Category: Baseball

DENVER — The Dodgers found themselves in an unfamiliar place Saturday night.

For the first time in almost a week, the other team had the lead.

After entering play with not only four straight wins, but essentially four consecutive wire-to-wire victories (their only recent deficit came briefly in the top of the first inning Tuesday), the Dodgers once again had early control at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies.

But this time, in a 4-3 loss, they failed to stay in front –– in large part, because they couldn’t pull away.

Technically, the game flipped in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Rockies (8-13) turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead on Troy Johnston’s two-run double against Dodgers reliever Will Klein; who replaced Emmet Sheehan after his five-inning, two-run start.

The real culprit for the Dodgers (15-5), though, was their inopportunistic offense.

“We had some opportunities and couldn’t create some distance and kept them in the ballgame,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You’re not always going to put up crooked numbers every night. But I thought tonight we could’ve taken better at-bats.”

The Dodgers did have good at-bats early. They scored two runs two pitches into the contest, after Shohei Ohtani reached on an error and Kyle Tucker drove a two-run blast to right field. They tacked on another in the third, when backup catcher Dalton Rushing hit what was already his fifth home run of the season, despite starting for only the sixth time.

From there, however, the lineup started squandering chances. They left two runners on in the third. They came up empty after a Freddie Freeman triple in the sixth. They watched Alex Call get picked off to end the seventh. Then, they missed their biggest opportunities in the final two innings of the night.

In the eighth, the bases were left loaded on an inning-ending grounder from Max Muncy, who chased a couple low pitches before rolling one over to second base.

In the ninth, they got back-to-back two-out hits from Will Smith (who was pinch-hitting) and Ohtani (extending his on-base streak to 50 games), only for Tucker to end his three-hit night with a game-ending flyout.

Overall, the Dodgers left eight men on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

“I think that up to this point with runners in scoring position, we’ve been able to (produce), whether it be earn a walk or swing at good pitches and get hits,” Roberts said. “Today it just seemed like we chased a lot more than we have. We had opportunities … We could’ve put some more runs on the board.”

What it means

At the very least, that Ohtani’s historic on-base streak will live to see another day.

Before his ninth-inning single, the two-way star had been aboard twice: Reaching on a bad throw from Johnston on a grounder to first base to lead the game off, then when Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman interfered with his swing in the eighth inning to spark the ultimately wasted bases-loaded opportunity.

However, both of those plays went down as errors –– and, importantly, not at-bats in which Ohtani reached “safely” via either a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch.

Thus, he needed his bouncing ninth-inning grounder to sneak through the infield to run his on-base streak up to the 50-game mark.

“It’s remarkable,” Roberts said. “I was hoping he’d get that last at-bat and give hims an opportunity to change the game. He found a way to get on base.”

Ohtani is now just three games shy of the franchise’s Los Angeles record set by Shawn Green in 2000, and eight behind Duke Snider for the most ever by a Dodger.

Who’s hot

For only his second time since joining the Dodgers this year, Tucker delivered a three-hit game, taking the kind of swings that have eluded him during his slow start.

His best came moment came on his two-run homer in the first, when he took a first-pitch hack –– something he has done significantly more often this year –– and clobbered an elevated fastball from Colorado starter Ryan Feltner 435 feet for his third homer of the season.

“Kind of fouled off pitches like that, or swung through some (earlier this season),” he said. “It wasn’t a bad pitch. It was a heater at the top of the zone. But I feel like I should be able to hit those pitches and stay on top and stay through them. Barrel them up more often, but that was just a good swing right there.”

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After that, Tucker added a pair of ground-ball singles in the third and eighth innings.

It was a nearly flawless night … until he made the final out with two aboard in the ninth by getting under a center-cut first-pitch changeup.

Alas, Tucker now has a four-game hitting streak and extra-base knocks in each of the last three. He’s still only batting .263 on the season with a .768 OPS. But it’s progress nonetheless for the $240 million outfielder.

Who’s not

Teoscar Hernández, whose bat has been almost as cold as the weather since arriving in Denver.

After going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Friday night’s win, Hernández turned in another –– and more –– costly 0-for-3 on Saturday, despite drawing a walk to load the bases in the eighth.

He rolled into an inning-ending double-play in the first, struck out with two runners aboard for the final out of the third, then rolled into an unproductive grounder with Freeman at third and one out in the sixth.

Those missed chances added up to hurt the Dodgers, and dropped Hernández to 6-for-32 over his last nine games.

Up next

After another brisk night Saturday, temperatures should finally be back in the 70s on Sunday, when the Dodgers and Rockies play an afternoon matinee. Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.23 ERA) will start for the Dodgers. Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10 ERA) goes for Colorado. 

The Dodgers scored early but not often, unable to cash in on many chances in a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver. It’s the Dodgers’ first loss in 11 games against National League teams.

