Category: Baseball

The Rockies out-hit the Mets 5-4 on Monday, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

Colorado was held scoreless and limited to one hit through six innings, and two runs in the seventh weren’t enough to beat New York. Tomoyuki Sugano had a no-hitter going through five, but gave up three straight hits in the sixth to give the Mets a lead they never lost.

The Mets (13-22) have now won three of their last four, while the Rockies (14-22) have lost four in a row. Mickey Moniak doubled and tripled, but was left on base both times. At least he extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

Sixth not as sweet for Sugano

For five innings, Tomoyuki Sugano was unhittable. His one mistake was a walk to Carson Benge in the third inning, but it was quickly erased when Francisco Alvarez hit into a double play. Sugano was efficient, only needing 40 pitches to get through the first four innings. Through five innings, aided by a strong wind blowing in from center field, Sugano had one strikeout and seemed well on his way to a quality start.

However, the bottom of the Mets lineup figured out Sugano on their second time through. On the second pitch of the inning, Benge hit a cutter 436 feet into the bullpen beyond center field to put the Mets up 1-0.

Alvarez and Luis Torrens followed with back-to-back doubles to put New York ahead 2-0.

Juan Soto then drew a walk before Sugano got Bo Bichette to ground out in a fielder’s choice that moved the runners to second and third. It also knocked Sugano (2-3, 3.41 ERA) out of the game.

Jaden Hill entered and almost avoided further damage when he struck out MJ Melendez to give the Rockies two outs. That’s when Mark Vientos hit a two-run single to double the Mets’ lead.

Hill ended the inning by striking out Baty, but the damage was done.

Mets bullpen quiets Rockies bats to start game

For six innings, the Mets bullpen day was effective against the Rockies. Huascar Brazobán hit Tyler Freeman in the first inning, and even though he stole second, nothing came of it.

Austin Warren entered in the second and threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He did give up a double to Mickey Moniak with two outs in the third. Freeman appeared to almost to drive him in, but he was robbed of a run-scoring hit when Benge made a diving catch to end the inning.

Colorado native David Peterson took over on the mound in the fourth and was lights out for New York. In his first three innings of work, Peterson struck out six of the nine batters he faced to help the Mets carry a 4-0 lead into the seventh.

Beck busts through

With two outs in the seventh, Willi Castro got the Rockies’ first hit since the third inning and the second total when he hit a bloop single to left-center field. Jordan Beck came up with a clutch triple when Benge fell trying to turn to run to the wall, allowing Castro to score the Rockies’ first run. Kyle Karros, despite going down 0-2 in a seven-pitch at-bat, followed up with a single to plate Beck to shrink the deficit.

Unfortunately, Ezequiel Tovar flied out to right to end the rally.

Mejia’s magic and a wasted chance

Juan Mejia relieved Hill and was untouchable in the seventh and eighth for the Rockies. Mejia faced six batters, striking out five of them, including Soto. Mejia kept the Rockies in the game, as did Brennan Bernardino, who threw a scoreless ninth.

Moniak did what Moniak does in the eighth, hitting a one-out triple, but the Rockies couldn’t take advantage. Freeman struck out and TJ Rumfield flied out to left. In the ninth, the Rockies had the hitters they wanted up, but Hunter Goodman and Castro flied out and Troy Johnston ended the game with a pitch-hit strikeout.

Up Next

The Rockies will play the Mets in game two of the series tomorrow. Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 6.09 ERA) will get the start for the Rockies, while New York will send Freddy Peralta (1-3, 3.52 ERA) to the mound. Game time is set for 6:40 p.m., but stay tuned to Purple Row for updates on the weather developments at Coors Field.

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DENVER — Carson Benge’s full toolbox is open for business.

There is plenty to like about the Mets rookie, starting with his superior outfield range and throwing arm. But lately his bat has entered the equation, giving the team a glimpse of his full skill set.

He had a second highlight-reel catch in as many games Monday, before continuing his recent offensive uptick with a home run in helping the Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. The victory was the team’s third in four games to begin the road trip.

It wasn’t a perfect day for Benge — he stumbled retreating on a fly to center in the seventh, giving Jordan Beck an RBI double that extended the inning. But the Mets survived it to defeat the Rockies for the first time in four tries this year.

Benge, who has reached base five times over the past two games, credited his recent play to uncluttered thoughts. He is 10-for-33 (.303) over his past 11 games.

“Go out there and your mind is blank, you play the game as hard as you can, not worrying about anything,” Benge said.

Among Benge’s promising underlying numbers entering play was an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph, which placed him in MLB’s 69th percentile. Benge’s chase rate of 25.6 percent ranked in the 70th percentile. His whiff percentage of 22.7 percent placed him in the 63rd percentile.

