The Braves and Angels went from zero to 100 real quick on Tuesday night.
And it wasn’t exactly heavenly in Anaheim.
The teams got into a chaotic benches-clearing brawl during Atlanta’s 7-2 win that even saw Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez throw punches at each other.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Soler took a pitch up-and-in that went to the backstop, which allowed Nolan Schanuel to go from first to second base.
MASSIVE brawl breaks out in Anaheim as Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López throw punches at each other after Soler took exception to a high-and-in pitch. pic.twitter.com/SOHkZjVqNn
Jorge Soler (12) and Atlanta’s Reynaldo López (40) fight during the fifth inning of a the Angels-Braves game on April 7, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. APBenches clear as Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles right fielder Jorge Soler (12) fight on the field during the fifth inning of the Angels-Braves game. Getty Images
But things only escalated from there. Soler appeared to take exception to the pitch and stared down Lopez as he got a new ball for the next pitch. The starter held out both of his arms, seemingly in disbelief at the reaction. But before long, Soler dropped his bat and the two both threw punches as the dugouts emptied.
As the action veered toward the first base line, a few Braves players tackled Soler to the ground before he could inflict any real damage on Lopez. Angels star Mike Trout and Braves first base coach Antoan Richardson pushed Lopez back to keep him out of the fray as the rest of the teams converged around Soler.
Jorge Soler (12) and Atlanta’s Reynaldo López (40) fight during the fifth inning of the Angels-Braves game. AP
Once the brouhaha was completely quelled, Soler and Lopez walked off and were done for the night, getting ejected from the ballgame. No other players were tossed.
Soler hit a two-run homer in the first inning, the only two runs Lopez allowed in his abbreviated outing.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton will miss the rest of the 2026 season after an MRI revealed UCL damage in his right elbow, Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before the Cubs game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the year.”
The exact procedure, whether it will be a full Tommy John reconstruction or an internal brace repair, won’t be determined until surgeons go into the elbow. Horton visited renowned elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
No surgery date has been set.
The announcement confirms what Cubs fans feared when Horton walked off the mound in Cleveland on April 3, after just 17 pitches. His velocity had dropped from 96 mph in the first inning to 93.8 mph on his final pitch before he waved toward the dugout.
It will be the 24-year-old right-hander’s second elbow reconstruction surgery. He had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2021. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft and broke through in the majors last season with an 11-4 record and a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. In his 2026 debut, Horton held Washington to two runs in 6 1/3 innings just one week before the injury.
The blow is particularly tough because the Cubs are already without ace Justin Steele, who is recovering from his own UCL surgery and is not expected back until late May at the earliest. With Matthew Boyd also on the injured list, the Cubs will lean on Colin Rea and Javier Assad in the rotation. Rea stepped up in a similar role last season, posting a 3.95 ERA across 27 starts after Steele went down.
“Colin’s going to be asked to pitch more innings out of the bullpen, and then somebody’s going to take Colin’s bullpen innings,” Counsell said. “That’s how it’s going to be addressed on paper. But it’s not all on Colin. ... We all have to just do our part.”
The Nets didn’t face Giannis Antetokounmpo in their 96-90 win over the Bucks on Tuesday night at Barclays Center, and it’s unclear if they’ll see him Friday when they travel to Milwaukee.
But it’s almost a fait accompli that they’ll call the Bucks about their want-away superstar this summer.
“They’ll make calls,” a source told The Post. “They’ve made calls in the past.”
Antetokounmpo has been Brooklyn’s proverbial white whale going as far back as 2023, with general manager Sean Marks hoarding draft capital to make a bid for the two-time MVP.
But Antetokounmpo has spent so long dropping bread crumbs about a potential exit but never pulling the trigger that the Nets’ timing has gone from terrific to terrible to…whatever it is now.
“If you’re going after max-level talent, they have to automatically and absolutely change the trajectory of your team,” Marks said at this point last year. “This can’t be like, ‘Let’s go get this [guy] and lock ourselves into being a six or seven seed.’ When we go all in, you’re going in to compete at the highest level and contend.”
The Nets never viewed Mikal Bridges as Superman, but as the perfect Robin to team up with a potential Batman like Antetokounmpo. And sources told The Post that Brooklyn’s hope had been to lure the Greek star back in 2023-24.
