NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 15: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals takes the field wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
If you read the little text under this article, I dubbed this a must win game for the Royals. While this is just game 18 on the season, this game tonight is huge for the vibes and direction of the team.
The Royals are 7-10 on the season, mostly because of inept offense, they’ve scored 2 runs or less in 10 of their first 17 games and in 6 of their last 7 games. When they hold a lead late, like last night, it’s a lot of pressure on the bullpen to be perfect, with no cushion, and it’s a blown lead late again, similar to Sunday.
If the Royals go out there and lose another game scoring 2 runs or less, it starts to build even more frustration offensively and then the pitching can’t continue to be as excellent as they have been, because they are under constant stress to be perfect, because of the poor offense.
Outside of the team, fans, especially the casual ones will keep losing interest in the ballclub, and April isn’t even over yet. The NFL Draft is next week, and we live in Chiefs country, so you know the casual fan will be tuned out quickly if things don’t turn around soon.
Good thing is, like me, most of you are diehard fans and we are in it until game 162 concludes or further beyond that. Tonight the Royals are sending Seth Lugo to the mound, he has been phenomenal all season long. The veteran right-hander has churned out good start after good start this season. If he does that again tonight, the Royals are in business to even this series up.
As for the Tigers, they got off to an abysmal start, 4-9, including being swept in a four-game series by the Twins, who are winning the division… what??? Since then, they’ve won four straight games after sweeping the Marlins at home and rallying last night to beat Kansas City. They are 6-1 at home this season.
Right hander Jack Flaherty starts for Detroit. After two rough starts, his last outing in Minnesota was a good one, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings.
Also, today is Jackie Robinson Day, so everyone will be donned with 42 as their number. It’s a very special and historic day in baseball history, hopefully the Royals can break out tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. CT, the game can be streamed on Royals.TV.
San Diego Padres SP Matt Waldron (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres are on a roll, as they have won nine of their last 11 games. They sit comfortably in second place in the National League West. But the momentum may turn for the worse after Nick Pivetta left his last start with right elbow stiffness. The injury has forced the Padres to place the right-hander on the injured list.
The Friars cannot afford another significant blow to their starting rotation. Joe Musgrove is still recovering from elbow surgery, and losing another key contributor like Pivetta has placed the rotation in a period of uncertainty.
Add the poor showing from German Marquez in his first three starts with the Padres. Suddenly, the team’s starting pitching depth has been challenged. Marquez has a 5.54 ERA with a 1.69 WHIP over 13 innings pitched. With the recent rash of injuries and bad outings at the beginning of the season, the Friars need to identify reliable starters who can throw quality innings.
Waldron has embraced becoming a knuckleball pitcher
Matt Waldron has been trying to perfect the knuckleball, so it becomes the main weapon in his pitching arsenal. He aims to throw his knuckleball at least 75% of the pitches thrown in every start. It would be a significant increase from previous seasons, which were approximately 38%.
He is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season. An oblique injury hampered Waldron and limited him to one start last summer. It was a late June start against the Philadelphia Phillies, as the right-hander struggled with his control. He walked six batters in a 4-0 defeat.
Give Waldron credit for trying to reinvent himself on the mound. He needed to learn to trust the knuckleball. Waldron came to Peoria with newfound confidence, as he threw the knuckleball in the 75-80 MPH range this spring. The velocity will remind older baseball fans of former major leaguer Tom Candiotti.
The hope is to combine the knuckler with his fastball to keep opposing hitters baffled inside the batter’s box. Waldron wants to disrupt their timing with the knuckler’s movement toward home plate.
Hart might be too valuable to take out of ‘pen
Kyle Hart opened the 2026 campaign as the long man in the bullpen. In six appearances, Hart has pitched 11 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits. His control has been up and down with five walks and only six strikeouts this season.
Part of Hart’s struggles stems from lowering his arm slot during his delivery toward home plate. It has been a struggle to maximize movement on his sweeper and sinker. When he has been successful in games, he induces batters to hit groundballs at a 57.6% rate. His delivery forces hitters to begin their swing early and make weak contact.
The left-hander has 30 major league appearances, including nine career starts. It would be tough to transition back into being a starting pitcher, as Hart needs to stretch his arm out to go more than a couple of innings of work.
