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Yankees Notes: Carlos Carrasco delivers best start yet, Jasson Dominguez gains confidence in outfield

When the Yankees pulled Carlos Carrasco in the fifth inning of last Tuesday's loss to the Detroit Tigers, the feel-good story he produced in spring training seemed like a distant memory. Of the four runs the veteran right-hander allowed at a frigid Comerica Park, three came via solo home runs, and he watched his ERA rise to a bloated 7.71.

But the 38-year-old demonstrated on Monday that his current spot in the starting rotation was still earned on merit, and not just given to him by neccessity. Carrasco twirled five innings of one-hit ball in the Yankees' 4-1 home win over the Kansas City Royals -- undoubtedly his most encouraging outing of the young season.

"Just moxie, man. His change was really good, had good bottom to it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Carrasco. "He was kind of working through his breaking balls as the night went on and he executed some good ones there. But his changeup was really good. He was in and around the strike zone enough, able to get a little chase with it too... A big five innings from him."

Carrasco found himself in an early jam by walking a pair in the first inning, but it didn't take long for him to work out of trouble and gain composure. His lone mistake was a slider thrown to Royals stud Bobby Witt Jr. that landed in the left field seats for a solo homer and ended a competitive 10-pitch battle.

The bounceback performance from Carrasco included four strikeouts across five frames, and brought his ERA down to 5.94 (four starts, 16.2 innings). He's lined up to make his next start on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, in the ballpark that brought him good fortune during spring camp.

Dominguez finding his footing

If the Yankees felt that Jasson Dominguez needed a healthy amount of fly balls sent his way in left field on Monday, the Royals were more than willing to cooperate. The rookie registered a career-high six putouts behind Carrasco, and his most impressive catch came in the fourth inning when he took extra bases away from Salvador Perez with a leaping over-the-shoulder catch.

"It was tough, but got a good jump on it. Just kept my eyes on the ball," Dominguez said after the game. "For myself, after I make that play, it feels pretty good. Because I've been working every day with [coach Luis Rojas], putting in consistent work, and it's showing off."

The highlight-reel play was undoubtedly a confidence-booster for Dominguez, and once he returned to the dugout when the inning ended, his teammates were there to praise him. The transition from center field to left field has been far from seamless -- missplays in spring training raised some fair questions and concerns -- but he's clearly more comfortable with the route running.

Dominguez was once again taken out of the game late for defensive purposes -- Cody Bellinger replaced him in the ninth -- but he undoubtedly made strides on Monday that reaffirmed the Yankees' faith in him settling into the new positiion. Boone has also noticed the growth in Dominguez's tracking that simply comes from constant reps.

"What I like is the ease in the routes and the ease that he's getting to those balls," Boone said of Dominguez. "Since the start of the season, I feel like he's grown. The right footwork, the right move to the ball. And that's when you're going to start seeing the range with his speed show up... There's no greater teacher than experience."

When in doubt, stick to the homer

The Yankees entered Monday with just three homers in their previous seven games, and Royals starter Seth Lugo arrived in the Bronx with only two long balls allowed to them across 14 career meetings. So, naturally, New York's power stroke returned with a vengeance and defied some history.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the first of four homers off of Lugo in the fourth, and then in the fifth, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells took the veteran righty deep into the right field seats, pushing the Yankees' lead to 4-1. There wasn't a need for further offense -- the lefty long-ball quartet did the trick.

It was the first time that the Yankees scored four-plus runs all on solo homers since 2019, and their league-high mark in homers reached 32. Boone was pleased with the competitive at-bats against Lugo, and Chisholm mentioned the return of some warmer April weather as the remedy to some cold bats.

"[Lugo] throws a lot of strikes, so we just had to go out there and attack him the way he attacks us," Chisholm told the YES Network after the game. "It was exciting. We're just happy to be out here with some good weather, playing baseball and having fun again. It was hard the last couple days, playing in the cold. But we're here and ready for it to warm up so we can warm up."

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Penguins Waive Koppanen, Call Up Defenseman

Apr 8, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Joona Koppanen (15) chases the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Ahead of their final game of the 2024-25 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made a roster move.

On Monday, the Penguins waived 27-year-old forward Joona Koppanen, who was recently recalled to the NHL club on an emergency basis Apr. 2. 

Koppanen, a native of Tampere, Finland, registered a goal in 10 games with Pittsburgh. Since he hit the 10-game threshold, he required waivers in order to be eligible for reassignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).

In addition to the Koppanen move, it appears that defenseman Filip Kral is slated to be recalled from WBS and join the NHL club on an emergency basis for their final game of the regular season Thursday against the Washington Capitals. 

