Worldwide Sports News
The Atlanta Braves are looking to stack another series win on their record tonight before the calendar flips to May.
Ritchie vs. Skubal starts at 7:15 pm ET tonight on BravesVision.
Braves player updates (Strider, Murphy, Kim, Iglesias, and more)
A most unusual occurrence − the Los Angeles Dodgers losing a series at home to the Miami Marlins − ended in a most unusual fashion: An unassisted double play from the second baseman.
Xavier Edwards and the Marlins made it happen, though, as the Marlins pushed across an eighth-inning run and held on for a 3-2 victory that ended when Edwards bagged superstars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman at first to end it.
The situation: Freeman chopped a ball toward first base that Edwards fielded in the basepath. Ohtani realized that if he'd continue running, Edwards would have an easy double play by tagging him out and tossing to first.
So Ohtani froze in the basepaths and then shuffled back toward first, trying and failing to twist away from Edwards' tag attempt. Meanwhile, Freeman was lumbering down the line.
WHAT A WILD DOUBLE PLAY!
— MLB (@MLB) April 29, 2026
The @Marlins win the game AND the series 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UNkM2FKCj3
Edwards' deft manuevering resulted in a tag of Ohtani and, not breaking stride, a tap of the first base bag with his right foot a step ahead of Freeman to end the game. He spiked his first baseman, Connor Norby, in the process, but the Marlins were otherwise safely out of town.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Marlins win series over Dodgers on wild double play
Kodai Senga revealed to reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the lumbar spine inflammation forcing him to the sidelines wasn’t a recent development.
The righty dealt with the issue at times during spring training and early in the regular season, but he was able to pitch through it so he didn’t come forward.
The injury became too much to manage and effected Senga’s performance, though, so he finally met with trainers following a third consecutive rough outing on Sunday.
The Mets placed him on the 15-day IL just two days later.
“There were games I felt good and I was able to pitch well,” he said through an interpreter. “But these past couple of games the results show it was unfortunately something I was not able to manage -- I was determined I could get through it, but it got to a point I wasn’t able to.”
The numbers certainly showed that over his latest outings.
After beginning the year with a pair of decent showings against the Cardinals and Giants, Senga failed to compete three full innings of work in two of the next three.
Even in the game he did reach that mark, he was pulled in the fourth.
His ERA now sits at an ugly 9.00 with a 1.95 WHIP after allowing 16 runs (15 earned) on 17 hits and five homers while issuing eight free passes and striking out just seven batters over that span.
“It’s just not good enough,” Carlos Mendoza said following Sunday’s loss.
The 33-year-old doesn’t know exactly how this will effect him the rest of the season, but his main focus right now is just getting healthy and back out on the mound.
When exactly that will be still remains to be seen.
Senga won't throw for the next seven-to-10 days after being given an epidural on Tuesday, then he will sit down with the doctors and trainers to see where things go from there.
“The expectation is that the injection will calm down the nerve irritation,” he said. “The medicine kicks in at different points for different people, so I’m not exactly sure when it’s going to start hitting, but we’ll see how the body responds.”
The St. Louis Cardinals continue was has been a very enjoyable vacation in Pittsburgh so far this week as they and the Pirates will tangle in game 3 Wednesday night. Andre Pallante gets the start for St. Louis while Pittsburgh will hope Bubba Chandler can turn them around. If weather allows it, first pitch scheduled for 5:40pm central time, but there is rain in the forecast.
Sign up for a user account and get:
The Mariners won Wednesday’s series finale against the Twins, giving them a 5-1 record on the road trip, but suffered a potentially serious loss in their bullpen. Matt Brash departed Wednesday’s game against Minnesota after throwing just two pitches with what manager Dan Wilson called “discomfort in his side.”
