Category: Baseball

Saturday notes…

• CUBS IN L.A.: This is the Cubs’ 123rd series at Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Last night’s win was the Cubs’ 56th in the opening game. They have won the second game as well only 13 times, including in 2024. The time before that was 2005, when they swept three games. This is the 20th series since then. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• STREAK NOTES: Last night’s game was the Cubs’ 1,430th since the previous one in which they extended a winning streak to 10 games, on Aug. 11, 2016. They have won 755 and lost 675, for a winning percentage of .528. There had been 40 double-digit streaks by 19 other teams since the last by the Cubs. Only 14 were by National League teams. The Astros had six; the Dodgers, four; the Brewers, Guardians, Red Sox and Yankees; three; and the Athletics, Braves, Mariners, Rays and Twins, two. Eight teams had one: Blue Jays, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Giants, Orioles, Pirates, Rangers and Reds. The teams with none: Angels, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Phillies, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and White Sox. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DANSBY!: Dansby Swanson, last 13 games since April 11: .279/.421/.674 (12-for-43) with a triple, five home runs, 11 walks, 15 runs scored, 16 RBI and seven multi-hit games.
• THE BUSCH LEAGUE: Michael Busch, last 11 games since April 12: .311/.367/.467 (14-for-45) with a double, two home runs, seven runs scored, eight RBI and six multi-hit games.

Cubs lineup:

Can we get a "Go Cubs Go" in the replies? pic.twitter.com/DXGS8wD5ED

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026

Dodgers lineup:

Today’s #Dodgers lineup vs. Cubs: pic.twitter.com/cR8N2geD6G

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026

Colin Rea, RHP vs. Roki Sasaki, RHP

Colin Rea has been just what the Cubs needed — a solid starter to replace Cade Horton in the rotation. Rea obviously is no Horton, but he gets the job done. In his last three games (two starts plus one as the “bulk guy”): 2.55 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, only one home run allowed in 17.2 innings. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Rea threw 3.2 innings and 68 pitches against the Dodgers in L.A. last year, April 15, 2025, allowing one run and striking out five. Current Dodgers are batting .291 (16-for-55) against Rea. Shohei Ohtani has homered twice off him, but really, who has Ohtani NOT homered twice against?

Keeping the ball in the yard would be helpful tonight.

Roki Sasaki, as you know, signed with the Dodgers out of Japan before the 2025 season with much fanfare. He threw well against the Cubs in Tokyo and Dodger Stadium (seven total innings, two runs, though seven walks), then got hurt and missed several months. He threw well again in the postseason for the Dodgers, in relief.

This year, he’s had one good start and three that have been mediocre to bad. There are some who think Sasaki might be better off in the Dodgers bullpen.

In any case, here he is starting against the Cubs. Michael Busch has a home run off him.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Dodger Stadium.

Today’s game is on Fox-TV (regional — coverage map). Fox announcers: Joe Davis and John Smoltz. A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch this game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

BALTIMORE – Two poor starts shouldn’t be enough to send Garrett Crochet into a panic.

Crochet, the Boston Red Sox ace, didn’t finish second to Tarik Skubal in the 2025 American League Cy Young Award race without self-confidence, without a brazen belief that he can always challenge elite hitters with his finest stuff.

Yet after the worst two-start sequence of his young career, including an 11-run, nine-hit, three-walk, zero-strikeout debacle against the Minnesota Twins, even a 6-6 lefty with an array of pitches that seemingly disappear can drift into a state of self-doubt.

That valley was a little easier to analyze after his effort Saturday, April 25 at Camden Yards, facing an Orioles lineup that clubbed six homers the night before. On this day, they were rendered impotent by Crochet, who tossed six shutout innings of one-hit ball.

The Red Sox eventually scored 10 ninth-inning runs, four off a position player, to turn a tight game into a 17-1 rout of Baltimore. The offensive uprising was a boon for a club that entered last in the majors in OPS and home runs.

Yet the bigger sigh of relief regarded their ace left-hander, who readily admitted he was breathing easier.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he said after improving to 3-3 and lowering his ERA from 7.88 to 6.30. “I know I don’t suck. But when you’re not seeing results it’s, man, it’s not fun.