But when Antetokounmpo opted to stay put in Milwaukee, Marks pivoted and traded Bridges to the Knicks that June for a record-setting haul of five first-round picks and a swap. They picked a lane, and that lane was headed toward a rebuild with no exit ramp.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did not play, looks on during the Nets’ 96-90 win over the Bucks on April 7, 2026 at Barclays Center. John Jones-Imagn Images
There was irony in the fact that when Antetokounmpo finally met with Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst last July in his native Greece and expressed a willingness to leave the Bucks, it was only for the Knicks.
The hard bargain that Marks had driven a year earlier had hamstrung the Knicks and left them without enough draft capital to make a viable play for the superstar.
According to an ESPN report, Horst and Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers pitched Antetokounmpo and Bucks ownership on contending in the Eastern Conference after waiving and stretching veteran guard Damian Lillard. But a horrible start to the season saw Antetokounmpo and agent Alex Saratsis reiterate a desire to leave.
“With the whole Giannis thing, it made everything problematic for us,” Rivers said Tuesday night of Antetokounmpo’s injuries and lack of availability.
Nets general manager Sean Marks has had interest in Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for awhile. Jason Szenes for New York Post
“It’s been a tough year. I have not had a lot of these in my career, and this was not one that I thought we’d have one. On the injuries, we knew that our roster construction was tough. We were going to come into the season with quite a lot of young guys, a lot of minimum salary guys; but we thought it’d work. We thought Giannis would be available for 65 to 70 games. We did know that if we had injuries, it’s going to be a tough year.”
What has been a tough year for Milwaukee is about to get terrible.
Nets fans can sympathize, watching the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden break up without even getting the title that the Bucks did.
To be clear, with teams like the Heat, Warriors and Knicks perceived as likelier landing spots, it’s a long shot Antetokounmpo will end up in Brooklyn.
The odds are just better than the microscopic near-zero they were in February.
The Bucks reportedly rejected offers of four first-round picks from Golden State, and Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware plus assets from Miami.
Despite a Bleacher Report story that claimed Brooklyn had called the Bucks about Antetokounmpo, sources told The Post that the Nets never did. Having paid Houston dearly to reacquire their natural 2025 and ’26 first-round picks — and now committed to building with those lottery picks — it was the worst possible timing.
Entering the ninth inning on Tuesday, Sandy Alcantara hadn’t allowed a single run this season.
And after recording the first out, he was two outs away from his second straight shutout.
But a double from Matt McCalin and a walk to Elly De La Cruz put two Reds runners on base, and even with Alcantara at 95 pitches, Miami skipper Clayton McCullough saw enough to bring in reliever Anthony Bender, leading to some boos from the loanDepot park crowd.
Sandy Alcantara throws a pitch during the seventh inning of the Marlins’ 6-3 loss to the Reds in 10 innings on April 7, 2026 in Miami. Getty Images
The decision quickly blew up in Miami’s face. And the Miami ace wasn’t particularly thrilled with the decision-making.
Bender blew the lead, and the Marlins fell to the Reds, 6-3, in 10 innings.
Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, said that at his pitch count and a right-handed hitter coming up for the Reds, he felt he could have stayed in for at least another batter.
“I’m just a player,” Alcantara told reporters. “I understand there’s a decision, and you cannot control it. It just happened. It just happened. So I’ll be there with my teammates and my coaches, but I think next time, they have to make sure to ask me before taking me out of the game.”
McCullough said he was ready to go to Bender after the walk to De La Cruz put the potential tying runner on base.
“I know he felt like he had plenty left to go finish that game out,” McCullough said, per the Miami Herald. “Didn’t give him that opportunity.”
Sandy Alcantara walks to the dugout following the eighth inning of the Marlins’ loss to the Reds at loanDepot Park. Getty Images
It’s been a journey for Alcantara after he won the Cy Young, as he struggled in 2023 with an ERA over 4.00 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss all of ’24.
Last season’s return, while successful in the fact that he was on the field and threw 174 2/3 innings, did not provide great results with his 5.36 ERA and 1.271 WHIP.
This season has been a complete 180, with the two runs that scored in the ninth on Tuesday being the only ones charged on his ledger through 24 1/3 frames. The Marlins are 6-5.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Josh Naylor #12 of the Seattle Mariners fouls off a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There will come a period in this season when time unspools languorously, with the unobtrusive ease of a sport that plays a game nearly every day. The edges will soften, the agonies and exaltations abating in equal measure. You cannot sprint 162 times over.
Now is not that period. Now, time does not unspool. Time is a rusted coil of cables that has adhered to its massive spool on the docks through weather and neglect. It screeches when moved, an outraged howling against itself. Any ecstasy in progress makes the inevitable stoppage even more excruciating. Orange leeches onto hands, smears across wood, stains all it touches, etching its furious reluctance into everything it possibly can.
