Category: Baseball

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for NC State baseball, as you may have noticed. Some close games go the wrong way, you get a bit of a slump at the plate, and next thing you know it’s panic, panic everywhere. Such is baseball season. Fortunately, it’s the first week of April.

NC State put a seven-game losing streak to bed with a 7-3 win over Notre Dame on Thursday night thanks to strong work from Ryan Marohn and Anderson Nance. The Pack clinched the series the next time out with another 7-3 win, this one highlighted by Ryder Garino and Cooper Consiglio out of the pen—they struck out 10, walked just one, and gave up one run in 4-1/3 IP.

Saturday was Dude Day, and he was excellent, throwing 7-2/3 of one-run ball. NC State took a 5-1 lead into the ninth inning, and then promptly gave up five runs because this is just how baseball works sometimes, and then scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, because this is just how baseball works sometimes.

Ty Head was the hero.

Scientists have been trying for centuries to explain how baseball works*, but no one can do it. It simply can’t be done. What can you say about this? It’s another result in the middle of a long, grueling season, no more or less definitive than the one that came prior to it. It’s nice to get even in league play, though.

(*Bill James since like 1985.)

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: I am excited to watch Emerson Hancock pitch tonight.

The Mariners look to win their first series of the season Saturday against the Angels. They won Friday’s opener 4-0 in a long, frustrating, 10-inning game that didn’t really get going until the end. The bats did eventually come alive, just in time to ruin the Angels’ home opener.

Hancock will take the mound looking to make it two in a row for the Mariners and for himself. Hancock threw six no-hit innings last week against the Guardians, striking out nine in the process. He seemed to pick right up where he left off after switching to the bullpen at the end of last year, with improved velocity capable of generating a competitive number of whiffs.

One change he made in that first start was lowering his arm slot even further, continuing his trend from his brief days as a reliever. The improved Stuff+ numbers held in his first start of 2026. With three kinds of fastballs, a changeup, and a sweeper — all thrown from a low arm slot — Hancock now has all the makingss of a contemporary starter, even if “just OK” velocity limits him to a mid-rotation arm. There’s still a lot more to prove, of course, but the lack of depth in the Mariners’ rotation last year is what kept them from a more impressive win total. Hancock pitching anywhere above replacement level would be a crucial development early in 2026.

The Mariners will face Angels’ righty Jack Kochanowicz, who Jake Mailhot covered in our series preview. Brendan Donovan is out of the lineup after exiting Friday’s game with a leg injury after stepping awkwardly on first base while trying to leg out a grounder. Leo Rivas takes his place at third, and Luke Raley moves up to the leadoff spot.

Lineups

News

Brendan Donovan has been announced as day-to-day with a groin injury. He got imaging yesterday and the team will review before offering an update. He is not in tonight’s lineup.

Brennen Davis (hamstring) and Victor Labrada (oblique) have been activated in Tacoma. Both are expected to play tonight.

Game Info

First pitch: 6:38 PM PDT
TV: Mariners TV. For how to watch, Kate’s got the details.
Radio: Seattle Sports (710 AM)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Dodgers are old.

That is their reality, and that will remain their reality, regardless of what a scheduled MRI examination reveals about the lower-back pain that forced Mookie Betts out of a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Betts could be bound for the injured list only eight games into the season, and that should renew concerns of what could happen to this team.

Because if the upcoming months don’t unfold as the Dodgers envision, age will be the main reason why.

Just when the Dodgers looked as if they were off and running, and they literally were, Betts’ premature departure offered an unpleasant reminder of how Project Three-Peat could unravel.

With Kyle Tucker in front of him at second base, Betts was on first in the top of the first inning when Freddie Freeman lined a ball into the right-center field gap. Tucker scored, and so did Betts, who upon returning to the bench was complimented by manager Dave Roberts for the walk he drew. Roberts was later informed there was a problem.

“He felt it as he was running,” Roberts said.

Roberts described the injury as “certainly more moderate than significant” but said Betts is “unlikely” to play in the series finale against the Nationals on Sunday. The manager also acknowledged how this could be a setback for Betts.

“Any time you miss, it’s going to take some time to kind of get your footing,” Roberts said.

