Padres 4, Mariners 1

Bryan Woo when he throws first pitch strikes: Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley, .03 WPA

Bryan Woo when he does not throw first pitch strikes: Bryan Woo, -.11 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

Good evening. Welcome back to another night of BCB After Dark: the grooviest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop in. You’re always welcome here. The dress code is casual. The hostess can 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 beat the Phillies tonight, 10-4. Riley Martin got his first career start and even though it was only for one inning, he retired the side in order on six pitches. He struck out Kyle Schwarber on three pitches. I mention this because I asked you last night if you thought that Martin would be a key part of the bullpen this year. You are bullish on Martin because 68 percent of you said “yes.”

I don’t normally do a movie essay on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, but I always have time for jazz. That time is now.

---

Tonight we’re featuring some bebop as saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie perform in Belgium in 1958. Joining those two greats are Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Gus Johnson on drums.

This is “Blues Walk.”

---

Welcome back those of you who left us for a while.

I don’t have to tell you that Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is off to a terrible start to the season. He was one of the best hitters in the National League last year, but so far this year, he’s been one of the worst. After getting two doubles in the season opener, his bat has fallen silent. He had an 0 for 30 streak before an bloop pinch-hit RBI single on Sunday against the Pirates. He didn’t play in Monday’s loss to the Phillies, but he was back out there tonight and had two singles. However, neither hit inspires all that much confidence. One of them was a pretty standard ground ball single that found a hole between the first and second basemen. The other was just a little infield dribbler towards third base.

The problem seems to be that Busch simply isn’t hitting the ball hard or in the air. He’s not swinging at more pitches that he did last year. He is seeing a few more pitches outside the zone than he did last year, but not enough to make that big of a difference. He’s making contact at roughly the same rate.

The problem is that he isn’t making good contact. Everywhere you look on the Statcast data, the quality of contact made by Busch is down. He isn’t hitting the ball as hard as he did last year and when he does, it’s on the ground. Busch isn’t hitting the ball in the sweet spot and much and his exit velocity is down. Ground balls are way up. His bat speed was always below average, but it’s down even more this year.

I can’t tell you why Busch is having trouble making quality contact. I suspect that if Busch knew what was going wrong, he wouldn’t do it anymore.

So how worried are you about this development? Are you concerned that Busch has lost his mojo? Or do you think he’ll snap out of this anyday and be one of the best first basemen in the league again?

Thank you for stopping by this evening. It’s always good to have so many friends around. Please get home safely—we don’t want to lose one of those friends. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said his outburst at a fan on Tuesday night came after an ugly comment directed toward him.

The 2024 All-Star was seen on the broadcast of Boston’s 6-0 loss to the Twins flipping off a fan at Minnesota’s Target Field after grounding out in the top of the fifth inning. Duran told reporters after the game that he was directing the bird at a fan who allegedly told him to kill himself.

“Somebody just told me to kill myself,” Duran told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “I’m used to it at this point, you know? I mean, (expletive) happens. I mean, I’m gonna flip somebody off if they say something to me, but it is what it is. I shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”

Jarren Duran flips off a fan in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/bLjRZYrjlV

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 15, 2026

According to the AP, manager Alex Cora did not see the incident.

This is not the first time Duran, 29, has confronted an antagonistic fan in his career.

During an April game last year in Cleveland, Duran angrily pointed at a fan — who was soon ejected from the ballgame — and had to be held back after they said “something inappropriate” at the outfielder. Duran did not explicitly say what the fan said but implied it had to do with his attempted suicide in 2022, which he revealed in a Netflix docuseries “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,” which came out shortly before the incident.

“The fan just said something inappropriate. I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me,” Duran said after the incident at Progressive Field. “When you open yourself up like that, you also open yourself up to the enemies. But I have a good support staff around me, teammates, coaches. There were fans that were supporting me, so that was awesome.”

Two seasons ago, Duran was suspended for two games after being caught on a hot mic using an anti-gay slur. The Red Sox said his salary for those two games was donated to the Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Duran apologized after the game and said he would make it a point to learn from his actions.

“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan,” Duran said in a statement released by the team on Sunday. “I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.

