HIGH Baseball IQ (Video)

Can Imanaga compete with his elite 2026 season? (Video)

• Food For Thought:

Everyone knows B. B., so I’ll be short with him: Riley B. King was born in Mississippi and became an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter known as the “King of the Blues.” In 1946, he followed his cousin Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months. King returned shortly afterward to Mississippi where he better prepared himself for the next visit. Two years later, he returned to West Memphis, Arkansas attracted to music and taught himself to play guitar, beginning his career in juke joints and on local radio. He worked at WDIA as a singer and disc jockey where he was given the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy”, later shortened to “Blues Boy” and finally to “B. B.” It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. King said, “Once I’d heard him for the first time, I knew I’d have to have [an electric guitar] myself. ‘Had’ to have one, short of stealing!”

It sounds like B. B. would gladly vouch for T-Bone Walker, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. Aaron Thibeaux Walker was born in Linden, Texas. His stepfather, Marco Washington taught him to play the guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, mandolin, and piano. His stepfather was a musician, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, a family friend, sometimes came over for dinner. Initially, by the time he was 15, he was Jefferson’s protégé and would guide him around Deep Ellum, Dallas for his gigs. By the time he was 25, he working clubs in Los Angeles. In 1942, Charlie Glenn, the owner of the Rhumboogie Café, brought T-Bone Walker to Chicago for long stints in his club. Walker started his recording in 1946-48, and again 1950-1954.

He didn’t release a record for six years — a collaboration that was widely record during three separate years. Walker rarely recorded through the 60’s, then recorded intently from 1968 until his death in 1975.

B.B. King | Live Monterey Jazz Festival with T-Bone Walker (1967) (Video)

Humanoid Robot Beats Human Record in Beijing (Video)

Top 100 Places To Visit In The USA (Video)

Good morning Birdland,

That felt good! We have been waiting for this Orioles offense, which is loaded with potential, to finally break out and show us their power. They did exactly that on Friday night, blasting six home runs as part of a 10-3 dismantling of the visiting Red Sox. It could not have gone much better than it did.

You can go up and down the box score to find things worth smiling about.

Perhaps the most important nugget is that Adley Rutschman continues to look like his old self, picking up right where he left off before his recent IL stint. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in the win last night, and now has a 1.115 OPS on the season.

Rutschman being back has given the entire lineup better structure. Samuel Basallo has dropped a few spots in the order and looked better for it. The youngster went 4-for-5 on Friday, including his fourth homer of the year.

The hardest hit of the day belonged to Gunnar Henderson. He had a 111.2-mph single in the second inning, not a bad follow-up to the 109.1-mph homer he had to begin the game. Maybe he is coming out of his recent cold spell. The O’s would welcome the boost.

Speaking of which, has Coby Mayo been activated? He hit another homer on Friday, his third of the week. There is still work to be done on his season numbers, but the outcomes have been better recently. The Orioles do not need him to be a star, but they have to hope for more more than a .618 OPS out of the third base position. He has plenty of talent to make that happen.

And don’t forget about the 4-for-4 night from Taylor Ward, or the three hits (including a home run) from Dylan Beavers. Oh, and Tyler O’Neill was activated from the concussion list. Plus, the news was good on Jackson Holliday’s MRI.

The point is that the Orioles depth is (for now) showing itself. That doesn’t mean it will always be apparent, or that other rough patches won’t come. But in this moment, the team is showing what it is capable of against some admittedly struggling opponents. That’s what team’s with playoff aspirations have to do.

In case you missed it, today’s game against the Red Sox has been moved up to 12:05 in order to avoid the rain that is expected this evening. The O’s will be hoping that Trevor Rogers can bounce back to secure a series win, while the bats will have to deal with the normally dominant Garrett Crochet, who is in poor form (11.77 ERA over last three starts) at the moment.

Links

Imaging clean on Holliday’s hand/wrist, rehab paused due to ongoing discomfort | Orioles.com
Holliday said that “it felt like I broke my hand again” during that painful looking swing earlier this week. Fortunately, after getting imaging done, the Orioles medical staff confirmed that there is no structural damage, only slight inflammation. The infielder will still take some time off to let that inflammation subside. At this rate, it feels unlikely that he is back with the big league club until at least mid-May.

Elias provides injury updates before tonight’s series opener against Red Sox | Roch Kubatko
The only “negative” update was on Dean Kremer, who is going to miss “several weeks to say the least” with a quad strain, according to Mike Elias. Holliday is going to take off a week and then get back to work. Jordan Westburg is hitting and throwing down in Sarasota. Heston Kjerstad is doing the same and is close to a rehab assignment. Keegan Akin is expected to be ready soon. Dietrich Enns is right behind him. For one day at least, the Orioles didn’t get bad news about an injury.

Mike Elias is ‘bullish’ this year’s Orioles will avoid last year’s tailspin | The Baltimore Banner
This year’s team has already shown they are quite a bit deeper than the 2025 version. That has allowed them to tread water as they get healthy. A 13-13 record isn’t great, but it has them in the thick of the wild card picture, and there is reason to think that the team will improve as the season goes on.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Robert Andino turns 42 today. He played parts of four seasons in Baltimore from 2009 through 2012, with his signature moment coming on the final day of the 2011 season. On that day he (and the rest of the Orioles) eliminated the Red Sox from playoff contention with a walk-off single that was part of a wild day in MLB.
• Darren Holmes is 60 years old. The journeyman reliever played for eight teams across 13 major league seasons. In all that time he played in just five games for the O’s, all of which came in 2000. He returned to the organization as major league bullpen coach from 2020-23.
• The late Art Schallock (b. 1924, d. 2025) was born on this day. He pitched in 30 games (six starts) for the 1955 Orioles.

