The Orioles coughed up two different leads on Tuesday night as starter Shane Baz was, yet again, inconsistent, and the team’s bullpen had a rare stumble. All of it led to a frustrating 6-5 loss to the Royals, evening up the series at one game apiece.

The Orioles’ half of the second inning felt like a game-changer in the moment. They made Royals starter Kris Bubic throw a ton of pitches. Jeremiah Jackson saw five pitches before singling, Weston Wilson walked after nine pitches, and Leody Taveras lined out on the seventh pitch of his at-bat.

That all happened before Coby Mayo gave the O’s an early lead with his first home run of the season, a 114-mph bomb that went 439 feet down the left field line. Swings like that are why the organization continues to believe in Mayo.

Normally, when someone throws 38 pitches in one inning, they aren’t in for a long night at the office. Bubic would prove otherwise. The southpaw rebounded from the nightmarish second frame and then delivered four consecutive scoreless innings to protect the Royals bullpen for as long as possible. That is both an indictment of the Orioles’ offensive showing for much of this game, but also an impressive bit of veteran moxie from the 28-year-old Bubic.

Orioles starter Shane Baz had himself yet another uneven outing in the black and orange. Over 6.1 innings, the righty allowed four runs on eight hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Kansas City’s first run of the day came in the bottom of the second. Carter Jensen doubled with one out, moved to third base on a wild pitch, and then trotted home on a Michael Massey sac fly to right field. That made it a 3-1 Orioles advantage.

Baz worked out of trouble in both the third and fourth inning. The third saw him get a big groundout of Vinnie Pasquantino with two outs and two runners in scoring position. In the fourth, he again stranded runners at second and third by getting a strikeout followed by a pop out.

That luck would run out in the fifth inning, when the Royals would tie the score up at 3-3. Kyle Isbel opened the frame with a double, and then moseyed home on a single by Maikel Garcia. The speedy Garcia then scooted to second base on a ground out before stealing third base. That then put him in position to cross the plate on a Pasquantino sac fly to knot things back up.

It seemed like O’s manager Craig Albernaz was testing Baz from there. The righty worked a shutout sixth inning, which included two big strikeouts on what felt like a finale to his day. But he had only thrown 85 pitches, and the bullpen was thin after going to extra innings on Monday. So, Albernaz brought the starter back for the seventh. That would prove to be a poor decision.

Isbel doubled yet again to begin the inning. This came right after he had taken a pitch that was called ball two but should have been strike three. The Orioles had a challenge to use, but Rutschman decided against it. After the double, Isbel advanced to third on a wild pitch and was then joined on base by a Garcia walk. Albernaz followed that with a visit to the mound, where it seemed like he was prepared to yank Baz from the game. Instead, they had a quick chat, and he stuck with him for one more batter. That batter was Bobby Witt Jr. It worked out fine, relatively. Witt did drive in Isbel with a sac fly, and Baz was then removed. But Grant Wolfram came in and limited the damage from there, leaving his one inherited runner stranded and keep the game at 4-3 after seven innings.

The Orioles would go back ahead in the eighth inning. Gunnar Henderson led off with a double down the left field line. Then Adley Rutschman, fresh off of his brief IL stint, came up clutch with a two-run homer to left field off of reliever Matt Strahm.

Despite a really rough patch in the game’s middle innings, somhow the Orioles found themselves ahead 5-4 going into the late frames. Considering how good their bullpen has been to this point, it felt like a win was incoming.

Think again.

Rico Garcia was called on for the eighth inning. Prior to today’s game, the righty had basically been perfect this season. He had yet to allow a hit or run on the year. That streak ended with the first batter he faced on Tuesday. Michael Massey led off the eighth inning with a solo homer to give us yet another deadlock, this one at 5-5. Garcia did look really good outside of that at-bat, but the damage had been done.

The Orioles failed to score in their half of the ninth inning, and then they brought on closer Ryan Helsley for the bottom of the frame. He had not control in this one, as he issued walks to both Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. to begin the inning. A strikeout of Pasquantino didn’t help much because it came on a pitch in the dirt that allowed the two runners to advance anyway. Then, with Salvador Perez at the plate, Helsley spiked another pitch in the dirt. Rutschman blocked it, but it bounced too far away from him in front of the plate, leaving plenty of time for Garcia to sprint home from third as the winning run.

This was one of the rare Orioles losses that can mostly be pinned on the bullpen. That’s not to say that Baz was great, because he wasn’t. But he provided 6.1 innings. And that’s not to say the offense had some incredible performance, because they didn’t. But they scored five runs and produced a lead late. The Orioles need to count of the duo of Garcia and Helsley to lock down those wins. It didn’t happen tonight.

There was good news buried within the loss.

