Category: Baseball

ST. LOUIS — Roki Sasaki might’ve finally turned a corner from his recent struggles Saturday night.

Too bad the Dodgers’ offense took too long to do the same.

Despite a season-best six-inning, three-run start from Sasaki, the Dodgers remained mired in their recently maddening slump during a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. 

In their latest sign of futility, they endured eight shutout innings that included as many hits as double plays (four each). Then, despite some good batted-ball luck that keyed a last-gasp, two-run rally in the ninth, they fittingly ended the game by stranding the tying and go-ahead runners on base.

“Just comes down to, we didn’t score enough tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Indeed, Saturday followed what has become an uncomfortably common script for the Dodgers (20-13) in recent days.

They couldn’t generate power, failing to hit a home run for a fifth straight game (the longest drought for the club since 2015). They couldn’t take advantage of situational opportunities, either, going hitless with runners in scoring position until their short-lived comeback attempt in the top of the ninth.

That inning was keyed by three two-out singles that all deflected off the glove of a Cardinals fielder. Andy Pages then snuck a seeing-eye grounder through the infield to cut the deficit to one.

Alas, Dalton Rushing struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the game and send the Dodgers to a fourth straight defeat.

They still somehow finished with six runners left on base, even when accounting for all the double plays they hit into.

In the first inning, Will Smith became the first victim on an inning-ending grounder that was turned by shortstop Masyn Winn. In the third, Alex Freeland got doubled off after an overly aggressive jump on a lineout to second from Shohei Ohtani. Another double play ended the fourth, when JJ Wetherholt made a spinning turn at second on a ground ball from Teoscar Hernández. Then in the fifth, Hyeseong Kim couldn’t leg out a tapper back to the mound that was also turned for two.

“Once we started to build something, the double plays got us,” Roberts said. “They turned a couple really good ones. That certainly kills innings.”

It also meant that, when Sasaki stumbled in a three-run third inning, the 3-0 deficit might as well have felt like 30.

Even with some fortunate bounces at the end, the Dodgers fell to 5-9 in their last 14 games.

“There’s gonna be times where we’re not clicking,” Pages said through an interpreter afterward. “And this is one of those times right now.”

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What it means

Before Saturday’s game, Roberts joked he was an “eternal optimist” while declaring “today’s the day” the lineup would finally turn things around.

By the end of the night, such laughter was gone –– but the manager was still trying to put a spin on the team’s confounding recent struggles.

Roberts maintained that the club’s slide is “what every team is going to go through in baseball throughout the course of a season.” He downplayed the notion that it has revealed larger concerns in the offense, noting what he felt were higher quality at-bats throughout Saturday’s game.

“I thought the intentions were better on balls in the hitting zone,” he said, after noting pregame that his hitters seemed too “passive” on pitches they should attack.

“Yes, we hit into some double plays tonight. But I thought we took some good walks and, obviously, in the ninth inning, I thought we put together some good at-bats. I just think we need to be aggressive and take what the pitcher gives you. But every team goes through this through the course of the season.”

Who’s hot

Sasaki … at least by the end of the night.

After drastically changing his signature splitter last week — abandoning his traditional forkball grip for a more prototypical splitter release — the right-hander used both variations of the pitch Saturday. It led to varying degrees of success.

Early on, Sasaki had his usual command problems, walking two batters and hitting another in his first two innings. Then in the third, the Cardinals finally got to him. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson hit back-to-back doubles off his fastball. Jordan Walker got a hanging forkball in an 0-2 count that he belted for a two-run blast.

Just like that, it was 3-0 with no outs in the inning.

Another disastrous performance seemed to be at hand.

The one thing Sasaki has done well this season, however, is bounce back from such adversity. And over the rest of Saturday night, he provided his best example yet. The 24-year-old retired 12 of his final 13 batters to complete six innings for the first time this year. He also recorded only his second “quality start” (at least six innings, no more than three earned runs) in 14 career starting performances in the majors. 

There’s still a long way to go in his development. And his ERA is still an unsightly 5.97.

But the trend line, for the first time this year, finally appears to be pointing up. 

“I do think that there was a lot of growth,” Roberts said. “Each of his last handful of starts, he’s gotten better.”

Who’s not

Of the many, many hitters who don’t look right in the Dodgers’ lineup, no one’s slump has been more consequential than Ohtani’s.

After his ice-cold bat, the rest of the offense seemed to follow his lead.

On Saturday, the two-way star went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. In this series, he has now made an out in all nine trips to the plate. Overall, Ohtani hasn’t recorded a hit since Monday. And after it seemed like he was getting back on track last week, his season batting average is back down to .252 and his OPS is down to .835.

When Ohtani last spoke to reporters Tuesday, he framed his slow start as nothing out of the ordinary, saying it usually takes until May for him to typically find his swing. However, he also acknowledged that, when his hitting mechanics are off, his two-way duties can make it more difficult (or at least take longer) to get his swing synced back up.

Case in point: He has just one home run in his last 18 games and only two extra-base hits in his last 12.

Up next

The Dodgers will try to avoid getting swept for the first time this season Sunday, when Justin Wrobleski (4-0, 1.50 ERA) will face off against ex-Dodger Dustin May (3-2, 5.28 ERA).

The Arizona Complex League, a.k.a. Rookie Ball, started this afternoon. I normally don’t do a full recap of the ACL Cubs. Instead, I just give a link to the box score and comment if anything extraordinary happened today. I also don’t wait for the ACL Cubs to finish before I hit “publish” on the nightly wraps. I’d rather get the recaps to you before you go to bed at night than wait for a West Coast rookie ball team to finish up. Today was a day game so that was not a problem, but once summer rolls around and things get scorching hot in Arizona, the games will almost all start near sundown.

