ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 30: Kyle Leahy #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium on March 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage the final game of their series against the Detroit Tigers in a night contest. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will start the game for St. Louis while it will be Keider Montero for Detroit. This will be Montero’s first start of the season while Kyle Leahy is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. Game time at Comerica Park is 6:20pm central time. The broadcast of this game is being handled by NBC Sports Network/Peacock.
Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) looks up after a pitch, during the Detroit Tigers Opening Day at Comerica Park in Detroit, Friday, April 3, 2026. The Tigers won 4-0 | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (4-4) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (4-4)
Time/Place: 7:20 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site: Viva El Birdos Media: Peacock, NBC Sports, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Leahy (0-1, 7.20 ERA)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park on April 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers began their road trip in a similar fashion as their first home series, with a comeback win to complete a three-game sweep. This time it came against the Washington Nationals as the Dodgers scored seven unanswered runs and erased a five-run deficit to win 8-6.
It took a two hour and 15 minute rain delay to pass before Roki Sasaki could make his second start of the season, and although he allowed a hit over his first two hitters he faced, he got through a scoreless first inning on just nine pitches. He notched another scoreless inning bottom of the second, striking out a pair of hitters while also working around a two-out walk to Jorbit Vivas.
The Dodgers managed to strike first for a second consecutive game as Shohei Ohtani crushed his second home run of the series 438 feet to dead center field against left-hander Foster Griffin to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Ohtani later picked up a double in the top of the fifth inning to give him his third consecutive multi-hit game against Washington.
The Dodger lead was short lived as Sasaki surrendered a two-out, two-strike home run to Luis García Jr., helping give Washington since the second inning of Friday’s contest. He was still pitching relatively efficiently with just 44 pitches over his first three innings, but his confidence and his faith in his stuff began to weaken in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Sasaki was working with a C.J. Abrams at second base with two outs when he induced a weak ground ball from Keibert Ruiz down the first base side, but the ball ricocheted off the first base bag well over the head of Freddie Freeman, allowing Abrams to score and make it a two-run Washington lead. José Tena kept the two-out rally going with a single to put two men on with two outs for the struggling James Wood. Wood got a splitter right down the middle from Sasaki, and deposited it into the center field bleachers to make it a 6-1 Nationals lead.
Sasaki was able to have a clean bottom of the fifth inning, facing the minimum in order while picking up a pair of strikeouts, but it was yet another roller coaster of a performance. Over five innings of work, he allowed six earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five, now carrying an unconvincing 7.00 ERA on the season.
Dalton Rushing was given his second straight start against a left-hander this season, and he cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.
The Dodgers bullpen continued to shine in relief of Sasaki, as both Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer posted scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings respectively and continue to post spotless earned run averages.
The Nationals kept rolling with southpaws throughout the first seven innings, as PJ Poulin completed two innings of work despite being responsible for the Rushing home run. Left-hander Cionel Pérez took over for Washington in the top of the eighth, and he immediately put the Nationals lead in jeopardy by allowing a single to Freddie Freeman and a double to Andy Pages to put two men in scoring position with nobody out. The former National Alex Call worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases and Santiago Espinal had his first big moment as a Dodger with a two-run single to center field, trimming the deficit to one.
Will Smith came in as a pinch-hitter for Dalton Rushing, even though Rushing had gone deep against a left-hander in his previous at-bat, and Smith kept the line moving with a walk to once again load the bases with nobody out. As the Nationals brought in former Dodgers prospect Clayton Beeter, the Dodgers countered with Kyle Tucker as a pinch-hitter for Alex Freeland, and Tucker brought home the tying run by reaching on a fielder’s choice. Shohei Ohtani gave the Dodgers their first lead since the third with a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-6 game.
The Dodgers added some insurance in the top of the the ninth inning as Teoscar Hernández took Beeter deep to left-center field for his first home run of the season, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.
Tanner Scott kept up the impressive work from the bullpen and Edwin Díaz recorded his first save on the road as the Dodgers remain undefeated away from Dodger Stadium.
Game particulars
Home runs— Shohei Ohtani (2), Dalton Rushing (1), Teoscar Hernández (1); Luis García Jr. (1), James Wood (2)
The Dodgers fly north of the border as they prepare for a rematch of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Monday at Rogers Centre (4:07 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Justin Wrobleski makes his first start of the season, going up against Max Scherzer.
