In the fourth inning, Francisco Alvarez lined a double that split the center and right fielders while Lindor was on first base. Lindor rounded third base and seemed to grimace before sliding safely feet first into home plate. Lindor went into the tunnel, but did not come out for the top of the fifth.
Bo Bichette moved to shortstop and Brett Baty came in to play third.
"We announced the calf. He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow, and we’ll see what we’re dealing with," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It sucks. When you see a guy as tough as Lindor… I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. We’ll see what we got."
Mendoza confirmed Lindor will receive an MRI.
When asked if he expects it to be the same situation as when Juan Soto went down with a similar injury, the Mets skipper said he does.
"Yeah, but we gotta wait," he said. "We’re talking about a calf. We got relatively good news with Soto and still [he was out] three weeks. We’ll see what we’re dealing with."
Lindor left after going 2-for-2 with an RBI infield single in the first inning, and is one of the Mets' hottest hitters. Over his last seven games, including Wednesday, Lindor is 9-for-25 with two home runs and five RBI. That production allowed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to move Lindor to the cleanup spot in Wednesday's game.
The injury also comes as the Mets welcomed back Soto to the lineup after their slugger missed 15 games with a calf strain. And now, the Mets, who just broke their 12-game losing streak, will have to continue without one of their best hitters.
"It’s what we’re dealing with right now. We can’t sit here and make excuses. It's all part of it," Mendoza said. "We lost Soto and we had a hard time. Now we're potentially going to be dealing with losing another really good player, and we got to figure it out. We got to find a way. But, again, we got to wait and see."
Mendoza added that Bichette would be an option at shortstop, but if Lindor lands on IL, the manager indicated the club is likely to bring up somebody with the ability to play short.
"Just finished the game, I gotta talk to David [Stearns] and see what we got with Lindor and go from there," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate if we need to play Bo there, but I am pretty sure we'll bring someone in here that is capable of playing the position as well."
Francisco Lindor has been pulled from tonight's game after grimacing rounding third on Francisco Alvarez's RBI double pic.twitter.com/wi7PGalANx
Nolan McLean’s “good citizen” move might not actually be what it seemed.
The star Mets hurler, during his start in Tuesday’s loss, patted his chest as if to say “my bad” after throwing a pitch inside in the sixth inning to Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. On the very next pitch, Buxton smacked a two-run homer.
SNY Mets analyst Ron Darling then posited that McLean was offering a small apology to Buxton — his Team USA teammate in the World Baseball Classic — that would essentially mean the next pitch would not be inside.
“McLean said, looked at Buxton, they had met eyes, said, ‘My bad, my bad. I shouldn’t do that.’ You know what happens to a hitter when he hears that? One-hundred percent, the next pitch is not going to be inside. It’s going to be away.
Nolan McLean pats his chest to express remorse to Buxton. @FoulTerritoryTV/X
“He’s a smart hitter and took advantage of it. I know what McLean’s doing. That’s being a good citizen. You don’t need to do that out there.”
Nevertheless, SNY field reporter Steve Gelbs spoke with McLean and said on Wednesday’s broadcast of the Mets’ 3-2 win over Minnesota that the pitcher was indeed apologizing, but not to Buxton. McLean was actually saying sorry to his batterymate, catcher Francisco Alvarez.
McLean told Gelbs that Alvarez had called for a backdoor sinker and missed the target and he missed his spot somewhere between 5 and 7 feet.
Gelbs also said that because McLean threw seven two-seamers across the first two at-bats to Buxton, he wanted to mix in a cutter to change things up.
Nolan McLean slams his rosin bag to the ground as Byron Buxton rounds the bases on his two-run home run during the sixth inning of the Mets’ loss to the Twins on April 21, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Nevertheless, Buxton mashed the cutter to cut the Mets’ lead to 3-2.
Darling admitted on the Wednesday broadcast that he made a mistake and will apologize “personally” to McLean.
Minnesota rallied in the ninth of struggling Mets closer Devin Williams to hand the Amazin’s their not-so-amazin’ 12th straight loss.
Despite that mistake to Buxton, McLean — one of the few bright spots in Queens these days — finished the outing with 10 strikeouts and three runs allowed over 6 2/3 innings.
One day later, behind Clay Holmes’ seven strong innings and Luke Weaver’s save, the Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak.
PHILADELPHIA , PA - APRIL 22: A large brawl breaks out during game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburg Penguins on April 22nd, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins enter Game 3 with some adjusted forward lines, left wings shuffled all around the first three lines from the start of last game. Otherwise it’s the same, including Stuart Skinner back in net.
It’s a good start for the Penguins, the road venue doesn’t make any impact. Pittsburgh gets the first few shots and then the first power play when Sean Couturier trips up Sam Girard. Lo and behold, they score a goal on that power play, the first of the series, to take their first lead in a game. Sidney Crosby passes to Bryan Rust, who quickly feeds Evgeni Malkin at the other side of the crease. Malkin knocks it home, 1-0 Pens.