Kyle Tucker hit a home run that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead just two batters into the game, his third straight game with an extra-base hit. But unlike the series opener, Saturday night wasn’t a runaway by any means.

Kyle Tucker leaves the yard to put the @Dodgers up early! pic.twitter.com/mtI3NN0p0V

— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026

After scoring in each of the first five innings on Friday, the Dodgers scored three total runs in the first two innings but got nothing else against Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, who kept the Dodgers at bay into the sixth. Freddie Freeman tripled with one out in the sixth of Feltner but was stranded, first by a brilliant diving stab and throw by third baseman Kyle Karros, then by lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino striking out Max Muncy.

Emmet Sheehan had his own trouble early, allowing single runs in the first and second innings, but he settled down to keep Colorado off the board for the next three frames, finishing his night after 77 pitches through five innings, with four strikeouts.

Colorado turned the tied with the first three batters reaching off Will Klein in the sixth inning, the earliest a Dodgers reliever has appeared in a game all week. Klein gave up an infield single off his own foot sandwiched by two doubles, the latter by Troy Johnston to drive in a pair, giving the Rockies their first lead of the series.

The Dodgers got the first two batters on base in the eighth inning and loaded the bases with two outs, then put two more runners on in the ninth, but were unable to push across the tying run.

One streak still going

Shohei Ohtani reached on an error by the first baseman Johnston in the first inning, and scored on Tucker’s home run. He also reached on catcher’s interference in the eighth. But by not getting on via hit, walk, or hit by pitch, he didn’t technically reach base safely in any of his first four plate appearances on Saturday.

A pinch-hit infield single by Will Smith with two outs in the ninth inning gave Ohtani one more chance in the ninth inning, and he obliged with a single.

Ohtani’s 50-game on-base streak is tied with Wee Willie Keeler (1900-01) for the third-longest streak in modern Dodgers history. It’s already the longest MLB streak by a Japanese player, and the longest on-base streak by any MLB player since Shin-Soo Choo reached in 52 straight games for the Texas Rangers in 2018.

Staying hot

Dalton Rushing is off to an incredible start to his second major league season, and his solo shot in the second inning gave him already more home runs this year (five) in his first 19 plate appearances than he had all of last season (four) in 155 plate appearances.

It’s still absurdly early in the season, and while Will Smith has two home runs thus far he’s hit at least 15 home runs in all six of his non-shortened major league campaigns. The last time the Dodgers had two catchers with double-digit home runs was way back in 1979, when Joe Ferguson hit 20 (14 as catcher) and Steve Yeager hit 13.

Of note

Second baseman Alex Freeland was seen flexing his left hand after catching a Will Klein fastball from close range on a pickoff throw in the sixth inning. Freeland was pinch-hit for in the seventh with Alex Call, though it might have been simply a matchup preference against the lefty Bernardino. On the SportsNet LA broadcast, Kirsten Watson noted that team trainers didn’t immediately tend to Freeland once he got to the dugout. Hyeseong Kim took over at second base in the bottom of the seventh.

Dave Roberts said he pinch-hit for Alex Freeland because of the situation, not anything physical (he’d jammed his thumb a bit).

Also said Blake Treinen is ok after getting hit in the head during batting practice. Said the ball “got him flush.”

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 19, 2026

Saturday particulars

Home runs: Kyle Tucker (3), Dalton Rushing (5)

WP — Brennan Bernardino (2-0): 1 1/3 IP, 2 strikeouts

LP — Will Klein (1-1): 1 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs

Sv — Victor Vodnik (3): 1 IP, 2 hits

Up next

Dodgers and Rockies are back at it on Sunday afternoon (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), which remember, is not the series finale. Roki Sasaki is on the mound in the third game of the series, with Michael Lorenzen starting for the Rockies.

This one will go on Jeff Hoffman, but realistically you also can’t score seven runs in four games and expect anything good to happen. The team is a mess on all fronts right now, from pitching to hitting to defence and base running. One in the loss column is all that’s keeping them above Kansas City and the Mets for the worst record in baseball.

A couple of positive notes, because I’m tired of wallowing:

• Max Scherzer looked strong in his return to his first major league team. I had actually forgotten that was where he came up, but then the Bush administration was a long time ago. Anyways, I don’t expect his plaque in Cooperstown will have an A on it. As regards that eventual plaque, Scherzer’s one strikeout tonight left him one shy of 3,500 for his career and 10 behind Walter Johnson for a spot in the top 10 all time. Of course, Johnson took 2,940 more innings to put together his total. Seeing him reach those milestones in the next couple of weeks will be something fun in a rough start to the season.
• Nathan Lukes had three hits. His awful start has apparently been the result of issues with vertigo. I’ve known people struggling with unexplained vertigo, and it’s an awful thing to go through. He’s apparently found medication that’s helping with the issue, and certainly looks better the last couple of games. I really hope the issue is solved for him, for reasons beyond baseball. It does raise the question of how on earth the Jays decided to play him through a debilitating neurological issue, though. I’d really like an explanation, because I can’t see one other than outright managerial malpractice. But, positive thoughts. He’s feeling and looking better, and they could really use the old Nathan Lukes right now.