It might not have been the perfect performance he hoped for, but Noah Schultz pushed through a rough first frame of his major league debut to finish his 4 1/3-inning outing strongly, despite the White Sox (6 -11) dropping the first game of the series to the Rays (9-7), 8-5.

Schultz needed 33 pitches to get through the first, which could have led to a quick exit. The lanky southpaw was able to work around Yandy Díaz with no problem to start the game, but walked the next two batters for quick trouble. The first MLB hit surrendered by Schultz was a double to left field by Ryan Vilade to drive in the first run for Tampa Bay. A safety squeeze bunt from Ben Williamson caused a whole bunch of chaos, as Noah rushed his throw home rather than getting the second out at first and letting the run score, and the Rays added a third run to the board due to Schultz’s error.

First-game jitters were clearly coming into play, but Schultz was able to settle himself down and strike out Jonny DeLuca to get out of the inning. The rest of his night went more smoothly, though he allowed one more run in the top of the third; Williamson struck again, drilling an RBI double out to left for Tampa’s fourth run of the game. Schultz did facilitate a 1-2-3 inning in the second, and worked through the fourth just fine before striking out the last batter he faced.

Noah tallied four strikeouts alongside four walks, and he averaged a 32% called strike plus whiff rate (CSW%). His fastball (37% CSW%) was most effective, averaging 96 mph with three strikeouts and batters whiffing five of nine times. The throwing error on the bunt was definitely a learning experience, but overall Schultz’s fastball velocity and pitch movement along with the way he was able to power through his nerves after the first inning was definitely encouraging.

It took a few stanzas for the bats to wake up, but the White Sox offense did cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the third. Miguel Vargas was robbed on a diving play from Chandler Simpson to start the inning, but Munetaka Murakami walked for his second time of the night, and Chase Meidroth ended up on first after catcher’s interference (his back foot essentially stepped on the catcher Nick Fortes’ foot in the batter’s box).

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, baseball is the gift that keeps on giving:

Just a few minutes after I got through complaining about the fact that manager Will Venable decided to bat Everson Pereira in the cleanup spot, Pereira came up with two runners on and ripped a three-run homer out to left to make it 4-3, Tampa Bay. I believe the exact phrase I used was “automatic out,” and I will happily eat my words for a home run any day of the week:

Spoiler alert: The White Sox did not come remotely close to scoring again until they were down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth, but they once again fell short in their rally. In fact, they only mustered five hits all night and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position while leaving nine runners on base. Does it really matter that your offense stinks while your bullpen isn’t doing anything to help itself, either? I mean, yes, it does, but with the White Sox you can’t really have your cake and eat it too; precisely why their pitching has been phenomenal lately while their offense is incapable of scoring runs.

Lucas Sims was first out of the pen for the Good Guys (1 1/3 innings), and he was unable to prevent additional runs from scoring as two more were tacked on, thanks to three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Lefthander Brandon Eisert was next in line, and his stat line was unfortunately a carbon copy of Sims’, so the Rays expanded their lead to five, 8-3.

Finally the pitching calmed down a bit with Jordan Hicks in the eighth — something I probably never thought I’d write — and he was able to get out of the inning without anyone scoring despite giving up two hits, the first of the South Side pitching staff accomplish the feat. Bryan Hudson, the power forward (6´8´´) to Schultz’s center (6´10´´) was solid for the top of the ninth (one hit and one strikeout), also preventing any further runs from scoring.

Things did briefly get a little interesting for the South Siders in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs. Vargas had walked with one out, and Mune was the last hope for the Sox after Meidroth popped out. Murakami blasted his fifth homer of the season to cut the Tampa lead to three, 8-5.

Attempting to re-ignite a rally, Tanner Murray singled to extend the inning at least one more batter. Working to a full count, it was starting to feel like Edgar might get on so that Colson Montgomery would come up to bat as the tying run, but that fleeting hope and excitement was extinguished when Quero flew out to center to end the game.

---

The Milwaukee Brewers were in dire need of a win on Tuesday night to end a five game losing streak. The reincarnated Home Run Race of 1998 has hit the Brewers with Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez continuing to go tit-for-tat in their bid to be the Crew’s home run leader.