Last night shortstop Ty Southisene scored the winning run for Myrtle Beach in the bottom of the ninth. That’s the last thing he’s going to do for the Pelicans because he was promoted to High-A South Bend.

Everyone lost but Mesa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were cast out by the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 16-2.

So the Saints scored in every inning but the sixth. Doug Nikhazy’s I-Cubs debut was one he’d like to forget as he got clobbered for eight runs on six hits over 2.2 innings. Nikhazy walked three and struck out four.

Close to all of the I-Cubs offense came from right fielder Kevin Alcántara. Alcántara singled and scored in the second inning on a double by DH BJ Murray. Then in the seventh inning, Alcántara hit his league-leading 11th home run of the year.

Alcántara went 3 for 4 with the home run and he scored both of Iowa’s runs.

Murray was 2 for 3 with the double and a walk.

Center fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with two walks.

That’s all of Iowa’s hits today.

Murray’s double.

The Jaguar strikes again for 397 feet.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were left on the launchpad by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 7-5.

Starter Tyler Schlaffer pitched 4.1 innings and surrendered two runs, one earned, on three hits. Schlaffer did walk four while striking out three.

Schlaffer was relieved by Jace Beck who allowed one inherited runner to score and five more of his own. Beck’s final numbers were five runs on seven hits over 1.2 innings. Beck walked one and struck out two.

Left fielder Andy Garriola homered twice tonight: a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth. Garriola leads the Smokies with seven home runs. Tonight he finished going 2 for 3 with walk and the two home runs.

Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Rojas scored on Garriola’s first home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were boiled by the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 7-6.

Kevin Valdez started and allowed four runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Ethan Flanagan took over in the fifth inning and gave up just one run on four hits over the next four innings. Flanagan struck out four and walked one.

JP Wheat was called upon to get the save in the top of the ninth and in typical wild JP Wheat fashion, he took the loss after allowing two runs on no hits and four walks. Wheat also uncorked two wild pitches. He struck out one in the one inning of work.

Second baseman Drew Bowser tied the game up 5-5 with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Bowser went 1 for 2 with two walks and a hit batsman.

First baseman Cole Mathis was 1 for 3 with a triple and two walks. One of the two walks came with the bases loaded for one run batted in. He scored twice.

Bowser’s double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were hypnotized by the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 4-3.

Dominick Reid turned in a decent start, going five innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. He did walk four batters while striking out six.

Hayden Frank tossed the final four innings, gave up his first two runs of season and took the loss. Frank allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Catcher Logan Poteet was 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI single in the seventh inning.

Left fielder Jose Escobar went 1 for 4 with a two-run single in the first.

Poteet’s RBI single.

ACL Cubs

Cubs 7, Athletics 5

Kaleb Wing, the Cubs’ fourth-round pick last year, made his professional debut in this game and allowed one run on two hits over four innings. He struck out six and walked no one. Something tells me he’ll be in Myrtle Beach soon.

Second baseman Juan Cabada, a top 20 prospect in most Cubs prospect lists, went 3 for 5 with a triple, a run sored and three RBI in his stateside debut.

And, so, it ends. By going 0-for-4 today, Vargas’s streak ended at 27 games. That’s still the second longest in franchise history. You have to go all the way back to the early stages of the franchise’s sophomore season in 1999, to find the only bigger streak. Club legend Luis Gonzalez reached 30 games between April 11 and May 18 that year. But, as we’ll see, there are grounds for thinking Ildemaro’s may be more impressive, given the offensive environment of the time. It’s been a while since any D-back has come close to approaching Gonzo. Over the past twenty years, just three reached 20 games: Paul Goldschmidt (26 in 2013-14), Ketel Marte (21 in 2024) and Vargas. Here’s the top dozen.

What’s most impressive is, nobody saw this coming. Of all the people potentially to challenge the record in 2026, he was likely among the longest odds. Corbin Carroll? Sure. Ketel Marte? Of course, especially given his previous 21-game streak. They have a far better track record. For most of the other entries on the chart above, the players concerned were well known to be decent hitters. Even the notoriously light-hitting Tony Womack came in to the 2000 season with a .278 career average. But at the end of last year, when the streak was just three games old, Vargas was a career .249 hitter. His previous high hit streak before this? Just ten games, in 2022 when he was with Washington.

The 24-game streak at the start of the season makes it particularly impressive. That’s the longest streak to open a campaign for fifty years. Ron LeFlore of Detroit reached thirty at the beginning of 1976. Doing so also allows Vargas to get into some uncharted territory elsewhere. At the end of the streak yesterday, he was batting .404 on the season with 99 PA in the books. That’s comfortably the deepest into the season that an Arizona player has been able to post a .400 average. Here are the five previous D-backs with the most PA to reach the .400 mark (only stats at the end of the game being counted):

1. 77 PA: Geraldo Perdomo, May 3, 2023, BA .409
2. 67 PA: Mark Reynolds, June 1, 2007, BA .413
3. 64 PA: Greg Colbrunn, May 25, 2000, BA .404
4. 60 PA: Orlando Hudson, April 15, 2007, BA .411
5. 58 PA: Pavin Smith, April 18, 2025, BA .408

Gonzalez came achingly close to smashing them all, including Vargas. On June 4th, 1999 he went 2-for-4 and raised his average for the season to .398. That was as close as he got in a meaningful size. But that .398 did come over a much longer period, covering 227 plate-appearances and 201 at-bats. On the surface, that’s much more impressive than Vargas. Except, 1999 was a very different era, as Jack reminded me on X. There are reasons hit streaks of over 25 games have become much less frequent. The overall batting average that year was .271: this year, it’s .243. Put another way, if we assume 4 AB per game, a league average batter hitting 25 games in a row was roughly five times more likely in 1999.