Brash entered with the game tied 2-2 in the eighth to face leadoff man Ryan Jeffers. His first pitch, which Jeffers fouled off, was a 96.3 mph sinker, which is about a full tick slower than his average, but not so much as to be immediately worrying. On replay, though, you can see Brash shrug a little after throwing the pitch:
Brash’s next pitch came up on Statcast as an 89 mph changeup, and it sailed past Cal Raleigh’s glove, clear to the backstop. Cal Raleigh immediately signaled for the trainer, who came out along with Dan Wilson. Once again, it was obvious on replay that Brash was wincing with that little shrug motion.
During the mound visit, Wilson did most of the talking, shaking his head: no, no, no, as Brash clearly argued to stay in. Speaking to the media postgame, Brash said he recognized he did need to come out of the game but was processing during the mound visit, thinking of the pitcher behind him who would be thrown into a difficult situation taking over mid-batter.
“I’ve never done that before,” said Brash post-game. “I was kind of like – not arguing with Dan, but he was telling me to come out, and I was trying to process in the moment. I didn’t want to put Gabe [Speier] or anyone in a tough spot having to come in without warming up…I just knew I’d be hurting the team, not being able to compete at the best of my ability.”
“It was tough,” said Wilson. “He didn’t want to come out of the game, but it’s something where – he’s had a couple of days here, so we just didn’t want to take any chances. We’ll get a look at it tomorrow and go from there.”
Brash, who missed the 2024 season and the first month of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, was pitching for the second day in a row and the fourth time in six days. The team has ramped Brash up slowly this spring post-injury, but with Luis Castillo going short in the series opener and Logan Gilbert only completing five innings in yesterday’s game, and the close nature of each of the final two games, the leverage arms in the bullpen were relied upon heavily.
Postgame, Dan Wilson said that Brash is “fine,” but acknowledged he’s been battling “a little discomfort” in his right side, which is what prompted his removal from the game.
“I’m okay,” said Brash postgame. “I’ve been dealing with some side stuff for a couple days now. It bugged me a little yesterday in my outing, but I felt fine pregame today. But as soon as I put some effort into the ball, I could feel it.”
Brash said he could feel the discomfort yesterday in his outing, specifically on his fastball extension, but chalked it up to the cold, saying he felt good after his outing and felt good pregame today. It was only when warming up in the bullpen that he started to feel the discomfort returning, and recognized immediately something was off when he threw his first two pitches.
Oblique injuries can be tricky to diagnose, beginning as a nagging pain that comes and goes, and can easily get worse quickly. Brash said although he doesn’t think his injury is anything “super serious” and called today’s decision to remove him from the game “precautionary”, he recognizes the importance of not letting this specific injury get worse. On the Mariners pitching staff this season, Bryce Miller has already demonstrated the difficulty of rehabbing an oblique, something Brash would be well familiar with. He’ll get imaging tomorrow and the team will know more then. This story will be updated when that information is made available.
“Sucks, for sure,” said a frustrated Brash. “It’s tough, but we’ll figure it out.”
The Milwaukee Brewers picked up their second straight win on Tuesday and aim to make it three in a row—and their first series victory in over a week—on Wednesday evening at home versus the Diamondbacks.
Yesterday, Chad Patrick battled wildness (and vision problems and vomiting, apparently) but allowed just two earned runs in five innings, and the Brewer offense broke through for a massive, Brewersy sixth inning that was the backbone of a 13-2 victory. Tonight, Milwaukee sends Brandon Sproat to the mound to face the veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
Before we get to the pitching matchup, though, there are a couple of roster notes to cover. We’ll start with the good news: Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn were both officially sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin rehab assignments. They’re expected to be available to the Brewers on Monday for the beginning of next week’s series in St. Louis.
The not-as-good news is in relation to lefty Ángel Zerpa, who looked good with Team Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic but has had a rough start to the 2026 season. It turns out there could be a reason for that. Zerpa has been sent to the 15-day IL with what is being called “left forearm tightness,” which is not what you want to hear when it comes to pitchers. Even more troublingly, Pat Murphy’s concern level appears high:
It sounds like the best-case scenario that Brewers fans should hope for for now is that Zerpa does not require elbow surgery. Best wishes to him in his recovery, and we’ll hope to hear from a healthier Zerpa again before the season is over.
