The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off a tough walkoff loss to the Tigers in a Thursday afternoon rubber match, are headed back to Milwaukee for another homestand. They’ll welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games beginning Friday night, their first series against an NL Central opponent this season.

In baseball’s deepest division to this point, the Brewers sit in last place at 13-11. The Pirates are right in the middle of the pack at 14-10, 1.5 games behind the Cubs and Reds, who are tied at the top. Pittsburgh has split the first two games of their current series with the Rangers, and they’re playing the series finale in Texas tonight.

The Brewers remain without outfielders Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, first baseman Andrew Vaughn, right-handed starter Quinn Priester, and relievers Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig. Reliever Craig Yoho was reactivated earlier Thursday and was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Chourio, Priester, and Vaughn are all semi-close to returning, as Chourio and Vaughn have resumed activities and Priester began a rehab assignment this week. Yelich, Zastryzny, and Koenig all have expected returns in May.

Pittsburgh is without right-hander Jared Jones, who is out until May or June with a UCL sprain. Infielder Jared Triolo is the only other player on the injured list, with a return TBD as he resumed baseball activities this week.

After a hot start offensively, the Brewers have cooled off considerably over the last few weeks, though they did have a 12-run outburst in Detroit this week. Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez are tied for the team lead with five homers apiece, with Brice Turang right on their tails at four homers. Turang leads the team offensively, as he’s hitting .280/.412/.512 with 18 RBIs, 20 runs, and seven steals. William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell are the only other Brewers with an OPS over .700, as soft-hitting David Hamilton, Sal Frelick, Greg Jones, Brandon Lockridge, Luis Matos, Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo round out the roster (only Frelick has a homer). As a team, the Brewers are hitting .241/.342/.368 (.710 OPS ranks 15th), with 19 homers (tied for 25th), 124 runs (seventh), and 35 steals (first).

Oneil Cruz (eight HRs) and Brandon Lowe (seven HRs) lead a power-heavy, rebuilt Pittsburgh offense. Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna are the other major additions for the Pirates, with old friend Bryan Reynolds still in the fold. Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, Jake Mangum, Nick Yorke, and rookie Konnor Griffin round out the regulars, with Joey Bart and Billy Cook rounding things out. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .250/.334/.391 (.725 OPS ranks seventh), with 28 homers (tied for 10th), 123 runs (eighth), and 24 steals (seventh).

Grant Anderson and Aaron Ashby remain atop Milwaukee’s bullpen with 13 appearances each, with DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Angel Zerpa, and Trevor Megill also with 10-plus appearances. Jake Woodford and Carlos Rodriguez round out the ‘pen. Ashby (2.93 ERA, 24 Ks), Hall (2.31 ERA, 14 Ks), and Anderson (2.63 ERA, 11 Ks) have been the most successful of those arms. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.98 team ERA (13th), including a 3.65 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.36 bullpen ERA (17th). They rank 16th with 212 strikeouts over 212 1/3 innings.

Isaac Mattson and Gregory Soto lead the Pittsburgh bullpen with 13 outings each, with closer Dennis Santana right behind them at 12 appearances. Mason Montgomery, Justin Lawrence, Yohan Ramírez, Evan Sisk, and Wilber Dotel round out the active arms. Mattson has a 1.32 ERA and 10 strikeouts, Soto has a 2.13 ERA and 19 strikeouts, and Santana has a 0.75 ERA, nine strikeouts, and a pair of saves. Lawrence (6.55 ERA) and Montgomery (4.82 ERA) have both struggled, while the rest of the depth chart has held their own. As a staff, the Pirates have a 3.50 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.07 starter ERA (third) and a 3.65 bullpen ERA (10th). They rank fifth with 232 strikeouts over 226 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, April 24 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP)

Woodruff gets the ball in the series opener on Friday night in his fifth start of the season. Through four outings, Woodruff has spanned 23 2/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 20 strikeouts. He’s coming off arguably the best start by a Brewer this season, as he went seven innings with one run allowed on three hits and a walk, striking out four on 92 pitches. In 19 career appearances (17 starts) against Pittsburgh, Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 115 strikeouts over 97 1/3 innings. That includes a pair of starts last season, when he totaled 10 innings with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts.

