WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Alex Vesia #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on after pitching against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park on April 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last season the Dodgers were able to complete their quest of two straight titles without the help of their best left-handed relief option in the World Series.
Alex Vesia was away from the Dodgers during last year’s Fall Classic as he and his wife were grieving the sudden loss of their newborn daughter, Sterling, and both Dodgers and Blue Jays relievers alike sported Vesia’s no. 51 on the side of their caps. Back in Toronto for the first time since the epic seven-game series, Vesia came into a tough situation on Tuesday as he dealt with a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Dodgers holding a slim lead. He was able to get the Dodgers out of the inning, and the team eventually sealed a series win over Toronto.
Vesia recounted that the past few days had been hard for him emotionally, as noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, and remarked that he was able to feed off of the energy from the crowd to get out of the bases-loaded jam.
“The past two days have been hard,” Vesia said Tuesday night. “It’s nice, though, to have my wife in the stands. She was right behind the dugout tonight. I definitely was looking at her, especially after the outing.
“But honestly, during it, that was awesome. I really — the adrenaline, the crowd, I feed off that. It was definitely a great outing. One pitch at a time. That was a great, great win all in all.”
Links
Despite an ugly 0-4 performance with four strikeouts, Andy Pages continues to sport some of the best numbers in all of baseball. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that Pages routinely takes simulated at-bats using the Trajekt machine, using Paul Skenes’ pitch mix to help give him a better feel as to how the ball moves.
“I focused a lot on the pitches that Paul Skenes was throwing, just because his ball moves so much,” Pages said. “I start with him (on game days), but then I zone in on the starting pitcher for that evening.”
Dodger Stadium had been the name of the iconic home of the Dodgers for 64 seasons. Beginning March 25, the traditional name was no more, as the era of UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is upon us.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: A general view of the New York Yankees playing against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
We are officially two weeks into the San Francisco Giants season, so I thought now would be a good time to check in and see how folks are feeling so far. We already have a standing feature for Friday BPs when the team is at home, so I’m thinking we can take stock of the overall season on Fridays when the team is traveling.
So, how are we feeling?
We’ve seen some highs, and many lows, and the team has only played four series. The good news is I get to write this right after they won two in a row against the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s exciting, and seemingly a little less likely to involve any of you throwing yourselves down the stairs, as we are wont to do.
But with that said, I don’t have a ton of great feelings about the season thus far. Sure, the two wins against the Phillies this week was a much needed shot of adrenaline, and I really hope they can transform that into some momentum going forward.
But that came on the heels of losing four in a row, three of which were to the New York Mets. You never want to out-Mets the Mets.
I’m also a little nervous about manager Tony Vitello and how he is handling the start of the season so far. On one hand, I kind of dig his willingness to share things with the public that maybe shouldn’t have been shared with the public. It certainly makes my job more interesting. But I do wonder if that openness comes at a cost. That cost being the trust of the players.
Overall, I’m trying not to let the last couple of games give me a false sense of optimism. Sure, it’s always nice to see them score seemingly a month’s worth of runs in two games. But now the month goes on, and we’ll just have to wait and see if the offense marches on with it.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin their series against the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at 4:15 p.m. PT.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 21: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals runs home to score on a Salvador Perez single in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium on August 21, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not ideal:
Busy day yesterday, but Royals Review had you covered!
“It definitely adds character to the game,” Royals second baseman Jonathan India said. “It makes you feel a little swaggy out there. It gives you a confidence edge. You just kind of feel that.”
Sam McDowell and Kacen Bayless had the “just the facts” article:
“What I would say to folks is that today is a very material step in the delivery of a downtown baseball stadium that the Royals and the city are interested in opening by Opening Day of 2030,” Lucas said in an exclusive interview with The Star.
“This is a baseball stadium footprint that is actually helping fund the development and surrounding development,” Lucas said. “This is a lot like incentives that we do each and every day, as compared to the old votes that we had on full county sales taxes.”
Similarly, public agencies like the Port Authority of Kansas City stags hearings but have not needed voter permission to consider incentives for new apartment buildings and other projects. And recently, the city of Independence staged public hearings but did not need voter permission to sign a deal granting $6 billion-plus in tax breaks for a $150 billion dollar data center.
Ryan Bergert exited his last start in Triple-A Omaha with right elbow discomfort, manager Matt Quatraro said. He’s being evaluated by the #Royals medical staff today.
This is the news I have been dreading since he went on the IL with a strained forearm last September. If he had underwent Tommy John surgery then, he would likely be 100% by spring training next year. Now you're probably looking at mid-season 2027. https://t.co/PFhGXw9yDm
What level of production should Royals fans realistically expect from Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone this season? — Lloyd W.
I expect Jensen to be in the conversation with the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle and the White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami for AL Rookie of the Year. I think Caglianone will hit at minimum between 20 and 25 homers when all is said and done. They are both going to develop into All-Star caliber players over the next three years.
There was a lot of talk about the City Connects so I’ll post it in this section, too:
He also gives a grade to every City Connect jersey. The Royals get a C. David Schoenfield gave their original City Connect a C, as well (if you scroll down the article)
The bat speed isn’t bad, as it’s mostly been above-average this year. However, he’s touched 75 MPH far less than a year ago, and he’s hovered around or below the MLB average bat speed. It’s only a 74 swing sample, which is why I don’t think it’s something to panic about. However, if there’s not an uptick in bat speed, it will be interesting to see how his power will respond with the current swing path-tilt.
