Category: Baseball

WASHINGTON — The rookie pitcher debuting in the major leagues gave the Mets a chance Wednesday.

So too did the lineup that took hacks against the Nationals, but it hardly succeeded. This was a reversion to before the last homestand, when the Mets routinely underperformed offensively, regardless of the opposing pitcher.

On an overall uninspiring night, the Mets sputtered to a second straight loss, 8-4 at Nationals Park.

Juan Soto kept the Mets in the game by blasting two homers, including a two-run shot in the eighth that brought hope of a comeback victory that never materialized. Soto has five homers in his past seven games.

Zach Thornton, selected from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Clay Holmes (fractured right fibula) in the rotation, had a rough first inning, allowing a three-run homer, before getting on a roll following another run surrendered in the second. The left-hander retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced.

“I feel as though I belong here and my stuff is going to play,” Thornton said. “So, if I can just get in the zone, I will be all right.”

How nervous was the 24-year-old before the start?

“I am nervous before every game I pitch,” he said. “This was kind of nothing new.”

Thornton kept the Mets competitive by allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. He was removed at 80 pitches before he could face the Nationals a third time through the batting order.

“They ran his pitch count up, and the one thing that I liked, even after he got punched there in the first inning, he didn’t back down,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He kept going after them and his pitch count went up, but he competed though.”

It’s possible Thornton won’t stay long: The Mets may promote Jonah Tong to start this weekend in Miami, giving extra rest to the rotation, and Thornton could lose his roster spot in the transaction.

Thornton was welcomed to the major leagues by CJ Abrams’ three-run homer in the first inning. Curtis Mead singled and Andrés Chaparro walked before Abrams unloaded to right-center.

The Mets pulled to within 3-1 in the second on Brett Baty’s RBI single after Mark Vientos doubled leading off against Zack Littell. A.J. Ewing provided an additional single in the inning before Littell struck out Hayden Senger.

Nasim Nuñez walked in the second and stole second, reaching third when Senger’s throw sailed into the outfield. Keibert Ruiz’s ensuing RBI single extended the Nationals lead to 4-1. But Thornton was finished allowing runs for the night.

“It was just getting back to what I do best, which is getting two strikes before I get to one ball,” he said.

But the Mets reclaimed the run in the third on Soto’s massive blast off the mezzanine in right.

Carson Benge’s arm helped save the Mets a run in the fifth. Luis García Jr. stroked a two-out single to right field, on which Benge threw a strike to Senger, who tagged Ruiz sliding into the plate for the final out. Ruiz doubled for the final Nationals base runner against Thornton.

Austin Warren surrendered a run in the sixth that extended the Nationals lead to 5-2. Abrams and Dylan Crews both singled before Daylen Lile hit a sacrifice fly.

Nuñez’s sacrifice bunt brought in the sixth Nationals run after Jacob Young’s double. Craig Kimbrel got the final two outs in the sixth.

Young hit a two-run homer against Kimbrel in the eighth that completed the Nationals’ scoring after Soto had homered in the eighth.

Soto was asked to describe even the slight difference when he’s so locked in at the plate.

“I can do damage,” Soto said. “I can do a lot of damage that I can help the team be where it needs to be.”

Funny game today. Bibee pitched 8 sterling innings of 1-run ball. The offense scored 0 runs behind him. In the 9th, both Schneemann and Bazzana singled to start the inning. Kwan bunted (which was… questionable) to move them over. Then Bailey came up. Not entirely sure why Kwan feels the need to bunt (especially with Bailey behind him) but it worked. Bailey grounded out, but Schneemann was able to score. For some reason, the Tigers didn’t seem to have the infield in (or at least in enough to be able to throw Schneemann out at home).

Sabrowski pitched the bottom of the 9th, facing McGonigle, Dingler, and Greene. This was (in my opinion) the correct move by Vogt, considering the two LHB in that threesome. Unfortunately, Erik didn’t have his best command. He walked McGonigle and Dingler, and somehow got Greene to put up one of the most embarrassing (in context) at-bats I’ve ever watched. After barely being able to throw a strike to the first two batters, Greene chased strike two and then watched a fastball down the middle for strike three. Vogt then pulled Sabrowski for Holderman.

Holderman came on and struck out BOTH Tigers hitters (Perez and Vierling) he faced. Extremely impressive performance from Holderman, who has been fantastic since being recalled from Triple-A.

In extras, the Guardians worked some of their close & late game magic, jumping on Tyler Holton. Martinez tripled and Jose doubled.

Cade came on for the save in the bottom of the 10th, and did give up a run to the first batter, but got a strikeout on Lee and two pop-outs to Torkelson (pinch-hitting) and Keith.

The Guardians clinch the series in Detroit, and look to complete the 4-game sweep tomorrow afternoon.

It’ll be Cantillo vs. Mize. Goodnight.

SAN DIEGO — Playing both ways in the same game for the first time in almost a month, Shohei Ohtani needed just one pitch to notch his latest bit of MLB history.

After being held out of the Dodgers’ lineup in each of his past three pitching appearances, the two-way star was back in as the Dodgers’ designated and leadoff hitter Wednesday night at Petco Park.