That’s less than ideal for Betts, who was coming off a down year.

What was particularly striking about Betts’ back problem was how it seemed to come out of nowhere. Ignore his .179 batting average. Betts was back.

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He looked as if he regained whatever muscle mass he lost when he contracted norovirus early last season, particularly in his upper body.

He displayed his old power, homering the opposite way at Dodger Stadium and sending a ball into the visiting bullpen at Nationals Park. His play at shortstop was better than it had ever been, enough to where an uninformed observer probably wouldn’t guess he was a converted outfielder.

“Disappointed for him because we were sort of starting to get going a little bit, and the way he’s playing defense, and he’s a big part of what we do,” Roberts said.

But as much as Betts prepared himself for this marathon of a season, he encountered a formidable obstacle in a 270-foot sprint 

Age does that to a player, and Betts isn’t the only important player on the team who is closer to the end of his career than the start.

The Dodgers made concerted efforts to turn back the clock, the front office instructing players to focus on recovering in the offseason and the players ensuring they reported to camp in better shape.

Teoscar Hernandez, 33, is lighter than he was last year, the benefits of which were shown on Friday when he legged out a couple of infield singles. Max Muncy, 35, also lost weight and looks to be moving better.

Freddie Freeman, 36, has hit into some bad luck, which is why he’s batting only .242. But he’s back to hitting line drives and his defense at first base is at the level it was when he first signed with the Dodgers. Miguel Rojas, 37, looks as if he’s prepared to take over as the team’s primary shortstop while Betts is sidelined.

But what happened to Betts is a reminder of how quickly any of that can change, underscoring the importance of Roberts’ practice of giving his veterans occasional days off. On Saturday, that veteran was Hernandez, who was replaced in the lineup by Alex Call.

The Dodgers have the best player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani. They have the most powerful offense in the major leagues. They have a rotation that includes four Cy Young-caliber starters.

But they also have several key players who are old, and the question regarding them isn’t if they will eventually fall apart but when. The World Series is in six-plus months. As much as they have worked to ensure they will hold up between now and then, one man is already down.

After a very good series opener on Thursday, and a very bad follow-up on Friday, the San Francisco Giants will look to take the lead in their four-game set with the New York Mets this evening.

Taking the mound for the Giants is right-hander Landen Roupp, who will look to reprise his phenomenal season debut last week. Against the San Diego Padres, Roupp pitched six shutout innings, while allowing just four baserunners and striking out seven. Last year, in 22 starts, the 27-year old went 7-7 with a 3.80 ERA, a 3.91 FIP, and 102 strikeouts against 45 walks in 106.2 innings.

For the Mets, it’s righty Clay Holmes, a 33-year old veteran who is also making his second start of the year. In his season debut, Holmes gave up seven baserunners and two earned runs against the St. Louis Cardinals, while striking out five batters in 5.2 innings. He made 31 starts last year (plus two relief appearances), and went 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA, a 4.11 FIP, and 129 strikeouts against 66 walks in 165.2 innings.

Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants!

Game #9

Who: San Francisco Giants (3-5) vs. New York Mets (4-4)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 6:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNTV

National broadcast: n/a

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

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Brett Baty – RF
5. Mark Vientos – 1B
6. Jared Young – LF
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Clay Holmes – RHP

Giants Lineup

1. Willy Adames – SS
2. Rafael Devers – DH
3. Heliot Ramos – LF
4. Luis Arraez – 2B
5. Matt Chapman – 3B
6. Jung Hoo Lee – RF
7. Harrison Bader – CF
8. Patrick Bailey – C
9. Jerar Encarnacion – 1B

Landen Roupp – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 9:05pm EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Athletics’ second home game of 2026 was exactly the opposite of its first game. After the A’s blew out the Houston Astros 11-4 in yesterday’s series-opener, the Astros responded with a blowout win of their own, taking advantage of porous A’s pitching and defense to win 11-0.

Playing in front of a crowd full of A’s fans clad in the team’s new Sacramento jerseys, the hosts looked to make it two wins in a row.

Yet, from the first pitch, it became apparent that today was not the A’s day.