It’s that time of year again! Actually, it’s a little past that time of year. It’s time for our Asian Baseball previews. I think last year’s schedule worked pretty well: Three weeks of previews, one week of midseason fun, and then three weeks of wrap-up. Not too much or too little.
Overall, here is the hierarchy of how MLB front office officials and evaluators generally view the quality of the various Asian leagues compared to MLB and the minor leagues.
International Players: Not a lot of (any?) big name former players in the CPBL but this section will be more populated for the KBO and NPB; Full list from CPBLStats
Last Season: In 2024, the Uni-Lions won the first half, the CTBC Brothers won the second half, and our Rakuten Monkeys were the wild card team. In 2025, the same thing happened. In 2024, the Lions defeated the Monkeys in the playoff and lost to the Brothers in the Taiwan Series. 2025 looked like history was going to repeat itself. The Uni-Lions had a 2-0 lead in the playoff but lost a game where they led 6-2 in the 6th, were pounded 9-3, and blew a 3-0 game in the 9th. The Monkeys then defeated the Brothers 4-1 in the Taiwan Series to win their first championship since 2019, when they were the Lamigo Monkeys.
Rooting Interest: The Rakuten Monkeys are our squad here at RR. As noted in a previous preview: “they had the first English broadcasts and were the inspiration for my first article”. The red-clad simians won it all last year and are looking to repeat. However, Martinez went to the Dragons in the offseason after the Monkeys spent a lot of their foreign player budget on retaining Fernandez. Sadly, my favorite, Chu Yu Hsien, moved on to the Dragons last season and Father Time may be catching up with the slugger. He has 184 home runs coming into the season and it would be nice to see him get to 200. Making it tougher to cheer on the team is that Rakuten keeps making their own PR nightmares. CPBL Stats describes them as “a lazy organisation that has been running its CPBL team half-heartedly over the past few years” when talking about their food scandal last year and then wrote about not paying for surgery for a player.
World Baseball Classic: Reminder: Taiwan competes under the laughable “Chinese Taipei” moniker because China threatens to use their international clout to exclude them from any international competition if they compete as “Taiwan”. In the opening game of the WBC, they were blanked by a trio of Australian pitchers, losing 3-0. Then they were pummelled 13-0 by Japan. They returned the favor by thumping the Czech Republic 14-0. In their final game in Group C play, thousands of fans flew from Taiwan to Tokyo to watch the team’s first-ever WBC win against Korea:
More than 40,000 fans – mostly from Taiwan – filled Tokyo Dome at noon on Sunday as Chinese Taipei’s cheerleaders danced atop the dugouts and its band blasted music and led chants. Fans were then treated to a dinger-filled, heavyweight spectacle, with Chinese Taipei emerging with an incredible 5-4 victory, the players walking off the field as tears streamed down their faces.
However, the extra-inning win was not enough. Korea, Australia, and Taiwan all finished at 2-2 but Korea advanced based on the tiebreakers. Despite participating in all 6 WBCs, Taiwan has only advanced once from pool play, in 2013.
Random Nuggets:
Spoiler: The Monkeys won on Opening Day in front of a “sold-out crowd of 40,000 at Taipei Dome”. They defeated the Brothers in historic fashion: “the first-ever game-ending hit-by-pitch in CPBL’s opening game history”.
Stadium musical chairs may be on the horizon in the CPBL. “Taiwan Life, a subsidiary of CTBC Financial, which also owns the CTBC Brothers baseball team, has secured a 10-year operating right for Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium, along with a 12.43-hectare land development project surrounding the stadium”. The TSG Hawks, an expansion team from 2024, currently play there. The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (yes, that’s their full name) christened a new stadium at the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center. They don’t own the stadium and are in a short-term lease but it could turn into a long-term home.
If you think home run celebrations are still in MLB, they also happen around the world. Here’s one from the TSG Hawks. Hype videos? How about this one for the Uni-Lions? Or this lava-filled one from the CTBC Brothers? Theme nights? The Brothers have a Peanuts theme night coming up. Last one, I promise: Closer intro for the Fubon Guardians.
How about some 8-bit awesome? We haven’t revisited Mega Man in years! Seriously: it was 2018. My favorite track from that game was Magnet Man’s but there are a lot of killer themes. This week, we’ll use Hard Man’s music:
DENVER, CO - APRIL 5: Starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies smiles as he walks off the field in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on April 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whether it was via free agency or through trade, Coors Field isn’t usually an ideal landing spot for veteran starting pitchers. There are success stories, of course, but even those usually come with few wins and a ballooned ERA.
That’s why having three new veterans in the Rockies starting rotation this year was quite a surprise. An even better surprise is the promising performance of Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之. While the sample size is small, Sugano is shaping up to be a good addition to the Rockies roster.
Sugano played and starred in Nippon Professional Baseball. During his 12-year career there, he was a three-time Central League MVP before coming to MLB in 2025. Sugano’s reasoning for coming to MLB is simple.
“Obviously, I wanted to play in the best place,” Sagano said last weekend through his interpreter Yuto Sakura. “Also, I wanted to test out how my skills translate.”
His 2025 season in Baltimore didn’t go as well as he’d hoped, as he went 10-10 in 30 starts with a 4.64 ERA and gave up an American League-leading 33 homers.
It’s been a different story for Sugano so far in 2026 with the Rockies, who signed the 36-year-old RHP in February to a one-year, $5.1 million deal. In two starts, Sugano is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA, nine strikeouts and only three walks in 10.2 innings.