The actual results bear this out. We asked Baseball Reference for all the hitting streaks of 25 games within a single season during the divisional era, led by Pete Rose’s 44 games in 1979. There were 82 all told over the fifty-seven seasons from 1969-2025, so about one and a half per year. But there have only been six since the end of 2016, and none of those got past 26 games. [Vargas’s season-spanner doesn’t count, of course] In contrast, 2011 alone had four, two of which reached the thirty-game checkpoint. Things peaked, unsurprisingly, in 1999, with six 25+ streaks. Gonzo’s 30-game run was surpassed later in the year by Vlad Guerrero reaching 31.

The other unexpected bonus in this being an early-season surge, is seeing a Diamondback hitter as the #1 for the batting title. When was the last time a Diamondback was in that position? The most literal answer is boring, albeit with a surprising name. Jeff Mathis went 3-for-4 on Opening Day 2017, and that .750 batting average was tied with six others for the major-league lead after that day. But that’s also not really what we’re wondering. What about as late in the season as we are now? Then the answer is a more predictable name: Paul Goldschmidt led all of MLB in batting average on August 18, 2015. Here’s the relevant Fangraphs leaderboard.

In fact, again looking from May 1 onwards in each season, only 2015 Paul Goldschmidt and 1999 Luis Gonzalez have ever led MLB in batting average. The latest date Gonzo led was June 5, 1999 — when he was hitting .390, the day after coming one hit short of batting .400. Again, it was a very different offensive environment, let’s say. As some of you might know, we have never had a full-season batting champion. 2015 Goldy would finish 4th, while 1999 Gonzo would finish 6th. The closest we’ve ever come was 2019 Ketel Marte, who finished 3rd, and never led.

Here are the others who led after only 1 or 2 games besides Mathis: 2000 Steve Finley, 2013 Gerardo Parra, and 2014 Goldschmidt (after just the Australia series; it helps that only two teams had played!). And here are the others who led later on in April: 2001 Jay Bell (April 18-19), 2007 Orlando Hudson (April 15 and 20), and 2011 Miguel Montero (April 8-10, 13-14). All told, that’s some pretty good company for Vargas. Is it sustainable? Almost certainly not, though even after this afternoon’s ohfer, Ildemaro still has a striking 47-point lead over the current runner-up, the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.

Still, we’ll continue to enjoy it while it lasts. You can only appreciate the wonders of a game where, for more than a month an unheralded journeyman on his fifth stint with the Diamondbacks, was the best hitter in baseball.

The Dodgers nearly suffered their second shutout loss in as many weeks, managing to get a pair of late runs in the ninth inning but falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Saturday.

Roki Sasaki had a decent start in the first inning, getting his first two outs on eight pitches, but put two men on with two outs by walking Alex Burleson and allowing a single to Jordan Walker. A bookend strikeout of Nolan Gorman helped him get out of the inning unscathed. Sasaki needed just three pitches to get two outs in the bottom of the second, but plunked Ramón Urías on a 1-1 count before walking Victor Scott II to once again put two on with two outs. Sasaki got another bookend strikeout— this time against J.J. Wetherhold— to strand the pair.

Once the Cardinals came to bat in the bottom of the third, Sasaki got ambushed early with a pair of doubles from Iván Herrera and Burleson to give St. Louis the early lead. Walker got to an inside slider from Sasaki and drilled a line drive that snuck over the left field wall to give the Cardinals a three-run lead. It was the eighth home run that Sasaki has allowed this season— tied for fifth most this season— and the fourth allowed over his last two starts. He would follow up that inning by retiring nine hitters in a row as he completed six full innings for the first time while tossing a career-high 104 pitches.

Sasaki has continued to display dominant results over the first two innings of his starts, as he has allowed just one run in innings 1 and 2 over his six starts, but he has allowed 18 runs after the start of the third inning, resulting in a 9.72 ERA from innings 3 and beyond this season. A positive note for Sasaki is that the walks have decreased dramatically, as he has walked just three hitters over his last 11 innings.

The Dodgers on offense were left stunned by the Cardinals defense as they couldn’t get anything going against Michael McGreevy. Will Smith hit into an inning-ending double play in the first inning, and the Dodgers couldn’t come through with two men on base and less than two outs in the second. The Dodgers were able to get the leadoff man on in the third with a bunt single from Alex Freeland, but Shohei Ohtani’s line drive was snared on a diving catch by Wetherholt, doubling up Freeland at first for another double play. The Cardinals would turn another pair of double plays to end both the top of the fourth and fifth innings.

The Dodgers managed to put multiple guys on base against Ryne Stanek in the top of the seventh, including their first hit since the third inning from Teoscar Hernández, but Andy Pages struck out swinging representing the tying run to get the Cardinals out of trouble. Jojo Romero followed Stanek with a perfect eighth inning, striking out both Miguel Rojas and Ohtani.

The Dodgers put up a two-out rally against closer Riley O’Brien as Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández reached on infield singles. Max Muncy lined a ball just over a leaping Wetherhold into right field to bring home Tucker and score the first Dodger run since the sixth inning on Friday. Pages kept the rally going with a base hit to left field to bring home Hernández, putting both the tying and go-ahead runs on base in a one-run game. Dalton Rushing came in to pinch hit, but went down swinging as the Cardinals took the series from the Dodgers and rattled off their sixth consecutive win.

