Fun game today, although it may have been ever-so-slightly overshadowed by the happenings of another Cleveland sports team. Offense looked shaky to start the game.

The Guardians had the bases loaded with no outs in the first, but failed to bring home any runs. In the bottom of the first, Cantillo gave up a 2-run 2-out homer to Brent Rooker. But, the next inning, the Guardians had runners at the corners with no outs, and then made two consecutive outs. Luckily, Cleveland’s own Chase DeLauter rocketed a double into right that the Athletics’ right fielder, Colby Thomas, misplayed, leading to 2 Guardians runs.

In the fourth, Cantillo gave up a 2-rbi single down the line to Zack Gelof. But, again, in the next inning, the Guardians answered right back with a Rhys Hoskins 1-out 2-run double.

Later that inning, Martinez (pinch-hitting for Schneemann) drove in another run with a sac fly.

Cantillo wasn’t his best today, giving up 4 earned in 4 innings. 5 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts. But, when the offense hums the way it did tonight, we spend less time focusing on the pitcher.

In the seventh, Hoskins drove in another run with a solo shot.

Bo Naylor (!) drove in a run with a 104 mph double to right, and then Rocchio drove him in right after.

Erik Sabrowski got out of a Hunter Gaddis-induced bases-loaded jam in the 7th, striking out 2 consecutive Athletics, and getting Colby Thomas to fly out to very deep left-center.

Cade Smith put out a Connor Brogdon-induced fire in the 8th, stranding runners at the corners with two outs. He came back on in the 9th for a 1-2-3 inning.

Other highlights include things such as: a Matt Festa scoreless inning, 2 Travis Bazzana walks, a 2-hit night for Bo Naylor, a *4-hit* (5x on-base) night for Chase DeLauter, and a 3x on-base game for Steven Kwan.

Have a good night!

Toledo Mud Hens 18, Columbus Clippers 5 (box)

Sawyer Gipson-Long was scratched prior to this game, fueling talk that he might be part of a spot start plan against the Rangers on Sunday in Casey Mize’s regular turn. Instead, it was a bullpen day with Grant Holman leading the way, and early on the Clippers built a 4-0 lead after Sean Hunley allowed a three-run third inning in relief. As you can see by the score, things would take a decisive turn in the Mud Hens’ favor.

It was still 4-0 Columbus when Cal Stevenson led off the fifth with a single. Andrew Navigato doubled him to third, but Tomas Nido flew out to shallow center and Stevenson couldn’t score on that fly ball, nor the shallow fly to right that followed from Max Burt. He would score on a Ben Malgeri bouncer that he beat out. Tyler Gentry doubled in Navigato and Malgeri, and it was a 4-3 Clippers lead.

In the sixth, Corey Julks led off with a walk, and Eduardo Valencia singled. After a Stevenson strikeout, Navigato singled in Julks, and later in the inning, a Max Burt single and an error brought home Valencia and Navigato. Malgeri walked, and Gentry came through with another two-run double to make it 8-4 Mud Hens. Gentry, a former Royals farmhand, has always had a very well rounded game and just never broke through to the major league level. Now 27, the right-handed hitting corner outfielder is a bit of an interesting depth option in Toledo.

In the top of the seventh, the Clippers walked in two runs, and Malgeri cleared the bases with a double that made it 13-4.

Scott Effross allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh, but in the eighth, singles from Valencia and Stevenson set the table for Navigato, who crushed his first home run since rejoining the Tigers’ organization. 16-5 Hens. They added two more in the ninth for fun.

Max Clark had the night off and missed this party.

Navigato: 3-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, BB

Malgeri: 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B, BB

Gentry: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, BB, K

Holman: 2.0 IP, ER, H, BB, K

Coming Up Next: The Hens take a 3-1 lead in the series into a 4:05 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday.

Erie SeaWolves 7, Chesapeake Baysox 4 (box)

John Peck remains absolutely on fire for Erie, and the offense cracked three home runs to win behind a solid day from the bullpen.

