Category: Baseball

SAN FRANCISCO — Trevor McDonald wasn’t the headliner of the Giants’ roster shakeup Monday, but credit the third newcomer of the day with making the moves look good.

Neither top prospect Bryce Eldridge nor hot-hitting rookie Jesus Rodriguez gave the Giants’ offense the jumpstart it needed. But McDonald was brilliant beyond expectations.

The 24-year-old right-hander, called up to make a spot start, held the Padres to one run on two hits over seven innings in a 3-2 win to open a six-game home stand. The club was in desperate need of a course correction after going winless on its six-game road trip.

Eldridge, the Giants’ No. 1 prospect, went hitless in two at-bats with a walk in his return to the majors after a brief 10-game stint last September. Rodriguez, who sported a .330 average at Triple-A, put his funky stance on display in the bigs for the first time but came up empty in three at-bats.

Instead, it was an increasingly common character who got the Giants on the board: Casey Schmitt, who launched a solo home run off Padres starter Randy Vasquez in the first inning.

The solo shot was the Giants’ first home run since they left home last Sunday, ending a six-game drought. It was their 20th as a team, still the fewest in the majors, and Schmitt’s fifth, leaving the Mets as the only team without a player to hit at least five.

Caleb Killian recorded the final three outs to earn his first career save, but not without drama. He served up a 447-foot homer to the first batter of the inning, Ramón Laureano, before getting Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado in order to preserve the one-run lead.

What it means

San Francisco snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to the start of its last road trip.

The Giants improved to 11-3 when hitting a home run; they’re 3-18 when held in the ballpark.

Who’s hot 

Rafael Devers drove in the Giants’ other two runs, only the second time this season the slumping slugger has recorded more than one RBI in a game — his first since April 8. Luis Arraez doubled twice and was driven home by Devers both times, on a single in the first to put the Giants up 2-1 after Schmitt’s homer, and again with a sac fly in the sixth.

Devers has hit safely his past five games — matching his longest streak of the season — raising his OPS to .572 from a low-water mark of .530 last Sunday.

McDonald didn’t allow a hit to anybody besides Merrill, who got him twice, including a solo shot to straightaway center that briefly put the Padres ahead 1-0 in the top of the first.

Schmitt is responsible for the last three home runs hit by the Giants, dating back to last Saturday, hitting safely in nine of his past 10 games. Over the stretch, dating back to the start of their series against the Marlins, Schmitt is 13-for-36 (.361), raising his average to .308 and OPS to .901.

Who’s not 

It was largely the same story for the rest of the Giants’ lineup, which was held to three runs or fewer for the 23rd time in 35 games this season — three more than any other team.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

With the chance to add on with runners at the corners and two outs in the eighth, Willy Adames struck out swinging, the second time he offered at a pitch above the strike zone for strike three.

Up next

The Giants will look to make it two in a row Tuesday against RHP Walker Buehler, who they beat 3-2 in the second series of the season. San Francisco hasn’t named its starter.

The Force was strong with the White Sox tonight as they shut out the Angelswith a 6-0 win. Davis Martin reached a career-high double-digit strikeout milestone, and Munetaka Murakami finally doubled!

José Soriano started off the night with back-to-back walks, but redeemed himself with back-to-back strikeouts. But Soriano’s woes could not be escaped for long, with back-to-back RBI singles from Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi, making it 2-0 before the Angels ace could get out of the top of the first.

Martin was outstanding once more, shutting down the Angels with efficiency. It was the third inning before Travis d’Arnaud got the first hit for the Angels, but Adam Frazier hit right into a double play to follow, keeping Martin facing the minimum batters.

In just the fourth inning but for the third time in the game, Sam Antonacci got on base. Insert Munetaka Murakami, who put the Good Guys up 4-0 with a two-run bomb:

Not to be outdone, Miguel Vargas followed with a solo homer, pushing the lead to 5-0.

Two innings later, Murakami finally doubled for the first time in his major league career, ending his MLB record streak of 14 straight extra-base hits as a homer at 14. In the bottom half, Martin reached a career high of nine strikeouts, still at just 68 pitches. And by the seventh, Martin notched his 10th strikeout of the game, and he would end his outing there, at seven innings, five hits, no walks and 10 Ks.

In the eighth, Colson Montgomery had an RBI single to extend his on-base streak to 17. Sean Newcomb, who entered in the eighth and was the only other pitcher used by the Sox in the game, retired the Angels in order, and then dominated the Angels in the ninth by striking out the side to preserve the shutout win.

---

Cheering and clapping: J.P. Crawford, +.44 WPA

Doing the chop: Logan Gilbert, -.13 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

The Braves saw their winning streak come to an end on Monday night in Seattle, falling to the Mariners, 5-4, despite hitting four homers and leading 4-0 at one point.

Walt Weiss has been terrific this year, but his very questionable decision in the sixth inning turned the game upside down.

