As has been the case all season, Peterson put the Mets behind from the get-go, as Washington was able to jump on him for a pair of runs on three hits and a wild pitch in the top of the first.
He's now racked up an ugly 10.80 ERA in the opening frame through five starts.
Peterson then appeared to find his groove as he retired nine in a row, but things caved in on him in the fourth, as the Nationals made him pay for a one-out walk to Jacob Young.
The lefty gave up two hits and another walk, then almost danced his way out without further damage, but a bases loaded free pass to James Wood to forced in another run and end his night.
Sean Manaea entered and things spiraled from there, as he hit a batter before giving up a grand slam, pushing Peterson’s total to seven runs in just 3.2 innings of work.
“The first he fell behind hitters and they got to him,” Carlos Mendoza said. “In the fourth he lost a feel for all of his pitches -- even with the bases loaded he had a chance to get out to it getting ahead of Wood 0-2, then issues the walk.
“It’s just the feel for his pitches, not able to get in the zone consistently, and it cost him.”
That specific issue has cost Peterson not just throughout the early-part of this season, but also as he was knocked around during the second-half last year.
With his ERA now sitting at an ugly 6.53 through seven appearances (five starts), Mendoza said that the team will have more discussions about how they use him moving forward.
While he’s going through it right now, they remain confident he can turn things around.
“He’s a big part of this team,” the skipper said.
"I've done it before," Peterson added. "I believe in myself and know I have the stuff to do it."
Apr 29, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brian Fitzpatrick (35) makes his Major League Baseball debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
It was a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde night for the Brewers, both for the team’s offense and for their starting pitcher, Brandon Sproat. Sproat showed his immense potential early but ran into trouble later on; that trouble was all the Diamondbacks needed, as a Milwaukee offense that showed some life early went into a deep rut after that and couldn’t come back.
Sproat came in going as hard as William Friedkin in To Live and Die in L.A. With a fastball that hit 99.9 mph, Sproat struck out the side—and this wasn’t some scrubs, either. It was three of the best hitters in the NL: Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll.
In the bottom of the first, the only two lefties in Milwaukee’s starting lineup came through against the left-handed Arizona starter, Eduardo Rodríguez. With one out, Brice Turang lined a double to left center. After a three-pitch William Contreras strikeout, Jake Bauers lined a nearly identical double on a 3-2 pitch. Turang scored, and Milwaukee took an early lead.
In the top of the second, Sproat was nice enough to allow Ildemaro Vargas extend his hitting streak to 22 games early to avoid any sort of drama, a cheapie bloop single to shallow left. But Adrian Del Castillo was Sproat’s fourth strikeout victim, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nolan Arenado popped out, and it was a pretty easy second inning.
Rodríguez had a quick bottom of the second against the soft bottom of the Brewers lineup. Jose Fernandez led off the third with a base hit, but Sproat got Alek Thomas to fly out and Fernandez was caught stealing. With two outs, Sproat issued his first walk to Perdomo, and Marte put a scare into the Brewer faithful with a fly ball to deep right, but Greg Jones caught it calmly with his back against the wall.
Milwaukee added on in the bottom of the third, and it was the lefty Turang, again. After Lockridge started the inning with a bunt single, Turang hit another hard line drive just to slight center, but he hit it hard enough that Thomas, the Arizona center fielder, couldn’t make the catch going back. It was over his head for Turang’s second double, and Lockridge scored from first to make it 2-0.
Arizona answered in the top of the fourth. After Sproat struck out Carroll for a second time to start the inning, Del Castillo hit an opposite-field homer just over the outstretched glove of Lockridge in left field. After that, Vargas and Gurriel hit back-to-back singles on lazy, looping line drives (77 and 82 mph exit velocity), and Chris Hook was out of the dugout for a visit with runners on first and second and one out.
The mound visit did not work. Sproat threw two sinkers low and in to Arenado; he fouled off the first, but detonated the second one, which went way out to left field (411 feet). Two of the four hits that Sproat allowed in the inning were cheap, but the runs counted just the same, Arizona had a 4-2 lead, and what started as an outstanding night for Sproat had quickly turned sour.
Milwaukee put themselves in a good position to get something back in the bottom of the fourth. Luis Rengifo led off with a double over the head of Carroll in right that bounced into the stands. But Jones unwisely burned the Brewers’ only remaining challenge before striking out and Perkins popped out behind the plate for two quick outs that didn’t advance the runner. Joey Ortiz came from behind to work a two-out walk, and Lockridge walked too, even after a 3-1 pitch that was initially called ball four was overturned by a Diamondbacks challenge. That gave Turang, who already had two doubles, a big opportunity with the bases loaded and two outs. But Turang grounded out, and the rally fizzled.
Perdomo walked to lead off the fifth. Marte hit a ground ball that looked like it might become a double play, but a miscommunication meant no one covered first base and Ortiz could return the throw to first. Still, Milwaukee erased the lead runner, but that was all for Sproat, who was pulled from the game after 4 1/3 innings. DL Hall replaced Sproat and promptly struck out Carroll, the third time he’d struck out on the night, and got Del Castillo to pop out to Rengifo in foul territory.
