The main takeaway from todays game was that Cooper Ingle was removed from the game with a foot injury after starting 2-2. Ingle has been unbelievable to start the season with a .394 average and an OPS of 1.418. Lets hope this injury is nothing serious. Travis Bazzana went 1-3 with two walks and continues to find ways to succeed at the plate despite not hitting the ball hard as consistently as we would like. He’s up to a .286 average with an OPS of .882.
Ryan Webb had a rocky start, allowing two earned runs in four innings pitched while striking out four and walking three. His ERA is up to 7.50 on the season. Daniel Espino’s stat line looks pretty rough, but he only allowed one hard hit ball in his outing.
It was a big day for the RubberDucks offense! Angel Genao went 1-3 with two walks and two RBIs. He’s up to a .296 average with an OPS of .902. Ralphy Velazquez went 0-2 with three walks. Jacob Cozart went 2-5 with an RBI, Nick Mitchell went 2-4 with two walks and an RBI. Guy Lipscomb went 3-5 with an RBI double, he has had a great start to the season with an average of .368 and an OPS of .929.
It was an ok start for Josh Hartle, he tossed five innings and allowed three runs while striking out three and walking two. His ERA is at 3.20 on the season.
Dean Curley continues his hot start to the season going 1-2 with a double and two walks. He is now hitting .277 with an .891 OPS. Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini both went 1-3 with a walk.
Jackson Humphries had a bit of a rough outing. He struck out five but he allowed four runs in just 2.1 innings pitched. His ERA is now up to 4.41 on the season. Despite the rough outing, he is someone who has looked very much improved this season and is someone to keep an eye on this season.
Even in a loss, this Hill City team can really hit. The top three hitting prospects on the team in Caceres, Arias, and Fernandez combined to go 2-13 and they still scored five runs on eleven hits. Anthony Martinez has had an awesome start to the season, he went 2-4 his fourth HR this season and now has an OPS of 1.040. Yeiferth Castillo and Jonathan Martinez also went 2-4 and are having nice seasons as 19 year olds in Single A.
Nelson Keljo had another awesome start, with 3.2 scoreless innings and five strikeouts to zero walks. His ERA is down to 1.59 on the season. Miguel Flores finally showed some signs of being human after previously not allowing a single earned run this season. He allowed four runs in two innings pitched and had his ERA skyrocket up to 2.40 on the season. I would not be too worried about him.
Apr 21, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) reacts after scoring during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. We can always find room for another friendly face. There’s no cover charge tonight. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
The Cubs won their eighth-straight game tonight, 7-2 over the Phillies. First Cubs game to ever end on an ABS challenge as well. I think this team might be good.
Here’s the part where we listen to jazz and talk movies. You can skip ahead if you want.
We’re continuing our look at Chicago jazz in anticipation of International Jazz Day, hosted in the Second City on April 30. We’ve got a young (-ish) Chicagoan in vibraphonist Joel Ross. (Thirty is practically a baby in jazz.) This is from his brand-new album Gospel Music and is titled “Wisdom is Eternal (For Barry Harris).”
Ross is joined here by saxophonists Josh Johnson (alto) and Maria Grand (tenor), Jeremy Corren on piano, Kanoa Mendenhall is the bassist and Jeremy Dutton plays the drums.
I don’t have a movie to write about tonight, but some of you in the comments yesterday wanted to talk about Oklahoma!, so I thought I’d give you the chance to tell us about your favorite musicals.
I’ll say off the bat that Oklahoma! is not one of my favorites. I don’t begrudge those who like it and I certainly don’t think it’s a poorly-made film or musical. It’s just not to my tastes. If it’s something that appeals to you, great. It’s very good at whatever it is that it does and you’ll never hear a bad word about Shirley Jones out of my lips.
I’ve said before that my favorite musicals are the works of Jacques Demy with music by Michel Legrand: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. I’m also a big fan of the Busby Berkeley trio from the early-thirties: 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade. Maybe they are not traditional musicals in that none of the songs are non-diegetic—that is, everyone who is signing is singing because they’re on a stage.
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for My Fair Lady. The Judy Garland/James Mason version of A Star is Born is terrific too.
I am also a huge fan of the television show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which may be the only musical television program that actually worked. That they were able to get two songs a week (and make them good) into a 47-minute show 13 times a year was incredible. It’s probably the best show you’ve never watched and yes, I admit the title scared some people off. They address that in the first season theme song.
So tell us which musicals get you tapping your toes.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and the movies.
There’s no doubt that second baseman Nico Hoerner has been the most valuable Cub so far this season. In fact, according to both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs, Nico Hoerner has been the most valuable player in the National League so far this young season.
We all know about Hoerner’s skills. He’s a Gold Glove defender at second base. He makes a lot of hard contact and rarely swings and misses. He hits for a high batting average and draws an average number of walks, which gives him an above-average on-base percentage. He’s also an elite baserunner who can steal around 30 to 40 bases a year.
What’s different this year is that Hoerner is hitting for power. It’s a small sample size to be sure, but Hoerner has four home runs over just 23 games. It’s always dangerous to extrapolate out from a small sample, but that’s a 28 home run pace. What makes that more impressive is that it’s all been done in April, where Wrigley Field usually plays like a pitcher’s park.
Hoerner has never hit more than ten home runs in a season, but this power surge isn’t just isolated to this year. As you probably know, Hoerner had no home runs last year through the Cubs’ first 78 games. Then he hit seven over the final 84. So you can really trace this increase in power to mid-season of last year.