With the Braves up 4-0, JR Ritchie was very clearly out of gas — and had lacked command all night — and was inexplicably sent to the mound once again in the sixth. He issued back to back walks and was *still* not taken out of the game, giving up a three-run homer moments later on a hanging slider to Luke Raley to cut the lead to 4-3.

Tyler Kinley entered in relief and surrendered a two-out, two-strike, two-run shot to JP Crawford to give Seattle a very sudden 5-4 lead.

The Braves hit Mariners starter Logan Gilbert hard all night, launching four solo homers and spraying line drives all over the field. Drake Baldwin led off the game with a homer. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson then went back-to-back in the sixth, followed by Austin Riley two batters later with a rocket of his own. The Braves could have very easily scored more than four against Gilbert, but some poor luck on batted balls prevented a bigger night offensively.

Pitching in front of hundreds of friends and family, it was not a great night for Ritchie, who issued six walks and scattered four hits across 5+ innings. He only struck out two. We’ll see if he makes another start against the mighty Dodgers this weekend or if Atlanta turns to a different option, like Martin Perez or Didier Fuentes.

The series continues Tuesday night with Bryce Elder set to face very good righty George Kirby. First pitch at 9:40 p.m. ET.

The Mets are at an interesting crossroads with David Peterson.

After turning in another solid outing from the bullpen on Monday against the Colorado Rockies where he allowed two earned runs in four innings while striking out six, Peterson now has a 2.45 ERA in three appearances this season as a reliever. In five games as a starter, his ERA is 8.10.

So what should New York do with the left-hander?

Obviously, Peterson is more valuable to the Mets as a starting pitcher and if given the choice he would choose to be a starter. However, the numbers don't lie and so far this season Peterson has been more effective as a reliever.

"That’s how I expect myself to pitch and that’s how I expect myself to attack hitters so that’s why it is disappointing when it has gone the other way a couple of times this year," Peterson said. "Great win today and one to build off of."

Actually, this isn't Peterson's first instance with pitching in relief. In his career he's made 18 relief appearances, albeit none since 2023 (although he did predominantly pitch out of the bullpen during New York's 2024 postseason run). Interestingly enough, Peterson's career regular season ERA as a reliever is 2.41 in 33.2 innings pitched. In the postseason? 3.14.

Pretty elite numbers.

As a starter, Peterson is 34-34 with a 4.33 ERA with his best year coming in 2024 when he had a 2.93 ERA in 21 starts after he began the season on the IL. Last year, after a terrific first half that made him an All-Star for the first time in his career, Peterson fell apart in the second half while reaching a career-high 168.2 innings pitched.

Despite the pretty noticeable difference in numbers between starting and relieving, as well as Peterson's inability to prove he can either stay healthy for an entire season or be effective the whole way through, the Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza still view the 30-year-old as a starter.

"It’s easy [to think Peterson pitches better in relief] because of three outings now where he’s been really, really good, but I keep saying it, he's a starter," Mendoza said. "He’s very good when he’s at his best and we saw it today. I think the key is attacking the strike zone. He pounded the strike zone today with everything."

The question becomes why hasn't Peterson pitched like he did on Monday or in his two other relief appearances this season when he starts a game?

When asked what the difference was between this relief outing and his last start where he allowed seven earned runs in 3.2 innings, Peterson pointed to examining his pitch-usage and finding that he wasn't using his slider enough, instead opting for other pitches like the curveball in similar spots.

"The slider is one of if not my best pitch and the curveball, overall, is towards the bottom of the list," he said. "So kinda switching that today and really being able to attack with the fastball and the slider off of it felt like gave us a really good chance."

If it's really that simple and Peterson can take what he did against the Rockies into his next start and beyond then the Mets will be ecstatic. If not, then the case for Peterson to remain in the bullpen grows.

Regardless of what New York decides to do with the left-hander, it's clear that Peterson plays an important role on the team.

"He’s too good of a pitcher and I know he’s gonna continue to help us," Mendoza said.

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. 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 Reds tonight 5-4 in dramatic fashion. Trailing 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a triple and after a Dansby Swanson strikeout, Nico Hoerner got him home on a sacrifice fly. Then Michael Conforto pinch hit off the bench and knocked it into the left-center field stands for his first career walk-off home run.

Last week I asked you if you to grade the Cubs’ first month of the season. Sixty-two percent of you gave the Cubs a “B” and 34 percent gave them an “A.” Some of you made a point that I should have put in plusses and minuses and well, maybe I should have and maybe I should not have. But I lot of you apparently wanted to give the Cubs a “B+” since they were in second place at the time. But they haven’t lost since then. Maybe it the Cubs were in first place like they were now, the number of top grades would be higher.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You can skip ahead if you want.

---

I feel like I play too many of these Emmet Cohen videos, but in my defense, he’s one of the top jazz pianists at the moment, he releases new stuff on a regular schedule, he brings in a lot of other top jazz talent to play with him and most of them are pretty darn great.

