Category: Baseball

LOS ANGELES — Nolan McLean’s misfortune Tuesday night was facing a fellow Cy Young level pitcher with this reeling Mets lineup as a handicap.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched McLean jab for jab before Brooks Raley dented in the eighth, allowing an RBI single to Kyle Tucker that sent the Mets to their seventh straight loss, 2-1 to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

Tucker, whom the Mets pursued last winter in free agency before he landed in Hollywood on a $240 million, four-year contract, delivered a bloop single to left for the go-ahead hit after Raley walked pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas to start the inning.

McLean pitched a gem, allowing one earned run on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.28.

“I try to treat every start the same, no matter who is standing in the box or where I’m at, I just want to win every time I go out there,” McLean said. “Growing up a baseball fan, getting to watch some of these guys on TV as I am growing up, it’s really cool to go compete against them.”

The game had only seven hits, four of which belonged to the Mets (who have one run total to show for their last three games). Francisco Lindor’s homer leading off the game gave the Mets their only run on a night Yamamoto dominated over 7 ²/₃ innings, striking out seven and walking one.

What is the Mets’ desperation level for a victory?

“The urgency level is really high,” Lindor said. “I don’t think anyone here is desperate, but we understand that we have to win. It’s a must win. I don’t want to sit here and say, ‘We’ll get them.’ Everybody in here has a sense of urgency and we are all trying to win. It’s just a matter of time. It’s still the middle of April and we have an opportunity to finish the month on the positive side.”

The Mets were overmatched by lefty Justin Wrobleski, who fired eight shutout innings a day earlier. They won’t receive a reprieve in Wednesday’s series finale with Shohei Ohtani scheduled to start for the Dodgers.

“They are good, but we’re good too,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We have got to get back to attacking, so you can’t give them too much credit. We have got to trust who we are. We have got good players here and we have just got to go out there and do it and execute.”

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Lindor’s first homer and RBI this season gave the Mets a 1-0 lead only three pitches into the game, ending the team’s scoring drought at 20 innings. Lindor jumped on a 95-mph fastball and cleared the right-field fence for his 32nd career leadoff homer. Before the game, Mendoza indicated that moving the slumping Lindor from the leadoff spot wasn’t a consideration.

Freddie Freeman’s RBI ground out in the bottom of the first tied it 1-1.

McLean walked Tucker to begin the rally and Will Smith’s sinking line drive double that just eluded Carson Benge’s grasp in left field put runners on second and third with one out before Freeman drove in his 14th run this season.

McLean kept the go-ahead run at third base by striking out Teoscar Hernández to end the inning.

Neither team had another base runner until McLean walked Hyeseong Kim with two outs in the fifth. McLean’s errant pickoff attempt on Kim moved him to second before Alex Freeland was retired to end the threat.

McLean showed no sign of fading as he worked the third time through the batting order. He quickly retired Ohtani and Tucker to begin the sixth before getting Smith to pop out on a full-count fastball.

Yamamoto didn’t allow his second hit until the seventh, when Bo Bichette stroked a two-out double. Francisco Alvarez, elevated to the fifth spot in the batting order, walked.

But Brett Baty was overmatched by Yamamoto’s 1-2 splitter, striking out to end the inning. It was Yamamoto’s 94th pitch, but he wasn’t finished.

McLean struck out Freeman and Hernández on six pitches to begin the bottom of the inning before Max Muncy’s single to left gave the Dodgers their second hit. McLean recovered to strike out Andy Pages swinging on a 1-2 changeup.

Yamamoto returned to the mound for the eighth and retired Mark Vientos on a weak comebacker before Marcus Semien hit a drive to the warning track in left that was caught.

Benge singled to left and Lindor’s ensuing single to right moved the go-ahead run to third base, ending Yamamoto’s night at 104 pitches. After Lindor stole second, Luis Robert Jr. was caught looking at Strike 3 on Blake Treinen’s full-count sweeper to end the inning.

After Tucker’s RBI single against Raley gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the eighth, the Mets were retired in order by lefty Alex Vesia, who subbed for hurting Edwin Díaz in the closer’s role.

There are old-school pitchers’ duels. And then there is what unfolded at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers beat the New York Mets 2-1, taking their first and only lead when Kyle Tucker –– in a breakthrough moment after his recent slump –– lofted a bloop RBI single off Mets reliever Brooks Raley in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The real story, though, was the dueling brilliance of starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean; a back-and-forth, step-for-step, exhilaratingly boring masterclass between the reigning World Series MVP and early-season Rookie of the Year favorite.

“I mean, there was just nothing happening,” manager Dave Roberts quipped. “We haven’t seen McLean up close, I don’t recall. But, man, he’s special. And our guy matched him.”

Indeed, in a game that saw the two right-handers combine for 14 ⅔ innings, 15 strikeouts and only two runs allowed, Yamamoto and McLean gave each other no margin for error.

Both allowed runs in the first; Yamamoto on a leadoff home run to Francisco Lindor, McLean on a run-scoring Freddie Freeman grounder following a one-out walk from Tucker and a double from Will Smith.

After that, though, it was nothing but zeroes. Literally.

Over the next five innings, neither pitcher allowed another hit –– let alone another run.

“They were both awesome,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Yamamoto was pretty nasty. But Nolan was pretty nasty too. They went head-to-head, inning after inning, batter after batter, pitch after pitch.”