This day in O’s history

April 25th has been a slow date in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So here are a few happenings from beyond Birdland:

1953 – Francis Crick and James Watson publish the first article that explains the double helix structure of DNA.

1954 – The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.

1960 – The USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe. The journey had started on February 24, taking 60 days and 21 hours.

1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit, now known widely as a “microchip.”

1983 – Pioneer 10, a NASA space probe that was launched in 1972, travels beyond Pluto’s orbit

Meet the Mets

It was good while it lasted. After winning two straight games, the Mets are back to their losing ways following a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies last night. Freddy Peralta faltered late in the game, as he is wont to do, and the Mets failed to get enough clutch hits to overcome the deficit, as they are wont to do.

Choose your recap:Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, MLB.com, Newsday, Daily News

Following an unremarkable start on Thursday night, the Mets optioned Christian Scott back to the minors and called up Carl Edwards Jr. to join the bullpen.

In case it wasn’t already clear, we won’t be seeing Francisco Lindor for quite a while.

David Stearns acknowledged the rough play of his team but expressed hope that they would turn it around.

It’s still early, but the questions continue to mount about this team.

The state of the starting rotation has been in flux for most of the season thus far, and that will likely continue.

Around the National League East

The Braves continue to roll and the Phillies continue to flounder, as Atlanta delivered the tenth straight loss to Philadelphia.

There’s not too much to be happy about in the Phillies clubhouse these days, but here is one positive: Zack Wheeler makes his return today.

The Marlins gave plenty of run support to Sandy Alcántara and defeated the Giants 9-4.

The Nationals pitching staff surrendered four runs in their final three of work and fell to the White Sox 5-4.

Around Major League Baseball

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Giancarlo Stanton is hurt.

The Blue Jays have removed Jeff Hoffman from the closer’s role for the moment.

Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin celebrated the end of his teen years with his first career home run.

The Cubs decided they were tired of beating up on underperforming NL East teams and defeated the Dodgers to bring their winning streak up to ten.

Eugenio Suárez will be missing some time due to an oblique strain.

Pete Crow-Armstrong previously played like an MVP candidate but has struggled for some time dating back to last year.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis previewed the battle of giants that is this weekend’s series between Mets and Rockies.

Joe Sokolowski got to actually provide some post-win comments in the latest installment of This Week in Mets Quotes.

This Date in Mets History

David Wright became the all-time RBI leader in Mets history on this date in 2012.

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Omaha Storm Chasers (box)(F/5)

This one lasted just long enough as the Mud Hens seized the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and then the game became official as rain washed out the rest of the day.

Lael Lockhart Jr. was uncharacteristically wild in this one, walking four. He gave up a run in the third, and then two more in the fourth. Matt Seelinger cleaned up a little jam, and then Brenan Hanifee handled the top of the fifth.

So it was 3-0 headed into the bottom of the fourth. Jace Jung led off with a walk, and Eduardo Valencia launched his third homer of the year to make it a 3-2 game.

Hanifee immediately allowed a single and then a Josh Rojas double in the top of the fifth. A strikeout and a pair of ground outs got him out of the inning unscathed.

Ben Malgeri singled to open the bottom of the fifth, and by then the rain was really coming down and a half hour delay followed. It was still ominous when they resumed, but after Max Clark struck out, Gage Workman singled Malgeri to third. Workman stole second base, and the throw went into center field as Malgeri scampered home to tie the game, and the throw in from Drew Waters in center field also went awry as Workman roared around to score as well.

It wasn’t a walkoff, but it eventually functioned as one as the rain picked up again and the game was put into the books after five innings.

Malgeri: 2-3, R

Workman: 2-3, R, SB

Valencia: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR

Coming Up Next: It’s a 5:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday in Toledo as the Hens lead the series 3-1.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 10, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)

Dariel Fregio made his fourth start after getting promoted to Erie and converted to the rotation out of need. He was mauled for six runs as the Ponies ran roughshod over the SeaWolves on Friday.

The Ponies scored a run in each of the first three frames, two on solo shots, before the SeaWolves answered back in the fourth. Brett Callahan led off the top half with a walk and Chris Meyers singled. Andrew Jenkins reached on a fielders choice that forced Meyers at second, and Callahan scored on an Izaac Pacheco ground out.

Fregio gave up three straight singles in the bottom of the fourth, and Colin Fields had to take over. That did not work out as Fields allowed all three runs to score on two sac flies, and then a two-run homer from the Ponies’ A.J. Ewing. 7-1 Binghamton.

In the sixth, Peyton Graham was hit by a pitch and Callahan walked. Graham moved to third on a Meyers ground out and scored on a wild pitch. Otherwise it was a poor night for the offense.

Fields allowed two more runs in relief, and the Ponies added one against Eric Silva to complete the scoring. The SeaWolves only had two hits on the night.

Fregio (L, 0-1): 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, BB, 2 K

Fields: 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves lead the series 3-1, with first pitch on Saturday set for 1:00 p.m. ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 7, Lake County Captains 6 (box)

Rayner Castillo threw a great game, but the late innings got dicey until the Whitecaps stormed back to walk this one off in Comstock Park.

Castillo, our 25th ranked prospect in the offseason, had a down year in 2025 and has been up and down early on this year. The 21-year-old locked in on Friday night, two-hitting the Captains over five scoreless frames with five strikeouts.

The ‘Caps got on the board right away when Jackson Strong led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on a Samuel Gil double. Nolan McCarthy launched a solo shot for his first with the Whitecaps in the fifth inning. Andrew Sojka followed him with a solid single to center and Clayton Campbell pumped an RBI double to center to make it a 3-0 lead.

