TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 7: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning of their MLB against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 7, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The reigning World Series MVP took the mound in Toronto on Tuesday for the first time since that fateful Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounced back after being dealt a loss in his start against the Cleveland Guardians by tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out six against the Blue Jays, giving Jays fans flashbacks of Yamamoto’s brilliance in last year’s Fall Classic. Yamamoto now joins Shohei Ohtani as the only two Dodgers this season to have tossed at least six innings with no more than one run allowed in a start this season, with the former now having tossed three quality starts to open the season.
Although the Blue Jays began to tee off Yamamoto after the fifth inning, he was able to pitch into the seventh inning with his pitch count just shy of century mark, and Dave Roberts credited Yamamoto with the ability to do whatever it takes to win ballgames, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“This guy’s a winner, and he’s shown that he’ll do whatever it takes to win,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. “That’s part of his DNA.”
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Will Smith may have his starting catcher job in jeopardy, as Dalton Rushing has been on a tear at the plate over his last two games. Rushing has now reached base safely over his last six plate appearances, and he has crushed three home runs— including his first multi-home run game— since Sunday’s win over the Nationals.
Of course, as long as Will Smith is still a Dodger and playing like an All-Star, then he will continue to be the team’s go-to guy behind the plate despite Rushing’s recent success, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I plan on playing him this year. I plan on giving Will (Smith) ample rest,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But make no mistake who our starting catcher is.”
After a slow start on this road trip and after being the only starter on Monday without a hit against Toronto, Alex Freeland had an impressive game on Tuesday by going 3-3 with a double, a sacrifice bunt, an RBI and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Freeland spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA post-game about his first career three hit game.
“It felt amazing. I’m just trying to be consistent and just keep putting together good at-bats, and hopefully they fell. They fell tonight and it feels good.”
Happy Wednesday, everyone! While things have gotten off to a bit of a rough start for the Cubs this season, they aren’t the only club suffering from early season injuries and disappointing numbers. Below, we take a look at some clubs who are being forced to re-assess their plans to get back on track.
Plus, people are still reacting to Jo Adell’s wild weekend, and also looking at how it impacted the pitcher on the mound at the time—Chris Sale. We also take a look at some wild ballpark food, as teams get more and more inventive to try going viral online and getting attention from fans.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: A view of the stadium and a view of Kayakers arriving in McCovey Cove on Netflix branded kayaks are seen during the MLB Opening Night Game: Yankees vs. Giants, at Momo's on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Netflix) | Getty Images for Netflix
Good morning, baseball fans!
Earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants announced that they would be working with ElevenLabs, an AI research and product company, in an upcoming multi-year partnership at Oracle Park.
ElevenLabs will become the presenting sponsor of Oracle Park’s Championship Suite. They will also “deploy AI voice and audio technology throughout the ballpark to elevate the fan experience.”
Thanks, I hate it.
I’m sure there are good or even neutral uses for AI technology, such as accessibility in the form of translation services and audio dubbing, as the announcement mentions in further detail.
But in my experience on an everyday use basis, AI features tend to be forced on the public, filled with data-mining functions to steal as much user information as possible, and lack the ability to turn them off. Meanwhile, those features tend to primarily slow down programs (often ones that users have already paid for) and make it take ten times longer to do the things they were already doing with those programs before. But that’s just my opinion.
Anyway, the announcement goes on to read like a word-soup scramble of corporate buzzwords:
“Through this integration, the organization will elevate fan engagement and optimize operations across several key areas, including real-time, AI-powered fan support for ticketing, merchandise, food ordering, and ballpark FAQs, as well as in-game activations featuring live dubbing and multilingual audio at Oracle Park.”
Sounds to me like a lot of people at Oracle Park are going to lose their jobs whenever this actually goes into effect. But yay optimized operations I guess. Because that’s what the world needs more of right now.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants wrap up this series against the Philadelphia Phillies today at 12:45 p.m. PT.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 04: Starter Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Chase Field on April 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 2-1. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Braves fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The 2026 season has started out much better than 2025 for the Atlanta Braves. While the season is less than 10 percent complete, one of the best stories of the first couple of weeks of the season has been the overall success of the team’s starting rotation.
Coming into Spring Training, the Braves seemed to be in a solid-enough position with their starting pitching depth and opted not to add a free agent starting pitcher on an MLB deal (Martin Perez was added, but on an MLB contract). Things changed rapidly when Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were placed on the IL and got even more dire when fringe starter Joey Wentz was lost for the season and an oblique strain caused expected number two starter Spencer Strider to hit the IL prior to Opening Day.
Bryce Elder, who was out of options and seemed to be on the cusp of holding on to a big league job in Atlanta coming into Spring Training, found himself starting the season as the team’s fourth starter.
Elder, who was an All-Star in 2023 after a fantastic first half of the season, has been among the worst starting pitchers in the sport since the last-half of 2023. In 2025, he led the Braves in starts and innings pitched, but his overall numbers were subpar, thanks in part to seven starts in which he allowed five earned runs or more, including three starts with eight or more earned runs.
On a positive note, he did end the season by allowing three earned runs or less in six of his final seven starts, offering a glimmer of hope for future success.