McLean retired 14 batters in a row at one point, mixing a “wiffle ball” sweeper, as Roberts described it, with a relentless onslaught of fastballs, cutters and equally deceptive sinkers.

Yamamoto recorded 20-straight outs after Lindor’s leadoff homer, leaning heavily on his trademark splitter while also fastballs with his typically pristine command.

Not until the end of their outings did either pitcher ever face any real stress.

The Mets (7-11) put two aboard in the seventh, after Bo Bichette hit a two-out double and Francisco Alvarez drew a walk. However, Yamamoto stranded them, snapping off a wicked splitter that fanned Brett Baty for an inning-ending strikeout.

McLean faced his own danger in the bottom of the inning, after Max Muncy hit a two-out single, but also got through it by fanning Andy Pages.

That marked the end of McLean’s night, a seven-inning, one-run, eight-strikeout gem.

Yamamoto kept going, meanwhile, getting two outs in the eighth before back-to-back base hits finally chased him from the game.

“It was kind of vintage Yamamoto,” Roberts said, noting the Opening Day starter had looked slightly off in two solid-but-unspectacular starts leading up to Tuesday. “Just the command. The split. The breaking ball when he needed it … Yeah, this was special. And it’s kind of who he is right now.”

Yamamoto received a huge roar from a crowd of 48,138 as he exited with 104 pitches. Then, he watched from the dugout as reliever Blake Treinen preserved his 7-⅔ inning, one-run, seven-strikeout stat line, with Luis Robert Jr. going down a called third strike in an at-bat that featured ample ABS challenge drama (including a failed appeal by Robert on the last pitch).

The Dodgers (13-4) took the lead on Tucker’s go-ahead flare to shallow left field in the next half-inning, capitalizing on a small-ball rally set up by a leadoff walk from Miguel Rojas and a sacrifice bunt from Santiago Espinal.

Fittingly, that meant both Yamamoto and McLean finished the night with no-decisions.

After all, while one of the teams always had to lose the game, neither of them deserved to after such dominant performances.

What it means

The Dodgers might have the majors’ best offense to this point of the season.

But their rotation is proving to be an equally dangerous weapon.

The last two nights alone, Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski have combined for 15 ⅔ innings of one-run ball. And now, the team’s starters have a combined ERA of 3.26 –– one that would be even lower if not for the early struggles of Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.

Even more encouraging: The group has also combined for 96 ⅔ innnigs to this point, one shy of the Miami Marlins for most in the National League.

Who’s hot

Yamamoto had been plenty good in his first three starts this season, going six innings in each of them with a 2.50 ERA.

Tuesday, however, was the first time he tapped back into the dominant form he displayed during last year’s postseason, carving up the Mets lineup with a splitter-heavy game plan.

Lindor’s leadoff homer came on a 2-0 fastball in the zone. After that, Yamamoto went on the attack. He used a career-high 42 splitters, and generated whiffs half the time the Mets swung at it (12 of 24). The rest of his six-pitch arsenal only threw them further off balance, leading to a start that further cementing his place as one of the sport’s premier arms.

Who’s not

On Tuesday? Edwin Diaz.

At least, not when it mattered.

After getting three days off amid an ongoing battle to regain his normal velocity, the team’s $69 million closer was tasked with throwing a pregame bullpen session on Tuesday afternoon.

Roberts described it as a final check-mark for Díaz, confirming the team’s belief that his velocity drop was not injury-related.

But, it meant that when a save situation arose in the ninth, the Dodgers had to look elsewhere for the final three outs.

Their answer was Alex Vesia, who pitched a 1-2-3 frame to record his second save this week.

Díaz, meanwhile, should be back online to pitch in Wednesday’s series finale, Roberts said, just so long as he rebounds well from Tuesday afternoon’s pregame activity. 

Up next

The Dodgers wrap up this series, and homestand, on Wednesday against the Mets. Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his third pitching start of the year for the Dodgers. Right-hander Clay Holmes (2-1, 1.50 ERA) goes for the Mets.

The pitchers’ duel that was advertised delivered and then some, with both the Mets and Dodgers getting stellar starts, in a nail biter of a game that, unfortuantely, didn’t break the Mets’ way. A 2-1 loss is never easy to take, but especially not when your ace pitches the game of his young career in the process.

Francisco Lindor decided that enough was enough with the 20-inning scoreless streak, leading the game off with a no-doubter solo home run off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It was the type of veteran leadership move that gets pointed to at times as ‘turnaround’ points in a season.

If only any of the other Mets’ batters would step up.

Thankfully, Nolan McLean was up the task tonight in Los Angeles. McLean walked Kyle Tucker with one out in the first, and that would come back to bite him after Will Smith doubled down the left-field line. putting men on second and third with one out. A weak Freddie Freeman ground out scored Tucker and tied the game at one.

Despite the early run, McLean would settle in and dazzle. After retiring 14 Dodgers in a row, a fifth inning walk to Hyeseong Kim and an errant throw by McLean put a running in scoring position for the first time since the first. However, McLean buckled down and got a Alex Freeland ground out to end the threat. A Max Muncy single in the seventh didn’t go anywhere, either.

McLean’s final line was seven innings pitched, one earned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts, including three ring ups of Teoscar Hernández and two for Freeman. It was an impressive performance.

