Category: Baseball

Alex Cora, who never traded Mookie Betts, did not lowball Alex Bregman and won a World Series championship as Boston Red Sox manager, was fired by the team on Saturday, April 25, the club announced.

Chad Tracy, the manager at Class AAA Worcester, will serve as interim manager.

Cora, 50, was 620-541 in eight seasons as Red Sox manager, sitting out one season in 2020 due to his role as bench coach during the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He led the club to 108 victories and then the World Series title in his first season in 2018, and in 2024, his contract was extended through 2027.

Yet even after Saturday's 17-1 victory at Baltimore, the Red Sox are off to a 10-17 start, although most of their woes can be tied to an anemic offense that lost Bregman to free agency, traded slugger Rafael Devers one year ago and is trying to make do with rookies like second baseman Marcelo Mayer and 5-foot-6 third baseman Caleb Durbin.

Alas, Cora, hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and Major League hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were let go. Game planning coach Jason Varitek, a two-time World Series champion as a catcher, has been reassigned in the organization.

“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”

It marked the end of a Boston tenure that was at times tumultuous - almost redundant in Beantown - but also marked by the significant job security Cora enjoyed. The 2018 World Series champions were constructed by GM Dave Dombrowski, who was let go after the 2019 season in favor of a more "sustainable" approach.

His replacement, Chaim Bloom, set the Red Sox on a startlingly cost-containment course under owner John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group, an era jump-started by the stunning February 2020 trade of 2018 MVP Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Betts has since won three World Series titles in L.A.; Cora was reinstated as manager after his 2020 sign-stealing sabbatical to get the Red Sox to the 2021 ALCS, but Bloom was fired in September 2023.

Enter current president of baseball operations Craig Breslow, who dislodged dozens of longtime employees while taking the "sustainability" torch from Bloom. After another playoff-less season in 2024, Breslow got aggressive, trading for current ace Garrett Whitlock and signing Bregman to a $40 million annual deal with opt outs after two years.

Cora guided the club to a 2025 wild card berth where they lost a three-game set to New York at Yankee Stadium. Yet Bregman opted out of his deal and was not replaced, and the tumult his signing instigated - the alienation of franchise player Rafael Devers and Devers' subsequent trade to San Francisco in June 2025 - left the team minus Bregman and Devers in 2026, leaving behind a lineup with too many holes.

That was exacerbated with a back injury to leadoff hitter and second-year star Roman Anthony. Seven of the nine members of Boston's Saturday lineup had adjusted OPSes significantly lower than league average, leaving young players like Mayer to adjust to the majors for a team that entered Saturday last in the majors in home runs.

"All that I care about is that W at the end of the day, making the playoffs and winning the World Series," Mayer told USA TODAY Sports on April 25. "If we’re not doing that, it’s not good. Everyone here wants to hold each other accountable and win baseball games and we haven’t been doing that, so there’s work that needs to be done."

And despite the seemingly overmatched roster, it will be Cora who will take the fall, and not the baseball operations side. He did go out with a bang, as the club scored 10 ninth-inning runs in beating Baltimore 17-1.

The win came one night after the Orioles socked six home runs in a 10-3 victory. Asked to explain the turnaround, Cora chuckled and said, "It's (expletive) baseball, man."

And a well-decorated career in Boston suffered a similar twist that would have been unforeseen just weeks ago.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Cora fired by Boston Red Sox after 10-17 start to 2026 season

I have no idea whether this was a good game or not. It was a game in which Bryan Woo gave up four home runs for just the second time in his career; it was a game in which Dominic Canzone and Connor Joe both had pinch-hitting game-tying RBI hits. It was a game in which Cooper Criswell struck out three; it was a game in which Cooper Criswell surrendered a go-ahead home run to a guy who’d only hit 27 home runs over 1,685 professional PAs. It was a game in which Josh Naylor stole two bases; it was a game in which Jordan Walker was caught stealing and grounded into a double play. Truly the best of times and the worst of times.

We begin at the beginning, with Julio hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first, going all the way to the upper deck. Personally, I think this was the most majestic Julio home run since the final game in Kansas City in 2023. Any others come to mind?