The reigning NL Cy Young winner, Skenes is now in his third MLB season with the Pirates. He’s made five starts so far, with a 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP, a 3-1 record, and 23 strikeouts. Those numbers are deceiving, though, as five of the eight runs he’s allowed this season came in his first inning of work against the Mets on Opening Day — in four April starts, he has a 1.27 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. His last outing was just four innings, as he allowed no runs on three hits, striking out five on 64 pitches against the Rays (before a rain delay shortened his outing). In four career starts against Milwaukee (including three last season), Skenes has a 1-2 record, a 3.86 ERA, and 27 strikeouts over 21 innings.

Saturday, April 25 @ 6:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA, 3.63 FIP) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP)

Misiorowski has had a solid start to the season, but he doesn’t have much to show for it. He has a 1-2 record through five starts, but he’s leading the league with 42 strikeouts in just 26 2/3 innings. The issue for Miz to this point has been the big inning, which has plagued him in both of his losses this year. Last time out, he went five innings against the Marlins, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out nine. All three of those runs came in the first inning in a 5-3 loss. Miz made two starts against the Pirates last season (including a head-to-head battle with Skenes), totaling 12 innings with one run allowed and 16 strikeouts, picking up the win both times.

Keller, 30, is in his eighth MLB season, all with Pittsburgh. He’s never been “great,” with a 4.46 career ERA and 3.99 career FIP, but he’s been a constant in the Pirates’ rotation over the last four seasons, making at least 29 starts every year since 2022. Through five starts this season, he’s turned in the best numbers of his career, with a 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and 19 strikeouts over 29 innings. His last outing spanned seven innings against the Rays, as he allowed two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out five in a win. In 12 career starts against Milwaukee, Keller is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings.

Sunday, April 26 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.06 ERA, 4.27 FIP) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-1, 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP)

Harrison has made four starts this season but totaled only 17 2/3 innings, striking out 18 while sporting a 3.06 ERA and 4.27 FIP. His last start was his shortest of the year, as he went just three-plus innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks, striking out three on 72 pitches against the Tigers. He made one start against Pittsburgh while with the Giants back in 2024, going six scoreless innings (five hits, no walks) with seven strikeouts in a no-decision.

Mlodzinski, 27, is in his fourth MLB season with the Pirates, and he’s also having a solid start to the year. Through five appearances (four starts), he has a 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 26 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. His last outing was his worst of the season, though, as he allowed five runs on six hits and two walks, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings in his first and only loss of the year. Mlodzinski has made 12 career appearances (all in relief) against the Brewers, with a 2-1 record, a 3.52 ERA, and 13 strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, April 24: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, April 25: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, April 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This is probably the best Pirates team we’ve seen in a while, but the Brewers haven’t lost a season series to them since 2018 (and they’ve won eight straight dating back to last June). I’ll take Milwaukee to win two of three this weekend.

Issues with the SNY broadcast of Thursday night’s Mets game had fans saying ay caramba. 

Fans noticed early in the Mets’ final game of a three-game set against the Twins that popular broadcasters Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling were not calling the game, as the audio was replaced by Spanish-language broadcasters. 

A technical issue with Verizon Fios that is affecting customers in the tri-state area appeared to be the cause of the issue.  

I mean they won when the broadcast went to Spanish last night so I guess as a superstitious #Mets fan I can roll with this but so unsure what’s going on with SNY!?!! Is it just Fios people?! pic.twitter.com/NDVMaQXwsx

— Danielle (@daniyrselfclean) April 23, 2026

A spokesperson for Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post. 

A reply from the Verizon Support X account suggested that it was “a broadcast issue with SNY.” 

“We’ve been getting many reports of the SNY channel coming through in Spanish,” the account said in response to a customer’s complaint.

“After looking into it, we found that it seems to be a broadcast issue with SNY, since other customers with Xfinity are having the same issue. We’re hoping it will be resolved quickly!”

It’s the second consecutive night that the SNY broadcast has dealt with the apparent technical glitch, though some Mets fans seem to take it as a good sign after the Mets ended their 12-game losing streak.

“I mean they won when the broadcast went to Spanish last night so I guess as a superstitious #Mets fan I can roll with this but so unsure what’s going on with SNY!?!! Is it just Fios people?!” one social media user wrote on Thursday. 

