Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Peyton Pallette (41) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images
For such a cold environment for a baseball game, the Royals hitters sure seemed red-hot today. I realize that’s not something you usually say after a simple 4-2 victory, but there was a ton of loud contact. Carter Jensen’s home run in the sixth inning was a 111mph scorching line drive that just barely cleared the right field fence. Jonathan India launched a towering homer at 101mph off the bat. Salvador Perez just barely missed a home run as it sliced foul.
Jac Caglianone and Bobby Witt Jr did not make as much of an impact on the box score as Jensen and India, but Witt hit four balls above 100mph. Cags hit three. Maikel Garcia doubled on a ball that’s a homer in 6/30 ballparks according to Statcast (and doubled on another ball that would have been a homer in Houston only).
It was just one of those games – a lot of the loud contact was either sequenced without runners on base or hit directly at a well-positioned Guardians defender. The Guardians did not have as much loud contact but their two runs were also on homers. Steven Kwan launched a Wacha fastball over the fence, and it was only the 21st-hardest-hit ball of the game. Brayan Rocchio took a Matt Strahm delivery over the left field fence.
Having said that, Tanner Bibee pitched a strong game for the Guardians. He kept a balanced pitch mix, including higher usage of his curveball, to keep Royals hitter off-balance. While watching, I felt like there were a lot of unusual takes from the Royals hitters on hittable fastballs. I looked it up – Bibee had 11 called strikes on his four-seam fastball out of 27 total pitches. He also got a good number of whiffs on his other junkballs. He was on a sort of pitch count limitation due to shoulder irritation coming out of Spring Training. He made it only 4.2 innings on 87 pitches.
The only run that was not scored on a homer came from the Royals in the fourth inning. Vinnie Pasquantino walked, and Jensen struck out on a wild pitch. I heard the announcers going through the rules around this strikeout/wild pitch. If there were zero outs or one out, Pasquantino would not have been allowed to advance and Jensen just would have been out. Since there were two outs, the play was allowed to run its course. The wild pitch went pretty far, so there wasn’t much of a chance to get Jensen at first for the final out. India took a middle-middle sinker to the opposite field for a single to score Pasquantino.
Aside from the Kwan homer, Michael Wacha pitched really well. He did a good job painting corners and using his changeup, which got him a few whiffs. His fastball wasn’t fooling anyone, but he mostly stayed out of trouble. He threw seven complete innings with three walks and three strikeouts; all three of those walks came near the end of his outing in the 6th/7th innings. He gave up only three hits, including that Kwan homer.
Wacha did get some defensive help on a couple inning-ending double plays. One of those double plays was a 5-6-4-3. A grounder to Garcia doinked off his gloved straight to Witt, who completed the rest of the normal sequence for the double play.
Quick note – José Ramírez played his 1620th game for the Guardians; he’s now the all-time leader for games played in team history.
The Royals and Guardians play a day game tomorrow due to the cold weather forecast. The game starts at 12:10pm US central time. The Royals move to 5-5, and the Guardians drop to 6-5.
The Yankees have taken every series they have played and won seven of their first nine games. They entered Monday’s off-day tied for the best record in the majors. They have been led by a thoroughly dominant rotation with a majors-low 1.81 ERA even before Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt have thrown a pitch.
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Things are going well. But given the expectations for a team that is a persistent contender but ringless since 2009, identifying the potential flaws is just as significant as admiring the strengths.
With the usual early April caveats — they have not even reached double-digit games, the majority of which have been witnessed by fans in blankets — one early possible concern resides in the bottom of the lineup.
Through the first two weeks, Nos. 6-7-8-9 in the Yankees lineup have been the worst in baseball in average (.143), slugging percentage (.167) and OPS (.404). Individually, the sample sizes are minuscule. Collectively, the group has logged 143 plate appearances and totaled 15 singles and three doubles.
“We need to get more production there,” manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Sunday after those lineup slots went 2-for-17 in a series-ending loss to the Marlins, “and we will.”
It is far too soon to panic, but probably not too soon to begin monitoring the bottom of the order, which has consisted of:
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Concern that Chisholm won’t hit is virtually none, and perhaps his two-run, gapped double in Sunday’s ninth inning to bring the Yankees within one run will be a turning point.
“I feel like that could help a lot,” Chisholm said. “… Right now, we’re just working day to day, getting better every at-bat and hoping to get hot here soon.”
Last year — his first full season in pinstripes and the first in which he was regularly exposed to frigid temperatures for home games — he logged his worst average (.181) and OPS (.714) in March and April and still authored an All-Star, 30-30 season.