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Both teams scored in the first before going quiet. Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero jr. hit ground ball singles to put runners on the corners with one out. Jesus Sanchez cracked a liner to centre field that plated Lukes before Zac Gallen was able to retaliate with a pair of Ks to end the inning. In the bottom, Corbin Caroll worked a walk and stole second, before a Geraldo Perdomo single brought him home to tied the score at one. That would be all the scoring for a while. Kazuma Okamoto singled in the Jays’ second, and Ernie Clement singled in the third. Perdomo managed his second hit in the bottom of the fourth before being erased by a double play. The Jays briefly threatened in the top of five when Ernie Clement laced a two out double off the wall in left, but Vlad couldn’t score him.

The D-Backs pulled ahead in the fifth. Jose Fernandez singled and moved to second on a fielder’s choice. Max Scherzer got the next two batters, but Alek Thomas hit a chopper up the first base line that clipped the back corner of the bag and scooted into the corner for the cheapest double you’ll see. That put Arizona on top 2-1. The Jays responded with the help of some good luck of their own. Eloy Jimenez hooked a grounder around the third base bag but appeared to think Nolan Arenado was going to be able to glove it and so pulled up at first instead of digging for a double. That set up what looked like an inning ending double play, but shortstop Perdomo took his foot off the bag before recieving the ball and Jimenez was ruled safe at second on review. Okamoto lined a single to left that allowed Jimenez to come around to score, tying at two. That ended Gallen’s evening, but Ryan Thompson was able to get Myles Straw to fly out to end it there.

In the bottom of six, Perdomo hit a ground ball into right field. It looked like a double, but the ball kicked off the wall and right to Nathan Lukes, who made a great throw to allow Andres Gimenez to tag him at the bag. Combined with a pop out and a fly out, that got Scherzer through the inning. He went 6.0, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk with one strikeout. It only took him 74 pitches to get there, but give that he’s been battling forearm tendinitis John Schneider prudently decided not to push his luck.

In the top of seven, Thompson got two outs while giving up a single up the middle to Lukes. Juan Morillo got the call to face Guerrero. He got him swinging to preserve the tie. Tyler Rogers took over for Scherzer and retired the side in order.

Jimenez beat out an infield single in the eighth, but the rest of the lineup couldn’t touch Morillo. Jeff Hoffman struggled again in the Diamondbacks’ half, giving up two ground blal singles to lead off and then walking the bases loaded. They didn’t stay that way long, as Corbin Caroll hit a grand slam to left field, cracking the game open. Kevin Ginkel breezed through the botto

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Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.10), Okamoto (0.13)

Less So: Hoffman* (-0.38), Gimenez (-0.16), Heineman (-0.10)

*Tonight ran Hoffman’s season WPA to -1.40, making him officially the most damaging pitcher in baseball so far in 2026. Congrats, Jeff.

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We’ll wrap the series tomorrow. Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.42) will look to keep his hot start going and hopefully get some support from his offence to secure his first win. Ryne Nelson (1-1, 3.54) is off to a promising start himself for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is slated for 4:10pm ET.

CHICAGO — The Mets desperately need a win, and scuffling David Peterson isn’t viewed as the best starting pitching option to help deliver it.

Peterson was removed from his scheduled Sunday start against the Cubs, with the team announcing Saturday night that Tobias Myers will start instead.

The Mets have lost 10 straight games, the franchise’s longest losing streak since 2004.

Peterson, according to a club source, is not injured.

The lefty last pitched on Monday against the Dodgers and allowed four early runs. Peterson owns a 6.41 ERA in four starts.

Myers stretched out as a starter in spring training and has been used in long relief to begin the season.

Myers, who has pitched to a 3.64 ERA in six relief appearances, was last used on Wednesday when he allowed one earned run over two innings.

The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Seattle Mariners scored seven runs.

Faced with having to score runs off of George Kirby at T-Mobile Park, a near impossibility, manager Skip Schumaker brought in the infield on the first two opportunities that Seattle had with a runner 90 feet from home, and both times the Mariners shot one through the drawn in infield to score the game’s first three runs.

Both runners reached third base and eventually scored due in part to some shoddy infield defense with Seattle scoring their first run in the bottom of the first after J.P. Crawford doubled off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi to lead off the game on a shot down the line that first baseman Jake Burger couldn’t field despite appearing to be within stabbing distance.

In the fourth, with a runner on first, second baseman Ezequiel Duran fielded a ball and tried to double off the runner but instead threw the ball into left field which gave the M’s two runners in scoring position and both would score on a single up the middle on the drawn in infield.

The Rangers couldn’t really afford unmade plays or miscues since they were facing Kirby who had gone just about a quarter of a full season’s worth of innings having allowed just one earned run total against the Rangers at T-Mobile Park.