“After Minnesota, I couldn’t even be upset. It just really was not a good time being on the mound. But against a division opponent, a potent lineup through and through, to be able to go shutdown inning multiple times, that felt really good.”

Hard to imagine looking at the final score, but Crochet faced several moments that tested his mettle. Staked to a 3-0 lead in the second, he yielded a double and walk in the bottom of the third to bring the tying run – Gunnar Henderson, with eight home runs on the season – to the plate, prompting a visit from pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

Crochet entered the start determined to throw his four-seam fastball until the Orioles proved they could hit it. But he caught Henderson looking at a sweeper, a pitch catcher Connor Wong encouraged him to dust off.

“That was pretty satisfying. I was like man, my sweeper has been sucking lately,” says Crochet.

Indeed, he increased the sweeper usage from 13% entering the game to 20%, recording three of his six strikeouts on the offering.

The other three punchouts came on the four-seamer – and that was very much by design.

“We’ve been low-key searching for the past three starts now: What is it that I need to do to game plan for teams?” says Crochet. “Connor went into today with, no one’s hit your four all season so we were just going to throw it until they did.

“That worked out pretty well for us.”

To the point that even as Coby Mayo dinged him for a double and a 104.2 mph lineout to center, Crochet decided to bring it with conviction until the opponent proved otherwise.

They never did.

“They’ve got guys who can hit the four, too, but make ‘em prove it,” he says. “In the past, I’d go away from it without anyone proving it.

“Tonight it was just, show me. And if you show me, I might not believe you.”

The outing doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all good for Crochet, who entered the game with several concerning peripherals. The whiff rate on his four-seamer and cutter were both significantly down from 2025 (30.5% and 24.3% respectively) to 2026 (24.2%, 17.6%). His walk rate was also inflated, from 5.7% to 7.8% and he issued two more free passes Saturday.

This time, the whiff rate on his fastball was back up to 29%. Manager Alex Cora said both before and after the game that while Crochet gave up five earned runs – four on two late homers – to the Detroit Tigers, he did not consider that a clunker.

Perhaps he’s correct, and Crochet is rounding into his stuff as April turns to May.

“He’s trending in the right direction,” Cora said afterward. “Minnesota feels like a long time ago.”

The Red Sox, now 10-17, certainly hope so. They won’t go anywhere this year without Crochet, and now their ace looks like he’s back in the driver’s seat after a brush with mediocrity.

“I won’t say it’s not being afraid to fail,” he says of what he took from his two-start dip. “Because I’m terrified to fail. I think most guys in the big leagues are. And that’s what drives you to continue to work and push for success.

“It’s just being OK with it and knowing how to fail and how to bounce back.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet erases sting of two-start debacle

SAN FRANCISCO — Only one player compared to Brandon Belt in Tony Vitello‘s eyes.

Clayton Kershaw.

“The easiest way to put it is he and Kershaw were arguably the best two lefties in the state of Texas and, therefore, at the time, the country, too, really,” the Giants manager recalled from when he recruited the Giants’ beloved first baseman to the University of Missouri.

That’s right: First baseman. And in the conversation with Kershaw.

Belt, 38, put a ribbon on a 13-year big-league career — all but one in San Francisco — with a celebration in his honor before the Giants hosted the Marlins on Saturday. He never officially announced his retirement, but he hasn’t been on a big-league roster since 2023.

“I just want to start out saying this is a very surreal moment for me. I never thought this would happen,” Belt said to the crowd, before showcasing his signature wit. “But when I think about this day and the Giants organization doing this for me, the only thing that pops to mind is: It’s about time.”

Once such a hotly debated player among fans that the “Belt Wars” were coined, Belt became a core piece of two World Series clubs and a 107-win NL West champion squad, eventually logging more games at first base than anybody in the franchise’s long history besides Willie McCovey.

Despite his status in the franchise’s inner circle, Belt ended his career with the Blue Jays. He was not approached about a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the club he spent most of his career, he said, but hopes to stay involved moving forward as a guest instructor at spring training.

“After Toronto, I kind of knew I was going to be done,” Belt said. “I think I would have played in certain situations, with the Giants or a team in Texas or something like that, but that was about all I was going to do. I was ready to be around my family. … Honestly, I was just looking to fade away.”