To replace Zerpa on the roster, the Brewers have called up another lefty, Brian Fitzpatrick. Drafted in the tenth round in 2022 out of Rutgers, Fitzpatrick will be making his major-league debut whenever he first appears in a game with the Brewers. Fitzpatrick is not really considered a prospect—he turns 26 on June 1st and did not appear on FanGraphs 53-man list of top Brewers prospects. But he’s off to an excellent start at Triple-A Nashville this season, and has not allowed an earned run in 10 1/3 appearances. Fitzpatrick was primarily a starter until midway through the 2024 season, but he’s been pitching out of the bullpen since. Last season, he earned a 1.82 ERA in 23 appearances (34 2/3 innings) for Double-A Biloxi, but had a hard time in 13 appearances after a promotion to Nashville. Things have been much smoother this season, and we’ll se how things go whenever he gets a shot.
Pitching tonight for the Brewers is Brandon Sproat, who has showcased enticing stuff even when he’s been bad this season. Sproat is still rocking a less-than-desirable 6.45 ERA, but his last two starts have been encouraging; on April 16th against Toronto, he had one of the best Brewers starts of the season when he allowed one run and walked only one batter in a 2-1 victory, and he followed that up by allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings (while walking two) in a duel with Tarik Skubal in Detroit on Thursday. Sproat walked as many batters in each of his first three outings as he did in his last two combined, so keeping those walks down seems like a big key to his success.
For Arizona, Eduardo Rodríguez got off to an incredible start but has not been as good in his last two outings. The 33-year-old lefty began the season by allowing just one earned run across his first three starts (which spanned 18 innings), but he’s allowed four runs in five innings each of his last two times out (in games against the Orioles and White Sox). Rodríguez is in his 11th season as a big leaguer, has thrown over 1300 innings, and is closing in on his 100th career win (he enters the night with 96); I know that wins don’t matter, but it’s hard to rack up 100 wins in modern baseball, and it is a testament to his durability and longevity.
With the left-handed starter tonight, the Brewers send out their “yikes” outfield of Brandon Lockridge, Greg Jones, and Blake Perkins, and with Joey Ortiz in at shortstop, runs may be hard to come by. Luis Rengifo is starting at third base, with William Contreras behind the plate and Gary Sánchez at DH. Brice Turang and Jake Bauers round out the starting nine. Of note in the Diamondbacks’ lineup is the presence of Ildemaro Vargas, who last night extended his hitting streak to 21 games (24 if you count the end of last season).
First pitch tonight is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
The San Francisco Giants game on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies has officially been postponed, and will be made up on Thursday with a split doubleheader. About half an hour before the game was scheduled to start, it was announced that it will not happen at all, as a large storm is hitting the east coast.
While the game was originally scheduled for 3:40 p.m. PT, it was moved up earlier in the day in hopes of avoiding the storm, and had been slated for a 3:10 p.m. PT start instead.
Now the teams will instead play twice on Thursday. It’s a split doubleheader, which means that instead of playing twice in a row, with the second game starting whenever the first one ends, there will just be two scheduled games in the day. The first will be at 9:35 a.m. PT, after which the fans will leave the stadium and the next group of ticket holders will enter. The Giants and Phillies will then play the second game of the doubleheader at 2:35 p.m. PT.
Each team will be allotted an extra player that they can add to the roster for the day. The Giants have not announced who they’ll bring up, but it will almost certainly be a pitcher.
The Boston Red Sox haven't had the greatest start to the 2026 MLB season. The team fired what seemed like everyone in house, including manager Alex Cora and five other coaches after starting the year with a 10-17 record.
Frustration has been building in the clubhouse. Despite many fans believing the Red Sox would compete for an AL East crown this year, the team has floundered, ranking outside the top 20 in team runs, home runs and OPS, while ranking exactly 20th in team strikeouts and ERA.
