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Why Hicks sees learning opportunity in Giants' loss to Yankees originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It was smooth sailing only until it wasn’t.

After throwing four strong innings in the Bronx on Saturday, Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks ran into trouble in a fifth inning that ultimately doomed San Francisco in its 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees.

The top of the Yankees order came to the plate and every single one of them delivered, as New York strung together five consecutive baserunners in the fifth before the Giants were able to record an out. At that point San Francisco already was trailing 4-2 when reliver Randy Rodriguez was handed the ball with the bases loaded and no outs, a fire even he wasn’t able to extinguish.

It was another rainy, cold affair at Yankee Stadium, but Hicks didn’t blame the weather for an outing that saw him finish with seven earned runs across four innings of work. Rather it was Hicks’ reliance on his fastball that the flamethrowing right-hander believed led to an outing he and the Giants would like to put in the rearview mirror as soon as possible.

“I’ve definitely been a part of some rainy ones, some cold ones. That was probably top-three, top-five coldest,” “Hicks told reporters after the game. “I feel like I had some good stuff today, probably threw a few too many fastballs. I had the off-speed working, so I should’ve just thrown more of that and mixed it better. Live and learn, and move on to the next one.”

While Hicks has made a living in the big leagues behind his blazing heater, the ability to mix in off-speed pitches will play a major role in his continued development as a starting pitcher after being a back-end bullpen option for the majority of his MLB career.

The Giants are in the midst of a brutal part of their schedule, with 17 consecutive games without a day off on the docket, with more than half of them coming on the road against quality opponents.

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin alluded to that gauntlet when explaining why he wasn’t as quick to yank Hicks off the mound when his starter ran into trouble in the fifth inning.

“Look, I mean I had to give him [Hicks] a little rope there, we got 17 games in a row,” Melvin said. “Second, third and fourth he looked really good as we’ve seen earlier this year, and then in the fifth just couldn’t get an out. Put together some good at-bats and strung them together on him. Had to bring Randy [Rodriguez] in a tough situation, and that obviously was kind of the inning that decided the game at the time, it certainly gave them some breathing room.”

All wasn’t bad in the loss. The air was cold, but Wilmer Flores’ bat stayed hot, as the veteran designated hitter launched a game-tying home run into the stands in the second inning, ultimately driving in all four of the Giants’ runs on the day.

Barry Bonds walked so Wilmer Flores could run 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kgNwPRhU07

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 12, 2025

Who else but Wilmer 💪 pic.twitter.com/oZOiX7wdIK

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 12, 2025

Despite Hicks’ tough outing, the Giants still are in position to grab a series win in Sunday and start their 10-game road trip off on the right foot before heading to Philadelphia for a four-game set with the Phillies.

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When Marcus Stroman left the field after getting just two outs in Friday's 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants, the veteran right-hander told the team his knee was bothering him, and it has led to an IL stint.

The Yankees announced that they put the 33-year-old on the IL with left knee inflammation, hours before their game on Saturday. In a corresponding move, the Yankees have called up RHP Allan Winans.

Once Stroman left the dugout, he had an X-ray done at Yankee Stadium before heading to a hospital for further tests. Manager Aaron Boone said before Saturday's game that he hadn't spoken to his starter yet, but once he arrived to the stadium, the team doctors would update them on Stroman's condition.

"The hope is it's not something too serious and that we can attack this and hopefully be a little bit of a source of maybe some of the things not having him as sharp as he needs to be," Boone said after Saturday's 8-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. "Hopefully we can attack this and it be something that we can benefit from and can get him physically where needs to be and then translate that onto the mound."

Friday night's game was not easy to play in. The rain and high winds affected fly balls and clearly affected the pitchers. Stroman couldn't get out of the first and some of the Yankees relievers -- like Yoendrys Gomez -- had trouble gripping the ball.

It led to Boone discussing the weather with the umpires and grounds crew between innings before the game was delayed in the sixth and ultimately called.

The question of whether the weather affected Stroman's ability to pitch on Friday was brought up, and the Yankees skipper couldn't give a definitive answer.

“We haven't been in ideal conditions most of the start of the season here. And that affects everyone a little bit different," Boone said before Saturday's game. "But Stro’s also been doing this a long time and pitched in these situations a lot before. I'm sure that all plays a role, even we saw on the other side. Even though we only got one run last night, it was a grind for [Giants starter] Robbie Ray. 

“It's just one of those rare games where, you know, it's a challenge and we saw that on the pitching front last night.” 

In three starts this season, Stroman has struggled. He's 0-1 with a 11.57 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP, and allowed nine runs in his last two outings while only pitching 4.2 innings.

Now that Stroman is on the IL, a returning Clarke Schmidt will take his spot in the rotation for the time being. That gives Will Warren and veteran Carlos Carrasco more chances to prove they belong in the rotation when Stroman eventually returns.

The New York Rangers are all set for their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes today at 3:00 PM EST. 