Having an experienced pitcher filling the long man’s role in the bullpen is a luxury. Hart might be a better asset to keep a game close after a poor start than to replace Marquez in the starting rotation.
The Friars will have Waldron take over Pivetta’s spot in the starting rotation. He is ready for the challenge.
Waldron may not be the ideal foundation piece for the rotation, but he is ready to change the Friar Faithful’s opinion of him on the mound.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 15: Ryan Watson #56 (L) and Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate the win against the Minnesota Twins after the game at Target Field on April 15, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The Red Sox defeated the Twins 9-5. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox broke out the bats in need of a response from Tuesday’s shutout loss.
A big day for Trevor Story (5 RBIs) helped Boston earn a 9-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox avoided the sweep against the best team in the American League so far.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s series finale.
The offense responds
The Red Sox put six runs on the board after Garrett Crochet’s implosion Monday night. The lineup followed that with its first shutout loss of the season Tuesday.
How would this remarkably inconsistent group respond Wednesday?
Surprisingly well.
Boston put together good at-bats from the jump and took advantage of extra opportunities. The Red Sox scored a pair on a dual-error from Twins infielder Luke Keaschall. Moments later, Trevor Story lifted a three-run home run to left field for another rare Boston homer. As referenced by The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, that marked the team’s first three-run blast of the season.
Connelly Early posted a 2.63 ERA to start the season, though the young lefty struggled to get deeper into his starts.
He did a much better job keeping his pitch count down in this start and kept a red-hot Twins lineup in check. Early settled in after he allowed a first-inning solo shot to Austin Martin.
Early finished six strong innings of one-run ball with just two hits allowed and five strikeouts.
Story time (broadcast, not Trevor)
The best in-game story came around on NESN this afternoon when Will Middlebrooks shared his recollection of a productive night with the late Jerry Remy.
The former Red Sox third baseman shared that on a road trip when he struggled as a rookie, Remy came to his room with a bottle of wine and worked on the rookie’s timing with rolled up socks to simulate baseballs.
You can catch the full story here.
.@middlebrooks with a touching story about his relationship with Remdog ❤️
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 12: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals is tagged out by Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at home plate on Josh Bell #19's fielder's choice during the sixth inning of the baseball game at Nationals Park on September 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the Washington Nationals this evening at beautiful PNC Park, where they hope to raise the Jolly Roger.
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CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 02: Tyler Mahle #30 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch in the game against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on July 02, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds will be trying to win the series against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park after last night’s thrilling 2-1 win in the opener. Homers from Spencer Steer and budding superstar Sal Stewart were all the Reds needed, as Brady Singer turned in his finest performance of the season to date.
(Did I say budding superstar Sal Stewart? I believe I did.)
Su-per-star.
Anyway, Superstar Sal will try to take down old friend Tyler Mahle, who’ll get the start tonight for the Giants. He’s there after injuries decimated most of his 2023-2024 seasons, though he rebounded well enough in 16 starts with the Texas Rangers in 2025 to land a $10 million guarantee to pitch for San Francisco this season.
Mahle still lives on his fastball for the most part, though he’s dropped the slider he used in his time with the Reds almost exclusively while working a splitter into his repertoire 30.6% of the time this year. Given that he’s got a rising four-seamer, that’s likely his attempt to get the bottom to fall out of pitches hitters would otherwise think were elevated on purpose.
Rhett Lowder will toe the rubber for the Reds looking to rebound from a rough outing last time. First pitch in this one is set for the typical 6:40 PM ET start time, and the Reds lineup is listed below.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 13: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammate Bryce Harper #3 after rounding the bases on a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on April 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the finale against the Cubs, with a series win on the line. Here are the lineups, let’s discuss.
The Mets have placed INF/OF Jared Young on the 10-day injured list with a left meniscus tear, and according to The Athletic's Will Sammon, Young will undergo surgery in New York.
To take Young’s spot on the major league roster, OF MJ Melendez has been recalled.
Additionally, RHP Luis Garcia has been released after previously being designated for assignment.
The veteran Young had gotten off to a strong start this season, going 7-for-20 with two doubles, two RBI, and a .391 OBP.
But manager Carlos Mendoza announced before Tuesday's loss to the Dodgers that Young has been dealing with a knee issue, which has kept him out of the lineup since Sunday.
