PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 14: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pitching Matchup: Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Milwaukee Brewers looking to grab a win.
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Los Angeles, CA - April 13: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) walks off the pitchers mound during the eighth inning of an MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Monday, April 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers finish off their weekend series against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, and give the ball to Justin Wrobleski, who is currently on a heater.
Wrobleski has lasted eight innings and seven innings in his last two starts, allowing one total run with no walks in wins over the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies, the latter in the thin air of Coors Field in Denver. The southpaw was won all three of his April starts, with two runs allowed in 20 innings this month.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga is having a stellar April as well, with three runs allowed in his four starts and 24 innings this month, with 25 strikeouts against only four walks.
The Dodgers are 4-1 in games against southpaw starting pitchers this season, and have a 135 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, second in MLB to the Cubs at a 147 wRC+.
BRONX, NY - APRIL 09: Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches during the game against the New York Yankees on April 9, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We’re in first place baby! The A’s came into Arlington and took the first game of this three-game weekend series. Now the team has a chance to put some real distance between them and their division foes as the A’s go for their second straight win in Texas. It’s not even May yet but still, these games count at the end of the year so gotta play hard. Should be an exciting one this evening!
The A’s are sending left-hander Jeffrey Springs to the hill this evening for his sixth start of the season. The southpaw has been electric for the squad in the early going, making a claim to be the best arm in the starting five. He’s coming off an especially rough outing though as he allowed seven White Sox to cross home plate last time out. The veteran will be looking to bounce back this afternoon against a team he’s had some success against in the past.
Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to put together his lineup for this evening’s contest:
The starting lineup gets a smidgen of a shake up at the top as Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers swap spots. It’ll be Shea leading things off for the A’s as he’ll also be getting a half-day off by DH’ing this afternoon. After that we got a new name in the #3 spot with another rookie in Colby Thomas. Kotsay sure likes to test things out in the most critical spot in the batting order, doesn’t he?
No Carlos Cortes in the lineup. Interesting decision by Kotsay but everyone needs a breather. We got most of the regulars in there this afternoon though, save for right and second base. The keystone will be handled by Darell Hernaiz this evening as Jeff McNeil gets a day off. Austin Wynns is behind the plate and batting eighth, right ahead of new center fielder Zack Gelof, who earned another start after a fantastic night on both sides of the ball. Are we seeing the beginnings of a legitimate option in center? Another big night would go a long ways for him.
They’ll be tasked with going up against their own left-handed opponent tonight in MacKenzie Gore. Like Springs, he’s had a solid start to his season overall but is on the downturn coming off a rough outing last time out. The A’s would surely like to see that trend continue and hopefully they can jump on the young lefty soon and get him out of the game early. We want to see the relievers in the Texas bullpen this evening.
Apr 23, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter (32) runs the bases and hits an inside the park home run during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Stanton was not in the Yankees' starting lineup for the middle of New York and the Astros' three-game set on Saturday. And speaking before the first pitch, Stanton told the media in Houston that his calf is feeling better and that the organization will wait another 24 hours to decide on the next steps.
No imaging has been done on Stanton's calf, but that could change depending on how he feels on Sunday.
“It’s not ideal, but that doesn’t mean great or terrible,” Stanton said of his ailment.
When asked if he could pinch-hit Saturday, Stanton said he hasn't taken swings yet, so he wasn't sure, but he noted that he doesn't know if he's even going to attempt to swing a bat either.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the team will give the situation a few hours before deciding on how long Stanton will be out of the lineup.
“Whether that turns into a day-to-day situation, or if it turns into a short IL, we'll see," Boone said. "We’ll kind of let the next several hours play out.”
The Yankees wrap up their Houston series Sunday before heading to Arlington to take on the Rangers for three games starting Monday. The Yankees will return home after that, starting a three-game series with the Orioles on Friday.
Stanton is slashing .256/.302/.422 with three home runs, 14 RBI and a .724 OPS so far this season.