So what is Hoerner doing differently? He’s really not hitting the ball any harder or making any more contact. His swing rate is down a bit, which is leading to more walks and more strikeouts, but the increase strikeouts are all looking. His swinging strikeout rate is as low as ever.
What Hoerner is doing is hitting the ball more in the air and pulling the ball more. Maybe that’s a result of him being more selective at what pitches he swings at. Maybe it’s just random. But Hoerner’s ground ball rate last year was 45.3 percent and this year it’s down to 33.7. His fly ball rate has increased from 34.3 percent to 41 and his line drive rate is up to 25.3 percent from 20 percent. His pull rate has gone from 37.9 percent to 42.2 and his opposite field rate has dropped from 25.5 percent to 20.5 percent.
So that would explain some of the increase in home runs. On the other hand, it could just be statistical noise. Hoerner’s career home-run-to-fly-ball ratio is 5.1%. This year, that’s jumped up to 11.8 percent. That’s greater than Ian Happ’s career numbers and only slightly below Seiya Suzuki’s. Statcast gives Hoerner’s “expected” home run total at 2.5, which is a bit less than the four he has now.
So do you buy into Hoerner’s power surge? I don’t think anyone thinks he’s turning into Aaron Judge and his April stats certainly aren’t at slugger levels. But they are numbers that could easily lead to 20 home runs a year and maybe more. On the other hand, they could just be a hot streak and Hoerner reverts to the 7 to 10 home runs a year that he normally hits.
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Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots in the second half against the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
That’s more like it. The Detroit Pistons used a dominant 30-3 third-quarter run to turn a knotted-up slugfest into a 98-83 win over the Orlando Magic that ties the first-round series at one apiece. The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham’s game-high 27 points. Really, though, they were led by a ferocious team defense that led to Orlando’s lowest point total of the season.
In doing so, they broke the longest home playoff losing streak in the NBA at 11 games. Perhaps even better news? There is still a lot the Pistons can improve on as they move to Orlando for a pivotal game three.
Entering the game, everyone was saying the same thing — Jalen Duren had to play a lot better in Game 1 if Detroit was going to take this series. Duren did play better than his truly dreadful performance in Game 1. But he still hasn’t played a typical Duren game. He scored 11 points and nine rebounds with four assists and three turnovers. He can still play a lot better than he’s shown.
The rest of Detroit’s starters helped pick up that slack, with all five starters scoring in double figures. Tobias Harris chipped in a 16-point, 11-rebound night, Ausar Thompson added 11 and 8, and Duncan Robinson had 10 points, including three three-pointers.
The Pistons also turned the ball over 22 times against the Magic. Look, Detroit is always a high-turnover team, but 22 is way too high. They can and should cut that down as the series goes on. They also missed 10 free throws. They hit those and a comfortable win turns into a true blowout.
The lead got as high as 27 points late in the third, and there was certainly some highlights to go around. I’ll point to two as Pistons fans bask in the win — one on offense and one on defense.
The first is an absolutely filthy hesi from Cade at the top of the key that flummoxed poor Paolo Banchero.
The Pistons defense had highlight plays against Banchero, but they stifled just about every Magic player. Orlando shot 32% from the field, including a combined 7-for-28 from the trio of Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, and Wendell Carter Jr.
Banchero scored 18 points, but he needed 17 shots to do it and one game after hitting plenty of tough long twos and some threes, tonight, he did almost all his damage near the rim.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 31: Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, this has certainly been a busy night! It makes sense given the short turnaround between tonight’s 8-6 win for the Braves over the Nationals and Thursday afternoon’s Getaway Day game to end the series. We already got the huge news that consensus Top 100 prospect JR Ritchie would be called up to start Thursday’s game and now we’ve got a little more news to coincide with the big move.
Sadly, Dylan Dodd’s latest stint is coming to a close as he’ll be heading to the IL. In his place, the Braves will be bringing back Carlos Carrasco. Mark Bowman of MLB.com was the one who reported this news initially.
Cookie Carrasco will come up to provide a long relief option in the pen tomorrow. Dylan Dodd is going on the IL with a back or oblique strain. And in case you missed it earlier, Fuentes is going down to make room for Ritchie to start tomorrow.
Dodd ended up making two appearances for the Braves in his latest stint, where he pitched four innings and only gave up a run. He looked fine against the Nationals on Tuesday night so I’m guessing that this probably started acting up on him overnight or right after he got done pitching on Tuesday. Either way, the Braves will have to do without him for the time being.
This current Braves squad has put a premium on long relief and the hope is that Carlos Carrasco can provide any type of value once called upon. The good news is that he pitched six scoreless innings in his most recent start for Triple-A Gwinnett and he’s looked decent at that level so far. With that being said, we all know that there’s a pretty big difference between what you see at that level and what you see in the bigs and for Carrasco, he’s had a rough go of it in the bigs for the past three seasons. As long as Carrasco can eat innings when called upon, that’ll probably be all the Braves ask of him in this coming stint. We’ll see what happens!
"When we play defense at the level we're capable of, it triggers everything for us," said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
In the third quarter, the Pistons put it all together and looked like a No. 1 seed. Detroit went on a 30-3 run to blow open what had been a tie game at the half. It wasn't just one guy taking over, it was a full team effort: Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart each had six points during the run, while Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson had five apiece. Those six players combined to shoot 13-of-18 during that stretch.
From there, the Pistons went on to get the 98-83 win, tying their first-round series with the Magic at 1-1. Game 3 takes place Saturday in Orlando.
This home win for the Pistons snapped their record 11-game home playoff losing streak, dating back to 2008.