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) hits a double during the third inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Austin Wells
A bat-first prospect with a questionable ability to stick at catcher has been the complete opposite as a major leaguer, an elite defensive catcher who has been a slightly below-average hitter through two-plus seasons.
Through the very early going, in which he is 4-for-24, Wells has struck the ball hard but, too often, on the ground. Boone thought Wells fought through a few solid at-bats Sunday, including a seven-pitch battle against Calvin Faucher that ended with a long flyout to the left field wall.
“I still think there’s a lot more in there offensively, and hopefully, we can keep moving to that point,” Boone said during camp.
For there to be any controversy or competition regarding the starting shortstop once Anthony Volpe returns within a month or so, Caballero would need to hit.
He has begun slowly — 4-for-31 — and also recently has been spotty defensively, airmailing a throw to Ben Rice in Sunday’s sixth inning. He can be a terror on the basepaths (and has stolen three bases), but he needs to reach at a better clip than .206.
“Been a struggle, a little bit,” Boone said of Caballero. “He’s swinging through some pitches I feel like that usually he puts in play.”
Yankees shortstop José Caballero (72) hits an RBI double during the second inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Ryan McMahon
The discouraging: a hitter who has never finished any of his nine seasons with even an average OPS — and eight and a half of those came with Coors Field as his home — again has not hit, at just 2-for-23 with 11 strikeouts. Boone said he feels McMahon has been “in between” and not simply trying to hit the ball with authority.
The less discouraging: McMahon is working walks, which he always does, and more notably overhauled his swing this winter to bring his legs closer together and be narrower at the plate. It is worth remembering that the adjustments are ongoing.
“Sometimes, it takes time for things to feel natural, to be able to repeat them without having to overthink it,” assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes said during camp.
The Buffalo Sabres picked up a massive 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. With it, the Sabres are now tied with the Lightning in points with 102. This is certainly big news for the Sabres.
Alex Tuch played a role in the Sabres' win, as he scored the game-opening goal for Buffalo. With this goal, the 6-foot-4 winger now has 30 goals and 62 points in 75 games this season with the Sabres. It has simply been another strong year for the 29-year-old forward.
With how clutch Tuch is continuing to be this season with the Sabres, it is clear that the Atlantic Division club must sign him to a contract extension. The Syracuse, New York native would be such a major loss for the Sabres if he signs with another team this summer. With this, the Sabres must work hard to get him signed to a new deal.
Besides making a major impact with his offensive contributions, Tuch is also an important player for the Sabres because of his leadership skills. There is no question that the Sabres would miss him in this aspect if he signs elsewhere this offseason as well.
Therefore, the Sabres need to get Tuch signed to a contract extension. He has been a perfect match in Buffalo since his arrival, and it will be interesting to see if he ends up staying put beyond this season from here.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (17) congratulates teammate Freddie Freeman (5) who comes in to score on his two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during third-inning baseball game...
TORONTO –– Maybe the Blue Jays’ fans should have been more mean.
Shohei Ohtani was profusely booed, now two years removed from spurring the Blue Jays in free agency. Kyle Tucker got the same treatment, after also picking L.A. over Toronto as the top free agent in this past winter’s class.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani congratulates teammate Freddie Freeman who comes in to score on his two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays. AP
And on the whole, there was little goodwill paid to the club as a whole, after their triumph here in Game 7 last November.
“I wouldn’t say it was Game 6 or Game 7,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “But no, it was good. These fans, sadly, didn’t want to see us come to town.”
There were, however, two exceptions to the stadium-wide jeers: Freddie Freeman, beloved for his Canadian heritage and representation of the country in the World Baseball Classic; and Teoscar Hernández, a former fan favorite outfielder who played for the Blue Jays from 2017-2022.
Which made the Dodgers’ 14-2 win on Monday night all the more painful for the 40,991 in attendance.
As the Dodgers rolled to their fourth-straight win, those were the two players who did the most important damage.
Teoscar Hernández celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the top of the first, Hernández hooked a two-run homer inside the left-field foul pole. Two innings later, Freeman nearly cleared the right-field bleachers with a two-run blast of his own.
That marked the start of another big night for the Dodgers’ surging offense, which recorded its third double-digit scoring effort in the past four days with a 17-hit onslaught that featured runs in all but two innings.
And while Freeman (who finished 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs, tying the early MLB lead with 12 on the season) and Hernández (2-for-5 with a walk and four RBIs) led the way, almost every other hitter in the lineup produced.
Teoscar Hernández is congratulated by Andy Pages on his two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays. Getty Images
Ohtani had two hits, including a sixth-inning home run that elicited more boos. Tucker reached base three times (a single and two walks) and scored on every occasion. Max Muncy and reigning National League Player of the Week Andy Pages also had two knocks, lifting Pages’ early batting average to an MLB-best .474.
