Category: Sports News

The 2025 Mets had a terrible time turning around games late. Through 11 games of the 2026 season, the Mets are showing a penchant for late-inning drama.

“We’re never out of games,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his club’s 4-3 win that saw them score one run in the eighth to tie it before Ronny Mauricio's walk-off hit in the 10th.

“We’re gonna continue to grind at-bats, and it’s a good feeling in the dugout. Understanding that we get one guy on, we got the ability to keep the line moving. And it’s good to see it this early,” he said of the comeback culture being established in the season’s first fortnight.

Before Tuesday’s heroics, the Mets overturned a one-run deficit in the 11th for a win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 deficit with a four-run eighth for a win in San Francisco.

Mendoza called last year’s stats – which had the Mets going 0-70 when trailing after eight innings – “crazy.”

“It’s hard to explain, it’s baseball,” the skipper said. “Here we are within the first 10, 11 games, coming back, it’s good to see.

“I think it’s guys trusting each other, trusting their preparation, their game plan, not panicking, and just continuing to have fun, and continue to have good at-bats.”

And part of being able to come back is the bullpen keeping the game close. On Tuesday, the Mets’ final four relievers came into the game looking to keep the deficit to one run, and they delivered five shutout innings, capped by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the ninth and 10th.

"They are used to pitching in high-leverage situations,” Mendoza said of Williams and Weaver. “That's what we brought them in for, to lock games down, to keep games in there for us, and today was a perfect example.”

So far, the bullpen has allowed just seven runs over its first 43.1 innings, second-fewest in baseball, and is holding opponents to a .213 average, seventh-lowest.

Pushing the right buttons

The decision to send up Ronny Mauricio in the 10th may have been Mendoza’s best call of the day, but it only came about because he pushed the right button earlier in the game, too.

On Sunday, Jared Young was called upon to fill in for Brett Baty and make just his second-ever start in the outfield. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and collected an outfield assist before he was substituted for pinch-hitter Luis Torrens, who hit the game-winning two-RBI double.

On Tuesday, he was called who was called upon to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning and came through with the game-tying sacrifice fly.

“He’s gonna continue to give you professional at-bats,” Mendoza said, adding that it was likely just the wind that kept Young’s fly ball to right from being a three-run home run. “It’s one of those nights that that ball doesn’t go out, but it was like 107 [mph off the bat] with a 39 [degree launch angle]. That ball should be in the bullpen.”

“He’s a pro,” the skipper continued. “He’s another guy that understands his role. Another guy that, even though his name is not in the lineup, he knows opportunities are coming.”

Mendoza said that with the Diamondbacks’ righty-heavy bullpen, there were a couple of pitchers he was targeting who would present matchup troubles for his righty batters. Jonathan Loáisiga was one of them, which is why he lifted Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat himself, for Young in that situation.

“You watch the inning unfold,” he said, mentioning hits from lefties Jorge Polanco and Baty, “the game is basically telling you to continue to trust your guts there.”

“And as hard as it is to take the bat away from Mark,” the skipper added, “it’s first and third, double-play is in play, Loáisiga is a big-time groundball pitcher. You got a pretty good left-handed bat off the bench, I felt like I needed to do it. I’m glad he got the job done.”

Hold onto your hats

The Mets moved the start time of Tuesday’s game up by three hours because of the expected cold temperatures and windy conditions, but there was no escaping the cold and wind even with the mid-afternoon first pitch. 

“Tough conditions overall,” Mendoza said. “With how windy it was, that ball was moving pretty much everywhere.”

“Crazy,” starter Freddy Peralta said of the conditions. “It was a battle. From the first pitch of the game, I knew. I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have days like that.”

Was it the wind or the cold? “It was a little bit of everything,” the starter said, “but it was more the wind. It was coming straight from [behind] home plate to me, but I was trying to make adjustments.”  

Weaver said it is all part of the game. 

“The winds kinda blowing in pretty hard in your face,” Weaver said. “I don’t know. I’m in a box most of the game, so the heat is on and it feels pretty good until you get out into the climates. You’re really hoping to be efficient. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s early in the season, you know you’re gonna get this every year. And then it’s gonna get really hot and then we’re gonna complain about that, too. And then we’ll get to September and we’ll be right back to where we started. Just happy to be here.”

The 2025 Mets had a terrible time turning around games late. Through 11 games of the 2026 season, the Mets are showing a penchant for late-inning drama.

“We’re never out of games,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his club’s 4-3 win that saw them score one run in the eighth to tie it before Ronny Mauricio's walk-off hit in the 10th.

“We’re gonna continue to grind at-bats, and it’s a good feeling in the dugout. Understanding that we get one guy on, we got the ability to keep the line moving. And it’s good to see it this early,” he said of the comeback culture being established in the season’s first fortnight.

Before Tuesday’s heroics, the Mets overturned a one-run deficit in the 11th for a win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 deficit with a four-run eighth for a win in San Francisco.