Late in the period, before a faceoff Garnet Hathaway flung his stick up behind his back and it went inside the visor of Crosby, who fell to the ice. Crosby stayed down a minute after it. The refs send both players off the ice, feeling Crosby milked it a little too much once the crowd and Hathaway threw a fit over it. Maybe he shouldn’t have been swinging his stick around the eyeball of a Mount Rushmore player?
First period ends with the shots 11-11, which is much more the type and style of game that the Penguins want to play compared to the quagmire that those early games of getting very few shots in the first. Pittsburgh up on the board 1-zippy.
Second period
The ref show continues in the second period, Travis Konecny hits Kris Letang after a whistle, Letang joins Konecny in the penalty box after a halfhearted response. Then on the ensuing 4v4, Erik Karlsson gets rung up on a tripping infraction that didn’t create or deny a scoring chance or change possession of the puck. Philadelphia gets a long 4v3 power play. Skinner stops Porter Martone in front of the net on the best scoring chance they get.
As soon as Konecny gets out of the box he’s right back on his BS giving Rust an elbow to the head. This sends Rust off the deep end as they scrap after the whistle. Somehow out of the scrum all 10 skaters on the ice end up in the penalty box for roughing and Rust picks up an extra minor for…unknown reasons.
HUUUUGGEEE scrum mainly between Konecny and Rust resulted in A LOT of penalties… pic.twitter.com/wn7AEHJR4B
The Flyers can’t stop Flyering, Nick Seelers throws three crosschecks at Crosby away from the puck and the PEns get a power play out of it. With Rust and Karlsson still in the box, it doesn’t get much going.
That builds momentum for the Flyers, they get a long shift in the period and send some shots in that Skinner can’t smother or corral and the defense can’t clear. Philadelphia hits the post and it looks like the Pens are on the ropes. They are, Rasmus Ristolainen sneaks a long-range low shot by Skinner. 2-1 Philadelphia gets their first lead of the night.
The Penguins have three shots in the period and the Flyers score their third goal of the period. Connor Clifton chips a puck back to the Flyers and they get it back high and go around the horn. Seeler throws a long range shot on, there’s a bit of traffic but Skinner can’t nab it with the glove. 3-1 game.
The Penguins get a golden chance when Ristolainen breaks his stick and is trapped. Rust walks around him but Dan Vladar stops the shot and the follow-up can’t get there in time.
Period ends, what a doozy it was. Shots are 15-7 Philadelphia. Goals were 3-0 in the second. The Penguins have to be wondering what the hell just happened, I know I’m doing the same.
Third period
Egor Chinakhov’s hard wrister knocks the skate blade off Vladar’s skate. The refs give him a whistle, they shouldn’t have.
No stoppage for a lost skate blade (or glove). Should be playing until the whistle there… Flyers get a break there
A few minutes later, the Penguins get a power play, Tyson Foerster is off for tripping Ben Kindel. Rust drives the net and falls on Vladar’s arm to get a whistle and that’s as close as the Penguins get.
Soon after, a gift when Matvei Michkov getting too aggro after a whistle. This time, it strikes. Erik Karlsson booms a slapper by the blocker side of Vladar. 3-2 game with 10:21 to go.
Anthony Mantha has one he wants back, flipping the puck over the glass for a penalty. Skinner makes his first stop of the period and it’s a big one on a Noah Cates breakaway. Cates gets his revenge, slipping behind Ryan Shea and bringing the puck forehand down low. 4-2 with 7:30 to go.
The Pens get another power play with 6:32 to go, they take their timeout to gear up, nothing happening this time.
It gets down to desperation time, Skinner pulled for the extra attacker with about 3 minutes to play. Doesn’t work, Owen Tippett sinks the empty net goal with 1:12.
Some thoughts
For matchup watch: the Pens started the Crosby line at the beginning of the first and third periods (their was a power play at the start of the second). They surely knew what that would bring with the Flyers getting last change and using the Couturier line out there to meet them.
It always funny (but sometimes not ‘ha-ha’ funny) to watch a power play oscillate between atrocious and glorious for no reason. Everyone’s a critic (which, hey, here too) about changing personnel or changing strategy, do this, do that. The Pens dismiss all that, score on a tic-tac-toe fancy passing play that ends with a backside tap in from the same guys they wanted. They’re always going to do it their way, because it’s what they know and what they’re best at. (But that play was setup by good wall work by Rakell and Rust plus the benefit of a Flyer breaking his stick and skating off the ice for some reason. They still did need to perform better before getting to the fun stuff).
However, it did look like there were some adjustments made at 5v5, before we get to the part where, you know, it all goes to hell. Pittsburgh put bodies to the net and then got the puck there, battling through as they went. After only recording seven total SOG in the first and second games combined, the Pens put up 10 alone in the first period of this game.
They also schemed up a way to generate more speed through the neutral zone to bump or drop passes back and hit a player with speed to break through the layers of the Flyers’ defensive structure. Now we’ll see if Philadelphia has an adjustment for the adjustment. Nice to see the Pens’ coaches be able to install something useful that helped unlock the middle of the ice, even though ultimately they still ended up with a big goose egg with 0 5v5 goals for a second straight game.