That meant, toeing the rubber for the first time, he came up to the plate to begin the game.

On the first pitch he saw, he hit a home run of unprecedented proportions.

Shohei Ohtani hits the first pitch of the game out of the park pic.twitter.com/opPe7iogy4

— MLB (@MLB) May 21, 2026

In Game 4 of last year’s National League Championship Series, Ohtani became the first pitcher to hit a leadoff home run in an MLB game — marking the start of what became an iconic three-homer, 10-strikeout performance.

By doing so again Wednesday, Ohtani recorded the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in regular-season MLB history.

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Not that there has ever been much competition for such a distinction, of course. In MLB’s modern era, according to league researcher Sarah Langs, only three other pitchers have ever occupied the leadoff spot in a batting order.

Starting pitchers to bat leadoff since 1900:

Shohei Ohtani 27x reg, 4x post
9/22/68 Cesar Tovar (played all 9 positions)
9/27/53 Al Dark (moved to 3B after the 1st, only career game pitched)
9/30/1901 Jim Jones (1 of 2 career pitching app)

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 21, 2026

Ohtani, however, is different.

And lately, he has started looking like himself once again at the plate.

While Wednesday’s blast, which came on an elevated fastball from Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez, was only his eighth of the season (far off the 50-plus homer pace he has set the past two seasons), it marked his 13th hit and seventh extra-base knock in his last seven games offensively.

Before that stretch, Ohtani had been mired in a monthlong slump in which he batted only .200.

It was part of the reason the Dodgers had limited him to three consecutive pitching starts without hitting.

He made sure to make a statement in his return to two-way duties Wednesday.

Hey, we’re back, still playing the Guardians. Let’s just roll right into the recap. The Tigers had a bullpen day going because they have no healthy pitchers left to use, so the starter was Drew Anderson, while the Guardians were leaning on Tanner Bibee. While Bibee hasn’t had a bad season, he also hasn’t recorded a win, so perhaps that bodes well for the Tigers? Guess we’ll see.

With two outs in the first, rookie Chase DeLauter got a single, but the Guardians left him stranded. The Tigers didn’t put much into getting an early lead, however, as they went 1-2-3 in the home half.

Steven Kwan got a two-out single in the second, so he’s been on base every game of this series so far. A pop-out from the Guardians’ newly acquired catcher Patrick Bailey ended the inning, though. The Tigers had another three-up, three-down inning to leave the game scoreless after two.

Anderson continued into the third inning and finally got the Guardians out in order. The Tigers finally got a baserunner in the third with a two-out single from Jake Rogers, and while he didn’t score, at least they got someone going.

Drew Anderson was totally dialled in by the fourth, getting the side out 1-2-3 again, and actually looking very good while doing it. The Tigers unfortunately did the same in the bottom of the inning.

David Fry took a leadoff walk in the fifth. Then, with two outs, Brayan Rocchio walked as well, and that was it for Anderson, who had a really decent start, going 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K on 63 pitches. He was replaced by Kyle Finnegan who got the final out of the inning. In the home half, the Tigers went down in order. Not really the best approach if you want to win a single game ever.

With one out in the sixth, DeLauter singled for the second time in the game. He then stole second with ease, his first steal in the majors. Rhys Hoskins singled down the third base line, and while Gage Workman got the ball across the infield in good time, it was well wide of first, forcing Colt Keith off the bag and allowing Hoskins to reach safely. After the second out of the inning, Finnegan’s night was done and he was replaced by Brant Hurter, taking on a pinch-hitting Travis Bazzana. Hurter got the final out of the inning and the game was still scoreless. In the home half Hao-Yu Lee singled, but tried to leg out a double and got caught at second. Two outs ended the inning without any real potential for a run.

Kwan walked to start the seventh, but was eliminated in a double play off the bat of Bailey. Another out ended the inning without any major threat. Kevin McGonigle got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, then with one out, Riley Greene singled to put men on the corners. A sac fly from Matt Vierling did the impossible: finally scored a run in this game. They just got the one, but that feels impressive enough in this game.

Kenley Jansen was on for the Tigers in the eighth. With two outs, DeLauter walked. Kyle Manzardo then came in to pinch-hit. DeLauter stole second, but Jansen was tuned in and got the final out of the inning, keeping the Guardians scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth Zach McKinstry singled. Lee then reached on a fielder’s choice, which should have eliminated McKinstry, but thanks to an error by Bazzana, both runners found themselves safely on base. McKinstry ended up getting eliminated anyway as Jake Rogers showed bunt, McKinstry had a big lead off second, and then didn’t make it back in time when Bibee made the pickoff. Bibee got the next two outs as well, so the Tigers would need to defend their slim lead in the ninth.

Will Vest got the nod for the ninth. Daniel Schneeman and Travis Bazzana hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, which is an inauspicious start. A sac bunt by Kwan advanced the runners. A groundout by Bailey was placed just right to allow Schneeman to score, and just like that it was a tie game. While Vest did end up getting the final out of the inning, the Tigers were going to need to come up with a last-minute miracle to walk off the game as winners.