The SeaWolves got rolling immediately with a five run bottom of the first. Peyton Graham singled with one out and then stole his 13th bag of the young season. Brett Callahan made it a moot point, cranking his third home run of the season. Peck smoked a double to left, and a Justice Bigbie lineout to right, Andrew Jenkins doubled in Peck, and then rode home on an E.J. Exposito two-run shot. 5-0 SeaWolves.

Colin Fields and Johan Simon both tossed a pair of scoreless innings to start off the bullpen day. Peck cracked a solo shot in the third, making that four straight days with a home run. He would also single, steal second, and score on a Jenkins single in the eighth.

Trevin Michael allowed a pair of runs in the middle innings, but Tyler Owens handled the seventh and eighth with no issues. Wandisson Charles was knocked around for a pair of runs in the ninth but eventually pulled it together.

Peck: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, 2B, HR, K, SB

Jenkins: 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 2B

Owens: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:35 p.m. ET start in Erie on Saturday with the SeaWolves up 3-1 in the series.

Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box)

The Kernels continue to have the Whitecaps number as they mauled Rayner Castillo and cruised to an easy victory on Friday.

After a good outing last time out, Castillo couldnt’ miss bats in this one and the Kernels scored two runs in each of the first three innings.

Jackson Strong singled, stole second, and scored after a pair of ground outs in the top of the first. So it was a 6-1 games when Castillo’s outing ended early. In the top of the fifth, Samuel Gil doubled in Hunter Dobbins and Strong to cut the lead to 6-3, but that was as close as they’d get.

Luke Stofel allowed a pair of runs in the sixth to make it 8-3. Cristian Santana doubled in the eighth and was wild pitched to third, where he would score on a Juan Hernandez ground out.

The combination of Castillo, Inohan Paniagua, Stofel, and CJ Weins combined for just three strikeouts against five walks, as the system wide drought in pitching contines. Only Ben Jacobs, Kelvis Salcedo, and Grayson Grinsell have really been impressive out of the field of prospects so far.

Hernandez: 1-3, RBI, 2B, BB, K

Strong: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K, SB

Castillo (L, 0-3): 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday as the Whitecaps try to avoid a sweep.

Bradenton Marauders 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)

The Flying Tigers got a pretty good short outing from Kelvis Salcedo on Friday, and did a pretty good job at the plate against one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. The bullpen let them down a bit late to lose this one after they’d mounted a comeback.

Anibal Sales smashed a 98 mph Hernandez fastball for a solo shot in the second to open the scoring. Javier Osorio followed him with a double but was stranded. In the third, Zach MacDonald turned on a slider and bashed his eighth home run of the young season. He’ll be coming to a Whitecaps game near you pretty soon, but the strikeouts remain a pretty big problem as well.

This was just Salcedo’s second outing of the year, so he’s still building up his pitch count. He punched out five in three innings of work, but did give up a solo shot to Cristian Jauregui in the third before wrapping up his outing.

The Flying Tigers kept getting some traffic on the bases against Hernandez but wouldn’t score off of him again. Charlie Christensen threw a clean fourth for Lakeland, but he leaked a pair of runs in the fifth to lose the lead. So it was 3-2 Bradenton, and then 4-2 when Luke Hoskins allowed a run in the sixth.

The Flying Tigers struck back in the seventh with Hernandez’s day over. Jude Warwick led off with a double and Jesus Pinto was hit by a pitch. The next two hitters made outs, but Beau Ankeney drove a ball to center for a double to plate both runs and tie the game 4-4.

Unfortunately, Bradenton immediately untied it with a solo shot to lead off the eighth, and the Flying Tigers couldn’t manage another comeback.

MacDonald: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, 3 K

Salas: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K

Salcedo: 3.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: Bradenton leads the series 3-1.

Friday night one was a fun one in the Bronx, as the Yankees took a left hook early from the Orioles on a Pete Alonso homer but rebounded with a couple big belts of their own. José Caballero and Ben Rice both went yard in the second and Will Warren cruised from there, allowing just three hits in 6.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out nine. The Yankees are now back to 10 games over .500 after a quick one-game dip the day before.