The second period was infuriating and all those shrewd adjustments and best laid plans unraveled and went completely down the drain. Didn’t help to have Konecny go unpunished (and at times rewarded) for stirring the pot post-whistle by targeting opponent’s heads, but the Pens got pushed way away from where they wanted to be and were finding success. It’s 2012 all over again with the game unraveling. Wasn’t fun then, isn’t fun now!
Unravel is the word for Skinner too, which is a shame. He was so good in the early going. You could see his play and form slipping away, a puck hit his glove and he couldn’t keep close it up. Rebounds were starting to be placed in areas his team couldn’t get to them. A few seconds before the Zegras PPG, the puck rolled into Skinner’s stomach, he couldn’t stop it from rolling off it. Then the shot off the post seemed to put him on tilt, giving up a bad goal to Ristolainen seconds later to a shot he saw the whole way. Two game minutes later, another bad goal against from Seeler. Went it goes south for Skinner, it goes all the way there and very quickly. Turned out to be at the absolute worst moment, which again is a tough development since he was really good early in this game and serviceable enough up until the point where the bottom drops out.
Will Rust losing his mind be the moment that we think back of all summer and maybe beyond? He fell for the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Handed the Flyers a power play when the Penguins were up 1-0 and doing just fine. It was all downhill from there. Personally, I find it hard to criticize someone for responding and sticking up for themselves when getting elbowed in the head but the Pens always talk about how they need to be smart, walk away, let it go. Then they just never do, and the problem with rolling around with pigs is that you end up covered in the muck and the pig likes it.
Two power play goals aside for each team, two weak ones for Philadelphia were the difference. The Penguins going from 201 5v5 goals (2nd most in NHL) to now one 5v5 goal in three games is the story of the series. .
There’s disappointments about as far as the eye can reach, doesn’t help that 2024 playoff Anthony Mantha showed up. The one who got scratched by Vegas. Pittsburgh was within reach at 3-2 with time left and looking somewhat stable for a comeback effort. Mantha’s careless play of the puck and the subsequent PHI PPG to extend the lead to 4-2 put the game practically out of reach
Well, that’s that. The Penguins fall into a 3-0 series hole without much hope at this point. Their even strength offense has been nonexistent. Their goaltending has shown signs of cracks to where it’s not going to be anything to lean on. They play into their opponent’s hands by lacking discipline. About all of this paragraph applied in 2012 when the Flyers went up 3-0 and it now looks practically the same 14 years later. They get one more chance on Saturday in Game 4 to earn another one after that.
The Mets’ losing streak has finally come to an end, but their 3-2 win came at a cost. Francisco Lindor, who drove in the Mets’ first run of the night and scored their second, left the game after the fourth inning with left calf tightness on the night that Juan Soto returned from his stint on the injured list with a calf injury of his own.
Lindor opened the scoring in the game on a two-out infield single in the bottom of the first that scored Bo Bichette, who was in the leadoff spot tonight and started the inning with a double. And after Victor Caratini hit a sac fly off Clay Holmes to tie the game in the top of the fourth, Lindor smoked a single that tipped off Twins third baseman Royce Lewis’s glove. Francisco Alvarez smoked a double into the right-center field gap, and Lindor scored—barely—from first base, as he looked to be in discomfort as he completed his run around the bases.
That was the end of Lindor’s night, and the Twins tied the game up again when Clay Holmes served up a solo home run to Byron Buxton in the top of the sixth. Holmes had a very good night, though, as he wound up going seven innings, struck out three, walked one, and gave up five hits.
After Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver combined for a scoreless top of the eighth, the Mets eked out a run in the bottom of the inning when Mark Vientos, who had blown through a stop sign at third base earlier in the game to end an inning, hit a bloop single to right field to bring home Brett Baty with the go-ahead run.
That hit helped erase a pair of baserunning mistakes by the Mets, the first of which was made by Vientos himself when he blew threw a stop sign at third base and was thrown out at home by a wide margin to end the bottom of the sixth. The other was made by Soto, who attempted steal a base against lefty reliever Taylor Rogers after hitting a single in the eighth. Instead, he was picked off and thrown out just as easily as Vientos has been earlier.
As for the ninth inning, Weaver remained in the game and struck out the side, working around a two-out infield single to finish the game and give the team a sorely-needed win.
Big Mets winner: Mark Vientos, +25% WPA Big Mets loser: Luis Robert Jr., -17% WPA Mets pitchers: +40% WPA Mets hitters: +10% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos hits an RBI single in the eighth, +29% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Byron Buxton hits a game-tying solo home run in the sixth, -17% WPA
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals takes batting practice prior to the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will have a vexing decision to make about Jordan Walker sooner rather than later. Should they work to extend him or do they wait? There are arguments to be made that it’s worth considering, but at least an equal amount for why the team should wait.
I asked the question a few days ago on The Feed about who the St. Louis Cardinals should work to extend first. While JJ Wetherholt was the winner in a landslide, I was surprised to see that Jordan Walker was the second most popular choice.