Rutschman’s return was a welcome one. He instantly adds depth and credibility to the lineup. It also freed up Samuel Basallo to be a pinch-hit option late in the game. It turns out that when your best players are healthy, your team is more dangerous. Very interesting discovery, that is.

Mayo’s homer was awesome too. The young slugger still has some runway here while Jackson Holliday is out to figure things out at the plate. Could that dong be the first step? We sure have to hope so. The Orioles, as a team, need to be hitting more home runs. Mayo should be a reliable source of them.

Outside of that, it was just a tough loss to the take. Can’t dwell on it. Just go get the series win tomorow.

Speaking of which, he Orioles will wrap up this series, this roadtrip, and the 13-day run without a day off on Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City. Chris Bassitt (0-2, 6.19 ERA) will be on the bump to face Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.00 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:10 from Kauffman Stadium.

If only he were doing this in Queens.

Ronny Mauricio had a three-home run night for the Syracuse Mets on Tuesday in a 12-3 road win over the Worcester Red Sox. 

The three-homer night by Mauricio was the 17th time in franchise history a Syracuse player has done it and the first since Trayce Thompson homered three times in a game on May 17, 2024. 

It has continued Mauricio’s strong start to the minor league season. 

Not one, not two, but THREE homers for Ronny Mauricio @Mets | @SyracuseMets | @MetsPlayerDevpic.twitter.com/ata75CqorP

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 22, 2026

His first home run of the night came in the top of the fourth when Mauricio sent a blast to right-center field on a 1-0 slider from Red Sox pitcher Isaac Coffey. 

Mauricio hit his second of the evening when he sent a ball over the center field wall in the top of the fifth inning for a two-run homer that helped the Mets open up a 5-0 lead. 

Three innings later, he completed the hat trick when he sent another ball to center field, which struck a screen, to give the Mets a 12-1 lead. 

Mauricio now has five home runs in his last four games and six total homers since the start of the minor league season. 

The third baseman has 17 hits on the season, with 13 RBIs, five stolen bases and a batting average of .315. 

It’s been a wild ride to start the 2026 MLB season for Maurio. He was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after a strong spring down in Port St. Lucie. 

The Mets then called him up on April 6 after Juan Soto was put on the injured list and the next day, he recorded his first career walk-off hit in a win over the Diamondbacks.

It was the Mets’ last win as the big club extended their losing streak to 12 games with a 5-3 loss to the Twins at Citi Field on Tuesday night. They have scored one run of less six times during that stretch.  

Mauricio was optioned back to Syracuse on April 13 in order to make room for Tommy Pham on the MLB roster.

It’s another Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents nd Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us. New friends or old, all are welcome. The dress code is casual. We’ve still got a few tables available. 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 seventh-straight game, beating the Phillies 7-4. For all the early-season nail-biting, this team looks pretty darn good right now. Let us hope they stay that way.

Last night I asked you what the Cubs should do with Jordan Wicks after he returns from the injured list. The majority of you said “Leave him in Iowa” as 56 percent voted for that. Another 34 percent thought he should go into the Cubs depleted bullpen.

On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do a movie essay, but I always have time for jazz and that time is now. You can skip ahead if you wish.

Today we’re continuing our series on Chicago jazz in anticipation of International Jazz Day in Chicago on April 30. This is Chicago’s own saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Von Freeman at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1988. This sax battle features Willie Pickens on piano, Dan Shapera on bass and Robert Shy on drums.

Welcome back to those of you who skip all that jazz.

Since Moisés Ballesteros, also known by the nickname “Mo Baller,” was called up to the majors for good last September, he’s done nothing but hit. So far in his career, he’s hitting .333/.405/,529 with five home runs in 39 games. When you throw out his numbers from his first stint in the majors last May, the numbers are even better.

This year, Mo Baller is hitting .378/.420/.600 with three home runs in just 50 plate appearances. I don’t need to tell you that’s elite production. Those are the kinds of numbers where you don’t care whether or not he ever learns to be a catcher. You just stick him in the lineup at designated hitter and let him do his thing.

The problem with this, of course, is that the Cubs aren’t just sticking him at DH and letting him do his thing. Ballesteros is being strictly platooned, playing only against right-handed pitching. So far, manager Craig Counsell’s strategy has been to start Ballesteros against right-handers and then pull him for a pinch-hitter (usually Matt Shaw or one of the other two catchers) if the other team brings in a left-handed reliever to face Ballesteros. Then Counsel goes to Michael Conforto as the DH if a right-handed pitcher comes in later.

So far, this strategy has worked. Saturday’s game was the best example, and I know some of you grumbled when Counsell pinch hit for Ballesteros in the sixth inning. Of course, everyone who did happily reversed themselves when Carson Kelly hit a pinch-hit three-run home run, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was the right call in the situation. Sometimes in baseball, the wrong call works out and the right call fails.

