Fort Myers, FL - February 21: Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle warms up before the game. The Red Sox played the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium on February 21, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Sonny Gray exited Monday’s game early with a hamstring injury. While the injury isn’t believed to be serious, Gray is spending at least 15 days on the injured list to recover. The Red Sox play 14 games over the next 15 games, so they’ll need someone to fill in. Gray’s turn in the rotation won’t come back around until Friday, and Tyler Samaniego will replace him for now, but they could turn to a traditional starter when the time comes. So, who should replace him?
Payton Tolle has a 3.00 ERA in three minor league starts. Tyler Uberstine is also on the 40-man roster and can provide bulk innings; he’ll come off the IL in three days. Jake Bennett has been impressive in his short stint in the organization as well. My vote would be for Tolle, but any of the three have a solid case. Lucas Giolito is a free agent as well — that could be fun, but it’s unlikely. Is there someone I’m forgetting? Let me know in the comments.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 20: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday, April 20, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The past two weeks have been adventurous for the Yankees since their 8-2 start to the season. A lengthy losing skid obliterated their fledgling division lead, then a perplexing four-game set with the Angels showed their greatest strengths and greatest flaws in equal measure. Consequently, it was a relief to watch the Bombers dispose of the Royals in convincing fashion over the weekend to complete the homestand. That gives them a good dose of momentum ahead of the first Rivalry Series of 2026.
The Red Sox are, to the pity of nobody on this pages, struggling. They sit tied for last place in the AL East with an 9-13 record, unable to rely on either a slumping lineup or a scuffling pitching staff. They game saw their ace Garrett Crochet get hammered around for the second consecutive outing over the weekend, and hitters they’re relying on to have big seasons have not answered the call. Roman Anthony is off to a slow start. Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin have been frightful. Marcelo Mayer still hasn’t found his footing in the majors.
How-evah, as John Sterling would say, the Red Sox are still a very talented team the Yankees cannot afford to take lightly. The struggling Crochet will not appear in the series, but three strong starters—including one who always seems to elevate his game against New York—will take the home hill at Fenway Park.
Tuesday: Luis Gil vs. Connelly Early (6:45 pm ET)
This is a bit of a rough draw for the opener. Luis Gil has not looked great through his first two starts—he at least made it through five innings last time, but has allowed seven runs across nine frames. Gil has issued five walks and surrendered four homers, including three against the Angels in an eventual come-from-behind win. It remains to be seen if Gil can reattain his Rookie of the Year vintage, but if he can handle a sleepy Red Sox offense, maybe that can spark a turnaround.
Connelly Early opposed Cam Schlittler in his unforgettable Wild Card Game 3 performance, and was matching Schlittler’s dominance until losing his footing in the fourth inning. And hey, it’s still early, but the 24-year old lefty is looking good. Through four starts he has a 2.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts counterbalancing 10 walks. For what it’s worth, the Yankees feasted on Royals southpaws over the weekend, dispatching both Noah Cameron and Cole Ragans with ease. Will Early be another victim of a suddenly hot New York lineup?
Wednesday: Max Fried vs. Ranger Suárez (6:45 pm ET)
Speaking of left-handed pitching, we have a doozy in the middle game (airing on Prime Video) between two very good lefty starters. Max Fried had a substandard performance against the Angels last time, with Oswald Peraza of all people beating him twice. But he still has a 2.97 ERA through his first five starts and has been particularly strong on the road. Fried pitched great against Boston last year, including a strong Wild Card performance and six scoreless innings in a game at the Stadium in which he had an interesting encounter with a squirrel.
Ranger Suárez was the Red Sox’ big signing to make up for Alex Bregman’s departure to the Cubs. His first four turns through the rotation have been the definition of a mixed bag—two clunkers against Houston and San Diego followed by a pair of scoreless outings against the Cardinals and Tigers. That last game was an eight-inning two-hit masterpiece—Boston ultimately won that game 1-0 in 10 innings. Suárez is at his best when he keeps opposing lineups on the ground; he grabbed 10 of them in that start.
Thursday: Cam Schlittler vs. Brayan Bello (6:10 pm ET)
Schlittler is due to receive a positively venomous reception from the Boston crowd thanks to that aforementioned utter domination of the Sox to eliminate them in the Wild Card Series. It’s hard to believe the Walpole native will be pitching at Fenway Park for the first time—Schlittler’s meteoric rise has come that quickly. He and fellow Massachusetts native Ben Rice are quickly turning New England against them, and that suits Schlittler just fine.
Brayan Bello, of course, is a Yankee-killer. He’s never really been an exceptional starting pitcher, but he routinely elevates his game against the Bombers. Given his 6.75 ERA through four starts, he’s certainly hoping that trendline can continue. Bello threw over 30 pitches in a rocky first inning and exited after four innings with four runs allowed—so the key to the Yankees will be to get after him early.
ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 03: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21), St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II (11) and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church (27) celebrate their teams victory during a game where the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Athletics on Wednesday September 03, 2025, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In a season-long search for answers, the Cardinals appear to have some offensive pieces emerging. Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, rookie JJ Wetherholt, and (hopefully) Jordan Walker can continue to do what he’s done through the first 3 weeks of the season. Between Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Victor Scott II, there existed the biggest questions about their offensive futures on this team. Walker, undoubtedly, has earned himself a lot longer leash with his start. Gorman is doing his Gorman thing, showing flashes of offensive upside, and then stretches where he can’t even touch the baseball.
The St. Louis Centerfielder Victor Scott II spent the offseason with a biomechanical specialist at West Virginia (his alma mater), and he worked to make his swing more efficient. The results early on this season have not shown a tangible improvement.
According to Statcast, Scott’s swing path still appears to be mostly unchanged, if only a minor tweak that Scott is trying to take the ball back up the middle more often than pulling it, which could allow him to leg out of a few more infield hits.
Victor Scott has also moved back in the box slightly on his setup and the stance he has closed himself off more, likely in an effort to keep himself more direct and up the middle with his approach.
What about when he’s putting the ball in play? Looking at his batted ball profile, it appears he is still struggling with pulled groundballs. Scott has cut his “AIR%” in half from 56% down to 33.3%, which is an okay trade-off for a player of Scott’s skill set. The problem is that Scott is not able to do any damage; he is not pulling the ball in the air, only at a putrid 2.4% so far in 2026.
When you look at what Scott has done against individual pitches to try to understand what has given him the most trouble, it’s pretty much everything that’s not a Sinker or Cutter.
Oddly enough, when you go over to Fangraphs, Victor Scott has a 123 wRC+ against LHP. Normally, you don’t see a player perform that well against same-handed pitching. The other unfortunate end of that is that his wRC+ against RHP is 10.
