Category: Sports News

Columbus Clippers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

Zach McKinstry hit a home run in his Triple-A debut on Saturday, but Toledo’s offense didn’t do much else in a 5-3 loss to Columbus.

McKinstry hit his bomb in the fourth with Max Burt on base. It was the only extra-base hit of the day, but the Mud Hens still notched six other hits. Most of them came without any follow-up. Toledo strung something together in the second, too, with Andrew Navigato driving in Eduardo Valencia with a sacrifice fly.

Max Clark’s lone hit of the day came in that frame, a base hit to shortstop that turned into a throwing error that moved everyone up a base.

Bryan Sammons got the start for the Mud Hens. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. Most of the damage came in the second, when the Clippers notched three of their eight total hits. Maick Collado doubled off Sammons to tie the game up at one run apiece, and Juan Benamin gave Columbus the lead with an RBI single.

It wasn’t Sammons’ best outing, but his final line looks just fine. His fastball velocity was down a bit, and whiffs were under 20% overall. Still, he left the game tied after giving up a homer in the fifth. Konnor Pilkington was first out of the bullpen in relief. He took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the sixth — a sacrifice fly from Collado.

Tyler Mattison gave up a run on a homer in the seventh, and Tanner Rainey worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth.

It wasn’t a very exciting day in Triple-A, but it’s good to see McKinstry doing things at the plate and on the field, especially with injuries mounting in Detroit.

Clark: 1-5, K

McKinstry: 1-4, HR (1), R, 2 RBI, K

Short: 2-4, BB, K

Sammons: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens take a 3-2 lead in the series into a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday.

Erie SeaWolves 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4 (box)

John Peck didn’t play today, so the home run-watch is on hold for now. Instead, it was Andrew Jenkins and Brett Callahan with the big flies for Erie in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Chesapeake Baysox.

The SeaWolves led for most of the game, scoring a run in each of the first four innings. They were practically handed a run in the first after Chesapeake starter Juan Rojas walked the bases loaded and threw a wild pitch with just one out.

Joe Miller gave up a three-spot in the second inning, giving up back-to-back doubles and a single with no outs to set up a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice bunt. It was a short outing for Miller, who allowed seven baserunners to reach over three innings. On the bright side, Miller struck out five.

Jenkins’ homer came in the second, and Callahan’s came in the third — both of the leadoff variety.

E.J. Exposito, Seth Stephenson and Peyton Graham all singled in the fourth to give Erie the lead for good. Jenkins had the only other Erie hit of the day in the eighth, a single that moved Chris Meyers over to third base. Exposito drove in the insurance run with a fielder’s choice right after.

The bullpen was very good for Erie. Dariel Fregio took over in the fourth and gave three innings of scoreless relief. He faced the minimum in each inning, getting some help from Thayron Liranzo, who caught a runner stealing to end the fifth and sixth.

John Stankiewicz went 1-2-3 in the seventh, Tanner Kohlhepp stranded a pair in the eighth, striking out two batters, and Woo-Suk Go closed things despite some drama. Frederick Bencosme homered to open the ninth, but Go struck out the side after that.

Jenkins: 2-4, HR (4), R, RBI, K

Callahan: 1-3, HR (4), R, RBI, BB

Fregio (W, 1-1): 3.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:35 p.m. ET start in Erie on Sunday with the SeaWolves up 4-1 in the series.

Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, West Michigan Whitecaps 6 (box)

West Michigan’s losing streak hit seven games on Saturday despite the Whitecaps putting up six runs.

This loss is the result of a disastrous nine-run seventh inning, but West Michigan briefly led before that after scoring five runs in the fifth.

The Whitecaps didn’t get a baserunner until the fourth, though, when Ricardo Hurtado walked. He moved to third on an error and scored on a groundout later in the inning. Cristian Santana broke up the no-hitter in the fifth with a one-out single. Juan Hernandez tripled him in right after.

A two-out rally led to four more runs crossing. Andrew Sojka singled, Hurtado doubled, Garrett Pennington was hit by a pitch and Bryce Rainer reached on an error before Kernels starter Nick Trabacchi left the game with the score at 4-1.

Samuel Gil drove in Hurtado and Pennington with a single for runs No. 5 and 6. Rainer and Gil executed a double steal, but both were left in scoring position.

Troy Watson got the start for West Michigan. Things went well for him, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Both of those hits came in the second, when the Kernels scored the first run of the game.

Gabriel Reyes relieved him in the fifth. Cedar Rapids got to Reyes for a run on a couple of singles and a walk, and he got through the sixth without giving anything up. Then came the big inning.