The 23-year-old former first-round draft pick won a starting job in spring training, and any thoughts of optioning him to Triple-A Syracuse to work on his at-bats were quickly displaced by the reality that the Mets need healthy bodies.

“I have been impressed with how he’s handled the whole situation, how steady he has been, how professional, how mature he’s been,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Those are some really good signs from a young player getting to face the big league level for the first time.”

Huascar Brazobán, utilized as an opener, pitched a scoreless first inning. Brazobán plunked Tyler Freeman, who stole second, but then got the final two outs in the inning before Austin Warren pitched a scoreless second and third.

Warren received help from Benge, who raced into right-center and snagged Freeman’s shot for the final out in the third with Mickey Moniak on second base. A day earlier, Benge lunged full extension in right field to rob the Angels’ Vaughn Grissom of a possible ninth-inning double.

But Benge downplayed his latest catch, unhappy that he stumbled tracking Beck’s ball in the seventh.

“I fell on my face, so those cancel out,” Benge said. “Bad read, you can’t get them all.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Benge walked in the third to serve as the only Mets base runner until the sixth, when he homered leading off against Tomoyuki Sugano.

“He’s swinging at better pitches and laying off pitches out of the strike zone,” Mendoza said. “We saw it [Sunday]; a couple of times he walked. That is going to help.”

But the Mets weren’t finished in the inning. Alvarez and Luis Torrens stroked consecutive doubles, extending the lead to 2-0. Juan Soto walked before Mark Vientos’ two-run single widened the lead further.

Vientos, who homered twice Sunday, hit long drives to left field for outs in his first two plate appearances Monday before hammering a line-drive single that scored the two runs.

After Benge stumbled on Beck’s fly to right-center, allowing the first Rockies run, Kyle Karros stroked an RBI single against David Peterson that sliced the Mets lead to 4-2. Peterson stifled the rally by retiring Ezequiel Tovar for the final out.

Peterson pitched four innings with two runs allowed before Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless eighth and Devin Williams earned the save with a perfect ninth.

The top three picks in the the Athletes Unlimited Softball League college draft, held Monday night, were all pitchers.

Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Blaze, Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady was selected second by the Texas Volts with the pick and Belmont’s Maya Johnson was drafted third overall by the Oklahoma City Spark.

The draft featured 17 selections by six teams from a pool of college players who were given “Golden Tickets” this year to make them eligible for the draft.

Megan Grant of UCLA was the first non-pitcher selected, taken fourth overall by the Portland Cascade. She was one of three Bruins drafted, which led all college teams, as Jordan Woolery and Taylor Tinsley were also selected.

The AUSL will play its second full season this summer and is pivoting from being a touring league to having teams based in six cities throughout the country. The season begins on June 9 and ESPN will carry 50 AUSL games annually, including the championship series.

Here’s the full results of Monday’s draft:

Round 1, Pick 1, Carolina Blaze: Karlyn Pickens | P, Tennessee

Pickens has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year in each of the last two seasons and is in the midst of putting together another strong season for the Lady Vols. The 6-foot-1 native of Weaverville, North Carolina is eighth nationally in earned run average (1.44) and first in hits allowed per seven innings (3.06). She holds the record for throwing the fastest pitch in the history of Division I softball, clocking 79.4 mph in last year’s Super Regional.

Round 1, Pick 2, Texas Volts: NiJaree Canady | P, Texas Tech

The 6-foot right-hander from Topeka, Kansas, ranks sixth nationally in ERA (1.30), fourth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.48) and 10th in total strikeouts (194). Canady is the highest paid player in college softball, earning more than $1 million from Texas Tech’s NIL collective, the Matador Club. Last season she was a consensus first-team All-American and named National Pitcher of the Year by D1 Softball and NFCA.

Round 1, Pick 3, Oklahoma City Spark: Maya Johnson | P, Belmont

The first mid-major player to receive a golden ticket from the AUSL, Johnson leads the nation in ERA with a 0.72 mark. Johnson was an All-American and the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year last season. She’s 49-8 as a starting pitcher over the last two seasons.

Round 1, Pick 4, Portland Cascade: Megan Grant | UTL, UCLA

Grant is having her best offensive season, hitting .477 with 35 home runs, 75 RBI and 1.326 slugging percentage, which leads the Bruins. She also leads the nation in walks per game with 1.16. Grant — who has also played for UCLA’s women’s basketball team — is a two-time consensus All-American. She’s started double-digit games at right field, first base and third base across her career for the Bruins.