That 2-0 start to the game felt pretty good knowing that Bryan Woo was taking the mound, but the good feelings were short-lived as Woo opened his outing with back-to-back home runs, his first and second dingers of the year. But those bad vibes were quickly eradicated by Mitch Garver picking up an infield hit and scoring on Will Wilson’s first big-league home run, coming in his first at-bat as a Mariner. And back and forth it went the entire game.

Was Woo bad or do we just shake it off? Let’s be real here, four home runs is a lot. And he was genuinely missing middle-middle pretty regularly—this wasn’t some Chicago wind storm or something. But on the other hand, you can’t get too worked up about an off day from a guy who’s had so much consistency that he literally holds the franchise record for most consecutive 6 inning games to open a season. All I know for sure is that, for today, pulling him after three innings was the correct move.

For the offense, I don’t know that I’d make that much of it, considering how exhausted the Cardinals pitchers looked. Starter Matthew Liberatore didn’t make it through four innings either, and the red birds ultimately had to use seven relievers today, three of whom were working for the second day in a row, and their best reliever had to toss 39 pitches.

Overall, the 33 combined hits this afternoon ties the MLB record for a nine-inning game, tying a 1932 contest between Cleveland and the Philadelphia Athletics. This was by definition an outlier.

Still, while the rational part of your brain chalks this up to an oddball out of 162, the id can’t help but be excited by seeing all those balls find grass or bleacher seats. The Mariners’ 19 hits helped raise their team wRC+ from 16th in MLB before the game to 9th afterwards. 

Two of the biggest contributors helped re-spark the offense right as the game felt like it was settling down in the seventh inning with the score 9-7. The typically light-hitting Mitch Garver, who’d already supplemented his infield hit with a should-have-been home run that was robbed, ended up getting his second hit of the day by clanking one off the third baseman’s glove. Cole Young, who’s not supposed to hit lefties but had taken one deep earlier in the game and just missed another big fly (instead settling for a double off the wall in the deepest part of the park) got his third hit of the day with a laser up the middle.

The online Mariners fandom then lost their minds at a sequence in which Leo Rivas bunted and then Dan Wilson brought in his fourth sub of the game, asking Connor Joe to pinch hit for Luke Raley. The Cardinals predictably countered by bringing in a righty of their own. Aaron Goldsmith barely concealed the skepticism in his tone when he took us to break with, “The Mariners would apparently prefer Connor Joe against Riley O’Brien to Luke Raley against JoJo Romero.”

I tend to think the peanut gallery is overblowing their hatred of Dan’s pinch-hit decisions (and also putting way too much blame on the manager when the strategy comes from a consensus among the whole Baseball Ops team). And yet, this particular call is hard to defend—bringing in a worse hitter to face a better pitcher is almost never the high-percentage move. But today’s game being what it was, of course it worked out anyway as Joe hit a 108-mph single the other way, tying the game at 9-9.

For as rough a day as Bryan Woo and the entire Cardinals pitching staff had, the Mariners’ bullpen actually held things together pretty well. The relief corps covered six innings with just 91 pitches and only needing four guys to do it. Aside from the home run off Criswell, they barely allowed a scratch. So the 9-9 tie held to go into the ninth.

This is where things got weird again.

J.P. Crawford caught the defense sleeping by squaring to bunt with the bases empty for just the ninth time in his career. Garver walked to reach for the third time. Between reaching three times, having a home run robbed, and catching Jordan Walker stealing, Garver gets his first-ever Sun Hat Award. Cole Young fought a nine-pitch battle only to take one off the foot, loading the bases for . . . Leo Rivas.

As predicted (by some), Little Leo has suffered from over-exposed-itis this season, coming into the game with a .224 wOBA that felt even worse than that. But he’s got a knack against these Cardinals, having walked them off in the 13th last September to complete a sweep and inspiring what’s probably the best call of Goldy’s career. Facing a guy who throws 100 and has been one of the best relievers of the year, Rivas did it again, hitting a line drive into center field to take the lead at 11-9. So look, it didn’t make a lot of sense and I don’t know if the game was good or bad, but it sure ended good.

Mother nature isn’t cooperating with Brian Snitker’s Braves Hall of Fame induction nor game two of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies series.

Rain, rain go away! Let Brian Snitker have his day!

8:10Pm official start time.

Tonight's first pitch will be at 8:10.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 26, 2026

The tarp is still on the field as they begin the Snitker induction.