In what has been an utterly brutal week for an anemic Dodgers offense, the team is averaging just 2.4 runs per game this week while recording just five extra-base hits— all doubles, no home runs— over that stretch. The Dodgers have performed miserably with runners on base this week, as they are hitting just .225 with runners in scoring position while leaving a combined 40 runners on base over their last five games. The Dodgers have now dropped four of their last five games against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium dating back to last season.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Jordan Walker (10)
• WP— Michael McGreevy (2-2): 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
• LP— Roki Sasaki (1-3): 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
• SV— Riley O’Brien (9): 1 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers close out their series in St. Louis on Sunday (11:15 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading down to Houston for a three-game set against the Astros. Justin Wrobleski makes his fifth start while old friend Dustin May goes for the Cardinals.

Excuse me while I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. No, this is real. The St. Louis Cardinals continue to prove they are more than just a timid rebuild as Michael McGreevy threw a gem and Jordan Walker’s bat continued to provide the power leading the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the overpaid Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cardinals bats would ignite starting in the 3rd inning as Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson hit back-to-back doubles giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead. They would add to that score immediately afterward as Jordan Walker powered a 372 foot shot barely over the left field wall giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Michael McGreevy appeared to be channeling his inner Greg Maddux as he kept the Dodgers on the ground tossing 6 innings allowing only 3 hits and no runs including a Sportscenter double play turned by now and future up-the-middle combo JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn. Someone find the radar gun and measure the velocity of Winn’s throw to first. 91.6 mph!That had to sting Burleson’s glove.

Ryne Stanek came in to handle the top of the 7th inning and after getting the first two outs decided to allow some drama. He gave up a single and a walk, but managed to get Pages to chase two pitches out of the zone to escape with no damage. All’s well that ends well. JoJo Romero was the designated 8th inning guy and he got the Dodgers out 1-2-3 including striking out Shohei Ohtani who was held hitless by the Cardinals pitching staff Saturday night.

Riley O’Brien was brought in to lock down another Cardinals victory in the top of the 9th inning. He was tasked with tackling 2-3-4 of the Dodgers lineup and struck out Freddie Freeman on 3 pitches with an ABS challenge assist from eagle-eye Ivan Herrera. Smith lined out to Jordan Walker in right field. Kyle Tucker reached on a sinking line drive that Masyn Winn was not able to pick in time. Hernandez also reached on a ball that Masyn Winn was not able to snag cleanly up the middle which brought up the tying run in Max Muncy. He lined a ball just over JJ Wetherholt’s leap to bring in Tucker for the Dodgers lone run making it 3-1 Cardinals. Andy Pages singled in Hernandez pulling the Dodgers to within a run of the Cardinals making it 3-2 St. Louis. Pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing fortunately struck out to end the game.

I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but the Cardinals will go for a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday as Dustin May will pitch the most appropriate jersey number to calendar day in history with his May 3 attire. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm at Busch Stadium Sunday.

The Kansas City Royals (13-19) face the Seattle Mariners (16-17) in the second game of their series. The Royals won Friday’s opener 7-6. Starting pitchers are Seth Lugo for Kansas City, with a 2.63 ERA, and Emerson Hancock for Seattle, with a 2.86 ERA.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners

• Date: Saturday, May 2

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET / 6:40 p.m. PT

• Where: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA

• TV Channels: Mariners.TV, Royals.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Kansas City Royals: 13-19 (No. 5 in AL Central)

• Seattle Mariners: 16-17 (No. 3 in AL West)

Odds

• Spread: Seattle Mariners -1.5

• Moneyline: Seattle Mariners -147 (57.0%) / Kansas City Royals +123 (43.0%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

Kansas City Royals: Seth Lugo (1-1, ERA: 2.63, K: 31, WHIP: 1.17)
Seattle Mariners: Emerson Hancock (2-1, ERA: 2.86, K: 32, WHIP: 0.98)

Weather: 72°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,929 | Roof: Retractable | Surface: Grass

The Texas Rangers scored a run but the Detroit Tigers scored five runs.

I regret to inform you that the Rangers were back on their bullshit.

A mystifying Achilles’ heel for the starting staff so far this season has been a persistent struggle to get the third out in early innings. That particular bugaboo certainly reared its ugly head for Texas once more as Detroit scored five two-out runs in the first two innings against Kumar Rocker and then we all just kind of sat around letting FOX inflate their advertisement metrics until they played the required number of innings.

The Tigers had five hits in 12 chances with RISP — including 4-for-5 through two innings — while the Rangers predictably did not have a hit with RISP in their six opportunities.

The loss prevented Texas from enjoying a third win in a row, something they’ve only accomplished just twice this season with no such streaks since sweeping Seattle in early April.

Player of the Game: Jake Burger hit a solo home run to prevent the Rangers from getting shut out.

Also, Cal Quantrill came in and provided three scoreless innings in relief of Rocker to at least soak up some innings and prevent Texas from getting blown out after Detroit went up 5-0 through two innings.

Up Next: The Rangers close out this series with the Tigers back on national TV with RHP Jack Leiter next up for Texas against a pitcher yet to be named for Detroit.

The Sunday evening first pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 6:20 pm CDT and will be aired on NBCSN/Peacock so be ready to remember yet another password for yet another service to watch your favorite baseball squad!

After a rough day of injury news and in the wake of another messy start from Jack Flaherty, the Detroit Tigers needed to settle things down. Keider Montero was the man for the job, and he got it done with another quality start. Dillon Dingler supplied the power, and the Tigers put together a relatively calm victory on Saturday night in Comerica Park.

Keider Montero has been a godsend to a banged up back of the Tigers’ rotation. More proof will be required, but he appears a more composed and mature pitcher this year, less prone to the bouts of poor command that have plagued him a bit in a starting role during his first two seasons as a part-time major leaguer. The Tigers needed a pretty one from him today to break out of their road trip funk.

Montero got ahead of Evan Carter and Corey Seager in the top of the first, but was fortunate that a pair of hard hit balls were run down in center and right field. Kerry Carpenter in particular did a nice job running into the gap at the wall to haul in Seager’s drive. A lineout from Josh Jung to Gleyber Torres made it a quick 1-2-3 inning for Montero.