Before Belt became a standard-bearer at first base for the Giants in the modern era, Vitello was more interested in his talents on the mound. Vitello was still rising through the collegiate coaching ranks, as an assistant at Missouri, when Belt was coming out of Hudson High in deep east Texas.

At the same time, Kershaw was dominating high school hitters in the Dallas area. The Dodgers selected the future Hall of Famer sixth overall that spring, and the rest is history.

Belt was equally “incredible” on the mound, according to Vitello. However, shoulder issues eventually put him on his path as one of the most beloved players in modern Giants history.

It was only fitting that Kershaw’s name worked its way into the festivities.

Belt stepped into the box against the Dodgers’ legendary left-hander 20 more times than he did against any other pitcher. The first of Belt’s 1,232 career hits came in their first matchup. He would record only three more over 61 regular-season battles that followed, finishing his career batting .065 against him.

“Looking up on the scoreboard and seeing that first off of Kershaw,” Buster Posey turned and teased Belt from behind the podium. “Was that the only one of your career?”

On a more serious note, Posey said, “The World Series championships in 2012 and 2014 don’t happen without Brandon Belt.”

It took some time for Belt to get his due among the Giants’ fan base, but there was no mistaking their feelings during a ceremony that featured speeches from Posey, Belt and Bruce Bochy and was emceed by broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.

Belt’s wife, their two sons, his mom and his two high school coaches were seated on the infield grass. But there was one person missing: Belt’s dad, Darrell, who died last July.

“Growing up, all I cared about was making my dad proud. And I know if he could be here today, he would be extremely proud,” Belt said. “That’s all I can think about right now. He taught me about toughness, doing things right, and he made it his life’s purpose to make sure he got the best out of me and my brother.”

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Back on the recruiting trail, Vitello remembered Belt being “incredibly cordial” even though his Tigers “probably had no chance of actually landing him.” He eventually picked the University of Texas.

In one conversation, Vitello remembered Belt telling him of a home run he hit.

“I joked with him … I said maybe if you come to Missouri, we’ll let you hit, too,” Vitello chuckled. “Because we were recruiting him as a pitcher. That didn’t age very, very well. He can definitely hit.”

Belt appeared in 16 games on the mound for the Longhorns with a 4.19 ERA but earned his stripes at the plate, where he batted .321 with 37 doubles and 14 home runs in 124 games across two seasons.

“He just was a doubles machine, nonstop,” Vitello said. “His at-bats were always aggravating. … He was a guy you were always annoyed with. He was a threat but also you were annoyed with him.”

Maybe Belt didn’t pan out as a pitcher, but that scouting report held up fine. Belt’s 267 career doubles rank sixth in Giants history, and few at-bats in major league history will be remembered as more aggravating than his 21-pitch battle with Angels right-hander Jaime Barria in 2018.

“He was one of the ones who thought I could hit a little bit,” Belt said of Vitello, “even when I didn’t.”

This weekend, the San Diego Padres will partake in their fifth regular-season series in Mexico. It will be a two-game set against their National League West division rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Padres have fond memories from their past trips. 

After Sunday’s contest, the Friars will have played the most regular-season games in Mexico (11). Monterrey hosted seven games, while Mexico City hosted four games. There is no denying that the ballpark crowds provide an electric environment for both clubs. Who can forget the chanting that takes place throughout the contest?

Caminiti homers twice in Snickers game

It is hard to believe this memorable feat took place 30 years ago. 

For those unfamiliar, let’s set the scene. The Padres were meeting the New York Mets in the final game of the 1996 Monterrey Series. Friars third baseman Ken Caminiti walked into the clubhouse with a bad case of food poisoning and dehydration. 

The training staff administered IV fluids to treat him. Padres manager Bruce Bochy was resigned to the fact that his star cleanup hitter would be unavailable for the contest. Somehow, some way, Caminiti played in the rubber game of the series. 

His afternoon began with a solo home run to put the Friars on the scoreboard. Caminiti proceeded to hit a massive three-run shot that extended the lead to 8-0 and secure a series victory over the Mets.

What is remarkable about his legendary performance is that Snickers candy bars were the lone food source Caminiti could keep down. This memorable Sunday afternoon propelled him to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award. 