Braves legends in the house for Brian Snitker's Braves HOF ceremony | Battery Power

Updates on the start time as they come.

No shortage of #Braves legends here for Snitker pic.twitter.com/eJCf1mHR8r

— Harrison Smajovits (@HarrisonSmaj) April 25, 2026

The Snitker ceremony his heading indoor.

Indoor ceremony for Brian Snitker is coming together in a hurry #Bravespic.twitter.com/99tkaQsm1P

— Harrison Smajovits (@HarrisonSmaj) April 25, 2026

We will provide updates on both the game and the Brian Snitker Braves Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony start times as soon as we have them.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 25, 2026

Tarping.

Tarp is coming on the field at Truist Park #Bravespic.twitter.com/36oJcTk07M

— Harrison Smajovits (@HarrisonSmaj) April 25, 2026

The Dodgers try to avoid their third two-game losing streak in an eight-day stretch.

Today’s #Dodgers lineup vs. Cubs: pic.twitter.com/cR8N2geD6G

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Cubs
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 4:15 p.m.
• TV: Fox (Joe Davis, John Smoltz)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The San Diego Padres finished their road series versus the Los Angeles Angels winning two of three despite being shutout in the first game, scoring all their runs in the eighth and ninth innings in the second game, and squeaking out the third game with Mason Miller’s eighth save. Jackson Merrill robbed his third home run of the season in the middle game, almost colliding with Fernando Tatis Jr. in the process. 

They moved on to Colorado, hoping to get their offense, that has been struggling to hit for power since leaving home, back on track before their short series in 7,300 feet of elevation in Mexico City.

That plan was not wholly successful. 

The Friars took two of three from the Rockies but it was frequently not easy. They split the first two, with Randy Vasquez winning a 1-0 game over seven innings pitched.  The last game appeared lost with the Rockies leading 8-5 going into the ninth inning but those gritty Padres fought back. 

With a walk by Jackson Merrill followed by three singles from Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Miguel Andujar to plate two runs, the Padres were only trailing by one. Gavin Sheets, in the game after he pinch-hit for Ty France in his previous turn in the order, lined a home run down the right field line with two on for a game winner. 

Mason Miller didn’t strike anyone out in the bottom of the inning, showing that even he is not as effective in the mile high altitude of Coors Field, but he did get a double play after allowing a hit and getting a ground out.

Dominant Randy

The 1-0 shutout was only the 12th such game in Coors Field history. Those seven innings gave Vasquez a 1.88 ERA for his early season and a 3.32 ERA in his last four starts in Colorado.

As a contrast, opposing pitchers currently have a 5.79 ERA when pitching against the Rockies at home while the Rocks have a .365 batting average at home.

Error-free Friars

As part of their ability to win close and late in games, the Padres have had a lot of timely hitting and contributions from up and down the lineup. They have also played error-free baseball over their last 13 games. If you have some spotty starting pitching and an inconsistent offense, which they have had, then playing clean defense is a must.

Padres to Mexico

Due to the international trip to Mexico City, the Padres will carry an extra player for emergencies. The player must be on the 40-man roster so an extra catcher is not an option. The team has not announced who joined the regular 26 for the plane trip to Mexico City but an extra pitcher would be the most obvious choice. Scratch that, they called up Sung-Mun Song.

Players on the injured list will not accompany the team to Mexico City. Both Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta returned to San Diego while the team brought executives, staff, sponsors and family members for the two-game series.

Gavin Sheets gives everyone a gift

April 23 was Gavin Sheets’ 30th birthday. He didn’t start the game but gave all of us a gift with his three-run homer in the ninth to put the Padres ahead. After the game, he also received the ceremonial ice bucket shower routinely given to the hero of the game during his interview with Padres.TV. Coincidentally, Sheets also wears number 30 for the Friars.

Padres contributions

With Machado (.195 average, .620 OPS), Merrill (.211 average, .647 OPS) and Tatis Jr. (.250 average, .620 OPS) all struggling with their offense, Bogaerts and Ramon Laureano have stepped forward to lead the team.

Bogaerts is hitting .289 with an .810 OPS and has four home runs and 16 RBI. Laureano is hitting .264 with an .804 OPS with four home runs and 17 RBI. There have been key contributions from other players as well and catcher Luis Campusano deserves a special mention. 