A’s starting pitcher Luis Morales hoped to bounce back from a rough first start against the Toronto Blue Jays. That did not happen as he actually pitched worse this afternoon. The visitors scored two runs in the top of the first to seize the early lead. Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai proceeded to get through his first inning unscathed. The inning ended on a double play combination with Imai striking out Tyler Soderstrom and catcher Christian Vázquez throwing out Nick Kurtz trying to steal second base.

Morales escaped a bases-loaded jam unscathed the next inning. Unfortunately, he was not as lucky in the third. Astros first baseman Christian Walker led off with a solo home run to left field. Later that inning, the A’s defense came back to bite them. Third baseman Max Muncy let a grounder off the bat of an Astros player get by him into left field for the second straight inning. Then, left fielder Soderstrom lost a fly ball in the sun; the baseball found grass for an RBI double rather than his mitt for the third out. Both looked like errors but were ruled base hits.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay finally removed Morales after he walked the first batter of the fourth inning. He allowed five runs on eight hits and walked six while recording zero strikeouts, an outing that should earn Morales a demotion to the bullpen or Triple-A Las Vegas to work on throwing strikes and limiting hard contact.

The A’s relievers who succeeded Morales did not fare much better. Right-hander Elvis Alvarado, who replaced Morales in the fourth inning, allowed the Astros to score three more runs that frame. He pitched a scoreless second inning before left-hander Hogan Harris gave up three runs on four hits in the sixth inning.

Looking at the A’s team pitching stats, one would think that this was a Cactus League or minor league game. A’s pitchers allowed 11 runs, 18 hits and 13 walks, the latter the most since they walked 17 batters in a 2023 game against the New York Mets. Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez drew walks his first four plate appearances. The Astros finished seven-for-22 with runners in scoring position, left 17 runners on base and would have scored more had they not grounded into four double plays.

While the Astros enjoyed endless base runners and scoring chances, the Athletics offense went silent, a stark contrast to what happened last night. Imai showcased the ability that made him a multi-time All-Star in Japan, recording nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

The A’s ended the game with the same number of strikeouts on offense as walks allowed by their pitchers. Muncy had two of the A’s five hits, all of them singles. The A’s had limited scoring opportunities. Looking for an immediate answer after going down four, the team had two on with two out in the bottom of the third inning, but Imai struck out catcher Shea Langeliers to end that threat. In the sixth inning, Astros reliever Kai-Wei Teng got A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson to ground out to end the inning and strand two runners in scoring position.

Now that each team has blown out the other, tomorrow afternoon’s Easter Sunday contest will be the rubber-game with the victor winning the weekend series between these two division rivals. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will toe the rubber for the A’s, looking to pitch a bit more efficiently and further into the game in his second start of the season. He will be opposed by longtime Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball in his first start of the season.

It should be a good matchup tomorrow. Hopefully the Athletics can emerge victorious to win their first series of the season!

After exiting yesterday’s game with calf tightness and undergoing an MRI earlier today, Juan Soto revealed that he has been diagnosed with a minor right calf strain. That’s about the extent of what we know, as Soto said he does not know how long he will be out and is hoping to avoid an IL stint. Speaking to the media prior to the game, Soto said, “We’re going to see how I wake up the next couple of days and go from there.”

Soto, who has appeared in at least 150 games in each full 162-game season dating back to 2019, has not made a trip to the injured list since April 2021, so this is a unique situation for the Mets’ left fielder. Soto exited Friday’s game in the first inning after appearing to injure his calf running first to third on a single. It was the lone negative in the team’s otherwise stress-free 10-3 win.

For now, the Mets have seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario, but it will be a few days before we know definitively. Losing Soto for any amount of time would be a huge blow for the club, especially with Francisco Lindor struggling following hamate surgery, and several of the team’s newcomers, including Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien, scuffling in the early stages of the season with their new club. Soto is hitting .355/.412/.516 with one homer, three runs scored, five runs batted in, and a 162 wRC+ on the young season. Last year, Soto finished second in NL MVP voting while slashing .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs, 105 runs batted in, 120 runs scored, a 156 wRC+, and a 5.8 fWAR in 160 games.