And then there was Rushing, who got rare back-to-back starts in his backup catcher –– so Will Smith can be behind the plate for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani the next two nights –– and capitalized by going 4-for-4 with two home runs and a hit-by-pitch. He has reached safely six-straight times going back to a homer he hit Sunday.
What it means
New season, same result in this World Series rematch.
Shohei Ohtani high-fives his teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run. Getty Images
But, it nonetheless gave the club a chance to reflect before first pitch: “Obviously, a lot of great memories,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Then, it set the stage for their most emphatic early-season victory –– giving them 45 total runs through this road trip’s first four games.
“Obviously, we threw out a lot of hits today,” Roberts said. “But I think we’re just doing things the right way – running deep counts, hitting to the opposite field … Everyone was really solid.”
With the victory, the Dodgers also improved to 8-2, good for the best record in the majors to this point and a quick three-game lead in the NL West.
Who’s hot
Hernández did not start the season with his power stroke.
Up until the fifth inning Saturday, all seven of his opening-week hits had been singles. Six came on ground balls, and three never even left the infield.
The last several days, however, have been a different story. The All-Star slugger doubled late in Saturday’s game, hit his first home run of the season Sunday, then went deep again to open the scoring Monday –– on a hanging slider Max Scherzer left over the heart of the plate.
By the end of the night, which also included a two-run single in the seventh, Hernández’s early-season batting average was up to .353, second-best among qualified hitters on the team behind only the red-hot Pages.
Who’s not
The 4-6 Blue Jays.
After starting their defense of the American League pennant with a season-opening sweep of the Athletics, the club has not resembled the one that pushed the Dodgers to the brink last fall.
They dropped a home series to the woebegone Colorado Rockies last week, then were swept by the (almost) equally hapless Chicago White Sox this past weekend. They did nothing but help the Dodgers on Monday, making two errors and watching all five of their pitchers give up runs.
Even worse, Scherzer was pulled from his start after just two innings, with the 41-year-old’s velocity looking noticeably down. Oh, and starting catcher Alejandro Kirk is set for thumb surgery Tuesday.
Up next
The Dodgers and Blue Jays continue their series Tuesday night, when Yamamoto (1-1, 3.00 ERA) will face Kevin Gausman (0-0, 0.75 ERA). Yamamoto flipped spots in the Dodgers’ rotation this week with Ohtani, so that he could get an extra day of rest before pitching ahead of an off-day Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 06: Nasim Nuñez #26 of the Washington Nationals drives in a run with a single in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How about this Washington Nationals offense folks! Despite some bullpen shenanigans, the Nats snapped their five game losing streak with a comeback win against the Cardinals. The Nats started the game well and ended it well. In the end, that was enough to give them a 9-6 win. James Wood also looks to be getting on track, which is great to see.
Before we talk about the offensive fireworks, I wanted to give a shoutout to Zack Littell. The veteran right hander showed what he can provide to this Nats rotation in his five innings of work. His command was mostly excellent and his splitter was dancing. Littell signed late in the offseason, so he is still not totally built up. However, once he is off his leash, he should be able to give the Nats length as well as quality.
The offense was the star of the show today though. All the worries we had about the unit in Spring Training are gone. This offense looks like it is a force to be reckoned with, especially with James Wood seeming to turn a corner. There is a ton of young talent and guys who are being unlocked by this new hitting staff.
It has also been different guys contributing up and down the lineup. Tonight, the star was James Wood, who seems to be coming out of his hibernation. Wood hammered a 114 MPH homer in the 8th inning to tie the game. His ability to hit homers at lower trajectories is truly a sight to behold.
Wood’s homer was part of a massive six run 8th inning explosion that propelled the Nats to victory. It was started by bottom of the order hitters, like Drew Millas and Jorbit Vivas, who both got key singles to start the rally. They got it done off of Ryne Stanek, who the Nats have always seemed to see well over the years.
After Wood’s homer to tie the game, the boys were not done. Curtis Mead ripped a double down the line to keep the pressure on. Then Brady House stepped to the plate and delivered, with a monster two run blast. Ever since the start of Spring Training, House has looked like a different hitter compared to the guy we saw last season. The 22 year old is a young player who is truly figuring it out in the big leagues.
BRADY HOUSE FOR THE LEAD! CJ Abrams for good measure!
CJ Abrams delivered yet another homer in the inning to give the Nats insurance. However, with this bullpen that had already blown it a couple times, things were not comfortable. The situation became particularly uncomfortable when Blake Butera threw Cionel Perez into the fire the night after he gave up four runs without giving up an out.