So here is Cohen playing “On the Street Where you Live” by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe from My Fair Lady. Joining Cohen is vocalist Stella Cole, Philip Norris on bass and Hank Allen-Barfield on drums.

This is from 2025.

---

The only movie I’ve seen over the past week is Filipino director Lav Diaz’s historical epic Magellan (2025), starring Gael García Bernal as the titular explorer. I’m unfamiliar with the previous works of Diaz and I found this film a bit tough to get through, although I don’t regret having watched it because there is some good stuff in there.

Diaz is one of the forefront directors in the field of “slow cinema” and it might have helped me to have known that going in. From the reviews, I’ve discovered that at two hours and 45 minutes, Magellan is perhaps the most accessible of Diaz’s movies. Most of his earlier films go four or five hours. One of his movies is over ten hours long. So while I found Magellan to be slow, it’s apparently a sprint compared to his other films.

I also came into Magellan knowing just the bare-bones of the historical event for which the title character is known for. He led the first circumnavigation of the globe, although he didn’t make it all the way back to Spain because he was killed in the Philippines. I knew only one of the five ships and a handful of the men made it all the way back.

I mention this because Diaz doesn’t spend a lot of time explaining things in this film. Nor is there a lot of connective tissue from one scene to the next. Not that I recommend being on your phone while watching a movie, but I found Magellan much easier to follow along after I decided to open up the Wikipedia summary of the Magellan Expedition to follow along with. The good news here is that the film appears to be fairly historically accurate.

That’s not to say that choices weren’t made. Even at two hours and 45 minutes, there was a lot of stuff about Magellan that I was interested in and Diaz wasn’t. But he’s understandably concerned about two things—what motivates Magellan and his relationship to Diaz’s native Philippines. The six-month voyage across the Pacific is reduced to about five minutes. The mutinies all get scenes, but they just appear out of nowhere with no build up. Until we get to the Philippines, the scenes lack a narrative cohesion. I’m guessing that’s intentional.

You would think a Filipino director would be unsympathetic to Magellan, but Diaz tries to be fair to the man while still portraying him as kind of a monster. García Bernal’s Magellan is a deeply-religious man who sees the mission of colonization as one of bringing about the second coming of Christ. He seeks forgiveness from the Church for the terrible crimes that he commits. He gives a Filipino child dying of scurvy some quince jelly, which cures him. He longs for the touch of his wife back in Seville, who visits him often in a dream.

But Magellan also has the brutality of a fanatic, striking out at all of his enemies, real or perceived. He executes several of his own men during the voyage. He rampages through a village because of their refusal to give up the idols of their old gods after Magellan baptized them. His downfall comes over his decision to go to war against a tribe that refuses to convert. Diaz also reveals the real hero of his story at the end, Magellan’s translator/slave, Enrique of Malacca (Amado Arjay Babon).

García Bernal’s Ferdinand Magellan is probably the best reason to watch Magellan. He’s certainly a man of contradictions, full of both small acts of goodness and tremendous atrocities, and García Bernal makes us believe that they could all come from the same person. He also learned to speak Portuguese to accurately portray Magellan, who sailed for Spain only after being rejected by the King of his native Portugal. Don’t ask me about his accent, however.

While I’m sure the film was a big-budget film for a Philippine film, Diaz does have to do a lot with less. Things like the death of Magellan, which would have been the climax of any American film, ends up happening offscreen. That’s part of the reason I had trouble following it. A lot gets elided between scenes and you’re just expected to pick it up.

Unsurprisingly for a Filipino director, Diaz treats the island wilderness and its inhabitants tenderly. It’s certainly not a paradise and the islanders fight amongst each other, but they also are real people who have hopes, dreams and weaknesses. There are certainly a few stunning images at sea as well.

Overall, I found Magellan to be a mixed bag. Even though I now know it’s intentional, I found it slow. I needed a reading guide to follow along with it. But it also wa a film with a clear point of view and a couple of great performances by Gael García Bernal and Amado Arjay Babon. I’m not sure I’m going to go on and watch more Lav Diaz films after this one though. I don’t think I could get through a ten-hour movie.

---

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

The Cubs have now won six in a row, 16 of their last 19 and 12 straight at home. The team is clicking on all cylinders at the moment.

The players are clearly the ones most responsible for the winning, but how much credit do you give to the coaching staff?

Three years ago, the Cubs fired manager David Ross, whom we got to see in the pregame rain delay theater if you weren’t at the game, in order to hire Counsell away from the Brewers. The hope was that Counsell, who had been a thorn in the Cubs side with the “Far-North Siders,” would be the difference in getting the Cubs over the hump.

The Brewers promoted Counsell’s bench coach and finished ahead of the Cubs in each of the past two seasons. To add insult to injury, Milwaukee knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs in five games during the Division Series last year.

But this year the Cubs are rolling to a 23-12 start, which is their best start since 2016. The players all praise Counsell for his leadership. Of course, a lot of players on last place teams praise their manager too.