Once they got Logan Webb out of the game, the Mets pounced. And thanks to a four-run top of the eighth against the Giants’ bullpen, they went on to win the game 5-2 and take the series in the process.
Webb was fantastic for San Francisco, as he gave up just one run on seven hits in seven innings of work. That wound up being the better starting pitching line in the game, as Kodai Senga started better than Webb but faltered a bit in the sixth inning. Having struck out five batters in a row at one point across the first three innings of the game, Senga saw his fastball velocity taper off a bit in the sixth, and he gave up two runs before he was able to finish that inning.
Still, it was a very good start from Senga, whose work through his first two games has been one of the most encouraging things about this very early phase of the Mets’ 2026 season. Sure, he topped out at 98 miles per hour today with his fastball, a slight decrease from touching 99 in his first start. But his average velocity and results are both very clearly improved following his late-season struggles in 2025.
Huascar Brazobán deserves praise for his work in relief of Senga, as he got the final out of the sixth after inheriting a runner on first base when he came into the game. And he worked a quick scoreless seventh inning, too, to keep the game well within reach.
As for the Mets’ runs in this one, Mark Vientos stayed hot with an RBI single in the second to open the scoring. Jared Young had a 3-for-3 day at the plate—and made a great throw from left field to get a runner advancing to second base on a single—but wasn’t able to score as Webb found ways to keep the Mets to that one run.
Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Vientos all had multi-hit games, too, but the Mets’ biggest opportunity through the first seven innings came with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, Francisco Lindor grounded out to second base, leaving the Mets trailing by one.
Polanco sparked the Mets’ eighth inning rally, though, as he hit a one-out double, after which he was immediately pinch run for by Tyrone Taylor. Robert singled to put runners on the corners, and with the left-handed hitting Young due up, the Giants turned to left-handed rleiever Erik Miller.
Carlos Mendoza countered by sending Luis Torrens up to pinch hit. After working the count full and getting a stolen base from Robert to put two runners in scoring position, Torrens roped an outside pitch down the right field line for a double, easily scoring both runs to give the Mets the lead. And the Mets tacked on a couple more runs, as Mark Vientos hit a ground ball to third base that Matt Chapman fielded and threw to first base quickly. Rafael Devers, playing his first game at first base this year, botched the scoop, though, bringing Torrens home with the Mets’ fourth run.
To top things off, Marcus Semien smoked a double to left field to plate Vientos with the team’s fifth and final run of the afternoon.
Luke Weaver and Devin Williams threw a scoreless inning apiece to close out the win. Weaver didn’t strike anyone out, but he only needed 12 pitches to get through the eighth. And while Williams gave up a pair of hits, he notched a strikeout and didn’t really make it feel like the Mets’ lead was at any risk of slipping away.
The Mets are off tomorrow, but they’re 6-4 on the season. They’re set to host the Diamondbacks for a three-game series the starts on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Big Mets winner: Luis Torrens, +30.6% WPA Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -20.6% WPA Mets pitchers: +10.9% WPA Mets hitters: +39.1% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Torrens hits a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth, +31.2% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Matt Chapman doubles in a run in the sixth, -19.4% WPA
The Mets scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2, on Sunday.
New York recorded 13 hits to extend their winning streak to three games after dropping the first game of the four-game series.
Here are the key takeaways…
-- With Logan Webb out of the game, the Mets bats woke up in the eighth inning with five straight hits to take the lead. Jorge Polanco doubled and Luis Robert Jr. singled, knocking relief pitcher Keaton Winn out of the game after facing just three batters. Robert evaded Luis Arraez' tag to steal second base with one out and came around to score on Luis Torrens' pinch-hit two-run double to put the Mets ahead, 3-2.
Torrens then scored after a low throw from Matt Chapman on Mark Vientos' hard hit got by Rafael Devers at first base, making it a 4-2 game. The hits kept coming as Marcus Semien doubled to bring Vientos in, pushing the lead to 5-2.
-- Kodai Senga, starting on four days rest, looked great for the first five innings. He struck out two in the first inning (thanks to some help from Francisco Alvarez and the ABS challenge system) and then struck out the side in the second inning. The right-hander kept San Francisco scoreless through the fifth, allowing just two singles up to that point.