Valenzuela’s historic first MLB start on home soil

You need no explanation on what an honor it was for Fernando Valenzuela to start the first major league regular-season game in Mexico. Despite playing away from his hometown, Valenzuela remained a celebrated national hero. Viewers could see how the honor was a personal accomplishment for him. 

A raucous crowd of over 23,000 fans chanted “El Toro” at Valenzuela every time he touched the baseball. The left-hander threw six innings and allowed three runs on six hits to secure the win in a 15-10 victory. 

The offensive attack featured a grand slam by Greg Vaughn and a solo shot by Steve Finley. It was another memorable moment in Valenzuela’s distinguished 17-year major league career.

Mexico City’s debut game turns into home run derby

The San Francisco Giants faced the Padres in the 2023 Inaugural Mexico City Series, where extreme altitude (7,350 feet) triggered a home run outburst in the opening game.

In a contest that felt like a home run derby, the Friars outslugged the Giants 16–11 as the two teams combined for a staggering 11 home runs in the thin air. The Padres and Giants tied a major league record of having 10 different players homer on the day. The Friars had four players who hit home runs that traveled more than 400 feet, including Xander Bogaerts’ drive that went 455 feet.

Manny Machado led the charge with two home runs, the second of which clinched the victory. Meanwhile, Nelson Cruz, who had been struggling at the plate, delivered one last memorable performance in the majors. The veteran designated hitter racked up five hits and became the oldest player in Padres history (42) to hit a home run.

Hopefully, the Friars and D-Backs can add more fond memories this weekend in Mexico. Regardless, the sold-out crowds will show their love for the greatest sport ever created. 

The Braves go for another series win against the Phillies, as Bryce Elder takes the bump facing off against Zack Wheeler in his first start back from injury. Wheeler has been somewhat diminished in his rehab starts, so we probably shouldn’t expect the prime Zack Wheeler. You can read more about the pitching matchup in the game preview here.

The headliner is that Michael Harris returns to the lineup batting fifth, as the young Braves star is scorching hot at the plate. It appears that he isn’t ready to play the field, or at least the Braves are being cautious with him, as he deals with quad tightness, but as we saw last night, he is healthy enough to hit and run and his bat simply demands to be in the lineup right now. Eli White continues to play center in Harris’ stead, while Austin Riley bats sixth.

Bryce on the bump! #BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/ybR6qRspps

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 25, 2026

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLBTV

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Texas Rangers lineup for April 25, 2026 against the A’s: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Jeffrey Springs for the A’s.

If you were wondering what it would take to get Evan Carter into the lineup against a lefty, the answer apparently is “an injury to Wyatt Langford.”

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

McCutchen — DH

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

Jung — 3B

Duran — 2B

Jansen — C

Carter — CF

Haggerty — LF

6:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -125 favorites.

Having smartly timed their turn to lead correctly in a seesaw game last night, the White Sox try to pick up another victory over the Nationals this afternoon, albeit under much different conditions. A nor’easter that hit overnight has dropped the temperature more than 20° from yesterday and produced 25 mph wind gusts that should come from left to right throughout the game.

This is a game where the pitching matchup certainly looks to favor the Sox. They have Noah Schultz on the mound for his third major league start, his last outing being an outstanding five-inning, one hit, one walk (!), six K, one-run victory over the A’s.

The Nats counter with 29-year old righty Jake Irvin, who has an awful 6.00 ERA despite opponents only hitting .220 against him, his big problem being 11 walks in 24 innings, though he went five innings without a walk against the Braves last time out. Irvin has a six-pitch repertoire, but tops out 92ish. Combined with an inability to hit his spots, that may prove a problem for Irvin against the power-surging Sox lineup:

Should Edgar Quero need to leave the game for whatever reason his backup is now Drew Romo, called up from Charlotte, with Reese McGuire DFA’d. Romo only hit .167 in a brief turn with the Rockies last year, but has been tearing up Triple-A pitching to the tune of .298/.385/.561 this spring.

Schultz will be firing his five-pitch mix to a Washington lineup that probably would have scored several more runs last night were it not for terrible baserunning (isn’t it nice when it’s the opponents who blow games on the bases?). And yes, that is ex-Sox Curtis Mead batting second and playing second for the Nats today; apparently like us, Washington also uses the waiver wire for “major talent” acquisition:

First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central with the temp 47° and the wind left to right field at 15 mph, gusting to 25. Usual broadcast suspects.