It started with Jake Bauers in the 4th inning. After a single from Brice Turang and a walk from Sanchez, Jake Bauers crushed his 5th home run of the season into the Brewers bullpen, 418 feet away from home plate. That gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead.

The Blue Jays then answered in the 5th with a solo home run from Andres Gimenez and then again in the 6th with a solo shot from Marshfield, WI native Daulton Varsho.

The Brewers had two on and nobody out in the 5th and 6th innings but failed to capitalize in either end.

Then Gary Sanchez happened. He crushed a hanging curveball 409 feet out to left field to provide the Brewers a huge insurance run. That run became all the more important when Abner Uribe allowed a run in the 8th on an RBI groundout by Vlad Guerrero Jr. That left a 4-3 ballgame for closer Trevor Megill.

Megill, coming off a horrendous outing last time out on Friday, had to face the 5-6-7 hitters in the Blue Jays lineup. He allowed a leadoff walk (never a good thing), then a ground rule double, then a single and quickly the Blue Jays tied the game. A soft groundout by Andres Gimenez brought in another run, then a single from Ernie Clement brought home the insurance to make it a 6-4 Blue Jays lead.

Then the Brewers miraculously come back in the bottom of the 9th. Sal Frelick walked, stole second, then Brice Turang brought him home with a single. Turang then stole second, Jake Bauers was intentionally walked, then Brandon Lockridge delivered a game tying double. A walk to Garrett Mitchell loaded the bases for Joey Ortiz, because of course it did. Ortiz promptly struck out on three pitches.

Then in the 10th, Vlad Guerrero Jr doubled, Eloy Jimenez added insurance and the Jays put up another three run inning and the Brewers couldn’t fully come back again in the bottom half.

Jacob Misiorowski threw the ball well, despite feeling sick.

“I felt like I was gonna throw up the whole game” Misiorowski said.

That’s exactly how most of the 25,143 in attendance felt watching the 9th inning as well. Pat Murphy told reporters postgame that he is considering a change in the 9th inning role but wouldn’t commit to that change in the moment.

The Brewers will be back at it on Wednesday with Chad Patrick on the mound.

Kenley Jansen needed little introduction when the Detroit Tigers signed the 38-year-old closer to a free agent deal back in December. He’s one of the truly great relievers in the game’s long history. The one year, $9 million deal was a pretty reasonably price for an all-time great even on the downside of his career. The Tigers also have a $12 million option on Jansen for 2027 to exercise should they choose. As a result, the Tigers’ faithful in Comerica Park on Tuesday night got to see a little history as Jansen closed out the Royals for his 479th save, seizing third place on the all-time saves list behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

Jansen’s career is a pretty incredible story. The Curacao native was originally signed as a catcher. He didn’t hit enough as a minor leaguer to make it as a position player, but he was gifted with a strong throwing arm. At a certain point, a Dodgers coach suggested he try pitching, and Jansen discovered that the over-the-top motion favored by catchers to deliver a straight ball to the bases on stolen base attempts had given him a gift. Much like Mariano Rivera, who discovered his magic cutter by accident, Jansen too was quickly throwing a true unicorn of a cutter. There are plenty of high velocity cutters around the game, but none of them combine the late cutting action of Jansen’s pitch with extremely good riding action. It’s a true cut fastball, the likes of which have rarely been seen in the game, and Jansen has ridden that pitch to a Hall of Fame caliber career.

I wrote about the cut fastball during the offseason, so we won’t go on about it again, but you can read that article here.

Of course, this is all well and good, but after two postseason appearances, and with the expectation of losing Tarik Skubal in free agency, the fanbase wants present results, not individual player history. The Tigers fanbase has a rough relationship with the idea of signing a great closer in the later years of their career. We don’t even speak of Joe Nathan in my household. Jose Valverde got the job done for a while, and even Francisco Rodriguez had a pretty good season in Detroit before things finally fell apart for him. But the Tigers haven’t had an elite closer in their prime arguably since Joel Zumaya.

