Category: Baseball

4-2 sure beats the crap out of 0-7, right? Indeed, the Atlanta Braves have gotten their season off on the right foot following a successful homestand to get things going. Atlanta took the opening series with two straight wins over the Royals to start things off and now they’ve kept things going in the right direction by picking up another series win over the Athletics.

Now granted, the Athletics always seemed like a pretty favorable opponent and that was especially the case after they spent most of their opening series in Toronto whiffing left and right. Still, the A’s are the type of team that the Braves have to take care of business against if they plan on playing meaningful baseball later on this year and as far as the early test goes, the Braves have passed it in fine fashion. So let’s take a look at how the final series of this first homestand for the Braves.

---

Monday, March 30

Braves 4, Athletics 0

Well, would you look at that? Two shutouts in four games for the Braves pitching staff — just like all of us predicted, right? Indeed, Bryce Elder got his season off to a fantastic start as he delivered six shutout innings while dancing around even the slightest bit of trouble that the A’s tried to cause him.

On the offensive side of things, the Braves did most of their damage in the first inning as they rudely welcomed Jacob Lopez to Atlanta with three runs to start things off. Thanks to Elder and the rest of the staff being on point, this was more than enough for the Braves to end up taking the win. Mauricio Dubón ended up with three RBI on the night, which was impressive considering that he had a less-than-stellar night in the field with the glove. That’s baseball for you.

Tuesday, March 31

Athletics 5, Braves 2

Atlanta’s first crack at winning this series went awry as one bad inning from Jose Suarez and a lack of opportune hitting from the Braves doomed them to defeat in this one. Drake Baldwin did homer in the first inning (on his own bobblehead night, no less) and that seemed like an auspicious sign but instead, Suarez gave up three runs to the A’s in the second inning and then eventually staked themselves out to a 5-1 lead once the top of the fifth inning was done.

Braves hitters couldn’t do much with Aaron Civale, as his offspeed offerings were too tricky for a lot of Atlanta’s lineup on the night. The main positive for the Braves in this one was that Martin Pérez was able to follow in Didier Fuentes’ footsteps by helping to give the rest of the bullpen a day of rest. Pérez entered the game in the middle of the fifth inning in relief of Joel Payamps and went the rest of the way.

In the postgame press conference, Walt Weiss described Pérez’s performance as as much of a “game-saver as you could get in a loss” and Pérez himself stated that he felt very good about his approach when it came to attacking the batters in this one. He also stated that he’s feeling fully healthy for the first time since 2024, so there’s another positive to look at when it comes to one of the pitchers on this staff at the moment. The loss sure stunk but the overall outlook wasn’t horrible.

Wednesday, April 1

Braves 5, Athletics 1

Despite the offensive effort from the A’s in the middle game, the Braves had to have felt good about their chances of bouncing back on the mound with Chris Sale going for the Wednesday matinee. Sure enough, Sale’s performance was too tough for the A’s to deal with on this day as he finished with six innings and just one hit and three strikeouts allowed. The one run came off of a home run from Shea Langeliers, which at this point you’ll take a solo shot from him because he’s come out of the gates swinging a bat that’s on fire. Outside of that blemish, Sale got some excellent results while not even looking particularly dominant, himself.

A’s starter Luis Severino looked extremely shaky to start out this contest and while the Braves let a scoring chance go by the wayside in the first inning, Drake Baldwin made sure that they didn’t waste the next chance. His two-RBI single put the Braves in front in the second inning and Atlanta was able to run Severino from the game after just 3.1 innings and four earned runs. Drake Baldwin collected all four of those RBI that Severino allowed, as his double off of Elvis Alvarado was the blow that eventually put the Braves too far ahead for the A’s to catch on this day. Matt Olson tacked on an RBI single to make it 5-1 and then the bullpen arms of Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias finished things of to give the Braves their first rubber game victory of the season.

---

Well, the first homestand of the season is over and the Braves made sure that it was a winning homestand, to boot. Even with the weirdness that is the fact that Atlanta’s gotten picked off four times in six games this season (they got picked off 10 times across all 162 games last season), that didn’t take away from the business-like performance that we saw from the Braves over the course of these six games. This was an A’s lineup that was coming into this series struggling at the plate and whiffing a ton. Outside of one bad inning from Suarez in the middle game, Atlanta’s pitching was on point and continued to make life very tough for the A’s at the plate.

Meanwhile, the star of the show at the plate so far has to be Drake Baldwin. Last season’s NL Rookie of the Year has gotten off to a blazing start — sure, Shea Langeliers may be on fire right now but Baldwin is certainly keeping stride with him, as he’s clubbed seven hits (three of those hits being homers) with seven RBI as well. The rest of the veterans in the lineup have gotten off to a bit of a fitful start at the plate but Baldwin’s great performance is helping to lift the whole team up while those guys continue to get their feet up under them to get this season going.

All-in-all, it’s hard to find fault with a 4-2 start to the season — beggars can’t be choosers, either, especially when you consider the calamitous start to the 2025 season. They’ll have an early test on their hands with another early-season road trip but a trip to Arizona and Anaheim seems a lot more reasonable than visiting San Diego and Los Angeles this early on. It’s still baseball and the Braves will have to take care of business on the road in order to make sure that this good start keeps moving into the future but for now, the foundation-laying of this season is going smoothly with two series wins right out of the gate.