Carlos Lequerica took over from Castillo with a snappy 1-2-3 sixth, but gave up a solo shot in the seventh. 3-1 ‘Caps.

Seth Chavez followed Lequerica, taking over in the eighth, and the Captains jumped all over him after the leadoff hitter reached on a Gil error from second base. They banged out five straight hits and a sac fly and it was a 6-3 Lake County lead with the smoke cleared.

Gil redeemed himself quickly by leading off the bottom half with a single, and Garrett Pennington made it count with a two-run blast that made it a 6-5 Lake County lead.

Lefty Ethan Sloan cleaned up the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. That was well as it set the Whitecaps up for the comeback. Campbell led off with a single and Hunter Dobbins reached on an error. Two fly outs followed, but Pennington got an 0-2 pitch on the outer edge and dumped it into right field for a two-run walkoff double. And the LMCU faithful rejoiced.

Pennington: 3-5, R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, K, CS

McCarthy: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Gil: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB

Rainer: 1-4, 3 K

Castillo: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 2:00 p.m. ET start on Saturday with the series all tied up.

Tampa Tarpons 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (box)

Tampa rallied back to win on Friday, but I don’t care because RHP Kelvis Salcedo was back on the mound for his first start of the year.

The 20-year-old right hander broke out in a big way last summer, featuring huge stuff and advanced strike throwing. He had a minor meniscus clean up procedure this spring, so the Tigers started easing him back in with a two-inning outing in this one. Once he’s built up, Salcedo should be moving to West Michigan pretty quickly. He torched the Tarpons for two innings in this one, striking out five and allowing one single and a walk. His fourseamer was 94-95 mph, and he racked up plenty of whiffs on his slider in particular, getting 7 total whiffs on 15 Tarpon swings.

This is arguably the most exciting young pitcher in the system, at least of those who aren’t perpetually on the injured list. We’ll see.

Jordan Yost got the Flying Tigers started on Friday by leading off the bottom of the first with a deep drive to center field. He turned on the afterburners and raced around the bases for a triple off of lefty Justin West. Thayron Liranzo immediatley pulled a single to left for a 1-0 lead.

After the leadoff hitter reached on a Carson Rucker error to start the third, RHP Jose Guzman took over from Salcedo and did a nice job getting out of the inning, though most of the credit goes to Liranzo, who cut down the runner trying to steal third.

Zach MacDonald, one of the big stories early on this spring, crushed a 112.9 mph home run in the bottom of the third to make it 2-0. The 22-year-old outfielder now has six homers in 17 games and is showing off huge raw pop to go with his speed. He is still striking out a huge amount, however. Don’t get too excited. It’s just that center fielders with double plus raw don’t grow on trees.

Guzman was solid, while Charlie Christensen allowed a run in the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, Yost slapped a ground ball single the opposite way and advanced to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Liranzo lifted a fly ball to right field for a sac fly to make it 3-1.

After that it was all Tampa. Eliseo Mota gave up three runs, two earned in the late innings, and the Flying Tigers’ offense didn’t have an answer.

Yost: 2-4, 2 R, 3B, K

Liranzo: 1-3, 2 RBI

MacDonald: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, 3 K

Salcedo: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Saturday.

The Atlanta Braves began the homestand on a high note and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3. For the first time in 19 years, the Braves have now won four straight over the Phillies to open a season. It was a solid night from both the lineup and the bullpen, but once again, Michael Harris II headlined the night with some later-inning heroics.

Though originally scratched from the lineup with quad tightness, he came to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and delivered a double to give the Braves the edge.

It was previously reported that Harris was day-to-day, but so far, that has not limited him from driving in runs for Atlanta. The Braves aim to ride this momentum and collect another series win tonight at 7:15 ET.

More Braves News:

Walt Weiss announced that though Raisel Iglesias has not started throwing yet, he is expected to return relatively soon. 

Isaiah Drake, Eric Hartman, and John Gil continue to be the heavy hitters for the Rome Emperors. More in the minor league recap.

MLB News:

The Cincinnati Reds will place DH Eugenio Suarez on the 10-day injured list due to a low-grade oblique strain. Fortunately, this injury does not appear to be overly serious.

From the Feed:

The Braves have already been successful in game one, so submit your picks on how many games the Braves win this series.

It’s more than fair to wonder whether Brayan Bello is on the verge of losing his spot in the starting rotation. Bello has been the Sox’ clear weak link, posting an ERA of exactly 9.00 after 5 starts this year. But with Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo currently on the shelf, Alex Cora says Bello isn’t going anywhere, as the Red Sox plan to “stay the course.” That’s why, when Alex Cora pulled the unusual move of paying Bello a mound visit in the third inning last night, he didn’t remove him from the game but, rather, wanted him to improve his body language: “We’re here to compete, be prepared. We go out there and do our best. Regardless of the situation, you’ve got to keep competing and he actually did. I’ll give him that. But we’ve got to figure it out.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Speaking of staying the course, it doesn’t look like Caleb Durbin will be losing his job anytime soon, either, despite the fact that Durbin is the single-worst hitter by OPS in all of baseball right now. “I hate the comparison, but Dustin Pedroia was hitting .190 on May 15 in 2007,” Alex Cora said incorrectly, as Pedroia was actually .259 with an OPS over .700 on that date. “It’s still early in the season. There’s some trends that we like. He’s not chasing. Of course, he’s not hitting the ball hard — we know that — but he keeps working. He’s a good defender, too. We cannot forget that. Just got to keep playing.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

It’s not merely Bello and Durbin whom Cora is sticking by. The manager continues to believe in the roster at his disposal and is trying to block out the criticism: “You have to cancel the noise because it’s loud, very loud. Anywhere you look, they’re talking about us and how bad we are. Deservedly so. The record is the record. But I don’t think we have a bad team. We’re just going through a bad stretch.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