Here’s more on the most relvant American League matchups from yesterday.

Boston Red Sox (13-19) 3, Houston Astros (12-21) 1

Up at Fenway, the Red Sox took the opener in ths three-game set of teams that have deeply disappointed their fanbases thus far. Somewhat curiously, ther were 21 hits between the two clubs, but all of the scoring came on two swings in one inning: a Carlos Correa solo shot in the top of the third and a Jarren Duran three-run shot in the home half against Mike Burrows.

Jake Bennett got the win for Boston in his MLB debut, stepping in for fellow southpaw Garrett Crochet, who recently hit the IL with shoulder inflammation. Aside from the Correa homer, Bennett was up to the task, scattering five hits and two walks in his five innings.

It was a theme, as the Astros kept giving themselves chances, but failed to register the big blow. The threats included two-out doubles from Yainer Diaz and Correa against Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, respectively, and the two former Yankee affiliates were up to the task. Whitlock got Cam Smith to pop up with two men on in the eighth, and Chapman getting his old nemesis Jose Altuve to ground out to end it.

Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) 7, Minnesota Twins (14-19) 3

Deuces were wild in the first five frames of this one, as the Jays notched two-run innings in the second, fourth, and fifth, while the Twins tallied two in the third on a Byron Buxton homer. Kazuma Okamoto countered with a pair of two-run shots against Simeon Woods Richardson, registering his first multi-homer game since leaving the NPB this past offseason.

Patrick Corbin was the one who coughed up the dinger to Buxton but otherwise made like Bennett (or more appropriately, Bennett made like the veteran Corbin) and sprinkled around the six hits, a walk, and a plunking during his 5.1 innings, registering his first win in Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays tacked on a few insurance runs, which were helpful because Jeff Hoffman had a shaky appearance in middle relief — albeit one that included two infield singles among the three hits, and a score on a sacrifice fly. Minnesota did get the tying run in the on-deck circle with two down in the ninth when Buxton walked and Austin Martin beat out an infield single. But Louie Varland struck out Ryan Jeffers to end it as the Jays drew even with their avian friends in Baltimore at a 15-17 record.

Other Games

Tampa Bay Rays (19-12) 3, San Francisco Giants (13-19) 0: The Rays kept pace with the Yanks and stayed a game and a half behind first place by blanking the Giants at the Trop in the Longo Bowl. Shane McClanahan allowed four singles, a Luis Arraez double, and nothing else in his shutout work through six, which was held up by the bullpen. Although Robbie Ray surrendered fewer hits (four) across his 6.1 innings, two of them were solo shots by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz (who departed early with left side tightness). Can’t win like that with this paltry Giants offense.

Seattle Mariners (16-17) 6, Kansas City Royals (13-19) 7: The disappointing Royals won a wild one in Seattle that saw them blow a 4-0 lead that they built in the top of the first inning alone against Bryan Woo and allow four homers, including two by Julio Rodríguez. Cole Ragans’ shaky start to 2026 continued and Daniel Lynch IV got burned in the home half of the seventh on a two-run clout by J-Rod that tied the game at 6-6. Fortunately for KC, Lane Thomas got them back in front a half-inning later on an RBI single, and each of Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg threw hitless ball to hold the M’s at bay.

Texas Rangers (16-16) 5, Detroit Tigers (16-17) 4: The Rangers made this one more difficult than it had to be, as they built a 4-0 lead through three with Danny Jansen homering along the way, but the four-run advantage went poof across the fourth and fifth. Former Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore’s rough transition to the American League continued; he’s surrendered 13 runs across 18.1 innings in his last four starts combined. Alejandro Osuna broke the tie in the eighth by following Jake Burger’s double off Burch Smith with one of his own. Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz were perfect in their appearances to give Texas the road victory.