Cedar Rapids went single, two-run homer, single, single, flyout, single, walk to make it 6-5, and Reyes left the game responsible for the tying and go-ahead run. Both of those runners scored as soon as Ethan Sloan took over on a single and a passed ball. Lovely. A wild-pitch ball four made it 8-6, and a three-run homer brought us to the 11-6 final.

Jalen Evans worked around two hits in the eighth, while the offense did diddly-squat.

Rainer: 0-4, RBI, 2 K

Gil: 1-4, 2 RBI

Hurtado: 1-4, 2B (4), 2 R, RBI, BB, K

Watson: 4.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 2:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday as the Whitecaps try to avoid a sweep.

Bradenton Marauders 13, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)

Lakeland gave up a crooked number to Bradenton in four of eight innings on Saturday as the Marauders clinched a series win, 13-4.

Things started okay. Beau Ankeney singled in Jordan Yost to give Lakeland an early lead, but Max Alba gave up a two-run homer in the bottom half of the first.

Alba was fine after that, working around four hits over the next 2 1/3 innings. He left with two men on base in the fourth, but Jose Guzman struck out the first batter he faced, and the defense came up with a 2-6-2 out to get the runner breaking for home.

That jump-started the offense going into the fifth. The Flying Tigers scored three runs, starting on a Jesus Pinto triple and a Yost RBI single. Max Anderson walked, and he and Yost executed a double steal that turned into a run thanks to a bad throw by the catcher. Beau Ankeney singled in Anderson right after.

That’s when the bullpen started to melt down. Caleb Leys got the sixth and promptly allowed a game-tying, two-run homer. Leys gave up the lead in the sixth on a leadoff triple and one-out single. A botched throwing error, walk and balk made it 6-4. One more walk forced Lakeland to make another pitching change.

Jan Caraballo intentionally walked the first batter he faced (or didn’t face?), gave up a run on a sacrifice fly, and allowed another run to cross on a double. Rough four-inning frame to break the tie and crush any hopes of a Flying Tigers win. Lakeland struck out three times in the next half inning.

Caraballo gave up a leadoff home run in the seventh, and Andrew Pogue gave up four runs trying to get the last three outs of the eighth—absolutely brutal stuff.

Yost: 1-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K

Pinto: 2-4, 3B (2), R, BB, K

Ankeney: 2-4, 2 RBI, K

Alba: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a noon ET start on Sunday with Bradenton leading the series 4-1.

FCL Yankees 10, FCL Tigers 6 (box)

Cris Rodriguez: 2-5, 2 R, 3B, K

Steven Madero: 3-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB

Ronald Ramirez: 2-3, BB, K, 2 SB

Owen Hall: 2.2 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 4 K

The Baltimore Orioles (15-18) face the AL East-leading New York Yankees (22-11). The Yankees won the series’ first two games by a combined score of 16-6. Scheduled starting pitchers are Trey Gibson for Baltimore, making his MLB debut, and Max Fried for New York, with a 2.09 ERA.

How to watch Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees

• Date: Sunday, May 3

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET / 10:35 a.m. PT

• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

• TV Channels: YES, MASN

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Baltimore Orioles: 15-18 (No. 4 in AL East)

• New York Yankees: 22-11 (No. 1 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: New York Yankees -230 (66.7%) / Baltimore Orioles +188 (33.3%)

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Gibson
New York Yankees: Max Fried (4-1, ERA: 2.09, K: 37, WHIP: 0.80)

Weather: 55°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,309 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

The Mets are set to call up infielder Vidal Bruján to replace Ronny Mauricio on their active roster, according to Mike Puma. Mauricio is heading to the injured list with a left thumb fracture that he suffered in the Mets’ loss to the Angels last night.

Mauricio himself was called up on April 23 to replace Francisco Lindor on the Mets’ active roster, as Lindor suffered a calf injury that doesn’t yet have a specific timetable for return. In 32 plate appearances in the big leagues this year, Mauricio has hit .219/.219/.313 with a 46 wRC+, and he’s had a rather absurd 53.6 percent chase rate.

Bruján was a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport in ahead of the 2019 through 2022 seasons as he worked his way up through the Rays’ minor league system. But that promise has never really materialized, as he’s hit just .199/.267/.276 and been worth -2.0 fWAR in 262 major league games. He’s been claimed on waivers four times since last summer: by the Orioles from the Cubs, the Braves from the Orioles, the Twins from the Braves, and the Mets from the Twins.

We’ll see whether the Mets give Bruján significant playing time at shortstop, the position where he’s spent the vast majority of both the 2026 season with Syracuse and his professional career. The team could opt to play Bo Bichette at short, Brett Baty at third, and Mark Vientos at first on an everyday basis instead while keeping Bruján on the roster as a defensive replacement.