Apr 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) slides safely past St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) for a stolen base during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 25: Nathan Church #27 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners in the second inning at Busch Stadium on April 25, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you ask starters Matthew Liberatore and Bryan Woo, Saturday’s Cardinals versus Mariners game did not go according to plan as both teams launched 8 home runs in total, but Seattle ended up with more runs on the scoreboard winning 11-9.
The Seattle Mariners struck first when Julio Rodriguez crushed a ball into Big Mac Land after Cal Raleigh singled giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. That lead didn’t last long as JJ Wetherholt turned on the 2nd pitch he saw and hit a no-doubt home run into the right field stands for his first-ever leadoff homer.
The very next pitch would also become a souvenir, this time in the left field stands, as Ivan Herrera also went yard tying the game at 2-2.
The 2nd inning was equally exciting as Garver reached on an infield single for the Mariners and he scored when Will Wilson hit a 2-run shot making it 4-2 Seattle. That lead was cut in half in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Nathan Church turned a Bryan Woo pitch into an extra ball for the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen to play around with.
The Cardinals pulled even in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Jordan Walker lined a hard single to right field followed by Nolan Gorman doing the same. Walker would score on a bloop single by Masyn Winn that likely should have been a double as the ball landed just barely fair and then bounced up against the netting and then falling back into the field of play. Winn thought it was a ground rule double but the ground rules said it was a live ball. Fortunately Nolan Gorman did advance to third on the play and then he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Church giving the Cardinals the lead 5-4. Winn would score on a 2-run home run by Pedro Pagés who yanked a ball just to the right of the left field foul pole making it 7-4 St. Louis.
Batting practice would continue into the 4th inning when Cole Young (you guessed it) hit a home run to draw the Mariners closer at 7-5 which inspired manager Oli Marmol to bring in Gordon Graceffo with just one out in the 4th inning. Matthew Liberatore’s line for the day was a mere 3 1/3 innings giving up 8 hits including 3 that left the yard and 5 earned runs. Graceffo was able to shut down Seattle by getting Cal Raleigh to hit into a double play. Woo was pulled after just three innings giving up 9 hits and 7 earned runs. He was replaced by Ferrer who started the Cardinals part of the 4th inning allowing a hit to JJ Wetherholt and then hit Ivan Herrera with a pitch, but Burleson, Walker and Gorman were unable to add to the Cardinals lead.
Seattle would reduce the St. Louis lead to just one in the top of the 5th inning when Rodriquez reached on a bloop single. He stole second and was then moved over to third on a ground out to the right side by Naylor. Randy Arozarena brought him in on a sacrifice fly to center making it 7-6 Cardinals. The Mariners would nearly tie the game with one out in the top of the 6th inning when Garver would hit a ball off of reliever George Soriano that would have cleared the left field wall if not for the heroic effort of Nathan Church who made an amazing grab. Young would hit a double high off the center field wall over Victor Scott II and he would score on a single by Wilson tying the game 7-7.
Nathan Church would untie the game in the bottom of the 7th inning when he slammed his second home run of the game after Masyn Winn singled to left giving the Cardinals a 9-7 lead.
Pedro Pagés would leave the game with possible hamstring trouble after beating out an infield single after Church’s home run.
JoJo Romero got into all kinds of trouble in the 8th inning giving up singles to Young and Garver. Rivas laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to third to move both of them over. Marmol then brought in Riley O’Brien to try and slam the door on the Mariners, but instead the door flung wide open when Connor Joe singled them both in tying the game 9-9. O’Brien would also give up a single to Julio Rodriguez making it first and third for the Mariners, but he would get Naylor to fly out to deep right to end the top of the 8th.
The bottom of the 8th inning was a strange one for Jordan Walker. After getting hit on the top of the hand by a pitch that looked painful, he was called out trying to steal 2nd base when he somehow failed to slide, but instead awkwardly stumbled over the base. The Cardinals appealed the call, but Walker did appear to get tagged during his epic non-slide maneuver.