Cleveland Guardians (17-16) 8, The Athletics (17-15) 5: Out in West Sacramento, the A’s had no answer for Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter, who went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and two RBI on behalf of Cleveland, who turned a 4-2 deficit in the fourth into a comfortable 8-4 lead by the seventh-inning stretch. Rhys Hoskins also had a homer and a two-run double, with the eight-run outburst on the whole enough to withstand a bad day from Guardians starter Joey Cantillo. His bullpen picked him up, as six different Cleveland pitchers combined for five innings of four-hit ball, with Hunter Gaddis the only member of the sextet to struggle. Cade Smith went four up, four down for the save.

Boy is it nice to have Zack Wheeler back in the rotation. Maybe the velocity isn’t all the way back just yet, but his ability to actually pitch makes everything he does have right now play up a bit more.

They have needed him.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The Alec Bohm lawsuit against his parents has taken some new turns with legal filings by both sides happening ($).
• The series against the Giants was a solid start to the Mattingly years. Some takeaways from that series are here ($).
• At this point, it feels like a reunion between Alex Cora and Dave Dombrowski is just about inevitable to happen.

MLB news:

• The baseball calendar has flipped from April to May, so now is a good time to take a look back at the month that was.
• Even as they sink further and further, the Mets are holding onto their manager for dear like and won’t make any changes.
• Tampa Bay has shown a little pep in their step this year, but they’ll be without Ryan Pepiot for the remainder of it.

The Detroit Tigers opened up their six-game homestand with a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Jack Flaherty floundered once again and the offense simply fell short after clawing back from a 4-0 deficit.

On Saturday night, the two teams will do it again, with right-hander Keider Montero taking the mound for the Tigers while fellow righty Kumar Rocker climbs the hill for the Rangers.

Montero has struggled a bit of late when it comes to allowing the opposition to cross the plate, giving up 10 runs for a 5.40 ERA over the last 16 2/3 innings, while putting up a tidy 13:3 strikeout to walk ratio over that stretch — which does help explain the massive ERA-FIP gap. The 25-year-old last faced off against Texas last summer in Arlington on July 19, when he allowed four runs on four hits (one home run) while walking three and striking out five over 4 1/3 frames to take the loss.

Rocker, a former first-round pick in the 2022 draft, appears to be finally finding his footing in his third season of big league ball, recording two quality starts over his last two outings despite his modest strikeout totals. The 26-year-old’s last matchup with the Tigers came last season on July 19, when he stymied his opponent with 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in which he walked three and struck out five at Comerica Park for his final win of 2025.

Take a look below at how things look heading into Saturday’s battle in the D.

Detroit Tigers (16-17) vs. Texas Rangers (16-16)

Time (ET): 7:15 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 34: RHP Keider Montero (1-2, 4.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (1-2, 3.38 ERA)

MONTERO

ROCKER

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (17-13)

SYRACUSE 6, LEHIGH VALLEY 3 / 5 (BOX)

The Mets used a five run fourth and the poor rainy weather to take this one by a score of 6-3 after five. AJ Minter opened the game as a continuation of his rehab assignment and did okay, surrendering an unearned run in the frame.

Eric Wagaman walked home the tying run in the third, and a trio of Yonny Hernandez, Nick Morabito and Wagaman all drove in runs in the fourth to make it 6-1. The IronPigs scored two in the top of the fifth but were denied from there. Then, the rains came and turned this to a quick five inning win.

• LF A.J. Ewing: 1-1, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB (2,3)
• CF Nick Morabito: 2-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, SB (8)
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• DH Eric Wagaman: 1-1, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB
• 3B Christian Arroyo: 0-3, K, E (3)
• RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-2, K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 1-2, R
• C Hayden Senger: 0-1, R
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 1-2, R, RBI
• REHAB ALERT: LHP A.J. Minter: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Bryce Conley: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, W (1-1)

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (9-16)

NEW HAMPSHIRE 11, BINGHAMTON 4 (BOX)

Well, when you go down 6-0 in the first inning, it kind of tells the story for the rest of the game, and Binghamton did just that. Jordan Gerber got lit up in the first, surrendering those aforementioned six first inning runs. RBI knocks by Jose Ramos and JT Schwartz got them back in spitting distance in the fourth, but three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh buried Binghamton.