Campusano, in his back-up role to Freddy Fermin, has played in 13 games with a .333 average and 1.052 OPS. He has six doubles, two home runs and seven RBI. He has also had key hits in many of the dramatic wins the Padres have put together this season. His framing still ranks below average, but he excels at ABS and ranks above average or average with his arm and his blocking. He has been the regular catcher for Michael King and Walker Buehler this season.

The other bench player of note is Miguel Andujar, who frequently serves as DH, and has contributed a .316 average, .789 OPS, five doubles and five RBI.

While the team offense continues to lag in the bottom part of MLB statistics, the pitching staff ranks ninth with a 3.62 ERA. The bullpen again carries the bulk of that load with a 3.12 ERA, fourth in baseball.

Injuries and transactions

The Padres signed starting pitcher Lucas Giolitto to a team-friendly deal, guaranteeing him a prorated $1.5 million for this season, a $1.5 million buyout for an option in 2027 and incentives that can equal up to $5 million. He will report to Lake Elsinore to begin his build up and keep him close to San Diego to work with the Padres pitching coaches. His contract guarantees he will be added to the roster by May 16.

Starter Griffin Canning continues his rehab with El Paso and his rehab window closes on May 4. He has time for one more start before being added to the Padres roster and should be up to 70-80 pitches. He was removed from his last start after 31 pitches in the second inning and 45 pitches total. He allowed three hits and two earned runs with two walks in the 1.2 innings pitched.

Yuki Matsui pitched in back-to-back games for the first time this week. His rehab window also expires May 4.

Song was on the El Paso Chihuahuas roster after being optioned last week and before being added for the Mexico City Series. He continues to have issues with his contact and barrel rates while striking out 21 times in 75 at-bats.

Jeremiah Estrada is expected to begin his rehab assignment this weekend with El Paso.

Neither Joe Musgrove nor Nick Pivetta have had a recent update to their injury status.

Detroit Tigers (14-13) vs. Cincinnati Reds (17-9)

Time/Place: 7:15 p.m., Great American Ball Park
SB Nation Site: Red Reporter
Media: FOX, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 3.47 ERA) vs. RHP Brady Singer (1-1, 5.32 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Flaherty	5	23.1	22.2	18.5	30.5	4.60	0.3
Singer	5	23.2	14.5	6.4	40.0	4.58	0.3

The Twins were drubbed 6-1, nearly taking in their first shutout loss of 2026, but regardless marking their eighth loss in the last nine ballgames, and exacerbating the absolute morale tailspin that Minnesota has found themselves in during the back half of April.

A bizarre first inning opened with a ghost-timeout that required something akin to a crew chief review, and ended with an outfield assist at home plate from Austin Martin, the fourth of his career.

From there, an early pitching duel developed, with an embattled Shane McClanahan trading zeroes with a velocity-challenged Bailey Ober (Tampa Bay’s starter logged a changeup that came in hotter than Bailey’s hardest fastball of the day.) A scoreless tie held for an hour and change, until a two-out solo shot from Jake Fraley, 401 feet into right field, cracked open a 2-0 lead for Tampa Bay.

But while the Rays had eventually broken through, the Twins would not produce an offensive highlight today. (Their lone run came with two outs in the ninth, when a snapped-bat single from Royce Lewis would bring in Luke Keaschall from second base.) And even the homer would not tarnish much of starter Bailey Ober’s linescore; he went six innings and gave up only three hits. While the swing-and-miss stuff was not present, Ober drove his ERA down below 4.00 in his first loss of the season.

McClanahan’s outing was quicker, but better. In five innings, he too allowed just three hits, but kept Minnesota off the board and struck out seven to only two walks.

The loss was cemented by another poor bullpen performance, which is becoming as dependable (and predictably dependable) of a theme as you might imagine. Taylor Rogers couldn’t get an out in the seventh, allowing an RBI triple off the bat of Ben Williamson, as well as a run-scoring single to Nick Fortes; he was also charged for the run when a sac fly from Richie Palacios scored known thorn Cedric Mullins.

Tampa Bay tacked on a sixth and final run off Garrett Acton (a Ben Williamson RBI double.)

