Category: Sports News

Its Wednesday, May 28 and the Nationals (24-30) are in Seattle to take on the Mariners (30-23). Trevor Williams is slated to take the mound for Washington against George Kirby for Seattle.

After losing back-to-back games to the Astros, the Mariners picked up a 9-1 win, in game one of the series with the Nationals.

Logan Evans was dealing yesterday. He only gave up one earned run in 8.0 innings.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Nationals at Mariners

• Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
• Time: 9:40PM EST
• Site: T-Mobile Park
• City: Seattle, WA
• Network/Streaming: ROOTNW, MASN 2

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Nationals at the Mariners

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Moneyline: Nationals (+170), Mariners (-206)
• Spread:  Mariners -1.5
• Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Nationals at Mariners

• Pitching matchup for May 28, 2025: Trevor Williams vs. George Kirby
  
  • Nationals: Trevor Williams, (2-5, 6.39 ERA)
    Last outing (Athletics, 5/22): 3.2 Innings Pitched, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts
  • Mariners: George Kirby, (0-1, 12.27 ERA)
    Last outing (Houston Astros, 5/22): 3.2 Innings Pitched, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Nationals at Mariners

• The Mariners have won four of their last five matchups against NL East teams
• Eleven of the Mariners' last 13 games with George Kirby as their opener have gone over the total
• The Mariners returned a 1.35-unit profit on the run line at home last season with George Kirby as their starting pitcher

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mariners

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Nationals and the Mariners:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Seattle Mariners on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Nationals at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Its Wednesday, May 28 and the Yankees (34-20) are in Anaheim to take on the Angels (25-29). Clarke Schmidt is slated to take the mound for New York against Yusei Kikuchi for Los Angeles.

The Yankees took the first two games of the series. Despite scoring two runs in the ninth inning, the Angels were still beaten 3-2.

Carlos Rodon picked up the win for the Yankees. He struck out 10 batters in a shutout effort over 7.0 innings.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Yankees at Angels

• Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
• Time: 9:38PM EST
• Site: Angel Stadium
• City: Anaheim, CA
• Network/Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network West, YES

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Yankees at the Angels

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Moneyline: Yankees (-166), Angels (+140)
• Spread:  Yankees -1.5
• Total: 9.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Yankees at Angels

• Pitching matchup for May 28, 2025: Clarke Schmidt vs. Yusei Kikuchi
  
  • Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, (1-2, 4.58 ERA)
    Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
  • Angels: Yusei Kikuchi, (1-4, 3.17 ERA)
    Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Yankees at Angels

• The Yankees have won 7 of their last 9 on the road, while the Angels have lost 4 straight home games
• 7 of the Yankees' last 9 road matchups against the Angels have stayed under the Total
  

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Yankees and the Angels

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Yankees and the Angels:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Los Angeles Angels at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Its Wednesday, May 28 and the Blue Jays (26-28) are in Arlington to take on the Rangers (27-29). Eric Lauer is slated to take the mound for Toronto against Tyler Mahle for Texas.

The Rangers leveled the series 1-1 with a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays yesterday. Rangers pitcher Nate Eovaldi left the game after the second inning with tricep fatigue. Rangers took precautionary measures, and Eovaldi is not expected to miss a start.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Blue Jays at Rangers

• Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
• Time: 8:05PM EST
• Site: Globe Life Field
• City: Arlington, TX
• Network/Streaming: Rangers Sports Network, Victory+, SN1

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Blue Jays at the Rangers

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Moneyline: Blue Jays (+111), Rangers (-131)
• Spread:  Rangers -1.5
• Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Blue Jays at Rangers

• Pitching matchup for May 28, 2025: Eric Lauer vs. Tyler Mahle
  
  • Blue Jays: Eric Lauer, (1-1, 3.31 ERA)
    Last outing (Tampa Bay Rays, 5/25): 3.0 Innings Pitched, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 3 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts
  • Rangers: Tyler Mahle, (5-2, 1.80 ERA)
    Last outing (Chicago White Sox, 5/23): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Blue Jays at Rangers

• The Rangers have won 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with losing records
• The Blue Jays' last 4 versus the Rangers have stayed under the Total

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Blue Jays and the Rangers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Blue Jays and the Rangers:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Texas Rangers on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Toronto Blue Jays at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Its Wednesday, May 28 and the Rockies (9-46) are in Chicago to take on the Cubs (34-21). Tanner Gordon is slated to take the mound for Colorado against Matthew Boyd for Chicago.