Kral - originally a fifth-round draft pick (149th overall) in 2018 by Penguins' GM/POHO Kyle Dubas during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs - has registered seven goals and 29 points in 59 games with WBS this season.

WBS Penguins Sweep Crucial Weekend Back-To-BackWBS Penguins Sweep Crucial Weekend Back-To-BackWith just three games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins did themselves a few favors this past weekend in terms of their chances at better playoff positioning.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

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Mets’ Clay Holmes finds way through tough fifth inning to finish off best start of season

Clay Holmes is starting to get into a groove. 

The big right-hander took the mound in the Mets' series-opening win over the Twins on Monday, putting together his strongest outing of the season to this point with eight strikeouts across five innings of one-run, two-hit ball.

“He was pretty nasty today,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

As was the case during his last outing against the Marlins, Holmes was in control from the get-go, as he retired all but one batter while striking out six in his first time through the order. 

Things weren’t as easy from there, but he still did well to limit the damage. 

Matt Wallner was the second baserunner to reach against Holmes on Monday when he laced a two-out triple off the right field wall, but a Carlos Correa lineout helped Holmes quickly dance out of danger. 

He lost command of the strike zone a bit in the fifth, as two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out. But he was once again able to bear down and escape the threat with just one run allowed on a sacrifice fly.

Holmes finished the outing with his third strikeout of star outfielder Byron Buxton.

“He was really, really good,” Mendoza said of Holmes. “Even when he lost it, he kept making pitches. He kept finding a way to get back and limited the damage. He gave us a chance and then he ended up getting the win.”

While Holmes hasn’t been working deep into games early in his transition to the rotation, he has been very effective, pitching to a 3.66 ERA through four starts while recording six or more strikeouts in each of his last three.

And yet again on Monday, the Mets' bullpen did their job stepping up behind him. Huascar Brazoban put together two hitless innings, Reed Garrett struck out two in a scoreless eighth, and Ryne Stanek closed out the ninth. 

With the offense still not clicking at 100 percent, the pitching continues to lead the way. 

“They’ve been doing a really good job,” Juan Soto said. “The bullpen has been great and our starters have been setting the table for the bullpen. So I think we are in good shape right now.”

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Blackhawks Play Spoiler; Defeat Montreal Canadiens 4-3

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With a win in any fashion, the Montreal Canadiens would clinch a berth in the postseason. The Bell Centre had a certain energy because of what was on the line.

There were also a couple of players who took their rookie laps ahead of warmups because they were making their NHL debut. 

For the Blackhawks, Ryan Greene signed after his season ended with Boston University. He is a hard-working two-way forward that can bring it in all three zones.

As for the Canadiens, Ivan Demidov came to the NHL after breaking away from his KHL team following their season. 

It took Demidov, who was a top-five draft pick for a reason, all of one period to make a significant impact in his first-ever NHL game. 

Demidov helped the Canadiens get off to a fast start by making a beautiful feed to Alex Newhook for a goal. This assist is the first point in the career of Demidov. 

Later in the opening frame, Demidov found a puck with nobody in front of him thanks to a pass off the end boards by Joel Armia. He put a beautiful move on Arvid Soderblom for his first career NHL goal. 

Instead of letting Demidov continue to dominate, the Blackhawks started to show signs of life after that. Before the first period was over, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar made a nice play to set up Tyler Bertuzzi, who didn’t miss his chance to get the Hawks on the board. 

The Blackhawks played much better in the second period overall. They were eventually rewarded for it when Frank Nazar scored a power play goal to tie the game at 16:41. Teuvo Teravainen made a beautiful pass to Nazar while Connor Bedard drove the net. That’s the effort you like to see if you’re the coaching staff.  

At 5:39 of the third period, Lukas Reichel gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead. Landon Slaggert made a neat pass to send Slaggert in for a good chance. Now, could the Blackhawks overcome their tendency to give up leads? 

Late in the third, the Canadiens were given a power play, and they took full advantage. Lane Hutson made a wonderful play to feed Cole Caufield, who shot it into the net off of teammate Juraj Slafkovsky. 

After overtime solved nothing, Chicago went to a shootout for the second game in a row. This time, a Frank Nazar goal and a couple of saves for Arvid Soderblom earned Chicago a win.  

The Habs took a point, but they are still one point short of reaching the playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets are on their heels with another day to fight. 