There were understandably some fears about Jansen, in particular the notion of making him the dedicated closer rather than mixing and matching between him, Will Vest, and Kyle Finnegan the way AJ Hinch has had to use his fairly makeshift bullpens over the past few years. Jansen still has the outrageous cut fastball, but it’s not the same quality of pitch at 92.8 mph, his 2025 average, as it was when he was sitting 95+ for all those years with the Dodgers. On the other hand, Jansen still has a lot of extra tools to get hitters out, from his size, distinct high arm slot, ability to hide the ball until late in his delivery, and his ability to post up on his right leg and wait different beats before delivering the ball, and still doing all that with good command. He’s also developed a sinker into an occasional change of pace weapon to jam right-handers, and a pretty good slider with a lot of depth to play off the eyeline of the cut fastball.

Still, with his strikeout rate in decline over the last two years, it’s reasonable to expect that Jansen is just a good reliever these days, and certainly no one special. The fact that he averaged about 92 mph in his first few outings for the Tigers wasn’t real encouraging. However, there was a very good sign on Tuesday night, as Jansen dialed the cut fastball up to 96 mph and topped out at 96.8 mph. He only threw 10 pitches 96 mph or better last season. On Monday night, he topped 96 five different times and that 96.8 mph cutter in the ninth was his fastest recorded pitch since 2024. Jansen doesn’t need to throw that hard to be really good, but he’s a much more imposing pitcher when he’s 94 mph or better.

Way back on July 25, 2010, Kenley Jansen collected the very first save of his career, closing out a victory for the Dodgers over the New York Mets. He took over after an eight inning scoreless performance by young Dodgers’ ace, Clayton Kershaw. His catcher that day was Russell Martin. Almost 16 years later, he racked up save number 479 throwing to Dillon Dingler. That save lifted him above Lee Smith (478) to rank third all-time.

It’s been a truly remarkable career, and Jansen’s work ethic and drive have sustained him far longer than anyone could have imagined. Detroit Tigers’ fans will hope he’s got plenty more in the tank, not to reach the 500 saves plateau, or somehow catch Trevor Hoffman at 601, but to help the Tigers put together a special season.

The Colorado Rockies rolled into Daikin Park hoping to end a four-game losing streak by winning their fourth consecutive game against the Houston Astros in two weeks.

While they chipped away at an Astros lead amassed in the third inning, the Rockies could never quite get there, losing the series opener 7-6.

Innings 1-3: The Rockies start climbing — and then fall back

The Rockies offense got off to a quick start with a Hunter Goodman home run in the first inning off the lefty starter Colton Gordon.

The Astros got on the board in the second inning, however, with a home run from — who else? — Christian Walker (his fourth of the season).

Things took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the third, which started with a Christian Vázquez double followed by a Willi Castro error that put Jose Altuve on base. After that, Michael Lorenzen was called for a balk, and then Yordan Álvarez entered the chat with a two-run double, tying the game at three.

There were no outs.

Things only went downhill from there. With two outs in the third, after a seemingly endless series of Astros hits and Rockies defensive adventures (Castro had another error), the score was 7-3. At that point, Lorenzen was knocked out of the game with Antonio Senzatela entering in relief.

When the inning (finally) ended, the score was 7-3 with the Astros sending 11 batters to the plate.

Lorenzen’s final line was 2.2 IP on 71 pitches with seven runs, two earned, on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. His ERA is 9.18.

It seemed like yet another game in which the Rockies were too far behind to catch up.

“It just seemed like we were unable to stop the bleeding,” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

Innings 4-7: A slow (but steady) climb

As it turns out, the Rockies were not done yet.

Jordan Beck went yard in the top of the fourth making the score 7-4.

Kyle Karros and Jake McCarthy followed that with their own singles before Tyler Freeman was HBP. (It looked painful.) That knocked Gordon out of the game.

Mickey Moniak came in to hit for Brenton Doyle but popped out to short, leaving the bases loaded.

As for Gordon, he finished the evening with 3.2 IP on 68 pitches. He allowed four runs (all earned) on eight hits while also striking out five.

Goodman led off the fifth inning with another home run, and the score was 7-5.