The Mariners are 12 games into the 2026 season, and…
…they have lost eight of those games.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…seven of those losses have been by two runs or fewer; five of them by one run.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…their starting pitching has looked so good.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when George Kirby went eight full innings with just 90 pitches, giving up three runs and no walks. He deserves to be Furious.)
…their defense has looked appalling.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Brendan Donovan’s throwing error ultimately allowed a run to score. Which is never ideal, but is particularly not ideal when you lose a game by one run.)
…their baserunning has appeared wildly suspect.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Luke Raley completely missed stepping on first base in the ninth inning and had to double back, which left him out of scoring position when J.P. Crawford singled in the next at-bat.)
…their offense has been putrid.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when they went an anemic 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Anyone remember Miles4RISP? Simpler times.)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Josh Naylor #12 of the Seattle Mariners fouls off a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There will come a period in this season when time unspools languorously, with the unobtrusive ease of a sport that plays a game nearly every day. The edges will soften, the agonies and exaltations abating in equal measure. You cannot sprint 162 times over.
Now is not that period. Now, time does not unspool. Time is a rusted coil of cables that has adhered to its massive spool on the docks through weather and neglect. It screeches when moved, an outraged howling against itself. Any ecstasy in progress makes the inevitable stoppage even more excruciating. Orange leeches onto hands, smears across wood, stains all it touches, etching its furious reluctance into everything it possibly can.
The Mariners are 12 games into the 2026 season, and…
…they have lost eight of those games.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…seven of those losses have been by two runs or fewer; five of them by one run.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…their starting pitching has looked so good.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when George Kirby went eight full innings with just 90 pitches, giving up three runs and no walks. He deserves to be Furious.)
…their defense has looked appalling.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Brendan Donovan’s throwing error ultimately allowed a run to score. Which is never ideal, but is particularly not ideal when you lose a game by one run.)
…their baserunning has appeared wildly suspect.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Luke Raley completely missed stepping on first base in the ninth inning and had to double back, which left him out of scoring position when J.P. Crawford singled in the next at-bat.)
…their offense has been putrid.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when they went an anemic 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Anyone remember Miles4RISP? Simpler times.)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Josh Naylor #12 of the Seattle Mariners fouls off a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There will come a period in this season when time unspools languorously, with the unobtrusive ease of a sport that plays a game nearly every day. The edges will soften, the agonies and exaltations abating in equal measure. You cannot sprint 162 times over.
Now is not that period. Now, time does not unspool. Time is a rusted coil of cables that has adhered to its massive spool on the docks through weather and neglect. It screeches when moved, an outraged howling against itself. Any ecstasy in progress makes the inevitable stoppage even more excruciating. Orange leeches onto hands, smears across wood, stains all it touches, etching its furious reluctance into everything it possibly can.
The Mariners are 12 games into the 2026 season, and…
…they have lost eight of those games.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…seven of those losses have been by two runs or fewer; five of them by one run.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers.)
…their starting pitching has looked so good.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when George Kirby went eight full innings with just 90 pitches, giving up three runs and no walks. He deserves to be Furious.)
…their defense has looked appalling.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Brendan Donovan’s throwing error ultimately allowed a run to score. Which is never ideal, but is particularly not ideal when you lose a game by one run.)
…their baserunning has appeared wildly suspect.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when Luke Raley completely missed stepping on first base in the ninth inning and had to double back, which left him out of scoring position when J.P. Crawford singled in the next at-bat.)
…their offense has been putrid.
(including the game tonight, against the Texas Rangers, when they went an anemic 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Anyone remember Miles4RISP? Simpler times.)
An incredibly difficult and painful season for Dmitry Kulikov has come to an end.
After Tuesday’s shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice told the media that Kulikov suffered a broken finger during the third period.
As a result, Kulikov won’t play in any of Florida’s final four games of the season.
“Dmitry won’t come back from that,” Maurice said.
It’s the third serious injury Kulikov has had to endure this season.
He suffered a shoulder injury two games into the season, missing the next 57 while recovering from surgery.
After finally returning to Florida’s lineup in early March, the veteran defenseman got 15 games under his belt before the next serious injury struck, this time breaking his nose during a 6-3 Panthers win over the Ottawa Senators.
Despite Florida’s season being over in terms of making the playoffs, Kulikov told the coaching staff that he wanted to continue playing and battling with his teammates.