The fact that this is even a conversation is borderline miraculous. Very few of us saw Jordan Walker starting the 2026 season in such an impressive way. Through the first 24 games, Jordan Walker is batting .292 with 8 home runs, 16 RBI’s with an OPS of .964. What’s even more remarkable to me is Jordan’s defense which has been a real eye-opener. He’s currently 2nd in the league in defensive runs saved with a +4 margin. I had to remind myself that Walker was not a natural outfielder, but was a 3rd baseman until the Cardinals began to convert him in 2022. His arm strength is becoming elite. There’s a lot to love about how far Jordan Walker has come, but there are also big reasons to pump the brakes on overreacting, too.
Before I look at the reasons why a Jordan Walker extension might be a terrible idea, let’s imagine what that contract might look like. There’s an interesting player to compare Jordan to and that’s Oneil Cruz. He signed a one-year contract for $3.3 million to avoid arbitration for the 2026 season. He’s under team control through 2028 just like Jordan Walker. He has a high-strikeout profile of around 32%. Jordan Walker’s strikeout rate was hovering around the same rate as of this week. Depending on who you ask, I’ve seen possible extensions for Cruz somewhere in the neighborhood of 6–8 years for between $100–$150 million. Cruz has elite exit velocity and a high barrel rate. The one thing that Cruz now trails Walker in is defense. Cruz is considered a massive defensive liability while Walker is more than a plus defender now. If (and that’s a big word that needs emphasis) the Cardinals were to seek an extension with Jordan Walker, I could see a deal looking very similar to Oneil Cruz.
If I were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, I would wait before going down the extension road with Jordan Walker. We’ve all seen some of the strikeout tendencies over the past week that look similar to the Jordan Walker we were all worried about during Spring Training and the past couple seasons. I’ve seen better decision making at the plate by Jordan Walker this season than any other previously, but I still want to see him be able to make the necessary adjustments now that opposing pitchers now recognize him as a threat. Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown said during a pre-game interview this past week that he’s working with Jordan on his approach now that he’s producing and other teams know it. At the bare minimum, I want to see Walker successfully adjust his approach and stay productive through the All-Star break.
Waiting brings with it a risk that the price of Jordan Walker will go up exponentially if he suddenly becomes an all-star near the top of the league in home runs in addition to his now spectacular outfield arm. He could be that middle of the order righthanded bat and a vital part of the new Cardinals core for years to come. But, the possibility remains that he could regress back to the Jordan Walker that some wanted sent back to the minors before the season started. Yes, I was one of them. My vote is that we all continue to enjoy and hopefully see the ascent of Jordan Walker into the player we all knew he was capable of becoming. When and if we commit to locking him into a long-term deal will be one of the most important decisions Chaim Bloom makes – for better or for worse.
Still, the Mets will take the victory, ending their longest losing streak since 2002.
Despite blowing a pair of leads and making some ugly baserunning mistakes, the Mets got a run-scoring bloop single to right by Mark Vientos to score Lindor’s replacement — Brett Baty — for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.
Luke Weaver got the final four outs to seal the win, striking out Byron Buxton to end it.
“It’s a sigh of relief,’’ Weaver said. “There’s a lot more games to play. Today was a great step in the right direction and it was gonna take a game like that to get us going.”
The right-hander has a point, if the first few weeks of the season are any indication.
The winning rally began with two outs and no one on in the eighth, as Baty and Francisco Alvarez walked before Vientos — who was thrown out by a mile after running through a stop sign to end the sixth — came up with a clutch hit.
The victory, their first since April 7, moved the Mets to 8-16, but was clouded by the Lindor injury concern.
The shortstop was removed after scoring from first base on Alvarez’s double to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the fourth.
Mark Vientos hits the game-winning single in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Twins on April 22, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for New York Post
He managed to just beat the throw home to give the Mets a 2-1 lead, but was slow rounding the bases and remained down at home plate momentarily before he got to his feet and returned to the dugout.
Lindor was removed prior to the top of the fifth, with Baty entering to play third base and Bo Bichette moving from third to shortstop.
The latest injury worry — as Lindor is set to get an MRI on Thursday — occurred just as the Mets got Soto back after the star was sidelined for 15 games with the calf injury he suffered while running the bases in San Francisco on April 3.
The Mets offense was nonexistent without Soto. They’d hoped the return of the $765 million star would turn their fortunes around — and Soto hit several balls hard Wednesday — but missing Lindor for any extent of time would also hurt.
Luke Weaver pumps his fist during his scoreless ninth inning in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Before he got hurt, Lindor had an RBI infield single in the first that gave the Mets an early lead after Bichette’s leadoff double.
The Twins tied the game in the fourth with a double down the right field line by Trevor Larnach to open the inning. Larnach advanced to third on a Josh Bell groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Caratini.
The Mets went up again when Lindor came home on Alvarez’s double, but Clay Holmes couldn’t hold the lead, as he allowed a homer to Buxton — his second in as many nights — to start the sixth.
Vientos drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the inning, and Marcus Semien doubled to the wall in left.
Juan Soto rips a single during the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Third base coach Tim Leiper clearly — desperately — tried to stop Vientos from heading home, but Vientos raced through the stop sign and was thrown out easily to end the inning.