Now, the Blackhawks are taking a train to Canada's national capital to take on the Ottawa Senators in their season finale. This is the second half of a back-to-back where Chicago is looking to finish strong. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Mets’ Jose Siri to land on injured list with fractured tibia

Mets outfielder Jose Siri will indeed land on the injured list after an additional MRI on Monday revealed that he has suffered a fractured tibia. 

Siri has been in significant pain over the past few days since suffering a left shin contusion on a foul ball during his at-bat in the second inning of Saturday’s game against the Athletics. 

The Mets don't know exactly how much time he will miss, but Carlos Mendoza said it will be "a while."

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'You're A Magician': Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Proves He's Worth The Hype In NHL Debut

Ivan Demidov and Cole Caufield (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

It’s been said numerous times, but Ivan Demidov is arguably the most purely talented teenager to join the Montreal Canadiens in over five decades. 

His NHL debut lived up to the hype in almost every way imaginable – the Canadiens just didn’t get the win against the Chicago Blackhawks to clinch a playoff spot. 

When Demidov took his first shift, the fans in the Bell Centre were electric. Demidov repaid their love by throwing a few hits and buzzing around the ice. 

On his third shift, the Habs’ teenage Russian phenom danced down the wall, evaded a defender and sent a pass to the slot for Alex Newhook to bang home the game’s opening goal, getting Demidov his first NHL point.

A few shifts later, Demidov got in behind the Chicago defenders, collected the heavy bounce off the end boards, faked a shot as he corralled it to freeze the goalie before dangling the netminder and tucking it in, sending the fans into pure pandemonium. 

Ivan Demidov had arrived. 

Just one period into his North American tenure, Demidov was not only making his mark, but he was also injecting the skill and offensive punch into the Canadiens lineup that fans had dreamed of. The best part was that he was doing it well ahead of schedule. 

It wasn’t a perfect game, which is to be expected for a rookie who was playing on a different continent just over a week ago. 

On Chicago’s third goal, Demidov and Montreal’s Calder Trophy favorite, Lane Hutson, were playing Keep Away from the Blackhawks. A Demidov shot was blocked high in the offensive zone while Hutson was down on the half wall, which created an odd-man break the other way, giving Chicago the lead.

Despite a few mistakes, Demidov consistently made plays at the offensive end of the ice. Whether he was bursting up ice with speed, drawing pressure and finding teammates off the rush or attacking downhill and creating shot chances for himself, it was the Demidov show whenever he was on the ice. 

Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Brings 'Mamba Mentality' And Otherworldly Skill To The NHLCanadiens' Ivan Demidov Brings 'Mamba Mentality' And Otherworldly Skill To The NHLThe Montreal Canadiens got a pretty special talent in Ivan Demidov. 

There were moments on the power play when Demidov’s creativity and fluidity were fully unleashed. 

We saw flashes of Demidov’s elite puck skills and handling ability throughout the game. He took shifts with a variety of players, from starting with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia to skating with Nick Suzuki on one shift and Patrik Laine on a few others. 

Demidov finding his place in the lineup will be a work in progress, and coach Martin St-Louis will likely play around with his lineup as he looks to find the best fit for his new toy. What we saw today was that Demidov could create and generate offense with just about anyone. 

The spectacle of Demidov and the hype around his game have intensified since he was drafted last June, when he proudly proclaimed to be ready to inject the killer instinct into this Habs’ lineup. No one expected to see the 19-year-old in the NHL to end this regular season, and no one could have imagined that we’d be anticipating Demidov playing in the post-season for Montreal.

Now, we may get to see both – if the Canadiens get at least one point in their final game or the Columbus Blue Jackets don’t win their final two games in regulation. 

Canadiens Fans Are Gaga About Ivan Demidov – But Expectations Are Extremely HighCanadiens Fans Are Gaga About Ivan Demidov – But Expectations Are Extremely HighWe all know how much Montreal loves its hockey – specifically its Montreal Canadiens. 

The excitement from fans has been explosive. From greeting him upon arrival at the airport to rushing to put No. 93 sweaters on their backs, Canadiens fans know just how special Demidov can be for them. He has the potential to be a transformational piece for the sport's most historic franchise.

Although Montreal didn’t get the win in his debut, the atmosphere in the Bell Centre and around Montreal in the leadup to Demidov’s earth-shattering debut was warranted. Their young superstar in the making did everything in his power to prove his worth. A goal and an assist in his debut surely won’t calm any hype as the team looks to charge toward the playoffs with Demidov helping lead the way.

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Pete Alonso reaches four times, Juan Soto homers in Mets' 5-1 win over Twins

The Mets opened the series with a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Target Field.

Here are some takeaways...