Starting pitcher Brayan Bello has struggled in particular, amounting a 9.00 ERA in 22 innings pitched prior to Wednesday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, he surrendered three earned runs (four before the inning was over) in just 3.2 innings pitched and only recorded two strikeouts. He was struggling, and interim manager Chad Tracy gave Bello the hook after just 63 pitches.
Very, very quick hook for Brayan Bello at just 63 pitches. Shook his head for several seconds as Tracy made his way out to take the ball. Yikes.
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) April 29, 2026
His final line:
3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks pic.twitter.com/D5vpT00FKn
Bello was clearly unhappy.
Greg Weissert replaced Bello and immediately surrendered a two-run shot. The Blue Jays would end up winning, 8-1.
No. Bello has had four outings where he threw fewer than 63 pitches. That said, only one of those outings saw Bello start the game: June 25, 2024 against (ironically) the Blue Jays. Bello pitched just 2.1 innings and was pulled after 52 pitches. He surrendered five hits and seven earned runs before being pulled.
The Red Sox lost that game, 9-4.
Bello's frustration with Tracy comes just days after Bello experienced another rough outing against Baltimore. During that game, then-manager Alex Cora came to the mound after witnessing some very poor body language from Bello, who'd already given up four home runs to Orioles hitters.
Bello lasted just 2.1 innings in that game, and after getting pulled, he took out his frustrations by throwing his glove at a bubble gum container in the dugout.
When Brayan Bello got to the dugout, he spiked his glove off the bubble gum container a few times.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 25, 2026
Haven't seen him lose it like that in a while. Just horrendous vibes. pic.twitter.com/KK7nZGJ9VQ
Bello is currently undergoing one of the worst stretches of his career. The five-year vet has not made it through the fifth inning in any of his last three starts and has surrendered four, eight, and four runs respectively in those outings.
He currently boasts a 9.00 ERA and is recording the lowest K/9 rate of his career (6.1) and simultaneously the highest BB/9 of his career (5.3).
Coming into Wednesday's game, the 22 earned runs he'd surrendered this season were the most of any pitcher in the American League.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brayan Bello pulled after just 63 pitches, visibly unhappy
LOS ANGELES— The Dodgers had a chance to walk off the Miami Marlins and take the series on Wednesday, but failed to do so again as the Dodgers lost 3-2.
After both Tyler Glasnow and Sandy Alcantara completed a scoreless first inning, Miami struck first again in the top of the second as Liam Hicks drilled his second home run of the series to deep right field, putting the Marlins up 1-0.
Max Muncy led off the bottom second with a ringing double to center field just past the diving Jakob Marsee. Alcantara was an out away from preserving the lead until Alex Call skied one high on the infield that was misplayed by shortstop Otto Lopez, allowing Muncy to score and tie the game.
Glasnow settled into a nice groove after the home run from Hicks, as he managed to strike out six batters in a row from the second through fourth innings. He was an out away from completing five innings with the tie intact after picking off Graham Pauley going for second, but the former Dodger Esteury Ruiz’s first hit as a Marlin traveled over the left field wall to give Miami the lead again. Glasnow was once again an out away from completing six innings after striking out his ninth hitter, but he was pulled after 5 2/3 innings while tossing 92 pitches.
Wednesday was Glasnow’s first non-quality start since April 10 where he allowed four runs over six innings against the Texas Rangers. Despite a season-low in innings, it was the second consecutive start and third time this season where he struck out at least nine hitters.
Alcantara continued to hold the Dodgers in check until they rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, highlighted by a game-tying single from Dalton Rushing to get Tyler Glasnow off the hook for the loss.
After a scoreless inning from Will Klein following Alex Vesia’s brief appearance, the Marlins managed to reclaim the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a bloop single from Javier Sanoja.
In pursuit of their second walk-off win against Miami, the Dodgers put the first two men on base via a walk with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt from Alex Freeland moved both runners into scoring position with one out, and Miami elected to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani to load the bases. A base hit was all Freddie Freeman needed to complete the comeback, but he grounded a soft ball to second base. Xavier Edwards stepped on the bag at first just before tagging out Ohtani running back to first to thwart the comeback.