The bottom of the zone with those offspeed/breaking balls is the area of greatest need. Ordinarily, players will have a tough time if there is a spot or two that is tough to cover. When it’s the entire bottom 1/3 of the zone and underneath the zone that can be exploited by the opposition, especially the best in the world at that, it can almost be untenable.
Okay, what about his speed and defense?
Scott is a little bit slower in his reads, but he seems to process the flight of the ball really well, and has above-average to plus closing speed, and is great with closing speed and getting to the baseball once he has an idea of where it might land.
Scott’s 29.6 ft/s is in the 98th percentile in all of baseball. These are the two things that Scott does best. Impacting the baseball and providing any kind of offensive value is not. Which is unfortunate, with nearly 700 MLB PA in his career already, it doesn’t seem like, projecting forward at least, that Scott will be anything more than a 4th OF in MLB long term. Which would prove my initial evaluation of him wrong. I thought he could be someone with 10-15 HR power annually and play gold glove defense in CF, and that could be a nice above-average player on a competitive team.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently posted his first 2026 MLB mock draft, and included in that piece was the Cardinals at number 13. For that spot, one name that McDaniel talked about was Trevor Condon, who is a prep outfielder from the state of Georgia. McDaniel mentioned that some evaluators around the game whisper the name “McGonigle” when talking about Condon, and that caught my attention QUICKLY. MLB dot com drew comparisons to Brett Gardner or Sal Frelick, which are definitely different profiles, but that was released back in December, and we now have this spring’s results and performance to include in that evaluation. The overall purpose of this blurb in this article is that this years draft class is particularly loaded with some young exciting outfield prospects and while you dont draft for need, if the evaluations are close, position could be a tie breaker, lest we not forget the lurking emergence of Tai Peete or Ryan Mitchell, both of whom could project to play CF long term if their development continue in a positve way, both with considerable more offensive upside than Scott has displayed in his 2+ seasons at the big league level thus far.
Could Scott change something and unlock more offensive ability down the road? Sure. But, at this point, he hasn’t shown anything to convince us otherwise, and those asking the question about what Scott is long-term. It would be hard to argue anything other than a 4th outfielder at this point.
What are your thoughts on Victor Scott? Let me know, and let’s talk about it!
Apr 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cameron Foster (65) celebrates with catcher Samuel Basallo (29) after the win over the Kansas City Royals in the twelfth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
You know, over the course of a six-month season, you’ll see every kind of baseball game. Sometimes you’ll see a heavyweight clash between two tenacious clubs, battling with every fiber of their being as they put on a clinic of intense, well-played baseball.
And then other times you’ll see what can only be described as a frenetic slap fight between two mediocre opponents, each apparently trying to give the game away but neither one willing to take it.
You can probably guess which of these descriptions applies to last night’s ridiculous Orioles vs. Royals contest. Somehow, some way, the O’s ended up with a 7-5, 12-inning win in a game that they trailed 1-0 with two outs in the ninth. For 8.2 innings, it was shaping up to be one of the Birds’ most embarrassing losses, one in which they managed a single hit — from the second batter of the game, no less — before the O’s offense vanished for eight innings. Gunnar Henderson got picked off twice. Kyle Bradish allowed 13 baserunners in 5.1 innings to a terrible Royals offense and somehow only one run, owing to the aforementioned terrible Royals offense.
In the end, Samuel Basallo saved the day with the game-tying, two-out, two-strike hit in the ninth and the go-ahead RBI single in the 12th, and Leody Taveras added the cherry on top with his first career grand slam. And still the Orioles almost blew a five-run lead in the bottom of the 12th. That was the game in a nutshell. An O’s victory both thrilling and maddening, equal parts exciting and exasperating. Against any other team it probably wouldn’t have been a win, but the Orioles took full advantage of the worst team in the AL. Mark Brown recapped all the ridiculous action.
I’m not going to go so far as to say that this is a win that will give the Orioles some momentum, because all of their season-long warts were on full display for most of it. Their problems aren’t exactly fixed. Still, it was nice to see Basallo’s bat start to come around and unexpected 2026 stalwarts like Taveras, Rico Garcia, and Anthony Nunez continue to contribute. The O’s need their star players to return to form, but in the meantime they’ve had lesser-known players keeping them afloat so far.
What the Orioles did last night sure wasn’t the way you’d script it, and it’s not a sustainable way to win. But let’s take the victories now and sort the rest out later.
A bunch of injured Orioles appear close to returning, but we probably won’t see Yaramil Hiraldo again this season. My apologies to all the Yaramil Hiraldo stans out there.
What he said. Jeremiah has been a great story for a 2026 Orioles team sorely lacking in them.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy birthday to an Orioles Hall of Famer and the 1973 AL Rookie of the Year, Al Bumbry. “The Bee” spent 13 of his 14 MLB seasons in Baltimore, racking up 252 stolen bases, third-most in O’s history. Enjoy your day, Al! Other former Orioles born on April 21 include lefty Cionel Pérez (30), infielder Ryan Adams (39), catcher Ronny Paulino (45), and MLB’s all-time leader in games pitched, Jesse Orosco (69), who made 336 of his 1,252 career appearances as an Oriole.
On this day in 1996, Brady Anderson set an MLB record by hitting a leadoff homer for the fourth consecutive game. He accomplished the feat in all three games of a series against the Rangers and a game in Boston before that. The kicker? The Orioles lost all four games.
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 21, 2005, the Orioles suffered a 1-0 shutout loss to the Red Sox at Camden Yards. The game’s only run came in the second inning on a Ramón Vázquez RBI groundout that plated future Oriole Kevin Millar. Birds starter Rodrigo López pitched brilliantly, going eight innings while allowing only that one (unearned) run, but the O’s offense had no answer for Red Sox righty Matt Clement, who worked eight scoreless of his own before Keith Foulke nailed down the save in the ninth. The O’s had eight hits in the game, including three by Melvin Mora, but couldn’t get any when it mattered.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - MARCH 13: Jared Jones #37 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at Lee Health Sports Complex on March 13, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a good start so far this season, with the starting rotation and some improved hitting playing major roles. However, there’s still one important piece of the rotation still to add, and that is starting pitcher Jared Jones. He was injured last season and given a 10-12 month recovery time, and with Jones placed on the 60-day to start the season, the earliest he could be back on May 25. According to reports, that looks like it still might be possible.
Jones was throwing heaters this past week, according to 93.7 The Fan, and according to Ben Cherington, Jones has also been doing some in-game situation sims, throwing in both Pittsburgh and back in Bradenton. Cherington called it an “extended Spring Training type game sim” and is expecting a more formalized rehab stint soon.
Jones had his surgery last May, and with him still targeting this May as a return date, we’re still squarely in the original timeline and will keep an eye on his official rehab assignment.
Jones went 6-8 in 2024, finishing with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched against 39 walks. The Pirates had high hopes for Jones, and it was a disappointing injury, but it will be nice to have him back into the mix with the team playing so well.