So far, Ballesteros is hitting .405 with a .447 on-base percentage against right-handers and .000 with the same on-base percentage against lefties. Of course, that’s only three at-bats against lefties. Counsell has been pretty strict about not letting Mo Baller face a lefty.

Ballesteros has mixed success facing left-handed pitching in the minor league. Last year in Iowa versus left-hnaded pitching, Ballesteros managed to hit just .230/.296/.281 in 152 plate appearances. That would argue that Counsell is doing the right thing by sitting him. But in 2024, between Iowa and Tennessee, Ballesteros was actually better against left-handers than right-handers. He hit .302 with a .356 OBP against lefties in 2024 and “just” .285 with a .354 OBP versus right-handers. So there is some evidence that Ballesteros can hold his own versus left-handed pitching if given the chance.

Should Counsell let Ballesteros face more left-handed pitching? No one is arguing Ballesteros should be starting everyday, against both lefties and righties. At least not at this stage of his career. What I am asking is whether you think that Counsell should be less aggressive in pinch-hitting for Ballesteros mid-game. Letting him get some at-bats against lefties would serve two purposes. The first is that it would give him more experience facing lefties, which he needs if he’s going to be an everyday DH. The second would be that it would leave Ballesteros in the lineup for the late innings if the opposing team goes to an right-handed reliever later on.

Of course, the argument against this is that what Counsell is doing now appears to be working. Having Michael Conforto on the bench lessens the risks of pinch-hitting for Ballesteros.

So what would you do with Mo Baller? Would you let him at least get his feet wet against lefties? Or would you just stick with what Counsell is doing now? Again, we’re not asking if Ballesteros should start every game, just whether or not Counsell should not automatically pinch-hit for him mid game. Maybe get a rare start against a left-handed pitcher.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re always glad to see you stop by. Please get home safely. Don’t forget anything around your table. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.

The Phillies have had their share of poorly pitched ballgames this season. While they have had games in which they’ve given up more runs, there’s a case that this was actually their worst pitched game of the season. The Phillies’ pitching staff gave up 12 hits, walked ten batters, and hit two others for good measure. The pitchers and the strike zone were not in sync all night. There were several instances in which pitchers looked either scared to throw a strike or simply had no idea where the strike zone actually was.

The only reason the game wasn’t more of a blowout was because Cubs left a staggering 17 runners on base. But that ultimately didn’t matter as the Cubs still scored enough runs to hand the Phillies a 7-3 defeat, their seventh loss in a row.

Jesus Luzardo got the start for the Phillies, and had a relatively uneventful first inning, giving up a mere single. In the second, he allowed two hits but stranded them both. Because he apparently likes patterns, in the third, Luzardo put three runners on bases thanks to two walks and a hit batter, but he once again was able to strand them all.

After stranding two more in the fourth, Luzardo put two runners aboard in the fifth. Rob Thomson decided that Luzardo had pressed his luck far enough and called upon Orion Kerkering to record the final out of the inning. Kerkering was notoriously bad with inherited runners in 2025, and that was again a problem on Tuesday night. He walked the first two batters he faced to put the Cubs up 1-0.

The Phillies had done little on offense up to that point, but when Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run in the sixth to make it 1-1, you might have thought it would be deflating for the Cubs.

Any deflation was countered by the ineffectiveness of Tanner Banks in the bottom of the sixth. Banks gave up three hits and walked two batters, and the Cubs went up 3-1.

Tim Mayza followed Banks, while he threw more strikes than the others, two of those strikes went over the fence courtesy of Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki, and the Cubs established a 6-1 lead.

The Phillies got two runs thanks to a Bryce Harper home run in the eighth, but Jose Alvarado handed one of them right back. Alvarado walked a batter, gave up two hits, threw a wild pitch, and then hit a batter before being pulled with what was reported as a back spasm.

The Phillies showed a little bit of life in the ninth. They got a few runners aboard, and Alec Bohm got one home on a sacrifice fly. They actually had the tying run at the plate in the form of Trea Turner. But anyone familiar with Turner’s game knew how that was going to go. Sure enough, Turner weakly popped up to end the game.

They’ll be back in action Wednesday night when Taijuan Walker will get the ball after an opener. While that doesn’t sound promising, the Phillies pitchers on Tuesday set the bar extremely low. Let’s see if Walker and company can clear it.

Pelicans pitcher Mason McGwire was named Minor League Pitcher of the Week. That’s for all the minors.

Catcher Owen Ayers was named Midwest League Player of the Week. He was also promoted to Double-A Knoxville.

For the second-straight week, Smokies right-hander Grant Kipp was named Southern League Pitcher of the week.

Corner infielder Cole Mathis was promoted from Low-A Myrtle Beach to High-A South Bend.

Shortstop Geuri Lubo was promoted to South Bend from rookie ball Mesa Cubs.