The Dodgers end their homestand with an even record, the first time they’ve done so this season, while it is their first series at home where they failed to hit a single home run.
The Dodgers are off on Thursday as they fly out to St. Louis to open a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday (5:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Emmet Sheehan goes for the Dodgers against left-hander Matthew Liberatore.
Bo Bichette – 3B
Juan Soto – DH
MJ Melendez – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Brett Baty – 1B
Tyrone Taylor – CF
Carson Benge – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Ronny Mauricio – SS
David Peterson – LHP
James Wood – DH
Curtis Mead – 1B
Brady House – 3B
CJ Abrams – SS
Jacob Young – CF
Daylen Lile – LF
Joey Wiemer – RF
Nasim Nunez – 2B
Keibert Ruiz – C
Cade Cavalli – RHP
First pitch: 7:10 PM EDT
TV:
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
SIGNUPPATTERN
After a lackluster offensive performance Tuesday night, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts implored his team to “have a better plan” at the plate.
But an afternoon later, the club was still searching.
For a plan. For results. For anything resembling dependable offensive production.
In a 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, the Dodgers not only dropped a three-game series but raised renewed questions about their lineup’s early inconsistency.
They managed only seven hits. They went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring positions. And despite having the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, they came up empty on a game-ending double-play grounder from Freddie Freeman.
“I think in general, we’re just not all there,” Roberts said. “There are more guys that aren’t going well right now that are.”
Granted, Wednesday’s opposing pitcher was former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who scattered all seven hits over a six-inning, two-run start.
Still, for a star-studded club that has put up big overall numbers this season, there have also been several disconcerting stretches along the way –– including a current 12-game run in which they are now just 5-7.
“The last 10 days, it just hasn’t been synced up,” Roberts said of the offense. “We just haven’t got those hits when we needed them.”
Indeed, the Dodgers (20-11) had chances to break Wednesday’s game open.
Four different times, they had a runner at second with no outs in an inning.
Capitalizing on such opportunities, however, nearly proved futile. They might have been held scoreless, had they not benefitted from a couple good breaks.
Their first run only scored when Miami shortstop Otto Lopez lost a two-out infield pop-up from Alex Call in the sun, letting it drop for the most fortuitous of RBI singles in the bottom of the second. The next came in the sixth, when Dalton Rushing followed Kyle Tucker’s leadoff double with a soft bloop single that managed to find grass in right field.
Beyond that, their offense managed nothing else.
The Marlins (15-16) weren’t much better against Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow. The only damage he allowed came via the long ball, with Liam Hicks going deep in the second and former Dodgers outfielder Esteury Ruiz doing the same in the fifth.
Otherwise, the right-hander only faced trouble when he invited it upon himself. He walked six batters (tying a career high) but stranded all of them. He racked up nine total strikeouts, including six in a row at one point, and finished his 5 ⅔ innings outing with a 2.56 ERA this season.
That kept the game tied 2-2 until the eighth, when the Marlins scored the decisive run on Javier Sanoja’s RBI single against Will Klein.
And though the Dodgers loaded the bases in the ninth on three walks –– two from Hyeseong Kim and Call to lead the inning off, then another when Shohei Ohtani was intentionally put aboard following a sacrifice bunt –– Freeman couldn’t complete the last-gasp comeback, bouncing a grounder to second base where Xavier Edwards fielded the ball, tagged out Ohtani, and stepped on first (as was confirmed by video review) to complete the game-ending double-play.
Just when it seemed like the Dodgers’ lineup was turning a corner last weekend, they suffered what was easily their worst series performance at the plate all year.
Outside of a three-run walk-off rally in Monday’s ninth inning, the team combined for only five runs in this week’s other 26 innings. They also failed to hit a home run in any of the three contests, the second time in their last three series that they have failed to go deep.
Glasnow continued his strong start to the season, even while battling more wild command than usual.