Umpire C.B. Bucknor's difficult week continued on Wednesday when he left a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers after a foul ball hit him flush in the face mask.

Tampa Bay's Nick Fortes fouled a 100-mph fastball from Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski straight back. The ball struck Bucknor, who immediately turned and dropped to his knees.

The Brewers' training staff checked on Bucknor before he left American Family Field. Chad Fairchild, who had been working as the first base umpire, took over behind the plate.

Bucknor's troubles began Saturday when the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox challenged eight of his six ball/strike calls. Six were overturned by Major League Baseball's new ABS challenge system, including back-to-back strike three challenges by Reds slugger Eugenio Suárez that delighted the crowd. At one point, Bucknor's chin dropped to his chest.

Bucknor, who has been an MLB umpire since 1996, ejected Red Sox manager Alex Cora after calling Trevor Story out on a check swing. The call ended the eighth inning with two runners on base and the Red Sox trailing by one run.

"He has one job to do. It wasn't his best day," Cora said about Bucknor after the game.

Read more:What to expect with MLB's ABS system, and how Dodgers will navigate it

Bucknor, 63, found himself in another swirl of controversy as the first base umpire on Tuesday. Jake Bauers of the Brewers reached base after Rays shortstop Ben Williamson made a throwing error, and Bucknor called Bauers out for failing to touch first base.

The replay clearly showed that Bauers had stepped on the bag, and the call was reversed.

"Yeah, grateful for that," Bauers told reporters about the replay review. "I don't know what happened. Just thankful to get on base and thankful to come around and score."

While it is unclear why Bucknor missed the call at first base, the rash of overturned ball/strike calls is emblematic of the adjustments umpires and players are making to the automated ball/strike challenge system.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani battles through the rain to throw a one-hit gem in Dodgers' win

From 1995 to 2005, the MLB rule book defined strikes as the area over home plate from the midpoint between the shoulders and the top of the pants, down to the bottom of the knees. ABS, however, defines the top of the zone as 53.5% of a player’s height, and the bottom of the zone is 27% of the player’s height.

ABS uses tracking technology — 12 Hawk-Eye cameras — to determine the precise location of a pitch relative to a batter’s specific strike zone. The cameras measure balls and strikes from a two-dimensional plane set in the middle of home plate.

Challenges can be made by the catcher or batter, who tap their head to indicate they want an ABS verdict. In the first few days of the 2026 season, catchers turned 59 of 92 challenges (64.1%) into favorable rulings. Batters were less successful, turning 33 of 78 challenges into favorable rulings.

In 2003 and 2006, Sports Illustrated surveys of active MLB players declared Bucknor as the worst umpire in MLB. A 2010 survey of players by ESPN also ranked Bucknor last.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

First, Andrew Painter had a highly successful debut.

Now, Justin Crawford has himself a walkoff hit, giving the Phillies a much needed victory at home, evening their record at 3-3.

One would have thought it was going to be a lot easier the way the game started. Trea Turner walked, stole a base and scored on a Kyle Schwarber double.

#Nationals 0 @ #Phillies 1 [B1–1o]:

Kyle Schwarber doubles (1): line drive to RCF
Hit: 🔥105.5mph, 284ft, 14°, 💥.682xBA

Pitch: 🔥98.0mph 4S Fastball (RHP C.Cavalli)#NATITUDE#RingTheBell#MLBpic.twitter.com/MYSY7zQz4e

— MLB RBI Videos (@MLBRBIs) April 1, 2026

However, the second inning saw Cristopher Sanchez struggle with his command a bit and the Nationals continue their series trend of barely getting the ball out of the infield to scrape across a run and tie the game at one. The Phillies had a chance to untie it in their half of the second, loading the bases for Trea Turner, but a line drive to center field and the threat was over.

The chance would find Turner again in the fourth when he had two in scoring position and two out, but a meek fly ball and the feeling of “here we go again” started washing over everyone watching it. The game stayed that way until the sixth when the Nationals pushed a run across with two outs to take a 2-1 lead. In the seventh, Washington added on when Brad Keller, on in relief for another day, got two outs and induced a groundball for a potential third out, only to be overturned by replay. Two batters later…

CJ Abrams – Washington Nationals (1) 3-run Shot 391 feet
pic.twitter.com/cGsyFJLIIl

— MLB Homerun Tracker (@Homerun_Tracker) April 1, 2026

Sigh…

However, the fight to gain ground started in the seventh. J.T. Realmuto finally got on the board with a home run to cut the lead to three.

J.T.'s first home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/v1xKhtpdo7

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

In the eighth, Bryce Harper decided to have a pulse by homering and narrowing the lead yet again.

Bryce 💣 pic.twitter.com/0KcquZGjSE

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

The ninth is when the real fireworks began. Turner and Schwarber got one with one out, Harper flied out with two outs and Alec Bohm was walked to load the bases. Edmundo Sosa, brought in as a substitute earlier in the game, delivered with an RBI to tie the game at five.