Kevin McGonigle popped out to start the bottom half, but Gleyber Torres reached on a soft tapper toward third. Kumar Rocker was only throwing 91-93 mph out of the gate, which was interesting. Colt Keith paddled an opposite field grounder that Jung at third whiffed on, and the Tigers were in business. Riley Greene smoked a one-hopper into right field, but Ezequiel Duran in right fired home and cut down Torres at the plate with time for catcher Danny Jansen to take the ball from the first base side of home plate and swing around to apply the tag. Not a good send with the strong-armed Duran throwing and the slow Torres running.

So it was runners at first and third with two outs for Dillon Dingler. Fortunately, Rocker’s slider hung up over the plate and Dingler hit an absolute missile to left for a 3-0 lead. Rocker’s velocity started to tick up against Kerry Carpenter, and a high fastball got a pop-up to third to end the inning.

Montero continued to just pound the zone with a heavy volume of fourseamers and sinkers. A pair of quick outs, and then a really nice slider to whiff Alejandro Osuna for his first strikeout ended the top of the second.

Spencer Torkelson flew out to open the bottom half of the second, but Wenceel Pérez singled and stole second base with Jace Jung at the plate in the DH slot. Jung punched out on a slider, but that brought McGonigle to the dish and in a 3-0 count, he slapped a single back through the box to plate Pérez. 4-0 Tigers. McGonigle promptly swiped second easily on a first pitch strike to Torres. The second baseman dumped a blooper into right field, and McGonigle raced around to make it 5-0. Colt Keith bit on a pair of sliders to strike out and send this to the third inning.

Montero committed the cardinal error after getting this run support, walking Duran to start the inning. He got Josh Smith to lift a shallow fly ball to left, but then walked Danny Jansen too. A changeup got a pop out from Carter to McGonigle, and the opportunity to escape a little self-inflicted trouble was there, but Montero would have to get Corey Seager out. He fell behind 2-0, but got lucky on slider right down the middle and Seager lifted a shallow fly ball to Pérez to end the inning.

Rocker’s day was already done, and RHP Cal Quantrill took over in the bottom of the third. The veteran is pretty familiar after his many years with Cleveland. Riley Greene worked a full count, but whiffed on a cutter to start the inning. Dingler grounded out, and Carpenter whiffed over a cutter to send us to the fourth.

Gleyber Torres was out of the game, with Hao-Yu Lee taking over at second base. Torres had something on his left side tighten up on him, presumably an oblique strain. Josh Jung immediately tested him with a soft grounder and Lee took care of it. Montero carved up Joc Pederson and froze him with a sinker to strike three. A first pitch sinker on the inner half up was poorly placed to a free swinging Jake Burger, and he pulled a home run to left to make it 5-1 Tigers. Osuna grounded out to Lee to end the frame.

Meanwhile, in Toledo, Zach McKinstry was preparing for his return to action, playing right field and then moving to second base, while launching a homer.

Quantrill got Torkelson to fly out to open the bottom of the fourth, but Pérez drew a walk and Jung jumped a first cutter, lining a single to right field. McGonigle worked a full count as Quantrill tried to stay away from him. The 3-2 pitch got smoked to left center field, but Evan Carter made a nice play to get from shaded to right field all the way across to the left field wall by the vistor’s bullpen and haul it in on the warning track. Another 380 foot out from McGonigle. Seems like there have been tons of them already. Hao-Yu Lee battled into a full count in his first at-bat, but lifted a shallow flyout to center.

Duran started off the fifth with a solid single. Montero was still only at 55 pitches, pitching efficiently though not getting much swing and miss. He got ahead of Smith 1-2, but a fastball at the top of the zone was lined to left for a single, and suddenly there was a spot of bother. Dillon Dingler came on to settle down his pitcher, and Montero got Jansen to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. Just like that it was two outs with a man on third and Carter lifted a routine fly ball to center to end the frame.

The Tigers started to draw a bead on Quantrill in the bottom half. Colt Keith drew a walk, and again we saw a little more aggression on the basepaths as Keith stole second. Riley Greene singled him over to third, and then Dingler popped out. Unfortunately, Carpenter swung 2-0 on a high fastball and grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Montero was still only at 64 pitches to start the sixth. Corey Seager hit another ball hard, but Pérez ran back and hauled it in on the warning track. Jung followed with a single. Montero and Dingler used Pederson’s aggression against him with a first pitch curve that was lifted to Pérez in center. Another first pitch breaking ball to Burger was popped out and Montero was through six and still only at 73 pitches.

RHP Peyton Gray was on for the Rangers in the bottom of the sixth. The 30-year-old West Michigan product has bounced around international and independent ball for years, finally reaching the major leagues this year.

Torkelson fouled off five pitches against Gray, but eventually whiffed on a slider right down the pipe. A couple of good changeups whiffed Pérez as well. Jung fouled off a ton of pitches as well in a long AB, finally got into a full count, fouled off the 10th pitch of the AB, and finally drew a walk. Jace Jung hasn’t done anything in his looks in the major leagues, but he continues to grind out really disciplined at-bats. That brought up McGonigle who had gotten a good look at everything Gray had from the on-deck circle, but Gray’s changeup is really deceptive, and he popped out on the first pitch despite clearly looking for it. On to the seventh.

Osuna grounded out, and Duran got a 3-2 count, but Montero went right after him and Duran ripped a drive to left that Riley Greene had to leap and snare for the second out. Nice play. Josh Smith flicked a little single to right, and A.J. Hinch came out to say thank you very much, going to the bullpen as Montero drew a standing ovation from the Tigers’ faithful. I’d love a bit better breaking ball command so Montero can punch a few more tickets, but he’s attacking the zone aggressively, and no one is doing enough against him to force him out of the zone. He definitely had some nice defense working behind in this one too. Good stuff, and much needed by his club. 6.2 innings, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, for Montero on the day.