He had to miss two games with the broken nose before he was medically cleared to play, returning to the ice on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Now, Kulikov is the third player in the past two weeks to be ruled out for the season due to a broken finger, joining Evan Rodrigues and Aaron Ekblad.
Rodrigues was hurt during Florida’s 3-2 loss against Minnesota on March 26 while Ekblad injured his finger in the same game Kulikov broke his nose.
“It’s just the standard injury here now,” Maurice said. “It’s just unbelievable what these guys have been through.”
The Panthers will continue their road trip on Thursday in Ottawa before playing their final road game of the season Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Photo caption: Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) controls the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López as the benches clear in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Benches cleared between the Angels and Braves at Angel Stadium in the fifth inning Tuesday night after Jorge Soler took exception with a high pitch thrown by Atlanta starter Reynaldo López and charged the mound, with each player throwing punches.
After the pitch, the two players stared at one another briefly before Lopez gestured at Soler, and the Angels batter charged the mound. López was holding a baseball as he threw a punch and made direct contact to the side of Soler's face, with the ball partially hitting Soler's helmet.
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
The benches quickly cleared and players separated Soler and López after a brief, but intense skirmish that pushed out toward the first-base side of the diamond.
Soler and López were ejected from the game. Major League Baseball likely will suspend both players.
Players on the Angels and Braves rush the field after Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López fight at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López as the benches clear in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Benches cleared between the Angels and Braves at Angel Stadium in the fifth inning Tuesday night after Jorge Soler took exception with a high pitch thrown by Atlanta starter Reynaldo López and charged the mound, with each player throwing punches.
After the pitch, the two players stared at one another briefly before Lopez gestured at Soler, and the Angels batter charged the mound. López was holding a baseball as he threw a punch and made direct contact to the side of Soler's face, with the ball partially hitting Soler's helmet.
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
The benches quickly cleared and players separated Soler and López after a brief, but intense skirmish that pushed out toward the first-base side of the diamond.
Soler and López were ejected from the game. Major League Baseball likely will suspend both players.
Players on the Angels and Braves rush the field after Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López fight at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López as the benches clear in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Benches cleared between the Angels and Braves at Angel Stadium in the fifth inning Tuesday night after Jorge Soler took exception with a high pitch thrown by Atlanta starter Reynaldo López and charged the mound, with each player throwing punches.
After the pitch, the two players stared at one another briefly before Lopez gestured at Soler, and the Angels batter charged the mound. López was holding a baseball as he threw a punch and made direct contact to the side of Soler's face, with the ball partially hitting Soler's helmet.
Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
The benches quickly cleared and players separated Soler and López after a brief, but intense skirmish that pushed out toward the first-base side of the diamond.
Soler and López were ejected from the game. Major League Baseball likely will suspend both players.
Players on the Angels and Braves rush the field after Jorge Soler and Reynaldo López fight at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros bats against the Athletics in the top of the fourth inning of a major league baseball game at Sutter Health Park on April 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The league’s best offense decided to take the night off as Astros pitching, defense continue to struggle.
It was a night to forget for the Astros offense, who managed just 1 run on 3 hits with one walk against Rockies pitchers Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, as Houston loses its second straight game in Denver, 5-1 to the Rockies.
A second inning opposite field HR by Christian Walker was the only run the Astros could muster.
In fact, they would get only one runner to second base the rest of the game.
Astros starter Mike Burrows was felled by his defense tonight much in the same way Ryan Weiss was felled by his defense last night.
In the bottom of the second inning, Burrows got Willi Castro to fly to left, or so he thought. LF Brice Matthews didn’t get a good jump on the ball, charged in and slid to make the catch, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove (which was somehow scored a hit) and allowed a run to score.
In the bottom of the fourth, Burrows allowed a 2-out single to T.J. Rumfield before hanging a slider over the heart of the plate that Castro blasted for a 2-run homer.
The Rockies got 2 more runs in the seventh. After Steven Okert allowed a one out walk, he was replaced by Kai-Wei Teng. Teng got Hunter Goodman to pop out for second out, but then surrendered a 426 foot HR to Mickey Moniak. That made the game 5-1, which would be the final score.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros bats against the Athletics in the top of the fourth inning of a major league baseball game at Sutter Health Park on April 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The league’s best offense decided to take the night off as Astros pitching, defense continue to struggle.
It was a night to forget for the Astros offense, who managed just 1 run on 3 hits with one walk against Rockies pitchers Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, as Houston loses its second straight game in Denver, 5-1 to the Rockies.