Round 1, Pick 5, Chicago Bandits: Jocelyn Erickson | C, Florida

A left‑handed hitter with power, Erickson was the SEC and NFCA Division I Player of the Year in 2024. Last season, she had a .997 fielding percentage 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. She’s also hit a career-best 19 home runs so far this season.

Round 1, Pick 6, Utah Talons: Jordan Woolery | INF, UCLA

Woolery has been instrumental to UCLA’s success, starting every game of her college career — 232 and counting — as a cornerstone of the Bruins’ offense and infield. She's hitting .513 this season with 33 home runs and 106 RBI this season. Woolery is a two-time consensus All-American.

Round 2, Pick 1, Carolina Blaze: Reese Atwood | C, Texas

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 (71), RBI (276) and slugging percentage (.744).

Round 2, Pick 2, Texas Volts: Leighann Goode | INF, Texas

Known for her speed and consistency at the plate, Goode is hitting .377 this season through 46 games. She usually bats second and is able to get on base for players like Atwood to bring her in. Goode plays both second base and shortstop and has a .967 career fielding percentage with 311 putouts.

Round 2, Pick 3, Portland Cascade: Sydney Stewart | C, Arizona

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 RBI. Stewart is also a strong defensive presence behind the plate. She received her golden ticket from Arizona legend Jennie Finch.

Round 2, Pick 4, Oklahoma City Spark: Peja Goold | P, Mississippi State

The last player to receive a Golden Ticket, Goold has developed into one of the best pitchers in the SEC, ranking fourth in the conference with 164 strikeouts. She boasts a .177 batting average-against that would be top-five in single-season program history for the Bulldogs. Before transferring to Mississippi State, Goold was the two-time Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year for Chattanooga.

Round 2, Pick 5, Chicago Bandits: Taryn Kern | INF, Stanford

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 18 homers and 43 RBI this season. She has the fourth-best OPS in the ACC with a 1.463 mark.

Round 2, Pick 6, Utah Talons: Taylor Tinsley | P, UCLA

The third Bruin selected in the draft, the 5-foot-7 right-hander from Lawrenceville, Georgia was an All-American last season and has established herself as UCLA’s ace. She has 26 wins this season, which is tied for second nationally.

Round 3, Pick 1, Chicago Bandits: Ailana Agbayani | INF, Oklahoma

The second baseman from Hawaii was named to the SEC’s All-Defense team last season and won a Gold Glove award. She was previously the Defensive Player of the Year in the West Coast Conference. At the plate, she’s hitting for a .385 average this season with six home runs and 13 stolen bases.

Round 3, Pick 2, Oklahoma City Spark: Amari Harper | UTL, Oregon

Harper is hitting for a .401 average this season, her first at Oregon after transferring in from Texas A&M where she was an All-SEC selection. She also has 15 home runs and 47 RBI.

Round 3, Pick 3, Portland Cascade: Kenzie Brown | P, Arizona State

A three-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week this season, Brown is 13-6 on the season with 222 strikeouts. A former All-American, she struck out 13 Oklahoma batters earlier this season. She has 11 games with double-digit strikeouts this year.

Round 3, Pick 4, Carolina Blaze: Dakota Kennedy | OF, Arkansas

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. Kennedy this season is hitting for a .343 average with 14 home runs.

Round 3, Pick 5, Portland Cascade: Kenleigh Cahalan | INF, Florida

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 .961 fielding average. At the plate, she’s hitting for a .379 average this season with 15 homers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 AUSL Draft results: Texas Tech star NiJaree Canady picked second

The Mets opened their series against the Rockies with a 4-2 win, scoring all four of their runs in top of the sixth inning and allowing Colorado’s only two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Things seem to work out much better when the Mets use an opener—or multiple openers—in front of David Peterson this year, as was the case today.

Huascar Brazobán started the game and threw a scoreless bottom of the first, and Austin Warren followed that up with two scoreless innings of his own. Those three innings were crucial in this one, as the Mets didn’t score through the first five innings of the game as they faced Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano.

With the game still scoreless in the sixth, though, they broke through. Carson Benge hit a home run to right-center field to lead off the inning, and designated hitter Francisco Alvarez ripped a double before catcher Luis Torrens doubled to bring him home. The Mets had a 2-0 lead, and Sugano hadn’t recorded an out yet. Juan Soto drew a walk, and after Bo Bichette grounded out to advance both baserunners, the Rockies went to their bullpen.

MJ Melendez struck out, but with two outs and two runners in scoring position, the suddenly-hot Mark Vientos smoked a single to center field to bring them both home. That hit proved to be the difference in the game.