Go Rays!

After the Nats lost a close one last night, they need to rebound and get back on track. They are 3-7 in their last 10, so a win this afternoon is much needed. The Nats will have to face a massive rookie lefty to get that win though.

The Nats lineup looks very different today. CJ Abrams will get his first scheduled off day of the season. That means Nasim Nunez will slide over to shortstop. Curtis Mead will play second base for the first time this season. After getting called up today, Andres Chaparro will hit third and play first base. Joey Wiemer will also be back in the lineup against a lefty. Keibert Ruiz will be back behind the plate. He will be catching Jake Irvin, who toes the slab this afternoon.

̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶d̶u̶c̶k̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶r̶o̶w̶ all my players in a lineup

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/ps4ta46NXH

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 25, 2026

The White Sox are also making a couple changes. Andrew Benintendi will DH and hit leadoff. Munetaka Murakami will hit in the 2 hole. Everson Pereira will play right, which shifts Tristan Peters to center field. Noah Schultz is a 6’10 lefty for the White Sox, who has major prospect pedigree. Excited to watch him throw the ball.

Your Saturday lineup is in pic.twitter.com/tsetnn5ik9

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 25, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Rate Field

Time: 4:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats have been slumping the past week or so. Today would be a great day to snap out of that slump. Yesterday was a painful loss, but the series is still up for grabs. Follow along down below and let’s go Nats.

It’s time for the second game of the series between the San Francisco Giants and the Miami Marlins, and we’re all hoping it goes better than the first one.

The Giants are sending veteran lefty Robbie Ray to the mound for his sixth start of the year. The 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner is 2-3 on the year, with a 2.86 ERA, a 4.42 FIP, and 31 strikeouts against 11 walks in 28.1 innings. In his last game, Ray gave up three runs in six innings against the Washington Nationals.

He’s up against young right-handed Eury Pérez, who just turned 23 years old. He is also making his sixth start this season, and is 2-1 on the year, with a 4.15 ERA, a 4.68 FIP, and 27 strikeouts against 12 walks in 26 innings. His last start was his best, as he allowed just one unearned run in six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Giants!

Game #27

Who: San Francisco Giants (11-15) vs. Miami Marlins (13-13)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

For those of you who wanted change, you are far more likely to get it than at any point up until now.

Depending on how things finish up this weekend in Atlanta, it’s hard to see how the 2026 season ends with the ultimate goal of a World Series parade taking place. The NL East is already lost, and the Phillies appear to be on their way to becoming the best team in history to lose 90+ games.

Whether you loved or hated the off-season, almost everyone believed this team was going to play October baseball. Sure, not all of you, but most. They were another year older, but still appeared talented enough to grind their way through another 162 games and return to the postseason. But they have dug themselves such a large hole in the first month of the season that it will likely take the next five just to put themselves in a wild card position.

You don’t lose 10 games in a row simply because of bad luck. A championship caliber club doesn’t lose 10 in a row because they suddenly became terrible baseball players overnight.

No, the 2026 Phillies have been the worst team in baseball coming into Saturday night’s second game against the Braves in Atlanta in large part because of Dave Dombrowski’s underestimation of the importance of what goes on inside a player’s ears.

The Phillies appear psychologically broken, and it’s understandable why that may be. I talked about it numerous times over the winter as Dombrowski and the front office stood pat with the same core of players that had come up torturously short the last three Octobers.

Asking this same group of players to come back, with all the baggage they’ve acquired, all the same doubts about their abilities, all the same disappointments and frustrations, and expect everything to work out was wishful thinking more than a solid plan.

Sure, every team goes through slumps. Some of them occur at the beginning of the season. But when you watch these Phillies, you can see something is off. This play from Friday night is just the tip of the iceberg, but it encapsulates how much things have gotten into their heads.

The gall of them to make Scott Franzke suffer through this BS https://t.co/FkyVgy0H6xpic.twitter.com/VukPgWK78o

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) April 25, 2026

A simple ground ball to the shortstop with two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd… it doesn’t get any easier than this. But Turner failed to notice Ronald Acuna Jr. get a good jump off of 1st and beat Bryson Stott to the bag at 2nd. He then got freaked out and sailed his throw to 1st as a result. There were multiple mental and physical errors on that play alone, and it’s not the first time something like this has happened in the season’s first month.