Elder spent time with Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux this off-season, gaining tutelage from one of the game’s all-time greats. Elder added a cutter and has worked to hone his control.
In his first two starts in 2026, he pitched 13 innings, struck out 13, and allowed zero earned runs while walking only two batters. It is the ultimate small sample size alert, but his success has stood out.
Are you buying this version of Bryce Elder as a legitimate mid-rotation starting pitcher? Or will it take another 10 starts for you to buy in on him solidifying his role on the Braves’ starting pitching staff?
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 31: TJ Rumfield #7 of the Colorado Rockies swings against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on March 31, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Old habits die hard.
A major issue for the Colorado Rockies during their seven-season losing streak has been the offense. In particular, especially over the last three seasons, poor plate discipline has hindered the team that has been largely defined by an overabundance of strikeouts. In 2025, the team ranked second in baseball with 1,531 strikeouts, with the highest swing rate and the lowest contact rate among several other unfortunate categories.
While a primary point of focus was rightfully placed on the pitching side of things for the club, new hitting coach Brett Pill has a lot of work cut out for him in helping improve one of the league’s worst offenses. It will take some time before he can get a cohesive hitting philosophy permeating the roster, but the early trends of 2026 certainly make things more difficult.
Entering Tuesday, the Rockies lead all of Major League Baseball in swing rate at 52%. This shouldn’t be surprising since the Rockies feature a roster of aggressive hitters. There is nothing inherently wrong with being aggressive at the plate, but there is a difference between that and being undisciplined with the bat.
Alongside that swing rate comes one of the lowest contact rates in baseball. Boasting the third-lowest rate in baseball at 69.9%, the Rockies are in the odd company of swinging more than anyone else, but still having little to nothing to show for it.
Why is that?
A quick look at the average number of pitches per plate appearance shows that the Rockies’ offense is seeing the fewest pitches of any team. Averaging 3.65 P/PA, the Rockies rank just below the Tampa Bay Rays at 3.75 P/PA, a team that is around league average in swing rate (45.1%) while sporting the highest contact rate (80.4%). The lack of pitches seen makes the Rockies’ National League-worst strikeout rate of 29.5% and baseball-worst 6.0% walk rate a lot clearer.
The aggressiveness of the Rockies’ offense is a result of how opposing pitchers are taking advantage. Colorado is 45.3% of pitches within the strike zone. It’s not too distant from the leaders of the league at 48.9%, but that 4% difference has become more damning considering the Rockies have an 82.6% contact rate, one of the lowest in baseball, compared to their league-high 68.8% swing rate in the zone.
Swinging so often and coming up empty has inspired pitchers to continue inching out of the zone to cause the Rockies to chase. Their 40.1% swing rate at pitches considered to be in the “chase zone” leads all of baseball, while their contact on such pitches (38.1%) ranks 27th. A 37% overall chase rate is the highest mark in baseball this early into the season.
The Rockies are seeing a higher percentage of strikes than any other team at 66.8%. Their 24.4% swinging strike rate is the highest in the NL and third-highest in MLB. The uber-aggressiveness and whiffs by this team are what have stifled the offense through their first couple of series.
There is some evidence of method to the madness, despite the lack of overall success. The Rockies are hunting the first pitch in an at-bat. The team has swung at the first pitch 39.5% of the time, just behind the Athletics (40.9%). They also rank second, just behind the A’s, with a .412/.423/.725 slashline. The first pitch is typically the best one to try and hit, and the Rockies are finding success when they do make contact on the first one, showing that aggressiveness can be effective.
However, that’s where the lack of plate discipline comes into play. Should they fail to make contact, the Rockies get themselves into trouble due to an NL-high 39% first pitch strike rate. They drop down to a .250 AVG in 0-1 counts, and a .148 AVG in two strike counts. They have drawn just eight walks with two strikes, the lowest in baseball.
There is still plenty of season to be played, and it’ll be worthwhile to look back on these types of things come May, as Pill and Jordan Pacheco have had time to implement more things with the hitters. The hope is that the new philosophy and coaching, along with some of the new players on the team, can foster an environment that encourages good contact and attacking pitchers. We’ve already seen the offensive outbursts that can happen when the team is patient, making good contact, and taking good swings in the zone, and it’s something that can thrive both at home and away.
It’s certainly worrisome at the moment, but the Rockies could have the chance to learn how to make aggressiveness an advantage and not a folly in 2026.
The Albuquerque offense did its damage through the first four innings, scoring all eight of its runs and ending up with 13 hits on the night. Blaine Crim and Ryan Ritter each hit home runs, with the latter contributing three hits in the game. Sterlin Thompson had a triple while Nicky Lopez and Zac Veen each had a double. Veen also ended up with two hits. Sean Sullivan started the hill and made it through four innings, giving up just one run on one hit while striking out three. He battled his command, however, issuing four walks. The bullpen combined to allow just three runs, two of which came against Welinton Herrera, and notched five strikeouts.
Eiberson Castellano continued a string of good pitching for the Yard Goats as he allowed just one run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings of work. The lone run he surrendered came on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The bullpen then allowed just two hits over the final three innings, with Alberto Pacheco going two innings and Victor Juarez nailing down his second save of the year. They got all the offense they would need with two runs in the third inning. Braylen Wimmer had a two-hit night with an RBI, which came in the third. Bryant Betancourt also had a solo home run in the top of the ninth for an insurance run.