Texas did have a few more chances than usual against Kirby but they squander those on the regular against mortal arms, much less the one pitcher designed in a lab especially to beat them. Overall, they went 1-for-8 with RISP and left an astonishing 16 on base with the one success coming with two outs in the ninth.

The Rangers somehow turned 11 hits and eight walks into just three runs with two of those coming in the ninth in what was then a 7-1 game.

The loss means the Rangers will need to win tomorrow to claim the series and avoid finishing with a losing road trip.

Player of the Game: Josh Jung continued his hot hitting with a solo home run off of Kirby. Jung also singled and walked as his OPS on the year has spiked to .861.

The Jung dong was just the second run that Kirby had allowed to the Rangers in over 40 innings at T-Mobile Park and the first home run that Kirby had ever allowed to a Ranger in Seattle.

Up Next: The Rangers close out this lengthy road trip with a final contest against the Mariners. LHP MacKenzie Gore will make the start in the finale against RHP Bryan Woo for Seattle.

The Sunday afternoon first pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 3:10 pm CDT and the telecast will be back on the Rangers Sports Network.

Mariners 7, Rangers 3

Watching the Mariners win: George Kirby, +0.20 WPA
Watching the Mariners lose: Josh Naylor, -0.04 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day

When I was growing up, the term “broken record” never really made sense to me. If a record was broken, to my young and impressionable mind, how would it actually work in the first place? I knew that the general meaning was that if something sounded like a broken record, you’d hear it over and over and over again, but it remained one of those things that I just didn’t comprehend.

I’m reminded of this as the Phillies post another loss at home, one marred by sloppy play that put their starting pitching in a hole and an offense that continues to spin its wheels. It’s the same things that have been at the forefront of their slow start, the plagues and blights on their season.

It’s a broken record.

A marquee pitching matchup was billed between Cristopher Sanchez and Chris Sale and it largely lived up to it. One might have thought that a first at bat home run robbery by Brandon Marsh would be a portend of things to come, but no sir.

GO GET IT MARSHY pic.twitter.com/8Tzy5DDvYh

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 18, 2026

Outside of one pitch, Sale shut down a Phillies offense that tried to load up on right handed hitting to try and counter the southpaw. The lone highlight of the evening was Felix Reyes, in his major league debut, taking Sale deep to the opposite field in his first at bat.

Felix Reyes homers in his first Major League at-bat! pic.twitter.com/XQGdXbslr7

— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026

However, more just uncalled for errors by the Phillies gave the lead right back. Sanchez got the first two outs via strikeout before Drake Baldwin singled with two outs. Ozzie Albies grounded a ball to Edmundo Sosa, who bobbled the ball and couldn’t record a third out, a crucial error that came right back to haunt them when Matt Olson walked to load the bases. Austin Riley hit a dribbler that Sanchez couldn’t field and the game was tied. Mauricio Dubon hit a duckfart to center and the lead was two.

Mauricio Dubón finds grass and the @Braves jump in front! pic.twitter.com/5QeLAPl7GG

— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026

From there, the game settled into a pitching clinic. The way the Phillies have “hit”, this one was over.

The cold bats are going to happen. Players go through slumps at the plate all the time, even a bunch of them at once. That is something that can be at least understood. Balls finding the Bermuda Triangles seems to be happening to the Phillies a lot lately, the BABIP gods frowning down on pitcher after pitcher on the team’s staff. It’s the sloppy play by the defense that is just baffling, particularly when it’s by normally good defenders. It’s inexcusable for them to play in this manner and cost themselves extra pitches, extra runs and extra losses.

It’s just another broken record in a season full of them so far.

The Mets have announced that Tobias Myers, the 27-year-old who came to the Mets with Freddy Peralta in the team’s trade with the Brewers ahead of this season, will start the team’s series finale against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon. David Peterson had been slated to start the game, and according to Mike Puma, Peterson is not injured.

Peterson has been struggling lately, though. After a good outing in his first start of the season, he has an 8.79 ERA over his past three starts. For what it’s worth, he has a 3.43 FIP and a 5.87 xERA over those three starts, and while those two metrics are pretty far apart, both suggest that Peterson hasn’t been nearly as bad as his ERA would suggest.

As for Myers, he’s thrown 13.0 innings so far this season with all of them coming out of the Mets’ bullpen. He has a 3.46 ERA and a 4.00 FIP in that limited sample. And in his time with the Brewers, Myers made 31 starts and had success in both his relief and starting roles.

The Mets are shaking things up some more ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Cubs in Chicago.

New York announced that Tobias Myers will get the start instead of originally scheduled starter, David Peterson. 

Myers has not made a start in his first season with the Mets after being acquired alongside Freddy Peralta in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Myers has made six appearances this season, allowing five runs in 13.0 IP. He last took the mound on Wednesday in Los Angeles when he pitched two innings and allowed one run on three hits and struck out in the team's loss to the Dodgers.