• CF Eli Serrano III: 0-4
• 1B-3B Jacob Reimer: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, K
• C Chris Suero: 0-4, 3 K
• RF Jose Ramos: 2-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, E (2)
• DH Kevin Parada: 0-4, 2 K
• 1B TT Bowens: 0-0
• LF JT Schwartz: 1-4, RBI, K
• 3B-2B Nick Lorusso: 0-4, K
• SS-P Wyatt Young: 1-4, 2 K
• 2B-SS Diego Mosquera: 2-2, R, BB, SB (2)
• RHP Jordan Geber: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, L (1-2)
• RHP Kevin Gowdy: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Wyatt Young: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (6-18)

FREDERICK 5, BROOKLYN 2 (BOX)

The first four and a half innings went by scoreless, with Brooklyn finally breaking the scoring in the bottom of the fifth by way of a Vincent Perozo single. That would mostly be the end of the Brooklyn offensive experience. as they mustered up one other run (a ninth inning Daiverson Gutierrez single), and just three hits.

Frederick took the lead in the sixth and rolled from there.

• 2B Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, 3 K
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
• SS Mitch Voit: 0-4, 2 K
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-4, RBI, K
• RF John Bay: 1-3, R, 2B, SB (7)
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 0-3
• C Vincent Perozo: 1-2, RBI, BB
• 3B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, K, E (3)
• LF Sam Biller: 0-3, 2 K
• RHP Parker Carlson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Jonathan Jimenez: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, E (3), L (0-3)
• LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Felix Cepeda: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
• RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (10-15)

ST. LUCIE 8, TAMPA 1 (BOX)

Randy Guzman opened the scoring in this one, after a scoreless first three frames. Guzman hit a solo home run in the fourth, hit sixth on the year, raising his OPS to .918 on the year. Tampa tied it in the sixth, but St. Lucie responded by blowing the doors off of the game in the latter innings. They scored four in the seventh, including hitting two triples in the inning, added two in the eighth, and added a final run in the ninth, turning this game into a laugher.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-4, R, BB, SB (10), E (3)
• CF Edward Lantigua: 1-4, RBI, BB, SB (1)
• 1B Randy Guzman: 1-4, 2 R, HR (6), RBI, BB, 2 K
• DH AJ Salgado: 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, HR (6), 3 RBI, 2 K
• LF JT Benson: 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 K, SB (5)
• 3B Sam Robertson: 0-4, BB, 2 K
• RF Simon Juan: 1-5, R, HR (2), RBI, K
• C Francisco Toledo: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 1-3, R, BB
• RHP Cam Tilly: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, W (2-0)
• RHP Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STARS OF THE NIGHT

AJ Salgado and JT Benson

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jordan Gerber

The Atlanta Braves announced a few moves prior to Friday evening’s game in Colorado, beginning with recalling right-hander Hunter Stratton to Atlanta. The club also selected the contract of fellow righty Anthony Molina. Things were not as fortunate for Joel Payamps and José Suarez, who were each designated for assignment.

Stratton has yet to make his 2026 debut at the major league level, but in Triple-A, he’s put together a 4.50 ERA in 11 games.

Molina made his season debut Friday night, where he threw two hitless innings. He recorded just one base on balls. 

Given that Payamps and Suarez have been DFA’d, this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Atlanta bullpen.

More Braves News:

Despite his quad issue, Michael Harris II continued to rake and delivered a clutch two-run homer to give the Braves the 8-6 edge over the Colorado Rockies.  

In the latest Braves Biweekly, we look at how the Braves are shaping up to be the best team in the league. 

MLB News:

The Baltimore Orioles have placed right-hander Ryan Helsley on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. The move is retroactive to April 29.

Tampa Bay Rays righty Ryan Pepiot will miss the remainder of the season due to hip surgery. 

The Milwaukee Brewers placed righty Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Fortunately, there are no structural concerns and his time on the IL should be minimal.

From the Feed:

After 19 wins in the month of April, it’s time to cast your vote on Braves Player of the Month.