The only question left would be how does he fit into the rotation? The entire group is pitching well. It’s certainly not going to be in place of Paul Skenes or Mitch Keller. Original logic would say he jumps in for Carmen Mlodzinksi, but he’s off to a good start too. It’s possible that Jones becomes a sixth starter, fitting in where he can until he’s back to full game strength, but that’s an absolutely good problem to have.
The NCAA softball season is hitting the homestretch.
Conference tournaments will be held in early May with 31 automatic bids the NCAA Tournament at stake. Similar to basketball, 64 teams will qualify for the tournament, which culminates with the Women's College World Series, which begins May 29 in Oklahoma City.
So who are the players and teams to keep on our radar heading into the tournament? The Athletes Unlimited Softball League has given us a pretty good idea by handing out golden tickets − delivered by softball legends or AUSL league leadership in front of teammates, coaches and family members − to the best college players, soon to be pros, in the country. Getting a ticket means the athlete will be drafted to AUSL on May 4 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Fifteen golden tickets have been handed out so far, all but two of the players are on teams ranked in the top 25. Here are the athletes who have received them:
Nijaree Canady, Texas Tech, pitcher
This should come as zero surprise, given Nijaree Canady has an name image and likeness deal for $1.2 million and quickly became the face of college softball during last season's Women's College World Series. The 6-foot pitcher transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech in 2025. She has a 17-3 record this year with 1.40 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 110 inning pitched. She has struck out 156 of the 382 batters she has faced in 2026.
Reese Atwood, Texas, catcher
Reese Atwood has been rewriting the Longhorns' record books since she arrived in Austin. She’s known for her power as a hitter and leadership as a catcher. She holds Texas school records for career home runs (70), RBIs (270) and slugging percentage (.758).
Leighann Goode, Texas, infielder
Known for her speed and consistency at the plate, Leighann Goode is hitting .400 this season through 38 games. She usually bats second and is able to get on base for players like Reese Atwood to bring her in. Goode plays both second base and shortstop and has a .966 career fielding percentage with 299 putouts.
Sydney Stewart, Arizona, catcher
Sydney Stewart has elite plate discipline with 131 career walks in 461 plate appearances. She has 36 of her 43 homers in the past two seasons and has notched 160 career RBIs. Stewart is also a strong defensive presence behind the plate. She received her golden ticket from Arizona legend Jennie Finch.
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee, pitcher
Karlyn Pickens is known for her elite velocity and back‑to‑back SEC Pitcher of the Year honors. She a 1.47 career ERA and 755 career strikeouts. Pickens holds the record for the fastest pitch in NCAA softball history − 79.4 mph on May 25, 2025 − during super regionals.
Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas, outfielder
Kennedy transferred to Arkansas from Arizona for her senior season. She has a .393 career batting average with a .497 on‑base percentage and .700 slugging percentage. Kennedy has 112 career walks compared 76 strikeouts. One of the best defensive outfielders in college softball, she won the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 111 putouts.
Kenzie Brown, Arizona State, pitcher
Kenzie Brown transferred from Tulsa as a sophomore and was an All-American last season. She has a career record of 30–19 with a 2.66 ERA in 45 starts including 21 complete games. She has improved her efficiency this season with less walks.
Taryn Kern, Stanford, infielder
Taryn Kern has a rare combination of power, on‑base skills and defensive versatility. She played her freshman season at Indiana and won Big Ten Player of the Year before transferring to Stanford. Kern has 17 homers and 61 RBIs this season with a .968 slugging percentage, which would be a school record if it holds.
Maya Johnson, Belmont, pitcher
The first mid-major player to receive a golden ticket from the AUSL, Maya Johnson has a .073 ERA and 22-2 record this season with the Bulldogs. She has 304 strikeouts this season, facing 599 batters. Johnson had a perfect game against Missouri State to open the season.
Jocelyn Erickson, Florida, catcher
Jocelyn Erickson is a left‑handed hitter with power. She had a .997 fielding percentage in 2025 with one error in 315 chances. Erickson is having the best offensive season of her career with a .424 batting average and .901 slugging percentage.
Kenleigh Cahalan, Florida, infielder
Kenleigh Cahalan is a left‑handed hitting infielder who began her career at Alabama, where she started every game as a freshman and sophomore. She has played shortstop, third base and second base. Cahalan has a career .960 fielding average.
Jordan Woolery, UCLA, infielder
Jordan Woolery has started every game of her college career − 226 and counting − and a cornerstone of UCLA’s offense and infield. She's hitting .529 this season with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs this season. Woolery has a .993 fielding average in 2026 with two errors.
Megan Grant, UCLA, utility
Megan Grant is having her best offensive season, hitting .478 with 31 home runs, 70 RBIs and 1.339 slugging percentage, which leads the Bruins. She has a career slugging percentage of .727 and career fielding percentage of .978.
Taylor Tinsley, UCLA, pitcher
Taylor Tinsley has a career ERA of 2.22 with 77 starts, 40 complete games and 13 shutouts. She has a 23-3 record this season as the Bruins' ace. Tinsley has 488 strike outs and 114 walks. She has a high‑spin fastball and strong vertical movement.
Amari Harper, Oregon, utility
Amari Harper is a left‑handed hitting utility player who transferred from Texas A&M to Oregon for her senior season. She has a career batting average of .367 with an OPS of 1.048 thanks in part to 41 HBP and 71 walks.
Sep 13, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
The Yankees are in Boston today, as they’ll take on their archrivals for the first time in 2026. It’s just the second time the Yankees have faced a divisional foe this season, their three-game set at the Trop against the Rays this month the only AL East matchup on a slate that’s otherwise been populated by teams like the Royals, Mariners, and Athletics.
It wasn’t so long ago that these divisional meetings were more frequent. In 2023, MLB smoothed out their schedule, reducing the number of games divisional rivals played against each other from 19 to 13. Gone were the long summers of seemingly playing only AL East foes, those drawn-out battles fomenting familiarity and resentment in equal amounts.
The schedule MLB has gone to has plenty of logic to it. It’s more balanced, and it allows every team to play every other team at least once, giving fans a regular chance to see all the other teams and stars the league has to offer. Yet the question still begs to be asked: do you miss the days of playing nearly half the schedule against division rivals?
Again, there’s a lot of logic to the new schedule, if only from the perspective of competitive balance. Teams in perennially strong divisions get the short end of the stick with unbalanced schedules, forced to beat up on each other all year while some team in the AL Central strolls to 87 wins and a division title. And there’s real benefit to the emergence of interleague play, setting up great annual matchups that we previously would have had to wait years to see. From a Yankees perspective, it’s been pretty cool to see them clash yearly with teams like the Dodgers, the Phillies, and the Brewers, top NL teams that they wouldn’t always have had the chance to face barring a World Series appearance.