Sproat’s night featured highs (he struck out the first four batters of the game in extremely impressive fashion) and lows (two homers, four runs in the fourth inning). That’s sort of a microcosm of the Sproat experience thus far this season, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the young right-hander.
Contreras hit a ball pretty well to start the fifth but he hit it to the wrong part of the ballpark and it became the first out. Bauers grounded out, but a two-out walk to Sánchez spurred Arizona manager Torey Lovullo to go to his bullpen, a decision that Rodríguez—who, I noted in the game thread, is only four wins from 100 for his career—wasn’t happy about. In any case, Kevin Ginkel entered to flip Rengifo to the left side of the plate; that didn’t work, as Rengifo singled to right and sent Sánchez to third, and Pat Murphy countered the Ginkel move by pinch-hitting Garrett Mitchell for Jones. That didn’t work either, as Mitchell struck out to end the inning.
Hall kept pitching in the sixth and got a 1-2-3 inning, although not without some excitement; with two outs, Arenado hit a grounder to third, and Rengifo’s throw to first went over Bauers’ head. But Arenado tried to go to second, and the ball bounced back to Ortiz in between first and second base, and he threw to Rengifo, covering second, who tagged Arenado out (although Milwaukee had to successfully challenge the play, as Arenado was called safe on the field).
Sal Frelick, who’d entered defensively for Perkins in the top of the inning, led off the bottom of the sixth but grounded out. David Hamilton pinch-hit for Ortiz but struck out looking, and Lockridge struck out swinging. Hall continued in the top of the seventh. He got two quick outs, but issued a two-out walk to Perdomo (his third of the game) and then gave up a single to Marte.
With 42 pitches, Murphy decided to pull Hall and go with the brand-new lefty Brian Fitzpatrick, called up earlier today to replace Ángel Zerpa. A heck of a time to make your major-league debut: two on, two out, and Corbin Carroll at the plate. Fitzpatrick should’ve gotten Carroll, who hit a dribbler up the first-base line, but Carroll is extremely fast and the ball kind of landed in no-man’s land, and he was on with an infield hit to load the bases. But Del Castillo went after the first pitch and popped it up to shallow right, where Frelick made the catch and got Fitzpatrick successfully out of the first inning of his big-league career. Congrats, kid.
The heart of Milwaukee’s order went down quickly in the seventh versus the new Arizona pitcher, Juan Morillo; Turang grounded out, Contreras flew out to the warning track in right, and Bauers struck out. Fitzpatrick continued in the eighth and allowed another infield hit, this one to Gurriel, and walked Arenado to put runners on first and second with one out. But he got Fernandez and Thomas on pop-ups, and in his debut, Fitzpatrick got four outs and didn’t allow any runs (or hits out of the infield).
Former Brewer Taylor Clarke was the pitcher in the bottom of the eighth and had no trouble retiring Sánchez, Rengifo, and Mitchell in order. Grant Anderson, on for the ninth, finally retired Perdomo, but gave up back-to-back bombs to Marte and Carroll, both of them no-doubters. Anderson, who hadn’t allowed a homer all year, was due, I guess. Arizona’s lead doubled.
Milwaukee’s offense, which had looked punchless since the third inning, had a tall task in the ninth, down four runs. It turned out that two would’ve been plenty; Paul Sewald got Frelick, Hamilton, and pinch-hitter Tyler Black in order, and the game was over.
Not a whole lot to write home about: this was a pretty standard, anonymous regular season baseball loss. Turang was the offensive standout, as he was 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Rengifo also had two hits, and Bauers added his RBI double. On the mound, we covered Sproat’s outing; Hall completed 2 1/3 solid, scoreless innings, while Fitzpatrick created a nice memory with his 1 1/3 inning scoreless debut.
The series will be decided tomorrow, when Brandon Woodruff faces off with Arizona’s Michael Soroka. It’s an early one, at 12:40 p.m.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Brady House #12 of the Washington Nationals, center, celebrate with teammates at home plate after he hits a grand slam during the fourth inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 29, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats lit up the Mets like a Christmas tree in their 14-2 mauling on a rainy night in Queens. This was a comprehensive beatdown, where the Nats dominated from start to finish. The bats and the arms were both top tier in this one, which led to the big win.
On the mound, Cade Cavalli followed up an excellent start against the Braves with an even better one tonight. The Nats right hander threw six innings of two run ball while striking out 10. This is the second straight outing that Cavalli has fanned 10 batters. He joins Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Gio Gonzalez as the only Nats to do that. Scherzer accomplished that feat on a crazy 20 occasions.
Back-to-back 10-strikeout games in Nats history: Max Scherzer (20 instances) Stephen Strasburg (6 instances) Patrick Corbin Gio Gonzalez Cade Cavalli
Cavalli’s curve was dominant tonight, getting both whiffs and called strikes. This is the second straight outing where his curveball has looked like a dominant pitch. After a rocky start to the season, Cavalli is starting to come into his own.
However, the offense is an even bigger story. The unit cooled off a bit after a red hot start to the season, but they picked it up in a big way in this game. They came out of the gates hot, scoring two runs off of David Peterson in the 1st inning. CJ Abrams opened the scoring with an RBI knock. The Nats shortstop had a big day, racking up 3 hits to bust out of his mini-slump.