That includes a quality start in his first appearance at Coors Field when he held the Phillies to one run on four hits with five strikeouts and a walk in six innings. True to his KPop Demon Hunters anthem walk-up song, Sugano was ‘Golden.’
Prior to his start, he wasn’t too worried about pitching at elevation. He also said his brief time at a higher altitude hadn’t disrupted his sleep or taxed his body, but he did admit it had only been three days.
“I’m actually quite excited. I tested some of my offspeed stuff in the bullpen,” Sugano said. “I know it drops a little bit more than other stadiums, and we’ve been having good conversations with the pitching coaches and staff, so I’m quite excited.”
That excitement turned into the Rockies first quality start of the season and prevented a home opening weekend sweep at the hands of the Phillies. He surrendered only one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts to earn the win.
He threw 78 pitches in the outing: 23 four-seam fastballs, 21 sliders/sweepers, 13 cutters, 12 splitters, five curveballs and four sinkers.
Due to his versatility and pitch mix, Sugano was able to overcome not having his best splitter.
“He was great. He mixed extremely well. He threw strikes. He did all the things we were talking about and looking for when we signed him,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the Rockies 4-1 victory on April 5. “He did not have his split, which is one of his best pitches, today. He didn’t have the best feel for it, so he used the slider a lot, used the heater late, and just a good, solid mix that kept them off balance.”
A key factor in Sugano’s success is his 51.7% ground ball rate. He got eight groundouts against the Phillies in Denver, when he also threw 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
“The mix of pitch selection is definitely my strength, so I’m glad it worked out that way. But towards the end of the outing, my splitter was working, so that was also good,” Sugano said. “I wasn’t thinking too much about the environment, per se. I was trying to keep the ball down, get groundouts and get punchouts when I can. [I know] offspeed pitches move differently here, so I try to take advantage of that.”
While he’d never pitched at high altitude before (Sugano had faced the Rockies once, but it was in Baltimore last season), Sugano did bring experience playing at a hitter-friendly venue.
“The Tokyo Dome was definitely hitter-friendly. It’s a smaller stadium to begin with, and the ball flies. It has a tendency to fly in the Dome,” Sugano said. “For Japanese players, it’s well known that it’s a hitter-friendly ballpark.”
Sugano, the Rockies’ first Japanese pitcher since Mac Suzuki in 2001, had a busy spring. Outside of joining the Rockies in Scottsdale, he also pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. In his lone start, he threw four scoreless innings with four hits, two strikeouts and no walks in a 4-3 win over Australia. Despite being new to the Rockies, he said he’s learning from his coaches and teammate Kyle Freeland, who he sought out for advice.
“He’s been here a very long time. He’s given me some advice on how to pitch here,” Sugano said. “Also, Alon [Leichman, the Rockies pitching coach], he’s been communicative throughout this process, and he’s been giving really good advice.”
Leichman believes Sugano has been a great addition to the team, especially since he and Sugano are both 36 years old.
“He’s my age, so I think it’s fun to have a guy like him around. You know, he sees a lot of things that most guys don’t, and he likes to express that. So it’s been good,” Leichman said. “He’s been a great clubhouse guy, he’s always super prepared, and what he did in Toronto really set an example for the rest of the team, too.”
While he wasn’t credited with the win, Sugano gave up one solo homer, with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts in a solid start of 4.2 innings in the Rockies first victory of the season, a 14-5 win over the Blue Jays on March 30.
In addition to learning to pitch at altitude, Sugano is also new to Leichman’s pitch suggesting. Like the other Rockies pitchers and catchers, he likes it.
“I’ve never experienced pitch calling from the dugout with my previous teams,” Sugano said. “But we have really good communication before the game and leading into the game, so I feel pretty confident about what we’re doing.”
Sugano is seeing early success, despite facing some heavy-hitting lineups in the Blue Jays and Phillies. That will be the case again today when Sugano will get his third start of the season tonight against Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts and the rest of the Padres.
Vimael Machín hit a grand slam in a six-run sixth inning to carry the Isotopes to victory on Thursday. Nicky Lopez added an RBI single and came around to score on a wild pitch in the sixth. Five pitchers combined to hold the Chihuahuas in check with Sammy Peralta picking up the win after giving up one run in two innings. Keegan Thompson started the game with four scoreless innings, while Collin Baumgartner, Seth Halvorsen and TJ Shook each added a scoreless frame. Zac Veen, Lopez and Chad Stevens posted two hits apiece.
Austin Murr hit a walk-off, two-run homer to defeat the Yard Goats on Thursday night in Reading. Hartford took the lead in the first inning when Aidan Longwell hit a sac grounder to go up 1-0. Jake Brooks had an outstanding start, giving up just one run on a solo homer with 11 strikeouts in six innings. When it went to extra innings, Roc Riggio hit an RBI double to put the Yard Goats up 2-1. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived. Benny Montgomery and Connor Capel each recorded two-hit nights.
Despite having a 4-1 lead, Spokane couldn’t hold it and the Hops completed the comeback with a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th. Alan Espinal hit an RBI triple, Ethan Hedges connected on a run-scoring double and Robert Calaz and Royneir Hernandez each drove in a run on singles to account for Spokane’s offense. Justin Loer earned a blown save when he gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Hedges and Jacob Humphrey both had two-hit nights.
Stockton jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, continued to add to it throughout the game and came away with the victory. Roldy Brito hit an RBI double in the third inning to score Cameron Nelson for Fresno’s only run. The Grizzlies were held to four hits on the night and struck out eight times.