David Peterson had come into the game in the top of the fourth and began his outing with three scoreless innings, but a mistake by Benge, who had made a fantastic catcher earlier in the game, led to Peterson giving up a pair of runs that officially go down as earned runs. With two outs and a runner on first, Jordan Beck hit a fly ball deep to center, and Benge fell down. The runner scored, and Beck wound up on third base with a triple. Kyle Karros singled to score Beck, cutting the Mets’ lead in half in the process.

Luckily, Craig Kimbrel worked around a one-out triple in the eighth despite the fact that he really didn’t have his best velocity, and Devin Williams retired the Rockies in order for the save in the ninth.

The second game of the series is scheduled for 8:40 PM EDT tomorrow, but the forecast in Denver makes it look nearly impossible to play baseball there until at least Wednesday afternoon. For now, though, the Mets have won three of four, and beating up on teams that were supposed to be bad when the season got underway isn’t something to take for granted, especially when you’ve been worse than those teams to start the year.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Carson Benge, +17% WPA
Big Mets loser: MJ Melenedez, -9% WPA
Mets pitchers: +53% WPA
Mets hitters: -3% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge hits a solo home run in the sixth, +14% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Mickey Moniak triples in the bottom of the eighth, -10% WPA

The Mets opened up their three-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Monday with a 4-2 win.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Through the first five innings of the game both teams combined for just one hit. How did they get there? Well, Huascar Brazoban pitched a scoreless inning to open up the game and Austin Warren went two innings without allowing a run and struck out three. 

That allowed David Peterson, whose numbers have been astronomically better this season as a reliever, to enter the game in the fourth inning where he continued New York’s excellent pitching.

-- On the other side, Tomoyuki Sugano held the Mets hitless over five innings and had faced the minimum thanks to a double play after a walk in the third. All of that turned on a dime in the sixth inning, though, when the Mets had three straight extra-base hits to take a 2-0 lead. 

-- Carson Benge started things off by crushing a leadoff homer 436 feet to right-center, before Francisco Alvarez hit one 404 feet off the left-center field fence for a double. Luis Torrens then snapped an 0-for-13 skid with an opposite-field double and New York was suddenly in business.

-- Later in the inning, with runners on second and third and two outs Mark Vientos, who had 815 feet worth of flyouts to the warning track in left field over his first two at-bats, a day after hitting two monster home runs, came up to the plate. 

Facing reliever Jaden Hill, Vientos lined one up the middle and was finally rewarded for his efforts with a two-run single to double the Mets’ lead and cap their four-run inning. Vientos has six RBI in his last two games.

-- Staked to a 4-0 advantage, Peterson followed up New York’s big inning with a shutdown inning of his own by striking out the side, including two via the ABS system. He ran into trouble in the seventh after retiring the first two, but a single and a long triple by Jordan Beck got Colorado on the board. Kyle Karros singled in another run and cut the Mets’ lead to two.

Peterson's final line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K on 69 pitches (52 strikes). He lowered his season ERA to 6.29.

-- New York finished off a great day of pitching with Craig Kimbrel leaving a runner stranded at third base in the eighth and Devin Williams closing things out with a perfect ninth for the save.

-- Defensively, Benge made another great catch, this one in center field, in the third inning.

-- After an 0-for-5 performance on Sunday to end an 18-game on-base streak, Juan Soto, batting leadoff for the first time as a Met and just the third time in his career, didn't look quite right once again and finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout, although he did walk and score a run in New York's four-run sixth inning. In his first at-bat, Soto popped out on the first pitch of the game.

Game MVP: Mark Vientos

Vientos gets the honor for the second game in a row as he continues to swing a hot bat. His two-run single was also the difference in the game.

Highlights

Another day, another fantastic catch from Carson Benge! pic.twitter.com/XasqqymM9q

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

According to Statcast, Mark Vientos' flyout in the 5th would be a home run in 29/30 ballparks. pic.twitter.com/QEwGpXpc2X

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

A pair of strikeouts for David Peterson in the 5th pic.twitter.com/5gAplBtN2a

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

Carson Benge with the Mets' first hit of the game and it's a home run! pic.twitter.com/IVTaLtHeMU

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

Francisco Alvarez follows up Carson Benge's homer with a long double! pic.twitter.com/VtemdZfklg

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

"The Mets catching combination trading places!"

Luis Torrens drives in Francisco Alvarez with a double of his own! pic.twitter.com/4TJ9MQjGAF

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

A 2-run single for Mark Vientos!

The Mets lead 4-0! pic.twitter.com/QVRICPb7p1

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 4, 2026

What's next

The Mets play the middle game of their three-game series against the Rockies on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 8:40 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Freddy Peralta (1-3, 3.52 ERA) will face off against RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 6.09 ERA).