Of his 92 pitches, only 56 were strikes. Because of all the free passes, he was forced from the game with two outs in the sixth.
“I think early on it felt good,” Glasnow said. “Then the fifth and sixth, I just was super weird. Lost timing, flying open. It was just one of those days where it was hard to throw strikes.”
Still, when Glasnow was in the strike zone, the Marlins had a tough time hitting him –– outside of the two home runs that came on first-pitch four-seamers over the plate.
For a second-straight start, Glasnow once again pivoted to more of a sinker-heavy game plan to get ahead in the count. And when he mixed in his breaking stuff, he got 10 whiffs out of 17 swings and eight of his nine total Ks.
While Roberts said some of his hitters are lacking “a clear plan of what they’re trying to accomplish” in situational opportunities, Freeman’s recent struggles have been all about his swing.
The most glaring moment Wednesday came on his game-ending double play, when he went after a sweeper low in the zone and rolled it over to the pull side. However, his 0-for-5 performance was full of plenty other examples, from a thigh-high changeup he skied for a flyout in the third, to another double-play grounder on a bottom-edge sweeper he hit in the seventh.
“I had pitches to hit,” Freeman said. “I just didn’t hit ’em.”
Now, he is just 6-for-35 in his last nine games.
The Dodgers are off on Thursday, and will travel to St. Louis to open a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday. It’s the first of two stops on their upcoming road trip, which will end in Houston with three games against the Astros next week.
A minor league free agent. A mediocre minor league hitter whose average generally hovered in the .240s-.250s. Mostly an afterthought of fans discussing the Opening Day roster. That’s Carlos Cortes.
Carlos Cortes is also the player who is batting .387/.457/.694, 214 wRC+, 1.151 OPS, with a 10.0% BB rate and 5.7% K rate. He’s 4 for 4 this season against LHPs and 6 for 9 in his career.
Last week’s Player of the Week started the new week by coming off the bench (???) to add 3 plate appearances to his season: a HBP, a walk, and a single. When asked why his minor league stats with the Mets were so pedestrian and his MiLB/MLB numbers with the A’s so improved, Cortes pointed to regular playing time that he never got with the Mets.
Which makes it all the more odd that despite attributing his success to regular playing time, being the hottest hitter in MLB right now, and yet to be retired by a left-handed pitcher this season, Cortes found himself sitting at the start of last night’s game. Perhaps it was divine intervention that Tyler Soderstrom jarred his body diving for a base hit, opening up a clear spot for Cortes for at least the time being.
Here’s a bold prediction: When he celebrates his 29th birthday on June 30th, Cortes won’t be hitting .387 for the season or .340 for his career. But it’s still worth noting that the sample is growing and the available indicators don’t scream “fluke!” so much as they explain his success.
The sample for Cortes’ career is now up to 169 PA, which is still considered to be tiny. But he is already in the territory of some metrics that tend to stabilize quickly and his Statcast page reads like a Hall of Famer. Specifically, along with walking nearly twice as often as he strikes out, here are some eye-popping stats to savor on this sunny Wednesday:
What does that mean for Cortes, who was let go by the Mets and not hotly pursued around baseball, going forward? Nobody really knows. He will come crashing down to earth, and at the same time he could watch this season’s BA plummet .060 points and he would be hitting .327, most probably with high BBs and low Ks.
We’ve been through John Mabry (2 incredible months out of the blue during a non-descript career), we’ve been through Brandon Moss (blossomed at about the same age when given a regular opportunity), and we’ve seen plenty of players who fall in between — at some point we’ll know exactly what we have in Carlos Cortes and we can look back to see at whom the comp needle points closest.
I can’t make a confident prediction based on less than 200 PAs, but I will say this: I don’t think the needle is going to be pointing at Mabry.
Wednesday was getaway day for Dodgers, so before the final game of the team’s brief six-game homestand suitcases were lined up outside the clubhouse and equipment bags in various states of packing were strewn about the floor of the locker room.
And while few places have been sweeter than home for the Dodgers over the past two seasons, the team may be happy to get out of town after falling 3-2 to the Miami Marlins.