At least they won’t have much time to dwell on last night’s lopsided loss in Baltimore. Due to bad weather expected in the mid-Atlantic, today’s game has been moved up from 4:05 PM to 12:05 PM (MLB)

But will Roman Anthony be back in the lineup for the earlier start? He is reportedly making progress with the sore back that has kept him out of the lineup for three straight games. “[He’s] feeling better, moving better,” said Cora. “Hopefully at one point during the weekend he plays. We’re not gonna rush it, but it was a better day for him.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Anthony better get back into the lineup quickly, because this Red Sox season is beginning to be characterized by something even worse than bad baseball: fan apathy. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

In what looked like it could be a laugher early, the Guardians were able to hold on for an 8-6 victory to open the series in Toronto, off the back of two 2-run home runs from Angel Martínez. It was Martínez’s first career multi-home run game.

The first inning started off with a bang, as Daniel Schneemann took Max Scherzer deep on the 8th pitch of the first at bat of the game. The Guardians weren’t done yet, though. After a José Ramírez walk and a Rhys Hoskins single, George Valera just missed a home run, as he hit a 2 run double off the very top of the high wall in right field, giving the Guardians a 3-0 lead. Then the very next hitter Angel Martínez took Scherzer deep, capping off a 5 run first inning.

Toronto was able to answer back in the bottom half. Nathan Lukes doubled off Gavin Williams to lead off the inning for Toronto, but he would leave with injury. (As of writing, the only available update was “left hamstring discomfort”.) The pinch runner Davis Schneider moved to 3rd on a sac fly and scored on a ground ball to short stop. Then with two outs and no one on base, Jesús Sánchez took The Big Rig deep, making it a 5-2 game. 

After a scoreless 2nd from the Guards, the Blue Jays were able to tack on one more on a solo shot from Kazuma Okamoto, closing the gap to just 2 runs. Then it was Angel Martínez to the rescue again. After falling behind 0-2, Martínez fouled off several pitches, working the count back to full. On the 11th pitch of the at bat, he took Scherzer deep again to right field for his second 2-run home run of the night. 

Gavin Williams was able to settle in after that, at one point retiring 11 Blue Jays in a row, before walking Davis Schneider in the 5th, who would go on to score on an Ernie Clement double. The Guards would tack on a big insurance run with an RBI fielder’s choice by Chase DeLauter, making it 8-4. The Jays would go on to score two more in the 6th on a bloop double by Andrés Giménez off Williams to bring the Jays closer at 8-6. Williams would get out of the inning though, and was done for the night. His final line was 6IP 6ER 7H 2BB 4K, and while not ideal from the pitcher most consider the Ace of this staff, he was able to keep the lead intact and get through 6 innings to help ease the load on the bullpen.

The Guardian’s bullpen then came in and got 6 hitters out in a row, with both Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski each throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th and 8th respectively. After that, it was up to Cade Smith to close it out. It wasn’t without drama, as Okamoto led off the inning with a 112 mph laser beam high off the wall in left field, but a great play on the ball off the wall by Angel Martínez held Okamoto to a very long single. He was followed by known Guardian hater Andrés Giménez lining a single to RF, and it looked like the inning was set up perfectly for the Blue Jays. However, Cade Smith was able to get the pinch hitter Eloy Jiménez to hit a weak ground ball to José Ramírez, and the Guards defense got the very clutch 5-4-3 double play. Finally, with a runner on 3rd and 2 outs, Smith was able to get Schneider to pop out to second base to end the game and seal a series opening victory for the Guardians. 

The Guards will have a chance to take the series tomorrow afternoon, but they’ll have to take down Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays Ace, to do it. It’ll be Joey Cantillo on the mound for Cleveland, with first pitch scheduled for 3:07pm.

This really is getting ridiculous. It’s not really just that they’re losing everything right now. It’s how they’re losing the games. Unpreparedness from the manager and pitching coach last night when Michael Harris stepped to the plate. Mental errors by Trea Turner. A poor at bat by Bryce Harper in the ninth inning. There is just so much that is bad right now that they really don’t deserve any goodwill at the moment. They’ll win a game eventually and get on a roll, but this is about as unlikeable as this roster has ever been.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Even after a hard fought loss to the Cubs, there are at least a few slivers of silver lining to take away from it ($).
• With all the losses on the field, the man in charge of putting the players on the field knows that ultimately, it’s his responsibility ($).
• At Fangraphs, they look at how and why the team finally decided to move on from Taijuan Walker.

MLB news:

• Where is the ol’ panic meter on several of the teams that are struggling? For the Phillies, at least, it’s high. It’s very, very high.
• I found this to be an interesting read on Paul DePodesta and his return to the game after his years with the Browns in the NFL ($).
• The Royals are doing with their stadium what George Costanza never could: they’re doing…..downtown.
• The Cubs traded cash for Nicky Lopez. Imagine saying that they did this willingly.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 4-3 (10) vs. Rochester Red Wings — Scranton only had four hits to Rochester’s 11, but they made ’em count and walked off the Red Wings

SS Anthony Volpe 0-4, 2 K — third rehab appearance
SS Jonathan Ornelas 0-0
LF Jasson Domínguez 0-4, K
CF Spencer Jones 0-3, BB
RF Yanquiel Fernández 2-4, K — half of the RailRiders’ hit total
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 0-4, 2 K — scored tying run in the 10th on a wild pitch
DH Seth Brown 0-2, BB, SB
PR-DH Duke Ellis 0-0, 2 SB
1B Ernesto Martínez Jr. 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K — hit a two-run shot to tie it in the eighth, and then walked it off in the 10th on a single to right
SS Paul DeJong 0-3, throwing error
C Payton Henry 0-3, K