Things took a turn in the sixth inning as Senga ran out of gas. Chapman tied the game with a two-out RBI double and Devers put the Giants ahead, 2-1, on a bloop single to center field. Senga's day ended after 5.2 innings and 88 pitches, allowing the two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
-- Vientoscontinued to swing a hot bat and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, driving in Robert from second base. He had another RBI opportunity in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on the corners, but grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
-- Starting in the outfield for just the second time in his career, Jared Young made a nice sliding catch in left field for the second out of the third inning. Young made an impressive throw in the fifth inning, fielding a ball off the wall and launching it in time to get Jerar Encarnacion out at second base on Semien's tag.
-- Manager Carlos Mendoza expressed some frustration in the seventh inning after a strike was called against Semien, but the first base ump said he swung, preventing him from challenging the pitch. Semien ended up striking out swinging with Young on third base.
New York still had a scoring chance after the strikeout, as Carson Benge walked and stole second base, and Alvarez reached first on a catcher's interference. Although, Francisco Lindor couldn't come up with the big hit, grounding out to second to end the inning.
-- Giants manager Tony Vitello was ejected in the bottom of the seventh for arguing a runner's interference call with Encarnacion at first base with Vientos.
-- Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams combined to toss 3.1 scoreless innings to secure the win. Williams allowed a one-out hit in the ninth, but Torrens helped him earn his second save of the year by throwing out Chapman trying to steal second base.
GAME MVP
Jared Young, who made two clutch defensive plays to help out Senga and went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double.
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s pitch clock was no match for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins.
New York’s 9-7 win Saturday night lasted 3 hours, 49 minutes, the longest nine-inning game since the pitch clock was instituted for the 2023 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
MLB had not had a nine-inning game that long since Boston’s 13-9 with over Baltimore went 3:57 on Sept. 27, 2022, according to Elias.
The previous high for a nine-inning game since the pitch clock started in 2023 was 3:45 for the Oakland Athletics’ 7-6 win at the New York Mets on Aug. 15, 2024.
New York and Miami combined for 379 pitches by 13 pitchers, and Marlins pitchers walked 10, increasing their total to 21 in the first two games of the series. There were 21 runners left on base, including 12 by Miami.
MLB’s average time of a nine-inning game dropped from 3:04 in 2022 to 2:40 the following year when the clock was instituted and decreased to 2:36 in 2024, its lowest since 1984’s 2:35. It rose to 2:38 last year.
The average game time passed 3 hours for the first time in 2016. It reached a record 3:10 in 2021 before the introduction of the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device helped bring it down to 3:04 in 2022.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 5: Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after hitting a solo home run 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
The Colorado Rockies successfully avoided the sweep in their first home series of the season, putting away the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Very strong pitching—a key theme through most of the nascent season thus far—helped the Rockies keep the Phillies at bay while three home runs from Rockies bats powered them to victory.
Some Sugar in your Easter basket
We can see why they call him “Tommy Sugar,” because Tomoyuki Sugano’s (菅野 智之) start this afternoon sure was sweet. The veteran Japanese righty was excellent in his Coors Field debut. He gave up just one earned run—a solo home run off the bat of slugger Adolis García in the second inning—through six innings of work. He became the first Rockies starter of the season to go six innings and the first to notch a Quality Start. Sugano struck out five Phillies hitters while giving up just four hits and one walk. He was also efficient and commanded the zone well. Sugano threw 78 pitches, 51 of which were strikes. Sugano also did a good job keeping the ball out of the air, recording eight outs via the groundout.
All four of the Rockies’ runs scored in their win against the Phillies came via some much needed power swings. Mickey Moniak opened things up with a solo home run in his first at-bat during the first inning. When Hunter Goodman reached via single, rookie TJ Rumfield showed off some thump of his own by sending the ball over the right field wall.
However, Moniak wasn’t one to be shown up. Perhaps to make up for losing the ball in the sun twice on defense during this series—once during the Home Opener and once today—Moniak sent his second home run of the game out of the park in the bottom of the fifth inning.