A second inning opposite field HR by Christian Walker was the only run the Astros could muster.
In fact, they would get only one runner to second base the rest of the game.
Astros starter Mike Burrows was felled by his defense tonight much in the same way Ryan Weiss was felled by his defense last night.
In the bottom of the second inning, Burrows got Willi Castro to fly to left, or so he thought. LF Brice Matthews didn’t get a good jump on the ball, charged in and slid to make the catch, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove (which was somehow scored a hit) and allowed a run to score.
In the bottom of the fourth, Burrows allowed a 2-out single to T.J. Rumfield before hanging a slider over the heart of the plate that Castro blasted for a 2-run homer.
The Rockies got 2 more runs in the seventh. After Steven Okert allowed a one out walk, he was replaced by Kai-Wei Teng. Teng got Hunter Goodman to pop out for second out, but then surrendered a 426 foot HR to Mickey Moniak. That made the game 5-1, which would be the final score.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros bats against the Athletics in the top of the fourth inning of a major league baseball game at Sutter Health Park on April 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The league’s best offense decided to take the night off as Astros pitching, defense continue to struggle.
It was a night to forget for the Astros offense, who managed just 1 run on 3 hits with one walk against Rockies pitchers Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, as Houston loses its second straight game in Denver, 5-1 to the Rockies.
A second inning opposite field HR by Christian Walker was the only run the Astros could muster.
In fact, they would get only one runner to second base the rest of the game.
Astros starter Mike Burrows was felled by his defense tonight much in the same way Ryan Weiss was felled by his defense last night.
In the bottom of the second inning, Burrows got Willi Castro to fly to left, or so he thought. LF Brice Matthews didn’t get a good jump on the ball, charged in and slid to make the catch, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove (which was somehow scored a hit) and allowed a run to score.
In the bottom of the fourth, Burrows allowed a 2-out single to T.J. Rumfield before hanging a slider over the heart of the plate that Castro blasted for a 2-run homer.
The Rockies got 2 more runs in the seventh. After Steven Okert allowed a one out walk, he was replaced by Kai-Wei Teng. Teng got Hunter Goodman to pop out for second out, but then surrendered a 426 foot HR to Mickey Moniak. That made the game 5-1, which would be the final score.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 7: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates his two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on April 7, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the series opening on Monday night, the Colorado Rockies managed to outlast the Houston Astros after a big fifth inning. Tonight in Game 2, they picked up where they left off, defeating the Astros 5-1.
It was a night of stellar pitching from starter Kyle Freeland and tonight’s closer Antonio Senzatela as well as consistent, timely hitting from Willi Castro and T.J. Rumfield with another Mickey Moniak home run.
The hits keep coming!
The Astros got on the board first with a Christian “Rockies Killer” Walker home run in the second inning. This is his fourth off Freeland and his 15th at Coors Field.
(Mickey, if you’re reading, you also look great in that purple coat.)
Castro finished the night 3-for-4 with three hits and three RBI.
Meanwhile, don’t overlook Rumfield who continues to be a consistent offensive contributor and also went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.
The Rockies finished the evening with five runs on 10 hits with two walks and — are you sitting down? — just four (four!) strikeouts.
“This is a different team, a new team,” Schaeffer said. “We feel like we’re playing good baseball.”
Kyle Freeland deals
If you’re into commemorating anniversaries, nine years ago today, Freeland made his MLB debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) — and tonight he was ready to celebrate in style.
Freeland went 6.1 innings on 81 pitches. He gave up one run on three hits, walked one, and struck out five. He did this on 10 ground-ball outs and a powerful pitch mix. Currently, he has a 2.30 ERA.
“He attacked the strike zone and was really efficient,” Schaeffer said after the game.
Freeland received a well-earned standing ovation when leaving the field.
Do pitchers get to wear the purple coat?
Because Kyle Freeland should absolutely get to wear it tonight.
Senzatela finishes the job
Schaeffer turned the game over to the bullpen in the seventh with Senzatela taking the mound.
He threw two pitches and got two outs, and he did not slow down.
In securing his first career save, Senzatela went 2.2 IP, giving up 0 hits and 0 walks while striking out three.
Schaeffer noted that Senzatela has made significant adjuments, which can be challenging for a veteran, “but he just looks like a different guy.”
It’s not hyperbole to say that he is unrecognizable from his 2025 pitching self.
Tune in tomorrow for Game 3 when Cristian Javier will take on Michael Lorenzen for the Rockies. See you at 1:10 pm.