With a 4-3 win yesterday, the Cubs took the first two games of the series 2-0. In the bottom of the 11th, Matt Shaw sealed the victory for the Cubs on a walk-off
single.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Rockies at Cubs

• Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
• Time: 8:05PM EST
• Site: Wrigley Field
• City: Chicago, IL
• Network/Streaming: Marquee Sports Network, Rockies.TV

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Rockies at the Cubs

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Moneyline: Rockies (+274), Cubs (-347)
• Spread:  Cubs -1.5
• Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Cubs

• Pitching matchup for May 28, 2025: Tanner Gordon vs. Matthew Boyd
  
  • Rockies: Tanner Gordon, (1-1, 4.38 ERA)
    Last outing (New York Yankees, 5/23): 6.0 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts
  • Cubs: Matthew Boyd, (4-2, 3.42 ERA)
    Last outing (Cincinnati Reds, 5/23): 4.0 Innings Pitched, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 8 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Cubs

• The Cubs have won 7 of their last 8 home games, while the Rockies have lost 17 in 20
• The UNDER is 6-3-1 in the last 10 Rockies games
• The Cubs are showing a profit of 1.98 units on the Run Line in their last 5 games at Wrigley Field
• The OVER is 6-2-2 in the last 10 Cubs games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Cubs

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Rockies and the Cubs:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich is starting to find his groove this season.

Yelich hit the first walk-off grand slam of his career, going deep in the 10th inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.

“Yeah, it took me quite a while to check off walk-off homer, so it was pretty cool,” said Yelich, who is in his 13th season, including the last eight with the Brewers. “You know, walk-off homer, you’re winning the game either way, but grand slams are always cool.”

Yelich jumped on a 1-1 slider from Liam Hendriks and sent it 108.5 mph and approximately 400 feet over the wall in right center as Milwaukee won its third straight and for the fourth time in six games.

“I was trying to just pick one out that I felt like I could handle,” the 33-year-old Yelich said. “I was just trying to hit a flyball the outfield, honestly.”

It was the sixth grand slam of Yelich’s career, and second this season. His last was at San Francisco on April 22nd.

He went 2 for 5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs, two runs scored and one stolen base against Boston.

The left-handed hitting Yelich came into the game batting .205 with a team-leading 30 RBIs and nine home runs.

“As a lefty, you’re just sticking your nose in there and try to make something happen,” he said. “You know, single, walk, you know, anything.”

NEW YORK — After hitting a two-run shot for the New York Mets, Jared Young was reminded it was his first major league homer in 613 days.

“Felt that long, yeah,” he said. “It’s the best league in the world, so you’ve got to play your best to be here and have success here. But I’m glad to be back, and that one felt good.”

Called up from the minors after spending part of last season in South Korea, the 29-year-old from Canada helped power the Mets to a 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Young gave New York a 4-2 lead in the first inning with a drive over the right-field fence that marked his third career longball and first in the big leagues since Sept. 22, 2023, for the Chicago Cubs against Colorado.

He also delivered a well-struck double to right-center that set up Jeff McNeil’s sacrifice fly in the third, giving Young multiple extra-base hits for the first time in his 26 major league games.

“He looked great. He’s been having really good at-bats and I felt like tonight you really got to see what he’s able to do,” said Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who launched a two-run homer of his own two batters before Young connected.

“He’s a great guy to have. Not only is he a great performer but I mean, the couple days that he’s been here, he’s been a really good teammate. So, he’s been a treat to have so far.”

With designated hitter Jesse Winker (also a left-handed batter) on the injured list, the Mets brought up Young from Triple-A Syracuse to face a string of right-handed starters over the past few days.

He’s started four games in a row and impressed manager Carlos Mendoza with the way he controls the strike zone — but Young’s home run was his first hit for New York.

“Look, he’s getting an opportunity,” Mendoza said. “He’s back in the big leagues after a lot of grinding. Whether it’s minor leagues, up and down, going overseas, he’s getting an opportunity back here in the States, and here we are giving him a chance and he’s taking advantage of it. Like I said, I like the at-bats and it was good to see him get some results today.”

Young played at small schools in Oklahoma (Connors State College) and North Dakota (Minot State University) before getting selected by the Cubs in the 15th round of the 2017 amateur draft from Old Dominion in Virginia.

He made his major league debut with Chicago in September 2022 and got 47 plate appearances in 2023. Young was then claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals and played 74 games at Triple-A Memphis last year before getting released on July 30.

So he signed with the Doosan Bears in South Korea and batted .326 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs over 38 games in the KBO — where he was teammates with Mets left-hander Brandon Waddell, another international success story.