Everett Catlet cruised through five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts, en route to taking the victory for the Indians. Fisher Jameson followed with three shutout innings before Tyler Hampu closed out the game, although he gave up a run. Offensively, Robert Calaz went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Tevin Tucker also drove in a pair of runs. The offense had eight hits and drew seven walks against seven strikeouts.
The Grizzlies got a good start from their pitcher in their home opener. Angel Jimenez went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. The bullpen struggled with command but managed to secure the victory despite a little bit of trouble for Derrick Smith in the ninth. The offense kicked off with a five-run bottom of the second, and later a three-run seventh inning. Ethan Holliday ended up with two hits while Derek Bernard drove in a pair as part of his two-hit night and Zach Rogaki also had three RBI.
The beauty of the minors is that promotionals can deviate from the norms of big league ball quite a bit. The Yard Goats are getting in on the action with a “downtown Hartford divorce party” meant to involve a mixer for single people to look for a connection.
Chase Dollander has looked solid out of the Rockies’ bullpen to start the season, and part of that is having more confidence and purpose behind his pitches. Kevin Henry caught up with Dollander to talk about his growth thus far.
This week, Evan Lang and I are joined by Paul Holden of the Locked On Rockies podcast to chat about the early struggles of the offense, the quality pitching, and some minor leaguers to keep an eye on.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Oracle Park on April 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, the San Francisco Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4, and I crafted an entire maybe-I’m-thinking-about-this-too-much narrative to go with it. In my recap, I mentioned the sloppiness and (in)attention to detail that has plagued the Giants through this cold, hard, long two-week season, and how they appeared to rid themselves of it on Monday, only to have it boomerang back and smack them in the face.
On Tuesday, the Giants beat the Phillies 6-0. This time there would be no boomerang. There would be no fakeout. There would be no false hope and ensuing punishment for emptying your retirement savings to throw money at the salesman selling the false hope at your doorstep.
There were mistakes, however. We’ll cover those. And then we’ll circle back to them at the end of this article, for the grand aha! moment. Not unlike a boomerang. Just not a rude boomerang that sends you to bed miserable and leads your therapist to ask you why you let a group of adults who have never met you dictate your mood for nearly seven months of the year.
It was an ominous beginning, as one of those aforementioned mistakes arrived early, like the monster in the opening credits of a horror film that then disappears, and you’re not sure whether it’s going to come back as a key part of the plot, or if it was just a silly little juke. Robbie Ray got Trea Turner to ground out on the second pitch of the game, before ceding a first-pitch single to Kyle Schwarber. It then took Ray all of one pitch against two-time MVP — and one of Monday’s heroes — Bryce Harper to get the lefty slugger to chop a tailor made double play ball to second base.
Ray had taken the opening part of Philly’s lineup — a trio of hitters with a combined 14 All-Star appearances, currently on contracts that will pay them a combined $780 million — and retired them on all of four pitches.
Or so you thought at the crack of the bat. Unfortunately, even with plenty of time to make a good throw and a fine feed from Luis Arráez, Willy Adames missed first base badly, allowing Harper to reach on a fielder’s choice.
It had the potential to be a painful mistake, robbing Ray of not just a quick inning, but possibly a scoreless one, given that lefty masher Adolis García was stepping to the plate.
But Ray struck him out. Sure, it meant throwing an extra six pitches, but so what. He picked his teammate up.
In the bottom half of the inning, Adames’ picked himself up. Facing a star pitcher in Christopher Sánchez, Adames immediately made the fans at Oracle Park forget about his gaffe with a deep drive to right field that crashed off the bricks.
According to Statcast, it was a home run in 17 parks. At Oracle, it was just a feel-good double.
Matt Chapman followed by turning an 0-2 sinker inside-out for an opposite-field single, and third base coach Hector Borg wisely put on the stop sign for Adames at third.
It was a smart move. García, the right fielder, has a NASA-inspired rocket ship in his throwing arm, there were no outs, and the best contact hitter in baseball, Arráez, was about to step to the plate.
You can score in any manner of ways in baseball, and on this particular occasion, Arráez opted for a 56.7-mph grounder that bounced two feet in front of the plate, ultimately resulting in his own out, but also a run scored.
But this game was the very essence of a devil on one shoulder, angel on the other affair. There were multiple instances where the baseballing seemed to repeat itself, only to offer an opportunity to choose a different, more dangerous path.
And so it was that Adames led off in the third inning, too, and once again hit a double. And so it was that Chapman once again followed up with a single, which once again was hit to right field. And Borg was once again faced with the reality that García has a cannon, there were no outs, and the best contact hitter on the planet was about to step into the box.
Sometimes you do things just to feel something, and so Borg, perhaps unwilling to go to bed tonight without knowing what would have happened had he sent Adames to challenge García, gave him the wave around.
Perhaps it would have been the right call had Heliot Ramos, who hit 0-4 with three strikeouts, been up next. But no: it was contact maven Arráez, who never got the chance for the RBI, because García threw out Adames at home.
Borg chose the angel in the first inning and the devil in the third, and the Giants had made another mistake.