"Jared is dealing with some left knee discomfort. Happened Sunday after the game," Mendoza said. "Didn't get better yesterday, so we have to see what we're dealing with here."
Mendoza said at the time that an IL stint was possible, and further testing obviously made that possibility become a reality.
Melendez, meanwhile, was signed by the Mets on a split contract this offseason, and while there was a possibility he could make the team out of spring training, the former Royal started the year with Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .216 in 14 games.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 15: Daniel Schneemann #10 of the Cleveland Guardians is caught stealing second base by Masyn Winn #0 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning while wearing the #42 to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day at Busch Stadium on April 15, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Slade pitched today. It started raining early in his start, and that really seemed to mess with him. His velocity was down and his command was bad. Despite that, he managed to go 4 innings giving up only 1 run. Walked 5, struckout 4.
The Guardians scored right away when Kwan hit a lead off double down the 3rd base line. DeLauter moved Kwan over with a groundout. In a strange sequence of events, Jose grounded to short, which Kwan tried to score on, but tripped halfway down the line, then got into a rundown and eventually got tagged out at third. Jose got to second, though, which proved crucial when Manzardo drove him in with an RBI single right after. Manzardo was 2/2 today.
In the top of the 6th, Jose fouled a ball off his shin, and was on the ground in pain for a while. He got up and finished the at-bat, but looked to be lumbering to first on his groundout. He stayed in the game at DH.
Cecconi gave up a run in the second, and the game was quiet until the 6th, when things seemed to get away from the Guardians’ bullpen. Brogdon pitched a scoreless 5th, but was then brought back out for the 6th. He gave up back to back singles, then the Cardinals bunted the runners over. Brogdon then walked Victor Scott and was pulled for Herrin. Herrin gave up RBI sac fly to Wetherholt, and then a 2-run single to Alec Burleson that barely escaped through the middle of the infield.
The Guardians fought right back (down 4-1 at this point), putting two guys on with two outs in the 7th with Bo Naylor up against a lefty. Bo got to a full count and then smoked a ball into the gap in right-center, scoring both Hoskins and Schneemann.
Festa came on for the 7th (after getting out of trouble in the 6th), and gave up an RBI double to Nathan Church (who has had the series of his life this week).
The Guardians had the top of their order up in the 8th, but went 1-2-3 to Cardinals LHRP JoJo Romero. Festa pitched a scoreless 8th, but Riley O’Brien shut it down in the 9th.
The Guardians head back home for a 3-game set against Baltimore starting tomorrow.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 07: Former Pirates pitcher AJ Burnett throws the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday, April 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Batman will be back in the building at PNC Park and where he belongs.
A fan favorite despite only playing three years in Pittsburgh, no one captivated the fan base quite like this former All-Star pitcher.
A.J. Burnett will throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Friday night before the Pirates host the Tampa Bay Rays for the first of a three-game series.
Burnett voiced the Pirates new City Connect debut video and donned the Pirates new alternate.
The Pirates will debut their City Connect jerseys during Friday’s game at PNC Park and wear them throughout the season on Friday home games.
“Batman” signed with the Pirates prior to the 2012 season and won 16 games his first year. He was a member of the 2013 Pirates club that won 94 games and clinched a playoff bid for the first time since 1992.
Burnett finished 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA over 39 starts and struck out 209 batters in 191 innings.
He left Pittsburgh and pitched in Philadelphia during the 2014 season before returning home for 2015.
The Pirates finished 98-64 as Burnett totaled a 3.18 ERA over 26 starts, the lowest in his entire 17-year MLB career with five different clubs.
Burnett earned his only All-Star appearance as a 38-year-old crafty right hander that owned a 122 ERA+ and 143 strikeouts in 164 innings of work.
Burnett tweeted his own hype video with the caption, “See Yinz this weekend,” to fire up the fan base.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 14: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single in the third inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, first these two teams took forever to get the lineups posted, and then I got snowed under by work, so now, I get to dump the Statcast graphic here for both lineups. Yay.
The “big” change for the Braves is flip-flopping Mauricio Dubon and Michael Harris II. This is the first time that’s happened this season against a right-hander, as to this point, all lineups against righties had Harris hitting either immediately ahead of Dubon, or a few spots up. Doing this creates more alternation in handedness, though the flip side is that Mike Yastrzemski has dropped behind Ozzie Albies as well, so this move largely just breaks up a chain of three straight lefties. Fun times.