After Lindor, Yamamoto would retire the next 20 Mets in a row, until Bo Bichette ripped a double with two outs in the seventh. Francisco Alvarez then walked, and the Mets had their first real threat of the game. However, Yamamoto would strike out Brett Baty to end the seventh and keep the game knotted up at one.

In the top of the eighth, Carson Benge lined a two-out single to left, which was followed by a weak Lindor grounder between first and second, which advanced Benge to third. That would do it for Yamamoto, who would be pulled in favor of Blake Treinen. After allowing Lindor to steal second, Treinen struck out Luis Robert Jr. looking to end the Mets’ threat.

Brooks Raley relieved McLean in the bottom of the eighth, and he walked Miguel Rojas to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt by Santiago Espinal moved Rojas to second, and an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani put two one with one out. Tucker would loft a ball over third base, scoring Rojas and breaking the tie. Raley struck out Will Smith and induced a line out to right off the bat of Freeman to end the inning.

Alex Vesia, not old friend Edwin Díaz, would pitch the ninth for the Dodgers, and easily fanned Jorge Polanco on three pitches. Bichette would follow suit, leaving Alvarez as the Mets’ final hope. Alvarez would be punched on a check swing to end the game.

The Mets have now lost seven straight games and have shown only marginal offense over most of that run. Tomorrow night, the Mets play in the Jackie Robinson Day game on ESPN with Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Dodgers and Clay Holmes starting for the Mets.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Nolan McLean, +34.0% WPA

Big Mets loser: Brooks Raley, -23.0% WPA

Mets pitchers WPA: 11.0% WPA

Mets batters WPA: -6.1% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor’s lead-off dinger, +9.8% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: Kyle Tucker’s eighth inning RBI single, -21.8% WPA

The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Arden Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Area Athletics scored two runs.

The Rangers should have saved a few of those eight runs from last night for tonight’s contest. In a strange contest, Texas took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st with another RBI from Jake Burger in this series and then the strike zone became a mystery for Rangers pitchers.

Through a couple of innings, Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore seemed more or less like the guy we’d seen over the first few starts during his tenure with Texas until he allowed a two-out double to A’s No. 9 hitter Denzel Clarke in the bottom of the 3rd.

At that point, Gore just kind of fell apart for many minutes as he walked the next two batters and then allowed a two-out, two-run RBI single to Jacob Wilson. Frustratingly, Wilson had already impacted the game with a couple of nice plays at shortstop with runners on base for the Rangers.

After the Wilson hit gave the A’s a 2-1 lead, Gore got out of the inning without any further damage but then walked the next two hitters he faced in the bottom of the 4th. Gore wiggled out of that inning too to keep the score a one-run game thanks in part to the A’s deciding to give up an out with a sac bunt. However, after a hit and another walk in the 5th, Gore’s night was finished.

Overall, Gore walked six A’s batters but he also only allowed three hits and struck out five. It was a bad command night for the left-hander but it was also a close game throughout. With Gore struggling and with Springs settling in after the 1st inning run, the game had a mystifying vibe that the Rangers were getting soundly defeated even though it was a 2-1 score from the 3rd inning on.

Despite some early chances, and a few at-bats late with runners in scoring position, the bats just couldn’t break through against former Ranger Jeffrey Springs and then collected just one hit off the Athletics’ bullpen.

Player of the Game: Though the Rangers walked a total of eight batters tonight with six from Gore and two more from the bullpen, and though Robert Garcia was one of those relievers who issued a walk, the recently demoted from high-leverage lefty gave Texas 1.2 innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts after Gore got the early hook in the 5th.

Garcia’s stock has fallen a bit in the season’s first few weeks but, in a one-run game, he helped keep the Rangers in this one by bridging the game from Gore to the late innings.

Up Next: The Rangers and A’s are back at it tomorrow with RHP Kumar Rocker expected to make the start for Texas opposite RHP J.T. Ginn for formerly Oakland.

The Wednesday evening first pitch from Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 8:40 pm CDT once again and will be telecast via the Rangers Sports Network.

LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean engaged in a wonderful pitching duel on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, pitchers with different styles but equally vast repertoires, and both exceedingly difficult to score against. Offenses were kept mostly at bay until the eighth inning, when both teams threatened but only the Dodgers were able to push across the game-winner, beating the Mets 2-1.

Pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas walked to open the eighth, and was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal. With first base opened, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked (extending his on-base streak to 48 games, by the way), setting up a struggling Kyle Tucker to dunk one just behind third base for the Dodgers’ first lead of the night.

Both starting pitchers gave up single runs in the first inning, and nothing else. Francisco Lindor hitting a leadoff home run off Yamamoto, and Will Smith doubling off McLean to set up two runner in scoring position, only one of whom scored, on a groundout.

Yamamoto struck out seven in his 7 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and a walk in a tidy 104 pitches. McLean struck out eight in his seven innings, giving up two hits and two walks on 95 pitches. By all accounts, an incredible duel.

Yamamoto not only kept the Mets in the ballpark after the Lindor home run, he mostly confined them to the infield. He induced 10 groundouts, five of which were to Freddie Freeman at first base, who dutifully fed a covering Yamamoto four times.

Yamamoto retired 20 batters in a row after the Lindor home run, until Bo Bichette snapped the string with a double over third base with two outs in the seventh inning. Yamamoto then issued his first walk of the night, to Francisco Alvarez on five pitches, in his first real jam of the night. But he struck out Baty to end the seventh, keeping the game knotted at one apiece.