On Wednesday night, well-known media personality Keith Olbermann took notice of the language change and posted to X to complain about it. 

“So far the Mets have blown a 2-1 lead in a bid to avoid a 13th straight loss, Lindor has gotten hurt, and the @snytv audio has been replaced by Spanish PXP in the 6th, restored, and then replaced again in the 7th,” he wrote. 

Perhaps the Spanish is good luck for the Mets after they beat the Twins, 3-2, on Wednesday night off a go-ahead bloop single to right field by Mark Vientos that drove in Brett Baty. 

On Thursday night, the Mets got off to another fiery start by taking a 7-2 lead through the first five innings before allowing a grand slam in the eighth inning to tie the game at 7-7.

BOSTON (AP) — Cam Schlittler limited the team he rooted for growing up to four hits over eight innings, and the New York Yankees rallied twice to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Thursday night for a three-game sweep and a season-high six-game winning streak.

With his family cheering on at Fenway Park, Schlittler (3-1) allowed two runs — one earned — while striking out five, walking one and lowering his ERA to 1.77.

It was the longest outing in 20 regular-season starts for the 25-year-old right-hander from Weymouth, who pitched eight shutout innings to beat the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in last year’s AL Wild Card Series.

David Bedner tossed a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances, dropping the last-place Red Sox (9-16) seven games back of New York with their fifth loss in six games. Boston scored three runs in the series.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the score 1-1 for the AL-best Yankees (16-9) with a fifth-inning homer off rookie Payton Tolle. Chisholm’s first home run of the season was the shortest of his big league career, a 333-foot shot around the Pesky Pole in right.

Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double following shortstop José Caballero’s second-inning throwing error and Carlos Narváez’s fifth-inning homer twice provided leads for the Red Sox.

After New York loaded the bases in the seventh off Danny Coulombe (0-1) on three singles, Cody Bellinger put the Yankees ahead with a two-run single off former Yankee Greg Weissert for just his fifth hit in 31 at-bats as a pinch-hitter. The Yankees had not had a go-ahead pinch hit while trailing at Fenway since Elston Howard on April 23, 1967.

Aaron Judge followed with an RBI single.

Tolle, called up from Triple-A Worcester and making his first major league appearance this season, struck out a career-high 11 — including his first five batters. He allowed one run, three hits and one walk in six innings.

New York faced a left-handed starter for the fifth straight game for the first time since April 21-25, 2016.

The Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton struck out a season-high four times.

Boston’s Roman Anthony was sidelined for the second straight game with back tightness.

Up next

Yankees: RHP Will Warren (2-0, 2.49) starts Friday at Houston, which goes with RHP Lance McCullers (1-1, 6.20).

Red Sox: RHP Bryan Bello (1-2, 6.75) takes the mound Friday at Baltimore, which starts RHP Brandon Young (1-0, 0.00).

For six innings, it looked like the Yankees might have finally run out of timely hits in Boston. I will not lie and say I did not put my broom back in the closet. The missed opportunities felt all too similar to the frustrating Tampa series. They stranded runners, watched Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle pitch out of repeated trouble, and trailed entering the seventh inning.

Then the same formula that carried the first two games of the series showed up again: enough pitching and timely hitting. Cody Bellinger delivered the biggest swing off the bench, Aaron Judge added insurance, and the Yankees stormed back for a 4-2 win to complete their first three-game sweep at Fenway Park since September 2021.

Cam Schlittler was not overpowering in his homecoming start, but the Walpole native gave the Yankees exactly what they needed. Boston scratched across an early run on Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double in the second, and then former farmhand Carlos Narváez pushed the Red Sox back ahead with a solo homer in the fifth.

Schlittler limited the damage and kept the game close long enough for the lineup to respond. For a young starter pitching in front of family and friends near his hometown, it was another composed outing in an increasingly impressive opening month. Saying opening month for Schlittler almost feels ridiculous at this point, because he already carries himself like a four-year veteran.

The right-hander worked efficiently throughout the night, showing the poise that has quickly earned trust inside the Yankees’ clubhouse. He changed speeds, got ahead in counts, and never let the atmosphere or the moment speed him up. That type of maturity is difficult to fake, especially in Fenway Park against a rival.