Abrams was one of four Nats to have multi-hit days. Curtis Mead had the most hits on the night, with four, including a home run. The Aussie seemed to be in the middle of everything good that was happening for the Nats offense tonight. In the fateful fourth inning, Mead drove in a run by getting hit by a pitch. Mead already has a career high in home runs, with four. He has been a solid addition for the Nats.
Joey Wiemer also had a multi-hit day, which was nice to see. While Wiemer has inevitably cooled off from his historic start to the season, he has still been a useful contributor, particularly against left handed pitching. He also seems like a big personality in the locker room.
The Nats effectively won the game with one swing of the bat, and it came from a softer spoken figure in Brady House. After a great Spring Training and good start to the season, House had cooled off these past few weeks. He has not been on time for fastballs, which has led to the strikeouts piling up. However, he was on time for Sean Manaea’s 90 MPH heater and hit it into the stands for a grand slam.
It turned a 3 run inning into a 7 run inning, and broke the game open. After the grand slam, boos rained down, as Mets fans accepted that they were about to fall to 10-20. It was a team effort, but House was the man who busted it open.
On a rainy night at Citi Field, it felt like both teams wanted to go home once the 7th inning rolled around. The Nats bullpen fired off three scoreless innings against a hapless Mets offense to win it 14-2. After a pair of blowout wins for both teams, the stage is set for a rubber match tomorrow afternoon.
Feb 26, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Chas McCormick (55) hits a double in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Starter Ty Blach gave up three runs in the second inning, but nothing else as he picked up the win. Blach’s final line was three runs on four hits (including one two-run home run) over five innings. Blach walked one and struck out six.
Third baseman Pedro Ramírez tied the game in the top of the third inning with a two-run home run. Ramírez went 1 for 4 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch (on a 35 mph pitch from a position player). He also stole two bases and scored three times. Ramírez now has eight home runs this year, which ties a career-high for a season for him and we’re not finished with April yet.
Right fielder Chas McCormick was the big star tonight, going 3 for 4 with an RBI double and a two-run home run in the fifth. It was McCormick’s fourth home run this year. McCormick had the three RBI and scored twice.
First baseman Jonathon Long went 3 for 6 with three RBI and one run scored.
Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 5 with a walk and two steals. He scored two runs.
Shortstop Hayden Cantrelle was 2 for 5 with one run scored.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and two walks.
Left fielder Kevin Alcántara left this game in the sixth inning. It wasn’t immediately clear why, but I-Cubs broadcaster Jason Kempf said Alcántara appeared to grab his back after a foul ball. Alcántara was 1 for 3 with a walk and one run scored.
Starter Cole Reynolds pitched 3.1 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits. Reynolds struck out five and walked just one.
Jackson Brockett relived Reynolds and gave up a two-run home run in his first inning in High-A. Brockett got the loss after surrendering two runs on three hits over 1.2 innings. Brockett did not strike anyone out, but he also didn’t walk anyone.
All four South Bend runs came in the fourth inning. Left fielder Reginald Preciado was responsible for three of them with his second home run of the year. Preciado was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Center fielder Kane Kepley went 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly.
The South Bend social media team reminding us that Preciado was part of the Yu Darvish deal—and the last one who is still on the Cubs.
We'd like to personally thank the Padres for Reggie Preciado! 👍
David Bracho threw the first 3.2 innings without allowing a run. He did give up seven hits, but Bracho didn’t walk anyone, although he did hit one batter, and he struck out three.
Aiden Moffett pitched the middle innings and got his first professional win. Moffett did not allow a run or a hit over 2.1 innings. He did walk one batter while striking out four.
Jordan Henriquez went the rest of the way for a three-inning save. He gave up just one hit, but it was a two-run home run in the top fo the ninth to spoil the shutout. Henriquez walked two and struck out four.
The Pelicans jumped out to an early lead with a four-run bottom of the first inning. The big blow was a two-run home run by left fielder Jose Escobar. Escobar was 2 for 4.
In the second inning, DH Eli Lovich hit a solo home run. It was his third of the season and his second in two games. Lovich was 1 for 4.
In the eighth inning, catcher Logan Poteet added an insurance run with a solo home run, his second on the season. Poteet was 1 for 3 with a sac fly and two total RBI.
The Pelicans had just six hits, but three of them were home runs. They also drew five walks.
Apr 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) follows through on a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
After the bats woke up in the first game of the series with the Nationals, David Peterson and Sean Manaea collectively got shelled in another terrible loss, 14-2. On Gary Cohen’s birthday no less.
The Mets were down from the top of the first, when Peterson allowed singles to three of the first four hitters in the game, which resulted in the first run of the game. A passed ball and an RBI ground out made it 2-0 before the Mets came to the plate.
The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the first against Cade Cavalli, but Tyrone Taylor struck out to end the frame without any scoring. The Mets added their first run in the bottom of the third when Juan Soto hit an opposite-field solo home run.
Peterson started to tire in the fourth. After striking out CJ Abrams, he walked Jacob Young and allowed back to back singles to Daylen Lile and Joey Wiemer, scoring Young. Two more walks with a strikeout sandwiched in between made it 4-1, and Peterson was done. Sean Manaea entered the game and promptly forced in a run when he hit Curtis Mead. Brady House then hit his first career grand slam, and it was 9-1. The pain continued.