It may be early in the season, but this Rockies bullpen is earning their stripes through their first three series with a combined 3.12 ERA for one of the better marks in the league. The bullpen was dialed in after taking over for Tomoyuki Sugano. Jaden Hill pitched a hitless and scoreless frame, though he also received a little help from the former Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle. After a runner reached on an error from Edouard Julien, Doyle made an outstanding leaping catch into the wall to keep the Phillies off the board.
Brennan Bernardino worked an excellent 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts while Victor Vodnik entered the game for his second save opportunity of the season after blwoing a save in Toronto. Vodnik gave up a leadoff single to Alec Bohm before striking out Bryson Stott. There was a little sweat on a warm and sunny day when Adolis García reached via a single that got past first baseman Troy Johnston, but Vodnik struck out the next two batters to end the game and earn the save.
Starting tomorrow evening the Rockies will host the Houston Astros for a three-game series. The right-handed Ryan Feltner is scheduled to make the start for the Rockies, while the Astros have yet to announce their starter after their ace Hunter Brown was placed on the injured list today. First pitch will be at 6:40 PM MDT.
Apr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Mickey Moniak (22) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Phillies were going for a sweep over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday. But two home runs by Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak and a second straight day of quiet offense from the Phillies allowed the Rockies to avert the sweep as they beat the Phillies 4-1.
Taijuan Walker was looking to rebound after a poor start his last time out, and after quickly retiring the first two batters of the game, it looked like he might. But then Mickey Moniak sent a ball into the right field stands, and after a Hunter Goodman single, T.J. Rumfield hit a home run of his own to put the Phillies in a 3-0 hole.
Walker settled down after that and kept the Rockies off the board until the fifth. That’s when the player the Phillies took with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft hit another ball out of the park.
I’d say this was Moniak’s revenge game, but I’m not sure what he’s getting revenge for; Being a massive disappointment, prompting them to trade him for Noah Syndergaard? I guess good for him for establishing himself as a major league player, but this was annoying.
In Coors Field, a three-run deficit shouldn’t be insurmountable, especially since the Phillies’ bullpen chipped in three scoreless innings behind Walker. But since the early explosion on Friday afternoon, the Phillies’ bats have been quiet. The last two days have featured far too many meek at bats, and it seems like the few hard-hit balls have been hit to the wrong part of the park.
That Kyle Schwarber fly out came off the bat at 107.8 mph and traveled 421 feet.
It had an expected batting average of .970 and would have left 28/30 parks. That would have put the Phillies ahead.
The top five of the Phillies’ order went 2-19 against Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano and three relievers, and that’s not good enough, especially in a hitter’s park.
It would have been nice to come away with another win, especially since the Phillies will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2017, and if the bats don’t show more than they did this weekend, that streak is likely to continue for another year.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 16, 2026: Kevin Alcántara #13 of the Chicago Cubs hits an RBI double during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on March 16, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Right-hander Ryan Jensen joins the I-Cubs to take Riley Martin’s spot.
Starter Vince Velazquez got the win with five strong innings. He allowed just one run on two hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.
Tyler Santana bounced back from a terrible first outing of the year to throw three shutout innings of relief. He also allowed just one hit and issued one walk. Santana struck out three.
Third baseman James Triantos led off the game with a single. He then stole second, went to third on a bad throw and scored on a single by first baseman Jonathon Long.
Velazquez gave up a solo home run to Michael Chavis in the bottom of the third, but Iowa struck back with three runs in the top of the fourth. Catcher Christian Bethancourt had an RBI single and then Triantos struck again with a two-run double.
Keep 'em comin. James Triantos brings home two more to give the I-Cubs a 5-1 lead in the fourth! pic.twitter.com/CQBUYY526Q
Iowa’s sixth and final run came on a solo home run by right fielder Chas McCormick. It’s McCormick’s third game in a row he’s homered and his third home run in just four games this year.
We tried telling y'all to move the fences back 🤷♂️ Three straight games with a HR for Chas McCormick! pic.twitter.com/5wBzasbb7q
It was a rough start for Yenrri Rojas, who got hammered for ten runs, nine earned, on eight hits. Rojas walked four and struck out three.
The Smokies got 3.1 scoreless innings of relief out of Grant Kipp, although he did let three runners inherited from Rojas to score. Kipp gave up three hits, issued one walk and hit one batter. He struck out three.