OH YOU GOTTA LOVE IT! pic.twitter.com/PeHWz9d4Hm

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

It stayed this way into extra innings with Jhoan Duran on the mound to preserve the tie ballgame. He got the first out, then was aided by a sparkling defensive play by Sosa to keep the game tied.

IT'S EDMUNDO'S WORLD AND WE ARE JUST LIVING IN IT! pic.twitter.com/xNtwsO22xN

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

With the chance to win it in the tenth, Realmuto singled ghost runner Brandon Marsh to third, meaning Justin Crawford had a chance to make his first stamp on the team. He delivered in a big way.

JUSTIN CRAWFORD WALKS IT OFF!!!!! pic.twitter.com/iR14H5aO28

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

Good for the kid.

The team heads to Colorado to begin a three game series on Friday.

What began as a pitcher’s duel resulted in an extra-inning victory for the Colorado Rockies as they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 to conclude their first road trip of the season.

Despite an offense that struggled to connect, the Rockies’ pitching matched the reigning American League Champions and secured their first series victory of 2026. By contrast, the Rockies didn’t win their first series until June of last season.

Five for Freeland

It took one cycle through the rotation, but the Rockies finally got a starting pitcher to go five innings. Kyle Freeland worked through plenty of traffic but managed to navigate five innings while giving up one run on five hits. He was the definition of attacking the strike zone, throwing 60 of his 88 pitches for strikes, and ended up allowing just one walk while punching out six.

The lone run against Freeland came in the third inning on a one-out single to right field by Davis Schneider that scored Myles Straw. With runners on second and third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hit by a sweeper on the tip of his back foot to load the bases. Freeland escaped with a strikeout of Kazuma Okamoto, followed by a soft lineout by Alejandro Kirk. The knuckle-curve was quite effective on the day as he threw it over 25 times.

Gausman Dominance

Unfortunately for the Rockies, Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman was just as effective. The Colorado native was on point from the get-go and was perfect through the first four innings. He ended up going six innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 Rockies hitters.

With 21 strikeouts, Gausman set a franchise record with the most strikeouts through the first two starts of the season by a Blue Jays pitcher. He is also the first pitcher since at least 1901 with 21 or more strikeouts and zero walks through his first two starts of a season. Gausman’s splitter and fastball were lethal as he carved up the Rockies and generated 19 swing and misses.

The Rockies got their first base runner against Gausman courtesy of a leadoff single from Ezequiel Tovar in the fifth inning. T.J. Rumfield then hit a dribbler on the infield that Toronto flipped to second base for a force out. Tovar was initially called out, but a replay challenge overturned the ruling, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Gausman then struck out Jordan Beck and Brett Sullivan before getting Brenton Doyle to ground out to end the inning.

Troy Johnston had a one-out double in the sixth inning, but Hunter Goodman and Willi Castro struck out to end that threat.

Bullpen Relief

The bullpen was excellent for the Rockies as they prevented the Blue Jays from scoring another run. Antonio Senzatela followed Freeland with two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Victor Vodnik and Brennan Bernardino dealt scoreless innings with Jimmy Herget nailing down the save in the bottom of the 10th. The pen allowed just two hits over five innings of work.

The Quest for Offense

The Rockies struck out a whopping 17 times in 36 at-bats while drawing just three walks. They managed six hits, including the aforementioned double, while going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Johnston led the day with a two-hit performance, while five Rockies had two or more strikeouts. The only starter that didn’t strike out was Rumfield. Still, the team continued its running ways, stealing two bases, bringing the team’s total to 10. Jake McCarthy’s stolen base in the eighth proved most beneficial as he was then able to score on Johnston’s RBI single and tie the game at one.

Still, when it mattered most, Tyler Freeman, just activated from the injured list, poked an RBI single to center field in the top of the 10th to drive in the winning run for the Rockies.

Up Next

The Rockies have the day off on Thursday before welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set at Coors Field on Friday. Michael Lorenzen (0-0, 6.23 ERA) will take the mound in the home opener and face off against Aaron Nola (0-0, 5.40 ERA) for the Phillies.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 pm MT.

---

---

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

Box Score

The Brewers picked up another win on Wednesday afternoon, wrapping up their season-opening homestand with another series win behind a solid pitching performance and a late offensive surge.

Jacob Misiorowski got off to a strong start, setting down the top of Tampa Bay’s lineup in order bookended with a pair of strikeouts. Drew Rasmussen had similar success in the bottom of the inning, putting Milwaukee down 1-2-3 with a strikeout of Christian Yelich.

After picking up a pair of strikeouts to begin the second, a foul tip off the bat of Nick Fortes (on a 100-mph fastball) flew directly into home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor’s mask, who fell to his knees and was visibly shaken up. Bucknor eventually got up and walked off the field under his own power, flanked by members of the Brewers’ training staff. It was a pretty scary moment, so hopefully Bucknor is alright.

After the delay, Misiorowski gave up a single to Fortes and a walk to Chandler Simpson, but he got out of the inning with the game still scoreless. After Rasmussen worked around a single and steal by Garrett Mitchell, Misiorowski found himself struggling in the third.