The Dodgers aim for their 10th win on the road this season, opening a three-game series against the Astros.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Astros
• Ballpark: Daikin Park, Houston
• Start time: 5:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The already injury-plagued Mariners took another hit today as it was announced lefty Gabe Speier is going on the IL with left shoulder inflammation. LHP José Suarez, who was recently claimed off waivers from the Braves, has reported to the club to take his place. Additionally, the Mariners selected lefty Josh Simpson from Tacoma and sent RHP Cole Wilcox to Triple-A.

Speier, 31, hasn’t been objectively bad, but nor has looked like the dominant reliever he was last year. While his numbers look fine on the surface, his expected metrics have been rough: his line of a .261 xBA, .466 xSLG, and .337 xwOBA are all career-highs, and all up about a hundred points over where he ended last year.

Curiously, Speier has been leaning on his slider more heavily this season than his fastballs, throwing the pitch 35% of the time, but he’s had trouble landing it with the consistency he did in 2025. On the left is his 2025 heat map for the pitch; on the right, this season.

For whatever reason, he’s had trouble getting the slider to the bottom of the zone consistently, and when the slider leaks into the middle and up on the plate, bad things happen.

No further details are yet available about the grade of severity of Speier’s shoulder inflammation; we will update this story when we know more.

With Speier down, the Mariners are going for a double-barreled approach to replacing the lefty in the bullpen. Josh Simpson, 28, has been selected from Triple-A Tacoma after being previously recalled on May 1. As we wrote about Simpson the last time, he’s got a big nasty sweeper and some legit strikeout potential, but he struggles to throw strikes. So far that’s not been an issue that’s worked itself out at Triple-A Tacoma, so expect Simpson to have a short leash if he can’t solve his strike-throwing issues on the fly in the big leagues. Quite an ask. To make room for Simpson, the Mariners sent another arm with command issues, Cole Wilcox, back to Tacoma, which makes me sad because I believe in Wilcox’s stuff, but at the end of the day, you have to throw strikes. Wilcox will have an opportunity to work on that with Tacoma and work his way back up to Seattle – soon, hopefully.

The other lefty the Mariners are going with is new acquisition José Suarez, who we also wrote up recently. The former AL West foe has had a bumpy start to his 2026 season with Atlanta after a successful 2o25 after signing there as a free agent. Suarez has also had issues throwing strikes, and has less bat-missing ability than Simpson, but he has more neutral platoon splits rather than being a lefty specialist and as a former starter has length to cover innings if one of the Mariners starters goes short, a troubling trend of late. While neither of these relievers are a perfect replacement for peak Speier, each one now has a shot to try to carve out a role in the Mariners pen and make a case to be kept around even after an IL stint ends.

The St. Louis Cardinals will begin one of the most important early season series as their NL central rivals Milwaukee Brewers come to town. Kyle Leahy (3-3, 5.52 ERA, 22 SO) will get the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals while those dastardly Brewers will start Chad Patrick (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 16 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm in Busch Stadium Monday night.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (14-21) will wear their City Connect uniforms tonight as they welcome in the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (21-13) for the first game of a three-game series at Daikin Park.

Veteran reliever LHP Steven Okert (0-0, 4.20 ERA) will get the start for the Astros as an opener tonight opposite the Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.87 ERA).

TONIGHT’S STARTER: LHP Steven Okert, a nine-year MLB veteran, will be making his fifth Major League start as an opener and his second as an Astro (also, Aug. 5, 2025 at MIA).

The often-used lefty reliever had made 17 relief appearances in 2026, which ranks tied for fourth in the AL.

VS. THE DODGERS: The Astros and Dodgers will forever be connected by the 2017 World Series, which was won by Houston in a thrilling seven games. Since that 2017 season began, the Astros and Dodgers have been the two top clubs in baseball, in terms of regular season wins and playoff wins.

Since the 2017 World Series, the Astros are 11-9 against the Dodgers in the regular season and have won six of the last seven games.

In their last meeting, the Astros swept the Dodgers in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium (July 4-6, 2025), outscoring the Dodgers 29-6 in the three games.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH!: Announced earlier today, OF Yordan Alvarez was named the AL Player of the Month for March/April for his third career AL Player of the Month Award.

For the months of March and April, Alvarez batted .356 (42×118) with nine doubles, 12 home runs, 27 RBI, 21 walks, 25 runs scored and a 1.199 OPS (.462 OBP/.737 SLG).

MILB PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: Earlier today, the Astros named RHP Brandon McPherson and C Jason Schiavone the Astros Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month for April.