Bibee’s day was finally done and he was replaced by Erik Sabrowski. He gave up back-to-back walks to McGonigle and Dingler. Greene struck out, and that was it for Sabrowski who was replaced by Colin Holderman. The Tigers just couldn’t make it happen, even with two runners on, and the game was heading for extras.

Tyler Holton was the Tigers’ man for the moment in the tenth. The game didn’t stay tied for long. Angel Martinez tripled, scoring the ghost runner, then right on his heels, Jose Ramirez doubled to score Martinez. DeLauter then reached on a fielder’s choice that saw Ramirez tagged out at third. The Tigers did get the final two outs of the inning but the situation was pretty bad, let’s be honest. Cade Smith came out for the Guardians and he gave up a leadoff single to McKinstry, who scored the ghost runner, and suddenly it was a one-run game again. While the Tigers were able to make it close, it wasn’t enough, and they dropped the third game in the series. If you want any positives from this game, at least Tanner Bibee still has no wins.

Final: Guardians 3, Tigers 2 (F/10)

Thanks to another big night at the plate (including huge hits from Dominic Smith and Austin Riley) for Atlanta’s lineup and a dominant outing from Chris Sale, the Atlanta Braves were able to take firm control of the series against the Miami Marlins as they sauntered to a comfortable 9-1 victory.

In the preview for this one, I expressed a tiny bit of concern at the fact that the Braves had not given Chris Sale a ton of run support over his previous two starts. All of that concern was washed away like the waves on South Beach nearby as Atlanta absolutely tagged Janson Junk in this one. I did mention that there was a possibility that the Braves were catching Junk at a good time and as it turned out, Atlanta was indeed able to extend Junk’s misery.

The Marlins actually did go ahead first in this one with a sacrifice fly from Heriberto Hernández plating Xavier Edwards but that ended up being as good as it got for Miami as the Braves eventually responded at the first time of asking. Once the second inning rolled around, Austin Riley came up to the plate with two on and one out and he got a curveball that he liked from Junk that was right in the zone and begging to be crushed. Riley didn’t miss it and hit it onto the grassy batters’ eye in center field for a big three-run shot that put the Braves ahead by two.

The Marlins nearly responded in their half of the second inning after Leo Jiménez got a hold of a four-seamer and sent it flying. Had Jiménez hit it a bit harder, it may have gone for a dinger. Instead, Michael harris II was eventually able to get under it and make a spectacular jumping catch in order to prevent it from finding the grass — either in the outfield or past the fence.

From that point forward, Chris Sale got into the ol’ rocking chair and the Marlins couldn’t do much to him after that. Sale ended up going seven innings and to tell you how things ended up going for Sale in this one, he left the game having retired 10 straight batters. The line for Sale finished at seven innings pitched with one run allowed on four hits while striking out eight batters. This was vintage Chris Sale.

While Sale was cruising, the Braves delivered the finishing blow to both Junk and Miami’s chances of realistically making a comeback in this one. The sixth inning proved to be eventful as Atlanta came out swinging against Junk and didn’t let up until they had run him from the game. The first five batters of the sixth inning all reached base, which included Ronald Acuña Jr. going from first-to-third on a seeing eye single from Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies both delivering back-to-back RBI singles and then Dominic Smith capping off the rally by winning a 12-pitch battle in emphatic fashion.

Once again, the curveball got Junk in trouble and Smith was able take it and drive it clear over the fence in right-center for a three-run dagger.

Although reliever Tyler Phillips retired the side in order following the rally, the damage had been done and the Braves were seven runs clear of the Miami at this point in the contest. From the big Dominic Smith moment onwards, it was only a matter of either adding on or simply making sure that the Marlins didn’t come any closer. They were able to add on in the eighth inning thanks to another big knock from Dominic Smith. This time, he didn’t have to hit it over the fence in order to take a round trip across the basepaths.

Smith got another hanging curveball (this time from Phillips) and drove it out towards right-center field. While trying to field the fly ball, Esteury Ruiz and Owen Caissie collided (with Caissie getting the worst of it after he took Ruiz’s elbow to the face). Dominic Smith made it into third base pretty easily but ended up getting to hustle all the way home after after Ruiz’s throw from right field went awry. Just like that, Dominic Smith had himself a little league homer and the laugher continued for the Braves.

After Victor Mederos pitched a scoreless inning for the Braves, Miami waved the white flag by sending third baseman Javier Sanoja out there to soft toss. Sanoja pitched a scoreless inning but that was the tiniest amount of solace for the Marlins in this one as Mederos closed it out for Atlanta and the Braves ended up winning in dominant fashion.

I mentioned in the series preview that the Braves should’ve been going into this series thinking about a split being the bare minimum. Even though it’s a bit of a cliché to say that the road team should always be satisfied with a spilt of a four-game series on the road, the Braves definitely should’ve had their sights set a bit higher. They’ll now have an opportunity to go for that series win tomorrow evening as we’ll have a big-name pitching matchup with Spencer Strider going pitch-for-pitch against Sandy Alcantara starting at 6:40 p.m. ET.