Miz hit the leadoff man, Richie Palacios, to put a runner on with nobody out. Up next was Yandy Díaz, who lofted a fastball over the right field fence for a two-run homer, putting Tampa up 2-0. Misiorowski then got a flyout before giving up a double to Jake Fraley, but he struck out the next two batters to keep the deficit at two.

The Brewers didn’t take long to respond in the bottom of the inning, as David Hamilton reached on a throwing error by Junior Caminero before swiping second base. After Joey Ortiz hit a deep fly ball that was caught by a sliding Cedric Mullins on the warning track, Brice Turang got a hold of one and put it into the Brewer bullpen to knot the game at 2-2. Caminero had another throwing error one batter later, but Rasmussen struck out the next two to keep the score at 2-2.

Easy opposite field power from @BRiCEcTuRANGhttps://t.co/q0LsZHs5hJpic.twitter.com/BaiSVY1cGE

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 1, 2026

In the fourth, Miz allowed a one-out single to Simpson, who was wiped out at second on a spectacular diving play and throw by Turang. He then walked Palacios but got out of the inning with a soft grounder by Díaz.

Fresh off hitting a bomb, Brice Turang makes a nice diving snag

→ https://t.co/68EQQYUZ6Zpic.twitter.com/dyoPlseMWA

— Brewers.TV (@BrewersdotTV) April 1, 2026

Rasmussen continued right where he left off in the fourth, striking out Milwaukee’s outfield trio of Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins in order on just 12 pitches. Misiorowski was even more efficient in the top of the fifth, inducing three flyouts on just six pitches.

That would be indicative of the quiet innings to come, as Rasmussen worked around a Turang walk in the bottom of the fifth, Miz set the Rays down in order in the sixth, and Rasmussen’s replacement, Ian Seymour, allowed a leadoff single but then got a double play and strikeout for a clean bottom of the sixth.

Misiorowski’s day was over after six frames, as he allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks with seven strikeouts. He was slightly overshadowed by Rasmussen, who went five innings with two runs allowed (only one earned) on two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.

Grant Anderson took over for Miz in the seventh, setting the Rays down 1-2-3 before Seymour did the same in the bottom of the inning. Aaron Ashby allowed a leadoff walk in the eighth but got an inning-ending double play, and this one would be decided in the final at-bat for each team.

Griffin Jax got the ball in place of Seymour in the eighth, and immediately found himself struggling, with no help from his defense to boot. Ortiz singled (note: this was originally ruled an error, but the scoring was changed the next inning) to start the frame, and Turang followed with a sacrifice bunt. But Caminero failed to make the catch at first — his third error of the day — and both runners were safe.

The ball kept rolling from there, as William Contreras singled to load the bases with no outs. Yelich, who delivered the huge go-ahead hit in the eighth on Sunday, did exactly the same today, singling in both Ortiz and Turang to give Milwaukee the late 4-2 lead. Jake Bauers followed with a walk to once again load the bases.

Yeli plates two for the lead in the 8th ‼️@ChristianYelichpic.twitter.com/vWFeBbNjNJ

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 1, 2026

Mason Englert took over for Jax, and he didn’t fare any better, allowing a two-run double to Mitchell — making it 6-2 Brewers — before Perkins brought in another with a groundout.

Garrett doubles in two huge insurance runs pic.twitter.com/xzKOgZMOYe

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 1, 2026

Hamilton drove in one more with a two-out single, giving Milwaukee a big six-run inning for an 8-2 lead before all was said and done.

David Hamilton makes it a SIX-run eighth inning 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UyEDoRxrWr

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 1, 2026

DL Hall got the ninth and picked up a trio of strikeouts while working around a hit by pitch and single.

It was another solid day for the Crew, as they moved to 5-1 on the season. Ashby took the win with his scoreless eighth, while the staff as a whole scattered five hits, three walks, and a hit batter, giving up two runs (both credited against Misiorowski). Offensively, Turang, Yelich, and Mitchell led the way, as all three picked up a pair of RBIs. Perkins and Hamilton added an RBI each, and Turang and Mitchell had the only extra-base hits on a homer and double, respectively.

The Brewers get their first off day on Thursday before beginning a two-city interleague road trip this weekend. They’ll first head to Kansas City to take on the Royals. First pitch in Friday’s game is at 6:45 p.m. CT, airing exclusively on Apple TV, though you can also listen on the Brewer Radio Network.

Early season schedules are a peculiarity, and a getaway game on an early April afternoon is one of those things. The Rays were licking their wounds from a rough loss on Tuesday night—but a blessedly solid outing from the returning Shane McClanahan—and were hoping to come away with a series win before hitting the road. They would be leaning on Drew Rasmussen to handle the pitching, while the Brewers were counting on the young and exciting Jacob Misiorowski.

With two strong pitchers out today, scoring was always going to be at a premium. The Rays went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, then the Brewers did the same in the bottom of the inning.

In the second, there were two back-t0-back outs, but then the game fell into a delay as a 100mph fastball got foul tipped right into the mask of home plate umpire CB Bucknor, taking him to the ground. The delay continued as Bucknor was removed from the game. Chad Fairchild came in to replace him, going with a three-man crew instead.