McPherson, 26, went 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA (6ER/16.2IP) in four starts in April with Double A Corpus Christi.

Schiavone, 23, hit nine home runs and recorded 23 RBI, with 22 walks, seven stolen bases and a 1.050 OPS in 20 games in April with High A Asheville.

HIT PARADE: The Astros, who lead the AL in batting average (.269), have reached double-figures in hits in each of the last six games, hitting .316 (71×225) in that span.

The last time the Astros reached double-figures in hits in six straight games was Aug. 6-12, 2024. The club record is eight straight games, done several times (last, June 1018, 2018).

Yesterday marked the 17th game in which Houston reached double figures in hits in 2026.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have recalled OF Zach Cole and designated OF Daniel Johnson for assignment.

Additionally, the club has reinstated OF Zach Dezenzo from the Injured List and optioned him to Triple A Sugar Land.

FROM THE TRAINER’S ROOM: The Astros have 13 players on the Major League IL.

• RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) continues his bullpen progression in West Palm Beach.

• RHP Hunter Brown (rt. shoulder sprain) is progressing through his throwing program and is now up to throwing from 120 ft.

• RHP Tatsuya Imai (rt. arm fatigue) is scheduled to make his second rehab start tomorrow at Triple A.

• RHP Cristian Javier (rt. shoulder strain) will begin a throwing progression this week.

• LHP Josh Hader (lt. biceps tendinitis) is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab appearance this week at Triple A Sugar Land.

• RHP Nate Pearson (rt. elbow surgery) is scheduled to make his third minor league rehab appearance tomorrow at Triple A Sugar Land.

• LHP Brandon Walter (lt. elbow surgery) continues his throwing progression this week in West Palm Beach.

• RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) continues his bullpen progression in West Palm Beach.

• IF Nick Allen (mid-back spasms) played in two minor league rehab games over the weekend at Double A Corpus Christi, going 2×7 with a double and two RBI.

• OF Joey Loperfido (rt. quad strain) has started light running and light baseball activity.

• OF Jake Meyers (rt. oblique strain) has started swinging a bat and doing running and throwing activities.

• SS Jeremy Peña (rt. hamstring strain) continued baseball activity in Boston over the weekend. He continues to increase the intensity of his workouts.

• OF Taylor Trammell (left groin strain) has begun a running progression and light baseball activity.

THE ORDER: The Astros have used 35 different batting orders in their 35 games so far this season. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).

WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER:Christian Walker is hitting .426 (20×51) in his last 12 games (since April 20) with four homers and 10 RBI.

For the season, Walker ranks tied for fourth in the AL in RBI (26), fifth in SLG (.579) and sixth in OPS (.975).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With 238 career homers as a second baseman, Jose Altuve needs one more to tie Lou Whitaker for seventh place all-time in MLB history among second basemen.

Altuve also needs three RBI to become the fifth player in franchise history to reach 900.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1975 – Astros great 1B Bob Watson makes history, as he scores the 1,000,000th run in Major League history in Game 1 of an Astros doubleheader in San Francisco.

He crosses the plate at approx. 12:32 p.m. in the afternoon, scoring from second base on a three-run homer by C Milt May. The Astros lose the opener, 8-6.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, May 4, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

DENVER — In search of a new look for his ailing lineup, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza inserted his best hitter into the leadoff spot Monday.

It was Juan Soto’s first leadoff appearance since May 30, 2021, with the Nationals.

During his Mets tenure, Soto has hit almost exclusively in the No. 2 hole.

“It’s something I have been thinking about the last few days with a lot of players on the injured list,” Mendoza said before the Mets faced the Rockies at Coors Field. “It just got to the point, watching how teams use their bullpen — not so much Juan, but the guys behind him — is forcing us to make decisions a lot earlier in games.”

Bo Bichette had largely been hitting leadoff since Francisco Lindor was placed on the injured list 1 ½ weeks ago.

Bichette slid to No. 2 with Soto’s elevation to leadoff.

Mendoza broached the subject with Soto on Sunday and was encouraged that Soto bought into the idea.

Mendoza began his pregame media session by remembering former Yankees radio voice John Sterling, who died at age 87.

Mendoza formed a relationship with Sterling during his years as a Yankees coach.

“When I got the job here, he was one of the first phone calls I received,” Mendoza said. “I created a very good relationship with him and he will be missed.”

A.J. Minter is expected to pitch back-to-back starting Wednesday for Triple-A Syracuse to conclude his minor league rehab assignment.

Mendoza was unsure if the lefty reliever would rejoin the team in Arizona or wait until the Mets return home before being activated from the injured list.