With Thursday’s off day pending and a six-man rotation, Yamamoto’s next start will likely be next Tuesday, on six days rest, which made the decision to keep him — at 94 pitches — in for the eighth inning much easier to make. Yamamoto got the first two outs, but a pair of singles put runners at the corners and ended his night.

Blake Treinen rode the tightrope, allowing Lindor to steal second base to put two runners in scoring position, but then struck out Luis Robert Jr. on seven pitches to keep the game tied.

With closer Edwin Díaz still day-to-day, the Dodgers turned to Alex Vesia for the ninth inning with a one-run lead, and he struck out all three batters he faced on only 10 pitches.

After Monday’s win took two hours, 13 minutes for the shortest Dodgers game of the season, Tuesday night needed only two hours, three minutes to complete.

Tuesday particulars

Home run: Francisco Lindor (1)

WP — Blake Treinen (1-0): 1 batter, 1 strikeout

LP — Brooks Raley (0-1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Sv — Alex Vesia (2): 1 IP, 3 strikeouts

Up next

One more game remains on the homestand, with Shohei Ohtani starting on the mound Wednesday night (7:10 p.m., ESPN), and Clay Holmes pitching for the Mets.

The matchup between Nolan McLean and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lived up to the hype, but the Mets could not push across enough runs in their 2-1 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Both McLean and Yamamoto allowed just one run each and struck out a combined 15 batters across 14.2 innings.

Including Tuesday night, they have scored 10 runs in their last seven games, and have now lost seven games in a row.

Here are the takeaways...

-Francisco Lindor had gone the first 17 games of the season with an RBI -- the longest of his career -- but got off the schneid in a hurry, taking a 95 mph fastball from Yamamoto deep to lead off the game with a home run. The blast went 402 feet and snapped the Mets' 20-inning scoreless streak. 

But Yamamoto would settle in quickly, retiring the next 20 batters before Bo Bichette hit a two-out double in the seventh inning. Francisco Alvarez followed with a walk, setting up Brett Baty. The left-hander struck out swinging to leave two runners on and get Yamamoto through seven innings. 

Yamamoto wound up starting the eighth, and after getting the first two outs -- Marcus Semien narrowly missing a solo shot (101.9 mph off the bat) that died at the warning track -- Carson Benge hit an opposite-field single. Lindor followed up with a single that put runners at the corners. The back-to-back singles knocked Yamamoto out of the game for Blake Treinen to face Luis Robert Jr. Lindor stole second on the first pitch and Robert worked the count full but was frozen on a strike-three pitch that ended the threat.

Yamamoto tossed 104 pitches (65 strikes), allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven. 

-McLean matched Yamamoto and then some. The young right-hander was given a 1-0 lead, but would be a tough-luck pitcher in the first. He allowed a one-out walk to Kyle Tucker and Will Smith hit a blooper to left field that Benge dove for, but couldn't come up with it. The ball kicked away a bit, allowing Tucker to reach third and Smith to get to second. Freddie Freeman hit a dribbler down the first base line, which Mark Vientos picked up and stepped on first for the second out, but Tucker scored. 

McLean would also settle in after that first inning. McLean would retire 13 straight batters before navigating through a tough Dodgers lineup. 

McLean allowed just one run on two hits and two walks through seven innings (95 pitches/68 strikes) and struck out eight batters. He lowered his ERA to 2.08.

-Brooks Raley was the first reliever out of the pen and his command wasn't there to start. He walked the leadoff man and a bunt moved Miguel Rojas to second base for Shohei Ohtani. Raley intentionally walked Ohtani to pitch to Tucker. The left-hander dumped an RBI single to left field to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

-In the top of the ninth against Alex Vesia -- not Edwin Diaz, who has been dealing with velocity issues of late -- the Mets went down in order. Jorge Polanco, Bichette and Alvarez struck out to end the game. The Mets outhit the Dodgers 4-3, but could not get the hit that mattered.

Game MVP: Kyle Tucker

With the pitcher's duel, someone needed to push across the winning run and Tucker did just that.

Highlights

A leadoff home run for Francisco Lindor off Yoshinobu Yamamoto!

His first homer & RBI of the season! pic.twitter.com/C4nGtLX1oT

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 15, 2026

Nolan McLean gets his first strikeout of the night pic.twitter.com/UiopvcEqia

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 15, 2026

Bo Bichette snaps Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 20 batters in a row retired streak with a double pic.twitter.com/d0xxHEMdho

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 15, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Dodgers wrap up their three-game set on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m.

Clay Holmes (2-1, 1.50 ERA) will take the mound against Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

The Atlanta Braves began the day with a roster move that recalled southpaw Hayden Harris to Atlanta and simultaneously optioned right-hander Rolddy Muñoz to Triple-A Gwinnett. The move is a classic bullpen shuffle, and an underwhelming one at that. 

Muñoz made his first appearance of the season on Monday night, and in two innings, he surrendered three runs on five hits. He walked one and recorded three strikeouts. Given this performance, it wasn’t overly shocking to see he was demoted Tuesday morning, which brings up none other than Hayden Harris.

Harris has yet to make his 2026 debut, and he’s gotten off to a rough start in Triple-A. He’s appeared in five games, where he gave up three runs. He’s recorded six walks and seven strikeouts. The Braves will be hoping he can settle in and provide some stability out of the bullpen.