Grant Kipp worked out of the bullpen in AA this afternoon. He tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and generating 7 whiffs.
The sequencing looked sharp, working high-RPM breaking stuff off a mid-90s fastball. pic.twitter.com/XrbRMxd1tG
Tyler Ras threw two scoreless innings of relief in his Cubs organizational debut. He allowed one hit. He didn’t walk anyone but he did hit one batter. Ras struck out two.
Second baseman Karson Simas hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 5: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field on April 5, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Chase Burns got the start for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in Arlington as the good guys looked to complete the three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers.
Brock Burke got the save for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in Arlington as the good guys did, in fact, complete the three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers.
Burns completed 6.0 IP of scoreless ball before finally yielding a run in the Top of the 7th, but Cincinnati’s offense managed to small-ball their way to runs on two separate occasions to make it a nervy, yet brilliant 2-1 win. The brilliance – timely singles by the middle of Cincinnati’s lineup aside – was in the deliveries of some of their electric young arms, who backed Burns on a day when some of their most proven relievers were unavailable.
Pierce Johnson and Sam Moll managed to get around an inherited runner left by Burns in the 7th, at which point things were turned over to Connor Phillips for the Bottom of the 8th inning with the heart of the Rangers lineup coming to the plate. Given that Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan were gassed from holding things together in the previous two wins of the series, it was going to be up to Phillips – and eventually Burke – to get to the finish line in this nailbiter of a game.
Those two did so with aplomb, even though Phillips struggled a bit to get his third out after looking completely filthy getting the first two.
Both Phillips and Burke flirted with 100 mph on their heaters, and Phillips’ slider in particular looked to be moving as well as it ever has. And if you polled the poor Rangers hitters who were tasked with facing those two after 6 dominant innings from Burns, well, I’m not sure exactly who they’d say was the toughest to pinpoint as all three looked simply absurd.
Burns, who finished with an ER, 5 H, BB, and 9 K on 87 pitches, continued his ascent to the top of Cincinnati’s rotation with his second gem of the early going. He’s today’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, and it won’t be the last of those honors he takes home this season.
Other Notes
Elly De La Cruz went 2 for 5 with a run scored, a ribbie, and his first stolen base of the season.
The Reds, who entered play today with just a lone steal on the season as a team, actually swiped four bags on the day as each of TJ Friedl, Elly, Sal Stewart, and Matt McLain got in on the action.
The Reds actually struck out 15 Rangers on the day. That’ll do!
Will Benson did not start today, and instead came on mid-game for Noelvi Marte when a right-handed reliever was on the bump. Benson doubled and singled in his pair of plate appearances.
The 2026 Reds are now 6-3 despite having scored the second fewest runs of any National League team, to date.
The Cincinnati Reds will head to Miami later this evening and on Monday they’ll begin a series against the Marlins. Brandon Williamson will get the start looking to improve significantly on his pretty dismal first outing since the 2024 season, and first pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 05: Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kansas City made today’s game interesting a couple of times, but Milwaukee held on for the win. Kyle Harrison turned in another impressive performance and got plenty of run support, propelling the Brewers to their third straight series victory to begin the season.
Royals starter Kris Bubic retired Brice Turang and Luis Rengifo to start the game, but William Contreras walked to keep the inning alive. Up next was Christian Yelich, who worked a full count before flaring a line drive down the left field line. Kansas City outfielder Nick Loftin, sprinting down the left field line, laid out to catch the liner and just missed it. The ball landed in fair territory and kicked off the wall, allowing William Contreras to score easily as Yelich raced into third with a triple.
Gary Sánchez also took Bubic to a full count before squaring up a fastball up in the zone for a 109-mph two-run home run, already his third of the season.
Luis Matos struck out for the third out, but the damage was done — Milwaukee led 3-0 before Harrison even threw a pitch.
Harrison was dealing to start the game, allowing only one batter to reach (on a walk) through the first two innings. He finally gave up his first hit in the third; unfortunately, that hit was a Maikel Garcia two-run home run on a middle-in fastball that probably shouldn’t be thrown to Maikel Garcia. That brought the Royals within one run, but they weren’t done yet. Harrison didn’t want to give Bobby Witt Jr. anything good to hit, walking him on five pitches to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. After a mound visit, Witt stole second. Vinny Pasquantino lined a single into right field, but Matos — making his first start as a Brewer — nailed Witt at the plate with an absolute frozen rope. Just a beautiful throw:
Pasquantino took second base on a wild pitch, but Salvador Perez flew out to end the inning with the Brewers still ahead by a run.