Minter hasn’t pitched for the Mets since April of last season after undergoing lat surgery.

Mendoza indicated he selected Huascar Brazobán over Tobias Myers as Monday’s opener against the Rockies based on workload.

Brazobán pitched one inning Saturday against the Angels.

Myers pitched 2 ²/₃ innings in the same game.

Carl Edwards Jr. was outrighted to Syracuse and elected free agency rather than accept a minor league assignment.

The 15-19 Royals, who are now fourth in the AL Central, welcome the division-leading (well…tied with Detroit) 18-17 Cleveland Guardians to Kansas City for a four-game series. The Royals are fresh off a sweep of the Seattle Mariners and, with a good series here, can strengthen their position within the division. The Guardians took 2 of 3 from the Athletics over the weekend and have a tenuous at best position to hold that. A four-game sweep would go a long way here.

With that, the Royals will put Michael Wacha on the mound to start. Over 37 and 1/3 innings and 6 starts, Wacha seems more or less the same guy he’s been for the past several years with the Royals, though it’s been imbalanced. His first four starts were quite good, while his last two were….not. Wacha has already faced Cleveland this season back on April 6th. He threw seven innings of one-run ball. I’d take that again.

The Guardians start Tanner Bibee, who also has pitched to about the same stats as usual, which is roughly league average. Bibee started that same game on April 6th in which Wacha was the Royals pitcher. He also gave up one run but threw only 4 and 2/3 innings. The Royals won that game on the back of homers from Jensen and India.

Perhaps the main change from that last game is that 2024 first overall pick Travis Bazzana is now playing for the Guardians. He has walked 6 times in 22 plate appearances for a 27% walk rate (he also has 1 intentional walk). Otherwise, he does not yet have an extra base hit.

For the offense, the Royals will have Jensen at catcher today and Kyle Isbel gets the day off. I’m not 100% clear why; Bibee is a right-hander, and Isbel is a left-handed hitter. Lane Thomas, a right-handed hitter, starts in CF. In the wake of India’s injury, the Royals will use Nick Loftin to plug the 2B hole.

The game starts at 6:40pm US Central time. You can watch on Royals.tv or listen via 96.5 The Fan or the Royals Radio Network.

Lineups:

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Here’s the Royals’ lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

It’s the unofficial Star Wars celebration day out there and while I don’t condone it, I recognize that I’m in the minority. For one thing, I’m a Star Trek guy. And the other thing is I think it’s incredibly dumb to use a speech impairment as the basis for celebration. Also, what are we celebrating? Star Wars surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds pop culture together! Having said that, people like Star Wars and they like the San Francisco Giants, and since the Giants will be celebrating Star Wars on May 24th, let’s put these two properties together.

There was a time before the season started when the Giants were seen as being capable of great things — heroes, really, kind of like the Jedi, that ancient sect of space monks who battle with laser swords and help aid the rise of fascism a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. So, for the moment, let’s pretend that the team isn’t cooked and celebrate them by matching each hitter with a Jedi.

Matt Chapman is Obi-Wan Kenobi

It’s the easy call. The veteran with a lot of miles and a lot of history trying to lead by example. His first season as a Giant was a lot like Obi-Wan’s role in Star Wars, impressing with powers and hinting at just enough magic and mystery to seem almost larger than life. Last year? Well, it was his Revenge of the Sith: he was good in his part of the story, but he wasn’t around for the whole thing and it ended in tragedy for him (Bob Melvin’s departure). This year, it’s the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Just awful.

Rafael Devers is Mace Windu

Powerful, confident, but then all of a sudden gets absolutely merc’d by a decrepit old man — in Mace Windu’s case, Emperor Palpatine fully unleashing his Sith powers. In this case, Father Time.

Casey Schmitt is Luke Skywalker

A new hope? He’s far from being a whiny farm boy, but he is being mentored by Matt Chapman / Obi-Wan Kenobi… who may not be all that great of a teacher? It remains to be seen, but the kid who was just trying to escape and experience something bigger sure has hit his way into that reality.

Patrick Bailey is Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren

A side-hopping, hard to pin down figure with a degree of charisma. Will he follow in his father’s (Buster Posey’s) footsteps by being the next great Giants catcher, or will he The Force Awakens his dad to forge his own path? It’s hard to imagine Patrick Bailey hurting anybody since he can’t even hurt a baseball thrown across home plate, but he’s on the path to betraying all the trust and investment of time the team is putting into him — just like Kylo Ren. They also have distinct headgear.

Bandana and wannabe Darth Vader mask — 100% equivalent, right?