Another such situation occurred, though it was less an angel on one shoulder, and more a second devil that offered a free pass before getting back to his devilish ways.
In the second inning, with one out and a runner on base, Daniel Susac bopped a single, bringing up Jared Oliva for his first plate appearance of the year. He chopped a grounder to the left side, where Edmundo Sosa fielded it and kicked off an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth inning, Susac led off with a single, making him a perfect 5-5 (with a walk!) in his young MLB career (he would be retired for the first time in his next at-bat). Oliva again came up to bat, and again chopped an easy double play ball to the left side of the infield.
This time it went to Turner, who looked up to check on the runners, and consequently forgot to catch the ball. He would make no throw, and neither runner would be out. But, as if to atone for the fact that he had failed to hit the double play he was supposed to, Oliva was then promptly back-picked at first base.
In all, it was a rough first start of the year for Oliva, whose night ended when he awkwardly went to the batter’s box for a third plate appearance without realizing that he was being pinch-hit for.
But that seemingly-costly mistake (the out at first, not the pinch-hitting blunder, which presumably was the fault of someone in the dugout) did not haunt the Giants, as they unveiled something we haven’t seen much of this year: two-out magic. After Adames popped out for the second out of the inning, Chapman (who is heating up in a big way) blasted his third hit of the day, a 111.7-mph double to score Susac.
Arráez, eager to have so many opportunities with runners in scoring position, showed off his two-strike prowess with a 1-2 single into center, scoring Chapman. Suddenly the Giants led 3-0.
They weren’t done. Perhaps the most important bit of turning a mistake into a positive came an inning later, when Rafael Devers led off with a single. That brought up Casey Schmitt, who returned to the lineup as the DH after a few days out with an injury.
Sánchez had gotten the best of Schmitt to that point. He struck him out in the second, and then struck him out on three pitches in the fourth. He had so much ownage on Schmitt to that point, that Schmitt started off the at-bat by attempting a bunt. A bunt! In this economy!
He did not succeed, and soon he was down in the count 1-2, with no choice but to swing. And swing he did, lifting a ball deep into triple’s alley, though it hopped over the fence, costing him a third bag and an RBI. Instead, that work would fall to Jung Hoo Lee, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter and easily brought the run home with a sacrifice fly.
All of this, however, was made possible by Ray, who thoroughly outclassed the Phillies. Ray didn’t always make it easy for himself, but he did always escape. Following that one-out single to set the table for Harper, Ray gave up a leadoff double to Sosa to open up the second. He followed that up with a leadoff walk to Harper in the fourth.
But he got out of those situations each time. And while he wasn’t exactly operating with peak efficiency, he was getting the job done as well as anyone.
Despite a rising pinch count, Ray was permitted to take his shutout all the way to the seventh inning, which was very understandable given the way the bullpen has behaved lately. It was there where, for the first and last time, Ray got himself into a pickle he couldn’t quite remove himself from.
It started, once again, with a leadoff runner reaching base, this time a Sosa walk. He recovered to get the next two outs, before losing a long battle to Dylan Moore, and issuing the second walk of the inning.
With that, Ray had not only started to show some wavering command, but had reached 109 pitches, and his night came to an end.
Which brings us back to Monday. During that game, Tony Vitello let Adrian Houser start the seventh, before pulling him with two runners on, and bringing in Ryan Borucki, who let both inherited runners score to bloat Houser’s ERA.
On Tuesday, and admittedly with two more outs, Vitello turned to his don’t-call-him-a-closer-just-call-him-when-you-need-him reliever, Ryan Walker, who inherited the two-on, two-out situation.
Walker, as he does, scared the [MadLibs: noun] out of you, turning an 0-2 count into a 3-2 count, while throwing a wild pitch that advanced the runners. But finally he got Crawford to ground out, ending the biggest threat of the night, and preserving the 4-0 lead.
That put a cap on a stellar Ray line: 6.2 innings, three hits, three walks, seven strikeouts, and no runs. When a team is struggling, they need a veteran with star potential to take over a game sometimes, and make life easier for everyone else.
From there, it was all about having a little fun, giving you another little scare, and scoring a few extra runs, just for the hell of it. Walker stayed in to pitch the eighth and, despite having a few issues locating the strike zone, and giving up a leadoff infield single to Turner and a one-out walk to Harper, got out of the inning unscathed.
The offense, meanwhile, tacked on some insurance with a delightful eighth inning rally, which began when Ramos reached base on a leadoff error (which probably should have been an infield hit), and continued when Schmitt drew a one-out walk.
And then, with two outs, came the big hit: Susac, the feel-good story of the year, tripled down the first-base line, scoring both runners, and securing his second three-hit game in as many Major League starts. He now has twice as many three-hit games in the Majors as his brother, and somewhere the A’s are wondering what in the world they’ve done.
Which brings us back to the moral of the story: teams make mistakes. All teams make mistakes. All teams make mistakes in all their games. For most of this season, the Giants have not had the talent or ability to overcome their own mistakes, so it has felt like those mistakes are out to get them. But then games like this happen, and you get to the end and barely remember Adames’ errant throw, or Oliva’s baserunning blunder, or Borg’s decision, or Ray’s leadoff hitters. Because when you play well, the mistakes are just speed bumps, instead of boulders dropped on your car like a freaky Mario Kart level.