It didn’t take long for Milwaukee to answer. Sánchez and Matos both struck out to start the fourth, but Brandon Lockridge walked to keep the inning alive. Blake Perkins then hit a fly ball over the head of Loftin that one-hopped off the left field wall, scoring the speedy Lockridge to give the Brewers an insurance run. Perkins promptly stole third, but Joey Ortiz was unable to capitalize, striking out on a foul tip to keep the Royals within two runs.
Harrison retired the side in the fourth and allowed only a single to Loftin in the fifth. Sánchez walked, and Matos singled off of old friend Nick Mears to start the top of the sixth, both advancing thanks to a Lockridge sacrifice bunt. Perkins grounded into a fielder’s choice at home, giving the Brewers runners on the corners with two outs. Up next was Ortiz, who hit a groundout to Witt for the third out.
Harrison was pulled after retiring Pasquantino with one out in the sixth. His final line: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Other than the home run to Garcia, he was dealing today. It’s only his second start this season, but it’s hard not to think the Brewers may have found something in Harrison.
Grant Anderson came in to face Perez and immediately gave up a double, although he retired the next two batters to keep the Royals off the board. He came back out for the seventh and ceded a single to Starling Marte, then walked Jonathan India to put two runners on. Brewers manager Pat Murphy quickly made the call to the bullpen, bringing in relief ace Abner Uribe to face Isaac Collins. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to escape the jam in his usual fashion. Collins came through against his old teammate, singling to load the bases. Garcia followed with another single, as the runners went from station to station to score a run and keep the bases loaded.
Things looked like they could quickly get out of hand with Witt coming to the plate, but Uribe got him to stare at a fastball on the outside corner for the first out of the inning. With Pasquantino, a lefty, coming to the plate, Murphy pulled Uribe in favor of Ángel Zerpa. The move didn’t pay off, as Pasquantino singled to bring the Royals back within a run. With two on and still only one out, Perez squared up a Zerpa slider for a line drive that settled into the glove of Garrett Mitchell, who had come in as a defensive replacement for Matos. Zerpa then got Lane Thomas to ground out to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Kansas City didn’t score again, while Milwaukee got a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth thanks to doubles by Yelich and Jake Bauers (who also entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh) and a bloop single by Brandon Lockridge.
Those two runs would bring the game to its eventual final score: Milwaukee 8, Kansas City 5. Trevor Megill worked around a Witt single in the ninth to earn his third save this season.
Although this was the final game of this weekend’s series against the Royals, the Brewers won’t get to go home yet. They’ll be in Boston tomorrow for the first of three games at Fenway Park. Brandon Woodruff will go for the visiting team, with Brayan Bello scheduled to start for the Red Sox. First pitch is slated for 5:45 p.m.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 5: A general view of the game between the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on April 5, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Cincinnati Reds scored two runs.
It was a battle between two heralded former No. 2 overall picks today with Texas’ 2021 first-rounder Jack Leiter dueling Cincy’s 2024 first round pick Chase Burns. The two memorable college stars both had electric stuff and nearly identical lines with Leiter pitching an inning fewer and allowing one fewer hit but both right-handers struck out nine and walked just one batter while each allowed one run.
The difference nearly was that Leiter made the regretful mistake of allowing a leadoff single to Elly De La Cruz in the top of the 4th and De La Cruz leveraged his speed to reach second base on a flyout to right field and then scored on a Eugenio Suarez RBI ground ball single.
The Rangers, meanwhile, had Brandon Nimmo reach on a leadoff single in the bottom of the 5th and the only speed he leveraged was getting forced out at second base on a bloop flyball that found grass behind first base. So instead of two on with nobody out, the Rangers were back to square one and eventually did not score.
They did an inning later, however, when Joc Pederson quieted the boo birds at The Shed with a solo home run off Burns to tie the game. The Rangers hadn’t scored in 17 consecutive innings this weekend before the dong, and Pederson hadn’t had a hit in 16 at-bats to begin the year. It didn’t seem likely that it would be Pederson to get the Rangers on the board but that’s why baseball is what it is.