More Braves News:

Dominic Smith delivered in the eighth during Tuesday’s 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins. 

Spencer Strider will be joining Sean Murphy in Rome for a rehab start on Thursday evening. He is expected to throw 40-45 pitches.

After being designated for assignment earlier this week, Martín Pérez has cleared waivers and elected free agency. 

In the latest minor league recap, we continue the game of who’s hot, who’s not. 

MLB News:

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. He exited Sunday’s start after three innings due to elbow stiffness.

The Philadelphia Phillies traded right-hander Griff McGarry to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for international pool money. 

The Milwaukee Brewers placed OF Christian Yelich on the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain. He is expected to be out until mid to late May.

From the Feed:

Austin Riley is off to a slow start this year but is beginning to show some encouraging signs. Let’s hear your thoughts here:

Tuesday’s game marked Matt Olson’s 800th consecutive game, giving him the 11th longest streak in MLB history.

Padres 4, Mariners 1

Bryan Woo when he throws first pitch strikes: Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley, .03 WPA

Bryan Woo when he does not throw first pitch strikes: Bryan Woo, -.11 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

Good evening. Welcome back to another night of BCB After Dark: the grooviest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop in. You’re always welcome here. The dress code is casual. The hostess can seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs beat the Phillies tonight, 10-4. Riley Martin got his first career start and even though it was only for one inning, he retired the side in order on six pitches. He struck out Kyle Schwarber on three pitches. I mention this because I asked you last night if you thought that Martin would be a key part of the bullpen this year. You are bullish on Martin because 68 percent of you said “yes.”

I don’t normally do a movie essay on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, but I always have time for jazz. That time is now.

Tonight we’re featuring some bebop as saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie perform in Belgium in 1958. Joining those two greats are Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Gus Johnson on drums.

This is “Blues Walk.”

Welcome back those of you who left us for a while.

I don’t have to tell you that Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is off to a terrible start to the season. He was one of the best hitters in the National League last year, but so far this year, he’s been one of the worst. After getting two doubles in the season opener, his bat has fallen silent. He had an 0 for 30 streak before an bloop pinch-hit RBI single on Sunday against the Pirates. He didn’t play in Monday’s loss to the Phillies, but he was back out there tonight and had two singles. However, neither hit inspires all that much confidence. One of them was a pretty standard ground ball single that found a hole between the first and second basemen. The other was just a little infield dribbler towards third base.

The problem seems to be that Busch simply isn’t hitting the ball hard or in the air. He’s not swinging at more pitches that he did last year. He is seeing a few more pitches outside the zone than he did last year, but not enough to make that big of a difference. He’s making contact at roughly the same rate.

The problem is that he isn’t making good contact. Everywhere you look on the Statcast data, the quality of contact made by Busch is down. He isn’t hitting the ball as hard as he did last year and when he does, it’s on the ground. Busch isn’t hitting the ball in the sweet spot and much and his exit velocity is down. Ground balls are way up. His bat speed was always below average, but it’s down even more this year.

I can’t tell you why Busch is having trouble making quality contact. I suspect that if Busch knew what was going wrong, he wouldn’t do it anymore.

So how worried are you about this development? Are you concerned that Busch has lost his mojo? Or do you think he’ll snap out of this anyday and be one of the best first basemen in the league again?

Thank you for stopping by this evening. It’s always good to have so many friends around. Please get home safely—we don’t want to lose one of those friends. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said his outburst at a fan on Tuesday night came after an ugly comment directed toward him.

The 2024 All-Star was seen on the broadcast of Boston’s 6-0 loss to the Twins flipping off a fan at Minnesota’s Target Field after grounding out in the top of the fifth inning. Duran told reporters after the game that he was directing the bird at a fan who allegedly told him to kill himself.

“Somebody just told me to kill myself,” Duran told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “I’m used to it at this point, you know? I mean, (expletive) happens. I mean, I’m gonna flip somebody off if they say something to me, but it is what it is. I shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”

Jarren Duran flips off a fan in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/bLjRZYrjlV

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 15, 2026

According to the AP, manager Alex Cora did not see the incident.

This is not the first time Duran, 29, has confronted an antagonistic fan in his career.

During an April game last year in Cleveland, Duran angrily pointed at a fan — who was soon ejected from the ballgame — and had to be held back after they said “something inappropriate” at the outfielder. Duran did not explicitly say what the fan said but implied it had to do with his attempted suicide in 2022, which he revealed in a Netflix docuseries “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,” which came out shortly before the incident.

“The fan just said something inappropriate. I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me,” Duran said after the incident at Progressive Field. “When you open yourself up like that, you also open yourself up to the enemies. But I have a good support staff around me, teammates, coaches. There were fans that were supporting me, so that was awesome.”

Two seasons ago, Duran was suspended for two games after being caught on a hot mic using an anti-gay slur. The Red Sox said his salary for those two games was donated to the Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Duran apologized after the game and said he would make it a point to learn from his actions.

“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan,” Duran said in a statement released by the team on Sunday. “I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.

It might not have been the perfect performance he hoped for, but Noah Schultz pushed through a rough first frame of his major league debut to finish his 4 1/3-inning outing strongly, despite the White Sox (6 -11) dropping the first game of the series to the Rays (9-7), 8-5.