The Marlins have put in a bit of a different lineup compared to their earlier efforts, with Deyvison De Los Santos starting at first and Heriberto Hernandez starting in left field. As a result, Otto Lopez moves up to third in Agustin Ramirez’ absence.
The batter-versus-pitcher stuff here is kinda fun, if ultimately meaningless. Every single guys in the Braves’ lineup has faced Chris Paddack, though only Yastrzemski and Smith have faced him enough to amass double-digit PAs. Yastrzemski has crushed him (.550 wOBA, .468 xwOBA); the combined line for this lineup is a .325 wOBA and .370 xwOBA in 76 PAs.
Elder has faced the Marlins a lot, but their cast of characters rotates a fair bit, so we’ve only got six of the nine guys in their lineup with direct major league experience against Elder — and no one has more than eight PAs. Collectively, it’s a .459 wOBA and .321 xwOBA in 26 PAs, with Hernandez and Xavier Edwards the two good xwOBAs among the six.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 18: Luke Williams #37 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Monday, August 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cole Carter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The NL East leading Atlanta Braves sent Luke Williams to Gwinnett today. Luke said no dice.
The Braves outrighted Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett, and he elected free agency
Luke Williams elected free agency today. He was brought up on April 11th when Michael Harris II welcomed Michael the third into the world. This move exposed Luke’s tenuous grasp on a Atlanta Braves 40-man roster spot. When this was lost, Luke decided to check his options with other teams.
Williams is a handy guy to have around as a last guy on the bench type. Luke has never played catcher but has played every other position on the diamond including pitcher. He’s listed as a shortstop, but has played more games in the outfield (mostly left field) and third base than shortstop. But right now the Braves are using every spot on the roster to make up for the losses of Sean Murphy and Ha-seong Kim. Maybe he can find another organization, or could be reabsorbed onto the Braves’ minor league system. Williams was designated for assignment on September 5, 2025 and did accept the demotion. He rolled off the roster and the end of last season, but found himself back on the Spring Training roster. Stay tuned to see if our favorite utility/relief pitcher finds his way back to Atlanta.
In which the Red Sox make an ass of the Twins. | David Berding / Getty Images
They blew our doors off ‘Cause sometimes it’s pain; It’s always crazy like that. As we watched from our couches, We had hope in the upside; It may continue. We saw as Woods Richardson threw; Strong start, a Martin jack, But it crashed amid a muddled third, And we hit the sack. First Luke erred, then Story hit one over the wall While Early made our bats unravel.
Well, the offense wasn’t scoring While Boston racked up hits. This was a game many find boring, Muted and out of our wits.
These losing games are sore just past a streak; But wins will return as soon as this week, We won’t wait a week.
Another zillion every inning, Scoreboard keeps going up And lighting much to often. Sim and Banda both got rocked, While the lineup couldn’t pop off; Kreidler homered, but win? No, And we clumsily walk to the car.
‘Cause they’re losing, Guess I should name a Comment of the Game: Let’s go with Joel’sbeg for recs,* Let’s go with passing him blame.**
These losing games are very sore, they’re very sore, They’re scarily very sore. But wins will return; we’ll pick up some more And once again score.
They blew our doors off ‘Cause sometimes it’s pain; It’s always crazy like that.
*honorable mention to Uncle Lincoln and this understanding of execution methods **alternately, blame me for misspelling Ryan Kreidler’s name in the lineup graphic
MILESTONE INCOMING: A win tonight will be the Cubs’ 1,250th vs. the Phillies. The game will be the 2,401st in the rivalry, which began in 1883. The Cubs have won more games against three teams: the Pirates (1,287), Cardinals (1,281) and Braves (1,256). They have played 223 more games vs. the Pirates, 125 more vs. the Cardinals and 62 fewer vs. the Braves. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TIME TO BREAK THIS STREAK: The Cubs have not won a series at Philadelphia since they swept three games July 22-24, 2022. In each of the past three years, they went 1-2. In the last two, they lost, won and lost. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
YOU GO, CARSON: Carson Kelly, last nine games since April 3: .414/.528/.621 (12-for-29) with three doubles, a home run, seven walks and five runs scored.
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Sammy Sosa’s three-run homer in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie and the Cubs went on to defeat the Pirates 5-1. It happened 25 years ago today, Sunday, April 15, 2001.