One batter later, Evan Carter reached on an infield single and Burns exited. The Rangers eventually had two runners in scoring position with just one out but Andrew McCutchen K’d pinch hitting for Ezequiel Duran and Nimmo worked a full count before striking out to end the threat.
It then took the Reds exactly two batters to retake the lead in the top of the 8th as Skip Schumaker called on Robert Garcia who promptly walked leadoff hitter Matt McLain before McLain stole one of five bases that Cincy pilfered in this one and then scored on a De La Cruz single.
As far as chances for the Rangers the rest of the way, Carter sent one about 405 feet to the 407 center field following a two-out Jake Burger double and Pederson walk in the 8th, but former whipping boy Brock Burke effortlessly striking out the side in the 9th meant Texas lost back-to-back games in which the Reds were held to two runs.
With the sweep and four losses in a row overall, the Rangers are below .500 at 4-5 on the year after starting the season 4-1. They scored four total runs in their first home series of the year. Call it the curse of Captain Jay Banks.
Player of the Game: While it was nice to see Pederson finally do something at the plate, Leiter was Texas’ best performer today as the former Vandy standout tossed five innings of one-run ball with the aforementioned nine strikeouts.
Perhaps the next step for Leiter will be figuring out a way to be a little more efficient so that he stays in games longer but it’s clear that the Rangers have themselves a rare home grown established starting pitcher.
Up Next: The Rangers welcome in the hated Seattle Mariners for a three-game set with RHP Jacob deGrom expected to make the start for Texas in the opener opposite RHP Logan Gilbert for the M’s.
The Monday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 7: Houston Astros GM Dana Brown speaks during a press conference announcing they agreed to a five-year contract extension for Jose Altuve at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Houston. The extension will cover seasons 2025-29. Altuve entered this season (2024) in the final year of a seven-year contract extension that he signed on March 19, 2018. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Astros GM Dana Brown joined Todd Kalas and Julia Morales in the SCHN broadcast booth in the top of the 4th inning during today’s game.
Kalas asked the GM about SP Hunter Brown going on the IL.
“We’re gonna remain optimistic,” Dana Brown said. “Hunter felt…pretty good. Ultimately, (Hunter) didn’t feel as bas as some of the …more devastating injuries feel. He felt pretty confident that he was gonna be ok. When a player shows confidence like that, I feel a lot better. Now, we won’t know, of course, until he gets back to Houston…on Monday and we get him looked at.”
Morales then asked Dana Brown about what he may be thinking as far as options for the Astros rotation with Hunter Brown out.
“It’s one of the reasons why we signed a lot of pitching last offseason. You gotta have depth. Last year, you know, we ran into a lot of injuries. This year, we loaded up with some arms…If we can get through this, you know, we gotta use some of our guys…maybe some of the guys in our pen right now, we can get them stretched back out.”
Kalas then asked if the injury to Hunter Brown changes the equation for the team, as they previously intended to go to a six man rotation when they begin a stretch of 13 straight games on April 10.
“Yeah, something that we’re gonna talk about, but…we can use (Kai-Wei) Teng in the…six man. We got (Spencer) Arrighetti in Triple-A, you know, we got (Ryan) Weiss who we could also put in the rotation…So we have some guys and some depth…We can…take (A.J.) Blubaugh out of the pen and put him in the rotation, so we still have depth. We have guys, you know, in Triple-A, (Jason) Alexander, we have (Colton) Gordon, so we do still have enough to go into a six man. It’s just something that we’re gonna discuss over the next few days…that’s the reason why we got all the depth this year.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: The field is seen before the home opener between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 03, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! When we last met, the Yankees had gotten off to a strong start, sweeping the San Francisco Giants while allowing just one run in three games. Since then, the vibes have continued to be great, for while the Bombers have suffered defeat, a strong pitching performance and some timely offense have gotten them off to a hot start. How have those good vibes transferred to the social media landscape? Let’s find out!
Welcome Home
The New York Yankees had themselves a very Good Friday (gotta get that Easter humor in there), as they celebrated their home opener with a dominant 8-2 victory on Friday over the Miami Marlins. Although it does not generate quite as much social media buzz as when it is the first game of the season, the home opener nonetheless was the biggest topic this week — particularly with Olympic gold medalists Jack Hughes and Aerin Frankel on hand to celebrate the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams with the ceremonial first pitch.