The Mets continued the youth movement tonight, giving another young player their major league debut. However, the highest scoring team in baseball continued to score a lot of runs and the Mets’ bullpen couldn’t keep the club in the game. The Nationals beat the Mets 8-4, and while there were some valiant attempts at comebacks—mostly from Juan Soto—the Mets looked flat for the second straight game.

Zach Thornton made his big league debut tonight, and the 24-year old was greeted rudely in his first inning of work. After retiring the first batter of the game, Curtis Mead singled to right-field. Andrés Chaparro drew a walk that featured at least one challenge-able call that the Mets didn’t pull the trigger on, which made sense with one out in the first inning. However, CJ Abrams turned on flat cutter and all of a sudden it was 3-0 Nationals.

The Mets began to claw back in the top of the second when Mark Vientos led off the inning with a double against Nats’ starter Zack Littell. Vientos would eventually score on a Brett Baty single, but the Washington lead returned to three when Keibert Ruiz singled in Nasim Nuñez who had walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a bad throw from Hayden Senger.

The Mets would add their second run of the day on a towering Juan Soto home run that hit off the facade in right field to make it 4-2. From there, Thornton settled in, having perfect third and fourth innings, but was pulled with one out in the fifth after Ruiz doubled to left field. Austin Warren was first out of the ‘pen and, assisted by Carson Benge’s fantastic arm, was able to get through to inning when Benge threw a one-hopper from right field to nail Ruiz at the plate.

Warren, who has been fantastic for the Mets, had a less than effective sixth inning, allowing back to back singles by Abrams and Dylan Crews, followed by a Daylen Lile sac fly, and the three-run lead was back. Jacob Young would double, pushing Crews to third, and that would do it for Warren. Craig Kimbrel was up next, and a successful sacrifice bunt scored Crews and it was 6-2 Washington.

Andrew Alvarez pitched multiple innings of relief for the Nats, and looked strong until the eighth, when Bo Bichette singled with two outs, and scored when Soto hit his second 400+ ft. home run to bring the Nats’ lead to just two. But after that home run, Alvarez settled down, looking impressive in his long relief role.

Kimbrel got the first seven batters he faced out, making his performance tonight officially the longest of his career. It came apart in the bottom of the eight when Kimbrel allowed a double to Lile and then a two-run shot to Young, putting Washington up 8-4.

The Mets sent up a trio of righties to attempt to get something going in the ninth, but Alvarez collected a four-inning save by striking out pinch hitters Nick Morabito, Tyrone Taylor, and inducing a line-out from starting second baseman Marcus Semien to end the game.

The Mets close out the series tomorrow in a matinee where David Peterson will pitch against Cade Cavalli and the team will attempt to split the series.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Juan Soto, +9.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Zach Thorton, -23.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: -31.0% WPA
Mets hitters: -19.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s first home run of the game, 7.7$ WPA
Teh sux0rest play: CJ Abrams’s three-run dinger, -21.1% WPA

The Mets found themselves in an early hole and didn't have enough offense on Wednesday night, falling 8-4 to the Washington Nationals.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Zach Thornton had a rough start to his MLB debut, letting up a three-run home run to CJ Abrams on a cutter he left over the middle. The left-hander was able to settle down and get the next two outs, including his first career strikeout.

A walk by Thornton and a throwing error by Hayden Senger gave the Nats a runner on third with one away, as Keibert Ruiz took advantage with a single to push the lead to 4-1. Thornton got some help from Carson Benge on a catch against the wall to rob extra bases from James Wood and then recorded his second strikeout on his 58th pitch of the night. Luckily, the 24-year-old got in a groove and tossed two straight 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth, retiring eight straight.

Thornton's debut came to an end in the fifth inning after giving up a double to Ruiz and getting Wood to fly out. The lefty, who's Joe DeMayo's No. 13 overall prospect in the Mets’ system, allowed four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 4.1 IP (80 pitches). 

-- Mark Vientos got the offense going in the second inning with a leadoff double that took a funny bounce down the left field line. He advanced to third on a flyout and then scored on Brett Baty's single to right field, cutting Washington's lead to 3-1. A.J. Ewing recorded the team's third hit of the inning to make it a first-and-third situation for Sengerwith two outs, but the backup catcher went down swinging against Zack Littell to end the scoring chance.

-- After coming close to a home run in the first inning, Juan Soto made sure he got enough of it in the top of the third inning. The solo homer, his second of the series and eighth of the year, smacked off the deck in right field and made it a 4-2 game.

Soto stayed hot and launched a two-run blast in the eighth inning to right field, cutting the Nationals' lead to 6-4. It's his 29th career multi-home run game.

-- Benge made another great defensive play in the bottom of the fifth, throwing out Ruiz at home to keep another run off of Thornton's line. The perfect throw was Benge's first career outfield assist.

-- Austin Warren replaced Thornton on the mound and got through the fifth, but allowed two runs in the sixth inning. Craig Kimbrel had to come in to get the final two outs of the sixth as the Mets trailed, 6-2. He stayed through the eighth inning, retiring seven straight before things unraveled with a two-run homer to Jacob Young, making it an 8-4 game. It was the longest outing of Kimbrel's career at 2.2 IP and 32 pitches.