- Clay Holmes was a punchout machine during his last outing against the Marlins, and he picked up right where he left off to open this one. The big right-hander was on cruise control his first time through the order, striking out six while allowing just one hit over three efficient innings.

Holmes ran into some trouble in the fourth, as Matt Wallner crushed a two-out triple off the right field wall, but he was able to get Carlos Correa to line out to end the inning. Things spiraled on him a bit in the fifth, as two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, but he settled down nicely and escaped with just one run allowed on a sacrifice fly.

Holmes finished his night with just that one run against on two hits, while walking two and striking out eight in five strong innings. While he isn't working deep into games just yet, he has now punched out six or more batters in each of his last three starts and has a 3.66 ERA on the year.

- Pete Alonso has been in the middle of everything early for the Mets, and he got the scoring started in this one. The big man drove in Luisangel Acuña with a two-out single in the top of the third to make it a 1-0 game, and he now sits second in the National League with 19 RBI. He's also hitting .450 (9-for-20) with RISP on the season.

Alonso went on to reached base in four of his five plate appearances, giving him a .345 average and 1.137 OPS.

- Acuña enjoyed a strong day at the plate as well, reaching base three times with a walk, double, and a bunt hit. With Jeff McNeil working his way back from an oblique injury, the young infielder has been heating up, as he's now riding a four-game hitting streak.

- Mark Vientos is finally starting to come out of his slump to start the season. He drove in Alonso with a double in the top of the sixth, giving him a run-scoring extra base-hit in back-to-back games. He scored a few pitches later when Luis Torrens reached on an error.

- Juan Soto had also been stuck in a bit of a rut at the plate -- until his fourth at-bat of the night, when he crushed a two-run homer to deep right-center. It was his second homer of the season, first hit with a runner in scoring position on the year, and first extra base-hit since April 7.

- The Mets' bullpen continues getting the job behind their starters. Huascar Brazoban put together two hitless innings of work, Reed Garrett struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 eighth, and Ryne Stanek put the finishing touches on the victory in the ninth.

- New York picked up their second straight win, but still finished an ugly 2-for-12 with RISP.

Game MVP: Clay Holmes

Holmes could've easily let things get out of control in the fifth, but he settled in and limited the damage.

Highlights

Whats next

Tylor Megill (2-1, 0.63 ERA) takes the mound against Bailey Ober (0-1, 7.11 ERA) as the series continues in Minnesota on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m.

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“The Aud” Was A Great Place To Watch A Game

The Buffalo Sabres famed French Connection played their entire career at the Memorial Auditorium, which was located across the street from the KeyBank Center. 

It is common to romanticize the past, and when it comes to hockey, fans of my generation in Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, and New York would tell tales about going to Maple Leaf Gardens, Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, the Olympia, the Montreal Forum or Madison Square Garden.

For fans in Buffalo, the same can be said about Memorial Auditorium.

“The Aud", as it was lovingly nicknamed, was built in 1940 and remodeled after the Sabres inaugural season in 1970. It served as the club’s home until this day in 1996, when the last NHL game against the Hartford Whalers was played. The club's original home had oddities, but that gave it some charm. Unlike modern-day arenas that are required to have a 200 x 85 ice surface, the Aud was one of three NHL arenas that had slightly smaller sheet due to their older construction and smaller size.

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Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday?Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday?The Buffalo Sabres are currently focused on finishing off the 2024-25 season on a positive note after most of the campaign being dominated by the negative. The club is looking to win their third game in a row in Utah on Thursday after a shootout win over Vegas on Saturday and an overtime victory in Boston on Monday. Barring an incredibly successful final 16 games, the Sabres are likely to finish in the bottom five of the NHL standings, and with a number of questions that will need to be addressed in the offseason. Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The AthleticSabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The AthleticThe Buffalo Sabres season began with the hope of ending their long playoff drought and will end on April 17th with a 14th consecutive year outside of the postseason. There are a number of contributing factors to the club’s struggles, but according to an article in the Athletic that surveyed fans from every NHL club, Sabres owner Terry Pegula is ranked last among the 32 owners. Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of BuffaloDahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of BuffaloAs if the Buffalo Sabres do not have enough drama with the club heading for their 14th consecutive season outside of the playoffs, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin refuted a report from TNT panelist and Spittin Chiclets co-host Paul Bissonette that the Sabres team captain met with GM Kevyn Adams and wants out of Buffalo if the club does not improve quickly.


Renovations to the building raised the roof to put an upper deck on it and increased the seating capacity to 16,433. However, unlike the evenly balanced bowl of the Key Bank Center, the Aud was oddly arranged, with one end having a small number of rows because of the suites located there and the other end consisting of over 20 rows.