The game would go off-the-rails for the Cardinals in the top of the 9th inning when the Mariners would load the bases on a bunt single by Crawford, a walk to Garver and a hit-by-pitch for Young. Rivas untied the game by singling off of Riley O’Brien giving Seattle an 11-9 lead. Matt Svanson was brought in to keep the Mariners from adding to their lead. He retired Connor Joe on a lineout to right center, but then walked Raleigh to load the bases again, but he was able to strikeout Rodriguez to close out the top of the 9th inning with no further damage done.
Seattle brought in their closer Andrés Muñoz to finish off the Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th. After walking Nolan Gorman, he struck out Masyn Winn and got a double-play getting Nathan Church to ground out as Nolan Gorman was tagged out to end the game.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage a game in the short homestand series versus the Mariners on Sunday as Michael McGreevy gets the start for St. Louis while Emerson Hancock will pitch for Seattle. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday at Busch Stadium.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - APRIL 25: General view of Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú during the MLB Mexico City Series game between San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 25, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
PADRES
DIAMONDBACKS
Ramon Laureano – LF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Fernando Tatis – RF
Ketel Marte – 2B
Jackson Merrill – CF
Corbin Carroll – RF
Manny Machado – 3B
Adrian Del Castillo – C
Xander Bogaerts – SS
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Gavin Sheets – DH
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Ty France – 1B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Freddy Fermin – C
Jose Fernandez – DH
Jake Cronenworth – 2B
Alek Thomas – CF
German Marquez – RHP
Zac Gallen – RHP
Redefining the concept of “home game” here a bit. Not the first time the D-backs have been screwed over by the schedule makers. If I remember correctly, when we played the Dodgers in Sydney to kick off the 2014 campaign, those were also considered to be “home games” for Arizona. Admittedly, it probably won’t make any difference in the final reckoning, any more than it did then. In 2014, the D-backs ended the year 64-98, thirty games back of the Dodgers. So the head-to-head record was unimportant. But it’s still slightly galling that these aren’t pulled equally from the two sides making the trip.
It isn’t the first time the D-backs have been scheduled to face the Padres in Mexico. They were originally planned to meet up in April 2020, but that got canceled for obvious reasons. Arizona have also played a number of spring training games down there, though it has been a while. The most recent was more than seven years ago, when they faced the Rockies for a couple of games in Monterrey on March 9-10, 2019. The Diamondbacks lost the first 3-1, but won the second 5-2. Four D-backs remain from the squads who took the field there. Ketel Marte and Ildemaro Vargas on the position player side, while Taylor Clarke and Kevin Ginkel pitched in those contests.
I suspect it’s going to be an offensively-driven series. Four teams have played two-game series in the Alfredo Harp Helú stadium, and only the Rockies scored less than fifteen runs in their contests. The last time the Padres were there, in 2023, they scored twenty-two runs, including a 16-11 slugfest victory over the Giants. All told, there have also been twenty-two home-runs over the four games. So, keeping the ball in the park – and, ideally, on the ground – is going to be important. Interesting the team is going with Ryne Nelson on Sunday, who has been the most fly-ball prone pitcher in our rotation. Let’s hope that doesn’t come back to bite them.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 19: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on April 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ryan Weathers is back from the paternity list and will be rejoining the rotation ahead of his start tonight in Houston against the Astros. The corresponding move was to place right-hander Angel Chivilli on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort, retroactive to April 23rd.
Asked to fulfill a bigger role early in the season with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón both recovering from long-term injuries, Weathers has been terrific in his five starts with the Yankees. The coaching staff has—thus far—helped unlock a new level in the left-hander with a 3.18 ERA and, more importantly, an outstanding 31-percent strikeout rate. He and his wife, Thayer, recently welcomed a baby boy named Paul David Weathers into the world — his middle name coming from his grandfather, the 1996 Yankees World Series champion.