Schultz needed 33 pitches to get through the first, which could have led to a quick exit. The lanky southpaw was able to work around Yandy Díaz with no problem to start the game, but walked the next two batters for quick trouble. The first MLB hit surrendered by Schultz was a double to left field by Ryan Vilade to drive in the first run for Tampa Bay. A safety squeeze bunt from Ben Williamson caused a whole bunch of chaos, as Noah rushed his throw home rather than getting the second out at first and letting the run score, and the Rays added a third run to the board due to Schultz’s error.

First-game jitters were clearly coming into play, but Schultz was able to settle himself down and strike out Jonny DeLuca to get out of the inning. The rest of his night went more smoothly, though he allowed one more run in the top of the third; Williamson struck again, drilling an RBI double out to left for Tampa’s fourth run of the game. Schultz did facilitate a 1-2-3 inning in the second, and worked through the fourth just fine before striking out the last batter he faced.

Noah tallied four strikeouts alongside four walks, and he averaged a 32% called strike plus whiff rate (CSW%). His fastball (37% CSW%) was most effective, averaging 96 mph with three strikeouts and batters whiffing five of nine times. The throwing error on the bunt was definitely a learning experience, but overall Schultz’s fastball velocity and pitch movement along with the way he was able to power through his nerves after the first inning was definitely encouraging.

It took a few stanzas for the bats to wake up, but the White Sox offense did cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the third. Miguel Vargas was robbed on a diving play from Chandler Simpson to start the inning, but Munetaka Murakami walked for his second time of the night, and Chase Meidroth ended up on first after catcher’s interference (his back foot essentially stepped on the catcher Nick Fortes’ foot in the batter’s box).

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, baseball is the gift that keeps on giving:

Just a few minutes after I got through complaining about the fact that manager Will Venable decided to bat Everson Pereira in the cleanup spot, Pereira came up with two runners on and ripped a three-run homer out to left to make it 4-3, Tampa Bay. I believe the exact phrase I used was “automatic out,” and I will happily eat my words for a home run any day of the week:

Spoiler alert: The White Sox did not come remotely close to scoring again until they were down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth, but they once again fell short in their rally. In fact, they only mustered five hits all night and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position while leaving nine runners on base. Does it really matter that your offense stinks while your bullpen isn’t doing anything to help itself, either? I mean, yes, it does, but with the White Sox you can’t really have your cake and eat it too; precisely why their pitching has been phenomenal lately while their offense is incapable of scoring runs.

Lucas Sims was first out of the pen for the Good Guys (1 1/3 innings), and he was unable to prevent additional runs from scoring as two more were tacked on, thanks to three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Lefthander Brandon Eisert was next in line, and his stat line was unfortunately a carbon copy of Sims’, so the Rays expanded their lead to five, 8-3.

Finally the pitching calmed down a bit with Jordan Hicks in the eighth — something I probably never thought I’d write — and he was able to get out of the inning without anyone scoring despite giving up two hits, the first of the South Side pitching staff accomplish the feat. Bryan Hudson, the power forward (6´8´´) to Schultz’s center (6´10´´) was solid for the top of the ninth (one hit and one strikeout), also preventing any further runs from scoring.

Things did briefly get a little interesting for the South Siders in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs. Vargas had walked with one out, and Mune was the last hope for the Sox after Meidroth popped out. Murakami blasted his fifth homer of the season to cut the Tampa lead to three, 8-5.

Attempting to re-ignite a rally, Tanner Murray singled to extend the inning at least one more batter. Working to a full count, it was starting to feel like Edgar might get on so that Colson Montgomery would come up to bat as the tying run, but that fleeting hope and excitement was extinguished when Quero flew out to center to end the game.

The Milwaukee Brewers were in dire need of a win on Tuesday night to end a five game losing streak. The reincarnated Home Run Race of 1998 has hit the Brewers with Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez continuing to go tit-for-tat in their bid to be the Crew’s home run leader.

It started with Jake Bauers in the 4th inning. After a single from Brice Turang and a walk from Sanchez, Jake Bauers crushed his 5th home run of the season into the Brewers bullpen, 418 feet away from home plate. That gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead.

The Blue Jays then answered in the 5th with a solo home run from Andres Gimenez and then again in the 6th with a solo shot from Marshfield, WI native Daulton Varsho.

The Brewers had two on and nobody out in the 5th and 6th innings but failed to capitalize in either end.

Then Gary Sanchez happened. He crushed a hanging curveball 409 feet out to left field to provide the Brewers a huge insurance run. That run became all the more important when Abner Uribe allowed a run in the 8th on an RBI groundout by Vlad Guerrero Jr. That left a 4-3 ballgame for closer Trevor Megill.

Megill, coming off a horrendous outing last time out on Friday, had to face the 5-6-7 hitters in the Blue Jays lineup. He allowed a leadoff walk (never a good thing), then a ground rule double, then a single and quickly the Blue Jays tied the game. A soft groundout by Andres Gimenez brought in another run, then a single from Ernie Clement brought home the insurance to make it a 6-4 Blue Jays lead.

Then the Brewers miraculously come back in the bottom of the 9th. Sal Frelick walked, stole second, then Brice Turang brought him home with a single. Turang then stole second, Jake Bauers was intentionally walked, then Brandon Lockridge delivered a game tying double. A walk to Garrett Mitchell loaded the bases for Joey Ortiz, because of course it did. Ortiz promptly struck out on three pitches.