The Giants worked around them. They should do that more often. I hear it’s what the good teams do, not that I’d know anything about that.
Apr 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) walks off the mound after being removed from the game during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The struggle against left-handed starters continued for the Philadelphia Phillies (6-5) as they dropped the middle game of their series against the San Francisco Giants (4-8) on Tuesday night by a score of 6-0.
Christopher Sanchez had a rough night, allowing 11 of the Giants’ 12 hits, the second highest total against him in his career. A rough night for the Phillies’ ace is still a decent night for some, as only two of the four runs credited to him during his 5.0+ IP were earned due to several miscues by his backing group.
Giants’ lefty starter, Robbie Ray, dominated all night, scattering six baserunners on three hits and three walks across 109 pitches with seven punch outs.
Ultimately, the additional damage inflicted by the poor defense didn’t matter as the Phillies’ offense offered little resistance to Ray and the rest of the Giants’ staff. With a left-hander on the mound, Alec Bohm out of the lineup nursing a sore groin, and JT Realmuto leaving the game after the first inning following a foul ball ricocheting off his right foot, the lineup featured the whole bench in Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp, Dylan Moore and Rafael Marchan.
Sanchez’s only clean inning came in a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, but he allowed multiple runners to reach base in each of the four others. He didn’t have his usual putaway stuff as eight of his eleven hits allowed came in two-strike counts.
The defensive gaffes were punctuated by a fielding error by Trea Turner, a throwing error by Marchan and a weak throw-in by Justin Crawford that allowed Wilson Ramos to tag-up from first and take second on a fly ball to center. But there was also the around the horn double play started by Sosa to relieve the jam in the second inning, a dart throw by Adolis Garcia to cut down Adames at home plate in the third, and a pick off throw behind the runner at first by Marchan in the fifth.
The Giants opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI ground out by Luis Arraez that scored Willy Adames who led off with a double.
They would tack on two more in the fifth after a leadoff single by Daniel Susac, an RBI double by Chapman and an RBI single by Arraez.
Sanchez gave way to Zach Pop in the sixth after surrendering a single to Rafael Devers and a ground rule double to Casey Schmitt with no outs. Pop allowed one runner to score on a sacrifice fly by Jung Hoo Lee but kept his own line clean, as did Tanner Banks in the seventh.
Orion Kerkering made his 2026 debut and likely saw ghosts as his first hitter faced, Ramos, knocked a dying dribbler in between Kerkering and Marchan that, after an instant’s hesitation by both battery members, was fielded by Marchan and errantly thrown to first for an error. That error may have been a mercy in disguise for Kerkering who conceded a walk to Schmitt and a triple by Susac that piled on two more runs for the Giants, neither counting against his ERA.
The offense was 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Their lone extra-base hit was a double by Sosa in the second inning and a runner didn’t reach second base again until Sosa and then Moore walked in the seventh.
Bryce Harper worked two walks and reached on a single. Turner and Kyle Schwarber each had one of the team’s four hits.
It’ll be Aaron Nola versus Tyler Mahle in the series decider tomorrow afternoon.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Manager Craig Stammen #14 of the San Diego Padres looks on before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Craig Stammen was a reliever for the San Diego Padres long before he was their manager. By all accounts he was a beloved teammate who could relate to anyone on the roster no matter their age, background or nationality. He was the perfect teammate. Perhaps this is the reason it was so surprising that Stammen, who was assisting the Padres front office with managerial interviews before general manager A.J. Preller asked him to consider interviewing for the position, landed the job. Stammen went from being a teammate to the man in charge.
Padres fans were right to wonder if Stammen could assume the leadership role and get the most out of players he played with like Manny Machado and Joe Musgrove. That question has yet to be answered on the field with just 11 games played this season, but it is a storyline that will no doubt be watched and documented as the season progresses.
What we have seen so far under Stammen is the San Diego offense continues to struggle with run production and at times, the defense has been spotty. Of course, at this point in the season there is nothing to say that what we have seen from the Padres under Stammen is what they will be going forward, but like anyone in a new position, there are multiple areas where fans can and should expect improvement as the first-year manager settles into the new reality of being the one making decisions in the dugout rather than running in from the bullpen.
San Diego has played three series under Stammen and will complete the fourth against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at 9:35 a.m. PST. The Padres dropped the first two series at home winning one game in each before taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox on the road. The series in Pittsburgh is tied 1-1 and San Diego has Michael King on the mound in the rubber match.
For this week’s Padres Reacts Survey Gaslamp Ball asks you to grade Stammen’s performance to this point in the season. There is a lot of time between now and 162, but everyone has an opinion on how things are going, so here is your chance to tell us yours. Results will be posted later in the week.
Apr 7, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; A fight breaks out between Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images | William Navarro-Imagn Images
In what was an otherwise routine and mostly quiet game on Tuesday night between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels, a big time brawl broke out between Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez and former World Series hero Jorge Soler.