But I’m sure some fans are nostalgic for the old days, where you really got to know your divisional rivals over the course of a season. At the cost of some spare interleague series against the Pirates and Marlins and the Diamondbacks, the Yankees would become deeply acquainted with the Red Sox, and the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rays. There was something quaint to it, coming to revile these foes that we saw so often, but also finding some comfort in the familiarity, in the steady drumbeat that such consistent divisional matchups provided.
How do you feel? Do you miss the old days of playing the Sox and Jays over and over again? Or are you glad to see a schedule with more logic to it?
This morning, Kevin will recap what happened on the Yankees’ offday, while Jeremy will look ahead to the three-game set in Boston. Also, Michael delivers his review of the week that was down on the farm, and Nick writes up Joe McCarthy as part of our Yankees Birthday series. And in the afternoon, Josh discusses Aaron Judge, and being clutch in the first inning, while Peter’s At-bat of the Week gives some kudos to Ryan McMahon.
Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) slides into home plate to score as Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez (75) awaits the throw in the fourth inning during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
MLB.com | Max Ralph: Your New York Yankees return to play on Tuesday at Fenway Park, visiting the Boston Red Sox in the first series between the two archrivals since the Bombers eliminated the Sox from the 2025 Postseason in the Wild Card round. Luis Gil and his 7.00 ERA in two starts will take the mound for New York, facing the talented Connelly Early starting at 6:45 pm ET. The 13-9 Yanks lead the AL, and Boston is fourth with a 9-13 record.
Newsday ($) | David Lennon The Yankees used the red-hot Ben Rice at the top of the lineup in Sunday’s 7-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, and the experiment was a resounding success. Lennon, however, believes Aaron Judge should be deployed as the leadoff hitter more often. “Judge has hit 90 first-inning homers in his career, including five this season, giving him the third-most in franchise history behind Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. The Yankees’ captain is the definition of instant offense, and with Rice now red-hot, having homered in four straight games, manager Aaron Boone should dip his toe in those Judge leadoff waters again, as he did during the 2022 season,” he wrote.
NY Post | Mark W. Sánchez: Randal Grichuk is 2-for-20 to open the season. Those are the cold, hard numbers. Under the hood, however, he knows he deserves better. His .334 xwOBA is much, much more decent than his horrible .150 wOBA, and he also has a 61.5 percent hard-hit rate. He knows that with Anthony Volpe potentially returning soon, his place on the roster could be in jeopardy, but hopes that the work he has put in and the hard contact are enough to give him a chance, whether it happens on the Yankees or elsewhere.
“With Volpe coming back — it’s something you think about,” he said. “You’re not not thinking about it. You just got to hope that, if it doesn’t all work out here — and hopefully it does — somebody else is interested due to the fact that they see the underlying stuff, not the baseball-card numbers.”
MLB.com | Mike Lupica: Most baseball fans are familiar with the Yankees’ 1927 Murderers’ Row, an extraordinarily talented and deep offense that took baseball by storm back then. Lupica says that perhaps the modern edition of the Murderers’ Row can be the Yanks’ 2026 rotation. Cam Schlittler is sporting a 1.95 ERA, Will Warren is at 2.49, Max Fried at 2.97, and Ryan Weathers at 3.18. There is still a chance that Luis Gil, the owner of a 7.00 ERA, rebounds, and Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón should return within weeks from now. It’s certainly an impressive collection of talent.
Apr 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (26) walks to the dugout following a sixth inning pitching change against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The heart of the Mariners showed up early, but the heart of the A’s order showed up late.
The Mariners lost 6-4 in Monday’s series opener against the Athletics. Emerson Hancock continued to look like the new-and-improved version of himself, but he also threw a few bad pitches and was eventually burned. Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone each homered, and Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor combined for five hits. But the Mariners ultimately could not overcome a 13-hit day for the Athletics.
Hancock entered the day as perhaps the story of the early season. Through four starts, he had a 2.75 FIP, 24.2% walk rate, and a top 20 WAR among qualified starting pitchers. It’s been a pleasant surprise for the Mariners, who have been desperate for some depth beyond their top-five starters. In fact, Hancock so far in 2026 has looked like much more than depth. He made a ton of changes over the offseason, as Michael Rosen pointed out for FanGraphs last week, including tweaking his repertoire and fundamentally changing how he throws the ball.
For the most part, Hancock looked like the new-and-improved version of himself on Monday. He continued to pound the zone with fastballs at 95 mph, issuing zero walks. And he continued to expand the zone with sweepers to righties and the changeups to lefties. He racked up 11 whiffs on 51 swings and three strikeouts. Again, for the most part, it worked. Hancock scattered a few singles, stranding a couple early, generating a double play in the fourth, and even picking off Lawrence Butler in the fifth. Again, with no walks, those were the only runners who reached base against him.
Unfortunately, three others reached base and just kept running. In the fourth, Hancock threw an up and in fastball to Carlos Cortes leading off the inning — the pitch didn’t even catch the zone — but Cortes was sitting on it and turned it into the right field seats.
In the sixth, Hancock threw a middle-middle fastball to slugger Nick Kurtz, who crushed it out to center. Hancock threw the same pitch to the next batter, slugger Shea Langeliers, who also crushed it to center. The back-to-back homers tied the game at 3-3 and ended Hancock’s day.
Here’s the locations of those homers:
In the end, the stat line for Hancock was five innings, seven hits, three strikeouts, no walks, and three homers. That’s not a good line. And it could have been worse. He also gave up a lot of hard contact in addition to the homers. Here’s an out he was fortunate to get: Kurtz hit a sharp liner to center to leadoff the game that seemed to knuckle and forced Julio to make an acrobatic play:
Still, this looked like the “good” version of Hancock we’ve seen so far from this year. The velocity was there. The movement was there. And the whiffs were there. Is it good to throw a pair of middle-middle fastballs to two of the best sluggers in the league? No. But this was a lot different from Hancock’s poor outings from the past three years.
Jose Ferrer was next in line in the sixth after the back-to-back homers. He immediately gave up a hard single against the shift to Cortes. He got the next two batters to fly out, but a broken bat single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases. Ferrer then got Lawrence Butler to hit a hard chopper right back to the mound. Ferrer reached up and snagged it over his head, and after a bit of scampering to find the ball for a moment, he realized it was in his glove, tossed it to first, and escaped the inning.
Matt Brash worked an uneventful seventh inning against the top of the order to keep the game tied at 3-3.
By the eighth, however, Dan Wilson seemed to be out of relievers. Andrés Muñoz and Gabe Speier had each pitched on back-to-back days, and Eduard Bazardo had thrown a lot of pitches recently as well. Wilson instead went with Casey Legumina, who wasn’t very good. He gave up a leadoff double, followed by a single and a walk to load the bases. For a moment, it looked like he might escape with minimal damage after a sac fly to make the game 4-3. But a single from Butler plated the remaining runners to give the A’s a 6-3 lead, and eventually, the win.