Here’s everything you need to know from a Rangers perspective. 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Artemi Panarin-Vincent Trocheck-Jonny Brodzinski

Will Cuylle-J.T. Miller-Mika Zibanejad

Chris Kreider-Juuso Parssinen-Alexis Lafrenière

Brett Berard-Sam Carrick-Matt Rempe

Defensemen:

K’Andre Miller-Will Borgen

Carson Soucy-Adam Fox

Urho Vaakanainen-Braden Schneider

Goaltenders:

Igor Shesterkin 

Jonathan Quick

Notable Storylines:

• The Rangers are coming off of an 8-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. 
• Igor Shesterkin is set to start for the Rangers. 
• Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann will be scratched out of the lineup.
• The Rangers currently hold a 37-35-7 record.
• The Hurricanes are coming off of a 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals.

The Yankees rotation is struggling to start the season.

Entering Saturday, New York's starters have an ERA of 5.46 -- the highest in MLB. The non-Max Fried arms (Carlos Rodon, Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman) have not done their jobs consistently enough to help the Yankees bats get through the cold spring months.

Fortunately for the Yankees, reinforcements are on the way in the form of Clarke Schmidt.

The 29-year-old righty completed his second rehab start with Somerset on Friday and rejoined the team on Saturday and says everything went well.

"Everything went good and feeling good," Schmidt said in front of his locker before Saturday's game. "Happy for where everything's at."

Schmidt was slotted to make the rotation out of spring training, but a rotator cuff injury forced him to the IL to start the season. Six weeks later, and Schmidt's return is imminent.

The right-hander said he hasn't been told his return date -- manager Aaron Boone had said he's penciled him for the the Kansas City Royals series early next week -- but Schmidt will throw a side session Saturday and go from there.

And it can't come at a better time. Stroman struggled in the inclement weather in Friday's 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants, where the veteran right-hander could only get two outs before being pulled. To add injury to insult, Stroman told the team his knee was nagging and he underwent tests.

While the Yankees await word on Stroman, they'll need Schmidt's steadiness after the rotation's rocky start to the season.

Last season, Schmidt pitched to a 2.85 ERA and a 1.184 WHIP in 16 starts.

“Excited to get him back, obviously," Boone said prior to Saturday's game. "He's turned into a really good pitcher in the league. Feel like he's in a really good spot, too. His setbacks in spring training were pretty minor in nature. So the biggest challenge for him, is just been getting built up. Excited to get him back and know what he can mean to our staff."

When asked if he had a sense of urgency to return knowing the rotation's struggles, Schmidt brushed it off.

"I have a sense of urgency regardless, regardless of how we're doing or how anybody's performing," he said. "I'm eager to get out there. So, doesn't affect me."

What did affect Schmidt was landing on the IL and not being able to help the Yankees (7-6) get off to a better start.

"It's obviously frustrating. I want to be out there competing with my guys," Schmidt said. "This is something that I don't want to happen. Being able to go out there and compete every five days is something that I hold close to my heart and I want to make sure that I'm able to do that. Play at a high level consistently and be one of the guys that these guys rely on.

"Definitely looking forward to putting this past me and getting out there and being able to do that."

After the weekend series with the Giants, the Yankees will host the Royals for a three-game set starting Monday. Schmidt is expected to make his first 2025 start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Sanchez racks up GIDPs, big day for Castellanos as Phillies even series in St. Louis originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ST. LOUIS – When Rob Thomson decided this weekend to protect Bryce Harper with Kyle Schwarber, the natural next question became, who protects Schwarber?

On Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium it was Nick Castellanos, who had three hits and a pair of doubles, the first of which scored Harper and Schwarber after both reached base in the opening frame for the second consecutive game.

If the Harper-Schwarber duo remains intact against right-handed starting pitchers, the hitter in the No. 5 spot will have plenty of RBI opportunities. Not only do Harper and Schwarber hit for power but both also walk a ton.

In Friday’s series opener against the Cardinals, Harper and Schwarber walked and singled but were stranded when Castellanos lined out to right field. Saturday was a good example of how one early swing and a couple of early runs can change an afternoon. With a quick lead and an effective Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, the Phillies were in control the whole way and won, 4-1.

Sanchez dealt with traffic on the basepaths but induced double plays in four of the first five innings. Three of them weren’t even on particularly well-located pitches, but Sanchez has an elite changeup, a mid/high-90s sinker and a slider that continues to improve. The better the stuff, the more wiggle room a pitcher is afforded.

Sanchez’ sinker averaged 96.1 mph in his first two starts but, curiously, he threw a couple at 91 in the first inning. The velocity was right back to the 96 mph range thereafter, including some 97s, so it might have been a matter of Sanchez either settling in or intentionally adding and subtracting.

The Phillies lefty is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA through three starts after Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano and Jose Alvarado recorded eight outs to uphold his win.

Thomson used the same top half as in Friday’s series opener, leading off Bryson Stott with Trea Turner, Harper, Schwarber and Castellanos following. J.T. Realmuto was back after a night off, so Alec Bohm moved from seventh down to eighth. Bohm struck out looking and grounded out sharply in his first two at-bats before finally finding a hole in the seventh with an infield hit between short and third.