Thanks to Renee Dechert for putting this together. It’s a great way to learn new music and get a glimpse into the taste, or lack thereof — Troy Johnston, I am talking to you — of the 2026 Rockies.
Jon Heyman dives into the early returns on the Rockies trade that sent Angel Chivilli to the Yankees and TJ Rumfield to Colorado. Rumfield is hitting .368/.432/.605 with two homers, eight RBI, a double and a single. He’s been a welcome surprise at first base.
Surprising no one, the MLB.com crew picked Charlie Condon. The 1B/OF is tearing things up with the Triple-A Isotopes, proving he’s the No. 1 PuRP for a reason.
Luke Weaver | (Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
Meet the Mets
Nolan McLean was great, but the Mets’ lineup and bullpen very much were not as the team dropped the rubber game of its series with the Diamondbacks last night at Citi Field.
Before the game, Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Jorge Polanco was getting the night off because his Achilles continues to bother him, and he didn’t rule out an IL stint if the situation doesn’t improve.
Apr 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) hits a walk-off grand slam home run against Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Valente Bellozo (not pictured) to win the game in the twelfth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The San Diego Padres played their first extra-innings game of the 2026 season and the first under new manager Craig Stammen. It took 12 innings for the Padres to top the Colorado Rockies in their series opener at Petco Park on Thursday night, giving them and Stammen the win.
The game was settled in the bottom of the 12th inning when Xander Bogaerts blasted a grand slam home run deep into the left field bleachers for a walk-off 7-3 win. The San Diego shortstop made Colorado pay for issuing intentional walks to Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado with Jake Cronenworth on third base after a Fernando Tatis Jr. sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Bogaerts delivered the game winning drive on a 1-0 pitch on the inside part of the plate that sent the Friar Faithful home happy.
The game-winning heroics by Bogaerts required Cronenworth to make a game-saving throw to the plate on a two-hopper on the infield to give San Diego a chance to win the game in extras. With one out in the top of the 12th inning, Cronenworth fielded a ground ball off the bat of Brenton Doyle and threw quickly to Luis Campusano at home plate who applied a tag to Willi Castro to keep the game tied, 3-3. Reliever David Morgan got the Padres out of the inning two batters later when Kyle Karros grounded out to Bogaerts at shortstop, sending Tatis Jr., Merrill and Machado to the plate with a chance to win the game.
Great play by Jake Cronenworth to nail the runner out at home to keep the game tied for the #Padres in the 12th pic.twitter.com/k2jTD76GJ1
The end of the game got the headlines and overshadowed another fabulous start from Randy Vasquez, who pitched 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts and no walks allowed. Vasquez worked in and out of trouble throughout the game but the one blemish on his start was a solo home run allowed to Doyle in the top of the third inning.
Randy Vásquez strikes out 8 Rockies' hitters over 5 2/3rds in outing vs. Colorado
The San Diego offense matched the one run scored by Colorado in the bottom half of the inning when Freddy Fermin and Cronenworth hit back-to-back one out singles to put runners at the corners for Tatis Jr. The Padres right fielder lifted an 0-1 pitch into left field that allowed Fermin to tag up and score from third base.
Neither offense could do much against the opposing pitchers and the game remained tied into the 10th inning. Both teams scored runs in the 10th and 11th innings and the game was decided in the 12th.
San Diego and Colorado play Friday at 6:40 p.m. and the Padres will wear their City Connect 2.0 uniforms, which were officially unveiled on Thursday.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 09: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after being tagged out at home during the 12th inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies fought and fought, pushing the San Diego Padres into extras. Unfortunately, they came out on the losing end of a crooked loss, but they showed some absolute heart. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak, and also marked the longest game (by innings) in 2026.
Jimmy Herget opened with a clear inning
Herget played the role of “opener” today. He said on the broadcast that last year he made an appearance in every inning except the first, so today he got his chance. Herget set the tone with an excellent first inning, going 1-2-3 to Jake Cronenworth, Fernando Tatís Jr., and Jackson Merrill. None of the outs were strikeouts, but outs are outs and Herget only threw 10 pitches (six for strikes).
Go Do(llander)
As expected, Chase Dollander took over in the second and ended up going 4.1 innings. He allowed just one earned run with one walk and three strikeouts. He started laboring in the sixth, but was able to get a huge strikeout of Tatís Jr.
Extra (extra) bases
Ezequiel Tovar reached twice again tonight, knocking two doubles.
Brenton Doyle also got to don the purple coat, which did make the trip. The center fielder hit his first home run of the year in the third inning to put the Rockies up 1-0.
In the sixth inning, Hunter Goodman got hit on the right hand for the second day in a row. Randy Vásquez threw a pitch up and in, and it caught Goodman’s hand wrapped around the bat. He walked to first and was met by Warren Schaeffer and Andy Stover. They immediately wrapped his middle finger and it looked like he would attempt to carry on, but he then started bleeding under the bandage. He went into the dugout to get it wrapped and more deeply examined, but then tore off his helmet and threw it down in frustration — Brett Sullivan would then enter the game in his place.
Luckily, it appears that x-rays were negative and Goodman just suffered a right finger laceration. Schaeffer said after the game that Goodman is “day to day.”
Defensive unraveling
The Rockies have had impeccable defense for most of the season, but when it rains, it pours sometimes…
In the bottom of the sixth, the Rox had plenty of opportunities to make outs but couldn’t hold onto the ball. First, Manny Machado reached on a throwing error by Edouard Julien, who tossed the ball into the dirt and Troy Johnston couldn’t smother it. Then, Dollander had Machado picked off but Johnston couldn’t keep it in his glove to record the out. And then, Xander Bogaerts hit a tailor-made double play ball, but Tovar bungled the transfer and rather than record three easy outs, the Rockies then had first and second with one out.