Game MVP: CJ Abrams

Abrams' three-run HR set the tone for Washington and put him in a four-way tie for the NL lead in RBI with 42.

Highlights

Zach Thornton's first MLB strikeout pic.twitter.com/fd5vC8ix61

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

Brett Baty brings home Mark Vientos to get a run back for the Mets pic.twitter.com/Ut6kLTphPC

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

Carson Benge runs down the fly ball right before colliding with the right field scoreboard pic.twitter.com/TORSnMCDzP

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

Juan Soto with a LONG home run in Washington! pic.twitter.com/WNLxd3o6p0

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

Zach Thornton has retired eight in a row pic.twitter.com/DWqJdIS253

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

Carson Benge with a PERFECT throw home for the first outfield assist of his career! pic.twitter.com/YCGgSpyp4f

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 21, 2026

JUAN SOTO'S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/CI1XBvvAQB

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 21, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Nationals wrap up their four-game series on Thursday evening with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. on SNY.

New York will send David Peterson to the mound to start, while Washington will go with RHP Cade Cavalli (2-2, 4.05 ERA).

Jhonny Pereda picked off the go-ahead run then slugged the go-ahead homer to will the Mariners to a much-needed 5-4 win on Wednesday.

With the game tied 2-2 in the sixth, Chase Meidroth picked up a one-out single off Cooper Criswell. Tristan Peters followed with what looked like an RBI double, but the ball got lodged in the wall down the first base line, keeping runners at second and third. It’d been a frustrating game for the Mariners to that point, with the lineup struggling to string hits together once again. It wasn’t an ideal showing after Tuesday night’s excruciating, hard-feelings loss, of which there have been many in recent weeks. With the White Sox threatening to take the lead on a couple weak, seeing-eye hits, the wheels seemed ready to come right off the bus.

Then Drew Romo squared to bunt on the first pitch he saw. It was well outside, prompting him to pull the bat back. Meidroth either took too big of a lead at third or was expecting a safety squeeze — either way, he was well off the bag. After receiving the pitch, Pereda noticed Meidroth in no man’s land and fired to third. A pickle ensued, and Pereda eventually tagged Meidroth out a few feet from home. It was Pereda’s fifth caught stealing on eight attempts with the Mariners this year, in just his sixth game with the team.

Pereda was focused on simply getting the batter out and it was all reaction from there, he said after the game.

“I saw him take two steps forward, and I took my chance,” he said.

With the game still tied at 2-2, Pereda stepped to the plate to leadoff the seventh. Again, the Mariners offense to this point had been frustrating. Cole Young leadoff the game with a walk, and was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. Young later picked up a double in the third inning but was stranded. The Mariners even loaded the bases in the fifth with nobody out, only to go down quickly without a run. It was that kind of day for the first six innings.

To be fair, they had scratched across a couple runs. In the second, Randy Arozarena leadoff with a hit by pitch, stole second, and scored on a double from Dominic Canzone. In the fourth, Arozarena leadoff with a walk and later scored on a double from Patrick Wisdom. But two runs and a bunch of stranded runners proved not quite enough as the White Sox clawed their way back, eventually evening the score.

Back to Pereda: He stepped to the plate to leadoff the bottom of the seventh. Sean Newcomb threw a first-pitch fastball up and in, and Pereda fouled it back. Newcomb returned with a big, slow slurve that hung over the plate, and Pereda saw his chance. He turned on the pitch and slugged it 106.7 mph on a line, zipping it just over the wall in left.

It was Pereda’s first homer in the majors at 30 years old. The ball is already authenticated, labeled, and displayed in a glass box on the shelf in his locker. He said after the game he wasn’t trying to do much and stay in his approach, wanting to get the ball in the air to the pull side every time up.

“And then it happened,” he said. He could tell off the bat. “That was so special. As soon as I hit the ball I was like, ‘Oh my god, my first homer.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

It seemed to start something for the Mariners. Julio Rodríguez followed with a double, ripping a hard liner down the left field line. That brought Arozarena to the plate, who got every bit of a hanging sweeper from Jordan Hicks, blasting it 105.1 mph out to left-center and extending the lead to 5-2. In some ways, this was The Randy Arozarena Game, but he’s had a plenty of those in 2026, now with a 150 wRC+ on the year (top 20 in the majors).

Of course, the Mariners refused to make this one easy. Eduard Bazardo pitched the eighth and allowed back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out. Peters then hit a double-play ball to Young at second, who flipped to Emerson at the bag, who made a low-ish throw to first. The ball ticked off Josh Naylor’s glove and squirted back toward the dugout, allowing a runner to score.

It was that kind of day for the Mariners in the field, too. Emerson Hancock got the start and was sharp as ever in the first inning. But things got dicey in the second. He completely lost the zone and issued three straight walks to load the bases with nobody out. Hancock bounced back, however, getting Peters to punch out, before getting Romo to ground into a double play.

That was the extent of Hancock’s command issues for the day, though he did eventually give up some runs. The White Sox got a run in the third on a pair of singles. They got another in the fifth on a trio of singles. Hancock’s final line was five innings, five hits, three walks, two runs, and four strikeouts on 10 whiffs. It wasn’t his best start, but most of the bad parts came and went in the second.