Innings 8-9: The mountain was too steep

The Rockies mounted another comeback in the eighth as Ezequiel Tovar and Karros managed walks. Troy Johnston came in for McCarthy and promptly hit an RBI single, making the score 7-6 Astros.

There were two on and two out when Moniak came up, but he popped out, ending the inning.

The Rockies kept pushing in the ninth. After two quick outs, T.J. Rumfield hit a single followed by a Tovar single. Brett Sullivan came in to pinch run for Rumfield and stopped at third, leaving questions as to whether he should have continued home.

Beck stepped to the plate after going 2-for-4 with a home run and a single. However, he struck out looking, ending the game, giving the Rockies yet another one-run loss.

The Rockies finished the evening with 6 runs on 12 hits. They went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base with four walks and 12 Ks.

The Astros never scored again after the third inning, but the Rockies couldn’t overcome the deficit.

“These guys are getting better every day,” Schaeffer said. “We just need to turn these one-run losses into some wins.”

Then he added, “We’re going to turn the page.”

Antonio Senzatela and the bullpen finished strong

The reinvented Antonio Senzatela entered the game in the third to get the elusive final out, which he did, striking out Altuve and then settling in to pitch a gorgeous 3.1 innings. He gave two only two hits on 43 pitches and is now scoreless in his last five appearances.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Senzatela changed the tenor of the game. He stopped what seemed to be an endless Astros rally and gave the Rockies an opportunity to get back into the game.

Schaeffer described Senzatela as “incredibly important” to the Rockies. “You know he’s going to keep you right in the game.”

Juan Mejia pitched the seventh and gave up two hits before getting three outs.

The eighth went to Zach Agnos who made quick work of the Astros, striking out two and getting a ground out to end the inning.

Up Next

Join us tomorrow night for Game 2 at 6:10 pm. Neither team has announced their starting pitcher.

---

---

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

George Lombard Jr. continues to prove himself capable against MLB’s elite.

The 20-year-old Yankees prospect went 2-for-4 with two RBIs — with a booming double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler — in the Double-A Somerset Patriots’ 9-6 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday.

Wheeler, making his fourth rehab start with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate as he recovers from surgeries for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome, retired Lombard on a strikeout and a flyout in his first two plate appearances.

George Lombard Jr. with a big league RBI

The @Yankees' No. 1 prospect plates a run for the @SOMPatriots on a long double off rehabbing Major Leaguer Zack Wheeler. pic.twitter.com/3HtUczKa1K

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 15, 2026

In the bottom of the sixth, however, Lombard ripped the first pitch he saw to right-center for an RBI double, giving Somerset its first run of the game.

He added an RBI single in the seventh to extend Somerset’s lead to 7-3.

The three-time All-Star, who struck out nine and allowed three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, spoke glowingly about Lombard’s potential.

“He was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters after his outing at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., per The Trentonian. “You could tell he’s a good, strong kid. He has a good bat path. He’s gonna be a good player.

“Hopefully I don’t have to face him too much.”

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ top prospect entering the season, Lombard’s offense has begun to match his defensive prowess.

He entered Tuesday in the midst of a torrid seven-game stretch, slashing .464/.531/.857 with two home runs and four RBIs.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard is building on an impressive spring training, which included hitting a homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

“It’s always good getting to face the elite guys in the league,” Lombard said at the time. “I was excited for it. Looking for something to hit, not trying to do too much with it and put a good swing on it.”


Lombard continued to stand out defensively at shortstop, with team brass expressing confidence in his future once he showed improvement with the bat.

“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said in March about Lombard’s development. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”

Lombard, a natural shortstop, showed versatility on Tuesday as he made his professional start at third base to make way for shortstop Anthony Volpe, who began a rehab assignment as he nears a return to The Bronx.

Volpe went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, and made one throw to first base on a groundball before being lifted in the sixth inning — as Lombard shifted back to shortstop.

Volpe echoed Wheeler’s comments in praising Lombard’s abilities on both sides of the ball.

“I thought he looked great,” Volpe said postgame. “He made great plays in the field, good at-bats and smoked that ball to right [field].

“He’s a really hard worker, really great kid. It’s gonna be really exciting.”