Cunningham was in peak form with 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead Detroit, and he showed off some nasty moves.
Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit.
However, what was most important for Detroit was that its elite defense showed up, holding the Magic to just 32.5% shooting. Franz Wagner was 4-of-11 shooting, Desmond Bane 2-of-11, Wendell Carter Jr. and Anthony Black were both 1-of-6.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and Paolo Banchero added 18.
Mar 17, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Pedro Ramirez against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
There was not a lot of good pitching today in Des Moines and the wind was steady out to left field. Starter Charlie Barnes pitched solidly anyways, giving up three runs on five hits over five innings. Two of those five hits were solo home runs. Barnes struck out five and walked two.
Tyler Santana got clobbered for five runs over just two innings, giving up two more solo home runs. Collin Snider allowed one run on two hits in the eighth inning, but he got the win when Iowa scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning. Snider walked one, hit one batter and struck out no one in his one inning of work.
Ryan Jensen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout in a non-save situation.
Second baseman Pedro Ramírez had two home runs and eight RBI today. Ramírez hit his first home run with a man on in the fifth inning. His second home run was a grand slam in the eighth. He also tied the game 8-8 with a two-run single in the seventh.
Ramírez went 3 for 5. The two home runs give him seven already this year. His career-high for a season is eight. The eight RBI ties a franchise record set several times, the last time by Ian Stewart in 2013.
Right fielder Dylan Carlson hit a solo home run in the fourth Raminning. He went 1 for 5.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored four times.
Third baseman BJ Murray doubled twice in a 3 for 4 game. He also walked one time, drove in three and scored three times.
Starter Yenrri Rojas went four innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Luis Martinez-Gomez retired the side in order in the seventh, but then he came out for the eighth and got into a lot of trouble. Martinez-Gomez took the loss after giving up five runs on three hits and a walk over 1.1 innings. he also hit one batter. Martinez-Gomez did not strike anyone out.
DH Owen Ayers had his first Double-A hit in the first inning and it was an RBI single. Ayers went 1 for 4.
Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored one run.
Right fielder Andy Garriola had a two-run single in the fifth that temporarily gave Knoxville the lead. He was 1 for 4.
Nazier Mulé only threw the first inning, but he took the loss after he surrendered two runs on one hit and two walks. One of the two runs was unearned. Mulé struck out one.
First baseman Cole Mathis hit a pair of doubles in a 2 for 3 night. He also walked twice and stole a base. His double in the ninth inning scored a run. Mathis scored two times himself. In just two games in High-A, Mathis already has three doubles.
Center fielder Kane Kepley was 1 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored twice.
Noah Edders got hammered for two runs in the first inning, two more in the second and three more in the third. He took the loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits over three innings. Two of those seven hits were two-run home runs. Edders struck out one, walked no one and hit one batter.
Catcher Logan Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs.
Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 5 and also scored twice. He drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 5 with one run scored.
Apr 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) celebrates his goal with right wing Porter Martone (94) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA — Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored three goals on four shots in the second period in Philadelphia’s first home playoff game in eight years, pushing the Flyers to the brink of a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 Game 3 win on Wednesday night in their best-of-seven first-round series.
Game 4 is Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The Flyers’ trio of goal scorers gave their raucous fans more reason to celebrate than just a first home playoff game since April 22, 2018, and first home playoff win since April 20, 2016, they can clinch their first playoff series win since the 2020 bubble season — and they can do it against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled Stuart Skinner in net.
Not long after Vladar was hit, Erik Karlsson scored on the power play to cut it to 3-2.
Forget the rally. Noah Cates put the finishing touches on one of the biggest Flyers’ wins in the last 16 years with a power-play goal for a 4-2 lead. Owen Tippett added an empty-netter in the waning minutes.
The Flyers wasted all the pregame energy in a hurry when Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal only 4:18 into the game. The Penguins were doomed by an 0 for 5 effort on the power play in Game 2 and Crosby went scoreless in Pittsburgh. Crosby’s assist helped the Penguins, who had the seventh-ranked power play in the regular season, score their first power-play goal in eight attempts in the series.
Malkin’s 29th career postseason power play goal tied him with Mario Lemieux for most in Penguins history.
The game erupted in the second period into a scene straight out of the day when the old school enforcer of the Broad Street Bullies era roamed the ice.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny to the ice and smothered the Flyers forward and all the lines joined the fray until they were separated by officials. Konecny ripped off his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him. No dice. They instead traded verbal barbs from the penalty box.
The Flyers and Penguins could have held team photo day inside their respective penalty boxes.
Rust got four minutes while four of his teammates joined him and Konecny and four of his teammates tagged along inside a jammed box.
Public address announcer Lou Nolan had just started to rattle off the list of names — “the penalties, we think ... ” — when Zegras ripped one past Skinner for the power-play goal that evened the score 1-1. The Flyers mobbed Zegras and pinned him in celebration against the penalty box.
Ristolainen — whose 820 regular season games before making the playoffs were the most of any active player — made it 2-1 and Flyers started fans started derisive “Skinner! Skinner” chants that echoed long after the go-ahead goal. Seeler scored 2:12 later on a shot from the point for the 3-1 lead against — and made it 3 of 4 on Skinner after he stopped the first 18 shots.
Los Angeles, CA - April 21: Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers scrambles for the loose ball against Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets in the first half of game 2 of a Western Conference first-round NBA playoff basketball game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
When a team is shorthanded like the Lakers are, the only way to not only survive but thrive is for everyone who is available to step up.