The plan and hope on Sunday is for Myers to "make it through the batting order one time," per The Athletic's Will Sammon. 

As for Peterson, Sammon notes that he is available out of the bullpen for Sunday. The Mets did not announce an injury-related reason for the move and could be a strategy to not only help the young southpaw but also to try and end the team's current 10-game losing streak. In this scenario, Myers could start as an opener and Peterson follows.

The Mets are searching for answers when it comes to Peterson. This season, the All-Star starter has struggled mightily. In four starts, his ERA sits at 6.41 (14 ER in 19.2 IP), including three straight starts of four runs allowed or more. Peterson's last start (April 13 vs. Dodgers) saw him allow four runs on five hits and four walks across five innings pitched. 

Myers does have starting experience. He made six starts for the Brewers last season, but only pitched five innings once. In 2024, Myers made 25 starts, going 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA. 

Outfielder Dylan Carlson has re-signed with the Cubs and was assigned to Triple-A Iowa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs scuttled the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 7-6.

Jordan Wicks made a rehab start for Iowa today and got some good results. Wicks went three scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. Wicks struck out two and walked one. He threw 37 pitches and 24 were for strikes. That’s a very good first step back.

Ty Blach threw the next 3.2 innings and got the win in his Iowa debut after allowing two runs on four hits. He walked four more and struck out two.

Collin Snider had a rough outing, giving up a three-run home run in the eighth. Snider’s final line was three runs on one hit and no walks over one inning. How? Snider hit three batters and struck out none.

Gabe Klobosits pitched the ninth and got an ugly save, but it was a save. Klobosits gave up a one-out home run to Travis Bazzana and then put two more on with a walk and a single. But two hard hit line drives were caught by left fielder Carlson and third baseman Pedro Ramirez to end the game.

Shortstop Ben Cowles hit a two-run home run in the second inning, his second in three games. Cowles was 1 for 4.

Catcher Christian Bethancourt connected on a solo home run in the fourth inning and then hit a two-run double in the eighth. Bethancourt went 3 for 4 with the double and the home run.

Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 5 with and RBI double in the seventh inning. He also stole a base.

Cowles’ two-run shot.

Benny Barrels! Ben Cowles' two-run blast makes it 2-0 I-Cubs in the second inning! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Q3tXirlFp8

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 18, 2026

Bethancourt’s home run.

Christian Bethancourt blasts one out to left field to get the I-Cubs back in front! pic.twitter.com/PYYnDddhBX

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 18, 2026

The Triantos double.

RBI knock by James Triantos makes it a 4-2 I-Cubs lead in the seventh! pic.twitter.com/9iC9l0GTzq

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 18, 2026

Pedro Ramirez’s game-ending and game-saving snag.

THEY DON'T CALL IT THE HOT CORNER FOR NOTHING! 107 MPH OFF THE BAT, PEDRO RAMIREZ CALLED GAME! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/aON7VgukKF

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 18, 2026

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got pulled into the ocean by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 13-4.

Starter Jake Knapp took the loss after getting knocked around for six runs on just four hits over 3.1 innings. Two of those four hits were home runs. Knapp walked three, hit one batter and struck out three.

Right fielder Andy Garriola hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning and an RBI single in the seventh. Garriola went 2 for 4 with the three runs batted in.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Catcher Ariel Armas was 2 for 4.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez was 1 for 1 with three walks and a run scored.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs shot down the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 12-5.

Koen Moreno gave South Bend four strong innings to start the game. Moreno surrendered just one run and just one hit. He did walk three while striking out five.

Grayson Moore kept Beloit from scoring for 2.2 innings and was awarded the win. Moore allowed two hits and walked one. He did not strike anyone out.

Catcher Owen Ayers hit his sixth home run of the year already when he connected with the bases empty in the eighth inning. Ayers went 2 for 4 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Ayers had three total RBI and scored twice. He also stole a base.

Center fielder Kane Kepley was 2 for 3 with two walks and was also hit by a pitch. Kepley stole three bases, giving him ten already. Kepley drove in two with a single in the second inning. He scored once.

Right fielder Kade Snell went 2 for 5 with a walk and a steal. Snell scored once and had three RBI.

First baseman Cameron Sisneros hit a two-run double in the second inning to open the scoring. Sisneros went 3 for 5 with three total RBI. He also scored twice.

Third baseman Matt Halbach was 2 for 6 with a double and two runs scored.

Left fielder Leonel Espinoza went 0 for 0 with four walks and a steal. Unfortunately, he appeared to injure himself on the steal of second base and left the game for a pinch-runner. Espinoza scored one run.

DH Angel Cepeda also left this game with an apparent injury.

Sisneros’ two-run double.

Cam. Kane. Cubs off and running!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/QtbMs9sAqW

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 18, 2026

Ayers’ home run. Ayers six home runs this year already ties him for a season-high in his career.