So grade Counsell’s two-plus years as the Cubs manager. And in the comments, tell us how many wins do you think Counsell is worth. No one knows how much impact a manager can have on a team. Certainly a bad one can mess a team up, but can a good one actually help win a significant number of games? No one knows. So give us your guess. And if you want to give plus and minus grades in the comments, be my guest.

Just get home safely, OK. Thanks for stopping by. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next time for more BCB After Dark.

Emilio Pagan took the mound in the 9th inning for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, and he did so in a save situation for the first time in some two weeks. The Reds had scratched and clawed their way back to a 4-3 lead after earlier watching a 3-0 lead evaporate, yet the powers that be in Wrigley Field simply weren’t having any of it on the night.

Pete Crow-Armstrong sent a laser to the wall in center field that Dane Myers badly misplayed in the ivy, and the end result was a leadoff ‘triple’ that later scored on a sacrifice fly. That had the bleachers in the venerable stadium rocking, rocking that only got mightier when Pagan later served up a meatball to Michael Conforto that the veteran lefty bat mashed into the stands in left-center for a homer that won the game for the Chicago Cubs and sent the fans who had waited out the rain delay into a frenzy.

It was an obviously frustrating end to an evening that had, at times, shown ample promise. Chase Petty was recalled to start for the first time in 2026 after being bashed all over the place in his trio of appearances last year as a 22 year old, and despite Seiya Suzuki blasting a 3-run homer off of him Petty looked otherwise very, very much ready for the show.

The Reds also got offense from Ke’Bryan Hayes, who walked before later swatting a 2-run dinger. JJ Bleday also kept his hot start going with a homer of his own, and Elly De La Cruz was on-base four times on the night. Positives abounded before, y’know, the 9th inning meltdown, but that’s somewhat the issue for the Reds at this juncture of the season – they’ve built a team that, for whatever reason, ends up in tight ballgames almost every single night.

On Monday, it backfired in the most spectacular way, and the end result is their second consecutive defeat in a 1-run game and their fourth straight loss on this road trip through NL Central foes.

This one burned. It will burn tomorrow. It will likely burn in August, still.

Cubs 5, Reds 4.

San Diego Padres Nick Castellanos has been trying to dig himself out of a slow start to the 2026 season. He is hitting .164/.215/.279 with one home run and nine RBI over 62 at-bats. His statistical numbers do not offer much confidence that Castellanos can get out of this slump. 

The Friar Faithful envisioned him as a lethal righty bat from the DH/1B position in the lineup. But that has not developed in the season’s first month. At 34, it may be time to question if Castellanos will ever be a serviceable run-producer again. 

The Padres’ next move should be to designate him for assignment (DFA), so he can catch on with another ballclub. It would allow the Friars to replace him with a better option on the roster.

Castellanos failing to adapt to bench role

Castellanos’ struggles at the plate have mirrored some of his teammates for the first month. He has failed to make consistent contact, as his strikeout rate is at 26.2%, the highest of his career. Castellanos has only five extra-base hits this season. 

All the blame cannot be placed on him, as the Friars have not given Castellanos the playing time needed to find his stroke. Throughout his 14-year major career, the right-handed slugger has averaged 130 games a season. The lack of playing time has adversely affected his offensive production.

His glove does not merit more starts, and the Padres cannot wait for Castellanos to figure it out offensively. Unfortunately, walking back to the dugout after an at-bat has been the pattern all season. 

What is next?

Such a roster move allows the front office to add a player who is more familiar with the bench role. Any candidate must be versatile to play multiple positions, but more importantly, have the ability to hit in the clutch. This void has been an issue for the last several seasons.

The Friars have other roster issues to settle, but as we get deeper into the season, a deal to upgrade the bench must happen. With the trade deadline looming, the front office may have to sacrifice versatility to add a proven bat to the bench. 

Acquiring a seasoned veteran might be more valuable than versatility as we inch toward October. 

The signing of Castellanos has not worked out for either side. The Padres expected more power, and he largely has failed to deliver.

The organization cannot wait much longer to revamp the bench.

HOUSTON –– The Dodgers finally found the ingredients needed to snap out of their recent offensive malaise on Monday.

A hitter-friendly venue, in the form of Houston’s Daikin Park.

A woeful opposing pitching staff, facing an Astros team with the majors’ highest ERA.

And, after a two-week scuffle that had frustrated almost every member of their lineup, some much-needed big swings that keyed an 8-3 victory in the opening game of this week’s series.

“I like where our guys’ heads are at,” manager Dave Roberts said before first pitch. “There is a new sense of revitalization walking around the clubhouse today.”

That energy might have initially picked up on Sunday, when the Dodgers snapped a four-game losing streak with a vibe-shifting win in St. Louis.