The Lakers have gotten that during this postseason from Marcus Smart.
One of the ways he’s stepped up is as a vocal leader. As a 12-year veteran and the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, Smart is well-respected not just in the Lakers’ locker room but across the NBA. Whenever Smart talks, players listen.
Smart has helped fill the void they’ve left and is now an even more prominent floor general for the purple and gold. And it’s a big reason why the Lakers have been able to protect home court in this first-round matchup.
This elevation in leadership from Smart this postseason is a combination of him understanding the situation and Lakers head coach JJ Redick speaking with him before this series even began.
After LA’s Game 2 win over Houston, Redick didn’t delve into the details of his talk with Smart, but he did stress how important he is to the Lakers’ success.
“Him and I had a conversation coming off those three losses…in San Francisco,” Redick said. “I’m not going to share the details, but the biggest thing was just he, because he has the voice he has, he can help create the belief and the confidence in our group. I think he’s done that.”
Smart’s already a starter when the team is fully healthy, so his adding more of his voice while key players are out has been crucial. This is the playoffs, and even with a less-than-full roster, it is an opportunity to go after the ultimate goal: the NBA title.
Smart knows better than most how rare these chances are. Injuries disrupted his career, and he went from playoff-contending teams in Boston to a struggling franchise in Memphis and a tanking one in Washington.
“Me and JJ, we talk all the time, right,” Smart said. “Constantly talking to the staff to see what I can do to help. The coaches aren’t out there and I try to be that quarterback out there for the coaches, relaying messages, getting everybody together.
“That talk was just, to sum it up, was really just, ‘Hey, go play basketball, be you.’ To be able to have him trust me and then not only that, to have this team and these guys trust me to be able to do that, it’s something that I’m grateful for. It shows a lot. It shows the camaraderie. It shows the long way that we came and we’re going to continue to trust them.”
Beyond being a vocal leader, Smart has continued to do the things that make him an impactful player. He’s been diving for loose balls, putting his body on the line, taking charges and embracing all defensive assignments.
Smart’s also added some offensive potency to his repertoire. In LA’s Game 2 win over Houston, Smart scored 25 points, knocking down five 3-pointers, which was only two fewer than the entire Rockets team had in this contest.
The majority of the credit for Smart stepping up goes to him, but a tip of the cap also goes to Redick. Having a conversation with Smart and asking for more of him so the team can win is part of the game within the game. Redick’s job is to optimize what he has, and he is excelling in that during this playoff run.
It would’ve been easy to just give up and justify a lack of focus or effort as a result of LA losing Dončić and Reaves.
Instead of backing down, the Lakers have stepped up. Smart has spearheaded that mentality, LeBron James has also contributed and the rest of the team has followed. It’s why, after two games, the Lakers are in front 2-0 against the Rockets.
Apr 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) hits a sacrifice ground ball RBI against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
…we came in? Anyway, I saw Exit 8 a few days ago. It’s a horror film about a man who finds himself trapped in an endless, looping train station passage, returning again and again to the same place. It’s come to mind, watching the Phillies recently. There’s always an element of repetition to a baseball season, playing out every day, with variations, across the spring and summer. But the routine that the Phillies find themselves in goes beyond the typical patterns and patter of daily baseball. They are playing the same game, again and again. It has resulted in their eighth straight loss.
The Phillies went with Kyle Backhus as an opener, hoping to escape Taijuan Walker’s first-inning woes. But the woes found them nevertheless: Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman hit seeing-eye singles, ushered through the infield by the BABIP gods, and the Cubs had runners on the corner, none out. A grounder from Ian Happ was just tough enough to prevent the double play; the Phillies got the runner at second, but surrendered an RBI.
The BABIP gods are fickle, though, their actions inexplicable to mortal minds. The Phillies, for reasons known only to the cosmos, suddenly entered into their good graces, with Felix Reyes reaching first on an infield single against Cubbie starter Matthew Boyd. Alec Bohm slapped a single to right, Sosa hit a ball against the famed ivy, not yet in full summer splendor, for a double, and the Phillies had it tied. Justin Crawford hit a little dribbler that was far from the ivy, but far enough to score Bohm. Taijuan Walker thus entered the game in the bottom of the second with the lead.
Walker’s first inning almost went cleanly. He got the first two outs with little trouble. The third should’ve come on a fly ball to Justin Crawford. But Crawford bobbled the ball. He would not get a chance to bobble the next: Pete Crow-Armstrong hit one to the wall in center for an RBI double, and the game was tied.
Like their BABIP counterparts, the gods of baseball miscues were intent on proving they do not play favorites. In the top of the third, Trea Turner hit a grounder to short, then made it to first safely when Dansby Swanson chucked it over the head of Michael Busch. But the Phillies couldn’t turn the good fortune into a reclaimed lead, and their fortune turned again when Alex Bregman hit a fly ball that bounced against the basket over Wrigley’s outfield fence, preventing Crawford from potentially catching it. The result was a leadoff triple, and then a lead for the Cubs when Happ singled. The next deep fly ball would not test one’s knowledge of Wrigley’s ground rules: Busch sent one well over the basket to put the Chicagos’ lead to two.
We weren’t quite done with questions about homers, though. Adolis García hit a deep fly ball to left, which sailed to the wrong side of the foul pole. Something fooled the umpire’s eyes, and it was ruled a homer, though there was little tension in the subsequent review and overturning. There was more tension in the next homer—Seiya Suzuki off Walker on a cutter, scoring two— though none of it came from the question of whether or not it was gone. Rather, the tension was entirely in the emotions evoked in the fractured, fractious Phillies fanbase.