Bullpen wizardry
Luckily, Jaden Hill came in and quickly struck out Gavin Sheets, but then a double steal put men on second and third. Sullivan attempted to pick off Machado at third, but Willi Castro wasn’t quite at the bag. But Hill struck out Nick Castellanos and the Rockies escaped what could’ve been a very bad inning.
Hill stayed in for the seventh inning and got Ty France, Freddy Fermin, and Cronenworth 1-2-3.
Juan Mejia came in for the eighth and was outstanding. He battled against Tatís Jr., who did end up walking. They nearly got him at second after Merrill flied out to center, but Castro was once again slightly behind the bag. However, he was picked off on this excellent play:
Tyler Freeman hit another clutch single like he did in Toronto to put the Rockies up 2-1 in extras. Unfortunately, he slid early and was nearly leveled by Bogaerts — and that ended up being called interference to end the inning.
In the Padres’ half, Tovar kept Luis Campusano close at second, but then when Cronenworth hit a sacrifice bunt, Victor Vodnik was able to field and pick him off at third base. Unfortunately, Tatís singled and then Merrill walked to load the bases. Machado then hit a sac fly to score Cronenworth.
In the 11th, Sullivan led off with a double down the right field line to score Kyle Karros and put the Rockies up 3-2.
Johnston then walked, but then TJ Rumfield struck out swinging. Tovar grounded into a force out to get Johnston at second, and then Castro gathered a platinum sombrero with an inning-ending fifth strikeout.
Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom half of the 11th and gave up a single to Sheets. He got Castellanos to line out on a spectacular glove save by Karros followed by a strikeout of Ramón Laureano. But then Campusano doubled to score Sheets and then Cronenworth popped out to Karros to send things to the bottom half.
In the bottom half, Valente Bellozo came on to try to hold the the Padres’ best hitters off the board. Tatís Jr. laid down a bunt to move over Cronenworth. Then, Schaffer elected to intentionally walk Merrill and Machado. Unfortunately, Bogaerts belted one over the left field wall for a walk-off grand slam, and the Rockies lost 7-3 after battling back all through extras.
Up Next
Luckily, tomorrow is another night game.
Tomoyuki Sugano will take on Walker Buehler at 6:40pm MT.
The Mets' bullpen has been extra sharp to start the season, and Luke Weaver has been a big part of that.
Entering Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Weaver had allowed just one hit and no walks across five scoreless innings. That would change at an inopportune time for the Mets.
After young right-hander Nolan McLean exited the game with a 1-0 lead and two runners on with one out, Weaver was called on to get out of the jam. Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno stepped into the box as a pinch-hitter and got ahead 2-1 on Weaver. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Weaver threw a changeup that was down and away from the right-handed backstop, but Moreno went down and got the barrel of the bat on the ball.
The ball carried to right field, where Brett Baty was. However, Baty could not come up with the ball and a run scored to tie the game. A run-scoring fielder's choice, a sac fly and a triple later, and the Diamondbacks put up a four-spot in the seventh en route to a 7-1 loss for the Mets.
Weaver would get the two outs needed to end the seventh, but the damage was done. Four runs scored -- two counted against Weaver -- on two hits.
After the game, Weaver was asked about the inning and gave credit to the team for executing against him.
"They’re a good team. Good lineup, put the ball in play," Weaver said. "At the end of the day, there’s only one way to look at it, and it’s if you do your job or you don't. Today was not one of those outcomes. They earned it, but I don’t want to be discouraged. I want to continue doing what I’m doing. Feel like I’m in a good spot. Just got to wrap it up to that."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Weaver got in trouble after getting behind 2-0 to Moreno, but gave the Arizona catcher all the credit for putting the barrel to the ball on an executed changeup.
Interestingly enough, Weaver disagreed on whether he executed the pitch.
"There was some indecision on what I wanted to do there," Weaver explained. "Pitch clock got involved there. It was a backed-up moment and just didn’t get to the right end of what I needed to do. [Moreno] did a good job of staying on the pitch. Just on the wrong side of it."
Thursday was Weaver's first blown save of the season and it came at the expense of McLean's gem. Again, Weaver was upbeat about the situation -- all thing's considered -- and is confident he'll get the job done for McLean in the future.
"Adds more of a sting for sure," Weaver said of blowing the save for McLean. "He deserves to walk out of that with his head high. Rely on us to get the job done in crunchtime. He deserved the win there. I hated to be that guy for him, but I’ll pick him up at some point and he’ll continue to do a great job for us."
About that Baty play in the OF
The Moreno at-bat was the catalyst for the Diamondbacks' win on Thursday, but could the game-tying double have been avoided?
Including Thursday, Baty has made just five starts in right field -- facilitated by Juan Soto's IL stint -- and is an infielder by trade. Moreno's double had an exit velocity of 99.3 mph and had a hit probability of 45 percent, according to Statcast. But Baty didn't seem to have a bead on it or know where he was in relation to the right field wall. The ball wound up sailing out of the reach of Baty and bounced off the wall.
Mendoza was asked if he felt Baty could have made the play.
"I don’t think so. He was a little shallow there," Mendoza said. "Moreno got a good piece on that one. I don’t think Baty had a chance on that one there."