The Mets put men on in almost every inning, but only managed to score in the fifth, when three straigth singles to lead off the inning led to Bo Bichette scoring the second run of the game. However, a Francisco Alvarez double play and a Brett Baty strikeout ended the bases loaded, no-out threat right quick.
The Nats continued to tattoo Manaea, adding a tenth run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. That would be enough for Carlos Mendoza, who pulled him in favor of Carl Edwards Jr. An infield single, a strikeout, a walk, and a single by Young brought in the thirteenth run of the game for Washington.
At one point, Edwards had struck out five Nationals in a row, but that streak was ended when Curtis Mead hit a solo home run, making it 14-2.
Two small bits of Mets minutia/Immaculate Grid information: Austin Slater made his first appearance as a Met, flying out in his only at-bat and playing left field, and Luis Torrens made his first appearance since 2021 (and first as a Met at first base).
The Mets hope to take the series tomorrow afternoon with Freddy Peralta facing Miles Mikolas.
Big Mets winner: Juan Soto, 17.0% WPA Big Mets loser: David Peterson, -30.0% WPA Mets pitchers: -44.0% WPA Mets hitters: -6.0% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s home run, 11.3% WPA Teh sux0rest play: C.J. Abrams’s first inning single, -9.2% WPA
Five weeks into the season and with a sky-high payroll, the mismatched disaster that is the Mets roster was overmatched again in a 14-2 loss to the lowly Nationals at Citi Field that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.
“We have to be better,” Carlos Mendoza said after his team’s 16th loss in 19 games. “There’s no excuses. It’s been a long period of time here that we’re not playing well. We’ve got to fix it.”
Whether that’s even possible is a serious question.
With their latest defeat, when they allowed a season high in runs, the Mets fell to 10-20.
David Peterson reacts as he walks back to the dugout at the end of the first inning of the Mets’ 14-2 blowout loss to the Nationals on April 29, 2026 at Citi Field. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
That’s a half-game behind their NL East rivals, the Phillies, who were rained out and remained 10-19.
The weather was not as kind to the Mets faithful, as a few thousand masochists stuck around on a miserable, wet night in Queens to watch … what, exactly?
David Peterson delivered his latest awful start, as the lefty’s ERA as a starter jumped to 8.10 after allowing seven runs in just 3 ²/₃ innings.
Another rotation castoff, Sean Manaea, was called upon to replace Peterson and gave up a grand slam in the fourth.
And the offense, which briefly awoke during a seven-run fourth inning in Tuesday’s win, went back to its typical ineptness against Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli.
Sean Manaea reacts after giving up a grand slam to Brady House during the Mets’ blowout loss to the Nationals. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The lone exception to the collapse was Juan Soto, who looked to be in peak form.
He homered in a second straight game and added a single and a double.
But as everyone from Mendoza to David Stearns to Soto himself has said, even Soto can’t carry the team by himself.
The Mets, though, apparently wanted to test that theory against the Nationals, as Soto — serving as the DH again as he deals with left forearm discomfort — provided just about the only positives for a Mets team that’s now dropped four of five.
And there are five months to go.
“The challenge is coming back tomorrow with a good attitude, a good mindset, work hard and try to take care of tomorrow’s game,’’ Peterson said. “It’s easy to let things compound. It’s easy to get caught up in it, but the only way to get out of it is to take it one day at a time and attack and win tomorrow.”
As Mendoza said before the game: “We’ve got to play better baseball, period. Regardless of who we’re playing, we’ve got to start winning series. We haven’t been able to do that for a long period of time now.”
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez reacts after he strikes out looking against the Washington Nationals in the first inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
And they may have even made it harder on themselves Wednesday during their rare win Tuesday, when Mendoza went to Tobias Myers — who has pitched well out of the bullpen — for two innings with an eight-run lead.
So the right-hander was unavailable to either open for Peterson — who started because Washington had two left-handers among their top four hitters — or take over for him in the fourth.
Honestly, it’s hard to fathom any combination of pitchers or position players — short of cloning Soto — would have helped the Mets on Wednesday.
An announced crowd of 32,624 — and fortunately, not nearly that many actually showed up — made its displeasure known throughout the latest defeat.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
As there has been with alarming frequency this season at Citi Field, the booing could be heard at some point during nearly every inning.
With five months to go in what’s already been an interminable season, the Mets surely have hit rock bottom.
But as they’ve proven consistently so far this year, there’s apparently always lower to go.
Apr 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) and left fielder Nathan Church (27) and right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At times it wasn’t pretty, but the St. Louis Cardinals got it done again as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night 5-4 thanks to Andre Pallante, two doubles from JJ Wetherholt and a game-saving catch by Nathan Church.
Let’s start with the excellent start from Andre Pallante as he went deeper into Wednesday night’s game than any of his appearances this season. He tossed 6 strong innings giving up only 1 run before he turned the game over to the bullpen. More on that almost dumpster fire later.
The St. Louis Cardinals got on the board first when JJ Wetherholt continued his homecoming party doubling to the opposite field in the 3rd inning which scored Urias making it 1-0 Cardinals.