Let’s set the stage. Earlier in the game, Lopez hit Soler in the hand with a fastball. In the fifth inning, another high fastball sailed over the head of catcher Jonah Heim. Soler took offense to it, and after the two stared each other down, the former World Series hero charged the mound. Punches were thrown, Walt Weiss made a perfectly formed tackle to take Soler down — seriously, watch the video — and both players were ejected.
MASSIVE brawl breaks out in Anaheim as Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López throw punches at each other after Soler took exception to a high-and-in pitch. pic.twitter.com/SOHkZjVqNn
We will see what the league decides to do, but a suspension for both players seems highly likely.
As for the rest of the game, the Angels took an early 2-0 lead on a Soler homer that was aided earlier in the inning on an errant throw from Austin Riley. The Braves would chip away by way of an Eli White RBI double in the second to cut the lead in half. In the fourth, Austin Riley delivered a much-needed RBI single to tie it, followed by a White sacrifice fly and Jonah Heim bloop single to give Atlanta a 4-2 lead. Ozzie Albies delivered a much-needed insurance run with a solo homer to right in the top of the eighth.
In the bottom half of the eighth, Aaron Bummer allowed two runners to reach scoring position with just one out. Weiss aggressively brought Raisel Iglesias in, who promptly struck out back-to-back hitters to escape the jam without a run scoring.
In the ninth, the Braves added some valuable insurance runs by way of a Drake Baldwin RBI single and Matt Olson 5-3 double play with the bases loaded to score another run.
The series and long west coast road trip will wrap up on Wednesday afternoon with Grant Holmes set to take on lefty Reid Detmers. First pitch is 4:07 p.m. ET.
San Diego Padres SP Walker Buehler (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In baseball, you’re only as good as your last game. The San Diego Padres lost four of the first six games in the 2026 campaign. The Friar Faithful were concerned about the starting pitching outside of Randy Vasquez. Speculation was growing over how much longer Craig Stammen can stick with the current rotation before making changes.
However, a weekend in Boston has changed everyone’s spirits. It is a small sample, but the Friars’ starting pitchers need to tread water until the bats come alive.
A starting rotation is a team’s life source
The Padres starters are well-equipped to take the lead and take down the opposing lineups this week. Not every pitcher needs to register a stellar performance, but everyone wants to see some consistency in their starts.
You want them to become more comfortable on the mound, but their control does not have to be sparkling. The hope is that the third start of the season ends on an upward trend. They must limit baserunners by throwing strikes and recording outs.
If not, you fall into the trap of pitching into hitters’ counts. Usually, the results are not good, as hard-hit balls occur, and runners cross home plate.
Friars are searching for SP consistency
The Padres’ rotation is in flux, as Joe Musgrove is working his way back onto the active roster. Moving forward, Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Walker Buehler and German Marquez need to become more reliable in their starts.
The Friar Faithful might have raised the white flag after Stammen brought in Kyle Hart after another poor outing from Buehler. But the move made all the sense, as Hart has put himself back into the conversation as a rotation replacement option. Shutting down the Boston Red Sox for two-plus innings has definitely opened some eyes.
But to get on an extended winning streak, the Friars’ offense must hold up its end of the bargain.
Bats must come alive
The Padres have one more game against the Pittsburgh Pirates before coming home to host the Colorado Rockies in a four-game series at Petco Park this weekend. It offers plenty of time for Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. to have more quality at-bats.
As proven run-producing hitters, both are expected to anchor the lineup. But their production has been spotty at best to start the 2026 season. Machado and Tatis Jr. have to make opposing pitchers dread the prospect of pitching against them, especially with runners in scoring position.
Together, they need to put fear back into the mind of opposing pitchers and give the impression they’re ready to breakout from their slow starts.
Yes, there is a discrepancy between expectations and actual production done at the plate.
It seems everything is going in the right direction. But it’s too early to tell.
The Yankees continue to roll to start the 2026 season, with different players putting their stamp on each game and Tuesday night wasn't any different.
Going up against the Athletics, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to start Amed Rosario (his second this season) at third base instead of Ryan McMahon. Despite the A's having right-hander Aaron Civale on the mound, the Yankees skipper chose Rosario instead of the left-handed McMahon because of Civale's reverse splits. And that proved to be the right move.
Rosario got the Yankees' scoring started with a solo shot in the second to put them up 1-0. But once the offense stalled, Rosario came to the rescue again in the eighth inning. Going up against former Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., Rosario launched a three-run blast to give the Yankees the lead and the eventual win, 5-3.
The 30-year-old launched the 0-1 splitter 414 feet (107.3 mph off the bat) into the second deck in left field. Rosario knew he got all of it and turned to his dugout to hype his team up.
"A lot of emotions there," Rosario said through an interpreter of the go-ahead homer. "Looking for a pitch that I could do some damage. I got it."
The Yankees traded for Rosario at the trade deadline last year to help bolster their bench. He provided that much-needed right-handed depth, hitting .303 with a home run, three doubles and five RBI in 16 games in 2025. The team re-signed him to give Boone that bench option again, and the skipper knew he could deliver when needed.
"One of the things that struck me about him last year, just how good he was at staying ready and prepared in the role," Boone said. "He’s really good at what he needs to be ready every single day. I liked him against Civale today, not only he hits one there, but a no-doubter to pull the victory out. Just a big night for him."