The Twins have now dropped eight of nine, effectively erasing their astonishing stretch where they went 8-1 in nine games against numerous Cy Young-caliber starters and potential playoff hopefuls. The Rays win also delivers the first win at Tropicana Field for McClanahan in, per the telecast, over a thousand days. The Twins will attempt to avoid another sweep tomorrow afternoon.

See you there!

STUDS:

CF Byron Buxton (2-for-4)

DUDS:

RP Taylor Rogers (0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, 0 K)

1B Victor Caratini (0-for-4, 2 K)

RF Matt Wallner (0-for-4, K)

The Yankees are rolling, and suddenly the offense looks awake again. After a brief April slowdown that had some fans uneasy, New York has responded with the type of outburst everyone had been waiting for. After feasting on the Royals in the Bronx, sweeping Boston at Fenway Park, and then opening the Houston series with an emphatic win, the mood has quickly changed around this club.

Now the Yankees will look to make it eight consecutive victories on Saturday night. That would match their longest winning streak from all of last year (September 20-28, to end the season). Winning streaks can disappear quickly over a long season, but right now, New York is playing with confidence, getting production throughout the lineup, and stacking wins against rivals on the road.

Before first pitch, the Yankees officially reinstated Ryan Weathers from the paternity list. The left-hander returns after welcoming a healthy baby boy and will take the mound looking to add another chapter to an already strong start in pinstripes. In a corresponding move, right-hander Angel Chivilli was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 23, with right shoulder discomfort. Jake Bird had been recalled to take Weathers’ spot on the roster and will remain in the bullpen. So the ’pen will be a situation worth monitoring as the Yankees continue this road trip.

Weathers gets the ball coming off his best start of his still-young Yankees career. The left-hander fired 7.1 scoreless innings against Kansas City in his last outing while striking out eight. He has piled up 18 K’s over his last two starts. The overall numbers have been mixed across starts thanks to some Angels homers, but the stuff passes the eye test.

This outing also marks Weathers’ first start as a father. Baseball players believe in routines, lucky charms, and hot streaks, but few forces are stronger than Dad Strength. The Yankees will hope this new chapter helps Weathers continue building toward the arm the front office believed he could become when he was acquired this offseason.

Houston counters with right-hander Mike Burrows, a newer addition to the Astros after arriving from Pittsburgh in a three-way trade that sent longtime Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe to the Bucs (among other player moves). Burrows works with a four-pitch mix built around his changeup, but he enters this start searching for better results after allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10.2 innings.

The Astros’ pitching staff as a whole has been one of baseball’s strangest groups so far. Houston enters tonight last in Major League Baseball with a 5.97 ERA and has walked 22 more batters than the second-worst Angels. Yet Houston also ranks top three in strikeouts, meaning the raw stuff can still dominate if opponents lose patience. That makes the Yankees’ offensive approach especially important tonight. If New York forces deep counts, accepts free passes, and avoids chasing, there should be opportunities to create traffic and keep pressure on Houston pitching.

Houston’s larger issue is simply health. The Astros currently have 16 players on the big-league injured list, including notable names such as Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Cristian Javier, Jeremy Peña, Ronel Blanco, Jake Meyers, and others. It is a bruised roster, particularly on the pitching side, and one that has been forced to patch together innings throughout the opening month. Even with those absences, the Astros still bring a dangerous lineup for Weathers to navigate. Houston leans on veteran bats and middle-order power, so the Yankees’ southpaw will need sharp command from the opening inning.

The Yankees lineup card has a slightly different look tonight, and it starts with Trent Grisham at the top. Grisham leads off ahead of Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, giving New York two left-handed bats before its superstar slugger. Cody Bellinger slots cleanup, followed by the red-hot Jazz Chisholm Jr. and tonight’s designated hitter, Amed Rosario.

This alignment gives Aaron Boone a balanced mix of speed, on-base ability, and power with a fun lefty-lefty-righty split. Grisham and Rice can set the table, Judge remains the centerpiece, and Bellinger protects in the spot behind Judge. With Jazz and Rosario hitting behind them, there should be traffic throughout the order if the Yankees stay patient.

Austin Wells catches, while Ryan McMahon and José Caballero round out the lower third of the lineup. One major storyline is Giancarlo Stanton, who exited Friday’s game with an injury and is absent from tonight’s lineup. He will not be going on the IL yet as the club continues to evaluate the severity of the injury and what makes sense from a roster logistics perspective (mostly unsaid in all this is that Anthony Volpe is expected back soon himself but isn’t quite ready to return from his rehab assignment).