Silent treatment for the loudest bat in High-A. 🤫

Owen Ayers has SIX @hoosierlottery home runs in 11 games!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/39vTHub8dv

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 18, 2026

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans defused the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 6-0.

Three Pelicans pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout. Victor Zarraga tossed the first four innings and allowed just three hits. He struck out one, walked one and hit one batter.

Ben Johnson threw the middle three innings and was awarded the win because Zarraga didn’t go five innings. Johnson gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three.

Jackson Brockett pitched the final two innings in a non-save situation, giving up just one hit. He struck out one and walked no one.

The Birds took an early lead when right fielder Josiah Hartshorn hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. It was the second of his pro career. Hartshorn was 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He scored twice.

In the fourth inning, third baseman Derniche Valdez cranked a solo home run, which was also his second of the season and second in two games. Valdez went 2 for 4.

Finally, first baseman Cole Mathis refuses to cool off. In the fifth inning, he hit his seventh home run of the year and fourth this week. It came with a man on. Mathis went 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

Catcher Logan Poteet drove in the other Birds run with an RBI single in the fouth inning. Poteet went 1 for 2 with two walks.

Hartshorn’s blast.

JUST LIKE THAT! pic.twitter.com/Ey7gOl76Gm

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 18, 2026

The Valdez home run.

SATURDAY NIGHTS ALRIGHT pic.twitter.com/40B6la7TQJ

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 19, 2026

Finally, some really easy power out of Mathis. Not only do his seven home runs lead the Carolina League, second place only has four. It also leads all of Low-A.

HIS NAME IS COLE MASH THIS!!!! pic.twitter.com/uugxQbPAro

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 19, 2026

There was a lot to like Saturday night as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros again thanks to a strong effort from Andre Pallante and three home runs. There were also some things not to like about the Cardinals bullpen, but more on that later.

The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead in the 1st inning when JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera were hit by pitches. Nolan Gorman came through with a clutch 2-strike double down the right field line to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

Andre Pallante provided the Cardinals a very solid 5 inning effort giving up only 3 hits and 1 run, but that 1 run went a long way thanks to Alvarez in the bottom of the 1st inning cutting the Cardinals lead to 2-1.

The St. Louis Cardinals offense continues to be relentless as Masyn Winn turned on an inside pitch in the top of the 3rd inning slamming a 2-run homer into the Crawford Boxes making it 4-1 St. Louis.

In the 6th inning, José Fermín joined the Cardinals home run parade as he also sailed a ball into the Crawford Boxes in left field extending the St. Louis lead to 5-1.

Alec Burleson decided that the fans in right field deserved a souvenir as he launched a shot into the upper deck making it 6-1 St. Louis. Alec would almost homer twice as he banged a ball high off the left field wall for a double in the 9th.

The charitable Astros decided to gift the Cardinals a run in the top of the 8th inning when Gordon threw a wild pitch which scored Nathan Church who had reached on an 8th inning bunt making it 7-1 Cardinals. If it’s any consolation to Houston, it’s that Church would have scored anyway after JJ Wetherholt reached on an infield single down the 3rd base line on a ball that went off the end of his bat.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen had a solid start to their night as Gordon Graceffo held the Astros scoreless in the 6th and 7th innings. However, Matt Svanson entered the game in the 8th and promptly walked Altuve, Alvarez and Correa to load the bases with no outs for Christian Walker. Fortunately, Walker kindly hit into a double play which scored Altuve which made the score 7-2 Cardinals. Svanson did escape the inning only allowing 1 run which was borderline miraculous considering how wild he was. George Soriano came in to pitch the bottom of the 9th inning. He did a brief Matt Svanson impersonation by walking two batters and then giving up a 3-run blast to Whitcomb. That meant Riley O’Brien did not get the night off and came in to close out the Astros which he fortunately did.

The Cardinals will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon when Matthew Liberatore (0-1 with a 4.29 ERA) starts for St. Louis and Mike Burrows (1-3 with a 6.54 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros. First pitch at 1:10pm.

It was a battle of the lefty aces in Philly on Saturday, as Chris Sale led the Braves against Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies, with Atlanta seeking to secure a series win.

Ronald Acuna led off the game with a 107 MPH, 404 foot fly ball that landed for an out due to a Brandon MArsh robbery and perhaps the 2026 ball design instead of a home run or an extra-base-hit that it very easily could have been. Notably, in the second, Austin Riley hit a ball at over 111 MPH that landed for a single, but wasn’t able to come around to score.

The scoring got kicked off in the bottom of the second, as Phillies’ rookie Felix Reyes hit a 348 foot home run off of Chris Sale. Fortunately, Atlanta’s offense got a spark with a two out single from Drake Baldwin with some help in the form of an error that they converted into three runs with a walk and two soft singles. There was a lot of fortune involved in this sequence for Atlanta. Sale worked around a Schwarber single to consolidate the lead in the home third, striking out Harper along the way. Ronald hit a 109 MPH single in the fourth, as he continues to hit the ball very hard, but the Braves were unable to bring him around. Ozzie managed a bloop single in the fifth after a clean inning from Sale, but the Braves were again unable to bring him around.