When asked if the play was catchable, the Mets skipper spoke confidently that Baty wouldn't have made the play.
"We’ll have to go back and look. But especially with Moreno, he uses the whole field, have to give him credit," Mendoza said. "Where [Baty] was positioned, which is the right positioning, I don’t think he’ll make that play."
One batter later, Alek Thomas hit a sharp grounder to Mark Vientos at first base. Vientos grabbed it and squared his body, but bounced the throw wide of the plate, allowing the Diamondbacks to take the lead on the fielder's choice.
Mendoza said the ball was to his left and it's a tough play for any infielder to make. He also gave credit to Jose Fernandez, the runner on third, for his execution of getting down the line quickly.
With Soto out and Jorge Polanco potentially joining him on the IL, Baty and Vientos are asked to play positions they haven't done much of in their careers. Despite that, Mendoza has liked what he's seen from both despite them learning on the fly.
“I think they’ve been playing the positions very well,” Mendoza said. “Even today, that ball in right field, that’s a tough play. And the one at the plate with Vientos, when you execute the way they did it -- hell of a job from the runner on third base going on contact. Anytime an infielder’s got to go to his right, to his left, you’re going to have to make a really good play to get the guy at home plate. But they've been good.”
The early numbers are, once again, not pretty for Francisco Lindor.
He snapped a skid of 11 hitless at-bats with a seventh inning single in his fourth trip to the plate in the Mets’ 7-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Thursday night at Citi Field.
He now has just eight hits all season, and just three of those have been for extra bases.
Lindor knows he’s off to another rough first few weeks to a season, but he insists it’s not because of the surgery to remove the hamate bone in his left hand in February.
He can point to the pair of hits, including a double, he had Tuesday against Arizona, with three balls over 100 mph.
Lindor noted the ball he hit off Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller on March 28, a shot that went to deep center at 106 mph, as proof that the procedure, which can rob hitters of power, is not to blame for any slow start.
“They said the power was gonna be down, and I’m hitting the ball just as hard as I have before,” Lindor said before Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Despite his confidence that he will hit like he typically does, Lindor acknowledged he still feels the effects of the injury “here and there, but I’m good.”
Francisco Lindor heads back to the dugout after lining out in the seventh inning of the Mets’ 7-1 blowout loss to the Diamondbacks on April 9, 2026 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
“Of course you worry about not being the same,” Lindor said of his mindset early in the season. “You do grips and strength tests, and you don’t know if it’s strong enough or what it once was. But then you feel you’re hitting the ball like normal and you think you’re fine. That’s where I am.”
The results so far haven’t followed. That’s nothing new for Lindor, no stranger to shaky Aprils, which is what Carlos Mendoza called this one.
“The injury has nothing to do with it,” the manager said of the fact Lindor, who is now Thursday just 8-for-51 (.157) with three extra-base hits and no runs batted in. “He’s fine. Throughout his career, only last year were his numbers in April good. He’s hit a lot of balls hard that have gone right at people.”
But with Juan Soto sidelined with a calf injury and Jorge Polanco dealing with Achilles tendinitis, Lindor’s lack of production — along with Bo Bichette’s — is especially ill-timed.
“I’d like to contribute more to the team in this spot, but my struggles are not because of my hand,” Lindor said. “I have to put more quality at-bats together every day and the results will come.”
Asked if the absence of Soto has added more pressure, Lindor said, “No. Juan is irreplaceable. The stuff he does on the field and in the batter’s box, I can’t make up. None of us can.”
But Lindor can certainly do more than he has in the early going.
“You understand these starts are gonna happen sometimes,” Lindor said. “And at the beginning of a season, it looks worse because you don’t have numbers to make it better. It’s part of it. But you have to have a sense of urgency, which I do, to get going. You can’t just say, ‘I’ll get there.’ ”
And to Mendoza’s point, Lindor didn’t have a multi-hit game last year until the ninth game of the season, and in 2024 he was a mess at the plate well into April and slumped all the way to the middle of June.
“He’s an aggressive hitter,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to swing. He’ll get out of it and be fine.”
Nolan McLean was terrific as the Mets offense hibernated. He threw up zeroes for six innings. Then, the bullpen blew it and the lineup did nothing to get him off the hook.
“That’s part of baseball, at the end of the day. I’m sure I’ll leave guys out there and our bullpen is going to strand them for me plenty of times this year,” McLean said. “It’s already been done a couple of times. It’s part of the game. It’s a long season. I know those guys have my back.”
McLean departed with two runners on, one out in the seventh and a 1-0 lead. Luke Weaver entered, and two batters later the Mets were behind. Converted right fielder Brett Baty couldn’t get to a Gabriel Morena drive that hit the right field fence. Mark Vientos then threw wide to the plate on an Alek Thomas grounder. Arizona led and continued to add on, scoring seven times in the seventh and eighth.
Nolan McLean celebrates after getting out of the sixth inning of the Mets’ 7-1 blowout defeat to the Diamondbacks on April 9, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“He deserves to work out of that with his head held high and rely on us to get the job done in crunch time,” Weaver said. “He deserves the win there. I hate to be that guy for him, but I’ll pick him up at some point, and he’ll continue to do a great job for us.”
Despite the ugly ending, it was another quality outing from McLean.
The right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed three hits over 6 ¹/₃ innings. He threw 100 pitches, 64 for strikes, and his ERA on the young season now stands at 2.70.