Drew Anderson came in to get the final out of the seventh against Danny Jansen. The Rangers catcher worked a full count but he got kick-changed on a check swing for strike three. Nice job. Anderson appears to be coming around.

Hao-Yu Lee flew out to center to start the bottom half. Colt Keith smoked yet another line drive for a single, but Riley Greene got a meatball and popped out for the second out. Dingler ripped a single to left center, and the Rangers threw the ball in to Seager well off of second base and the Tigers’ catcher read it all the way and stole second base on the play. Carpenter offered at a 1-0 changeup at the bottom of the zone and grounded out to end the inning. LOBster fest for Kerry in this one.

Anderson struck out Carter to start the eighth, but Seager singled, and Jung doubled him over to third. Anderson stayed chill and induced a soft tapper from Joc Pederson. Anderson checked Seager at third and recorded the out at first. Burger took a pair of ugly hacks at two high pitches, ugly enough that Skip Schumacher and the training staff came out to check on him. Anderson then locked him up with a changeup right at the top of the zone for strike three to strand both runners. Not exactly textbook against a free swinging pull hitter, but we’ll take it.

Hard-throwing RHP Gavin Collyer took over from Gray in the bottom of the eighth, quickly popping up Torkelson for the first out. Pérez chopped one over the mound and beat out an infield single for his second knock on the night. Pérez broke for second, but Jung flew out to Osuna down the left field line and Pérez had to retreat to first. McGonigle stepped in looking for his second hit of the night, while Ricky Vanasco warmed up in the Tigers bullpen with a perfect, relatively safe inning in which to debut. Pérez was looking to run again, and he promptly nabbed second base for his second steal and the fourth by the Tigers on the night. McGonigle came out of his shoes on a 2-1 cutter and came up empty. He worked a full count and then yanked a drive just foul down the right field line that got the crowd hyped for a moment. A foul tip into the glove ended the inning and it was on to the ninth.

Instead of Vanasco, Hinch decided just to stick with Anderson in a four-run game. He got a grounder from Osuna, and McGonigle made a nice backhanded play and fired to first for the out. Duran drilled a line drive out to center field, but Pérez made a nice running play on that one. Really good defense from the Detroit Tigers tonight, and we hope for more of it. Josh Smith popped out to end it, and the Tigers are back to an even .500 record.

Dillon Dingler landed the big blow on the night, while the Tigers came up empty on a plethora of chances otherwise. Still it was more than enough with Montero and Anderson posting good outings.

It’s a 7:20 p.m. ET start on Sunday, with RHP Jack Leiter going for the Rangers. The Tigers will have to piece together a bullpen game, which Anderson’s 2.1 scoreless innings will make a little easier to manage.

Box Score

After a couple of dominant days on offense for the Brewers, the streak cooled down early today. However, it ran just long enough to build a lead, which Kyle Harrison protected in a 4-1 win this afternoon.

Most of the Brewers’ offense came with two outs in the first inning. William Contreras started off with a two-out single. Then, back-to-back walks of Gary Sánchez and Jake Bauers loaded the bases. That left it to Luis Rengifo to bring in a run, and he hit what should have been an easy ground ball straight at Brady House. However, House did not field the ball cleanly as it bounced off his glove, and by the time he recovered, there was no play. Contreras scored on the error, and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.

That gave Brandon Lockridge an at-bat with the bases loaded. He cashed it in, hitting a ground ball between second and third for an RBI single, scoring both Sánchez and Bauers. Just like that, the Brewers were staked to a 3-0 lead before Harrison even took the mound (with all three runs unearned).

Harrison took that early lead and defended it. His day started with a ground ball hit in front of the plate that Sánchez threw to first and was initially ruled out. However, the Nationals challenged, and James Wood just beat the throw. Wood was eliminated on a double play from House two batters later, and Harrison was out of the first, facing the minimum.

That first at-bat from Wood also had a ball that Sánchez challenged and was upheld, just one-tenth of an inch out of the strike zone. That ended up looming large after Garrett Mitchell challenged a strikeout in the top of the second, and that was also upheld (this one much more obvious). That used up both of the Brewers’ ABS challenges, not even an inning and a half into the game. It’s not the first game that the Brewers have burned their challenges in non-critical situations, and it’s something that they will need to work on going forward.

Both starters settled in well after the first, with the next scoring chance not happening until the bottom of the fourth inning. Curtis Mead led off the inning with a double, then CJ Abrams drove in Mead with an RBI single. Harrison did strike out the side in the inning, but the Nationals closed the lead to 3-1.

That was Harrison’s only rough inning of the day. Overall, he had a good day, scattering seven hits and a walk over six innings with five strikeouts. The length of the start was important, giving the bullpen some rest after a short start from Brandon Woodruff on Thursday and Jacob Misiorowski’s early departure on Friday. For the Nationals, Foster Griffin matched Harrison pretty well. He allowed three hits and four walks over six innings. Though the Brewers scored three runs off him, all were recorded as unearned after House’s error.

The Nationals went to Brad Lord in the seventh, and the Brewers put some two-out pressure on him. Brice Turang singled and then reached second on a wild pitch. The Nationals chose to walk Contreras intentionally after that, and then escaped the inning after Sánchez grounded out. Meanwhile, Grant Anderson and DL Hall combined for a scoreless seventh inning, with Anderson allowing just one hit.