St. Louis would add to their lead in the top of the 5th inning when Alec Burleson hammered a 411 foot home run to left-center giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t roll over as they answered in the bottom of the 5th inning cutting into the Cardinals lead 3-1. Victor Scott’s speed would become a factor in the top of the 7th inning when he stole a base and scored on a single by Ivan Herrera increasing the Cardinals lead to 4-1.
Herrera would score on a single by Jordan Walker also in the top of the 7th inning making it 5-1 St. Louis and they would need that additional run because…the bullpen. Ryne Stanek would come in for the bottom of the 7th inning and he was ineffective and that’s being kind. He walked Konnor Griffin then gave up a single to Bart. Griffin would advance to third on a wild pitch by Stanek. Ryne followed that up with a walk to Cruz to load the bases. Manager Oli Marmol went to the bullpen for emergency help in the form of JoJo Romero. He would immediately give up a single to Yorke scoring 2 runs cutting the St. Louis lead in half 5-3. Reynolds was then walked, but JoJo was fortunately able to get O’Hearn on a strikeout followed by a groundout by Ozuna to end the bottom of the 7th.
George Soriano was brought in for the bottom of the 8th inning, but drama followed him, too, not all of his doing. Gonzalez singled followed by a walk to Horwitz. Mangum grounded into what should have been at least a force-out if not a double play to Masyn Winn, but he bobbled it for an error leaving everyone safe. Cruz would ground out on a fielder’s choice for the 2nd out to JJ Wetherholt, but a run scored on the play making it 5-4 Cardinals.
Riley O’Brien came in for the save in the bottom of the 9th and he succeeded – barely. After getting Reynolds to ground out to start the 9th, O’Hearn hit a bloop single to left. Riley struck out Ozuna for the second out, but the final out would be dramatic. Gonzalez hit a ball to deep left that looked like it would be a walk-off winner for the Pirates, but Nathan Church did a very Nathan Church thing.
St. Louis will go for the 4-game sweep against Pittsburgh on Thursday as Hunter Dobbins will take the mound for his first St. Louis start against a guy you’ve probably heard of named Paul Skenes. First pitch scheduled for 11:40am central time Thursday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 29: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves reacts with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tigers needed their ace tonight, and they got him.
Tarik Skubal was as advertised. Outside of one blemish to start the game, he did not allow a Braves runner in scoring position in his seven innings of work. It would’ve been a well-deserved, tip-your-cap type of win.
But the 2026 Braves simply won’t be denied. Pitching by Ritchie, Lee, and López kept them in it, and our patience was richly rewarded with a Matt Olson walk-off home run to clinch another series win for Atlanta.
JR Ritchie’s first inning set the tone for his home crowd debut: serviceable, but not as dominant as what we’d seen in the DC matinee. The Tigers worked deep counts and didn’t go down 1-2-3 in any inning he pitched. In the first inning, he worked around a Gleyber Torres walk and Colt Keith single, but got two K’s to strand them.
In the bottom half of the first, the Braves drew first blood against Skubal by way of a Drake Baldwin single and an Ozzie Albies home run that looked identical to the one he hit to left field last night.
However, Ritchie would give those runs back in the top of the second in a two-out rally by Detroit. Wenceel Pérez, who spoiled last night’s shutout with a homer off Aaron Bummer, doubled to left. Ritchie walked the recently-recalled nine hole hitter Jace Jung. Hitting machine Kevin McGonigle’s single made it 2-1. An ill-advised pickoff attempt would tie it up 2-2.
Unfortunately, Skubal settled in to shut down the Braves, sending us to the third. Riley Greene’s leadoff homer would give the Tigers the lead, 3-2.
The next few innings would be largely uneventful. Drake Baldwin notched a second hit off Skubal, Ritchie worked around runners on the corners in the fourth. In their respective innings, Matt Olson and Michael Harris II tried to set the table for a Braves offensive rally, only to be erased by double plays by Austin Riley and Jonah Heim, respectively.
Ritchie came back out for the sixth and walked Kerry Carpenter, but got Spencer Torkelson to fly out before exiting to an appreciative ovation from the fans at home. Ritchie’s final line: five and a third innings pitched, five hits, three earned runs, four walks, and the homer to Greene. It wasn’t as efficient or commanding as his performance against the Nationals, but selfishly, I hope he is able to stick around to start in his hometown vs Seattle next week.
Dylan Lee, back from his one-day stint on the paternity list, finished off the sixth and set them down in order in the seventh.
Midway through Matt Olson’s at bat in the seventh, Tarik Skubal summoned his coaches and trainers and seemed to indicate that he was feeling something in his elbow or forearm. But after seemingly easily convincing him that he was fine enough to stay in, he looked more than fine as he struck out Olson, Riley, and Dubón in order.
Reynaldo López came trotting out of the bullpen to relieve Lee and only needed eight pitches to retire the Tigers in order. Efficient, but sideyeing that velo a little as he irons out his mechanics. Another thing to watch? Michael didn’t seem comfortable after gloving a sharp lineout.
Former National Kyle Finnegan came in to face the Braves in the eighth. He struck out Mike before Walt Weiss went to his bench to pinch-hit for White and Heim. Mike Yastrzemski flew out, and Dominic Smith worked an ABS-assisted walk. Ronald walked and the table was set for our clutchest boy, Drake Baldwin. It was looking promising as he fouled off pitch after pitch and the speedy Jorge Mateo ready to rev the wheels and tie it up on a base knock. But it wasn’t to be as he grounded out to end the inning. Disappointed, but not in you, sweet Drake. Never in you.