Tough break here for umpire, CB Bucknor. Hopefully, he is okay. 🙏🏼

*This is the reason for the delay right now, between the Brewers and Rays on WDAE#RaysUppic.twitter.com/tAzc5uzjzJ

— 95.7 WDAE & AM620 (@957WDAE) April 1, 2026

The delay didn’t seem to hurt Nick Fortes at all as he extended the inning for the Rays with a single. Chandler Simpson followed that up with a walk, but the Rays failed to take advantage of the opportunity and a groundout ended the inning. In the home half, Garrett Mitchell hit a one-out single. Mitchell then stole second, but his hustle would go unrewarded as the next two batters failed to make anything happen.

Richie Palacios got hit by a pitch to start the third, and then Yandy Diaz accepted the challenge and lobbed a home run to right field, putting the Rays up 2-0.

Yandy Díaz. The man that you are. pic.twitter.com/fshbkYBIAa

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 1, 2026

With one out, Jake Fraley hit a double, but two outs then followed to leave him stranded. In the home half, David Hamilton laid down a leadoff bunt, which I would normally really make fun of, however Junior Caminero came in to get the dribbling infield hit and then completely overthrew first, so Hamilton was safe and the play was ruled an error. Joey Ortiz hit a long fly ball that really looked like it might be trouble and Hamilton was already rounding third when Cedric Mullens made an incredible catch in center, sending Ortiz to the dugout and Hamilton back to first. Hamilton then stole secnd. Sadly, Brice Turang then did exactly what Ortiz wanted to do and hit a home run to tie the game up 2-2. William Contreras then reached on a throwing error by Caminero, the second in this same inning. Two outs followed, thankfully keeping the second error from doing any additional damage.

Simpson got a one-out single in the top of the fourth. Ben Williamson then hit into a force out, eliminating Simpson at second but the Brewers failed to turn the double play. Palacios then walked. Even with two runners on, though, the Rays didn’t manage to score any runs. Rasmussen was back on his game in the home half, getting the Brewers out in order.

The Rays went 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning Turang got a two-out walk, but the Brewers couldn’t turn around a run.

With one out in the sixth there was some contention over whether or not Nick Fortes was safe at first as it seemed like Jake Bauers might have come off the bag. The Rays challenged the play, but the call on the field was upheld. Drew Rasmussen’s day was done going 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR on 89 pitches. Overall a really good outing for Rasmussen, whose only major issue was the Turang home run, which he got back into the groove from almost immediately. He actually set a career high of consecutive strikeouts, getting six in a row. He was replaced by Ian Seymour, who gave up a leadoff single to Christian Yelich. Bauers then grounded into a double play to eliminate the threat. A strikeout ended the inning.

Misiorowski was done after six, being replaced by Grant Anderson. Anderson got the Rays out in order in the top of the seventh. The Rays returned the favor in the home half, getting the Brewers out 1-2-3.

Aaron Ashby was next out of the Brewers’ pen, he gave up a leadoff walk to Jonathan Aranda. There was some pinch work to be done with both a pinch hitter and pinch runner, but a flyout and double play ended the inning. In the bottom of the inning there was plenty of ugly fielding after about a million positional shiftsm including a new pitcher in Griffin Jax. Joey Ortiz reached on an error by Carson Williams who missed a liner that took an ugly little hop. Turang then laid down a sac bunt that Ben Williamson got to first nicely, but Junior Caminero failed to get a grip on the ball, another error for Caminero. Contreras singled to load the bases, followed by a single by Yelich that brought in two runs. Jake Bauers walked and there were still no outs in the inning. Mason Englert replaced Jax, then Mitchell doubled to score two more. A pop out finally got one out, but then a ground out scored another run. Hamilton singled, scoring another run. The Rays would finally get the last out of the inning, but the score was now a very tilted 8-2.

DL Hall came in for the Brewers. Cedric Mullins was hit by a pitch to start the top of the ninth. With one out, Simpson singled. The Rays were unable to take advantage of the baserunners though, and the game wrapped up with no extra runs scored.

Final: Brewers 8, Rays 2

LOS ANGELES — Within the first three weeks of the Major League Baseball season, you’ll have been able to hear Orel Hershiser call Dodgers games on three different television networks. The longtime Dodgers star will be a part of the ESPN telecast of the Jackie Robinson Day game against the New York Mets on April 15 at Dodger Stadium.

Hershiser will join former Mets pitcher Ron Darling — who, like Hershiser, is a current television analyst for his former club — in the booth alongside Joe Buck calling play-by-play for ESPN, in an exclusive telecast for the network.

“I can’t wait to work with these two guys,” Buck said in a statement. “I loved watching them pitch and now really enjoy listening to them on the air. They’re the best at what they do, and I’ll be leaning on them a ton. To call a Dodgers game on Jackie Robinson Day makes it even more meaningful. There’s no more important figure in baseball history, and to honor him that night in Dodger Stadium will be truly special.”