Then in the 10th, Vlad Guerrero Jr doubled, Eloy Jimenez added insurance and the Jays put up another three run inning and the Brewers couldn’t fully come back again in the bottom half.

Jacob Misiorowski threw the ball well, despite feeling sick.

“I felt like I was gonna throw up the whole game” Misiorowski said.

That’s exactly how most of the 25,143 in attendance felt watching the 9th inning as well. Pat Murphy told reporters postgame that he is considering a change in the 9th inning role but wouldn’t commit to that change in the moment.

The Brewers will be back at it on Wednesday with Chad Patrick on the mound.

Kenley Jansen needed little introduction when the Detroit Tigers signed the 38-year-old closer to a free agent deal back in December. He’s one of the truly great relievers in the game’s long history. The one year, $9 million deal was a pretty reasonably price for an all-time great even on the downside of his career. The Tigers also have a $12 million option on Jansen for 2027 to exercise should they choose. As a result, the Tigers’ faithful in Comerica Park on Tuesday night got to see a little history as Jansen closed out the Royals for his 479th save, seizing third place on the all-time saves list behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

Jansen’s career is a pretty incredible story. The Curacao native was originally signed as a catcher. He didn’t hit enough as a minor leaguer to make it as a position player, but he was gifted with a strong throwing arm. At a certain point, a Dodgers coach suggested he try pitching, and Jansen discovered that the over-the-top motion favored by catchers to deliver a straight ball to the bases on stolen base attempts had given him a gift. Much like Mariano Rivera, who discovered his magic cutter by accident, Jansen too was quickly throwing a true unicorn of a cutter. There are plenty of high velocity cutters around the game, but none of them combine the late cutting action of Jansen’s pitch with extremely good riding action. It’s a true cut fastball, the likes of which have rarely been seen in the game, and Jansen has ridden that pitch to a Hall of Fame caliber career.

I wrote about the cut fastball during the offseason, so we won’t go on about it again, but you can read that article here.

Of course, this is all well and good, but after two postseason appearances, and with the expectation of losing Tarik Skubal in free agency, the fanbase wants present results, not individual player history. The Tigers fanbase has a rough relationship with the idea of signing a great closer in the later years of their career. We don’t even speak of Joe Nathan in my household. Jose Valverde got the job done for a while, and even Francisco Rodriguez had a pretty good season in Detroit before things finally fell apart for him. But the Tigers haven’t had an elite closer in their prime arguably since Joel Zumaya.

There were understandably some fears about Jansen, in particular the notion of making him the dedicated closer rather than mixing and matching between him, Will Vest, and Kyle Finnegan the way AJ Hinch has had to use his fairly makeshift bullpens over the past few years. Jansen still has the outrageous cut fastball, but it’s not the same quality of pitch at 92.8 mph, his 2025 average, as it was when he was sitting 95+ for all those years with the Dodgers. On the other hand, Jansen still has a lot of extra tools to get hitters out, from his size, distinct high arm slot, ability to hide the ball until late in his delivery, and his ability to post up on his right leg and wait different beats before delivering the ball, and still doing all that with good command. He’s also developed a sinker into an occasional change of pace weapon to jam right-handers, and a pretty good slider with a lot of depth to play off the eyeline of the cut fastball.

Still, with his strikeout rate in decline over the last two years, it’s reasonable to expect that Jansen is just a good reliever these days, and certainly no one special. The fact that he averaged about 92 mph in his first few outings for the Tigers wasn’t real encouraging. However, there was a very good sign on Tuesday night, as Jansen dialed the cut fastball up to 96 mph and topped out at 96.8 mph. He only threw 10 pitches 96 mph or better last season. On Monday night, he topped 96 five different times and that 96.8 mph cutter in the ninth was his fastest recorded pitch since 2024. Jansen doesn’t need to throw that hard to be really good, but he’s a much more imposing pitcher when he’s 94 mph or better.

Way back on July 25, 2010, Kenley Jansen collected the very first save of his career, closing out a victory for the Dodgers over the New York Mets. He took over after an eight inning scoreless performance by young Dodgers’ ace, Clayton Kershaw. His catcher that day was Russell Martin. Almost 16 years later, he racked up save number 479 throwing to Dillon Dingler. That save lifted him above Lee Smith (478) to rank third all-time.

It’s been a truly remarkable career, and Jansen’s work ethic and drive have sustained him far longer than anyone could have imagined. Detroit Tigers’ fans will hope he’s got plenty more in the tank, not to reach the 500 saves plateau, or somehow catch Trevor Hoffman at 601, but to help the Tigers put together a special season.

The Colorado Rockies rolled into Daikin Park hoping to end a four-game losing streak by winning their fourth consecutive game against the Houston Astros in two weeks.

While they chipped away at an Astros lead amassed in the third inning, the Rockies could never quite get there, losing the series opener 7-6.

Innings 1-3: The Rockies start climbing — and then fall back

The Rockies offense got off to a quick start with a Hunter Goodman home run in the first inning off the lefty starter Colton Gordon.

The Astros got on the board in the second inning, however, with a home run from — who else? — Christian Walker (his fourth of the season).

Things took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the third, which started with a Christian Vázquez double followed by a Willi Castro error that put Jose Altuve on base. After that, Michael Lorenzen was called for a balk, and then Yordan Álvarez entered the chat with a two-run double, tying the game at three.