Adam Kloffenstein 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, HR, HBP
Yerry De los Santos 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Dylan Coleman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Danny Watson 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K — gave up RBI double in 10th that put Rochester ahead)
Harrison Cohen 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (win) — entered after a Watson jam, stranded runners on K’s, and won

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 6-7 at Richmond Flying Squirrels — lost lead and got walked off in bottom of the ninth

SS George Lombard Jr. 0-4, BB, K, CS
RF Garrett Martin 1-3 BB, K, HBP
CF Jace Avina 2-4, 2 HR, BB, 2 RBI, 1 K — multi-homer night!
2B Marco Luciano 0-4, BB, 2 K, SB
1B Coby Morales 1-3, HR, BB, RBI, GIDP, 2 SB — hit go-ahead bomb two batters after Avina tied it
3B Tyler Hardman 0-4, 3 K
DH Jackson Castillo 3-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI — perfect day, and his two-run single had the Patriots ahead for awhile
LF DJ Gladney 1-4, K
C Manuel Palencia 0-3, BB

Xavier Rivas 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Michael Arias 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Kelly Austin 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K
Hayden Merda 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Chris Kean 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HR (loss) — a strike away from winning on multiple occasions, allowed a double and then a walk-off homer to Drew Cavanaugh

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 6-4 vs. Brooklyn Cyclones

SS Kaeden Kent 1-5, RBI, GIDP
3B Core Jackson 3-3, 2B, 3B, RBI, SF — homer shy of the cycle and a perfect day at the plate
1B Kyle West 1-4
C Eric Genther 1-4, RBI, passed ball
2B Roderick Arias 0-2, BB, K, HBP, SB
RF Wilson Rodriguez 1-3, 3B, BB
LF Josh Moylan 3-3, 3 RBI, SF — Cyclones never figured out how to retire him either
DH Josue Gonzalez 0-4, K
CF Cole Gabrielson 1-3, BB, K

Carlos Rodón 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, HBP — first rehab start, looked very good
Rory Fox 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 8 K, HR (win)

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 4-3 at Lakeland Flying Tigers

2B Enmanuel Tejeda 3-5, 2B, 2 K
DH Engelth Urena 1-5, 2 K
CF JoJo Jackson 0-4, RBI, 2 K, SF
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 3-5, RBI, K
LF Willy Montero 0-3, 2 BB, K
C Ediel Rivera 0-5, 3 K, passed ball
1B Austin Green 2-3, 3B, BB — tripled right before the hit of the night
3B Kevin Verde 1-4, HR, 2 RBI — first pro homer above Rookie ball made it 4-3, Tampa, in the eighth
RF Santiago Gomez 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB, CS, outfield assist

Justin West 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 6 K, WP, balk
Jose Ledesma 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, WP
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP (win)
Greysen Carter 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

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Saturday’s MLB board is full of spots to attack — if you know where to look.

We’re locking in our top MLB picks and moneyline plays for Saturday, April 25, targeting pitching mismatches, fading overpriced favorites, and backing teams in strong form before the market fully adjusts.

MLB moneyline picks for April 25

Matchup	Pick
SEA vs STL	-138
CLE vs TOR	-133
BOS vs BAL	-113
MIA vs SF	-113
COL vs NYM	-186
MIN vs TB	+117
WSH vs CWS	+113
SD vs AZ	+100
ATH vs TEX	-133
LAA vs KC	-138
NYY vs HOU	-133
PIT vs MIL	+127
DET vs CIN	-104
PHI vs ATL	-127
CHC vs  LAD	-150

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 4-25.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for April 25

Mariners vs Cardinals: Mariners (-138)

Mariners win probability: 58%

Bryan Woo has been really solid to start the year, and that gives them a clear edge on the mound.

The Cardinals haven’t done enough offensively to scare you, and Liberatore tends to put guys on base, which can get him in trouble.

If Woo does his job, Seattle should be in control and win this one.

Guardians vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (-133)

Blue Jays win probability: 57%

Kevin Gausman has been sharp and gives them the edge over Joey Cantillo, who’s been fine but not dominant.

The Jays are also hitting better right now, and Cleveland’s offense hasn’t done much to separate.

At home with the better arm, Toronto should take care of business.

Red Sox vs Orioles: Orioles (-113)

Orioles win probability: 53%

Garrett Crochet has been getting hit hard, and that’s a bad combo against an Orioles lineup with some pop.

Trevor Rogers isn’t perfect, but he’s been more stable, and Boston’s offense has been near the bottom.

Baltimore has the edge.

Marlins vs Giants: Giants (-113)

Giants win probability: 53%

Robbie Ray has been solid, and Miami’s offense drops off in this matchup.

The Marlins can hit, but Ray limits damage better than Pérez, and the Giants should do just enough at the plate.

This feels like a controlled, lower-scoring win for San Francisco.

Rockies vs Mets: Mets (-186)

Mets win probability: 65%

Not pretty, but New York has the edge.

Both starters have been bad, but Kodai Senga still has more upside than Quintana, and Colorado on the road is always a tough sell.

The Mets have the slightly safer path to outscore them.

Twins vs Rays: Twins (+117)

Twins win probability: 46%

Bailey Ober has been the more stable arm, and Tampa’s pitching hasn’t been as sharp as usual.

The Rays can hit, but Minnesota has been more consistent overall, especially at the plate.

If Ober holds things down, the Twins can get this done.

Nationals vs White Sox: Nationals (+113)

Nationals win probability: 47%

Neither team is great, but Washington’s lineup has been more productive, and Chicago’s pitching still gives up too much.