The replacement of Boyd with Ben Brown didn’t help the Phillies break through; neither did putting in Bryson Stott to pinch-hit for Edmundo Sosa. Alan Rangel took over from Walker, and navigated the bottom sixth with ease. He did the same in the seventh. But the Phillies could not get runners on, and did not threaten the Chicago bullpen.
Rangel came out again for the eighth, and finally faltered, allowing a leadoff double to Moisés Ballesteros, skipping and bouncing up the first base line. A strong throw from García was not quite enough to put him out. Crow-Armstrong scored him with a bloop single that was as short as his name is long.
The Phillies faced Hoby Milner in the ninth. Bohm singled to right to begin the frame, but no more damage was done . The last out was made on a Rafael Marchán strikeout, with the final strike coming on an overturned ABS call.
Much of what can be said about tonight’s game has already been said. The story is familiar, repetitive, looped. The Phillies’ pitching allowed too many runs, the bats were too quiet, too often. Isn’t this where…
In the fourth inning, Francisco Alvarez lined a double that split the center and right fielders while Lindor was on first base. Lindor rounded third base and seemed to grimace before sliding safely feet first into home plate. Lindor went into the tunnel, but did not come out for the top of the fifth.
Bo Bichette moved to shortstop and Brett Baty came in to play third.
"We announced the calf. He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow, and we’ll see what we’re dealing with," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It sucks. When you see a guy as tough as Lindor… I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. We’ll see what we got."
Mendoza confirmed Lindor will receive an MRI.
When asked if he expects it to be the same situation as when Juan Soto went down with a similar injury, the Mets skipper said he does.
"Yeah, but we gotta wait," he said. "We’re talking about a calf. We got relatively good news with Soto and still [he was out] three weeks. We’ll see what we’re dealing with."
Lindor left after going 2-for-2 with an RBI infield single in the first inning, and is one of the Mets' hottest hitters. Over his last seven games, including Wednesday, Lindor is 9-for-25 with two home runs and five RBI. That production allowed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to move Lindor to the cleanup spot in Wednesday's game.
The injury also comes as the Mets welcomed back Soto to the lineup after their slugger missed 15 games with a calf strain. And now, the Mets, who just broke their 12-game losing streak, will have to continue without one of their best hitters.
"It’s what we’re dealing with right now. We can’t sit here and make excuses. It's all part of it," Mendoza said. "We lost Soto and we had a hard time. Now we're potentially going to be dealing with losing another really good player, and we got to figure it out. We got to find a way. But, again, we got to wait and see."
Mendoza added that Bichette would be an option at shortstop, but if Lindor lands on IL, the manager indicated the club is likely to bring up somebody with the ability to play short.
"Just finished the game, I gotta talk to David [Stearns] and see what we got with Lindor and go from there," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate if we need to play Bo there, but I am pretty sure we'll bring someone in here that is capable of playing the position as well."
Francisco Lindor has been pulled from tonight's game after grimacing rounding third on Francisco Alvarez's RBI double pic.twitter.com/wi7PGalANx
Nolan McLean’s “good citizen” move might not actually be what it seemed.
The star Mets hurler, during his start in Tuesday’s loss, patted his chest as if to say “my bad” after throwing a pitch inside in the sixth inning to Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. On the very next pitch, Buxton smacked a two-run homer.
SNY Mets analyst Ron Darling then posited that McLean was offering a small apology to Buxton — his Team USA teammate in the World Baseball Classic — that would essentially mean the next pitch would not be inside.
“McLean said, looked at Buxton, they had met eyes, said, ‘My bad, my bad. I shouldn’t do that.’ You know what happens to a hitter when he hears that? One-hundred percent, the next pitch is not going to be inside. It’s going to be away.
Nolan McLean pats his chest to express remorse to Buxton. @FoulTerritoryTV/X
“He’s a smart hitter and took advantage of it. I know what McLean’s doing. That’s being a good citizen. You don’t need to do that out there.”
Nevertheless, SNY field reporter Steve Gelbs spoke with McLean and said on Wednesday’s broadcast of the Mets’ 3-2 win over Minnesota that the pitcher was indeed apologizing, but not to Buxton. McLean was actually saying sorry to his batterymate, catcher Francisco Alvarez.
McLean told Gelbs that Alvarez had called for a backdoor sinker and missed the target and he missed his spot somewhere between 5 and 7 feet.
Gelbs also said that because McLean threw seven two-seamers across the first two at-bats to Buxton, he wanted to mix in a cutter to change things up.
Nolan McLean slams his rosin bag to the ground as Byron Buxton rounds the bases on his two-run home run during the sixth inning of the Mets’ loss to the Twins on April 21, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Nevertheless, Buxton mashed the cutter to cut the Mets’ lead to 3-2.
Darling admitted on the Wednesday broadcast that he made a mistake and will apologize “personally” to McLean.
Minnesota rallied in the ninth of struggling Mets closer Devin Williams to hand the Amazin’s their not-so-amazin’ 12th straight loss.
Despite that mistake to Buxton, McLean — one of the few bright spots in Queens these days — finished the outing with 10 strikeouts and three runs allowed over 6 2/3 innings.
One day later, behind Clay Holmes’ seven strong innings and Luke Weaver’s save, the Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak.
PHILADELPHIA , PA - APRIL 22: A large brawl breaks out during game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburg Penguins on April 22nd, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins enter Game 3 with some adjusted forward lines, left wings shuffled all around the first three lines from the start of last game. Otherwise it’s the same, including Stuart Skinner back in net.