Lord remained in the game for the eighth, and the Brewers kept up the pressure with small ball. Three straight one-out singles from Rengifo, Lockridge, and Sal Frelick loaded the bases. Once again, Joey Ortiz got an at-bat with the bases loaded, but he did make it count. He hit a ground ball in front of home plate that bounced high, and Mead’s only choice was to throw to first. He did get the out, but David Hamilton (who pinch-ran for Rengifo) scored an important insurance run. Mitchell drew a walk to load the bases again, but Turang struck out swinging.

Trevor Megill pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to hold the three-run lead, then the Brewers went down in order against Orlando Ribalta in the top of the ninth. Abner Uribe came in for the save chance, and it was another tense one. Jacob Young led off the inning with a single, and Daylen Lile reached on an error by Hamilton, who dropped a pop-up in shallow left. Pitching coach Chris Hook made a mound visit after that, but also brought a different glove for Uribe. After the game, Todd Rosiak noted that it was because Uribe was using a new glove that doesn’t close as tightly, so he switched back to his old glove to not tip pitches.

Whether the change of glove helped or not, Uribe did recover after that. He struck out José Tena for the first out. Luis García Jr. popped out on the infield fly rule after that, and then Jorbit Vivas grounded out to Bauers at first to end the game.

While the Nationals outhit the Brewers 9-7 in this game, the Brewers made up for it with six walks compared to the Nationals’ one. All of those walks came from the first five batters in the order. Lockridge was the lone Brewer with a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Turang reached the most with a 1-for-3 day with a pair of walks. Mitchell and Contreras also had a hit and a walk each. Every starter reached base at least once except for Ortiz, who still contributed with an RBI groundout.

One unfortunate update tonight came not from this game, but from the Triple-A Nashville game this afternoon. During his rehab appearance, Jackson Chourio fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. He was limping badly after the at-bat and did not return to play defense after the inning. The initial report from the Brewers is that it was a precautionary move, but we will have to wait for more details. Prior to the injury, Chourio was expected to return to the team on Monday — along with Andrew Vaughn — for the beginning of Milwaukee’s series in St. Louis. We’ll see if that still ends up being the case.

The Brewers will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon. Chad Patrick was originally scheduled to start for the Brewers, but he is no longer listed, and the spot is now TBD. This could mean that Logan Henderson — who is with the team currently — could be officially recalled to make the start. It could also be a sign of the Brewers using an opener in front of Patrick again. No official report was available after the game. As for the Nationals, they will start Zack Littell. First pitch will be at 12:35 p.m.

The long and winding road for Brusdar Graterol took an important turn on Saturday, as the Dodgers reliever joined Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment. He pitched a perfect fourth inning against Round Rock, a Texas Rangers affiliate.

Graterol struck out one batter sandwiched between a pair of groundouts, which is to be expected for the right-hander with the career 61.2-percent groundball rate. He threw only eight pitches, and averaged 95.1 mph on his five four-seam fastballs.

It was Graterol’s first game action since pitching in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium, 549 days ago. Since then he had surgery in November 2024 to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder that wiped out his entire 2025 season.

Graterol was slow-played this spring after not getting the results he or the team wanted early on in camp at Camelback Ranch.

“With Brusdar, he’s shown that we can count on him in the biggest of spots,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters in February. “We just gotta get him up to the velocity. It’s an intentionally slow build up.”

After starting the season on the injured list, Graterol has been throwing and working his way back at Camelback Ranch. But now he finally has a game under his belt for the first time in 19 months.

When healthy, Graterol has been one of the Dodgers’ best and most-trusted relievers since joining the team in 2020. Graterol has a career 2.78 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 188 games and 190 2/3 innings, with 148 strikeouts and 33 unintentional walks, plus a 1.85 ERA and 2.86 FIP in 25 postseason games and 24 1/3 innings. But he has been injured for nearly all of the last two-plus years

Graterol was also limited to only 10 games in the 2024 regular season and postseason combined, missing time with shoulder inflammation and a hamstring strain that year.

The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million deal in January with Graterol, who will be a free agent after this season.

This is essentially spring training for Graterol, so expect a methodical build up. Brock Stewart is about to complete his third week of minor league rehab games after having his own shoulder surgery last September, before likely returning to the Dodgers in the coming week. One would imagine Graterol will need at least that long to build back up.

The first step on that journey is now in the books.

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. exited Saturday night's game against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning due to what the team called "left hamstring tightness."

Acuña hit a dribbler up the middle and didn't make it far down the first base line before he grabbed for his hamstring and hobbled towards first base. He was not putting much weight on his left leg.

The 2023 NL MVP walked off the field under his own power, accompanied by trainers and coaches.

Ronald Acuña Jr. left the game after he appeared to injure his left hamstring running out of the box pic.twitter.com/6Q5Nh7upD4

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 3, 2026

Acuña, who went 1-for-2 at the plate and scored a run in the first inning, was replaced in right field by Eli White.

The Braves had little trouble dispatching the Rockies without their star leadoff hitter, cruising to a 9-1 win. Chris Sale struck out 11 in the victory.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said postgame Acuña is set to have an MRI, according to reporters who cover the team.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ronald Acuna injury update as Braves star exits vs Rockies

With a left-hander on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is going with a right-handed heavy lineup on Saturday, including a few hitters who were not even on the team a week ago, let alone on Opening Day.

Andy Ibañez, claimed off waivers from the Athletics a few days ago, will make his Mets debut in left field and is batting sixth, while Austin Slater, whom New York signed just under a week ago and is 1-for-4 so far with the Mets, is in right field and batting eighth.

Both players are in the lineup, which features just one lefty in Juan Soto as well as switch-hitting Ronny Mauricio, because New York is facing LHP Reid Detmers, who, like most lefties, has worse numbers against right-handed hitters than against left-handed hitters.

So, with injuries aplenty and other guys struggling at the plate, Mendoza is giving chances to the newcomers who were brought in for this very reason.