Jake Irvin isn’t perfect, but he’s facing an offense that hasn’t done much. Washington can outscore them here.

Padres vs Diamondbacks: Padres (+100)

Padres win probability: 50%

San Diego has been more reliable on the mound, and Arizona hasn’t done enough to earn trust.

Zac Gallen is solid, but the Padres' lineup can get to him, and their pitching does a better job limiting damage over nine innings.

Athletics vs Rangers: Rangers (-133)

Rangers win probability: 57%

Jeffrey Springs has been good, but Texas is the more complete team.

The Rangers' lineup is deeper, and they’ve been much better at preventing runs. 

Angels vs Royals: Angels (-138)

Angels win probability: 58%

Cole Ragans has struggled, putting too many runners on base, and that’s dangerous against a lineup with power.

Walbert Ureña isn’t dominant, but he should be steady enough. The Angels have the better path to control this game.

Yankees vs Astros: Yankees (-133)

Yankees win probability: 57%

Ryan Weathers has been solid, while Houston’s pitching has been a problem.

The Yankees' lineup is in a much better spot right now, and the Astros are giving up runs at a high rate.

That’s a tough combo to overcome.

Pirates vs Brewers: Pirates (+127)

Pirates win probability: 44%

Mitch Keller has been more reliable, and Pittsburgh’s lineup has shown a bit more pop.

Milwaukee can create pressure on the bases, but if Keller keeps things steady, the Pirates can grind out enough offense to win.

Phillies vs Braves: Braves (-127)

Braves win probability: 56%

Atlanta is rolling right now. The offense is producing, and Bryce Elder has been sharp, while Zack Wheeler hasn’t looked like himself. 

Philly isn’t hitting enough to keep pace.

Tigers vs Reds: Tigers (-104)

Tigers win probability: 51%

Detroit’s lineup has been more consistent, and while Jack Flaherty hasn’t been perfect, he’s still a step up from Brady Singer.

Cincinnati’s offense has been one of the weakest in the league.

Cubs vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-150)

Dodgers win probability: 60%

This is a strong matchup, but the Dodgers have the deeper lineup and a more complete team.

Even with some pitching questions, their offense can carry them at home.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (13-11)

SYRACUSE 3, WORCESTER 0 (BOX)

Three runs in the third were all the Mets needed in this one. Nick Morabito and Ji Hwan Bae drove basically all of the offense, compiling five hits and three walks atop the lineup. Meanwhile, six pitchers combined to shutout the Red Sox, including a perfect inning from the rehabbing A.J. Minter. Austin Warren also recorded two outs and has a 1.13 ERA on the season.

• CF Nick Morabito: 2-3, R, 2B, 2 BB, K, CS (1)
• LF Ji Hwan Bae: 3-4, R, RBI, BB, SB (5)
• RF Ryan Clifford: 0-4, RBI, K
• 1B Christian Arroyo: 1-3, RBI, BB, K
• 3B Vidal Bruján: 0-4
• DH Cristian Pache: 1-4
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, BB, K
• C Hayden Senger: 0-4, 2 K
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 0-3, R, K
• RHP Daniel Duarte: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Austin Warren: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W (2-1)
• REHAB ALERT: LHP A.J. Minter: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (2)
• RHP Dakota Hawkins: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, H (1)
• RHP Dan Hammer: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, H (1)
• LHP Anderson Severino: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, S (3)

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (7-11)

BINGHAMTON 10, ERIE 2 (BOX)

Four homers for the Rumble Ponies propelled them to a 10-2 win. A.J. Ewing launched a homer for the second consecutive day and now has an OPS over 1.000, and he sure looks the part of a top-end prospect. Chris Suero, Jose Ramos, and Nick Lorusso also went deep; Lorusso finished a triple shy of the cycle.

• 2B A.J. Ewing: 1-3, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB, E (3)
• C Chris Suero: 1-5, R, HR (4), RBI, K
• CF Eli Serrano III: 1-3, R, RBI
• LF Jose Ramos: 1-4, R, HR (3), 2 RBI, K
• DH Kevin Parada: 1-4, R, 2 K
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 3-4, 3 R, 2B, HR (2), RBI, K
• RF Matt Rudick: 1-3, R, BB, K
• SS Wyatt Young: 2-3, RBI
• 1B Vincent Perozo: 1-3, R, RBI, 2 K
• RHP Brendan Girton: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (1-1)
• LHP Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (4-14)

HUDSON VALLEY 6, BROOKLYN 4 (BOX)

Despite a big day from Kevin Villavicencio, the Cyclones couldn’t rally back from an early deficit. Mitch Voit’s offense continues to be sluggish, and there’s not many other names of true note on the offensive side here. Hopefully there will be some reinforcement here down the line this season, but the current iteration of the team isn’t much fun.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-4, K, SB (5)
• RF John Bay: 1-4, R, 2 K
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-4, K
• C Ronald Hernandez: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K
• 3B Colin Houck: 0-4, 3 K
• 1B Yohairo Cuevas: 1-4, R, K, SB (2)
• 2B Kevin Villavicencio: 2-3, 2 R, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB, SB (2)
• LF Diego Mosquera: 0-4, 2 K
• CF Heriberto Rincon: 1-4, RBI, K
• RHP Irving Cota: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, L (1-1)
• RHP Parker Carlson: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Garrett Stratton: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Felix Cepeda: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (9-10)

PALM BEACH 12, ST. LUCIE 4 (BOX)