For the eighth game in a row to kick off the 2026 MLB season, the Boston Red Sox failed to score more than five runs. They are the only team in baseball that has yet to do so this season. Get used to this.

The lineup isn’t going to be this anemic all season long — and it certainly won’t be bitterly cold with an easterly wind whipping off the harbor all season long. But the 2026 Red Sox just aren’t going to scare many opposing pitchers.

Yes, there is Roman Anthony. And in in the fifth inning he laced a triple to put the game-tying run on third base. The problem for Anthony and the Red Sox, though, is that there were already two outs and the man hitting behind him doesn’t belong near the top of an MLB lineup. It’s now been six years since Trevor Story was a real asset on offense. And in the key at-bat of the middle innings with Anthony 90 feet from home, he weakly grounded out to second.

On the pitching side of things, Connelly Early wasn’t that sharp today. He walked four batters in just four innings and spent a lot of the game nibbling around the edges. But he limited hard contact, struck out Fernando Tatis twice, and kept his team in the game, making him one of the few Red Sox players who did his job today.

Three Studs

Willson Contreras, 1-4 R, K

He scored the first run of the game and blasted a ball that would’ve been an extra base hit if Fernando Tatis didn’t cover more ground than any other right fielder I’ve ever seen. He’s seeing the ball well and is going to be massively important this season.

Marcelo Mayer, 1-3, RBI, 2 K

He knocked in the Sox first run of the game with a sac fly and, once again, looked good out there in the field. There’s no advance stat for this, but he continues to just look like a ballplayer, y’know?

Roman Anthony, 2-4

Triples are sexy, ergo Roman Anthony is sexy. Also he’s the only guy on the team who got multiple hits.

Three Duds

Trevor Story, 0-4 K

It wasn’t just the groundout with Anthony on third. He also came up with two on and no out in the 8th and struck out. The Sox ended up scraping a run across in that inning anyway, but it’s at-bats like that one that make it hard to put crooked numbers on the board.

Caleb Durbin, 1-3

Just as Story doesn’t belong at the top of a lineup, Durbin doesn’t belong in the six hole. Yes, he got a hit today. But it was an infield dribbler and he continues to swing the bat like a man who is afraid to hurt the baseball. And while Freddy Fermin’s RBI double down the third baseline definitely wasn’t his fault, it is, unfortunately, a fact that someone other than the shortest third baseman in the league might’ve been able to get a glove on it.

Aroldis Chapman, 1 IP, 2 H, K, 1 ER

He was brought into a tie game in the 9th and tasked with keeping it a tie game. He did not.

Play of the Game

I’m not putting a Padres game-winner here, so let’s take another look at Roman’s triple.

After misplays from Anthony Nunez and Coby Mayo allowed the Pirates to tie the game in the 8th, a Nick Yorke walkoff single in the 9th doomed the Orioles to their second straight loss in Pittsburgh.

Despite being tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th, manager Craig Albernaz turned to close Ryan Helsley to bring the game to extras. After starting the inning by getting Brandon Lowe to ground out to second, Helsley left a fastball over the plate to Bryan Reynolds. The former All-Star smashed a line drive to deep left field that sailed just over Dylan Beavers’ glove for a one-out double.

After intentionally walking Ryan O’Hearn, Yorke came to the plate looking to end the game. With the count knotted at 2-2, Helsley fired a fastball at Yorke’s knees that seemed to catch the bottom of the zone. However, home plate umpire Dan Iassogna incorrectly called it a ball, and the Orioles were out of challenges after a failed challenge in the top of the 9th from Gunnar Henderson. The very next pitch, Yorke lined a single to left field to bring home Reynolds and walk off the O’s.

While the 9th inning stung, the real pain point for Birdland came in the 8th. Albernaz gave the rookie Nunez his first high-leverage opportunity of the season, sending him in for the penultimate frame with Baltimore up 2-1. The first batter Nunez faced reached base when Marcel Ozuna dribbled a ball up the third base line that Mayo failed to field cleanly. The O’s 3B somewhat redeemed himself on the next AB, throwing out new Pirates star Konnor Griffin on a grounder as pinch-runner Yorke went to second. Spencer Horwitz then grounded out to second to put the tying run at third.