It stayed that way in the top of the eighth, even after Brooks Raley and Weaver loaded the bases, as Weaver got Luke Keaschall to pop out.
In the bottom of the inning, Soto led off with a single but was caught stealing for the second out before the Mets took the lead for good on Vientos’ hit and Weaver closed it.
Clay Holmes, throwing in the first inning, allowed two runs over seven innings in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
“It’s not very often you have such a talented team where everything doesn’t click in the right way,’’ Weaver said. “It’s quite an impossible feat, but we made it possible.”
That may as well be their slogan, since no team has ever lost 12 straight games and reached the postseason.
Perhaps this win will get them going.
“Now we can concentrate on just playing baseball and not about the losing streak,’’ Carlos Mendoza said.
The Mets broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and held on to defeat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 at Citi Field on Wednesday night, ending their 12-game losing streak.
It was the Mets’ first win since April 7.
Here are the top takeaways...
-Mark Vientos, who made a boneheaded play in the sixth inning, running through a stop sign to get thrown out at the plate, found redemption in the eighth, blooping a single to right field with two outs to drive in Brett Baty from second, breaking a 2-2 tie.
Baty and Francisco Alvarez had each walked to set up the go-ahead run. Alvarez battled in a nine-pitch at-bat against reliever Justin Topa.
Mendoza chose to have Luke Weaver close out the win, keeping him in for the ninth after Weaver got the final out of the eighth inning to work out of a bases-loaded situation.
-Juan Soto looked good at the plate in his return to action from the calf injury suffered on April 4.
He hit two hard fly-ball outs in his first two at-bats, both of them over 104 mph off the bat, then walked his third time up, and singled to right in the eighth inning off lefty reliever Taylor Rodgers.
However, Soto got nailed trying to steal second, leaving too early as Rodgers threw to first and Soto was then thrown out at second base.
-Clay Holmes gave the Mets a strong start, allowing two runs over seven innings. Holmes gave up five hits while striking out three, inducing plenty of weak contact with his nasty sinker.
Holmes continues to have a very good season. His ERA after five starts is 2.10.
The right-hander had a 2-1 lead into the sixth but left a sinker up, thigh-high, to Byron Buxton, and Buxton hammered it to left, 409 feet for a no-doubter home run.
Lindor was having a big night, with two hits in his first two at-bats, a run scored and an RBI. He appeared to feel the calf tightness as he went from first to home on Alvarez’s double to right-center in the bottom of the fourth.
Lindor scored on the play but remained in a sitting position on the ground long enough to indicate something wasn’t right. He then went into the tunnel at the end of the dugout, followed by the Mets’ trainers, and didn’t come out for the top of the fifth.
Bo Bichette moved to short to replace Lindor, while Baty entered the game at third base.
-The Mets’ new-look lineup, with Bichette leading off and Lindor hitting in the clean-up spot, paid immediate dividends with a first-inning run, as Bichette doubled and eventually scored on Lindor’s single down the third-base line.
But otherwise, runs were mostly hard to come by again for an offense that ranks among the worst in the majors in several categories.
They were also hurt by bad baserunning when Vientos was thrown out at the plate, ending the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2.
With two outs, Vientos tried to score from first base on Marcus Semien’s double to the left-center gap. Third base coach Tim Lieper put up the stop sign to hold Vientos at third, but in what can only be considered a sign of how desperately the Mets wanted a win, Vientos ran through it and was an easy out at the plate. All in all, a bad gamble considering how slowly Vientos runs.
Game MVP: Mark Vientos
Mark Vientos. Why not? Vientos redeemed himself for his base-running mistake two innings earlier by coming through with the game-winning hit in the eighth inning.
It wasn’t a rocket by any means, just 70.3 mph off the bat, but it found grass when the Mets desperately needed a hit and a win.
SAN FRANCISCO — Dave Roberts is committed to Shohei Ohtani’s health and keeping him fresh to perform both on the mound and at the plate for the long haul.
And that may look different by the day or week, depending how the two-way star is feeling.
For some games, that could mean Ohtani pitches but isn’t batting as the designated hitter — and the Los Angeles Dodgers manager plans to keep his options open.
Ohtani made his fourth mound start Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants. A week earlier, Ohtani was held out of the lineup while pitching for the first time since 2021 because he was still sore from getting hit by a pitch.
The 31-year-old Ohtani entered with a batting average of .271, five home runs and 11 RBIs in 85 at-bats. He had allowed just one earned run over his first 18 innings of 2026 for an ERA of 0.50 and 2-0 record, surrendering 10 hits with 18 strikeouts and six walks.
Ohtani also had a career-best on-base streak of 53 games, tied for second in Dodgers history with Shawn Green. Duke Snider owns the team record at 58 games from May 13-July 11, 1954. Ohtani’s streak is the longest in the majors since Orlando Cabrera reached base in 63 straight from April 25-July 6, 2006.
“I think if you look at the overall numbers it’s certainly something. I still feel really good about putting his name in the lineup,” Roberts said. “I know the last start I chose not to have him hit and just pitch. I am open to it. We’ll see. It’s something that we’ve certainly flagged, and also you have to look at what’s the option. In years past or last year, you’ve got to kind of weigh, who’s a different option?”