New York signed Young last December and sent him to Syracuse, where he began the season on the injured list.

But once he got healthy, he pounded Triple-A pitching, batting .259 with a .393 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage. He had five homers, five doubles, 21 RBIs and 12 walks in 22 games before being called up.

“You believe in yourself and you believe in the player that you are, I feel like it takes care of a lot of things,” Young said. “There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs in kind of any career — I don’t care if it’s playing baseball, or doing anything. But I think when you believe in yourself you can get to where you want to get.”

Asked how he’s been feeling at the plate in the majors, Young said: “Pretty comfortable.”

“Trying to keep things as similar as possible to all the baseball you’ve played, whether in the minors or the big leagues, wherever you are,” he explained. “You know, just put good at-bats and be a tough out.”

He certainly was, hitting sixth in a dangerous Mets lineup that features some of baseball’s biggest stars in Alonso, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.

“It’s awesome. It’s great,” Young said. “You take a look at this team from the top down, I mean, pretty good ballplayers and winning a lot of games. So, to get thrown into it, I feel like I belong and I feel like it’s a good spot and a good fit, and hope we can just keep winning some ballgames.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Devin Williams’ first two months with the New York Yankees have been a roller coaster ride, and his first save in nearly six weeks was full of even more thrills and chills.

Williams gave up two runs and three hits in the ninth inning, but the former All-Star closer persevered and finished the Yankees’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

After retiring pinch-hitter Logan O’Hoppe on a foul popup with a runner on first to end it, Williams chose to see the cleaner side of another messy evening.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we won,” Williams said. “That’s all that matters.”

The Yankees acquired Williams from Milwaukee last winter to be a major component of their bullpen, but he’s still adjusting to the bright lights of Broadway. Williams had a handful of rocky outings in his first month, culminating on April 25 when he blew a save by giving up three runs in the ninth to Toronto at Yankee Stadium, his ERA ballooning to 11.25.

Williams lost his job as the Yankees’ closer after that, but he has found his form over the past three weeks, making eight consecutive scoreless appearances and allowing just three hits.

That gave manager Aaron Boone enough confidence to go to Williams at the Big A for his first save opportunity since late April — particularly because Luke Weaver had pitched in five of the previous seven games.

It didn’t seem like a high-leverage spot, either: The Yankees had a 3-0 lead, and the Angels hadn’t scored in 16 consecutive innings.

Williams repeatedly was one pitch away from another disaster in Anaheim, but Boone claimed to be satisfied by the result.

“Not worried about it,” Boone said. “In the end, you bend, don’t break. There’s a lot that you take away from that outing. But the reality is he’s throwing the ball really well. They put a couple of good swings on him tonight, but that’s part of it.”

Williams immediately gave up a leadoff homer to Yoán Moncada on a changeup that caught too much of the plate. Taylor Ward singled, Travis d’Arnaud hit a screaming 104.9-mph flyout to center, and Luis Rengifo singled to put runners on the corners with one out.

But Williams came through to earn his fifth save of the season.

After Ward scored when Jo Adell grounded into a forceout, Williams fell behind 3-0 to O’Hoppe. The promising catcher unexpectedly swung at a high fastball out of the strike zone and popped it into foul territory near the Angels’ dugout.

“I didn’t think he’d be swinging there, to be honest,” Williams said. “Kind of did me a favor.”

Williams is new to New York, but he knows all about the perils of his chosen profession. He ended his Brewers career by blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning of the decisive Game 3 in the NL wild-card series against the Mets — and then he was booed in the Bronx just 18 pitches into his Yankees career when he nearly blew a win on opening day.

“You just keep going,” Williams said. “The game isn’t over. We didn’t lose yet. It’s pretty simple.”

Williams’ ninth inning was a dramatic finish to an outstanding night for Carlos Rodón, who pitched seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks. The Yankees issued no walks for the first time this season.

Williams’ struggles are a minor inconvenience in another strong start for the defending AL champions. New York (34-20) has won four straight and 15 of 19 with seven consecutive series victories, surging to a seven-game lead in the AL East in May for the first time since 1998.

“That’s a heck of a job by Devin to hang in,” Rodón said. “They made some good swings, and the ninth is a different animal. It’s really hard to get the last three outs of the game. I thought he hung in. I thought he did great and still shut (them) down and got the save.”

NEW YORK — Hits haven’t come easy for Juan Soto during his first season with the New York Mets.

The $765 million slugger lost one against the Chicago White Sox because of some chaos on the basepaths.