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3, Charlotte Knights 0
’Twas the series opener against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, not a run was scored — hardly any hits! Charlotte’s lackadaisical stat line tells the whole story. Three hits, three RBIs, and a whopping 13 strikeouts sprinkled throughout the lineup. Somehow, Jarred Kelenic, who’s barely hanging onto his professional career, was the only batter to avoid striking out. Yeesh. 

At least starter Doug Nikhazy, who was claimed off Cleveland’s waivers recently, had a strong outing. He tossed four scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out four. As the guy who is presumably Noah Schultz’s backfill in the Knights rotation, Nikhazy provided a reminder that hitting consistency remains a major issue in the White Sox’s talent pool.

Doug Nikhazy through 4 in Jacksonville. #Knights still in a scoreless tie. pic.twitter.com/onAp0NW6F9

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 14, 2026

---

Birmingham Barons 5, Chattanooga Lookouts 4
In what has been a slow start to the season, the Barons snapped their four-game losing streak with a walk-off win over the Lookouts. 

The top of the order kicked things off with a three-run surge in the first and another run in the second to give the Barons an early advantage. RBI machine Ryan Galanie scored and drove in two of Bham’s first four runs, ending the night as a key contributor. Sadly, the runs paused shortly after. 

Bham was cruising behind Shane Murphy’s six-inning shutout start until Nick Altermatt relieved him. The righty reliever gave up three runs between the seventh and eighth on pitches and calls that didn’t go his way, and Jairo Iriarte allowed Chattanooga to tie it up. Luckily, the top of the order delivered timely hits. Galanie led off the ninth with a single, Jeral Pérez followed suit, moving what turned into pinch-runner Andy Weber to third. Leave it to Samuel Zavala to take the Barons home!

---

Winston-Salem Dash 16, Asheville Tourists 6
It was raining runs in Winston-Salem! The lineup cycled through nearly four times to shower Asheville with an onslaught of runs in the first half of the game. Starting with a three-spot in the first, Ely Brown got the game going with a walk and a stolen base, then a rare triple from Colby Shelton, and a wild pitch from Tourists starter Luis Rodriguez. Everything went downhill for Asheville from then on, and to make matters worse, the Dash added five runs just for fun in the eighth to tire out the Tourists’ pen further. Thanks, Caleb Bonemer, for another brilliant performance! Winston-Salem did a number on Asheville, deriving seven of 16 runs from home runs and getting a free trot to first nine times.

The lineup’s excessive runs compensated for an unimpressive bullpen. Without Gabe Davis’ three-inning scoreless start, the Dash would’ve been hanging onto its lead tighter. Jake Curtis provided another strong relief outing, not allowing a run in almost three innings while striking out three to drop his ERA to 1.30 and WHIP to 0.67.

A @CalebBonemer HOME RUN! @AtriumHealthWFBpic.twitter.com/Hgo1P6ld7F

— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) April 14, 2026

BACK TO BACK! @ColbyShelton9 sends one out of here!@AtriumHealthWFBpic.twitter.com/b0kgmRYKlW

— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) April 14, 2026

BACK TO BACK TO BACK 🤯@ant_depino with ANOTHER Home Run! @AtriumHealthWFBpic.twitter.com/b7bCcZGD2w

— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) April 14, 2026

---

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 0
Like Charlotte, Kanny put up no effort against Myrtle Beach. The CBs were hopeless against Pelicans pitchers, who got plenty of calls in their favor and served plenty of hittable pitches on a silver platter. But the bats were dead for another night.

Riley Eikhoff put in a full day’s work for the Ballers, taking full responsibility for three of the Pelicans’ four runs. Eikhoff pitched soundly, giving up a home run off a precisely placed strike that Cole Mathis somehow got a huge piece of to pull the ball left-center out of the park. You really can’t blame Eikhoff for that one. Chicago’s ninth round pick in the 2025 draft is having a turbulent start to his minor league career after giving up four runs in his first start and none in his second. It’s too early to say if this is rookie jitters or if this spells trouble for his big league career.

MATHIS MASH !!! pic.twitter.com/ok4rLVyfeL

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 15, 2026