Catcher Dalton Rushing has become a capable fill-in at DH. He’s hitting .414 with seven homers and 13 RBIs.
The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers had dropped three of four after losing the series opener at San Francisco 3-1 on Tuesday night.
When Roberts spoke to Ohtani earlier Wednesday, the four-time MVP — including two-time reigning NL MVP — was “really focused.”
“He wants to reset things, to go out there and pitch well and give us a chance to win tonight,” Roberts said.
Roberts had yet to decide whether Ohtani would play the series finale Thursday. He said beforehand he had no qualms about giving Ohtani five at-bats on a day he’s pitching but would consider moving him down in the batting order if that makes sense.
“I think everything should be on the table,” Roberts said.
The New York Mets entered Wednesday less than 10 games away from the longest MLB losing streak of the 21st century. That title still belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who lost 21 straight contests during their historically bad season, and the Mets will get no closer after they defeated the Minnesota Twins, 3-2, on Wednesday night.
The victory snaps a 12-game losing streak that had plummeted the Mets to the very bottom of the standings. Mark Vientos, who had been cut down at the plate while trying to score earlier in the game, was the hero, his two-out single in the bottom of the eighth plating the winning run.
The win — which came in Juan Soto's return — was not entirely satisfactory to the reeling Mets. They saw star shortstop Francisco Lindor exit with what the team called left calf tightness.
While they hold their breath over Lindor, they can at least rest easy knowing they are winners for a night:
When did the Mets' losing streak begin?
The Mets' losing streak began after the team started 7-4. They then lost 7-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 8, which started a catastrophic chain of events that led us to where we are now.
Since then, the Mets lost another game to the Diamondbacks, were swept by the Athletics, Dodgers, and Cubs, and then dropped their opener to the Twins.
Longest losing streaks in Mets history
The longest losing streak in Mets history came during the team's inaugural season in 1962. That team not only lost a franchise record 17 straight games during the season but also had other losing streaks of 13 and 11 games.
Since the turn of the century, the longest losing streak in Mets history stands at 12 games, a tie between their losing streak coming into Wednesday night and the 2002 team, which lost those 12 consecutive games between Aug. 20 and Aug. 31 that year.
Longest losing streaks in MLB history
The longest losing streak of the 21st century belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who lost 21 straight games. However, that is not the longest such streak in MLB history. That dishonor belongs to the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight games.
Here is a list of every team in the modern era (since 1901) to have lost at least 20 consecutive games:
The man who is the heart and soul of the Spurs is also now the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year.
San Antonio's Keldon Johnson — who came off the bench in all 82 games this season and set a Spurs franchise record with 1,081 bench points — was honored as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Johnson talked about his journey in an ESPN interview when the award was announced.
"I started for a long time. Now, it's my time to come off the bench," Johnson said. "I just continue to analyze the game, come off the bench, go in there and just do my thing."
Johnson's thing was to average 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game for the Spurs, but that sells short what he means to this team. He's the longest-tenured Spur and a leader in the locker room, the guy who keeps the mood light but can get serious when the time is called for.
Johnson got 63 first-place votes from the panel of 100 media voters, besting Miami's Jaime Jaquez (34 first-place votes). Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. finished third in the voting, with Minnesota's Naz Reid finishing fourth and the Thunder's Ajay Mitchell fifth.
NEW YORK — No sooner did the struggling New York Mets get a star player back than another one went down with a similar injury.
Francisco Lindor was removed Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins with left calf tightness, just hours after teammate Juan Soto came off the injured list. The switch-hitting shortstop will have an MRI on Thursday, putting the top of New York’s punchless batting order in flux once more.
“Here we go again,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
New York (8-16) ended its 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota, but it might have come at a cost.
“We’ve got to wait and see what we’re dealing with,” Mendoza said.
Lindor labored around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s one-out double up the right-center alley in the fourth inning. He grimaced as he rounded third and paused for a bit from the seat of his pants after beating the relay throw with a feetfirst slide.
“I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. So, we’ll see what we’ve got,” Mendoza said. “Right away, he scores and you could see his face. Looking from the dugout, I knew something wasn’t right.”
Lindor headed down the dugout tunnel with an athletic trainer and was replaced in the lineup by Brett Baty, who entered at third base in the top of the fifth. Bo Bichette slid over from third base to shortstop.
Batting cleanup, Lindor knocked in a run when he legged out an infield single with two outs in the first. Moments earlier, he made an outstanding leaping grab at shortstop for the second out of the game.
Soto was reinstated from the 10-day IL earlier in the day. The slugging outfielder had been sidelined since straining his right calf while running from first to third on April 3 in San Francisco.
“We got good news, relatively good news with Soto, and it was still three weeks,” Mendoza said. “So, we’ll see what we’re dealing with.”
After a slow start this season, Lindor was starting to come on recently. He launched a three-run homer Tuesday night and is hitting .226 with two home runs and five RBIs.
“Can’t sit here and make excuses. It’s all part of it. We lost Soto, and we had a hard time,” Mendoza said. “Another really good player, and we’ve got to figure it out.”