Nolan McLean throws a pitch in the fourth inning of the Mets’ blowout loss to the Diamondbacks. Robert Sabo for NY Post
He allowed just one hit over the first five innings. But McLean walked Geraldo Perdomo leading off the seventh, and with one out Jose Fernando singled softly to center. That was all for McLean.
McLean has made 11 career big league starts and has allowed more than two earned runs just once. The only Mets pitcher to accomplish that feat was Jim McAndrew.
“He had everything working, especially the sinker,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The sinker has been a pitch that’s been kind of off the first couple of outings. But today, the movement, the way he was just commanding that pitch, and he had pretty much everything else working. He was pretty solid.”
It is reminiscent of Jacob deGrom’s start to his career with the Mets. So was Thursday’s outing: no support from his lineup or bullpen.
When the Dash needed a spark, Caleb Bonemer brought the fireworks with a three-run blast. | (Rob Leiter/Getty Images)
Memphis Redbirds 4, Charlotte Knights 1 Memphis wasted no time, tagging starter Douglas Nikhazy for three early runs. The 26-year-old, a spring waiver flier from the Cleveland Guardians, has been little more than a roster filler. Tonight, he went 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. The Redbirds tacked on one more tally for good measure off Tyler Gilbert in the sixth.
Charlotte (5-6) finally scratched out a run in the third, courtesy of LaMonte Wade Jr. He ripped the Knights’ lone highlight, an RBI double in the third, to plate Mario Camilletti. Despite smacking seven hits and working three walks, the club couldn’t get anything else going. The good news is Sam Antonacci stretched his hitting streak to 10 games, leading off the ninth with a single. His spring slash line: .342/.500/.526 with a 1.026 OPS.
Chattanooga Lookouts 6, Birmingham Barons 2 Regions Field was quiet early as both teams were held hitless through four innings. The Barons (2-4) struggled early and failed to build any momentum, exchanging quick outs with Chattanooga. It all happened fast for the Lookouts in the fifth inning, beginning with back-to-back solo shots off starter Lucas Gordon. Chattanooga took a 2-0 lead and they wouldn’t look back.
Chattanooga took advantage in the eighth inning and piled on with a series of extra-base hits, extending their lead to 6-2. Birmingham plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly and a force out, but the damage was done. The Barons had plenty of baserunners (nine), but couldn’t piece together enough hits to complete their comeback, falling in a game where timely hitting made all the difference.
Winston-Salem Dash 8, Frederick Keys 3 The Dash (4-2) came out swinging, slapping three doubles in the first inning— by Caleb Bonemer, George Wolkow, and Jacob Burke. Just like that, they put four runs on the board. The Keys tried to make things interesting, clawing back to 4-3, but W-S slammed the door in the seventh. Bonemer uncorked a three-run blast, DePino chipped in with a solo shot, and that was all she wrote.
Grant Umberger did his job: five innings, two hits, one earned, five punchouts, and three walks. Jake Peppers tried to keep the train rolling in the sixth but promptly derailed, allowing a run on three hits and two free passes. Dash skipper Guillermo Quiroz summoned Luke Bell to put out the fire, and he did just that. Bell and Drew Conover finished things up, holding the Keys scoreless for the rest of the game.
Hickory Crawdads 3, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 0 The game was scoreless through four, thanks to Max Banks, who’s now two starts deep and still hasn’t surrendered a run. In four innings, he gave up one hit, one walk, and had seven punchouts. The White Sox selected him in the 14th round last year (No. 406), and the 22-year-old is making pro ball look easy so far.
Jeremy González took the ball for the fifth, and that’s when it unraveled. He served up two runs in the fifth, another in the sixth, and just like that, Hickory had all they’d need. The Ballers (2-4)? Four hits, three guys in scoring position, and not a hint of a rally.
Aug 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) steals second as Atlanta Braves shortstop Nick Allen (2) is late with the tag during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves return to Truist Park and kick off the weekend with a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians. The Braves enter play with an 8-5 record and are coming off a series win in Anaheim, where the run column was high, and emotions even higher. The Guardians come to town with the same record after a recent series win over the Kansas City Royals.
The series gets underway tonight at 7:15 ET, with Bryce Elder getting the nod against fellow right-hander Slade Cecconi. Game two is set for the same time Saturday night, as Martín Pérez faces Parker Messick. The series will conclude Sunday night with Chris Sale starting things off at 7:20 ET.
The Braves haven’t dropped a series yet this season, and they’ll aim to keep that perfect streak intact this weekend.
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Didier Fuentes threw a shutout and recorded eight strikeouts during Wednesday’s start. More in the minor league recap.
There are several high school prospects the Braves may explore this year, so take a look at potential selections.
MLB News:
The Washington Nationals have yet to make an extension offer to outfielder Daylen Lile. The Nats currently have just one player on a guaranteed contract past 2026.
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This week’s brawl has been the biggest Braves headline all week, and now it’s time to hear from you. Which Braves brawl do you think is most memorable?
There’s been plenty of reflection of the past this week after the City Connects were unveiled. So, let’s hear your favorite player as a kid.
Jorge Polanco was out of the lineup Thursday against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez with lingering left Achilles soreness, and manager Carlos Mendoza said the first baseman could end up on the IL.
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Right now, they’ve got a major part of their offseason transformation unable to play first base since the second game of the season, when Polanco first began to feel discomfort in the area.
He’s been limited to DH duties since then and even that hasn’t helped resolve the issue.
Mendoza said Polanco felt it again Wednesday, which led to Thursday’s decision.
“We’re saying it’s day to day and there are good days and days when he feels it more,” Mendoza said. “[Wednesday] was one of those days [he felt it].”