Reynaldo went back out for the top of the ninth and threw another nine pitches to get three outs.
Old friend Kenley Jansen took the mound for the Tigers looking for a save to add to his illustrious career. But he must still harbor some love for his ATL days, as he walked Ozzie on six pitches and getting the leadoff man aboard for Matt Olson. Matt had been hitting the ball pretty hard all night without much to show for it. Austin Riley lurked on the on deck circle. But all Riley had to do was watch it go off the bat of Matty O.
Bring out the Dubble Bubble bucket hat! This one feels especially good after Tarik Skubal did Tarik Skubal things for so much of the evening. That’s another series win, and an extension of the winning streak vs Detroit we mentioned earlier.
The Braves will go for the sweep in some brunch baseball tomorrow. Elder and Valdez will face off starting at 12:15 pm ET.
The Mets were routed by the Washington Nationals 14-2 on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
Here are some takeaways...
- David Peterson's return to the starting rotation didn't quite go as planned. Washington jumped on the left-hander for a pair of runs on three hits and a passed ball in the top of the first, continuing his season-long struggles in an inning he mastered all of last season.
- Peterson appeared to have settle in nicely, retiring nine in a row, but the roof caved in on him in the fourth. Washington flipped the script on the Mets from Tuesday, putting together a seven-run inning of their own, with two of those coming against Peterson before they chased him from the ballgame.
- Sean Manaea entered after a bases loaded walk and he didn't fare much better, forcing in another run with a HBP then giving up a grand slam to put this one out of reach. Peterson's ERA now sits at an ugly 6.53 after allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks over just 3.2 innings of work in his first start back in the rotation.
- The Mets' offense did try to pick Peterson up after his rough start to the night, as they used a double and two walks to load the bases against Cade Cavalli with two outs in the first, but the righty struck out Tyrone Taylor with a 3-2 sinker up in the zone to dance his way out of danger.
- Juan Soto had the double which started that first inning rally. The red-hot outfielder also got the Mets on the board in the third with an opposite-field homer for the second straight night, and then picked up his third hit to try to start a rally trailing by eight in the bottom of the fifth.
- MJ Melendez followed Soto's knock with a single off the first baseman's glove. Francisco Alvarez immediately rolled into his sixth double play of the season, though, killing any hopes of a rally and allowing the Nats off the hook. The young backstop struck out looking in his other three AB's, bringing his average down to .123 over his last seven games.
- Marcus Semien enjoyed himself a nice day at the plate, singling twice across his three at-bats.
- Manaea ate the next two innings but fared just as poorly as Peterson. Washington tacked on five more runs against him, ripping seven hits, five of which went for extra-bases. Manaea has given up 15 runs over his last five appearances, raising his ERA to 6.14 for the season.
- Carl Edwards Jr. gave up a run but threw well, striking out six over 2.2 innings of work.
Game MVP(s): Curtis Mead
Mead fattened up against the Mets' pitching, stringing together his first career four-hit game.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers reacts after loading the bases during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Baltimore.
The Orioles will be without a key arm in the rotation for at least the next two weeks.
Baltimore placed lefty Trevor Rogers on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with an undisclosed illness. The move is retroactive to Sunday.
Pitcher Cameron Foster was summoned from Triple-A to fill the open roster spot.
In a start Saturday against the Red Sox, Rogers lasted a season-low 1 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in what turned into a 17-1 loss.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers reacts after loading the bases during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Baltimore. AP
“I felt really good going into today. My body feels good. I think my stuff’s in a really good spot,” the 28-year-old told reporters after the loss, according to MLB.com. “I’m just going to keep working and keep staying disciplined and I know, in the long run, this will turn around. … I know if I continue to do what I need to do and keep throwing the pitches in good spots, eventually, it’s going to go my way. I pride myself on getting contact and getting guys to swing the bat. I’m doing that. It’s just falling and just some big innings right now.”
Even though he didn’t take the hill until May, Rogers was one of the bright spots on the Orioles last year when he carried a 1.81 ERA and 0.903 WHIP across 18 starts. He received down-ballot Cy Young Award votes and finished ninth in the American League voting.
It looked like a revival for a starter who came to the Marlins as a first-round pick in 2017 and earned a National League All-Star spot in 2021 before struggling in each of the next three seasons resulting in a midseason trade to Baltimore in ’24.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Trevor Rogers wipes his face in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Sunday, April 19, 2026. AP
This year, so far, hasn’t been as promising with a 4.75 ERA through 30 1/3 innings. He’s now the 11th player on Baltimore’s current injured list.
The Orioles, who were rained out on Wednesday, have a 14-15 record and are third in the AL East. The starting pitching has not gotten the job done, as not a single one of their rotation members with at least 20 innings this season has an ERA under 4.00.
Colorado Rockies designated hitter Hunter Goodman (15) gestures after hitting a 2-run home run in the seventh inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It looks like the Colorado Rockies offense just needed an extra day to arrive in the riverside city of Cincinnati. After last night’s two-run affair, the Rockies exploded on offense tonight while largely shutting down the Reds.