The players have acknowledged that the only metric for success with this team is a World Series championship. So you can understand if, subconsciously, the regular season doesn’t hold as much interest for them as it once did. You can understand if they didn’t enter this season, with 162 games ahead of them, with fire in their bellies. For this group, it’s all about getting to October, and then performing better than they have the previous three.

To a man, they will absolutely deny this. But human nature is what it is.

The Phillies are trapped inside a bubble of frustration, and the danger of not jettisoning some of the existing core and replacing them with new people was failing to pop that bubble. When Orion Kerkering threw that ball to the backstop at the end of Game 4 of the NLDS in Los Angeles, everyone felt big changes had to happen.

Sure, maybe the talent on the field didn’t mix terribly well, but it worked well enough to win the division by 13 games and return to the playoffs for a fourth straight time. But bringing people from the outside would have helped pop the bubble. Bringing in people whose mindset was not solely “World Series-or-bust” could have helped the rest of the group realize there was still a reason to get up for the regular season.

Or, it simply could have shaken people out of their doldrums.

Instead, as this season has unfolded, the Phils have thus far found themselves unable to pull out of their initial tailspin. As a result, the division is already lost before the calendar has even turned to May. All that’s in play now is a wild card, and that becomes more of a longshot with each passing day.

The psychology of the Phillies needed to change, and it was going to be impossible for that to happen without bringing in players from outside the organization (and no, the additions of Adolis Garcia, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford weren’t going to move the needle). Sure, the Phils needed another middle-of-the-order bat, and failing to acquire one has resulted in the team yet again playing without a true cleanup hitter, but beyond the sheer baseball of it all, it would have helped in the locker room, too.

Would a new manager’s voice have helped change the team’s perspective? Would moving players like Alec Bohm and/or Stott and or Brandon Marsh have shaken things up in a good way? Would acquiring a big bat like Eugenio Suarez, landing Bo Bichette, or inking one of the Japanese stars, helped?

It’s obviously impossible to say, but it seemed obvious to me, from the moment the Phils slumped off the Dodgers Stadium field last October, they needed a mental reset. Someone to come in there and convince them they weren’t destined to always fall short. Someone to give them a jolt of energy.

Perhaps that will soon happen. Dombrowski and John Middleton will obviously look at every aspect of this team in an attempt fo salvage the season. After all, there is no rebuild coming, not with Bryce Harper, Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo all signed to long-term extensions. If anything, there will be a re-tooling, not a rebuild.

A managerial change or other coaching change is more likely with each passing day and each succeeding loss. Change is coming.

Psychologically, for this group, that is almost certainly for the best.

Recap

The second inning showcased what Sox fans have been waiting for all season: hits in the air, a stolen base, a couple of walks, everyone keeping the line moving. The Sox sent nine batters to the plate and scored three runs, breaking the spell and waking us, and themselves, from the stupor of this heavy 2026 season.

But that was nothing compared to what was to come: another three-run inning in the fifth, courtesy of a three-run double by Connor Wong.

But wait, there’s more! Wong’s hit was the play of the game until the ninth inning—which was a ten-hit, ten-run inning, by the way—highlighted by a grand slam by Andruw Monasterio. It was glorious. Both Ceddanne Rafaela and Willson Contreras had two singles and two bigger hits (a triple and homer, respectively) and crossed the plate twice in the inning. The Orioles eventually brought in a position player to pitch but the damage was done well before that.

With runners in scoring position, the Sox were 8-15 today.

There were a number of firsts today, individually and for the team:

• First individual home runs of the season for Caleb Durbin and Monasterio (his slam)
• First Red Sox triple of the season by Ceddanne Rafaela
• First Red Sox grand slam of the season, courtesy of Andruw Monasterio

It was a huge game with good vibes to spare.

Studs

Garrett Crochet

This is the pitcher we know and love. He was dominant and in control the whole way. 6.0 IP, 7 SO, 3H, 2 BB.

Small Ball

Five walks, capitalizing on errors, and two stolen bases. The hitters kept the line moving.

Big Offense

The Sox scored plenty of runs, logged big hits, and hit at the right time. Wong’s double scored three. Rafaela’s triple led off the huge ninth. Homers by Durbin and Contreras, and of course Monasterio’s slam capped it all off for the offense. Lots of fun.