The Yankees had chances well before their breakthrough. They loaded the bases in the fourth inning, only for Tolle to escape with strikeouts of Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham and a popup from Randal Grichuk. On another night, that sequence could have defined the game. However, these Yankees seem to be finding some swagger and confidence in each other.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the fifth inning by launching a solo homer to right field, tying the game at one and injecting life into an offense that had missed multiple earlier opportunities. The first home run of the year for Jazz snuck around the Pesky Pole and, perhaps, can jumpstart him back into his old pesky self.

The winning rally arrived in the seventh. Grisham singled and Chisholm followed with a base hit before José Caballero loaded the bases. After Austin Wells struck out, Aaron Boone called on Bellinger as a pinch-hitter. Belli delivered, ripping a two-run single to left that scored Grisham and Chisholm to put New York ahead 3-2.

Judge followed immediately with an RBI single to right that plated Caballero. A misplay in the outfield allowed Judge to take second, and just like that, a tense one-run deficit had become a two-run Yankees lead.

Boston threatened to respond in the bottom half, but Trevor Story bounced into a momentum-killing double play started by Caballero. Schlittler’s final line was outstanding: eight innings, one earned run, four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts — the first time the Yankees have had consecutive outings of at least eight frames since May 2022. He was not overpowering, but he once again looked in complete control and outdueled a young Boston lefty. At this point, Cam may not own the city of Boston, but he certainly lives there rent free.

Schlittler handed the ball over to closer David Bednar for the final frame. Bednar closed the door one, two, three. It earned Bednar his seventh save on the year and dropped his ERA down to 3.38.

A series sweep at Fenway is rare, but the Yankees leave Boston atop the American League East, carrying a six-game winning streak and plenty of momentum into their next test against the Astros. Friday night’s opener in Houston is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT, with Will Warren scheduled to face Lance McCullers Jr.

Box Score

BOSTON — Coming into Thursday night, the game was all about Cam Schlittler, but the hometown kid nearly got overshadowed by the Red Sox’ own hard-throwing young gun.

Until Payton Tolle left the game, when the Yankees pounced and Schlittler kept dominating.

Cody Bellinger delivered the clutch hit — a pinch-hit, go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning — to make sure Schlittler’s strong night did not go to waste as the Yankees finished a sweep of the Red Sox with their sixth straight win, 4-2, at a sold-out Fenway Park.

Schlittler lacked the same swing-and-miss stuff Thursday that he showcased against the Red Sox in his AL wild-card series clincher last October — the showdown that sparked the social-media harassment toward him and his family, which continued through this rematch — but provided another memorable night nonetheless. The Walpole, Mass., native tossed a career-high eight innings while allowing just two runs (only one earned) and four hits while striking out five.

“He has that F-you attitude, like Carlos [Rodón] and Gerrit [Cole] that everybody loves and everybody adores when you’re playing behind him,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr., who hit his first home run of the year to tie the game 1-1 in the fifth. “So I think it’s pretty cool to see him go out there and do his thing, especially in his home city.”

The 25-year-old right-hander, who did not garner as much outward hostility from the crowd of 36,565 as expected, still rose to the occasion in what manager Aaron Boone described as “an ace-like performance” against the team he grew up rooting for.

In doing so, Schlittler became the latest Yankees starter to mow down an opponent, which has fueled their six-game winning streak.

“I didn’t think the emotions were too high,” Schlittler said. “It was a fun experience to come here, growing up around here, and being able to go throw. Great experience and just glad the boys got the sweep.”

David Bednar finished the win with a 1-2-3 ninth, completing a series in which the Red Sox (9-16) mustered just three runs and 13 hits.

“Wins are precious any time of year, especially within the division,” Boone said. “I know the Red Sox are scuffling a little bit to start the season right now, but we know they have a really good club and we know they’re going to get it going. So any time you can get wins against them, especially here, you take it.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

After Tolle exited with a 2-1 lead following six innings of one-run ball in which he struck out 11 — including punching out the first five batters — the Yankees (16-9) quickly took advantage, using a three-run seventh inning against the Red Sox bullpen to flip the game.