The Yankees’ YouTube account has begun a new series this year, Behind the NY. This past week, the second episode released, titled “The Standard.”
Sightseeing in Seattle
While the Yankees took two out of three on the diamond in Seattle, the broadcasters had some fun sightseeing and hanging out with some old friends. Remember, Dave Sims spent 14 years calling games for the Mariners, and he was thrilled to be around to see soon-to-retire M’s radio voice Rick Rizzs.
Back in spring training, we got a glimpse of the Yankees engaging in some art behind home plate during drills, but never got to see the results. Well, with the off day on Wednesday, the social media team finally decided to grace us with the video, and, uh…yea, these guys aren’t exactly artists.
The Yankees haven’t quite been as good as the Knicks are at posting their Game Belt exchanges on social media, but we still got to learn that Aaron Judge received the belt for his two-run homer in the first inning during the home opener.
Somerset Media Day
The Somerset Patriots shared pictures and videos from their own media day, which took place after the Yankees and their minor league system broke camp in Tampa.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 5: Simeon Woods Richardson #24 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Target Field on April 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On a day the Twins really needed some length, starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson gave the Twins everything they could ask for and more. Unfortunately, the bats didn’t do their part, leading to another loss that was well within reach.
Let’s start with the good. Woods Richardson looked sharp all day, despite his stuff being down a touch. Most importantly for him, he attacked the strike zone and was remarkably efficient, pitching into the 7th inning on just 88 pitches.
The lone run off of Sim came on a very well-placed splitter to all-world home run hitter Junior Caminero in the fourth inning. Up to that point, SWR faced only one batter over the minimum. He didn’t run into trouble again until the 7th when a couple of singles put runners on the corners with one out. Woods Richardson was able to get Jonny DeLuca swinging before fireman Kody Funderburk got Nick Fortes to hit a comebacker and end the threat.
Minnesota’s hitters were equally quiet for most of the day against Rays starter Nick Martinez. Martinez has had an up-and-down career, but his strength has always been a filthy changeup, a pitch that the Twins have particularly struggled with early on in 2026. The Twins’ lone run (and hit) off Martinez came from a patented Matt Wallner moonshot, his third of the season, that nearly hit some kids playing in the plaza over right field.
Their next hit didn’t come until the 7th off of old friend Griffin Jax. It was Wallner again who was able to beat out an infield single that rolled into first base, causing Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda to misplay the ball. Wallner immediately wiped that out with the classic Twins Boneheaded Base-running Play of the Day (TBBPoD, if you will. Trademark pending), where he took off for second base while Jax was still holding the ball, leading to an easy pick off.
Knotted at 1 the whole way, the game went to extras where things fell apart for the Twins. Known bad pitcher Justin Topa came in for the Twins in the 10th and immediately gave up a two-run blast to Richie Palacios, his third hit on the night despite having just one prior to this game. He followed that with a single and two walks to load the bases with one out, forcing Taylor Rogers out of the bullpen to get things in order.
Rogers was able to get Chandler Simpson to ground out, but walked Caminero to bring in the Rays’ third run of the inning and give them an insurmountable three run lead. Tampa’s Kevin Kelly retired all three Twins he faced and that was all she wrote.
This is normally the point of the post where I point out a few positives despite the loss, but other than Sim, there’s not much! The hitters only managed 6 hard-hit balls all game. Wallner’s homer was the only Minnesota hit that left the infield. The at-bats by everyone save Trevor Larnach looked pretty poor. Kaelen Culpepper is playing well for the Saints, so that’s something.
To put it simply, Derek Shelton’s go-to top 3 hitters have given them absolutely nothing all season and there’s not much you can expect from this team when that’s the case. We’re just over a week and nine games into the season, but Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall having an OPS under .500 is going to tank the rest of this lineup. Also, get Kody Clemens out of the leadoff spot. He’s a useful role player who can get incredibly hot, but there’s no reason he should be getting the most PAs on a day-to-day basis.
Don’t worry, things will get easier this next series where the Twins are scheduled to face (checks notes…) back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and All-Star Framber Valdez. No rest for the weary.