The Dodgers continue their road trip on Monday night against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is coming off his shortest start of the season, with five innings and four runs (three earned) allowed against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. He lasted at least six innings in his previous eight straight starts and 15 out of 17 dating back to 2025.

The Dodgers’ last trip to Houston was in 2024, when they lost two of three games from July 26-28. They were also swept by the Astros at Dodger Stadium last July 4-6, and have lost six of their last seven games against Houston, dating back to 2023.

Los Angeles is 4-3 on the road against the Astros dating back to 2020.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Astros
• Ballpark: Daikin Park, Houston
• Time: 5:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Atlanta Braves' charmed ride to start the 2026 season - their 24-10 record is the best in the major leagues - finally hit a pothole as they placed All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the injured list Sunday, May 3, with a strained left hamstring.

Yet the club also got positive injury news, as right-hander Spencer Strider was activated from the IL and will make his season debut against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday after missing the first five weeks with a left oblique strain.

Acuña was injured Saturday running out a grounder in the second inning at Coors Field and was removed from the game. The five-time All-Star has been dogged by injuries the past five seasons, as he tore the ACL in his right and left knees in that span. He was off to a decent start this season, with a .252/.362/.378 line and two home runs.

The majority of his plate appearances figure to be consumed by outfielders Eli White and Mike Yastrzemski, while Mauricio Dubón will get more reps in left field, leaving shortstop duties to Jorge Mateo before the return of the injured Ha Seong Kim.

Strider posted a 4.45 ERA last season in his return from a second Tommy John surgery. The Braves rotation has performed admirably despite a litany of injuries to stars like Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, posting a 3.08 ERA - third in the major leagues - without them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braves' Ronald Acuña out with hamstring strain, Spencer Strider back

One of the strengths of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season is their bullpen.

Entering Saturday, the Yankees’ Triple-A club ranked second in the International League in bullpen ERA at 3.40 and paced Triple-A in fewest walks with 57. Thanks to the bullpen’s efforts, the RailRiders have nine wins in games where they were trailing at some point.

“The bullpen’s done great, we’ve relied on each other,” reliever Bradley Hanner said. “We’re a tight-knit group down there. It’s been fun to kind of piggy-back off each other. One guy does good, you want to keep the train moving. It’s been great so far and hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Hanner has been one of the key contributors. In his last six outings, covering 9.1 innings, the 27-year-old right-hander from Virginia has not allowed a run with six hits, one walk and 12 strikeouts. His most recent appearance Thursday against the Buffalo Bisons, he threw 2.2 perfect innings with four strikeouts. Overall, Hanner is 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in nine games. He has allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits with six walks and 18 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. 

One reason for Hanner’s success so far this season has been the work he has done on his four-seamer. 

“Coming in with the Yankees, that was one of the bigger things – to kind of clean up to orientation of the four-seam,” Hanner said. “So far we’ve kind of nailed it. It’s been good. I don’t know the numbers and stuff to back it up, but I think they’re all in the positive. Everything is trending with the four-seam, I feel more and more comfortable with it as we go on. That’s been the biggest key.”

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 21st round in 2019, he spent three seasons in that organization before before being claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians organization in December 2022. 

Hanner spent the 2023 campaign in Double-A with the Akron Rubber Ducks. He split time in 2024 with Akron and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Last season with Columbus, Hanner appeared in 42 games in relief and was 4-4 with two saves, three holds, a 4.74 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. The Yankees signed him as a free agent in December.

Coming to the RailRiders, Hanner had a familiar face with bullpen coach Pete Larson. “I had him in Low-A when I was with the Twins,” Hanner said. “It’s been fun to reunite with him.”

Other than Larson and fellow reliever Brent Headrick, Hanner didn’t know many players here. Still, he said it has been a smooth transition coming to the Yankees organization.

“Everybody’s been really welcoming, accommodating. Everything you need, they’ve got everything you could ever imagine to help you get better,” Hanner said. “It’s been great.”

All that remains is for Hanner to one day get that call to the major league. He admits he thinks about it at times, but knows it is out of his control.

“All I can do is show up every day, work hard and pitch to the best of my abilities,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it at times. But I’m not losing sleep over getting the call. If it happens, it happens and I’ll be super-grateful for that. Obviously it’s what everybody dreams of.”

If and when that call comes, Hanner believes he is ready.

“I feel very good about where I’m at right now. I don’t know what else I would need to do,” Hanner said. “Keep putting up zeroes, keep pounding the zone. I don’t think that there’s an outlier that I need. I don’t think it’s anything like that. I think it’s just time and place and pitching well. Not getting lucky, just right-man, right-spot situation.”