The upper deck was incredibly steep and hung over the ice, giving fans an incredible view, while others seated in the highest level of the lower bowl — known as the “upper blues” — could not see the scoreboard and had to view the game on TV screens. One of the best features of the old barn is one of the worst features of the Sabres' current home: the sound.

The low roof and hundreds of sound cones helped trap and evenly distribute the noise in the building, making it an especially great venue for concerts and a raucous hockey crowd, which gave the Sabres a distinct home-ice advantage. There have been very few times over nearly 30 years (and not for a lack of fans trying) that KeyBank Center has echoed as the Aud did on many nights.

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Victor Wembanyama on playing next season, 'I’m hungry, and I will be ready'

Next season, if they get a healthy DeAaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama back on the court — with some new players and growth from others — the San Antonio Spurs are poised to make a leap.

Wembanyama said he is ready to do his part. Speaking to the media for the first time since having to end his season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, Wemby said he planned to be back. Via Mike Malone at The Athletic:

“I’m not going to expand on that too much, because it all remains to do for me,” Wembanyama said. “But I’m hungry, and I will be ready.”

Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points and 11 rebounds a game this season and was on the way to winning Defensive Player of the Year and being named to an All-NBA team when he had to shut things down. This is how dominant he was: Wembanyama played in 46 games but still finished with 176 total blocked shots, the most in the league this season by a lot (28 more than the Bucks’ Brook Lopez, who was second).

Wembanyama was asked if this injury, which can linger, meant he needed to adjust his career expectations. A thoughtful man, Wembanyama talked about the big picture.

“I think it’s all about perspective,” Wembanyama said. “All the attention I got from the incredible people here, incredible at their jobs. From my visits to the hospital and such, I think I got as good (of) care as you can get as a patient. So, looking back, I’m really lucky … But, all of us in that (locker) room, all of us in the league, we do with what we get, we do with what we are blessed with. And I’m still in the 1 percent luckiest people, so I’ve got nothing to complain about, and it is a really slight setback.”

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Yankees smack four lefty homers, Carlos Carrasco rebounds in 4-1 win over Royals

The Yankees enjoyed some warmer April weather on Monday night, as they crushed four homers and held the Kansas City Royals to only two hits in a 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Yankees entered Monday with a league-worst rotation ERA of 5.40, but Carlos Carrasco managed to bring that bloated mark down. After flirting with trouble in the first inning by allowing a pair of walks, the veteran starter quickly settled down and went on to complete five frames of one-run ball. His lone mistake was a solo home run to superstar Bobby Witt Jr. that placed the Royals up 1-0 in the third. Call it a huge rebound outing from Carrasco, who struck out four (79 pitches) and lowered his ERA to 5.94 through four starts.

-- Royals starter Seth Lugo arrived in the Bronx with an established history of keeping Yankees' fly balls in the ballpark, but the numbers didn't mean anything to those tasked with facing him. In the fourth, he served up a game-tying solo homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that landed in New York's bullpen. Then, in the fifth, a trio of lefties -- Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells -- took Lugo deep into the right field seats to push the Yankees' lead to 4-1. In his pervious 14 games against the Yankees, Lugo had allowed just two homers.

-- New York relied on its bullpen to record 12 outs, and the trusted group of relievers matched Carrasco's production. Fernando Cruz took the mound for the sixth inning, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Tim Hill then entered, inducing a groundout and strikeout. Luke Weaver earned his fifth hold of the season with a scoreless eighth, and closer Devin Williams overcame more control issues by shutting down a brief Royals rally in the ninth. Kansas City was held to just two hits.

-- Perhaps some concerns about Jasson Dominguez's progress in left field were reduced, as the rookie logged a career-high six putouts. His highlight-reel catch came in the fourth, when he robbed Salvador Perez of extra bases with a leaping over-the-shoulder grab near the left field warning track. Dominguez entered Monday with 13 season putouts.

-- Cody Bellinger, who was left out of the lineup due to lingering back dicomfort, entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and struck out with Paul Goldschmidt on second base. He then replaced Dominguez in left during the ninth. Aaron Judge went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and strikeouts, hours after being named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Game MVP: Carlos Carrasco

The 38-year-old's previous outing against the Detroit Tigers was discouraging, as he allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings and made a feel-good spring training story seem even more fluky. But the Yankees received a valuable bounce-back outing from him on Monday.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (9-7) will play the middle game of their series against the Royals on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Max Fried (2-0, 1.56 ERA) will take the mound, opposite Michael Wacha (0-2, 4.20 ERA).