Trent Grisham, Chisholm and José Caballero strung consecutive one-out singles together to load the bases. Then with two outs, and righty reliever Greg Weissert entering the game, Bellinger pinch-hit for Amed Rosario and lined a two-run single the other way for the 3-2 lead.

Aaron Judge came up next and tacked on an insurance run with a single of his own, showing some extra emotion as he pumped his arms up and down toward the dugout.

And while Schlittler insisted it was “just another game,” it was clear his teammates wanted to make sure he came away with the win.

“Cam was doing Cam things,” Bellinger said. “He’s such a young kid. This rivalry is different when you wear these two uniforms. He’s just done a tremendous job pitching and handling everything that comes with it.”

Boston’s two runs came on a Marcelo Mayer double in the second inning — extended by a Rosario throwing error — and Carlos Narváez’s solo shot in the fifth, the first home run Schlittler allowed this season.

But he buckled down from there, making sure his homecoming ended with what mattered most.

“At the end of the day, I’m a competitor and I have a job to do,” Schlittler said. “Whether we’re in Boston or somewhere else, it doesn’t add more heat to that. I got to limit the distractions and go out there and do my job and help the team, put them in a spot to win the game.”

The series was already in hand. LA had just scored one run over the past 18 innings. Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak snapped. Aftershocks from Patrick Bailey’s game-winning, three-run shot on Wednesday night were still reverberating around Oracle. San Francisco’s previous wins gave them a commanding two game advantage over LA over 2,597 head-to-head match-ups. So yeah…there was a certain level of sympathy being felt amongst the orange-and-black community in Thursday’s finale. Pity is a good word too. It’d be impolite to not give your guests something for their troubles. LA fans had journeyed so far, trekking up the cement cow-chute of I-5 (savvier Californians prefer the free-flowing, lettuce chute of Highway 101) — and for what? Dalton Rushing content? For Shohei Ohtani to go hitless and not win as a pitcher in the same game? And isn’t it weird that he’s a two-way player once every six days and he gets all the attention, yet Luis Arraez scoops short hops at second and hits singles every damn day?  

So a parting gift for our forlorn brothers and their clown prince, Tyler Glasnow. Ultimate goof, certified knucklehead — the Giants bats graciously blessed him. A 3-0 shutout for a 3-0 shutout. The cup of compassion overfloweth. 

I jest, of course. Not about Glasnow being a knucklehead, he will always and forever be one thanks to this clip.

I jest about the Giants having any semblance of control over the outcome of Thursday’s game because hot dang Glasnow was dominant today. No generosity needed — he took everything that he wanted over 8 scoreless innings, while allowing just one single, striking out 9 and facing the minimum of 24 hitters. He racked up chase and whiffs and legless contact, stealing strikes with his fastball and spinning hitters with his curveball, working them north, south, and right down the equator. He gave hitters a ladder for them to climb, and they asked “How high?” He threw shovels at them and told them to dig. 

Believe it or not, this was Glasnow toning down his breaking ball usage. The “off-script” approach might help explain some of his effectiveness. His sinker usage over his previous starts sat at 18%, he bumped it up to 45% Thursday afternoon. He dropped his four-seam reliance from 37% to 12%, and his curveball (including knuckle curve) from 30% to 22%. Fastballs accounted for 15 of his 23 called strikes (especially at the top of the zone). While hitters inched up to the plate, anxious about the big hook or slider, Glasnow’s fastballs caught them off guard. In a friendly 3-1 hitter’s count, he served up a 96 MPH sinker right down the middle and Willy Adames threw his bat at the ball, popping it up in foul ground, as if it snuck up and bit him.

Perhaps a visual would be the most effective. This pool noodle wave at a curveball to end the 6th pretty much sums up the experience.   

Is it best to have no idea, close your eyes, and swing? Or have no idea, close your eyes, and take because you have no idea what is about to be thrown at you?  

And then there was Logan Webb — the other guy.

It wasn’t that Webb pitched poorly — he logged his second consecutive quality start and third of the year, allowing 3 earned over 7 IP — he just got left in the dust by Glasnow. That’s how life works sometimes. Webb knows that, and he knows he pitched well and kept the offense in the game, but there will always be something grating about being hung with the loss, with having to wear, as the inimitable Smash Mouth would say, “the shape of an ‘L’ on your forehead.” 