It’s a good start for the Penguins, the road venue doesn’t make any impact. Pittsburgh gets the first few shots and then the first power play when Sean Couturier trips up Sam Girard. Lo and behold, they score a goal on that power play, the first of the series, to take their first lead in a game. Sidney Crosby passes to Bryan Rust, who quickly feeds Evgeni Malkin at the other side of the crease. Malkin knocks it home, 1-0 Pens.
Late in the period, before a faceoff Garnet Hathaway flung his stick up behind his back and it went inside the visor of Crosby, who fell to the ice. Crosby stayed down a minute after it. The refs send both players off the ice, feeling Crosby milked it a little too much once the crowd and Hathaway threw a fit over it. Maybe he shouldn’t have been swinging his stick around the eyeball of a Mount Rushmore player?
First period ends with the shots 11-11, which is much more the type and style of game that the Penguins want to play compared to the quagmire that those early games of getting very few shots in the first. Pittsburgh up on the board 1-zippy.
Second period
The ref show continues in the second period, Travis Konecny hits Kris Letang after a whistle, Letang joins Konecny in the penalty box after a halfhearted response. Then on the ensuing 4v4, Erik Karlsson gets rung up on a tripping infraction that didn’t create or deny a scoring chance or change possession of the puck. Philadelphia gets a long 4v3 power play. Skinner stops Porter Martone in front of the net on the best scoring chance they get.
As soon as Konecny gets out of the box he’s right back on his BS giving Rust an elbow to the head. This sends Rust off the deep end as they scrap after the whistle. Somehow out of the scrum all 10 skaters on the ice end up in the penalty box for roughing and Rust picks up an extra minor for…unknown reasons.
HUUUUGGEEE scrum mainly between Konecny and Rust resulted in A LOT of penalties… pic.twitter.com/wn7AEHJR4B
The Flyers can’t stop Flyering, Nick Seelers throws three crosschecks at Crosby away from the puck and the PEns get a power play out of it. With Rust and Karlsson still in the box, it doesn’t get much going.
That builds momentum for the Flyers, they get a long shift in the period and send some shots in that Skinner can’t smother or corral and the defense can’t clear. Philadelphia hits the post and it looks like the Pens are on the ropes. They are, Rasmus Ristolainen sneaks a long-range low shot by Skinner. 2-1 Philadelphia gets their first lead of the night.
The Penguins have three shots in the period and the Flyers score their third goal of the period. Connor Clifton chips a puck back to the Flyers and they get it back high and go around the horn. Seeler throws a long range shot on, there’s a bit of traffic but Skinner can’t nab it with the glove. 3-1 game.
The Penguins get a golden chance when Ristolainen breaks his stick and is trapped. Rust walks around him but Dan Vladar stops the shot and the follow-up can’t get there in time.
Period ends, what a doozy it was. Shots are 15-7 Philadelphia. Goals were 3-0 in the second. The Penguins have to be wondering what the hell just happened, I know I’m doing the same.
Third period
Egor Chinakhov’s hard wrister knocks the skate blade off Vladar’s skate. The refs give him a whistle, they shouldn’t have.
No stoppage for a lost skate blade (or glove). Should be playing until the whistle there… Flyers get a break there
A few minutes later, the Penguins get a power play, Tyson Foerster is off for tripping Ben Kindel. Rust drives the net and falls on Vladar’s arm to get a whistle and that’s as close as the Penguins get.
Soon after, a gift when Matvei Michkov getting too aggro after a whistle. This time, it strikes. Erik Karlsson booms a slapper by the blocker side of Vladar. 3-2 game with 10:21 to go.
Anthony Mantha has one he wants back, flipping the puck over the glass for a penalty. Skinner makes his first stop of the period and it’s a big one on a Noah Cates breakaway. Cates gets his revenge, slipping behind Ryan Shea and bringing the puck forehand down low. 4-2 with 7:30 to go.
The Pens get another power play with 6:32 to go, they take their timeout to gear up, nothing happening this time.
It gets down to desperation time, Skinner pulled for the extra attacker with about 3 minutes to play. Doesn’t work, Owen Tippett sinks the empty net goal with 1:12.
Some thoughts
For matchup watch: the Pens started the Crosby line at the beginning of the first and third periods (their was a power play at the start of the second). They surely knew what that would bring with the Flyers getting last change and using the Couturier line out there to meet them.
It always funny (but sometimes not ‘ha-ha’ funny) to watch a power play oscillate between atrocious and glorious for no reason. Everyone’s a critic (which, hey, here too) about changing personnel or changing strategy, do this, do that. The Pens dismiss all that, score on a tic-tac-toe fancy passing play that ends with a backside tap in from the same guys they wanted. They’re always going to do it their way, because it’s what they know and what they’re best at. (But that play was setup by good wall work by Rakell and Rust plus the benefit of a Flyer breaking his stick and skating off the ice for some reason. They still did need to perform better before getting to the fun stuff).
However, it did look like there were some adjustments made at 5v5, before we get to the part where, you know, it all goes to hell. Pittsburgh put bodies to the net and then got the puck there, battling through as they went. After only recording seven total SOG in the first and second games combined, the Pens put up 10 alone in the first period of this game.
They also schemed up a way to generate more speed through the neutral zone to bump or drop passes back and hit a player with speed to break through the layers of the Flyers’ defensive structure. Now we’ll see if Philadelphia has an adjustment for the adjustment. Nice to see the Pens’ coaches be able to install something useful that helped unlock the middle of the ice, even though ultimately they still ended up with a big goose egg with 0 5v5 goals for a second straight game.