Shōta Imanaga was just magnificent in his last start, last Friday against the Pirates — six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts.
His only career start vs. the Phillies happened July 3, 2024 at Wrigley Field. He allowed three runs in six innings, striking out eight. That might work tonight (but don’t give up two home runs, as he did that day at Wrigley, to Rafael Marchán and Alec Bohm).
Jesús Luzardo has made three starts this year and been hit hard in two of them, by the Rangers and Diamondbacks. He did have a good outing vs. the Rockies, with 11 strikeouts.
I’d like to think the Cubs offense is on par with the Rangers and D-backs. But we will see.
Luzardo was tough against the Cubs last year, throwing 12 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with 15 strikeouts.
For whatever it’s worth, Luzardo’s good outing this year came on the road and he was hit hard twice at CBP.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 15: Blaze Alexander #23 and Johnathan Rodríguez #62 of the Baltimore Orioles collide as they make an out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 15, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You do not have to be a savvy baseball mind to look at a major league outfield consisting of Weston Wilson, Blaze Alexander, and Johnathan Rodríguez and wonder if there has been some mistake. The Orioles didn’t actually seriously think that was going to work out well when Wednesday’s starting lineup was submitted, did they? A series of defensive botch jobs cost the Orioles early, stamping out what might have otherwise been a fun game as the offense was the first group this year to get to Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez.
Eventually, things went to extra innings and Tyler Wells imploded thoroughly, sending the Orioles to an 8-5 loss to the Diamondbacks to close out this homestand. So much for the good vibes from Monday’s big comeback win.
The ingredients were there for things to go better for the Orioles today. Kyle Bradish came out of the gate amped up, pumping 97 and 98 while striking out two of the game’s first three batters. If only he could have struck out everyone, because pretty much every time the ball was hit to the outfield, something weird and bad happened.
The warning signs were also there in that very first inning. Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll batted with one out and hit a fly ball that hung up for a long time, heading towards right field. Any outfielder with modest speed gets there easily. Unfortunately, the Orioles right fielder today was Rodríguez, a big guy whose foot speed is lumbering at best. Statcast gave this ball a .060 expected batting average. It was a double. On this occasion, the O’s were not harmed.
Bradish’s bottom of the lineup gave him a small early lead. Two-out doubles in the second, one by Coby Mayo and one by Sam Huff – a third catcher called up just to start today’s game – put the Orioles ahead. Mayo’s double came after a weird scene where the home plate umpire, John Tumpane, quickly assessed Mayo as challenging a pitch when he never touched his helmet. One of the O’s ABS challenges was burned up just like that.
Arizona struck back with two outs in the top of the third. Their rally started with Carroll drawing a walk, the only one that Bradish issued on the day. A single gave the D-backs runners on the corners. Cleanup hitter Adrian Del Castillo rocked a fly ball to left field that kept carrying about as far into the left field/bullpen corner as it can go. Left fielder Weston Wilson gave chase despite getting a bad break on the ball and ran far enough to get his glove on the ball.
Wilson bricked the catch. Adding to the bleak comedy of the play, Wilson then bumped into the wall behind him and had an almost cartoon-like slow slide to the ground. Alexander had to race over from center field to back up the play. Initially, this was scored as an error on Wilson, a perspective that seemed obvious on the live play. The scorer soon reversed themselves and turned this into a two-run triple.
That’s a joke. I don’t mean a joke in the sense of “I’m telling a joke by saying something that didn’t really happen.” No. It really happened. I mean that the decision is a joke. Perhaps not as bad of a joke as this outfield defense.
This is not to say that all of Bradish’s problems can be blamed on his outfield defense. Arizona got to him fairly and clearly when a couple of bottom-of-the-lineup guys did their own back-to-back doubles to put the Diamondbacks back on top in the fourth inning.
It could have been fun in spite of all of this. The Orioles retook the lead in the fifth inning. Wilson partially atoned for his earlier miscue by hitting a single. This left him on base when early-season star Jeremiah Jackson homered into the vicinity of the Bird Bath in left-center field. Jackson drove in three runs in the game and now has a .949 OPS for the season. He’s continued to be a pleasant surprise since his debut last August.