NBC Sports is using a similar strategy with its baseball telecasts all season, pairing one analyst associated with each team along with a national announcer. Hershiser on opening day was alongside former Arizona Diamondbacks hero Luis González with Jason Benetti on play-by-play for Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks. Hershiser has since called the rest of the Dodgers’ opening homestand for SportsNet LA.

April 15 is the first Dodgers game this season on ESPN. There are a few other midweek games that will be televised exclusively by ESPN, but those haven’t yet been announced.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs broke the Louisville Bats (Reds), 12-7.

The game started out poorly for Iowa as starter Connor Noland gave up a grand slam to Rece Hinds, the fourth batter of the bottom of the first. But he settled down after that and finished the day after 4.1 innings, allowing the four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two.

Meanwhile, Iowa jumped on Louisville for seven runs in the top of the second inning. First, third baseman BJ Murray Jr. hit a solo home run.

BJ Murray Jr. launches one to get the I-Cubs on the board🚀 pic.twitter.com/FP2wyGoV1o

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 1, 2026

Iowa made it 4-2 Louisville later in the second on a single by catcher Eric Yang. But Iowa loaded the bases with two outs and then first baseman Jonathon Long unloaded them with this grand slam.

The first Grand Slam of the 2026 season belongs to Jonathon Long! pic.twitter.com/fSgG0XYDhp

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 1, 2026

Luke Little relieved Noland in the fifth inning and got the win because Noland didn’t go five. Little allowed one run on one hit and three walks over 1.1 innings. Little did not record a strikeout.

Iowa put this game out of reach with a five run top of the eighth inning. Long walked with the bases loaded to make it 8-6 Iowa and then DH Pedro Ramirez doubled home two.

A double from the birthday boy gets the party started in the eighth and extends the I-Cubs lead! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/f4F4LS3env

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 1, 2026

Yep, Ramirez turned 22 today.

This single by right fielder Kevin Alcántara then plated two runs.

The Jag keeps the party going, extending the I-Cubs lead to 12-6 in the eighth! pic.twitter.com/RWvWJFia9q

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 1, 2026

Long went 1 for 4 with a walk and five RBI. He scored twice.

Ramirez was went 3 for 5 with a double. He scored twice and drove in two.

Alcántara was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and three RBI.

Second baseman James Triantos went 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Yang was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice and drove in one.

The Royals announced they have placed closer Carlos Estévez on the 15-day Injured List with a left foot contusion and have called up pitcher Steven Cruz. Estévez was hit by a line drive in his only appearance of the year on Saturday and has been wearing a walking boot since then.

Estévez looked off in his season debut against the Braves, allowing six runs while recording just one out in the 6-2 loss. He had trouble breaking 90 mph in spring training, raising alarm bells with many observers. On Saturday, he averaged 91.2 mph on his fastball, and had erratic command, particularly on his change up. He gave up three singles and two walks before giving up a walk-off grand slam to Dominic Smith. After the game, manager Matt Quatraro suggested Estévez may pitch in lower-leverage situations to ease him back after he spent some of his spring training with Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

Cruz made 47 appearances with the Royals last year, with a 3.74 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up two hits and two runs with a walk and three strikeouts in his only appearance for Omaha.

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

Carlos Estévez led all of MLB in saves in 2025. He also had a very bad, no-good, borderline horrific day when he first attempted a save for the Royals in 2026. All signs point to him relinquishing the closer’s role, at least temporarily. Matt Quatraro indicated he’d pitch in low leverage for a while, but he’s also been considered day-to-day with a foot contusion after taking a comebacker to the ankle during Saturday’s meltdown.

In the interim, the Royals will need someone else to become the closer. We’ve seen Lucas Erceg close Sunday’s contest, and John Schreiber picked up a save in Monday’s game. Those aren’t even remotely the only options in KC’s bullpen, though.

Erceg obviously has experience as a closer for the Royals, picking up 11 saves down the stretch in 2024, plus two more last year. Schreiber has never been a primary closer, but Monday’s effort means he’s now earned at least one save for five straight years. Similarly, Matt Strahm has never been a primary closer, but he has saves in each of the past four years as well. Nick Mears earned a single save last year, his first. Alex Lange was the primary closer for the Tigers in 2023, but has barely pitched at the big league level since then.

Then, of course, the Royals have Luinder Avila in the minor leagues with perhaps the best strikeout stuff out of all of them, but should the Royals have him attempting to close games now when they still think he could become a frontline starter in the future? Especially when you consider what the pressure might do to an inexperienced reliever such as he. The Royals could also go with a closer by committee, but has that ever truly been a strong solution?

I can’t decide! What do you think?

Not much to write home about here after yet another series dropped to begin the 2026 campaign.

Luis Severino took the bump. His second start of the season, following an outing on opening day where he pitched…fine. Across five frames against the Blue Jays he gave up 2 ER while striking out three. Everything would go up today (good and bad). His 7K’s seem a little less impressive when you hold them next to the 4 ER and 5 BB also offered up by the big righty.

Drake Baldwin’s single to left field would net Atlanta their first set of runs. Ozzie Albies and Dominic Smith scored on the base hit, making it 2-0 Braves.

That would be the score going into the 4th inning when none other than Shea Langeliers got ahold of one. That’s five home runs! Five dingers in the first six games.