Asked if he could pinch-hit tonight, Giancarlo Stanton said he hasn't tried swinging a bat yet, so he's not sure. Wasn't sure if he would even try swinging either. #Yankeeshttps://t.co/2MAVcg7obj

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 25, 2026

A theme during this seven-game runR has been really good pitching and an offense that either produces four runs or hangs a football number on the scoreboard. With the weather finally turning the corner across the country, perhaps the bats are warming up too and can keep giving the pitching staff some comfortable leads.

Winning streaks can feel ordinary or sudden while they are happening, but they are not. If the Yankees keep taking care of business against clubs like Boston and Houston, this could become one of the stretches that matters in the final standings when the season ends. So here is to seven in a row, and hoping for eight tonight!

How to Watch:

Location: Daikin Park — Houston, TX

First Pitch: 7:10 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES / Space City Home Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Saturday in Space City. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/CrUIp7nKCH

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 25, 2026

Game 2.

⚾️: 6:10pm
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/IGbSNFC3Yn

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 25, 2026

The Royals arrive at the ballpark today winners of two of their last three games, but also two of their last two of their last eleven. So ya know, fun with endpoints!

The Royals are 2-2 so far on this home stand, and boy, things would feel a lot better after that awful losing stretch if they could finish it 4-2 with a series sweep over the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles, California. No, the Angels aren’t a particularly good team, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Speaking of starting somewhere, Cole Ragans will take the mound to begin the day. Over his last 3 starts, he has pitched 11 innings while giving up 10 runs with 13 walks and 9 strikeouts. The team ace has not seemed himself at all since taking a soft liner off the bat of Jose Ramírez in Cleveland. But he’s going to give it another shot, and today would be the best day to look like his unhittable self since the last day he started.

In an argument against it being an injury problem, his spin rates, velocity, and movement profiles are all exceptionally similar using that day on April 8 as a breaking point. If anything, his spin rates have gone up slightly, and he’s even throwing about 2% more strikes than before. But his chase rate has dropped from 32% to 17.2%, and his whiff rate has dropped from 35.8% – one of the best in baseball at the time – to 17.5%. If we can accept that the issues aren’t physical, then I can only imagine that Brian Sweeney, Mitch Stetter, and Mike McFerran are lying awake at night over it.

Rookie Walbert Ureña will be making his second career big league start and fourth overall appearance this year. He made the club as a reliever out of Spring Training, but struggled in his first two appearances and was demoted back to AAA to stretch back out as a starter. He was recalled last week to allow an extra rest day for other starters on the Angels’ staff and shone, striking out 8 and allowing 2 runs in a six-inning performance against the Padres. Unfortunately for him, he took the loss as the Angels could only muster one run in support.

He entered the season ranked as the Angels’ 18th-best prospect on MLB Pipeline and 23rd-best on FanGraphs with a 40 FV. According to TJ Stats, he features four pitches, of which three are elite. Against righties, he will primarily throw a sinker that averages 98.8 MPH and grades out at 72 on the 20-80 scouting scale, mixing in a 67-grade sweeper. Against lefties, he throws a 45-grade four-seamer that averages 98.7 MPH and a 65-grade changeup. The four-seamer and changeup have gotten hit hard so far in his young career, and, not coincidentally, lefties have tortured him.

Lineups

With Maikel Garcia out for his second straight game but with a righty on the mound, the Royals have decided not just to go lefty-heavy, but to ask Carter Jensen to lead off for the third time in his career. The first two times were both last year, and while he was the designated hitter. The first time he did it was in that wild game against the Blue Jays when he went 3-for-7 with 3 doubles and the Royals won 20-1.

The Royals will only have three righties in the lineup. What will be particularly interesting to see is if this goes well for Carter, if the Royals might consider having him lead off against righties on the regular and move Maikel down in the order to even things out a bit, handedness-wise. Possibly finally shifting Salvy to a lower spot in the order where he better fits.

Regardless, the Royals have averaged 5.75 runs on this homestand, even with a lineup that didn’t really get anyone excited last night as they won 6-3. If they can keep doing that, we’ll stop caring about the batting order nearly as much.