The lead, alas, did not last for long. Bradish gave the run back in the top of the sixth. Bradish would have had two earned runs in six innings were it not for the scorer’s reversal. Instead, four earned runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings leaves him with an elevated 5.49 ERA. The Orioles will need better to go somewhere good this year.
The teams traded runs in the seventh. Ketel Marte dropped a smooth bunt to lead off the inning with a base hit. The next batter was Carroll, who hit a fly ball with a lot of hang time that fell in front of Alexander in center field. I will say a real center fielder should have caught it, with the observation that the expected average on this ball was .250.
Reliever Grant Wolfram got one grounder into the drawn-in infield, preventing the run from coming home. The next guy, Del Castillo, hit a chopper that deflected off the glove of a leaping Wolfram. By the time Gunnar Henderson fielded the ball behind Wolfram, there was no chance to throw the runner out at home.
Henderson figured prominently as the Orioles tied the game once again. He led off with a single, stole second base, then scored on a little squibber hit by pinch-hitter Leody Taveras. One might wonder why Taveras wasn’t in the starting lineup for defense alone, without even getting into his hitting well early on this year. He delivered the game-tying hit, setting the 5-5 score that eventually went into extra innings. The Orioles went three-up, three-down in the eighth and ninth. There was no real walkoff potential.
That brings us around to Wells. He was, in essence, the only choice for the tenth inning. The Orioles had used four relievers before him. The excellent-so-far Rico Garcia had pitched the two previous days and was probably unavailable. Albert Suárez was the only other guy out there.
This was our first 2026 Orioles experience with the zombie runner, the Manfred Man, or however you like to refer to the guy who starts on second base in extra frames. Arizona had a fast guy lined up in the form of Carroll. They even spotted Wells an out. They made the tactically-questionable choice to have their #3 hitter bunt Carroll to third base on the road, when the Orioles would still have the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the inning.
Wells didn’t make them pay. What he did do was give up a home run to Del Castillo, the catcher’s first of the season, giving him five RBI in the game. He gave up two more hits and the Diamondbacks had an 8-5 lead at the end of it. No Orioles batter reached base in the bottom of the tenth and the frustrating game finally ended.
Would it have gone so much better if Tyler O’Neill was not on the injured list and if Taylor Ward was not used as the designated hitter? I am not so sure that it would have. The Orioles did not construct this roster with corner outfield defense as a priority. This is not the first game where we’ve seen the effects of that. It’s just the most egregious because the second wave of guys, playing out of position, might be even worse than the first wave.
After getting us to feel good about them on Monday, the Orioles are back down to .500 at 9-9. They now head to Cleveland, where they’ll start a four-game series with the Guardians on Thursday evening. Cleveland is 10-9 so far this season. Shane Baz and Parker Messick are the scheduled starting pitchers for the 6:10 game.
Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. has been spectacular to start the Double-A season, and on Tuesday night he continued that success against one of baseball's best.
Lombard enjoyed himself a 2-for-4 showing in Somerset’s win over Reading, with one of those knocks being a well-struck RBI double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler, of course, was making his fourth rehab appearance with the Fightin Phils as he continues recovering from surgeries for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome.
He got the best of Lombard in his first two at-bats, though, striking him out and getting him to fly out to center before giving up the first-pitch double in the sixth.
Afterwards, the three-time All-Star spoke highly of the young sluggers potential.
“I thought he was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters. “You can tell he’s a good, strong kid and he has a good bat path -- he’s going to be a good player, so I hope I don’t have to face him too much.”
Lombard's glove has been his calling card to this point, but so far this season his offense has followed suit.
The 21-year-old is now hitting .429 with a stellar 1.372 OPS though eight games.
He’s racked up four multi-hit showings, six extra base-hits, and has stuck out just five times over that span.
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who was with Somerset to kick off his rehab assignment, also had nothing but good things to say about the organization's top young talent.
“I thought he looked great out there,” Volpe said. “He made great plays in the field, put together good at-bats, smoked the ball to right -- he’s a really hard worker and a really good kid, so it’s going to be exciting.”
With Volpe in the lineup, Lombard got his first start of the season at third base, giving the Yankees a glimpse of their potential left-side of the infield down the line.
And the youngster was sure to put on a show defensively as well, taking care of all of his opportunities, including a pair of slick plays to rob the Fightin Phils of hits.
If Lombard can keep this up, perhaps he'll receive the call to Triple-A before long.