That was a move that could have been disastrous if it backfired. Butera would have had a lot of arrows heading his way. To his credit, Perez delivered and put up a zero in the 9th to make it a 9-6 Nats win. The Nats pitching staff is clearly a problem, but they slugged too much for it to bite them today.
One other play that helped keep a run off the board also made the 9th slightly less stressful. In the 4th inning, James Wood made the best defensive play of his career, robbing Nolan Gorman of a homer. He had to run a long way to get to the ball and then he timed his jump perfectly to keep the ball from going in the Nats bullpen.
After Jo Adell had his crazy game, I guess James Wood wanted to get into the mix. It is great to get back into the win column. The Nats pitching staff needs to be addressed badly, but hey we can talk about that tomorrow. How about James Wood and how about your Washington Nationals.
After two consecutive dud performances from Jalen Brunson — and after he struggled for most of Monday’s game against the Hawks — the point guard emerged as he often does: when it matters most.
Brunson scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter of a 108-105 victory over the Hawks, including the biggest buckets of the evening — a go-ahead pull-up jumper with 30 seconds remaining, and then the final free throws with 1.2 seconds left.
“It wasn’t necessarily going his way the whole night. But he stayed with it and did what great players are supposed to do and carried us home down the stretch,” coach Mike Brown said.
Still, the victory was in doubt after the final buzzer, as the referees reviewed a banked-in half-court heave from Atlanta’s CJ McCollum — which would’ve sent the game into OT. But the attempt was determined invalid because it occurred after the buzzer, and the Knicks left here with their biggest win in more than a month.
It was also a lesson learned for Brown, who advised Brunson to hit his final free throw with 1.2 seconds left rather than miss on purpose and burn the clock. That almost came back to burn the Knicks. Almost.
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 6, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NBAE via Getty Images
“It’s tricky. If he misses it, obviously it’s a long heave. But if you foul him on the rebound or you foul him when he’s turning to heave it now they get three free throws,” Brown said. “It’s something we’ve talked about before — it’s still a toss-up situation. … The whole thing was at worst they’ll tie it and we’ll go to overtime. Lesson learned on a couple possessions down the stretch.”
Other than the pre-buzzer dramatics, the game served as a reminder of Brunson’s greatest strength come playoff time — the ability to create for himself in the most pressurized situations off the dribble — and that the Knicks, despite their flaws, have an equalizer for sticky situations.
Until that fourth quarter, Brunson was misfiring. He shot just 11-for-26 for the evening — albeit often in a facilitator role with 13 assists — hounded by Atlanta double-teams and All-Defensive selection Dyson Daniels.
But the Knicks deployed a two-man game with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in clutch time, allowing the point guard to shake off the double teams. And it unlocked a powerful offense down the stretch.
“I thought we did a great job today of utilizing [the two-man game with myself and Brunson],” said Towns, who finished with 21 points, 12 boards and six assists. “When the game got dicey, the coaching staff and our teammates leaned on us to have that two-man game show up when we needed it the most. And it worked. We have a good rapport where I think that, what you saw at the end of the game with me and JB allows him not to have so much pressure on him and allows me to help him out and do what I do best, cause gravity which allows him to get a step on a defender and that’s all he needs to score.”
This result mattered to the Knicks. That was obvious. After five straight losses against teams with winning records — and with the playoffs around the corner — Brown used his likely playoff rotation with heavy minutes for his two top performers — Brunson (39 minutes) and OG Anunoby (37).
With Charles Oakley watching from the third row, the Knicks were stuck in the mud until about midway through the third quarter, when they used a 20-8 run to recover from a double-digit deficit.
New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Then it became Brunson time.
“The ball found a way to go in the hoop for me,” he said.
Both teams were motivated. It carried the look and feel of an important NBA game in April, a rarity. There were playoff implications.
The scorching-hot Hawks (45-34), winners of 18 of their last 20 games before Monday, are trying to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in three years. They’re trying to secure the fifth seed.
The Knicks (51-28) clinched a postseason berth but are still in the mix for seeds Nos. 2-4. The victory Monday meant greater emphasis on Thursday’s game at the Garden against the Celtics, with the No. 2 seed still very much in play.
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 6, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NBAE via Getty Images
Beyond the seeding implications, the Knicks need to build momentum heading into a postseason with the highest expectations since at least Jeff Van Gundy roamed the sideline.
As owner James Dolan made clear in January, it’s Finals or bust.
“We put the antennas up for the rest of the league as well,” Towns said. “They know what we can do.”
But even though everybody knows what New York’s closer can do, it’s hard to stop Brunson down the stretch. The Hawks became the latest victim — but also the first victim in a while for the point guard.
“It’s huge to know a guy like Jalen can shoot and score the way he does,” Brown said. “On top of that, he’s crafty.”