“They’ve done it throughout their career at this level,” the skipper said, referring to Ibañez and Slater hitting against lefties. “There’s a reason why they’re here and we will continue to give them chances.”

To their credit, both Ibañez and Slater do have good career numbers against southpaws – much better than when facing righties. Ibañez is slashing .275/.321/.442 versus left-handers with 17 of his 28 home runs coming against them, while Slater is slashing .263/.353/.421 in 914 at-bats against southpaws.

The problem? Neither hitter has gotten off to a good start this season and are not exactly guys that you’d expect to see in the starting lineup of a team with a $382 million payroll.

But that’s where the Mets are at this point as they try to climb out of a disastrous first month of the season. Regardless, Mendoza is “optimistic” in the players he’s got on the roster and will continue to use them in similar situations in the future.

“They will continue to get those opportunities even in games, as you guys have seen in the past few days with being aggressive with pinch-hitters and things like that,” he said.

Things can’t get much worse for New York, which still has the worst record in baseball, although a win on Saturday would transfer that ugly distinction to the Angels. Also, at 1-6 against LHP this season, anything would be better than what the Mets have done up until this point.

Meanwhile, sitting in the two right-handed hitters' place are lefty swingers Carson Benge, who has been better lately after a horrendous slump to start the season and his MLB career, and MJ Melendez, who, despite limited action, has been one of the team’s best hitters – albeit against right-handers. 

Brett Baty, mired in a season-long slump, is also on the bench alongside righty-swinging Luis Torrens. All of them will be options to pinch-hit later in the game against the Angels' struggling bullpen.

Having gone 2-2 in their first four games on the road, the Royals have a prime opportunity to take at least one of the next two and end their road trip 3-3. That record would be all anyone could have expected when the Royals headed west. However, if they win today, they’ll have guaranteed that record and given themselves a shot to actually gain some ground by completing a sweep of the Mariners tomorrow. Still, that all starts tonight.

Seth Lugo will take the mound tonight. Last time out, he had easily his worst start of the season; he allowed 6 runs in the first 2 innings. But he buckled down and got through 4.1 more innings and only allowed a lone additional run. That gave the Royals a chance to chip away at the Angels’ lead and eventually walk it off in the tenth. Today, he will probably need to pitch a bit better early on.

Lugo did face the Mariners last year and he put together one of his better performances of the season, striking out 7 and allowing 1 run on 8 baserunners over 6 innings to earn a victory and give the Royals a 4-game split in Seattle. A similar performance could be very meaningful for a Royals offense that appears to have found some of its mojo in the last couple of weeks.

That offense has a tall task ahead of it, facing Emerson Hancock. Hancock was a moderately well-regarded prospect before he debuted in 2023, but seems to have finally figured himself out in the early-going of this season at age 27 with a 2.86 ERA in 34.2 innings across 6 starts. You’ll not that averages out to fewer than 6 innings a start, however. And he has had trouble with the long ball this year; he’s already allowed 7 in this short season.

I was fascinated by this TJStats pitching summary. It seems that while he’s been very good at putting his four-seamer and sinker in the strike zone, all of his other pitches are often outside the zone, and only his four-seamer gets any whiffs – and even that is only high for its pitch type. The fastball isn’t even that fast by modern standards, averaging 95. So I went back to his FanGraphs summary, and I figured out what’s going on. He has stranded 95.4% of runners. The league average is usually in the mid-70s, and so far this year, it’s 71.9%. His 2.86 ERA is stellar, but his 4.61 FIP tells the story of a still-mediocre pitcher. The regression alarms could hardly be louder. That doesn’t mean he’ll implode on this start. But hey, we can hope!

Lineups

The Royals will use an identical batting order to last night’s for the first time since April 20 and 21 against the Orioles. They’re 1-0 using this one, so why not try it again? For those who are curious, the Royals have used 23 different lineups in their 33 games to start the year. Q really is trying to figure out the best way to deploy his 13 position players to their greatest effect.

The Mariners reorganize a bit with a righty on the mound. Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone will be in for Connor Joe and Mitch Garver. That means Lugo will only get two right-handers to do battle with, and it’s not like Julio Rodríguez or Randy Arozarena are exactly easy outs. Still, it’s his job to get the opponents out and he’ll need to if KC wants to win.

Logan Evans was the pitcher on the mound in the Ichiro number retirement game last year; this year it will be Emerson Hancock’s turn for the Randy Johnson number retirement game. For the Royals, their reigning organizational Pitcher of the Month, Seth Lugo, will take the mound. Unlike last night’s surprising slugfest, runs could be very thin on the ground today – a fitting tribute to the Big Unit.

Lineups:

5:22 PT: LINEUP CHANGE FOR THE MARINERS: Cal Raleigh is a late scratch. No reason has been given. Mitch Garver will instead do the catching, batting eighth. Cole Young moves up to bat fifth and Canzone moves up to sixth followed by Raley, Garver, and Rivas. If you comment in the game thread and say anything to the effect of “hey, since when does Cole Young bat fifth?” I am legally allowed to kick you in the shins.

“Another late-night game”? I fear I have been lied to about Midwestern Resiliency.

News:

Farewell, Josh Simpson, we hardly knew ye. No, really – apparently the Mariners only called up lefty Josh Simpson as a paper move to cover Matt Brash’s roster spot after moving him to the 15-day IL while they could get righty Nick Davila here from Arkansas. You can read more about Brash and Simpson here, and more about Nick Davila here, and more injury update news in general here.

Game information:

Randy Johnson number retirement ceremony begins: 6:30

Game time: 6:40

TV: Mariners TV, with Aaron Goldsmith and Dave Valle, with Angie Mentink as field reporter

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.