And there’s no telling how long Polanco will be dealing with the discomfort.
“It’s hard to tell,’’ the manager said. “We’re watching it closely.”
Jorge Polanco (11) reacts as he walks back to the dugout after he flies out for the final out of the tenth inning at Citi Field, Sunday, March 29, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
With Polanco sidelined versus the lefty, Mark Vientos was at first base and Francisco Alvarez was the DH.
The 32-year-old Polanco played 138 games with Seattle last season, but had IL stints due to leg injuries each of the three seasons prior — sidelined by hamstring strains in both legs, as well as left knee inflammation.
The lineup is already without Juan Soto, on the IL with a strained right calf and he hasn’t resumed running yet.
“We’re being cautious,’’ Soto told The Post of the IL decision following a 7-1 loss to Arizona. “I want to be in the right spot when I come back. We have a plan and we’ll follow it.”
Soto, expected to be out 2-3 weeks after suffering the injury in San Francisco, is doing some baseball activities while he’s out, playing catch and hitting in the cages and said he feels “pretty good.”
Mets second baseman Jorge Polanco (11) reaches on an infield single during the first inning when the New York Mets played the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
There’s no timeline, though, for Soto to begin running, which will be the real test for when he might be able to return.
A.J. Minter, expected to be a major piece of the bullpen last year before being lost after a torn lat required season-ending surgery, returned to action Thursday with Low-A St. Lucie. The lefty tossed a scoreless inning to begin his rehab process. He’ll have to be activated by May 9.
“It was good to see him ready to go,’’ Mendoza said. “The fact he was in real competition was a good sign.”
Another veteran reliever, Craig Kimbrel, also tossed a shutout inning for St. Lucie after he had a rough spring.
While David Peterson continues to struggle and Sean Manaea can’t get his velocity back, Christian Scott had an encouraging outing Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander, out since 2024 Tommy John surgery, threw five scoreless innings against Buffalo.
He sat in the mid-90s and allowed just a pair of hits, a walk and whiffed seven.
Tobias Myers entered Thursday having not pitched since Saturday and hadn’t thrown more than 30 pitches since his season debut on March 26. Mendoza said Myers was still built up for “40-45” pitches, but “if we need to use him for one inning in high-leverage, we will.”
The Associated Press reported Thursday that the Mets had the highest Opening Day payroll at $352.2 million.
“There’s always pressure here in New York,’’ Mendoza said. “There are high expectations, regardless of payroll. We’ve got to go and not only get to October, but deep into October.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 12: Luis Gil of the New York Yankees looks on in a game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 12, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Luis Gil, who started the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since the Yankees did not need a fifth starter, was recalled after yesterday’s game. To make room on the 40-man, the team will designate Cade Winquest for assignment. New York took Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft over the offseason, but the right-hander didn’t manage to make it into a game in his two weeks with the club. After allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six in 4.2 innings for Scranton on Sunday, Gil is scheduled to make his season debut tonight against the Rays.
The Yankees made the move official on Friday afternoon;
Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves: •Recalled RHP Luis Gil (#81) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. •Designated RHP Cade Winquest for assignment.
The Winquest decision will likely spark debate over the Yankees’ decision to roster him but never use him across 12 games. For one perspective, check out the PSA account on BlueSky.
SNY | Alex Smith: The New York Yankees were blanked on Thursday afternoon by Jeffrey Springs and co., losing 1-0 and logging a single hit, a Ben Rice single in the seventh. They lost the series at the hands of the Athletics and haven’t scored a single run in their last 17 innings. As Matt noted in his recap for us, when the top of the order has a bad day, it just exposes the completely-punchless lower half. Ryan McMahon (2-for-29) and José Caballero (5-for-37) have horrid wRC+’s of 17 and 10, respectively, the catchers haven’t hit, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. has yet to homer. In fact, Chisholm, McMahon, Caballero, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham, and Austin Wells have combined for as many homers (2 in 304 PA) as bench bat Amed Rosario had on Tuesday alone.
Even manager Aaron Boone, known for always finding a silver lining in every tough situation, didn’t find any positives in Thursday’s game. “Look, we got shut down today,” Boone said. “The previous games where we’re struggling scoring, I feel like we’re getting the traffic and we’re having quality at-bats. Today was a day where we got beat. We just didn’t generate much, we didn’t hit a lot of balls on the screws at all, and didn’t create much traffic.”
NY Post | Dan Martin and Mark W. Sánchez: Yankees closer David Bednar, who has given up runs in three of his last four outings, has been averaging 95.6 mph with his fastball. After checking in at 97.1 mph in 2025 and 97.2 mph the year before, it’s clear his velo has been down a bit. The pitcher, however, is not concerned. “It’s early in the season and the weather [is cold],” Bednar told reporters. “It’s nothing to panic about.”
It’s also important to point out that the reliever has been throwing a lot these days due to the Yankees’ shallow bullpen, but the situation is worth monitoring even though it’s very early, and the cold does play a role. The pitching staff has at least generally done its part so far; it’s more the offense that needs to catch up.
The Yankees starting rotation is yielding a dazzling 2.14 ERA this season, permitting just 16 earned runs, the fewest in franchise history though the first 12 games of a season.
CBS | RotoWire Staff: Yankees veteran ace Gerrit Cole keeps advancing in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. After throwing on Monday without issues, the next step is facing hitters with High-A Hudson Valley, according to Boone. The session will take place on Sunday and, if it goes well, a rehab assignment could be next.