There were no outs.

Things only went downhill from there. With two outs in the third, after a seemingly endless series of Astros hits and Rockies defensive adventures (Castro had another error), the score was 7-3. At that point, Lorenzen was knocked out of the game with Antonio Senzatela entering in relief.

When the inning (finally) ended, the score was 7-3 with the Astros sending 11 batters to the plate.

Lorenzen’s final line was 2.2 IP on 71 pitches with seven runs, two earned, on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. His ERA is 9.18.

It seemed like yet another game in which the Rockies were too far behind to catch up.

“It just seemed like we were unable to stop the bleeding,” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

Innings 4-7: A slow (but steady) climb

As it turns out, the Rockies were not done yet.

Jordan Beck went yard in the top of the fourth making the score 7-4.

Kyle Karros and Jake McCarthy followed that with their own singles before Tyler Freeman was HBP. (It looked painful.) That knocked Gordon out of the game.

Mickey Moniak came in to hit for Brenton Doyle but popped out to short, leaving the bases loaded.

As for Gordon, he finished the evening with 3.2 IP on 68 pitches. He allowed four runs (all earned) on eight hits while also striking out five.

Goodman led off the fifth inning with another home run, and the score was 7-5.

Innings 8-9: The mountain was too steep

The Rockies mounted another comeback in the eighth as Ezequiel Tovar and Karros managed walks. Troy Johnston came in for McCarthy and promptly hit an RBI single, making the score 7-6 Astros.

There were two on and two out when Moniak came up, but he popped out, ending the inning.

The Rockies kept pushing in the ninth. After two quick outs, T.J. Rumfield hit a single followed by a Tovar single. Brett Sullivan came in to pinch run for Rumfield and stopped at third, leaving questions as to whether he should have continued home.

Beck stepped to the plate after going 2-for-4 with a home run and a single. However, he struck out looking, ending the game, giving the Rockies yet another one-run loss.

The Rockies finished the evening with 6 runs on 12 hits. They went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base with four walks and 12 Ks.

The Astros never scored again after the third inning, but the Rockies couldn’t overcome the deficit.

“These guys are getting better every day,” Schaeffer said. “We just need to turn these one-run losses into some wins.”

Then he added, “We’re going to turn the page.”

Antonio Senzatela and the bullpen finished strong

The reinvented Antonio Senzatela entered the game in the third to get the elusive final out, which he did, striking out Altuve and then settling in to pitch a gorgeous 3.1 innings. He gave two only two hits on 43 pitches and is now scoreless in his last five appearances.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Senzatela changed the tenor of the game. He stopped what seemed to be an endless Astros rally and gave the Rockies an opportunity to get back into the game.

Schaeffer described Senzatela as “incredibly important” to the Rockies. “You know he’s going to keep you right in the game.”

Juan Mejia pitched the seventh and gave up two hits before getting three outs.

The eighth went to Zach Agnos who made quick work of the Astros, striking out two and getting a ground out to end the inning.

Up Next

Join us tomorrow night for Game 2 at 6:10 pm. Neither team has announced their starting pitcher.

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George Lombard Jr. continues to prove himself capable against MLB’s elite.

The 20-year-old Yankees prospect went 2-for-4 with two RBIs — with a booming double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler — in the Double-A Somerset Patriots’ 9-6 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday.

Wheeler, making his fourth rehab start with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate as he recovers from surgeries for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome, retired Lombard on a strikeout and a flyout in his first two plate appearances.

George Lombard Jr. with a big league RBI

The @Yankees' No. 1 prospect plates a run for the @SOMPatriots on a long double off rehabbing Major Leaguer Zack Wheeler. pic.twitter.com/3HtUczKa1K

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 15, 2026

In the bottom of the sixth, however, Lombard ripped the first pitch he saw to right-center for an RBI double, giving Somerset its first run of the game.

He added an RBI single in the seventh to extend Somerset’s lead to 7-3.

The three-time All-Star, who struck out nine and allowed three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, spoke glowingly about Lombard’s potential.

“He was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters after his outing at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., per The Trentonian. “You could tell he’s a good, strong kid. He has a good bat path. He’s gonna be a good player.

“Hopefully I don’t have to face him too much.”

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ top prospect entering the season, Lombard’s offense has begun to match his defensive prowess.

He entered Tuesday in the midst of a torrid seven-game stretch, slashing .464/.531/.857 with two home runs and four RBIs.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard is building on an impressive spring training, which included hitting a homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

“It’s always good getting to face the elite guys in the league,” Lombard said at the time. “I was excited for it. Looking for something to hit, not trying to do too much with it and put a good swing on it.”


Lombard continued to stand out defensively at shortstop, with team brass expressing confidence in his future once he showed improvement with the bat.

“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said in March about Lombard’s development. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”

Lombard, a natural shortstop, showed versatility on Tuesday as he made his professional start at third base to make way for shortstop Anthony Volpe, who began a rehab assignment as he nears a return to The Bronx.

Volpe went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, and made one throw to first base on a groundball before being lifted in the sixth inning — as Lombard shifted back to shortstop.

Volpe echoed Wheeler’s comments in praising Lombard’s abilities on both sides of the ball.

“I thought he looked great,” Volpe said postgame. “He made great plays in the field, good at-bats and smoked that ball to right [field].

“He’s a really hard worker, really great kid. It’s gonna be really exciting.”