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 17: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 17, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just before the end of the season, Steve Kerr told ESPN it was “50-50” that he’d be back as head coach of the Golden State Warriors next season. Now, Warriors insider Monte Poole thinks it’s 20-80, or even 15-85.
"If I had to put odds on Steve coming back, I'd say the chance of him coming back are like 15%, 20%. I think the likelihood is that he leaves. At this stage, I would say 'If the door is over there, he's looking at that door and he's… pic.twitter.com/S0YuXc7Bzl
In a conversation with Bonta Hill on the Dubs Talk podcast, Poole summarized how he saw Kerr’s uncertain coaching future:
“The likelihood is that he leaves,” Poole said. “At this stage, I would say ‘If the door is over there, he’s looking at that door and he’s walking toward it’ . . . Can he turn around and turn back? Yeah, but the odds of that are slim.”
Poole explained that people were already speculating this could be Kerr’s final season during the summer, with he and Hill publicly discussing it in December. Assistant coach Chris DeMarco left during the season to become head coach of the New York Liberty, while other assistant coaches were exploring their options, with at least a strong suspicion that their head coach might not be back.
Hill and Poole agreed that the idea that the Warriors would “run it back” with this season’s disappointing roster wouldn’t be acceptable to Kerr or to team management. If the Warriors make big changes to their roster, which is badly lacking in size, youth and athleticism when it comes to other playoff teams, they very well might change their head coach.
There’s another reason to think Kerr himself might be done, and that’s the nature of his comments during the season. It’s not the first time that Kerr has lobbied for a shorter NBA season, but he was more vocal this year. A coach who is talking to reporters about how he wishes the season was shorter is not a coach who is thrilled about coaching more basketball games.
Poole also noted that Kerr spoke about the limitations of the roster, a part of the team he does not control. Kerr handles rotations and doling out minutes, but he may have been sending a message that he did not agree with management’s personnel decisions. Plus, the capped-out Warriors may not have the same options for veterans on minimum deals when the team can’t promise they’ll
Overall, the Warriors future is not bright. Steve Kerr is not happy. Don’t be surprised if the odds of him staying drop to 0-100 very soon.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 06: General Manager Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics watches warmups before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the TD Garden on February 06, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Tuesday, during his pre-draft availability, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen indicated that he picked the brain of Boston Celtics’ NBA Champion President of Basketball Operations (and former Butler University Men’s Basketball coach) Brad Stevens.
Only, it wasn’t really about basketball.
Rather, Steichen sought out any guidance that Stevens may be able to share regarding Achilles post-surgery recovery, after Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum previously underwent Achilles surgery by the same surgeon who recently performed Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones’ procedure a few months ago (via The Athletic’s James Boyd).
#Colts HC Shane Steichen spoke to #Celtics president Brad Stevens about Jayson Tatum’s Achilles recovery. Tatum and Daniel Jones both got surgery from Dr. Martin O’Malley.
It’s not the first time that Stevens has offered his insight he has firsthand experienced with his star player’s recovery from a torn Achilles with an Indianapolis professional sports head coach.
It is good to know that Jones, who’s already throwing and performing drop-backs on his road to regaining his prior breakout career year form, isn’t alone in his recovery.
Rather, there have been a number of star professional athletes who have suffered the same injury and underwent the same surgery, and there’s an established protocol for rehabilitation and recovery. There are likely some helpful tips that Stevens can share regarding what worked well and what didn’t—and what to reasonably expect.
The early signs regarding Jones recovery are encouraging, and he’s arguably ahead of schedule—with a hopeful and still realistic return by Colts training camp in mid-to-late July.
NORTH PORT, FL- FEBRUARY 22: JR Ritchie #92 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on February 22, 2026 at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At the end of the recap for tonight’s 8-6 Braves win over the Nationals, I mentioned that the process of getting through that game pitching-wise brought up some questions as to how they would deal with Thursday afternoon’s game. As it turned out, the Braves will be dipping into their prospect pool again in order to bring up one of the hottest prospects in the organization.
The 35th overall pick from the 2022 MLB Draft will be making his big league debut on Thursday night, as JR Ritchie has reportedly received the call and will be starting on Thursday afternoon against the Nationals.
The Braves are calling up No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie to start tomorrow against the Nationals. Ritchie ranks 71st overall on the most recent @BaseballAmerica Top 100 list.
The move makes sense, primarily because Ritchie will be making this start on regular rest. He’s also been lights out for the Gwinnett Stripers in Triple-A so far, as he’s made five starts and tossed 27.1 innings while only giving up three earned runs compared to 28 strikeouts. He’s sporting an ERA of 0.99 and a FIP of 3.66 at that level and with the rotation being in a tough spot, the time has come for Ritchie to make a spot start.
According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves will be sending Didier Fuentes right back down to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Braves have a tiny bit of room to add Ritchie to the 40-man roster without designating anybody for assignment so that should be the official move once it’s eventually announced by the club itself.