It was overall a good day for the Mariners offense. In the bottom of the first, Raleigh flipped a homer the other way to open the scoring. Julio followed with a rocket single up the middle, and Naylor doubled him home to make it 2-0.
Naylor continued to swing at just about every pitch he saw Monday and this time picked up three hits, including his first two doubles of the season. He’s now up to a 54 wRC+ in 2026, which isn’t good but still about five-times higher than his 15 wRC+ from before the Rangers series. It’d be nice to see him start working the count again, but the results are starting to come around. He also picked up his first stolen base of the season and was back to being a pitcher’s pest on the bases, flinging his arms around at second base and earning a scolding from A’s start JT Ginn on his way to dugout in the first inning; Naylor was undeterred and continued to gesture wildly the rest of the game.
Dominic Canzone also had a nice day. He plopped a homer to right in the second inning to make it 3-0, and later lasered a double off the right field wall at 111.8 mph. Both pitches were elevated on the inner part of the plate — the pitches he’s the very best in the world at hitting.
The Mariners made things interesting late. In the eighth, down 6-3, Julio and Naylor each hit one-out singles. But Randy Arozarena flew out, as did Rob Refsnyder, who was still in the game after pinch-hitting for Luke Raley in the sixth.
Now, I defended Wilson’s bullpen management in my last recap on Saturday, and I stand by that today (even with the unfortunate circumstances that lead to Legumina in a late-leverage spot). But pulling Raley with one out and nobody on in the sixth to get a handedness matchup for Refsnyder seemed to come back to bite Wilson in the eighth when Refsnyder had to face a righty.
“Both (Canzone and Raley) have swung the bat very well and it’s tough to take them out of any game. And the same is true when (Refsnyder) in there and he’s swinging the bat well, it’s tough to take him out,” Wilson said on the decision after the game. “These are hard decisions…but it just felt like tonight, that was the decision to go with.”
I’m generally not a fan of doing an “um actually” to quotes like this. And Wilson is notoriously reluctant to say anything bad about his players for the sake of answering questions — I might even say that’s a good quality in a manger overall. But Refsnyder entered the day with one hit on the season, and Raley entered the day with 21 hits on the season. They are not swinging the bat equally “well.”
Again, I’m not really taking Wilson’s quote at face value here. I’m sure he knows Raley is hot and Refsnyder is not. I think the rationale here is that this is simply the Mariners’ process, and they’re not going to abandon that process for a hot hand in a small sample. Raley is hitting well, but he doesn’t have even 100 plate appearances, and he’s not won the full-time job quite yet. It’s also hard to do counterfactuals like this. Perhaps the A’s would have used a different pitcher if Raley was still in the game, and certainly handedness is not the only consideration in pitcher-hitter matchups.
Still, I’m just not a fan of the platoon-and-pinch process in general. I said as much last season when the Mariners were pinch hitting at historic rates, and I’m sure I’ll write a similar story this year if the trend continues. Hitters are simply much worse off the bench, and when you go for the handedness advantage early, you’ll often give back that handedness advantage later. That was the case Monday, even if it’s a bit of a stretch to blame the loss on that directly — the Mariners still gave up six runs.
The Mariners nearly clawed back anyways. In the ninth, Cole Young picked up a one-out single, and scored on a double from Rivas to make it 6-4. But J.P. Crawford popped out, and Raleigh flew out, and the game was over.
This week, the closer landscape got even more difficult to navigate with Edwin Díaz, Jhoan Duran, and Daniel Palencia landing on the injured list. Mick Abel's strong run was halted by an elbow injury. And Sonny Gray is set to miss some time following his exit from Monday’s Patriots’ Day game. Let's break it all down as we run through the relevant injury news around baseball.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Ryan Pepiot (hip)
Pepiot’s situation has seemed to progressively worsen since landing on the injured list with right hip inflammation just before the start of the season. He wasn’t expected to need much time, but then he was transferred to the 60-day injured list last week after it was determined he’d need a little more time. On Monday, manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Pepiot felt instability in his hip while playing catch. While not calling it a setback, it certainly isn’t encouraging news. At this point, even a return in late May when eligible seems unlikely. Action: Droppable in 12-team and shallower without an IL spot
Edwin Díaz (elbow)
The writing was on the wall for this one. Díaz had raised the concerns of manager Dave Roberts as he was displaying diminished velocity in the early going. He had nine days between appearances before giving up three runs with no outs against the Rockies on Sunday. The Dodgers placed him on the 15-day injured list on Monday with loose bodies in his right elbow. He’s to undergo surgery to correct the issue and is expected to be sidelined for approximately three months. It’s yet another blow that affects the closer landscape. The team will likely rely on a combination of Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, and Blake Treinen to close out games. Action: Droppable in all leagues without an IL spot; add Tanner Scott
Jhoan Duran (oblique)
This one came as a surprise on Saturday. The Phillies placed Duran on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, retroactive to April 15. The fact that Duran was one of the only elite closers pitching well so far deals a big blow to a tumultuous closer landscape. The 28-year-old right-hander missed about a month with an oblique strain in 2024. We’re probably looking at a similar timeline here. Brad Keller was named as the most likely candidate to see most save chances in Duran’s absence. Action: Hold in all formats; add Brad Keller
Daniel Palencia (oblique)
Palencia was another closer we lost to a left oblique strain. He landed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 14. He had only made five appearances this season and reportedly felt the injury occur while throwing last Wednesday. According to manager Craig Counsell, Palencia threw a bullpen on Friday that went well, but still felt the issue while running. There’s no timeline for a return, but it doesn’t seem like a high-grade issue that will keep Palencia out long term. Caleb Thielbar earned the first save chance without Palencia and could be in line to get most of the ninth-inning work. Action: Hold in all formats; add Caleb Thielbar
Mick Abel (elbow)
News hit Monday morning that Abel was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. It's incredibly unfortunate, as the 24-year-old right-hander was making real strides on the mound, tossing 13 shutout innings with 16 strikeouts over his last two starts. Initial reports suggest the injury isn't thought to be too serious, though you take that with a grain of salt. Hopefully, Abel isn't facing a lengthy absence, but I'd still expect him to be sidelined for at least a few weeks. Action: Hold in all formats
A look at the top fantasy baseball prospects who can help rosters in 2026 and beyond.