José Ferrer took the mound with a 5-3 lead in ninth, assuming the closer role while Andrés Muñoz got a day off following Tuesday night’s snafu. The first pitch he threw was a sinker up and out of the zone to pinch hitter Randal Grichuk, who poked it out to right field to make the game 5-4. Things were dicey once again.

And then, they weren’t. Strikeout. Strikeout. Strikeout. Ferrer set down the next three in order to finish off a series victory.

Greeting him on the mound and taking part in the infield’s victory dance was Pereda. It’s been a long time coming for the journeyman backup catcher. Pereda signed with the Cubs at 17 and started in Rookie Ball way back in 2013. He bounced around the minors from level to level, organization to organization, before finally making his big league debut in 2024 with the Marlins. But even then, he struggled to find any sort of regular playing time, with just 118 plate appearances in the majors when he signed with the Mariners in January.

As Zach Mason noted in our 40 in 40 series, “if we see him in Seattle at any point this year, there’s a good chance something has gone horribly wrong.” And yeah, that’s essentially why Pereda is here. Cal Raleigh was placed on the injured list last week with a side injury, and Pereda joined the team as a backup to Mitch Garver.

For Pereda, though, it doesn’t matter why he’s here now, only that he is. How does it feel to play in the majors?

“Perfect. Beautiful. It took me a long time to get here so I have to enjoy every moment.”

Still, it can be a tough transition for even a veteran newcomer to the bigs. The Mariners have helped ease the way for Pereda by encouraging him to be himself and just have fun. That’s simply who he is, bringing a joyous personality to the club — one reminiscent of former Mariner and countryman Eugenio Suárez.

“I like to play that way, I like having fun, I like to be joking around during the game. So that meant a lot for me, because, like I said, it took me a long time to get here, so I gotta enjoy it. That’s why I always have fun during the game.”

And as Kate Preusser noted when talking with Pereda after the game, he and Suárez might even share a motto.

“I assume they’re not gonna get mad if I do that (play with energy and have fun). I’m going to do it all the time, because that way I can do my 100%.”

The weather may not be bright, but the Yankees’ spirits are probably a little brighter after taking the first two games of this series against Toronto. They haven’t been pretty, but after the abysmal road trip New York suffered, back-to-back wins could be just the thing to jumpstart them back into high gear, and they could further that momentum with their ace on the mound tonight.

Cam Schlittler takes the mound having tossed another stellar game in his last outing, pitching 6.2 innings of two-hit ball against the Mets on Friday. The 25-year-old has collected four starts already this season where he’s limited opposing offenses to two hits or less, and in the process owns MLB’s best ERA with a 1.35 mark in 60 innings. Any way you slice it, Schlittler has been one of if not the best pitcher in the league thus far, and he’ll look to continue that trajectory with his first chance at revenge for last year’s ALDS.

His opponent on the night is Trey Yesavage, a fellow phenom who needs little introduction after he devastated the Yankees’ lineup in Game 2 of their postseason clash en route to a World Series run that he played a big part in pushing to seven games. Yesavage had just three regular season starts on his resume prior to that trial by fire, and his first full season got off to a delayed start after a shoulder injury put him on the IL to begin the year, but he was activated in late April and has been on a tear ever since. Yesavage has gotten four starts in 2026 and done well to limit the damage in all of them, pitching to a 1.40 ERA in 14 innings. He hasn’t flashed the big swing and miss potential that he capitalized on against the Yankees and Dodgers in that postseason, however, collecting six K’s in each of his last three starts as a season-high.

The Yankees will shift Ben Rice up to the leadoff position against the 22-year-old righty and give him a half-day as the DH, with Paul Goldschmidt entering the lineup in the five-hole after the core of Judge, Bellinger, and Chisholm Jr. Trent Grisham slides down to the sixth spot in center, and Austin Wells will get his second straight start behind the plate as Ryan McMahon and Anthony Volpe continue to man the left side of the infield and command the bottom of the lineup.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:10pm ET 9:10pm ET (post-rain delay)

TV broadcast/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, SN1, MLB Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, SN590 THE FAN

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

It's been a rough week so far for Pete Crow-Armstrong after a video of a vulgar exchange with a Chicago White Sox fan went viral.

In addition to getting just one hit in 11 at-bats — plus six strikeouts — in the Chicago Cubs' three-game series against the NL Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers, Crow-Armstrong made a defensive blunder during Wednesday night's game that led to a "Little League home run" by the Brewers' David Hamilton.

In the top of the second inning at Wrigley Field, the Brewers' Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz were on base when Hamilton came to the plate against Cubs starter Edward Cabrera. Hamilton hit a line drive to center field, where Crow-Armstrong whiffed on collecting the ball for the fielding error. It was a costly blunder by Crow-Armstrong. The speedy Hamilton was off to the races around the bases and scored sliding head first into home plate to give Milwaukee an early 3-0 lead.

Hamilton, who hasn't gone yard yet this season, is still looking for his first official home run of 2026. He was credited with a single on the play, which helped the Brewers win, 5-0.