Second straight ugly loss for the Mets to the visiting Cardinals. Ernesto Mercedes was the primary culprit, surrendering five runs while recording only a single out. Elian Peña continues to look real good though, so that’s something.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB (8)
• LF JT Benson: 1-4, R, 2B, BB
• RF Randy Guzman: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
• 1B Julio Zayas: 0-4, 4 K, E (1)
• DH AJ Salgado: 2-4, R, HR (4), RBI
• 3B Sam Robertson: 0-4, 2 K
• CF Sam Biller: 2-4, R, 2B, K
• C Francisco Toledo: 0-4, 2 K
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 1-3, RBI, K
• RHP Cam Tilly: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• RHP Luke Jackson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, L (0-1)
• RHP Miguel Mejias: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Joe Scarborough: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Luis Alvarez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• RHP Jorge De Leon: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Nick Morabito

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Ernesto Mercedes

Mizzou baseball’s recent struggles continued Friday evening with a 5-0 loss against No. 24 Arkansas. The defeat clinches a third straight series loss in Southeastern Conference play and leaves the Tigers without an SEC win at home since their 12-11 victory over Auburn in May. 10 2024.

The Tigers will have one more chance to earn their first victory against Arkansas since Mar. 26, 2022, on Sunday at 2:00 P.M CT and avoid the sweep in this year’s edition of the Battle Line rivalry.

In that game, the Tigers accumulated 13 hits, including two RBI singles, an RBI double, and a solo homer from their lineup. The bats in the order on Friday weren’t able to provide this level of execution or production. Two hits, three walks, and five strikeouts were all that Missouri had to show for against Razorbacks starter Cole Gibler and reliever Steel Eaves.

‘We do meetings, and we talk about what the pitchers’ arsenal is and how they’re going to be pitched,” Jackson said. “Our guys are armed with a ton of information. But for whatever reason, there are times where we get into the box, and we have a bunch of anxiety, and we forget the things we’ve talked about, so just being mindful of that and telling them to execute when it comes to the offensive strategy.”

Mizzou and the Razorbacks couldn’t find anything to separate them for the opening three innings, as Gibler and Tigers starter Brady Kehlenbrink were both putting up zeros. No runners left on base, seven strikeouts, and no hits were surrendered by Kehlenbrink as he cruised through his opening three innings of work.

Well, except for Kaden Peer providing Tigers fans with some extravagance in the outfield. For the third time this season, Peer took away a home run from the opposing side. The robbery victim this time was Maikia Niu, who had connected on a 1-0 pitch to deep center field.

Despite getting into three-ball counts in the opening inning, Kehlenbrink struck out the side, and by the third, he began to attack the zone with more aggression, while maintaining the accuracy, mowing down three more Razorbacks by the way of the strikeout.

Arkansas broke the deadlock in the fourth inning in a big way. Cam Kozeal was second in the home run category on the Razorbacks coming into the series. He made his mark with a two-run shot off of Kehlenbrink that a jumping Pierre Seals couldn’t provide Tigers fans another SportsCenter Top 10 moment.

The rockiness of the outing began for Kehlenbrink in the sixth, after a pair of singles by the two-headed monster of the Razorbacks lineup, Kozeal and Ryder Helfrick. Eli Skidmore took the reins and immediately ran into trouble, surrendering an RBI double to Niu, who ended up getting his RBI anyhow.

After issuing a free pass to Nolan Souza, Zack Stewart extended the Arkansas lead to four on his shallow single into center field. After retiring the next batter, another walk by Skidmore led to his replacement. Left-handed reliever Isaiah Salas closed the inning, as Carter Rutenbar grounded out to short to conclude the productive three-run sixth for the Razorbacks.

Salas pitched through the eighth, and following an error at second base by Blaize Ward on a ground ball to open the inning, Nolan Souza found himself on base and took full advantage, stealing second immediately after. A groundout that moved Souza to third base, followed up by an RBI single from Reese Robinett.

QUIET NIGHT FOR MISSOURI OFFENSE

You might have just read through that debriefing and thought to yourself, “Where was the mention of the Tigers’ offense?” That offense, as described earlier, earned two hits, coming from outfielders Donovan Jordan and Pierre Seals, and left a total of four runners on base.

Cole Gibler earned his season-high in innings pitched against the Tigers, an offense that has proven itself to be explosive and timely at certain points in the season. It hasn’t shown those colors enough throughout the course of their latest nine-game losing streak, four of those occasions scoring three runs or less.

In Missouri’s 5-4 defeat to Arkansas on Thursday, there were brief moments from Jase Woita and Blaize Ward, a pair of homers that gave a spark from plate appearances. The candle was very much snuffed out in Friday’s at-bats for the Tigers.

“We’re allergic to offense and executing two-strike pitches,” Missouri coach Kerrick Jackson said. That’s ultimately what today’s game came down to…There’s a pride aspect of it where you can’t keep going up and doing the same things and expecting it to be different. Hitting is hard, and I think our guys are chasing hits and not quality at-bats.”

PITCHING STAFF FEELING EFFECTS OF PLATE STRUGGLES

As the outs continued to pile up, fellow MU baseball writer Amber Winkler and I looked through the previous games where the Missouri offense had faltered in a quality outing.

To her credit, Amber had found that in two of Mizzou’s four shutout losses, Brady Kehlenbrink has been on the mound. Now, following this defeat, it’s been five shutout losses, three Kehlenbrink outings.

The Tigers had also scored fewer than three runs in five of their outings, and each of these has now increased by one, respectively, following the 6-0 defeat on Friday. Jackson had this to say post-game on those pair of statistics.

“I think it’s tough for anybody,” Jackson said. “In one of those shutouts we lost 1-0, I think anytime you’re not scoring, and you’re going out and putting your team in a position to win, you want to be in a better position when it comes to that. So I’m sure there’s frustration on his part, but he’s no more frustrated than we are.”