Another reason the Yankees brought back Rosario was his clubhouse presence. Even when he wasn't playing, he brought an energy to the dugout, constantly encouraging his teammates. He's become a favorite amongst his teammates.
"We brought Rosie back not only because he’s a good player, but a tremendous teammate and sets an amazing example for everyone," Boone said. "He’s become beloved in that room in short order. They all get thrilled by his successes, too."
"He’s great to have on the team. Great to have someone like him on the team," Jose Caballero said of Rosario. "He never has a bad day. He always comes with high energy. It’s good for the clubhouse, good for him, and good for everyone."
"He’s great. High-energy guy," Cam Schlittler added. "Goes out there and does something like that tonight. We don’t win that game without him.
Boone recalled last year when Rosario wound up on the IL after running into a wall in the outfield when he first came over in the trade. When Rosario was ready to come back after a short stint, he didn't need a rehab start; he told the team he was ready to go immediately, and that stuck with Boone.
"Although I’m not playing every day, I try not to let that affect me mentally," Rosario said of staying ready. "Over the years, I’ve created a routine that’s allowed me to do my job."
That's why Boone is comfortable inserting Rosario in the lineup when needed, perhaps even more than last season.
The decision is also made easier by McMahon's tough start to the season offensively -- 2-for-23 with an OPS of . 363. However, Boone isn't committing to a change after Rosario's performance on Tuesday. He likes the options he has in Rosario and McMahon and will create his lineup accordingly.
"There's certain matchups that I like [Rosario] in," Boone explained. "We've got a number of lefties coming up. Competition's always a good thing."
Tuesday was just the third instance where Rosario had a multi-homer game. As a Yankee, Rosario has hit .302/.295/.581 (13-for-43) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI in just 20 games.
If McMahon continues to struggle, Rosario will have more opportunities to build on those numbers.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: German Marquez #33 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres signed a starter in the offseason that they knew would not be ready for at least a month to two months in Griffin Canning. With Spring Training well underway, they discovered that their rehabbing workhorse, Joe Musgrove, was not recovering well from his buildup and he was put on hold. Matt Waldron, who worked hard during the offseason to lose weight, increase strength and improve his velocity, suffered an infection of a hemorrhoid and needed surgery.
That left two reclamation projects, Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, as the last two pitchers to fill out the rotation. Both left-handers JP Sears and Marco Gonzales, as well as righty Triston McKenzie, showed early that they didn’t have the needed command to break camp with the team.
At least Buehler and Márquez are experienced veterans who know how to pitch. Even with diminished stuff after elbow surgeries, they both showed the ability in spring games to develop into acceptable fill-ins for a while.
So, after two starts each, what have we learned about Buehler and Márquez?
Walker Buehler
In 6.2 innings pitched over two starts, Buehler has had two good innings to start each game. Then everything falls apart and he can’t get it back. In the first two innings of the two starts, Buehler has allowed two hits, no runs, one walk and has had six strikeouts. Over the next 2.2 innings pitched in the third and fourth innings of the two games, Buehler has allowed six hits, seven runs, three walks and has had one strikeout. He has a seven-pitch mix with a fastball that tops out at 93-94 mph. His command and execution are the issues, and it seems that he had to change his arm angle and mechanics to accommodate his injured elbow. Now that he is healed, going back to a previous arm angle has been a problem.
In his Padres Daily newsletter, San Diego Union-Tribune Padres beat writer Kevin Acee quoted Buehler on his struggles.
“By nature of doing new stuff for three or four days, I can hold it for a (while) and then it goes away. It’s just getting the new stuff into the throw…. I feel good about the first two innings. So net positive, I guess.”
All that is well and good if we were still in spring games. But these games count and a starter that can hold his delivery for only two innings is not a starter. That would be a bullpen pitcher, at best. The bottom line appears to be whether Buehler can bring his new mechanics into the games more consistently and soon enough so as not to cost the Friars too many games. Taxing the bullpen for five or six innings every fifth day is not a winning approach.
There will be an end line for this experiment. Matt Waldron is almost done with his rehab and Griffin Canning has begun his starter progression. Buehler’s 9.45 ERA is representative of how poorly he pitches after reverting back to old habits in his delivery. The Padres can’t afford to let that continue for too long.
Germán Márquez
In eight innings pitched over two starts, Márquez had one horrible performance and one really gutsy one. In his first start, he lasted three innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk. His locations on his pitches were missing and he was hit hard.
Then, in a Padres notebook by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Ruben Niebla revealed that Márquez was tipping his pitches and the hitters took advantage. They worked on his delivery in his between starts bullpen session. Márquez pitched through five shutout innings while scattering six hits with one walk and four strikeouts Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He benefitted from some good defense as well as some Pirates mistakes in the Padres win.
Márquez lives and dies by his knuckle curve. He used it 45% of the time versus the Pirates and his 94 mph four-seamer 47% of the time. He threw five sinkers and one changeup in his 92 pitches. The curve had a 38% whiff rate and the fastball a 25% whiff rate. His curve is the only pitch that rates out as a plus-pitch.
Márquez has to be almost perfect with his curve and fastball to be successful pitching this way. Mixing in other pitches would presumably make him less predictable but if he can locate the knuckle curve and it moves like it did on Monday, maybe a fifth starter job can work for him.