🚨 DAVID HAMILTON LITTLE LEAGUE HOME RUN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/P2rUVVfTiw

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 21, 2026

It was an adventurous game for Hamilton, who hit a triple in the seventh inning and scored on a wild pitch.

David Hamilton: Master of CHAOS pic.twitter.com/KxVMh2bi1y

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 21, 2026

Hamilton was acquired by the Brewers in the offseason in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in which third baseman Caleb Durbin was the headliner. The Brewers' winning pitcher on May 20, left-hander Kyle Harrison, also was part of that six-player trade. Harrison improved to 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA after striking out 11 and allowed just two hits over seven innings of work.

After briefly falling below .500 the A’s got back to the even mark yesterday evening when they beat the Angels in the second game of this four-game series. They remain a half-game over the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West so a win tonight sure would feel good in order to remain atop the division all alone. Time to put two together and make this the start of an extended winning streak.

One of the A’s better pitchers will be taking the ball for them tonight. Right-hander Aaron Civale has been tabbed to make it two straight for the Athletics as he’ll be getting the ball for the 10th time this year. The 30-year-old has continued to be a revelation for the A’s as he’s leading the starting staff with a 2.70 ERA in his first season in the Green & Gold and he’ll try to lower than number even more with a strong performance against a division rival tonight. In five career starts against the Halos Civale owns a 4.28 ERA so he’ll be hoping for better results now that he’s in a new uniform.

Here’s the A’s starting nine for the game tonight:

New leadoff man tonight as Carlos Cortes draws the start in right field in place of Lawrence Butler. Other than that it’s the rest of the starters tonight with everyone in the batting order moving down a spot. That means Langeliers in the 2-hole, Kurtz batting third with Rooker hitting cleanup. Sodey behind him, followed by the hot-hitting Zack Gelof at third, McNeil at the keystone, Bolte back in center field, and Hernaiz handling shortstop.

Meanwhile the Angels have righty Jack Kochanowicz getting the start for them this evening. The third-year starter got hit hard in his first appearance this season before settling into a groove. He’s recently fallen out of said groove as he’s allowed six runs in each of his previous two outings. Can the A’s take advantage of a struggling pitcher and make it three straight with six runs allowed?

And the Angels’ starting nine courtesy of old friend and current Halos manager Kurt Suzuki:

Save for a bit of shuffling it’s mostly the same batters from last night except in left field, where former Ranger Josh Lowe will replace Jose Siri tonight. Can Civale handle the lineup and keep them off the board tonight?

After a successful April the A’s have lost four of their five series this month. If they lose tonight they’ll guarantee at best a split and put themselves in a big situation tomorrow for the series finale. Let’s avoid that scenario, shall we? Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:

Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Shohei Ohtani takes the mound (and hits) against Randy Vázquez as the Dodgers wrap things up in San Diego.

WEDNESDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres
• Stadium: Petco Park
• Time: 5:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

Yankees manager Aaron Boone took time during his news conference ahead of Wednesday night's home game against the Toronto Blue Jays to commend the performance of Anthony Volpe.

The team's starting shortstop for the grand majority of the last three seasons entering 2026, Volpe began the season in the minor leagues rehabbing a torn labrum, which required offseason surgery.

As Volpe worked his way up the farm system, Jose Caballero made the shortstop position his own. Caballero's .259/.320/.400 slash line is already respectable, but his baserunning and defense are elite for his position.

Volpe was called back up eight days ago in the stead of Caballero, who was placed on the 10-day IL with a broken right (throwing) middle finger.

Through his first seven games back in the majors with the Yankees, Volpe is batting .294 with an eye-popping .500 on-base percentage through 17 at-bats. He's also stolen two bases.

When asked what stands out about Volpe's return to the Yankees lineup, Boone pointed to his ability to work "quality at-bats."

"He's hit some balls on the screws a handful of times...the baserunning has been excellent."

The most outstanding example of Volpe's baserunning occurred during Monday night's series opener, when he acrobatically avoided the tag of rookie Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela to score a run on a shallow J.C. Escarra fly ball. 

Caballero is aiming to return on Friday, when fellow injury returnee Gerrit Cole will make his return to the mound in the Bronx to kick off a pivotal three-game home stand against the AL East division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

It will be interesting to see whether Boone makes a straight swap of Caballero in at shortstop for Volpe, or if Boone leans on Caballero's defensive versatility to swap out third baseman Ryan McMahon instead to keep Volpe in the lineup at shortstop.

Zach Thornton’s MLB career began with a touching father-son moment — but it was no ordinary one.

The Mets left-hander blew a kiss to his dad, Paul, who was watching from the stands, as the rookie took the mound to face the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

The sentimental moment is all the more touching with Paul having vowed to attend the game earlier in the week — and checking out of Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he spent the last month learning how to walk again after a botched spinal surgery, according to The Athletic.

“It was go and be a dad and support a young man in Zach or take care of my health,” Paul told the outlet. “The doctors at Shirley Ryan assured me that my health was in good hands and that they felt as though I could do it. So it really made my decision very easy.