The Dallas Stars banned a fan from the American Airlines Center, according to the Dallas Morning News. The ban comes one week after a video went viral on social media which showed a group of fans performing what looked to be a Nazi salute during a home game in December.
Per the Dallas Morning News, the Stars were only able to identify the one fan who had purchased the ticket out of the four seen in the video. He was not identified publicly, but a team spokesman told the Dallas Morning News that the individual had received an indefinite ban from all American Airlines Center events.
#USA - Dallas Stars fans sparked controversy after a video appeared to show them making a nazi salute during a game.
According to the woman who filmed it, the gesture was repeated after every goal. She reported the situation to arena staff, but no immediate action was taken.… pic.twitter.com/amMxzh73aH
The Stars will also reportedly increase in-arena messaging about the fan code of conduct and how fans can report violations, and provide additional training to arena staff to recognize and handle these situations as they come up.
“Any type of discriminatory or hateful behavior will not be tolerated and has no place in our arena," the team spokesman told the Dallas Morning News. "Creating and sustaining environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful is a non-negotiable for the Dallas Stars.”
The video — which first blew up on Reddit before being reshared to other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter — shows the group of white male fans sitting in the upper deck and timing the gesture to the rhythm of "Puck Off" by Pantera, the Stars' goal song. The user who first posted the 18-second clip wrote that the group allegedly repeated the salute every time Dallas scored and that they sent the video to arena management, but no immediate action was taken as the team was unable to identify the group.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama suffered a bruised left rib and was ruled out of the second half of the San Antonio Spurs' game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Wembanyama took an inadvertent elbow to the ribs from Paul George when the Philadelphia forward was attempting to deflect a pass as the 7-foot-4 center was sprinting up court on a fastbreak with 10:49 remaining in the first half. Wembanyama remained on the court for a minute while George patted him on the backside apologetically.
Wembanyama subbed out of the game 13 seconds later and immediately went into the tunnel leading to the locker room while keeping his arm pressed to his side.
Wembanyama returned with 5:33 remaining in the period, and asked San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson to take him out with 44 seconds remaining in the first half. He again went into the tunnel leading to the locker room while holding his arm to his side and was ruled out at the start the second half.
Wembanyama had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks while playing 15:40 in the first half.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 06: Brandon Williamson #55 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot park on April 06, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds swept the Texas Rangers in their first road series of the 2026 regular season, and their road exploits didn’t stop on Monday in their 2-0 series opening win against the Miami Marlins. Lefty Brandon Williamson, making just his second start since late 2024, bounced back from a rough first outing of the season and was simply brilliant, and the Reds offense did just enough to bring home another win.
Williamson kept the Marlins completely off the board in 6.2 IP, his mix of a cutter and slider keeping Miami hitters completely off-balance throughout. He was efficient, needing just 93 pitches, and yielded just 3 hits and a lone walk against 4 strikeouts as he picked up the win. Brock Burke, Tony Santillan, and closer Emilio Pagan similarly were efficient in their ability to shut down the Marlins for the win, as the team needed just 127 pitches in total to win their fourth straight game.
Right now, the Cincinnati Reds are undefeated as the road team this year. Undefeated!
Williamson, tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, only truly faced one bout of trouble, that coming after Miami catcher Agustin Ramirez tripled off the top of the wall in RF – a triple that was a foot away from being a game-tying homer. Cincinnati’s lefty pitched out of that jam in short order, however, and that’s as close as the Marlins got.
The Reds took all the lead they’d need in the Top of the 4th when Elly De La Cruz smashed a hustle double into the RF gap and scored a batter later when Sal Stewart smashed an RBI-single up the middle. They got an insurance run in the Top of the 8th, though, when catcher Tyler Stephenson smashed his second homer of the young season over the LF when Miami starter Janson Junk hung a breaking ball in the heart of the zone.
Reds 2, Marlins 0 – and Cincinnati moves to a 7-3 record on the season.
Other Notes
TJ Friedl shrugged off his rough start to the season by smashing a single up the middle to lead off the game. He later added a bunt single to go 2 for 4 on the evening (and he didn’t strike out once after having fanned 11 times already entering the game).
Stewart stole his second bag of the game, doing so in front of tons of friends and family in his hometown. He also got thrown out on at TOOTBLAN at 3B a few pitches later, but we’ll let that one slide.
Will Benson got the start in RF again in lieu of Noelvi Marte and had another laser of a hit.
Dane Myers, in his first game against his former club, came on as a defensive replacement late (at the expense of Spencer Steer). He walked in his lone PA.