The second period was infuriating and all those shrewd adjustments and best laid plans unraveled and went completely down the drain. Didn’t help to have Konecny go unpunished (and at times rewarded) for stirring the pot post-whistle by targeting opponent’s heads, but the Pens got pushed way away from where they wanted to be and were finding success. It’s 2012 all over again with the game unraveling. Wasn’t fun then, isn’t fun now!
Unravel is the word for Skinner too, which is a shame. He was so good in the early going. You could see his play and form slipping away, a puck hit his glove and he couldn’t keep close it up. Rebounds were starting to be placed in areas his team couldn’t get to them. A few seconds before the Zegras PPG, the puck rolled into Skinner’s stomach, he couldn’t stop it from rolling off it. Then the shot off the post seemed to put him on tilt, giving up a bad goal to Ristolainen seconds later to a shot he saw the whole way. Two game minutes later, another bad goal against from Seeler. Went it goes south for Skinner, it goes all the way there and very quickly. Turned out to be at the absolute worst moment, which again is a tough development since he was really good early in this game and serviceable enough up until the point where the bottom drops out.
Will Rust losing his mind be the moment that we think back of all summer and maybe beyond? He fell for the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Handed the Flyers a power play when the Penguins were up 1-0 and doing just fine. It was all downhill from there. Personally, I find it hard to criticize someone for responding and sticking up for themselves when getting elbowed in the head but the Pens always talk about how they need to be smart, walk away, let it go. Then they just never do, and the problem with rolling around with pigs is that you end up covered in the muck and the pig likes it.
Two power play goals aside for each team, two weak ones for Philadelphia were the difference. The Penguins going from 201 5v5 goals (2nd most in NHL) to now one 5v5 goal in three games is the story of the series. .
There’s disappointments about as far as the eye can reach, doesn’t help that 2024 playoff Anthony Mantha showed up. The one who got scratched by Vegas. Pittsburgh was within reach at 3-2 with time left and looking somewhat stable for a comeback effort. Mantha’s careless play of the puck and the subsequent PHI PPG to extend the lead to 4-2 put the game practically out of reach
Well, that’s that. The Penguins fall into a 3-0 series hole without much hope at this point. Their even strength offense has been nonexistent. Their goaltending has shown signs of cracks to where it’s not going to be anything to lean on. They play into their opponent’s hands by lacking discipline. About all of this paragraph applied in 2012 when the Flyers went up 3-0 and it now looks practically the same 14 years later. They get one more chance on Saturday in Game 4 to earn another one after that.
The Mets’ losing streak has finally come to an end, but their 3-2 win came at a cost. Francisco Lindor, who drove in the Mets’ first run of the night and scored their second, left the game after the fourth inning with left calf tightness on the night that Juan Soto returned from his stint on the injured list with a calf injury of his own.
Lindor opened the scoring in the game on a two-out infield single in the bottom of the first that scored Bo Bichette, who was in the leadoff spot tonight and started the inning with a double. And after Victor Caratini hit a sac fly off Clay Holmes to tie the game in the top of the fourth, Lindor smoked a single that tipped off Twins third baseman Royce Lewis’s glove. Francisco Alvarez smoked a double into the right-center field gap, and Lindor scored—barely—from first base, as he looked to be in discomfort as he completed his run around the bases.
That was the end of Lindor’s night, and the Twins tied the game up again when Clay Holmes served up a solo home run to Byron Buxton in the top of the sixth. Holmes had a very good night, though, as he wound up going seven innings, struck out three, walked one, and gave up five hits.
After Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver combined for a scoreless top of the eighth, the Mets eked out a run in the bottom of the inning when Mark Vientos, who had blown through a stop sign at third base earlier in the game to end an inning, hit a bloop single to right field to bring home Brett Baty with the go-ahead run.
That hit helped erase a pair of baserunning mistakes by the Mets, the first of which was made by Vientos himself when he blew threw a stop sign at third base and was thrown out at home by a wide margin to end the bottom of the sixth. The other was made by Soto, who attempted steal a base against lefty reliever Taylor Rogers after hitting a single in the eighth. Instead, he was picked off and thrown out just as easily as Vientos has been earlier.
As for the ninth inning, Weaver remained in the game and struck out the side, working around a two-out infield single to finish the game and give the team a sorely-needed win.
Big Mets winner: Mark Vientos, +25% WPA Big Mets loser: Luis Robert Jr., -17% WPA Mets pitchers: +40% WPA Mets hitters: +10% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos hits an RBI single in the eighth, +29% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Byron Buxton hits a game-tying solo home run in the sixth, -17% WPA
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals takes batting practice prior to the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will have a vexing decision to make about Jordan Walker sooner rather than later. Should they work to extend him or do they wait? There are arguments to be made that it’s worth considering, but at least an equal amount for why the team should wait.
I asked the question a few days ago on The Feed about who the St. Louis Cardinals should work to extend first. While JJ Wetherholt was the winner in a landslide, I was surprised to see that Jordan Walker was the second most popular choice.
The fact that this is even a conversation is borderline miraculous. Very few of us saw Jordan Walker starting the 2026 season in such an impressive way. Through the first 24 games, Jordan Walker is batting .292 with 8 home runs, 16 RBI’s with an OPS of .964. What’s even more remarkable to me is Jordan’s defense which has been a real eye-opener. He’s currently 2nd in the league in defensive runs saved with a +4 margin. I had to remind myself that Walker was not a natural outfielder, but was a 3rd baseman until the Cardinals began to convert him in 2022. His arm strength is becoming elite. There’s a lot to love about how far Jordan Walker has come, but there are also big reasons to pump the brakes on overreacting, too.