Christopher Crawford
,
Brenden Donovan (quad)
Donovan left Friday’s contest against the Rangers with left hip tightness and sat out the following two games before ultimately landing on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain. It seems unlikely to be a lengthy absence. Still, it’s a tough blow after the 29-year-old infielder got off to a hot start, slashing .304/.437/.518 with three homers, eight RBI, and one steal through 18 games. Action: Hold in all formats
Sonny Gray (hamstring)
Gray departed Monday’s game against the Tigers in the third inning after a visit from the athletic trainer. He got off one pitch with the trainer and left in frustration with hamstring tightness. The 36-year-old right-hander will get an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity, but the team has already decided he will need at least a minimum stint on the injured list. Gray likened the injury to the hamstring strains he suffered in 2022 and 2024, both of which sidelined him for 2-3 weeks. We should know more about the severity in the next day or two. Gray’s injury could open the door for top prospect Payton Tolle. The 23-year-old left-hander has posted a 3.00 ERA with a 19/4 K/BB ratio across 15 innings in Triple-A and will be a must-add if he gets the nod for a few starts in the majors. Action: Hold in all formats; add Payton Tolle
Peña did some running on Monday for the first time since landing on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. He’s eligible to return as soon as Friday, though that will depend on how he progresses over the rest of the week. The team may also want him to get some time on a minor league rehab assignment. It would make sense given his slow start and time missed late in spring due to a fractured finger. Action: Hold in all formats
Edwin Uceta (shoulder)
Uceta had been working his way back from a shoulder impingement he suffered this spring before he was shut down on Monday with a new shoulder strain. He’ll stop throwing for 2-3 weeks before he’s reevaluated. Uceta was expected to join the late-inning mix, but it looks like Bryan Baker will have a little more leash on the closer role. Action: Droppable in all formats
Brent Rooker (oblique)
Rooker had begun to ramp up his activity level over the weekend after he was sidelined with a right oblique strain earlier this month. Monday, he began a hitting progression. There’s still no timetable for a return, but it’s certainly a good sign that he’s advancing in his recovery. An early May return seems possible. Action: Hold in all formats
Juan Soto (calf)
Soto remains on track to return to the Mets sometime during the team’s homestand that runs from Tuesday through next Thursday, April 30. Though the timing of the latest update seems to indicate he could be activated during the first half of the homestand. It’ll be a much-needed return for both the Mets and fantasy managers. Soto’s activation could move any one of Carson Benge, Brett Baty, or Mark Vientos out of the everyday lineup. Action: Celebrate
Jorge Polanco (wrist)
It seems Polanco has been dealing with a variety of ailments since the start of the season. He had been playing through an Achilles issue earlier this month and was finally placed on the injured list on April 15 with a right wrist contusion. There’s no timetable for a return, but the 32-year-old first baseman will get the required time he needs to get right. His absence leaves the door open for Brett Baty or Mark Vientos at first base, though both have been struggling at the plate. Action: Hold in 12-team leagues and deeper
George Springer (toe)
Springer was throwing for the first time on Monday since breaking his toe, along with other mobility activities. Manager John Schneider said “It would be great if he was ready on Friday.” The Blue Jays start a three-game series against the Guardians in Toronto.
Apr 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (74) is greeted by first base coach Mark Budzinski (53) after hitting a single during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
A good all around win. Dylan Cease was effectively wild, as they say, the bullpen was terrific, and while the offence wasn’t explosive the did enough in key moments (very much out of character).
Toronto loaded the bases with two outs in the first, on singles by Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Eloy Jimenez and a Kazuma Okamoto grounder that might have ticked off Vlad’s toe, causing Angels shortstop Zach Neto to bobbke it, but Lenyn Sosa struck out to prevent them from capitalizing. In the second, Daulton Varsho was hit by a pitch (on his elbow guard, it looked like, and he didn’t appear to be in significant pain) but again they could not bring him home. They got on the board in the third. Davis Schneider lead off with a walk and one batter later Vlad clubbed a two run homer to straightaway centre, putting the Jays on top 2-1. The bats went quiet at that point, though, with Reid Detmers sitting down the next eight batters to get through the fifth. Vlad and Jimenez each singled again to open the sixth. Okamoto hit a ground ball into the hole that Neto made a beautiful play on to turn and throw Jimenez out at second, putting men on the corners with one out. Sosa hit a sac fly to left that pushed Vlad across to give them a 3-2 lead. Detmers returned for one batter in the seventh, walking Myles Straw. Tyler Heineman laid down a sact bunt against reliever Chase Silseth to advance Straw, and a Nathan Lukes, hitting for Schneider, singled to extend the lead to 4-2.
Dylan Cease looked good, but the Angels got a run off him on the first on a pair of ground balls. The first, by Nolan Schanuel, went for a double, and the second, by Jorge Soler just ticked off a diving Ernie Clement’s glove and into left to score the runner. He got through the second with just a line single, but more trouble loomed in the third. Neto walked and Mike Trout reached on an infield single, then the two executed a perfect double steal to put two in scoring position with none out. A Schanuel sac fly tied the game at two. Cease walked Yoan Moncada but got out of it without giving up a lead with a strikeout. He had his first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, picking up his eighth and ninth strikeouts on the way. Following a Neto single, his 10th, 11th, and 12th got him through the fifth. That would be the end, though. It took him 110 pitches to get there, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks.
Braydon Fisher was the first guy out of the pen, getting a double play to erase a walk in a scoreless bottom of six. Louis Varland did him one better, retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh.
Okamoto walked off Shaun Anderson in the eighth, but that was it. Varland returned to strike out Trout before giving way to Tyler Rogers. Andres Gimenez, who’d hit for Sosa in the top half of the inning, booted a routine grounder to allow Schanuel to reach, but Rogers recovered by getting the next two innings.
Straw singled to open the ninth. A passed ball allowed him to go to second, and Heineman sac bunted him over to third. That allowed him to come home on a Lukes grounder off Anderson’s leg, expanding the gap to three runs. Jeff Hoffman wasn’t his sharpest, but after a Jo Adell single he struck out the next three Angels to lock down the win.
Jays of the Day: Vlad (0.25), Lukes (0.12), Varland (0.13)
Less So: Heineman just qualifies, but he got hit by about a dozen foul balls today so I’ll give a reprieve and say nobody.
It’s another 9:38pm ET start tomorrow. Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.47) takes the mound for the Angels, while Patrick Corbin (0-0, 4.66) will hopefully look more like his second Blue Jays start than his first.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 20: Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 20, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The A’s came into Seattle on Monday evening and used some late-game offense to take the first of this three-game set. Back in the win column, and back atop the AL West with sole possession of the division lead.
Ginn struggles early, settles in
On the mound tonight starting for the A’s was right-hander J.T. Ginn. He came into tonight on a mini roll, having put up two quality outings since getting inserted into the starting rotation.
Facing the Mariners for the very first time, Seattle greeted Ginn with two runs in the first, a solo homer off the bat of Cal Raleigh and an RBI double from first baseman Josh Naylor. They’d get Ginn for one more run in the second as well off another homer, this one coming courtesy of Dominic Canzone.