Pirates manager Don Kelly then pinch-hit former Ray Jake Mangum for No. 9 hitter Joey Bart. The slap-hitting outfielder chopped a ball into the triangle between the pitcher, 1B and 2B. The grounder barely evaded Nunez’s glove, allowing Mangum to reach and Yorke to score the tying run.

The O’s held that lead for most of the game thanks to a two-run rally in the 4th. With the game tied at 0-0, Gunnar Henderson led off the inning by lining a hanging CB into right field for a single. Adley Rutschman then singled sharply up the middle to move Gunnar to third. Dylan Beavers followed Rutschman’s lead, attacking a first-pitch splitter from Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski and sending it to center field to bring home Gunnar. After Mayo walked, another rocket single from Leody Taveras gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

Throughout most of the afternoon, it looked like two runs were all the O’s would need thanks to starter Shane Baz. The right-hander had dominated the Pirates in his only previous outing vs. Pittsburgh and continued that dominant streak Saturday in PNC Park.

Early on, it looked like we might see a repeat of his up-and-down Orioles debut. Baz walked leadoff batter Oneil Cruz on a 3-2 fastball, replaced him with Brandon Lowe on a fielder’s choice and then gave up a single to No.3 hitter Bryan Reynolds. Instead of unraveling, however, Baz locked in; he punched out Ryan O’Hearn on a 3-2 fastball up and away, before striking out Marcell Ozuna looking on a fastball away.

From there, the former Pirates first-round pick entered cruise control against his former employers. He sped through the 2nd inning on only 11 pitches, getting a groundout from baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin, a soft lineout from Spencer Horwitz and a flyout by Nick Gonzales. Baz was even more efficient in the 3rd, setting down Joey Bart, Cruz and Lowe just eight pitches, including making the Pirates CF look silly on a knuckle curve for the right-hander’s third strikeout.

The only blemish on his record came in the form of an unearned run in the 4th. Pitching with a 2-0 lead, Baz allowed Reynolds to reach on a tapper down the first base line, which the Orioles’ pitcher fielded but couldn’t get out of his glove in time.

The former Oriole O’Hearn followed that E1 with a hard single to right field. Both runners advanced on a groundout to Coby Mayo at third, who bobbled the grounder, forcing him to only take the out at first. After Baz hit Griffin to load the bases, Horwitz flicked a well-located curveball into left for a sac fly. Baz then got Gonzales to softly line out, ending the scoring threat and preserving a 2-1 Orioles lead.

The 26-year-old started to show some signs of fatigue in the 5th. After striking out Bart looking with another excellent knuckle curve, and getting Cruz to fly out, Baz issued two walks on 10 pitches to put the tying run at second. O’Hearn couldn’t play hero agains the O’s, though, sending a towering fly ball to center for the final out of the inning.

Perhaps unexpectedly, Baz returned for the bottom of the 6th, having already thrown 83 pitches. He picked up his fifth and final strikeout of the afternoon on another well-spun curveball to Ozuna. After getting Griffin to ground out to Mayo, Baz looked to finish off his quality start against Horwitz. Instead, the Pirates 1B would slice an automatic double into the left field bleachers to chase the Orioles starter.

After Rico Garcia came in and got the last out of the 6th, it closed Baz’s line at 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB and 5 K. While he only managed to get one more out than in his debut, the Orioles’ newest flame-throwing Texan showed the quality of pitching that earned him his recent $68M/5 years extension.

The bullpen arms followed Baz’s up until the 8th inning. Garcia walked the first batter he faced in Gonzales, but got Bart to roll over a slider to end the scoring threat. Lefty Grant Wolfram was equally cool under pressure; after giving up a single to Cruz to lead off the 7th, he struck out Lowe and Reynolds before getting O’Hearn to ground out.

The offense was not a particular bright spot either for the Orioles, as the bats only went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. However, given the late-inning meltdown by the pitching and defense, the offense will dodge most of the blame.

The Orioles will once again try and salvage the third game of an already-lost series tomorrow afternoon, when Chris Bassitt takes the mound on Easter. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35pm ET.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Rockies:

Let’s talk about it.