Sale attempted and nearly converted an incredible jump throw on a swinging bunt to lead off the fifth, but the runner was erased on a double-play from Marsh regardless on the way to another scoreless frame. Jonah Heim of all people created a threat with a one out double in the sixth out of the eight hole. Neither Mateo nor Acuna were able to get the hit to bring him home. Jose Alvarado replaced Sanchez in the seventh and Matt Olson managed a lefty-on-lefty double with two outs to give Austin Riley an opportunity to tack a run on. Alvarado struck out Austin to hold the lead to two runs. Sale finished his outing in the seventh, ending up with 7.0 innings of 1 run ball, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts. Sale also passed Tom Glavine on the career strikeouts list in this outing, which is pretty cool.

The Braves put together another chance for some insurance runs in the eighth, as Jonah Heim poked an opposite-field single through and Michael Harris drew a walk (!!!) with two outs ahead of Acuna. Ronald drew a walk to load the bases, despite Philly challenging a pitch that was at least 3 inches above the zone to bring up Drake Baldwin. Baldwin grounded out, squandering another threat, as Atlanta turned to Dylan Lee to preserve the 2 run lead with 6 outs left in the game. Lee worked a 1-2-3 inning with an assist from a slick diving play by Ozzie. Suarez got the ninth instead of Iglesias in a save situation and was absolutely dominant in a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.

That’s another series win through seven series now this season and the Braves are 14-7 with a 5.0 game division lead. Join us tomorrow as Grant Holmes leads the attempt of a sweep in Philadelphia against Andrew Painter.

This was a short and unremarkable game. If you’re are a Guardians fan . . . well, what are you doing reading this blog? OK. If you’re a Guardians fan, there was much to celebrate in Gavin Williams’ seven-inning, three-hit, one-run, eleven-strikeout performance. The current MLB strikeout leader continued a fabulous streak where he’s allowed two ER in 24.2 innings, and now has a 2.12 ERA in 29.2 innings.

But without taking away anything from Williams, for the Orioles, the real story seems to be the bats, which remain missing in action after tonight’s 4-2 loss, a game where they managed just four hits total. The good news: Gunnar Henderson = still a stud. He finished 2-for-4 with a homer. Leody Taveras also went deep. He’s looked like a good signing thus far, doing it with the bat and the glove. Taylor Ward hit a double.

But that’s it, folks. Pete Alonso finished 0-for-4 with four K’s. Golden Sombrero territory is not where we want to be with the offseason’s biggest signing. Dylan Beavers, 0-for-4 with three punchouts. Colton Cowser, another Golden Sombrero. And these are the No. 3-5 hitters in the lineup. How is the team exactly to produce runs while going a combined 0-for-12 with 11 K’s from this chunk of the lineup?

Cleveland’s rotation may be on a red-hot streak, but there have been too many of these performances.

The Orioles made some noise early, but as usual of late, no runs. Taylor Ward doubled in the first, but Dylan Beavers swung through a fastball and couldn’t push him home. Gunnar singled and made it to third on a throwing error in the third inning, but two K’s in a row left him stranded. Cleveland’s Williams fed Pete Alonso and Dylan Beavers a bunch of breaking stuff that they swung through. It was frustrating.

In the top of the fourth, Leody Taveras opened the scoring by walloping a curveball into the right field seats. This is the way the few teams that have scored runs off Gavin Williams have done it—by long ball. It was a good idea, but to make a 1-0 lead stick, you need ace pitching on the other side. Instead, the O’s had Dean Kremer.

Maybe that’s too harsh. I continue to be happy to see Dean Kremer in the rotation. He threw six innings today and struck out seven. He allowed only two hits in that stretch. Regrettably, one of those was a home run with two on, courtesy of Brayan Rocchio. Dean Kremer has, in the past, had the tendency to go “boom” in the fifth inning. Today, he was nearly perfect through four, and then allowed three runs in the fifth. He walked Rhys Hopkins, hung a splitter that Daniel Schneeman roped into right, and then Bryan Rocchio made it 3-1 with that one swing, powering a fastball into the right field bleachers.

I’ll still take it, under the circumstances. He has a 6.12 career ERA in April. Considering, three runs on two hits and two walks in six innings from your No. 5 is fine, frankly.

No, I think we can safely say that the offense is the real problem here. They struck out 16 times and had just four hits, half of which belonged to Gunnar Henderson, who made it a manageable 3-2 game with an eighth-inning solo shot off Hunter Gattis, pitching for the third straight day and not maybe at his freshest. Down just one run, the O’s could smell another comeback.