A spoonful of Tommy Sugar
Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 continued his run of strong pitching for the Rockies with 5.1 scoreless innings against what has been a fairly potent Cincinnati offense. Sugano wasn’t as sharp as usual, issuing three walks with two strikeouts, but he kept the Reds off the board despite those walks and four hits. He also had a little help from a sharp Rockies defense. In the bottom of the first inning, Ezequiel Tovar made a diving stop and threw out a Reds baserunner at home to end the inning.
After issuing a single and a walk to start the sixth inning, Sugano managed to get one final out before his pitch count and situation pulled him from the game. His ERA for the season now sits at just 2.84, the lowest of any member of the Rockies’ rotation. Only Chase Dollander—operating largely as bulk relief with an opener—has a lower ERA.
Believe in the bullpen
Lefty Brennan Bernardino entered the game with two runners on and only one out with the goal of keeping the Rockies’ shutout intact. Brett Sullivan and Ezequiel Tovar caught the lightning-quick Elly De La Cruz stealing before an easy flyout ended the inning. Bernardino would work another full inning with a strikeout before his night was done, though he did give up one hit.
Juan Mejia took over for the eighth inning and did give up a leadoff base hit, only to quickly set down the next three batters swinging.
Jimmy Herget, newly reinstated from the paternity list, had a little rust to shake off in a ninth inning that was largely a formality. All three outs he recorded were strikeouts, but he did give up two earned runs on four hits. The earned runs were via a Will Benson home run, the first home run Herget has given up since July 29th of last season.
The game had a promising start when Brenton Doyle doubled in his first at-bat of the day and was followed up walks issued to Willi Castro and Hunter Goodman. Backup catcher Brett Sullivan then slapped a bases-clearing double to right field to give the Rockies an early 3-0 lead.
A Willi Castro RBI double in the third inning and a Hunter Goodman solo home run in the fifth had the Rockies up 5-0, but the damage kept coming. In the top of the seventh inning Hunter Goodman demolished a second home run—his eighth of the season and the Rockies’ league-leading fifth multi-home run game of the season—to score another two runs. A Kyle Karros sacrifice fly scored yet another run.
With the Rockies up 8-0 in the top of the ninth inning, the Reds chose to wave the white flag and send in catcher Jose Trevino to pitch. The Rockies didn’t take it easy on Trevino, scoring another five runs on six hits. The inning saw Ezequiel Tovar, Kyle Karros, and Mickey Moniak get their first hits of the ballgame, with Moniak’s double extending his current hitting streak to 13 games. When all was said and done, the Rockies had gone 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. It was a breath of fresh air after yesterday’s 1-for-11 mark.
Sadly, only Jordan Beck was left hitless after the festivities. Beck went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts and currently has a .440 OPS this season. Meanwhile, Brett Sullivan and Hunter Goodman were the heavy hitters of the evening, both going 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies have an early start time tomorrow as they close out the series against the Reds and look for a series win on the road. Righty Michael Lorenzen will make the start for Colorado against Cincinnati lefty Andrew Abbott. First pitch is scheduled for 10:40 AM MDT.
Apr 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter (30) catches a fly ball against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Tigers were hoping to bounce back from their Tuesday evening loss to the Braves, and they were hoping Tarik Skubal would be the man on the mound to make that happen. Atlanta was leaning on J.R. Ritchie to get them the second win of the series.
The Tigers started out aggressively against Ritchie, with a one-out walk to Gleyber Torres followed by a single for Colt Keith. But two outs followed, despite Dillon Dingler’s attempt to challenge a third strike call that ended the inning. Skubal, meanwhile, had a rough start to the first. with Drake Baldwin getting a one-out single, followed by some unfortunate deja vu as Ozzie Albies homered into left to score two runs. Atlanta would have to settle for just those runs, but it was a tough way to get the game going.
With two outs in the second it seemed like the Tigers might already be fizzling, but then Wenceel Perez doubled, followed by a Jace Jung walk. Kevin McGonigle then singled on a liner into center, bringing Perez home. Then, Ritchie made an error attempting to pick off McGonigle, which allowed Jung to come home and tie up the game. It was all the Tigers would get, but they were two mighty important runs.
The Braves went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning because Skubal doesn’t like having bad innings and tries to make teams suffer for them.
The third showed that the Tigers weren’t going to let this game stay tied for long. With one out, Riley Greene hit a solo home run practically to dead center. Two outs followed but the Tigers sure did have the lead when it was all said and done. Now they just had to keep it.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Drake Baldwin singled, but the Braves weren’t able to convert the baserunner.
In the fourth, Perez got on base for the second time in the game with a one-out walk. Another out later, McGoingle continued to McGonigle, singling to put two men on. Unfortunately, a Gleyber Torres groundout ended the inning with no additional runs scored. In the home half, Matt Olson singled to start things off, but don’t clutch your pearls just yet because he was quickly eliminated in a double play off the bat of Austin Riley. A groundout then ended the inning no harm done.
The fifth inning saw the Tigers going 1-2-3. Michael Harris II singled to start the home half, but a flyout and double play then safely ended the inning.