The Reds and Marlins will recommence their series on Tuesday at 6:40 PM ET, and they’ll do so with Andrew Abbott and Sandy Alcantara sharing the mound.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 6: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his two run home run with Shohei Ohtani #17 against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 6, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The opening salvo of the three-game rematch of last year’s World Series was a one-sided affair, in which the Dodgers drubbed the Toronto Blue Jays 14-2 on Monday night at Rogers Centre.
Coupled with his home run in Sunday’s comeback win in Washington D.C., Rushing has hits in each of his last five at-bats, with three home runs, and he’s reached base six plate appearances in a row.
Teoscar Hernández started off the scoring with a two-run shot in the first inning, part of a four-RBI night for the left fielder. Hernández, who played for the Blue Jays from 2017-22, has 53 career home runs in 252 career games at Rogers Center, his most at any MLB park, though he entered Monday with a 117 wRC+ in this ballpark, right in line with his overall 118 wRC+ line to that point.
Freddie Freeman added a two-run shot in the third inning and later doubled home another run, giving him six extra-base hits in his last five games. Freeman, whose parents were both from Canada and who represented the country in two World Baseball Classics, has seven home runs in 19 career games in Toronto.
Shohei Ohtani reached base two more times Monday, including a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third home run on the road trip after hitting none on the opening homestand. Ohtani has now reached base in 41 consecutive games, the tied with Eric Karros for the ninth-longest longest streak in Dodgers franchise history.
Justin Wrobleski’s first turn this season in the rotation hit a speed bump in a two-walk, two-single first inning that brought home run and needed 29 pitches to complete. But after that, the left-hander settled down and was much more efficient.
Wrobleski needed only 49 pitches to get through the next four frames, during which he allowed only two walks and no more hits. On the night he allowed only four hard-hit balls, two of which came in the first inning.
Dodgers have scored in 22 of 36 innings on this road trip, including multiple runs in 12 different innings.
Max Scherzer left after only two innings and 36 pitches with forearm tendinitis, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Toronto’s rotation was already literally hurting, with starters Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, José Berrios, and Cody Ponce all on the injured list.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has won all three of his career games at Rogers Centre, and will go for a fourth win in Toronto on Tuesday night (4:07 p.m.; SportsNet LA, TBS), in a fantastic pitching matchup against Kevin Gausman for the Blue Jays.
SAN FRANCISCO — Nobody on the National League’s worst team has had a worse week than Matt Chapman. To his credit, the veteran third baseman and leader in the Giants clubhouse stood at his locker and answered every question in a lengthy session Monday afternoon.
The latest incident in a stretch to forget came in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Mets, when the typically savvy base runner made an inexcusable mistake and ran into the first out.
Chapman took responsibility with reporters and in a private conversation with manager Tony Vitello. There was no missed or misinterpreted sign. No stat-padding or situational ignorance.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor tags out San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman. AP
He just made a bad read.
“If I could do it over again, I would not elect to steal that base,” Chapman said. “I was paying attention. I just kind of made a bad decision there. If he was long to the plate and I steal second base, then maybe we’re not talking about it, but I did and I got thrown out and it looks really ugly, on top of how things went yesterday and kind of transpired toward the end of the game.”
Trailing 5-2 against Mets closer Devin Williams, Chapman represented a meaningless run but could have been the start of a rally. Instead, it was snuffed out as quickly as it began.
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello walking to the mound during a game. Getty Images
After reaching first to lead off the ninth, Chapman saw Williams was taking his time getting the ball to the plate. The Giants had already grounded into one double play, and Chapman saw an opportunity to potentially avoid another. Only it turned into another kind of rally killer.
“I just picked a really bad time to do it,” Chapman said. “Because he was really slow to the plate, and then when I stole, he sped up a bit and that looks really bad when you get thrown out making an out at second base, killing our rally. … I know that’s completely my fault.”
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello holding a lineup card. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Even if only in terms of optics, it was a tad awkward that, in the aftermath of chiding his teammate for not catching a throw, the Gold Glove third baseman has made an uncharacteristic three errors in the five games since. Add on top his base running mistake, and it was hardly a banner week for one of the most respected players in the clubhouse.
“Yeah, it doesn’t look great when things like that happen and things get sloppy,” Chapman said. “But it’s not something that this team is thinking about or I’m thinking about. It’s just something that happened and we’ve moved on.”
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for just about all involved.
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello argues with umpire Dave Rackley during a game against the New York Mets. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
According to Vitello, Chapman’s frustrations boiling over on the mound in San Diego was only one of three similar incidents that have taken place.
The other two occurred behind closed doors and were only revealed by the manager, who put a positive spin on it, confirming that each happened before their three wins.