Duds

Pelvic Thrust Hit Celebration

I will keep saying this until it is dead and gone. Some Sox hitters are still using it and yuck.

Play of the Game

How about that? Andruw Monasterio, hired for his defense, not his hitting, whales a grand slam.

Some days you’re the windshield and some days you’re the bug. The next day after putting a big number up against Boston, the Orioles were on the receiving end of an ugly beatdown. By the time the dust settled, the O’s fell back below .500 with a 17-1 demolition at the hands of their last place division rivals. So much for the idea of building on that momentum. The Orioles remain winless against left-handed starting pitchers in the 2026 season.

The two teams traded zeroes in the first inning before things veered off the rails for the Orioles in the second. Starting pitcher Trevor Rogers, last year’s incredible revelation, continued to look like he’s not going to be able to repeat that form or anything close to it. Rogers simply could not make good pitches to consistently put people away once he got them to two strikes, and the result was that he saw his pitch count balloon in a second inning that he was not able to complete.

Rogers got the hook with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, having already allowed three runs on four hits and two walks. Only Tyler Wells coming in and stranding all of the inherited runners kept Rogers from taking an even rougher hit to his ERA. As it is, he’s up to 4.75 on the season with this clunker added to his last outing. It’s not what the Orioles needed today or what they need over the remainder of the season. This is a challenge that they are going to have to work hard to solve.

Still, the game remained in reach until the top of the fifth inning. The Orioles “only” trailed 4-0 up to that point. Reliever Albert Suárez, who was already charged with an unearned run in the fourth, was victimized again by his defense in the fifth. A throwing error by Jeremiah Jackson eventually resulted in three unearned runs crossing the plate in the inning and the Orioles were then behind by seven runs.

Suárez, who had not pitched in six days, could have helped more to pitch his way out of this jam, but the scoring is what it is. This was one of three errors committed by the Orioles in an overall uninspiring game.

The offense was just as uninspiring. They faced a tough task, if you are in the mood to be fair to them. The Red Sox starter was last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up, Garrett Crochet. Although Crochet has had a couple of rough outings early this season, he’s had a couple of very good ones too. At least on Saturday against the Orioles, it looked like he’d fixed his problems. Crochet allowed just three hits and two walks over his six shutout innings. The lone O’s run scored was also unearned; an error committed by Caleb Durbin put the unearned run on the stat line for reliever Greg Weissert.

What really made it embarrassing for the Orioles was Keegan Akin, fresh off the injured list to pitch in his first outing of the season. Akin, again if you are in the mood to be fair, did pitch one scoreless inning after coming into the game in the eighth inning. The problem was he was tasked with pitching the ninth as well, and, uh, he was not up to that task. By which I mean he gave up six runs in the ninth inning before the O’s turned to position player Weston Wilson to pitch. That’s a 54.00 ERA for Akin’s 2026. He’s going to have to put up a lot of zeroes to make up for that.

There was a time where position players pitching was fun. That time has largely passed. The only thing we can say for Wilson is he gave up fewer runs than Akin, allowing four to score while managing to get three outs and end the thing. Wilson had pitched a few previous times in his career and brought a 0.00 ERA into this contest. That perfection has been wrecked.

The teams will play one more on Sunday afternoon with a 1:35 scheduled start time to settle who is the winner of this three-game set. Kyle Bradish is set to make the start for the Orioles. The O’s hitters will have another chance to try to solve a lefty starter, with rookie Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early on the mound. The 24-year-old brings a 2.88 ERA through five games into the outing. He has to feel pretty good about his chances, given what he saw these dudes do against Crochet today.

First Pitch: 3:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

The Minnesota Twins. Ever heard of em?

An early start to the season means that it can be game 27 and still only be April. We’re at the point of the season where the oft-cited “small sample size” begins to stretch itself out a bit, meaning that within the next couple of weeks we’ll have a better sense of flukes vs. trends, like whether or not Austin Martin has actually figured out how to become one of the premier hitters in the game.

One of the biggest questions that will be answered with a larger sample is just what kind of team the 2026 Minnesota Twins are. After absolutely mowing down the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox in a riveting home stretch, the Twins lost seven out of their last eight, including the opener on Friday night.