Before I look at the reasons why a Jordan Walker extension might be a terrible idea, let’s imagine what that contract might look like. There’s an interesting player to compare Jordan to and that’s Oneil Cruz. He signed a one-year contract for $3.3 million to avoid arbitration for the 2026 season. He’s under team control through 2028 just like Jordan Walker. He has a high-strikeout profile of around 32%. Jordan Walker’s strikeout rate was hovering around the same rate as of this week. Depending on who you ask, I’ve seen possible extensions for Cruz somewhere in the neighborhood of 6–8 years for between $100–$150 million. Cruz has elite exit velocity and a high barrel rate. The one thing that Cruz now trails Walker in is defense. Cruz is considered a massive defensive liability while Walker is more than a plus defender now. If (and that’s a big word that needs emphasis) the Cardinals were to seek an extension with Jordan Walker, I could see a deal looking very similar to Oneil Cruz.
If I were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, I would wait before going down the extension road with Jordan Walker. We’ve all seen some of the strikeout tendencies over the past week that look similar to the Jordan Walker we were all worried about during Spring Training and the past couple seasons. I’ve seen better decision making at the plate by Jordan Walker this season than any other previously, but I still want to see him be able to make the necessary adjustments now that opposing pitchers now recognize him as a threat. Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown said during a pre-game interview this past week that he’s working with Jordan on his approach now that he’s producing and other teams know it. At the bare minimum, I want to see Walker successfully adjust his approach and stay productive through the All-Star break.
Waiting brings with it a risk that the price of Jordan Walker will go up exponentially if he suddenly becomes an all-star near the top of the league in home runs in addition to his now spectacular outfield arm. He could be that middle of the order righthanded bat and a vital part of the new Cardinals core for years to come. But, the possibility remains that he could regress back to the Jordan Walker that some wanted sent back to the minors before the season started. Yes, I was one of them. My vote is that we all continue to enjoy and hopefully see the ascent of Jordan Walker into the player we all knew he was capable of becoming. When and if we commit to locking him into a long-term deal will be one of the most important decisions Chaim Bloom makes – for better or for worse.
Still, the Mets will take the victory, ending their longest losing streak since 2002.
Despite blowing a pair of leads and making some ugly baserunning mistakes, the Mets got a run-scoring bloop single to right by Mark Vientos to score Lindor’s replacement — Brett Baty — for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.
Luke Weaver got the final four outs to seal the win, striking out Byron Buxton to end it.
“It’s a sigh of relief,’’ Weaver said. “There’s a lot more games to play. Today was a great step in the right direction and it was gonna take a game like that to get us going.”
The right-hander has a point, if the first few weeks of the season are any indication.
The winning rally began with two outs and no one on in the eighth, as Baty and Francisco Alvarez walked before Vientos — who was thrown out by a mile after running through a stop sign to end the sixth — came up with a clutch hit.
The victory, their first since April 7, moved the Mets to 8-16, but was clouded by the Lindor injury concern.
The shortstop was removed after scoring from first base on Alvarez’s double to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the fourth.
Mark Vientos hits the game-winning single in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Twins on April 22, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for New York Post
He managed to just beat the throw home to give the Mets a 2-1 lead, but was slow rounding the bases and remained down at home plate momentarily before he got to his feet and returned to the dugout.
Lindor was removed prior to the top of the fifth, with Baty entering to play third base and Bo Bichette moving from third to shortstop.
The latest injury worry — as Lindor is set to get an MRI on Thursday — occurred just as the Mets got Soto back after the star was sidelined for 15 games with the calf injury he suffered while running the bases in San Francisco on April 3.
The Mets offense was nonexistent without Soto. They’d hoped the return of the $765 million star would turn their fortunes around — and Soto hit several balls hard Wednesday — but missing Lindor for any extent of time would also hurt.
Luke Weaver pumps his fist during his scoreless ninth inning in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Before he got hurt, Lindor had an RBI infield single in the first that gave the Mets an early lead after Bichette’s leadoff double.
The Twins tied the game in the fourth with a double down the right field line by Trevor Larnach to open the inning. Larnach advanced to third on a Josh Bell groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Caratini.
The Mets went up again when Lindor came home on Alvarez’s double, but Clay Holmes couldn’t hold the lead, as he allowed a homer to Buxton — his second in as many nights — to start the sixth.
Vientos drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the inning, and Marcus Semien doubled to the wall in left.
Juan Soto rips a single during the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Third base coach Tim Leiper clearly — desperately — tried to stop Vientos from heading home, but Vientos raced through the stop sign and was thrown out easily to end the inning.
It stayed that way in the top of the eighth, even after Brooks Raley and Weaver loaded the bases, as Weaver got Luke Keaschall to pop out.
In the bottom of the inning, Soto led off with a single but was caught stealing for the second out before the Mets took the lead for good on Vientos’ hit and Weaver closed it.
Clay Holmes, throwing in the first inning, allowed two runs over seven innings in the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
“It’s not very often you have such a talented team where everything doesn’t click in the right way,’’ Weaver said. “It’s quite an impossible feat, but we made it possible.”
That may as well be their slogan, since no team has ever lost 12 straight games and reached the postseason.
Perhaps this win will get them going.
“Now we can concentrate on just playing baseball and not about the losing streak,’’ Carlos Mendoza said.
(@Masterflip_) 