“I think our best games have come when our guys have let loose a little bit – and coaches too – said what they think, do what they think is the right thing in the moment and go out there and just play,” he said. “As opposed to being a little too careful. I’d rather those moments come up than not.”
Vitello didn’t divulge too many other details besides describing the interactions as “minor” compared to the one between Chapman and Schmitt and that “cuss words (were) involved.” He confirmed that different team members spoke up each time.
“Our guys did a good job of turning it into a real positive in a couple different ways,” Vitello said. “The three times that I can remember that that’s occurred, it’s kind of brought our team closer together or it’s gotten our team to play more free.”
San Francisco’s 3-7 start has been the worst in the NL, and worse yet, has included a 1-6 record in front of its home fans — outscored 24-5 over their final three losses to the Mets.
Chapman is responsible for three of the Giants’ eight errors, tied for the fifth-most in the majors. They’ve been held to three or fewer runs in eight of their 10 games, averaging a league-worst 2.6 per game. And his gaffe on the bases even drew the ire of Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen, who said the play “cap[ped] off a horrible, no good, awful week for Matt Chapman.”
“It just hasn’t clicked yet,” Chapman said. “It sucks when it looks like it’s sloppy baseball and we’re making some sloppy mistakes that kind of shot us in the foot a little bit last year and was one of the reasons why we weren’t able to finish as strong.
“But I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s the story of our season, by any means.”
The 22 year old Most Valuable Player candidate left San Antonio’s game Monday, April 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers with a left rib contusion. Suddenly, his candidacy for individual awards is in jeopardy.
Wembanyama appeared to suffer the injury after drawing contact multiple times in the first half. Late in the second quarter, with 2:56 left to play in the half, Wembanyama made a layup and bumped into Spurs forward Keldon Johnson as he landed. Wembanyama immediately grimaced and labored through the free throw. Earlier in the game, he also collided with Sixers forward Paul George.
Wembanyama was not out on the floor at the start of the second half, and backup center Luke Kornet started in his place. The Spurs announced shortly afterward that he would miss the remainder of the game with the rib injury.
“I think it would be a positive that he felt he could play the last four-to-five minutes of the half,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters after the game. “That’s a positive from my perspective, but I have nothing (on his future status).”
In 15:40 minutes of action Monday night, Wembanyama scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 assist.
“At halftime, I was told he wasn’t coming back, and honest to God, I haven’t heard anything else at this point,” Johnson added.
Because the NBA Cup Championship counts toward the 65-game rule for individual award eligibility, and because the league grants two exceptions for games in which a player recorded between 15 and 20 minutes, counting those as full games, Wembanyama’s time on the floor Monday night will count as his 64th game this season.
That means he will need to play in at least one of San Antonio’s remaining three games, and he’ll need to record at least 20 minutes on the floor to be eligible for individual awards.
Wembanyama’s first partial game exception came in a 119-94 victory over the Washington Wizards December 18, in which he played 17:18.
Wembanyama entered the night as the heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year and was also a candidate for MVP. He was averaging 24.9 points, 11. 6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks per game this season, while shooting 50.9% from the field, entering Monday night's game.
Apr 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich (22) slides past Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garret Whitlock (22) during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Sheesh, that was a game. The Sox stormed out to a 3-0 lead: one run in the second two in the third, all manufactured. Then Brayan Bello’s wildness caught up with him, and he exited with a bases-loaded situation and the Sox up 3-1. Danny Coloumbe came on and then it was 4-3, Brewers. In the bottom of the fourth the Sox struck back, making it 5-4. The Brewers summarily tied it. At some point there was a pointed argument on the field. Most importantly, the Brewers took a 7-5 lead in the eighth inning against new dad Garrett Whitlock, and that was that. The only way to go is up, right?
Three Studs
Roman Anthony
Started the game with a double, followed it up with another hit, ho hum. He’s easily their best hitter.
Willson Contreras
No Jarren Duran means some lineup shuffling, and Big Willie managed two hits while being plunked by Brandon Woodruff for the sixth time in his career owing likely to some vestigial NL Central beef. Then he hit a ninth-inning solo shot. Fun!
Jovani Morán
Went three innings in relief, allowing one run and striking out four. That’ll doo.
Three Duds
Brayan Bello
He managed to avoid disaster in the first three innings but it was illusory. The Sox were down 4-3 in the inning he left, which was the fourth — notably not the, like, seventh. Not great.
Garrett Whitlock
Literally buying a sandwich is difficult on new dad sleep, so I don’t really blame him, but oof.
The bottom of the lineup that isn’t Caleb Durbin
Hitless! Is that good?