Chivilli heads to the IL, having made just a couple of appearances with the big-league club after coming over from the Rockies in the offseason and beginning 2026 in Triple-A. He hadn’t pitched since coveirng 1.2 scoreless frames against the Royals on April 19th. Fellow reliever Jake Bird was recalled when Weathers was put on leave, so he had been widely expected to return to Triple-A upon Weathers’ activation, but the Chivilli injury obviously changed the status quo.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves: •Reinstated LHP Ryan Weathers (#40) from the paternity list. •Placed RHP Angel Chivilli on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 4/23) with right shoulder discomfort.
As important as who the Yankees put on the injured list is who they didn’t: Giancarlo Stanton. The right-handed hitter was removed from the Friday game due to calf tightness, and the initial report was that they were treating it day-to-day. Properly scarred from the plethora of issues Stanton has had to deal with throughout his career, fans can at least reserve some optimism that he wasn’t the one placed on the IL here — yet. He is understandably not in Saturday night’s lineup though, with Amed Rosario filling in at DH.
Stanton and manager Aaron Boone weighed in on the situation, saying that they were still in “wait and see” mode before making any kind of IL decision.
Stanton said he definitely feels “better” today than he did last night with his right calf. No testing done as yet but that could change depending on how he comes in tomorrow. “It’s not ideal but that doesn’t mean great or terrible.”
Asked if he could pinch-hit tonight, Giancarlo Stanton said he hasn't tried swinging a bat yet, so he's not sure. Wasn't sure if he would even try swinging either. #Yankeeshttps://t.co/2MAVcg7obj
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws during the first inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Well, things didn’t go very well for the Brewers yesterday against Paul Skenes. The reigning NL Cy Young struck out seven Brewers, didn’t walk any, and allowed just one single in seven dominant innings of work. Milwaukee couldn’t muster a hit against either of Skenes’ relievers, either, and they were shut out, 6-0, and managed just two batters over the minimum.
Today, they’ll look to turn their fortunes around with what should be a game with a lower degree of difficulty. But Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller isn’t a slouch, either; in five starts this season that span 29 innings, he holds a 2.79 ERA and 3.30 FIP. That FIP, though, is buoyed by the fact that he’s allowed just one homer in those 29 innings; his walks are up slightly from the past few seasons (2.8 per nine innings) and his strikeouts are down significantly (5.9, down from a peak of 9.7 when he was an all-star in 2023). For what it’s worth, Keller didn’t have a whole lot of success against Milwaukee in 2025: in three starts, he had a 4.96 ERA and 1.347 WHIP and went 0-2.
Milwaukee’s counter to Keller is Jacob Misiorowski, one of the more exciting Brewers stories of the young season. Miz hasn’t quite put it all together yet but you can feel him getting close: in five starts, Misiorowski is just 1-2 but holds a 3.04 ERA and he leads the majors with 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings. With three strikeouts tonight, Miz will move back into the major-league lead.
Tyler Black, just up from a short stint with Triple-A Nashville after coming off the injured list, will bat cleanup again today after going 0-for-3 against Skenes yesterday (like everyone else, pretty much). Greg Jones gets the start in left field in place of Brandon Lockridge, and the rest of the lineup is packed with lefties against the right-handed Keller. Only William Contreras and Joey Ortiz are in there from the right side of the plate, everyone else is left-handed.
First pitch tonight is at 6:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 15, 2025: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to pitch during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Zack Wheeler is back, but can he bring the mojo back to the team as they look to avoid an 11th loss in a row? Time will tell! Will anyone be watching this game with the Flyers Game 4 starting at 8:00pm? Time will tell!
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 23: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres scores on a Miguel Andujar RBI single against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Coors Field on April 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (17-8) at Arizona Diamondbacks (14-11), April 25, 2026, 03:05 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu – Mexico City, Mexico
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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.
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.
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.
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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.”
“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.
The Giants honored former first baseman Brandon Belt on Saturday. AP
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.
Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw (above) and Brandon Belt were high school baseball stars in Texas. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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.”
Giants manager Tony Vitello tried to recruit Brandon Belt to play for the University of Missouri when Vitello was an assistant coach there. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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.”