The Houston Astros (10-17) will play the second of a three-game series with their heated interdivision rival New York Yankkes (17-9), tonight at Daikin Park.

RHP Mike Burrows(1-3 ,6.75 ERA) will make his sixth regular season appearance for the Astros tonight opposite the Yankees and starter RHP Ryan Weathers (1-2, 3.18 ERA).

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Mike Burrows is making his sixth start of the season as he tries to follow up a promising beginning to his last start (4.2 hitless innings) before everything unraveled following the second out in the fifth inning.

This season, Burrows has actually been the Astros most durable starter as he has gone five or more innings in all but one of his starts.

HOME-COOKIN’: Tonight is the second game of a brief three game home stand against the Yankees. Even though the team is 10-17 overall, seven of those wins have come at home this season as the team is a respectable 7-7 at home coming into tonight’s game.

VS. THE YANKEES: This series revives a major rivalry between two stalwart American League franchises including three different playoff tilts since 2015. In spite of the dominance in the playoffs, the Yankees hold a 53-36 record all-time. The two teams split the season series last year at three games a piece.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have reinstated LHP Bennett Sousa from the 15-day IL today…he takes the roster spot of LHP Colton Gordon, who was optioned to Triple A Sugar Land after last night’s game.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, 6:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 99.1 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Astros Lineup

SS Carlos Correa

LF Yordan Alvarez

3B Isaac Paredes

2B Jose Altuve

1B Christian Walker

DH Yainer Diaz

RF Cam Smith

C Christian Vazquez

C Yainer Diaz

CF Brice Matthews

Yankees Lineup

CF Trent Grisham

1B Ben Rice

RF Aaron Judge

LF Cody Bellinger

2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.

DH Amed Rosario

C Austin Wells

3B Ryan McMahon

SS Jose Caballero

Ahead of this evening’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, there was a special guest in the press conference room. Well, he’s a special guest who used to be a regular in that room. Former manager Brian Snitker is getting inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame and he took some time on his big day to take some questions from the media before the festivities got started.

Snitker was asked about how it feels to be up there with al of the other legendary figures in Braves history and as expected, Snitker felt pretty honored by the recognition.

“It makes me feel great,” said Snit. “When I got the job, I felt like I was a caretaker here to keep this thing going. There’s a lot of history here and we’ve had a lot of success. It takes a lot of people to make that happen and I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to be at the helm here. There’s a lot of people that were involved in that success.”

One of the many, many people that helped contribute to Snitker’s successful tenure here was current Braves manager Walt Weiss, who served as a bench coach under Snitker for eight seasons before taking over. I asked Weiss about what his main takeaway was from spending so much time working under Snitker and he gave a pretty interesting answer to that question.

“I always talk about Snit’s patience,” answered Weiss. “As a bench coach, I would always go in there and make sure everything was good and I know as a manager — especially after a loss — a manager wears a loss really tough. I never wanted Snit to be in there by himself following a loss, so I’d go in there and talk about things or sometimes we wouldn’t talk about anything. I’d just sit there in case he wanted to vent.”

“In the end, I’d go in there after a tough loss and try to make sure he’s okay and he’d end up talking me off of the ledge. He just had a calm presence about him — a patience that came across great in that leadership role. He was great at calming the waters. Through the tough times, he was very consistent and he was the same guy every day. That’s important in leadership — the players see that and it brings a calmness and consistency to the group.”

“I’m still working on that patience part! But that’s probably the greatest takeaway for me from Snit.”

Snitker was asked about his future and whether or not he thought about ending things earlier than usual. Snit was pretty candid in his response and made it clear that the time he decided to retire was indeed the right time and not a moment sooner.

“I might’ve thought about it but I never really seriously processed that. I remember one time after a phone call with Ronnie, the kids weren’t being real good and she’s kind of freaked out and all stressed out and I said, ‘Well, if I gotta come home and leave what I’m doing right here, I’m not going to be very much fun to be around because I’m gonna be miserable.

“This is what I do, this is where I’m happy at. I wanted to keep going. There’s never a time where I didn’t want to do this. I couldn’t wait every year to get to spring training. I hated the end of every year. I loved that routine in July where it’s 100 degrees and every day is the same. I liked that! Now I’m trying to figure out what my new normals are.”