The conclusion for both of these veteran starters is that they have to hold onto their altered delivery and mechanics if they have any hope of sticking as MLB starting pitchers. Both are former ace pitchers who have lost velocity after elbow surgery and must now rely on command in order to be effective. It seems that both have the potential to succeed but time will tell if the adjustments they have made can carry them through to an effective second career as a finesse pitcher.
The Padres, luckily, have other options on the horizon if either or both of these pitchers are unable to adjust to their new realities. For the sake of the team, we can hope that at least one of them is able to succeed.
There was some serious angst in Anaheim as benches cleared during the Angels' game against the Atlanta Braves on April 7.
The baseball brouhaha broke out in the bottom of the fifth inning when Angels hitter Jorge Soler did not appreciate Braves pitcher Reynaldo López throwing some high heat. Soler — perhaps not noticing that López had a baseball in his hand — ran out to the mound and the two started throwing punches, though neither appeared to connect with López throwing hands while still holding the baseball. Angels and Braves players ran onto the field and the mayhem moved toward the first base line before the brawl was broken up.
Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López are throwing PUNCHES in Anaheim as a brawl breaks out pic.twitter.com/Uj4kOk07Ow
The groundwork for the benches-clearing brawl was laid earlier in the game. Soler homered in his first at-bat off López, a two-run shot that also scored Mike Trout. In the third inning, López plunked Soler. Two innings later, the two met again and the kerfuffle ensued. Both López and Soler were ejected by first base umpire Vic Carapazza.
The high pitch that angered Soler went over catcher Jonah Heim, and Nolan Schanuel — who had walked prior to Soler's at-bat — advanced to second base. Schanuel advanced to third base on a wild pitch by López's replacement, Tyler Kinley. However, Soler's replacement — Jeimer Candelario — struck out to end the threat.
Blue Jays fans scarfed down an insane amount of hot dogs on Tuesday night while their team got beaten by the Dodgers, 4-1.
The Jays sold hot dogs for 77 cents in honor of their inaugural season in 1977, which resulted in fans grabbing more than 100,000 hot dogs during the nine-inning game.
The jumbotron is pictured during a media tour of Rogers Centre showing changes made to the stadium celebrating the Blue Jays 50th anniversary in Toronto. Toronto Star via Getty Images
Tuesdays are traditionally dubbed “Loonie Dog Night” when the hot dogs are sold for $1, but they cost even less this time due to the special occasion.
“Back by popular demand, Loonie Dogs Night presented by Schneiders returns to Rogers Centre for every Tuesday home game of the 2026 season,” the Blue Jays website read. “On Loonie Dogs Night presented by Schneiders, fans will have the opportunity to purchase $1 hot dogs from various concession stands around the ballpark. Don’t miss out on this hot dog of a deal!”
Blue Jays fans seem to love their Loonie Dogs and set a record in 2025 of consuming 826,308, toppling the previous record (727,819) set the year prior.
Tuesday’s game was also the second game of a three-game set between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, a rematch of last year’s World Series.
The Blue Jays dropped their sixth straight game and fell to a 4-7 record to start the season.
The Blue Jays had a 77-cent promotion for hot dogs. Emily – stock.adobe.com
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six innings for the Dodgers, giving up one run on five hits and striking out six.
Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI single in the third inning to drive in the first run of the game, and Will Smith was able to bring in a second run later that inning.
Alex Freeland and Kyle Tucker hit RBIs in the fifth and ninth innings, respectively. George Springer drove in the only Blue Jays run in the sixth.
The Braves and Angels went from zero to 100 real quick on Tuesday night.
And it wasn’t exactly heavenly in Anaheim.
The teams got into a chaotic benches-clearing brawl during Atlanta’s 7-2 win that even saw Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez throw punches at each other.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Soler took a pitch up-and-in that went to the backstop, which allowed Nolan Schanuel to go from first to second base.
MASSIVE brawl breaks out in Anaheim as Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López throw punches at each other after Soler took exception to a high-and-in pitch. pic.twitter.com/SOHkZjVqNn
Jorge Soler (12) and Atlanta’s Reynaldo López (40) fight during the fifth inning of a the Angels-Braves game on April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. APBenches clear as Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles right fielder Jorge Soler (12) fight on the field during the fifth inning of the Angels-Braves game. Getty Images
But things only escalated from there. Soler appeared to take exception to the pitch and stared down Lopez as he got a new ball for the next pitch. The starter held out both of his arms, seemingly in disbelief at the reaction. But before long, Soler dropped his bat and the two both threw punches as the dugouts emptied.
As the action veered toward the first base line, a few Braves players tackled Soler to the ground before he could inflict any real damage on Lopez. Angels star Mike Trout and Braves first base coach Antoan Richardson pushed Lopez back to keep him out of the fray as the rest of the teams converged around Soler.
Jorge Soler (12) and Atlanta’s Reynaldo López (40) fight during the fifth inning of the Angels-Braves game. AP
Once the brouhaha was completely quelled, Soler and Lopez walked off and were done for the night, getting ejected from the ballgame. No other players were tossed.
Soler hit a two-run homer in the first inning, the only two runs Lopez allowed in his abbreviated outing.