It wasn’t until they arrived in Houston, however, that the club snapped a stunning six-game home run drought, rediscovered a relentless identity up and down the batting order, and finally broke out with a complete offensive display –– scoring their most runs since April 25 in a dominant 13-hit display.

The onslaught began in the first inning, when the Dodgers strung together three two-out hits against Astros opener Steven Okert, including an RBI knock from ex-Astros star Kyle Tucker.

Then, with the Astros up 2-1 in the second, it was none other than light-swinging No. 9 hitter Alex Freeland who ended the club’s longest stretch without a homer since 2014. He belted an opposite-field drive into the short Crawford Boxes in left. It would mark the first of seven unanswered runs from the Dodgers (22-13) that helped them pull far and clear away.

The offensive resurgence was also aided by Will Smith, who had three hits, including a go-ahead double later in the second; and Freddie Freeman, who added a pair of RBI singles in the third and fifth.

Tucker followed up his opening-inning knock with the team’s second home run of the evening in the third inning, as well, snapping his own 13-game long ball drought with a scorching line-drive to right.

And Freeland ultimately put together the team’s best all-around performance, reaching safely in four of five plate appearances with two later singles and a walk.

That all gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto plenty of support in an unremarkable six-inning, three-run start, which left his ERA at 3.09. 

It also compensated for another hitless night from Shohei Ohtani, who drew two walks and recorded an RBI by beating out a potential inning-ending double play in the third, but is now 0-for-17 in his last five games.

What it means

Throughout the Dodgers’ recent, both Roberts and his players had repeatedly preached patience and calm.

While the skid was glaring, they framed it as an inevitable ebb in a long season. While their lack of power was jarring, they insisted they were on the verge of heating up.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Now, the team has some tangible new results to cling to. And for as bad as the last few weeks were, they still rank top-five in the majors in batting average, runs scored and (somewhat amazingly, given they still have just five long balls in their last 13 contests) home runs.

“We don’t really focus on the home runs,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said before the game. It’s more so just … if we impact the ball the way we want to, and we swing at good pitches, then usually the home runs are a byproduct of that.”

On Monday, that was finally the case once again.

Who’s hot

We noted in this space on Sunday that Freeland seemed to be in danger of being sent down once Mookie Betts returns from his oblique injury (which is getting closer, with Betts slated to take live at-bats later this wee).

But then, he turned around and delivered his best game of the season, flashing the potential that helped him earn a spot on the opening day roster to begin with.

Before his second-inning home run, Freeland hadn’t gone deep since the second game of the season. His three hits were also his most since April 7.

He is still only batting .256 on the season, and sporting a below-league-average .688 OPS. However, he also has a .343 average since April 19.

Maybe the team’s roster decision when Betts returns won’t be so easy, after all.

Who’s not

The Astros –– in what will be music to Dodgers fans’ ears.

With Monday’s loss, Houston is now 14-22, plummeting toward the bottom of the American League standings despite owning a top-10 payroll, and watching their decade-long window of contention finally begin to slam in their face.

This era of Astros success, of course, was kicked off by their controversial, trash-can-cheating 2017 title team, which knocked off the Dodgers in that year’s World Series.

For years, that storyline that had fueled frustration within the Dodgers’ organization.

But now, at least Roberts said Monday that he has “gotten past it.”

“Our fan base has feelings about them. Their fan base has feelings about us,” he said. 

But, he added that, “honestly, I don’t put too much thought into it,” before noting that the Dodgers’ three recent championships have “certainly helped” him reframe his perspective.

Up next

Coming off his Pitcher of the Month award for March/April, Ohtani (2-1, 0.60 ERA) will be back on the mound Tuesday –– but not in the lineup as designated hitter. Roberts initially planned on having Ohtani hit in the game, but changed course following another quiet night at the plate on Monday. It will be the third time in his last four pitching starts that Ohtani will not serve as DH.

The home run drought is over, and it only took facing one of the shakiest pitching staffs in baseball for it to happen, as the Dodgers thoroughly outhit Houston in an 8-3 win. It was a win with the particularly sweet taste of seeing Kyle Tucker leave the yard in his old stomping grounds, hitting one out to right field, a place he patrolled for so many years.

Greetings from Kyle, Texas! pic.twitter.com/EIlnnvxF4y

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 5, 2026

Although Tucker had his home run, the first of them—the one that broke the streak—came from an unlikely source. It was Alex Freeland who left the park in the second inning, then tying the game at 2-2 after an eventful first inning in which the offense failed to capitalize on a pop fly from Tucker that dropped for an RBI single, ultimately seeing Andy Pages strand the bases loaded against Ryan Weiss. Set to be the bulk man after Steven Okert dealt with the big bad lefties in the Dodgers lineup, Weiss came in already with a big mess in the first—although he got out of it unscathed, the rest of his performance gave the Dodgers the ideal platform for a badly needed slugfest for a team that hadn’t had one of those away from home since they visited the Rockies a couple of weeks ago.