UP NEXT

Missouri will look to avoid the sweep in the series finale at 2:00 P.M. Saturday. Claiming a victory in the Battle Line rivalry and breaking its recent losing streak is what the Tigers will be looking for to turn their fortunes.

Since splitting that strange four-game set with the Angels in the Mike Trout/Aaron Judge Show, the Yankees haven’t lost. They swept the Royals, shipped up to Boston and did the same to the Red Sox, and are now coming off a decisive win in Houston last night, their seventh in a row. The only bad part was Giancarlo Stanton leaving early with a calf injury. As we await word on whether Stanton will need IL time, the Yanks are still sitting pretty and eyeing and eight-game winning streak with Ryan Weathers taking the bump tonight. Very nice!

Today on the site, Nick will present his first edition of the monthly Reliever Confidence Index, Madison will run through the latest the Rivalry Roundup, and Matt will celebrate the 143rd birthday of a forgotten Deadball Era one-year wonder. Later, Matt will return to create an All-Star team of April birthdays in Yankees history.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros

Time: 7:10 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Space City Home Network

Venue: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Questions/Prompts:

1. What were your impressions of the Astros after seeing the 2026 iteration for the first time this year?

2. Now that the dust has settled a bit on the NFL Draft, did you have any quick reactions to the first couple days?

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Among the many positives to come out of the Yankees’ sweep of the Red Sox was the first homer of the year from Jazz Chisholm Jr., who saw his OPS rise almost 60 points during the series. Chisholm credited a small mechanical tweak as a possible reason for his improved play over that span, saying that he opened up his stance and backed off the plate a little bit. “Probably his best group of at-bats, especially off some tough lefty matchups there,” Aaron Boone said of Chisholm this week.

On cue, Chisholm went out and had his best game of the year in last night’s demolition of the Astros, reaching base four times and hitting his second homer. Let’s hope this version of Chisholm is here to stay.

MLB.com | Steve Schaffer: Giancarlo Stanton exited last night’s game in Houston after appearing to suffer a leg injury running the bases. It’s the kind of injury we’ve all come to expect from Stanton at some point nearly each year, but it’s always disheartening when it actually happens. Stanton’s injury was later reported as “right lower leg tightness,” with Boone saying it was related to the calf.

ESPN | David Schoenfield and Jorge Castillo: This week’s series at Fenway Park highlighted the divergent fates of the Yankees and Red Sox so far this season. ESPN spelled out exactly what’s gone right in New York and what’s gone wrong in Boston, with the Yankees’ starting rotation and Boston’s lack of bop the main storylines. The Red Sox also have concerns about their ace Garrett Crochet, who’s gotten absolutely crushed in his last two starts. Boston will likely pull it together at some point, but for now, it’s not so bad to see the Yankees’ rivals eight games back in the AL East standings.

MLB.com | Shanthi Sepe-Cheperu: Gerrit Cole’s steady journey back to the bigs continued on Thursday night, the right-hander taking the ball for High-A Hudson Valley and tossing 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Cole got up to 52 pitches (42 strikes), after throwing 44 pitches in his first rehab start. The Yankees are working him up slowly and carefully, and he appears to remain on track for a return to the majors in roughly a month if all goes to plan.

As if it was 2024 again, Cole was followed in Hudson Valley by Carlos Rodón last night, making his first pro appearances of 2026. In 4.1 innings of his own, he threw shutout ball, struck out four, and allowed one hit and a walk across 65 pitches. The Yankees expect that he’ll need just two more rehab starts before returning to the rotation from his much-less-serious elbow surgery.

MLB.com | Jason Catania: What should the Yankees do with Spencer Jones? It’s a question we’ve asked many times before, and probably will ask many times more. The options are pretty clear: bring him up to the majors, continue to let him develop at Triple-A, or trade him for immediate veteran reinforcement. The most likely outcome for now is the status quo, with Jones remaining in the minors to try and refine the rougher edges of his game, but anything is possible come the summer, when the Yankees will presumably be shopping at the deadline.

It was not third time’s the charm for Freddy Peralta. 

The Mets pitcher faltered toward the end of his night Friday against the Rockies as he lost his third consecutive start and continued to struggle with his longevity. 

Peralta pitched a scoreless four innings before surrendering control, as he allowed an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the fifth before giving up a go-ahead double from Jake McCarthy the following inning in the Mets’ 4-3 loss. 

The righty had managed to get off relatively scot-free after loading the bases in the fifth but was pulled shortly after McCarthy’s RBI put runners on second and third. 

He finished his night with eight strikeouts against seven hits in 5 ²/₃ innings, and acknowledged he’s putting “pressure on myself” to finish starts off. 

“Mentally, I have to allow myself to keep trusting in the process. Because I feel amazing, man, I feel really good,” he said following the loss. 

“Everything’s been great, like the work that I’ve been putting in every day. It’s just, whenever I get to the mound — just finish it. That’s it. And I know for sure that a lot of those are going to come.” 

Peralta, whom the Mets acquired from Milwaukee in January, has lasted six innings just once in his six starts this season, while his current ERA (3.90) would be his worst over a full season since 2020. 

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Nonetheless, the Dominican pitcher said he felt good about Friday’s performance aside from not finishing the sixth, and, more importantly, has the backing of his manager. 

“I mean, he did it once already, so he’ll get there,” Carlos Mendoza said of Peralta lasting six innings. “He’s an ace. Yeah, I’m not worried about that.” 

Mendoza conceded that Peralta, who also walked three batters Friday, does try to be “too perfect” at times, but said he has been “pretty solid” in general. 

The pitcher’s teammates also did him few favors with their lack of run support prior to their short-lived offensive burst in the eighth — when he had already been replaced by Sean Manaea.