Bailey Ober has managed to run a 106 ERA+ in five starts so far, despite operating on some godforsaken combination of duct tape and good will. Ober has potentially the lowest velocity manageable in the Big 26, which has led to his changeup outpacing his fastball as his primary pitch, even as the rest of his offerings remain in line with their usage proportions from years prior.

Plus, after catastrophically-low run values from his breaking arsenal last year, Ober’s breaking run value is 94th percentile here in April. Reinventing himself in real-time as a quasi-junkballer, Bailey’s high-wire act has led to team victories in three of his first five starts, and he’s coming off a wonderful outing last weekend during which he held the Cincinnati Reds to three hits and struck out double-digit batters. (Don’t ask what happened after he left.)

On the slibbity-gibbity hippity flip-side is Shane McClanahan, who’s returning to game action this year after not having thrown a pitch since 2023. It’s been a ginger return for the brunette lefty, who has maxed out at 90 pitches in four starts, never going more than five innings and mostly struggling with control (11 walks in 18 innings.)

GO TWINS GO!

It was rough going for a moment there.

The San Diego Padres bounced back late for a 10-8 win over the Colorado Rockies Thursday afternoon. In what felt like a gruelingly long game, the Friars continued to stay within striking distance but couldn’t seem to get ahead of the Rox.

They finally did with three outs left. Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik struggled to record an out, walking Jackson Merrill to start the ninth before giving up three consecutive singles and a three-run blast from Gavin Sheets that just stayed fair.

It was a win the Friars needed. One that proved their bats are still alive after a week of them being peculiarly quiet. They’ll need that slug this weekend as they face the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City tonight.

Taking the mound

Zac Gallen (AZ) v. Germán Márquez (SD)

It was probably never that close, but it felt like Gallen was close to being a Padre this offseason.

After being the subject of a prolonged free agency, he ended up re-signing with Arizona on a one-year deal. He’s pitched serviceably to start the year but has struggled with command (3.51 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 25.2 IP).

In the high-altitude, hitter-friendly environs of Mexico City — a stadium that last saw the Padres face the San Francisco Giants in an 11-homer tirade — Gallen will need to have his command locked down. Otherwise, it’ll quickly turn into a slugfest for San Diego.

The same is true for Márquez, though his statline suggests a worse pitcher than he has been. He’s yet to record consecutive quality outings, going back-and-forth between giving up four runs and pitching a scoreless game.

That’s been the problem for Márquez so far this year: consistency. When he’s on, he’s on. But when he’s not? He’s really not.

He pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels last week and only allowed two hits. The Friar Faithful hope that he can follow that performance tonight against the D-backs.

Batter up!

The starters will be out with the off day yesterday giving everyone a breather. That has the lineup looking like this:

1. Ramón Laureano, LF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Ty France, DH
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

Gallen is a tough starter to face, but the Padres have one thing over him: they’ve faced him a lot.

That being said, certain players have had more success than others. Bogaerts, Cronenworth, France and Gavin Sheets all have a batting average over .300 against him. France, Sheets and Fernando Tatis Jr. have an OPS over 1.000 when facing the right-hander.

Those career numbers are why France might start at DH today, though Miguel Andujar could as well after his bat heated up in Colorado.

Those are names to watch for, with Cronenworth having an especially slow start to the year at the plate. He’ll look to get things going today against Gallen.

Relief corps

Starter Matt Waldron did not do much to help his case for a roster spot, giving up six runs in Thursday’s series finale against Colorado. (The signing of free agent Lucas Giolito could not have come soon enough.) But he did go five full innings, so the bullpen can at least be thankful for that.

The Padres used Adrian Morejon, Ron Marinaccio and Mason Miller to cover the final four frames. Miller extended his scoreless streak to tie the franchise record at 33 2/3. He’ll look to extend it against Arizona this weekend.

But, with the off day yesterday, it’ll likely be all-hands-on-deck for the Friars. That being said, the first out of the ‘pen would be those who didn’t pitch on Thursday. That leaves Jason Adam, Kyle Hart, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez.

If Márquez falters, then expect Hart or Peralta out first to cover multiple innings. But if San Diego has a lead and Márquez makes it through five or six frames, the high-leverage guys will be out in full force.