A Shohei Ohtani walk followed Freeland’s home run in the second, and he was driven in on an RBI double from Smith, then giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. The big damage, though, came in the following inning with a four-run spot. By the time Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single, all nine of the Dodgers’ hitters had reached base at least once, signaling a complete performance from top to bottom. In the middle of that complete performance, it’s impossible not to highlight Freeland’s reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances with three hits and a walk.

Almost used to the idea of not a lot of run support, Yamamoto took advantage of the eight runs his offense scored and delivered yet another terrific outing, especially for a pitcher who had as much trouble as he did in the first inning, in which Houston scored two. Yordan Alvarez lived up to his outstanding reputation and track record early this season with multiple hits, but beyond him, Yamamoto kept the home bats in check outside a Zach Cole home run in the fifth, finishing six innings with three runs allowed and eight strikeouts.

8 Ks from No. 18. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uZ3qbe6Um5

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 5, 2026

It would’ve been nice to see Ohtani sprinkle in a hit and end this, what is now a 0-for-17 run, but the MVP can only do so much when he’s not really given much to hit. At the end of the day, the two walks he earned both led to runs and played an important role in this offensive outburst.

Following Yamamoto, the bullpen was dominant, earning eight of their nine outs via strikeout, with a scoreless inning each from Kyle Hurt, Blake Treinen, and Jack Dreyer, the latter two striking out the side.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Alex Freeland (2), Kyle Tucker (4), Zach Cole (1)
• WP— Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2): 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
• LP— Ryan Weiss (0-3): 4.1 IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 6 earned runs, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts

Up next

The National League Pitcher of the Month in April gets the starting assignment against Peter Lambert, as Shohei Ohtani will also look to keep the offensive momentum going—Dave Roberts has already said that Ohtani will start and hit in Tuesday’s matchup with the Astros. The start time is exactly the same, at 5:10 p.m. (PT).

In losing five-of-eight games, starting with the split against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City, the San Diego Padres had their first losing streak since the first week of the season. Coming home from Mexico, without a day off to recover, the Padres played six games against the Chicago teams. Losing both series 1-2, the Padres showed a sagging bullpen and an anemic offense most of the time.

You won’t catch the players or the manager using altitude or fatigue as an excuse. They won’t even use the flu that affected Fernando Tatis Jr. for most of the week. Fans are not likely to use those reasons to excuse some of the poor play, poor pitching or lack of offense. Maybe it’s just baseball but the Padres have to figure this out and get better quickly.

Luckily, the beleaguered San Francisco Giants are up next on the schedule. If the Friars don’t play better and score more runs for the next three games then we can discuss having a real problem.

A couple highlights from an otherwise forgettable week:

• Mason Miller, who had his scoreless streak broken by the Cubs with an assist from the umpires, won March/April Reliever of the Month for the NL. His 10 saves, 1.17 ERA, 29 strikeouts, three hits allowed and .118 average against far outpaced anyone else in the NL.
• The Padres sale to José E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones was officially announced on Saturday. It is expected the sale will become final at the next MLB owner’s meeting in early June, unless they hold a virtual vote before then. Feliciano/Jones will reportedly own approximately 40% of the team with other partners investing. Both Dennis Lin of The Athletic and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Alfredo Harp Helú, as well as multiple members of the Seidler family, will retain ownership stakes.
• Griffin Canning made his Padres debut and helped pitch the Friars to a victory over the White Sox in the final game of the series, salvaging a game after losing four in a row. The Padres called him up to replace Germán Márquez, who was placed on the injured list. Randy Vasquez was pushed back a day in his normal spot in the rotation.
• The Padres sit at 20-13 and are 0.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

Injuries and owies

Both Manny Machado and Miguel Andujar had limited playing time during the eight games with Machado experiencing cramping in his left calf and missing a game and used as DH in another. This required Jake Cronenworth to play third base for the first time since his inaugural season with the Padres. Normally, Miguel Andujar would have replaced Machado but he was held out of a couple games with hamstring tightness.

David Morgan has battled command issues recently and was sent to El Paso when Jeremiah Estrada was called up after his IL stint. In his 15 days away from the team, Estrada gained weight and strength as well as allowing the inflammation to subside in his throwing arm. His velocity was back to normal on his return.

Tatis Jr. does not have an injury, but he has played the better part of the home stand with the flu. He was given an off day on Sunday.

Márquez experienced tingling in his pitching arm in his last couple starts (per Mark Grant in the Padres broadcast on Sunday) and was placed on the IL as a precaution in hopes that some rest and rehab will improve his results.

Griffin Canning adds a sinker

In 2025, before his injury, Canning featured six pitches and used his four-seam fastball and slider most predominantly. He was obviously working on some things during his time with Triple-A El Paso but was needed by the Padres and didn’t get to his goal of 70-80 pitches before being called up.

In his first start as a Padre, Canning used four pitches in his five innings of work. He struck out seven and had a ground ball rate of 55.6%. His 51.6% ground ball rate last year was the highest of his career, and it seems he is doubling down on that strategy.