Current league home run leader 👀 pic.twitter.com/0wBQZLbcbN

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 1, 2026

He’d walk away from today’s action with the lone A’s hit against Atlanta’s ace Chris Sale, continuing to be the only real bright spot in an otherwise dopey start to the season.

Speaking of…

Just a half a frame later, Drake Baldwin would get ahold of another one. This time a double off of Elvis Alvarado which scored Dominic Smith and Mauricio Dubon. Both runs would be charged to Severino, who exited the game on 91 pitches in less than four innings pitched.

Matt Olson’s single to right brought in another.

5-1 Braves going into the 5th inning and it would stay that way through the final out.

Another tough day at the plate for A’s hitters. Tough day all around actually. The only real bright spot came in the form of Denzel Clarke’s home run robbery of Drake Baldwin in the 7th. His bat might be non-existent but hey, maybe he’ll bring home a gold glove soon.

Denz said not today ❌ pic.twitter.com/VhIOJWGVPs

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 1, 2026

The A’s will be given an off day tomorrow and then it’s off to West Sacramento, where they’ll play host to the Houston Astros in their first series of the season at Sutter Health Park.

Maybe the day off will do them good. They can collect themselves, go grab a drink, see a flick. It’s been an unforgiving past six days for the green and gold and any break in that action couldn’t hurt in the slightest.

If you plan on attending any of the games this weekend, feel free to let me know! I’ll be at all three and ready to talk ish with anyone. Let’s have a little fun this weekend and hopefully the energy will help propel the A’s to their first series win of 2026!

The San Francisco Giants conclude their series against the San Diego Padres this afternoon from Petco Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, making his Giants debut. Houser finished the 2025 season with a 3.31 ERA, 3.81 FIP, with 92 strikeouts to 38 walks in 125 innings pitched between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

He’ll be facing off against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta, who finished the 2025 season with a 2.87 ERA, 3.49 FIP, with 190 strikeouts to 50 walks in 181.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Padres’ 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, in which he allowed six runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings.

Game #6

Who: San Francisco Giants (2-3) vs. San Diego Padres (1-4)

Where: Petco Park, San Diego, California

When: 1:10 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

ST. LOUIS — A back issue has landed SNY's Keith Hernandez on the injured list at the start of the 2026 season.

Hernandez, who cited a slipped disc in his back during the broadcast during the team's series with the Cardinals for excruciating pain, will miss the upcoming five games on the Mets' road trip to receive treatment.

Who is replacing Keith Hernandez in SNY booth for Mets games?

Todd Zeile arrived in St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon to do color commentary alongside Gary Cohen for the Mets' series finale against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Hernandez's back issue will force him to miss Wednesday and the entirety of the team's upcoming four-game series against the Giants at Oracle Park, beginning on Thursday.

The 72-year-old Hernandez, who had his No. 17 retired by the Mets in 2022, agreed to a three-year deal to help broadcast games on SNY and PIX11 for the next three seasons.

Hernandez has long suffered from back issues. He underwent surgery in 2019 to help alleviate pain from a ruptured disc and has stenosis in his lower back.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Keith Hernandez to miss Mets games on SNY with back issue

What a difference a day makes. After two games of a frustrating lack of offense and problems with the starting pitching, the Orioles came into Wednesday afternoon looking to avoid a sweep by the Rangers with #1 starter Trevor Rogers on the mound. Even with the challenge of Texas pitcher Nathan Eovaldi awaiting them, the hitters were able to break out, Rogers continued to pitch well, and the team came away with an 8-3 victory to even up their record at 3-3 for the season.

The early games of the 2026 season have not done a lot to dispel any concerns that carried over from last year, when the team was often unable to shake off setbacks within a single game or from a game-to-game basis. Fighting to avoid this sweep is another point towards thinking maybe these guys are different. They will still have challenges to overcome, such as Zach Eflin’s injury from Tuesday, the impact of which is still not totally known on the roster. Just, maybe they’re capable of overcoming the challenges sometimes.

One thing that always helps on the road to victory is when the bottom of the order can deliver. It was the 6-9 batters in the order who opened up the scoring against Eovaldi in the game’s early innings. Consecutive one-out singles by Colton Cowser and Leody Taveras put men on the corners in the bottom of the second. The #9 batter, Jeremiah Jackson, succeeded at his job of putting the ball in play productively, delivering a deep fly ball that handily scored Cowser from third. Taylor Ward continued Tuesday’s explosion by adding an RBI double, giving the O’s a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning.

The bottom of the third saw Pete Alonso lead off the inning with a walk. He was still on first base two outs later, then came some bottom of the order contribution again. Dylan Beavers hit a single and Cowser drew a walk to load the bases. The light-hitting Taveras was able to capitalize with a double off the wall in right field, plating two more runs.

This 4-0 lead proved to be all that the Orioles would need to win the game, not that you could have known it at the time. Texas got Rogers on the ropes a bit in the top of the fourth, scraping together four singles in a row after Rogers had gotten two outs. This brought two runs home, cutting the deficit in half. The fourth inning also saw Rogers throw over 30 pitches in that one frame.