With teammate Brandon Nimmo on first in the opening inning, Soto sent a drive toward right-center, where a diving Michael A. Taylor trapped the ball in his glove off a short bounce.

Hearing disappointment from Citi Field fans, however, Nimmo thought the ball had been caught on a fly. So he scrambled back around second base and retreated quickly to first.

Soto saw Nimmo coming right at him between first and second and peeled off onto the infield grass as the White Sox threw the ball to first base.

When umpires sorted it all out, Nimmo was safe at first but Soto was called out for passing him on the basepaths. Chicago first baseman Miguel Vargas was credited with a putout.

“When Soto hit it, I thought, that’s down for sure. It’s a double or better. And so, went to go around the bag, had my back to the play, and then I heard the crowd act like the ball was caught. And so I turned around and went to go get back when I saw him on the ground, and tried to get back to first base,” Nimmo said. “It’s just one of those plays that’s kind of unfortunate.”

The safe signal indicating the ball hit the ground came from first base umpire Tom Hanahan — which Nimmo was in no position to see.

And he acknowledged he wasn’t really looking around for an umpire’s call anyway.

“I went with my first instinct as soon as I heard the crowd,” Nimmo said. “And I totally get it. I mean, it short-hopped into his glove. Honestly, if I was watching it I probably wouldn’t have even been sure what exactly to do.”

It was the latest bizarre sequence on the bases at Citi Field over the past five days.

Fortunately for the Mets, though, Pete Alonso followed with a two-run homer — the first of five straight hits off starter Jonathan Cannon.

It would have been seven in a row if not for the mixup on the basepaths.

“As baserunners, like, that can be really confusing,” Alonso said. “I mean, I couldn’t tell from the on-deck circle and I probably would have done the same thing. Again, weird play, and when you’re in the heat of the moment, you’re not really looking at the umpire. You’re trying to just see the ball, and from my vantage point I thought he caught it.”

Two batters later, Jared Young launched another two-run homer that gave New York a 4-2 lead in a 6-4 victory.

“Glad that our offense came through and it ended up not being too big of a deal there at the end,” Nimmo said.

Soto could have used the base hit, however.

The four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner finished 0 for 4 and is batting .228, which is 54 points below his career average.

“Screwy play. Probably not going to see another one like that this year,” Alonso said.

CLEVELAND — Mishits by most players end up being outs.

For Shohei Ohtani, they can result in home runs.

The Japanese star became the third player in Dodgers history to reach 20 homers in the team’s first 55 games with a two-run towering drive during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Japanese star joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019) as Dodgers with at least 20 homers in the first 55 games. It is the 64th time a player in the majors did it in the same span, the first since the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso in 2023.

“It’s really cool. A little bit jealousy probably. You know, he basically mishits a fly ball today and it still goes out,” said Max Muncy, who added a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 9-5 victory. “It’s just one of those things where he does that stuff that no normal human beings can do. It’s really fun to watch and see it.”

Ohtani — a three-time MVP who leads the major leagues in homers — drove a cutter from Tanner Bibee into the left-field stands for a 4-0 lead. It was the fourth time this season Ohtani has gone deep to the opposite side.

“It wasn’t flushed, but it was spun the right way. It was just one of those balls that when he hit it, it just kept going like a helium ball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It is true that he has a lot more margin for error than everyone else on the planet. Maybe him and (New York Yankees slugger Aaron) Judge.”

Bibee struck out Ohtani in the first inning and issued an intentional walk in the second. The right-hander thought he got out of the fourth inning when he saw Ohtani hit it, only to see it keep carrying.

“I think a lot of people thought it was a popup. I mean, I did too. It was definitely crazy seeing that go up,” Bibee said.

It was the second time this season and 10th since Ohtani came to the majors from Japan for the 2018 season he has homered in three straight games. That also includes a stretch of eight in the last 13 games.

The fastest Ohtani had gone deep 20 times in a season prior was 70 games into the Angels’ season in 2021.

It is the third time the four-time All-Star has had at least 12 homers in a month since joining the Dodgers. He did it in June and August last season.

The most homers Ohtani has hit in a month was 15 with the Los Angeles Angels in June 2023.

Of Ohtani’s 245 big league homers, 37 have gone to left field.

“He’s just been much more disciplined in the strike zone,” Roberts said. “He’s swinging at his strikes and he’s taking balls that are not in the hitting zone. And I think that if you look at that stretch, he’s walking a lot more too. When he’s willing to take the walk and be ready to hit the balls in his hitting zone, that’s where you see kind of the slug and when he gets on a tear.”