Mendoza called last year’s stats – which had the Mets going 0-70 when trailing after eight innings – “crazy.”

“It’s hard to explain, it’s baseball,” the skipper said. “Here we are within the first 10, 11 games, coming back, it’s good to see.

“I think it’s guys trusting each other, trusting their preparation, their game plan, not panicking, and just continuing to have fun, and continue to have good at-bats.”

And part of being able to come back is the bullpen keeping the game close. On Tuesday, the Mets’ final four relievers came into the game looking to keep the deficit to one run, and they delivered five shutout innings, capped by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the ninth and 10th.

"They are used to pitching in high-leverage situations,” Mendoza said of Williams and Weaver. “That's what we brought them in for, to lock games down, to keep games in there for us, and today was a perfect example.”

So far, the bullpen has allowed just seven runs over its first 43.1 innings, second-fewest in baseball, and is holding opponents to a .213 average, seventh-lowest.

Pushing the right buttons

The decision to send up Ronny Mauricio in the 10th may have been Mendoza’s best call of the day, but it only came about because he pushed the right button earlier in the game, too.

On Sunday, Jared Young was called upon to fill in for Brett Baty and make just his second-ever start in the outfield. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and collected an outfield assist before he was substituted for pinch-hitter Luis Torrens, who hit the game-winning two-RBI double.

On Tuesday, he was called who was called upon to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning and came through with the game-tying sacrifice fly.

“He’s gonna continue to give you professional at-bats,” Mendoza said, adding that it was likely just the wind that kept Young’s fly ball to right from being a three-run home run. “It’s one of those nights that that ball doesn’t go out, but it was like 107 [mph off the bat] with a 39 [degree launch angle]. That ball should be in the bullpen.”

“He’s a pro,” the skipper continued. “He’s another guy that understands his role. Another guy that, even though his name is not in the lineup, he knows opportunities are coming.”

Mendoza said that with the Diamondbacks’ righty-heavy bullpen, there were a couple of pitchers he was targeting who would present matchup troubles for his righty batters. Jonathan Loáisiga was one of them, which is why he lifted Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat himself, for Young in that situation.

“You watch the inning unfold,” he said, mentioning hits from lefties Jorge Polanco and Baty, “the game is basically telling you to continue to trust your guts there.”

“And as hard as it is to take the bat away from Mark,” the skipper added, “it’s first and third, double-play is in play, Loáisiga is a big-time groundball pitcher. You got a pretty good left-handed bat off the bench, I felt like I needed to do it. I’m glad he got the job done.”

Hold onto your hats

The Mets moved the start time of Tuesday’s game up by three hours because of the expected cold temperatures and windy conditions, but there was no escaping the cold and wind even with the mid-afternoon first pitch. 

“Tough conditions overall,” Mendoza said. “With how windy it was, that ball was moving pretty much everywhere.”

“Crazy,” starter Freddy Peralta said of the conditions. “It was a battle. From the first pitch of the game, I knew. I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have days like that.”

Was it the wind or the cold? “It was a little bit of everything,” the starter said, “but it was more the wind. It was coming straight from [behind] home plate to me, but I was trying to make adjustments.”  

Weaver said it is all part of the game. 

“The winds kinda blowing in pretty hard in your face,” Weaver said. “I don’t know. I’m in a box most of the game, so the heat is on and it feels pretty good until you get out into the climates. You’re really hoping to be efficient. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s early in the season, you know you’re gonna get this every year. And then it’s gonna get really hot and then we’re gonna complain about that, too. And then we’ll get to September and we’ll be right back to where we started. Just happy to be here.”

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

A two-spot in the third! pic.twitter.com/6bliU34KJ6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 7, 2026

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

A two-spot in the third! pic.twitter.com/6bliU34KJ6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 7, 2026

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

It wasn’t always easy, but the Dodgers took an early lead and never relinquished it, beating the Jays 4-1. For the third time in a row, following in the footsteps of their two games versus Kevin Gausman in last year’s World Series, the Dodgers scored exactly three runs against the Blue Jays starter. After the outburst of 14 runs in the previous win, a performance like that from Gausman has its value for Toronto, but going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to avoid their sixth straight defeat.

Standing out defensively since his call-up replacing the recently injured Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim got the scoring started in the third inning—Kim doubled off Gausman and came around to score on a massively long single off the wall from Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ DH hit the ball with such force that when it came off the wall, he had no choice but to stand pat at first on what looked like an extra-base hit. Los Angeles added one more run when Will Smith was able to avoid the double play, hitting with one out and runners at the corner.

A two-spot in the third! pic.twitter.com/6bliU34KJ6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 7, 2026

Unlike in the two World Series games, Gausman couldn’t get the quality start, removed after a pair reached in the sixth with still a manageable pitch count at 84. Facing this lefty-heavy Dodger lineup, the Blue Jays went to Mason Fluharty, who got Max Muncy and Kim to close the threat.