The loss before a sun-splashed matinee crowd marked the first time the Dodgers have lost consecutive games at home since last fall’s World Series. Of more concern is the fact the Dodgers scored just three times in the two games, going four for 17 with men in scoring position and leaving 16 runners on base in the two contests.
Read more:What Shohei Ohtani's start against Marlins says about how Dodgers are handling his workload
The Dodgers still lead the majors in home wins with 12 and have the best home ERA in baseball. On the road, meanwhile, the team ERA is nearly a run a game higher and the Dodgers’ record isn’t even the best in their own division.
For Tyler Glasnow, the results have been just the opposite. The right-hander was unbeaten in three starts on the road, where he has been nearly unhittable, and winless in his first two at home, where he struggled.
And while he didn’t get a decision Wednesday his performance on a brilliant cloudless afternoon was his best of the season at Dodger Stadium, with Glasnow scattering three hits and striking out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Two of the hits were solo home runs, however, so he left trailing 2-1.
Read more:'This is sick.' Kyle Tucker's walk-off single lifts Dodgers to comeback win over Marlins
Liam Hicks opened the scoring for Miami, driving Glasnow’s first pitch of the second inning into the lower stands just inside the right-field foul pole for his seventh home run of the season. The run was the first Glasnow had given up in his last 12 innings and the right-hander didn’t allow another hit until the fifth, when former teammate Esteury Ruiz hits his first homer of the season into the first row of the left-field pavilion.
In between, the Dodgers accepted a gift run with Max Muncy starting the second with a double off the glove of center fielder Jakob Marsee, then scoring two outs later when shortstop Otto Lopez lost Alex Call’s popup in the bright midday sky.
The Dodgers had Miami starter Sandy Alcantara on the ropes most of the afternoon, putting runners on in five of the six innings he pitched. But aside from the tainted run in the second, they couldn’t break through against the right-hander until the sixth.
Kyle Tucker led off that inning with a double to right-center, moved to third on a ground out, then scored on Dalton Rushing’s two-strike single to right. But Alcantara escaped the jam when Alex Freeland to bounced to second with two runners on.
Read more:Shohei Ohtani homers, Justin Wrobleski shines as Dodgers shut out Cubs for series win
After that, it became a battle of the bullpens — a battle the Marlins won when Javier Sanoja blopped a two-out single to shallow right off reliever Will Klein in the eighth, scoring Xavier Edwards with the winning run.
The Dodgers had a chance to that back in the bottom of the ninth when right-hander Calvin Faucher walked the first two batters he faced. After a sacrifice, Faucher walked Shohei Ohtani intentionally to load the bases but Freddie Freeman hit into an unassisted double play.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In our unofficial series “What’s wrong with a variety of Guardians’ hitters”, let us examine the strange case of Steven Kwan.
From Opening Day 2022 to May 31st, 2025, Steven Kwan put up a 119 wRC+ with a 9.7/9.4 K/BB%, a .182 ISO,a .310 BABIP and a .328 xwOBA. From June 1st, 2025 to today, Kwan has managed a 79 wRC+ with a 9.2/8.9 K/BB%, a .084 ISO and a .254 BABIP, his xwOBA dropping to .282. A 34% decline in production is, obviously, the difference between a valuable major league hitter and a player who isn’t capable of helping a big league offense.
To begin at some more surface level metrics, Kwan has gone from a 22.1 hard-hit rate to a 17.9% hard-hit rate The rest of his batted-ball metrics look virtually unchanged. Kwan hasn’t hit the ball hard at high rate in the first three years of his career, so he could ill afford a noticeable drop in that area, but 4% decline there doesn’t explain 33% loss of production.
Let’s continue investigating. I next looked at specific pitches and uncovered something of interest. Over the past 700 or so plate appearances, Kwan has a -10.1 run value against fastballs, -2.5 run value against cutters and -1.9 run value against sinkers, compared to his first three and half seasons where he ran a 14.1+ run value against fastballs, a 1.7 run value against cutters and a -2.3 run value against sinkers. So, Kwan is now a bad hitter because he went from hitting four-seam fastballs well and cutters decently to not being able to hit either pitch at all.