Play of the Game
Garrett Mitchell’s two-run single in the eighth, some Garrett on Garrett violence:
Apr 6, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
On Monday night, the Atlanta Hawks hit the floor at home for a game against the New York Knicks. Atlanta came into this one winners of four in a row, while New York was looking to push its own streak to three straight victories.
This contest was a back and forth affair throughout, with the Knicks ultimately winning by a score of 108-105 after a CJ McCollum potential game-tying miracle shot was ruled to have come after the buzzer.
The Hawks got off to a lethargic start to this one, at one point relinquishing an 11-point run in the first quarter to fall behind early. The Knicks started off hot from the field, but their scoring numbers weren’t too dramatic, namely thanks to 11 turnovers in the first half.
For the Hawks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker got the scoring party started, despite the Knicks making a clear effort to deny him the basketball, a strategy that head coach Mike Brown confirmed during his on-court interview.
Atlanta ended up finding itself trailing by just one point despite a relatively clunker first quarter effort.
Things wouldn’t get better at the beginning of the second frame, as the Knicks made a surge to go up 43-36, their largest lead of the first half.
During this stretch, Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson dominated Atlanta, as has been the case in previous matchups between the Hawks and Knicks, playing elite defense and crashing the offensive glass on the other end of the floor.
Notably, the first half also saw the Hawks debut of big man Tony Bradley, who the team signed earlier this week to fill the void left by Jock Landale’s ankle injury. Bradley struggled in his first stint in Atlanta, throwing a bad pass that resulted in a turnover and also missing badly on an ill-advised midrange jumper. He didn’t make an appearance in the second half.
However, once Robinson went out of the game, the Hawks quickly responded with a 12-0 run of their own to take a five-point lead, and Alexander-Walker continued to torch an increasingly frustrated Knicks defense with a barrage of tough jumpers and Kyrie Irving-esque finishes around the basket.
The Hawks ended up taking a 57-53 lead into the locker room, holding the visitors to just 21 points in the second quarter thanks to some improved defensive communication, as well as the Knicks cooling off after a hot start from the perimeter.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges led the way for the Knicks with 13 points apiece in the first half, while Alexander-Walker led the scoring for Atlanta with 20, and Jalen Johnson added nine points to go along with five rebounds.
The Hawks would continue their momentum into the third quarter, eventually going ahead by as many as ten points.
They reached that lead courtesy of a monster slam from Johnson over multiple Knicks defenders.
New York began to chip into the lead later on in the period, thanks in large part to the play of Karl-Anthony Towns, who began by bullying the smaller Hawks around the basket, before stretching out the range to near half-court to knock down a deep three-pointer.
Mitchell Robinson continued his dominance when he reentered the game, altering and blocking many Hawks shots around the rim, and getting more clean-up opportunities on the offensive end for New York. Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer late in the period gave the Knicks a sudden four-point lead, although Atlanta would get the deficit back to two heading into the fourth and final frame.
Both teams went ice cold to open up the fourth quarter, with the Hawks crashing the offensive glass relentlessly to help offset some of Robinson’s heroics. Atlanta took a three-point lead at the 8:30 mark thanks to a three-pointer from Johnson.
Atlanta ended up taking a five-point advantage when Alexander-Walker knocked down yet another contested three around the midway point of the fourth quarter.
However, the Knicks would come back to tie things at 90 with under six minutes remaining thanks to another putback from Robinson under the basket.
After a couple more minutes of back and forth play, Alexander-Walker buried yet another triple from the wing to give Atlanta a five-point lead following a steal by Johnson.
After a Jalen Brunson and-one, Alexander-Walker stayed scorching hot with a fadeaway triple from the corner.
However, Brunson wasn’t finished, burying a triple after NAW fell down on a borderline illegal screen, and then taking advantage of a CJ McCollum turnover to score in transition and give the Knicks a two-point lead with two minutes remaining.
With the game tied under a minute to go, Brunson knocked down another clutch jumper over McCollum. Atlanta couldn’t answer on the other end, with Johnson missing a contested floater leaning to his left.
OG Anunoby and Brunson knocked down four free throws in the closing seconds, but the Hawks still had a chance, with McCollum launching a shot from three-quarters court. Miraculously, the shot banked in, but the officials ruled that it had come a tenth of a second after the buzzer, and Atlanta’s winning streak came to an end.
This was an ugly offensive game overall for the Hawks, who shot just 40 percent from the field. NAW led all scorers with 36 points on an efficient 12-19 from the field, while Brunson finished the game with 30 of his own, including 17 in the fourth quarter. Any concerns about the Hawks’ ability to contend with bruising centers like Robinson in the playoffs were not exactly alleviated, and Atlanta’s crunch time offense also needs some tuning up over the next week.
The Hawks will look to shake this one off and get back in the win column on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