He continued on by talking about what his new normal looks like. While he’s still hanging around baseball, you’ll have a better shot at catching him at one of the many local fields being a supportive grandparent instead of any big league action.

“I’ve been busy going to baseball practices, games, and I’ve been making a lot of sandwiches and getting snacks and going to the ballpark. It’s awesome.”

Going back to Snit’s comments about being a caretaker, it’s truly remarkable to see the journey that he went on as a member of the Braves. From seemingly being a minor-league lifer to getting the interim tag as manager to becoming full-time manager and eventually winning the World Series, this was an incredible run for Snit and one that will have a lasting impact in what’s becoming an increasingly long line of impactful Braves managers.

Guardians 3 Blue Jays 5

It seemed like the Kazuma Okamoto show. He was 2 for 3 with a homer, walk, 2 RBI and a number of nice plays at third. The home run, like yesterday’s was crushed to dead center, 425 feet, 108.9 mph. Just a terrific day for him.

But Kevin Gausman was pretty good too. 6.2 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned, just 3 strikeouts, but no walks. Few things hit hard off him. He came out at 91 pitches, after giving up a home run and a hard hit line drive out. He likely could have stayed, but after a couple of hard hit balls, and a lefty coming up, I was good with the switch.

Mason Fluharty got the third out.

Tyler Rogers had a quick eighth, with the help of a couple of nice plays by Okamoto, He gets such weak contact that infielders are going to have to make good plays for him.

Louis Varland, on the other hand, didn’t have a quick ninth. It went fly out, single, single, double (run scored, Varsho almost made a great catch, but had it go off his glove), walk (bases loaded), strikeout (on eight pitches), and strikeout (on five pitches). Just your routine 30 pitch save.

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Offensively? Well, they did enough. I’d have preferred more than enough, but that’s me. 10 hits, and 3 walks, it would have nice to have more than 5 runs.

We scored:

• One in the fourth: Okamoto homered.
• Three in the sixth: Vlad singled and stole second. He was pretty easily safe, running on an 3-0 pitch. Okamoto singled putting runners on the corners. Jesús Sánchez struck out. Daulton Varsho singled, he had some tough at bats, but bounce that through the infield (though it could have been called an error on the second baseman, who looked like he was settling up up throw home and cut down the run. Varsho stole second. Davis Schneider struck out. Andrés Giménez doubled in two on a fly ball to left that likely should have been caught, but George Valera spent the game showing what it would be like to have me playing left field.
• One in the seventh: Straw and Clement singled. Vlad walked. Okomoto walked bringing in a run. But then Sánchez popped out to left, to shallow to score Clement. Varsho hit into a 3-2 force. And Schneider struck out. They should have scored more

Straw, Clement and Okamoto had two hits each. Eloy Jiménez and Sánchez split an 0 for 4 down the middle, and Schneider was 0 for 3 with a walk. He had some bad at bats. Clement had a couple of bad at bats, but also had two hits, so I guess we’ll forgive. But he is so willing to chase a foot off the plate.

Jays of the Day: Okomoto (.22 WPA), Gausman (.20). Varsho deserves an honourable mention.

Other Award: Schneider (-.09) and Sánchez (-.09) both who struck out at the worst times.

Tomorrow’s game is a 1:30 start time. Patrick Corbin (3.68 ERA) vs. Slade Cecconi (6.20). Let’s get some runs off him.

Join us and discuss tonight’s game in the comments below as the Braves seek another series win behind Bryce Elder facing a recovering Zack Wheeler.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLBTV

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers, April 25, 2026, 7:10 p.m. ET

Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA)

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Milwaukee Brewers looking to grab a win.

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The Dodgers finish off their weekend series against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, and give the ball to Justin Wrobleski, who is currently on a heater.

Wrobleski has lasted eight innings and seven innings in his last two starts, allowing one total run with no walks in wins over the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies, the latter in the thin air of Coors Field in Denver. The southpaw was won all three of his April starts, with two runs allowed in 20 innings this month.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga is having a stellar April as well, with three runs allowed in his four starts and 24 innings this month, with 25 strikeouts against only four walks.

The Dodgers are 4-1 in games against southpaw starting pitchers this season, and have a 135 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, second in MLB to the Cubs at a 147 wRC+.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Cubs
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 1:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)