The thing about an apparent dominant win due to great pitching is that you’re still always on edge. Through five innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been spotless, and the only hitter to reach base did so as Kyle Tucker misjudged a deep fly ball, resulting in a double to Jesús Sánchez that should’ve been an out. In the sixth, Yamamoto dialed up the excitement meter—George Springer hit an RBI double, and one walk later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up as the go-ahead run at the plate. Perhaps a bit anxious for a signature moment, Vladdy hacked at a well-located splitter down and away for a harmless forceout, quickly followed by another groundout to end the inning.

While the Jays chose to err on the side of caution in the sixth when Gausman was laboring, the Dodgers pushed the envelope with Yamamoto, a decision that ultimately proved ill-advised. Yamamoto became the first Dodger starter to pitch into the seventh inning, but failed to record an out in it. After an overturned strike-three call on Kazume Okamoto, the Blue Jays third baseman hit a double and advanced to third on a bunt single from Enie Clement. Those would be the two hitters Yamamoto would face in the seventh before Alex Vesia would come in for his 300th appearance as a Dodger, few bigger than this one. Vesia loaded the bases with a walk before retiring three straight and stranding his inherited runners. A lazy fly ball wasn’t enough for the slow Okamoto to try and score from third; a strikeout later, and all that stood in the way of Vesia preserving the 3-1 lead was George Springer. Dave Roberts had Blake Treinen warming in the bullpen and could’ve gone for the righty-righty matchup, but he trusted Vesia, who rewarded that trust with another flyout.

Given the drama of innings six and seven, the Dodgers added a much appreciated insurance run in the ninth—Alex Freeland advanced to second on an infield single courtesy of some sloppy defense from the Jays, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Kyle Tucker overcame his three strikeouts in the previous at-bats to drive him in. Edwin Díaz did allow a couple of hitters to reach in the ninth, bringing up the tying run, but a strikeout to Tyler Heineman sealed the win.

An important note about this game is that in the fifth inning, right before the Dodgers scored their third run, John Schneider was ejected for arguing a balk call on Gausman. Contextualizing this moment, Schneider and the Jays are not only coming off a blowout defeat against the Dodgers but also a shocking sweep at the hands of the White Sox in their previous series.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1): 6+ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Kevin Gausman (0-1): 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

SV— Edwin Díaz (4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar territory. Looking for his first win since joining the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease will square off against Shohei Ohtani in the final game of this road trip for the Dodgers. Be ready for an early start with the first pitch set for 12:07 pm (PT).

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!

Sandy Alcantara was the runaway winner of the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022 and, when right, remains one of the elite pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Since then, though, he’s had his share of hurdles. Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season, and his 2025 season – while thorough with 174.2 IP – featured a shell of his former self as command issues left him pitching from behind in counts like never before.

On Tuesday night vs. the Cincinnati Reds, though, Sandy looked every bit the part of his former self. For eight innings, he held Cincinnati scoreless, and did so in efficient enough fashion that he was brought back out for the Top of the 9th having allowed just a pair of hits all night. That changed immediately with a Matt McLain double with 1-out, and after Alcantara walked Elly De La Cruz the Marlins manager opted to turn to his bullpen with his ace at 95 pitches and the Marlins holding a perilous 2-0 lead.

The Reds proceeded to feast.

A double steal, a Sal Stewart sac fly, and a wild pitch by reliever Anthony Bender later and the game was tied a 2-2. And after Emilio Pagán flirted with (and avoided) disaster in the Bottom of the 9th, Cincinnati exploded for four runs in the Top of the 10th to seize a commanding lead.

Graham Ashcraft allowed the Manfred Man to score in the Bottom of the 10th, but no more, and Cincinnati walked away with a 6-3 victory after spending most of the day under the thumb of one of the best arms in the sport.

Other Notes

• Despite his white-hot spring, McLain entered play on Tuesday with just a lone extra-base hit to his name during the 2026 season. He doubled twice in this one, though, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once to take home the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening. One double came in the 9th, the other with runners on in the 10th…that’s #clutch!
• Andrew Abbott was mostly solid in his start He fired 5.1 IP and scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks, yielding a pair of runs while striking out two on 91 pitches.
• Jose Franco, meanwhile, was nails out of the bullpen. He tossed a pair of hitless, scoreless frames.
• Nate Lowe got a crucial hit in the Top of the 10th to give the Reds a 3-2 lead after coming in off the bench earlier in the game. He effectively replaced Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup (with Sal Stewart sliding over to 3B) in a prime example of just how deep this Reds bench truly is right now.
• The back of Hayes’ baseball card shows him hitting .107/.167/.107 with zero extra-base hits so far this season.
• The Reds are 8-3 on the season and almost, almost have a net zero run differential. If the pesky Pirates would just stop winning, they’d have the NL Central lead outright!