Canning used his changeup 34% and his four-seam fastball 33% of the time in his start against the White Sox. In his 73 pitches, he mixed in his slider 26% of the time and then flashed a sinker 7%. Canning has not thrown a sinker since 2024. He also never threw his cutter, curve or sweeper (according to StatCast) in his outing on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see what pitch mix is utilized going forward and whether he mixes all seven pitches he throws into his future starts.

Lucas Giolito

The Padres have until May 16 to get Giolito ready to join the Padres rotation. He has made two starts with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm with seven innings pitched. He has allowed seven hits and five runs with four walks and 10 strikeouts. His command was improved in the last start versus the first. The most telling factor regarding his lack of Spring Training reps is that his fastball is sitting 89-92 and he normally rides in the 93-94 mph range.

Building arm strength and endurance will be the goals for his remaining time in the minor leagues, attempting to replace a normal Spring Training with two more starts against minor league hitters. It has not been stated whether he will complete his progression with Lake Elsinore.

Yuki Matsui

The Padres either have to reinstate Matsui on today or get his permission to keep him in the minor leagues. He has completed all the goals of his rehab. He has 12.2 innings and a 4.97 ERA with 14 strikeouts and three walks. He has pitched back-to-back games and multiple innings.

Sad offense

Jackson Merrill is hitting .211, Jake Cronenworth is hitting .147, Freddy Fermin is hitting .170 and Nick Castellanos is hitting .164. The Padres’ two best hitters, Miguel Andujar and Luis Campusano, don’t play fulltime. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are tied for the team lead in home runs with five each. Bogaerts, Ramon Laureano and Machado each have 18 RBI to lead the Friars.

The Padres rank 23rd in batting average (.234), 25th in OPS (.686), 23rd in home runs (31) and 22nd in slug (.379). It isn’t sustainable to keep a winning record with the offense struggling this way. Oh, and Tatis Jr. still doesn’t have a home run.

Bullpen struggles

In the last two weeks, the Padres bullpen has dropped from being the fourth best in baseball to being the 14th. The ERA has slid from 2.95 to 4.01. Adrian Morejon is still being hit hard at times and even Mason Miller gave up some hits and a run.

The starting staff has slipped from 18th (4.18) to 21st (4.54) in that same time. Overall, the pitching staff is ranked 18th with a 4.30 ERA.

Today is “May the Fourth (be with you)” aka Star Wars Day.

In honor of this very important holiday, I have a Star Wars-themed question for you all tonight: Which baseball player’s name sounds most like a Star Wars character?

Since the Mets are in town, I think I’ll go with Bo Bichette. Tarik Skubal might be a close second.

But are there others? And do you think they’d be a Jedi, a Sith, or something else within the Star Wars universe?

Let us know in the comments!

---

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Box Score

Jackson Chourio shined bright in his season debut with four hits, including two doubles and a walk. Unfortunately for the young superstar, the rest of the Brewers lineup could not come through with the clutch hit when they needed it most, stranding 12 runners on base. Most painfully, the Crew had the tying run up to the plate in the top of the sixth and seventh innings.

We were able to see Chourio right out of the gate in the top of the first inning. He watched the first couple of pitches in his at-bat and then on his first swing of the 2026 season, he doubled to left-center field, ultimately being stranded at second base to end the inning.

Jackson Chourio just doubled on his first swing of 2026… pic.twitter.com/mgetVFEJ1f

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 4, 2026

St. Louis flocked to the base paths early and often against Brewers starter Chad Patrick, as they had at least two runners on in the first three innings. In the bottom of the second inning, former top prospect for the Cardinals, JJ Wetherholt, put his team on top early with a base hit into center field to give them a 1-0 lead.

Patrick struggled to string together consistent outs, as the Cardinals were patient at the plate. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the patience paid off as Iván Herrera doubled with the bases loaded to extend the Cards’ lead to 4-0. That would be the end of the day for Patrick, as for the first time in his career, he was pulled before completing the fourth inning of a start.

Thankfully for the Brewers, their bullpen was well rested, only having used two arms the day prior. DL Hall entered from the bullpen, where he settled in and threw 1 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts.

The bottom of the fourth inning featured a scary moment for Andrew Vaughn and Brewers fans alike, as in his return to the diamond, he was hit in the hand – the same hand that he broke his hamate bone, which landed him on the IL. Thankfully, he was able to shake it off and take first base.

Historically, Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy has always pitched well against the Brewers. Although most of his starts have come in bullpen appearances, as in 8 1/3 innings that he has pitched in, seven of those have been scoreless innings. Tonight, it was more of the same for Leahy as he threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run and striking out five. The Brewers were able to collect six hits, but clutch pitching prevented them from having any big innings.