Those early-game struggles weren’t great, but Ginn was sent out for the third and finally had a shutdown inning, collecting three strikeouts in the third. The 26-year-old would go on to pitch all the way into the sixth without allowing another run and leaving with one out in the inning. He ended his night on a high note as well, getting Randy Arozarena to strike out swinging for his sixth K of the night.
Well it was a little dicey in the first two frames but Ginn did good to buckle himself down and provide his team with some extra innings. Mark Kotsay made a good call letting Ginn work his way back into this one, and his offense would pick him up later tonight.
Offense struggles early, comes on strong late
On the other side of the ball, the A’s lineup was facing M’s righty Emerson Hancock. For the first few innings the A’s did have much of an answer for the former top prospect, collecting just a pair of singles the first time through the order.
The second time through the order the A’s batters were able to start getting a better read on Hancock. Leading off the top of the fourth, tonight’s DH Carlos Cortes connected on a fastball high and in and drove it over the wall in right field to get the A’s on the board for the first time tonight:
That was #2 on the year for Cortes, who came through with a massive night while hitting in the #3 spot of the order. Mark Kotsay was right again tonight about batting him in such a big spot in the lineup.
The A’s were starting to make better contact but it took a couple more innings for the big ones to come. Now into the sixth and with the top of the lineup at the plate this was about as good an opportunity as the team could hope for. Well first baseman Nick Kurtz strode to the plate and connected on a fastball right down the middle for another solo shot to cut the lead to one:
The A’s didn’t have to wait long for that next run either. Shea Langeliers came up right behind Kurtz and blasted his own solo shot, swatting another hanging fastball down the pipe and depositing it over the wall in center:
Tie game. That was his 7th of the year. The A’s had Hancock’s number and the Mariners knew it. That third homer of the night chased Hancock from this contest. The Athletics kept up the pressure against the bullpen, loading the bases that very same frame but weren’t able to cash in and take the lead. And with Ginn soon departing as well, it was going to be down to the bullpens to determine who would win tonight.
Late-game heroics
Left-hander Hogan Harris relieved Ginn in the sixth and not only finished the frame but handled the seventh as well. It was a perfect outing for Harris; no hits, no walks, plus a pair of punchouts to boot. Tonight was his team-leading 13th appearance and he’s been everything the A’s could have hoped for in the early going.
Now into the eighth, the A’s finally broke through in a big way. A double, single, and walk loaded the bases with no outs and the team was cooking. Third baseman Max Muncy made sure to drive in at least one with a productive sac fly that gave the A’s their first lead of the night.
After that it was Lawrence Butler’s turn at the plate and he came through with the biggest hit of the game, a two-run single to push the A’s lead to three runs:
Now with a lead and some extra breathing room A’s fans could relax and enjoy the rest of the game. Or so we thought. The Mariners did not go down quietly in this one. Mark Leiter Jr. took over for the eighth and gave up a pair of hits with both reaching scoring position and just one out. He managed to pull a Houdini with a massive strikeout of Arozarena and a flyout to end the threat, but that was a close one.
Then it was Joel Kuhnel on for the ninth for his fourth save opportunity. The right-hander, who did not start the season with the big league club, got the first out but then a single and RBI double cut into the lead and woke us all back up. Now with the tying run at the plate Kuhnel needed to be nails. And he was, getting J.P. Crawford to pop out and Raleigh to fly out to end the game.
A’s win! A solid performance all around. The bats took some time to get going but they came through in a big way late. Three homers. Four players getting multiple hits. Carlos Cortes going 4-for-4. Then Ginn had some early struggles but did a good job of not letting it snowball and get out of hand. He really saved the bullpen by being able to pitch into the sixth. Speaking of the ‘pen, the three arms combined pitched nearly four innings, and while it got a little dicey at times they bent but didn’t break. Kuhnel is now 4-for-4 in save opportunities which leads the team. Do we finally have our closer? And who would have seen this coming?
We’re back in first place and we’ll have an opportunity to add to that lead tomorrow evening when these teams meet back up for the second game of the series. For the A’s they’ll send left-hander Jacob Lopez to the bump. It hasn’t been a smooth start to the season for the lefty and he’ll need to show more than he has up to this point if he wants to keep ahold of his spot in the rotation. Walks especially have been a major problem for him so far as he has 17 in 18 innings of work. Overall he’ll bring a 6.38 ERA into tomorrow’s contest.
As for Seattle, they’ll have veteran Luis Castillo getting the ball for them for the middle game. The 33-year-old right-hander has had a so-so start to his year. He had a disaster performance a couple starts ago, when he got shelled for seven runs. Before that he pitched six shutout innings in his first appearance, 3 2/3 with three runs allowed in his second, the blowup game, and most recently he tossed 5 1/3 with just one run allowed against the Padres. Hard to know which version of Castillo will show up tomorrow but the A’s will be ready. In his career against the Athletics he has a nice 3.02 ERA in nine starts, so we’ll be hoping to boost that number a bit tomorrow night.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Max Muncy #13 and Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their 12-3 win against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Three fielding errors, a balk and a wild pitch by the Rockies — along with a shutdown performance from L.A.‘s reliever-turned-starter Justin Wrobleski — helped the Dodgers (16-6) defeat Colorado on Monday night and settle for a series split.
Max Muncy hit two homers, making it four in the series, and Colorado fans will not be sad to see him leave town. The Rockies (9-14) couldn’t come up with the rally or clutch hit they needed, going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine runners on base in the game.
Quintana’s Command Improves, But D struggles
On the bright side, José Quintana only walked one batter in five innings compared to the eight he’d walked in eight innings in his first two outings. The bad news is that Kyle Karros had a fielding error that gave way to a two-run third inning. Quintana also got in his own way, getting called for a run-scoring balk in the fourth. Instead of inducing an inning-ending double play, it scored a run and helped the Dodgers take a 5-1 lead.
In the first inning, Quinanta was also charged with an error when he couldn’t catch a lob from Troy Johnston to allow Shohei Ohtani to reach. Luckily, it didn’t turn out to hurt Quintana as Ohtani was stranded at third. What did hurt Quintana was giving up back-to-back solo homers to Muncy and Miguel Rojas in the second inning to give the Dodgers a lead (2-1) that they never lost.
On the night, Quintana (0-2, 6.53 ERA) gave up six runs, only four earned, on eight hits and one walk with one strikeout in five innings. Quintana started the sixth inning, but gave up singles to Muncy and Rojas to start the frame and got the hook from manager Warren Schaeffer. In the postgame press conference, Schaeffer called the game “a night to forget.”
Gordon Also Scores Own Goal
Tanner Gordon relieved Quintana and was also his own worst enemy. While he almost escaped damage despite inheriting two runners, he intentionally walked Ohtani after getting two outs, but then accidentally walked Alex Call to walk in a run and make it 6-1.