Kerry Carpenter got a leadoff walk in the sixth, and while Ritchie did collect the first out of the inning with a Spencer Torkelson flyout, his day was still done. Dylan Lee came out of Atlanta’s bullpen to get the final two outs of the inning. A nice little 1-2-3 outing for Skubal in the home half had to feel good for everyone involved, especially Colt Keith whose precision throw to first got the final out of the inning.
The seventh was another 1-2-3 inning, and I don’t know about everyone else watching but I do feel like some insurance runs might be a good idea here. There was a concerning pause at the start of the home half where Skubal had Dingler come out to the mound and it looked like he might be having some left forearm discomfort. A.J. Hinch and assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades came out to look at him, but he waved everyone off and stayed in the game. Whatever was going on with him didn’t seem to lessen his skill, though, as he mowed through the side in order.
Reynaldo López was the new Atlanta pitcher out of the pen in the top of the eighth. He got the Tigers three-up, three-down. In the home half, Skubal’s day was done after seven, his final line for the game was 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 91 pitches. Kyle Finnegan came in out of the Tigers’ pen. While a missed call would have gone Detroit’s way with a called third strike, it was overturned by the ABS for ball four for Dominic Smith. Ronald Acuña Jr. then drew a walk. A groundout from Baldwin ended the inning, though, and Finnegan was no worse for the wear.
The Tigers once again went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and had to hope they’d done enough to hold onto the lead. Helping them manage it would be Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the inning, trying to add to his all-time saves total. Jansen started out rough, with a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies. Matt Olson then hit a home run right into the bullpen to walk off the game and make the Tigers regret not getting more insurance runs.
But just like pretty much everything else in Queens this season, it hasn’t gone as planned.
The right-hander is back on the IL with lumbar spine inflammation and won’t throw for a week to 10 days after he received an epidural Tuesday.
When the right-hander might return is anyone’s guess.
Senga said Wednesday he’d been dealing with at least some form of discomfort in the area as far back as spring training, but it wasn’t until his most recent outing against the Rockies on Sunday that it became clear he couldn’t pitch with it.
“I was able to manage it, [but] it got to a point Sunday where it was definitely affecting my pitching and I had to bring it to their attention,’’ Senga said through an interpreter.
Sunday’s performance was Senga’s third straight ugly outing, as he’s allowed 16 earned runs over 8 ¹/₃ innings in the three starts.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
He noted that at times “it became difficult to stand on one leg” because of the injury.
This is just the latest in a growing list of health woes Senga has suffered after his standout 2023 rookie season.
In 2024, Senga pitched just once in the regular season thanks to a shoulder strain and then a strained left calf before he returned for the playoffs.
Last season, he strained his hamstring when he jumped to catch a high throw from Pete Alonso while covering first base. He pitched poorly upon his return and wound up agreeing to go to Triple-A Syracuse.
Senga said Wednesday no such conversations took place about going back to the minors again in order to get right on the mound.
And he said there was no timeline yet for a potential return.
“The outlook is difficult,’’ Senga said. “We have to see how the body responds. I’m solely focused on getting back out there as soon as possible.”
Kodai Senga is on the IL. AP
As the Mets have seen in the past, though, it’s becoming hard to count on Senga’s availability. The Mets have reinserted David Peterson in the rotation after sending him to the bullpen and are set to start Christian Scott on Friday against the Angels in Anaheim.
“As a baseball player, my job is to be on the field and play for my team,’’ Senga said. “Not to be able to do that is frustrating.”
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals rounds the bases after he hit a three-run home run against the Athletics in the tenth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game two of the series in Sacramento is tonight, and the Royals have an opportunity to lock down their second series win in a row. Winning five out of six, and scoring quite a lot of runs in the process, has really calmed the doom and gloom down. Now the team needs to keep going strong as they try to climb back out of the early hole that they dug for themselves.
Tonight that means we will see Michael Wacha versus Luis Severino. The two veterans have had very different seasons so far. Wacha has been great to start the season posting a 2.51 ERA over his first five starts. He is probably not going to stay quite that good according to the underlying metrics, but he is still looking like a solid starter for the club to depend on. Severino, on the other hand, has a 5.17 ERA and is walking a little over 6 per 9 innings. His peak years of Cy Young contention are now in the distant past, but there is still talent and velocity in that arm, though we hope this is not the start that he finds it.
The Royals will be without Pasquantino, which means Carter Jensen is moving up in the lineup.
Athletics pitcher Luis Severino gets the start against the Kansas City Royals tonight in West Sacramento. | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
The A’s let one slip through their fingers last night against the Royals, but the good news is the two teams are back at it tonight at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The lack of clutch hitting was the key last night, so let’s hope the guys in Kelly Green & Gold can mash when it counts in today’s matchup.
Luis Severino gets the start for the Athletics today. Severino, the 32-year-old righty out of the Dominican Republic is 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts in 2026. He’s struck out 32 in 31.1 innings so far. Severino has a career 5-1record with a 3.67 ERA against the Royals with 32 K’s across 41.2 innings. He’ll go up against 34-year-old righty Michael Wacha for the Royals. Wacha is 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA this year over five starts. Over the course of his career, he has started three games against the Athletics and gone 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA and twelve strikeouts.