It took until the top of the sixth inning for the Crew to crack the scoring column, as Luis Rengifo singled to left field to drive in the team’s first run of the ballgame. Following that RBI base hit, the Brewers would have the tying run at the plate in two of the next three innings, unable to score any runs.

St. Louis tacked on a couple of big insurance runs in the later innings, and it proved to be big as the Brewers’ offense came to life in the top of the ninth inning. Chourio collected his fourth hit of the game with one out, doubling to center field to tie his career high for hits in a game. Brice Turang then came through with a two-run home run to cut the deficit down to just three.

Brice Turang homered

→ https://t.co/68EQQYUZ6Zpic.twitter.com/aNVc65MuBb

— Brewers.TV (@BrewersdotTV) May 5, 2026

Following the long ball, William Contreras singled. Then, another scary moment for the Brewers’ lineup took place. Tyler Black hit a ground ball where he beat out the return throw to avoid the double play. As he crossed first base, he tripped and hit the ground hard. Slow to get up, he was able to stay in the game and run the bases.

The rally ended there, though, as the Brewers dropped game one by a score of 6-3. Coming up with hits while having runners on continues to be a weak point for this offense. On the bright side of things, the Crew have Chourio and Vaughn back. We already saw what the addition of Chourio has done, and his productivity has historically spread among the others in the lineup. This team is getting healthier, and a better offense is soon to come.

The Brewers will look to build on top of Chourio’s success and even up the series tomorrow night against the second-best team in the National League Central. First pitch is 6:45 p.m.

On Jac’s blazing bat bobblehead night, the Royals were jolted with a little bit of power. They hit two home runs and just barely missed a third in a game that was a joy to watch.

It didn’t start like that though. Both offenses looked off in the first few innings. The game moved at a blistering pace; I thought for a little bit that the game might be over before my kids’ 8pm bedtime (yes yes that wouldn’t happen, I know). It seemed like every plate appearance was a first/second pitch popup for both teams. I blinked and it was the fourth inning already. Good thing I did not blink again, as the Royals bats woke up then. I could use some eyedrops now, maybe. Blinking is important.

In that fourth inning, Bobby Witt Jr opened the scoring with a home run. He got an 86mph cutter at or above the top of the zone. Honestly..might have been called a ball had he not swung. But, he made himself tall and put the ball into the Hall of Fame stands. Beautiful. The Royals weren’t done.

Right after, Vinnie Pasquantino took another upper-zone pitch off the right field fence. He missed a homer by a few feet. The next batter, Salvador Perez, hit a grounder dead up the middle, and the second baseman was in position to make the play. Maybe he blinked – the ball went right through his legs under his glove. Upon replay, we could see that the ball bounced off the base. The spin did not seem to change all that much; the guy’s glove was *right there*. The ball just snuck under the glove. Vinnie scored on the flub to make it 2-2.

Jensen followed with a single and Lane Thomas walked to load the bases with no outs. At that point, I got worried the RISP issues would show up again. Cags and Collins both struck out with no more runs scored. With two outs, Nick Loftin put a grounder perfectly between the third baseman and shortstop for a single. Perez scored easily, and then Carter Jensen rounded third. Steven Kwan made a great throw, and initially Jensen was called out. The Royals challenged, and it was quite clear Jensen was safe. A good slide, keeping his toes down to touch the plate right as he reached it. As in, he did not touch the plate in the middle; he touched right at the corner. That made the score 4-2.

Later on, Jac made his presence known on his blazing bat bobblehead night. He got an up-and-in fastball that he somehow managed to pull, and pull it he did. It was a moonshot past the right field bullpen. Then we got a little bit of manufactured scoring. Bobby reached first on a throwing error from Brayan Rocchio, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third, and scored on a Pasquantino single.

I’ve made it nearly 500 words without saying ANYTHING about Michael Wacha. It is time.

Wacha was a machine. He made basically one mistake to David Fry, a meaty cutter that caught too much of the plate. That led to a two-run homer. But then Wacha set down 16 of the next 17 guys. He allowed just one walk in that stretch before David Fry came up again in the 7th inning and hit a single. Angel Martínez followed by roping a double into the right field corner, but Fry was not able to score on it. After a mound visit from Brian Sweeney, Wacha got a lineout to prevent any runs from scoring.

Wacha’s changeup looked like it was working really well. There were several instances against left-handed hitters where he threw it against their shoulder and it ended up crossing the middle of the plate. Guys buckled up against it; he was pounding the edges. The camera view, in my opinion, didn’t quite do justice to the pitch.

As a result, Wacha was wildly efficient. He threw 60 pitches in only 6 innings! He had to throw 19 more to get through that little blip in the 7th inning. Overall, 79 pitches in 7 innings with only two runs allowed on the Fry homer. Four hits allowed. I’ll take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Matt Strahm and Alex Lange mowed down the hitters in the 8th and 9th innings.

It was fun to watch. That’s kind of it. That was a really fun game! I love fun baseball games!

Let’s do it again tomorrow!