San Diego Padres star right-fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. struggled at the plate with four strikeouts in his first four appearances against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Saturday. In the top of the ninth, with two outs, he finally put a ball in play off Boston closer Aroldis Chapman. Tatis Jr. hit a line drive to center that got over the head and beyond the outstretched arm of Ceddanne Rafaela. By the time he tracked down the ball and got it back to the infield, Tatis Jr. was standing on second base.

Ramon Laureano, who has been the most consistent hitter for San Diego through the first two series of the season, delivered a line drive into left-center field that was fielded by Roman Anthony. The Red Sox left fielder threw to the plate, but Tatis Jr. slid in ahead of the tag and gave the Padres a 3-2 lead. The inning ended one batter later and that set the stage for San Diego closer Mason Miller.

The right-hander came into the game for just the third time this season, having converted the first two saves, and set down the Boston hitters in order with three strikeouts to seal the 3-2 win for San Diego.

Padres manager Craig Stammen cannot ask for anything more from his No. 3 starter Randy Vasquez. The right-hander entered the game against the Red Sox looking to build on a strong start in his first outing of the season against the Detroit Tigers. Vasquez allowed one run on six hits over six innings with one walk and three strikeouts.

The only issue for Vasquez and the Padres was, once again, the lineup failed to provide run support despite the stellar start from the right-hander. San Diego managed seven hits in the game with Miguel Andujar accounting for three of those. Freddy Fermin and Ty France each added a hit and the final two hits came in the ninth inning from Tatis Jr. and Laureano off Chapman, which led to the win.

The Padres will go for the series win over the Red Sox on Sunday at 10:35 a.m.

Welp… that wasn’t fun.

The Philadelphia Phillies demolished the Colorado Rockies 10-1 in yesterday afternoon’s Coors Field opener. An intriguing pitching matchup lies ahead in game two of the homestand.

Following José Quintana’s injury and corresponding move to the 15-day injured list, the Rockies are forced to shuffle their starting rotation during just the second trip through it. Left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino gets the starting nod.

Bernardino has pitched a cumulative three innings in relief across four games so far this season, including being credited with the win in the 2-1 extra innings victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s given up just two hits and no runs with one strikeout across those appearances. He (and all of the Colorado faithful) will hope to keep things clean early on.

While Bernardino will take the mound first, Chase Dollander will get a bulk of the innings. Much has been made of the Rockies’ decision to place Dollander in a bullpen role to start the season. The Rockies are committed to that decision and to letting him grow there, even in the face of early-season injuries causing some shifts.

The lineup will look a bit different than yesterday’s. Brett Sullivan will start behind the dish, with Hunter Goodman moving to the DH spot, and Troy Johnston hopping in at first base after yesterday’s DH appearance. Jordan Beck and Tyler Freeman will replace Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak in the outfield.

On the other side, the Phillies will also start a southpaw in Jesús Luzardo as they look to add to their three-game win streak. Luzardo took the loss in his first outing of 2026, giving up six runs across as many innings, with two home runs surrendered and seven strikeouts. The Phils will hope to keep the fireworks going after their three-homer and 13-hit game.

A lefty vs. lefty faceoff will dictate the flow of the series. Here are the details on the first night game of the season at Coors:

First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA Rockies Radio Network (850 AM / 94.1 FM)

SBN Site:The Good Phight

Lineups:

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets appear to have avoided a worst-case scenario with Juan Soto’s right calf, but his short-term availability remains in question.

Soto said Saturday that an MRI revealed a “minor” strain in his calf and he is evaluating the injury — which he sustained while running the bases during the team’s victory Friday — on a day-by-day basis. He remained on the active roster Saturday, giving him and team officials time to determine if an injured list stint will be necessary.

Soto’s plan was to undergo a strength test on the calf with the team’s training staff before Saturday’s 9-0 win against the Giants.

“I don’t think we’re going to run or anything like that, but we’re going to see how much strength I have and how much I can push off it coming out, compared to [Friday],” Soto said.

Soto, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, will be evaluated Tuesday before the Mets begin a new homestand. The Mets play their series finale against the Giants on Sunday and have a day off.