In the seventh inning, Gordon made a fielding error when he couldn’t scoop up a bunt by Rojas, which allowed Andy Pages to score and increase L.A.‘s lead to 7-1. In the eighth, Gordon threw a wild pitch, which allowed Ohtani to move from second to third and then come around to score on a Teoscar Hernández single.
While Gordon recorded six strikeouts, he didn’t have the same swing-and-miss magic he had in his season debut when he threw four scoreless innings on April 15 against Houston. Instead, the Dodgers teed off on Gordon with Dalton Rushing hitting two homers and Muncy adding his second of the day.
When all was said and done, Gordon (7.04 ERA) gave up six runs on seven hits with three walks.
Rockies Score First
It’s hard to believe, but the Rockies actually jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Jordan Beck led off with a double and Brenton Doyle followed with another double to bring him home and put the Rockies up 1-0.
Then Wrobleski took over and gave up zero runs in the next six innings. The Rockies only got six hits in innings two through seven, struck out three times and didn’t draw a walk. Wrobleski is now 3-0 on the season with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings.
The offense did better as soon as Wrobleski left the game. In the eighth inning, TJ Rumfield earned a stroll through the dugout in the purple coat when he sent an Edgardo Henriquez slider 440 feet to the second deck in the right field stands. It was Rumfield’s third homer of the season.
Beck, taking advantage of a left-handed pitcher, went 3-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored from the leadoff spot. All three of his hits came against Wrobleski. Willi Castro and Brett Sullivan each added two hits for the Rockies.
Up Next
The Rockies will now host the San Diego (15-7) for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. The Padres swept the Rockies in a four-game series earlier in April. On Tuesday, RHP Randy Vásquez (1-0, 2.49) will get the start for San Diego. The Rockies have yet to announce their starter.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 20: Kyle Isbel #28 of the Kansas City Royals leaps for a ball that sails over the wall for a grand slam by Leody Taveras #30 of the Baltimore Orioles during the 12th inning of the game at Kauffman Stadium on April 20, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
That game was NOT how you overcome the bad vibes of a losing streak. The Royals were one strike away from a win, from ending this misery. They could not make it happen despite having all the opportunities in the world.
The Orioles did not reach third base until the ninth inning. They did not hold a lead until the 11th inning. The Royals left a bajillion guys on base. You wouldn’t guess that from just looking at the final score. The Orioles did NOTHING for the first eight innings. But luckily for them, it doesn’t matter, exactly, when you score, or how many baserunners you have, as long as you have more runs than the other team when the last guy finishes hitting. Only one team was capable of that tonight.
Despite their five-run offensive output, most of which came in extras, the Royals had tons of opportunities for more. They EASILY could have put this game away in regular time. They should have!
In the bottom of the first inning, the Royals loaded the bases with only one out, Carter Jensen up to bat. He hit into a double play to end the threat. In the second inning, they added two singles after Jac’s home run but got nothing else. In the third inning, they loaded the bases again, this time with no outs. Michael Massey hit a comebacker to the pitcher, who got the force at home. Two strikeouts ended that threat. In the sixth, they again loaded the bases and got nothing. Runners at first and second in the 7th, again nothing.
In the 10th inning, with the added advantage of starting with a guy on second base with no outs, the Royals still found a way to squander it. After a Nick Loftin walk, Cags hit a routine fly ball to center field. Lane Thomas was the extra inning runner, and he tagged up as normal. The throw got by the third baseman, and Thomas decided to take off for third. The Orioles defense recovered and tagged him out on the slide. Isaac Collins grounded out to end that nonsense.
The Royals plated their second run in the bottom of the 11th with their life on the line. Kyle Isbel finally put down the bunt he had been trying to put down all game to move the Manfred Man, Collins, from second to third. Down to the last strike, Bobby Witt Jr managed a single to bring him in and tie the game. It still seemed harder than it should have been.
It took until the 12th inning for the Royals to actually do something with the bases loaded. A single and a walk loaded the bases for Nick Loftin, who pulled a grounder past the diving third baseman for a double. All three runners scored. Too little, too late.
The Royals went 5-for-21 (!!!!) with runners in scoring position and left 16 (!!!!) on base. Orioles starter Kyle Bradish allowed 10 hits and 3 walks in 5 and 1/3 innings! And yet, somehow, the only run he gave up was Cags’ solo homer.
Speaking of Jac’s homer – hoo wee. This was one of the few positives of the game, so let me talk about it for a bit. Jac sent that ball into next week. Bradish had a clear plan to go after Cags – backdoor breaking pitches. Cags managed to lay off a bunch of them, but not completely, throughout the game. For whatever reason, Bradish abandoned that plan for one pitch and left a fastball up and over the plate. Cags put a murderous swing on that ball and hit it 437 feet beyond the center field wall. Beautiful. I hope to see many years of those things. Worth noting – Cags laid off the breaking junk in his third plate appearance against Bradish and walked.
But back to the rest of the game – it was pretty frustrating to watch that offensive performance, gotta be honest. They just kept stalling out over and over again. It wasn’t any one thing either, to me. They had bloops, blasts, help from the Orioles defense, and more. The Orioles did everything in their power to give up 10 runs in the first nine innings of the game, not 1. The Royals *have* to take advantage of these opportunities as the season goes on.
The Royals pitchers, up until the dang ninth inning, did their part. Seth Lugo absolutely carved up the Orioles hitters over seven complete innings. He walked four guys in those seven innings, but he gave up only one hit, which was after a pickoff in the first inning. Lugo finished with seven strikeouts in a kitchen-sink-type outing. He was great. Matt Strahm followed by striking out the side in the eighth. He got a borderline ball overturned in his favor when Jensen challenged – it was about as close as it gets to a ball while still being called a strike. Like I mentioned before, through 8 innings, the Orioles had never touched third base.
Too bad Erceg couldn’t throw strikes in the ninth and blew it. He walked Gunnar Henderson and managed to pick him off (like Lugo did earlier). Then he walked Taylor Ward. He got a forceout to put the situation at two outs and a man on first, with Pete Alonso up. Erceg induced a couple check swings from Alonso, but alas none was called a swing. I guess you can argue all you want about the check swing calls. I don’t know. Felt like the Royals should have won the game before that!
Alonso walked. Jensen called for an ABS challenge against Basallo, the next hitter, but failed. Erceg put a fastball down the pipe that Basallo smacked into the gap to bring in the first Orioles run of the game (and the first time any Oriole touched third), which felt like it ended the Royals hopes for a win because the rest of the bullpen could not keep it together. Daniel Lynch IV did his job but was pulled after 12 pitches. Schreiber and Lange unraveled from there, including the dang 12th inning grand slam.
Look, this was terrible. The morale will not improve tonight. The vibes will not improve tonight. The hole is deeper. The Orioles and Royals will play again tomorrow. Eat Arby’s.