Luis Arraez is Yoda

The clubhouse guru, but not about The Force. About hitting: “Do [hit] or do not [hit]. There is no try.”

Daniel Susac is Rey Palpatine-Skywalker

Hardly a “nobody from nowhere,” the Susac name is a respected one in the halls of the Giants and he has brought a dynamic perspective to what had become a tired battle between good and evil (Giants hitters vs. major league pitching). Most importantly, as the backup catcher, he is in a Force dyad with Patrick Bailey/Ben Solo, just like how the two characters were in The Last Jedi.

Harrison Bader is Count Dooku

I don’t entirely get Count Dooku’s “deal,” but he plays good defense, I’d say.

Christian Koss is Qui-Gon Jinn

Look, not all of these comparisons are going to be winners, and all I really remember about Q-GJ is that he got cut in half by Darth Maul. I find his lack of playing time to be a neat comparison.

Willy Adames is Anakin Skywalker

He was the Chosen One! The largest contract in team history (before the Devers trade) equals… the most powerful Force user ever known? Sure, why not? And yet here he is, having another terrible start to the season, tempted by the dark side, his smiling face transformed into a frown. A total turn to the Dark Side? Hard to say, but that hitting line is sure making the argument.

Heliot Ramos is Ahsoka Tano

I can think of few better comps for Ramos than this outcast Jedi who was once the apprentice to Anakin Skywalker. Now, Willy Adames hasn’t done the full turn (yet), but Ramos was on the outs with the Jedi order (the Giants’ front office) until he worked his Force off to become an All-Star hitter for a time.

Jung Hoo Lee is Leia Organa

Lee coming over from Korea gives him the outsider sheen needed to pull off a Leia Organa comp. Also, Grandson of the Wind might as well be Grandson of The Force. Leia was a Force-sensitive person who maybe could’ve been a Jedi if things had gone differently, instead, she wields her power differently, much like how JHL’s KBO experience gives him a different perspective on major league pitching.

Drew Gilbert is Grogu

This seems pretty obvious, right? The loud, little mascot who can steal the spotlight every so often and who at least one person (Tony Vitello) would die for.

So the Jays don’t appear to be using an opener today, it is Eric Lauer right from the first pitch. Let’s have a good start Eric.

And there is no Heineman or Springer. Springer is supposed to be available off the bench and he’s supposed to be starting tomorrow. We’ll see I guess. That ball off the foot looked really bad when it happened.

Heineman…..I don’t know. Valenzuela has looked ok offensively. He seems like a fine defensive catcher. If it were me choosing who to keep when Kirk comes back, I’d lean towards him. But then lots can happen between now and then.

I like Okamoto in the two spot. It is nice to see we’ve gotten past that idea that the power hitter has to bat fourth. I’d like Okamoto getting more at bats. And I’m good with Yohendrick Pinango leading off. He’s having good at bats. When Barger comes back, it will be interesting to see what the Jays do. And it will be interesting when Lukes is really to come back.

But then, let’s see if Yohendrick is still hitting great when that time comes. These things tend to work themselves out.

Go Jays Go.

It’s been an emotional day for the Yankees and their fans, with the loss of legendary radio announcer John Sterling. Expect plenty of heartfelt tributes for the longtime voice of the club during the game today, as the Yanks send a starting lineup out with only one player who was born before Sterling took over the radio booth — and said Yankee is only in there because of an injury.

Cam Schlittler gets the ball, looking to continue the early run that’s put him atop of most statistical categories in the game. The 25-year-old is is top five across all MLB in fWAR, ERA, FIP, strikeout rate, walk rate, and home run rate. It’s hard to pitch badly if you strike everyone out and never let the ball leave the park. Eventually a few fly balls will get over the wall, but everything else Cam is doing seems to be broadly sustainable. With a chance to deliver a four-game sweep, I expect the kid building a reputation for being a big-game pitcher to have a big game.

Shane Baz goes for Baltimore, acquired in a deal with Tampa that hasn’t exactly started the way you’d want. A 4.50 ERA and the lowest strikeout rate of his young career don’t make you all that excited, but his FIP is three-fourths of a run lower than that ERA, so he may be do for a couple solid outings. This will be his seventh career start against the Yankees, who have touched him to a 6.75 ERA in their previous six meetings.

After bruising his wrist on a pick in the dirt yesterday, Ben Rice is on the bench with Paul Goldschmidt taking over at first. Following his great game yesterday, Jasson Domínguez was an easy pick to slot back in at DH and will bat cleanup.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES | MASN

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 98 Rock 97.9 FM, WBAL 1090 AM

Online stream: MLB.tv

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