For now, it’s time to get excited as we’re going to see what Ritchie has to offer at the big league level. He’s certainly coming up in a challenging spot as this Nationals roster is tough to deal with and it’s on relatively short notice. With that being said, this is why the Braves drafted him this high and he’s looked great as he’s made his way through the minors. There’s a reason why there’s a lot of anticipation to see what Ritchie can do at this level and Thursday afternoon will be his big chance.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 22: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite giving him the richest contract for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history, the Yankees didn’t sign Max Fried to be an ace. They envisioned pairing him with 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole atop a formidable rotation, but expected to see them together as a 1-2 postseason punch for years to come.
As Yankees fans know, that didn’t happen. Cole underwent Tommy John surgery last March, and that suddenly thrust the former World Series champion into the undisputed ace role for the foreseeable future. And with players not usually returning to top shape after returning from UCL reconstruction surgery, the balance of power was now firmly shifted to Fried being the ace of the New York Yankees.
Well, as he made his 40th start as a Yankee (playoffs included) on Wednesday night, he continued to show why that was a worthy moniker. After dealing against the rival Red Sox all year in 2025, he started 2026 with a bang, tossing eight shutout innings at Fenway Park on Wednesday, giving no room to breathe for a struggling offense. All the run support he needed came early on two big swings by Amed Rosario, as the Yankees secured a series victory, 4-1.
The Yankees jumped on Ranger Suarez right away. After the former All-Star retired two of the first three batters he faced, Giancarlo Stanton picked up where he left off last night by smacking a ball off the Green Monster in left field for a double to set up Rosario with second and third, two out. Shortly after Michael Kay noted the usual platoon bat’s reverse splits, Rosario evened those up in a hurry, pimping a three-run bomb over the Monster to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead.
Fried toed the slab in the bottom half of the inning and pitched around a one-out walk by Willson Contreras to produce a shutdown inning. Suarez settled in to retire 8-9-1 in the Yankees’ order in the second, and his offense looked to respond immediately with a leadoff walk by Andruw Monasterio and a double off the Monster by Jarren Duran.
With runners on second and third and nobody out, Fried gritted his teeth and pulled a Houdini act by striking out the bottom of Boston’s weakened lineup in order to somehow escape without allowing a run.
That big momentum swing allowed the same part of the Yankees’ lineup to further extend the lead. Aaron Judge singled, Stanton hit yet another double off the Monster, and Rosario lifted a long sac fly to the warning track in left field to make it 4-0. Fried would pitch around a two-out single by Wilyer Abreu to finish off the third.
Suarez got another 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of the order in the fourth, and Duran once again doubled off the wall, a fascinating development for a player who has not only struggled his entire career against Fried but also against lefties. Despite once again getting a runner in scoring position, though, Boston stranded it with a groundout and a routine flyout.
Judge walked with one out in the fifth, stole second, and got to third on a groundout, prompting Alex Cora to emerge from the dugout to bring in right-hander Zack Kelly against Stanton, who promptly induced an inning-ending pop fly. Fried continued to deal as Boston’s lineup flipped over once again, sitting them down in order in the fifth.
With the lefty out of the game, Aaron Boone deployed both Ben Rice and Trent Grisham in place of Rosario and Randal Grichuk, but both struck out against Kelly. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. due up, Cora summoned Eduardo Rivera, a World Baseball Classic standout from Puerto Rico, for his MLB debut, and he tallied his first career strikeout against the continually struggling Chisholm.
The game started to enter a lull as neither team’s offense could get going. Fried had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to get through seven innings, while Rivera rolled along to save the bullpen, only giving up an infield single to José Caballero that was erased on a complicated rundown double play.
Fried stayed on to start the bottom of the eighth and got helped out by his defense. Ryan McMahon entered for defense in the sixth and made a Manny Machado-esque play on the third-base line, but made that look like child’s play to start the eighth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa ripped a liner down the line that McMahon sprawled out to make a spectacular catch on to take away a double.
After that, it was back-to-back strikeouts of Ceddanne Rafaela and Contreras to wrap up eight remarkable innings for the Yankee ace. Nine strikeouts, just three hits and two walks allowed, pure dominance. In five starts against the Red Sox as a Yankee (including his wasted Game 1 gem in the Wild Card Series), Fried has a 1.10 ERA in 32.2 innings. If nothing else, having an ace that always goes out and shoves against your biggest rival is a tremendous privilege.
After Rivera wrapped up an impressive 3.1 frames in his first career appearance, Brent Headrick got the call to pitch the ninth against the heart of the order. Of course, it wasn’t easy, as a pair of hits by Trevor Story and Duran (whose three hits today were approximately 60 percent of Boston’s offense) broke up the shutout and Caleb Durbin was a ball away from walking to bring up the tying run. Thankfully, a strong play by Caballero and a scoop by Paul Goldschmidt ended the ballgame.
The Yankees will go for their first three-game sweep in Fenway Park since September 2021 tomorrow night at 6:10pm EST. It’ll be the Walpole kid, Cam Schlittler, looking to provide an encore to his Wild Card heroics last October against a starter to be determined. Brayan Bello was initially scheduled to go, but was pushed back to Friday.
(@Masterflip_) 