“To be honest, as a dad, I’m not going to miss this,” he added.

Zach, 24, pitched to a 3.16 ERA in the minors this season, earning himself a call-up after Clay Holmes went on the injured list with a fractured fibula.

With his dad in the stands in a wheelchair along with his mom Julie on his side, the family clapped as Zach — a wispy 6-foot-3, 170-pound hurler — struck out Washington’s Dylan Crews for his first major league K.

"The support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing."

Zach Thornton's father, Paul, talks with @SteveGelbs about what his son's promotion to the majors means after his recent health… pic.twitter.com/mPcSQlsGl9

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2026

It’s hard to believe because of course we’re like, ‘What? This is happening already?'” Julie told SNY’s Steve Gelbs during Wednesday’s game broadcast. “But yeah, so much pride. He’s been an underdog, and I just feel like he’s gone through so much, so it’s just so fun. Just a prideful moment.”

Paul, a track coach at the University of Kansas and a former athlete at St. Olaf, had surgery on April 2 to remove a tumor from his spine. The procedure ended early when he began to bleed and lost feeling in his lower body, per The Athletic.

The elder Thornton has documented his rehab on social media, and he’ll get an extra special update to make after the whirlwind start to the week — one the Mets have played a very big role in.

“Being called up is one thing, and that’s a special thing,” Paul told Gelbs.

“But given a situation which we have had, and the support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing.”

The White Sox spent the afternoon tripping over their own shoelaces. They outhit Seattle 11-7 but still dropped the rubber match. Eleven strikeouts, 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, nine left on base. All that traffic, and nothing to show for it.

It was the kind of game that keeps rebuilding clubs awake at night — enough traffic to win, not enough execution to finish the job.

The omens were bad from the jump. In the top of the second, the Mariners practically handed the Sox a gift when Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Jarred Kelenic drew three straight walks to open the inning. Bases loaded, nobody out, and a golden opportunity to seize momentum. Instead, Tristan Peters whiffs, and Drew Romo rolled into an inning-killing double play. Just like that, the Good Guys come away with a big fat zero.

Seattle immediately made them pay.

After Randy Arozarena got plunked in the bottom of the frame and swiped second, Dominic Canzone smacked a double down the first base line to plate the game’s first run and put the Mariners ahead, 1-0.

The Sox answered in the third. Sam Antonacci punched a one-out single, then stole second after Munetaka Murakami flew out. Andrew Benintendi followed with an RBI single to center to knot things up at 1-1.

But Seattle kept the screws on Sean Burke, whose rough stretch continued. In the fourth, Arozarena worked a leadoff walk, stole second again, and eventually came around when Patrick Wisdom ripped a two-out double to left, giving the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

Chicago clawed back once more in the fifth. Luisangel Acuña and Antonacci opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Murakami delivered with an RBI knock to plate Acuña and tie the game at 2-2.

Burke’s afternoon ended shortly after. He walked Jhonny Pereda to begin the bottom of the fifth, then hit Cole Young before Julio Rodríguez packed the sacks with a single. Antonacci bailed him out with a nice play on a Josh Naylor fly, and then Arozarena popped up, but Will Venable had seen enough and pulled the plug anyway.

Sean Newcomb came on and cleaned up his mess, preserving the tie and salvaging Burke’s line: 4 2⁄3 innings, four hits, two runs, three walks, five strikeouts.

However, it was the sixth inning that may have been the game’s defining moment. Meidroth led off with a single, and after Kelenic struck out, Peters ripped a ground-rule double that got lodged in the wall down the line. Runners at second and third, one out, another massive chance. Then came the kind of mistake that young, agressive teams make: Meidroth got caught in a rundown breaking toward home during Romo’s at-bat, erasing the lead runner before González grounded out harmlessly. Another golden ticket, shredded.

Seattle finally broke things open in the seventh. Pereda ambushed a Newcomb pitch for a leadoff solo shot to make it 3-2, and after Rodríguez doubled, Venable waved in Jordan Hicks to face Arozarena.

It did not go well.

After getting ahead with strike one, Hicks grooved one over the plate, and Arozarena didn’t miss. Two-run bomb, 5-2 Seattle, just like that.

But the Sox still had chances.

Eighth inning, Sox still breathing. Meidroth and Kelenic single, Peters reaches on a throwing error, and Meidroth scores. Miguel Vargas drew a pinch-hit walk, two on, two out. Edgar Quero, hero last Sunday, comes up as the tying run — swings through strike three — threat over.

Brandon Eisert handled the eighth at least, kept things tidy in the bottom half, tossing a quick inning and even picking off Emerson after issuing him a walk.

Ninth inning, last gasp. Randal Grichuk jumps the first pitch for a pinch-hit homer to right. Sox within one, and the dugout has a flicker of life.

Then, poof, the bats disappeared.

Three straight strikeouts. Ballgame.

So went the afternoon for the South Siders: traffic everywhere, timely hits nowhere.

Even after the loss, the Sox are 25-24, still above water and 2 1/2 games back, depending on what Cleveland does against Detroit. Off day Thursday, then they’ll head to San Francisco for three. Time to forget this one ever happened.