But no comeback was forthcoming today. Bo Naylor took Albert Suárez deep off a low-and-inside changeup, and this was a 4-2 game. Then Cleveland’s Cade Smith struck out the side swinging in the ninth.

Maybe the bats will heat up as the weather does. But for now, the Birds are not doing it at the dish, and there are lots of questions to be asked and answered. Game Four of the series, a Trevor Rogers start versus Joey Cantillo, is at 1:40 ET tomorrow.

When the White Sox took a 5-0 lead in the second inning, the game had the makings of another laugher. Instead, 10 walks by Sox pitchers and eight to go with four hit batters by the A’s staff turned a runaway win into a groaner, with the Sox losing, 7-6, in extras..

The big Sox lead came on two bloops and two blasts. It started with a solo 106.5 mph, 397-foot blast by Colson Montgomery followed by lucky pop-ups (a double by Everson Pereira and RBI single by Reese McGuire) and a three-run shot by Andrew Benintendi. At that point, it sure looked like A’s starter Luis Severino, who came into the game with a 5.55 ERA, was done for.

Instead, Severino would last into the sixth, walking four but only giving up one single after the second. Meanwhile, Erick Fedde lost his sense of direction, himself walking four and surrendering solo runs in the second, third and fifth. Sean Newcomb managed not to walk anyone but gave up a triple to Max Muncy and a sac fly in the sixth, to close the Chicago lead to 5-4.

In the top of the seventh, though, Munetaka Murakami showed how amazingly strong he is by just sort of wrist-flicking the ball 415 feet over the center field wall. The blast gave the White Sox a 6-4 lead and made Murakami the fastest Japanese player to seven homers in history.

The lead lasted all of four pitches from Jordan Leasure, who reverted to his old ways and served up a single and 115.3 mph Nick Kurtz shot. Make it 6-6.

Now, with all the walks and hit batters and actual hits, the White Sox ended up leaving 14 on base and going 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Not to be outdone in causing fan angst, the A’s left 15 on and were 2-for-14 with RISP.

The A’s should have produced the winning run in the eighth when speedy Lawrence Butler led off by lacing a line shot down the right field line, but decided he was speedier than he actually is and created the no-no of trying for third with no outs.

The beautiful relay from Pereira to Chase Meidroth to Miguel Vargas saved the day for the moment, taking advantage of Butler trying to see if he could slide clear into the coach’s box.

There was actually really good defense by both teams, including a running grab at the wall in the gap by Sam Antonacci — but at the plate, he grounded out to end the ninth after the A’s walked the bases loaded. The A’s in turn got two walks from Seranthony Domínguez in the bottom half, but naturally stranded the runners.

To extra innings we go.

The Sox stranded the Manfred Man in the top of the 10th, and after Jordan Hicks failed to field a bunt and ended up putting men on first and third and none out. With the game on the line Will Venable played five infielders, which turned out to be a good idea, thanks to Tanner Murray.

In the 11th, the Sox went for really serious failure, loading the bases with no outs, only to have Montgomery and Pereira strike out and Antonacci pop-up. The A’s made death quick, going sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly for a 7-6 win, wrapping up the game in just 3:34.

One note of worth — cheap homers are legion in Sacramento, but all five in this game were shots, good enough to go out in at least 29 of 30 parks.

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Even when things seem rough, the San Francisco Giants stay close as a group. Look no further than the light-hearted moment between Drew Gilbert and skipper Tony Vitello.

Los Gigantes haven't had the start to their 2026 season that they hoped, but there could be signs that things could pick up.

Through 21 games, the Giants have posted a 9-12 record following their 7-6 win against the Washington Nationals after 12 innings on April 18. Matt Chapman hit an RBI single in the 12th inning to lift San Francisco to its third straight victory.

The vibes were high, especially for a team that needed a momentum booster. Outside of Chapman's game-winning RBI, there was no moment better during the game than the moment shared between Giants skipper Vitello and outfielder Gilbert.

Gilbert returned to the lineup after being recalled. He suffered a shoulder injury during spring training that kept him from being listed on the Giants' opening day roster.

During Saturday's game, Vitello and Gilbert were seen on camera playfully shadow-boxing in the dugout.

As for who won the shadow match, Gilbert was all smiles, but judging the open looks he had, he'd probably have the higher scorecard if we're keeping count.

Drew Gilbert returns

The two share a history as Gilbert played for Vitello at the University of Tennessee in 2022. Gilbert made his MLB debut for the Giants on August 8, 2025. Vitello is in his first year as a MLB manager. He joined the Giants in October 2025, becoming the first skipper with no previous professional experience. Vitello became the first college baseball coach to jump straight to the pros.

The Giants have one last matchup with the Nationals in their three-game series. Giants look to sweep Washington before going back home to the Bay to host another rendition of their storied rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 21 to 23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tony Vitello, Drew Gilbert play fight in dugout as Giants beat Nats