I get the sense too that Webb still isn’t completely stoked about how 2026 is going. Maybe that’s why he’s a professional athlete. He’ll never be fully satisfied, even after a solid outing with a lot of good in it. The obvious one: he kept the Dodgers in the park and held them to just three runs. He helped extend Ohtani’s not-on-base streak to two games with a pair of strikeouts and a pair of ground outs (including a DP). He slayed that beast, much like he did with Aaron Judge in the season opener, but lacked a needed edge against others.   

In the 2nd, Webb had Dalton Rushing — the rivalry’s newest troll — in a 1-2 hole with two outs and a runner on second. The pitch he threw wasn’t by no means a mistake in terms of location, it was just a mistake in the sense Rushing saw it coming. He was looking down, got something waaayyy down, and scraped a change-up off the plate and deposited it into center field for LA’s first run, and lead, of the series. Webb could tip his cap, or he could think about predictability, about pitching backwards, or like Glasnow did, “off-script.” Would it have been better to go to another elevated cutter, perhaps a four-seamer (a pitch he fanned Ohtani on in the 3rd)?

Then in the 4th, Webb got a little lazy with location. Both Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy punched back-to-back doubles on first-pitch offerings left right out over the plate. And with two outs and a runner on second, Hyseong Kim ambushed another first pitch for another RBI.

Webb played into the Dodger’s attack a little bit there, and some less than ideal defensive work behind him didn’t help either. On Max Muncy’s double, Kyle Tucker after a terrible read on the ball ended up stopping at third base. A lucky break, except for the fact that the relay throw from Drew Gilbert in center to Adames at short was bobbled, allowing Tucker to break for the plate and score anyway. Not the worst infield infraction that Webb has had to pitch through, but this one sure doesn’t help in restoring the trust between pitcher and his defense.

A bad break, or bad bounce, came on Kim’s single to Heliot Ramos in right. Even with Muncy’s two out jump from second, Ramos’s relay was on target and looked like it’d arrive on time — until it lost all its energy on its first hop. Instead of the ball skipping off the infield grass, it kicked up, slowing it down enough for Muncy to score LA’s third run. 

Not that it really mattered in the end. Winning was never the intention anyway. The Giants are just too gentlemanly to sweep a visiting team, even if it is the Dooogers.

The Boston Red Sox have left us collectively feeling like we’re living with a diabetic.

If you want some juice, you gotta go elsewhere.

Payton Tolle, however, knew we were missing out and brought his own on Thursday, putting together a stupendous performance during his season debut against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park — so if you were more focused on the local hockey club’s playoff game, the drama involving your football team’s head coach, or the world’s biggest job fair, you missed out.

Until you didn’t…

Danny Coulombe and Greg Weissert combined to ruin the entire thing, giving up the lead in the seventh inning in a 4-2 loss that completed the series sweep for New York.

STUDS

Payton Tolle: I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon, folks…

Tolle finished with 11 strikeouts in six innings of work, but perhaps the most impressive part of the start was allowing zero runs after loading the bases with no outs in the fourth inning — eventually sitting down Giancarlo Stanton (strikeout), Randal Grichuk (popout), and Trent Grisham (strikeout).

Carlos Narváez: I’ll always respect dudes who play well against their former team. Narváez sent one over that big wall in left field, marking his first home run of the season.

DUDS

Danny Coulombe: HOW DARE YOU, SIR!?

Coulombe was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the seventh inning, but instead loaded the bases before being yanked in favor of Greg Weissert.

Greg Weissert: Weissert didn’t fare much better, giving up back-to-back hits that plated three runs that were ultimately credited to Coulombe.

LOOKSMAXXING/MOGGING OF THE GAME

Jarren Duran tried to steal this award when he almost lost his cool after colliding with Caleb Durbin.

Tolle would not be denied, however, as he looked like a man on top of the world after his first inning strikeout of Aaron Judge. It’s rare that you see that much beef on the diamond, but we’re talking about the size of a weaning calf between these two.

I’d give it to his scream after getting out of that fourth inning jam, but this allowed us to celebrate even more of our beautiful boy.

The Red Sox ruined what would have been a truly electric celebration, though… As they’re one to do.