Why has this occurred? My next point of investigation went to examining if hitters are attacking Kwan differently and, here, we seem to have an answer. When looking at the percentages of pitches Kwan sees on the inner third of the plate and further inside, here’s what we are seeing:
Kwan is seeing more pitches in this portion of the hitting zone than he ever has and performing significantly worse against them than he ever has. Similar numbers emerge when we look at four-seamers and cutters in this hitting zone:
One thing that seems abundantly clear – 2024 Kwan was likely an outlier. He is probably something a lot more similar to a league average hitter that he’s mostly been outside of that season. Combined with excellent left field defense, this would still be likely a 3 win player. But, the question is whether or not Kwan can get back to league average, as an 80 wRC+ will not play even with gold-glove defense in left field (should the Guardians return Kwan to that spot, or average defense in center).
Why is the decline happening against pitches in the inside part of the plate? I do think part of the answer is luck. Kwan’s xwOBA’s indicate he should be performing better than he is, especially against fastballs and cutters. However, he has definitely lost some slugging ability, especially over the inside of the plate. Here’s where we enter the area of speculation. Kwan sustained a wrist injury somewhere in the middle of last season. Is it possible his wrist has not fully recovered its strength and he simply lacks the ability to get the limited oomph he managed to get on those pitches in the past? Is this, when it comes down to it, mostly bad batted ball luck that will eventually even out?
In the days to come, I would monitor whether or not teams continue to throw mostly inside to Kwan, specifically with four-seamers. If Kwan cannot turn around on those pitches with any sort of regularity, more and more pitchers will look to exploit that weakness. If this is mostly a luck issue, chances are that Kwan’s ability to make contact and still manage a 14-20% hard hit rate will eventually get him back to more of a .310-.320 wOBA. If this is a wrist strength issue, his wrist will either regain strength and get him back some of his lost power, or it will continue to plague him. In any case, I suspect we are at the beginning of teams pounding Kwan inside and daring him to make them pay.
For Kwan, the only way out is through. He needs to continue to execute a good eye at the plate, make elite contact, and try to pull inside pitches and slap outside pitches. Time will tell if there is a course correction coming or if his lack of elite bat speed and raw power makes him a below average hitter easily exploitable by four-seamers and cutters. Today, Kwan looked more like his old self, so let’s hope it is the beginning of a turn around.
Note: Thank you to Matt Seese for his help sorting through some data queries for this article.
GLOSSARY:
wOBA – OPS adjusted for the run-scoring weight of each batter-produced event. .320 is roughly equivalent to league average.
xwOBA – this is the wOBA number adjusted for the results we would expect given a hitter’s exit velocity and launch angle
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.
After avoiding elimination with a win in Game 4, the Houston Rockets will try to do so again in tonight’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even without Kevin Durant, who missed his third game of the series with an ankle injury (he’ll miss his fourth tonight), the Rockets dominated from the jump and led by as many as 26 points at one point. Amen Thompson led all players with 23 points and 7 assists, part of a balanced starting lineup where all five players scored at least 16 points. The Rockets’ defense also forced the Lakers into 23 turnovers.
The Lakers may gain a huge piece of offense back with the return of Austin Reeves. Reeves, who has been out with an oblique strain since April 2. He was listed as a game-time decision ahead of Game 4, but the Lakers are optimistic that he’ll be ready to go for tonight’s game.
Even with the Game 4 victory, every win is a must-win for the Rockets, who coud be eliminated with the Lakers’ next win. If the Lakers win tonight, they’ll face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 2, but a Rockets win will bring the series back to Houston for Game 6.
Tonight’s Lakers vs. Rockets playoff game is scheduled to tip off at 10 p.m. ET tonight, April 29.
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN (plus every other channel you’ll need for the NBA season including local channels). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
* if necessary
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.