Rogers was able to keep the game from spiraling and add another two more innings on top of that, finishing the day with two earned runs allowed over six innings. It’s only disappointing if you were expecting him to carry last year’s 1.81 ERA or better all season.

The Orioles offense also proved to be capable of adding on further runs after scoring some early in the game. The inability to do this year ago was another frustrating feature of that season. None of that on Wednesday. After a quiet bottom of the fourth, Samuel Basallo announced his presence with authority. Leading off the bottom of the fifth, the Orioles catcher was heaved a middle-middle mistake and he did not miss.

There was a satisfying crack of the bat, a majestic flight path apparent even before the camera cut away to show the ball in flight, and by the time the ball landed in front of the batter’s eye beyond center field, it had traveled a Statcast-estimated 437 feet. That’s the good stuff.

After Eovaldo walked the next batter, Coby Mayo, he got the hook from the game. Texas brought in reliever Tyler Alexander, who allowed the inherited runner to score plus one more of his own as, again, the bottom of the order helped get things done. The Orioles even scored two runs over the remainder of the inning after laying down a tactically-unsound sacrifice bunt, which is how you really know things were going in their favor in the game. Jackson and Ward cashed in with an RBI apiece as the Orioles lead grew to 7-2.

With a safe-seeming lead and three innings left to cover, the Orioles turned to Albert Suárez to get them the rest of the way. The 36-year-old Suárez rejoined the team as the player called up when Eflin landed on the injured list. He needed to be called back up after not making the roster following spring training. Suárez’s objective for the game was to make sure the Orioles would not need to use any of their other pitchers.

Although there was some traffic on the bases in the seventh and Corey Seager led off the top of the eighth with a solo homer, Suárez proved up to the task that he was asked to do. He notched a classic three-inning save, allowing the one run on the solo shot over his three innings. The bullpen gets a day to rest, so hopefully it will be at full strength when the series against the Pirates opens on Friday.

Former Orioles minor leaguer Carter Baumler, who’s now with the Rangers as a Rule 5 pick, pitched two innings for Texas. He gave up a solo home run to Beavers across his two innings. Maybe he’ll pitch badly enough that he’s offered back to the Orioles. Maybe it won’t matter all that much whether he’s offered back or not.

The game wrapped up on an amusing note that’s only possible in this era of Automated Ball/Strike challenges. Suárez tossed a 1-2 pitch to Evan Carter that looked to be in the strike zone yet was called a ball. Basallo, behind the plate, tapped his helmet immediately, initiating a challenge. The replay came back and showed a clear strike in the zone, reversing the ball and ending the game on a third strike looking instead. In all, the Orioles made three challenges and won each of them.

The team will be back in action in Pittsburgh on Friday. The game is the Pirates home opener, so there’s a weird 4:12 scheduled start time. Kyle Bradish and Mitch Keller are the currently-scheduled starting pitchers.

As this game has ended in an Orioles victory, it is time to proclaim a Most Birdland Player for the game. Who is your pick for the player who made the most unlikely and/or fun contribution to the O’s winning the game? Nominate your choice in the comments below.

After opening up the new season on a West Coast road trip, the Yankees are finally headed home this weekend. However before they do, there’s till one more game to finish up, as they’re set to play the Mariners one last time. The Yankees dropped the opener in Seattle on a Cal Raleigh walk-off, but they rebounded last night thanks to another excellent effort from Max Fried. Although they already have a winning road trip guaranteed (5-1 or 4-2), they won’t rest on their laurels, and they will try to take a second-straight series on the new year.

The first time around in the rotation, Fried threw a scoreless outing on Opening Day, and was followed by Cam Schlittler doing the same in San Francisco for Game 2. Today, Schlittler will attempt to repeat that pattern after Fried kept the M’s off the scoreboard on Tuesday night.

Despite facing a righty in George Kirby, the Yankees are giving starts to both Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, in an otherwise normal lineup. At least in the case of Rosario, that may have something to do with Ryan McMahon looking lost at the plate so far this season. This will be Goldschmidt’s first appearance of the season, as Ben Rice shifts to DH and Giancarlo Stanton takes a seat on the bench. Stanton’s been hotter than just about anyone in baseball, but the Yankees perhaps understandably being cautious with the oft-injured 36-year-old is nothing new.

As mentioned, Kirby will take the mound for the Mariners, coming off a season debut where he held Cleveland to one run in six innings. The M’s will roll out a similar cast of characters to last night in their starting lineup, though they did tag in Dominic Canzone for Rob Refsnyder at DH and Luke Raley for Victor Robles in right field. Offseason trade acquisition Brendan Donovan also returns to the leadoff spot after hitting sixth against Fried.

We hope that you’ll come join us in the game thread for this afternoon’s action, and here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.

How to Watch

Location: T-Mobile Park — Seattle, WA

First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET

TV broadcast: YES Network (NYY) | Mariners.TV (SEA)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv

Listen: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | Seattle Sports 710 AM (SEA)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Wrapping up the road trip. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/K4JU1WvmaF

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 1, 2026

Rubber match matinee. #TridentsUppic.twitter.com/HVbtlG1feG

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 1, 2026