“We’ll give it 48-72 hours, see how it continues to progress,” Mendoza said. “I was surprised when I saw him today, the way he was moving around, but [calf injuries] are tricky, so we’ll wait and continue to call it ‘day by day’ until we have to make a decision.”

Mendoza noted the team could backdate an injured list stint for Soto to the day after he last appeared in a game.

“We’re going to have to be really careful with him,” Mendoza said. “The good news is how he’s feeling and the feedback that we’re getting from him.”

Soto opened the season with at least one hit in each of the team’s first eight games and owns a .928 OPS with one homer.

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Durability has hardly been an issue throughout his career — he has played at least 150 games in his seven full seasons, excluding pandemic-shortened 2020. Last year, he played 160 games for the Mets after signing a record $765 million contract with the club.

Mendoza said discussions have not started about options to replace Soto on the roster if he’s placed on the IL.

Tyrone Taylor is a defensive specialist with limited offensive upside. Mendoza could also move Carson Benge to left field and begin playing Brett Baty regularly in right, but that would require using Mark Vientos every day as either the first baseman or DH. The equation is muddled by Jorge Polanco’s left Achilles tendinitis, which placed him on the bench in two of the past four games before he returned as the DH on Saturday. The Mets recently signed Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, but the veteran outfielder is still ramping up in Port St. Lucie.

Nick Morabito is considered an intriguing young prospect, but would the Mets want two rookies — Benge being the other — in the same outfield? The same question holds true regarding Ryan Clifford, who would bring a potentially powerful left-handed bat to the lineup. The Mets are carrying Jared Young on the 26-man roster, but his value remains as a bench player — not an everyday option. Young started in left field Saturday. MJ Melendez, who is playing for Triple-A Syracuse, is another outfielder with major league experience.

“I think Juan is one of the key pieces to this lineup, but at the same time this is the type of team that if you look around has a lot of pieces that can go out there and step up,” Francisco Alvarez said Friday. “I think it’s unfortunate that he hurt his calf and it [would be] tough to play without him but if guys step up, I think we can be OK.”

Mets left fielder Juan Soto has a "minor strain" in his right calf, he said after getting an MRI before Saturday's game at the San Francisco Giants.

"Right now, it's just minor strain," Soto said. "Definitely, we're going to be going day by day and see how it feels. Definitely no decisions made yet. We're going to see how I wake up feeling the next couple days and go from there."

Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto in the first inning of Friday's 10-3 win over the Giants. Soto confirmed that he felt tightness in his calf while running from second to third base.

"When I stepped on the second base and I was like halfway to second and third, I felt some tightness in my calf, definitely," said Soto, who singled and subsequently went from first to third base on Bo Bichette's RBI knock that scored Francisco Lindor. "I stopped and tried to stretch a little bit, but it was just getting more tight."

Soto explained his next steps, adding that he is "positive" and feeling "really good" despite the MRI revealing a minor strain.

"Right now, we're just going to get treatment and make sure," Soto said. "We're going to test it, definitely, with the trainers in the training room. I don't think we're going to run or anything like that, but we're going to see how much strength I have and how much I can push off it."

The team is having a wait-and-see approach.

"He's got that mild strain,"Carlos Mendozasaid before Saturday's game. "But surprisingly, when I saw him earlier and the way he's moving, he's in a really good place. But that's a tricky area there. You have to be very careful with him. But the good news is how he's feeling and the feedback we're getting."

The Mets close their four-game series at the Giants with Sunday's 4:05 p.m. finale. New York returns to Citi Field for this week's three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks, starting with Tuesday's 7:10 p.m. opener.

"We will see, we will see," Soto said of his availability. "Like I said, we're going day to day. Today, we're going to see how we end up before the game, if I'm available or not, and then we're going to see tomorrow."

Soto is not in Saturday's lineup and Mendoza said that they want to give Soto 48-72 hours to see how he progresses before deciding on next steps. 

He is off to an otherwise hot start at the plate, slashing .355/.412/.516 with one home run and five RBI in eight games.

"I mean, injuries aren't good at all," Soto said. "So, yeah, it's kind of frustrating because you try to be out there. You try to put yourself in the best spot possible to be helping the team out there. But things happen. You've just got to take it like a man and keep moving forward."