Stott, 0-for-4 on Friday in his first game out of the leadoff spot, made better contact on Saturday, lining out to begin the game and doubling home Brandon Marsh in the top of the fifth. Stott has hit .344 this season against right-handed pitchers and will likely continue to lead off against them. Marsh’s run came after a two-out walk and had to feel good given his recent lack of production. He also sacrificed Bohm to second base in the seventh inning, enabling him to score two batters later on a Turner single.

With Zack Wheeler on the mound for Sunday’s rubber match, the 9-5 Phillies have a good chance to make it a .500 road trip and win their fourth series out of five. It will be interesting to see how they set the lineup against left-hander Matthew Liberatore. The top four could be Turner, Harper, Schwarber, Castellanos in that order. Bohm will likely move up a couple of spots, and Edmundo Sosa could start for Stott.

Sanchez racks up GIDPs, big day for Castellanos as Phillies even series in St. Louis originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ST. LOUIS – When Rob Thomson decided this weekend to protect Bryce Harper with Kyle Schwarber, the natural next question became, who protects Schwarber?

On Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium it was Nick Castellanos, who had three hits and a pair of doubles, the first of which scored Harper and Schwarber after both reached base in the opening frame for the second consecutive game.

If the Harper-Schwarber duo remains intact against right-handed starting pitchers, the hitter in the No. 5 spot will have plenty of RBI opportunities. Not only do Harper and Schwarber hit for power but both also walk a ton.

In Friday’s series opener against the Cardinals, Harper and Schwarber walked and singled but were stranded when Castellanos lined out to right field to end the top of the first. Saturday was a good example of how one early swing and a couple of early runs can change an afternoon. With a quick lead and an effective Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, the Phillies were in control the whole way and won, 4-1.

“He’s just driving the ball in the gaps,” Thomson said. “When he does that, he’s in pretty good shape. The five-strikeout game, you don’t see that too often, but like I said the other day, I don’t think a guy like Nick really thinks about it, it’s just a new day and he moves on.”

Castellanos was indeed 0-for-5 with five K’s on Thursday in Atlanta, but the Phillies have played 13 other games and he’s performed in most of them. He’s looked comfortable at the plate since Opening Day. His plate coverage has been solid. He had four at-bats Saturday and picked up hits on a pitch down-and-in, a pitch up-and-in, a pitch over the middle, and he lined out on a pitch just off the plate away. He’s also consistently driving the ball to right and right-center, which has always been his trademark when going well.

“It reassures that I’m in a good spot,” Castellanos said, “and I really like my work that I’m doing with (hitting coaches) Kevin (Long), Raffy (Pena) and Dustin (Lind).

“If you take out that one night in Atlanta, I just feel like I’ve controlled my at-bats decently for the most part.”

Sanchez dealt with traffic on the basepaths but induced double plays in four of the first five innings. Three of them weren’t even on particularly well-located pitches, but Sanchez has an elite changeup, a mid/high-90s sinker and a slider that continues to improve. The better the stuff, the more wiggle room a pitcher is afforded.

“That keeps me in the game, too,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I was able to stay out there until the seventh inning. I love double plays. The defense did a great job today.”

Sanchez’ sinker averaged 96.1 mph in his first two starts but, curiously, he threw a couple at 91 in the first inning. The velocity was right back to the 96 mph range thereafter, including some 97s. Sanchez said his body just felt off on Saturday.

The results weren’t. The Phillies lefty is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA through three starts after Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano and Jose Alvarado recorded eight outs to uphold his win.

“The first inning, he looked a little lethargic but then he picked it up in the second and got back to normal,” Thomson said. “He was really efficient, which was something we needed today. We should, for the most part, have a full bullpen tomorrow.”

Thomson used the same top half of the order as in Friday’s series opener, leading off Bryson Stott, followed by Trea Turner, Harper, Schwarber and Castellanos. J.T. Realmuto was back after a night off, so Alec Bohm moved from seventh down to eighth. Bohm struck out looking and grounded out sharply in his first two at-bats before finally finding a hole in the seventh with an infield hit between short and third.

Stott, 0-for-4 on Friday in his first game out of the leadoff spot, made better contact on Saturday, lining out to begin the game and doubling home Brandon Marsh in the top of the fifth. Stott has hit .344 this season against right-handed pitchers and will likely continue to lead off against them. Marsh’s run came after a two-out walk and had to feel good given his recent lack of production. He also sacrificed Bohm to second base in the seventh inning, enabling him to score two batters later on a Turner single.

It will be interesting to see how the Phillies set the lineup Sunday against left-hander Matthew Liberatore. The top four could be Turner, Harper, Schwarber, Castellanos in that order. Bohm will likely move up a couple of spots, and Edmundo Sosa could start for Stott.

With Zack Wheeler on the mound for the rubber match, the 9-5 Phillies have a good chance to make it a .500 road trip and win their fourth series out of five.

“It gives us a lot of confidence knowing we don’t have to get it done the first time through the lineup, even second time through the lineup, that we’re still in the game,” Castellanos said of the Phillies’ top-tier rotation. “I think it also helps us relax a little bit because we do have an explosive group of guys that can put up runs pretty quick.”