Right-handed pitchers Daniel Avitia and Connor Knox were both promoted to South Bend from Mesa.

Catcher Miguel Useche was demoted from Knoxville to South Bend.

South Bend third baseman Brian Kalmer was released.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were battered by the Louisville Bats (Reds), 10-3.

Starter Paul Campbell took the loss after getting knocked around for seven runs, six earned, on nine hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

All three I-Cubs runs came on a three-run home run by left fielder Dylan Carlson in the fourth inning. Carlson was 1 for 4.

Third baseman BJ Murray went 3 for 4 with a double.

Right fielder Chas McCormick was 2 for 3 with a double and one run scored.

Carlson’s home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were spotted by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 4-0.

All four runs in this game scored in the top of the second inning off of Smokies starter Nick Dean. Dean allowed four runs on five hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Dawson Netz tossed three innings of scoreless relief, giving up just one hit and one walk. Netz struck out four.

DH Andy Garriola went 2 for 4 with a double.

Shortstop Karson Simas was 2 for 4.

Owen Ayers’ Double-A debut was rough. He was 0 for 4 with one strikeout, but the worst part was that he was called for catcher’s interference twice.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs slew the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 16-10.

Kevin Valdez started and put the Cubs in an early hole by surrendering five runs on eight hits over three innings. He struck out four and walked one.

South Bend fought back and took a 10-6 lead after scoring five runs in the top of the eighth. But Nate Williams came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth and couldn’t retire a batter. So Ethan Bell relieved Williams and allowed two inherited runners to score, which tied the game up 10-10. But Bell got the win after South Bend scored six runs in the top of the ninth.

The final line on Williams was four runs, two earned, on three walks. For Bell, it was no runs on one hit over two innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Shortstop Miguel Olivo hit his first South Bend home run, a solo home run in the third. Olivo went 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored five times and drove in two.

Right fielder Kade Snell was 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBI.

Third baseman Matt Halbach went 2 for 6 with an RBI double and a two-run single in the ninth.

Left fielder Reginald Preciado was 2 for 4 with two walks and two runs scored.

First baseman Cole Mathis was 1 for 6 in his South Bend debut, but he hit a three-run double in the eighth.

Olivo’s home run.

Mathis’ three-run double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were hammered by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 6-2.

Dominick Reid started for the Birds and took the loss after he gave up three runs on five hits over three innings. All three runs came in the second inning. Reid walked two and struck out one.

Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 5 with an RBI single in the seventh inning.

First baseman Michael Carico was 1 for 4 with a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base. He also drove in a run in the seventh with a single.

The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Pittsburgh Pirates scored one run.

Talk about branching paths.

With the Rangers holding a scant 2-1 lead with two outs in the top of the fifth and with two Buccos on the bags for Pittsburgh, Texas hurler Kumar Rocker was nearing that point in the game where he often runs out of bullets. It was at this moment that the fate of tonight’s game was basically decided in an instant.

You’ve heard AJM speak on the most momentum shifting play in baseball, the two-out, three-run home run. Well, Pittsburgh all but enjoyed such an occasion when Oneil Cruz sent one deep to left-center for what looked like his 7th dong of the year, a surely crippling shot.

However, Rangers center fielder Evan Carter sprouted wings and robbed Cruz of providing Pittsburgh with a 4-2 lead as the game was exiting the middle innings.

Who knows what could or would have happened if Carter hadn’t stolen from the Pirates in broad rooflight, right in front of their stunned bullpen.

Would Rocker have been lifted having disappointedly coughed up the lead even though he appeared on his way to a stellar start?

Would an already overworked bullpen be forced to continue eating more innings as this homestand begins?

Would the softer underbelly of the ‘pen be called in, potentially allowing Pittsburgh to blow the game open further?

Would the bats have stayed quiet with all the air squeezed out of the balloon on one swing of Cruz’s bat?

We’ll never have to understand the mysteries of that other universe as Carter showed us the newest most momentum shifting play in baseball.

Buoyed by Carter, the Texas lineup put together a three-run bottom of the inning to turn what could have been a 4-2 deficit into a 5-1 lead that would eventually become the final score. With the win, the Rangers begin their homestand and this series with a victory as they climb back over the .500 hurdle.

Player of the Game: While Carter certainly had the play of the game with his home run thievery, Rocker did collect 17 other outs during his six innings of one run work which deserves a hat tip.

The former Vandy first-rounder was aided by Carter, sure, but he also ultimately allowed just the one run on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in his first Quality Start of the year and first big league start in which he made it beyond five innings since 6.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers in mid-July of last season.

Up Next: More Pirates and Rangers with RHP fellow Vandy Boy Jack Leiter next up for Texas opposite RHP Braxton Ashcraft for Pittsburgh.

The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.