WASHINGTON –– The Dodgers’ offense kept on mashing Saturday in a 10-5 rout of the Washington Nationals.

But it came at the cost of the regular season’s first injury.

In the top of the first inning at Nationals Park, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run double that scored Kyle Tucker from second and Mookie Betts all the way from first. But when the Dodgers took the field in the bottom half of the inning, Betts was out of the game with lower right back pain –– an injury expected to keep him out for at least the next couple days, and potentially land him on the injured list.

For one day, at least, Betts’ absence didn’t slow down the club’s resurgence at the plate.

After shaking off an opening week slump with a 13-run outburst Friday, they jumped all over Washington’s shaky pitching staff again, scoring nine times in the first five innings en route to a second-straight 16-hit display.

Freeman led the way with a pair of two-run doubles, following his first-inning drive with another in the second. Andy Pages continued his blistering start to the season, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in the fifth (already his third of the season) to finish the day with a .500 batting average and 10 total RBIs.

Kyle Tucker also reached base four times, with a pair of singles and a pair of walks. Will Smith had three hits, while Shohei Ohtani and Alex Call added two each.

“Obviously it’s been a lot better the last couple games,” Freeman said of the team’s sudden scoring spree. “The depth of our lineup, our team was on display today.”

That all gave Tyler Glasnow plenty of run support, taking the stress off in his six-inning, two-run, nine-strikeout gem.

But as the Dodgers (6-2) waited to learn more about Betts’ status –– he was scheduled to get an MRI later Saturday night –– concern hung over an otherwise dominant day.

What it means

Betts’ injury aside, that the Dodgers’ offense continues to find its footing.

In a lackluster opening homestand, the team’s lineup scored 23 runs with a .237 batting average in six games.

In back-to-back wins over the Nationals (3-5) this weekend, they’ve already matched that 23-run total while hitting at a .386 clip, including 10-for-25 with runners in scoring position.

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If Betts is forced to miss time, of course, it will create complications. Though he had gotten off to a slow start, hitting just .179, he made timely contributions –– such as a go-ahead two-run homer Friday –– and was flashing more pop than in his career-worst offensive performance last season.

If the Dodgers have to replace him, it would likely mean Rojas and Alex Freeland filling in at shortstop. If he goes on the IL, Hyeseong Kim would likely be recalled from triple-A.

In the meantime, the Dodgers will need the rest of the superstars in their lineup to keep hitting.

The last two days have shown what happens when they can.

Who’s hot

Since it would be hard to pick just one with the way the Dodgers have swung the bats this weekend, let’s go off the beaten path.

On Saturday, the team was 3-for-4 on ABS challenges –– with a couple key early appeals helping them take control of the game.

During the first week of the season, the Dodgers had been fine, albeit selective, when using MLB’s newly introduced system. They ranked eighth in the majors with a 62% success rate, saving most of their 13 attempts for the later innings of games.

Against the Nationals, however, the team used ABS challenges early and often. In both the first and second innings, catcher Will Smith successfully challenged calls that led to strikeouts, getting a called third strike against James Wood and another that put Curtis Mead in an 0-2 hole.

It was the same story offensively, with Call getting a strikeout negated by appealing on a called third strike in the third inning. The overturned decision kept his at-bat alive, allowing him to hit a bloop RBI single two pitches later.

Who’s not

Unfortunately for Ben Casparius and Edgardo Henriquez, they were the only real options Saturday. Casparius gave up a two-run homer to CJ Abrams in an eighth-inning relief appearance, and Henriquez allowed another run in the ninth.

Outside of long man Justin Wrobleski, they are only two relievers this year to have allowed more than one run.

Still, the Dodgers’ bullpen as a whole has gotten off to a strong start. Entering the day, the team’s 2.77 bullpen ERA ranked ninth in the majors –– an early, and notable, improvement from the team’s 4.27 mark last year that ranked 21st.

Up next

The Dodgers will go for a three-game series sweep Sunday afternoon, when Roki Sasaki will take the mound looking to build off his four-plus-inning, one-run start last week. Left-hander Foster Griffin starts for the Nationals. Rain is in the forecast, so first pitch could be delayed.